Rating: positive
Wow. Unexpectedly flavorful, maybe a smoky taste? Burnt? Whatever it is, it's a really strong flavor. Usual good porter characteristics are there as well: very dark, not too carbonated, not over-hopped. A little bit of a sour aftertaste, vaguely similar to a Belgian ale. One of the better porters I've had recently.
Origin: USA (Virginia)
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Brooklyn Brewery Dark Chocolate Stout
Rating: neutral
Pitch black, even when held to the light. It's bubbly and fairly hoppy, carbonated (not nitrogen like the Youngs double chocolate stout). Wouldn't have known it was chocolate anything if the label hadn't said so.
Not crazy about it, more forgettable than anything.
Origin: USA (New York)
Pitch black, even when held to the light. It's bubbly and fairly hoppy, carbonated (not nitrogen like the Youngs double chocolate stout). Wouldn't have known it was chocolate anything if the label hadn't said so.
Not crazy about it, more forgettable than anything.
Origin: USA (New York)
Monday, December 28, 2009
Bell's Best Brown Ale
Rating: positive
Dark brown in the glass, reddish color when held up to the light. Smells nice.
It's not particularly bubbly, virtually no head, which is good for a brown ale in my opinion. But in spite of this, it has a little of a bite to it that I normally associate with carbonic acid in highly carbonated beer. It's probably a combination of a little more acidic and a little more hoppy than I was expecting. The initial flavor isn't as good as Rogue's hazelnut brown, but the aftertaste has a very nice baked-bread kind of flavor, which redeems it.
Origin: USA (Michigan)
Dark brown in the glass, reddish color when held up to the light. Smells nice.
It's not particularly bubbly, virtually no head, which is good for a brown ale in my opinion. But in spite of this, it has a little of a bite to it that I normally associate with carbonic acid in highly carbonated beer. It's probably a combination of a little more acidic and a little more hoppy than I was expecting. The initial flavor isn't as good as Rogue's hazelnut brown, but the aftertaste has a very nice baked-bread kind of flavor, which redeems it.
Origin: USA (Michigan)
Friday, December 4, 2009
Monchshof Schwarzbier
Rating: positive
I tried this initially because BevMo had a big display of 5L mini kegs for $16 each. Very surprised at how good this was, price not even being a factor. When ice cold, it has slightly more of an aftertaste than the Reutberger or Kostritzer, but as it warms up it takes on very rich flavors. Pumpernickel or rye bread came to mind. Tastes best at almost room temperature. The next keg of this I bought, I never refrigerated; the beer was delicious from the start, and even skeptics of drinking warm beer admitted it was tasty. This is not just drinkable, it's great. At $16 per 5 liter, it also gets a higher alculator score than most expensive Schwarzbiers, which is just icing on the cake.
Origin: Germany (Bavaria)
I tried this initially because BevMo had a big display of 5L mini kegs for $16 each. Very surprised at how good this was, price not even being a factor. When ice cold, it has slightly more of an aftertaste than the Reutberger or Kostritzer, but as it warms up it takes on very rich flavors. Pumpernickel or rye bread came to mind. Tastes best at almost room temperature. The next keg of this I bought, I never refrigerated; the beer was delicious from the start, and even skeptics of drinking warm beer admitted it was tasty. This is not just drinkable, it's great. At $16 per 5 liter, it also gets a higher alculator score than most expensive Schwarzbiers, which is just icing on the cake.
Origin: Germany (Bavaria)
Maredsous 8 Brune
Rating: positive
Belgian-style abbey ale. Very sourdough-tasting, even as Belgians go. Dark brown in the glass, cloudy and opaque even when held up to the light. One of the thickest, foamiest heads I've ever seen in a beer, filling most of my glass despite a careful pour and not dying down even after a minute or two of sitting. Letting the bottle sit and lose carbonation for a moment after opening helped, the next glass was more beer than foam. 8% abv, strong and filling. On the expensive side.
Origin: Belgium
Belgian-style abbey ale. Very sourdough-tasting, even as Belgians go. Dark brown in the glass, cloudy and opaque even when held up to the light. One of the thickest, foamiest heads I've ever seen in a beer, filling most of my glass despite a careful pour and not dying down even after a minute or two of sitting. Letting the bottle sit and lose carbonation for a moment after opening helped, the next glass was more beer than foam. 8% abv, strong and filling. On the expensive side.
Origin: Belgium
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