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.

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.

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.

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.