Golden Ale - New Glarus

Vitals:

Name: Golden Ale

Style: Belgian Pale Ale

IBU: 38

ABV: 7.0%

Gravity: 15 deg. Plato

Purchased at: New Glarus Brewery

Descriptions:

Appearance: Golden honey color; translucent with a lot of carbonation and 3 (!) foamy fingers of orange-tinted head. Great retention, lacing, and cap...good looking brew has me excited to try it out.

Smell: This is the only beer I've ever had that smelled straight and away like flowers. You get some slight honey aromas but flowers totally dominate the nose...smells awesome!

Taste: You get a tiny citrus taste up front (I'm not sure what citrus, specifically) followed by a huge, lingering floral taste. You can taste the spiciness of the Belgian yeast and a peppery quality most of the way through the drink. Herbal/floral hops give it a little lingering bitterness. This is not an overly complex brew, but it IS refreshingly interesting.

Mouthfeel: This is medium bodied and creamy with ample carbonation. It leaves you a bit dried out, though. Nothing really sticks out as being too great or poor about the mouthfeel here...which is ok.

Overall Grade: B+

Comments: This is VERY interesting...it's a good brew but it doesn't seem to quite fit the mold of most Belgian pale ales that I've had. It's cool as something different because it doesn't hit you over the head with yeast/bananas/spices as many Belgian beers do. Plus, as you can ONLY get it at the brewery, this is an excellent excuse to take a little drive out to the scenic New Glarus brewery and treat yourself to some delicious beer!

Cheers,

Hurls

Moon Man - New Glarus

Vitals:

Name: Moon Man

Style: American Pale Ale

IBU: ??

ABV: 5%

Gravity: ??

Purchased at: New Glarus Brewery

Descriptions:

Appearance: Pours a brilliant, clear gold with 1.5 fingers of bone-white head. Good retention and a nice cap; GREAT lacing on this beer, which is much appreciated. Lots of carbonation bubbles racing up through this beer.

Smell: Fruits. I'm getting big grapefruit and some orange, maybe some pineapple as well. Lots of citrus and some piney hops as well. This smells absolutely delicious to me; there is a pretty sweet smell to it, but it's not sugary.

Taste: Starts with just enough pale malts to start off with some sweetness. You get some juicy qualities up front with the grapefruit/pineapple and the pine hops cascade towards the back of your tongue (it really is a rolling sensation...pretty neat). You get a nice dry finish comprised of citrus hops and citrus rinds from maybe lemons/oranges? Grapefruit briefly strikes again to close it out.

Mouthfeel: Slightly on the light side of medium with a good amount of carbonation in there. This is a VERY drinkable beer and doesn't coat your mouth and/or stick on your palate forever.

Overall Grade: A

Comments: This is an amazing beer; it is one of my favorites and is probably the best session beer that I have ever had (apologies to Gumballhead, as it is 5.5% ABV). This is a MUST try if you like American pale ales or American pale wheat ales. Check it out locally in Wisconsin or head out to the New Glarus brewery for an even fresher look at this one! Dan Carey (Brewmaster at New Glarus) is my hero for creating this gem of a brew.

Cheers,

Hurls

Totally Naked - New Glarus

Vitals:

Name: Totally Naked

Style: Lager

IBU: ??

ABV: 4.2%

Gravity: ??

Purchased at: New Glarus Brewery

Descriptions:

Appearance: Pours a very pale, clear, straw-yellow color with about a finger of bone white head. Decent retention and a thin cap but GREAT (and quite unexpected) lacing. Lots of active carbonation bubbles, too.

Smell: Light biscuit malt and lemony aromas here...some herbal/floral/grassy hops hanging around in the background too. The aromas are faint, but if you really concentrate it is a somewhat complex smell. Lots of lemon, though...perhaps a bit too much as it is somewhat turning me off of the smell. I think I smell a tiny bit of apple too? Weird...

Taste: You really only get a brief taste...some lemon and a tiny bit of malt...this is an extremely boring beer. This tastes like a step up from Miller Lite...not complex at all, which is disappointing considering the smell was somewhat promising.

Mouthfeel: Extremely light, with adequate carbonation and it's not quite as thin/watery as a lot of domestic lights. 

Overall Grade: C-

Comments: This is simply a very slight upgrade (in taste and experience) over domestic light macro brews...however, it comes with a corresponding jump in price. For my money, all else equal, I would buy a case of cheaper Miller Lite over this if I truly wanted something this light. The best reason to buy this is that it's a not-terrible tasting sessionable beer and it supports local business.

Cheers,

Hurls

Hatha-weizen - Ale Asylum

So, the Hatha-weizen is something I always wanted to try from Ale Asylum, since I'm a big fan of most beers that they put out. The one thing about this brew is that it's exclusively offered at the tap room at Ale Asylum's brewery (out on the East side, off Stoughton Rd.). If you love you some Ale Asylum go out there and check it out...even if you don't want to stay there you can get a nice glass growler filled with your favorite brew for about $13. The only issue I have is that the growler is clear, which is the worst possible type of glass to store brew in. At any rate, I think refills are about $8-10 bucks on the growlers, so it's definitely worth it.

Vitals:

Name: Hatha-weizen

Style: Hefeweizen

IBU: ??

ABV: 5.5%

Gravity: ??

Purchased at: Ale Asylum's taphouse/restaurant/brewery

Descriptions:

Appearance: Pours a very light gold color with billowing white head that quickly fades. Decent lacing with a very thin cap. This beer looks to be moderately carbonated and is VERY hazy (expected, given the style).

Smell: Banana all the way with some slight lemon zest and clove spiciness. You can almost make out some pale malt in the background but not quite. It's so odd to smell this beer because nearly all Ale Asylum brews are hopped to the point of it at least being noticeable on the nose, but this one is definitely not. I guess it makes sense, as most hefes are not hopped much.

Taste: Banana and malt sweetness greet you up front along with a bit of honey. The clove spiciness is very slight and leads you into the finish instead of a hop bite, which is well played. You finish out with lemon and citrus hop bitterness that is subtle but lingering. The yeast is more up front and center, as with most hefes. This is a solid but not spectacular taste...you also get some esters from the yeast.

Mouthfeel: Refreshing and crisp, though it's a bit creamier than I expected. This is a very smooth and drinkable beer for the summer. The carbonation doesn't quite come through as much as I expected it to from the look of the beer.

Overall Grade: B-

Comments: This beer is a good excuse to go to the Ale Asylum taproom, but is nothing too special. It's a solid hefe, but I'd rather have others. For my money I'll take a Hopalicious/Bedlam/Ambergeddon over this and if I want a wheat brew I'll go with Dancing Man from New Glarus or something like a Weissbier from Franziskaner. Worth a try if you want to support your local breweries and are interested in another take on a hefeweizen, but you can probably do better here.

Cheers,

Hurls

Fleur - Goose Island

Vitals:

Name: Fleur

Style: Belgian Pale Ale

IBU: 32

ABV: 5.2%

Gravity: ??

Purchased at: Riley's Wines of the World

Descriptions:

Appearance: Pours a very light, INTENSELY carbonated, amber cool. You get a finger or so of head for about 30 seconds, a sparse cap, and no lacing. I like the coloring but the rest is just blah.

Smell: Smells strongly of sour apples to me...you also get a fresh cut grass and fall leaves smell to it. This beer smells great and entirely different than anything else I've ever smelled in a beer. Floral hops are in this one for sure...smells like hibiscus. 

Taste: The taste is much less interesting than the smell. You get a little sweet malt up front and you finish with a tart sour apple taste. There is a slight hop bitterness but not too much. My biggest surprise is that this isn't really yeasty or spicy at all, as most Belgian beers are). This isn't bad, but it's just not at all what I was expecting.

Mouthfeel: Pretty light mouthfeel, with less carbonation than I thought it'd be from the appearance. No other defining features here but it is very drinkable (and is okay with 5.2% ABV). 

Overall Grade: B

Comments: This is a decent beer, but compared to the other Belgian beers I've had it is quite bland. You don't get the yeasty finish with spice that you get with most others, which is a tad disappointing. Like I said...not bad, worth a try, but nothing that's going to blow you away (in my opinion). Give it a shot if you can get it out at a bar, but I wouldn't buy another bomber of it (that's all they had where I bought it).

Cheers,

Hurls

Weissbier - Franziskaner

Vitals:

Name: Weissbier

Style: Hefeweizen

IBU: ??

ABV: 5%

Gravity: ??

Purchased at: Trixie's Liquor

Descriptions:

Appearance: Pours a cloudy honey/straw color, with about 2.5 fingers of billowing white head. Low retention and barely any lacing on this one, with a very thin cap left over. Looks to have a good amount of carbonation and is pretty hazy.

Smell: Somewhat typical hefe smell...bananas, yeast, lemon, clove. Much less typical is some very faint (but present) scents of apple and grape. This is, as I said, a fairly typical hefe...but the extras that are thrown in there make it a slightly better smelling hefe than most.

Taste: Immediately you get wheat and yeast up front and slowly the banana, clove and spice work their way into the taste. You actually get more of a fruity finish with apple and grape to pair with the typical banana and other citrus taste. I absolutely love the complexity of this beer and how the taste shifts across the tasting. This is how a hefeweizen should taste.

Mouthfeel: This brew is creamy as hell, but also gives you a little bit of a juicy feel and some definite thirst-quenching drinkability. Not too much carbonation, which is nice...just a great overall mouthfeel for the style.

Overall Grade: A

Comments: This is everything a hefe should be. If you want a hefeweizen and this is available then this should be your choice. End of story. Get out and find it!

Cheers,

Hurls

Cran-bic Ale - New Glarus (Thumbprint Series)

Vitals:

Name: Cran-bic Ale

Style: Lambic/Fruit

IBU: ??

ABV: 4.8%

Gravity: ??

Purchased at: Riley's Wines of the World

Descriptions:

Appearance: Pours a very light, pale reddish (almost pink), with zero head (thus no lacing or cap). Carbonation bubbles drift lazily upward, but there aren't a ton of them. Looks like a blush wine with a slight tinge of brown to it. Very clear with no haze at all.

Smell: Smells like a dry champagne, to be honest. You get a big whiff of sour cranberries and a faint (odd) yeasty funk to it that actually fits well with the beer.

Taste: You get a very sour taste of cranberry, which is partially balanced by a fruity sweetness. It doesn't entirely even out, but it's nice that it has some balance. The taste is quite acidic and you only get a little of the funk/spiciness towards the back end of the drink. It's simple (relatively to many New Glarus brews) but very effective...the taste hangs with you a while and you get a bit of a sugary aftertaste.

Mouthfeel: There is more carbonation to this one than meets the eye...VERY light mouthfeel and a bit dry (champagne-like in that respect). You get a little bit of puckering from the sourness but it's very drinkable in general.

Overall Grade: B+

Comments: So, to explain my grade...this isn't a B+ signifying that it's something I'd regularly want to drink, but it's a great take on the style. It's definitely not my cup of tea, but is quite solid...my wife loves it, so if you like fruity beers then this one is for you. It's a little sugary for me (compared to most beers I have) so I would likely go another direction for something on a regular basis but it's definitely worth a try. It's worth noting that, as New Glarus uses natural products in their brews, this doesn't taste like a manufactured sugary/sour cranberry taste...it's a nice, natural taste that you can enjoy...so go grab a four pack and check it out with some friends!

Cheers,

Hurls

Uff-da - New Glarus

I always find it hilarious to figure out the local sayings when you move to someplace new. Wisconsin has been no exception. While hanging out with our friends Greg and Em, somebody said something and they said "uff-da!" Being from Virginia, I have no idea what this means, and am informed that it's an exclamation of surprise (good or bad) for something that is not too serious. At any rate, New Glarus has used the colloquialism to name one of their brews.

Vitals:

Name: Uff-da

Style: Bock

IBU: ??

ABV: 6.7%

Gravity: ??

Purchased at: Trixie's Liquor

Descriptions:

Appearance: Pours a deep brown with about a finger of milk-chocolate colored head. The head is foamy with decent retention, good lacing and a quality cap. There are tons of carbonation bubbles clinging to the side of the glass (as can be seen in the picture).

Smell: This brew has a wonderful roasted caramelized malt smell to it but there is also an interesting vanilla undertone that is nice (and unique). Finally, there is a slight (just barely noticeable) coffee-ish smell to it, but nothing too overwhelming.

Taste: You get a sweet malt flavor that is almost immediately cut by the bitterness of the chocolate/coffee tastes (the chocolate is more noticeable as you allow the beer to warm). You get some barely noticeable hop flavor but it's so muted that it's nearly impossible to tell what it is exactly...maybe piney? You also get a tiny alcohol twinge that isn't enough to hint at the high ABV.

Mouthfeel: Heavier side of medium, even a bit chewy. The carbonation is definitely not what I thought it'd be from the look of it, but that was actually a very good thing...it just wouldn't fit with this type of beer to be a huge carbonation bomb.

Overall Grade: B-

Comments: Eh, you can find better New Glarus brews and (though my experience with them is limited) better dark beers. This is only OK...definitely a solid beer, but nothing that is going to really "wow" you and is not quite good enough to further sway me towards dark beers. Definitely worth a try but I would try to order it somewhere or build your own six pack with it as a component. Personally a six pack would be too much for me.

Cheers,

Hurls

Alpha King - Three Floyds Brewing

Vitals:

Name: Alpha King

Style: American Pale Ale

IBU: 66

ABV: 6.5%

Gravity: ??

Purchased at: Trixie's Liquor

Descriptions:

Appearance: Pours a cloudy copper color with lots of tiny carbonation bubbles zooming through it. Half a finger of head that is off-white or even tannish. OK retention but a weak lacing (which was surprising) and a spare cap.

Smell: Smells like it will be very well-balanced...lots of maltiness and breadiness to it, but there is an equal backing of piney-hop presence on the nose. However, this is an extremely pleasant nose, as the sweetness mellows out the big piney hop notes.

Taste: This brew is malty from beginning to end, with other tastes highlighting at different points. Seems mostly like caramel and citrus fruit flavors lacing the beginning, but it actually evolves into a more citrus/piney hop finish. This is a very well-crafted and well-balanced beer; you get a bitter finish for sure, so if that's not your thing then you may not enjoy this one!

Mouthfeel: This brew is a bit creamier and heavier than I expected...it actually drinks more like an IIPA or IPA than an APA. This beer has a lot of nice aspects, though...it's oily (in a good way) so it coats your mouth a bit and is well carbonated (which most Three Floyds brews are).

Overall Grade: B+

Comments: This almost seems like it's improperly classified in a few ways. First, it drinks like an IIPA, not an APA. Second, the ABV is more similar to an IPA than an APA. This is a very good beer; having said that, I would probably take Hopalicious from Ale Asylum over this one, but that's only because I feel like this one is a bit maltier and I prefer my beer to be more on the hoppy end than malty. This is a very solid heavy APA; definitely not something you'll be drinking all night long, though!

Cheers,

Hurls

(Summer) Fest - Capital Brewery

Vitals:

Name: Fest

Style: Marzen/Oktoberfest

IBU: ??

ABV: 5.6%

Gravity: ??

Purchased at: Trixie's Liquor

Descriptions:

Appearance: Pours a nice, clear orange and looks to be highly carbonated. 2 fingers of head with fantastic retention and cap; the cap stayed at about a finger's worth, which is just incredible. The head was just very slightly off-white.

Smell: Smells very bready to me as far as malts go, like a grainy loaf of bread. You get some light hops smell (maybe grassy hops?) and some mild sweetness of the malts coming through. Simple but pleasant nose.

Taste: Very bread, with sweet malts up front. Lemon flavor as well as citrus and earthy hops hold the middle of the beer and a spiciness builds as the tastes roll to the back of your tongue. This sort of tastes like a much better and more complex European lager. There are also some grassy hops in there for sure.

Mouthfeel: I'd say this is on the light side of medium-bodied; very crisp on the palate and leaves you a little bit dried out. No big detractors.

Overall Grade: B

Comments: This is a pretty solid offering, which is just what Capital seems to do...they seem to make typical styles (a lot of German-influence in there) and they're all just OK. I don't think Capital really has a beer that I'd special request or ever have a craving for, but most of them are pretty drinkable. I will admit that I don't have much experience with this style, but this is worth a try if you're into Marzens/Oktoberfests. Probably a bit out of season by now but you might be able to pick up a little of the remaining from the summer brewing.

Cheers,

Hurls

Centennial IPA - Founder's Brewery

Vitals:

Name: Centennial IPA

Style: American IPA

IBU: 65

ABV: 7.2%

Gravity: ??

Purchased at: Trixie's Liquor

Descriptions:

Appearance: Pours a deep amber/ruby cool, one finger of off-white head. This brew boasts a nice retention, beautiful lacing, and a sparse cap. There is a decent amount of carbonation as well. The beer seems clear-to-mildly-translucent.

Smell: Grapefruit and citrus aromas are immediately evident along with lots of piney resins. The malt is there but totally gets overpowered by the other aromas (which I'm fine with, for an IPA). The nose on this beer is a hop head's dream...seriously tremendous smell.

Taste: Boasts a lingering piney hop flavor and bitterness. There are grapefruit and pineapple flavors that mingle nicely with the citrus hops and toasted caramel malts. The malt taste is very muted by the hops but has enough presence to hold the beer together nicely. I wouldn't exactly call this beer balanced, but it's balanced enough.

Mouthfeel: Adequate carbonation with a pretty full-bodied mouthfeel. This is a very thick and creamy IPA and generally seems to be a heavy, filling beer.

Overall Grade: B+

Comments: Very good IPA, but honestly I would go with one that isn't quite as heavy. Bell's Two-Hearted comes to mind as a good one (and Ranger IPA from New Belgium) that are great tastes and aren't quite as heavy. This is worth a try for sure if you're into IPAs...I just wouldn't recommend putting back more than one or two, because you'll be full (and possibly feeling good with the 7.2% ABV!). Get out there and try this one out if you're a hop head!

Cheers,

Hurls

Blonde Doppelbock - Capital Brewery

Vitals:

Name: Blonde Doppelbock

Style: Doppelbock

IBU: ??

ABV: 7.8%

Gravity: ??

Purchased at: Riley's Wines of the World

Descriptions:

Appearance: Pours a burnt orange (very nice), with a half-finger of off-white head. Slightly below average retention, minimal lacing, and a small, thin cap. There looks to be plenty of carbonation in this one.

Smell: Smells of light malt, with a unique green apple smell to it and a hint of caramel and maybe toffee. You mostly get malt and citrus aromas, though, with a slight grassy hops aroma in the background.

Taste: The flavor is quite disappointing after the smell. I will say it improves a bit as the beer warms, though. At first it's very flat with mostly sweet malt and alcohol heat (that is not well-disguised or hidden by the beer). I thought there was a spice to this one, but it was mostly just the alcohol heat, which hits earlier than most brews. BORING.

Mouthfeel: Very creamy, but nearly no noticeable carbonation...which is very odd considering this beer looked highly carbonated. Sticks to your palate a bit; not too much else to describe here...very standard.

Overall Grade: B-

Comments: Not too much to say about this one; it's probably my favorite Capital Brewery beer, which is NOT saying much...this one is pretty forgettable.

Cheers,

Hurls

Little Sumpin' Sumpin' Ale - Lagunitas

Vitals:

Name: Little Sumpin' Sumpin' Ale

Style: American Pale Wheat Ale

IBU: 64.2

ABV: 7.5%

Gravity: 1.076 OG

Purchased at: Trixie's Liquor

Descriptions:

Appearance: Pours a golden honey color with 2 fingers of off-white head. Solid retention, thin cap, amazing lacing, sporadic carbonation bubbles, but ultimately doesn't look like anything special.

Smell: This beer smells amazing - it smells sweet but it's not a very malty smell. You definitely get some grapefruit and lemon, along with orange and/or tangerine. You get grassy and citrus hops as well to complement the other citrus smells. I honestly can't overstate how awesome this beer smells.

Taste: This beer hides its high ABV completely, wow. You get all of the fruits from the nose and you get the citrus hops right up front and center. It's interesting because the hops are almost all flavor with only a little bitterness. However, the wheat flavor imparts some bitterness, which is interesting. This is a great flavor overall and doesn't stick with you too long after the drink, which fits just fine with this one.

Mouthfeel: Light bodied with adequate carbonation and a bit of a dry finish. Not much else of note here, but definitely solid.

Overall Grade: A-

Comments: This beer drinks much lighter than the flavor would suggest, which is awesome. It could honestly be an IPA with the ABV that it boasts, but it drinks like a pale wheat (which it is) and tastes like a strong pale ale. Very interesting combination and this is definitely something worth checking out. Little Sumpin' Wild is even better (I had it at Quivey's Grove Beerfest, but didn't have time to review it in depth)! Enjoy!

Cheers,

Hurls

Summer Love - Victory Brewing Company

Vitals:

Name: Summer Love

Style: American Blonde Ale

IBU: ??

ABV: 5.2%

Gravity: ??

Purchased at: Riley's Wines of the World

Descriptions:

Appearance: Pours a gorgeous blondish-golden yellow with a huge, fluffy 2.5 fingers of head. VERY good retention and a lot of carbonation on this one. The brew is crystal clear with great lacing and a very respectable cap...overall gorgeous beer.

Smell: Quite a bit going on here...a floral hop aroma is the big one up front. You also get a bit of graininess, honey, lemon, and/or citrus hops. It's a great smelling beer, but there is just a ton going on (not a detractor, though).

Taste: Up front you get some grassy and citrus hops with a bit of lemon. This mixes in with a bread aspect (the grains) and the honey I was smelling to help balance out the beer. You get a floral hop finish with a little tiny bit of a bite and some lingering bitterness. You almost get piney hops, but I'm not sure if that's what I'm tasting at the tail end or not. Very good taste that hangs with you a little while.

Mouthfeel: Very light and drinkable, crisp and clean with a little bit of a dry finish that fits well with the beer. The mouthfeel reveals less carbonation than I thought the beer had just from looking at it.

Overall Grade: A

Comments: What a fantastic summer seasonal! This is almost as close as you'll get to an extremely tasty summer session able brew. Go get some (if it's still available)...you may have to wait until next summer to enjoy it though. The bottom line is that you can pretty much rely on everything that Victory puts out to be extremely good. If you can't get Summer Love, try another of their beers!

Cheers,

Hurls

Quivey's Grove Beerfest 2011 Recap

So, in being caught up in the semester and not having time to even update my beer reviews, I realized that I haven't even properly recapped the 2011 Quivey's Grove Beerfest (QGBF)

For those of you who don't know what QGBF is, the general idea is paying $35 for an all-you-can-drink 5-hour slop-fest underneath a tent with live music. Put another way: it is undeniably the single thing that I will miss most when my time in Madison is up (also I will miss the New Glarus beer availability). So, in late-June each year a few thousand people shell out $35 per ticket (wifey and I included) and therefore buy themselves the right to enjoy an amazing experience in the future.

Mike and Amanda made it with us last year, so we made plans again and included Marc and Carol (and Marc's parents, who were in town as well). Mike, being crafty with his woodwork and tools, crafted us baller paddles to carry multiple glasses (so only one person had to run into the tent to get the beer). In other words, we were much more prepared than last year...when we brought absolutely nothing and huddled around inside the tent.

The only down-side to our plans were realized while Mike and I were watching the Phillies lose a playoff game the night before the wonderful beer-filled holiday. Mike receives a text from Amanda asking where their tickets were and saying that she couldn't find them. Gut punch to the stomach. Mike and Amanda moved in the summer and apparently lost their tickets, so they were unable to attend the beerfest :-(.

All in all, we had a great time, and I am going to list out the beers that I sampled and the grades that I gave them (just quick ratings, and my palate was so abused by the end of the day that some of them may be meaningless). I will also include a listing of brewers who were in attendance.

My Beers:

1. Hennepin Saison (Brewery Ommegang): B+/A-
2. Ommegang Wit (Brewery Ommegang): B-
3. Red's Rye IPA (Founder's Brewing Company): B
4. Little Sumpin' Wild (Lagunitas): A+
5. Satisfaction Jacksin (Ale Asylum): B+
6. Bell's Oktoberfest (Bell's Brewing): B
7. Bell's Lager (Bell's Brewing): B
8. Autumnal Fire Doppelbock (Capital Brewery): B
9. Hop Cream Ale (Capital Brewery): A-
10. Local Acre Wet Hop Lager (Lakefront Brewery): B+
11. Pumpkin Lager (Lakefront Brewery): B-
12. Oktoberfest (Sprecher Brewing Co.): B
13. Point 2012 Black Ale (Stevens Point Brewery): B+
14. Whole Hog Pumpkin Ale (Stevens Point Brewery): B+
15. Matilda (Goose Island): B+
16. SOS Weizen (Abita Brewing Co.): B
17. Rusty Red Ale (Oso Brewing Co.): C+
18. Belgian Style Wheat (Upland Brewing Co.): B+
19. Wavehopper Kolsch (Big Bay Brewing): D
20. Long Weekend IPA (Big Bay Brewing): C+
21. Hoptoberfest (Milwaukee Brewing Co.): C
22. Staghorn Octoberfest (New Glarus Brewing Co.): B+
23. Painted Ladies Pumpkin Spice (Tyranena Brewing): B+
24. Full House Pale Ale (House of Brews): C-
25. Noble Trappist Ale (Grumpy Troll Brew Pub): C
26. Norski Nut Brown (Grumpy Troll Brew Pub): C+

The full list of brewers is:

1. Brewery Ommegang
2. Crispin Cider Company
3. Founder's Brewing Co.
4. Lagunitas
5. Ale Asylum
6. August Schell Brewing Co.
7. Bell's Brewing
8. Capital Brewing Co.
9. Great Lakes Brewing
10. Lakefront Brewery
11. Minhas/Rheinlander Brewing
12. Pearl Street Brewery
13. Sprecher Brewing Co.
14. Stevens Point Brewery
15. Goose Island Brewing Co.
16. Magic Hat
17. New Belgium Brewing
18. Great Dane Pub & Brewing Co.
19. Vintage Brewing
20. Abita Brewing Co.
21. Oso Brewing Co.
22. Pangaea Brewing
23. Potosi
24. Upland Brewing Co.
25. Big Bay Brewing
26. Central Waters Brewing
27. Cross Plains Brewing Co.
28. Furthermore Brewing
29. Jacob Leinenkugel / Blue Moon
30. Lake Louie Brewing
31. Lithia Brewing
32. Milwaukee Brewing Co.
33. New Glarus Brewing Co.
34. Summit Brewing Co.
35. Tyranena Brewing
36. House of Brews
37. Grumpy Troll Brew Pub

If you ever have a chance to go you should definitely try to attend. It's well worth the $35 bucks. Next year we're going to be even more prepared, with bottled water, pretzel necklaces, "order" menus, etc. It's going to be epic...so epic that I'm looking forward to it 10.5 months in advance!

Cheers,

Hurls

Ranger - New Belgium

Vitals:

Name: Ranger

Style: American IPA

IBU: 70

ABV: 6.5%

Gravity: 14.6 Plato

Purchased at: Trixie's Liquor

Descriptions:

Appearance: Pours a bright burnt orange, which somehow makes me think it'll be more hoppy than malty. About a half-finger of off-white head, surprisingly poor retention and cap, but good lacing. There is not much visible carbonation and the beer has a translucent quality to it.

Smell: This beer smells AMAZING! There is a HUGE crisp citrus hop aroma, not too much malt to accompany it. There are some piney notes as well - I am literally salivating for this one...

Taste: The taste is a nice little roller coaster...going from SHARP citrus hops to sweet malt, back to hops again (citrus AND piney this time) to the finish. Very nice drinking experience. The taste is mostly hoppy, but you get some grapefruit in there...it's complex enough, but not overly so. This beer just tastes damn good...a very clean, crisp drink that leaves a long aftertaste. Hides the ABV quite well.

Mouthfeel: Slightly to the heavier side of medium bodied and not too much carbonation. The mouthfeel fits the beer well...it's juicy/creamy but doesn't dry you out...coats your mouth and gives you that oily feel.

Overall Grade: A-

Comments: This is a VERY good IPA...I would definitely drink it again and almost pit it against Bells Two-Hearted, which is saying a lot. At 6.5% ABV and 14.6 Plato it is much too high ABV and too heavy to drink too many of them, but hop heads will love this offering from New Belgium. They seemingly make almost entirely solid beers.

Cheers,

Hurls

Tripel Nova - Ale Asylum

Vitals:

Name: Tripel Nova

Style: Belgian Tripel

IBU: ??

ABV: 10%

Gravity: ??

Purchased at: Riley's Wines of the World

Descriptions:

Appearance: Pours a very light straw color with about a half-finger of head that is bone white. Poor retention, with no cap or lacing...disappointing in regard. This beer is CRYSTAL clear - usually you get that yeasty/cloudy look in a tripel, but this is incredibly clear.

Smell: Smells great - mostly overripe banana and oranges, with a tiny bit of piney aroma. What strikes me most is the softness of the Belgian yeast notes...you don't get nearly as much spiciness or nearly the amount of Belgian funk that you normally do. Good, soft nose on this one...

Taste: VERY sweet up front and you actually get the alcohol warmth coming on in the middle of the taste (as opposed to most beers, which normally have it at the finish...in my experience at least). It actually does a reasonably good job of hiding the 10% ABV (YES, 10% ABV...wow! have one of these and go about the rest of your evening...these will lay you out!). You get the overripe banana and orange tastes as well, which pair nicely with some other esters. The taste follows the nose with the yeast/spice aspect, which is good and different...it seems almost like the normal spice is replaced with a honey-like sweetness.

Mouthfeel: This is rather thin for the style, but still retains a little bit of creaminess...not too much carbonation. This is definitely not typical, but is pretty good in all aspects.

Overall Grade: B+

Comments: Very good triple...not quite "Belgian" though. This is a lot different than most tripels I have had, but it's pretty darn good IMHO. Check it out! Another good Ale Asylum brew.

Cheers,

Hurls

Headwaters Pale Ale - Victory Brewing Company

Vitals:

Name: Headwaters Pale Ale

Style: American Pale Ale

IBU: ??

ABV: 5.1%

Gravity: ??

Purchased at: Riley's Wines of the World

Descriptions:

Appearance: Bright, clear orange color...no haziness at all to it really. Half a finger of off-white head that leaves quickly and has poor cap/lacing for an APA...

Smell: Smells great, vibrant even...lots of citrus (fruit and hops...orange maybe?) and also some piney hops. There is a very solid malt smell behind all of the hops, though, which gives it a sweet bready smell to it. Great smelling beer.

Taste: I get a burst of orange from the onset and citrus hops follow shortly thereafter...it seems to jump down the middle of your tongue all of the way to the back of your throat. The malt has a nice caramel sweetness to it and is solid (not completely overrun by the hops) so you get a nice balanced beer. This really tastes great...the piney hops and bread from the nose are there, but not in a big way. The taste really sticks with you.

Mouthfeel: Slightly on the lighter side of medium, with adequate carbonation and boy is this one drinkable. You get an oiliness that sticks with you a bit; very pleasant overall mouthfeel.

Overall Grade: A-

Comments: Yet another great beer from Victory...I've come to respect most everything they do. I would suggest that you grab this if you're a hop head or are just looking to try what a great APA should taste like. Enjoy some of Pennsylvania's finest!

Cheers,

Hurls