Review: World Wide Stout

World Wide Stout from Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
Rating: A

Three year old WWS poured into a snifter at the Dogfish Head Alehouse Gaithersburg location...

Appearance: Opaque black with ruby/purple highlights. Miniscule head that disappeared quickly, no lacing. It looks like port in the glass. intriguing!

Smell: smells like... chocolate covered rum-soaked raisins...

Taste: In an airport duty free shop several weeks ago I bought a "rum raisin hazelnut" chocolate bar - that's what this reminds me of! Alcohol is very present, but not distracting. This is like drinking a liqueur or port, that just happens to be carbonated. Much less roast character than I expected from a double stout - more along the lines of what I'd expect from a quadrupel, especially with the raisin fruitiness.

Mouthfeel & Drinkability: Lighter than I expected from a stout. Also, carbontaion seemed too high at first, almost distracting from the flavor. The flavor here was so good, this could have been great completely uncarbonated! That said, improved as it sat... The only drawback to drinkability, honestly, is the incredible alcohol content. Goes down frighteningly easy.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 06-29-2006 04:48:06

Review: 90 Minute IPA

90 Minute IPA from Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
Rating: A-

Poured into a snifter at the Gaithersburg location of Dogfish Head Alehouse.

Appearance: an orange-tinted honey, smaller head than I expected (although so much of that depends on the pour...), moderate lacing. Slightly hazy. Nice looking beer.

Smell: Lots of fresh hops aroma with some pine notes, and a tantalizing dark-fruit sweetness in the background.

Taste: First impressions: I didn't expect it to be so sweet, but i guess this is a double IPA. Pretty much the same profile as the aroma: dominant hops with a strong sweet backbone, with some alcohol warming also present. Finishes on a dry note, surprising considering the sweetness here and very agreeable to my tastes.
Perhaps a touch undercarbonated in the mouthfeel department, otherwise what you'd expect. Overall, this was a very good beer but it didn't quite meet my expectations (granted they were too high). Too sweet to be a sessioner for me, personally.

Serving type: on-tap

Reviewed on: 06-29-2006 04:21:15

Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA

Review: Samuel Adams Boston Lager

Samuel Adams Boston Lager from Boston Beer Company (Sam Adams)
Rating: B+

Can't believe it's taken me so long to get around to actually reviewing this one...

Appearance: Poured an appealing amber/copper color, moderate head, some lacing.

Smell: Earthy hop aroma, with a little bit of toasted malt.

Taste: Nice to see how big a role the hops have in this one. The flavors are very earthy - I think you could almost say there's a little bit of saltiness. Toasted (maybe a touch burnt?) grain backs up the hops. Finishes on very dry, which I find appealing.

Mouthfeel: fairly light, good level of carbonation. "creamy" is going too far, but it's slightly in that direction.

Drinkability: Very nice Vienna Lager: dry finish definitely helps drinkability, it's flavorful enough that you want to keep drinking, while light enough that you can. Where there aren't many other options, this is a great standby.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 06-28-2006 05:09:41

Review: Dos Equis Amber Lager

Dos Equis Amber Lager from Cervecería Cuauhtémoc Moctezuma, S.A. de C.V.
Rating: C+

Poured into a wide wine glass. The bottle was free, so no complaints. As far as presentation, the brown bottle is nice.

Appearance: Pours a brown-bronze color with little head and no lacing.

Smell: To be honest, not picking up a whole lot here. A little malt toastiness, I suppose - nothing objectionable at least. Keeping in mind the style here...

Taste: Some toastiness, bitter on the finish. A bit mineral-ly, perhaps. Moderately bittered, but not bad. Finishes dry, which is always a plus for me.

Mouthfeel: Pretty light mouthfeel, but good carbonation - adds to drinkability, I'd have to say.

Drinkability: This isn't a great beer, but for washing down some Mexican food it's not bad. As far as "what to order at a Mexican restaurant?" if the choice is between this and Corona, there's no contest. Nothing to seek out on its own merits either, though.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 06-28-2006 00:20:26

Review: Guinness Draught

Guinness Draught from Guinness Ltd.
Rating: B-

Appearance: Poured out of a nitro bottle, it's opaque black, and thanks to the widget forms the familiar two-layered head. Doesn't leave lace so much as a tan film on the glass.

Smell: All I'm picking up is roast, but to be fair I've got a stuffy nose so it's likely I'm missing something.

Taste: roast, grain-bitterness, a little touch of chocolate and coffee, and a finish that's almost too-sweet (more like a sweet/milk stout), but the aftertaste is pleasant. Not as flavorful as the extra stout, to be sure.

Mouthfeel: Unfortunately, the creaminess of that nitro-layer of head dissipates all too quickly, and the rest of the glass doesn't have that same creaminess. I definitely have a soft spot for nitrogen-charged beers, though.

Drinkability: I've had something of an ongoing debate as to whether I prefer the draught or the extra stout, and the conclusion I think I've come ot is that the Extra Stout is a better beer, but I wish it had some nitro. I suppose the moral of the story is "just get it on tap."The sweet finish does hurt the drinkability a bit, though.

Serving type: nitro-bottle

Reviewed on: 06-13-2006 02:41:13

Guinness Draught 14.9 oz (Can)

Review: Heineken Lager Beer

Heineken Lager Beer from Heineken Nederland B.V.
Rating: C-

Appearance: Gold/straw color with a big white head, very little lacing

Smell: minerally, otherwise typical lager, very neutral and clean. Pouring from a can, so no chance of sun-struck skunkiness here.

Taste: hard to believe this is considered premium beer by many. At first very neutral, but then there's a sulphury-vegetative flavor - is this the hops they use, or DMS from not being boiled properly? The finish is dry, at least, but the aftertaste is vaguely unpleasant.

Mouthfeel: carbonation is good for the style, light bodied but that fits the style too.

Drinkability: I guess since it's more expensive than American macros, shallow people might be impressed if you order one of these instead. Beyond that, hard to think of much use for this.

Serving type: can

Reviewed on: 06-13-2006 02:26:21

Review: Verboden Vrucht / Fruit Defendu (Forbidden Fruit)

Verboden Vrucht / Fruit Defendu (Forbidden Fruit) from Brouwerij van Hoegaarden
Rating: B

Appearance: dark honey, moderate white head, some lacing but not much, and lots of dark floaties.

Smell: lots of yeasty fruitiness, a hint of spice, sweet

Taste: not quite up to my expectations (granted, they were a little too high). Acidic, fruity, yeasty, a hint of caramel. The alcohol is detectable, but well-hidden considering this is a 9% ABV brew.

Mouthfeel: medium body, highly carbonated, perhaps more than necessary. The acidity contributes to a very nice crisp finish.

Drinkability: The flavor was a bit disappointing, but it still left me wanting more. Good beer, but not worth the price I paid for it in South Africa.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 06-13-2006 02:16:18

Review: Pauwel Kwak

Pauwel Kwak from Brouwerij Bosteels
Rating: B

I literally had to give up my left shoe to taste this beer. Sampled at Den Anker Belgian restaurant on the waterfront in Cape Town, the restaurant serves these in a Kwak mini-yard glass on a wooden stand. Because the glasses cost so much, they require you to forfeit your left shoe until you finish, which is hoisted above the bar in a basket. Makes for a good story, but not a real good air freshener.

Appearance: Pours a transparent red-orange, with a big head that looks like egg whites that have been beaten until they form stiff peaks - how is it so dense? Nice lacing as you get down the glass. A beautiful beer.

Smell: A touch of spicy fresh hops aroma here, which picqued my interest, but some candi sweetness too that I'm not a fan of.

Taste: sweet, as expected, but with a nice toastiness as well. Biscuit is well-defined. Alcohol is definitely noticeable.

Mouthfeel: syruppy, and gets old quickly. The label indicates otherwise, but it's hard to believe there's not some candi sugar in here.

Drinkability: suffers from being overly sweet. Unfortunately, the appearance was the best part of this one, and I think it may have set my expectations too high.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 06-13-2006 01:10:10

Kwak

Review: Bush Ambrée

Bush Ambrée from Brasserie Dubuisson Frères sprl
Rating: B

Submitting this review, I'm amused to see that my notes are... well, scarcely legible. At least I had the presence of mind to be taking notes, considering the alcohol content on this beast.

Appearance: dark honey color, medium head, nice lacing. When the waiter brought this he called it the "wine of beers."

Smell: alcohol, of course, but some spiciness to it as well, and a touch of fresh hops aroma! A little surprising (in a good way) - I expected a quadrupel to smell sweeter.

Taste: very warming - no surprise, given the alcohol content. Slightly acidic, some fruitiness, with a candi finish. Slight diacetyl butteriness in there... Reminiscent of drinking barleywine.
Mouthfeel is slightly syrupy, but the carbonation is perfect and offsets it nicely. For drinkability, I scrawled something that looks like "gouof beirk!" but I think "good beer!" is what I was shooting for. Alcohol is a little high to be drank in quantity, obviously - best shared with a friend, this one - and not one who's going to be driving! Good one to finish out your night on. Of course, you'll pretty much have to, anyway.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 06-13-2006 00:34:56

Review: Kilkenny Irish Cream Ale

Kilkenny Irish Cream Ale from Smithwick's Brewery / Irish Ale Breweries Ltd
Rating: B

There's something about nitro cans that I just can't resist. Whenever I see one, I have to try it, so here goes.

Appearance: caramel color, pretty clear. Frothy white head atop a rapidly dissipating N2 creaminess. Forms a film on the glass as you drink, lot a lot of nitrogen beers tend to do.
The smell immediately reminds me of Boddingtons for some reason - it's not possible to smell nitrogen, is it? Nothing too distinguishable present in the nose, vaguely sweet.

Taste: some mild bitterness up front, toffee, finishes on a roast note. Finishes very well, not much in the way of aftertaste.

Mouthfeel: ahhh, the wonderful creaminess of a nitro. Of course, that disappears quickly, and this one was a little watery once the nitrogen had all worked its way out.

Drinkability: not bad! this one is pretty light, has nothing objectionable, and of course it's got the nitro going for it. Definitely a session candidate. Think of it as Boddingtons' Irish cousin.

Serving type: nitro-can

Reviewed on: 06-13-2006 00:22:45