August 31, 2005 - #53 of 365

Brewer: Anchor Brewing Company (California, USA)
Beer: Steam Beer
Style: California Common
abv: 4.9%

Background: Bottle from the store. A lager yeast is used, but the beer is brewed at ale-brewing temperatures, supposedly giving it characters of both types.

Appearance: Pours amber with a tight two-finger head. A lot of effervescence in the middle of the glass.

Aroma: Smells like a malty lager.

Flavor: The crispness of a well-made lager is there, but I’m getting no ale fruitiness. Tastes like a decent Vienna Lager—at least it does for a second, then the taste is gone.

Notes: Thin but drinkable.

Rating: 3.1 out of 5

August 30, 2005 - #52 of 365

Brewer: Victory Brewing Company (Pennsylvania, USA)
Beer: V12
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
abv: 12%

Background: 750 mL bottle from Vintage Wines.

Appearance: Pours dark amber—lighter than I expected, almost the color of an Orval—with an unimpressive head. I like the foam on my Belgians big and rocky; this one was small and smooth.

Aroma: Smells almost like very earthy Tripel—some citrus is in there along with the usual Belgian Strong aromas. Alcohol is present, too.

Flavor: Starts off as a very good Belgian Strong, but degenerates into an unbounded orgy of alcohol and phenols. Some of that can be forgiven in a 12% beer, but not all of it.

Notes: Disappointing for my favorite style, but still better than most.

Rating: 3.6 out of 5

August 29, 2005 - #51 of 365

Brewer: Smuttynose Brewing Company (New Hampshire, USA)
Beer: Portsmouth Lager
Style: Lager
abv: 4.5%

Background: Bottle from Vintage Wines.

Appearance: Orangish-amber with a small, dense head. Nice lacing.

Aroma: Light biscuity malts and caramel.

Flavor: More caramel than in the aroma. Other than that, not much except for the strangely harsh hop finish. Also a little metallic at the end, like blood.

Notes: Yep, it’s a lager.

Rating: 3 out of 5

August 28, 2005 - #50 of 365

Brewer: The Boston Beer Company
Beer: Samuel Adams Utopias
Style: Crazy-Ass Barley Wine
abv: 25% (yeah, that’s right—25%)

Background: Copper-plated brew kettle replica bottle (#02795) from the store. You can’t get this stuff for less than $100 a bottle.

Appearance: Pours reddish-brown with no head (no carbonation). Leaves thick legs on the side of the glass.

Aroma: Smells like a very nice cognac. Wait, I’ve never smelled a very nice cognac, but I’ve had mid-range ones, and this smells better than those. Also very sweet: maple syrup, caramel, vanilla.

Flavor: My first sip was too big and almost made me throw up; it was like taking a shot of thick and sticky rum. In smaller amounts the alcohol and the sweetness are more contained, though it’s still pretty sickeningly sweet. Maple, caramel, and oak are the most pronounce flavors, with alcohol coming in at the end to mop everything up. Overall, like a very sweet rum mixed with cognac and fortified wine.

Notes: Definitely for sipping. It does what it was meant to do—it shows the other extreme of the beer spectrum (the first being crappy pale lagers), and it gets points for that. I, however, can’t stand rum.

Rating: 3.4

August 27, 2005 - #49 of 365

Brewer: Clipper City Brewing Company (Maryland, USA)
Beer: Heavy Seas Small Craft Warning Über Pils
Style: Strong Lager
abv: 7.5%

Background: Bottle from the store.

Appearance: Amber with a large, quickly-disappearing head.

Aroma: Soapy and piney hops—like an average IPA with less depth.

Flavor: Very clean malts at the front of the mouth and some really nice hoppiness on the finish. The hop flavors are very smooth—perhaps the lager yeast allows the maltiness the freedom it needs to balance the beer.

Notes: Creamy and not bad at all. And I always thought Über Pills were these things I've been luggin around in my pants since sixth grade.

Rating: 3. 5

August 26, 2005 - #48 of 365

Brewer: Brouwerij der Trappisten van Westmalle (Malle, Belgium)
Beer: Tripel
Style: Abbey Tripel
abv: 9.5%

Background: Bottle from the store. The cork is fake and somewhat resembles a dude’s knob.

Appearance: Translucent gold with a large head that leaves some lacing. The silhouettes of bubbles seem a swarm of ascending locusts through the haze.

Aroma: Very bready and clovey. Also some unripe banana and pepper.

Flavor: Spicy and alcoholic with a strange metallic, yeasty finish. Turns fruity as it warms.

Notes: Not bad, but the alcohol detracts somewhat and the finish moreso. Thereafter heretofore doghouse!

Rating: 3.7

August 25, 2005 - #47 of 365

Brewer: Allagash Brewing Company (Maine, USA)
Beer: Odyssey
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
abv: 10.4%

Background: Bottle from Once Upon a Vine. I heard it’s their Dubbel hopped-up in alcohol and aged in oak barrels, but the commercial description on ratebeer.com calls it a dark wheat beer. But the oak and high alcohol percentage makes it hard to tell which it really is. Either way, only 455 (six-bottle) cases were produced. This is the second in their line of barrel-aged beers, the first being a bourbon barrel Tripel that was good, but overpoweringly alcoholic.

Appearance: Pours deep brown with ruby edges and a one-finger off-white head. Excellent lacing.

Aroma: Very vinous, with plum, oak, and leathery/earthy Belgian yeast notes, as well. The earthiness becomes more apparent as it warms, turning the vinous aromas raisiny. At the bottom of the glass it becomes a little smoky. There’s a party in my nose.

Flavor: Intense flavor, reminiscent of a watered-down brandy. Spicy and fruity on the tip of the tongue, yeasty in the middle, dry and alcoholic on the finish. The oak permeates through the entire sip as a pleasant but subtle background flavor of vanilla and wood.

Notes: Very good, but a little on the thin side for such a strong beer. Can’t wait for these guys’ next experiment.

Rating 4.3 out of 5

August 24, 2005 - #46 of 365

Brewer: Stone Brewing Company (California, USA)
Beer: Ruination IPA
Style: Double India Pale Ale
abv: 7.7%

Background: Bottle from Once Upon a Vine. Claims to be “a liquid poem to the glory of the hop.”

Appearance: Copper-orange with a generous white head, some effervescence, and nice lacing.

Aroma: Like a sandwich consisting of oranges, grapefruits, and pine needles.

Flavor: Nice and hoppy, but not as much so as other Double IPAs I’ve had. Very well-balanced.

Notes: Excellent, but kind of on the border of an IPA and a Double IPA.

Rating: 3.9

August 23, 2005 - #45 of 365

Brewer: Legend Brewing Company (Virginia, USA)
Beer: Golden IPA
Style: India Pale Ale
abv: 7%

Background: Bottle from Kroger in Richmond. Hopefully this can make up for that horrible Belgian Ale and the guy from Legendary Distributors who insisted that Legend beers must be kept cold or they’ll go bad in two or three days—because of the secondary fermentation.

Appearance: Transparent orange with a two-finger creamy head. Nice effervescence. At least Legend seems to be aesthetically-abled.

Aroma: A big whiff of soapy and citrusy hops backed by bready malts.

Flavor: Starts out excellent—just the right malt backbone—but finishes with a horrible taste that left me feeling as though I had just eaten a handful of grass. The nastiness sticks with you for a while.

Notes: This beer’s kind of like a really hot chick with a penis.

Rating: 2.9 out of 5

August 22, 2005 - #44 of 365

Brewer: High Falls Brewing Company (New York, USA)
Beer: Genesee Cream Ale
style: Cream Ale
abv: 4.9%

Background: Bottle from Food Lion in Harrisonburg. Genny Light has been a staple of every family reunion of mine, and the Cream Ale is one of the most highly regarded crappy beers on the market.

Appearance: Pours gold with a one-finger head.

Aroma: Surprisingly, some cream and no corn in the aroma. A little bit of alcohol is present.

Flavor: Very bland, but nothing offensive. A hint of cream.

Notes: Coming from the same guys who make the Genny Light, this isn’t a half-bad attempt at an actual beer. If only Uncle Don would try it.

Rating: 2.4 out of 5

August 21, 2005 - #43 of 365

Brewer: Braueri Heller-Trum (Bamberg, Germany)
Beer: Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Urbock
Style: Smoked Urbock
abv: 6.5%

Background: Bottle from Once Upon a Vine. The beer is made with malts that are smoked (i.e., roasted over smoldering peat or wook).

Appearance: Very dark brown with a generous pearl head. Some lacing.

Aroma: Smells exactly like the smoked sheep’s cheese we sell at the store—bacon, sausage, etc. Also some malts, but the smoked aroma is completely dominant.

Flavor: Tastes like frigging sausages. Incredible.

Notes: Excellent. A great change of pace.

Rating: 4 out of 5

August 20, 2005 - #42 of 365

Brewer: Brooklyn Brewery (New York, USA)
Beer: Oktoberfest
Style: Oktoberfest/Marzen
abv: 5.5%

Background: Bottle from the store.

Appearance: Dark brown with a large light head.

Aroma: Malty--brown sugar, caramel.

Flavor: More of the same.

Notes: Not much to it, but a great drinkin' beer.

Rating: 3.4 out of 5

August 19, 2005 - #41 of 365

Brewer: De Dolle Brouwers
Beer: Oerbier
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
abv: 9%

Background: Bottle from Once Upon a Vine in Richmond.

Appearance: Murky brown with a huge pearl head and tons of lacing.

Aroma: Very spicy, like a Christmas cake. Ginger, leather, club soda, brown sugar.

Flavor: Nice spices in the flavor, with some alcohol and a little funk.

Notes: Lots of carbonation. Decent Belgian.

Rating: 3.8 out of 5

August 18, 2005 - #40 of 365

Brewer: Weyerbacher Brewing Company (Pennsylvania, USA)
Beer: Hops Infusion
Style: India Pale Ale
abv: 6.2%

Background: Bottle from Kroger in Richmond. Seven types of hops are used.

Appearance: Copper with a small off-white head.

Aroma: Uh...hoppy. Most of the various hop aromas are present--floral, piney, and soapy.

Flavor: Uh...hoppy. Fairly well balanced.

Notes: Good, but not exciting.

Clever Remark: At the stoplight in Stars Hollow, you stop, look, and Luke. (Note: clever remarks will not always be about the beer.)

Rating: 3.4 out of 5

Internet trouble...

...kept me from posting for the last few days, but the below beers were drunk when they were supposed to be drunk.

August 17, 2005 - #39 of 365

Brewer: Legend Brewing Company (Virginia, USA)
Beer: Belgian-Style Single Ale
Style: Belgian Ale
abv: 4.5%

Background: Bottle from Kroger in Richmond. My first Legend.

Appearance: Amber with a largish white head and perpetual effervescence. Good lacing.

Aroma: Smells like a DP—very phenolic. Band-aids, plastic, and a hint of cloves.

Flavor: Tastes like a DP, only more watery (which is good because these particular flavors need to be spread as thin as possible).

Notes: God, that’s awful. Saved only by an immaculate appearance.

Clever Remark: If I were Belgian I’d sue these guys...and then bathe.

Rating: 2.3 out of 5

August 16, 2005 - #38 of 365

Brewer: G. Schneider & Sohn (Munchen, Germany)
Beer: Aventinus
Style: Wheat Doppelbock
abv: 8%

Background: Bottle from Kroger on Broad Street (near Parham) in Richmond.

Appearance: Dark, murky brown with a large, bright, billowy white head. Some lacing.

Aroma: Dominated by cloves, with hints of toffee, chocolate, and phenols.

Flavor: Starts out like a fine doppelbock, ends on an overpowering burst of cloves. Chocolate and plum in the aftertaste.

Notes: Good, but I expected more.

Clever Remark: If only it would fix appliances and door jambs.

Rating: 3.8 out of 5

August 15, 2005 - #37 of 365

Brewer: Great Divide Brewing Company (Colorado, USA)
Beer: Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout
Style: Imperial Stout
abv: 9.5%

Background: Bomber from Once Upon a Vine in Richmond.

Appearance: Pours slowly—glugs out of the bottle like motor oil. In the glass it’s pitch black with a large dark head that leaves some very nice lacing.

Aroma: Wow. Vanilla, chocolate, coffee, molasses, strong alcohol. Almost like an undercooked chocolate cake with the other aromas in the icing.

Flavor: Sweet chocolate, tons of roastiness, and a lingering finish that’s a mixture of vanilla, alcohol, wood, hops (the bottle says 75 IBUs, but the intensity of the other flavors makes it taste more like 40), and the blood of a savior or two.

Notes: Damn fine beer—according to my rating, the best I’ve ever had. Everything a world-class imperial stout should be with the added bonus of oak aging (is there anything oak can’t do?).

Clever Remark (NEW FEATURE): This is exactly how I like my women—thick, black, and alcoholic.

Rating: 4.6 out of 5

August 14, 2005 - #36 of 365

Brewer: Dogfish Head Brewing Company (Delaware, USA)
Beer: Pangaea
Style: Dogfish (i.e., random)
abv: 7%

Background: Bottle from Once Upon a Vine in Richmond. Dogfish Head claims to have made this one with an ingredient from each of the seven continents. Chinese Ginger is the one they make the most mention of. I’m guessing they used Antarctic water.

Appearance: Brownish-amber with a small head composed of extraordinarily large bubbles. The head quickly disappears, but some of those huge bubbles hang to the side of the glass and gradually become regular-sized bubbles. There is also a Pangaea of bubbles that remains in the middle.

Aroma: Ginger is the most pronounced smell (though maybe only because they mention it on the bottle), but there’s a lot of crap in there—salt, raisins, molasses, vinegar, soap, alcohol.

Flavor: Like a watered-down barley wine (apparently they melted down the entire Ross Ice Shelf), but with an almost sickeningly sweet finish that is no where near balanced by a slight ginger bite. Leaves you thinking you just drank a soda. As it warms, the finish gets drier and the ginger is more noticeable.

Notes: On the one hand, it’s an interesting idea and a unique beer, but on the other, it isn’t good. They get points for creativity, though.

Rating: 3.1 out of 5

August 13, 2005 - #35 of 365

Brewer: St. George Brewing Company (Virginia, USA)
Beer: India Pale Ale
Style: India Pale Ale
abv: 5%

Background: Bottle from the store. This one recently won some sort of “Best Beer in Virginia” award, but beer awards are as common and meaningless as wine awards.

Appearance: Amber with a one-finger head. Medium lacing.

Aroma: Soapy hops, some pine.

Flavor: Very well-balanced, but the alcohol comes through a bit too much (they somehow couldn't contain that crazy 5%). The hop flavor is different from most IPAs—more of that soapiness.

Notes: Not bad, but not the best beer in Virginia or the best beer in my fridge right now.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

August 12, 2005 - #34 of 365

Brewer: Old Dominion Brewing Company (Virginia, USA)
Beer: Summer Wheat (Dunkel Weizen)
Style: Dunkel Weizen
abv: 5.5%

Background: Bottle from the store. Dominion’s last summer brew was a regular hefeweizen, which was pretty good. And, yes, I did have this yesterday.

Appearance: Honey-colored with a mid-sized off-white head.

Aroma: Light cloves and banana backed by toffee.

Flavor: Not much going on. Like the aroma, but with a dash of honey. Actually tastes a little like my homebrewed hefeweizen.

Notes: Sub-par. Too light in color and too thin. And they used “although” on the label where they should have used “though.” It is a good summer beer, however, and that saves it from being terrible.

Rating: 3 out of 5

August 11, 2005 - #33 of 365

Brewer: Stoudts Brewing Company (Pennsylvania, USA)
Beer: Abbey Double
Style: Abbey Dubbel
abv: 7%

Background: 765 mL bottle from the store. 2003. They stopped making this stuff but we were lucky enough to get a couple cases from the back of the distributor’s warehouse.

Appearance: Red-brown with a one-finger head. Color is lighter than the Westmalle and the head is smaller.

Aroma: Plum, grape (and their dried counterparts prune and raisin), chocolate, candi sugar, slight leathery/earthy notes. The second glass smells like cola. One of the best aromas I’ve run across in a while.

Flavor: The fruits come across more noticeably in the flavor, along with the usual spicy Belgian yeast notes. Big leathery/smooth alcohol taste under the tongue. Earthy, cola-like, and slightly vinegary flavors take over as it warms, backed by the alcohol. An excellent example of alcohol as an integral part of the flavor profile. Finish could stand to be drier.

Notes: Very easy-drinking--almost, however, to the point of being too thin. Good chilled, but excellent at room temperature.

Rating: 4 out of 5

August 10, 2005 - #32 of 365

Brewer: Sierra Nevada Brewing Company (California, USA)
Beer: Stout
Style: Stout
abv: 5.8%

Background: Bottle that Matt left at my house. Thanks Matt.

Appearance: Black with a good-sized off-white head. Leaves tiny islands like freckles across the face of the glass.

Aroma: Nice subtle roasted malt aroma with semi-sweet chocolate around the edges.

Flavor: Roasted beginning and a chocolatey end. I expected hops from this west coast stout, but was pleasantly surprised by the mellow, long-lasting aftertaste.

Notes: Just when I thought I didn’t like stouts anymore, a half-decent one like this comes along.

Rating: 3.4 out of 5

August 9, 2005 - #31 of 365

Brewer: Browar Zywiec (Zywiec, Poland)
Beer: Zywiec (Jasne Pelne)
Style: Crappy European Lager
abv: 5.6%

Background: Bottle from the store. The bottle has a cool “beer thermometer” that shows the beer’s logo when it is at an appropriate temperature.

Appearance: Gold with a slight amber tint—darker than I expected. Very small head and medium effervescence.

Aroma: Nutty and papery. Not too promising.

Flavor: Basic pale lager taste with a little extra malt backbone and, if you can believe it, a very slight hint of honey. Semi-dry finish.

Notes: Not good, but not the worst you can get. Probably a good CEL to buy because the amber bottle prevents skunking.

Rating: 2.2 out of 5

August 8, 2005 - #30 of 365

Brewer: Mendocino Brewing Company (New York, USA)
Beer: Talon
Style: Barley Wine
abv: 10.5%

Background: Bomber from the store.

Appearance: Lovely amber-red with a larger-than-expected ecru head and nice lacing.

Aroma: Big malty aroma with raisiny notes and hints of gaminess and oak. A tad floral, as well.

Flavor: All malt from the beginning to the swallow. Only in the aftertaste do the hops come through, and then in the form of a drying bitterness that is quite subdued, but pleasant. Alcohol is not overpowering.

Notes: Not bad, if a bit watery for the style.

Rating: 3.6 out of 5

August 7, 2005 - #29 of 365

Brewer: Clipper City Brewing Company (Maryland, USA)
Beer: Heavy Seas Red Sky at Night
Style: Saison
abv: 8%

Background: Bottle from the store.

Appearance: Hazy gold with a large head. Lots of effervescence and some lacing.

Aroma: Very yeasty aroma (earthy and barnyardy). Also some bready malts and the slightest hint of alcohol.

Flavor: Starts off excellent—very malty, a little funky, nice and thick in the mouth—but ends with some violent carbonation that kills the other flavors and accentuates the would-be pleasant hop bitterness.

Notes: Good stuff overall, but still doesn’t make up for their Pegleg Imperial Stout, which tasted like a brown ale.

Rating: 3.6 out of 5

August 6, 2005 - #28 of 365

Brewer: Baltika Brewery (St. Petersburg, Russia)
Beer: 9 Krepkoe
Style: Malt Liquor
abv: 8%

Background: Bottle from Vintage Wines. I didn't realize it was a malt liquor until I opened it.

Appearance: Gold with a large head and some effervescence.

Aroma: Citrusy hops, corn, and grains.

Flavor: Sweet and corny. A little alcohol in the finish and a nasty bitter aftertaste.

Notes: Better than I expected from a malt liquor, but not good by any means.

Rating: 2.2 out of 5

August 5, 2005 - #27 of 365

Brewer: Dogfish Head Brewery (Delaware, USA)
Beer: Chicory Stout
Style: Stout
abv: 5.2%

Background: Bottle from Vintage Wines in Harrisonburg. This stuff is spiced with chicory in the (sometimes) grand tradition of Dogfish Head.

Appearance: Pours black with a small tan head.

Aroma: Mostly roasted malts--coffee and a little chocolate. Something strange in the background; I guess it's the chicory.

Flavor: Basic stout flavor with the unappealing sourness of a Guinness and that weird crap that might be the chicory.

Notes: Watery and bad.

Rating: 2.7 out of 5

August 4, 2005 - #26 of 365

Brewer: Kulmbacher Braueri (Kulmbach, Germany)
Beer: Eisbock
Style: Eisbock
abv: 9.2%

Background: Bottle from Once Upon a Vine in Richmond.

Appearance: Black with a huge tan head. No lacing. The bottle looks like a disco ball--it almost made me pass this one up.

Aroma: Standard doppelbock aroma (dark fruits, chocolate, toffee, coffee) with a slight alcohol burn.

Flavor: Tastes exactly like an Ayinger Celebrator--no hint of the greater alcohol content.

Notes: Very good. Belies the stupid, cheap-looking bottle.

Rating: 4 out of 5

August 3, 2005 - #25 of 365

Brewer: Brouwerij der Trappistenabdij De Achelse Kluis (Hamont-Achel, Belgium)
Beer: Achel 8 Bruin
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
abv: 8%

Background: Bottle from Vintage Wines in Harrisonburg.

Appearance: Dark brown with a mid-sized, quickly-dissipating head.

Aroma: Plum, fig, candi sugars, dark chocolate.

Flavor: Matches the aroma, with dominance by the candi sugar. No alcohol flavor.

Notes: Very smooth, almost a dubbel. Still, a step down from the other Trappist strong ales.

Rating: 3.8 out of 5

August 2, 2005 - #24 of 365

Brewer: De Dolle Brouwers (Diksmuide, Belgium)
Beer: Stille Nacht
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
abv: 12%

Background: Bottle at the Capital Ale House (Innsbrook) in Richmond.

Appearance: Pours dark orange with a very small head and a lot of crap floating around in the glass.

Aroma: Initially very buttery, but calming down to vanilla, malts, and sweet candi sugar.

Flavor: Very sweet, quite winey. Finish is somewhat alcoholic, but doesn't give away the 12%.

Notes: Good Belgian, if a little on the sweet side. Like a much better Delirium Nocturnum.

Rating: 4 out of 5

August 1, 2005 - #23 of 265

Brewer: Weyerbacher Brewing Company (Pennsylvania, USA)
Beer: Blithering Idiot
Style: Barley Wine
abv: 11.1%

Background: Bottle from Vintage Wines in Harrisonburg.

Appearance: Ruby/amber with a small head that rushes to the sides of the glass. No effervescence.

Aroma: Very malty, with hints of raisin and a bit of alcohol.

Flavor: Sweet, with a dry, alcoholic finish.

Notes: Not very impressive for the style, but still decent. I have a few to age, so we'll see how this is after a year or two.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5