Headwaters Pale Ale

Beer Name: Headwaters Pale Ale
Brewery: Victory Brewing Company
ABV: 5.1%
Serving method: 12-oz bottle in a pint glass
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Best by 9/12/11

What an oddly specific date. I am tempted to save 2 of the bottles from this 6-pack to drink one right before the 12th and the other right after and see if there is some terrible metamorphosis from good beer to beer-like poison. But if I had to guess, I'd say that I probably won't do that and that said metamorphosis won't actually happen.

Headwaters Pale Ale is a fairly dark beer for a "pale" ale. It looks a bit like an IPA with an orangey shade of copper coloring. There was a little bit of head, but it faded pretty quickly, leaving only a light lacing behind. This beer has a very strong aroma of citrus hops. It smells like there's a little bit of sweet malt in here as well.

As I mentioned on another branch of my empire, I enjoyed this beer in 4-oz form up at the Brattleboro Brewers Festival. In bottle form, it is still enjoyable. The aroma of this beer was very accurate in predicting the flavor. This is a fairly hoppy beer, but it's not too strong, and there is definitely some sweetness in the background. It finishes with a crisp bitterness, but it's not that dry, and it doesn't leave much of an aftertaste. This beer feels very clean and light, and the low carbonation makes it very easy to drink.

Final thought - It's pretty simple: if you like pale ales, then you should do yourself a favor and try this one, as it's delightful. And if you don't like pale ales, then this one probably isn't going to change your mind. Although it's not overly hoppy, so it's worth a shot. Kate even tried a sip without me forcing it on her, so that's a start.

-Jon

Chocolate Stout

Beer Name: Chocolate Stout
Brewery: Rogue Brewery
ABV: 6%
Serving method: 22-oz bottle in a pint glass
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Unknown

What a week! Not really, but I haven't had a new beer in 7 days. That's just too long.

Rogue's Chocolate Stout is a very dark beer, but not quite black. There was about half an inch of head when it poured, but it quickly faded except for a thin layer that remained for most of the glass. There was a heavy lacing pattern left behind. This beer smells like dessert! Sweet and malty chocolate is the main aroma, but there is a little bit of coffee and maybe fruitiness in the background.

There is not nearly as much chocolate in the taste as the aroma led me to expect. I feel as though I've been deceived. Each sip has some sweetness at the front, but there's a major coffee bitterness at the finish. It's also a little dry at the end. Fairly carbonated for a stout, this beer is still easily drinkable with a very thick mouthfeel. I'm not a huge fan of the aftertaste though. The bitterness hangs on a little too long at the beginning of the pint. However, I will say that after a few minutes, everything sort of mellows together.

Final thought - This would be a very good beer as a stout, but it's not quite chocolatey enough to be a chocolate stout. Apart from the bite at the beginning, this was a very enjoyable bottle.

-Jon

Yeti

Beer Name: Yeti Imperial Stout
Brewery: Great Divide Brewing Company
ABV: 9.5%
Serving method: 22-oz bottle in a pint glass
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Bottled 3/18/11

Yup, it's another stout. I have been drinking a lot of these this year, and there's a very good reason for that. Stouts just happen to be my current favorite beer style. After a day of doing all sorts of non-productive things, a good stout is a great way to kick back and relax.

The Yeti Imperial Stout is supposedly "untamed" and "imposing," or so the label would have me believe. This is another extremely dark beer. It's so dark, in fact, that there aren't even visible highlights at the edges of the glass when it's held up to a light. That is dark. It poured with a quickly fading head that still left a heavy lacing behind. There is a normal stout aroma (roasted malts and chocolate), but there's also a little bit of fruitiness in there.

This seems like a pretty complex beer. There's a sweetness at the beginning of each sip, mostly chocolatey, but then there's some bitterness and a strong roasted finish. Despite the high ABV, the alcohol does not have a strong presence, which is just the way I like it. At first, the beer seemed a bit strong for my liking, but with each sip, I like it a little more. I guess it was imposing after all. It's got a bit of carbonation, but not too much for the style. Aftertaste is a little bitter.

Final thought - This is a nice stout, but it has to be a sipper. It's a little deceptive, because the first sip is a somewhat intimidating, even though the beer is very enjoyable. Don't be frightened off; it's a good stout for a cool night.

-Jon

Coffee Stout

Beer Name: Coffee Stout (Brewmaster Series)
Brewery: Long Trail Brewing Company
ABV: 8%
Serving method: 22-oz bottle in a pint glass
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Bottled 2/15/11

The Brewmaster Series is currently a group of 4 beers that are only available during a small window each year. Coffee Stout is only made for February and March, so I guess I got lucky when I found this bottle. Or possibly unlucky. That all depends on how good it is.

The Long Trail Coffee Stout is a very dark beer. Like solid black, just the way a stout should be. It poured with a nice thick stout head, caramel-colored and almost an inch thick. The head faded slowly, and left a somewhat heavy lacing pattern. That faded before the beer was done, since this beer is too good to rush through. There was a great coffee aroma here, but not really anything else.

First impression: wow, that's some intensely bitter coffee flavor. However, after letting it mellow out for a couple minutes, the taste becomes a bit less intense and a whole lot more enjoyable. Each sip is pretty much the same, with a little sweetness from the malt at the beginning, and then the coffee and a little bit of hoppy bitterness. This beer feels very thick and creamy as you drink it. There's a medium amount of carbonation (for a stout), and a slight aftertaste of coffee.

Final thought - If you pour this in a glass, give a few minutes, and then drink it nice and slowly, this beer is delightful. It's great for sitting back and relaxing. The coffee flavor is very noticeable, but it's not overwhelming.

-Jon

Imperial Stout

Beer Name: Smuttynose Imperial Stout
Brewery: Smuttynose Brewing Company
ABV: 9.8%
Serving method: 22-oz bottle in a pint glass
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Bottled-conditioned in 2011

Time for a beer lesson! Most beer that you get has a shelf-life on it, and if you don't drink it pretty close to that window of time, you are going to be drinking some pretty bad tasting beer. By bottle conditioning the beer, the brewer keeps the yeast alive, which fights against the normal breakdown that leads to skunky beer. When it's done correctly, the beer will keep much longer, often for several years. The moral of this story is that since this beer was bottle conditioned (and I assume done correctly since these are professionals), the date it was bottled is immaterial.

Smuttynose's Imperial Stout is a very dark beer, bordering on solid black. It pours with a thick head that fades very slowly and leaves a sporadic lacing pattern that is very heavy where it sticks. There's a whole lot going on in the aroma here, including a heavy dose of chocolate, some light hoppiness, and a whiff of alcohol. It also has some roasted scents, mostly coffee, along with a bit of malt. It's very complex for my poor nose.

Several of the scents that were apparent in the aroma are also present for the taste. There's a sweetness at the beginning of each sip, but there's also a little bit of bitterness from the hops. The aftertaste of the beer has a little bit of coffee in it. This beer feels very heavy as I drink it, so it's not one to drink quickly. It's got a little bit of carbonation, but I wouldn't want much more. Even though it's strong, there isn't really a noticeable alcohol taste. And that's a good thing.

Final thought - I had told Kate that I needed a good beer to relax with after I got drenched (again!) at today's track meet, and this beer fit the bill nicely. This beer is a sipper, and absolutely perfect for watching the Bruins attempt to give everyone in Boston a heart attack. It's also another good example of how to make a strong stout without having the alcohol dominate the flavor. Delicious.

-Jon

Apricot Wheat

Beer Name: Apricot Wheat
Brewery: Sea Dog Brewing Company
ABV: 4.6%
Serving method: 12-oz bottle
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Best by... I forget. Sometime a long time from now.

I grabbed a Sea Dog mix-pack and a Magic Hat mix-pack to complement my chili, because nothing goes with chili like beer. Except for maybe beer and football. You know, if there is actually football next season. I believe I've covered most of the Magic Hat pack already, so the honor of being featured as the next new beer goes to Sea Dog's Apricot Wheat.

Since I drank this one straight from the bottle (my Mom's house as a disturbing lack of appropriate beer glassware), I couldn't get a great look at the beer's coloring. It seemed to be fairly light colored beer, but I can't be sure because of the brown bottle. The aroma was very strongly apricot, to the point of seeming a bit artificial. There was also a little bit of graininess in the background, but it wasn't very noticeable.

I can tell that beer snobs aren't going to like this beer. It has an apricot flavor to a ridiculous degree. Where #9 has a fairly subtle hint of apricots in the background, Apricot Wheat is all about it. I would guess that the apricot flavor is not from natural apricots. This beer is very sweet, and it doesn't have much carbonation. They could probably pass it off as an apricot soda.

Final thought - If you go in expecting a big beer here, you're going to be disappointed. This is just a sweet beer for the summer with an absurd amount of apricots. Sadly, too many people are only concerned with having imperial beers or double/triple IPAs to enjoy anything that isn't in the category. Enjoy Apricot Wheat for what it is: an enjoyable, easy-to-drink beer that isn't overly alcoholic.

-Jon

Snake Dog IPA

Beer Name: Snake Dog IPA
Brewery: Flying Dog Brewery
ABV: 7.1%
Serving method: 12-oz bottle in a pint glass
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Unknown

This is from Bill's Flying Dog mix-pack since he doesn't like IPAs. Being a nice guy, I decided to help him avoid having to spite-drink another hoppy brew by drinking them myself.

The Snake Dog IPA is a golden orange colored beer. It pours with a pretty thick head (almost a full inch) that fades slowly, leaving a heavy lacing pattern behind. There is a strong aroma of citrus hops with sweet malt in the background. The scent is perfect for an IPA.

The aroma carries over to the flavor, which has a little bit of sweetness in the front of each sip and then kicks your tastebuds with hops. Lots of hops. It finishes with bitterness, but not the typical dryness that most hoppy beers have. There's a good amount of carbonation in here, and a little bit of a bitter aftertaste.

Final thought - This is another strong IPA offering. The sweetness of the malt works well with the bitterness of the hops, so each sip is a mix of flavors. The high ABV isn't even noticeable in there. Very enjoyable.

-Jon

Wacko

Beer Name: Wacko
Brewery: Magic Hat
ABV: 4.5%
Serving method: 12-oz bottle in a pint glass
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Best by 7/31/11

Wacko is Magic Hat's summer beer, and has the distinction of being my new summer beer of choice. I realize that this is blasphemy coming from the person responsible for 3 consecutive Summer Ale Challenges, but it's true. I think the 800+ Summer Ales I drank in the past 3 years might have been just a few too many.

Wacko is a pinkish beer that is slightly opaque. Yup, that's right. Pinkish. That's due to the beet coloring and beet sugar used in its production. It pours with only a light head that fades practically instantly and doesn't leave much lacing behind. There is a sweet aroma here, possibly from the beet sugar. It smells a little bit like fruit.

There's nothing amazing about this beer, but it's easy to drink and has a low ABV, which is just perfect for a summer brew. No one wants to deal with some jerk who gets wasted at a cookout and knocks the grill over. There is a sweetness to the beer's flavor that tastes a little bit like cherries. This beer is not very carbonated and doesn't have much of an aftertaste. All in all, it's an enjoyable beer that doesn't try to do to much.

Final thought - Is this beer super flavorful? Not really. Does it have an especially memorable taste? Probably not. So what gives it the right to take the summer crown from Sam? I don't really know. What I do know is that I can drink a bunch of these without a problem, and the flavor never gets overwhelming. When I'm laying out in the hammock this summer with a couple of goofy looking pugs, that's all I'm looking for.

-Jon

Jah*va

Beer Name: Jah*va Imperial Coffee Stout
Brewery: Southern Tier
ABV: 10.6%
Serving method: 22-oz bottle in a pint glass
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Unknown

Southern Tier continues their streak of ridiculously high ABV beverages. The bottle of this particular brew says that the ideal serving method is in a brandy snifter at 48ºF. Ok, I can probably handle letting the beer warm up a little, but do I really seem like the kind of guy who owns a brandy snifter? Yeah, I keep it in my study with my smoking jacket, fancy globe and encyclopædia collection. Get real.

The Jah*va is a very dark beer. It's pretty much solid black, even when held up to a light. Usually with a stout there are some highlights at the edges, but not this time. I read a few other reviews of this beer, and all of them said there was a good amount of head but no lacing. For some reason, even though I tried to pour it to generate head, mine did not have it. There is a strong aroma of roasted coffee with a hint of alcohol and sweetness, probably malt.

My initial sip of the beer generated a reaction that was partly "mmmm!" and partly "whoa, this is strong!" It was pretty good, but I don't think I let it warm quite enough. After a few more minutes, it was a little more mellow, which I believe is the brewers' intent. Once it warmed a bit more, it really stood out as a good beer. There is a good coffee flavor the whole way through each sip. It starts off with sweet coffee and a little bit of chocolate and finishes with a nice crisp bitterness. It's very lightly carbonated, but I think any more carbonation would be too much. The beer has a slight aftertaste of coffee.

Final thought - Alright, this is another good example of making a high ABV beer without overdoing the alcohol flavor. Don't get me wrong: I love taking shots. I just don't want to feel like I'm taking shots when I'm supposed to be enjoying a beer. Jah*va is definitely one of the better beers I've had in recent memory, and another strong showing from Southern Tier.

-Jon

Blind Faith

Beer Name: Blind Faith
Brewery: Magic Hat
ABV: 6.2%
Serving method: 12-oz bottle in a pint glass
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Best by 7/31/2011

In my completely non-professional opinion, the Magic Hat summer mix-pack is superior to the spring mix-pack. Write that down if you're keeping track at home.

Blind Faith is another IPA On Tour beer, joining Demo, hI.P.A. and Encore. This one is a dark cloudy copper beer that pours with a little bit of head that fades quickly but leaves a moderate amount of lacing behind. There is a sweet maltiness in the aroma that is combined with the expected amount of hops for an IPA.

While there is definitely a hoppy presence here, it's a lot more toned down than most other IPAs that are out there lately. The sweetness of the malt is very noticeable at the front of each sip, and the hops finish it off without being overly dry or bitter. The beer has a heavy presence in each sip, and there is a medium carbonation to it. There's a slightly bitter finish and a bit of a hoppy aftertaste.

Final thought - After Demo's not-quite-an-IPA performance, the Blind Faith makes a welcome appearance in my latest beer mix-pack. I like the combination of hops and malt in this beer. Both add to the flavor without dominating the other, which is a nice change from other IPAs. Good stuff!

-Jon