Maximus

Beer Name: Maximus IPA
Brewery: Lagunitas Brewing Company
ABV: 8.2%
Serving method: 12-oz bottle in a pint glass
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Unknown

Lagunitas has a standard IPA, and then they have this beast with an ABV 2% higher. This is the one you want if you're up for some hoppiness, but you are pressed for time.

Maximus is a orangey-amber beer. My first bottle poured with a nice fluffy head that lasted for a little while before fading away with a good lacing pattern. My second bottle did not have any head at all, which makes me think I might have banged the second bottle and loosened the cap, as that definitely seems like something I'd do. There is a good aroma of fruity hops, and some sweetness mixed in as well.

There is a lovely mix of hops and malt here. The fruity hop flavors are very noticeable, but there's a whole lot of malt to keep it from overwhelming the taste buds. There are some citrus flavors, and it seems like an almost tropical taste. There is a nice bitter finish, and a slight aftertaste that sort of clings to your tongue. It's nicely flavored though, so it's not a problem. Light carbonation helps to accent the hop flavors.

Final thought - I prefer their original IPA to this one, but if you want a bigger beer, you can't really go wrong with Maximus. It's like their normal IPA, but with more of everything: alcohol, hops, bitterness, malt... what a delicious beer.

-Jon

Vermont Spruce Tip

Beer Name: Vermont Spruce Tip Ale
Brewery: Harpoon Brewery
ABV: 7%
Serving method: 22-oz bottle in a pint glass
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Best by 3/15/12

This is beer #39 in the Harpoon 100 Barrel Series. That could mean that by the time you've read this, there won't be any left. It's also a tricky one to find, which makes things even tougher.

Vermont Spruce Tip Ale is a deep amber colored beer. It poured with very little head, and that little bit faded very quickly. It also didn't leave much lacing behind. The aroma here isn't nearly as piney as I was expecting it to be based on the name of the beer. It was more of a malty aroma, with some caramel and breadiness.

This beer is not nearly sprucey enough to live up to its title. It's much more of a malty beer, with very little in the hop or spruce category of flavors. There are also some spice flavors in there, but I can't really pick out which ones they are specifically. The beer has only a hint of carbonation, and no bitter flavors. It finishes with a light sweetness, and a mild aftertaste of malt.

Final thought - Vermont Spruce Tip Ale is a nice, easy drinking beer with a very smooth mouthfeel. However, it doesn't taste piney or sprucey or really like any kind of evergreen, and that was the main reason I was interested in it. If piney hops are enjoyable, then straight-up pine should be enjoyable as well. Well, in theory at least. In the end, this is a pretty good beer that just doesn't match up to its name.

-Jon

Diesel

Beer Name: Diesel
Brewery: Sixpoint
ABV: 6.3%
Serving method: 16-oz can in a pint glass
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Best by June 23, 2012

Storing beer in a can makes it last longer since there is no way it can be exposed to light. I don't think these cans are going to make it to June though. By the way, this beer is a stout, which isn't readily apparent from the name.

Diesel is a very dark beer, practically black. It's sort of a transparent black, which isn't a great description, but I'm not sure how else to put it. Some stouts look very solid and thick, but this one looks... thinner, maybe. There isn't a lot of head, but it lasts for a while and sticks around for a heavy lacing. The aroma is not typical for a stout. It doesn't really have much coffee or chocolate at all, but there's definitely some maltiness and, surprisingly, hops. This might be an interesting beer.

This is a very different kind of stout from the majority of stouts out there. There's a much larger hop presence than others tend to have. It's also a little bit harsh at the beginning. There are light roasted flavors in there, but they aren't as big and bold as other stouts. The piney hop flavors seem to be running the show. The beer is pretty highly carbonated, but the drinkability does not suffer.

Final thought - Diesel is an intriguing beer. All of Sixpoint's beers (that I've tried) have a similar hop presence, which is kind of odd in a stout. However, it still works on a different level if you don't try to enjoy it as a stout. I also find it more enjoyable when it's not super-cold out of the fridge. I think the flavors mellow out a little after it warms up a bit.

-Jon

Founders Porter

Beer Name: Founders Porter
Brewery: Founders Brewing Company
ABV: 6.5%
Serving method: 12-oz bottle in a snifter
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: ?/23/11... first part was illegible

I already know I'm late to the Founders party, although I'm probably still here before most of the people that read these posts. Especially the Blue Moon drinkers. Suck on that, BMC drinkers! (Look at me, I'm a beer hipster.)

Founders Porter is a nice dark porter, nearly black. It was poured for me with a thin layer of head that faded rather quickly, leaving just a small ring around the outside. A small amount clung to the glass in a light lacing pattern, but for the most part this was not a heady beer. The aroma is fantastic, a big roasty affair with dark chocolate and coffee and malts in abundance.

Those chocolate and coffee flavors from the aroma come through nicely in each sip. Roasted chocolate and roasted coffee take center stage, with just a bit of bitterness in the end. There is a pretty big mouthfeel here, but the carbonation is low enough to keep things drinkable. As it warmed, the bitterness came through a little more noticeably. I started the beer before my meal arrived, and then finished it as I ate, and it was fine both ways.

Final thought - What a great porter. I enjoy roasted flavors, but some porters are above and beyond that threshold, and pretty much need to be paired with food to help balance that out. This one worked very well with food, but it was also fine on its own. I think I'll have to be looking for some more Founders brews tomorrow at T&V.

-Jon

Third Voyage

Beer Name: Third Voyage Double IPA
Brewery: Boston Beer Company
ABV: 8%
Serving method: 22-oz bottle in a pint glass
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Unknown

This bottle has a whole bunch of numbers and letters on it, but none of them can be converted into any kind of date which means I have no idea what they are or when this beer was brewed. Third Voyage is a limited edition beer brewed in honor of Captain Cook's third voyage around the world or something and uses hops from the various areas he visited. Something like that. I read the back of the bottle, but I wasn't really paying much attention. I guess the history lesson will have to wait until another time.

Third Voyage is a fairly dark IPA, with a deep reddish amber color. It produced a whole lot of head that lasted for a very long time and left a lacing pattern that basically enveloped the entire glass. By the end of the glass though, some of that lacing had disappeared, leaving behind a fairly heavy pattern. The aroma has a good amount of hoppiness, but there's also a strong malt presence. The hop aroma fades pretty quickly, which is kind of surprising, especially for a double. I don't know what kind of effect that might have on the flavor.

The initial flavor here is bitter hops, mostly piney. There's also a lot of maltiness going on here as well, much more than most IPAs. Each sip starts off with a bitter punch, and then finishes with a caramel malt flavor, along with a bitter aftertaste. The carbonation is medium, and combined with the bitterness makes this beer a sipper.

Final thought - As a limited beer, this one works. I don't think that I would drink it regularly, but it was nice to see something new and experimental from this BBC. Maybe beers like this can get into their normal rotation and crap like the White Ale and Cranberry Lambic can hit the bricks.

-Jon

Breakfast Stout

Beer Name: Founders Breakfast Stout
Brewery: Founders Brewing Company
ABV: 8.3%
Serving method: 12-oz draft (?) in a stemmed pilsner glass
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Unknown

I think this was on draft, but I can't be sure because I didn't see it poured. It felt drafty though, so that's what I'm going with. This beer is supposed to be one of the best beers brewed in America, and I've been searching for it for a few weeks now. Unfortunately, it's a seasonal, and it's very popular apparently, which makes it tough to acquire.

Founders Breakfast Stout is a very dark beer, basically black. It arrived with just over a finger of thick head, which faded very slowly and left a heavy lacing pattern on the glass. This beer has a delicious coffee aroma along with some cocoa and roasted malts. My experience with many stouts is that they benefit nicely from being allowed to warm up a little, so I just sat and smelled it for a few minutes. I probably looked like a weirdo.

The first few sips were dominated by bitter coffee flavors, with the other roasted flavors in the background. Those were primarily chocolate, but there were other roasted malts as well, along with something grainy, like oatmeal. The beer has a very thick mouthfeel. It's lightly carbonated, and very smooth. The aftertaste has a little bitterness, and then that fades away leaving a pleasant coffee flavor that lasts for a while.

Final thought - This beer was definitely worth the search, and next fall I'm going to have to get out there early and get myself some more. It had all the best qualities of a good stout, and only a little bit of bitterness that might upset the more sensitive palettes out there. Perhaps next time I'll have to have one with breakfast.

-Jon

Racer 5

Beer Name: Racer 5 IPA
Brewery: Bear Republic Brewing Company
ABV: 7%
Serving method: 22-oz bottle in a pint glass
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Unknown

People have been recommending this beer to me for a long time, and, as usual, that has caused me to avoid it. Don't tell me what to do!!

Racer 5 is a golden colored beer, slightly darker than what is generally characterized as dark. It poured with a big fat head, nice and thick, and it faded slowly, leaving a very heavy lacing pattern behind. There's a nice hop aroma here, mixed with some sweetness. It smells mostly piney, and there's some maltiness in there as well.

The taste is as advertised by the aroma. It's nice and hoppy, with some sweetness to keep things balanced. Piney flavors are upfront, with the sweetness following. Each sip ends with a little bit of bitterness in the form of citrusy hop flavors, and it finishes slightly dry. The finish is mostly clean, with a little bit of a bitter flavor that hangs on briefly. The bottle suggested a serving temperature of 45º - 50º, so I let it warm up for a few minutes before I drank it. That seemed to let the malts come through a bit more, so keep that it mind if you're interested in a more malty experience.

Final thought - Despite the major build-up, which usually results in my being disappointed with the beers, this one lives up to its reputation. Anyone that's a fan of IPAs needs to add this one to their "To Drink" list if they haven't had it already. I can't be the only one that walks around with a list of beers to try on my phone, right?

-Jon

Fat Dog

Beer Name: Fat Dog Imperial Oatmeal Stout
Brewery: Stoudts Brewing Company
ABV: 9%
Serving method: 12-oz bottle in a lager glass
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Unknown

There were a whole lot of beers on the menu that I wanted to try, but I had to limit myself to two so that I didn't explode from a full stomach of beer, burger and chips. I think that would have ruined the day a bit. I believe the beer came in a lager glass, but I'm having a little trouble confirming this as Google doesn't really interpret verbal descriptions very well.

Fat Dog is a very dark beer that poured with little to no head. That fact along with the lack of much lacing doesn't really trouble me for this style of beer. It just makes me expect a thicker, creamier feeling stout, and there's nothing wrong with that. There's a somewhat strange aroma here, with the expected chocolatey notes (sweet chocolate to be a bit more specific) mixed with something I can't really put my finger on.

If I had tried this at a brewfest, I don't think I would have liked it. A couple of sips wouldn't really do it justice, as it needs some time to warm up and let the flavors mix together. Then it turns into a nice, smooth combination of chocolatey flavors with some coffee and just a light hint of hoppy bitterness in the background for some balance. It's very lightly carbonated, and seems quite thick in your mouth, making for a sort of velvety feel to each sip.

Final thought - A bit off-putting at first, this beer warms up nicely and turns quite delicious. The alcohol really sneaks up on you though. Many high ABV stouts have a noticeable alcohol taste to them, but I wasn't getting that here. You have to be careful with beers like this, as a few can quickly take their toll.

-Jon

Full Throttle

Beer Name: Full Throttle Double IPA
Brewery: Sebago Brewing Company
ABV: 9.1%
Serving method: Draught beer in a goblet
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Unknown

Again, I get a beer in a new and confusing glass shape (it's a goblet! Like I'm a king!!), so I don't really know how much beer I am getting. On the plus side, this beer had a surprisingly high alcohol content, so I would still be getting my money's worth if it wasn't a full pint.

Full Throttle Double IPA is a fairly dark IPA, with a deep coppery color. It arrived with very little head, but there was a thin ring around the outside that left a little bit of a lacing pattern behind. I am not positive, but I think that the etching pattern on the glass may have made it difficult for any lacing to remain for any long period of time. The aroma is a whole lot of hop, with both fruity citrus hops and piney hops distinctly noticeable. There also seems to be some kind of tropical fruit hops, and some malt as well. It's a complex aroma.

The flavor here is pretty hoppy, but it's not as hoppy as the aroma advertises. There just seems to be a conflict of hops going on. Maybe the hops are all big-flavored ones, and they don't know how to play nice together. There's definitely some kind of inconsistency happening in the flavor. The back of each sip has a nice malty flavor, so the sips are nicely balanced. The beer is lightly carbonated, which works well with the flavors.

Final thought - I like this beer, but there's something jarring about the combination of the different hops. It was very good with the food, but I'm not sure it would have worked on its own. Maybe a trip to Maine is in order for some more taste testing.

-Jon

So Long 2011

Since I won't be drinking any new beers tonight, and anything new I drink tomorrow night probably won't be remembered, I think I can safely say that my Mmmm, beers! writing for the year is finished. Let's reminisce a bit, and take a look forward to what 2012 might bring.

First of all, I doubt that there will be as many posts next year. I would like to try 100 new beers, but I also would like to go back to some of the ones I really liked and enjoy them again. As the days were ticking by this year, I realized that sometimes I forced myself to drink something new when I was really in the mood for a classic like BBC's Coffeehouse Porter. That's just silly.

I think maybe I should try something like New Beer Wednesday, since I have such easy access to package stores (I think Kate and I counted 5 within a mile of our house), including Ryan & Casey. R&C has a fairly huge variety, although I'm sure there might be that one guy who might be reading this who has been somewhere else with a much bigger selection and will feel the need to scoff. Whatever bro, no one likes a story-topper.

I'm really looking forward to my next trip to Table & Vine, which will proceed with me being armed with a gift card. That will probably kick off the incoming year with a whole slew of new beers, as I've already begun constructing a game plan based around beers I've wanted to try but was hesitant to buy due to their price. Not an issue now. I might even write a whole post about how exciting it is to shop for beer with what is essentially a blank check.

If you haven't noticed yet, these paragraphs are not really linked in any coherent way.

I have been looking into the necessary steps for gaining a certification in beer knowledge and what not. Perhaps you've heard, but I've kind of potentially decided that maybe teaching mathematics is not the career for me. Most careers are actually not that appealing, but I think that a career in the beer industry might work out. There are 3 levels of certification, so we'll see what happens. I'll keep you posted.

I think that this year might have been unfairly dominated by stouts and IPAs. And pretty much exclusively American beers. And while I enjoy supporting the American beer culture, I feel that I need to expand my global drinking. There's too much beer out there to limit myself. I will try to limit myself to only 40% of my new beers being stouts and IPAs and at least 1 beer in 10 being from outside the US for the next year. This seems like a good goal, and it will allow me the freedom to drink my favorites as well.

I'm looking forward to a new year of new beer. Hopefully I can get you to drink some good stuff too.

-Jon

Hope Street Bitter

Beer Name: Hope Street Bitter
Brewery: The People's Pint
ABV: 5.1%
Serving method: 16-oz draught in a pint glass
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Unknown

I don't usually drink a lot of ESBs, but I don't really know why. Maybe I've been a little too focused on the IPAs and stouts. But I suppose that if I'm going to be a world-renowned beer expert, I need to expand my preferences. Just not white ales, because coriander is gross.

Hope Street Bitter is a light brown colored beer, sort of coppery. It didn't have much head when it arrived, but then again, it's an English-styled beer and those seem to be lacking in the head and carbonation departments. The aroma was hoppier than I was expecting, and also had some graininess and a little bit of malt.

I am not really sure what to look for in a bitter, so I'm not sure if this was a good representative of the style. It's a pretty light beer, with a little bitterness from the hops along with some bready flavors. There's also a sweetness to it. The beer is not very carbonated, so it's lacking something in the mouthfeel. The beer has a pretty noticeable aftertaste, but it's nothing bad.

Final thought - At first, this beer was nice and hoppy (without being too hoppy) and very enjoyable. As it warmed up though, the nice flavors disappeared and it became watery and sort of disappointing. Luckily, it's easy enough to drink that you can plow through it before it loses its appeal.

-Jon

Red Rock Ale

Beer Name: Red Rock Amber Ale
Brewery: Opa-Opa Steakhouse & Brewery
ABV: 6%
Serving method: 12-oz bottle
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Born 11/5/11

I'm a little bit surprised that this beer hasn't been featured here before. Has it really been over 16 months since the last time I drank one? Time sure flies.

I was drinking these bad boys straight from the bottle, but I've had enough on draught to know some of the important details. Red Rock is a redding copper colored beer that has a little bit of head, but that's not really what it's all about. The aroma is a mixture of light hops and malt, and everything here seems to be in balance. Nothing too outstanding, but nothing bad either.

Much like the aroma, everything is here in balance. There are some nice malty flavors with very light hints of fruitiness. There are also some grassy hops, but nothing bitter. The whole thing has a little bit of a roasted or toasted flavor. Good carbonation for the flavors, and the beer is easy drinking.

Final thought - I like the Red Rocks, so long as they are nice and cold. This is not a beer that stands up to a temperature shift very well though, so be sure to keep them well refrigerated.

-Jon