Ninkasi - Believer Double Red Ale
Not bad, not good. Whole lotta meh. Malty, dry, some hops, some carbonation. Not getting the double part, it tastes like a really good Killian's. Not thirlled about it, but I'd drink it if it showed up in my fridge again.
Aventinus - Eisbock
http://www.bunitedint.com/portfolios/producers/g_schneider/aventinus_eisbock/overview.php
They freeze this beer and scoop out the ice before it gets bottled, which makes the beer stronger and intensities all the flavors.
No exception here - It's just an explosion of a belgian beer goodness. Dark pour with a head that just keeps building. It tastes spicy and sweet, like a good bock, but much more intense - one sip was almost like a whole glass, coats your tastebuds. It's not as thick as I expected - maybe that's due to the carbonation. As it warmed it got sweeter, I think it tastes like what would happen if you mixed a trappist beer with a barleywine and an imperial stout.
Belhaven Scottish Ale - Draught
This is one of my favorite Scottish ales. And it's got a widget +1 cool factor.
Great nitro pour for a can, just look at the picture! Nice malty peaty scottish alse taste with the smooth creamyness of a nitro. No gritty dirt taste like you sometimes get with the guiness draught cans. Continues to be an exceptionally smooth beer all the way through the glass, a great beer to relax with after a long day.
Sierra Nevada - Pale Ale
Usually, when I can't decide what I want, I grab a Sierra Nevada. It's just always a good choice. Crisp, clean, hoppy, malty, good body and mouthfeel, good aroma, solid head, good carbonation - It's a great all around beer.
Plus, I think they have the easiest bottles to clean and prep for homebrew use.
Rouge - Brewer's Ale
Oh, wow, this stuff is thick! And pungent - strong sweet barlywiny beery smell explodes when you pour it!
I was a little overwhelmed with my first sip - wayyyyyy sweeter than I was expecting. But that turned out to be a good thing. Sweet and almost chewy, this beer was a sipper. No real alcohol sharpness, but you know it's there. Some roasty malt flavors come out as it warms up. Butterscotch carmel flavors dominate, this beer is almost like a carmel flavored port wine. No real hop flavors, but I'm ok with that because this is definatly a desert beer, kinda spendy but worth a try.
Scuttlebutt - Tripel
This was (for me) the perfect mix of a belgian beer's sweetness with an american beer's malty/hoppiness. Great balance, it starts off with a belgian like sweetness, almost tasted like a sugarcane, and that get's balanced by a light hop taste, kind of like how bacon compliments pancakes and maple syrup, and finishes with a smooth roasty maltiness.
Start to finish, I really enjoyed this beer - I'd call it an American Trappist Style.
