Anderson Valley Hop Ottin IPA

While out for my birthday in Pittsburgh at Buffalo Blues, I ordered a glass of Anderson Valley Hop Ottin IPA. The beer pours a red amber color with a filmy white head. The aroma is sweet with light hints of caramel. The taste is big on caramel and toffee but the finish is lightly watery and leads way to a slight hop bitterness in the aftertaste. The alcohol content is 7.0% ABV. While I noticed that the beer received mostly positive reviews on Beer Advocate, I thought that the Hop Ottin IPA was very disappointing. Overall, there was not enough oomph in the finish or enough hops to balance out the caramel sweetness that comes on the front end of the beer.

Anderson Valley Brother David's Double

I picked up a bottle of Anderson Valley Brother David's Double on my last visit to New Jersey. The beer has a brown color with a lofty and bubbly tan head. The aroma is filled with raisins, sweet malts, and a light alcohol bite. The taste is very sweet and creamy on the front end with fig and raisins. The beer finishes with a light alcohol bite and hop bitterness. The alcohol content is 9.0% ABV. I thought that Brother David's Double was a very excellent double. The alcohol is mostly well hidden, but is there enough to remind you that you are drinking a Belgian double.

Anderson Valley Winter Solstice Seasonal Ale

I picked up a bottle of Anderson Valley Winter Solstice Season Ale at Brass Rail. The beer has a brown color with red hues and a light bubbly head. The aroma is sweet with cherry and caramel accents. The taste is very malty and sweet with hints of honey and cinnamon and it has a light nutmeg finish but doesn't dry out the mouth. The alcohol content is 6.9% ABV. I thought this beer had an excellent balance of sweetness and spiciness. I really liked how smooth the beer is and the amount of flavors included in one bottle.