Downhill slide

I first had a Leinenkugel a few years ago and I thought it was pretty good. Back then, it was still a relatively small independent brewery with limited distribution. Then one of the big boys bought them and I think things have gone down hill since then. A "friend" brought three over for a banana pancake breakfast. He got the better end of the deal!

Lost Abbey

This is a Lost Abbey Serpent's Stout. It has a caramely head with a chocolate malty body. Sometimes Lost Abbey is a little much for me, but I liked this stout. It was a little heavy to have two, but it was a great choice to start.

With a rebel yell!

Another beer from the Revolution Party. I think this was a pilsner style lager but I cannot remember what they told me when I bought it. It is a nice refreshing beer - crisp lager taste and a smooth finish. This was a pleasant surprise. In addition to fitting the theme.

Anchors Away

I have never been a big Anchor Steam fan but I bought the Liberty ale for a revolution themed party. I like this much better than the Anchor Steam. But that's just about all I remember about this beer. Next time I'm at a Giants game (some time after they dump Pat B.), I'll Drink a Liberty in honor of the Phillies!

Great Lakes Burning River

I went to Cleveland last summer to meet some friend's for fourth of July weekend. We were really excited about going to Great Lakes Brewery. Unfortunately, everything in Cleveland was closed for the weekend, except the house where A Christmas Story was filmed. Back to the beer.

A friend brought this over to the house for us to try. It's a smooth pale ale and very drinkable. It has a nice copper color and a crisp finish. I enjoyed this beer but I shouldn't be surprised because I also like Dortmunder Gold and Edmund Fitzgerald.

Hoppiness found

I have heard a lot of good things about Grand Teton Brewing so I thought I'd buy this imperial red ale for a friend and then try to steal a sample. Success! This was a hoppy red ale - not quite as bitter as an IPA, and not as alcohol-y as some imperials. I recommend picking up one if you can find it.

(root) beer

Ok, this is neither an ale nor a lager, but it is made by a local brewery. This is a very good root beer. I think it's my favorite Goose Island beverage.

Iron City

The local beer store stocked this for the Super Bowl. I've had it before and not been impressed, but it fit the theme. I wasn't impressed with the Steelers' performance in the big game. In fact, the Iron City was just a little better than their team.

Trippel

This is a Piece Superfluous Trippel. It's a Belgian style ale brewed with Belgian yeast and candy sugar. It doesn't have a strong nose, but it's sort of strong at 9% abv. It finishes, well, with an after-finish. I think I'm coining a new phrase here. It finishes really quickly and crisply, not real sweet like a trippel usually finishes. Then it sits on your tongue for a while as the Belgian sweetness gathers up for a second, more traditional, trippel finish. Worth a try. 

Rogue!

Dead Guy Ale. Hmmm.  Hoppy and bitter. Pretty good. I'm sure you've had this. 

Snowtastrophe!

In honor of the snowstorm of the decade, so far, here is an IPA called Yellow Snow. This was fantastic. A nice balanced IPA that is hoppy, but not too hoppy. My favorite Rogue. So far.

Bitter

This is a Piece bellend bitter. It smells super hoppy, but it tastes very smooth. It's a session ale and surprisingly pleasing at 4% abv.

Beer geek bacon

Yes, you read that right. This is a smoked coffee stout by Mikkeller. It had a definite, but subtle, bacon aroma and a nice malty brown head. This is one of the most interesting and complex ales I've had in a long time. I like Mikkeller, in general, and I thought this was well made, but maybe I'm just not beer geek enough. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed this and I think I'd have another, just not on the same night!

Oyster stout

I know, it doesn't sound like a stout brewed with oyster juice would be any good. I had heard that this was a match made in heaven. Now I know, it's very good. This is the Marston's Oyster Stout. It's a British stout served on the nitro tap, so it's not overly carbonated. It has a smooth taste with a nice malty overtone. I liked it more than I expected.

Brooklyn black chocolate stout

This is a 10% abv stout. It tastes pretty strong, but not too alcoholly. It has a strong alcohol nose, but tastes very good with the chocolate covered espresso bean.

Summit imperial pumpkin porter

A nice orangish head and a decidedly pumpkin nose. Not as much pumpkin in the taste as in the aroma. A little pumpkin taste and a little spice. I also taste a little tart flavor but can't put my finger on what it is. I wish this had a little more pumpkin to it, but it's good. I've had a few Summits at beer school, and they have all been good.

Stout fest - take two

Winter must be stout season because beer school is having stout / porter night. This is a Bell's Porter. It has a dry finish and a mild mild coffee aftertaste. It is very dark and very drinkable, not as thick as Guinness.

Half Acre

This is a Half Acre Big Hugs. It is 9.5%, but masks it well. It has a huge coffee flavor, like they ground espresso beans into the keg before they capped it. It is quite yummy. Sip it and it will warm you from the inside.

World Wide Stout

This is Dogfish Head World Wide Stout. It is 18% abv. Wow. The nose is very floral and it smells more like a tripel. It does not taste like a high octane beer (unlike the dfh 120 minute IPA, which is 22% abv and, sadly, which is not available now because they brewed a bad batch). This is dangerous. Love it.

Stoutfest

Quenchers is having stoutfest. They have a wide selection of stouts, mostly high octane. Very good.

Intelligent!

This is the Three Floyds Hell's Black Intelligenser stout. This is smooth. And I don't even like coffee. Go out and get one. Pronto.

Smooth malt and gentle coffee taste. Lingers on your palette without crushing it and is a nice 6%.

Summit oatmeal stout

What a difference between an imperial stout and a session stout. This starts like the Dark Horse but finishes smoother without the alcohol burn and has a nice malty finish. Very good. This is the second Summit that I really liked.

Oatmeal stout

Dark horse one oatmeal stout. I've had it in the bottle, but it's much smoother on tap. Yummy. Stoutfest begins. And I have a punch card. Fun times!

Arctic Panzer Wolf

This is a Three Floyds imperial wet-hopped IPA. I was not expecting to like it. It smelled super hoppy. Then I tasted it. It is hoppy and has a bitter finish, but it's not nearly as overpowering as I expected. I found this to be a very good imperial IPA. Amazing. Get one if you can. As for me, I'll be at the brewery this weekend, maybe I can get a growler. Or two.

Pere Jacques

I'm not a huge fan of Goose Island, but this was pretty good. It's a Belgian style ale, but not too sweet. I would like to taste it on draft because I think the Bottle might be a little muted.

Another imperial Sam

This is an imperial Sam Adams stout. Usually imperial stouts are too strong for me, but this was nice and didn't taste too alcohol-y. Nice malt taste. I think I like the imperial white better, but this was good.

3 Floyds harvest ale

On my way from the damen blue line stop to piece, I stopped in to a small wine shop. At the back of the store, there are two coolers of beer. The selection is moderately good, but there is not a lot there that you can't get at Whole Foods. I picked up two bombers and this was one. I got the last Three Floyds Broo Doo - their harvest ale. This is wet hopped and super hoppy. Pretty good. Great label.

Imperial white

This is a Sam Adams imperial white. I've never seen any Sam Adams imperials. This was actually pretty good. I was surprised. If all you know is Sam Adams lager, I suggest you try one of their more limited batch releases.

Wingwalker

This is an amber ale from a small brewery in Rochester, NY. It tastes very different from an amber lager. The label says it is a marzen style brewed with lots of malt, but it isn't overly malty, definitely amber-y.

Wild onion brown ale!

Not too sweet, sorta hoppy. A hint of sour thrown in for good measure. Oh, yeah, and it's on the cask. Yummy.

Sam!

Ok, Sam is the dog in the picture and he belongs to a good friend of mine. He gave me this Yuengling Light on my last trip to Philadelphia. Yuengling is the oldest continuing operating brewery in the US. Their lager is fairly standard across PA and it's not bad. The Light version isn't much different from the full calorie lager.

That's more like it

I liked this new glarus porter. Again, this is from the unplugged collection and I think it's an experiment worth repeating. I liked the malty flavor and crisp finish.

Aptly named

This is a beer from the new glarus unplugged series, which means that the brewmaster goes off on a frolic of his own. The reddish brown color is an indication that it defies description. It was complex and I had a hard time sorting out the flavor profile. I could cheat and tell you what it said on the bottle, but then you could also look on line and read about it. I'm glad I tried it but don't think I'd have another.

Wurtzburger

Although I tried this beer, it was not mine. I'm pretty sure it was a Weiss beer, but don't really remember. I was overwhelmed by the size of the mug. What is it with Germans and giant glasses?

Erdinger

This Weiss beer was very sweet. I prefer to drink my beer sans fruit, but this benefitted from the lemon. I like the unfiltered Weiss, but I think I must be out of my Weiss beer phase because I found myself wishing for a nice pilsner after finishing this.

Finally, a beer named after me

This is a Tyranena Bitter Woman. As the name suggests, it is an IPA. It has a nice copper color and a big hoppy taste. And yeah, it's bitter. But so am I.

Dogfish Head Pangaea

Another wacky offering from the Delaware brewery. I recently have grown to like candied ginger, so I thought I'd give this a shot. I stole a small sample from a friend of a friend of a friend, like a half Bacon. One good thing about Dogfish Head, truth in advertising. I could definitely taste the Ginger. I'm glad I had a sample, but don't think I could have put down any more.

Also, I made a sad discovery last night while praising the 120-Minute IPA - I could no longer find it on the Dogfish Head web site. I guess they don't make it any more? That would be very sad. Let me know if you've seen one recently.

Lagunitas Censored

I expected to like this less hoppy more coppery beer from Lagunitas. Maybe I was cranky by the time I tried it or maybe it just let me down. The only impression it left was that I like a Little Sumpin Sumpin much better.

Smuttynose

I find Smuttynose to be sort of hit and miss - hit with the label and miss with the beer. Ok, that's a little harsh. I do like some Smuttynose beers. This was not one of them. I can't quite put my finger on it, maybe it was a funny bitter taste? Or maybe I've just had IPAs that I like better. I always want to like it more than I actually do, so maybe I put too much pressure on Smuttynose to perform. I won't count them out yet.

Shiner Cheer

Don't mess with Texas. I tried this at a friend's house, a Texan friend, of course. I've had a few different Shiners there so why not give this a try. Interesting. From the colorful label to the peaches and pecans. I swear I tasted some evergreen, but who knows. Not a bad Shiner. I think that's almost an oxymoron.

Lake louie surprise!

A friend brought this back from Wisconsin for me as a thank you for watching his dog. He had never tried it but heard it was good. This is a scotch ale - that is not overpowering, sort of like a Robert the Bruce for beginners. It has a nice malty flavor, but isn't overly strong. It finishes a little crisper than most scotch ales, which might be due to the atypical abv, slightly lower than normal for a scotch ale. I was pleasantly surprised. Plus the label is cute.

Cologne flashback

When I was in Cologne this summer, I tried a lot of Kolsch. But I didn't try this one. I met a couple in the Gaffel kolsch house one night and they told me this was their favorite kolsch. I found some in my local store and picked it up. Not a fan. The Gaffel kolsch is still my favorite.

Harvest, take 2

This is a better picture of the Sierra Nevada Harvest. A nice head and deep copper color. Yum.

Harvest time!

I never liked Sierra Nevada much. That's all changing. As I have made my way into pale ales, my appreciation for Sierra Nevada has increased. I find myself choosing the Pale Ale as a good standby beer lately. This Harvest, however, I really liked. I learned about the wet hops and all that stuff, but I don't remember much about it. What I do remember is that it was smooth and not super hoppy just to be hoppy. There are still some bottles out there and, despite the price tag, I'd pick one up if you see it.

Who can resist a name like this?

True confession - this is one of those ales I bought just for the label. After all, who can resist a beer named Blond Bitch? I found the label to be better than the beer, which was sort of non-descript. It's a fruity blond that finished with a little bitter kick. I probably wouldn't have another one. Unless they had a new label.

Hop Czar

This was a gift from some friends who came to visit. The timing was perfect because I have been trying to expand my beer palette. Also, I generally like Bridgeport ever since I toured the brewery in 2007. I found this imperial IPA to be pretty tasty and not too overpowering, despite the higher abv. I liked this better than some of the other imperial IPAs (and ultra-hoppy IPAs) that I've tried lately. Give it a shot and let me know what you think.

Maudite

I must confess that I failed to take notes on the Maudite. I think it was on a list of the top ten tripels in an article in the NYT and I had only been able to find five of them. I was trying to save the five so I could have a taste test when I got all ten together, but one night I ran out of beer and had to break into the reserve. I knew this would be easy to replace, so I opened it. Here is what I remember - I generally like Unibroue and this was no exception. I think it's lighter than La Fin du Monde and a little more fruity. I guess it's time to replace it and taste it again.

Cup 'o Kyndnes

As you can see, this is getting a "thumbs up!" a limited batch release from Ommegang, it is a Scotch Ale. Sometimes I find Scotch Ales to be overpowering, but this was smooth and crisp. It had a nice foamy head and rich malty taste. Definitely a thumbs up!

If you believe they put a man on the moon

Another new beer from New Glarus. I'm pretty much a fan of New Glarus and always willing to try their beer. The moon man is billed as a north coast pale ale, but it doesn't quite taste like a typical pale ale to me. I think it could be a little more hoppy, but maybe that's me. Overall, I like it and I've had more since, but it's not my favorite New Glarus, nor is it my favorite pale ale.

A tall glass

This is a not so great picture of a great pilsner - the Trumer Pilsner. It's crisp, refreshing and nicely balanced. Sometimes I think German beer can taste a little, well, skunky. The Trumer rises above. Maybe because the glass is so tall.