Filed under: IPA (shaker, tulip), Sierra Nevada | Tags: active, Alcohol by volume, amazing, basil, beautiful, beer, Beer rating, blood, cardamom, cloudy, creamy, curry, deep, Drink, dry earth, drying, excellent, Food, fresh, grains, grapefruit, grass, India Pale Ale, orange, peanut oil, pine, Recreation, red, rye toast, sawdust, strong, white
pourn: Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale 2008
Glass: Shaker, Tulip
Purchased at: Oaktree buy rite, South Plainfield, NJ
Price: $16.99 for two 6 packs.
Size: 12 fl oz
ABV: 6.8 %
IBU: n/a
Estimated Calories: 170 C
RateBeer Rating: 96
Aural: quiet opening, active carbonation, nice pour
Aroma 8 out of 10
Intensity: strong
Balance: sweet
Impression: nice
Malt Aroma: rye toast, peanut oil
Hops Aroma: dry earth, grass, basil, grapefruit
Other Aroma: pine
Notes: A great active aroma. Very mindful of a strong IPA.
Appearance 5 out of 5
Color: dark
Clarity: cloudy, bottle conditioned
Head Retention: average
Lace: intricate
Notes: Beautiful beer. Deep red orange hues with a white head and lace.
Flavor 9 out of 10
Intensity: strong
Balance: bitter
Impression: nice
Malt Flavor: grain bread toast nut
Hops Flavor: curry, cardamom, grapefruit
Other: orange, grapefruit, pine
Notes: Sawdust and blood. Like an accident happened, but in a good way. How do they make such a commercial beer so very good?
Palate 5 out of 5
Mouthfeel
Sensation: creamy drying
Body: full
Carbonation: average
Finish
Length: long
Intensity: strong
Balance: bitter
Notes: Perhaps the best aspect of this very good beer. Leaves you wanting more.
General Impression: 18 out of 20
Craftmanship: excellent
Freshness: fresh
Personal Taste: loved
Notes: An amazing beer for the brewer and price. Just fantastic.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_c.png?x-id=b5f17e67-9ad8-4e22-a1c7-f7400e4a6b0e)
Filed under: Belgian Ale (trappist, tulip, tumbler), Victory | Tags: amazing, beautiful, bitter, crisp, dark, deep, dry, hazy, long finish, mold, pine, resin, sour, strong
Victory Wild Devil
Style; glass: Belgian Ale, Trappist
22 fl oz x 6.7% ABV = 147.4 / 60 = 2.45 beers * 150 C = 367.5 calories (est.)
Purchased at: Canal’s Lawrenceville, NJ for $9.99
It’s a deep bitter style that eludes traditional style descriptions – not quite an IPA, not quite a Belgian, but delicious, dank, and a bit soapy. Recommended as a different direction for hop lovers and Belgian lovers.
Filed under: Imperial Stout (snifter), Long Train | Tags: bitter, black, chocolate, coffee, dark, deep, delicious, long finish, opaque, resin, roasted, sweet, well balanced
Style; glass: Imperial Stout; Snifter
22 fl oz x 8% ABV = 176 / 60 = 2.93 beers * 150 C = 439.50 calories (est.)
Purchased at:Canal’s Burlington, NJ for $3.50
A delicious, dark roasted coffee, cocoa, and espresso imperial stout with a deep opaque body topped with a dark tan head. Syrupy, sticky, and like dessert. A decadent treat.
Long Trail Coffee Stout
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_c.png?x-id=df21cf71-0ec3-44c7-889a-797662a576c6)
Filed under: IPA (shaker, tulip), Troeg's | Tags: bitter, citrus, crisp, deep, delicious, dry, golden, grapefruit, long finish, orange, pine, resin, sweet, well balanced
Troegs Nugget Nectar
Style; glass: India Pale Ale/Imperial Amber; tulip
22 fl oz x 7.5% ABV = 165 / 60 = 2.75 beers * 150 C = 412.5 calories (est.)
Purchased at: Canal’s Burlington, NJ for $5.99
A beautiful deep amber body under an off white head. Full of sweetness and bitterness so very nicely balanced. Pine, citrus and rind all meet in a deep and delicious beer.
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: Belgian Strong Ale (trappist, tulip, tumbler), Brooklyn | Tags: amazing, banana, beautiful, citrus, deep, delicious, dry, fruit, hazy, long finish, nice, ruby, sour, sweet, well balanced
brooklyn local 2 belgian strong ale
Style; glass:Belgian Strong; trappist
25.4 fl oz x 9% ABV = 228.6 / 60 = 3.81 beers * 150 C = 571.5 calories (est.)
Purchased at: Canal’s Lawrenceville, NJ for $ (have to check)
Aroma: cloves, banana, peach, fruit. A wonderful version of the style, aroma fills the room.
Visuals: Meticulous packaging, beautiful and royal, thinner translucent head, hazy ruby body, gossamer lacing.
Taste: Begins bubbly, sweet, and washy, middles to a fruity candy, finishes dark with some bitterness. Delicious.
Palate: Heavily carbonated, very fresh, middle dulls and flavors emerge, finish is long lasting, sweetness, roastiness converging.
Overall: As most of my purchases from Garrett O., this is a quality brew, worth the price, with exquisite care, packaging, and attention to detail. Superb.
Filed under: Current selections | Tags: beer, black, caramel, chocolate, coffee, crisp, dark, deep, delicious, Facebook, hoppy, opaque, resin, roasted, Samuel Smith Brewery, stout, strong, TweetDeck, Twitter, United Kingdom, United States
http://twittertastelive.com/events/twitter-taste-live-beer-stouts says:
Tasting Times (EST USA):
Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout- 6:10
Rogue Shakespeare Stout- 6:30
Rogue Chocolate Stout- 6:50
Samuel Smith Imperial Stout- 7:10
7:30 – ? @reluct_scooper says he has a few UK Stouts that he will open and tweet about. Discussion on Sam Smith & Rogue continues.
5:53: I’ve got my water nearby, tweetdeck chirping away, and I’ve already done group and individual bottle shots. This is going to be cool.
6:21: Just got some compliments on my notes. This is fun.
7:08 this is tough to do. Lots of beer!
8:39 What an experience. Here’s the trail:
- @reluct_scooper those two are very fine examples, but many more exist. #ttl
- @NormskiBrewer nice to have you! #ttl
- http://twitpic.com/1mf4n is a little compilation pic of tonight’s offerings. Cheers.
- @beerbabe just finished a WWS, and enjoyed it immensely. It defines the words ‘sip’ and ‘pleasure’. #ttl
- @beerbabe I <3 Santo Palo Marron. I’ve gotten into Facebook fights over the amazingness of this brew. #ttl
- @beerbabe the flavor really emerges with the mellowing warmth. #ttl
- @beertweeter I am an amateur beer chef.
hehehe. #ttl
- having very room temp Shakespeare, and it’s still standing up nicely. Nice hop finish, a bit mellower, of course, but flavor is there. #ttl
- @beertweeter good or bad? I finished my impy. #ttl
- biab. You people absolutely rock. #ttl
- @beertweeter you inspired me. #ttl
- @Normskibrewer My pleasure. #ttl
- @tastelive blushes and cheers. Video forthcoming, but a slower process. #ttl
- @beerbabe Thanks! It’s my latest little way of getting into my work. #ttl
- Photos from tonight’s tasting: http://tinyurl.com/bcxrph #ttl
- @Ekajtactless love that bastard. #ttl
- #3 trend on all of twitter. That really is kind of something on a Saturday evening, no? #ttl
- Wow. we cracked the code. Care deeply about something and talk about it. For hours! Lets get advertisements going. #ttl
- @Gservo had the Creme Brulee on tap once. That was nice. #ttl
- @Normskibrewer I like the way you drink… er think. #ttl
- @beertweeter Sessions are the new imperial styles. #ttl
- @reluct_scooper yeah I’d like to hear the also rans! #ttl
- @Normskibrewer If you want bucketlist brews, I’d suggest Mikkeller Black, Beer Geek breakfast, Great Divide Yeti, Dogfish Head 120, etc #ttl
- @Normskibrewer I don’t think any of these were to-die-for brews, but all good. #ttl
- @beerbabe I think these all stood up well. We can all agree that a macro brown ale would have trouble in the list. #ttl
- @Normskibrewer Sam Smith Imperial 17/20 Oatmeal 18/20 Rogue Chocolate 16/20 Shakespeare 18/20 #ttl
- @beerbabe it’s going to be a long night. But delicious. Cheers! #ttl
- going to follow each of you soon. #ttl
- @beertweeter I love that we live in a time that we can share this experience in this way. I’m a technologist first, and this is sublime #ttl
- @beerbabe it was my absolute pleasure, I can assure you. I’ve wanted to taste beers with you a long time now. #ttl
- does anyone esle have unfinished bombers sitting before them? #ttl
- This has been a lot of fun, friends! I’m looking forward to the next one as well. #ttl
- Being that Philly Beer week is approaching I think ale on cask will be an easy fix come March. Just saying. #ttl
- @beertweeter I think we all might benefit. They do casks at the Hulmeville Inn from time to time, in PA. #ttl
- I once had Sculpin from a Firkin in Philadelphia at a very special event. #ttl
- @beertweeter will do. I’m in NJ. You? #ttl
- @beertweeter there’s a place near me that has no trouble kicking casks in a few days — they do great advertising, beer lists, etc. #ttl
- @beertweeter trending #10 – damn, who’s at #9? #ttl
- @beertweeter The Mikkeller (Imperial stout) I mentioned earlier comes out at about 18% ABV. #ttl
- @hopwild I have to say I usually taste at cellar or warmer. I enjoy fuller flavors, genuinely. Mine aren’t cold at all, but delicious. #ttl
- @beerbabe sadly, no. #ttl
- @Normskibrewer Sam Smith Imp Stout. #ttl
- @hoppy_mike Raison seems a lot more intense than this, though. This is smoother, mellow, to me. #ttl
- To Bill, a deserving brew for a deserving appreciative. #ttl
- palate starts washy, foamy, middles to a linen and silk luxury, followed by a raisinous dark roasted finish that stays for a bit. Nice. #ttl
- Agitation does wonders for the visuals and for the aroma. The flavor retains its impact thoughout. #ttl
- Taste goes right to raisin, plum, oats, and coffee. So very smooth. some carbo in the finish, but not distracting. #ttl
- An appropriate stout for the toast: thick viscosity, thinner beautiful tan head, intricate lacing. Bill might have loved it. #ttl
- @hopwild to Bill! #ttl
- @reluct_scooper Cheers! #ttl
- @beertweeter me am. I mean I am. Wow. Long night. #ttl
- Maybe instead of the 25 random things craze on facebook, we could start a 10 beers for life list. Just a thought. #ttl
- pausing to video and snapshot the pour and body. biab. #ttl
- Mikkeller 黑 is mine, hands down. Lots of Number 2s though. http://tinyurl.com/akgg4q #ttl
- @beerbabe how’s the pairing? #ttl
- @beerbabe Agreed and wholeheartedly. #ttl
- @beerbabe I would go as far as to say that generalizing to gender is a fruitless endeavor. Especially when it comes to beer. #ttl
- Comparatively, I’d say this is more intense than the Sam Smith, but less than the Shakespeare. Hops are somewhat less here, no? #ttl
- @beertweeter and oh, how I’ve tried to turn her on to great beer. #ttl
- @beertweeter my wife. #ttl
- Starts carbona crisp, dry, and middles to blunt malty roasted notes. Finish is slightly bitter. Dark chocolate throughout. Delicious. #ttl
- roasted malt definitely comes through in the aroma as chocolate. Fully opaque body with foamy tan head. lacing is nice already. Milky. #ttl
- just paused to take some video of the pour and some body shots. Pourn. hehe. Ahem. Back now. #ttl
- oh man. sit this pint aside. take a drink of water. deep breath. #ttl
- @beerbabe a good problem to have. #ttl
- For Rogue, DFH, and Stone, having new offerings allows for diversity and experimentation that led to their original success. Good on em #ttl
- @beerbabe And as a result, you get Chipotle ale. I was less impressed with Soba ale. Don’t get me started on Dogfish Head. #ttl
- @beerbabe Babe Ruth was a leader in strikeouts as well as hits (i think), I think Rogue’s experimental nature allows for greatness. #ttl
- @beertweeter +10 for Lovibond reference. #ttl
- @beerbabe Rogue is really one of the most reliable brewers for hopheads no matter the style. Their Yellow Snow IPA, is world class IMO. #ttl
- No light escapes the body, no taste bud avoids the hop and silky coating. The back and roof my mouth are tingling. Well crafted. #ttl
- I think it’s brave of Sam Smith to endcap these brews from Rogue in our tasting. It says something for the fortitude of their brews. #ttl
- @beertweeter WD-80 #ttl
- Flavor is far more hoppy, middles out to citrus and mint for me, finish is very bitter and lasting. I absolutely love Rogue brews. #ttl
- this is wholly opaque, black, no such ruby notes as in the SS. Fluffy tan head goes to thin with intricate lace. Beautiful. #ttl
- @hopwild mine deflated too, but lace is nice. #ttl
- @beerbabe i <3 sediment. Lees, extra yeast, whatever, let me at it. #ttl
- @beertweeter lol Radiohead here. #ttl
- <sips water> #ttl
- @hopwild as we approach 25% ABV in some experimental Dogfish head brews, I think we’ll see it more and more. One can hope. #ttl
- @hopwild I find that 5% and under forego the ABV listing. #ttl
- @reluct_scooper the carbo left mine pretty quickly and let the flavor come through. I started at cellar temp, too. #ttl
- Belgian lacing is crisp, intricate, and picture perfect. Nice way to finish. #ttl
- starts crisp, mellows to soy and dark notes quickly, longer oat based finish. A delicious session brew. #ttl
- I have a little 5 LED flashlight to get a good impression of the deeper color in more opaque brews. This one lights right up! #ttl
- I love stouts with some sediment or bottle conditioning. This one is clean as a whistle, but I’ll not hold it against ol’ Sam. #ttl
- @binendswine bottoms up while it’s 5% ABV! #ttl
- @binendswine blushing and cheers! #ttl
- jealous of those with food pairing. #ttl
- The color is one of the nicest features, I think — that ruby tinge is one of my favorite in the beer spectrum. #ttl
- As the carbonation departs and it warms, the flavors start to emerge more. Raisin, plum, soy. #ttl
- roasted malt is definitely coming through — oats help it. more choc than coffee for me. #ttl
- Mine is smooth, a bit like tea. Some chocolate, as beerbabe notes. I have a cold, sigh. #ttl
- @hopwild may be a bit shelved. Age doesn’t work in all brews, or could be a bad producer recipe. #ttl
- Taking shots and video as we go, will go up on http://beercritic.wordpress… later. #ttl
- Just a bit translucent. The ruby undertones are beautiful and the tan head is fluffy with nice lacing. #ttl
- Lots of grain and earthiness in the aroma. Nice. #ttl
- it says 6 p.m. EST here. #ttl
- I have four glasses setup, an english pint for the oatmeal, a shaker for the shakespeare, 2 snifters for the rest. All room temp, clean #ttl
- @binendswine Stouts, depending on substyle can be poured into shakers, English Pints (e.g. oatmeal), and Snifters (e.g. imperial) #ttl
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_c.png?x-id=f4513d25-ec33-41d1-8e6c-f32f3fa14377)
Filed under: Imperial Stout (snifter), Oskar Blues | Tags: alcohol, beautiful, bitter, black, caramel, chocolate, coffee, dark, deep, delicious, high quality, hoppy, long finish, mold, opaque, resin, rich, roasted, strong, sweet, thick
Oskar Blues Ten Fidy
Style; glass: Imperial Stout; snifter
12 fl oz x 9.6% ABV = 115.2 / 60 = 1.92 beers * 150 C = 288 calories (est.)
Purchased at: Super Saver Pennington, NJ for $2.99
Aroma: An amazing aroma of cocoa, sugar, chocolate, syrup, coffee, mold, and dust.
Visuals: Cans are beautful, rather unique for craft brew, and very welcome. It is darkness in a glass. It’s midnight. It eats light. It is black and fully opaque. The beautiful brown tan head is fluffy and lasting, and the lace struggles against the ABV, but is beautiful.
Taste: Like chocolate syrup, so very delicious. A chocolate milkshake. Over the top roasted malts and a bitter rich finish that is very much like espresso. Absolutely delicious.
Palate: Starts sweet and with a heavy gravity, middle is dark and roasted with a satisfying bitter finish. Great for a hop head like me, but soothes my imperial cravings as well.
Overall: An amazing, if expensive, brew. Worth every penny. Dark chocolate, espresso, and syrup, you just can’t beat it.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=2f9fdba2-f324-4967-a392-ef7f39c758f6)
Filed under: Belgian Strong Ale (trappist, tulip, tumbler), Russian River | Tags: alcohol, beautiful, citrus, cloudy, deep, golden, hoppy, long finish, resin, well balanced, wheat
Russian River Damnation Golden Ale
Style and Glass: Belgian Strong Ale, Trappist, snifter
ABV, Volume & Calories: 7.75% in 25.4 fl oz. estimated at 400 C
Purchased at: The Six Pack Store, Philadelphia, PA for $20.00 (Joe, we need to talk — I have since seen this elsewhere for $8.95)
Aroma: Very nice aroma, fainter, flowery, fruity, spices, cloves, cinnamon.
Visuals: Very nice packaging, interesting label, educational iconography, body is very much like white balanced deep space pictures of the sun, deep muddy orange, thick with haze and sediment, bright white head, sticky Belgian lace.
Taste: Delicious, well balanced. Not very sweet with malt, but a nice hoppy surprise in the finish.
Palate: Starts crisp, slightly chemical, middle is somewhat fruity, malt hits for a second with peach and cherry notes, then goes to a hoppy, darker finish that stays for a short while.
Overall: A very enjoyable brew. I’d have it again. I was upset to find it for less than half the price in the suburbs, but you live and learn.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=7718f40e-3d4f-4693-a607-322b0a1ae00f)
