Friday, February 20, 2009

Fruit beers

Now, I am not exactly a manly man. But I am not really a fruit beer guy. As a brewer, I like creativity. But something that drives me crazy is bars that think they know better than the brewer by adding fruit to a fruit beer (i.e. blueberries floating in Sea Dog's Blue Paw.) And I really don't like one-dimensionally, sweet beers. But there is at least one beer worth returning to here...

Dogfish Head Black & Blue
750 ml -- Luke's
a christmas gift from kelly, which was shared with kelly since it is brewed with black raspberries and blueberries. mostly yeasty esters in aroma. flavor is more of tart berries. odd, white wine like mouthfeel. eh.
Score: 4

Narragansett Cranberry
Tap -- Fresh Catch, Easton
i didn't even know this beer existed. i really want to like narragansett, but sadly, it is a terrible beer. but what if it is cranberry narragansett? oh, this isn't going to go well... very artificial flavoring and sickeningly sweet -- just awful. i did manage to finish the beer. it is worth noting that my fiance would rate this beer as a 6 (and i am going to marry her anyways...)
Score: 2

Sea Dog Riverdriver Hazelnut Porter
Tap -- Chili Head Barbeque, West Bridgewater
okay, so i am not a big sea dog guy... but a hazelnut porter just sounded good. lots of nutty malts, and from there... it doesn't progress. a very one-dimensional beer and i wasn't really feeling that one dimension. hardly a porter.
Score: 3

My Favorite:
Dogfish Head Fort
750 ml -- Luke's
almost ruby colored with measured head. alcohol and sweet raspberries on nose, not artificial either. liveliness is first thing that hits you. very, very sweet malt profile. at 18% its strong enough to make you think you are drinking a malt liquor... albeit a delicious one. i enjoyed this -- as good of a fruit beer as you will find.
Score: 8

Monday, February 16, 2009

CBC Winter

Figured this was my last chance to try the winter seasonals at Cambridge Brewing Co. You might be able to catch some of these solid beers too if you hurry!

Big Man Ale
Sample -- Cambridge Brewing Co.
a strong ale as their winter seasonal -- nice. cloudy, dark amber pour... balanced aroma with fruitty esters... pretty assertive bitterness but plenty of toasted malts to build this one up. excellent.
Score: 9

Blunderbuss Barleywine 2008
Sample -- CBC
perhaps my tastes have changed, but i have fonder memories of the blunderbuss from last year. taste is too sweet for me, with assertive hops pushing their way towards front of flavor.
Score: 7

CaCow! Chocolate Milk Stout
Sample -- CBC
to be fair, i am a sucker for milk stouts... but this was great! awesome aroma of strong java and sweet chocolate malts. roasted coffee comes through in taste along with hop bitterness to give it some depth and complexity. velvety smooth and medium-bodied. i would have bought a growler of this for dessert had it been available.
Score: 10

Never Mind the Bollekes!
Sample -- CBC
a belgian pale. the smell is of some unusual musty yeast... reminds me of some german styles. sour flavor, with yeast and floral hops making their mark. not my favorite.
Score: 5

Regatta Golden
Sample -- CBC
the one house regular that i had not tried in my previous trips, a kolsch. light and golden appearance with fresh grain and lemon in aroma. light floral, grassy hops balance flavor. very drinkable.
Score: 7

Sunday, February 15, 2009

House Brews

I will never pass on a house tap when I find one at a bar or restaurant. One, I want to encourage this kind of behavior. Imagine, if all bars did this, every homebrewers could find a tap for their beer! Two, there is always the hope of finding a hidden gem. The IPA I found at Paddy O's came awfully close...

Beer Belly Ball and Chain IPA
Tap -- Paddy O's, Newton
i found this at an irish pub in newton. overall their tap selection was pretty unexciting (flat sierra nevada pale, harpoon ipa, sam...) except for a big fancy tap of murphy's irish stout, which i found out was just ornamental! fortunately in that tap they did have an ipa from "a couple of locals." all bars should do this. it was a really good brew too: nice up-front bitterness with balancing malts that make this sessionable. bravo!
Score: 8

Fresh Catch Amber Ale
Tap -- Fresh Catch, Easton
yeah, this wasn't good. fairly dark pour for such a watery, flavorless beer. they must have used a few black patent malts to artificially darken this beer up because there is very little substance to it. as much as i love getting the house brew, i can't really recommend this beer.
Score: 2

Loco Pilsner
Tap -- Loco Restaurant, Easton
first thing that strikes you are the similarities to bud light. fortunately, there is more to this beer than that. flavor of light toasted malts does come through to taste. hops take on an almost fruity nature in aroma and flavor. an easy drinker as you would expect. pretty good actually.
Score: 6

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Guinness vs. Murphy's

Guinness v. Murphy's. This is a choice that happens all too often when drinking in and around Boston. And there are a lot of people out there that love both of these beers (and Beamish too)... but I am not one of those people. I am sure it is sacrilegious to say so, but let me just say that many American brewers do a much better job with Irish dry stouts. But that is a question for another day. Right now, what do you choose: Guinness or Murphy's?

Guinness Draught
Nitro can-- Blanchard's, Brockton
while i am not a guinness fan, i will say that i do love that cascading effect from the nitro pour... so cool! aroma is pretty good with sweet roasted malts filling your nose. roasted malts in flavor are paired with bitterness... which quickly fades to bland wateriness. creamy enough to chug though. ultimately guinness is a watery, ridiculously overrated beer.
Score: 4

Murphy's Irish Stout
Nitro can -- Blanchard's, Brockton
"ingenious floating draughtflow" inside can creates creamy off-white head you expect to see in an irish stout. smell is of sharp java, sweet malt, and bitter hops. taste is heavily burnt malt, earthiness, and some bittering hops. dry mouthfeel and still fairly watery, but much more flavorful than guinness.
Score: 5

When-Trapped-In-One-Of-Boston's-Ubiquitous-Irish-Bar's-I-Would-Prefer-To-Drink: Murphy's Irish Stout

Sunday, February 8, 2009

Rock Bottom hits, er, rock bottom

Well, I suppose I should begin with apologies for the title of this post. This was a piece of beer news that I had meant to pass along last week. Rock Bottom Brewery in Quincy closed its doors last weekend due to poor sales. As some of you may have remembered from my previous post on macrobreweries, I wasn't exactly Rock Bottom's biggest fan. But nevertheless. (It is worth noting that their brewpub in Boston's theater district remains open and is still "one of the company's highest performing restaurants.")

Of course, it goes without saying that it is a bad thing anytime you see 50 jobs lost. What I am curious about is whether this is a harbinger of things to come with the current recession: will craft beer drinkers pass by the Allagash showcase for an 18-pack of PBR? My guess is no, not unless you do lose your job. The craft beer market is growing too quickly right now and I think that just like movies, beer is a relatively cheap form of entertainment and therefore recession-proof.

One of my favorite beer bloggers, Jeff Alworth, of Beervana, came out with a poll on exactly this. While I do think the poll is inaccurate, it is nevertheless interesting that over half of the poll takers said their drinking habits had already changed. Here's to hoping that this was just a case of an inferior macrobrewery failing to make the grade in an increasingly competitive beer market.

Thursday, February 5, 2009

MY COMPLETE BEER RANKINGS

622. Bam.

Beer, Score (1-10)
Abita Christmas Ale, 7
Abita Jockamo IPA, 4
Abita Restoration Pale Ale, 2
Albany Pump Station Evans Extra Stout, 9
Alesmith Old Numbskull, 7
Allagash Black, 7
Allagash Curieux, 9
Allagash Dubbel Reserve, 8
Allagash Grand Cru, 10
Allagash Interlude, 7
Allagash Tripel Reserve, 10
Allagash Victoria Ale, 9
Allagash White, 10
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 Hop Ottin' IPA, 9
Anderson Valley Winter Solstice, 8
Andrew's English Pale Ale, 6
Andrew's St. Nick Porter, 8
Arcadia IPA, 5
Arcadia Scotch Ale, 4
Asahi Super Dry, 3
Atlantic Brother Adam's Bragget Ale, 5
Atlantic Coal Porter, 5
Atwater Vanilla Java Porter, 7
Atwater Voodoovator, 6
Avery 14er ESB, 6
Avery Ale to the Chief , 9
Avery Anniversary Ale - Fifteen, 5
Avery Collaboration Not Litigation, 7
Avery Karma Ale, 5
Avery Out of Bounds Stout, 9
Avery The Czar, 5
Avery The Maharaja Imperial IPA, 9
Avery The Reverend, 9

Ballast Point Big Eye IPA, 8
Bar Harbor Acadia Pale Ale, 9
Bar Harbor Cadillac Mountain Stout, 10
Bar Harbor Harbor Lighthouse Ale, 8
Bar Harbor Thunder Hole Ale, 9
Bass Pale Ale, 6
Bear Republic Big Bear Black Stout, 10
Bear Republic Red Rocket Ale, 9
Beer Works Black Bat Stout, 5
Beer Works Bunker Hill Blueberry, 7
Beer Works North Shore Light, 3
Beer Works Pumpkinhead Ale, 5
Beer Works Saison Nouveau, 8
Beer Works Salem American Pale Ale, 8
Beer Works Tell Tale Lager, 7
Beer Works The Grinch, 6
Beer Works Winter Works, 7
Beer Works Witch City Red, 5
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 Imperial Stout, 9
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
Black Bear Pail Ale, 5
Blue Moon Belgian White Ale, 5
Blue Moon Harvest Moon Pumpkin Ale, 6
Blue Point Honey Moon Summer Ale, 6
Blue Point Winter Ale, 3
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
Budweiser American Ale, 3
Budweiser Shock Top Belgian White, 3
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
Captain Lawrence Captain's Reserve Imperial IPA, 10
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
Chelsea Checker Cab Blonde Ale, 8
Chelsea Hand Pumped Cask Ale, 6
Chibuku Shake Shake, 0
Chili Head Lager, 5
Cisco Captain Swain's Extra Stout, 7
Cisco Gray Lady Hefeweizen, 6
Cisco Moor Porter, 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 Junction Porter, 10
Concord North Woods Ale, 7
Concord Rapscallion Creation, 4
Coniston Bluebird Bitter, 8
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 Green Lake Organic 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 120 Minute IPA, 5
Dogfish Head ApriHop, 7
Dogfish Head Chicory Stout, 7
Dogfish Head Immort Ale, 9
Dogfish Head Indian Brown Ale, 8
Dogfish Head Midas Touch Golden Elixir, 8
Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron, 10
Dogfish Head Pangaea, 7
Dogfish Head Punkin' Ale, 7
Dogfish Head Raison D'Etre, 8
Dogfish Head Raison D'Extra, 5
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

Fish Tale Organic India Pale Ale, 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
Founders Breakfast Stout, 10
Founders Centennial IPA, 6
Founders Devil Dancer Triple IPA, 6
Founders Dirty Bastard, 9
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, 9
Gearys Summer Ale, 8
Gearys Winter Ale, 6
George Killians Irish Red, 6
Great Divide Denver Pale Ale, 7
Great Divide Hercules Double IPA, 9
Great Divide Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout, 9
Great Divide St. Bridgets Porter (St. Brigids), 7
Green Flash Hop Head Red, 8
Green Flash West Coast IPA, 9
Gritty McDuffs Best Bitter, 7
Gritty McDuffs Black Fly Stout, 6
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, 4
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
Ipswich Winter Ale, 3

Jacks Pumpkin Spice Ale, 6
Josh's Homebrews Hoppy Holidays! / Obama Beer!, 8
Josh's Homebrews The-Waiting-Is-The-Hardest-Part Pale Ale, 7
Josh's Homebrews Promised Land Porter, 6
Josh's Homebrews You're So Vain... You Probably Think This Stout is About You!, 1

Kelso Nut Brown Lager, 7
Kennebec River Magic Hole IPA, 5
Kilimanjaro Premium Lager, 1
Kronenbourg 1664, 7
Kuche Kuche, 1

Lagunitas Cappuccino Stout, 9
Lagunitas Censored, 5
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 Black Jack Porter, 4
Left Hand Milk Stout, 9
Legacy Hedonism Ale, 7
Legacy Nor'easter, 7
Leinenkugels Oktoberfest, 4
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
Mad River Steelhead Extra Pale Ale, 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
Mayflower Thanksgiving Ale, 3
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
Moat Mountain Hoffman Weiss, 8
Montana Brewing Whitetail Wheat, 8
Mosi Lager, 1622

Nashoba Valley Bolt 117 Lager, 4
Nashoba Valley Heron Ale, 5
Nashoba Valley Oaktoberfest, 4
Nashoba Valley Wattaquadoc Wheat, 6
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 ACME California IPA, 8
North Coast Blue Star, 8
North Coast Old No. 38 Stout, 8
North Coast Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout, 10
North Coast Old Stock Ale, 9
North Coast Pranqster, 7
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

Oak Pond Dooryard Ale, 5
Oak Pond Nut Brown Ale, 8
Oak Pond Oktoberfest, 6
Oak Pond Pale Ale, 4
Offshore India Pale Ale, 7
Olde Burnside Dirty Penny, 9
Olde Burnside Ten Penny Ale, 6
Ommegang, 8
Ommegang Chocolate Indulgence Stout, 9
Ommegang Hennepin, 9
Ommegang Rare Vos, 7
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
Oskar Blues Ten FIDY, 8
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
Oxford Hefeweizen, 4

Pabst Blue Ribbon, 4
Pacifico, 3
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 Espresso Amber Ale, 8
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
Pretty Things Jack D'or, 9
Primus, 1
Portsmouth ALTernator, 9
Portsmouth Bottle Rocket IPA, 8
Portsmouth Dirty Blonde Ale, 7
Portsmouth Oatmeal Stout, 8
Portsmouth Smoky Dunkelweizen, 5

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
Riverhorse Tripel Horse, 6
Rock Art Magnumus Ete Tomahawkus ESB^2, 8
Rock Art Vermonster, 8
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 Brutal Bitter, 5
Rogue Chipotle Ale, 2
Rogue Chocolate Stout, 8
Rogue Dead Guy Ale, 9
Rogue Mocha Porter, 7
Rogue Santa's Private Reserve Ale, 9
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 Chocolate Bock, 3
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, 4
Samuel Adams Winter Lager, 6
Samuel Smiths Imperial Stout, 5
Samuel Smiths Oatmeal Stout, 10
Samuel Smiths Old Brewery Pale Ale, 4
Samuel Smiths Taddy Porter, 8
San Miguel Dark Lager, 4
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 Pugsley's Signature Series Barley Wine Style Ale, 7
Shipyard Brewer's Choice Special Ale 2008 (Royal IPA), 8
Shipyard Blue Fin Stout, 7
Shipyard Brown Ale, 3
Shipyard Chamberlain IPA, 4
Shipyard Export Ale, 9
Shipyard Pugsley's Signature Series Imperial Porter, 8
Shipyard Longfellow Winter Ale, 8
Shipyard Prelude Ale, 9
Shipyard Pumpkinhead Ale, 8
Shipyard Summer Ale, 6
Shipyard Tremont Ale, 8
Shipyard Tremont IPA, 4
Sierra Nevada 12th Release Harvest, 6
Sierra Nevada Anniversary Ale, 7
Sierra Nevada Bigfoot, 9
Sierra Nevada Brown Ale, 8
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
Sixpoint Brownstone Ale, 7
Sixpoint Sweet Action, 10
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 Wheat Wine Ale, 6
Smuttynose Winter Ale, 7
Southampton Double White Ale, 9
Southampton ESB, 10
Southampton IPA, 7
Southern Tier Back Burner, 7
Southern Tier Big Red, 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
Speakeasy Prohibition Ale, 9
St. John Brewers Virgin Islands Pale Ale, 2
St. Pauli Girl Lager, 3
St. Pauli Girl Special Dark, 3
Stone 12th Anniversary Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout, 8
Stone Arrogant Bastard Ale, 9
Stone India Pale Ale, 9
Stone Oaked Arrogant Bastard, 9
Stone Pale Ale, 9
Stone Ruination IPA, 8
Stone Russian Imperial Stout, 5
Stone Coast 840 IPA, 8
Stone Coast Knuckleball Bock, 6
Stone Coast Sunsplash Golden Ale, 2
Stoudts American Pale Ale, 9
Stoudts Double IPA, 8
Stoudts Fat Dog, 8
Stoudts Scarlet Lady ESB, 6
Sunday River Black Bear Porter, 6

Taj Mahal, 2
Tecate, 1
The Tap American Pale Ale, 7
The Tap Bock, 7
The Tap Chocolate Porter, 8
The Tap Dopplebock, 4
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
Thomas Hooker Blonde Ale, 7
Thomas Hooker Liberator Doppelbock, 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
Two Brothers The Bitter End, 7

Uganda Breweries Pilsner Lager, 1
Uncle Jim's Homebrews Amber Ale, 4
Uncle Jim's Homebrews Cream Ale, 6
Uncle Jim's Homebrews Oatmeal Stout, 6
Uncle Jim's Homebrews Red, 8
Uncle Jim's Homebrews "SB", 6
Union Station Belgian Tripel, 4

Victory 12, 4
Victory Bags Packed Porter, 7
Victory Baltic Thunder, 9
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 Octoberfest Ale, 3
Wachusett Summer Breeze, 4
Wachusett Winter Ale, 7
Watch City 38 Schilling Scottish Ale, 6
Watch City Biking Bob's Bohemian Pilsner, 4
Watch City Bombed Blondeshelle Belgian Strong Ale, 5
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 Pie Eyed Pumpkin Ale, 6
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
Wolaver's Oatmeal Stout, 4
Woodstock Inn Pigs Ear Brown Ale, 5

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

Z Street Mocha Java Stout, 8

Sunday, February 1, 2009

My Homebrew: Hoppy Holidays! / Obama Beer!

Hoppy Holidays! / Obama Beer!
Bottle -- Brockton, MA
okay, first thing's first: yes, i had two names for this beer. as a december brew, most of my friends and family recieved a six-pack of this ipa. but, with one growler left on inauguration day it had to be rebranded as obama beer! whatever name it went by, this was my finest brew yet. pours reddish-brown with a big billowy head that notches glass whole way down. this may be the darkest ipa i have ever had -- i like it! a huge aroma: sharp floral hops, and quite sweet. bitterness at very front of taste. hops are grassy and earthy in nature. flavor is a little sour (like pretty much all of my brews so far...) but combined with fruitiness of hops, it works. and i was very pleased to see the oak chips i aged this beer in come through in the taste. dry, lively, and medium-
bodied mouthfeel. we'll be brewing
this one again!
Appearance: 4/5, Aroma: 9/10, Flavor: 7/10, Palate: 3/5, Overall: 12/20, Total: 3.5
Score: 8