Tuesday, August 26, 2008

MY COMPLETE RATINGS!

My updated ratings, as promised. Oh, and we are up to 488.

Beer, Score

Abita Christmas Ale, 7
Abita Jockamo IPA, 4
Allagash Black, 7
Allagash Grand Cru, 10
Allagash Tripel Reserve, 10
Allagash White, 9
Amnesia Copacetic IPA, 8
Amnesia Desolation IPA, 7
Amnesia The ESB, 7
Anchor Christmas Ale, 4
Anchor Liberty Ale, 6
Anchor Old Foghorn Ale, 5
Anchor Porter, 8
Anchor Steam Beer, 5
Anderson Valley Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout, 9
Anderson Valley Winter Solstice, 8
Andrews St. Nick Porter, 8
Asahi Super Dry, 3
Atlantic Coal Porter, 5
Atwater Vanilla Java Porter, 7
Atwater Voodoovator, 6
Avery 14er ESB, 6
Avery Karma Ale, 5
Avery Out of Bounds Stout, 9
Avery The Czar, 5
Avery The Maharaja Imperial IPA, 9
Avery The Reverend, 9

Bar Harbor Harbor Lighthouse Ale, 8
Bar Harbor Thunder Hole Ale, 9
Bar Harbor Cadillac Mountain Stout, 10
Bass Pale Ale, 6
Bear Republic Big Bear Black Stout, 10
Bear Republic Red Rocket Ale, 9
Belfast Bay Lobster Ale, 4
Belfast Bay McGovern's Oatmeal Stout, 5
Belhaven Scottish Ale / Export / 80 Shilling, 7
Bell Lager, 2
Berkshire Coffeehouse Porter, 9
Berkshire Draymens Porter, 8
Berkshire Lost Sailor India Pale Ale, 8
Berkshire River Ale, 5
Berkshire "Shabadoo" Black & Tan Ale, 8
Berkshire Steel Rail Extra Pale Ale, 4
Berkshire Traditional Pale Ale, 7
Berkshire Springs Stock Ale, 4
Bison Organic Chocolate Stout, 5
Blue Moon Belgian White Ale, 5
Blue Moon Harvest Moon Pumpkin Ale, 6
Blue Point Honey Moon Summer Ale, 6
Boddington Pub Ale, 2
Boulder Beer Hazed and Infused, 7
Boulder Beer Mojo IPA, 8
Boulder Beer Pass Time Pale Ale, 3
Boulder Beer Planet Porter, 6
Boulder Sundance Amber Ale, 4
BridgePort Blue Heron Ale, 6
BridgePort IPA, 8
BridgePort Ropewalk Amber Ale, 6
Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout, 10
Brooklyn Brown Ale, 8
Brooklyn East India Pale Ale, 5
Brooklyn Lager, 7
Brooklyn Local 1, 10
Brooklyn Winter Ale, 6
Brooklynator Doppelbock, 5
Buzzards Bay Alt, 4
Buzzards Bay Black Lager, 5
Buzzards Bay Hefeweizen, 2
Buzzards Bay Pilsner, 6

Cambridge Amber, 8
Cambridge Arquebus, 3
Cambridge Bitchin' Bitter, 8
Cambridge Blunderbuss Barley Wine, 9
Cambridge Charles River Porter, 8
Cambridge Espresso Stout, 9
Cambridge Half Wit Belgian Style Wheat, 7
Cambridge Hefe-weizen, 9
Cambridge Tall Tale Pale Ale, 7
Cambridge Tripel, 6
Cambridge Tripel Threat, 7
Cambridge You Enjoy My Stout, 7
Cape Ann Fishermans Brew, 8
Cape Ann Fisherman's Brew IPA, 7
Cape Ann Pumpkin Stout, 8
Carling Black Label, 3
Carlsberg Brown (Malawi), 4
Casco Bay Brown Ale, 4
Casco Bay Carrabassett Pale Ale, 5
Casco Bay Pale Ale, 7
Casco Bay Riptide Red Ale, 9
Casco Bay Summer Ale, 8
Castle Lager, 1
Castle Milk Stout, 6
Cerveja Super Bock, 2
Chibuku Shake Shake, 0
Chili Head Lager, 5
Cisco Gray Lady Hefeweizen, 6
Cisco Whales Tale Pale Ale, 3
Clipper City Heavy Seas Loose Cannon Hop3, 8
Clipper City Heavy Seas Red Sky at Night, 7
Concord North Woods Ale, 7
Concord Rapscallion Creation, 4
Cooperstown Back Yard IPA, 5
Cooperstown Benchwarmer, 8
Cooperstown Nine Man Ale, 4
Cooperstown Old Slugger, 3
Cooperstown Pride of Milford Special Ale, 7
Cooperstown Strike Out Stout, 5
Corona Extra, 3
Cottrell Old Yankee Ale, 8

Davidson Brother's Dacker Authentic Adirondack Ale, 8
Davidson Brother's IPA, 5
Deschutes Bachelor ESB, 8
Deschutes Black Butte Porter, 10
Deschutes Cinder Cone Red Ale, 9
Deschutes Mirror Pond Pale Ale, 10
Deschutes Obsidian Stout, 9
Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA, 9
Dogfish Head 90 Minute Imperial IPA, 10
Dogfish Head ApriHop, 7
Dogfish Head Immort Ale, 9
Dogfish Head Indian Brown Ale, 8
Dogfish Head Midas Touch Golden Elixir, 8
Dogfish Head Pangaea, 7
Dogfish Head Raison D Etre, 8
Dogfish Head Red and White, 8
Dogfish Head World Wide Stout, 6
Dos Equis XX Amber, 5

Ebulum Elderberry Black Ale, 6
Endurance Glacier Gold, 6

Flying Dog Gonzo Imperial Porter, 5
Flying Dog In-Heat Wheat, 2
Flying Dog Road Dog Scottish Porter, 7
Fort Collins Kidd Lager, 8
Fort Collins Major Tom's Pomegranate Wheat, 4
Fort Collins Rocky Mountain IPA, 7
Fort Collins Z Lager, 5
Fosters Lager, 2
Founder's Centennial IPA, 6
Founders Devil Dancer Triple IPA, 6
Founders Reds Rye, 9
Full Sail Amber Ale (USA), 9
Full Sail IPA, 8
Full Sail Rip Curl, 8
Full Sail Session Premium Lager, 9
Fuller's London Porter, 7

Gearys Autumn Ale, 9
Gearys Hampshire Special Ale, 9
Gearys London Porter, 9
Gearys Pale Ale, 7
Gearys Summer Ale, 8
Gearys Winter Ale, 6
George Killians Irish Red, 6
Great Divide Hercules Double IPA, 9
Great Divide Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout, 9
Great Divide St. Bridgets Porter (St. Brigids), 7
Gritty McDuffs Best Bitter, 7
Gritty McDuffs Black Fly Stout, 5
Gritty McDuffs Christmas Ale, 8
Gritty McDuffs Halloween Ale, 9
Gritty McDuffs India Pale Ale, 9
Gritty McDuffs Lions Pride Brown Ale, 5
Gritty McDuffs Original Pub Style, 8
Gritty McDuffs Raspberry Wheat, 5
Gritty McDuffs Scottish Ale, 7
Gritty McDuffs Vacationland Summer Ale, 8
Guinness Draught, 7
Guinness Extra Stout (North America), 3

Hansa Pilsener, 3
Harpoon Ale, 5
Harpoon Brown, 6
Harpoon Hibernian Ale, 5
Harpoon IPA, 6
Harpoon Old Rusty's Red Rye Ale, 7
Harpoon Smoked Porter, 6
Harpoon Summer Beer, 3
Harpoon UFO Hefeweizen, 7
Harpoon Winter Warmer, 3
Heartland Big Belgian Blonde Ale, 6
Heartland Buffalo Bock, 5
Heartland Cornhusker Lager, 2
Heartland Farmer Jons Oatmeal Stout, 7
Heartland Harvest Wheat, 3
Heartland Indian River Light, 3
Heartland Indiana Pale Ale, 5
Heartland Red Rooster Ale, 5
HeBrew Messiah Bold, 7
Heineken, 3
Henry Weinhards Blue Boar Pale Ale, 6
Henry Weinhards Private Reserve, 7
Hook and Ladder Golden Ale, 3
Hoppin Frog BORIS The Crusher, 9
Hoppin Frog Mean Manalishi, 10

Ipswich Dark Ale, 9
Ipswich India Pale Ale, 7
Ipswich Oatmeal Stout, 10
Ipswich Original Ale, 8
Ipswich Summer Ale, 4

Jacks Pumpkin Spice Ale, 6

Kelso Nut Brown Lager, 7
Kilimanjaro Premium Lager, 1
Kuche Kuche, 1

Lagunitas Pils, 8
Lagunitas Sirius Ale, 9
Lake Placid 46'er Pale Ale, 7
Lake Placid IPA (Frostbite Ale), 9
Lake Placid Ubu, 6
Lakefront Fuel Cafe, 3
Left Hand Milk Stout, 9
Leinenkugels Sunset Wheat, 3
Liberal Cup Alewife Ale, 8
Liberal Cup Backhouse Bitter, 7
Liberal Cup Bug Lager, 6
Liberal Cup Tarbox Cream Stout, 8
Long Trail Ale, 7
Long Trail Belgian White, 4
Long Trail Blackbeary Wheat, 7
Long Trail Double Bag, 8
Long Trail Hefeweizen, 5
Long Trail Hibernator, 5
Long Trail Hit the Trail Ale, 6
Long Trail India Pale Ale, 5
Lucky Labrador Dog Day IPA, 8
Lucky Labrador Hawthornes Best Bitter, 7

Mackeson XXX Stout, 7
Magic Hat #9, 7
Magic Hat Fat Angel, 6
Magic Hat Hi.P.A., 7
Magic Hat Hocus Pocus, 6
Magic Hat Irish Red Ale, 7
Magic Hat Jinx, 6
Magic Hat Roxy Rolles, 8
Magic Hat Y33, 3
Mash Tun Alberta Pale Ale, 2
Mayflower Pale Ale, 7
Mayflower Porter, 7
McMenamins Concordia Pale Ale, 5
McMenamins Hammerhead Ale, 5
McMenamins Nebraska Bitter, 7
McMenamins Ruby, 3
McMenamins Terminator Stout, 7
Mendocino Black Hawk Stout, 4
Mendocino Blue Heron Pale Ale, 2
Mendocino Red Tail Ale, 5
Mendocino Saratoga Lager, 8
Middle Ages Beast Bitter, 7
Middle Ages Kilt Tilter, 4
Modelo Especial, 3
Montana Brewing Whitetail Wheat, 8
Mosi Lager, 1

Negra Modelo, 6
New Belgium Fat Tire, 8
Newcastle Brown Ale, 7
Newport Storm Gloria, 6
Newport Storm Henry, 6
Newport Storm Hurricane Amber Ale, 4
Newport Storm's Irish Red, 3
Newport Storm Regenschauer Oktoberfest, 6
Ndovu, 1
Nile Special Lager, 1
North Coast Blue Star, 8
North Coast Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout, 10
North Coast Red Seal, 9
Northampton Black Cat Stout, 6
Northampton Maggies Wee Heavy, 8
Northampton Old Brown Dog, 6
Northampton Pale Ale, 8
Northampton Redheaded Stepchild, 6
Northampton Steamer, 7

Offshore India Pale Ale, 7
Olde Burnside Dirty Penny, 9
Olde Burnside Ten Penny Ale, 6
Ommegang, 8
Ommegang Hennepin, 9
Ommegang Three Philosophers, 8
Opa-Opa Steakhouse Red Rock, 7
Orlio Organic Black Lager, 5
Orlio Organic Common Ale, 6
Oskar Blues Dale's Pale Ale, 10
Otter Creek Copper Ale, 4
Otter Creek Otter San, 3
Otter Creek Pale Ale, 5
Otter Creek Raspberry Brown Winter Ale, 3
Otter Creek Stovepipe Porter, 5
Otter Creek White Sail, 4
Owen O'Leary's Black & Tan, 4
Owen O'Leary's Dave's Blueberry Ale, 4
Owen O'Leary's Golden Eagle Ale, 5
Owen O'Leary's I.P.A., 4
Owen O'Leary's Irish Sunsetter Red, 6
Owen O'Leary's Summertime Wheat, 3

Pabst Blue Ribbon, 4
Paper City Batch 108, 8
Paper City Blonde Hop Monster, 8
Paper City One Eared Monkey, 2
Paper City PC Blue, 2
Paper City Riley's Mother's Milk Stout, 9
Peak Organic Nut Brown Ale, 3
Pearl Street Canal Street Stout, 9
Pearl Street Lake Effect Pale Ale, 7
Pearl Street Trainwreck, 4
Pennichuck Bagpipers Scottish Ale, 5
Pennichuck Black Lager, 8
Pennichuck Engine No. 5 Firehouse Red Ale, 6
Pennichuck Halligan RyePA, 7
Petes Wicked Strawberry Blonde, 5
Port Brewing Wipeout IPA, 8
Primus, 1

Redhook Blonde Ale, 4
Redhook CopperHook Spring Ale, 4
Redhook ESB, 7
Redhook Long Hammer IPA, 3
Redhook Sunrye, 5
Ringwood Old Thumper (USA), 6
Rock Bottom American Dream IPA, 7
Rock Bottom Improper Hopper IPA, 5
Rock Bottom Lumpy Dog Light Lager, 1
Rock Bottom Mad Cow Milk Stout, 6
Rock Bottom Munich Gold, 4
Rock Bottom North Star Amber Ale, 2
Rock Bottom Off-Kilter Scotch Ale, 5
Rock Bottom Pumpkin Ale, 6
Rodenbach Classic, 8
Rogue American Amber, 6
Rogue Chipotle Ale, 2
Rogue Chocolate Stout, 8
Rogue Dead Guy Ale, 9
Rogue Mocha Porter, 7
Rogue Shakespeare Stout, 7
Roots Organic Burghead Heather Ale, 7
Roots Organic EXXXcalibur Imperial Stout, 8
Roots Organic Pond Turtle Pale Ale, 8

Safari Lager, 2
Sagres, 6
Samuel Adams Black Lager, 9
Samuel Adams Boston Ale, 7
Samuel Adams Boston Lager, 9
Samuel Adams Cherry Wheat, 4
Samuel Adams Cranberry Lambic, 1
Samuel Adams Cream Stout, 8
Samuel Adams Double Bock, 8
Samuel Adams Dunkel Weiss, 7
Samuel Adams Hefeweizen, 5
Samuel Adams Holiday Porter, 8
Samuel Adams Honey Porter, 2
Samuel Adams Imperial Pilsner, 6
Samuel Adams Irish Red Ale, 6
Samuel Adams Light, 5
Samuel Adams LongShot Grape Pale Ale, 3
Samuel Adams LongShot Weizenbock, 9
Samuel Adams Octoberfest, 8
Samuel Adams Old Fezziwig Ale, 5
Samuel Adams Pale Ale, 4
Samuel Adams Scotch Ale, 7
Samuel Adams Summer Ale, 7
Samuel Adams Triple Bock, 1
Samuel Adams White Ale, 3
Samuel Adams Winter Lager, 6
Samuel Smiths Imperial Stout, 5
Samuel Smiths Oatmeal Stout, 10
Samuel Smiths Old Brewery Pale Ale, 4
Samuel Smith Taddy Porter, 8
Sapporo Premium Draft, 3
Saranac Adirondack Amber, 4
Saranac Black and Tan, 5
Saranac IPA, 4
Saranac Pale Ale, 5
Saranac Pumpkin Ale, 4
Sea Dog Blue Paw Wild Blueberry Wheat Ale, 3
Sebago Fryes Leap IPA, 7
Sebago Hefeweizen, 3
Sebago Lake Trout Stout, 9
Serengeti Premium Lager, 1
Sheepscot Valley Bold Coast Pemaquid Ale, 6
Sherwood Forest Archers Ale, 5
Sherwood Forest Sheriffs IPA, 8
Shipyard Brewer's Choice Special Ale 2008 (Royal IPA), 8
Shipyard Blue Fin Stout, 7
Shipyard Brown Ale, 3
Shipyard Export Ale, 9
Shipyard Longfellow Winter Ale, 6
Shipyard Prelude Ale, 7
Shipyard Pumpkinhead Ale, 8
Shipyard Summer Ale, 6
Sierra Nevada Anniversary Ale, 7
Sierra Nevada Bigfoot, 9
Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale, 8
Sierra Nevada Early Spring Beer, 7
Sierra Nevada India Pale Ale, 8
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, 8
Sierra Nevada Porter, 9
Sierra Nevada Stout, 8
Sierra Nevada Summerfest, 7
Singha, 4
Smithwicks Ale, 4
Smuttynose Big A IPA, 10
Smuttynose IPA, 3
Smuttynose Old Brown Dog, 6
Smuttynose Portsmouth Lager, 6
Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale, 6
Smuttynose Robust Porter, 10
Smuttynose Shoals Pale Ale, 9
Smuttynose Summer Weizen Ale, 6
Smuttynose Winter Ale, 7
Southampton Double White Ale, 9
Southampton ESB, 10
Southern Tier Back Burner, 7
Southern Tier IPA, 8
Southern Tier Jahva, 6
Southern Tier Phin & Matts Extraordinary Ale, 6
Southern Tier Porter, 8
Southern Tier Raspberry Porter, 5
Southern Tier Raspberry Wheat Beer, 3
Spanish Peaks Black Dog Ale, 5
St. John Brewers Virgin Islands Pale Ale, 2
St. Pauli Girl Lager, 3
St. Pauli Girl Special Dark, 3
Stone Arrogant Bastard Ale, 9
Stone India Pale Ale, 9
Stone Pale Ale, 9
Stone Ruination IPA, 8
Stone Russian Imperial Stout, 5
Stone Coast 840 IPA, 8
Stone Coast Knuckleball Bock, 4
Stone Coast Sunsplash Golden Ale, 2
Stoudts American Pale Ale, 9
Stoudts Scarlet Lady ESB, 6

Taj Mahal, 2
The Tap American Pale Ale, 7
The Tap Bock, 7
The Tap Chocolate Porter, 8
The Tap Haverale Cream Ale, 6
The Tap Hewitt Brown, 6
The Tap Irish Stout, 7
The Tap Leatherlips IPA, 9
The Tap Nut Brown, 7
The Tap Whittier White, 7
Thirsty Dog Siberian Night, 10
Tiger Beer, 2
Tommyknocker Alpine Glacier Lager, 3
Trinity Belgian Gold, 6
Trinity Brown Ale, 6
Trinity Hefe Weizen, 5
Trinity Larkens Irish Stout, 7
Trinity Rhode Island IPA, 8
Trinity Russian Imperial Stout, 9
Trinity Special Kolsch, 8
Tsingtao, 2
Tuckerman 6288 Stout, 7
Tuckerman Pale Ale, 8
Tusker Lager, 2

Uganda Breweries Pilsner Lager, 1
Union Station Belgian Tripel, 4

Victory Festbier, 6
Victory Golden Monkey, 9
Victory HopDevil, 9
Victory Moonglow Weizenbock, 4
Victory Prima Pils, 8
Victory Storm King Imperial Stout, 10
Victory V Lager, 6
Victory Whirlwind Witbier, 4

Wachusett Blueberry, 5
Wachusett Summer Breeze, 4
Wachusett Winter Ale, 7
Watch City 38 Schilling Scottish Ale, 6
Watch City Dubbel Belgian Ale, 6
Watch City Hops Explosion IPA, 9
Watch City Kingpin Imperial Stout, 7
Watch City Moody Street Stout, 7
Watch City Shillelagh Irish Red Ale, 5
Watch City Titan Brown Ale, 9
Watch City Totem Pale Ale, 8
Watch City Uber-Okto-Lager, 6
Watch City Wheat IPA, 7
Weyerbacher Blithering Idiot, 8
Weyerbacher Hops Infusion, 7
Weyerbacher Merry Monks' Ale, 7
Weyerbacher Winter Ale, 4
Widmer Brothers Drop Top Amber Ale, 8
Widmer Brothers Hefeweizen, 9
Widmer Brothers Snow Plow, 7
Widmer Brothers W06 NW Red Ale, 8
Windhoek Lager, 3
Wolavers India Pale Ale, 7
Woodstock Inn Pigs Ear Brown Ale, 5

Young's Oatmeal Stout, 9
Yuengling Traditional Lager, 8

Z Street Mocha Java Stout, 8

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Bar Harbor Brewing

My Dad's column did a lot to bring new viewers to the blog, tripling traffic for a couple of days. One other thing his article brought me was a homebrewer named Dic Gleason from Orono, Maine. He was a little outraged that I had not tried anything from Bar Harbor Brewing. And rightly so -- Bar Harbor's Cadillac Mountain Stout is the highest rated beer in Maine. But this oversight wasn't for a lack of trying... nobody carries this stuff. Except for Hannaford Supermarket way out in Ellsworth, Maine. Well, thank you, Mr. Gleason for that tid bit of info, and thank you, Dad, for picking me up a few of these quality brews.

Bar Harbor Harbor Lighthouse Ale
Bottle -- Hannaford, Ellsworth, ME
an english dark mild ale. reddish-brown body with great bitter smell and some light fruit. bready, toasted malts define taste. very thin -- this beer is made for session drinking. you don't see many brewers bothering with this low alcohol style, and i have a lot of respect for bar harbor for doing so.
Score: 8

Bar Harbor Thunder Hole Ale
Bottle -- Hannaford, Ellsworth, ME
an english brown... and to be fair, this is not my favorite style, as i find it to be too one-dimensional. dark, churning, frothy pour. ah, hops on the nose! a very good sign. sure enough, an earthy bitterness comes through in flavor. roasty, smokey too. great balance of malts and hops. smooth and creamy. i'm a fan.
Score: 9

Bar Harbor Cadillac Mountain Stout
Bottle -- Hannaford, Ellsworth, ME
the highest rated beer in maine. perfect black pour, with tan head of tight bubbles and decent retention. there is a lot going on in this aroma: chocolate malt, free coffee, and figs. taste is of semi-sweet chocolate and roasted coffee... slightly astringent and gently hopped. silky smooth mouthfeel and fairly heavy. alcohol is just right; many brewers overreach on their stouts. this is a sipping beer that i enjoyed for a full hour. great flavor, great balance... quite possibly the greatest beer i have ever tasted. well done, bar harbor!
Score: 10

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Perfect 10's

I've got two Russian Imperial Stout's to report on today. Now, RIS are one of those styles that beer "experts" fawn over. I love dark beers, but some RIS just go too far, with lots of alcohol and looking a little too much like motor oil. However, Thristy Dog (OH) and Brooklyn (NY) provide two perfect tens with their takes on the style.

Thirsty Dog Siberian Night
Bottle -- McKean & Charles
a imperial stout that was sold to me as "one of the 50 best beers in the world." beeradvocate.com agrees. one of the darkest pours i have ever seen with an enticing tan, swirling head. i can smell the aroma a full foot from the glass -- which is so exciting -- rich chocolate, and hint of soy sauce. upon tasting i am struck first by the mouthfeel, and not the taste... very unusual. creamy, velvety feel going down; it really coats your mouth. now don't get me wrong, the flavor is very powerful as well: roasted malts and alcohol dominate. this was not just hype, a phenomenal beer.
Appearance: 5/5, Aroma: 10/10, Flavor: 9/10, Palate: 5/5, Overall: 19/20, Total: 4.8
Score: 10

Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout
Bottle -- Supreme Liquors, Quincy
this is a beer i have been looking forward to for a while. i respect brooklyn brewery and have heard all good things about this winter seasonal. the appearance is as black as promised, with a well-portioned tan head. aroma is sweet, mostly coffee and some chocolate. sweet chocolate malts are prominent in flavor, with a more burnt finish. you never even catch a hint of the 10.6% abv, which is very impressive. mouthfeel is exceptionally creamy, velvety really, and quite heavy. one of the most drinkable russian imperials i have ever encountered, and not overly pricey. try this one.
App: 5/5, Aro: 8/10, Flv: 10/10, Pal: 5/5, Ovr: 18/20, Tot: 4.6
Score: 10

Sunday, August 10, 2008

What I've Been Drinking -- August

Allagash Black
750 ml -- Kappy's, Peabody
a belgian strong dark ale, and a beer that has been on my wish list for a few months now. pours as black as promised. however, aroma and taste were shockingly subtle. the whole beer was kind of meh, not what i was expecting. wasn't offensive at all, but i had to downgrade this one considering it costs $12 a bottle.
Score:6

Berkshire "Shabadoo" Black & Tan Ale
750 ml -- Kappy's, Malden
this was my first "real" black & tan, meaning it was purposely brewed and not just blended. honestly, my expectations going in were low, but i liked it. appealing aroma, complex & balanced flavor, and so smooth. try it.
Score: 8

Bison Organic Chocolate Stout
Bottle -- Ohio
my friend mark brought this back from ohio -- not something i have seen around here. thickness evident from start in the pour, and the mouthfeel is very syrupy... always a turnoff. rest of the beer isn't much better, very subdued, dull even.
Score: 5

Dogfish Head World Wide Stout
Bottle -- Kappy's, Peabody
18% abv... unbelievable! fairly certain i haven't had a beer close to this strong. no hiding it either -- almost like drinking a whisky really. an interesting beer without a doubt, but not exactly a pleasant drinking experience. at $10 for a 12 oz. bottle, i would take a pass. this was my least favorite beer from dogfish head to date.
Score: 6

Fisherman's Brew IPA
Bottle -- McKean & Charles, Waldoboro, ME
almost ruby colored with a lot of suspended particles -- you see this in some ipa's. floral boquet on nose... bitter, kind of spicy finish... balance is not something that you will find in this beer, but not bad.
Score: 7

Harpoon Old Rusty's Red Rye Ale
750 ml bottle -- Kappy's, Malden
part of harpoon's 100 barrel series. a cool concept, but i wasn't a huge fan of the first one i tried, their smoked porter. nice looking pour of orange with a reddish tint, but it is the smell of fresh hops that draws you in. taste takes me aback a little, not quite what i was expecting for some reason. crisp malts, mild spice, some piney hops -- nice. clean and medium bodied; one of the strongest components of this beer.
Score: 7

Long Trail Belgian White
Bottle -- Shovel Shop Spirits, Easton
cloudy, pale pour with appropriate head... citrus and lemon in aroma (everything you would expect in a belgian white to this point)... the flavor, however is overly fruity. dan complained about the citrus -- which i do notice -- but i was most struck by the lemon, and even moreso, the taste of liquorice. this might be an acceptable intro to the style, but it didn't quite do it for me.
Score: 4

Long Trail Hefeweizen
Bottle -- Shovel Shop Spirits, Easton
i was surprised at the extent of the bouquet of banana, spice, and wheat in this one... grassy and citrus flavor, mild bitterness, and clean... i offered this one up at my first barbeque at my new house and it went over well. barely qualifies as a hef in my book, but very drinkable.
Score: 5

Tuckerman 6288 Stout
Bottle -- Kappy's, Malden
first off, 6288 is the height of mt. washington, thus the odd name. expected appearance, muted aroma. taste of burnt chocolate, a little sour and alcoholic. this reminds me a lot of an oatmeal stout (although i don't think oatmeal is one of the ingredients.) i should also note that this has an oddly abrassive mouthfeel. not bad.
Score: 7

Pick it up:
Lagunitas Sirius Ale
Bottle -- Kappy's, Malden
this one jumped off the shelves at dan and i: "a silky high-gravity imperial cream ale." did they know their audience or what? definitely an unusual cream ale, but i really liked it. rich, complex flavor, but strong hoppiness in the middle of taste is really what sets this one apart. at 7.6% abv, you will feel this smooth drinker in a hurry.
Score: 9