Winter ESB (2011)

Jen discovered this beer at RIBco last Wednesday during the Local beer tapping party. I was so excited I asked Thad (manager of Hy-vee Wine and Spirits) if he had it in. He did. The very next evening we bought a six pack. Luckily I had one left before I realized I needed to jot a review down for 2011!
Check out 2010's Winter ESB

Appearance: Copper colored with an underlying haze about it. Carbonation can be seen when the beer is held to the light, along with small particulates suspended as if the media were gelatin. The head is a strong foamy cream with a couple eyes (larger bubbles) interspersed throughout. Lacing is sticky and slightly dry.

Aroma: Rye and biscuit come through most prominently, along with dark fruit such as plums and raisins. A toasty undertone gives a brief transition to a subtle fruity hop complexity.
Taste: The taste is just as I remember it. Malty and sweet, yet evenly balanced with a fruity, slightly pined bitterness. The front is composed of toasted and biscuity malts, while the rye comes through more in the finish. Fruity esters, and interactions between malt and hops produce deceptively similar flavors to plums, cherries and even kiwi. As the beer warms, I draw more undertones of brown sugar in the sweetness. The finish is spicy of rye, but dry with a mild pine and earthy flavor.

Mouthfeel: A front of the tongue fizz sizzles initially, but then is distributed palatably across the entire mouth. The higher end of Medium bodied with a smooth creamy mouthfeel. The finish, due to the hops is confined with a spiced, yet dry afterfeel. Definitely stickiness is left on the lips. Refreshing, nonetheless.
Overall Impression: I still love it. Perhaps this one has a bit more of a body to it than those of the past, but the flavor is extremely similar and the rye is still to die for. Smooth and crisp, yet fulfilling and satisfying. The flavor profile is equally complex with fruits and malt flavors running rampant throughout.


91/100

Pilsner Beer

Tasted Tuesday Evening with Josh and Jen while discussing what to make for dinner and the terrifying logistics of student loans...

Appearance: Light straw in color with a very subtle haze, otherwise the beer remains quite clear. The head isn't substantial as it remains just filmed with a soapy consistency over the surface of the beer. Dry styrafoam like lacing coats the sides of the glass. Carbonation is aggressive and paralleled to soft drink.

Aroma: Lemon zest and herbal elements make up most of the overall scent. Relatively bready along with a mild grain husk malt bill. Some notes of dried leaves derived from the combination of malt and hops permeates the nostrils. Generally, quite grainy. Even a bit stale smelling.
Taste: The malt backbone isn't acknowledged until the very end in the form of light biscuit malt and bready complexity. However the panorama of flavor sways more towards a very grainy taste than what I'd expect from most pilsners. Some lemon character emerges at the end along with a floral hop bitterness. As the beer warms, more of the malt is present. Some butteriness to the beer though making me think...low notes of diacetyl.
Mouthfeel: Very light body with a bit of at the end. The carbonation is very strong, spiking the tongue as it travels past the palate. Definitely felt as it goes down. Thus, mouthfeel is aggressively textured
Overall Impression: I wasn't very excited about the graininess of this beer. It fell along more of the parameters of tasting old than being fresh and crisp.  Not one of Schlafly's bests.


73/100

Schlafly Pumpkin Ale (2011)

Thanks to Karen Scharr for bringing me this bottle on Thursday while I was working at the Brewery. Jen and I tasted it while we carved pumpkins in the front yard Saturday afternoon.

Appearance: Rubied copper colored with a relatively clear hue. Consistently rising carbonation flocculates throughout the beer, yet it doesn't support much of a head at all, only a speckled film resides with a dense bubbly white ring. Dotted wet lacing drip down the sides of the glass upon each taste.
Aroma: Ginger bread with an earthy scent followed by a richly incorporated spicing. Malty sweetness again but also paralleled by a fruity undertone, reminiscent of plums and pears. Some brown sugar along with apple. Clove and cinnamon round out the finishing smell.
Taste: Big nutmeg and clove spicing but still to maintain the essence of pumpkin. Foretaste is sweetened with noticeable brown sugar and earthy pumpkin undertones. Spicing hits midtaste, and rounds out with a ginger bread complexity with tints of cinnamon. Ginger helps finish out the beers flavor with a drying tannin flavor. Aftertaste remains relatively fruity. Still, overall the ginger/nutmeg predominate.
Mouthfeel: Medium carbonation and that goes for body as well. Some tackiness to the lips. The overall important characteristic is the strong drying element of the beer leaving the
Overall Impression: Definitely a beer to be enjoyed, if and only if you are in the mood. It depends whether it is cold (more drying pumpkin spice) or warm (more sweeteness and esters). I've had a couple when I was just really wasn't in the mood. Otherwise, if you're caught at the right pumpkin moment, this can be a really enjoyable beer.


85/100

Kölsch Style Ale

Thanks to the guys at Brew Ha Ha for giving me a couple beers that I haven't tried. I waited about 2 weeks until I got around to this, which I reviewed on Sunday evening after having done nothing most of the day.

Appearance: Golden straw colored with a short lived head. Yet, there is still some retention maintained in a densely foamed ring and an accumulated film pattern in the center of the glass. Lacing silhouettes the sides. Some haze is present, but the beer still glows.

Aroma: Pungent and lagered. There is a cleanliness about this beer in a beer-smelling way. Touches of lemongrass as well as minute notes of yeast emerge upon swirl.
Taste: A very mild foretaste of light 2-row and wheat malt are picked up. Midtaste helps balance with a refreshing glimpse of hops as the beer rolls over the back of the tongue. As the carbonation begins to foam, the lemon-like Saaz hops present a fresh, yet drying taste. Some pungent yeastiness, but overall quite clean. The very finish is a bit leafy with a resinous taste, but very appealing to the palate.
Mouthfeel: Carbonation is on the higher side, but not enough to loss any flavor. Mouthfeel is smooth and creamy, yet the texture provides a crisp refreshing feel. The finish is very dry.
Overall Impression: A very well rounded light beer with a complex, but simplified flavor. Minute lemongrass-like crispness and a yeasty pungency, yet still remaining clean. Nice work again Schlafly!


87/100

Oktoberfest Beer

Thanks to the guys working the Schlafly booth at Brew Ha Ha for allowing me to take this. I reviewed this at the end of a lazy Sunday having fit in a 17 miler earlier in the morning and watching Arrested development.

Appearance: More of a rich darker colored Amber, yet still fitting to the color. The head isn't anything substantial, aside for the minor white soapy film that forms on top following the pour. Clarity is at a max, making the strong carbonation highly visible within the glass.

Aroma: Robust toasted malt character is the first impressionable scent to permeate the nostrils. It's lightly sweetened with a touch of graininess. Smells clean with no fruit or astringent elements to it. Even and generally quite simplistic.
Taste: Toasted malt takes on the majority of the flavor within this beer. As a predominating element of most Oktoberfests, Schlafly left little else to interfere with the consumers palate except for just that: The rich toasted malt foundation. It starts with a plain sweetness, but by midtaste, it becomes easily clear to one the intention of the beer. Hops play a neutral role, and there really isn't much by way of spicing. However, the beer does finish with a subtle woody-lignan dryness that does nothing to corrupt the flavor experience. Dry, but balanced, and generally quite clean.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, but the carbonation does its job of breaking it up a little bit to reveal a soft and smooth texture without the bite of overwhelming fizz on the tongue. The end is dry with a woody resined feel when rubbing the tongue on the roof of the mouth.
Overall Impression: Very enjoyable and easily drinkable. Schlafly left the consumer with a beer that puts its utmost focus on the malt, and did nothing to incorporate anything that would detract from the toasted malt. Smooth, crisp and certainly a top of the line Oktoberfests of the season.


88/100

Unfiltered Wheat Hefeweizen Ale

Enjoyed following a day working at the brewery. Yesterdays practice had me feeling extremely sore, so I decided it was best to take the day off. Purchased within an assorted six pack from the Rock Island Hy-vee.

Appearance: Pale golden straw color with a surmounting haze that makes this beer look like dehydrated urine! (don't worry, it's a lot better). Aggressive carbonation continually rises to the surface where it finds little to no head to fuel. Hardly a ring of bubbles is present.

Aroma: Smells slightly grainy with a touch of clove and spice. Banana and lemon. There is also an undertone of fruity citrus and an ever apparent yeast note about it. Pungence and bready present themselves at the forefront of the nose.
Taste: Lemony sweet to the taste with an attributive bready malt character. The citrus is a very prominent, especially in the finish where it contributes a tart sourness. The beer is subtly yeasty, but not in the slightest overpowering. The midtaste is a bit grainy, but there is enough of a sweetness to mask it. The finish of the beer is most impressive as it exhibits sweetened lemon notes, some other fruit esters as well as a bitterness that I fall favorable upon. It finishes dry
Mouthfeel: Light body with a bubbly fizz of carbonation in the middle. The finish however is a bit more thicker than when it started. Smooth and drying-ly refreshing. A little stick to the lips probably from extra sugar added to conditioning?
Overall Impression: A really great hefeweizen. I'd classify this among my favorites like the In-Heat Wheat by Flying Dog. This one however leaves out most of the banana and clove and goes for more of a citrus and tart lemonade finish while still maintaining the beer and hefe characteristic.


85/100

Coffee Stout

Tasted on a Sunday morning quite simply because it's been just all too productive and we needed a reward. I tasted this while Tim was tasting the Redbridge Sorghum beer. Don't judge.

Appearance: One of the first things we noticed is this beer pours very clear for a stout. There is some sediment that settled on the bottom of the bottle, but for a stout, this seems to be mostly filtered. Dark brown color with a reddish hue. Foamy tan head on pour that quickly dissipated. From the looks of it, there is very active carbonation because the bubbles are constantly breaking the surface.

Aroma: Robust aroma of roasted coffee beans complemented by the sweetness of biscuity malt sugars. Scent of the coffee does not come across as burnt from this batch. Hints of dark chocolate and some nuttiness but most of the profile is dominated by the coffee beans.

Taste: Woah. Talk about a shot of expresso. Upon the first sips, the palate is overwhelmed by the strong flavor of roasted black coffee. After some time, the flavor profile develops to reveal hints of caramel and dark chocolate sweetness that follows in an effort to balance out the bitterness from the roasted malts. Still, the coffee flavor is a bit overdone and it gets quite bitter at the finish from some sort of earthy/woody hops.
Mouthfeel: Medium body and moderate carbonation. There is an aftertaste that hangs in the back of the mouth and throat as a result from the coffee bitterness.
Overall Impression: The name is not misleading; Schlafly definitely gives you what you're asking for. Not a stout to have right before you go to bed especially if you are easily affected by caffeine; it just seems right for the late morning. I (Jen) am a huge fan of stouts but this one goes a little overboard on the coffee flavor for my liking.

Jen: 79/100
Tim: 81/100

Scotch Style Ale

Tasted following a eventful day at Great River for their $1.00 can special and parade party on Saturday morning/afternoon. 

Appearance: A very dark copper color, and while held to the light it exhibits an amber red hue. The head is off white color and strong and very slowly dissipates leaving behind a film and soapy inconsistency. Wet lacing remains. Somewhat clear aside for the dark color.
Aroma: Robust carameled malt scent followed by a bouquet of fruity and earthy aromas that linger in the nostrils. The dark fruit are maintained in the none so subtle form of plums and near grape sweetness. Some peat and smokiness contribute and undertoned balance. Chocolate and toffee with, again, the prominence of earthiness.
Taste: Sweet and malty with a wealth of complexity to the tongue. Toffee, biscuits and even toasted malt appear in and out throughout the tasting. The dark fruit is plum like as well with a peaty and leaf like element. I enjoy the extremely subtle fruitiness that doesn't overpower the beer and leaves much of the character to the malt. Perhaps there is a touch of undertoned smoked malt as well as Vianna that make for the candied nut flavor. Finally the aftertaste exhibits some spiciness as well as an even bitterness to round out a successfully crafted beer. More alcohol tasting than it really is (but hardly...I just wanted to write a little bit more for the "taste" category). So there.
Mouthfeel: Smooth with a medium body and a likewise carbonation. A little sticky to the lips, but dry to the tongue making it still a refreshing and thirst quenching ale.
Overall Impression: I've never really been into the scotch ales, particularly because there is so much variation between extremes (from very smoky and peaty to thick and malty and dark fruit tasting) that I tend to choose other beers over scotch ales. Nevertheless this beer maintained a mild and rather pleasant flavor on all fronts in the form that I could again sit here and enjoy over again.


87/100

Irish-Style Extra Stout

Tasted this the last Friday of winter term! Thanks to Joey Waldorf for picking up a six pack of this when we went to Hy-vee. Tasted following practice and a brief visit to the Pottery building to check out all of Jen's work.

Appearance: A lighter pour than many of the stouts I've encountered. The beer itself exhibits a dark brown/blackish color, perhaps even transparent when put to very bright lights. Head is a greyish/tan and brown with a foam froth texture with 'eye' bubbles interspersed. Lacing is glutenous to the sides of the glass.
Aroma: Smells very chocolaty and malted with a potent toffee character to it. I even can pick out some honey and almost vinous smells that pair with an alcohol buzz at the nose's finish. Very roasted, if you can call it that, but I think it's more in the direction of sweet dark fruit and maybe scotch/bourbon or other wine derivative. Hops play a likely contributive role as well.
Taste: Starts with a tart spike and then the alcohol rushes in and carries on a dryness from there on out. Dark fruit and very subtle chocolate/roasted malt are apparent. More so, because of the alcoholic warmth and the dryness, the vinous flavors again make their hallmark at the finish and mid taste of this beer. A lot of hops are involved to further encourage the drying of the palate. Interestingly enough though the dryness doesn't appear to occur in the back of the throat. Still some residual sweetness up front in the form of dry roasted unmalted barley. Finally there is that souring sensation at the end of the taste that is most notably a characteristic of the yeast.
Mouthfeel: Medium body with a smooth creamy texture from a not too aggressive carbonation. As it tickles the front of the tongue, the alcohol takes over in a wave of dryness to carry out any and all palatable flavors and textures. Finally the tongue and roof of the mouth are left dry and sandy.
Overall Impression: This is my first go at an Extra Stout. I've always seen the Guinness production of it, but never got around to trying it. Then when I saw that Schlafly had made some, I had to get it. Luckily I have good friends who are more than willing to taste new beers. I had no idea that this beer boasted such a high alcohol. It's more the fact that the alcohol plays such a pivotal role in the flavor of these beers. I'll certainly be trying more of these if I can find them...


85/100

Schlafly Christmas Ale

Thanks to Henry Lapka for bringing a six pack over for a study session of Moral Philosophy following a session tasting of Bigfoot Barleywine (2005 and 2008).

Appearance: Clear coppered amber with a visible consistently rising carbonation. Head is mediocre, developing into a sheet of white foam across the top, retention is minimal. Clarity is optimal.

Aroma: Spiced with ginger and cinnamon with a touch of earthy sweetness followed by a brief nuttiness and a caramel malt backbone. Clove makes subtle appearances, but isn't a notable characteristic. Some dark fruitiness is present as well.

Taste: Florally sweet and chalky backbone with a uniquely spicy finish that seems to be incorporated with a mild sweetness. Caramel and nutmeg make a peppery flavor upon the finish. If it were, I'd say sweet potato or pumpkin played a partial role. A dessert flavor with a nice nutty character to parallel the sweetness. Finishing notes resemble cinnamon as well as a helpful dose of an indistinguishable bitterness that can equally be just as enticing. Gradually bannana and other estery components develope resembling somewhat of a Belgian character.

Mouthfeel: Medium body with a frothful texture from a wealthy dose of microbubble carbonation. Still partially tickles the tongue, but finishes dry and clean. Highly drinkable, and smooth.
Overall Impression: This is one of the best Christmas ales I've had, I'd say it beats out rogue for flavor and body and bell's for balance and a not too overdone spicing. More specifically the balance and the perfect incorporation of spices to finish off the beer. Estery and phenolic flavors are maintained throughout creating a consistent drinkable holiday ale.


87/100

Schlafly Winter ESB

It's here, Finally! I was able to try this when I got back from Australia and immediately fell for it. I was just stopping in to Hy-vee to pick up an absurd amount of garlic (which I forgot to get) when I saw this on the shelves. It has a new label (last years was purple) of a light blue. In celebration of my Final Cross Country race of college, my 26:25 8k Pr preceded this beer and these are the sensations I felt:

Appearance: Clear amber with a strong foamed white head worth a finger and a half, given a proper pour. No visible carbonation, despite the translucent hue.

Aroma: Spicy and full of aromatic adjuncts including caramel and toasted malt notes. Minimal hop aroma, but still a floral kick. I also smell some lagered characteristics to it as well.

Taste: Extremely spicy but delicate and sweet. There may be some ginger or even cardamon, but I'm not sure over the potent rye flavors (not a bad thing). This beer is quite herbal as well, with nutty undertones. I think the predominant flavor I can pick out of this (aside from rye) is the bittersweet pine taste that takes refuge in the finish of the beer.

Mouthfeel: Carbonation is medium with a bite to the tongue mid taste, to bring all the flavors through. Slightly tacky with a semi-thick body.

Overall Impression: This is an incredibly refreshing and flavorful beer with the utmost complexity. I'd recommend it to Eco and novice beer drinkers alike. A go-to overall others.


93/100

Schlafly American Pale Ale

This is the beer that really made me hate IPA's and wonder why anyone could like them while I avoided them at all costs in the beginning of my logging back in March. The only not I see in the Journal is "Try again when you develop taste....BITCH!" Anyways I got straight to tasting this one upon coming home after a grueling practice totaling 7600 meters of repeats.

Appearance: Strong foam character right out of the bottle, resorting to some waiting time to pour the rest as the foam settled into the pint glass. Both white and well maintained, this straw colored amber beer had some visible carbonation to accompany its rather clear appearance.

Aroma: Subtly malting with a big grassy after kick. Intertwined in there was brief hints of grapefruit and citrus.
Taste: Initially quite bitter and resinous, but was paralleled with an equally strong hop spice character and pale malt complexity. A pine taste develops as the tasting goes on, along with citrus undertones.
Mouthfeel: Smooth and coats the tongue as it finishes down the throat with a perfect carbonation.
Overall Impression: This is a well balanced APA falling under the umbrella of typical, and lighter side if considered a relative of an IPA. It's interesting to see how far my tastes have come since only 6 months ago.


3/29/10 T1: 69/100
10/5/10 T2: 83/100

Oatmeal Stout

This one was enjoyed with Thomas Christian on Friday night (after a long taxing 12 mile run) while watching some Forest Gump and having a dinner of Lentil/Pea soup with Swiss chard.
T3: Thanks to Joey Waldorf for donating a bottle for a follow-up tasting.

Appearance: Pilsner Glass pour. Black/brown color with a maintained off white/tan head that uniformly laces the glass throughout the tasting. Far lighter looking than most stouts, especially upn the pour. Some carbonation visible.

Aroma: Smells sweet and malty with a distinct toasted note. Some roasted nuts and wood tannins present along with a hint of chocolate and somehwhat of a rye sweetness.

Taste: Flavor is sweeter than that of most stouts I've experienced. It's reminiscent of dark cherries while boasting a rich nuttiness that make up the foretaste as well as integrating into mid taste territory. Mid glass I begin to discover more caramel undertones, yet the fruitiness still prominently remains. The finish still maintains some tannin like flavors, but with a nicely incorporated hop profile, most likely Golding. Very sweet and toasty with a bittering finish.

Mouthfeel:  Rich and robust yet the body is lighter than most stouts but very smooth. Drinkability is high and overwhelmingly palatable and delicious. Carbonation is medium but encourages a leftover drying feel to the palate.

Overall Impression: I'm surprised by how well balanced and complex. This stout is only $7.99! definitely 6-pack worthy for the beginning stout fans.

3/14/10 T1: 80/100
10/1/10 T2: 88/100
3/28/11: 85/100

Schlafly Pale Ale

I've tried many of Schlafly's beer, and they all come-out maintaining top quality. Saw this one on the Hy-vee shelf and had to get it. Been having it throughout the week

Appearance: Coppered amber with fizzy head. Served very cold and had attributes of chill haze.

Aroma: Light caramel smell with a citrus note. Sweet breadiness and herbaceous hopping.

Taste: Quite fruity with a dominant sweetness masking the bitter finish. Starts spice-like but immediately graduates into a puckering resinous mouth coat of mostly hop tannins. Again there are undertones of bread and nuts. A little grainy

Mouthfeel: I found the body to be a little thicker than most pale ales. It had a big mouthfeel that was more course than smooth.
Overall Impression: A decent but not spectacular pale ale. worth a try but not a go-to. Noticeable apricot and orange zest at the end of the glass.



75/100