Filed under: lager (lager glass), Victory | Tags: beautiful, brilliant, clear, crisp, dry, golden
Victory V Lager
Style; glass: Lager; lager glass
12 fl oz x 4.8% ABV = 57.6 / 60 = .96 beers * 150 C = 144 calories (est.)
Purchased at: Beer Outlet at Franklin Mills, Phila, PA for $1.25
Aroma: corn, hay, rice, grains, barnyard, dust
Visuals: inspiring packaging, propagandistic, bright clear brilliant filtered body, thin white head is fleeting, little lacing.
Taste: clean, crisp, light, mostly malty sweetness, some light hop bitterness follows.
Palate: Crisp, two notes of sweetness and quick bitterness.
Overall: Well done for one of my least favorite styles. I always enjoy Victory brews.
Filed under: IPA (shaker, tulip), Sierra Nevada | Tags: amazing, beautiful, bitter, brilliant, citrus, clear, crisp, delicious, dry, golden, grapefruit, high quality, hoppy, hops, long finish, nice, orange, pine, resin, well balanced
Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra IPA
First tasted on 2/21/2009
video added 3/25/2009
Style; glass: IPA; tulip
12 fl oz x 7.2% ABV = 86.4 / 60 = 1.44 beers * 150 C = 216 calories (est.)
Purchased at: Canal’s Lawrenceville, NJ for $1.12
Aroma: hops, citrus, stinging, and pine needles. Invigorating.
Visuals: beautiful brand safe packaging, summer sunset, brilliant golden orange clarity, thinning white yellowish head, exquisite lace.
Taste: starts sweet and bitter simultaneously, middle is dark with some roasted notes and lots of citrus, which lingers as grapefruit, resin, and tar.
Palate: peppery, stinging, and tart, middles dull to a warming and a throb in the back of the mouth, the finish is dark, warming, and delicious.
Overall: This is a spectacular, delicious, and superlative achievement. At this price, intensity, and quality, I have found my go-to daily bread. Sierra Nevada, you’ve absolutely done it. You are so hired.
http://www.sierranevada.com/beers/torpedo.html
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_c.png?x-id=b601627e-b4ef-4d70-87ef-94da9c30768e)
Filed under: Pilsener (flute or footed pilsener), Sly Fox | Tags: beautiful, brilliant, clear, crisp, dry, golden, long finish, nice, wheat
Sly Fox Pikeland Pilsner
Style; glass: Pilsner; pilsner
12 fl oz x 4.9% ABV = 58.8 / 60 = .98 beers * 150 C = 147 calories (est.)
Purchased at: Canal’s Lawrenceville, NJ for $7.99
A crisp, dry and increasingly bitter brew. Very well done version of the style, with a lot of character and depth, surprising for such a light refreshing brew.
Filed under: Sampler Sessions | Tags: beautiful, bitter, brilliant, cherry, citrus, clear, deep, delicious, dry, golden, hoppy, nice, sweet, well balanced
Hi, all,
One of my favorite things in the world is a flight. A multi round sampler that allows you to taste a series of brews on tap, while only imbibing about a pint altogether (e.g. 4 * 4 fl oz), at a little past the price of a pint. One of my favorite places for this sort of pleasure is the Hulmeville Inn in Hulmeville, PA, home of Jeff Louella, The Aleien Homebrew club, and a whole lot of great craft beer.
I’ve decided to add a category to BeerCritic that focuses on these Sampler Sessions, rather than doing individual posts for the brews, because I can’t showcase them in the same way as I can in my home studio, and taking notes for each of the brews can be a daunting task in public, since some people think it’s, well, weird. As a result, my reviews are often more concise, tight, and immediate, and photos, if I get them, are minimalist.
So, here is the first post in this brand new category, but certainly not the last. Future Sampler Session entries will reveal the glorious visit to Bella Vista at the grand re-opening in September of 2008, with over 100 samples, as well as past visits to Hulmeville and other sampling spots, such as Triumph, Canal’s Lawrenceville, and Firkin Tavern.
Russian River Blind Pig, DFH Red and White, Troeg's Mad Elf, Boulder's Mojo IPA
Russian River‘s Blind Pig IPA: gold body with a white head, very hoppy, flavors are sweet, washy, not bad, but surprisingly, not great, finishes very bitter, a bit chilly, which is killing flavor and aroma.
Dogfish Head Red & White: More gold than red, thin translucent head on a deep, golden hazy body, looks very nice. Taste is deep Belgian, fruity with a very warm finish. Truly great and with an amazing finish. You can really taste the wine. Sticky, sweet and warm. A must have.
Troeg’s Mad Elf: deep red body, rich finish, no head on a ruby body, delicious and beautiful. Mostly malt with a bit of carbonation.
Boulder’s Mojo IPA. An amber body with a tiny white head, dissipates to nil. Good hops at the end, and lots of sweetness up front. Raspberry notes, orange juice, some sourness. Very enjoyable.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_c.png?x-id=743aa967-f50f-4a19-8e82-fa52c16f2e14)
Filed under: American Pale Ale (lager glass, shaker), Otter Creek Wolaver | Tags: brilliant, clear, crisp, dry, golden, wheat
Otter Creek Pale Ale
Style; glass: Pale ale;
12 fl oz x 4.6% ABV = 55.2 / 60 = .92 beers * 150 C = 138 calories (est.)
Purchased at: Canal’s Lawrenceville, NJ for $1.20
Aroma: hay, corn, grains, faint
Visuals: templated packaging. Body is bright, brilliant, and pale, staying white head, interesting lace.
Taste: starts with corn and barley, grassy, middle is water, a little chemical, finish is slightly metallic.
Palate: starts thin, middle rounds a bit in the mouth, quick drying effects towards the short slightly acetic finish.
Overall: Not bad for the price, better than your average macro, but I would seek out something else next time, myself.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_c.png?x-id=ac4ecba1-d9fe-4d56-b62b-baaf529a0453)
Filed under: Elysian, IPA (shaker, tulip) | Tags: beautiful, bitter, brilliant, citrus, clear, crisp, dry, golden, hay, hoppy, mold, pine, resin, roasted, sour, wheat
Elysian The Immortal IPA
Style; glass: IPA; tulip
22 fl oz x 6.3% ABV = 138.6 / 60 = 2.31 beers * 150 C = 346.5 calories (est.)
Purchased at: Canal’s Lawrenceville, NJ for $3.00
Aroma: sour, flowery, and some pine. Mold. Inviting.
Visuals: Overwrought packaging and label design, though the box branding won me over. Sunlight in the glass, though there is clearly sediment awaiting me in a subsequent pour. Bright, brilliant orange, with a wonderful white staying head and crisp, sticky lace.
Taste: beginning is resinous, malt is not sweet, as you might expect, but rather nutty. Charming. Middle is corn, hay, and dust. Grassy. Finish is aa light hoppy bitterness. Very enjoyable.
Palate: Starts heavy and rounded in the mouth, works quickly to crispness and bite, then to some warmth and a middle length butter finish. Well done.
Overall: Delicious, definitely not an imperial style, but I appreciate the subtlety and focus on hops. Malt is secondary here, and sweetness is clearly muted. I like it a bunch!
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_c.png?x-id=0fa0d498-6638-41f6-904c-1d90d515db98)
Filed under: ABT/Quadrupel (trappist), Smuttynose | Tags: beautiful, brilliant, calories, cherry, citrus, clear, crisp, red, sweet
Smuttynose Gravitation ABT Quadrupel
Style; glass: ABT/Quad; trappist
22 fl oz x 8.5% ABV = 187 / 60 = 3.08 beers * 150 C = 462.5 calories (est.)
Purchased at: Super Saver, Pennington, NJ for $4.99
Aroma: cherry, raisin, wine, fruity, flowery.
Visuals: quirky but not unappealing packaging, ruby red body is brilliant, transparent and foreboding, weak white head thins to nil, little lace. The body is breathtakingly beautiful.
Taste: Very over the top sweet, slightly artificial in flavor. Candy malt, bright cherry sugar flavors, hops seem to be an afterthought, but they are there.
Palate: Tangy, tingly, highly carbonated, sharp, could cut through a heavy meal. Might be better with some age. Finish is acrid, bitter, and biting, but quick and fleeting.
Overall: A nice big beer from Smutty, though not my favorite from them. This one seems kind of chemically influenced, somewhat overly sweet, and just a bit off balance. Some time in the cellar would teach it a few tricks, I think.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=bf3feb22-a8dc-477b-b3db-81453fffcf99)
Filed under: Barleywine Style Ale (snifter), Schlafly | Tags: alcohol, amazing, beautiful, bitter, brilliant, clear, dark, deep, hoppy, long finish, oak, pine, red, resin, resinous, sour, whiskey
Schlafly Oak Aged Barley Wine Style Ale
Style and Glass: Barley Wine Style Ale, Snifter
ABV, Volume & Calories: 10.2% in 25.4 fl oz. estimated at 400C
Purchased at: Canal’s Hamilton for $11.99
Aroma: Oak, whiskey, alcohol, heartburn, smoke, and tobacco. An exhilarating aroma, and just being around it seems a little bit like a spicy barbecue is nearby.
Visuals: Packaging is a bit precious, but well done, and meets the need for specialty presentation. Body is an angry deep hazy red under an almost white long lasting head. Freshness and quality are evident from the way the body acts. Lacing is sticky and thick. Beautiful.
Taste: licorice, smoke, spices, and oak meld at the front, the middle has a deep slow burn, and the finish is almost all hops with a sweet malty undertone. An amazing brew. The oak really gives this BWSA a depth and flavor that I find pretty unique. Barbeque sweetness and smoke is welcome. This should be had with some blackened chicken and spicy curried potatoes. This would be great with Indian cuisine.
Palate: Smoother than you’d expect by far. Very oaky, woody, and crisp. A bit sour, puckers after a moment. Finish is warm, delicious, and strong
Overall: I love this, but I’d love it more playing against some savory and spicy flavors. Delicious.
Filed under: Founders, Imperial/Double IPA (snifter, tulip) | Tags: alcohol, amazing, beautiful, bitter, brilliant, citrus, clear, delicious, golden, grapefruit, hoppy, hops, orange, pine, red, resin, sweet, well balanced
Founders Double Trouble DIPA
Style and Glass: DIPA, Tulip; snifter
ABV, Volume & Calories: 9.4% in 12 fl oz. estimated at200 C
Purchased at: Canal’s Lawrenceville, NJ for $2.75
Aroma: A beautiful, hoppy explosion. Pine, citrus, resin, salt, seawater, and burn of alcohol is very present.
Visuals: design is fun, inviting, and apropos, body is a winter sunset, deep reddish orange with a bright white head, very clear, head is small but withstands the tasting, lace is missing.
Taste: smooth, sweet and burning, syrupy and spicy with savory notes, hops are forefront, bitter and biting.
Palate: smooth throughout. Alcohol inhale on first taste, followed quickly by sweetness, then intense bitterness, then a long dulling battering of the mouth. Delicious.
Overall: An amazing and delicious brew. A bit expensive, but always worth it. .
Filed under: Anchor, Spice Herb Vegetable [shaker] | Tags: brown, clear, deep, good finish, less, short head, wine
On tap at Hulmeville Inn, Hulmeville, PA, for $1.25 as part of a sampler flight. Deep brown body with some clarity. Head barely hangs on. Deep in color and character. Wine-ish. Not a favorite. Finish improves it for me, but still less than what I expected from both the brewer and the style.
