Avery Mephistopholies - Passes the stout hole test.

Avery - Mephistopholies

Avery - Mephistopholies

Starts out innocent enough, tastes like a great stout. Full body, roasy and chocholaty. Can't believe the 16% isn't showing it's head. Great smell, like that walking into a coffe shop aroma, but beery. I'm content, good job Avery!

Wait a minute... The beer is warming up, I'm getting kicked in the face by the alcohol content - the beer got HOT! wow, this is now tasting like stout liquour. Not so sure about how much I like it anymore... Still smells good though! I'm going to have to investigate the rest of the series now... Still not sure what I think of the beer, such a drastic flavor change from cold to warm but definatly and interesting brew.

Alaskan - Baltic Porter

Alaskan - Baltic Porter

Good stuff, everything I think a porter should be!

Samuel Adams Utopias

Samuel Adams Utopias 2005 # 06985

http://www.samueladams.com/world_of_beer.aspx

This was a birthday present to myself a couple years ago. Since I'm on vacation I decided to start new years celebrations a little early.

It smells like pure alcoholic sugar! I still can't believe this is a beer. It smells like brown sugar and pineapple with a vanilla caramel twist. It's heavy and thick, the sweet aftertaset lingers a bit. This beer is uncarbonated, one of the few that can get away with it, and tastes more like sherry than beer. It's very sweet, with surprisingly little alcohol bite considering it's a little over 25% (naturally fermented, not distilled!). I'm tasting so many things I can't pick them out. Molassas, vanilla, malt, caramel, not picking up any defined hop taste yet, but there is so much going on in this beer. It really redefines what beer can be, a truly groundbreaking beer experience. I'm at a loss for what else to say about it!

Boulder Beer Company - Hazed and Infused

Boulder Beer Company - Hazed and Infused

http://www.boulderbeer.com/

Had this at Pizza Pipeline, wow that place has changed! This beer boasts of being "unfiltered and dry hopped" but in reality its kinda meh. On par with Deschutes cascade ale. I'm not smelling or tasting the dry hoppiness, but its definitely got a little more kick than your average ale. Good beer, just fairly average tasting when compared to what's avalible on tap in the area.

Pabst Blue Ribbon

Pabst Blue Ribbon

Good drinkin' beer. Clear, crisp, light, high drinkalotablity. Something cold and wet to quench your thirst. Great for drinking games and mindless tasks. Not much more to say.

North Coast Brewing - Scrimshaw

North Coast Brewing - Scrimshaw

I like North Coast, and I hadn't tried this one yet. Its a pilsner, light clean almost sweet. Kind of a nice change of pace from all the heavy beers I have been drinking. Smells like fresh roman lettuce, that is, no real apparent smell other and a kind of fresh clean water smell. That came out being harder to describe and overly wordy than I expected... Its still bubbling pretty good, maintains a small head throughout the glass, yet it doesn't taste overly carbonated. Leaves a bit of a dry malty sweet taste on your tounge. Good drinking beer, kinda spendy though

Diamond Knot - Ho Ho

Diamond Knot - Ho Ho

Winter/Christmas beer offering from Diamond Knot. Had it on tap at the Up and Up with a slice of Rudy's pizza, mmmmm. It was tasty, like a malty dark amber porter ale winter beer. Kinda tastes like the love child of snow cap and dead guy ale.

Kona Brewing Co: Fire Rock Pale ale

This is a summer beer I found in my beer fridge so I figured, what the heck. Not terribly great for an Ale but it's very drinkable. It has a light brown amber (almost orange) color and a light Hallertaur finish. Slight malt flavor but not as light as a wheat beer. Overall it isn't terrible but it's not great either. I'd recommend it over many others.

Ayinger: Celebrator Doppelbock

"Finest Bavarian Double Bock Beer"

Hailing from Aying, Germany and brewed by Privatbrauerei Franz Inselkamer (I thought it was a funny name so I wrote it down), this bock tastes like many others I've had. Stong estery flavors, mild peatiness, and a brown, clear body. It was a bit sweet for what I envision a bock to be though its smokeyness was on par. I sipped and enjoyed this beer, would have been good with vanilla icecream. Not really my favorite beer but worth a try.

www.merchantduvin.com
www.ayinger.de

Redhook Double Black Imperial Stout

Redhook Double Black Imperial Stout

Fails the Stout Hole Test.

I agree with munkey 1, it smells like IPArter. Which smells like hop flavored coffee. I like the smell. First sip is kind of bitter, a lot like black coffee like the name claims. Nice and roasty with a decent mouthfeel. But with the first sip it's also evident that this is not an imperial stout. Weighing in at 7% its got some balls, but this is more of a coffee infused dark amber than an imperial stout. Being a Washington brewery they should know that we're a bit spoiled when it comes to beer. Don't get me wrong, it's good, no weird flavors, very drinkable with a smooth finish and honestly I’ll probably pick up another bottle soon. Redhook has another solid beer here, but it lacks the intricacies of a real microbrew stout. I know I'm being picky... but I’ve got a thing for imperial stouts. Guess I’m trying to say - Good beer, just labeled wrong. Try it for yourself.

Dogfish Head: 90 Minute IPA, 120 Minute IPA

Starting with the 90 Minute IPA I guess is the logical thing to do. It poured very clear with an amber color. It's clarity and color are missleading as the body is fairly heavy. It is a bit sweeter than I like but not terrible. The hops weren't too strong and I didn't smell them right away, but about 4 inches away I caught it. It isn't too hoppy but fairly balanced with it's reasonably thick body. Not terrible for an imperial IPA but I think it shouldn't be so sweet. Not sure if I'd drink two of them back to back, but overall a decent beer and I'm glad I had it.





Holy moly. 20% ABV, 120 IBU, and 450 calories per bottle, this 120 Minute IPA sounds crazy on paper. I'm so glad I drank this after the 90 minute. This drowns the 90 Minute. At my first sip I was hit in the nose by the alcohol vapors and knocked in the back of my head with its huge presence. Like many heavy beers this has a maple flavor that accompanies its huge body. Claiming a Plato of 45* (1.180 SG) this beer is the thickest I've ever had besides Utopia's. It poured with a subtle head and clings strongly to the glass. Halfway through the glass I could really smell the maple/mahogany coming out just sniffing the beer. And here a week before christmas, fruit flies have found my beer. I really wasn't expecting this beer to be like this as I hadn't done any research on it at all. I don't think I'd get either of these again but I'd really recommend you at least try it.

Black Boss Porter

Black Boss Porter

Found it on sale and I remember Munkey 1 liked it.
Its thick for a porter, smells really sweet, like boiling maple syrup and the adhesive on envelopes after you lick it. First sip is very smooth, but its got a fake McDonald's milkshake kind of taste that hits the roof of your mouth and kinda lingers. Not sure what I think of it. The sweetness dies down after it warms a little, I'm liking it a little more now. There is a dark chocolate like bitterness that's starting to pick up towards the end of the glass. Interesting beer, defiantly different but I don't think I'm going to be getting another bottle.

Lazy Boy - Mistletoe of Bliss

Lazy Boy - Mistletoe of Bliss

A lot like the Old Jubilation from Avery, just a bit heavier body. Not bad, but again nothing really stood out. Another very drinkable winter amber. I think this would be great in a 6 pack. I'd say it tastes like Copper hook, but beerier in a good way.

Redhook: Double Black Imperial Stout

Poured black with a nice tan head. I seem to be on kick with these lately. I love beer. Back on track, this one is very drinkable for an imperial. Has a very subtle coffee presence for boasting as such. So do drinkable and imperial go together? Meh. For RedHook this beer is the best they have if you consider ultimate flavor and impressiveness. It is as sweet as a stout should be, with an added extra density. Fairly thick mouthfeel accompanies a good.... stout..... flavor. If I were you I'd go for it. It was a good beer overall. Like I said before, not as imperial as I would expect but a good beer considering the source.

Wtf? It tastes really similar to Brew Munkey's IPArter! I just did a back to back tasting of our porter versus their stout. RedHook's stout is, well, stouty. Our Porter is definetely "portery", and not as sweet as the stout (for obvious reasons, or definition) yet both contain the same mouthfeel. Bring a bottle of DB sometime and I'll show ya.

Avery Old Jubilation Ale

Avery Old Jubilation Ale

Avery's winter offering. Good, but nothing special. Very middle of the road. Not sweet, not bitter, medium body, smooth finish, not too carbonated. One of those beers you sit and drink with friends and forget you're drinking a beer and just enjoy the company you're with. Its got everything it should, I'd call it a winter amber.

EizenMunkey

EizenMunkey, Mmmmmm I miss it.

A neat picture from the brewing process I found.

So far, the EizenMunkey is the strongest, thickest, darkest, other adjectives ending in "est", estyest beer we've brewed/made. On par with Samuel Adams Triple Bock, but better tasting. Yeah, I defiantly miss it.

Dragonstooth Stout - Still excellent

Had another bottle of it last night. This stout never disappoints, always very tasty.

If you haven't tried it yet I don't know what's wrong with you.

Rogue: Imperial Stout

This is a thick beer not for the feint of heart. Thick, heavy body, and tan head, this beer sits very heavy on the pallet. Not an overwhelming maple presence accompanies this one as many other imperial stouts do. This beer has a great smokey yet sweet flavor to it as well. Being that it is so thick though with such a high abv (11%), I'd recommend this as either a sipper or a one glasser. Good beer!