Oskar Blues - Gubna Imerial IPA

Gubna Imerial IPA
Oskar Blues Brewery
Lyons, CO
10.00% ABV

C. Light Hazy, not 100% clear
H. Orange-ish
N. We Could Smell the Hops at the Crack of the Can, Hops Hops and More Hops

Cerveza Chica; Again this was another beer that had A LOT of hype surrounding it and for once I can say that it was rightfully fit. Upon popping open this can of beer you are attacked by the smell of hops. I am not a hop head so to speak, but these were the kind of citrusy hops that I adore. This beer really does attack you from the get go with the hops, but I would say the bitterness isn’t overboard. I will say though that it does have a dank sort of smell to it kind of like weed. This beer is good for one can at 10% ABV but I would have a hard time drinking more than one in a sitting. You definitely can’t drink this beer faast, but it will give you a nice buzz.

Score:4.17

The Ferm.; From the crack of the can, yessss the CAN, this Imperial IPA was huge on hops. Coming from a can or a bottle this is a great IIPA, the malt backing is there but not over powering. There is a bit of a funky flavor, onion?, on the back end of this beer but it doesn’t really stick out all that much. This is a great beer for a true Hop Head, like myself. The 10% ABV would sneak up on me, as I would like to drink more than one of these in a sitting. Very good job!
Score: 4.3668

Overall: 4.2684

Dogfish Head - Wrath of Pecant!

Wrath of Pecant!
Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
Milton, DE
6.00% ABV

C. Clear
H. Dark Amber in Color
N. Sort-a a weak nose, a hint of malt?

Cerveza Chica; There was a lot of hype surrounding this beer, and after tasting it I have to say that it was VERY unwarranted. This is a bad beer experience that I don’t think I will ever forget because the flavor just stays with you and not in a good way. People were talking about the name and there isn’t even any pecans in it! I just don’t get this one and I know DFH is all about off centered beers and all that, but I just really think that this one did not work in any way. All I can say is I get smoke and bacon. Now don’t get me wrong I love bacon probably more than the next person, but definitely not in my beer. Yuck! I would never purchase this beer again because I never want to relive the taste of this beer.
Score:1.27

The Ferm; I was excited about this beer since I heard that they were doing a collaboration with the brothers from Beer Advocate. How could this be a bad beer? Well I had to double take on this beer. Bacon? Really? Noooooo! Yep! Bacon! This beer has a hint of Bacon on the back end! This is the perfect beer to match with a nice omlette in the morning. Heaven? Nope, but pretty close. The beer tasted similar to a brown ale, and had hints of sweetness in it…maybe banana or pecan extract?? But really there was Bacon on the back end! Amazing!
Score: 4.272

Overall: 2.771

Three Floyds - Alpha King Pale Ale

Three Floyds Alpha King Pale Ale
Three Floyds Brewing Co.
Munster, IN
6.00% ABV

C. Super Clear
H. Dark Carmel in Color
N. Nose is big on citrusy hops, with a subtle roasty malt nose

Cerveza Chica; I have to say that everything that I have tried from Three Floyds thus far has been more positive than negative. This was another beer that worked for me . For and American Pale Ale it was hoppy but not overly bitter and there was just enough malt to back it up. It was very light and easy to drink. It was definitely solid for a pale ale. I would recommend this if you can get your hands on some although unfortunately we don’t get it in Florida. I could easily put back a few of these without even realizing it and that is fine with me.
Score:3.77

The Ferm: Well like every other beer I will have to judge this beer in comparison to other Pale Ales. The label has the Alpha King like bathing in his beer. I think I could bathe in this beer as well. It really is one of the most balanced Pale Ales I have had. The hops are strong on the attack, and the malt backing is strong enough to support it. There is a strong citrus attack, and the beer ends with a nice dry roasty taste on the palette. Category wise, I’d have to say it is pretty damn good!
Score: 4.15

Overall: 3.96

Green Flash - Imperial IPA

Green Flash Imperial IPA
Green Flash Brewing Co.
San Diego County, CA
9.40% ABV

C. Clear
H. Dark Yellow
N. Nose is big on earthy piney citrusy odors

Cerveza Chica; I must start by saying that I am a pretty big fan on IPAs and since we followed un*earthly with this one I thought it could only get better. I had a faint idea from the smell of this beer though that I would not be a big fan. The smell of hops was pretty potent and that was definitely the case upon drinking it. It was way too bitter in my opinion. It seemed as if there was no balance to it at all. I have heard great things about this beer and was looking forward to trying it, but now that I have I can say I am good. You could definitely taste the alcohol in it, and I just would have really liked more of a balance to this beer. There are better Imperial IPAs in my book.
Score:2.07

The Ferm; This is my type of IPA, light on malt HUGE on hops. Perfect balance of citrus hops and light malt. That’s really about it on this Imperial IPA out of Cali. I have heard great things about this beer and unlike many other beers this is NOT Beer-Hype. Amazing beer, light body, full of flavor, and at 9.4% I could easily have a few, and feel grrreeaaaatttt! I’m in love. I look forward to getting my hands on some more Green Flash Beers!
Score: 4.679

Southern Tier - Oak Aged Un*Earthly

Southern Tier Oak Aged Un*Earthly
Southern Tier Brewing Co.
Lakewood, NY
11.00% ABV

C. Very Clear
H. Golden Orange/Amber
N. Nose is big on citrus hops, very faint odor of oak, sweet malt

Cerveza Chica; Ok so I had moderate expectations for this beer because normal Unearthly was the first Southern Tier beer that I had tried and I enjoyed it from the bottle at Coffee District awhile back. I was taken in by the smell of this beer, hops and citrus and some malt, but I didn’t get any of the oak aged part from it. Upon tasting this beer I get a TON of hoppy bitterness, almost too much. Thinking about it I am sure that is also the 11% ABV coming through. It was a sure letdown because I didn’t get any oakiness to it at all. I think if it was a success that it would’ve tasted really good….oh well. Swing and a miss! This beer is my distraction from the oh so bring NFL Draft, baseball and football are two completely different sports I know. See this beer is making me have crazy tallk, not a good thing. Maybe I am already buzzed? Not sure….to be determined lol If you can get your hands on a bottle then I say by all means do so although at $8.99 a bomber I would say it’s average priced, but could be better.
Score:3.57

The Ferm; Always down for a big hoppy beer, and recently have fallen in love with the barrel aged stuff. Honestly this beer fell flat. Great beer, just not what I expected. The attack was straight hops, then over powered almost by sweet malt, then fades to a strong sweet-orange after taste. The oak doesn’t really stick out. Honestly this is pretty similar to the standard un*earthly, which I liked a lot. Regardless a solid O.A. IPA.
Score: 3.699

Overall: 3.6345

Deschutes - The Abyss 2009

Deschutes The Abyss 2009
Deschutes Brewery
Bend, OR
11.00% ABV

C. To Dark to Tell
H. Black
N. Roasty Malt, Licorice, and a faint Sour Smell (Jolly Pumpkin Like)

Eduardo; Stout brewed with licorice and molasses with 33% aged in oak and oak bourbon barrels. My understanding is in it's distribution area it's fairly available and is priced at a reasonable $11-$12.
Pours pitch black with the perfect amount of tan head. Roast and licorice on the light to medium nose with no alcohol presence. Very inviting. Leaves a nice lacing on the glass.
There is a definite hop presence. A great beer but I think it would be be better in two years or so. There is a nice interplay between sweet and bitter flavors. Licorice on nice disappears on the palate.
There is no doubt this is a big stout. The flavors are well integrated.
Score: 4.2

The Ferm; Unlike so many of the beers in this tasting from this past week, this beer had the best balance of carbonation and flavor. the malt really sticks out well in the beer. Although this would really be better after a year or so of cellaring. The beer was not super strong on the alcohol end. It is drinkable now, but I think it would be perfectly balanced in about two years. Hops came out a bit in the attack of the beer but were quickly covered up by the thick malty base of this beer. I won't write this one off to 100% beer-hype but there is a lot of talk about a good stout here, and that's just it. It is a Good not Great Stout.
Score: 4.019

Overall:
Score: 4.1095

Port Brewing - Older Viscosity 2009

Port Brewing Older Viscosity 2009
Port Brewing Company/Pizza Port
California
12.10% ABV

C. Clear on the corners but pretty dark to give a true rating
H. Black
N. Light Alcohol Burn / Similar to the Angel Share

Eduardo; Previously we reviewed a sister offering of this beer, 2009 Lost Abbey Angel's Share bourbon barrel. **See Below** This offers more carbonation relatively speaking and a similar lighter nose. I again get the same familiar scent of the vitamins my mother fed me as a child. There is less of a bourbon presence on the nose. Color is darker then the Angel's Share.
To me after Angel's Share this one was a bit of a disappointment. The beer doesn't really live up to the name and description. Don't get me wrong; it's not a bad beer. The flavors are in better balance in this beer then the Angel's Share. There is less of a raisin presence.
Essentially, this is the baby brother to Angel's Share.
Score:3.86

The Ferm; Well I'm pretty sure Eduardo will touch on this, so I wont get into much of it. A little history on Pizza Port is that they share some of the same brewery space as The Lost Abbey in California. That said I never really expected this beer to taste the way that it did. While it is a limited release for Pizza Port, I strongly believe that they just re-labeled the standard Angel's Share. The cork cage was even from The Lost Abbey. Anyways this had a bit more carbination, and was a bit more pleasant on the tongue. This beer is shockingly similar, and honestly I think smoother and easier to drink. For a few bucks less I think I would take this over Angel's Share. Still a very good beer.
Score: 4.243

Overall: 4.0515

Lost Abbey - Angel's Share 2009 Bourbon Barrel Version

Angel's Share 2009 Bourbon Barrel Version
The Lost Abbey
San Marcos, California
12.50% ABV

C. Cloudy even though it is dark
H. Carmel-ish Dark Brown
N. HUGE alcohol burn in the nose, almost smelled like children's vitamins with alcohol

Eduardo; Wow, this bad boy had basically no carbonation. It was basically the opposite of this beer we reviewed earlier this week. I could make jokes about Lost Abbey's low carb tendencies but that's played out and too easy.
This has a big nose. There is no doubt about this being a bourbon barrel aged beer. Some slight similarities to Samuel Adams Utopias on the nose. I got a small sensation similar to when I sniff 40% ABV spirits straight on the nose like an alcohol burn. There is also something on the nose that reminds me of the smell of the vitamins my mother gave me when I was a kid. Interesting.
Before I read more on this beer I assumed the base beer was an imperial stout. I was surprised to find it was a barley-wine. It works really well. The taste is not quite as big as the nose implied. Lots of raisin notes present. Very drinkable for the 12.5% ABV. The flavors are well balanced and integrated. Great complexity and mouth feel. For being a barley-wine style beer I am really not picking up any hop bitterness.
I don't think any aging of this beer is necessary. I can't see how it would benefit.
Score: 4.1

The Ferm; Unlike the Wild Dog we had prior (see below) there was a slight "pop" to this cork, although it was less carbonated, which seems to be an on going issue with The Lost Abbey. That said this beer almost drank like Sam Adam's Utopia's which to me was the consistency of a Cognac. I guess you could say this is the "poor-man's Utopias" although it isn't as large ABV wise it taste similar. Like a sexy tall woman the legs take over the glass. The alcohol is very present in the nose, but not so much on the palette. Making this beer one that could creep up quick. Overall a very solid beer.
Score: 4.1223

Overall: 4.11115

**Note All Reviews Are Done Separately & Not Discussed Till After The Review**

Flying Dog - Wild Dog Barrel-Aged Gonzo

Wild Dog Barrel-Aged Gonzo Imperial Porter
Flying Dog Brewery
Frederick, Maryland
9.50% ABV

C. Black = VERRYY DARK
H. Black
N. Very light, has a faint hint of whiskey

Eduardo; According to the Flying Dog website this was a one time release in the spring of 2007. The beer is aged for three months in Stranahan's Colorado Whiskey barrels which is interesting. It The regular Gonzo is one of my favorite beers. I picked this bottle up in Virginia and I was very excited to try it. I've been saving it for the right occassion. Getting to guest blog with the Ferm on Dos Beerigos met this criteria.

Compared to your average Flying Dog bottle label artwork, this one is rather bland. I love the appearance of a caged and corked bottle such as this. I became concerned as I opened this bottle and the corked seemed dry and came out too easily. There was no pop to it at all. As we poured the beer, it was apparently there was little carbonation left to the beer at this point. I was nervous that the beer made be compromised which I was glad to see was not the case.

The beer poured black with red hues at the edge of the glass. The nose was light to medium and inviting.

This beer was more mellow then I expected. I am assuming this is due to the age. It was very drinkable. I never would have guess a 9.5% ABV. It has some sweetness to it with a smooth chocolate mouthfeel. The whiskey parts some interesting notes.

I really enjoyed this beer. I would compare this one to Gonzo the way I would compare Dogfish Head 90 minute IPA to Squall. Squall and this one are technically bigger beers however due to the more subtle complexities of them they are completely different experiences.

I recommend trying this beer if you can get your hands on one. However, I would drink it ASAP. At this point I don't think there is anything to be gained by sitting on it. Drink now.
Score: 3.98


The Ferm.; Ohh yah this was my highlight of the week before the bottles were open. I love barrel-aged beers and Gonzo is one of my favorites! Sadly, when the cork was pop'd it didn't really pop....yep this one was very low on carbonation. It didn't destroy the beer but took a bit away from it. The whiskey gave a nice dark cherry flavor to the beer but stayed very smooth almost silky on the tongue. This beer honestly taste nothing like Gonzo at all. The barrel aging really changed the way the beer comes across. When Eduardo and I looked up some previous reviews a lot of people spoke about the insane carbonation, I guess we missed out on it. Still a very solid beer.
Score: 4.019

Overall: 3.9995

Jolly Pumpkin - Madrugada Obscura, Dark Dawn Stout

Madrugada Obscura, Dark Dawn Stout
Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales
Dexter, Michigan
8.10% ABV

C. Super Dark
H. Black
N. Really has the nose of a sour beer, very light stout qualities

Eduardo: First a warning for those of you that have never opened a Jolly Pumpkin. There is a very high probably of getting a gusher. I don't remember opening one of their bottles that didn't overflow on me.
This is a Belgian style stout which is unusual for them. All of their stuff is more or less sour, barrel aged, bottle conditioned beers. Their labels and artwork are great. Their beers are reasonably priced. I am disappointed with the lack of product making it to South Florida through Shelton Brothers and Fresh Beer.
The beer poured black with a massive head. The nose on this beer had similar characteristics to other Jolly Pumpkin beers. I get light smoke and a medium roastiness on the palate. It interplays nicely with the sour notes. Nice complexity. It is a medium body beer due to the high carbonation. I like the mouth feel.
This beer works for me. I'm digging. I'm not sure I'd recommend it to the traditional Russian imperial stout fan. I'd buy it again. I'd like to see Jolly Pumpkin follow this up with some more darker style beer. Maybe something like a Belgian IPA.
Score: 3.71

The Ferm: This bottle and just about every other bottle of Jolly Pumpkin I have ever had needs to be recategorized as an "explosive". I opened the bottle ever so slightly and this is what it did for about five minutes.....

Well once I got past the frustration of the 4th grade volcano project in my sink we dug into the beer. This was an AMAZING stout. The flavor of this beer was crazy, it had the sour punch at the attack and then followed through with stout qualities. While I expected the carbonation to be off it actually wasn't, perfect carbonation led to the beer dancing a little on your tongue but it didn't take away from the enjoyment of the beer. This beer is listed a "stout" on several sites, and according to that I would have to say it is my favorite stout to this day. I will definitely buy and share this bottle again!
Score: 4.881

Overall: 4.2955

Brooklyn - Dark Matter

Brooklyn Dark Matter
Brooklyn Brewery
Brooklyn, NY
7.50% ABV

C. Clear for being so dark
H. Dark Brown
N. Vanilla, Brown Sugar, light boozey scent, pretty mild nose (possibly from the growler)

Eduardo; Brooklyn Dark Matter 8.5 % ABV 98 Rating RB 87 to style brown ale aged 4 months in Woodford Reserve bourbon barrels.
The color is lighter then I expected for a brown ale. I have seen darker brown ales. On the nose I am getting light notes of vanilla, alcohol, and brown sugar. On the palate I also get vanilla & light sweet bourbon notes. No detectable hop presence. This is a very approachable beer. This would be a good introduction to bourbon barrel aged beers or for someone looking for a sweeter beer. It leaves a light lacing on the glass. I think this would pair nice with a New York style cheesecake or try making homemade ice cream with it. I believe I set my expectations too high for this beer. I expected a bolder, more flavorful beer. I had a similar experience with Black OPS so I shouldn't be all that surprised. The folks at Brooklyn do a great job writing up releases such as this on their website. Too good if you ask me.
Score: 3.25

The Ferm; Well I found out that a total of 5 barrels made it into the state of this beer and went crazy trying to find it. Ended up driving about an hour and fifteen minutes north to get a growler of it. I was pretty much giddy as a little school girl when I had it in my hands. Well a week removed from that situation and several tries of this beer later (from other friends growlers), I decided to crack my growler open for a review. Don't get me wrong this is a very well put together beer. It is light on the body, and easy to drink several in a sitting. The sweetness is very good and balanced in the body of the beer. Although looking back I feel like I was taken advantage of by a great marketing scheme and Beer Hype. If you can try this beer! But I don't think I would recommend driving over 130 miles (round trip) just for it.
Score: 3.89

Overall; 3.57

2 Months in the making....

Well..2 months in the making, and a few hours late (sorry I blame the Cabo Wabo I was pouring last night, and the fact that Cerveza Chica wanted to go bowling in the monring) we welcome Eduardo to the family of Dos Beer-igos.  Here is Eduardo's background.



I drank $7 lite beers at Marlins games until I started at Total Wine in October 2007. Very quickly I learned I was attracted to the sweet nectar known as craft beer. I dove in head first, much to my wife's chagrin, tasting through the single beer aisle at Total Wine. I was like a sponge. I couldn't get enough. I subscribed to all the beer magazines and podcasts I could find. I attended SAVOR in May of 2009. It was an amazing experience. I've gotten to met several of my craft beer heros including Sam Calagione, Garrett Oliver, and Greg Koch. My favorite beer styles include IPA's and imperial stouts. I now work as an assistant manager at the Ft. Lauderdale Total Wine. I handle a lot of beer functions for the stores in South Florida. Follow me on Twitter @Ed_Roberts. Cheers!

Thanks Eduardo...and welcome to the family.

**Warning this week consisted of 6 total beer reviews, when you see the 6th I'm still not sure....but pay attention and you might get some extra credit on your next Dos Beer-igos assignment.

~Ferm out!

Three Floyds - Pride & Joy

Three Floyds Pride & Joy
Three Floyds
Munster, IN
6.50% ABV

C. Very Clear
H. Golden Orange
N. Nose is big on citrus, everything else is just over powered by the hop aroma

Cerveza Chica; This beer smelled pleasant to me, very citrusy and hoppy. They say on the bottle that it’s a session beer and I could easily see it being that. It is very light and drinkable. It was nothing extraordinary. They say on the bottle that “it’s not normal”, but to me it pretty much was just like an American pale ale like they say it is. I haven’t been disappointed by Three Floyds stuff, but I am not raving about anything I have tried by them yet either. It is worth a try if you can get your hands on a bottle, but by no means should you go out of your way to get some.
Score:3.37

The Ferm; Well this one has sat in the fridge for quite some time. Was looking forward to this one since I got it, but it has fallen to the side due to the large amounts of trades that have been going on in the house. Pride & Joy like all other 3Floyds state the beer isn’t normal. Well I disagree it is pretty normal, but DAMN good in being normal. For a run of the mill APA (American Pale Ale) this one has a nice hop presence that isn’t bitter, helped by a strong malt background, this beer is sort-a sweet. Really close to what I would consider a weak IPA. Great beer for the Summer, and year round.
Score: 3.952

Overall; 3.661

21st Amendment - Monk’s Blood

21st Amendment Monk’s Blood
21st Amendment Brewery
San Francisco, CA
8.30% ABV

C. Clear
H. Dark Red/Brownish
N. Strong malt and figs

Cerveza Chica; I wasn’t as excited about this beer as the watermelon one, but I figured it was worth a try. You gotta love beer other than lame macro brews coming from a can. All I got off the nose was alcohol and a slight fruity smell. This beer was fairly easy to drink, but I was disgusted by the fig taste that I got from it. I am definitely not a big fan of twigs. I really don’t have much to say about this beer because it wasn’t really complex at all. I am glad I tried it, but it was nothing special to me. I could drink it, but I am not interested in drinking it ever again.
Score:3.27

The Ferm; 21st Amendment hit the style on the head. It is probably the closest thing to a Belgium Beer that I have had from the US. Monk’s Blood pours a deep rich red/brownish color from the CAN, yep can! The taste is just like the nose strong malt, and dark fruit like figs, plums, and dates. Pretty easy to drink but the after taste is a bit rich. I would say that it is worth a try but you’re not missing out on too much if you can’t get your hands on it.
Score: 3.36

Overall: 3.315

21st Amendment - Hell or High Watermelon

21st Amendment Hell of High Watermelon
21st Amendment Brewery
San Francisco, CA
4.90% ABV

C. Cloudy
H. Golden Yellow
N. Faint hint of watermelon but not much, touch of sweetness as well, smells like a wheat beer

Cerveza Chica; When El Nadador brought this beer down for us I was really excited and couldn’t wait to try it. We have so many beers to try though that it has had to wait until now. It was definitely a very nice change from all the damn stouts we have been reviewing lately. I think I have found my new beer obsession other than Lost Coast’s Great White. This beer definitely makes me happy. It tastes like a watermelon blow pop, but not too artificial tasting. The smell was pleasant. You could definitely get the watermelon from it, but I also smell malt and yeast since it’s a wheat beer. It is a very easy drinking beer. I am depressed that it isn’t readily available here because I would absolutely love to drink this all summer. If you love fruit beers and fruity wheat beers try to get your hands on some as you will not be disappointed.
Score:4.47

The Ferm; So another beer that made the trip down south with el Nadador. This was a bit of a surprise. It poured just like a standard wheat beer, and while I expected to smell watermelon from the crack of the can, it had a very low odor. In fact the nose was almost a bit too weak. The taste of this beer reminds me of a watermelon airhead, but not as artificial on the watermelon side. There is a nice almost sour attack to the beer then it mellows out perfectly leaving a nice hint of watermelon on the palette. Very light and easy to drink. This is the perfect summer beer! Really a pleasant surprise of a beer.
Score:4.113

Overall: 4.2915

Great Divide - Espresso Oak Aged Yeti

Great Divide Espresso Oak Aged Yeti
Great Divide Brewing Company
Denver, CO
9.50% ABV

C. Clairty…whats that this is a DARK beer
H. Black Black Black
N. Coffee, alcohol, light smoke

Cerveza Chica; Let me just tell you that I am so over drinking stouts and I am very ready for the Ferm to get over his newfound love of them. This beer is everything that I hate. Let me clarify that, this is not a beer I swear I am just drinking coffee or a double shot of espresso. Talk about strong and nasty! I will probably be up all night now just from the caffeine. I could hardly drink this beer because of the disgusted look on my face. If you love coffee and dark heavy beers then this would be right up your alley. I am definitely not a fan.
Score:1.77

The Ferm; This is a thick stout! Nice hint of coffee upfront, malt balance in the middle and then, POW!!!, the coffee is back. This is a very good espresso stout. While it does have a bit of alcohol burn, I would imagine it would mellow out perfectly in a year or so. I don’t pick up the oak too much, but we will have to see as it warms up. I was surprised to see so much of this beer still on the shelf at my local shop. They only got a case and after a week there is still 6 bottles. Very good beer! Grab one if you can!
Score: 4.121

Overall: 2.9455

Buffalo Bill’s - Blueberry Oatmeal Stout

Buffalo Bill’s Blueberry Oatmeal Stout
Pyramid Brewing Company
Seattle, WA
7.50% ABV

C. Looks clear for a dark beer
H. Black
N. Natural blueberry smell, with a hint of cocoa and coffee

Cerveza Chica; When I bought this beer I didn’t realize that it was an oatmeal stout. Upon pouring it I was really worried that I wouldn’t like it at all because of the black color. The nose on this beer is great, blueberry but not too artificial smelling or overpowering. The beer tastes just right with the amount of blueberry taste but just leaves me with a bitter taste in my mouth on the finish which I could do without. Not too heavy and fairly easy to drink. I would get burnt out on this beer very quickly though. It is worth a try if you like fruity beers.
Score:3.07

The Ferm; Well Cerveza Chica was really excited about another blueberry beer. She obviously did not read the label at the time of purchase. I personally blame her lack of reading skills to all the Cigar City Beers we had the night that we went beer shopping in Tampa. This is an Oatmeal Stout with blueberries, I can’t imagine it scoring well with her. Ok, this beer is very light in body, almost too light for my new fondness of stouts. The blueberries are where they should be in this beer; in the nose and on the attack. The beer mellows out with a strong bitter/roasty taste that is not welcoming at all. In fact, the only reason I go back to drinking this beer is to get rid of that taste. So yah if your lady friend wants to try a stout don’t think that this is a good option because its fruity try a milk stout.
Score:3.20

Overall; 3.135

Where have you been?

Not much happened this week in the area of Beer News. Although, unless you were living under a rock, you should have known that National Beer Day was this past Tuesday. The reasoning was because it was the start to the end of Prohibition. Yes it was a joyful day for all, or at least most.



Also in other news, a Denmark brewery had its employees strike after they took away the ability to drink on the job.  Over 800 employees of Denmark's Carlsberg Brewery went on strike Wednsday after being told that they can only drink "free" beer during lunch, and not while working. The coolers were removed from around the brewery, pushing 250 of the 800 to walk off the job entirely.

OK, Seriously?  I think that Carlsberg needs to do a lot more than just take beer away.  It sounds to me that their employees have a serious drinking issue.  Isn't being drunk on the job a sign of alcoholism?  Maybe they should put their entire staff on Celebrity Rehab 48.....I lost count after season one, that show sucks.  Get back to work people we need you finish making your beer.

And Finally in other news I got a sneak peak at the Three Floyds 2010 Dark Lord  Bottles last night (thanks @WBCTilly).  Check it out!  This years color is going to be GREEN!  YESS!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="548" caption="GREEN WAX!"][/caption]

Well thats all for today.  Miguel, Cerveza Chica, and Myself are heading to Vine and Barley this evening to see if we can score some Brooklyn Dark Matter and Brew Dog Paradox on tap!  Check this place out sometime! Vine and Barley

Okocim - Baltic Porter

Okocim Porter
Browar Okocim S.A. (Carlsberg)
Brzesko, Poland
8.10% ABV

C. Seems clear for a very dark beer
H. DARKKKKK
N. sweet/dark fruits, figs, toffee, roasted chocolate, and carmel


El Guapo; This beer was recommended to me by a couple of people. I usually don't give imports a chance if they're not from one of the big beer making countries. This is due to the deluge of pale lagers from random caribbean islands and every country in South America. Working at Total Wine, I get asked more questions about Colombian beer, Costa Rican beer, Greek beer, etc. When I tell them we don't carry that incredible beer they had on vacation, they just walk past the hundreds of other beers we have available from around the world and leave empty handed. Pretty sad. This beer is from Poland and is an example of a good import that doesn't come from Belgium, Germany, or England. The beer smells strongly of toffee with maybe a hint of chocolate and a little caramel. The taste is a balance of toffee and roasted malts. It's a bit on the sweeter side and has a great mouthfeel with nice carbonation. The over 8% ABV is hidden very well. Just a solid beer and a great representation of the style in my opinion. Check it out if you have the chance and you might be pleasantly surprised.
Score: 3.84

The Ferm; Yep, well here is where I would normally add, I am not a fan of Porters or Stouts...blah blah blah...well screw that non-sense. I have acquired a fine taste for them and am still developing it daily. With that said this is a interesting beer. It has a lot of "action" on the palate; wonderful malt taste and backing, sweet but not over the top. I really had low expectations on this one, but this beer was surprisingly good. I think I would buy this beer just to shock some friends that it came from Poland. Who would have thunk that....lol
Score: 3.879

Overall: 3.8595

Portsmouth - Bottle Rocket IPA

Portsmouth Bottle Rocket IPA
Portsmouth Brewery
Portsmouth, MA
6.50% ABV

C. Clear
H. Gold
N. Sweet Orange/Tangerine, slight banana, and hops

El Guapo; I was going to try to make some clever joke about Kate The Great being some hot beer loving girl that all beer geeks want, possibly throwing in some joke about how she gives "great head"... After erasing about 6 different sentences, I decided against it. I'll let Phil handle the comedic duties. Anyways, lets talk about the beer at hand. I thought this was a pretty unique IPA. The nose was citrusy, but instead of the typical grapefruit, it smelled more of oranges and tangerines. The taste was a quick flash of orangey hop bitterness, leaving a pretty clean and mild finish. Not much to say about this beer except that the hop profile tasted a little different than most IPA's. It was definitely drinkable and solid but not incredible. It also looked really damn cloudy which was odd, almost like juice.
Score: 3.333(with that repeating sign over the last 3)

The Ferm: When in Portsmouth you must buy this beer, take it to the PAWN Shop, and try to sell it; it's GOLD. Poured clear and 24k gold in color. Not surprising as it is probably trying impress and have incest with one of the sexiest beers available in the US, Kate the Great. Yep, she lives in the same brewhouse! They are practically brother and sister. Back to Bottle Rocket, this was a very solid IPA. Unfortunately unlike the name would suggest this is anything but fireworks in your mouth. It wasn't super hoppy at all, but it had almost a sweet fruity backing to it. Not very complex at all. Light on malt and mild on hops. I could really down a few of these bad boys!
Score: 4.002

Overall: 3.667666666 (with repeating sign over the last 6)

Tröegs - Nugget Nectar

Tröegs Nugget Nectar
Tröegs Brewing Company
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
7.50% ABV

C. Clear
H. Amber/Gold in color
N. Hops Hops and more Hops, Sweet Candy, (very balanced)

El Guapo; The almighty Nugget Nectar... I had this beer last year when it wasn't so fresh and I was looking forward to trying a fresher bottle of this hyped beer thanks to the Ferm. Well, turns out it's a bit overhyped in my opinion and not so almighty. Still semi-mighty though... The nose was pretty typical of an imperial amber, hop-forward with some sweeter caramel/toasty malts making their presence known. The taste was definitely hoppy but not overly so and also not as sweet as other imperial ambers I have had. There is a nice balance in this beer that makes it pretty drinkable... Anyways nothing too exciting or mind-blowing about this beer. Just a well-made, balanced, and tasty brew. If this was available here, I would definitely pick it up as a nice change from IPA's.
Score: 3.91

The Ferm; I was looking forward to this since I got it in on a trade. I looked forward to comparing it to the other semi-hyped Hoppy Beers. Well it stood its ground. An EXTREMELY solid Amber beer with a huge hop backing to it and a nice malt balance. Although personally I would prefer less malt and more hop bitterness. Regardless, I know I say that a lot of beers are easy to drink, but this one just went down soo easy, and was really full of flavor. While I had high expectations for this beer it really did live up to the hype. I would say this is defiantly a beer that you HAVE to try.
Score: 4.379

Overall: 4.1445

Cigar City - Vanilla Aged Maduro Oatmeal Brown

Cigar City Vanilla Aged Maduro Oatmeal Brown
Cigar City Brewing Company
Tampa, FL.
5.50% ABV

C. Clear
H. Dark Brown with Red Highlights
N. Hints of Tootsie Rolls, Carmel, Milk Chocolate

El Guapo; Thanks to "The Ferm" for bringing a growler of this down from the Hunahpu release party. Wish I could have been there... I was too busy in California drinking over-hyped beers *cough* Pliny *cough*. So this beer had a pretty weak nose with Tootsie Rollish notes. The vanilla hit hard the first sip then died down a bit as I kept drinking... then came back as it warmed up. A vanilla roller coaster if you will... Not that I have ever ridden one. Nothing too crazy great about this beer. Just Maduro with a lot of vanilla. Some chocolate/caramel notes as well and again that Tootsie Roll thing coming through in the taste. I liked it but wouldn't want to drink more than one at a time. I think the vanilla would get obnoxious after a while. Anyways I love how CCB experiments with their beers and ages them on a bunch of different crap.
Score: 3.45678910

The Ferm; If Cigar City was to make a beer of theirs into a syrup for pancakes (I love pancakes btw), I think this would be a prime selection. The beer is sort-a sweet but not over-powering, has a very strong artificial vanilla flavor to it, and a hint of weak coffee. The aftertaste is almost maple syrup-y. Very interesting beer. Sadly, this is probably my least favor Cigar City Beer, but it is still very good. Just like all of their beers it is easy to drink and enjoy more than one. Good but not Great Beer!
Score: 3.42

Overall: 3.43839455

**Keep in mind that the scoring is done completely separately, we were pretty close on this one.**

Rogue - Chatoe Rogue First Growth Dirtoir Black Lager

Chatoe Rogue First Growth Dirtoir Black Lager
Rogue Ales Brewery / Brewer's on the Bay
Newport, Oregon
6.00% ABV

C. Dark; No Clarity
H. Black
N. Mocha (Chocolate & Coffee)

El Guapo; So this beer used to be like 13 or 14 bucks when it first hit stores, I grabbed it when it went down to $8... and $6.50 after my $1.50 off coupon... OK enough of my cheapness. I am not the biggest Rogue fan since I think all their stuff is overpriced and most of the beers don't justify the price. But anyways, enough of my cheapness for real... I was pleasantly surprised by this beer. Some coffee and mocha on the nose with a little bit of cream-like sweetness. The taste was dryer than expected with a little earthiness, some roasted malts, and hops taking a back seat to simply balance. The finish was long and slightly burnt but not in an undesirable way. Nice creamy mouthfeel and spot on carbonation. To sum it up, it was a clean dark roasty lager with some earthy malty notes. Flavorful for a schwarzbier. Pretty easy drinking but at 8 bucks a bomber, I probably won't be buying more (had to throw that in one more time). I believe Rogue grew their own barley and hops for this beer and it's a nice effort. I recommend picking up a bottle before it's all gone!!!
Score: 4.00001

The Ferm; Well call me a pig and let me roll around in the mud. This beer defiantly had the consistency of mud. Now I have had many beers that looked that way, but this was one of the first that sorta tasted the same way. Very earthy attack with a burnt smokey flavor on the back-end. While it is muddy the body sits lightly on the palette making it easy to put down, if you can get past the attack of the beer. Sadly, I thought this would be sorta strong on hops. Yah Nooooo. Listen, don't get me wrong I was all about a mud pie when I was 3yrs old, but not now. Thanks for the attempt Rogue!
Score: 3.15964

Overall: 3.579825

Wells - Banana Bread Beer

Wells Banana Bread Beer
Wells & Young's Ltd
Bedford, England
5.20% ABV

C. Medium brown, a bit coppery
H. Somewhat clear
N. Just like a Banana...almost like those banana ice pops we all had when we were kids.

el Nadador; I saw this in the store up in Nashua and knew we were doing a tasting when I got the Boca so I saw this and thought this could be interesting. This was the final beer in the tastings that we had done while I was down and man am I glad we ended on this. Wells Banana Bread beer tastes exactly like you would expect it, banana bread with a hint of nuts. Once you open the bottle you’re going to question if someone is baking bread the scent is that strong, one would think it would be an overpowering taste of banana with that entire aroma but it’s nice and mellow. I actually wanted a piece of banana bread to dunk in my glass…This was an amazing beer, I would even think about this going well with breakfast, maybe breakfast in a pot…
Score: 4.175

The Ferm; Holy Banana Batman! This beer is crazy. The initial sweetness of the beer mellows out with a fine brown malt finish. This really does taste like banana bread. Its pretty crazy. I honestly thought this was going to be a disaster of a bottle, but I was wrong. This is a very good, balanced, and tasty beer. Cheers to el Nadador for finding this sexy beast.
Score: 4.0023

Overall: 4.08865

Left Hand - Milk Stout

Left Hand Milk Stout
Left Hand Brewing Company
Longmont, Colorado
5.20% ABV

C. Pretty dark...so much I cant really tell
H. I'd say this is a nice shade of BLACK
N. Hints of smoked almonds and caramel. Strong hints of coffee and cocoa.

el Nadador;  Its St. Patty’s day and were out drinking, where else but the Lodge and I run into an old swimmer friend, after conversing for a while I ask what he was drinking and he got me a round, Left handed Milk Stout.  I know what you’re thinking, milk + beer= gross and possible vomiting….Well you’re wrong, I dove right into this beer and really enjoyed it down to the last drop, think if a creamier Guinness, mmm mmm good! It had flavors of chocolate and toffee with a sweat cream finish on the end, I should have had this all night but “este Amigo” wanted to do car bombs…Needless to say the next day I went out and grabbed a few of these, not sure if I can get them in New England but I got a few that should last me for a week while I track this one down.
Score: 4.225

The Ferm; Yep, this was a beer that Dos and I equally hated so much, that when we started this blog we thought about reviewing it. We quickly said nah, its a waste of time, and web space. I hated it soo much six months ago if you gave me this I wouldn't even spit it at you, because I wanted it no where near my mouth. Although now, courtesy of my growing palette, I now truly enjoy this beer. Yep I like it and still wouldn't spit it at you cause I want to drink it. Now don't get me wrong I'm crazy about it, but if it is on draft and the selection is weak, ill order it and enjoy the drink. This is a smooth drinking stout that has a nice sweetness to balance out the normal coffee and smoke flavors of a stout. This beer makes me want to experiment with lactose in my homebrews. Very good beer! Hmmm i wonder what other beers I would enjoy now?!
Score; 4.001

Overall; 4.113