Rogue- Hazelnut Brown Nectar
6.20% Alc.
This is one of my most favorite brown ales. It has a dark brown color and smells delicious with notes of vanilla and roasted malts…so dynamic! It thicker than most ales I’ve experienced, but it is quite enjoyable and the thickness suites the taste. The flavors melt in your mouth. It’s extremely smooth. It’s nutty and sweet with a strong hazelnut taste. Rogue really hit the spot with this.
4.5/5
Flying Dog Classic Pale Ale
5.50% Alc.
Flying Dog does an exceptional job brewing up this pale ale. It has a crisp initial bite of citrus and spices. It was quite hoppy for my tastes, but it wasn’t hoppy just to be hoppy, it actually tasted quite good. It is a little bitter, which may be a turnoff for some, but it’s easy to get over
3.25/5
Blue Moon Harvest Pumpkin Ale
5.7% Alc.
I drank this one a WHILE AGO so bear with me…I had it in a bottle around Halloween this past year and I don’t remember it being too exemplary for the style. As a pumpkin ale I was expecting a rich flavored beer with a hint of pumpkin. The flavors just weren’t there. It does have a light pumpkin and spice taste, but it was more disappointing than not. However, Blue Moon does still do some things that impress me, even though I didn’t particularly find this pleasing, I am looking forward to their Summer Seasonals!!
2.5/5
Samuel Adams Chocolate Bock
5.8% Alc
Described as “…dessert in a glass…”, this bock brings (or attempts to bring) two of man’s best creations, Beer and Chocolate, together. In my opinion, they did a decent job. The beer pours a dark fill and the head is chocolate brown. Smells of cocoa and roasted malts. The taste is a little lacking however. I feel like since they are really pushing the chocolate flavor, it should be more dominant, but I can appreciate it’s smoothness at the end. Again, this is a bock beer..which is surprising due to it’s low Alc. percentage of 5.8% (usually bocks run mid 6 - mid 7 %)..Overall, it’s not bad. It does deliver on combining chocolate and beer, but only with a less than moderate success…still pretty tasty
3.75/5
Well’s Banana Bread Beer
5.20% Alc.
A surprising fruit beer. The smell has a interesting banana aroma, and as expected, the taste is fully banana, but other flavors we not as dominant. The taste is definitely more interesting then the smell, although some vanilla is present, the taste is what we go for. Overall, it is a different fruity beer, rather than a crisp strawberry, or a tangy citrus taste, the banana is surprisingly different, but in a good way, it has a smoother feel. I can see mixed feelings about this one though. Either you like bananas or don’t (I enjoyed it), but it’s definitely one to try.
3.5/5
Weyerbacher - Verboten - Belgian Pale Ale
5.9% Alc
Very hoppy!…not that it’s a bad thing, but overall has a full flavor. Quite a spicy yeast flavor. For me it was still a challenge to drink…as you may know I’m not a huge fan of Pale Ales. As with others like it, fruity flavors are here, but i feel that much of the sugars are pulled out and it is quite dry, crisp, and clean. I’d recomend for the Pale Ale fans, but other than that it may not appeal to you. Still a unique beer.
3/5
Wild Blue - Blueberry Lager
8.00% Alc
I was really amazed when I found all of the bad reviews of this beer. Some people actually saying that they had to pour it out…? Really?!..I shouldn’t turn you off to the beer in the beginning because I actually do like it. I found that it was an easy beer to drink. It did have a slight artificial blueberry flavoring, but overall it was pretty tasty. Many would say that this is a complete turnoff, that beer shouldn’t taste this fruity, but it can be looked at as wine/beer hybrid because you do get a sweet malty taste at the end with a touch of hops. Not to mention that the beer is 8% alc. it was really a surprise to me. Also, oddly enough, not clearly telling by the label, this beer is made by Anheuser-Busch! To conclude, maybe this beer won’t be as acceptable to your palate as it was mine, but I recommend it…try it for yourself
4/5
Samuel Adams - Cranberry Lambic
5.90% Alc.
Not very enjoyable…we’ll start there. The flavor just is’t there and I was very disappointed. It’s a far cry from the lambics that I’ve had before, maybe because it’s more mainstream, but it’s just lacking. The flavors of fruit and spices just don’t work together. Spend the extra money and get a higher quality “lambic” and don’t let this one ruin it for you.
2.0/5
Dark Horse - Too Cream Stout
8.00% Alc.
Very dark stout, possibly one of my favorites to date. It boasts a rich chocolate, coffee, creamy malt taste that is really mellow and tasty. The flavors evolve extremely well and has several moments each sip you take. This was my first Dark Horse brew and the quality was very high. I cannot wait to try more of what they have to offer!
4.5/5
Paulaner Oktoberfest Wiesn
6.00% Alc.
Color is a cloudy, dark, orange/gold with a decent foam head and light-medium body. Smells of citrus and other fruits are predominant and pleasant. The taste is quite memorable, the wheat, sweet malts, and yeast play with the taste buds. I was particularly drawn to the large can that was placed into the Paulaner oversized mug, I was a sucker for looks, but it ended up paying off. Overall it is a tasty beer and if you get the chance, give it a try.
4/5
