Santa's Little Helper

Beer Name: Santa's Little Helper Imperial Stout
Brewery: Port Brewing Company
ABV: 10%
Serving method: 22-oz bottle in a pint glass
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Bottled 9/1/11

As usual, as soon as I say one thing, something completely different happens to make me look foolish. I end 2011 by saying I probably won't be trying as many new beers this year, and then I start off 2012 with a record-setting month. This puts me on an absurd pace for 176 new beers this year, which I am fairly certain neither my wallet nor my liver could handle. I think I'll have to slow things down for February.

Santa's Little Helper is a very dark beer, practically solid black. It poured with about a finger and a half of thick, fluffy, caramel-colored head that lasted for quite a while before finally fading away, leaving a heavy lacing behind. This beer has a very strong aroma of roasted coffee and some toasty malts. There's also a noticeable alcohol aroma, presumably due to the potentially ass-kicking 10% ABV.

Well, in spite of the alcohol present in the aroma, it's not as strong in the flavor as I was expecting. Instead, there's just a faint alcohol taste with a bunch of roasted coffee flavors, some dark chocolate, and some very roasted malts. The carbonation here is very light, and the beer has a big mouthfeel, making it very thick and smooth feeling with each sip. The finish has a bitter punch, but the aftertaste doesn't linger very long.

Final thought - This is a tasty brew, but it is strong. It's very smooth, and it can be easy-drinking if you want it to be, but I wouldn't recommend it because you will end up feeling it quickly. Sit back, sip this baby slowly, and relax.

-Jon

Irish Setter Red

Beer Name: Irish Setter Red
Brewery: Thirsty Dog Brewing Company
ABV: 5.9%
Serving method: 12-oz bottle
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Unknown

Thirsty Dog has lots of beers with dog breed names. I don't really know what red ales are supposed to taste like, but hopefully this is better than Killian's.

Irish Setter Red is a reddish amber beer that poured without much head or lacing. The whole thing seems like it's a fairly thin beer, which can be ok. The aroma is malty along with a sweet breadlike scent. There's also a sourish smell. Nothing in the hop department at all, which predicts a flavor without any bitterness.

The flavor of the beer is a combination of sweet caramel malt flavors along with some graininess and sour fruits. It starts off sweet, and has a sour-sweet finish. It ends fairly cleanly, without much of an aftertaste. This beer is very lightly carbonated, and is pretty smooth.

Final thought - Maybe it's the beer, or maybe it's the style, but this just isn't for me. There's nothing really wrong with it, but I just need more as far as the hops go. I'll stick with their Raspberry Ale, or that ridiculously strong stout I tried at the package store. This is better than Kilian's Irish Red though, so it's got that going for it.

-Jon

Oak Aged Mocha Stout

Beer Name: Oak Aged Mocha Stout
Brewery: Peak Organic Brewing Company
ABV: 8.4%
Serving method: 22-oz bottle in a pint glass
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Unknown

This beer is brewed with chocolate, gets coffee added to it during its conditioning, and then hangs out in an oak barrel which is supposed to impart some vanilla flavors. So basically this beer is some fancy stuff. So fancy, in fact, that the top of the bottle was wrapped in foil, which is annoying. Don't do that, breweries! Especially if you're going to adhere the foil with some sort of sticky adhesive. Now I can't add this Peak Organic cap to my collection.

The Oak Aged Mocha Stout is a velvety black beer. It poured with about a finger of head, which faded after a short time. The beer tried to leave a lacing pattern, but for some reason it just wouldn't stick. I think that may actually be a fault of myself as opposed to a fault of the beer, in that I may have not used a properly cleaned glass. I can live with that, because I have to. This beer smells fantastic, with great stout aromas of coffee and chocolate. I suppose maybe I can pick out some oaky notes in the aroma, but I think it's probably a psychological thing because I know the beer is oak aged.

This beer has some very complex things happening in its flavor. There are roasted coffee flavors (sort of like a burned flavor, but in a good way). There are chocolate flavors. I am also getting some very faint vanilla flavors. There is really a whole of stuff going on here, and all of it is pleasant. The beer has a light carbonation, and even with its fairly high ABV, it's nice and smooth. Bitter coffee takes the spotlight in the finish, and it has a light mocha aftertaste.

Final thought - I was a little skeptical after the first few sips, because the beer seemed like it just wasn't what I was expecting it to be. Then it warmed up slightly, and it became amazing. I am a little embarrassed that I didn't think to give it a few minutes, what with it being a strong stout and all. Obviously a beer like that needs a chance to meld its flavors. What a rookie mistake. Also, I may have to rethink my position on barrel-aging beers after drinking this one.

-Jon

Raspberry Ale

Beer Name: Raspberry Ale
Brewery: Thirsty Dog Brewing Company
ABV: 3.9%
Serving method: 12-oz bottle in a pint glass
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Unknown

This brewery is not new, but it's new to being distributed in this area. Or at least that's what the guy conducting the beer tasting said. I haven't seen it before, so I'll take his word for it.

Thirsty Dog's Raspberry Ale is a light golden colored beer. Since it's a fruit beer, it had a little bit of head when it poured, but it was gone almost immediately. The aroma is, as you would probably expect, raspberries mostly. It also has some light malt aromas, and nothing in the hops department. Everything is pointing to a sweet tasting beer.

The beer's flavor is dominated by raspberries. It tastes like actual raspberries though, and not like raspberry candy, so it's not sickeningly sweet. There's also some light malt flavors, but they're much fainter than the raspberry. The beer has a light carbonation, and just a little too much of a sweet aftertaste. It finishes with a nice raspberry flavor, but then it hangs around on the front of the tongue slightly too long. I can live with it though.

Final thought - For a raspberry beer, this is fantastic. It tastes more like real raspberries than artificial fruit flavors like a lot of fruit beers do. It's also low in alcohol. If this stuff is around this summer and is a reasonable price, I am going to be spending a lot of time with these and the hammock.

-Jon

East Chop Lighthouse Ale

Beer Name: East Chop Lighthouse Ale
Brewery: Offshore Ale Company
ABV: 4.7%
Serving method: 22-oz bottle in a pint glass
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Unknown

I wonder if this brewery really brews out in the ocean. Probably not. East Chop Lighthouse Ale is an American blonde ale, which means it's light in color, light in flavor, and malty. Well, at least in theory. Let's see how this one plays out.

East Chop Lighthouse Ale is a straw-colored beer, slightly cloudy, that poured with a thin, light head. This head faded pretty quickly for the most part, although it left a small ring around the top edge of the beer. There is a strong malty aroma here, possibly pale malt (which would make sense, given the color of the beer). It also has a hint of a grassy aroma.

The flavor of this beer almost feels like it could be from Magic Hat (that's a good thing in my book). The maltiness is the main flavor, although there's also a nice grain component to it as well. It's very light feeling, but there's still quite a bit of flavor, unlike some other very pale colored light beers. The finish is fairly sweet, and it has a very faint aftertaste of malt.

Final thought - This is a nice enjoyable light-drinking beer. It's light flavor and low ABV make sure that you can drink it without any worries about drunken repercussions. If you like really light beers, this one should get a try.

-Jon

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