Allagash - Odyssey (January 2014)

Allagash Brewing Company

Odyssey (January 2014) - Oak-aged Dark Wheat Beer

This beer pours with a high, pillowy head that exceeds an inch in height.  The beige head sits on a dark chestnut colored beer that is barely translucent.  The head fizzles down slowly, leaving a pillowed lace on the side.  The beer is almost mysterious looking.  You can see tints of red around the edges of the glass, but you really have to look for it. 

The aroma is muted at first due to the head, but it soon comes into its own.  A sweet candied sugar scent is paired with that of raisins and a hint of alcohol.  The beer also gives you a little bit of toffee and a mild amount of roasted malt.  Overall it is a pleasant aroma that is subtle but well balanced.

On the palate this beer is introduced to your tongue by subtle carbonation.  Odyssey is uber smooth with a wonder blend of flavor.  Raisin and dates coat your tongue then give way to toffee and roast malt.  The beer finishes with a hint of vanilla.  Warmth spreads all around the back of your throat and tongue then slowly is dissipates leaving the slightest bit of hop.

Overall I feel this beer is pretty fantastic.  The color is rare.  The depth and the way the light goes through is pretty wonderful.  The aroma is extremely subtle, but it has a lot going on, a nice balance of sweet and alcohol.  Finally the taste... it is smooth and balanced, even with the apparent lack of bitterness.  I think this beer is very well done.  I let it age for 15 months before drinking it so it was just passed the middle of the 2 year window of aging.  This 10.4 % abv beer will cause you to take pause while drinking! so if you intend to drink the entire bomber, give yourself sometime.  I give this beer a 4 out of 5. 

Lagunitas - Little Sumpin' Sumpin' Ale

The Lagunitas Brewing Company

Little Sumpin' Sumpin' Ale - American Pale Wheat Ale

The beer poured a crystal clear straw color with about a third of an inch of thick foamy head.  The head went down at a decent pace and left a little ring around the glass.  The straw color color is rich and full.  It looks like a beer that should be drank, but there is nothing pretty about it.

The aromas given off by this brew are a mix of bitter and fruity sweetness.  The hops come right to your nose and then introduce you to the rest of the scents.  I get a mix of lemon, grapefruit, pine and orange.  It's a little bit of a wild combination, but it smells really good.  It's the kind of aroma that leads to take a nice first sip.

On the palate the beer has mild carbonation that gives way to an extremely tasty beer.  The tongue gets hit with a cascade of flavors; pine, grapefruit, orange, lemon, a bready malt, and then finishes as you would expect, with a slight bitter bite.  The really interesting thing is that the fruit flavors then come back as the after taste, leaving s sweetness in the mouth.  This beer also leaves a fruitiness on the lips.  Finally, it warms the back of the throat with just a hint of alcohol.  It's a hard glass to put down to be honest.

This beer is pretty freaking awesome.  The color is clean, the aroma is plentiful coming at you with a wide variety of scents without being overbearing, and it's full of flavor hinting ona wide variety of citrus and levels of hop and malt.  I really enjoyed this brew and wish I bought more than just one.  I give this a 4.5 out of 5.  Go get a Little Sumpin' Sumpin'.

Shawnee Craft - Saison Cuvée 2014

Shawnee Craft Brewing Co.

Saison Cuvée 2014 - Belgian Style Farmhouse Ale

This beer has a light fluffy head that sticks around for a long time.  The head is like a decorative pillow on top of the beer, and looks awesome.  The color of this beer is a crystal clear gold that is alluring and enticing.  It's a beautifully clear beer that looks cleans and well made.

The aroma is sweet, and wine-like.  There is a mild spice, some yeastiness, and fruity notes.  The aroma is well balanced and subtle.  The notes tickle the nose and have you take notice in a good way. It's a wonderful smelling beer that makes you want to savor every sip.

On the palate the barely there carbonation leads way for a beer the is sweet and tart.  The mild spice blends in well with the mild fruitiness.  The beer has a white wine like essence that leaves the mouth feeling clean and crisp.  There is a hidden bitterness that helps balance the sweetness.  The beer is light and easy to drink which is while it goes down so easily.  

Overall this beer is pretty damn good.  It has a great look, and the fluffy head stay with the beer for a long, long time.  The aroma is wonderful, sweet, and subtle enough to entice you.  The flavor of this beer was fruity and tart, the wine like aspects mixed with the clean mildly bitter finish.  This is a wonderfully done saison, I give it a 4 out of 5.

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.