[MrWookie]

Man, you guys are making sure I have quite a list next time I go shopping, eh? I can see doing a side by side.

I've got a couple reviews tonight, but I'm not going to bother w/ pics.

First up is the Anderson Valley ESB. I had it a few days ago, but I didn't review it. I paid $2.25 for a 12 oz bottle. It packs an unexpectedly high 6.8% ABV. The beer, though, wasn't all that good. It poured fairly light, and it was light on the head. The flavor was lightly malty, but the hoppiness was lighter than I expected. While the alcohol content was higher, the flavor wasn't that much better than Red Hook's ESB, IMHO. The AV Amber was a gem, but I wouldn't bother with the ESB. I give it [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img][img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] and a half [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img].

Second is the beer I had tonight, Victory's Hop Whallop. I paid $2.55 for a 12 oz bottle of this 8.5% beer. Not bad. I guess this is their double IPA offering. The beer pours a similar gold color. The head is light, but that's probably partially due to a mild pour. The carbonation was pretty good. The scent didn't have much to it, though. I expected more from the hops. The flavor, wow. Man, is this beer ever bitter. And that's really it. This beer is an extremely dry bitterness, without anything else to accompany it. There are none of the usual floral or citrusy flavors, and there's little maltiness or sweetness that comes through all the bitterness. I can't say I like this beer one bit. I'm going to give it [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] and a half [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]. Even people who really, really love hoppy, bitter beer shouldn't bother with this one. There are more flavorful offerings.