Filed under: Imperial/Double IPA (snifter, tulip), Victory | Tags: beautiful presence, brown sugar, dust, favorite, fern, inviting, lemon, light caramel, oil, orange, peach, rye, sour cream, star anise, tea, tea towel, toast ed peanuts, very hoppy, wheat, Wondrous, zest
Victory Hop Wallop
Glass: snifter, tulip
Originally Purchased at: Laurenti’s ShopRite, Hamilton, NJ on July 3rd, 2008
Today: A gift from Bryan K and Angel B – Thanks!
Price: $1.83
Size: 12 fl oz
ABV: 8.5%
Estimated Calories: 250 C in 12 oz
RateBeer Rating: 93
Aural: quiet opening, good carbonation, simple pour
Aroma 9 out of 10
Intensity: medium
Balance: sweet
Impression: very nice
Malt Aroma: wheat, rye, brown sugar, toast ed peanuts, light caramel
Hops Aroma: dust, fern, star anise, lemon
Other Aroma: tea, peach
Notes: An absolutely amazing, if faint, aroma. Wondrous and inviting.
Appearance 5 out of 5
Color: copper
Clarity: brilliant
Head Retention: persistent
Lace: intricate
Notes: A beautiful presence, nicely retained white head, simple lacing, and a deep copper body.
Flavor 9 out of 10
Intensity: strong
Balance: bitter
Impression: nice
Malt Flavor: wheat, rye, cane sugar, roasted peanuts, light caramel
Hops Flavor: dust, lemon, orange, zest,
Other: tea, oatmeal
Notes: Likely the best feature of this delicious brew – very hoppy, not well balanced, likely on purpose. Bitterness is key.
Palate 5 out of 5
Mouthfeel
Sensation: sour cream, oil, tea towel
Body: full
Carbonation: faint
Finish
Length: long
Intensity: strong
Balance: bitter
Notes: A delicious and richly textured finish.
General Impression: 18 out of 20
Craftmanship: excellent
Freshness: fresh
Personal Taste: loved
Notes: One of my favorite beers.
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: Abbey Tripel (trappist), Chouffe | Tags: alcohol, banana, beautiful, bitter, citrus, cloudy, delicious, fruit, golden, grapefruit, hazy, hoppy, layered, long finish, nicely balanced, resin, rich, well balanced, wheat
Pourn: Chouffe Houblon Dobbelen IPA Tripel
Volume: 25.4 fl oz * ABV: 9% = 220.5 / 60 = 3.67 beers * 150C = 550.5 C est.
RateBeer rating: 98
Style; Glass: Abbey Tripel; Trappist
Purchased at: Canal’s Lawrenceville, NJ
Price: $8.99
Aroma: fruity, musky, humid, wet. Nice mix. Faint aroma, but delicious.
Visuals: pale golden hazy, immense white long lasting head. Carbonation is a bit overactive, but calms down after some time.
Taste: delicious, rich, hoppy, layered, nicely balanced, slight burn of alcohol. Banana, cloves, pineapple, very hoppy.
Palate: back of tongue, top back, roof. finish is long, dark, deep, and fruity. This marriage of california style hops and Belgian style fruit is an instant classic for me.
Overall Impressions: Banana, cherry, lemon, orange, hops, bitterness. One of my all time favorites.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_c.png?x-id=d2c6b7fe-b4b5-47e3-b51a-4e4408969c17)
Filed under: Altbier, Kolsch (kolsch, altbier), Otter Creek Wolaver | Tags: beautiful, caramel, coffee, delicious, hay, nice, roasted, well balanced, wheat
Otter Creek Copper Ale
Style; glass: Alt Kolsch; tumbler
12 fl oz x 5.4% ABV = 64.8 / 60 = 1.08 beers * 150 C = 162 calories (est.)
Purchased at: Canal’s Lawrenceville, NJ for $1.20
Aroma: Hay, corn, faint.
Visuals: typical packaging, beautiful, bright copper body, brilliant, staying white head, sticky lace.
Taste: Some depth, spicy, hoppy, malty. Caramel, roasted malts, some coffee. Tasty!
Palate: start is spongey, middle is drying, and finish is acetic, bitter, and enjoyable.
Overall: perhaps the best of the sampler. It was sold to me by the beer manager at Canal’s who suggested that this was their flagship. I think they should focus on this malty, slightly bitter, delicious session brew.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_c.png?x-id=800fc97c-2adb-4413-bd6c-8b6f142162f1)
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: IPA (shaker, tulip), Stone | Tags: amazing, banana, bitter, brilliant, citrus, crisp, delicious, fruit, golden, grapefruit, hoppy, nice, pine, sweet, wheat
Stone Cali-Belgique IPA
Style; glass: IPA; tulip
22 fl oz x 6.9% ABV = 151.8 / 60 = 2.53 beers * 150 C = 379.5 calories (est.)
Purchased at: Canal’s Lawrenceville for $7.99
Aroma: sweet, banana and cloves, some citrusy hops, pine, grass.
Visuals: packaging is beautiful, though screen printing always seems to be coming off the bottle. It gives the brand a bit of crumbly marble style, though I wonder if it’s intentional? Perhaps the most brilliant IPA I’ve ever seen, absolutely crystal clear. Like the final scene in THX 1138, it’s that bright sunlight. Golden, pale, transparent, bright white head, sticky fresh Belgian lace. Carbonation is continuous.
Taste: Delicious, sweet, and hoppy. A great blend, very much in the spirit of Chouffe’s Hobblon Dobblen (sp?). Expertly balanced, nice easygoing maltiness, great hops. Perhaps my favorite new session brew.
Palate: Crisp, clean, and refreshing. A dream of fusion of two of my favorite styles. I hope they develop an imperial of this. Starts very sweet, crisp, middle has a bit of a burn and slight roastiness, finish is hops and bitterness with a salty sweet end note. Amazing.
Overall: In terms of lighter brews and more reasonable ABVs, this is a clear winner, and easily my favorite IPA at the moment, and very much a favorite all around, though my top honor still goes to Mikkeller for Black. I’m going to get more, soon. Stone, just keep them coming, and please consider an imperial version of this.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=fa4ead22-9a1d-45a9-a4c3-2e866e0db936)
Filed under: Lost Abbey, Saison [farmhouse ale] (tulip) | Tags: beautiful, citrus, crisp, fruit, golden, hazy, mold, orange, sweet, wheat
Lost Abbey Red Barn Ale
Style and Glass: Saison; tulip
ABV, Volume & Calories: 6.7 % in 25.4 fl oz. estimated at 300 C
Purchased at: Newportville Inn, Bristol, PA for $8.50
Aroma: peaches, fruit, hayfield, dirt, dust. Inviting, flowery aroma.
Visuals: Beautiful packaging, though I feel similarly about religious iconography on my beer as I do about fish. I’d rather not see it right there, in particular. Hazy golden sunset, with a bright white cloud of a head. Lace is intricate.
Taste: A very nicely done saison — tea, some spice, cloves, but what really sets this apart is the rather hoppy finish and depth. Some corn and wheat, but heavier than most of the saisons I’ve tried, which is a good thing as far as I’m concerned.
Palate: Beginning is sweet and malty, middle is darker, and dries quickly, with a slightly bitter finish that lasts for about half a minute. A very nice example.
Overall: This was my first ever Lost Abbey brew, but it certainly won’t be my last. If they can make a very enjoyable saison, I believe they can do just about anything.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=f0de8b15-436f-432d-be79-afa243e576ed)
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)
Filed under: Stout (English pint), Young | Tags: Alcohol by volume, beer, black, chocolate, dark, deep, Food, opaque, resin, roasted, stout, Sweetness of wine, Taste, wheat, wine, Wine tasting descriptors
Young's Double Chocolate Stout
Young’s Double Chocolate Stout
ABV: 5.2%
Calories: estimated at 200 C
Volume: 16.9 fl oz
Glass: footed tapered 8 fl oz
Purchased at: Towne Wine and Liquor
Price per fl oz: $4.39 / 16.9 fl oz = $0.25 per fl oz
Consumed at: home
sensory first impression: A dark and opaque beauty with a lacy, rich thick brown head. Luxurious chocolate flavor and not too heavy like many other chocolate stouts. Highly drinkable. Amber at the edge. Aroma is smoky, chalky, and very nice.
Aroma/Olfactory: 7 out of 10
Malt flavor is: chocolate, wine, coffee, roasted, and oak.
Hop flavor is: resin, leaves, and orange.
Yeast flavor is: doughy, dark hearth bread. Pretzels.
Other flavors include: dark cherries, lemon peel, alcohol, solvent, malty.
Visuals/Appearance: 4 out of 5
Color is: black, brown, and amber at the edge. Beautiful Guinness-like rushing effect upon pour.
Liquid is: opaque.
Head and lace are: brown, thick, and lacy.
Taste/Flavor: 7 out of 10
Maltiness or Sweetness level is: chocolate and medium sweet.
Hoppiness or Bitterness level is: moderately bitter.
Sour level is: low.
Palate/Tactile: 3 out of 5
Body or Mouthfeel is: medium to heavy.
Texture is: creamy.
Carbonation is: medium.
Finish is: long, dark, and okay.
Overall experience: 15 out of 20. I liked the flavor, appearance, head, color, depth, signature flavors, longevity, alcohol, and packaging. An okay beer.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_c.png?x-id=7bdb2bd3-8059-4fd8-90c7-5f9170eb9636)
