Elysian Ruin Rosemary Agave IPA

My fiancee ordered a bottle of Elysian Ruin Rosemary Agave IPA while we were at Black Gryphon and gave me a glass to try. The beer pours a golden orange color with a frothy white colored head that leaves specks of head in the glass. The aroma consists of lemon, orange, agave, caramel, and pepper. The taste is dry with lots of rosemary on the front end, lemon, orange, and caramel. Pepper and spruce appear in the finish with left behind hop dryness. The alcohol content is 7.3% ABV. This beer was pretty decent with a lot going on the tongue and was one of the more enjoyable beers from the Apocalypse series. I am a huge fan of agave, and it balanced very well with the rosemary.

Weyerbacher Seventeen

I ordered a bottle of Weyerbacher Seventeen while at Black Gryphon in Elizabethtown, PA for a buddy’s concert. The beer pours a cloudy golden color with a small bubbly white head. The aroma consists of pepper, tart lemon, coriander, and grass. The taste has a light sweetness before a funk sets in. Pepper, tart lemon, grass, hay, barnyard funk, and hints of orange and coriander all blend nicely with this beer. The alcohol content is 10.5% ABV. There was lots going on in this beer but it was fantastic and a really funky saison. I liked it so much that I picked up a four-pack of it at the brewery during the Sour Black release, and i hope it ages well.

Weyerbacher Sour Black

I picked up a couple of bottles of Weyerbacher Sour Black at the release party in Easton. This is a dark American Wild Ale that is aged in the barrels that formerly held Rapture. The beer pours a black color with a lofty and fizzy tan colored head that subsides rather quickly. The aroma consists of raspberry, vinegar, chocolate, toasted malts, and oak. The taste is tart and lightly sour with raspberry and vinegar. The base then shines through with chocolate and  toasted malt flavors. A hint of oak comes out in the finish with the bubbly mouth feel. The alcohol content is about 5.0% ABV. This was an interesting and amazing blend of flavors of light fruit tart with a strong chocolate and toasted malt flavor. They worked together better than I expected, and I was pleasantly surprised. I can’t wait to see how this ages.

Samuel Adams Verloren Gose

I picked up a bottle of Samuel Adams Verloren Gose at State Line Liquors in Elkton, MD. The beer pours a golden color with a frothy off-white colored head that leaves a thin lacing on the glass as it subsides. The aroma consists of grass, lemon, wheat, and a hint of barnyard. The taste is sweet and smooth with a lemon, caramel, and wheat base. There is pepper and grass bite to the beer on the back of the throat. The alcohol content is 6.0% ABV. While a decent Gose, I’d say it may have been a little too sweet for my taste of the style. Most of the small batch beers are a hit in my book, but this one wasn’t worth another purchase. With that said, it wasn’t a wasted purchase either.

Pizza Boy Brewing West Shore IPA

I picked up a growler Pizza Boy Brewing West Shore IPA from Al’s of Hampden. The beer pours a golden color with a lofty and frothy white colored head. The aroma consists of tangerine, orange, grapefruit, lemon, passion fruit, pine, grass, and caramel. The taste is light bodied but has a cornucopia of citrus and bitter flavors including tangerine, grapefruit, passion fruit, and lemon. There is a spicy pepper and grassy finish with pine and a funky and dank after taste that lingers on the back of the tongue. The alcohol content is 6.5% ABV. This was a wonderful IPA with plenty of bitter citrus flavors that pound the tongue and leave a nice dank flavor behind. I will definitely be ordering this beer again and again when I am at Al’s.

Cantillon Gueuze 100% Lambio Bio

My buddy Adam brought over a bottle of Cantillon Gueuze 100% Lambio Bio to share with friends and I forgot to snap a photo of it. The beer pours a golden color with a bubbly white head. The aroma is earthy and has lemon, funk, and barnyard aspects to it. The taste is light and dry with lemon, earth, funk, and horse blanket flavors with a little bit of a pucker on the finish from a vinegar accent. The alcohol content is 5.0% ABV. This was a great gueuze with a nice funk to it a bit of a sour pucker, all of the things I love in the style.

Duclaw Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Chocolate Rye Porter eXile Series X-1

I picked up a bottle of Duclaw Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Chocolate Rye Porter eXile Series X-1 from State Line Liquors in Elkton, MD to share with friends. The beer pours a black color with a bubbly tan head. The aroma consists of chocolate, vanilla, rye, oak, bourbon, and cherry, all leading to the conclusion that it smells like heaven. The taste is dark chocolate, vanilla, sweet bourbon, and a light rye spice. It has a silky smooth mouth feel and a dry oak and cherry finish. The alcohol content is 7.7% ABV. I absolutely loved this beer along with everyone else that tried it at my house. I will be seeking this beer out again, especially for the $7.50 price tag. The blend of flavors played together really well from the sweetness to the spiciness and finishing with the oak accents.

Duclaw Retribution

Another beer I picked up from State Line Liquors in Elkton Maryland to share with friends was Duclaw Retribution, a Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout. The beer pours a black color with a thin filmy beige head. The aroma consists of chocolate, vanilla, bourbon, cherry, alcohol, and toasted malts. The taste is very balanced with chocolate, vanilla, bourbon, oak, and cherry. There is a light alcohol bite in the background on the finish. The alcohol content is 10.5% ABV. Retribution had a wonderful blend and mix of flavors that danced on the tongue and made this beer drinker very happy. I would absolutely buy this beer again and again.

Elysian Prometheus IPA

My buddy Matt brought over a bottle of Elysian Prometheus IPA to share with friends. The beer pours a golden color with a bubbly white head. The aroma consists of caramel, malt, orange, and tangerine. The taste is dry and slightly bitter with lemon, tangerine, orange, pepper, and grass. There is a dry but toasted toffee sweet finish. The alcohol content is 6.7% ABV. This was somewhat of a middle of the road IPA and not too memorable for me. It wasn’t a terrible beer, but I’m not sure I would seek it out on a regular occasion.

Liquid Hero Hop Hero #6- Double IPA

My buddy Ed brought over a bottle of Liquid Hero Hop Hero #6- Double IPA to share with friends. The beer pours an amber color with a frothy cream colored head that leaves a thin lacing on the glass. The aroma consists of caramel, tangerine, orange, and grapefruit. The taste is dry and bitter with orange, tangerine, and passion fruit punishing the tongue. There is a peppery finish, but no hop oils left behind. The alcohol content is 9.5% ABV. This was a tasty Double IPA with a good citrus content. I wouldn’t say it was the most intense Double IPA I’ve had, but very enjoyable and somewhat easy drinking.

New Belgium Lips of Faith Tart Lychee

I picked up a bottle of New Belgium Lips of Faith Tart Lychee from State Line Liquors in Elkton, MD and decided to share it with some friends. The beer pours a cloudy golden color with a frothy white head that leaves some lacing on the glass. The aroma consists of what I assume to be lychee (I’ve never smelled it before) but I would liken it to raspberry and cranberry. The taste is light and dry and very bubbly on the tongue. There is a tart lychee (I get the name!) flavor that tastes like raspberry. Cinnamon dryness on finish adds a pie crust flavor and balances everything rather nicely. The alcohol content is 7.5% ABV. This was a rather delicious wild ale. Having never tasted or smelled lychee before, I wasn’t sure what to expect but I enjoyed my first exposure to the fruit and I would definitely buy this beer again.

Westvleteren Blonde

My buddy Adam brought over a bottle Westvleteren Blonde to share that he won at the Monk’s Cafe Pliny the Younger Day raffle. The beer pours a golden color with a bubbly white head. The aroma consists of banana, pepper, earth, yeast, and is a little bit funky. The taste is light and crisp with banana, earth, and a bit of funk. The beer is a bit sweet with a bready mouthfeel. The alcohol content is 5.8% ABV. This was a decent beer with a nice flavor and a bit of spiciness. I went in the reverse order, I believe, in my Westvleteren tasting, as I first had the 12, then the 8, and finally the blonde. While it is an excellent beer, I didn’t enjoy it enough to seek it out like I would the 12.