MILWAUKEE BREWING COMPANY - Sasquash Pumpkin Porter "Ale brewed with sweet potatoes and pumpkin." Aroma consists of roasted pumpkin, allspice, and some chocolate and cocoa notes. Tastes the same. Its a nice change of pace from the typical "pumpkin" style beers.
BOSTON BEER COMPANY - Samuel Adams Blueberry Hill Lager I really like the strong blueberry aroma on this one. The blueberry was far more subtle in the flavor though, which is actually a good thing. Too many fruit beers get overwhelmed by the fruit. Nice sweet malt with th mild blueberry made for a nice combo. I see this as a love it or hate it beer. Since I am a fan of blueberries, I really enjoyed it. Would even be better on a warm summer day.
DOGFISH HEAD BREWERY - Aprihop 2014 American IPA brewed with apricot juice. Nice hop smell with sweet fruit, apricots stand out the most of course. Flavor has a lot going on; apricots, grapefruit, and orange, floral hops and sweet malts. Very crisp and refreshing. Its not your typical IPA, Dogfish has combined a IPA with a fruit style beer and I like the results. Would definitely drink againm
21ST AMENDMENT BREWERY - Hop Crisis Imperial IPA Nice imperial IPA with a 9.7% ABV "aged on oak spirals." Decent hoppy aroma, but not as hoppy as I was expecting from an imperial. Really nice balance of hops, pine, fruitiness with a malty sweetness backbone. I didnt really notice anything from the oak. High ABV is hid pretty well, but i was able to notice it a little more as it warmed. Overall a pretty decent Imperial IPA for the price, nothing exceptional, but definitely good.
NEBRASKA BREWING COMPANY - Brunette Nut Brown Ale. This has a great aroma of sweet nuttiness. Hints of caramel, nuts, and chocolate. Flavor is all about the malts. Sweet and toasty malts with all the flavors in the aroma, just slightly muted. A nice take on the English brown style. It would be a stand out if the flavor matched the aroma, but its still pretty decent.
LIFT BRIDGE BREWING CO. - Getaway Pilsner Not bad, but my favorite part of it is the can design. Nose is pretty boring, grainy with grassy hops. Very light, has a little bit of spiciness. Drinkable and refreshing, but just not very memorable.
BOSTON BEER COMPANY - Samuel Adams Ruby Mild Smell is a little nutty with some caramel malts. Nice sweet taste, a little toasty with nuts and toffee and just a hint of fruit. Nothing remarkable, but just a really well done beer. Its very easy to drink and could easily be an everyday beer. I enjoyed it with a home made pizza on the grill.
COORS BREWING COMPANY - Blue Moon Cinnamon Horchata Most beers from Blue Moon seem to be disparaged in the craft beer community because they are made by Coors. As I have said before, I dont care who makes it as long as its good and they did a pretty good job on this one. Starts with strong cinnamon aroma with hints of fruit. Very aromatic and sweet. Flavor is the same, but not as sweet as the aroma suggested. Nice offering from Blue Moon, one of their better releases in awhile.
NEW HOLLAND BREWING COMPANY - Pilgrim's Dole Wheatwine Ale This is a barleywine style ale made with 50% wheat malt aged in bourbon barrels with a 12% ABV. Aroma has some vanilla, caramel and toffee and hints of bourbon. The bourbon is way more noticeable in the taste but just shy of overpowering every thing else. Finishes with a little burn from the alcohol. Definitely a sipper. Overall, a solid beer, maybe a little too boozy for my taste, but I glad I was able to try it.
LEFT HAND BREWING COMPANY - Good Juju. A "beer brewed with ginger". First off, i am not a big fan of ginger. I could definitely notice it in the aroma and was a little nervous, but even though it hits you in the aroma, it was more subtle in the flavor. Its there at first, but then turns into just a nice ale. Not bad, was refreshing and very drinkable. The ginger was just subtle enough for my tastes, any more and I think I wouldn't have liked it as much as I did. I wouldn't seek it out again, but if somebody handed me a bottle I wouldn't turn it down.
SOUTHERN TIER BREWING COMPANY - Choklat Wow, this was damn good. Great sweet milk chocolate aroma. Taste is very chocolaty and rich. Great balance between the sweetness and bitterness and the 10% ABV is hidden well, I didnt notice any heat from the alcohol. Supremely drinkable, one of the best "chocolate" beers I have tried. Not only a great dessert beer, i could drink this any time. Would not hesitate to buy this again the next time I see it.
FIRESTONE WALKER BREWING CO. - Double Jack Double IPA. Nice imperial IPA with a 9.5% ABV. Firestone doesnt currently distribute in Minnesota, but I brought a few different ones back from my last trip to Vegas. Consistently ranked as one of the top Imperial IPAs. Nice pine and citrus aroma with a sweet malt balance. Scary drinkable for the high ABV. So good, next time I see this I will bring back more than just one bottle.
BENT PADDLE BREWING CO. - 14 ESB Not my favorite style, but this seems like a good interpretation of it. Typical for the style, the aroma is pretty faint. Aroma and flavor consists of caramel malts and some dark fruits with a little spiciness. Interesting, I actually really enjoyed it. Nice flavor profile and very easy to drink.
JACOB LEINENKUGEL BREWING - Cranberry Ginger Shandy Another one of their new Shandys. Aroma is just like the name suggests. The cranberry stands out more than the ginger to me. Flavor is the same and is very light and a little on the sweet side. If you like cranberry and ginger you would probably like this beer. You could easily drink a bunch of them on a warm summer day, but for me, I would choose some of their other varieties over this one.
VETERAN BEER COMPANY - The Veteran. New comapny from Minnesota, a "beer company owned by veterans with beers brewed by veterans." This is their initial offering and is a American lager. Pretty badic aroma, all I get is sweet caramel malts. Taste is the same with a hint of apple. Not very complex, just a simple tasty lager. Nice, I could drink a few of these no problem.
SUMMIT BREWING COMPANY - Southern Cape This is an American Pale Ale from their limited Union Series. Light citrus hops with a little malt sweetness. Taste is the same with a little pine. Its easy to drink but pretty standard, not Summits best effort in my opinion.
JACOB LEINENKUGEL BREWING COMPANY - Harvest Patch Shandy Leinenkugels came out with three new flavors in late July. Very bold aroma: allspice, clove and nutmeg. Not bad. Tastes similar, but everything seems to be a little more muted. Its a little on the sweet side. Interesting, not sure if they were going for a "pumpkin" style shandy or what. It doesnt seem like it is in the Shandy style to me, but more of a really light pumpkin beer. Not sure what to think, I only had the one can, might have to grab some more.
21ST AMENDMENT BREWERY - Back In Black. This is an American black IPA. Aroma is grassy and piney with a little bit of citrus. Taste is about the same with a little hint of chocolate. Very drinkable, but a little on the light side and has a little bitterness to it. Just an average black IPA, a decent representation of the style but nothing out of the ordinary. Still tasty enough for me though.
BOSTON BEER COMPANY - Samuel Adams Juniper IPA Aromas of honey, citrus, juniper and piney hop notes. Tastes just like it smells. Nice solid IPA with the juniper being a nice addition. Makes it stand out a little bit from all the IPAS available. . Nice change of pace and well worth the try.
ALASKAN BREWING COMPANY - Icy Bay IPA Nice fruity and citrus aroma. Taste loses some of the citrus and I get more of a grainy hop profile. Decent, but nothing really special but overall very enjoyable.
SIERRA NEVADA BREWING COMPANY - Estate Homegrown Ale 2012. Certified as USDA organic. "Taste fresh from the field flavors with this handmade, homegrown, and completely natural ale."
Even though its a few years old, it appears to have aged well. Nice grapefruit aroma with a hint of spiciness. Flavor is very hoppy with a slight sweet malt backbone. Excellent and a great story behind the beer with all ingredients on site.
DOGFISH HEAD BREWERY - Festina Peche 2014 Nice seasonal from Dogfish if you likes peaches. Aroma is mostly wheat and peaches. Taste is all sweet peaches with just the right amount of tartness. Nice beer if you like peaches.
