TLDR Beer Club

[MrWookie]

Tonight's beer review is Harpoon's Winter Warmer. This beer is advertised as being brewed with spices, so it's probably in the same genre as the CB Christmas Ale rather than the SN celebration. I paid $1.89 for a 12 oz bottle.





The beer pours a lighter color than I expected. It has a moderate but not exceptional head. What is exceptional is its aroma. I could smell the spice in this beer even when I was holding it up for the pick. It smells just like apple cider. Tastes like it, too. In fact, this beer is practically a dead ringer for a really spiced cider. It's not as sweet, and I guess there isn't as much apple flavor, but the cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and allspice flavors are identical to the spices I like in cider. The bottle says it's made with just a "touch" of cinnamon and nutmeg, but the spice flavor of this beer is stronger than any beer I've had. My only complaint is that I'd like a little more malt and perhaps sweetness, to go with all the spice flavor. The pale malt feels so empty behind the strong spices. I'm going to award this beer [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img][img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img][img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] and a half [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]. A little more robust malt could have kicked it up a full heart. If you like non-traditional, spicy beer, this is a good pick, and a good value.

[MrWookie]

Hey, cool! Thanks to everyone who's been enjoying this thread [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img].

[MaxxDaddy]

Well done Wookie. This thread has been really informative and has significantly contributed to my continuing appreciation of beer in all of its forms. Plus, it feels good to know you're helping others appreciate it as well. With that said, here's a beer I had a few days ago, but never reviewed. This is an imperial stout from Middle Ages up in Syracuse: Dragonslayer (22 oz. bottle for $5.25)



Sorry I don't have my own pictures, but I was sharing this with a friend and I thought he might look at me funny (so I'm a little self-conscious...). Anyway, this bad boy clocks in at 9.5% ABV. It poured your standard stout black, with almost no head. There was just a little tan spot in the middle of my glass. On first smell I caught some chocolate, coffee, and nuttiness. Upon tasting it, I knew this was way different than Brooklyn BCS. This particular brew is more on the coffee end of the stout spectrum (where the other end would be chocolate).

I'm not a coffee drinker, so this likely influences my review. You could definitely sense the roastiness of the malts, in fact it was unmistakeable. The mouthfeel was quite a bit lighter than the BCS; I tend to like the oily, slick texture better. But to its credit, Dragonslayer does a better job of hiding the alcohol. The finish was an interesting combination of coffee and hop bitterness.

Overall I wasn't too big a fan of how roasty Dragonslayer was, in addition to its thinness. However, if coffee is your sort of deal, then maybe you'd want to give this a go. I'll give it the benefit of the doubt in that regard and nudge it a quarter heart up to 2.75 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]s

[blackize]

I finally found a store in my area that actually has a good beer selection so I'm going to try my hand at reviewing everything I drank last night. My dishwasher was running with all my glasses in it so I got stuck drinking....OUT OF THE BOTTLE! GASP!

First beer of the night was Abita's Purple Haze a raspberry beer



The raspberry smell of it overpowers any other scent I may have been able to pick up.
At first taste the raspberry has a bit of a bite to it but it gets smoother and slightly maltier as I drank it.
I'd give it [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] and 1/2 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] out of 4

Next I had Saranac Black & Tan which I won't bother reviewing since I'm sure most of you have had a Black & Tan. I'd give this [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] out of 4

Next was Sam Adams Winter Lager.
This was very disappointing. The aroma is a mishmash of spices and the individual scents were indistinguishable from the whole for me.
It has a slightly fruity taste with a more overpowering spicyness. A generous score would be [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]

Next was K draft cider. Not exactly a beer but still.
Smelled like cider with a hint of alcohol
Had a strong bite of alcohol to go along with the apple taste. I'd say it tastes slightly fruitier and sweeter than champagne but not as sweet as your average hard cider.

Id give it [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] of 4 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]'s

[MrWookie]

Purple Haze is a pretty solid beer, and it's a good intro to fruit beer. However, there are definitely some better fruit beers out there, including raspberry. I'd encourage you to try out a few more and report back. I might do a few reviews of them this summer, myself.

I'm kinda surprised that a fruit beer lover doesn't care for the spicy beer. I've found myself drawn to all sorts of the non-traditional beers, and I thought the Winter Lager was a pretty decent offering. To each his own, I suppose.

[blackize]

I don't know what it was, but I was kind of disappointed that I couldn't place the spices involved. I could taste a spicyness but couldn't figure out what it was.

I'm sure there are some better fruit beers out there, but I was pretty impressed with that one. It is certainly going to get me trying others.

I had ACE Pear Cider last night and was pretty impressed. It was only a sip as someone else had bought it, but I'll pick one up and get a review going soon.

[RunDownHouse]

While I was in St. Louis, I picked up some beers I normally can't get: Schlafly sampler (pale, hefe, coffee stout), Boulevard Porter (I've had this before, I think its their best beer), Goose Island Honker Ale, and Breckenridge Brewery Amber. I wanted to pick up some New Belgium brews, but all the store had was Fat Tire [img]/images/graemlins/mad.gif[/img]. Anyways, here's a x-post review of the Goose Island:

Its nothing like Schlafly Pale, or SNPA, or Flying Dog, or most any other APA... because its not the same style. Its an English pale. Hop profile is completely different. The citrusy, sometimes almost grassy flavors of APAs are pretty much nonexistent, replaced instead by more floral notes. Less hop bitterness comes through as well, I wouldn't be surprised to see the IBUs on this one markedly lower than a beer like SNPA. Its got a lovely malt backbone, as well. I really liked the one I had today, and would probably buy it regularly if I could get it down here, switching it up between that and Flying Dog. The color was maybe between SNPA and Flying Dog, although that's just going from memory. I was going to take a picture but the camera didn't have any batteries.

[MaxxDaddy]

This thread hasn't been active recently, so I'll change that. I've got reviews for a couple of brown ales and my delayed promise of Schneider Aventinus. Sadly, I don't have pictures since my camera managed to land in New Jersey for the week.

The first brown ale is Green Flash Nut Brown Ale. It came in a stubby 12 oz. bottle. I got this one as part of a Christmas gift, which was a 4-month subscription to a beer-of-the-month club. The brewery is based in Vista, California and I can't I've seen it in these parts. It poured your typical dark brown color with some tan head. It had an aroma of nuts and a hint of coffee. Upon tasting I'm first greeted with some nutty sweetness, perhaps hazelnut, but not so sure. This was followed by an alcoholic taste. The finish was malty and I caught some coffee and chocolate on the way down. I really enjoyed this brew, slightly more than Brooklyn's version. [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] and a half [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]

The next brown ale is Rogue's Hazelnut Brown Nectar. For $3.99 for 22 oz. how could you go wrong? This brew has the addition of hazelnut extract along with the typical beer ingredients. It had about the same appearance as the Green Flash when I poured it, but the aroma was somewhat lacking. I could barely sense the nutty presence, but maybe my nose wasn't all there that day. But the taste left nothing to the imagination. As soon as I took my first sip, I was greeted with a HUGE hazelnut flavor. It was very sweet and was the strongest flavor I've ever experienced when drinking a beer. After that hazelnut punch, some coffee tugged for attention at the back of my tongue. The finish was smooth and malty. On the back of the bottle, Rogue suggests serving this beer with either pork or beef. I'd have to disagree based on its overwhelming sweetness. It may be better suited for dessert. If the aroma had been more assertive, this would've gotten a solid four [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]s. I happen to enjoy this level of sweetness, but I can definitely see people viewing it as potentially cloying. 3.75 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]

Lastly is Schneider Aventinus. $3.59 for a 16.9 oz. bottle. It poured a reddish-amber with some thin white head. The aroma was filled with cloves and some banana. Unlike the Moonglow, this aroma stayed with the beer throughout my tasting. The taste echoed the aromas, again with cloves being the dominant flavor. There was a faint caramel taste as well, followed by alcohol. The finish was yeasty, similar to the Moonglow. I decided to have the Moonglow again for a comparison and this time I caught more cloves and spices in the aroma than before and the berriness is there only for the first whiff. I like both Aventinus and Moonglow a bunch but I'd go with the Aventinus simply because it doesn't undergo the same transformation when it gets warmer. I'll give it 4.25 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]

[MrWookie]

I have a review, too. I took pics, but I'm too drukn and lazy to upload and post them. I'm reviewing the Smuttynose Robust (ROBUSTO?) Porter. I paid $1.95 for a 12 oz, and I don't know the ABV. It pours with little head, as I've come to expect from this style of beer. It smells nicely malty with a little bit of coffee. Tasting it, the malt and coffee flavors come through boldly with just the right amount of hops. It doesn't have the smoke flavor, but all in all, this is a solid beer for a reasonable price. I award it [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img][img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img][img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img].

[kidcolin]

Short review from memory.

The Raison D'etre from Dogfish head. The box said "2000" on it. Not sure if it's just really old, or aged, or what. But goddamn it I was buying it while I was back east.

The box says it has flavors of beet sugar and raisins. I don't know what beet sugar is like, but the raisin flavor is definitely there. Frankly, this beer was awesome. A really nice, sweet, malt, that the raison flavor complimented nicely. Very, very smooth. Only major downside of the beer is anything more than two bottles is too much. Even by the end of the second it starts to get like that.

I give it a great [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img][img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img][img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img][img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img].

also, my sister made some French canadian pork paste stuff (forget what it's called). Coupled with some bread to eat it on, and this beer... well that's just a great way to spend a night.