Lagunitas Sucks Brown Shugga' Substitute Ale

12 oz. Bottle

Beer pours a beautiful golden orange with very visible carbonation. About a centimeter or so of almost white foam up top. Nice floral and citrus notes (and a bit of pineapple even) on the nose, really nice balanced and complex smell. Hops are also really present (bitter/piney scent that is not incredibly overwhelming, actually plays really nicely with the other scents here). The scent is incredibly pleasant - probably one of the best smelling beers I've tried.

Incredibly smooth on the palate to begin, followed by a not so subtle piney/bitter hop burst. Not incredibly hoppy though, and definitely not something that detracts from the beer. There's sweetness in there, with some citrus and floral notes - dominant citrus here is definitely orange, though there is some lemon and a bit of grapefruit in there as well as far as citrus is concerned and you get a strong bit of peach and some minor pineapple notes as well. There's a bit of mango and papaya in there as well - kudos to Lagunitas for the infusion of so many fruity flavors that are both harmonized and distinct at the same time. The sweetness definitely balances the bitterness of the hops. Carbonation is moderately present - alcohol content for 7.85% ABV is very well hidden.

The best compliment I can probably give this beer is that it is incredibly balanced. The fruity, floral, and hoppy flavors really work in unison here to create something special. Probably one of the best Imperial IPA's I've ever had. Lagunitas really hit the "just right" mark with flavor intensities in this beer.

Overall Rating: 5/5

Southern Tier Choklat

20 oz. Bottle

Pours a dark brown, borderline black with a thin dark brown lacing for head. Smells almost entirely of chocolate, some roasted malt and vanilla in there, and a tiny bit of coffee bitterness. But definitely overwhelmingly of chocolate.

On first taste, some nice roasted malts, and some bitterness from hops/faint traces of coffee. Mouth feel is smooth and creamy, which really adds to the overall experience of this beer.

But wow. Chocolate. Some bitterness to add to the faint coffee and hops from dark chocolate and a nice comforting warmth from milk chocolate. Really amazing blend of chocolate flavors that really are pushed to the forefront of this stout. The malty flavors really add to the experience and make the chocolate pop.

The bitterness on the end from the hops (and maybe from the coffee) seems a little out of place. Overall a really fantastic beer though. Alcohol content of 10% is pretty well hidden - I think that if it wasn't for the bitterness towards the end highlighting the other flavors of this imperial stout that the alcohol would almost be completely hidden - the small amount of alcohol taste, though, almost adds complete balance to this beer. Carbonation is moderately low.

I'm really not sure of this beer, though I did enjoy it. It's overwhelmingly sweet, but in a good way. The chocolate flavor is really amazing, on that Southern Tier definitely delivers.

Overall Rating: 4/5

Founders Sweet Repute

On tap at Rattle and Hum NYC

This was the first wheatwine style of beer I've ever had. Founders has an outstanding reputation regardless of the type of beer so I figured I'd give it a try. Founders Breakfast Stout is one of my favorite beers after all.

Pours a beautiful dark amber - about halfway between amber and maple syrup. Delicate white lacing for the head, very little of it. Smells of maple sweetness with a bit of caramel and apple. Strong wheat presence in the nose as well.

Nice sweetness on first taste - strong maple and bourbon presences. The bourbon aging adds a really nice, balanced vanilla component. There's some apple in there as well, maybe some other faint fruity traces as well. Wheat presence is definitely palpable - it is a wheatwine after all (part of which is aged in maple syrup barrels and another part of which is aged in bourbon barrels and then blended). Very balanced beer overall - the more delicate flavors like wheat and fruit don't get consumed or drowned out by the bourbon aging or maple sweetness which is really nice.

This wheatwine finishes with a bit of wheat bitterness and lingering maple/vanilla sweetness. Alcohol taste is moderately pleasant - you can tell this is a "high gravity" beer from the start - though the 12.6% doesn't detract from the overall experience. Moderate to low carbonation.

Overall a solid showing from Founders Barrel Series.

Overall Rating: 4/5

Troegs Mad Dreamz

On tap at Rattle and Hum NYC

Not technically a real beer, but rather a blend of Troegs Mad Elf and Troegs Dreamweaver. Saw it on the tap list and figured I'd give it a shot.

Beer appears a nice light amber color with tints of pink. About half an inch of slightly off white head. You can smell wheat and sweetness off the nose, sweetness has a tint of honey. Really close to a freshly fried doughnut scent. Taste is strong on the cherry and honey, a lot of this comes from the Mad Elf I'm sure. It's a very candy like sweetness, almost bordering on too sweet. Ends in a little bit of banana-y flavor, this is probably from the Dreamweaver. There's also a nice bit of wheat in there, between the two flavors, possibly mixed with a little bit of white grape, but it could also be residual from the cherry flavor. The ABV of 11% is very well hidden, I was really surprised that the ABV was that high. High drink-ability, but again be careful with the alcohol content.

Overall a really nice beer, flavors were mostly balanced but the sweetness was a little overwhelming at first.

Overall Rating: 4/5

Lagunitas Czech Style Pilsner

12 oz. Bottle

As part of my journey to find more lighter colored beers that I will like, I happened to come upon some suggestions for Pilsners. This is one of the few that were recommended to me.

Pours a nice translucent golden orange with a bit of white foam, almost the color of apple juice, but a little more clear and orange. Carbonation is very evident by sight. Smells strongly of sweet and tart white grape, some hop in there too. Maybe some peach in there as well - light and dry fruit sweetness is the most pervasive scent. First sip reveals a little bit of the grape/peach sweetness and a bit of sour, but is soon taken over by a moderate amount of hops. There's almost a bit of a sweet, light white wine feel to it before the hops after taste. Because of the hops, there's a nice, clean, dry finish. Not bad for a Czech pils. Carbonation is surprisingly less evident than I assumed, considering how visible it is in the glass. Alcohol presence is absent, as expected from this 6% ABV pils. Moderately high drink-ability.

The strength of the hops throws the balance off a little bit. Though without the hops, the beer might almost be too watery. I would have liked the fruit sweetness/sourness to be a little more profound. It almost seems like this Czech pils wanted to be an IPA and got trapped somewhere in between.


Overall Rating: 3/5

Bell's Cherry Stout

12 oz. Bottle

Have never really had anything by Bell's Brewery before, but the guy at the bottle shop said they had a Bell's stout tasting not too long ago and most people enjoyed them, the idea of a cherry stout caught my eye above the others.

Like most stouts, appears black in glass with a thin lace of dark khaki head. During the pour, when it wasn't so concentrated, you could see a reddish tint. Smells of chocolate covered cherries and roasted malts. Really balanced and pleasant on the nose.

First taste wasn't what I was expecting: first you get hit with some decent roast malts that are typical of American stouts and a bit chocolate that's not really sweet. The cherry really hits you on the after taste with a nice sour tartness. Really solid cherry flavor, but surprisingly lacking the sweetness I expected/wanted from a cherry stout, especially considering such strong cherry flavor. The finish is a tad tarnished by just how sour and tart the aftertaste is (and a little bitter from the malt/chocolate). Alcohol isn't perceptible, and at 7% ABV it's not going to knock you out of your socks. Carbonation is mildly present.

Bell's Stout is not a bad beer. It just lacks balance. There's strong tartness, mild bitterness, and some pretty decent roasted malt flavor. And none of them get along. I think that had there been some sweetness, this beer could have gone from alright to great.

Overall Rating: 3/5

Alltech's Lexington Brewing Co. Bourbon Barrel Stout

12 oz. bottle

I've been looking for a couple of beers that have been brewed with either coffee or espresso and this was one of the beers I picked up on a recent store run - hoping there's some strong coffee and bourbon flavors here.

Pours black, with a tiny bit of khaki head that quickly dissolves into nothingness. First smell is overwhelmingly of coffee (it is brewed with Haitian coffee after all). A tiny bit of bourbon and vanilla sweetness. But damn, it's like opening a canister of fresh coffee.

First sip reveals really strong coffee flavor. And roasted malts. Nice amount of bitterness (from the coffee and also from a small bit of dark chocolate in there) off of it, a tiny bit of sweetness, but not quite enough; both of these flavors linger in the aftertaste. The bourbon is also a little too tough to find. 8% ABV is well hidden. Carbonation is moderate.

The coffee completely dominates and overpowers any other flavors that might be mixed in there - at the same time it's the beer's only real redeeming quality. The problem is not that the coffee flavor was too strong, but rather that all of the other flavors, namely the bourbon for which this beer is named, lacked in strength to keep up with let alone harmonize with it.

Overall Rating: 2.5/5