Weyerbacher Whiskey Barrel Aged

I picked up a six-pack of Weyerbacher Whiskey Barrel Aged from the brewery. This beer is one of their one-off Brewer’s Select Series beers. The beer pours a dark brown color with a small bubbly off-white colored head. The aroma consists of whiskey, chocolate, toasted malts, oak, and vanilla. The taste is dry and very biting with a strong whiskey presence on the tongue with a solid dark chocolate based. Some caramel and toasted malts peek through and vanilla and oak come out on the finish. A light sweetness hangs on in the after taste. The alcohol content is 9.0% ABV. The base brown ale to this beer held up amazing against the whiskey barrel aging and blended to make a more than wonderful beer.

Lincoln Abbey Lincoln IPA

The beer pours an amber color with a lofty and frothy off-white colored that leaves specks of lacing on the glass on the way down. It’s not quite like Dogfish Head’s 60 Minute IPA, but what is? The aroma consists of fresh hops, orange, tangerine, grapefruit, passion fruit, lemon, and pepper. The taste is smooth with a caramel and toasted toffee flavor before the bitter hops hit the tongue. There are citrus flavors including tangerine, orange, grapefruit, and lemon that attack the tongue with a hint of passion fruit. On the finish, pepper and pine can be found on the back of the tongue. The alcohol content is 6.0% ABV. I was absolutely impressed with my IPA offering and I thought it was quite hoppy but had a nice sweet backbone that many people would enjoy. I look to brew this again in the future.

Stone Ruination 10th Anniversary Edition

I picked up a bottle of Stone Ruination 10th Anniversary Edition from Al’s of Hampden. The beer pours a golden color with a lofty and frothy white colored head that leaves some lacing on the glass. The aroma consists of pine, hop resins and oils, orange, tangerine, grapefruit, and a dankness. The taste is bitter and extremely hoppy with plenty of citrus flavors on the front end. Orange, tangerine, grapefruit, and lemon all present themselves before a hop resin takes over the mouth. This lingers for a little while before pepper and spruce flavors hit on the finish. The alcohol content is 10.8% ABV. This was an utterly fantastic Imperial IPA with great citrus flavors and major hop resins. It lingers in your mouth longer after it’s gone, and I was more than happy that it hung around.

Captain Lawrence Barrel Select Mother Barrel

As part of a beer trade with my friend Tim, I received a bottle of Captain Lawrence Barrel Select Mother Barrel. The beer pours a black color with a thin bubbly tan colored head. The aroma consists of chocolate, toasted malts, vinegar, cherry, and oak. The taste is puckering and tart, lots of vinegar, cherry and tartness abound. There is a little bit of chocolate and toasted malt in the background. The alcohol content is 10.0% ABV. This beer has a wonderful mouth pucker from the tart cherry and vinegar flavors but also had enough of a base to withstand it.

The Bruery White Oak

My buddy Matt brought over a bottle of The Bruery White Oak to share. The beer pours a golden color with a thick frothy white colored head that leaves a lacing on the glass. The aroma consists of oak, lemon, caramel, and alcohol. The taste is dry and boozy with a nice lemon flavor and plenty of bourbon on the tongue. A vanilla hint plays with some pepper and papaya. The finish has oak in it and a hint of cherry. The alcohol content is 11.5% ABV. The was a nice beer with plenty of powerful flavors including bourbon, oak, lemon, and papaya. I would absolutely grab another bottle of this if I saw it.

KleinBrouwerij De Glazen Toren Saison D'Erpe-Mere

My buddy Adam brought over a bottle of KleinBrouwerij De Glazen Toren Saison D'Erpe-Mere to share. The beer pours a pale golden color with an extremely lofty and bubbly/frothy white colored head that leaves a little bit of lacing on the glass. The aroma consists of banana, grass, wheat, lemon, and earth. The taste is sweet on the front end with lemon, sugar, and banana before finishing off with grass and pepper. There is a wheat and earthy after taste that sits on the back of the tongue. The alcohol content is 7.5% ABV. This was a smooth and easy drinking beer that is light on the tongue. It was absolutely refreshing and packed with flavor, making for an overly enjoyable experience.

Captain Lawrence Hops 'N Roses

In a beer trade with my buddy Tim, I received a bottle of Captain Lawrence Hops N’ Roses. The beer pours a red tinted amber color with a thin bubbly white colored head. The aroma consists of rose, tart cherry, oak, and hibiscus. The taste is interesting, to say the least, with plenty of rose petals and hibiscus flavors on the front end. Some tart cherry and strawberry flavors make up the background with a light vinegar pucker. The finish has an early flavor that is very floral. The alcohol content is not available online, but I would assume it to be between 5 and 6% ABV. This was a slightly different beer to get used to, but it was quite flavorful and delicious. The nice sourness provided a great pairing with the floral aspects.

Duclaw Soul Jacker

I picked up a bottle of Duclaw Soul Jacker from State Line Liquors in Elkton Maryland. It is a blend of Devil's Milk and Black Jack Stout. The beer pours a black color with a frothy tan colored head. The aroma consists of chocolate, raisin, milk, caramel, fig, and a hint of alcohol. The taste is sweet with a little bit of a bite. Chocolate and caramel provide a base with milk accents and some toasted malts. The alcohol content is 9.5% ABV. While I thought this was decent beer, I wouldn’t say they absolutely blended all too well. As individual beers they may great, but blending gives a little bit of a weird flavor in the finish.

Appalachian Brewing Company Belgian Smooth Stout

I recently went to Appalachian Brewing Company for a concert and I decided to order a glass of their small batch Belgian Smooth Stout on cask. The beer pours a black color with a frothy tan head. The aroma consists of chocolate, toasted malts, and Belgian yeast. The taste has Belgian dark chocolate on the front end that is bitter with a roasted malts finish that is spiced up with Belgian yeast. Naturally, it has a dry after taste. The alcohol content is not available online, but I would estimate it to be about 6.0% ABV. This was a decent beer and had some great flavors, especially coming from being cask conditioned.

Dogfish Head Positive Contact

I picked up a bottle of Dogfish Head Positive Contact at State Line Liquors in Elkton, MD. The beer pours a golden color with a bubbly white colored head. The aroma consists of wheat, lemon, apple juice, and a spicy pepper. The taste is smooth and sweet on the front end with apple juice and light lemon flavors. A hint of cayenne hits the back of the throat from the head, and a cilantro spice mixes in there as well. All of the added flavors provide a light accent and are not too overpowering. The alcohol content is 9.0% ABV. I thought that this apple cider/beer hybrid was rather delicious and very enjoyable. It was most refreshing and had a dry finish, completely attributable to the cider content.

Bell's Black Note Stout

I was fortunate enough to be at Al’s of Hampden when he decided to tap Bell’s Black Note Stout and I ordered a glass. This beer is a blend of Expedition Stout and Double Cream Stout that is aged in freshly retired bourbon barrels. The beer pours a black color with a bubbly tan head. The aroma consists of bourbon, oak, vanilla, chocolate, and caramel. The taste is impeccably smooth and creamy with chocolate, caramel, vanilla, and oak flavors. There is a great bourbon accent mixed with a cherry finish. The alcohol content is 11.5% ABV. This was a wonderful beer with well balanced flavors. The smooth and robust flavors popped out of the beer and were met with open arms by the strong bourbon and cherry flavors to make a beer that is worth seeking out again.

Pizza Boy Brewing Hop Test #1 (Stakem)- Smoked IPA

While at Al’s of Hampden, I ordered a glass of Pizza Boy Brewing Hop Test #1 (Stakem)- Smoked IPA. The beer beer pours black color with a frothy tan head. The aroma consists of smoke, BBQ, caramel, chocolate, and lemon. The taste is smoky and very delicious with a chocolate and caramel base. A great BBQ flavor provides some mid-range accents and lemon and pepper come out on the finish. The alcohol content 8.7% ABV. As a style, I liked the smoked IPA better than a typical black IPA, as the added sweet and dry smoke flavors really played well with the bitter hops from the IPA.