ROGUE ALES - One Brew Over The Cuckoo's Nest Maibock style beer that Rogue brewed to support preserving, educating and promoting the Ken Kesey Collection at the University Of Oregon library. Part of the proceeds go to this cause. Not much to the aroma for me, mostly just caramel malts. Tastes the same, sweet finish. Eh, another Rogue beer that is just underwhelming to me. The name and the bottle are the best part of the beer for me.
SOUTHERN TIER BREWING COMPANY - Goat Boy This is a Weizenbock. Not sure I have had anything in this style before. All I really get out the the black aroma is banana and some sweet caramel malts. Taste follows the nose, but not as sweet as I thought it would be. Also has a little hop presence I wasnt expecting. Solid beer, not knowing what to expect from the style, I enjoyed it. Will have to try some others in the style for comparison.
ODELL BREWING COMPANY - Footprint Region Ale 2014 Odell first brewed this in 2012. That year they were distributed in 10 states and used an ingredient from each state to bee this beer. They have since added Texas, so they brewed this again, adding grapefruit as the Texas ingredient. Aroma and flavor mostly of honey, citrus, and wheat. There is a lot going on, but it doesn't get too muddled. Unusual, different, and nice. Very enjoyable.
BELLS BREWERY INC. - Bell's Expedition Stout 2009 I just picked this up the other day from Zipps. They said it was a 2009 out of their cellar and they had tried one and said it aged well. I dont see any markings on the bottle though. I have not had a Bell's Expedition before, so I have no comparisons. I have other Bell's stouts though, and they have been really good. I get a little alcohol smell at first, followed by some malt and chocolate. Tastes the same. Its a creamy decadent smooth drink. Excellent. Almost wishing I would have saved it and let it age more.
NEW GLARUS BREWING COMPANY - Berliner Weiss Light and refreshing beer. Faint aroma of light citrus. A little tart up front with some lingering citrus and a little funkiness. I really enjoyed it, would like to try it again on a warm summer day as I think it wiuld be even better then. Incidentally, I have never seen a beer pour with such a foamy head that remained forever. Kind of cool.
CENTRAL WATERS BREWING CO. - Headless Heron Barrel Aged Pumpkin Spice Ale I think this is the last pumpkin style beer I have in the fridge for this year, and its a good one. Aroma is full of spices; cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and some roasted malts. Very little pumpkin, and just a hit from the bourbon barrels. Taste follows the nose, the bourbon is a little more noticeable and has a fair amount of alcohol in the finish. Overall, very nice. Perfect ad a dessert beer.
TIN WHISKERS BREWING COMPANY - Schottky Pumpkin Ale Fairly new Minnesota brewery that just released their first bottled beers a few weeks ago. Pretty subtle aroma. Mostly pumpkin, nothing else. The pumpkin taste is their, could have used a little more spices. Pretty tame, nice and easy to drink, if not unremarkable.
BOSTON BEER COMPANY - Samuel Adams Third Voyage Double IPA. Aroma is mostly sweet caramel with a little hint of citrus and pine. The caramel malts dominate the flavor up front and then i get a little pine in the finish. More malty than I was expecting. Decent, but there are a lot of better double IPAs buy again before this one.
INDEED BREWING COMPANY - Hot Box Imperial Smoked Pepper Porter "Imperial porter aged over smoked poblano & jalapeno peppers." This is sweet and smoky with hints of chocolate and dark fruits. There is a little heat, but not as much as I was expecting, its mostly in the finish. Not bad, the base porter seems a little on the weak side but the smoke, malts and peppers are nicely balanced and compliment each other pretty well. Not a style I would seek out again, but glad I tried it, its an interesting effort.
BREWING OMMEGANG - Game Of Thrones Valar Morghulis Dubbel Ale Nice rich caramel malt aroma with hints grapes, fig, and plum. A little alcohol too. Taste has a sweet caramel maltiness up front. The fruit notes are definitely second fiddle, the malts dominate them. I get a slightly bitter finish. Not bad, aroma is standard for a Dubbel, overall slightly above average. Not one I would buy again, but would drink again in a heartbeat.
DOGFISH HEAD BREWERY - Birra Etrusca Very interesting. Label states "an ancient ale brewed with honey, hazelnut flour, heirloom wheat, myrrh, gentian root, raisins, pomegranate juice $ pomegranates." Ok. I really dont pick up any of that in the nose. I get mostly a wine like smell. Taste has a lot of raisin and fruit flavors with some sweetness from the honey. Slightly spicy finish; pepper. I really had a hard time deciding what I thought of this one. Interesting, drank fairly easily, and glad I tried it, but not sure I could see myself buying another.
GOOSE ISLAND BEER CO. - Festivity Ale New winter seasonal from Goose Island. Great aroma. Brown sugar, chocolate, caramel and some fruitiness. Tastes the same, and has a little spiciness; cinnamon. Really nice holiday brown ale, wish I had more of these.
SIERRA NEVADA BREWING CO. - Narwahl Imperial Stout 2014. I was a little apprehensive on this on this year as I remember last years was a really solid base stout, but the heavy black licorice in the flavor really turned me off. Happy to say this years version it seems like the black licorice is more muted. Dark chocolate, toffee, sweet malts, licorice, and dark fruits. Very tasty, a stout lovers dream.
AVERY BREWING COMPANY - Ellie's Brown Ale Nice American brown ale from Avery. Nice maltiness with a bit of hops. Notes of chocolate, nuts, some brown sugar and a hint of vanilla. The flavor has a little sweetness to it. Simple, but very good and easily drinkable. Great beer.
INDEED BREWING COMPANY - LSD 2014 The LSD stands for lavender, sunflower honey and dates. From what I remember, this seems just like last years. If there were any changes, they were minor. Huge floral aroma, the lavender dominates. The flavor is the same. The lavender hides everything else to me. There is a little honey sweetness in the finish, but I get nothing from the dates. Seems like a real love it or hate it beer. If they toned down the lavender, this could be really good, but as it is, once a year is enough.
DESCHUTES BREWERY - Fresh Squeezed IPA Great aroma; citrus, grapefruit and a hint of pine. Flavor is a little on the mild side. Citrus upront with a slight malt backbone and a mild bitter finish. Overall, a really nice fresh IPA. Very refreshing, would have it again anytime.
BIG WOOD BREWERY - Wicked Ex IPA Great IPA aroma. A little arameln malts with lots of sweet citrus and tropical fruit. Tastes the same, starts sweet and has a slightly bitter finish. I liked it alot. Big fan of Big Wood, I have really enjoyed most of their offerings, and they have a really nice tap room. I think they are very underrated.
SUMMIT BREWING COMPANY - Herkulean Woods (Unchained #16) "Lager brewed with maple syrup and spruce tips." Aroma is really faint, hints of sweetness and pine. Taste has a little maple and caramel at the start. Seems a little odd, not balanced real well, the maple and the pine seems to clash to me. Not my favorite in this series, nothing i would try again. Love the experimentation, but this one didnt quite find the mark for me.
NEBRASKA BREWING COMPANY - EOS Hefeweizen. Classic hefeweizen profile; wheat, banana and clove. All the expected hefeweizen flavors are present as well. A decent take on the style although nothing is noteworthy and makes it stand out. Would i drink it again? Yes.
AVERY BREWING COMPANY - White Rascal Basically a Blue Moon in steroids. Aroma of citrus and wheat. Taste definitely has some spiciness from the coriander, maybe a touch more than I would care for, but not bad. Interesting, I liked it. If your a fan of Blue Moon style beers, give this one a try, you'll enjoy it.
BENT PADDLE BREWING CO. - Black Ale A no frills black ale and that is just fine. Nice notes of chocolate and roasted malts. Well balanced and very tasty. A little different from most black ales. The label states it bridges a porter and a stout. Right on. At the bottom of the can, in small print it says, "Lake Superior is about 1300 feet deep. At that depth, it is about as dark as our stout, er, porter." Nice.
GOOSE ISLAND BEER CO. - The Muddy Imperial Stout I'm always up for a nice stout and this is no exception. Nice notes of roasted malts, chocolate, coffee, and licorice. Tastes the same. For a beet naming licorice on the label, the licorice was actually pretty subdued, which was fine with me. Nothing exceptional, but for the price, a great choice.
NEW BELGIUM BREWING - Tour De Fall New fall beer that they brought out during their Tour De Fat tour. Nice american pale ale. Lots of pine in the smell, with some fruitiness. Nicely balanced, not too malty, great addition to their line up.
NEW HOLLAND BREWING COMPANY - Rye Hatter Rye P.A. 2014. My last beer in the New Holland Hatter series for 2014. Decent little rye beer. Doesnt have as much spiciness as I was expecting, it was fairly minimal. Overall, a pretty good pale ale that I wish had a little more spiciness to it. Not bad though.
I just realized, the only beer i am missing in the Mad Hatter series is their base beer, Mad Hatter. I will have to find that one to complete the run. I really like most of New Holland's offerings, but overall I was a little dissapointed in the Mad Hatter series. All of them just hover around average, but all of them are just $4.99 for a 22 oz. bomber, which makes them all worth trying.
NEW HOLLAND BREWING COMPANY - Oak Aged Hatter IPA 2014. This is their regular Mad Hatter IPA aged in oak barrels. Decent IPA, but I dont really get anything in the aroma or flavor from the oak. Just a hunt in the taste as it warmed. Again, nothing stands out, but for the price ($4.99 for a 22 oz bomber), worth the try.
NEW HOLLAND BREWING COMPANY - Michigan Awesome Hatter IPA 2014 This is their IPA brewed with all ingredients from Michigan. Decent tasting simple IPA. For rhe price, well worth buying, glad I gave it a try.
NEW HOLLAND BREWING COMPANY - Imperial Hatter IPA 2014 Decent take on the IPA. Standard aroma and flavor. Nothing out of the ordinary though and just not something.I'd search too hard for again.
NEW HOLLAND BREWING COMPANY - Black Hatter Black IPA 2014 Aroma and flavor has sweet roasted chocolate malts and some pine and citrus hops. Vegas y enjoyable. Especially for the price.
NEW HOLLAND BREWING COMPANY - White Hatter Belgian Style WPA Not bad, decent representation of the style, but nothing out of the ordinary. Similar to a Blue Moon, but I like this a little better.
BOSTON BEER COMPANY - Samuel Adams Cinder Bock. Nice bock with a 9.45% ABV. Very malt dominant, lots of sweet caramel. Flavor is the same, but adds a little smoke flavor as well. Alcohol is hidden well. Nicely balanced as I usually dont like beers that the smoke dominates. Well worth the try.
DOGFISH HEAD CRAFT BREWERY - Disability. This is an imperial pale ale brewed with wasabi. Different, but interesting. The wasabi is there, but seems very faint to me, gives it a little heat and spiciness, but not much. Fun concept, but for me it didnt pan out.
BROOKLYN BREWERY - Brooklyn Black Ops 2013 Russian Imperial Stout aged in bourbon barrels with a 11.5% ABV. Huge bourbon aroma with slight notes of chocolate and dark fruit. Tastes much the same. Has a little alcohol warmth in the finish. Not bad, a little on the thin side though. I would probably like it much more if it was a lot cheaper. Too expensive for what you get.
INDEED BREWING COMPANY - Haywire Black Ale. Decent Amrrican black ale with a 11.5% ABV. Nice aroma with some citrus hops, pine and roasted malts. Slightly bitter. Taste doesnt quite live up to the smell, but its not bad. Not my favorite black ale, but still a pretty good beer.
BOSTON BEER COMPANY - Samuel Adams Tetravis This is a beer out of the Sam Adams barrel room collection. A nice quad with a 10.2% ABV, i've really enjoyed all the barrel room beers they have offered. Great aroma and flavor, I would drink this anytime.
SURLY BREWING COMPANY - Darkness 2014. This was released two weeks ago, and i knew I wanted to save it for #700. The wait was tough! Not much needs to be said, Darkness is easily my favorite beer from Surly and is one of my favorite styles (imperial stouts). This years version was aged in rye whiskey barrels and is amazing.
I am glad I was able to acquire a nice quantity of this years version, so I will be able to enjoy it all winter. Great beer, but the the scramble to get it every year is not fun, but with it being such a popular beer and made in fairly limited quantities, that is bound to happen.
While I am no longer making a donation monthly (see the beginning of this blog), I always donate at certain goals. So, for beer #700, I have four charities to donate to this Thursday. Why Thursday you ask? Thursday is Give To The Max Day in Minnesota, ( givemn.org), so visit their website and donate if you are able!
FULTON BREWING COMPANY - War & Peace Imperial Coffee Stout This would probably be a killer stout if I liked coffee a little more. The base stout is exceptional, but the coffee dominates too much for my taste. Still, I would drink this again anytime, anyplace.
GOOSE ISLAND BEER CO. - Bourbon County Brand Stout 2013 Damn is this tasty. Twelve ounce bottle of imperial stout aged in bourbon barrels with a 14.9% ABV. Thats crazy. Bourbon, coffee, chocolate, vanilla, oak; there's alot going on. This is a definite winner, hope im lucky enough to find the 2014 version which should be released soon.
STEEL TOE BREWING - Sommer Vice Hefe-Weizen Ale Decent take on the Hefeweizen style from this Minnesota brewer. Not my favorite from them, but drinkable.
SIERRA NEVADA BREWING CO. - Beer Camp Across America West Coast Double IPA This did not come in the mixed Beer Camp Across America 12 pack. This was offered as a 24 oz. bottle as the invite/host beer to their 7 city beer tour this past summer. Excellent. Pretty much everything you would want in an imperial IPA, sure wish I would have bought more than one.
SIERRA NEVADA BREWING CO. - Beer Camp Across America Double Latte: Coffee Milk Stout (with Ninkasi Brewing Company)
I've really enjoyed these last 12 beers. While Sierra Nevada has always done the Beer Camp series, they really stepped up the game this year. From what I remember, in years past they would do 3-4 different Beer Camp beers per year but this year they had a 12 pack with 12 different beers brewed in collaboration with 12 different breweries from across the United States. For a guy that likes to try new stuff, this was great. I searched all over MN to find a 13 pack as pretty much everywhere sold out right away. I did eventually find two12 packs at a liquor store I had never visited before so I was able to have a couple of each style. Good stuff, I hope they do the same thing next year!
SIERRA NEVADA BREWING CO. - Beer Camp Across America CANfusion: Rye Bock (with Oskar Blues Brewery)
SIERRA NEVADA BREWING CO. - Beer Camp Across America Alt Route: Altbier (with Victory Brewing Company)
SIERRA NEVADA BREWING CO. - Beer Camp Across America Maillard's Odyssey : Imperial Dark Ale (with Bells Brewery)
SIERRA NEVADA BREWING CO. - Beer Camp Across America Yvan The Great: Belgian Style Blonde (with Russian River Brewing Co.)
