Chimay Grand Reserve (Blue)

11.2 oz bottle

Figured for my first Chimay I might as well grab a blue. I've only heard good things about this Belgian strong dark ale. And it's made by Trappist Monks. They've rarely lead me wrong before.

Chimay Blue pours a nice brown color, about the color of a loaf of whole wheat bread crust, with the head being the actually whole wheat bread color. Head starts at about an inch and a half, quickly diminishes to about half an inch. Carbonation is incredibly evident in this beer, both by sight and sound while pouring. Nice fruity sweetness off the nose, some peach, white grape, and cherry at least, with a little bit of tartness coming in on the scent as well. Raisin , brown sugar, and bread tones as well.

As the beer warms a bit, I'm noticing the scents beginning to change: a bit of spiciness, possibly cloves, mixed with a stronger banana sweetness. Some earthiness in the scent as well, almost like whole wheat bread. Hints of raisin and brown sugar remain as well.

First taste reveals a nice, full bodied ale, a little bit of clove spice and some raisin and plum sweetness (maybe the smallest hints of cherry and peach, but possibly just residual from the scent). A good amount of earthiness and heartiness to this one. Maybe a little bit of banana. Alcohol is faintly evident. Carbonation is very evident in taste. Dry finish with minimal hops, which is odd for such a sweet beer (the dry finish, not the lack of hops). The warmer the beer gets, the more the earthy wheat and banana comes out.

There is a lot of good flavor going on in this beer. Which makes it good. But the flavors don't play together spectacularly - the flavor presence is there, but metaphorically: "too many chefs in the kitchen". Which is disappointing. The carbonation is a little too overpowering for me. Not a bad beer, just not the great beer I was expecting from the Trappists. Chimay Blue was alright, but probably not something I'd actively seek out again.

Overall Rating: 3.5/5

Captain Lawrence Liquid Gold

On Tap at The Yardhouse in the Palisades Center Mall in West Nyack, NY

Usually when I head to this place, I tend towards the darker beers (as I do almost everywhere). I figured I'd take the opportunity with my tasters (you're allowed to try a small bit of 2 different beers on each visit) to try something new, go out of my comfort zone. For me this was to try a pale ale. I'd heard of Captain Lawrence Brewing Co. on several occasions, but this was the first time I'd been able to try one of their offerings.

Liquid Gold pours a bright yellow. For a pale ale I was surprised that there was no visible carbonation. About a 1.5 finger width white head on this one. On first sniff you get a nice honeyed hop scent. There's a little bit of white grape in there as well. First sip reveals a nice honeyed, fruity sweetness, some of which comes from the white grape/apple/pear notes in this beer. A moderate amount of hop bitterness in there as well, but nothing overpowering. Nice crisp, slightly hopped, slightly sweet finish on this. Very high drink-ability, very refreshing. At 6% ABV (alcohol taste isn't present at all), its something you can definitely have 2-3 of before you start to feel a buzz.

Not a bad showing from Captain Lawrence Brewing Company.

Overall Rating: 4/5

Sixpoint The Crisp

16 oz. Aluminum Can

Been trying to find a couple of lighter beers to review, Sixpoint The Crisp looked like a good German pilsner to break that ice with.

Pours a light golden orange. About an inch of white foam, slowly disintegrates and rests at about a quarter of an inch eventually. Carbonation is evident just by looking at it. Very floral/citrus-y nose to this beer. Light and refreshing. But in a pleasing way. There's also some depth with a little extra sweetness and a tint of hop bitterness. To be honest, I wasn't sure pilsners could smell this good. First taste reveals a subtle sweetness - a little bit of lemon and orange, maybe a hint of sourness from green apple. Some floral notes in the taste too - weird saying it this way, but a little grassy, in a pleasant way. A bit of hop aftertaste, but nothing crazy, which compliments the beer nicely. Carbonation is moderately evident - though the amount of carbonation works really well with the style. At 5.4% ABV, this is an extremely drink-able beer (the alcohol presence is about as noticeable as it would be in a Bud Lite, though this tastes way better).

Beer finishes very nicely. The only word that I can think to describe the finish is crisp. Sixpoint delivers on the name. One of the better pils I've had. It tastes great, high drink-ability, but I'd have to say what really blew me away the most about this one was the scent.

Overall Rating: 4/5

Mendocino Talon Smoked Double Porter (Cask)

On Cask Tap - Rattle and Hum, NYC

This (double) porter pours a dark espresso brown, about half an inch of halfway between khaki and espresso head.

Off the nose you get a strong bit of dark fruit, but of chocolate and smoke as well, really nice blend and balance on the scent. First sip hits you pretty quickly with a strong, nice smoke flavor with subtle yet semi-powerful hints of chocolate. Fades into a bit of honeyed dark fruit sweetness. A little espresso in there as well.

The fruit is a little confusing - maybe a little bit of plum and cherry? Some orange in there as well? Tough to put a finger on the exact fruit, but it creates a nice balance.

The amount of smoke limits the drink-ability, but its a strong sipper nonetheless. Alcohol content is hidden very well (considering the ABV is not listed), but it might be a little high considering the punch it packed.

Can't find this beer on BeerAdvocate, which is extremely weird, maybe it's an uncommon beer or a very limited release (though BA is good at being on top of these types of things).

Overall Rating: 4/5

Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Stout

12 oz. Bottle

Of all the beers I've ever heard of, very few have been held in such high esteem as this one. Trying to find this beer was tough - I actually almost skipped right over it because most stores keep it behind the counter. First time I tried to buy it, Total Wine would only let me buy one bottle - that's how rare and in demand it is. I hope it meets all of the hype.

Pours very dark, pretty much black, with a very light head of dark caramel colored bubbles that dissipate very quickly. Bourbon and caramel off the nose, strong vanilla as well, but not as strong as the first two.

Bourbon on the taste, along with that caramel, alcohol is apparent (you get the tiniest bit of burn from the bourbon, nothing too overpowering, but it is 14.9% ABV afterall), sweet caramel fades a bit into dark chocolate and a nice bitter coffee while keeping tones of the bourbon throughout. Really complex, really smooth with a low/moderate amount of carbonation. These flavors just work so well together. Very minimal amount of hops, dark roasted malts are pretty strong here, but take the third seat after bourbon and caramel. Even with that, this beer has just the right amount of sweetness and just a tad of bitterness from the coffee/dark chocolate combination. This beer is almost beyond flavorful.

 Definitely delicious, but low drink-ability because of how strong it is and how strong the almost raw bourbon hits you.

But wow. By every means, a fantastic beer and worth a try if you can find a bottle (and believe me, that’s a big if in some parts of the country).

Overall Rating: 5/5

Widmer Brothers: Brother's Reserve Raspberry Russian Imperial Stout '13

Pint Bottle

The idea of Imperial Stouts and light, sweet, or delicate fruit almost always intrigues me, but also almost always dissapoints me. Hoping Widmer Brothers will be different in the second regard.

Pours black, like most imperial stouts, with a thin lacing of slightly darker than khaki head. Off the head I get a strong malt smell that can be associated to the imperial stout brewing style, but also a bit of dark chocolate and raspberry. A little sweet caramel in there as well. On the first sip you get a very nice malty imperial stout hit, some strong chocolate in there as well. A little bit of subtle raspberry, maybe just a little less strong than the chocolate, both of which take the back seat to a nice pure imperial stout flavor. The flavors kind of hit in that order as well - stout, then chocolate, then raspberry. It seems to me that there's a bit of coffee and caramel as well, but nothing more than a minor hint of either. Bit of a hoppy aftertaste, maybe a little stronger than I'm used to in imperials. Traces of alcohol, makes sense at 9.3% ABV, though other IS's around the same ABV do a better job of hiding it.

Not a bad beer. I was expecting a stronger showing from the raspberry flavor, considering the bottle mentions raspberry 3 times when explaining the beer: once in the name, and then the description reads: "Ale brewed with raspberries with raspberries added".

Well Widmer Brothers, my question to you is "Where are the raspberries?"

My other problem with the beer is the lack of balance and teamwork between the flavors within the beer. Yeah it's great that these flavors are all there and you get to experience each (all of which I find pretty good). But what makes a good beer great is the brewer's ability to utilize all of the flavors within a beer and create a harmony, a nicely balanced flow of flavors. This beer falls a little short in this category.

Overall Rating: 3/5

Flying Dog Brewery's Kujo Imperial Coffee Stout

On Tap at Stout NYC

At bars like Stout with a nice selection of craft beer, it's always nice to get a recommendation based on what you've already drank that nice. The bartenders at Stout NYC know their beer.

Kujo Imperial Coffee pours a very dark chocolate color, not quite black and with brown chocolate-y tints. There's a very faint ring of dark brown head. On the nose you get very strong dark chocolate notes, mixed with a bit of vanilla and a little bit of coffee, maybe even espresso. The taste is also a very strong dark chocolate (almost makes me wonder why this wasn't called Kujo Dark Chocolate Imperial Stout), balanced by less dominant but very present vanilla/caramel/toffee and coffee/espresso notes that balances well and plays very nicely with the imperial stout style. Very little carbonation in this, and the alcohol, at 8.9% ABV is only a little present. Overall a very solid presentation by Flying Dog Brewery.

Overall Rating: 4/5