Day 171, December 31

The Offering: Trader Joes 2012 Vintage Ale. Spiced ale.

ABV: 9.0%

Happy New Year. It's great to ring in the new year with a vintage ale from the previous one. I'm really looking forward to the next year of solid brews. Spices on the nose. Drinks like a Belgian quad. A little sweet. But lots of mixed spices mulled spices. Tastes like the Dogfish Head, Ancient Ales Series, Ta Henket. Not bad.

Points: 81

Thanks to Brian

Cheers

Day 170, December 30

The Offering: Rogue Chocolate Stout, Rogue Ales. Oregon, USA.

ABV: 6.0%

Rogue chocolate stout. Nice bitter stout. Sweet bitter chocolate malt nose. The stout comes out a little thin in the mouth. Not the big thick mouthfeel you expect in a stout. Chocolate malts are definite on the palate along with hoppy bitterness. The finish is bitter but again has a very thin mouthfeel. Not bad but the thinness takes away some enjoyment for me.

Points: 79

Thanks to Katie

Cheers

Day 169, December 29

The Offering: Dogfish Head 75 Minute IPA, Dogfish Head Brewing. Delaware, USA.

ABV: 7.5%

An IPA with maple syrup? Fruity And delicious and not too bitter. I don't get any maple syrup on the mouth but it is really an outstanding brew. Maple syrup on the nose with some spiciness and almost a little roasted meat. Great malt and hop mouth with a solid finish.

Points: 89

Thanks to Ken Conley

Cheers

Day 168, December 28

The Offering: Arcobräu Zwickl Lager - Arcobräu Gräfliches Brauhaus. Germany.

ABV: 5.4%

One of the best lagers I've had. Much fresher than any of the others almost citrusy. The unfiltered lager pours cloudy. The nose has light malts and other grains with a slight fruitiness. The mouth has a bright first sip with grapefruit, grains and honey. The finish is much smoother than the typical lager with no bad aftertaste. Great lager.

Points: 87

Thanks to Katie

Cheers

Day 167, December 27

The Offering: Ho.st Saison 16. Station hopfenstark. Bore de seigle. Hopfenstark brewery. Belgium.

ABV: 6.5%

Pleasant farmhouse saison. Cloudy yeast appearance. Sour nose. Funky light body with a lot of cider notes. Very light easy drinking brew. Enjoy.

Points: 84

Thanks to Doug

Cheers

Day 166, December 26

The Offering: Hövels Original, Altbier, Hövels Hausbrouerei. Germany.

ABV: 5.5%

Non-descript German altbier. Malts barley . Sour malt nose. Bitter lagery mouth. Lagers aren't my thing but this is nothing special.

Points: 73

Thanks to Katie

Cheers

Day 165, December 25

The Offering: Alesmith Speedway Stout, Imperial Stout, Alesmith Brewing Co. California, USA.

ABV: 12.0%

Merry Christmas. Another notch off the top 50 brews. Dark rich roasted and toasted coffee malts and molasses. A touch of coconut and chocolate. Smells a little savory like soy sauce. Not as creamy as the Firestone Walker but nearly as delicious. This is a great meal. Coffee coffee coffee. This is brewed with pounds ands pounds of coffee. May be that this is the rich mans Four Loco (obviously much much better). Go get some Alesmith.

Points: 93

Thanks to Doug

Cheers

Day 164, December 24

The Offering: High Tide IPA. Port Brewing Co. USA.

ABV: 6.5%

Big citrus nose complimented with sweet floral hops. Bitter grapefruit all the way through with solid balance that makes it a pleasant drinker. No complaints here.

Points: 83

Thanks to Ken Conley

Cheers

Day 163, December 23

The Offering: Firestone Walker Parabola Reserve. Barrel aged Imperial stout. Firestone Walker brewery, California, USA.

ABV: 12.0%

Wow, just wow! If you ever get the chance to visit The Taproom at Firestone Walkers's Brewery in Paso Robles, CA, do it, and enjoy their reserve stouts. This one was aged 12 months in oak and is one of the most complex brews I've tasted. Deep malty rich sweet nose. Creamy deep malts that coat your palate. Very thick mouthfeel like a chocolate milkshake. Really dark currant, almost syrupy with great spice. Superb.

Points: 95

Thanks to Doug

Cheers

Day 162, December 22

The Offering: Galaxy, White IPA with bretonomyces, Anchorage Brewing Co. Alaska USA.

ABV: 7.0%

Grapefruit and Bret nose. Super funky and delicious Bret beer. A little spicy with grapefruit throughout. Barnyard floor, wheat, citrus, floral hops and funk. Good fun beer for the beer adventurer.

Points: 90

Thanks to Ken Conley

Cheers

Day 161, December 21

The Offering: Samuel Smith Winter Warmer, Samuel Smith Old Brewery. UK

ABV: 6%

Sour malts on the nose and mouth. I get a lot of soy sauce on the nose especially. It turns toward molasses notes in the mouth. It's slightly spicy and bitter but not really a warmer I would expect. Nothing great.

Points: 73

Thanks to Katie

Cheers

Day 160, December 20

The Offering: Trappist Westvleteren XII, Belgian Quadrupel. Brouwerij Westvleteren. Belgium

ABV: 10.2%

If the end of the world is tomorrow than I better be drinking the best beer in the world today. Westvleteren 12 has been "The best beer in the world" for some time now. It's most likely got this distinction because it's an awesome beer that is impossible to get. Since the beginning, it only available at the Trappist monastery in Belgium. I honestly thought i couldn't get my hands on it this year. But, by some chance of fate the monks decided to release a batch (a couple thousand barrels) one time, to the outside world.

"The Brick" as it is called is a $90 six pack that was was only available at choice brew shops across the country. It sold out in minutes at every one. Yes, I was one of the crew that got in line at 7:30am to purchase a brick from city beer store. It was madness. 250 people in line for 100+ cases. Was is worth it?

Even if the beer was shit it was worth it just to try it for me. That frees me to be as unbiased as possible in my judging. And I may freely say this is a badass brew!!

Deep Dark fruity malts on the nose. Slightly sweet and complex. I really can't get away from the sweet rich nose. It smells like a meal. The
mouth is even better. Super rich and by far the creamiest beer I have ever tasted. The creamy malts are sweet with a slight bitterness from the hops. The finish stays with you as the thick dark malts stick to your palate. Wow. This brew has a serious case for top dog. I recommend this to everyone. It is really a one at a time deal though, I can't imagine having two. There is so much richness that two might actually take away from the experience. Have fun with this one.

Enjoy!

Points: 98

Thanks to Katie and City Beer Store

Cheers

Day 159, December 19

The Offering: Ovila Belgian Golden Ale. Joint production between Abby New Clairvaux and Sierra Nevada. California, USA

ABV: 8.5%

I'm not overly impressed here. The brew pours with a lot of carbonation. Actually the cork popped as soon as i loosened the tie wire. Once it settled down it represented a decent golden ale but not great. The nose is pretty sour and a little wheaty. The mouth loses the tartness but retains the wheat with a little clove. Overall it's pretty dry and not a bad golden but nothing special.

Points: 80

Thanks to Nick

Cheers

Day 158, December 18

The Offering: Konig Ludwig Weiss, hefeweizen. Kaltanberg International. Germany

ABV: 5.5%

The nose is very wheaty and spicy. The mouth is sweet with honey and citrus. Definitely some clove and banana. The brew has a pretty thick bready mouthfeel and the finish is especially chewy. Over all it's alright but a little on the bland side.

Points: 77

Thanks to Katie

Cheers

Day 157, December 17

The Offering: Saranac Big Moose Ale. American Pale Ale. Matt Bewing Co. New York, USA.

ABV: 5.3%

The nose profile is not good. I get some nice floral hops but that is followed with something similar to methane. It's like the brewer bottled a moose fart. If you can get passed that, the brew is fine. Nothing eventful but a nice bitter hoppy mouth, with an astringent after taste. Not complex. Bitter hops and that's all you get. Not my favorite.

Points: 67

Thanks to Katie

Cheers

Day 156, December 16

The Offering: New Belgium Abby Ale. Trappist (ish) Dubbel, New Belgium Brewing Co. Colorado, USA

ABV: 7.0%

New Belgium gives a valiant attempt at a Trappist Belgian Dubbel. It doesn't really come close but it's not a bad brew. Spicy malty nose with a hint of cider. The mouth is full of clove and barley and banana. Good malt profile with a little spice. Not the best Dubbel but solid.

Points: 84

Thanks to Katie

Cheers

Day 155, December 15

The Offering: Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale, IPA, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. California, USA

ABV: 6.8%

Nice hoppy brew. My favorite Sierra Nevada by far. The nose is shows big fruits and hops as does the mouth. If you like their IPA you'll like this better.

Points: 84

Thanks to Tex and Lori

Cheers

Day 154, December 14

The Offering: Monks cafe, Flemish sour ale. Flanders oud bruin. Brouwerij Van Steenberge. Belgium

ABV: 5.5%

As far as sour beers go, this is pretty light on the sour. Maybe if you aren't a big sour brew person this is perfect. Its's not bad, it's actually quite good, just not that sour. The main note is crabapple cider from nose to mouth with a little citrus. It actually ends up slightly sweet and malty. Not for the sour lover but a Solid brew.

Points: 81

Thanks to Katie

Cheers

Day 153, December 13

The Offering: Oude Geuze Vielle, Geuze. Brouwerij Oude beersel. Belgium.

ABV: 6.0%

Super super funky. Sour, wet barnyard wheat, yeast and old shoe. All good though. Fun beer and pretty sour. Sour nose, and a brew that hits you in the mouth. Enjoy.

Points: 89

Thanks to Katie

Cheers

Day 152, December 12

The Offering: Lindemans Peche Lambic, Brouwerij Lindemans. Belgium

ABV: 4.0%

The nose is very peachy and actually a little metallic. The mouth is really too sweet for my taste. Peach and tart cider a the major components. Nothing is really beery here so it's hard to judge but either way it's not my favorite

Points: 72

Thanks to Katie

Cheers

Day 151, December 11

The Offering: Anderson Valley Mowkeef Saison, Anderson Valley Brewing Co. California USA

ABV: 5.4%

Fruity spicy, and bitter. Weak nose but has a slight hint of citrus and pepper. The mouth is great with typical funky wheaty yeasty saison notes an a little cinnamon all wrapped up with a lingering bitter finish. Solid.

Points: 85

Thanks to Katie

Cheers

Day 150, December 10

The Offering: Mad Anthony American Pale Ale, Erie brewing Co. Pennsylvania, USA

ABV: 5.5%

Another pirate themed brew. This one falls short though. It's bland and bitter. The nose is weak with hints floral hops and some light malts. The mouth is bitter, almost lagery with a slightly astringent finish. Not my kind of brew.

Points: 69

Thanks to Katie

Cheers

Day 149, December 9

The Offering: Peg Leg Imperial Stout. Heavy Seas Beer, Maryland, USA

ABV: 8%

Coffee and spicy dark roasted malts on the nose. The mouth shows sweet dark roasted malts and dark fruit. There is a little citrus with some nice bitterness. The first flavor was way off, so stick with it, not sure what was wrong but after that it was delicious. Espresso, chocolate and booze, Happy Holidays

Points: 83

Thanks to Katie

Cheers

Day 148, December 8

The Offering: Long Trail Pale Ale. Long Trail Brewing Co. Vermont, USA.

ABV: 5.7%

Another bland brew. The nose is Cyrus and hops but nothing complex. The mouth is more of the same. I get a little grapefruit but that's about it... Bland bitter hops.

Points: 62

Thanks to Katie

Cheers

Day 147, December 7

The Offering: Ramstein Dunkel Hefe-weizen. High Point Brewing Company, New Jersey, USA.

ABV: 5.5%

Terrible brew! Flat, sour, thin, oxidated, dark beer. Not for you.

Points: 59

Thanks to Katie

Cheers

Day 146, December 6

The Offering: Peak Organic Pale Ale, Peak Organic Brewing Company. Portland Maine

ABV: 5.1%

I can't remember a really good organic brew. If anyone has one send me a note. This one is no different, it comes up quite short of delicious. The nose is sweet with floral hops and a little malt. The mouth is where it all falls away. The bitterness is all you get. It's a super simple, flat, and bland mouth. After that it just fades to nothing. I can't recommend this one.

Points: 62

Thanks to Katie

Cheers

Day 145, December 5

The Offering: Troegs Pale Ale, Troegs Brewing Co. Pennsylvania, USA.

ABV: 5.4%

Floral hops aroma with a little funk. Nice bitter hops. Very crisp and refreshing but it lacks balance. If you are looking for a hoppy pale than this is solid but that is all it is. Nothing unique.

Points: 78

Thanks to Katie

Cheers

Day 144, December 4

The Offering: Cass, Lager. Oriental Brew Co. South Korea

ABV: 4.5%

Korean BBQ joints don't have the best beer selection... Needless to say I had low expectations. I got what I assumed, a very bland lager. Bitter, a little sweet. Notes of citrus, corn and peach maybe. All the flavors were muted and there really wasn't much going on. Not recommended.

Points: 70

Thanks to Katie

Cheers

Day 143, December 3

The Offering: Emelisse, Imperial Russian Stout. Bierbrouwerij Grand-Café Emelisse, New York, USA.

ABV: 11%

Bitter dark and delicious. The bitterness stays with you long after consumption. Great malty nose. Dark fruits. The high alcohol is not noticed at all. It drinks like bitter coffee.

Points: 82

Thanks to Katie

Cheers

Day 142, December 2

The Offering: St. Feuillien, Grand Cru, Blonde de Degustation. Brasserie St. Feuillien. Belgian Strong Ale

ABV: 9.5%

Delicious. Bitter and sweet. Great wheat, citrus and wheat on the nose. The mouth has similar wheat and yeast components with a little apricot maybe. Solid beer. In wine "Grand Cru" is reserved for the finest of fine wines. We don't have that here but it's pretty darn good.

Points: 91

Thanks to Katie

Cheers

Day 141, December 1

The Offering: Napa Smith Organic IPA, Napa Smith Brewing. California, USA.

ABV: 7.1%

Fruity nose. Dark fruits, apricot and molasses are most forward. The mouth has big flavor with strong fruit characteristics mixed with a slightly sweet bitterness. Definitely doesn't beat around the bush but may trample a few branches if main notes aren't you favorite.

Points: 88

Thanks to Mike Kalin

Cheers

Day 140, November 30

The Offering: Drakes 1500 Pale Ale, Drakes Brewing Co. California, USA

ABV: 5.5%

Overall pretty uneventful. The basics are there but no pizazz. Not much nose. The mouth is dry, hoppy and bitter but lacks character. Not a bad brew per se, just not much going on.

Points:75

Thanks to T and congrats on the new house!

Cheers

Day 139, November 29

The Offering: River Horse Special Ale, ESB. River Horse Brewing. New Jersey, USA

ABV: 4.5%

Malty apple nose. The mouth continues the apple notes without the sweetness. There is also a significant maltiness to the mouth along with bitter hops. The bitterness is quite biting but fades quickly. Pretty nice but won't knock your socks off.

Points: 79

Thanks to Katie

Cheers

Day 138, November 28

The Offering: 2XMas, spiced beer, Southern Tier Brewing Co. New York, USA.

ABV: 8%

Citrus and spice (and everything nice). Cinnamon and nutmeg are prominent on the nose. Orange and spice come through on the mouth. It's not sweet but the spices make it seem sweet, like a gingersnap cookie. It's actually pretty bitter and dry. A little too kitsch but not bad.

Points: 79

Thanks to Katie

Cheers

Day 137, November 27

The Offering: Mongo, India Pale Ale, Port Brewing Co. California, USA.

ABV: 8.5%

Mongo needs to take a bath. The nose is primarily hops and a little juniper but with an underlying note of dirty gym socks. There are some styles that can afford a little gym sock funk, but this is not one of them. The mouth is big and very bitter as expected. It's a little woody, and a little spicy throughout. The finish is crisp and astringent.

Points: 79

Thanks to Katie

Cheers

Day 136, November 26

The Offering: Harpoon Winter Warmer. Harpoon Brewery, Massachusetts, USA.

ABV: 5.9%

This is Harpoon's winter offering. I wound definitely expect better from them. Harpoon has a pretty large production but it mainly sticks to the East Coast making it a little more crafty than say Sam Adams. Anyway, this was disappointing non the less. The nose is pretty unpleasant. Malts come through primarily, but the rest of the nose is just no good. Banana is pretty big on the mouth along with clove and some spiciness. The finish is cool and slightly crisp. Not great overall.

Points: 60

Thanks to Katie

Cheers

Day 135, November 25

The Offering: Winter 12, Brouwerj Hof Ten Dormaal. Saison. Belgium

ABV: 8%

Fruity funky brew. The nose has strong sour raspberry notes with funk. The nose doesn't carry over and the mouth surprisingly has no sourness. It is still funky a bitter but the sour raspberry goes away. Wheat and caramel come to the front. The brew is clearly unfiltered and has quite a bit of sediment. Also noteworthy, the brew is relatively flat. Most of the Saisons I've had are quite gassy. Good but not great.

Points: 84

Thanks to Katie

Cheers

Day 134, November 24

The Offering: Singha, Boon Rawd Brewery Co. Thailand

ABV: 5.0%

Pretty ok bitter Pilsener. This is much better than the cheap American equivalent. I have to admit I was going in with low expectations, and there were some definite corn notes, but overall pleasantly surprising. If you are in Thailand this is not a bad option.

Points: 79

Thanks to Doug

Cheers

Day 133, November 23

The Offering: Stoudts Pils, Stoudts Brewing Co. German Pilsener. Pennsylvania, USA.

ABV: 5.4%

Bitter pils. Nice and crisp with some solid hops representation. The only downside is some slight oxidation. The bitterness is almost rusty at times. This could be a manufacturing error and honestly doesn't take much away. Still a good brew.

Points: 80

Thanks to Katie

Cheers

Day 132, November 22

The Offering: Zee Zuiper, Belgian Ale, Schelde Brouwerij. Belgium

ABV: 8%

Delicious funky yeasty wheaty sour brew. This is a fun brew with a lot going on. Oranges come through on the nose and mouth along with yeasty notes. The mouth is bitter but balanced giving a pleasant mouthfeel. The funkiness comes through with the yeast along with grass and wheat. You'll like this one. Happy Thanksgiving.

Points: 91

Thanks to Katie

Cheers

Day 131, November 21

The Offering: Duck Goose Gose, Marin Brewing, California USA

ABV: 4.4%

Solid Cali brew. It is not a Geuze like I thought looking at the name, but it is a sour funky brew. The brew is sour on the nose and mouth but not quite as tart as the sour beers. There is some definite northern California forest in this one, pine is pretty apparent. It drinks very very smoothly, especially for a sour beer. Pleasant brew.

Points: 84

Thanks to Nick Niedospial

Cheers

Day 130, November 20

The Offering: Humming Ale, Anchor Brewing, California USA

ABV: 5.9%

Super floral hops, Cascade and maybe Northern Brewer hops. Anchor uses Northern Brewer in their steam beer so it wouldn't be surprising to see it here too. Overall it's a bitter ale, but pleasant. It's a much better offering than their steam beer. Reasonable.

Points: 80

Thanks to Nicholas Leone

Cheers

Day 129, November 19

The Offering: Wreck Alley Imperial Stout, Karl Strauss Brewing Co. California USA

ABV: 9.5%

Very similar to the Heretic I had yesterday. Again an almost salty roasted malty nose, kind of like soy sauce. The mouth is molasses and chocolate shake, really quite thick and chewy. Almost has the aftertaste of a bitter root beer float. Nice imperial stout.

Points:85

Thanks to Katie

Cheers

Day 128, November 18

The Offering: Shallow Grave Porter, Heretic Brewing Co. California USA

ABV: 7%

The nose is malty molasses goodness. It almost smells like a bullion, a little salty. The mouth has smooth roasted coffee and chocolate and has a bit of sweetness. Not really bitter but enough to balance the beer. Solid approach to a porter.

Points: 86

Thanks to Katie

Cheers

Day 127, November 17

The Offering: Rampage Imperial IPA, Black Diamond Brewing, California USA

ABV: 9.0%

Super skunky cascade hops. It should probably only be legal in Washington and Colorado. If you hold back the urge to try and smoke it you'll find that the skunky notes develop quite nicely into pine forest and grapefruit. The hoppy bitterness really takes over in the mouth with huge grapefruit notes. The aftertaste continues more bitter hoppy grapefruit. Solid IPA.

Points: 89

Thanks to Katie

Cheers

Day 126, November 16

The Offering: Ommegang BPA, Belgian style Pale Ale, New York USA

ABV: 6.2%

Nice funky brew. The nose is sweet with pretty strong wheat notes. Citrus comes through a little on the nose but primarily in the mouth. The mouth is a great combination of citrus, sweet wheat and barnyard yeast. Funky delicious brew. Great Belgian style American brew.

Points: 91

Thanks to Katie

Cheers

Day 125, November 15

The Offering: Saison Dupont, Belgian Farmhouse Ale. Belgium

ABV: 6.5%

I've had number of Saisons so far and every one seems to be very different. So I was curious, what makes a Saison a Saison? Turns out, not a whole lot. Every one is different and there is no "supposed to" really associated with the style. However, reading the Wikipedia page for Saison, apparently many of them are modeled after Saison Dupont. In fact Saison Dupont was voted Best Beer in the World by The Men's Journal in 2005. It's an unexpected pleasure to be halfway through a brew and read that it was the best beer in the world to someone. I had a similar but not satisfying event happen to me in a restaurant once. I accidentally ordered the wrong bottle of wine and we didn't realize we drank an incredible bottle until it was finished and we got the check. BTW if you ever order a bottle of BV Napa, make sure it is not the George de Lateur. Or, on second thought, make sure that it is and enjoy it. I digress...

This brew is excellent! Best beer in the world? Not quite, but damn good. Nice funky citrus nose, with wheat and a little skunky cannabis. Great mouth with wheat citrus and yeasty goodness. The mouthfeel is a little thick which really makes the flavors stick with you. The finish is a little astringent almost like you just bit into a grapefruit, a very chewy grapefruit. This is a beer for all beer drinkers.

Points: 95

Thanks to Katie

Cheers

Oh yeah, these are my turtles Mortisimus and Malabar

Day 124, November 14

The Offering: New Belgium Brewing, Snow Day Winter Ale, Colorado CA.

ABV: 6.2%

Not bad overall but the nose is really not that pleasant, just too funky for the style.
Chocolate coffee, bitter hops, sweet malt. Really bitter and dark. No real winter spice to warm but not bad.

Points: 80

Thanks to Katie

Cheers

Day 123, November 13

The Offering: Stella Artois, European Pale Lager

ABV: 5%

It's not as bad as I remember it. That's about all I can say that's positive. Bitter lager with minimal pleasantries. If you're in a pinch it's not terrible.

Points: 68

Thanks to Libby and Mike

Cheers

Day 122, November 12

The Offering: Eel River Brewing Co. Earth Thirst Double IPA. California USA

ABV: 8.2%

This is a well titled brew. It smells at tastes like it was born on the forest floor. The nose is strong of sweet malty pine. The malts are medium roast and combine with the hops to make the nose thick. The mouth slightly sweet with strong pine notes mixed with the earthy malts. The mouth is thick sat well, especially for an IPA which is typically thin and crisp. This is definitely more of a meal of an IPA. The finish is more typical of the style, it's bitter and slightly astringent, but the earthy malty base stays with you. Good brew with a great name.

Points: 89

Thanks to Katie

Cheers