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.
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Filed under: American Pale Ale (lager glass, shaker), Sierra Nevada | Tags: amber, clear, grains, grass, great lace, hay, hoppy, salty, sandy, shallow, thin
ABV: 5.6%
IBU: ?
Volume: 12 oz
Glass: Goblet
Purchased at: Ewing Discount Liquor
Consumed on: Wednesday February 20th, 2008
first impression: No head really at all, a fine pale amber color, very clear. Finest lace and wisps of bubbles. Quiet in terms of carbonation. A nice bite in hops, and a bit malty. Not bad, by any means, but mass produced, perhaps not for the masses.
Aroma/Olfactory:
Malt is oceanic – a bit salty, a bit sandy.
Hops are present.
Yeast/Bacteria hang on the glass, and are the most present component in my tasting.
Other flavors include wind across a field of grass, corn, or hay.
Visuals/Appearance:
Color a thin, pale orange.
Liquid is golden and brilliant.
Head/Lace is very present.
Taste/Flavor:
Sweet overtones.
Bitterness is very light.
Sour not at all.
Salty and might pair well with fast food.
Hoppiness is present, but minimal.
Maltiness is thin and syrupy.
Palate/Tactile:
Body/Mouthfeel is quite light.
Texture is cutting. Quite dry.
Carbonation is fairly light.
Finish is quite short, except for the salty seltzer finish. Refreshing in this regard.
Overall – not a bad beer by any means, but not a very deeply crafted beer. It may separate itself (as a mass produced, mass consumed beer) from Budweiser in a far superlative way, but it does not approach the beers produced by Stone, Victory, or Dogfish Head. It is quite desirable where only macros exist.
Filed under: Imperial Stout (snifter), Stone | Tags: alcohol, bitter, black, brown wispy head, burnt, coffee, dry, espresso, grains, hoppy, layered, licorice, liquor, long dark burnt finish, Malty, masterly crafted, opaque, sandy, silky persistent lace, sponge, thick
ABV, Volume & Calories: 9.7 % in 22 fl oz. estimated at 400 C
Purchased at: Joe Canal’s, Lawrenceville, NJ for $6.99
Aroma: liquor, alcohol, licorice, burnt, grains, coffee. 10 out of 10.
Visuals: opaque, black, thick, brown wispy head, silky persistent lace. 5 out of 5.
Taste: layered, coffee, espresso, malty, hoppy, bitter, dry, masterly crafted. 10 out of 10.
Palate: sandy, dry, sponge, long dark burnt finish. 5 out of 5.
Overall: Like an espresso milkshake with dark chocolate shavings. I will go and seek this out again – amazing. It is masterly crafted and an immediate favorite. 20 out of 20.
Filed under: American Strong Ale (trappist), Stone | Tags: amazing, attractive, brilliant, clear, coating, deep finish, deep red, delicious, dust, grains, hay, hops, inviting, leathery, leaves, maple syrup, mild, nice lace, off white, present, quiet, roasted grains, sponge, well balanced, well crafted, wispy head
RateBeer Rating, Style and Glass: 98, American Strong, Trappist
22 fl oz x 7.2% ABV = 158.4 / 60 = 2.64 beers * 150 C = 396 calories (est.)
Purchased at: Circle Liquors Super Saver, Pennington, NJ for $4.50
Aroma: mild, inviting, quiet, present, grains. 7 out of 10.
Visuals: attractive, deep red, brilliant, clear, off white, wispy head, nice lace. 5 out of 5.
Taste: hops, roasted grains, maple syrup, leaves, hay, dust, delicious, well balanced, well crafted. 10 out of 10.
Palate: leathery, coating, sponge, amazing, deep finish. 5 out of 5.
Overall: Reminds me of the Oaked Bastard, but I preferred this by a mile, and I liked that one a lot. I’d have it again, and I plan to. One of my go to beers from here on out, since I can get it almost anywhere. Well crafted – a very nice treat. 18 out of 20.
Filed under: ABT/Quadrupel (trappist), St. Bernardus | Tags: aromatic, Bread, caramel, cherry, citrus, cloudy, drinkable, earth, explosive, floral, fruit, Fruity, grains, herbal, jungle, nuts, peach, pleasure, sharp, spice, sweet, tame, tea, Toast, Toffee
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- head
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- pair
Glass: Trappist
Purchased at: Circle Liquors Super Saver, Pennington, NJ and Canal’s Lawrenceville, NJ
Price: $4.25 or less
Size: 11.2 fl oz
ABV: 10%
Estimated Calories: 200 C
Aroma 10 out of 10
Intensity: Strong
Balance: between Sweet and Sharp
Impression: very Nice
Malt Flavor: toasted Grains Bread Toast Nuts Caramel Toffee
Hops Flavor:Floral Jungle Spice
Other:Fruit and lots of it
Notes: This is beautifully aromatic – one of the finest aromas I’ve ever had the pleasure to enjoy in a beer.
Appearance 5 out of 5
Color: brown
Clarity: Cloudy
Head Retention: Very, very good.
Notes: My original tasting was a gusher, but my subsequent tasting gave no such issue. An absolute standard for the type. Dark fully opaque body, with a long lasting, consistent bright white head.
Flavor 9 out of 10
Intensity: Middle
Balance: More sweet than bitter, but fairly well balanced.
Impression: Nice
Malt Flavor: Grain Bread Toast Nut Tea
Hops Flavor: Earth Herbal Citrus
Other: Fruit and lots of it
Notes: The flavor is nice, and the fruity backdrop is a well balanced and delicious setting.
Palate 4 out of 5
Mouthfeel
Sensation: Warming
Body: Medium
Carbonation: Faint
Finish
Length: Long
Intensity: Medium
Balance: more Sweet
Notes: This is quite enjoyable as a standard of the Belgian Abbey Trappist style.
General Impression: 18 out of 20
Craftmanship: Very, very good.
Freshness: I think that this second tasting was fairly fresh.
Personal Taste: Liked, quite abit.
Notes: A lesson — always enjoy a beer well within its intended tasting period, or suffer the consequences of enjoying at a later date.
Filed under: Ayinger, Doppelbock (mug, stein, stem glass) | Tags: dark, drinkable, good, grains, herbal, layered, licorice, raisin, ruby, subtle
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- Impressive presence.
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- LED flashlght again.
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- This is an LED flashlight struggling to be seen.
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- notable head
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- good deep body
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- First use of stem glass
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- Deep dark body
RateBeer rating: 100
Calories: estimated at 150C
Volume: 11.2 fl oz
Glass: stem glass
Purchased at: Circle Liquors Super Saver, Pennington, NJ
Price: $3.00
Consumed at: home
First Impression: A nice ruby drinkable beer. Aroma smells just like a nice lager, but taste is much different. Lots of grain and herbs in the aroma. Visuals are all about the ruby — deep dark ruby body with explosively carbonated head to start, but dies down very quickly. Tastes much like a brown ale, but has nice raisin, licorice, and nut signatures. Palate is dark, and activates the entire mouth. Subtle and layered. Second Impression: This reminds very much of what a great grain inspired beer might achieve. I’m not that familiar with the style, and so I can’t speak unto its accuracy, but it is a very nicely done beer. Personally, I prefer a stronger style than this, like an imperial stout, double IPA, or a barleywine style ale, but as it is, it’s very good.
Aroma: 8 out of 10
Visuals: 5 out of 5
Taste: 8 out of 10
Palate: 4 out of 5
Overall: 17 out of 20
