Beer Review: Sierra Nevada - Narwhal

Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
Narwhal
Imperial Stout
10.2% ABV

Appearance: Pours an opaque black with brown highlights. Over three fingers of bubbly and creamy tan foam with great retention.

Smell: Not a whole lot going on here. Light roasted coffee and dark chocolate. As the beer warms, it becomes slightly more aromatic, bringing out notes of dark fruit such as currant.

Taste: Baking chocolate, coffee, roasted malt, a medley of dark fruits (plums, raisins, currants). Finishes somewhat boozy with hints of black licorice and oak.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, somewhat of a lighter mouthfeel but still nice and creamy with the perfect amount of carbonation.

Overall, I really enjoyed this imperial stout from Sierra Nevada. This bottle was probably a good 9 months old and actually had some nice barrel-aged characteristics to it. Smooth, creamy, complex, and fairly balanced with solid but not overpowering heat from the alcohol. I do wish it were more aromatic but it more than makes up for it in the flavor department. The cold winter months are typically dubbed stout season but that doesn't mean you can't enjoy a great stout under the summer sun. I'm looking forward to picking up more of this delicious black brew when it's released again this Fall.

4.5 out of 5

Beer Review: Founders - KBS

Founders Brewing Co.
KBS
Imperial Stout
11.2% ABV

Appearance: Pours an opaque black with two and a half fingers of rich, tan foam.

Smell: Bourbon, vanilla, oak, earthiness, baking chocolate, and lightly roasted coffee.

Taste: Follows the nose with bitter chocolate, roasted malt, caramel, coffee, oak, a bit of sweet vanilla and lots of great bourbon flavor. Not overly boozy. Just right.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied and silky smooth with a semi-dry oaky finish and fairly low carbonation.

Wow. I have to say that even after all of the hype surrounding this beer, I was still impressed. I was sort of expecting to be disappointed, assuming that this was just another one of those beers that quickly became overrated. Definitely not the case with KBS. It deserves all of the accolades it has received. I only wish it wasn't so hard to acquire as it is quite simply one of the top 5 best stouts I've ever had. Complex, flavorful, smooth, well-balanced, not too boozy (despite it's high ABV) and just an all-around pleasure to drink. The quintessential barrel aged stout.
Liquid perfection.

5 out of 5

Beer Review: Ballast Point - Big Eye

Ballast Point Brewing Co.
Big Eye
American IPA
7% ABV

Appearance: Pours a clear amber with three fingers of creamy beige foam.

Smell:  A clean lemon and pine aroma cuts through a sugary, sweet citrus (orange, pineapple and grapefruit) backdrop.

Taste: Much like Sculpin, this is a bitter beast. Lots of pine, floral notes, grapefruit rind, and a bit of a soapy lemon flavor.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, crisp and tingly carbonation that coats the tongue.

Overall, I enjoyed this quite a bit. It's definitely a bold and bitter IPA and, like Sculpin (it's bigger brother), it teeters on being unbalanced. But as intense as it is, it's also bursting with flavor. It makes me want to give Sculpin another go. I rated it fairly low the first (and only) time I've had it. Now that I know what to expect from a Ballast Point IPA (big bitterness!) and now that there isn't that huge hype hanging over the bottle, I feel like I'll find Sculpin a lot more enjoyable. As for Big Eye, I would definitely pick up this beer again.

4.5 out of 5

Beer Review: Potosi - Snake Hollow IPA

Potosi Brewing Co.
Snake Hollow
American IPA
7% ABV

Appearance: Pours a crystal clear golden orange with three fingers of creamy, bubbly white foam.

Smell: Honey, light floral and citrus hops, and some biscuity malt. Not a very bold aroma but pleasant sweet.

Taste: Mild pine, honey, floral hops, and light orange peel with bready and caramel malts. Very sweet, almost like candy corn, with a nice hop bite in the finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, crisp, lively, refreshing, and smooth.

Overall, this is a solid little IPA from the good folks at Potosi Brewing. Me and my wife went to Galena, IL for a few days after getting married last October and searching for nearby breweries I found Potosi. Established in 1852, it closed down in the early 70's but was purchased in the mid 90's and has since been remodeled completely but maintains much of the original stone and brickwork. They reopened in 2008 and now, shockingly, run as a non-profit organization, channeling all proceeds to charities. It's also the site of the National Brewery Museum. All in all, a really interesting and handsome little brewery. They make some solid beer as well, Snake Hollow being just one of them. I found this a really simple but nicely balanced IPA with a pleasant sweetness and amazing drinkability, especially considering it's 7% ABV. They just started distributing to the Chicagoland area last week so chances are you'll spot some at local liquor stores. If you're in the mood for a simple, tasty, and easy-drinking beer, check them out. Plus, you'll be donating to a charity. It's a win-win.

Beer Review: Greenbush - Anger

Greenbush Brewing Co.
Anger
Black IPA
7.6% ABV

Appearance: Pours a deep, opaque black brown with a towering three and a half fingers of thick greyish tan foam.

Smell: Fairly muted aroma of toasted malt, cocoa powder, caramel, coffee and a faint, almost grape-like, fruitiness.

Taste: Light citrus, roasted and caramel malts, cocoa, pine, some bitter grapefruit rind and a nice spicy bite. Superbly balanced.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied and fairly creamy with a lightly crisp finish.

Overall, this is one of the best black IPAs I've had. Unique, complex, flavorful, and perfectly balanced, this is a beer lover's beer. I wish the nose was a littler stronger but that's nitpicking at this point. No beer is truly perfect but when I come across a beer this good I can't help but give it a 5 out of 5. A fantastic beer from Greenbush, a relatively new and expanding Michigan brewery. They recently started distributing to the Chicagoland area so if you come across their beer, I highly recommend checking them out. You won't be disappointed.

Beer Review: Dark Horse - Edacsac Dekoorc Eert

Dark Horse Brewing Co.
Edacsac Dekoorc Eert
American IPA
6.5% ABV

Appearance: Pours a deep hazy orange with a frothy two and a half fingers of beige foam.

Smell: Very earthy and vegetal with hints of muted citrus.

Taste: Follows the nose fairly closely. Earthy, leafy, vegetal, and piney with some grapefruit rind and a biscuity caramel malt backbone. Very nicely balanced with a smooth, mild bitterness.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied and crisp. Goes down easy.

Overall, this is a pretty solid IPA but I'm not the biggest fan of this flavor profile. Part of Dark Horse's single hop Crooked Tree series, this one is brewed solely with Cascade hops, hence the name Edacsac Dekoorc Eert (Cascade Crooked Tree spelled backwards). Cascade are a great all-purpose hop and the most widely used in American craft brewing but they're typically combined with other hop varieties to add complexity and/or balance. In this beer it's the only hop used and I didn't care for the primarily earthy aroma and flavor. I did really enjoy the mild bitterness and balance, though. And that's the really cool thing about single hop beers: you get to learn what each individual hop variety
brings to the table. I didn't love this one but I would definitely recommend
giving it a try, if even just to start familiarizing and educating yourself on different hops.

3.5 out of 5

Beer Review: Odell - Tree Shaker

Odell Brewing Co.
Tree Shaker
Imperial Peach IPA
Imperial IPA
9.7% ABV

Appearance: Pours a murky yellow orange with some floating sediment and a big fluffy head of white foam.

Smell: Lightly sweet fruity aroma, not surprisingly of which peach is the most dominant. There's also some grassy notes. Somewhat muted overall but pleasant nonetheless.

Taste: Tangy, sharp, sour, and a little funky. Candied fruit (primarily peaches but also a bit of pineapple), and some spicy, grassy hops. Hard to believe this is almost 10% as I barely picked up on any alcohol.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, dry and a bit chewy with a super tingly, effervescent carbonation.

Overall, I found this to be pretty interesting and quite enjoyable. Definitely a unique brew and despite a rather high 9.7% this was very easy to drink. Lots of fruit flavor from the 3,000 lbs. of pureed Colorado peaches they used to brew this but at the same time I didn't find it overly sweet. It has a nice natural fruitiness as opposed to an artificial syrupy taste. The herbal spiciness and grassy notes balance out the sugary flavors rather nicely. A fun beer to share on a sunny summer day. Thanks to James Dalton for flying this in from Nebraska.

4 out of 5

Beer Review: New Glarus - Totally Naked

New Glarus Brewing Co.
Totally Naked
Pale Lager
4.25% ABV

Appearance: Pours a crystal clear straw yellow with a fluffy and chunky three fingers of white foam.

Smell: Nice spicy hops and sweet crackery malt. Simple but inviting.

Taste: Follows the nose with a light crackery malt, sharp, spicy hops, some yeast and a bit of tangy lemon. Fairly sweet overall.

Mouthfeel: Light bodied, crisp and clean with a creamy finish.

Overall, this is a straight forward but fantastic pale lager. Light but flavorful, crisp, refreshing and completely satisfying. A great summer session beer. As the label states, "This is beer at it's most basic". In this case, that's a good thing.

4.5 out of 5

Beer Review: 18th Street - Hunter

18th Street Brewery
Hunter
Milk Stout 
8% ABV

Appearance: Pours a rich, opaque, nearly-black brown with a scant finger or dark tan foam.

Smell: Charred smokiness, earthy and spicy hops, coffee, and a little hint of sweetness from the lactose sugar.

Taste: Smokey, earthy, spicy, bitter dark cocoa, coffee, and a bit of vanilla.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied and creamy but with a crisp finish.

Overall, I absolutely loved this stout. It's rich, complex, flavorful, and near perfectly balanced. I liked that this was hoppy but considering that it's labeled a milk stout I do wish that it was just a touch sweeter. Although the foam at the tail end of my glass tasted like chocolate milk, which was awesome. Aside from the lack of sweetness, I have to say that this is easily one of the best non-barrel-aged stouts I've ever had. 18th Street Brewery is 3-for-3 in my book (Sinister & Seven preceding Hunter) and I greatly look forward to seeing what these guys will do next.

*Side Note: The label artwork is badass.

5 out of 5

Beer Review: Odell - St. Lupulin

Odell Brewing  Co. 
St. Lupulin
American Pale Ale
6.5% ABV

Appearance: Pours a clear, pale reddish orange with three fingers of off white foam that clings to the glass.

Smell: Light musty citrus (tangerine/apricot) and a little bit of bright lemon. Some earthiness along with a little bit of sweet malt. Mild and pleasant.

Taste: Pine and lemon citrus zest with notes of floral and honey. Bready/caramel malt backbone and a nutty finish. Nicely balanced with a clean hop bite.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, crisp and clean with good carbonation.

Overall, St. Lupulin is another wonderfully crafted beer by Colorado's Odell Brewing Co. This is exactly what an APA should be. Flavorful, balanced, and refreshing. A perfect summer seasonal. This tasted great relaxing on the front porch at sunset after mowing the lawn.

4.5 out of 5

Beer Review: Three Floyds - Rabbid Rabbit

Three Floyds Brewing  Co. 
Rabbid Rabbit
Saison
7.4% ABV

Appearance: Pours a virtually opaque orange-yellow with over three fingers of fluffy white foam.

Smell: Light banana esters from the yeast and bottle-conditioning, peppery spice, a bit musty and somewhat sweet.

Taste: Herbal spiciness and subtle fruitiness. Not sure if its just from the reading the description but I do get hints of rock candy sugar. Has a spicy sweet alcoholic finish which lingers on the tongue.

Mouthfeel: Light-bodied, fairly thin, and surprisingly low carbonation.

Overall, I really did not care for this beer. It's labeled a saison but it doesn't feel like one to me. I found it to be overly spicy and lacking in fruitiness/tartness (both of which are characteristic of the style). The low carbonation was also very strange and unappealing and probably the worst thing about this beer. It's brewed with rock candy and chamomile, which I found interesting but ultimately the flavors don't mesh well and the resulting brew is disappointing.
I would never buy this again and frankly
I wouldn't recommend it, especially at an
inflated $11 a bottle.

2.5 out of 5