Selin's Grove Ambition

While at Selin’s Grove Brewing on a recent trip, I tried the Ambition. The beer pours a golden color with a bubbly white head. The aroma is sweet with Belgian yeast and some earthy grass and pepper hops. The taste is sweet and smooth with pepper and banana making up a large part of the flavor. There is a light grassy finish that dries the mouth. The alcohol content is 7.0% ABV. This was a wonderfully bitter and dry blonde ale, one that would make me consider going back to the brewery just to order another glass.

Mikkeller Beer Hop Breakfast

My buddy Matt brought over a bottle of Mikkeller Beer Hop Breakfast to share amongst some friends. The beer pours a black color with a frothy tan head. The aroma consists of pine and lemon hops, chocolate, molasses, and coffee. The mouth feel is thick and the taste is chocolaty at first with a molasses weight on the tongue. It dries out on the finish with lemon, pine, and spruce. There is a light coffee after taste with lots of dryness. The alcohol content is 7.5% ABV. The Beer Hop Breakfast was so thick and delicious, a perfect beer for the hop lover. It has lots of bitterness built upon thick, sweet, and syrupy body.

Brouwerij Oud Beersel Framboise

I picked up a bottle of Brouwerij Oud Beersel Framboise from Al’s of Hampden to share amongst some friends. The beer pours a red tinted amber color with a thin filmy white head. The aroma consists of raspberry, cherry, oak, vinegar, and yeast. The taste is sweet at first with a slight sour kick before a raspberry and cherry sweetness comes in to play. The a not-over-the-top vinegar flavors comes out in the finish. The alcohol content is 5.0% ABV. I thought this Framboise was excellent and smooth. It is slightly sour so it could be a good introductory beer to someone who has not had sours previously. Although it is mostly dry, it does have some great fruity notes that were enjoyed by all.

Bullfrog Pay Dirt

I brought a growler of Bullfrog Pay Dirt, a smoked Belgian Ale, home from the brewery to review. The beer pours a caramel-amber color with a bubbly white colored head. The aroma consists of Belgian yeast, smoke, raisin, and cherry. The taste is smooth and sweet at first with banana, Belgian yeast, cherry, and pepper. Then, the smoke comes out in the finish, but is a light accent. The alcohol content is 6.5% ABV. I was a little apprehensive at first to this being a smoked beer and thought that it could ruin the sweetness of a Belgian ale, but everything was well balance and the smoke did not steal the spotlight from the yeast, it just providing a nice supporting cast.

Bullfrog Saison Nouveau

While at Bullfrog Brewery, I picked up a growler of the Saison Nouveau to bring home and review. The beer pours a golden color with a frothy white head . The aroma consists of pepper, lemon, Belgian yeast, banana, and grassy hops. The taste is dry and light on the tongue with plenty of lemon, pepper, Belgian yeast, and banana. The finish brings out some grassy hops and a slight dirt funk that lingers for a while. The alcohol content is 6.5% ABV. This was a very interesting saison, and I really think the earthy funk on the finish stood out and separates this beer from all others. The citrus and pepper flavors were spot on as well.

Deschutes Red Chair NWPA

As part of my beer of the month club from Beer on the Wall, I received a bottle of Deschutes Red Chair NWPA. The beer pours an orange-amber color with a frothy off-white colored head. The aroma consists of lemon, caramel, tangerine, and spruce. The taste is bitter and sweet at the same time with lemon, tangerine, orange, and pine all built upon a caramel backbone. The after taste is slightly sweet and dry. The alcohol content is 6.2% ABV. This was a wonderful pale ale and was definitely a departure from mainstream pale ales. It didn’t venture into being overly hoppy or malts, but just completely different tasting.

Sierra Nevada Best of Beer Camp Juniper Black Ale

As part of the Best of Beer Camp sampler pack I picked up from Sierra Nevada, I tried the Juniper Black Ale. The beer pours a black color with a lofty, creamy, foamy, and tan colored head that resembles a stout more than an ale. The aroma consists of chocolate, juniper, coffee, and pine. The taste is dry and piny at first with lots of hops and a lemon bitterness before some chocolate, coffee, and toasted malts arrive on the palate. The after taste leave coffee and dry juniper leaves at the back of the throat. The alcohol content is 8.0% ABV. The dryness of this beer was immaculate and it was accompanied with plenty of flavors, include dry and bitter chocolate.

Cascade Kriek Ale

I picked up a bottle of Cascade Kriek Ale at Al’s of Hampden based on Al’s recommendation (he’s a good salesman!). The beer pours a reddish brown color with a bubbly off-white colored head that dissipates rapidly. The aroma consists of sweet yet slightly sour cherry, sugar, vinegar. and Belgian yeast. The taste is very puckering right up front with plenty of vinegar drying out the tongue. The sour cherry with some sweet sugar accent comes out in the finish. The after taste leaves some malts behind but the vinegar lingers. The alcohol content is 7.1% ABV. I will say that Al gave an excellent recommendation and this was quite a wonderful kriek. There is plenty of sour punch with this beer, so beware if you are new to sours.

Bear Republic Pete's Brown Tribute Ale

Another beer I tried at a recent visit to Al’s of Hampden was Bear Republic Pete’s Brown Tribute Ale. The beer pours a brown color with a thin foamy tan head. The aroma consists of toasted malts and caramel. The taste is dry and has a lot of toasted malts right up front and a caramel backbone. As expected, there is also a dry finish. The alcohol content is 6.3% ABV. This was a really solid and smooth brown ale with a great toasty flavor. I feel that brown ales get overlooked too often, and this beer gives me a great reason to order a brown ale.

Weyerbacher Heresy

At Al’s of Hampden, I ordered a glass of Weyerbacher Heresy. The beer pours a black color with a thin tan head. The aroma consists of chocolate, toasted malts, caramel, alcohol, bourbon, and oak. The taste is smooth and silky with lots of chocolate on the tongue. Toasted malts, light bourbon warmth, and a bourbon bite on come out to play on the finish. There is a smooth vanilla and caramel after taste. The alcohol content is 8% ABV. The Heresey was a smooth and excellent beer that did not have a punishing alcohol bite from the bourbon barrels, but a nice bourbon accent.

The Brew Works Hop Explosion on cask with Citra and Chinook Hops

I stopped in to Al’s of Hampden and ordered a glass of The Brew Works Hop Explosion on cask with Citra and Chinook hops. The beer pours a golden color with orange hues and a foamy white head. The aroma is filled with fresh grapefruit, tangerine, orange, and lemon. The taste is dry and bitter grapefruit at first before tangerine and orange bring out a sweetness. The finish is dry and piny. The alcohol content is 5.5% ABV. This was a wonderfully fresh and citrusy beer that was also notably sessionable. If you get a chance to try this beer, go ahead and do it, as it is perfectly bitter and sweet.

Jolly Pumpkin Baudelaire Series iO Saison

My buddy Matt picked up a bottle of Jolly Pumpkin Baudelaire Series iO Saison from Al’s of Hampden and brought it over to share. The beer pours an amber color with reddish hues, which was surprising for a saison, with a lofty foamy white head that laces to the glass. The aroma consists of sour cherry, wheat, lemon, and grassy hops. The taste is light on the tongue with lots of wheat and lemon before a slight sour cherry twist comes in to play. The alcohol content is 6.8% ABV. I am a big fan of saisons, but the slight sour twist to this beer takes it to a new level with an excellent sour cherry accent.

Terrapin Monk's Revenge

I picked up a four-pack of Terrapin Monk’s Revenge from Al’s of Hampden. The beer pours a vibrant orange-amber color with a frothy white head. The aroma consists of Belgian yeast, lemon, pepper, and wheat. The taste is smooth and bubbly with lots of Belgian yeast. There is a nice lemon, banana and wheat accent with a peppery and spicy finish. The alcohol content is 9.6% ABV. The nice spiciness built on top of a sweetness of a Belgian yeast and banana. The balance is impeccable and very well done, and I can not wait to see how this beer ages.

Ithaca Dark Humor

My buddy Greg picked me up a growler of Ithaca Dark Humor from the brewery in New York. The beer pours a black color with a frothy tan head that leaves a lot of lacing on the glass. The aroma consists of burnt chocolate, toasted malts, cream, grass, and vanilla. The taste is light on the tongue with some bubble before a silky smooth chocolate flavor takes over. Toasted malts, vanilla, oak, and cream kick in on the sides of the mouth. The after taste leaves some sweet vanilla behind on the tongue and a light sour twist. The alcohol content is 7.0% ABV. The taste of this beer really dialed in to being similar to a dilly bar, especially with the milky smooth chocolate flavor and light cream accents.

Ithaca Rough Draft

A growler my buddy Greg picked up while at Ithaca was the Rough Draft. The beer pours a golden-orange color with a bubbly white head. The aroma consists of lemon, wheat, and green apple. The taste is smooth and dry with a lot of wheat, green apple, and hints of lemon. The finish is dry and has a slight sour twist. The alcohol content is not available online, but I would guess it to be about 5.5% ABV. I liked how refreshing and clean this beer was with light apple accents for the perfect amount of sweetness to go with the dry wheat finish.