Beer Review - Dark Horse Brewing CoffPA

Dark Horse Brewing Company - CoffPA 

Beer Type: American IPA - 6.50% ABV

Appearance: Dark Horse style (modern era) artwork on the label here. A crooked tree and some coffee beans. Beer is a dirty potato water color and kinda hazy with a thin off-white head.

Smell: I can smell a lot of malt and some coffee with just a bit of hops.

First Drink: Coffee up front is quickly surpassed by pine and citrus hops but then mellows out to a nice roasted malt/coffee finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium body with a bit prickly carbonation.

Last Drink: Bitter flavors coming out now in the coffee/dark malt roast. Also something a bit orange?

Drinkability: I really wasn't sure what to expect of this beer and I am pleasantly surprised! I could have a few of these no problem.

Notes: A limited edition beer that was a part of their IPA 12 pack. Not sure how often this one gets brewed.

Verdict: 4 out of 5. Nice complex flavors with both coffee and IPA touches.  

Beer Review - Arcadia Ales Mango Suprise IPA

Arcadia Ales - Mango Suprise IPA

Beer Type: American IPA - 7.00% ABV

Appearance: Classic Arcadia (new) art on the bottle with a tasty looking mango on it. Beer pours a light golden/straw color with a white lacy head.

Smell: Soapy mango chutney? Does not smell like an IPA.

First Drink: Initial taste is more like an IPA with hops but it is quickly followed by tropical flavors of mango, pineapple, and citrus.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied and a bit sticky. Good carbonation.

Last Drink: More sweet tropical flavors and a very bitter finish.

Drinkability: I think these tropical flavored beers are the current trend. Kind of like sodas from the late 80's/early 90's. It's okay but gets old.

Notes: Not a bad beer though I am not sure why they spell suprise without the additional "r"

Verdict: 3.5 out of 5. Good for one or two but outlasts its welcome beyond that.   

Beer Review - Stone Brewing Ripper Pale Ale

Stone Brewing - Ripper Pale Ale

Beer Type: American Pale Ale - 5.70% ABV

Appearance: Stone in a can! Got the stone devil with some bright surfer type colors on it. Beer poured a copper/amber color with a beige head.

Smell: Dank hops aroma with pine, grapefruit, and resin. Doesn't smell like a pale really.

First Drink: Something a bit soapy? Otherwise it's pretty much like it smells only with more malt.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied and a bit sticky with a bite from the carbonation.

Last Drink: A bit more tropical fruit flavors coming out of the hops and malt combo now.

Drinkability: It's a bit odd for a pale ale and not what I was thinking it would be.

Notes: Hard to follow up my last pale ale review with this one. Not even the same.

Verdict: 3 out of 5. Too malty and dank for my pale ale needs.  

Beer Review - Lagunitas 12 of Never Pale Ale

Lagunitas Brewing Company - 12th of Never Ale

Beer Type: American Pale Ale - 5.50% ABV

Appearance: Cans man. Cans! I think the name refers to never putting beer in a can. Beer poured a clear straw color with a fluffy white head.

Smell: Hops at the front with some citrus, floral, and pine aromas all at once. Not in a bad way.

First Drink: Similar to the smell but not as hops forward. A nice malty flavor comes through as well as some bitterness.

Mouthfeel: Medium-light and refreshing with a good amount of carbonation.

Last Drink: More hops funk coming out now. Citrus comes through nicely.

Drinkability: Very drinkable. Could easily drink a few of these in one sitting.

Notes: Kind of hard to find this in my area. Hoping it becomes more widely available.

Verdict: 4.75 out of 5. Very well done pale ale that doesn't skimp on the flavor or aroma.   

Beer Review - Dark Horse Crooked Theratree Black Ale

Dark Horse Brewing Company - Crooked Theratree Black Ale

Beer Type: American Black Ale - 8.50% ABV

Appearance: Label is a variation on the classic Crooked Tree only dressed as a therapist. Beer pours a jet black color with a decent tan/light brown head. Looks more like a porter.

Smell: Roasted coffee malt, something a bit piney/resinous, and in general just really good smelling.

First Drink: Rich flavor with a lot of roasted malt and grain coming through right away. Hops kicks in more towards the end with a pleasing bitter finish.

Mouthfeel: Smooth medium bodied brew with nice carbonation.

Last Drink: The lighter citrus hops come through a bit clearer now.

Drinkability: This is a balanced black ale and you can't really taste the higher ABV.

Notes: Not sure how widely this is available as it was a limited IPA sampler selection.

Verdict: 4.25 out of 5. A nice departure from other black IPA/ales out there.  

Beer Review - Blackrocks Starman Pale Ale

Blackrocks Brewery - Starman Pale Ale

Beer Type: American Pale Ale - 5.60% ABV

Appearance: Black space art on a shiny can. Beer pours a hazy straw color with plenty of off-white head.

Smell: Not a lot coming out but I can certainly smell a mix of hops.

First Drink: Same as the aroma. Early hit of hops followed by just a bit of sweetness then back into a mellow citrus/hops bitterness to finish.

Mouthfeel: Thinner and crisp. Pretty smooth and easy drinking.

Last Drink: More complexity with the different hops coming through now.

Drinkability: Nice easy drinker for those times when you just want a pale ale.

Notes: Just became available in my neck of the woods but it's brewed way up in the UP eh.

Verdict: 4 out of 5. Blast off into the hops zone.   

Beer Review - Jolly Pumpkin Rosie Del Barrio Wild Ale

Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales - Rosie Del Barrio Wild Ale

Beer Type: American Wild Ale - 8.20% ABV

Appearance: Bomber with some art of a cat jumping off a building in an alley. Beer poured a hazy golden orange color with a thin but frothy beige head.

Smell: Mostly just sour and wild yeast aromas. Wild ales always reminds me a bit of sweet tarts candy.

First Drink: Sour (of course) but pretty diverse hits of flavor - berries, lemons, something a bit woodsy and vanilla.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with good carbonation.

Last Drink: A lot of stuff going on here. More ripe fruit flavors (stone fruit?) and something a bit floral as well. Complex.

Drinkability: This is a sipper if ever there were one!

Notes: I believe this was a one off special beer (says it was made for the rare beer club). It was given to me as a gift.

Verdict: 4.5 out of 5. A nice wild sour with quite a bit going on. 

Beer Review - Noble Brewer Red Hot Mama Ale

Noble Brewer - Red Hot Mama Ale

Beer Type: American Strong Ale - 9.00% ABV

Appearance: Noble Brewer bomber bottle. Beer pour a dark brown-red color with a thick beige head.

Smell: Sweet toffee banana like malt with some spicy hops aroma too.

First Drink: Caramel malt followed quickly by the spicy bitterness and a slightly soapy finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium with a good amount of fizz.

Last Drink: Sticky high ABV syrup time as this warms up. Still bitter.

Drinkability: Not super complex but not exactly what I would expect out of a strong ale either.

Notes: Like all Noble Brewer beers this is a seasonal/limited release.

Verdict: 4.25 out of 5. It'll getcha drunk.  

Beer Review - Oskar Blues Hotbox Coffee Porter

Oskar Blues - Hotbox Coffee Porter

Beer Type: American Porter - 6.50% ABV

Appearance: Oskar Blues style brown can with green printing. Beer poured a dark pitch brown color with a tan head that left lots of lacing.

Smell: Dark chocolate and cold brew coffee. Something a bit brighter as well though I can't place it.

First Drink: Roast coffee and malt with a nice tart/acidic flavor.

Mouthfeel: Medium with good carbonation.

Last Drink: Smoky roasted coffee and chocolate malt are still the main flavors. Reminds me of cola a bit for some reason?

Drinkability: Cold brew with some coffee malt basically.

Notes: Limited release in my area. A bit pricey as well for just a 4 pack of cans.

Verdict: 3.75 out of 5. Fairly easy drinking but not my favorite porter. 

Beer Review - New Glarus Two Women Lager

New Glarus Brewing Co. - Two Women Lager

Beer Type: German Pilsener - 5.00% ABV

Appearance: 12oz brown bottle with the brown craft colored label of New Glarus and two women on it. The name is a reference to the two woman owned breweries who worked on this brew. Also something about vikings and sumerians. Beer pours a orange amber color with a thin white head.

Smell: Something a bit like apples or apple juice and a bit of grain.

First Drink: Sweet malty apples with just a little bit of hops coming through at the end.

Mouthfeel: Smooth and creamy with just the right amount of carbonation.

Last Drink: Malty biscuits and grain with more of the floral hops and honey apples.

Drinkability: Woah I wasn't expecting this beer to be quite so good!

Notes: Another winner from WI that I can't get on a regular basis. Guess I will save it for road trips!

Verdict: 4.5 out of 5. A very tasty lager. 

Beer Review - New Glarus Fat Squirrel Ale

New Glarus Brewing Co. - Fat Squirrel Ale

Beer Type: English Brown Ale - 5.80% ABV

Appearance: 12oz brown bottle with a fat squirrel on the label in the middle of a bunch of text. Favorite part of this label is the story on the side - "There are some seriously fat squirrels out there. They are running all over the neighborhood. I think I should brew a Fat Squirrel Nut Brown Ale." Beer poured red/brown/amber color with a good sized off-white head that left lacing.

Smell: Malt and just a touch of something nutty. Pretty subtle.

First Drink: Kind of chocolate malt flavors up front and something a bit metallic/alcoholic a bit like a winter warmer style. Mellows out to a nice toasty malt flavor.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied and maybe a bit on the dry side?

Last Drink: A little more sugar and bread flavors coming through now.

Drinkability: A mighty fine brown ale good for drinking in cool fall weather.  

Notes: Can't get this regularly as there is a big lake (Michigan) in between me and WI but its not bad at all!

Verdict: 3.75 out of 5. Nice toasty brown ale and no squirrels were harmed in the making.

Beer Review - Anchor Brewing Our Special Ale 2016

Anchor Brewing Co. - Our Special Ale 2016

Beer Type: Winter Warmer - 6.50% ABV

Appearance: Squat Anchor style bottle with a festive tree on the label. Beer pours a dark brown/red color with not much head.

Smell: Roasted walnuts and slight banana?

First Drink: First up are dark malt flavors. Something a bit spiced as well.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied and crisp carbonation on the tongue.

Last Drink: Bitter finish is coming out more now. A bit like coffee. Still plenty of malt and nutty banana flavors.

Drinkability: Different from previous years? Or my taste is all over? Who's to say for sure?

Notes: I reviewed this beer 3 years ago after I moved into this house I live in! A lot has changed in 3 years but I was surprised by how different this beer is from the 2013 version.

Verdict: 4 out of 5. It's seasonal without being too in your face with the CHRISTMAS flavors. 

Beer Review - Alaskan Heritage Coffee Brown Ale

Alaskan Brewing Co. - Heritage Coffee Brown Ale

Beer Type: American Brown Ale - 7.00% ABV

Appearance: 12oz brown bottle labeled in the normal Alaskan style. Man I really dislike their font logo. Beer pours a dark amber/brown color with a thin head that didn't hang around.

Smell: Mostly I am getting a lot of malt as you would typically expect of a brown ale. Maybe just a bit of coffee in there too.

First Drink: Malt and sweetness followed by a slight coffee bitterness.

Mouthfeel: Thin but smooth and a bit sticky.  

Last Drink: More sweet malt flavors with very little coffee.    

Drinkability: Reminds me of another popular brown ale out there... *coughNEWCASTLEcough*  

Notes: First time I had this was on draft and I have to say I liked it much better. It had a bit more creamy body. Bottled it seems a bit thin and bland. Easy drinking though. 

Verdict: 3.75 out of 5. If you enjoy brown or coffee ales give it a try. 

Beer Review - New Belgium Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ale

New Belgium - Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ale

Beer Type: American Brown Ale - 6.00% ABV

Appearance: 12oz brown bottle a Ben & Jerry looking bit of art (makes sense as this is a collaboration brew). Art does NOT make me want to try this beer. Beer poured a golden yellow color with a white thin head that left lacing.

Smell: Nothing cookie about the smell. Maybe a bit of "dough" in yeast and malt. Sort of smells like a protein bar.

First Drink: Very sweet and slightly tangy at first quickly followed by a sort of sickly raw cookie dough flavor. Mostly I get vanilla. Not much chocolate.

Mouthfeel: Thin and a little watery but it has some carbonation.  

Last Drink: More vanilla and I guess what tastes like stale chocolate chip cookies.      

Drinkability: Not going out of my way for this one. Bought it because it was a one time brew and the price was right (cheap).      

Notes: This is probably a good beer for those people who don't really like drinking beer. Not for me.       
Verdict: 2.5 out of 5. Drink a crummy macro brew and eat a fistful of preservative riddled chocolate chip cookies and you will likely get the same flavor.

Beer Review - Noble Brewer Nevermore Chocolate Porter

First beer review on the site since April of 2015?! Heresy!!

Noble Brewer - Nevermore Chocolate Porter

Beer Type: American Porter - 7.50% ABV

Appearance: 22oz brown bottle with the standard Noble Brewer label. Beer is a dark brown/black with a solid tan head that clings to the glass.

Smell: Big bitter chocolate aroma followed quickly by dark fruits and ending back on chocolate/hot cocoa.

First Drink: Dark chocolate on the tip of the tongue is quickly smacked with roasted malts and dried fruit flavors.

Mouthfeel: Velvet smooth with a slightly sticky finish.    

Last Drink: Getting more of the fruit from the chocolate now almost like chocolate cherry flavors. Can taste more of the ABV now as well.      

Drinkability: A big drinker and not something you will be pounding by the glass. A nice sipper.      

Notes: Noble Brewer features notable home brewers and their beers. This was originally brewed by Greg Tucker and was part of the Fall 2015 seasonal lineup. Had a couple in the cellar I just finished off for this review!      

Verdict: 5 out of 5. If you love chocolate and you love dark beer you'll dig this.

Progress Report 9/30/15 - Septembarrrr.

September is here! No wait... September is gone!! 

Another month lacking in gaming and updates. Spent most of it working for the man or working for myself. Did manage to play one game though... Rum & Bones by CMON came in the mail early on in the month. What can I say? It's a very slick looking game. The miniatures are far superior to any other board game I have seen. So much detail and fantastic poses.

But how does it play? Fast and furious once you know the rules.In my one and only game I managed to quickly take the lead by being very aggressive and storming my opponent's ship. 

Things were looking good for the undead pirates until they accidentally summoned the KRAKEN (with a roll of 2 on 2d6 at the end of the turn above).

Yeah. The KRAKEN ate most of my pirates before vanishing back into the depths the next turn. Oh well... someone has to get eaten right!? In the end I managed to sneak out a victory but it was a close fought thing with that damned KRAKEN coming back another round before being beaten to death by angry crewmen.

Short review - easy to learn, quick to play, plenty of strategy and variety, nice risk vs reward mechanics. A great 2 player game with plenty to offer. Check it out! 

Beer Review - Odell Brewing Loose Leaf Ale.

Odell Brewing Company - Loose Leaf American Session Ale

Beer Type: American Blonde Ale - 4.50% ABV

Appearance: 12 brown bottle and another nice artistic Odell-style label of a forest and river. Beer is a light pale yellow color and a nice little off white head that left lacing.   

Smell: Some straw and malt and something a bit sour smelling? Not getting much else.        

First Drink: Sour/bitter almost lemon flavors followed by biscuit and just a touch of hops. Not too much of anything really.   

Mouthfeel: Light! Very light. Super light?     

Last Drink: Not getting much I haven't tasted already.         

Drinkability: It's got session in the name, and I could kill a six pack easily, but I have had better session beers!          

Notes: A good beer but far from the best I have had from Odell.         

Verdict: 3 out of 5. Didn't disappoint nor does it wow.

Beer Review - Odell Brewing St. Lupulin Extra Pale Ale.

Odell Brewing Company - St. Lupulin Extra Pale Ale

Beer Type: American Pale Ale - 6.50% ABV

Appearance: 12 brown bottle with a classy Odell-style label of a saint of hops/grain printed on it. Beer poured a hazy-straw yellow color with a thin head that faded quickly.   

Smell: Bit of piney hops and bready malts. Not too sweet smelling. Pretty mellow aromas.        

First Drink: Bitter up front followed by a nice sweet orange malt flavor with a bitter hop finish. Yum!  

Mouthfeel: Medium body but nice and smooth going down.     

Last Drink: The sweetness is coming out more now with a flavor that is a bit like honey. Also getting more of the hops bitters throughout.         

Drinkability: Pretty darn interesting flavors for a pale ale!          

Notes: I have been a fan of the Odell beers for awhile now and this one does not disappoint. Pretty sure this is a seasonal brew.         

Verdict: 4.25 out of 5. Good flavors and easy going down. What more could you want out of a session beer? 

Beer Review - Left Hand Brewing The Stranger Pale Ale.

Speaking of strangers... 

Left Hand Brewing Company - The Stranger Pale Ale

Beer Type: American Pale Ale - 5.00% ABV

Appearance: 12 brown bottle with the shadowy stranger on the label. Makes me think of Repairman Jack by F. Paul Wilson (and not the other "stranger" sometimes associated with the left hand). Wonder if it is supposed to? Beer is a golden-straw color with a nice fluffy beige head that leaves lots of lace. Bubbly! A pretty looking beer.  

Smell: A light malted aroma and something a bit woody? Maybe it's just all the yardwork I was doing before drinking this beer.        

First Drink: Light like the smell, a bit of citrus hops comes out, also a bit of grassy flavor.  

Mouthfeel: Quite nicely carbonated. I would say it's pretty light otherwise.     

Last Drink: More bready malt coming out now and the hops finish is quite nice.         

Drinkability: I wouldn't kick it out of my fridge but the price for this beer is a bit hefty for the flavor it brings when compared to more local MI brews.         

Notes: People swear by Left Hand but I haven't been very excited about their beers. It's well made but nothing mind blowing.        

Verdict: 3.5 out of 5. I like the way it looks in this pint glass and I like the label. Beer's okay too!

Beer Review - Highland Brewing Company Gaelic Ale

Highland Brewing Company - Gaelic Ale

Beer Type: American Amber/Red Ale - 5.80% ABV

Appearance: 12 brown bottle featuring a highland looking fellow with bagpipes on a a suitably gaelic background. Beer pours a dark amber color with no head to speak of.      

Smell: Malt followed by dark dried fruit like prunes or raisins. Something a hint spiced?        

First Drink: Big malt up front then mellowing out to feature a bit of hops and the sweet dried fruit flavors. 

Mouthfeel: Smooth and crisp but a bit lighter than I expected.    

Last Drink: The malt in the front is quite strong! It mellows out to get a bit more citrus and sweet fruit flavor and isn't as noticeable towards the end.         

Drinkability: It isn't my favorite red/amber but it has a few things going for it. I wish the malt wasn't as strong in the balance but maybe that is intentional?        

Notes: A beer from Asheville, NC that I didn't get to try while I was there! Luckily a friend gave me this bottle as a gift. Hooray for beer gifts!       

Verdict: 3.5 out of 5. It's got some good depth and it's worth giving a try.