Trappistes Rochefort 10

11.2 oz Bottle

Big fan of Belgian quads - apparently this one is up there with St. Bernardus Abt 12 (one of my favorites) and Westvleteren XII (widely considered the best Belgian quad in the world, if not the best beer in the world).

Pours a gorgeous dark caramel/amber with small dark hints of red. Some nice a little bit darker than khaki foam, starts at about an inch, fades to about an eights of an inch, some dark discoloration in the foam in spots, almost looks like there's some cinnamon floating on top.

Strong fruit on the nose - cherry, plum, orange, and banana; a bit of cinnamon/clove spice and sweet wheat as well. A bit of alcohol scent in there rounds out the nose. Really complex scents that are really well balanced. Really nice fruity flavors (mainly the cherry and plum, but also hints of orange and banana) in the taste as well, balanced by a nice wheat body, some caramel sweetness, and a touch of spice (though I do wish the spice notes were a tad stronger); does a really nice job of making sure that this quad is not too fruity. Lower carbonation gives this a nice smooth, almost velvet mouth feel, really enjoyable.

Other than wishing there was a bit more spice to this one, my only other complaint-ish comment is that there is a really strong alcohol presence in this beer. I do understand that this is an 11.3% Belgian quad, and that a decent amount of alcohol presence is the norm for this type of brew, but I was really surprised by just how much the alcohol was present on the taste. These are, of course, very minor complaints; the finished product is still an amazing beer.

Overall Rating: 4.4/5

PS: Gave it a tenth of a point lower than St. Bernardus Abt 12, which I though was just marginally better, but still wanted to make that distinction here.

Heavy Seas Yuletide (Rum Barrel Aged)

On Tap at The Ginger Man NYC

Pours a dark amber with strong red tints. Light, off white, brownish read foam, about 1/4 of an inch thick for the head. Smells strongly of ginger, cloves, cinnamon - really nice warming flavors, probably largely due to the Jamaican rum barrel aging. Really warm and smooth on the taste. Nice sweet ginger and cinnamon flavors - the rum barrel aging really made this imperial red ale shine. The rum flavors are incredibly strong - vanilla, caramel, a little spice, but the alcohol flavor usually associated with rum barrel aged beers is all but completely absent (for 9% ABV). Some raisin and fruit flavor presence in the mix as well - more like a butter rum raisin flavor that's really tasty. The flavors are really nicely balanced. Medium to light carbonation.

The thing that I really enjoyed about this beer is that the flavors are smooth and harmonized. This is a fantastic winter sipper (though I would definitely drink this all year long), and one that I will definitely be seeking out more of.

Overall Rating: 4.5/5

Captain Lawrence Smoke from the Oak (Rum Barrel Version)

20 oz. Bottle

One of the bottles that I picked up in a gift pack - hoping this one is better than the Apple Brandy version (which was mediocre) and St. Vincent's Dubbel (which I didn't enjoy at all).

Pours very dark brown, pretty close to black, with some dark khaki colored foam that starts at about 2 inches, but fades eventually to about half an inch. Strong sweetness on the nose, definitely a clear rum scent (alcohol, sweetness, a bit of spice). There's some nice vanilla notes as well, and the tiniest bit of roasted malt in the nose.

The taste is really spot on for the description of the beer - I'm really very pleasantly surprised by how well the smokey malts in this imperial porter really work with the spicy/sweet rum characteristics to create a nice harmony of flavor. There's some really good chocolate malt in there as well  that bridges and connects all of these flavors. Moderate low carbonation, and a very well hidden 12% ABV (there is a slight alcohol tint, but definitely no burn - a lot of it is the rum presence).

That being said, none of these flavors are particularly strong - none of them pop or are particularly exciting, it's a much more mellow harmony than I was expecting for the type of beer and the price tag ($20).

Don't get me wrong, this is a good beer. My only issue is that I don't believe it's spectacular enough to merit the $20 I paid for it.

Overall Rating: 3.5/5

Terrapin Cinnamon Roll'd Wake-n-Bake

Growler Fill from The Iron Monkey in Jersey City, NJ

It's a cinnamon roll flavored coffee imperial stout. I think the reasoning behind my growler fill choice is pretty self explanatory.

Pours as close to black as you can get with a thin tan lacing of head around the top - very thin, I would assume there's a little more head to this if I were to get it straight from tap or from a bottle. Strong coffee and cinnamon bun flavors from the top - it smells like if you were to combine a Starbucks and Cinnabon (which by the way, would smell fantastic). The first flavor that hits you is the coffee - a really nice, bold, flavorful coffee blend with a nice amount of bitterness that is soon balanced out by a sticky, sweet cinnamon bun flavoring that balances the bitterness of the coffee and roasted malt really nicely. Seems to me there's a bit of almond and vanilla flavors in there as well. Slow fading sweet and bitter on the aftertaste. Really nice flavors and balance. Minor carbonation. Alcohol is really well hidden (you can taste it the tiniest bit underneath the cinnamon bun/coffee combo) for 9.4% ABV. A really solid showing from Terrapin Brewing Co.

Really my only two concerns about this beer is the fact you probably can't enjoy too many of these in one session, just because of how rich and sweet it is, and I wish the roasted malts and oatmeal flavors stood out a little bit more and added some substance texture-wise to these amazing flavors.

Overall Rating: 4.25/5

Sixpoint Hi-Res

12 oz. Can

This one pours a little darker than most double IPA's, and a little cloudier as well. The head is a thick, foamy off white, about an inch thick (it does slowly fade into a thin layer of bubbles floating on the top). Nice pine scent in the nose, followed by some light citrus scents - tangerine and grapefruit mostly. There's some sweetness and minor tropical notes in there as well, but nothing concretely distinguishable. Really nice tangerine and grapefruit sweetness flavors up front - very strong, followed by a refreshing, piney, hop bite and a dry finish. Really nice balance between the two types of flavors. Alcohol very well hidden for 11.1% ABV, less carbonation than I'm used to in an IIPA, but it works.

A really nice beer, great showing from Sixpoint brewing, one of the only breweries that distributes their beer solely in cans. My only complaint about this one is that I wish there was a little less sweetness - it kind of clashes on your palate with the hop bitterness at the end (though I'm not sure even reducing the sweetness would help here). If you like nice tangerine/grapefruit flavored IIPAs, this is your beer. My only caution with this one is to be careful, Hi-Res has very high drink-ability for such a high ABV.

Overall Rating: 4.5/5 

Southern Tier Creme Brulee

22 oz. Bottle

Pours close to black, with a light burnt caramel head.

The nose on this beer is amazing. Burnt caramel. Vanilla. Toffee. Fresh baked cake and sugar cookies. A little bit of coffee as well. Frappacino-ish hints. It's almost inexplicable how good this beer smell. Tied, if not a close second with Lagunitas Sucks for the best smelling beer I've ever had.

Strong vanilla in the taste, really strong, lingers in the aftertaste as well with a bit of roasted bitterness - most likely from a slight coffee flavor or the roasted malts - though it's a little strong for this one. I'm really getting some strong creme brulee flavors in this one - the warm vanilla and burnt sugar in this one are really impressive and pretty spot on. Definitely a dessert beer, and definitely a sipper, especially at 9.6 % ABV. A little more carbonation than I would have like as well. This beer is also a lot lighter bodied than I thought it would be, especially for a milk stout, though this in no way detracts from the overall experience of this beer.

My only two complaints about this beer (bitterness at the end/too strong carbonation), though, are really minor when you look at the big picture.

Overall, a fantastic beer. One of the best uses of vanilla beans in beer that I've ever had. Southern Tier is doing some pretty awesome things with the Blackwater series - I really hope I get a chance to try Warlock and Mokah soon, because if Creme Brulee and Choklat are any indication of the quality of the two I haven't had, they'll be really good, flavorful beers.

Overall Rating: 4.5/5

Oskar Blues Ten Fidy

12 oz. Can

There's a lot of hype surrounding this beer. A lot. It comes in an aluminum can. A little odd for a stout, but what the heck, I'll try any beer once.

Pours as close to black as it gets, with a thick dark brown foamy head that diminishes into a similarly colored lacing. On the nose, there is nice warm chocolate and roasted malts, light hints of caramel, alcohol, maybe a hint of coffee. This is one good smelling imperial stout. On first taste you're hit with a strong amount of chocolate (definitely the strongest flavor here), roasted malt, and espresso. Really nice flavors here. As the flavors sit on your tongue, you get a little bit of dark fruit in there - fig and plum (among possibly others), and a bit of warm caramel. The finish does have a little bitter espresso/alcohol bite to it. Light carbonation is just right for this one. You can taste the alcohol a little more than most would like, but it does a decent job for a 10.5% ABV beer.

Definitely a quality product, and probably one of my favorite imperial stouts. Really nice, balanced flavors - between the roasted malts, the warm and sweet chocolate, and the espresso/alcohol bite at the end.

Overall Rating: 4.75/5

Ithaca Caskazilla

Growler fill from The Growler and Gill in Nanuet, NY

Bad news: my tire has a bubble in it from catching pothole/curb on the way home tonight and I had to park my car at the fire station and walk the rest of the way home carrying at least $50 worth of beer because my car couldn't make it up the hill with the snow on the ground.

Good news: I picked up a lot of good beer today and filled my growler.

Growler and Gill was supposed to have an Ithaca tasting this evening, but I left early fearing I wouldn't be able to get my car home (which I wasn't able to anyway). I ended up carrying the beer from my car to my house.

Caskazilla pours a reddish brown, a little less red than I'm used to for these types of beers (Red ales, Red IPAs, etc), with a bit of light khaki color foam that eventually diminishes to light lacing around the edge of the glass. Off the nose I get a nice amount of hops and citrus sweetness, even a little bit of red fruit tartness - maybe raspberry and strawberry. On taste, a decent amount of hops - not too powerful. This is definitely a refreshing beer. Minor floral, citrus, and fruit notes, but again, the balance is just right - nothing is too out of place or potent that it makes other flavors seem out of place. Nice amount of carbonation - probably medium amount, and moderate ABV, sitting at 7%.

I really like the balance of this beer. This is not the beer to drink if you want something that is going to blow your taste bud's mind. This is the kind of beer you drink if you want to sit back, enjoy a few, and have a good time.

Overall Rating: 4/5

Troegs Mad Elf Ale

12 oz. Bottle

Troegs Brewery has been one of my favorites ever since I first had Troegenator on tap at the Yardhouse in Palisades Mall in West Nyack, NY. When I saw that they had produced a winter seasonal, particularly one brewed with cherries and honey, I knew I had to pick up a bottle. I'm finally now getting a chance to try this tonight (I've been sitting on this one for a while).

This beer pours almost completely red, it's darker than just pure red and has a bit of a brownish hue to it. A bit of pure white lacing at the top. Carbonation is present visually. Smells almost completely of honey and cherry - a really nice combination, with a bit of a wheat presence in the background. But the cherry/honey sweetness hits you right off the bat, there's no shortage of strength in the nose of this beer. First taste reveals a heavy, minorly spicy, wheat presence (adds a nice bread-y quality that definitely distinguishes this as a slow sipper), a heavy sweet honey presence, and a strong cherry tartness. There's a bit of a bitter hop presence on the back end of this one as well. This beer really delivers on all it promises (in terms of the cherry and honey; they definitely weren't being stingy when it came to either flavor). Carbonation is a little heavy, but the alcohol is does a good job of making itself hidden for its 11% ABV.

I think that I would have preferred this to be a little less sweet, maybe a bit more complex (maybe adding a bit more spice, cinnamon perhaps to balance the sweetness a bit and complement the bit of spice from the Belgian yeast), but for this beer, that's just me nitpicking. A really nice showing from Troegs, a brewery that rarely disappoints me.

Overall Rating: 4/5

Captain Lawrence Brewing Co. St. Vincent's Dubbel

20. oz Bottle

Came as part of a gift set that I bought at the brewery with Smoke From The Oak Rum Barrel Version, Smoke From The Oak Apple Brandy Version, and a Captain Lawrence goblet. A little pricey, considering the package was 50 bucks, but they do sell each of the smoked from the oaks for $20 a bottle and St. Vincent's for $10, so essentially I just got a free goblet out of it.

Anyway, the beers pours a medium brown with a strong red hue to it, very visible carbonation. About an inch of light khaki colored foam on top. In the nose I'm getting primarily bits of wheat and alcohol, and a little bit of sweet fruit, maybe raisin. As the beer warms up, the raisin becomes a little more profound, though the scent continues to lack in terms of strength.

Interesting on the first taste, the beer is a lot lighter than I thought it would be. There's a very tiny bit of alcohol presence (8%), but it isn't as profound as it is on the nose. There is some strong raisin flavor, particularly in the aftertaste (the dark fruit sweetness of this one is actually very nice). There's also a bit of strong Belgian wheat in there. Strangely, there's a sourness (almost like a very lemony prune flavor) to this beer that seems out of place with the rest of the flavors - very unexpected and not the most welcoming addition. Carbonation is moderately present.

Definitely not what I thought I'd be getting from a Belgian style dubbel. There are a lot of qualities that seem out of place about St. Vincent's, 2 in particular that caught me by surprise, those 2 being how light this beer is on the palate and the strong sourness that seems out of place. I really wish some of the flavors that I normally associate with a dubbel were more profound - the wheat and sweet raisin/dark fruit qualities need to be the real stars.

Overall Rating: 2/5

Brasserie Dieu du Ciel! Peche Mortel

12 oz. Bottle

When the weather gets cold I'm a big fan of imperial stouts with big, bold coffee flavor. The reputation of this beer says that this may be one of the best. Hoping it lives up to the hype.

Pours as close to black as beer gets, slight dark brown lacing. Strong coffee off the nose. Really strong coffee off the nose. Minor chocolaty sweet notes as well, but the coffee smell is amazing, like freshly ground coffee beans.

Taste reveals really strong coffee flavor. It really pops with everything associated with coffee flavor - strong coffee bitterness, some nice roasted flavor. There's minor amounts of chocolate flavor and roasted malts as well - the chocolate lingers a bit in the aftertaste, creating a nice warm, roasted bitter taste towards the back of your tongue that makes you want to take another sip. Minor notes of hazelnut and cinnamon hidden throughout the beer as well.

It's a really smooth beer. Carbonation is light/moderate presence, alcohol only has a minor presence for 9.5% ABV.

A really tasty, definitely coffee forward beer. One of my favorites in terms of just raw coffee flavor. I do wish some of the other flavors were the tiniest bit more profound, not to the point where they overtake the coffee flavor, but enough so that it would create a slightly better balance among the flavors (the flavors do become more balanced as the beer warms). A fantastic beer, and most definitely worth a shot if you can find a bottle.

Overall Rating: 4.5/5

Founders Backwoods Bastard

12 oz. Bottle

A bourbon barrel aged version of Founders Dirty Bastard, this is a very highly rated BBA Scotch Ale.

Pours a dark maple syrup/molasses color with just a bit of light colored head around the edge of the glass. Smells beautifully of maple syrup, vanilla/caramel, some bourbon, a little bit like a fresh baked snicker-doodle cookies. This is really one amazing smelling bourbon barrel aged beer. 

First taste reveals some nice maple syrup/molasses and caramel/vanilla notes, and a bit of cinnamon, the bourbon is strong in this one, hits you soon after the maple and vanilla. There is a strong resemblance in taste to a boozed up pecan pie. Finishes nicely with light vanilla/maple/molasses tones and a bit of dark fruit, maybe some cherry, fig, or plum, I'm tasting a little bit of apple in there as well (almost like an apple pie). Strong toffee in the finish as well. It's a very rich beer (a slight syrup consistency), a sipper for sure. Alcohol is present, but there is no burn, and FBB sits comfortably at 10.2% ABV. Low/moderate carbonation.

There is a plethora of different flavors at work in this one, and I have to say that this one is really well balance. All of the flavors work really well together, which is one of the things I look for most in any beer I drink. The flavors have to work together to create something better than any one of its parts. Backwoods Bastard does this, and does it well.

A very nice showing, Founders. You rarely disappoint.

Overall Rating: 4.75/5

Victory Prima Pils

12 oz. Bottle

Pours a golden yellow with a bit of white head, a thin lacing of it, and very visible carbonation. The beer appears a little cloudy as well. Fresh cut grass and wheat, hops, and a bit of lemony citrus on the nose, very nice for a pils. On first sip you get a bit of lemon and grapefruit and a good amount of hop - this creates an intensely refreshing dry finish, though the hops overwhelm the delicateness of the other flavors a bit at the end. There's a bit of sweetness in there as well, I almost wish this sweetness was a little more profound within the taste, there's a bit of a balance issue there. Medium high carbonation and zero alcohol presence in this 5.3% ABV pils.

I think that the best thing I could say about this beer is that its a very easy drink, and very refreshing. My biggest issue with this Pils is that the balance seems to be off - it there was a bit more sweetness and the hop wasn't so overwhelming in the finish, I think this would be up there as one of my favorite pils.

A decent beer, but not my favorite pils. Will definitely give this one a shot again during the summer.

Overall Rating: 3.5/5

Weihenstephaner Hefeweisbier

12 oz. Bottle

Brewed by the world's oldest brewery, and supposedly one of the best beers in the world, figured it was about time I'd give it a shot, especially because it's on the cheaper end of the craft store spectrum at just about $2 a bottle.

This hefeweizen pours a beautiful golden orange with about a finger's width of white, foamy head. Carbonation is very present visually, with a continuous stream of tiny bubbles constantly floating towards the top. Sweet banana and wheat scents off the top, with some clove spice as well, maybe a little bit of cinnamon. Hop presence is minimal, but there, in the nose as well Definitely a pleasant smelling beer. Nice banana and cloves in the taste, some nice wheat flavor there as well. Minor citrus notes - particularly lemon accents. Slight hop on the finish, but it adds nicely to the overall product. A very balanced beer, though could use slightly less carbonation - that's probably my biggest complaint about this beer - you almost get a slightly seltzer water-ish aftertaste because of the high carbonation of this beer. It does help the nice, clean, crisp finish of the beer, but could have done so as well with slightly less. And at 5.4% ABV, there is no discernible alcohol presence.

Really a nice showing, I suppose when a brewery has been open as long as Weihenstephaner, the brewers tend to have ironed out all of the kinks in the recipes by now (especially since they've been brewing this one for about as long as the brewery has been open).

Overall Rating: 4/5

Lagunitas Cappuccino Stout

20 oz. Bottle

Was looking for something new to celebrate my birthday with last week, the word cappuccino caught me by surprise.

Pours a dark brown, close to black, I'd say just about the color of a nice espresso. Some light tan foam at the top, about an eighth of an inch of it. Smells predominantly of fresh roasted coffee, with some roasted malt and bitter dark chocolate in there as well. The scent on this one is really nice though, like opening a new can of ground espresso coffee beans. Very strong coffee on the first taste, chocolate and roasted malt in there as well. There is a little bit of a milky sweetness as well, but the taste seems like it should be espresso stout rather than cappuccino stout. On the back end, you get some espresso bitterness works really nicely with the fading sweetness of the chocolate and milk. As the beer warms up, the sweetness becomes a little more profound, it does begin to taste very much like a cappuccino. I'm really enjoying the balance of this beer, and the strength of the individual flavors. For 9.2%, the alcohol is very well hidden, carbonation is light/moderate. Leaves your mouth feeling like you just drank espresso: nice warm bitter espresso flavor.

Overall Rating: 4.5/5

Harviestoun Ola Dubh Special 18 Reserve

12 oz. Bottle

Again, big fan of anything whiskey aged, and not many beers that I've found are scotch whiskey aged, let alone BA beers that are sold with aged label scotch. The Harviestoun website says that depending on the age of the scotch, different flavors are imported to their Ola Dubh (Engine Oil) Old Ale.

Ola Dubh 18 pours viscous black with no noticeable head. Smells of vanilla, leather, smoke, espresso, and tobacco - the scotch aging really imparted some nice flavors on the nose. On first taste, lots of smoke, tobacco, and toffee up front, wonderfully balanced. There's some dark fruit sweetness in there as well, hard to distinguish exactly which dark fruit, possibly some cherry and plum, and strong notes of espresso, hazelnut, and almond. Really nice mellow molasses flavoring in here too. The finish is warm roasted malt, some espresso bitterness, and a good amount of smoke. There is a decent amount of alcohol presence in this 8% ABV, but nothing too overpowering. This is definitely a beer meant to be sipped, not the kind of beer where you can down a few during a football game. Very little carbonation presence, both visually and taste-wise.

A really nice, really delicious Scotch aged Old Ale.

Overall Rating: 4.5/5

Bell's Hopslam

12 oz. Bottle

Pours a golden amber with a bit of white foamy head. Smells of honey and mild piney bitter hops, maybe a bit of citrus in there as well - orange perhaps. Smells fresh - make sense since it was bottled on 1/17/14 (about 3 weeks old at this point). Pleasing, but nothing exciting on the nose. Nice honey and orange flavors to the beer to start - followed by an intense hit of hoppy bitterness. The hops calm down after about a second and the bittersweet combination lingers on the dry finish of this Imperial IPA. The hops are really there though, I don't think I've ever had a beer that hits that strong with the hops.

Carbonation is apparent visually as well as when drinking. ABV of 10% very well hidden.

A very strong showing from Bell's. Not my favorite IIPA though. I understand the idea of intense hop flavor, but unless the rest of the flavors can support that flavor, I don't really appreciate the overall product as much. Don't get me wrong, this is not a bad beer by any means, I just don't think it lives up to the hype that surrounds it.

Overall Rating: 4/5

Stone Matt's Burning Rosids

20 oz. Bottle

The story behind this beer is fantastic: it's actually Stone's way of honoring the memory of one their brewers that passed away recently due to a brewery accident. This was one of Matt Courtright's last creations, a very unique creation in my mind: an imperial cherrywood-smoked saison.

If you get a chance, you can check out a bit of the story behind this beer here.

Matt's Burning Rosids pours a beautiful halfway between gold and amber, with very little head - there is a tiny bit caused by some tiny and fine carbonation that is very visible. Off the top, you get some nice fruity flavors, particularly some white grape and cherry, mixed it with some sweet smoke (or perhaps the fruit creates the sweetness in this smoke). Really nice on the nose.

This beer really delivers on the smoke and the cherry flavor - they're the two flavors that hit you up front. Finishes with a smokey bitterness - this lingers longer than the sweetness. There's some nice spice in here as well, which is typical of Saison style (or "farmhouse ale"); this spice adds well to the finish of the beer and balances out the sweetness well, as does the tiniest bit of sour from the cherry. This beer is very crisp - a lot of flavor up front, but a nice, dry finish with that smokey bitterness. A really nice imperial Saison overall. Alcohol presence is minimal for this 10.5%; carbonation is present, with really fine small bubbles that add to the nice crisp finish.

If you enjoy smoked beers, you won't be disappointed by this one. The fruit and smoke really blend well with this farmhouse ale. The balance here is magnificent.

Overall Rating: 4.5/5

Dogfish Head Namaste

12 oz. Bottle

This is probably one of the strangest brews I've ever picked up: "A white beer brewed with orange slices, lemongrass, coriander, and peppercorns."

Pours incredibly light gold, very transparent, with carbonation incredibly present visually, and about a quarter of an inch of white head. Some nice sweet notes off the nose, I'm definitely getting the orange and lemongrass. There's a bit of freshness, possibly the coriander, though it's tough to tell with all the flavor in the nose. You get a bit of the spice at the end, lingering lightly. A really pleasing beer on the nose.

My first though upon sipping this beer is how drinkable it is - there's a decent amount of sweetness to this beer from the orange, but it's definitely not overpowering. I'm getting a little lemongrass and coriander freshness towards the middle, and a mild dry spicy finish (the spice seems to take the background at the beginning of the sip and really shines in the finish). Carbonation is incredibly evident on taste - adds to the almost sharp character of the beer when combined with the spiced finish from the peppercorn. Alcohol presence, at 4.8% ABV is essentially non-existent.

A really strange, yet tasty combination. The refreshing element of this beer feels like it should be disrupted by the pepper/carbonated "snap" of the finish, but it isn't.

This beer is worth a shot at least once. I'm not sure that I'd ever go looking specifically for this one again though.

Overall Rating: 3.75/5

Captain Lawrence Brewing Co. Smoke From The Oak (Apple Brandy Barrel Version)

20 oz. Bottle

First foray into Apple Brandy barreling - also bought one of the Rum barrel varieties of this beer, but I've had rum barrel beer before and was curious to see if I got some nice apple and brandy notes out of this.

Pours a dark brown, close to black, with a dark tan head that starts at almost 2 inches and quickly fades to about 3/4 of an inch. Smells of warm malts and alcohol, a nice bit of apple sweetness in there as well.

Alcohol warmth and a nice malty flavor are probably the strongest tastes on the first sip, only a tiny bit of smoke is present on the back end of the sip. There's a bit of apple sourness mixed in with apple and vanilla sweetness, but the sweetness isn't strong and left me wanting more of those flavors in the forefront. There's some bitterness from the malt and possibly from some coffee flavoring as well, though the coffee flavor is very light - the barrel aging and smoke may have added to the bitterness, it's hard to tell.

I did find that the beer became more balanced (but still, this is the area where this beer lacks) as it warmed up. There are a ton of great flavors in this beer, each one just needs to find it's proper place. The alcohol content is moderately apparent, low carbonation.

To be honest, this was one of the most confusing beers I've ever had - it did have some nice flavor, just didn't deliver on my expectations.

3.5/5

Great Divide Brewing Company Espresso Oak Aged Imperial Yeti

20 oz. Bottle

Pours black. Incredibly black. Head of about a quarter of an inch of espresso colored foam. Probably some of the darkest head I've ever seen. Smells of espresso and rich dark chocolate. Some roasted malts in there as well. Roasted malts and espresso up front on the taste. Wow. What a combination. There's some chocolate and vanilla notes in the background that become more apparent as the coffee and roasted malt flavors begin to fade, leaving only a bittersweet dry finish. Flavors are really balanced (barring the really up front bold flavors of espresso and roasted malt). Carbonation is moderate. Alcohol is very well hidden for a 9.5% ABV. 

Really fantastic blend, especially if you enjoy espresso (if you don't, this probably isn't the beer for you). Flavors are really nice, it's a well made RIS that adds a deeper coffee complexity and a really nice roasted malt.

Overall Rating: 4.25/5

Stone Enjoy By 02.14.14

20 oz. Bottle

This beer pours a beautiful golden towards the bottom and gets to be more of an amber towards the top of the glass. Carbonation is incredibly present visually, topping off with a lacing of white head. Off the nose I'm getting not too much hop which is surprising though there is a bit of pine beneath the mango and pineapple flavors, maybe even a bit of lemon. I'm starting to find that I like the smell of a great Imperial IPA (this and Sucks) almost as much as the smell of any other beer, if not more.

There is a good amount of hop (bitterness and pine) to this beer. But it is really well balanced by the fruit flavors that accompany it - primarily the pineapple and mango. Wow these flavors are all really strongly present. There a bit of citrus in there, but these fruit flavors definitely are cameo appearances compared to the rich, sweet, tangy tropical notes of the pineapple and mango. Carbonation is moderately evident. The beer finished quite dryly, as most hoppy beers, but your mouth will be watering from the strength of the tropical flavors.

A really solid beer with really strong flavors that pop in your mouth. Both the flavors of the hops and the tropical fruits linger for a while after drinking the beer - with the fruit flavor hitting you with a stronger burst on the sip and then slowly receding to let a really nice bitter pine hop flavor take the lead - both sticking around in waning degrees for quite some time.

Definitely recommend this one if you can find it, especially with the $8 price tag.

Overall Rating: 4.5/5