Well it sure has been a while since I've posted here and I've got a bit of a backlog. I'll start with ones I have pictures of I suppose. The first beer is a new one from Ithaca Beer Company's "Excelsior" line of brews: IPAbbey
I picked this one up at Whole Foods in NYC. They had quite the awesome beer selection, I was very impressed. Ran me $10 for a 750 ml at 9% ABV. Poured reddish-amber with plenty of white head. Aroma was more IPA than abbey I must admit, but a decent aroma nonetheless. I could smell a little Belgian spice in there, just not much. The taste was IPA dominated as well. A little more the Belgian side came out in the taste, some yeastiness and honey in there. After that, it was all piney hops in the finish. I'm really getting into this whole "bitter beer" thing. I enjoyed this beer, though I think Houblon did a better job with this style. 3.75 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]
The next one is a beer I picked up on my trip to San Diego a couple months back: Alesmith Old Numbskull. Cost me $9.49 for the 750 and weighs in at 10% ABV.
Poured a really dark reddish-brown color with slight off-white head. The aroma was all fruity/candy sweetness and booze...I guess this has mellowed out some. Upon tasting, I get all malt to start, with dark fruits being the predominant taste, though it was tough for me to pinpoint anything specifically. The finish was sweet and boozy, with the latter being predominant after swallowing. The hops definitely faded in this one. I wonder how this tastes fresh, as it was made in the American Barleywine style. I think if it had the sort of bitterness I was looking for, this would easily be a 4+, but as it stands I give it 3.75 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]