Review: Hopsickle Imperial India Pale Ale

Hopsickle Imperial India Pale Ale from Moylan's Brewery
Rating: A-

Thanks to intriqken for sending me this one in a trade.

Appearance: A very nice looking beer, the color is a peach-tinted orange, clear, with a nice head and lacing.

Smell: As soon as the first drop hits the bottom of the glass, the aroma permeates the room. Lots of citrusy hops characfter in this one (the label cites Cascade and Centennial), but there's also an underlying DIPA malt sweetness.

Taste: Hop character isn't *quite* as strong as I anticipated it to be, given the aroma, but still very tasty. The middle is sweet and juicy, exactly the kind of malt profile you expect in a DIPA. Didn't improve with warming up in my hand. The sweetness was a little much, but the nice finish makes up for it.

Mouthfeel & Drinkability: Slightly syrupy, good carbonation. Drinkability is good, but not exceptional.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 09-26-2006 13:44:04

Review: Raison D'etre

Raison D'etre from Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
Rating: B

Appearance: Smaller than expected head that disappeared rapidly. Just on the red side of cola in the color.

Smell: Raisin and caramel malts, with some alcohol presence. Not the distinctive Belgian yeast aroma that I was expecting.

Taste: There's a lot going on, on the palate, but whether there's a rhyme or reason to it isn't clear. Caramel/toffee at the front, Belgian sugar in the middle. A hint of raisin throughout, but not the same dark fruitiness that I expect in the style. Finishes dry, despite the sweet-ish flavors that predominate. Good for what it is, but not as Belgian-tasting as I had expected.

Mouthfeel: Medium body, carbonation on the low side.

Drinkability: Goes down surprisingly well for the alcohol content. As another reviewer put it, this is definitely an "off-centred ale." I kind of wish I'd gotten a single instead of a sixer, though.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 09-25-2006 22:58:06

Dogfish Head Raison DEtre

Review: Hurricane Reef Pale Ale

Hurricane Reef Pale Ale from Florida Beer Company
Rating: B

Apearance: Orange amber color with a smallish white head that exhibits nice lacing. Carbonation seems to fade quickly.

Smell: Fairly mild aroma, maybe it needs to warm up... Even after warming, there's just not much there.

Taste: Crisp fruit flavors, very clean. Somewhat soapy. Hops are understated for an APA. Finishes dry.

Mouthfeel: Crisp is definitely the word. Body is on the lighter side.

Drinkability: Not great, but at least it's local. Might be a good beer to cook with.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 09-25-2006 19:27:11

Review: Stone Smoked Porter

Stone Smoked Porter from Stone Brewing Company
Rating: A-

Thanks to intriqken for the opportunity to try this one.

Appearance: very dark, small tan head with good retention, some lacing.

Smell: more roasty/malty than smoky, but the smoke is definitely present. Not overwhelming, subtle.

Taste: Not as subtle as the smell, but it still works nicely. Smoke is up front on the palate, but the finish is all chocolate malt. Interesting, because I would have expected smoke to show up more in the finish/aftertaste than chocolate flavors. Enough hops to balance, but their flavor doesn't come through. With it finishing on a chocolate note instead of smoke, it's easy to forget this is a smoked beer.

Mouthfeel: Thick but creamy, very nice. Smooth.

Drinkability: Good.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 09-21-2006 18:36:31

Stone Smoked Porter

Review: Laurentina Clara

Laurentina Clara from Cervejas De Moçambique
Rating: C-

Appearance: Pale gold, moderate head, no lace, very average looking

Smell: Very corn-smelling, with some hops in the background.

Taste: More bitter than I expected (granted, expectatins were low) but the corn flavor is very much apparent.

Mouthfeel: Watery, aftertaste is weird but hard to place - vaguely adjunct-y.

Drinkability: Just one of the many indistinguishable macro lagers that make up the bulk of available African beers. I'd still say it's better than Castle, but that might be partly due to this being my first beer from Mozambique!

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 09-21-2006 13:21:11

Review: Imperial Stout

Imperial Stout from Rogue Ales Brewery / Brewer's on the Bay
Rating: A

Poured out of a 12 oz bottle dated 2002. Jet black, with garnet highlights when held up against the light. Small head without much retention, but some lacing. Aroma has lots of dark fruit, chocolate and some hops. Taste is much the same. A very well-made beer. Alcohol is present, but there's enough flavor going on that it doesn't dominate. Full bodied, appropriately carbonated. Drank it slow, but because it could be savored. Good drinkability.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 09-14-2006 03:32:50

Rogue XS Imperial Stout

Review: Chicory Stout

Chicory Stout from Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
Rating: B

I found this one fairly disappointing, having enjoyed so many of the other Dogfish Head beers that I've tried. Appearance is jet-black, with a one-finger head that is anything than the "bone white" described on the label - definitely more tan in color. Some lacing. Smell was weak at first, but improved as it warmed: roasted coffee, chocolate, and a hint of smoke. Taste is predominantly roasty, little in the way of hop character, with a distinctly smoky character that a friend said reminded him of bacon - not a descriptor you often hear for beer! As for mouthfeel, full body and good carb for style. Drinkability was moderate.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 09-14-2006 03:26:40

Review: Old Crustacean

Old Crustacean from Rogue Ales Brewery / Brewer's on the Bay
Rating: B+

Four years old at sampling, but still quite an intense beer here. Color is garnet, with decent head but little lacing - we'll blame that on the high alcohol content. Smell is quintissentially barleywine: lots of dark fruit, hops, alcohol, and sweet malts. Taste is very similar, but with a certain harshness in the finish, could be from roasted malt or perhaps from the hops (120 IBU's!). Smells better than it tastes, I think. Mouthfeel is smooth but syrupy, good carbonation for the style. Drinkability isn't great - harsh finish and high alcohol make this a special occasion beer, and I think I prefer Bigfoot, regardless.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 09-14-2006 03:21:38

Rogue XS Old Crustacean

Review: Pumpkinhead Ale

Pumpkinhead Ale from Shipyard Brewing Co.
Rating: C+

Appearance is very light orange in color, head and lacing aren't impressive. Smell promises pumpkin, ginger and spice, with some hops in the background. The first sip's taste is very much the same profile: mild pumpkin, ginger, and nutmeg dominant. No hops flavor to speak of, bitterness low. After you get through about half the bottle, you adapt to the spiciness and it just tastes like light beer. Mouthfeel is thin and highly carbonated. As for drinkability, I have to say I enjoyed it quite a bit for the first few sips, but it got more and more insipid as I drank.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 09-14-2006 03:16:21

Review: Shakespeare Stout

Shakespeare Stout from Rogue Ales Brewery / Brewer's on the Bay
Rating: A

Split this bottle with my dad tonight before dinner.

Appearance: Pours an opaque dark brown/black, with a head that's surprisingly light in color. Nice looking head, good retention, some lacing.

Smell: A very nice smelling beer. Lots of complexity here. Cocoa, roast, coffee, and some earthy hops in the background.

Taste: Much like it smells, although not quite as good I don't think. I think I'm starting to get a feel for what Pacman yeast tastes like, and this is quintissentially, Rogue. Aftertaste has a good bit of bitter chocolate.

Mouthfeel: Medium body, good carbonation. Nice.

Drinkability: A well-balanced American stout. Very nice.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 09-12-2006 00:16:02

Rogue Shakespeare Stout 22oz