Grut (Gruit) Bier, Munich Germany

Here I have something I've been hoping to try for a while. A gruit beer that advertises itself as being "brewed as they did in the 13th century." The importance is that hops, a flower bud that gives beer its 'bitter' flavor and also is a potent preservative, wasn't used in beer until fairly recently, less than 600 years. Before then early brewers used a variety of berries, herbs and spices (known as gruit) to give beer it's flavor. True beer, as first defined by the German Food Purity Law, is flavored by hops, so this beer, a gruit beer, is technically a 'proto-beer' and is pretty excited to a geek like myself.

I picked up a bottle of this from the Spuytin Duyvil beer store in Williamsburg. Just a note - I'm actually not sure which brewer made this as the label simply says "Brewed in Munich by Dr. Fritz Briem". Being as this is my first try with a gruit beer, I won't rate it as I have nothing to compare it to.

The Pour- the beer is a light orange color, similar to a wheat beer. It's opaque with no head. A very small grouping of bubbles appear in groups, similar to the Midas Touch, something I normally associate with sweetness. Looks cool and refreshing.

Nose - First wiffs are of a strong, bready yeast, like a loft of freshly baked whole wheat. After a moment the nose fills with a strong bouquet of spices and tang. Similar to a belgian saison with notes of citrus and bitter brett yeast.

Mouth Feel- Very flat, like a stout... actually no noticeable carbonation. Very little body, similar to a ginger ale left open for a few minutes, very light and very refreshing. It's fresh from the fridge so it's nicely cold and goes down fast.

Taste- a little lacking here actually. The beer really perks up the back and roof of the mouth and is sitting there after a few sips. A particularly 'wild' bitter yeast, most likely brett, gives is a strong tang. Gone are the citrus notes and really most flavoring of any kind. Not quite unpleasant as it goes down very quickly without lingering at all. Bottle says 4.6% and I'm not getting any alcohol warmth at all. A very mild session hitter, somewhat similar to a mass produced american lager that can go down quickly and rapidly.

Overall: a bit anticlimactic really. I was anticipating big wild flavors of all the juniper berries, bay leaves, ginger and anise that it was brewed with (according to the bottle) but I'm getting little else than the bitter yeast. I can easily imagine a group of feudal serfs pounding these by the liter is a dark ages pub but something is missing. This really makes one fonder and more appreciative of hops, what an experience that must have been to taste hops for the first time. Finally beer has body, sticky resins that coat the mouth and make it a full sensory experience. Either way, I would definitely pick up another bottle of this or any other gruit beer that comes my way. A nice connection to the past.

Smuttynose Maibock

I've been very interested in bocks ever since I first heard of these heavy and malty treats back over the summer. I've made my way through the dobbles and a few singles but this is my first maibock. I did some research so I know that these were typically brewed in the Spring (hence Mai or May, they are also called Hellerbock where heller is German for Spring) and they are typically the most heavily hopped of traditional lagers.

I picked up this bomber from Bierkraft for about $7. Label indicated it was brewed this year, at only around 6.5% abv, I wouldn't really age this beer.

The Pour - A very light, caramel color beer with a nice 2 fingers of head. Not nearly as syrupy as many dobblebocks I've had, while still resembling more of a pale ale than a pilsner. The head leaves fairly quickly but leaves some extensive lacing.
7/10

Nose - Hoppier than a traditional bock but I still wouldn't call this a 'hoppy' beer, not compared to how things get hopped now-a-days. Strong sweet malts as well along with the typical light, fizzy lager freshness. I'm missing a lot of the interesting mini-scents that an ale would be giving off but this is interesting - the fizzy carbonation does keep this smelling nicely for quite a while. Very pleasant.
7/10

Mouthfeel - A bit of an odd combination, the malt is potent but not as deep or thick as other bocks I've tasted. Typically I like how with a dobblebock the viscosity of the beer and the alcohol content team up to really make it a 'big' experience. I'm just not getting that here. This is a tinier beer with a nice amount of hops that makes it more chuggable though. Very similar to a pale ale in body and flavor, just not as complex. Also not nearly as filling as typical bocks, I could drink a couple of these before filling up.
7/10

Taste - Tinier than I'd like as I've said. I feel like the lager yeast cuts this beer off at the knees and prevents it from becoming a richer experience. That being said, not all beer is made to be savored and Smuttynose has done a great job at matching the sweetness, bitterness and lightness to make this a very drinkable beer. Its a session beer that is well balanced and seems like it would hold up well over the course of a evening. That said, I'm somewhat not engaged by it. Hrmph.
6/10

Overall the Maibock gets a 27/40 outta me. Not a terrible review considering where my preferences lie and that this is my first time trying a maibock. I'd love to see a dobblemaibock as this beer could be bigger and remember bigger = better.

What I haven't been posting or Enough with the IPA already!

I think the tap list of Brouwerij Lane in Greenpoint is a good barometer by which to judge the beer climate. A month ago you could find 5 or 6 IPAs on there with 2 or 3 imperials. As of this morning I count only 3 imperials. In their place I find a brown ale, a barley wine and a handful of saisons and oktoberfests.

As much as I love the IPA I think it's time to indulge in malt for the time being and try start warming up my gullet for this winter's crop of barley wines. So in interest of being fair here are some things I've been tasting without posting and things that currently in the ol' lock up.

Recent Tastings-

Troeg's Troegenator Dobblebock - very tasty lager for the fall with a smooth creaminess.

Dogfish Head Sah-tea - a very sweet fermented beverage inspired from traditional nordic brews. Much sweeter and lighter than I anticipated, very similar to the Midas Touch surprisingly. I have 2 more 750's to try.

Troeg's Amber Ale - fruity and sweet with just enough hops to make it palatable. Not something I'd drink a lot of but very refreshing for a hop tired tongue and perfect for a fall afternoon.

Slyfox Hops Project 2008 IPAs and 2009 Pale Ales - Tasted over at the Gate last week, each year Slyfox makes 8 or 9 versions of a single style to explore the subtle differences. Last year was the IPA, which they 3 or 4 left over and this year was the Pale Ale with about 10 varieties on tap. I tasted a few that were interesting but the 2008 Amarillo IPA really blew me away. A whispy head with intense lacing and a potent hops upfront made this special.

Green Flash Imperial IPA

I've had the great fortune to enjoy a few bottles of this lately. This beer occupies a special place in the hearts of my brother and I from one magical night in which we found it on tap at Muggs Alehouse in Williamsburg and were just blown away. Anywho, he actually gave me this bottle (the last of a case as I believe) as a gift the last time I visited him down in Philly.

Served from a bomber, slightly below room temperature, into a whisky tumbler.

The Pour: A very colorful IPA, the green flash is a cloudy, dark amber without the reddish tones of some "American Strong Ales" nowadays, a good thing. There is a fluffy pillow of head that forms, about 1 finger, than leaves rather quickly. The beer pours surprisingly smoothly without being syrupy like many ales this heavily malted can be. Visually it resembles a more golden single IPA than many east coast DIPAs. Very pretty but not as nice as I remember the draft being. I think this beer chafes at being bottled a bit.

7/10

Nose: The tumbler gave plenty of breathing room for this but I wasn't quite finding the intense fresh hop scent that I know this beer should have. Again I think this beer is meant for the keg or cask to really get it fresh and tasty. Still, this is intensely hoppy in a unique way and by this I mean it's pure hop juice. If you grabbed a fresh hop bud and rolled it in your hands, it would be less hoppy than this beer can be. Occasionally I get those intensely BIG hop odors from this but not like the draft that you could smell being poured across the room. I wish I could have that again...

6/10 (only because I know what it could be)

Mouthfeel: Heavily sweet without being syrupy which is great. A beer with this much hop oils and malt in it can get very viscous and coat your mouth but not the Green Flash. It's the perfect guest that knows not to overstay it's welcome longer than it needs to. Very nice and well balanced.

10/10

Taste: Mmmm.....mmm... So good. I may have missed the hops in the nose but they are still loud and clear in the taste. This is so potently hopped its unbelievable. The sweetness and the alcohol follow afterwards and remind you just how big a beer this is. Still, from the draft these notes were muted because the hops were overwhelming from all angles. This feels like a much more balanced beer now, more than just a one hit wonder. Unfortunately, this does make it more pedestrian as it now blends in with so many other DIPAs that are hoppy and sweet and delicious.

7/10

Overall: From the bottle I'd give the Green Flash a 30/40. It's just not the same beer as it is fresh from the tap. What makes this beer special is just how heavily hopped it is and how unbalanced it feels, like it or love it, it's unique. From the bottle, however, it balances out into one of the best DIPA's out there without standing out from that illustrious crowd. I'd be interested in tasting a bottle fresh from the brewery sometime as I bet that's much closer to what I want. Or better yet, just find it on tap again.

Stone 13th Anniversary Imperial Red Ale

Stone released the 13th Anniversary back in early Summer and I quickly snatched up as many bottles as I could of this one time release. I've been able to enjoy about case of it while it was available and I'm now down to my last two bombers, well, my last one after drinking it for this review. If I remember correctly I picked it up for about $6 a bomber at Biercraft in Park Slope.

Disclaimer -*- I must admit to having 2 bottles of Stone IPA before tasting this so my palate was already hopped out. All the better for me!

The Pour- A deep mahogany color, unfiltered with a lively, soda-y head. This is definitely a solid imperial red ale. A genre that seems to be getting more and more popular on the West Coast what with the Green Flash Hop Head Red, the Bear Republic Imperial Red, Lagunitas Lucky 13, etc. This is a bit thicker looking than most reds though to go along with it's 9.5% ABV. Loses some points as I prefer a frothier head in beers this big.

7/10

Nose - The hops are milder than I remember then being when the bottle was new but still very pungent and delightful. A particularly West Coast resin and spice are present but much less then I remember. Also present is a smokey malt scent that I definitely haven't detected before in this brew, which is nice. The booze makes a guest appearance towards the finish. Very nice smell here.

8/10

Taste - So much sweeter than I remember! No doubt the hops has died down a bit since the bottling but I didn't realize just how big of a malty beer this was. This is really impressive considering just how drinkable it is without being too filling or ruining that taste buds. Especially after coming from the Stone IPA the Anniversary just tastes so complex with a lot fruitiness and thickness that just isn't found in regular IPA. I do miss the face meltingly bitter hops of the fresh bottling though...

7/10

Mouthfeel - I'm proud to see the Imperial Red finally have standard bearer in the market. There is so much going right in this beer it just reaffirms my belief that Stone is the best brewery in the US today. Their ability to control the character of the hops and bring across all the resiny notes, the spice and the mouth coating oils while at the same time not over doing the bitterness and controlling the massive amount of malt in the Anniversary is nothing short of masterful. This is a fantastic beer and I look forward to it being released again.

10/10

So I'd give the Stone a 32/40. I feel like I was perhaps a little too harsh on it because I miss the fresh hops of the young bottling but also because this is Stone and I expect nothing better than the best beers on the market from them. I still have one bottle of this in the cellar and I'm thinking I'll have to drink it soon as it's not bottle conditioned. Anyway care to join me?

Brooklyn Blast IPA

I saw this on the draft menu at the River Barrel in Greenpoint. It was written on a chalk board as Brooklyn "Blast" IPA... I was confused. A Brooklyn that I've never heard of? The waitress confirmed it was in fact a Brooklyn Brewery beer so I went for it. $7 for the pint.

(I'd just like to point out that before we even sat down Alicia asks me " 'Brooklyn Blast?' IPA? That's a new one, you should get it.")

The Pour-

So nearly perfect. The beer is a pale golden color with a vibrant soda-y head. The head lasts only a few sips before it fades away and leaves a good amount of heavy lacing. I would have liked to see a frothier head rather than a more typical soda type head but still, it was an intense amount of fluff. (sorry but Alonzo is walking all over the keyboard, get's tough to write a review with a cute ass kitten in the way). The color was perfect for an IPA, crystal clear and refreshing.

9/10

Nose -

I smelled this before the waitress set it on the table. Honestly, due to the odd "quotation marks" around the beer's name I was just expecting the Brooklyn IPA with a fancy nickname. Before it left the waitress's hands I already knew. This was an intense hop love affair, it wafted through up to my nose and I was head over heels before I saw it. I'd say in sheer over-the-top fresh sticky hop flavor it compares closest to the Green Flash Imperial on draft, just not quite as rediculous. Wow, this beer smelled so damn good, it was like my birthday.

10/10

Mouthfeel-

Light, smooth, crisp and refreshing. An amazing light feeling and tasting beer for the intensity of the hops. I am the first to argue that in order to bring hops to the next level one needs that malt intensity but this beer just gets the punches right. No thickness what-so-ever this one drinks like an ice cold lager in the middle of a hot summer day, easily and enjoyable through and through.

10/10

Taste-

Perfect, need I say more? The hops are perfect (it helps that the brewery is 100 yards away) and fresh and delicious and wow. The malt is nearly absent as this is an amazingly clear, light, crisp beer. I'd guess that this is a double IPA if only because of intense the hops are (I just checked BA and it is a double with an ABV of 8%). You'd never know it though because the alcohol is minor, the malt is minor, this is hop juice to the max. No, wait, it's better than hop juice, it's fresh hop juice. This is like sucking from the teat of the Hop Goddess of Fertility, so much like the Green Flash DIPA in that both of these beers are pure insanity, these hop are nutballs. It shows true art and talent to craft such a light & refreshing yet mouth blisteringly intense hop beer. This is close to perfection, I think Brooklyn just moved up a couple of spots in my top 5.

10/10

No doubt about it this is close to beer perfection, a 39/40. For as many beers wish they could be, this is a 'hop head's dream' in that its so hoppy, so insanely overwhelming hoppy yet so light and accessible. This is THE BEER that I dream about sipping in a beach chair, letting my stress just flow away. Find this beer and drink it now, what else are you doing with your life?

Lake Placid India Pale Ale

I don't really know much about this brewery but I picked up a 6 in my local bodega. I am always excited about local beers, especially IPAs and this one does actually feature an adirondack chair on the label! A new summer favorite? Let's see...

The Pour - An opaque, light copper color on this one with a finger of delicious looking foam. A solid start but the color has me a bit worried, could this be another heavily hopped red ales that more and more seem to be mistaken/mislabeled as IPAs? I'd really expect this to be more gold in hue. But the head is staying put for quite a while, that's promising. (The head actually stayed for the entire pint, that's nice for Stephen.)

6/10

The Nose - A good hops bite is there, not as deep as a 60 minute or a west coast IPA but still seems to be an IPA built true hop fans. There is a bit of sweet malt in the back, actually kind of similar to the 90 minute in odor. This is good.

7/10

Mouthfeel - Very, very crisp and light. The hops are upfront and a very pleasing level of bitterness, which is great. There is a tiny bit of malty syrup that is noticeable but it doesn't linger. This is definitely a beer I could drink in an armchair for a couple of rounds. Very drinkable, very light feeling, this is a session IPA.

8/10

Taste - The fresh hops make this quite tasty and overall it's going down pretty rapidly. It is very similar to the Brooklyn IPA, a personal favorite of mine. However the sweetness is stronger in the Lake Placid than I'd ideally like it to be. As it sits for a few minutes the hops is fading pretty quickly leaving the malt to stand for itself. This is not a good thing and is happening quite rapidly as the beer sits out of the fridge for less 10 minutes. Since it's so light the sweetness feels odd without the syrupy texture of as, say, the 90 minute. Unfortunately this is not a pleasant way for the beer to finish at all and it leads to pour out the last few sips. Fortunately I do have a couple more left and I know to drink these faster...

6/10

Overall-

This beer does have a lot of good qualities going it's way and its 28/40, so better than middling. It looses tons of points for the disappointing finish, why did you have to leave us so soon Hops? Also working against this beer is the fact that it is so similar to the Brooklyn IPA that I actually wish it were the Brooklyn IPA and I can't help but feel slightly upset about that. On it's own though, it is a very tasty IPA that I wouldn't mind drinking again, but remember, drink this one quickly...

Victory Helios

I had a terrific time at last night's Victory tasting down at Brouwerij Lane in Greenpoint. The best news I've heard in a while is that the Yakima Twilight recipe is finally locked down for mass production so I'm really looking forward to seeing 6 packs of that come available in November... not that I'm marking my calender or anything...

I enjoyed a few different things from the Victory line, the Wild Devil and Festbeir in addition to the super special Yakima. But the big surprise was a secret bomber of the Helios that the Victory rep, Pete, brought with him. Apparently it's a small rebranded re-release of a previous beer that is going to have a small release in the Philly area, so no luck getting it up here in the NYC area. A rare taste indeed. Here we go...

I had a 2 oz. taste of the helios in a 4 oz. glass.

The Pour - for only a 2 oz. pour the Helios produced a lively, stable head that stayed until the finish. Beer was a light, unfiltered gold color with slight particulates visible. It appeared to be a typical German saison by all outward appearances. Not my favorite style but it looked so cool and refreshing, I couldn't wait to jump in.

7/10

Nose - It appears that Victory has an ongoing love affair (see Wild Devil post forthcoming) with odd yeasts which I find very interesting from a beer history standpoint. The first smell of the Helios reveals the wild yeast clearly in addition to the typical citrusy witbeir malt. The hops is minimal, if noticeable, this is definitely a funky and complex beer wrapped up in a lighter than is common package. In this case the bitter yeast really supports the wheat malt and is very pleasant, a nice combination here.

8/10

Mouthfeel - Super light. Belgians have typically eluded me because they so light and whimsical I feel that I should be drinking them by the liter, but their flavor isn't my favorite so I end up having a couple of sips and moving on. Without a heavy malt or hops presence in the Helios, this too could be downed in mass quantities without too much regret, until one reads the 7.5% ABV on the side of the bottle.... oops. Quite pleasant really, somewhere in the ballpark of a light lager.

8/10

Taste - The belgian yeast and the wheat really blend together and provide a uniform taste that's hard to distinguish the subtler elements. This isn't a negative however as they work together perfectly, how is this the first Victory saison I've had? This is fantastic. Without the syrupy malt or hop-oils to coat your taste buds the flavors here are short lived in the swallow and the palate is left clean and ready for more. I could do some serious damage to a pitcher of this.

8/10

Overall the Victory Helios lands a 31/40 and is a fantastic brew. A session beer all the way, I could down this for hours sitting on the back porch in the late fall. It's a shame it's not hitting any taps in NYC anytime soon or else it would be a hit at sports bars and backyard bbqs. Next time I'm in Downington, I'll look for a few bombers...

Yakima Twilight DIPA

This is the beer that started it all for me. I'll be upfront, this is by far, my favorite beer of all time for oh so many reasons. To make it succinct, it's the beer that gets it all 'right' and this brew alone would be enough to make Victory one of my top 3 brewers in the country. (But then of course there is the Hop Devil, Wild Devil, Saison 8 and the godly Hop Wallop...they didn't really need this beer to make my top 3, it's just the icing on the cake) I'll say this right now, this beer will not be getting anything less than a perfect score as it is the beer against which I will compare anything else.

On tap from Barcade, $5 for a 10 oz. snifter. I'll admit that I check the local pubs' taplists pretty much daily and when I saw this hit, I ran down. It's worth noting that I had asked for a big-boy glass but they wouldn't serve me. I am unworthy to rate this beer.

The Pour- The twilight pours a deep, dark, heavenly color. The Mohegan stout I had over the weekend wasn't even this dark, and this is technically an IPA. Black through and through, the draft had minimal head and didn't last long enough to check the lacing. Now, I know that this is a supposed to be an IPA and I'd be a hypocrite for not docking points for it's color, but fuck that, this is a perfect beer.

10/10

Nose - Woh. Ahem. Let me think. Bold hops hit first, nothing overly fruity or citrusy as this beer lets you know right away that bitter is the new black. The hops smell fresh, they smell potently and they dominate the nose. Afterwards, a dark, coffee-y malt makes a presence and the nose is completed by a strong alcohol note that reminds you that this one clocks in around 9% ABV, which is actually a bit on the lighter side for some of the DIPA's coming out around now. The smell is really breath-taking and lets you know up front that this is a bitter beer as well as full bodied, fully flavored experience.

10/10

Mouthfeel - The malt is particularly present in the mouth as it gives the brew a syrupy thicker feel, somewhat akin to a barley wine or an imperial stout. The malt is perfectly complemented by the intense hop oils which coat the mouth and leave the flavor lingering to be savored for minutes between sips, although I'll admit I never waited that long. Wow, this is something special.

10/10

Taste - Total crap, forget this beer... I mean, c'mon? It's perfect! The dark, dry malt hits you at the same time as a mouthful of fresh super bitter hops to overwhelm you with a bitter full-mouth experience. After the initial shock (or at least after your bitter taste buds are overwhelmed) the sweetness pokes in and actually cleanses the palate a bit. A moment after the swallow the 9% ABV warms the throat and gut leading to a nose-mouth-throat-body experience that is unparalleled. Every sip completely takes over the palate and will overwhelm your senses. This is not a dinner beer, or even a dessert beer. This is a beer that is meant to the star of the show and it will set you up the bomb. Don't try and have a conversation while sipping this beer as it will not tolerate multi-tasking. Buy two glasses at a time for fear that it will run out. This beer kicks your dad's ass daily and sleeps with your mom. Do not taunt this beer. Chuck Norris drinks this beer dressed a catholic school girl so as not to make it angry. This beer destroyed the dinosaurs. Jesus tasted this beer and God started crying.

10/10

As I said, 40/40. This is a perfect beer. This is Victory's victory lap. Yeah it's not some high flying In-Your-Face super hop bomb from Stone or some pedigreed wunderkind from Dogfish, it's just the best beer I've ever tasted and if there is any left, I'm stopping by barcade tomorrow. and the day after. and the day after. Until it's all gone. It's just that good. Why am I typing right now? I should be at barcade...

Mohegan Cafe B.I.P.A.

Took a trip to Block Island this past weekend and had a chance to stop by the Island's only microbrewer, Mohegan. This late in the season they only had a few choices left and this lucky guy to taste them all (save for the chili pepper ale... yeah, no thanks).

I had a pint of the Block Island Pale Ale on draft, I think for $5.50...

The Pour - A deep red/amber unfiltered pint. This is definitely not what I had anticipated or wanted from a Pale Ale, first impression is that this might be a miss labeled red ale. There was a good finger of fresh and frothy head though which kept me interested. Head was whispy and enticing but dissolved almost immediately leaving light lacing.

4/10

Nose- Despite the surprisingly fluffy head, there was no hops present in the nose. Actually, there was no nose present in the nose other than the vague bitter-sweet scents that only served to prove that this wasn't a glass of water.

1/10

Mouthfeel - Too thick to be really refreshing and lacking in the IPAs hoppy crispness, this beer doesn't really have a leg to stand on. I would give it something for not being overly thick, it's at least in the right ball park but playing the wrong sport.

3/10

Taste - Ohhh, ok, I see the mistake now. This isn't an IPA. The malt is pretty up front lending a pleasant sweetness but the desiccated, passed-over mummies of buds that this brewer interpreted as hops left nothing but a hint of uninteresting bitterness. No depth and no freshness; I would feel awkward using beer words like 'citrusy', 'floral' or 'IPA' near the brewer. There is also a fairly strong tang to it, I think it might be brewed with an english bitter yeast or belgian strain. This element is not a terrible play on the expected style but it's unnecessary and ultimately just becomes another disappointment.

4/10

So in all the B.I.P.A. review is pretty damn harsh, 12/40, normally a score I'd save for very bottom of the beer barrel. The majority of points were lost due to the fact this beer seems to have been brewed by someone who has only third person accounts of what an IPA should be. To propose it's too sweet, too dark and not nearly hoppy enough, is probably the nicest thing I can say about it. The menu didn't help by proclaiming that it was the hoppiest thing available and that "if you're a fan of the IPA, this is for you." I mean... really?

But of course, it is a microbrew and the only one for miles around at that. One could do much worse than the B.I.P.A. (the party next to us was actually ordering 6 packs of Bud), and it's great to support local industry and especially small-town local beer. I just wish the stuff could have better...

Sixpoint Sweet Action

I found this one on tap at T.B.A., a beer garden in Greenpoint on Labor Day. Some friends and I shared an $11 pitcher and enjoyed the lovely outdoor space.

The Pour: A light but opaque amber coloring with a good amount of fresh draft carbonation and a vigorous but short lived soda-type head. Head remained for a few sips and left no lacing. Pretty average.

5/10

The Nose: A nice bitter hop scent but no depth here. The malt is sweet, but mild and distant, perhaps a hint of rye or wheat. The carbonation does a good job at keeping a pleasant nose up front however; the hops stayed through-out the pint and well into the pitcher. I keep getting a hint of a funky malt at the very end, is it bit of wheat in the mash? The nose is a bit generic so I'd only give it a 5 or 6 but the staying power deserves a boost.

8/10

Mouthfeel: A nice light bodied ale. The hops are a little simple for me, a good dash of bitterness but no complexity. The malt is also dialed back a bit similar to a pale ale or a bitter, which is odd considering the amber coloring suggests something maltier. Over all it's a very smooth drinker and a good choice for a pitcher.

8/10

Taste-

Again there is an odd aftertaste of something interesting in the mix. I'm thinking they add some dark wheat to the brew to add the color and give it a bit of depth it would otherwise be lacking. This is a very subtle beer and it seems about a 5% ABV. I enjoyed this as a lazy afternoon session beer and it served it's purpose well, however it's a bit too muted for me to really dig into. I'd like to see it with some fresher hops, something to wake it up a bit. I was reminded of some of the European beers I'd tasted in Ireland, especially in the bitter and wheat-y aftertaste. As I've said, a competent session brew but nothing I'd laud or particularly recommend. It gets bonus points for keeping up it's carbonation and hoppiness from the pitcher to the last gulp. I wouldn't order a pint of this again, but if it's on tap during half-priced pitchers during football sundays, well, that's alright by me.

8/10

Sixpoint is a Brooklyn brewer located in Red Hook. They don't bottle, so bars and growler fills are the way to go. I've had a few by them and always been happy, but left wanting something more. Maybe I just haven't had their big guns yet, but I'd love to see an imperial stout or a belgian tripple from these guys, taste what they can do when they reach for something higher than mediocre.

29/40

Southern Tier Oak Aged Unearthly IPA

Another local brewer! Some great talent is coming out of New York and Southern Tier has impressed me a lot so far. Another Whole Foods score, I think this one was $6.99 for the bomber.

Pour -

A medium caramel color with the expected carbonation and little to no head. A few moments rest really didn't make a difference as there was no head to begin with, no lacing. Quite frankly I was little underwhelmed, especially after enjoying the Captain Lawrence the night before...

4/10

Nose -

A lot of scents here, firstly the sweetness in the oak aging is prevalent. The underlying hops are fresh and pleasantly piney, another West Coast inspired IPA apparently. After few moments the oak dies down and the hops come out more, also revealing the booze. This definitely smells like a DIPA.

6/10

Mouthfeel -

Very syrup sweet with the oak and alcohol really making themselves known. Something like the bastard son of an irish whiskey and an english bitter, the sweetness really steps in front the hops. Completely different in every way from the C.L., and this surely isn't a session beer.

6/10

Taste -

It's tough to be fair to this one. It's just not the way I like my IPAs. The oak really moves in and makes the hops it's bitch. I do enjoy the fresh, smooth sweetness that the aging brings but when I look for the IPAs crisp refreshing hops, it seems they are in the kitchen making Oak a sandwich or a taquito or something. I mean, they're present but they're an after thought, in the other room and they can't hear you calling because Oak's music is too loud.

But, to be fair. The sweetness here is quite relaxing and pleasant, this just isn't a summer beer for me. Trade the ocean beach chair for an adirondack in the October breeze and you have yourself a evening.

4/10

So a bit of a disappointment for me here, 20/40. I won't totally write this one off though, it does have some very enjoyable qualities that I just wasn't expecting or wanting at the moment. I'll give it another try in a few months.

Captain Lawrence "Captain's Reserve Imperial IPA"

I picked up this bomber from the Whole Foods on Houston which has a terrific beer selection. Since most beer geeks are flocking to hipper distributers, the Whole Foods always has a terrific selection of rare brews that sell out more quickly in other vendors.

The Captain's Reserve was well stocked both refrigerated and on the shelf for $4.99 a bomber.

The Pour -

Absolutely the most beautiful IPA I've ever poured. In my pint glass the ale was a crystal clear, pale golden color with two fingers of a uniquely frothy head that resembled soft-peak-beaten-egg-whites or fresh snow. It was only with the greatest restraint that I left it to breath for a few moments. The head lasted a good five minutes with extensive lacing. This is the way an IPA is meant to look and I tip my cap to C.L. for allowing me experience this.

10/10

Nose -

The nose was an appealing mixture of West Coast hops: floral and piney with a hint of spice and a moderate marijuana scent. It mellowed rather quickly in a more subdued, generic hoppy aroma that didn't over power but didn't impress either. I'm a large fan of the complex, sticky hops characteristic of Stone, Green Flash, Sierra Nevada and other Cali brews and they were clearly represented in the C.L. (especially in the foaminess of the head). I felt that the C.L. had a more complex aroma than the Sierra Nevada or the Stone IPA but it faded disappointingly quickly.

7/10

Mouthfeel -

Light and crisp, very refreshing without the heavy malt creaminess evident in many DIPAs. I couldn't believe that this was all of 11% ABV. I could easily be drinking this in a beach chair cuddled up with a grocery store crime novel. Mmmm.

8/10

Taste -

For better and worse exactly what the nose promised. A rich, complex hop bite that covers all the bases without being too bitter; a nice sweet citrus upfront that fades to sticky pine and a warm layer of alcohol in the back. Definitely does not drink like an 11% ABV. Now, I'm interested to read Chas's opinion on this statement, but I'm not a man who likes a mouthful of malt in my IPA, if only because I'm a geek and a literalist. Historically, IPAs are built around the hops, not the malt and many brewers seem to forget this or cop out by saying, "Oh, this isn't an IPA, it's an American Strong Ale" (ASA vs. IPA argument is for another time). I bring this up because the brewers at C.L. seem to agree with me and this beer is decidedly not overly malted and that's fantastic.

Like in the nose the hops fade as the pint empties and the last few sips are much sweeter but mellow, if a bit uninteresting. However, the lightness of the ale combined with the absence of overly cloying malts left me ready to finish the bomber and dwell on the delicious hops once again.

7/10

So over-all on a 0-40 scale, I'd give this beer a 32. I will certainly be picking this one up again if I come across it. The pour alone is just wow... I mean, wow.

Labor Day - The Dog Days of the IPA

Ahh, Labor Day again. As the summer rolls into fall, it's the time of year to put away our summer shorts, bathing suits, whites and over-sized sunglasses for another year. Of course in the beer world the holiday serves to ring in the latest seasonal brews. Already Oktoberfest seasonals, ciders, and the obligatory pumpkin-ales are popping up on taplists everywhere (please, may this blog never mention Sam Smith's Banana-Bread Ale again).

This is also the time of year when your typical alcohol content starts to rise and before you know it we'll be awash in the latest Strong Ales, Belgian Dubbles/Trippels, and, my personal favorites, Barleywines. As some of the summer's IPAs will be disappearing from shelves (and the fall's Double IPAs are appearing) I think I should take some time to mention the IPAs that I've been drinking lately and the future of the style as I see it. Over the weekend I will try and update this blog on what's been in my glass over the few weeks in the sun, bottoms up!