Carton Regular Coffee

On Tap at The Dog & Cask in Rochelle Park, NJ

I've had the tasting notes for this beer sitting on my desk for a while, just procrastinated writing the review. I first sampled this beer on January 28th, and it was pretty amazing stuff.

Pours a hazy dark tan with thin white lacing for the head. Smells entirely of just pure fresh ground coffee. Essentially like opening a fresh can of coffee. Taste is coffee up front and then an amazing vanilla/sugar dominating sweetness. Really surprising because there isn't really any sweetness in the nose. Both of these flavors linger for a decent amount of time - the coffee a little longer, bring just the tiniest bit of coffee bitterness, but definitely extremely enjoyable bitterness if you like coffee.

But seriously, wow.

ABV of 12% is completely hidden. Dangerously hidden almost, for how delicious and smooth this one is. Very low carbonation presence.

This beer is supposed to mimic a regular coffee in NJ: coffee with milk and two sugars. It does this magnificently well.

Overall Rating: 4.65/5

Ale Smith Speedway Stout

25 oz. Bottle

I've had this on tap, and it's fantastic. Ready to have another one.

Pours black, slightly off khaki head. Smells of coffee and roasted malt. Really nice. Strong coffee on the taste, chocolate, toffee sweetness, and nice roasted malt are there as well, almost equally balanced, but the coffee is a tad stronger and the sweetness is a tad weaker (thankfully so, I feel this beer has the perfect amount of sweetness for the flavor profile). As it warms, you get some slight dark fruit sweetness. Really warm, really nice flavor profile. Amazing mouth feel, really smooth. For cold weather, I really can't think of many other beers I'd rather be drinking (it's bourbon barrel aged counterpart is one of the beers I'd most like to try as well). Moderate carbonation. Alcohol presence is almost completely masked for 12% ABV.

This beer is really straightforward and really delicious.

Overall Rating: 4.75/5

Captain Lawrence Frost Monster

12 oz. Bottle

My buddy Tim bought the last 4 pack at the brewery and was nice enough to give me a bottle to try. I'll have to give him something nice next time I see him (FBS probably, if I have any left).

Pours black with some dark beige bubbles around the top for a light head (as expected, and as is the normal with Imperial Stouts), more prevalent around the edge of the glass, close to nothing towards the middle. Strong chocolate to this one, with some less strong coffee notes and a faint smell of booze as well. Strong chocolate sweetness on the taste - seriously was not expecting such a strong or delicious chocolate up front. There's coffee in the end - you get some of the bitterness, alcohol, and smokey (yes, some very delicious smoke in there) malt towards the end - kind of a slow roll off of the chocolate blitz up front. The alcohol is minor present, but does not detract from the experience of the beer. A really tasty beer. The balance is off, but it almost seems to work for this one. Does a decent job hiding the 12%, but again the alcohol is present. Moderate carbonation.

Again, definitely not the most balanced Imperial Stout I've ever had, but a home run from one of my favorite breweries to visit in my area. I will most definitely be buying a couple more of these if I get the chance and look forward to comparing it to the Stone Russian Imperial Stout (2013) I have aging in my garage.

Overall Rating: 4.5/5

Ithaca Beer Co. Obscurite

12 oz. Bottle

The third from the "Box of Belgians", a Belgian style stout.

Pours black with some dark khaki colored head, but not much. Tiny bits of visible carbonation. Smells dark and roasty, some coffee notes in there as well; surprised there's not more Belgian influence on the nose as there was with the 2 previous offerings out of the box. The Belgian yeast, however, does very prominently stand out in the taste - strong coffee and banana. And while this does sound strange, and a little unappealing, the combination is actually quite delicious. It creates a sweet/bitter harmony that is complemented with some dark chocolate, (burnt sugar/caramel) and roasted (almost burnt) malts - this combination creates a nice mix of sweet and bitter up front backed by moderate smokiness and subtle spice. It's a strange combination that I wouldn't have expected to work, but it does. Moderate carbonation, alcohol is completely hidden for 10.1% ABV.

Probably my favorite out of the box so far.

Overall Rating: 4.5/5

Founders Devil Dancer

12 oz. Bottle

Big fan of Founders Brewing. Hoping this one is a home run like FBS and Founders Porter.

Pours a dark opaque amber with a slight white head. No visible carbonation. Nose is interesting: caramel/honey, pine, and citrus, mostly orange and lime and a bit of lemon. A really complex, really good smelling beer. Really complex on the taste - it's almost all over the place in terms of complexity, but it's still strangely balanced. Strong caramel/honey sweetness up front and closer to the back end, hop blast at the end as well. Citrus kind of hits in the middle, meddles with the caramel and smooths out the experience before the hop finish (not the strongest hop finish, in fact I was expecting a more hoppy finish for the style). Not sure that I've ever experienced any beer quite like this triple IPA. Moderate carbonation, alcohol is fairly well hidden for 12% ABV (there is some indication as you drink that this is a high ABV beer).

Really full bodied for an IPA, slight syrupy thickness to this beer that decidedly makes this a slow sipper.

Not the best Founders brew I've ever had, but still a really good beer and one that I will most likely have again.

Overall Rating: 3.9/5

Weyerbacher Heresy French Pressed with Ghiardelli Raspberry Chocolate Fresh Ground Coffee

12 oz. Bottle + about 7 Scoops of Coffee Beans

First foray into French Pressing to add deeper complexities of flavors to beer, hopefully it turns out alright.

Pours black, dark espresso lacing for a head, some residual grounds visible on the side of the glass - these were too small to get filtered out and I'm hoping they won't effect the taste of the beer. Very strong raspberry on the nose, with the coffee and chocolate a little more subtle - both are definitely there though.

On the taste, there is really strong raspberry (which complements the dark fruit tartness of the beer by itself) and coffee, the chocolate is there as well (though again, the coffee and even more so the chocolate take a back seat to the strong dark fruit flavor, more prominent of which is the raspberry, though both add very nicely to the overall composition of the beer as it both warms and sits on the tongue). The flavor profile of the coffee beans works well with the style (Whiskey barrel aged Imperial Stout), though there is absolutely zero whiskey taste left to the beer (whereas it was very subtle in the beer pre-French press). There's a nice, pleasant, raspberry tart finish to the beer that I wish was complemented by a stronger coffee bitterness, but that is still delicious regardless.

The left over bits of grounds that didn't get filtered out are negligent taste and texture wise. I was pleasantly surprised however, to see that there was only a negligible loss of carbonation from french press as I expected the beer to be a little flat.

Next time I do this, I might alter the amount of flavoring components I add to the beer and the time spent seeping the beer with those components, as I think the coffee beans overpowered some of the original flavors of this beer (though I do think I'm enjoying this a little more than the original).

Ithaca Beer Co. Laissez-Faire

12 oz. Bottle

My second beer from Ithaca's "Box of Belgians", a traditional style Belgian tripel.

Pours a light golden-yellow with a slight white bubbly head and visible carbonation. Smell is fantastic blend of banana and clove, which is usually associated with Belgian wheat/yeast. There's some other fruit flavors mixed in there as well - orange and white grape predominantly. Definitely doesn't disappoint on the nose. Taste is strong Belgian wheat combined with moderately strong fruit flavor - again, banana, orange, and white grape. All balanced very nicely. There is a tinge of alcohol flavor to the finish of this one, though it does hide the 10% ABV very well. Moderate carbonation works nicely with the style and creates a very refreshing finish.

I really do applaud the balance on this tripel, all of the flavors work in harmony, and there's just a tint of alcohol to remind you that this isn't your typical Belgian wheat (it's like Blue Moon's older, better looking, smarter, stronger, faster brother).

Overall Rating: 4.5/5

Weyerbacher Heresy

12 oz. Bottle

Again, big fan of Whiskey/Bourbon/Scotch barrel aged Imperial Stouts. Hoping this one doesn't disappoint.

Pours black, as expected with about a centimeter of dark cappuccino colored head, really a gorgeous beer. Very strong scents of chocolate and whiskey from afar, very strong bold scents, complemented when I smell it up close by really nice vanilla and coffee (really closer to chocolate covered espresso beans) flavors. Really a fantastic smelling beer, my mouth is watering just from the scent.

Strong coffee and chocolate on this one (especially with the coffee on the back end), though I do wish the whiskey stood out a bit more. There's also some distracting tart, dark fruit flavors (cherry and plum are the most prominent of these). They're not bad. They're just not what I expected based on the nose of this beer. I wanted this to be a big roasted coffee chocolate vanilla bourbon bomb, and it doesn't quite hit that mark. It is a really enjoyable beer, but the tartness throws off the balance and leaves wanting for balance of flavor.

Alcohol is well hidden for 8% ABV; carbonation is low, as I would expect and appreciate for this style.

Really nice flavors, particularly scent-wise. Taste-wise, I wanted a little more balance and some stronger coffee/chocolate/vanilla/bourbon presence. Don't get me wrong, this is still a good beer and worth a try.

Overall Rating: 3.95/5

PS: The tart flavor keeps this one just shy of a 4.

Ithaca Beer Co. Hopbloem

12 oz. Bottle

When I saw some of the descriptions on the beers featured in Ithaca Beer Co.'s "Box of Belgians", I was intrigued. This is the first of 4, an IPA brewed with Belgian yeast. I've been enjoying some good IPAs as of late, and I enjoy a nice Belgian on occasion, so I'm excited to see how this combination works out.

Pours a hazy yellow gold - the haziness is usually associated with Belgians yeast and wheat, but the lighter color I attribute to the IPA style. Carbonation is apparent on sight; slight white foam head, but not much. Smell is sweet banana and clove - smells like a Belgian. There's a bit of a piney/floral hop scent in there as well, but nowhere near as strong as the Belgian banana/clove scents. There's bits of peach and orange in there as well, and a tiny bit of lemon. A very pleasant smelling beer.

On taste, you get some nice sweet wheat/banana/clove flavors up top, followed by a bit of citrus/pine hop - both flavors linger for a while, but it still ends with a moderately strong citrus/pine hop bite (it seems like there's peppery notes in the bite as well, which I'm really enjoying) that is found in most IPAs. The citrus and hop, however, are not too overwhelming, and blend nicely with the Belgian flavors up front. I'm also getting some non-citrus, non-banana fruit in there as well: peach and white grape primarily. A really nicely balanced beer. Fairly high carbonation that works well with the IPA aspect, but a little higher than I'm used to for Belgians. Alcohol, at 8% ABV, is completely hidden.

I definitely haven't been disappointed by the "Box of Belgians" yet, and hope that this continues as I try the other 3 styles.

Overall Rating: 4.25/5

Troegs Nugget Nectar

12 oz. Bottle

A lot of hype surrounding this one, and one of my good friends who enjoy hoppy beers say that this is one of the best. Figured it was time to give it a try.

Pours Amber. Very little white lacing for a head. Exactly the color profile I would expect for an amber ale. Piney hops and sweet fruit on the nose - orange, cherry, mango, peach, apricot - pretty harmonious sweet fruit flavor, maybe a little caramel from the malt in there to sweeten it up as well; very nice smelling beer, it's almost up there with Lagunitas Sucks. Almost.

This beer is incredibly smooth. Strong fruit flavor (orange citrus, peach, and apricot primarily) followed by a decent hop bitterness. Nice sweet caramel malt profile to balance the beer. Probably the most balanced beer I've ever had with this amount of hops. The sweetness and the hops really work in harmony here - neither overpowers the other. Alcohol is completely hidden for 7.5% ABV, pretty low carbonation for the style in my opinion - though this contributes how almost overwhelmingly smooth this beer is (though that's definitely a plus for this one).

Haven't had too many American Ambers, but its a style I will definitely be exploring more of. Kudos to Troegs on another great brew.

Overall Rating: 4.75/5

Evil Twin Brewing Ashtray Heart

12 oz. Bottle

Usually I'd steer clear of anything with ashtray in the name, however I have been growing fond of smoked porters recently. This one by Evil Twin caught my eye as I was searching for some of their Imperial Biscotti Break (which I was unable to find).

Pours black with a think espresso lacing. Smells strongly of chocolate, smoke (almost like sitting around a campfire, though a little more mellow than that), and salty smoked meat. It literally smells like chocolate and smoked pork/bacon. A really strange sensation, as this is the first smoked porter that I've had that smells anything like this. Makes me want to go back to Defiant Brewery and order some barbecue (but eat it with this beer instead of one of theirs).

Strong chocolate flavor up front, a really balanced porter with strong roasted malts. The smoke hits hard in the after taste - a nice strong smokey (and a bit salty) flavor, exactly like the one you would get off of any kind of smoked meat. There's minor coffee notes in there as well, though they do become a bit obscured by the chocolate and smoke.

 This is definitely the strongest smoke flavor I've experienced in any beer, and I have to say that is complements the flavor of this porter magnificently. Alcohol is very well hidden, basically unnoticeable, at 8.9% ABV; low/moderate carbonation.

If you like smoked meat and dark beer, this is for you; and at just under $4 a bottle, it definitely won't break the bank either. This beer definitely isn't for everyone; if you're interested in smoked beers, but haven't had too many, I'd recommend trying something else first and working your way up to this one.

Overall Rating: 4.25/5

Allagash Fluxus 2012

750 ML Bottle

Allagash does so cool things with its Fluxus series, and I'm happy I was recently able to get my hands on an older batch (the bottle includes the definition for the word fluxus, continuous change, and makes it very clear that each year will be different than the last and most likely never brewed again). The 2012 variant is an ale brewed with green and pink peppercorns; I'm hoping they'll add a little bit of a spicy character to this one.

Pours an opaque golden orange with very visible tiny bubble carbonation that leads to a thin white foam of completely white bubbles on the head. Very strong butterscotch on the nose. Definitely not what I was expecting. The sweetness is overwhelming, but delicious at the same time. There's a hint of spice in the background, but a really small hint, you really have to search for it in the sweetness.

Strong butterscotch and honey on the first taste; again, wasn't expecting this ale to be so sweet, but it's definitely tasty. There's small hints of spice and hops at the end, but very minor; the butterscotch (and honey-ish) sweetness is the star here, and it knows it. The spice and hop play very minor roles in the overall final product (they both become a little more profound as the beer warms, which is nice). There's a bit of a Belgian wheat characteristic to this one as well, which upon doing a little bit of research, because it uses a strain of wheat that a lot of Belgian breweries use. A little higher than moderate carbonation on this one. The alcohol is very well hidden for 7.7% ABV.

Overall, definitely not what I expected, but a really good beer nonetheless. As the beer warms, the flavors balance and work together really nicely. If you can find a bottle, I'd say it's worth a try. However, I'd also say there's several beers out there that most people, including myself, would pick up with the $18 price tag before getting another bottle of this. I find that Allagash, as a brewery, rarely disappoints in terms of quality, but their prices can get a little out of hand at $17-$20 for a 750 ml bottle.

Overall Rating: 4.25/5

Firestone Walker Wookey Jack

22 oz. Bottle

I've been on a Rye IPA kick recently, primarily sticking with Red Rye IPA's. This one stood out for me for two reasons: 1: I haven't encountered too many black rye IPAs and 2: Firestone Walker is well known for fantastically crafted beers (including several world class IPAs).

Pours black with some khaki colored bubbles that form a bit of a foam head up top. Smell of pine, along with some spicy rye on the nose - really nice contrast and harmony. On the taste, there's definitely hints of spicy rye that work really well with the moderately high hop finish. It's a really bread-y beer, strong rye bread taste to this one, blends nicely with the malt profile. Really nicely balanced beer - gives me a good amount of hop without being incredibly hop heavy. There's a small bit of sweetness in there as well, can't really put my tongue on it - potentially molasses, but not quite sure. It does, however, work really nicely with the other flavors in the beer. Moderate carbonation, alcohol is essentially completely hidden at 8.3%.

Firestone Walker definitely does not disappoint on this one. A very nice, complex, and balance beer. While I don't have too many Black Rye IPAs to compare it too, I plan on changing that in the very near future.

Overall Rating: 4.5/5

Innis and Gunn Original Oak Aged

Growler Fill from The Growler and Gill in Nanuet, NY

I've had a few of Innis and Gunn's offerings, but never quite got around to the original. That was a mistake.

The original pours a golden with slight amber hue to it, about an inch of white foam that eventually dies down to a small lacing around the edge of the glass (a really nice Innis and Gunn glass that I got for free for filling a growler on tasting night). The nose is strong whiskey and butterscotch - the flavors meld really well, a really nice smelling beer, though the scent is mild. Definitely smells like an oak aged beer. First thing I noticed upon drinking was how incredibly smooth this beer is. Wow. Nice oak/whiskey flavor, and nice butterscotch sweetness to boot - there's a bit of apple crispness in there as well. While this beer is not as complex as other beers I've enjoyed, the 2 or 3 flavors in this beer are done very, very well. Medium carbonation, alcohol content is essentially completely hidden at 6.6% ABV (again, there are strong whiskey notes, but none of the burn). A very nicely composed beer with exceptional balance.

My only complaint with this beer, and again, it's being very nit-picky, is that there is a lack of depth and complexity of flavor that I usually search for in craft beer. What this beer lacks in complexity, however, it almost completely makes up for in drink-ability.

Overall Rating: 4.1/5

Cigar City Jai Alai

12 oz. Can

The first time I had Cigar City Jai Alai was at The Ginger Man in NYC, on tap. It was delicious. Picked up a can to review it here.

Pours a cloudy dark orange with red tints and some white-ish floaties, slight white head. Smells very strongly of citrus - particularly grapefruit and tangerine, minor notes of lemon, lime, and orange in there as well. A nice piney back to the nose on this one as well - nice balance of flavors. Not the strongest smelling IPA I've ever had, but it definitely smells good.

Nice sweet tangerine and grapefruit up front on the taste - sweet with a little tint of sour. Nice solid hop aftertaste. A really solid brew. Very smooth with a dry finish. Alcohol content for 7.5% is essentially unnoticeable.

I think the best word to describe this beer is refreshing - I'm definitely going to hold on to a couple of cans for when the summer hits.

Overall Rating: 4/5