Clown Shoes Supa Hero IPA

This is a high abv IPA (8%), but there is a citrus taste that masks the high abv. After a few tastes, I decided it might be the pineapple. It's a little sweet for an IPA. Or at least a little sweet for me, but not bad.

Stout fest 4

Ok, this one was a little tough to get down. This is a Revolution Bourbon Black Power. As one of our party described it, it tastes like rancid cough syrup, aged in bourbon barrels. Bottoms up!

Stout fest 4

Ok, we decided to skip the movie and stay at stout fest. This is an Avery Brewing Co. Czar Imperial Stout. The appearance is the same as the previous stouts, but the nose is more fruity, like cider. I don't get a lot of hops but I do taste a cider, but not as much as the aroma. I enjoy this stout a lot.

Stoutfest, take 3

This is a Green Flash Double Stout. I am only familiar with hoppy offerings from Green Flash, so I expected some hops. I didn't taste or smell any. The head was moderate and pretty creamy, but it left a lot of lace on the glass. It has a very grainy nose and a thick black appearance. It's very smooth and, like the other stouts, malty and delicious.

Stout fest, take 2

This is a Half Acre Big Hugs. It's 10% abv and black as night. It has a surprising bitter nose and taste which is balanced by a rich malty finish. It pours with a creamy head which leaves a nice lace on the glass. I'd definitely have one again.

Stout fest

On the left, Allagash Black. On the right, Breckenridge Oatmeal stout.

The Allagash is a smooth rich and slightly chocolatey stout. It finishes more crisply than I expected.

The Breckenridge is a nice oatmeal stout. I don't taste a lot of oatmeal, which I expected, but I think it gives it a full taste.

If you like lagers ...

This is a limited release from Three Floyd's called Jinx Proof Lager. I think it's a very good example of a lager. It pours a nice golden color with a thick creamy head which leaves a ton of lace on the glass. I'm not always a Three Floyd's fan, but I really like this; it's my local go to for a session lager.

Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale

This is a Boulevard Smokestack Series Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale. It pours a thin head, which leaves a lot of lace on the side of the glass. The nose is a little fruity and a little spicy, a little more like a witbier? It's a nice golden color with what appear to be plentiful yeast particles floating among the carbonation bubbles. The label says it has a "sweet body of breaded malt." I get the sweet, but not a lot of malt. Overall, I like this farmhouse ale.

Back in black

This is a 21st Amendment black IPA. First, I like the name 21st Amendment for a brewery. Second, I'm intrigued by black IPAs (and black wheats, too). This poured thick and black, although the flash betrays the true color. As you can see from the photo, the head is thick and creamy. It's hoppy and not too citrusy. I would have had another one, but we were on to Scotch. And dinner.

Mikkeller Santa's Little Helper

I have yet to have a Mikkeller's that I did NOT like. This was a Belgian strong ale (about 10.9% abv) that I had after my first two Scotch drinks ever - more about those later.

This did not taste like a high octane beer to me. It also did not taste like an over-spiced Christmas Ale. I liked the mildly spicy and malty taste. Unfortunately, however, this was a couple weeks ago and I can't remember more than that!

Northern hemisphere

This is a Sierra Nevada Northern Hemisphere wet hopped IPA in a slightly over-sized glass with one of my favorite Ben Franklin quotes.

It pours with a huge rich creamy head that leaves a ton of lace. The nose is bitter, but not overly citrus. There is a slight malty taste with a bitter finish.

I have blogged this beer before and I think I liked it better the first time.

Back in the game

Part of the reason I started this blog was to track what I was drinking so that I could remember what I loved, liked and loathed. In the last few months, I've gotten away from blogging the ales and lagers that I have tasted. Recently, I looked back at the blog to see what I said about a certain beer, only to discover that I had not entered it on the blog. If the title of this post mislead you to believe that I had not continued sampling craft beer throughout the country, I apologize. I am going to try to blog new ales and lagers while they are still fresh in my mind.

Tonight, I had my second Green Flash West Coast IPA. It pours with a moderate head which left a fair amount of lacing. The color is a rich, slightly cloudy, copper. The nose is a strong citrus (orange?) with a slight bitter burn. I didn't think it tasted as bitter as it smelled because I got a malty taste in the middle.

I have seen this on a few "top 10" IPA lists, but I'm not sure I'd go that far. I think it is a good example of a west coast IPA, however.