Beer Review 36 - Negra Modelo

Negra Modelo ("dark style") is a Munich-style dark lager from Grupo Modelo in Mexico. This is my new favorite Mexican beer. A beautiful reddish-brown color makes up for no head and non-existant aroma. It has a delicious dark flavor while retaining its lager character. Its a deep, rich flavor that matches its color. Balanced. Lovely. Uno mas, por favor.

Beer Review 35 - Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale

This seasonal pale ale from Sierra Nevada is a great-looking beer. Pretty, festive bottle, gorgeous amber color and thick, white head. Complex flavors, altough strong bitterness in each sip. A bitter winter ale, this one.

Beer Review 34 - Stockyard Oatmeal Stout

Stockyard is from Chicago, as might be guessed. I picked up a sixer of this stout at Trader Joe's a while back and had a few before I decided to sit down and review it. It is a very dark ruby red with a thin off-white head. It has a nice, creamy medium-to-full body. The flavor is of dark chocolate, roasted oats and malt. There is a slight bitterness, but great flavor. A winner.

Beer Review 33 - La Chouffe

La Chouffe is a Belgian Strong Pale Ale from Brasserie d'Achouffe. Much like Duvel and Lucifer, this beer poured cloudy gold with a pillowy head and had a lovely, fresh yeasty aroma and continuous fizz. It is quite tasty, but canot join the company of it's satanic brethren because of a slight bitterness and/or skunkiness which is a bit off-putting. Also the alcohol is a little too up front. (Note: this little gnome snuck up on me and gave me my first hangover in many years. You little bastard, La Chouffe!)

Beer Review 32 - Trappistes Rochefort 10

Trappistes Rochefort 10 is a Quadrupel from Brasserie de Rochefort. This is one of a set of famous triplets from Rochefort (the 6 and 8 are Strong Dark Ales). This one is also quite dark, pouring dark brown with slight red on the sides of the glass. A thick, lacy, off-white head. There is a slightly sweet smell and a matching warm, spicy sweet taste. This is a high ABV brew that tastes similar to port. As such it really is not up my alley. I would like to try the 6 and 8, but I'm definitely a bit disappointed with the 10.

Beer Review 31 - De Koninck

De Koninck is a Belgian Pale Ale from Brouwerij De Koninck. A copper-colored beer with thin, fading head, this brew has a clean, fresh aroma and a beautifully balanced flavor. A slight fruitiness. Yet another tasty brew from Belgium.

Beer Review 30 - Arrogant Bastard Ale

AB is an American Strong Ale from the Stone Brewing Company in Escondido, California. It is a beautiful ruby color with a sudsy, slightly off-white head. It smells like the counter at a bar, but in a good way. Now, right on the bottle is a disclaimer of sorts - an admonition to the weak-kneed not to be surprised if they dislike this brew. It's an appropriately arrogant statement touting the refined quality and uniqueness of the beer within. And it is a very aggressive taste. Bitter would be an irresponsible understatement. This brew gets such high praise on beer review sites, you'd think Jesus Christ peed this stuff right into the bottle. Well, I'll be the Philistine who says that I don't quite understand the appeal of such bitterness in a beer which overwhelms the senses.

Beer Review 29 - Lhasa

Lhasa is a lager from Tibet Lhasa Brewing. It pours gold with a minimal head. There was little fizz and an odd, subtle aroma. This was matched by the unusual taste. Hmm, just not very tasty at all. I really wanted to like this beer because it's from Tibet and the bottle is very cool. But it's just awful. I felt slightly better about this when I saw an online petition against Lhasa, being that the Chinese-owned company is operating in occupied Tibet and that "making cheap alcohol widely available is one insidious method of undermining Tibetan culture." Well, that's enough to make me not want to buy another one. Plus the fact that it tastes like someone wrung out a dirty dish towel into a pretty bottle.

Beer Review 28 - Brugse Zot

Brugse Zot is a Belgian Pale Ale from Brouwerij Straffe Hendrik. It poured golden, leaning to amber with a spunky, soapy head and lots of carbonation. It had a great, intense yeasty aroma and equally nice fruity taste. This is an easy-drinking, refreshing, top-notch pale ale. Dry, fruity finish. Delicious.

Beer Review 27 - Chimay Bleu

Chimay is a beer I've been eyeing for quite some time. It famously offers the white, red and blue. More on the other two in upcoming reviews (I hope) but this one is the blue, the Grande Reserve. A large, hooded and corked bottle. Silvie bought me this one and I saved it for Xmas Day. You'll note that it is pictured with a slab of Sil's delicious vegan blueberry cheesecake. The Grande Reserve is a Belgium Strong Dark Ale and poured dark brown and cloudy, with a touch of light around the edges and a tight, off-white head. There was a clean, light, malty aroma. There are complex flavors in there, mostly dark fruits; a dark, slightly bitter ale. The big alcohol content hides well in the taste but packs a whallop (especially when drinking an entire bottle in one sitting). I must say I was not completely sold on it, although I suspect it will cross my path again.

Beer Review 26 - Ichtegem's Grand Cru

Ichtegem’s Grand Cru is the second Flanders Red Ale (or sour ale) I’ve tried (the other being the great Duchesse de Bourgogne). Ichtegem’s comes from Brouwerij Strubbe and is a very tasty example of the type. It pours dark red, near to black, and has an off-white foamy head. The sour aroma is pleasing and the taste is just fine. There is a slightly more pronounced sourness, a bit like vinegar, and this keeps it from dethroning the Duchesse.

Beer Review 25 - Lucifer

Lucifer is a Belgian Strong Pale Ale from Brouwerij Riva S.A. It poured a cloudy, golden color, leaning a bit towards amber. With it's color, pillowy white head, citrus nose and streaming carbonation it is quite similar to Duvel. Appropriately so, since Duvel means "devil." Lucifer has a prominent alcohol flavor which steps on the flavor. This beer is not as balanced as Duvel; still quite tasty, though. A demon by any other name....