Beer Review 54 - Moose Drool Brown Ale

A brownie from Montana, this pours a very dark reddish brown with a thin, off-white, wispy head. It has a dark flavor, almost stout-like. In fact, it reminds me of an oatmeal stout. It’s tasty and very drinkable, although not terribly remarkable.

Beer review 53 - Supplication

This was another hard-to-get offering from Russian River Brewing. But I really liked this one. It’s an American Wild Ale, aged in wine barrels. A beautiful orange and red color; a full head that dissipates to a thin, but very lacy foam and a nice sour aroma. There is a strong cherry flavor, nice carbonation, low ABV and a smooth finish. Absolutely delicious. Top notch.

Beer Review 52 - Gulden Draak

This is a strong dark ale from Belgium that is a striking deep ruby red and brown color. It sports an off-white-to-tan dense, clingy head. The taste is of dark fruit (black cherry?). It’s sweet with a definite alcohol presence underneath. Delicious.

Beer Review 51 - Pliny The Elder

This is the hard to find double IPA from Russian River Brewing in California. Silvie picked me up a bottle just because I wanted to try this one, seeing as I’ve come to really dislike IPAs but was still willing to try this holy grail brew. A cloudy gold color and white, milky, bubbly head and an off-putting detergent smell. Strong hoppy bitterness. Indistinguishable, to me, from other IPAs I’ve tried. Next time, I’ll leave this one to the hopheads.

Beer review 50 - Longhammer IPA

An IPA from Seattle’s own Redhook. Pale amber color; soft, white, milky head; not much for the nose. Bitter, and not very good.

Beer Review 49 - Chimay Trippel

This is the white label from Chimay. It is cloudy orange in color with a nice pillowy white head. There is a great fruit and spice aroma. There is a hint of bitterness, but this is balanced by the bold spicy/sweet flavor. A tasty trippel to be sure.

Beer Review 48 - Leffe Blonde

This is a pale ale from Belgium that pours blonde, as the name would suggest. It has a dense, pillowy head with thick, sudsy lacing. There is a yeasty aroma, and the taste is smooth and sweet. Delicious! It reminds me of La Chouffe with a lower ABV.

Beer Review 47 - Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout

Another black, black stout with a pillowy brown foam. This one, from the venerable UK brewer, is sweet and smooth. There is hardly any bitterness in this refreshing stout. Love it.

Beer Review 46 - Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout

A great stout from North Coast Brewing in California. It pours a syrupy black with a brown, puffy, billowy head and good aroma. It’s full-bodied with a slightly bitter and quite intense flavor. Aside from that bitterness, its very tasty.

Beer Review 45 - Black Butte Porter

This is a dark, dark porter from Deschutes in Oregon. A thick off-white head adorns this stout-like brew. The taste is roasted coffee and chocolate, and very good.

Beer Review 44 - New Belgium Trippel

This Trippel from Colorado’s New Belgium is a beautiful golden color. It has a thin head and a spicy fruit smell. There is a nice crispness to it, and a pretty authentic Trippel taste. Very good.

Beer Review 43 - Sam Adams Winter Lager

This offering from Boston Beer is a pretty amber color with a slight-but-spunky off-white head and a beaut of a smell. It has a nice body, is spicy and dark, and the bite is not too bad. Very tasty.

Beer Review 42 - Zywiec

This is a pale lager from Poland, and pours as such, with a thin, fading head. This lager is thin and watery, with no fizz. In a word: blah.

Beer Review 41 - Dogfish Head 60 Min IPA

This is one of a handful of IPAs offered by the notable Deleware brewery. A light amber color and a white clingy head are the highlights for me here. I’m just not an IPA guy. Hoppy bitterness = yikes!

Beer Review 40 - Sam Adams Boston Lager

Well, this was the beer that, years ago, turned me off to any beer not produced by Coors, Miller, etal. I think that I was scared off by that hoppy bite, which I’ve come across many times since I started this blog. I again will out myself as a bit of a hophater, in that the bitter bite is a turn-off to me. I still do not particularly like this beer, but I definitely appreciate it a lot more than I did back in the day. It has a nice body, and I wouldn’t turn one down if you’re buying, but not a fave.

Beer Review 39 - Ayinger Celebrator Doppelbock

My second sampling from this German brewery, this one pours dark ruby red, with a brownish, foamy head. A nice full body, rich flavor, dark and complex. Just a bit of bitterness. Quite good.

Beer Review 38 - Wells Banana Bread Beer

Well, with a name like that, how could I possibly resist? This brew comes from Wells and Young’s in England. The label touts the fact that real bananas are used in the brewing, and this shows up subtly in the aroma. There is a minimal head on this copper-colored beer. The banana bread flavor is quite nice without seeming gimmicky or cloying. A slight bitterness takes this one down a notch, as does a thin mouthfeel which makes it seem more like a liqueur than a beer. Thumbs up, but not overly enthusiastically.

Beer Review 37 - Beck's

This is a German Pilsner from Brauerei Beck & Co. and can be found in any grocery store in a comically huge bottle. I’d always passed by it before but figured I should give it a go. It poured quite yellow, with no head and a slight, skunky smell. A standard lager; drinkable, with a faint skunkiness. Not bad, but not a standout at all.