Autumnal Mole Stout

Thanks to the Smith twins for giving me this beer during christmas weekend. We had a dinner party at Brandon Gittelman's where I received this beer. Tasted Saturday at the plant while brewing a Nugget IPA.

Appearance: Upon opening the can, a burst of foam spurted out. The pour erupted in a 2" head, that stood for several seconds before quickly dissipating and falling back into the beer. An adequately dark beer, that thins out around the edges. After several minutes, there is nothing on top of the beer, not a bubble...I'm guessing from the oils derived from using actual mole.
Aroma: Roasted malt and rich notes of acrid coffee compose most of the aroma, followed by undertones of vegetable, chilies and spice(think cinnamon and nutmeg.n the mole
Taste: A bit acidic and acrid in the front, noteably derived from the cocoa and/or coffee in mole. I was looking for more sweetness in this beer, instead I got an acidic, tannic flavor that nevertheless still maintains a lot of the key ingredients in mexican mole. I get the peppers, both toasted and fresh, along with cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice among others. I would have thought, given from the cans description, the lactose would boost the body and sweetness. Instead I got nothing of that.
Mouthfeel: Thin and highly carbonated. Very little body and the carbonation doesn't help this. Drying and leaves a slightly sour aftertaste (the beer is not sour).
Overall Impression: Meh, some easy fixes in this beer, but just didn't have it going for it. The body was very thin, especially for adding lactose. The Cocoa contributed an acrid astringency. Oils from the mole may have reduced the head. It was fun picking it all out, but probably nothing I'd drink again.

Buster Nut Brown Ale

Tasted with Jen on Monday night following a take out meal of Ethiopian food brought back to Rock Island all the way from Chicago.

Appearance: Extremely bubbly looking as if it were a rootbeer...literally. Even the head looks as if it were from a forced carbonation soda and completely disappears from sight. Clear aside from the color inhibition. Color is rubied brown and was brilliantly clear to the pour. Somewhat watery looking, only made from added syrup
Aroma: Sweet and toasted with a nutty scent to it. Some tobacco and molasses round out the nose with an undertone of licorice. Caramel and some vanilla permeate the nose as well. Some rum and wood notes present themselves as the beer warms further.
Taste: Huge malt toffee bill right at the front. Subtle roasted flavors that follow a carameled rum and roasted nut. Vanilla is present amongst the huge malted sweetness. I sense a little bit of graininess in husk and tannin flavors, especially in the midtaste once the palate gets used to the initial surprise of the sweetness. Walnuts and other nutty husks are presented as a bittering factor. A Licorice element is exposed immediately after the mid taste. The aftertaste is grainy and earthy with a wooded element. Hops are difficult to distinguish against the overwhelming sweetness.
Mouthfeel: A lot of carbonation is apparent throughout the entire beer. The body is somewhat watery, as judged from the appearance. Finally the finish maintains somewhat of a cloying factor.
Overall Impression: A very sweet and toffee malt based beer that packs a huge complex malt bill, but not much else. It factors in a wealth of flavors, but still reminded me of a soda pop with alcohol.

Jen: 69/100
Tim: 72/100

Modus Hoperandi IPA

Tom Bergman in charge of Binny's beer department was a huge advocate of this. I never got a chance to buy a six pack of this before I left to go back to school, but I did however get an opportunity to taste it at Limestone Brewery with Jen. Served from a can!

Appearance: Clear straw color with a slight head atop the appealing liquid. Carbonation is highly visible with maybe a minus one on a 10 scale for some haze.

Aroma: Smell is piney and quite floral. A herbaceous undertone carries some fruity character as well. I also can pick out apricots and also raisins and grapes.

Taste: Grassy but fruitfully balanced. The fruit profile is of pineapple and oranges - a close relative to Arctic Panzer Wolf By Three Floyd's, but still quite a distance away. Finishes somewhat dry with a resin taste to it, from the boat loads of alpha acids. Starts sweet and biscuity and then finishes with a nice tropical citrus splash. Fore flavors accentuate the hops. Tart and zest from lemons and oranges. This beer is a pinnacle of tropical and citrus fruit characters. Some earthiness is expelled through the aftertaste, particularly in combination in both grassy and citrus zest.
Mouthfeel: Refreshingly smooth and neither aggressively carbonated of cloying. Medium to lighter body and very drinkable and refreshing. Dryness perhaps from an accompaniment of alcohol and hop resins.
Overall Impression: For hop-heads, no doubt. This is a very complex beer with an orange juice bittersweet/ tart finish. 65 IBU's is an understatement.

Jen: 86/100 (Wouldn't buy to drink, but perfect to sample)
Tim: 90/100 (Worth 1 pint, a six pack may be too much)

Euphoria Pale Ale

Another beer that came in the the Beer of The Worlds Winter Edition 9 pack that my dad got me for Christmas. Tasted it while at the Carpenters Christmas dinner party. Served in a wine glass, cold after cooling off in a snow bank outside the house. My first craft can beer.

Appearance: Deep ambered red with no visible carbonation and likewise no head to be retained in the first place. Liquid lacing that looks like spit (appetizing). Gives off a rubied glow to the light.

Aroma: Dark toasted fruit and barley with an undertone of caramel. Some nice fragrant notes of grapefruit, and a robust dose of fruitiness from the hops add a complementary finish to the beer.

Taste: Less sweetness than expected, but still maintains the foundational toasty malt sweetness with a nice reply from the pine-like hops. Some drying and grassy character at the finish easily drawn from the hop resins. The hop profile starts as a fruity tropical flavor and ends in the grassiness as noted above. The combination of the toasty start and dark fruit and the finishing hops makes for a very complete and balanced taste.

Mouthfeel: Carbonation makes for a smooth mouthfeel with more of a distributive spike on the tongue instead of one place. It works well with the finish, breathing the pine/tropical hops. Medium to lighter body.

Overall Impression: Quite flavorful and balanced. There is a nice complexity to the malt in combination of toasted, caramel and dark fruit. A good basic pale ale.


85/100