Thursday, August 2, 2012

Pizza Boy Brewing Ballet IPA

I stopped in to Al’s of Hampden and ordered a glass of Pizza Boy Brewing Ballet IPA on cask. The beer pours a red amber color with a frothy white colored head. The aroma consists of caramel, lemon, vanilla, anise, and pepper. The taste is bold with caramel and plenty of anise on the front end adding a sweetness the beer with a spiciness afterwards. There are hints of lemon and pepper on the finish. The alcohol content is 9.1% ABV. This was a wonderful beer that spotlights anise, provided you like the flavor. I know some people do not, but I definitely enjoyed it very much in this beer.

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Brew Kettle One Eyed Jack Robust Porter

As part of a beer trade with Cleveland Food and Brews, I received a bottle of Brew Kettle One Eyed Jack Robust Porter. The beer pours a dark brown color with a foamy tan colored head. The aroma consists of toasted malts, chocolate, coffee, cream, and vanilla. The taste is smooth and bold with a milk chocolate body at first before a strong toasted malt flavor takes over the beer. A light hint of caramel and vanilla smooths out the finish, and a coffee flavor lingers behind to make up the after taste. The alcohol content is 6.5% ABV. This was a very bold porter with lots of toasted malt flavor. The coffee accent on the finish really rounded out the experience and made it very enjoyable to drink.

Monday, July 30, 2012

Round Guys BerlinerWeisster-WeissterBerliner

My buddy John picked up a growler of Round Guys BerlinerWeisster-WeissterBerliner from the brewery for Al and I to share. The beer pours a pale yellow color with a bubbly and fizzy white head. The dissipating head makes a sound like Rice Krispies and is very therapeutic. The aroma consists of tart lemon, sour apple, wheat, and a light funk. The taste is tart with lemon on the front end and plenty of acid. It has a solid wheat base and a dry finish that leaves a watery flavor behind. This watery flavor should not be construed as a negative, but just a descriptor of the taste. The alcohol content is 4.8% ABV. I thoroughly enjoyed this Berliner Weiss with a acidic and tart overall composition with light citrus flavors to compliment.

Sunday, July 29, 2012

Alltech's Lexinton Brewing and Distilling Company Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale

My coworker gave me a bottle of Alltech’s Lexington Brewing and Distilling Company Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale to try. The beer pours an amber color with a bubbly white colored head. The aroma consists of bourbon, oak, caramel, vanilla, and alcohol. The taste is sweet and smooth with a caramel body providing the base. There is a bourbon accent that takes over the beer with a vanilla sweetness and an oak dryness. A hint of alcohol tickles the tongue. The alcohol content is 8.19% ABV. The bourbon flavors were nice in this beer, but the body did not just stack up to the strength of it. I can’t say I was a huge fan or would seek it out again, but if I saw it I would drink it.

Brouwerij De Molen Zomerhop

My June shipment from the Rare Beer of the Month Club included a bottle of Brouwerij De Molen Zomerhop.  The beer pours a golden color with an extremely lofty white head that leaps out of the glass. Furthermore, the cork popped right off the bottle when I was untwisting the cage. The aroma consists of orange, tangerine, grapefruit, orange, candy, and grass. The taste is dry and light bodied with a great citrus profile. Orange, tangerine, grapefruit, and lemon all show up for the party. There is a light peppery finish with a hint of dryness to it. The alcohol content is 6.2% ABV. I liked the bitter hop presence of the beer while it had a light body.