#9

Beer Name: #9
Brewery: Magic Hat
ABV: 5.1%
Serving method: 12-oz bottle
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Unknown

Someone told me that Magic Hat was recently purchased by InBev A-B or whatever that giant conglomerate is called, but I can't find anything that supports that claim. It was purchased by some group calling themselves "North American Breweries," but I don't think that's the same place. Basically what I'm saying here is, don't believe people.

#9 is a golden colored beer that might have some head if I had bothered to pour it into a glass. It has an aroma that is slightly sweet and has a fruity smell, probably apricots since that is what is in there. There's a pretty good chance that you are already familiar with this beer, so there's not really much to say.

Magic Hat calls #9 a "not quite pale ale," which is sort of confusing because I have no idea what style of beer they are actually going for. If I was expecting something that was like a pale ale but different, I would be completely wrong as there isn't anything pale ale about this. All you hop haters out there can rest easy knowing that this beer is ok for you. The beer has a light flavor of apricot and is easily drinkable since it's got a mild carbonation and pretty low alcohol content.

Final thought - Although it doesn't really feel like a winter beer, Magic Hat's #9 is still a great choice for an extended drinking session. It's not overpowering in any way, and is just a smooth drinking beer from some chill Vermontonians. I actually have no idea if they're chill or if "Vermontonian" is actually the name for people from Vermont, but this is my blog and I'll do what I want.

-Jon

Hibernation Ale

Beer Name: Hibernation Ale
Brewery: Great Divide Brewing Company
ABV: 8.7%
Serving method: 12-oz draft in a pentagonal glass
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Unknown

This beer is classified as an "old ale," and usually that would mean that you would learn something new about beer. But not today, because I'm feeling lazy. Let's leave it at old ales are generally pretty malty and probably not that old.

Hibernation Ale is a clear ruby-amber colored beer with a slow fading half inch head. It's a pretty thick head that leaves a moderately heavy lacing on the glass. The aroma is a combination of sweet malt and some hops. If the beer is half as good as it smells, it's going to be great.

And it is! This beer is delicious! The flavor starts off with a sweetness and coffee, and then moves into the hops that are expected from the aroma. It's a very tasty mix. The beer has a medium carbonation, and it finishes clean without an aftertaste or the dryness that is usually associated with hoppy brews.

Final thought - Add Great Divide to the list of places that I'll be trying more beers from. This one was great. It's too bad that I am only finding out about it now, because I have to assume the winter beers are on their way out and the spring ones are coming in. How sad.

-Jon

Latitude 48 IPA

Beer Name: Samuel Adams Latitude 48 IPA
Brewery: Boston Beer Company
ABV: 6%
Serving method: 12-oz bottle
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Best by May 2011

It's always a nice surprise when there's a new beer to try when you're not expecting it. Such was the case last night with the Latitude 48 IPA, whose name comes from the fact that the hops used are all grown close to 48° north latitude. For you geography people out there, this latitude includes the "hop belt," and I have to assume that is far more awesome than the Bible Belt.

Since the Boston Beer Company uses dark brown bottles, I wasn't able to see the color of the beer or get any idea of its head production or lacing capabilities. I was able to pick up on a nice hoppy aroma, specifically citrus and floral hops. Maybe a little hint of pine in there as well. Unlike many IPAs, the hop aroma wasn't overwhelming, so this might be a less intense hop experience.

Latitude 48 IPA is a much milder IPA than a lot of other ones that I've tried. It has a hoppy taste, but it's much less pronounced. The hoppy and piney tastes come through nicely, but they don't linger in the aftertaste. There's also some sweetness in the finish. The beer has a good level of carbonation, probably in the medium range.

Final thought - I was pleasantly surprised by this beer. I like a lot of stuff in the Sam Adams line of beers, but I don't think they've ever done anything in the IPA style before, so I was a little wary. Well, this is a nice, easy drinking beer which is perfect for an evening at the bar. Which is where I was.

-Jon

Dark Angel

Beer Name: Dark Angel Imperial Stout
Brewery: McNeill's Brewery
ABV: 10%
Serving method: 22-oz bottle in a pint glass
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Best by Feb 2011

More imperial stout for me! I hope it's not as harsh as the last one.

Dark Angel is a very dark beer in the solid black category. It has a thin head that mostly disappears quickly but leaves a thin layer for the entire pint. It also leaves a fairly thick lacing behind. There is a light aroma of coffee, but it's not very strong. Actually, there isn't really anything strong for a smell.

Well now, this is surprising. The beer starts off with the roasted flavor of a stout, but it finishes with the hoppiness of a pale ale. I suppose that makes sense, as the bottle talks about dry-hopping during the brewing process. Besides that, there is a also the flavor of coffee at the beginning of each sip. The beer feels very thick while it's in your mouth, almost like it's coating your tongue. It has a mild to medium carbonation, and a lightly bitter aftertaste.

Final thought - This is a pretty good stout, although hop-haters will not enjoy it. It's a little bit strong, but it's got a nice flavor to it. I believe that I would drink it again.

-Jon

Left Hand Imperial Stout

Beer Name: Imperial Stout
Brewery: Left Hand Brewing Company
ABV: 10.4%
Serving method: 22-oz bottle in a pint glass
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Unknown

Wow, this is a strong one. Let's see how it goes.

Left Hand's Imperial Stout is a slightly transparent beer with a dark coloring and ruby highlights. It has a fairly thick head that fades slowly, leaving a thick lacing. It has a nice aroma of roasted malt and some coffee.

The alcohol in this beer is very apparent in the taste. It's almost like taking a shot with every sip. I am not sure if that's an appealing characteristic. The stout flavor is in the background, but it's definitely dominated by alcohol. I think I was picking up some roasted toffee flavor in there, along with a general maltiness. The beer has a light carbonation and a mildly alcoholic aftertaste.

Final thought - This is definitely a sipping beer. The alcohol flavor is so strong that it overshadows everything else about the beer. I believe I will stick to Left Hand's milk stout in the future.

-Jon

Lefty's IPA

Beer Name: Lefty's India Pale Ale
Brewery: Lefty's Brewing Company
ABV: 6.6%
Serving method: 22-oz bottle in a pint glass
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Unknown

Lately this first paragraph gives a quick story or some tidbit about the beer of the day. Not this time though.

Lefty's IPA is a golden beer with a thick head that lasted for quite a while. It left a very heavy lacing on the glass. The beer has the same sweet malt scent that I have begun to associate with all of Lefty's brews. Strangely, there is not any significant hop aroma. From my experience, IPAs are supposed to smell hoppy.

And maybe that lack of hop aroma isn't as strange as I thought. This does not taste like an IPA at all. Not even a little bit. It's got a little bit of sweetness, and then sort of a weird beer flavor that I don't know how to describe other than "medicinal." Finally, it finishes with a mildly bitterness. There is also an aftertaste that is partly sweet and partly bitter. It has very little carbonation.

Final thought - Pass. If I'm drinking an IPA, I expect some hops. I don't expect medicine flavor.

-Jon

Cappuccino Stout

Beer Name: Cappuccino Stout
Brewery: Lagunitas Brewing Company
ABV: 8.8% or 9.2%
Serving method: 22-oz bottle in a pint glass
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Unknown

And yet again I must deal with one of my beer pet peeves: company's that have one ABV on their bottles and a different one on their website. How am I supposed to gauge how intoxicated I should be feeling if I can't get a straight answer?

Lagunitas (which is incredibly fun to say with a heavy Spanish accent) Cappuccino Stout is a semi-transparant dark brown with some ruby coloring. Think of a slightly reddish cola. It had almost no head and even that little bit disappeared almost instantly. There also is not much lacing. The beer's aroma is malt and coffee, but the coffee smells slightly artificial. As the beer warms, the smell becomes quite delicious.

This beer has an intensely bitter coffee presence. It dominates the other flavor, which is a little bit of sweet malt. It's almost like they are having a battle on my tongue, which doesn't seem like a good thing. Other than that, the beer is very lightly carbonated, which makes it pretty smooth. The aftertaste is similar to drinking a cup of coffee.

Final thought - With all the other coffee stouts and porters that I've tried, I have a pretty high standard for this style. Sadly, this beer doesn't stack up. The coffee flavor is too bitter and it masks the other tastes I'm expecting in a stout.

-Jon

Shakespeare Oatmeal Stout

Beer Name: Shakespeare Oatmeal Stout
Brewery: Rogue Brewery
ABV: 6.1%
Serving method: 22-oz bottle in a pint glass
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Unknown

I am in the middle of two streaks here. The first is a good one, which is 5 straight days of new beer posts. The second one is less good, as it is a streak of beers that do not have any indication of when they were brewed or bottled. I understand when I'm at a bar that I might not be able to find out when they got the keg, but if I have a bottle then there's really no reason that the label can't have the date on it.

Also, it's the first beer from Oregon!

Rogue's Shakespeare Oatmeal Stout is another dark black beer. It pours with a creamy head with medium retention and moderate lacing. That last sentence was me trying out my "professional" beer voice. It has an aroma like creamy coffee with a little hint of oats or grain. The smell was quite pleasant.

The first thing that struck me about the taste here was that there is a very slight hop flavor in there. And also there is quite a bit of carbonation at first, giving the beer a slightly sharp bite. After a few minutes, everything mellowed out and left the beer much more drinkable. Besides the hops, there is some coffee flavor along with faint chocolate and some maltiness. You really get it all here. There's a little bit of an aftertaste of bitterness, probably from the hops and coffee flavor.

Final thought - Maybe it's just me, or maybe it's the name, but Shakespeare Oatmeal Stout reminded me of the Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout from a few days ago. I would call the Shakespeare one a slightly better version, although both are pretty tasty.

-Jon