Weyerbacher - Verboten

This Belgian-Style pale ale has mild carbonation that leads you to a beer that starts off with a sweeter piney citrus and finishes crisp and clean with a hint of bitterness.  The aroma is mild and fresh giving off a mild citrus notes.  It's a solid beer and made year round which is nice. I give it a 3.5 out of 5.  A good staple to have in the fridge.

DuClaw - Devil's Milk

DuClaw Brewing Co.

Devil's Milk - American Barleywine Style Ale (2014)

The beer poured a wonderful copper color that was deep and alluring.  A nice light, white head capped of the pour and slowly subsided down the glass.  The head stayed around the edge of the glass with some stubbornness.  The opaque beer really looked brilliant in the sunlight coming through my window.  This might be one of the prettiest copper colored beers I have seen.

The aroma of this beer gives off a plethora of scents.  There is a sweetness of caramel and sugar that combines with a hint of alcohol.  Mixed in with the sweet aromas is a hint of pine that balances the smell out.  The pine to me adds a depth to the smell.  I find myself smelling the beer before each sip to see if it is changing as the beer warms.  

On the palate the moderate carbonation allows the beer to dance on the tongue as you drink.  The beer is fairly thick, the caramel notes along with the alcohol sweetness mix in with some citrus that really adds to the flavor.  The beer finishes with a nice bitter bite.  With all the sweet upfront the beer needed to mix the hops in and it does.  The hops arent shy when it's their turn to come out and play.  The hops coat the back of your tongue and mouth.  

Overall I am really happy with this beer.  I have long wanted to try Devil's Milk, but I was scared that since I built it up in my head it would fall flat... But is didn't.  This beer has amazing color, a fantastic aroma, and very good flavor.  I give this version of Devil's Milk a 4 out of 5!  Another fantastic beer by DuClaw.

Starr Hill - Snow Blind

Starr Hill Brewery

Snow Blind - Doppelbock

The color of this beer pours a deep brown in color.  This beer is slightly translucent, with a hint of red.  The head pours a light tan and puffs up a little bit.  The head quickly goes away and leaves almost no residue.

The aroma is faint.  It gives off notes of yeast, roasted malt and caramel.  All the smells are mild, and don't get any stronger as the beer warms.  There is also a slight sweetness of fig in the aroma of this beer.  It's a nice smelling brew, I just wish it had more to it.

On the palate the prickly carbonation leads to a beer that has some nice flavor.  You get a sprinkling of roasted malt, and caramel across the tongue.  You will get a sweetness from what I taste as fig.  Lastly you will get a little alcohol warming down your throat that is pleasant.  The front of the tongue is left a little dry making you want to take another sip.  

Overall this is a pretty good beer.  I have had some beers from Starr Hill that I didn't like, but this one I like.  The color is nice, the initial deep brown also has hints of red through the light.  The aroma comes up a little small, but the flavor is nice and has plenty of layers.  I gives this beer a 3.5 out of 5.  A nice winter beer.

Fish Brewing - Smaug Stout

Fish Brewing Co.

Smaug Stout - Hobbit Series

The beer pours a near black color.  There is no hope of any light getting through this beer.  The head is an ice light beige, that laces down the glass, and stays there.  It's a nice look with the lacing, adds to overall appearance of the brew.

The aroma from this brew has a mixture of bitterness, a roasted malt, along with coffee, and a little bit of cocoa.  The aroma is mild and you have to really get close to smell it.  Overall it is a decent aroma, once you get close enough to smell it.

On the palate the extremely mild carbonation leads you to a beer that has a decent mix of flavors.  You will notice a coffee essence with the roasted malts.  There is a little bit of chocolate that is then pushed aside by a hoppy bitterness.  The bitterness leads to a dry finish that lingers on all aspects of your mouth.  You actually want to drink water after taking a sip of this beer.

Overall this is a decent beer.  It isn't amazing but it is alright.  The look of the beer is pretty nice, I love the lacing, the aroma is fine but you have to get really close to notice it, and the flavor has some good elements to it, but the finish isn't my favorite and it feels like it is lacking something.  I give this beer a 3 out of 5.

Ommegang - Valar Morghulis

Ommegang Brewery

Valar Morghulis - Dubbel Ale (Game of Thrones edition)

The beer pours leaving a light and foamy head that is about a finger high.  The head goes down very slowly.  The color of this beer is beautiful rich mahogany that is barely transparent.  The color is very appealing.  The darkness of the beer along with the color is very enticing.

The aroma of this beer gives off a lot of smells.  I first noticed a wine like smell, rich with sugar and grapes.  I also get a little bit of candied sugar, yeast and cherry.  The smell is not at all overpowering at all.  

On the palate the carbonation is sharp but it hits you quickly then smooths out.  The flavor has a few different layers to it.  I get a little bit of cherry, grapes, and fig.  There is a creaminess that presents itself while drinking this beer that has some underlining notes of caramel.  There is a mild bit of bitterness and tart that appears on the very front end of the beer, and then re-appears after you have finished the sip.  

Overall I think this is a pretty good brew.  I enjoy the aroma, but I love the color.  The color of this beer is the most enticing part.  It is what really leads you into drinking the brew.  I feel the flavor is pretty good, but not the best part of the beer.  Overall I give this beer a 3.5 out of 5.

Pike Brewing - Pike Old Bawdy (2012)

The color of this beer is a nice a thick orange-copper.  It is a thick looking beer, barely even transparent.  The carbonation bubbles up the glass is thin little rows, it looks like a matrix code.  There is a tiny, thin ring of head around the top edge of the glass.  It's an alluring beer, the look draws you i

The aroma is sweet and rarely strong.  I notice notes of fig, caramel and candied sugar.  There is definitely an alcohol scent to this brew as well.  This beer isn't shy about presenting itself to you.  As soon as you top off the wax covered cap, the aroma jumps at you. The fruitiness and sweetness of this beer will make some people scared to drink it, but not me.

On the palate this beer is has the perfect amount of carbonation, it tickles the tongue and supports the flavors of the beer very well.  Just like the smell, this beer isn't shy when you taste it.  The first thing you will notice is that even though it smells super sweet, it has a bitter, hoppy body.  The caramel and dark fruits present themselves in the middle of the sip.  The hoppy bite stays with you through the sip, and lingers as the main aftertaste well after you have finished the swallow.  There is not a noticeable taste of the alcohol which I found a little surprising.  As the beer warms the bitterness settles down and blends in nicely with the other flavors, but it is still the main essence of the beer.

This beer is like a coin.  The smell says sweet, and the taste says bitter.  The look of this beer is awesome, I love the color and the way the bubbles streaming up the side.  The beer smells strong, full of sweet flavors and alcohol.  Then you taste it.  While you do get some of the sweeter flavors of the caramel and fig, the main essence of this beer is the hoppy backbone that carries through the sip.  I give this beer a 3.5 out of 5.

Finch's - Nuclear Winter

Finch's Beer Co.

Nuclear Winter - Belgain Dark Ale

This beer poured with a dirty copper color.  The head puffed up about an inch or more, and very slowly went down.  For a long time there was a thin layer of foam left of the top of the beer.  This slightly transparent beer was clouded with bubbles and yeast, that left a little sediment on the bottom of the glass.

The aroma of this beer is yeast, malt and dark fruit and some sweetness.  The a little bit of caramel and raisin.  I was expecting to get a hint of alcohol, but I didn't.  The smell gets little stronger the longer you let the beer and the sweeter aromas become more prevalent.  

Though the beer displayed a lot of bubbles, the carbonation is barely even there.  The carbonation barely tickles the tongue giving this beer a smooth creaminess.  The beer displays flavors of cracker, caramel, raisin, and finishes with a light but crisp bitterness to balance the whole thing out.  I again was waiting for there to be a warming alcohol sense, but it never came.  I hind that a little disappointing, I really enjoy that in these type of beers, but it didn't take away from the flavor.  

Overall this is a pretty good beer.  The appearance is a nice, the aroma was pretty good, and I think got better as it sat out, and it had good flavor.  I liked the barely there carbonation, and the smoothness of the brew.  The can art is awesome and made me laugh, so right there is a reason to go out and buy this beer.  I give it a 3.5 out of 5.