Review: Ayinger Celebrator Doppelbock

Ayinger Celebrator Doppelbock from Privatbrauerei Franz Inselkammer KG / Brauerei Aying
Rating: A

Appearance: Pours a beautiful dark garnet color, with a great big tan head that exhibits very nice retention. Fairly clear. Some lacing. A fine looking beer.

Smell: Caramel, biscuit, and a touch of smoke.

Taste: An explosion of flavor on the tongue. Malt dominates, but it's something to celebrate. Molasses, toast, and a hint of smoke at the swallow. Finishes very clean - lager yeast at work. Spicy hops aftertaste. Alcohol fairly well hidden, I think.

Mouthfeel: Medium body. Very smooth.

Drinkability: A very good beer, no doubt about it. Now to decide what to do with the white goat thing that came with it.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 08-31-2006 00:27:55

Ayinger Celebrator Dopplebock

Review: Grozet Gooseberry & Wheat Ale

Grozet Gooseberry & Wheat Ale from Heather Ale Ltd. / The Brewery Craigmill
Rating: B

Appearance: No idea what to expect when I pour it... Pours a fairly normal color for an ale, kind of a honey color, very clear... Below average head, but good retention.

Smell: I had kind of assumed this was a pure gruit, without any hops, but as soon as it was poured into the glass, I could detect a hint of hops aroma, and sure enough it's listed as an ingredient. Aroma is fruity, with a hint of promised acidity - vinous? Fairly reminiscent of more mainstream wheat beers. With some caramel malt, as well, I think.

Taste: Slight berry flavor on the tip of the tongue, with the light flavor of wheat, and an herbal finish that I can't exactly place (label indicates bogmyrtle and meadowsweet, whatever those are). Earthiness and acidity can be noted as well, maybe tea-like tannins? Whether it's the hops or one of the other herbs, it's enough to balance the sweetness of the malt and berries. Finishes nicely dry.

Mouthfeel: "Soft" mouthfeel, if that makes sense, with a light-medium body. Carbonation seems just about right.

Drinkability: Surprisingly drinkable. A tad on the light side perhaps, but it's still flavorful and interesting, so the lightness helps drinkability if anything.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 08-29-2006 22:04:42

Grozet Gooseberry Wheat

Review: Trappistes Rochefort 6

Trappistes Rochefort 6 from Brasserie de Rochefort (Abbaye de Notre-Dame de Saint-Rémy)
Rating: A-

This is the first of the Rochefort flight that I've been able to try.

Appearance: Pretty dark brown, with orange highlights. Moderate head, with exceptional retention.

Smell: Lots of fruit in the nose, both dark (fig, raisin) and tropical. A little bit of sourness towards the tail end of the aroma that makes me think of lambics. Slight alcohol and hops presences as well.

Taste: Yum. Dark fruit, maltiness that is reminiscent of a dubbel, followed by some spice character. A little biscuit in the finish, with a slightly acidic aftertaste. Alcohol is very well hidden.

Mouthfeel: Medium-full body, but with fairly high carbonation that cuts it nicely.

Drinkability: Very high.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 08-28-2006 21:44:24

Rochefort 6

Review: Yeti Imperial Stout

Yeti Imperial Stout from Great Divide Brewing Company
Rating: A-

Appearance: Absolutely opaque, darkest head I think I've ever seen. Pretty big head,

Smell: Some dark fruits, definitely. Raisin and fig characteristics are evident, along with some hops in the background.

Taste: Bitterness is a lot more assertive than I'd expected, and maybe even more than I might have prefered. Dark chocolate and dark fruits as well. Quite an intense beer. Alcohol is fairly present.

Mouthfeel: Medium-full body. Fairly light in the way of carbonation, but in a way that seems fitting for the style.

Drinkability: This wasn't a favorite when I shared it with the neighbors - "too bitter!" went the refrain. I liked it, but that said I drank it slowly, and probably a little bit more than I would have prefered. "Intense" is the word.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 08-27-2006 02:31:52

Great Divide Yeti

Review: Young's Double Chocolate Stout

Young's Double Chocolate Stout from Young & Co's Brewery PLC
Rating: B+

This one was just okay for me, but my none-beer-drinking neighbors all seemed to like it a lot - more than they liked Yeti Imperial Stout ("too bitter" or Rogue Chocolate Stout ("too beery" - which surprised me, I love that one)

Appearance: Opaque black in the glass, tan head that leaves nice lacing on the glass. Nice looking beer.

Smell: Nice and malty aroma, with dark chocolate undertones.

Taste: Roastiness is the predominant flavor, but there is some dark chocolate in the background. Bitterness is light.

Mouthfeel: Fairly creamy mouthfeel. Light-Medium body.

Drinkability: Everyone else seemed to like it more than I did, but definitely not bad.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 08-27-2006 02:11:25

Review: Silver Jubilee

Silver Jubilee from North Coast Brewing Co.
Rating: B+

My mom picked this one up for me - nice coincidence, because I've had several saisons lately and I'm trying to evaluate how I like the style.

Appearance: somewhat cloudy honey color, big head that leaves nice lacing. appears to be highly carbonated.

Smell: some citrus and grass, along with a distinctive Belgian yeast aroma.

Taste: Lots of spice going on, some citrus background. Not as "funky" as Dupont, more along the lines of Hennepin. Bitterness shows up right after the swallow - well balanced. Alcohol is pretty well-hidden.

Mouthfeel: Fairly highly carbonated, but by the end of the bottle less so. Body is fairly light.

Drinkability: Fairly drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 08-27-2006 00:04:27

Review: Butte Creek Organic India Pale Ale

Butte Creek Organic India Pale Ale from Butte Creek Brewing Company
Rating: B

I wasn't sure what to expect in an "organic" beer, but I was pleasantly surprised by this one.

Appearance: Nice amber color, good head and lacing. Pretty clear.

Smell: Citrusy hops, but quite a bit of malt coming through in the nose, making me expect something more like an APA than a real IPA.

Taste: The taste isn't as malty as the nose. Citrusy hops, toasty finish. Some caramel malt in the aftertaste. Alcohol is well hidden, I wouldn't have guessed this was over 7%.

Mouthfeel: Creamy, good carbonation.

Drinkability: I liked this one. Not sure the "organicness" had any impact on flavor at all, it tasted just fine to me.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 08-26-2006 21:21:36

Butte Creek Oganic IPA

Review: Snake Dog IPA

Snake Dog IPA from Flying Dog Brewery
Rating: B

Appearance: Pours a particularly orange color. Good head and lacing. A nice looking beer.

Smell: A good amount of citrus hops aroma.

Taste: Tastes pretty good to me, some biscuity malts and a good amount of bitter hop character.

Mouthfeel: Good body and carbonation, no complaints to be heard here.

Drinkability: A drinkable IPA, but I think I prefer Flying Dog's APA.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 08-25-2006 01:12:22

Review: Pipers Pale Ale

Pipers Pale Ale from Dunedin Brewery
Rating: B

Appearance: Orange amber color, decent head with some lacing but not much. Comes in a nice 16 oz brown bottle that I'll be sure to reuse for homebrew.

Smell: pine hops on a biscuity malt base, with some mineral character as well

Taste: A good malt base that makes me think this is APA is jsut leaning to the APA side of the amber/APA divide, but that might be because I thoughtlessly preceded this with an IPA. Hops are perhaps a touch harsh.

Mouthfeel: Fairly light body, good carbonation, but for me by the end of the 16 oz bottle it was a little light in that respect.

Drinkability: Not a bad APA, my dad stopped by the brewery and picked up a four-pack and a glass for me, so it's got good associations.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 08-25-2006 00:45:49

Review: Kingfisher Lager

Kingfisher Lager from United Breweries - UB Group
Rating: D+

Appearance: Typical macro lager color, with a small head that leaves no lacing. Not great looking.

Smell: Vaguely adjuncty, with some straw and malt notes

Taste: Malt is definitely dominant here, with not enough hops to balance. The hops that are present are kind of skunky, I guess the green bottle is to blame. As it warms up, rice flavors definitely show up.

Mouthfeel: Lower than usual carbonation for the style - it could have used more. Body is a little heftier than typical for the style.

Drinkability: I'll pass, thanks. I've had three Indian beers now and none of them have been at all impressive - for the sake of the subcontinent, I hope it's just that the good stuff isn't being imported.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 08-24-2006 00:23:43

Kingfisher