BEER, Reviews and Opinions

[jtallen83]

Omnipollo Agamemnon Imperial Stout brewed by Twelve Percent  in Strattford Conn. Stout is so fitting. Thick dark inky look with some lighter floaters when hit with 300 lumen. Aroma is boozy first, like a good bourbon and some maple syrup, dark maple syrup. Flavor follows nose, nice hot boozy bourbon melts into some maple syrup and smoky wood chip flavor. Has some dark roasted coffee flavor with a milder chocolate taste hiding in the background. Has that super dark charred wood note but it doesn't overpower, just fades to the background. The 12.5% ABV is noticeable, kind of pleasant.

[jtallen83]

Public Servant Firefighter Edition DIPA brewed by  Dorchester Brewing Boston Mass. For Evil Twin Brewing and distributed by 12%. Kind of a bready bananas aroma with a hint of citrus. Has a sweet malty backbone right up front, ripe citrus at first but quickly goes to those dank and piney hop notes. The bitter from those hops is balanced very well by the malt, a tasty kinda old school IPA. 

[jtallen83]

Zach's Mexican Doughnuts Spiced Oatmeal Stout from Singlespeed Brewing in Waterloo, Iowa. It does have a little cinnamon and chocolate aroma, some coffee but mostly that roasty malt aroma. There is a spicy chocolate flavor, lots of dark coffee, most predominate is the smoky toasted flavors. Nice creamy feel in the mouth but finishes light and crisp for a dark Porter. Layers of flavor that goes down easy. 

[jtallen83]

Blowing From A Gun DIPA with Indian cane sugar and quintuple dry hopped with five different hops, El Dorado, Calypso, Cashmere, Mosaic, and Hull Mellon. Brewed by  Dorchester Brewing Boston Mass. For Nightmare Brewing and distributed by 12%. Not getting much for aroma, faint citrus and tropical fruit, light bread dough maybe. So the artwork is fitting, flavor goes off like a bomb! Tropical fruit and ripe citrus followed quickly by a sweet cane sugar burst that is balanced with lots of green hop, dankness, pine, fresh lawn clipping green, I know that's a smell but fresh cut grass comes to mind when I taste it, odd maybe but a super tasty beer, complex with a balanced ride.

[jtallen83]

Cool Out Tropical Stout from Exile Brewing in Des Moines Iowa. The nose says hazy IPA, has a mild tropical fruit aroma. Taste starts out all stout, smoky malt, bitter dark chocolate but then shows the Cool. Gets a somewhat sweet coconut banana tropical vibe going then finishes with a chocolate and dark coffee note. A many layered and well balanced beer. 

[Armed Eye Doc]

1 hour ago, jtallen83 said:

Cool Out Tropical Stout from Exile Brewing in Des Moines Iowa. The nose says hazy IPA, has a mild tropical fruit aroma. Taste starts out all stout, smoky malt, bitter dark chocolate but then shows the Cool. Gets a somewhat sweet coconut banana tropical vibe going then finishes with a chocolate and dark coffee note. A many layered and well balanced beer. 

That one looks good.

[jtallen83]

Happy New Year!

Icing on the Cake Imperial Milk Stout from Grimm Artisanal Ales Sterling, VA, brewed June 2018. Aroma is a boozy chocolate with a hint of dried fruit sweet. Flavor is fantastic,  a nice boozy bite up front rich layers of chocolate and dark chocolate follow each other. There is a touch of sweetness throughout, like the sweetness from raisons or a dried prune as well as some vanilla. Ends with a mild charred malt note, nice and smoky but not overbearing on the bitter end. As it warms it transforms, the booziness' stays but the chocolate gets milkier, the charred malt subsides a bit more and the fruitiness goes to a nice ripe Black Cherry syrup. A top notch stout, fuqing ambrosia, 22 ounces is plenty! 

[jtallen83]

Raygun Vol.2 IPA from Backpocket Brewing in Coralville, IA. Smells good, some ripe citrus and some mild dank in the aroma. Flavor started with a citrus bitter, like a fresh squezzed lemonade that's short on sugar, a little watery……then the skunk shows up, leaves a skunky beer flavor, like that Schlitz left open on the nightstand skunky. Most of this beer went down the sink, got worse as it warmed. Couldn't find a date on the bottle but it wasn't on the shelf for Thanksgiving, is it a good beer gone bad or just a flavor I don't get? 

[jtallen83]

Andreas oat IPA brewed by Great South Bay Brewery of Bayshore NY for Omnipollo and distributed by 12%. Aroma is a bit malty with some sweet citrus. Something in the taste reminds me of a good wheat beer, a sweet grain and a little bready. It has a very light sweetness, like a melon, hints of citrus with a very mild hop bitter finish. A very mild but flavorful IPA I would buy again.

[William Flatt]

Got a question for y'all if anyone knows what's going on... I don't always drink craft beer, though I do like the somewhat mainstream labels like Sam Adams Cherry Wheat, but lately I've noticed it's a lot harder finding Killian's Irish Red at the local package stores. A lot more difficult to find than the Sam Adams stuff... And almost half as difficult as finding Arrogant Bastard, which I usually have to ask in advance if the store would order it. Any Arrogant Bastard fans here?? And what's up with a mainstream label like Killian's getting harder to find, or is this just an Indiana thing?

Edited January 12, 2020 by William Flatt

[jtallen83]

9 hours ago, William Flatt said:

Any Arrogant Bastard fans here??

I have not tried that one yet but have tried the Dirty Bastard. You reminded me of a funny story, I had my 7 year old Grandson with me when I stopped in to get some beer. I needed one more singles selection to fill my six pack and told him to pick one. He immediately grabs a Dirty Bastard. For the rest of the Christmas season he was with us he was saying things like "Have you drank that dirty bastard yet Grandpa?" ":What's that dirty bastard taste like grandpa?", on and on for days to the horror of the women folk. Kid is a hoot.

Edit: After looking at the picture I think I have tried the Stone offering in a tallboy can maybe, I imagine it is a seasonal beer.

Edited January 12, 2020 by jtallen83
memory

[William Flatt]

"Out of the mouths of babes..." Ya gotta love kids. Half the fun of being young enough, is getting to shamelessly say things that would be regarded as immature in an older person!!

[jtallen83]

Todd The Axe Man IPA from Surly Brewing in Minnesota. Malt and citrus is what I get for aroma. Has some sweet caramel/malt flavors up front going to a tropical fruit melon taste for just a bit then a pithy citrus bitter to finish. The bitter hangs in a good long while, not my favorite type of IPA.

[jtallen83]

White Stouts Can't Jump Imperial White Stout brewed by  Dorchester Brewing Boston Mass. For Abomination Brewing Co., distributed by 12%. Big coffee aromas with a touch of malt and vanilla Yep, white stout, seems real odd when you take a sip but no doubt about it being a stout. Flavor starts with a strong chocolate milk and coffee, ambrosia. Moves to a darker chocolate and vanilla, not as much of that smoky flavor you get in a real dark stout but it's there, just enough to balance the sweet from the lactose. A very tasty stout, who cares if it can't jump just buy it!

[jtallen83]

Public Servant Teacher Edition IPA brewed by  Dorchester Brewing Boston Mass. For Evil Twin Brewing and distributed by 12%. Nice crisp citrus aroma with a hint of malt. Flavor is a tart pink grapefruit and a little sweet pineapple up front. There is some malty caramel notes but real subtle compared to the green, floral hop bitter that dominates the finish and keeps going. This beer has some texture going on in the mouth, starts real light gets a little oily creaminess then ends with a solid pithy dry. A good beer.

[jtallen83]

 Crucifixion-Third Servile War DIPA with sacramental bread and some hops I never heard of. Brewed by  Dorchester Brewing Boston Mass. For Nightmare Brewing and distributed by 12%.  Has that hoppy citrus aroma, pretty crisp and fresh. Starts out with a taste of tropical fruits and some sweet malt but rapidly has a hop explosion! Has lots of citrus and pineapple with some alcohol heat up front then transitions to a floral spicy hop thing, hints of pine underneath with that fresh green grass note, leaves a long term dry bitter on the pallet. As it warms it gets sweeter, less bitter, more floral. A moving target of flavor!

[jtallen83]

Dubl Stuft Imperial Stout from The Brewing Project of  Eau Claire WI. compliments of my Wisconsin Brother. Seems odd and may be a subliminal thing but it smells like Oreo cookies. I get some chocolate cake flavor and that distinct Oreo filling flavor, touch of vanilla. You start to get some of those dried fruit flavors as it warms but the creamy sweet oreo filling flavor dominates all the way. Very little indication of the over 10% ABV. Very tasty beer, a desert beer if I ever drank one, thank you for another fantastic flavor experience Brother!

[jtallen83]

Peanut Butter Chocolate Milk Stout from Lost Coast Brewery in Eureka CA. Lots of peanut butter aroma and not much else. Flavor is the same, a roasty peanut butter and not much else. It tastes good but is pretty one note and a little watery weak. Not a bad beer but nothing I will buy again.

[jtallen83]

Bro Beer Session IPA with Galaxy hops by Abomination Brewing Co, brewed and canned by Twelve Percent in Stratford Conn. Puts up a big white fluffy head with some citrus and bready notes on the nose. Taste starts with a mild citrus pith bitter, just a touch of sweet from the malt. It has some of those tropical fruit flavors in the middle but end s with the same mild pithy bitter. It is crushable for sure!

[jtallen83]

Sun Reaper DIPA by Toppling Goliath Brewing of Dechora Iowa. I can't smell much with just getting over a cold but the citrus and pineapple aroma still got through. Maybe it's because I have not had a beer in almost a week but this schit is ambrosia! I would say a pineapple and citrus flavor to start but the flavor keeps changing, mango, passion fruit, almost any tropical fruit I am familiar with is here. It goes to a light piney dank at the finish but without much bitter. There is also a spicy hint throughout, like a hint of green sage. The mouth feel is soft, creamy, and a little oily. This is a top notch beer, gotta call the wife and tell her to pick more up before they are out!

[shepp]

50 minutes ago, jtallen83 said:

Sun Reaper DIPA by Toppling Goliath Brewing of Dechora Iowa. I can't smell much with just getting over a cold but the citrus and pineapple aroma still got through. Maybe it's because I have not had a beer in almost a week but this schit is ambrosia! I would say a pineapple and citrus flavor to start but the flavor keeps changing, mango, passion fruit, almost any tropical fruit I am familiar with is here. It goes to a light piney dank at the finish but without much bitter. There is also a spicy hint throughout, like a hint of green sage. The mouth feel is soft, creamy, and a little oily. This is a top notch beer, gotta call the wife and tell her to pick more up before they are out!

Been kinda meh on TG lately but I REALLY liked this one

[jtallen83]

Urayuli dry hopped pale ale from Abomination Brewing Co, brewed and canned by Twelve Percent in Stratford Conn. Has a light citrus aroma with a crackery, bready note. Has a tart pithy citrus taste with hints of malt in the background. There is some pineapple flavor but not sweet, a dryness but not overly bitter. Feels watery, not much body, a good one to crush. Good but I expected more with the Galaxy, Mosaic, and Citra hops. 

[shepp]

Going to channel my inner JT 

 

EL ZACATÓN from Hubbard’s cave in Chicago imperial stout fermented on toasted oak with almond flour, chocolate, cinnamon, vanilla and ancho, guajilo and habanero Chili’s 

Chocolate, booze and heat on the nose. thick and smooth with chocolate and vanilla fading into a heat into the back of your pallet. 
 

one of the best Mexican imperial stouts I’ve had most give me heart burn cuz they burn all the way down this is all mouth heat

[jtallen83]

20 hours ago, shepp said:

this is all mouth heat

Sure looks tasty! I've only tried one stout with any chiles in it, Prairie something was the maker, I was surprised how well it works. 

 Phantom Haze DIPA from Boulevard Brewing in KC Missouri. Has a citrus and bread aroma. Taste is citrus with some melon behind it. The malty backbone goes throughout and a bit of mild pine bitter at the finish. It has a very light feel that contradicts what you see with the thick murky haze, it would be a guzzler if it wasn't a 7.5 ABV. Good beer, better than the other Boulevard IPA offerings I have tried, they are heading the right direction for me.

[shepp]

2 hours ago, jtallen83 said:

Sure looks tasty! I've only tried one stout with any chiles in it, Prairie something was the maker, I was surprised 

Prairie does it good, I either like it or can’t stand it. This one and the prairie ones the heat stays on the back of the tongue and roof of my mouth. The bad ones burn all the way down and give me nasty heart burn....