Doggie Style

Beer Name: Doggie Style Classic Pale Ale
Brewery: Flying Dog Brewery
ABV: 5.5%
Serving method: 12-oz bottle in a pint glass
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Unknown

This marks the first Maryland brewery to be featured here. Welcome to the party, Maryland.

This also marks the moment I realized that I have "pale ale" and "American pale ale" as separate tags. At some point I really will need to go back and redo the tags, but that point is not now. If you really care, I'll show you how to do it and you can take care of the problem.

Doggie Style is a copper colored ale that pours with a quickly fading head. I drank a few bottles, and the amount of head was different every time, but it was always between a quarter inch and 3/4". Not that it matters much, because it's going to be gone in a few seconds. The aroma is hoppy and citrusy, and I would bet that the beer uses Cascade hops. There was a light lacing on the glass when I was done.

The beer has a very typical pale ale taste. It's pretty hoppy, but there is a malty taste in the background. The finish is dry and bitter, like most pale ales. The beer is very smooth, with only a light amount of carbonation. It finishes with a slight aftertaste.

Final thought - After going through a handful of these the last couple days, I have concluded that this is a nice beer for relaxing with a 6-pack and just hanging out. While it doesn't stand out as one of the best beers I've had, there's nothing bad about it. Overall, just a solid, easy drinking pale ale.

-Jon

Mayflower Porter

Beer Name: Mayflower Porter
Brewery: Mayflower Brewing Company
ABV: 5.5%
Serving method: 12-oz bottle in the same type of glass as my last beer
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Unknown

This was the second beer at The Publick House, after which I was so full of meatloaf that I couldn't possibly try another. This is an important thing to remember if I go there again: don't fill up on food! There's too many exciting beers to try to be full of healthy crap like meat and potatoes.

The Mayflower Porter pours very dark. In the dimness of the restaurant, it appeared to be solid black, even when I held it up to the window. That's dark. The head was pretty light, and it almost completely faded except for a very thin layer. The beer had a very strong roasted aroma, like malt and coffee.

This is a strong flavored beer. Very strong. The roasted aroma that was so noticeable in the aroma is in force in the flavor. It's almost overwhelming. There is a sweet flavor in the background, maybe caramel. The beer finishes very strong, but only has a light aftertaste. This is definitely a sipping beer.

Final thought - The flavor of this beer is so intense that it almost has to be paired with food (like meat!) or sipped slowly. This is not a beer that you're going to go out and pound a 6-pack or use for drinking games. You'll regret that instantly. It was a little bit too strong for me, but the flavor was very good. I'm torn about drinking it again. I should probably give it a second try in the spirit of fairness. After all, my family was on the Mayflower many years ago.

-Jon

Denver Pale Ale

Beer Name: Denver Pale Ale
Brewery: Great Divide Brewing Company
ABV: 5.4%
Serving method: 12-oz bottle in an unknown glass
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Unknown

The Publick House in Brookline has a pretty ridiculous number of beer choices. And that's fantastic! The only problem is that it's a little overwhelming when you pick up the 4 page beer menu. Picking just one beer from this extensive list is a daunting task! I'm glad I had checked it out beforehand so that I could narrow my list to 4 or 5 possibilities.

The first beer I had was the Denver Pale Ale from Great Divide. It was served in a glass that was also roughly 12-oz, but I'm not sure what kind of glass it was. It was short and stocky, with 8 defined sides. If you ever see one and find out the name, I'd appreciate it if you let me know. The beer is a golden color with a light head that quickly fades away. The aroma is mostly citrus hops with a faint hint of malt in the background. At the end, there was a light lacing on my glass.

The taste of this beer is a little surprising. I went in thinking that this was going to be another hop festival, but it's not. It's actually a little bit sweet upfront, with both maltiness and hoppiness in each sip. The beer finishes with a little bit of hoppy bitterness and a medium aftertaste. It keeps a good flavor as it warms up, making it a nice sipping beer.

Final thought - This beer has a much more mellow hop intensity than most pale ales. I wonder if that is because it's technically an "English" pale ale instead of an "American" pale ale. I have so much to learn about beer. At any rate, I enjoyed this beer much as I enjoyed the last Great Divide beer I had. I think these are sold at Ryan & Casey, which means I'll have to pick some up.

-Jon

Parking Ban Porter

Beer Name: Parking Ban Porter
Brewery: Northampton Brewery
ABV: 5.3%
Serving method: 16-oz draft in a pint glass
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Unknown

I don't know how it is in other states, but western Massachusetts is pretty blessed with local breweries. I'd assume it's like this in other states, excluding the obvious exceptions like Utah (weird beer legislation), Wyoming (more sheep than people, and sheep aren't big beer drinkers), Montana (uh, why is this a state and not part of Canada?), etc. But since I have sadly lived my whole life in western MA, with brief sojourns to Troy, NY and London, I can only speak intelligently about the local stuff here.

The Northampton Brewery would fall into the brewpub category, at least as far as my interpretation of that term goes. They've got a wide variety on tap, and what they offer varies throughout the year. They've also got food, including cheeseburgers, the food of the gods. Basically I'm saying I should go there more often, but it's tucked away behind the parking garage and I always forget about it.

I'm not sure why, but Parking Ban Porter is not on the list of beers provided by the website. It is on the menu though, which is good enough for me. It has a very dark brown color with dark ruby highlights. It poured with a thin layer of thick head, if that makes any sense. It does to me, so we'll go with it. At first, there was some pretty heavy lacing, but then it turned into pretty faint lacing. I'm not sure what that signifies. There is a strong aroma of roasted malts and sweet coffee.

Well, the flavor is not quite what I was expecting from the aroma. It's heavy in the roasted department, but not as much in the sweetness department. I guess that's ok, but I was hoping for more of that coffee. The beer has a very strong finish, but only a faint aftertaste. As it warms up, it actually becomes more flavorful. And that's a good thing.

Final thought - While not a bad beer by any means, the flavor of the beer didn't match up to the aroma, which was disappointing. The flavor improved as the beer warmed up, so it was still pretty good. Just not what I was expecting. Damn expectations!

-Jon

Long Trail Ale

Beer Name: Long Trail Ale
Brewery: Long Trail Brewing Company
ABV: 4.6%
Serving method: 12-oz bottle in a pint glass
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Bottled 11/3/10

Doesn't beer just taste better when it's in a glass? I think so.

This has been in the fridge for a little while, but I think that it will still be ok since it's been at a pretty constant temperature and out of any direct light. I've read that light is actually the beer killer and not temperature fluctuations, but I don't trust heat either. Leave my beer alone!

Long Trail Ale is what would probably be considered their flagship beer. It's an amber or copper colored ale with a short-lived light head. There is a medium amount of lacing left behind. The aroma is sort of grainy but also fruity, like apples. Last time I tasted a beer with an apple scent, it was awful. But that's because it was a dreaded Belgian white ale, so hopefully that won't be an issue here.

Well, those apples seem to have vanished. I can smell them, but I can't taste them. What I can taste is a malty sweetness with a smooth finish and a little bit more carbonation than I was expecting. There's not really anything hoppy going on here, and no real aftertaste to speak of.

Final thought - At only 4.6%, this would make an excellent substitute for macro-swill during a long night of drinking. It doesn't taste like water, but you should still be able to drink an entire case. But don't do that, because you also might die. A good beer, but nothing majorly outstanding.

-Jon

Demo

Beer Name: IPA On Tour: Demo
Brewery: Magic Hat
ABV: 6%
Serving method: 12-oz bottle in a pint glass
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Best by 5/31

It's not spring yet on the calendar, but the Magic Hat winter pack has gone away for now and has been replaced by their spring pack. At this rate, Summer Ale will be out ridiculously early again this year, and everyone will be disappointed that the Summer Ale Challenge has been discontinued. Well, no matter. The spring pack has #9, Circus Boy, Vinyl and the aforementioned Demo. I'll hit those middle two at some point, but we're starting with Demo.

Demo is a black IPA, which is a stupid name for a beer. How can it be black and pale? They are like total opposites. I guess this is also called an American black ale, so whatever. If people want to give their beers stupid names, I suppose there's nothing I can do about it. Yet. As predicted by this name, the beer is pretty dark. I would classify it as dark brown with red highlights. It pours with a very thin head that faded almost entirely in a matter of seconds. Despite this, there was still a pretty heavy amount of lacing. The aroma is both hoppy and malty, and reminds me of Dark Element/Matter.

Well, that's interesting. The flavor doesn't really match the aroma at all. But that's not a problem! It's actually very good, although I am not sure that it matches the style either. The flavor is mainly roasted tastes, with a little bit of hops in the background. It's also surprisingly carbonated. Usually I don't like that in a beer, but it works for this one. There is a little bit of sweetness in the finish, and a slightly hoppy aftertaste.

Final thought - As long as you don't go in expecting anything resembling an IPA, this is a very tasty beer. However, if it's anything like the other IPA On Tour beers, I wouldn't get too attached to it. It's probably not going to be around too long. And that's unfortunate. I guess I'll have to treasure the 3 that I have.

-Jon

Howl

Beer Name: Howl Winter Lager
Brewery: Magic Hat
ABV: 4.6%
Serving method: 12-oz bottle
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Unknown (but only because I forgot to check)

Magic Hat's Howl is their winter seasonal beer in the schwarzbier style. Schwarzbier, if you couldn't tell by looking at the word, is German, and it means "black beer." You might be thinking that means that they're similar to stouts and porters, but they aren't. Schwarzbiers, also known as black lagers, have a much milder taste, so you should try them even if you haven't enjoyed dark beers before. Be adventurous!

Although I drank it from the bottle, I could still tell that Howl was a dark brown color. However, there's not really any way for me to have measured the amount of head produced, its retention, or any lacing on the glass. Sorry. I'll try to do better in the future. Howl has an aroma of roasted malt and also faint scents of chocolate or coffee.

The flavor of this beer matches the aroma. It's got a nice roasty flavor that feels like a perfect fit for a winter night. There's also some faint flavors of chocolate and coffee and maybe nuts or something like that. Basically there's a whole lot of flavor going on in that little bottle. There is not a lot of carbonation or aftertaste here, so the beer is very smooth and easily drinkable.

Final thought - For whatever reason, Kate doesn't like this beer, which means they all go to me. And that's just fine, as I enjoy them very much. I think I'll grab a winter mix-pack before everyone switches over to crappy spring white ales.

-Jon

Drayman's Porter

Beer Name: Drayman's Porter
Brewery: Berkshire Brewing Company
ABV: 6.2%
Serving method: 16-oz draught in a pint glass
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Unknown

Drayman's Porter is the beer that BBC uses for their Coffeehouse Porter, except that they don't normally include the addition of Dean's Beans coffee during the brewing process. Since the Coffeehouse Porter is pretty awesome, I am expecting good things from this beer.

Drayman's Porter is a very dark beer with ruby highlights at the edges. It poured with a thin head with surprisingly long retention. As I drank, the beer left a very detailed lacing on the glass, like an elaborate spider web. It was difficult to pick out any specific aromas, as they all were fairly faint. I think that maybe there was some roasted malt smell in there.

This beer has a great flavor. It's taste is roasty malt and no noticeable hops. In the finish, I also got a little bit of sweetness as caramel or toffee. There isn't much carbonation in this beer, and that works well with the style and flavor. I think any major carbonation would ruin the taste. This beer has a mildly roasted aftertaste, and it feels very thick as you drink it. It's like a meal!

Final thought - This beer is a definite keeper. It gives me a warm feeling inside when I drink it. It's a highly drinkable beer that I could enjoy quite a few of, provided I also had a ride home. Or was already on my own couch. Good stuff.

-Jon

XPA

Beer Name: XPA (Extra Pale Ale)
Brewery: High & Mighty Beer Company
ABV: 5%
Serving method: 16-oz draught in a pint glass
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Unknown

Did you know that High & Mighty was based in Holyoke? Or that they originally used the same brewery as Paper City (and maybe still do, since they said they were shooting for their own brewery in 2010 but haven't updated that portion of their website)? It's exciting to find out about local beers!

The XPA is a golden orange color with a cloudy appearance. There is only a thin head on it, and it fades pretty quickly without leaving much lacing. There is an aroma that is mostly hops (like a combination of pine and citrus) with some grain scents in the background.

Since I ordered the beer with my meal, I had a couple of sips and then waited for the food. As it warmed up, the flavor was very good. It was lightly hoppy with a little bit of dryness. Not nearly as hoppy as an IPA though. The finish was slightly bitter, and there wasn't really an aftertaste. Overall, it was a nice crisp, clean beer. It had a light carbonation, which worked very well with the flavor.

Final thought - I am glad I tried this beer. It's easy drinking, and very enjoyable! It's also exciting to know that it's a local place, so hopefully they'll have tours and stuff with some sweet swag. And beer tasting!

-Jon