Prairie Artisan Ales Christmas BOMB!

My first experience with Prairie Artisan Ales was last year's Christmas BOMB! I remember it being good but nothing that blew my socks off. With a hefty price tag of around 10 dollars for a 12 oz bottle I expected the beer to taste like liquid gold. With that same hope, I tried it on draft afterward and was disappointed to find out I still had the same general feelings toward it. I then tried regular BOMB! on multiple occasions throughout the year and I was blown away every single time(you can read that review here). As the year progressed, I wondered if I was fair to Christmas BOMB! Were my expectations too high initially? Or were my initial thoughts that Christmas BOMB! was an overpriced average stout with holiday spices correct? I decided to pick up a bottle of this year's batch and find the answer once and for all.

Prairie Artisan Ales Christmas BOMB! pours a rich black with minimal carbonation. There is almost no head but dark tan lacing does show up. The aroma is what I would describe as holiday coffee. There is a strong coffee aroma, which is complimented by cinnamon and chocolate. Upon tasting the strong flavors of chocolate, coffee and cinnamon flooded my palate right off the bat. There are also hints of ginger and nutmeg as well, before a light peppery finish. Most of the flavors I expected are there, and while they are fine they are nowhere near as good as the flavors developed in regular BOMB! The coffee in regular BOMB! is incredible. It works so well with the beer. Here the coffee tastes like a more watered-down version of the one found in BOMB! Additionally I found that the flavors did not develop as well in Christmas BOMB! as it warmed. Mainly because the spices drown out almost any subtitles in the flavor.

It may appear that I am being harsh on Christmas BOMB! But the truth is I like it. I think the flavors work, they just do not work as well as regular BOMB! or Stone Brewing's Xocoveza which is very similar in flavor, significantly cheaper, easier to find and just flat out tastes better. But if you have to try it, especially due to the limited availability of Christmas BOMB! I feel it is worth trying if you get the chance. That being said, if you are a fan of regular BOMB! keep your expectations in check.

Overall I would rate Prairie Artisan Ales Christmas BOMB! a 3.25/5. Think of a thinner, lower ABV version of BOMB! with watered down coffee and a ton of cinnamon, that's exactly what you get here.

Rating Scale:
1 - Repugnant and undrinkable
2 - Acceptable but forgettable
3 - Good, worth a purchase
4 - Excellent, a step above the norm
5 - Truly exceptional　

To discuss this blog or all things beer follow me on Twitter & Untappd at @ACraftyLook

For more beer reviews go to: http://acraftylook.blogspot.com/

Thanks for reading. Sláinte!

Evil Twin Brewing Christmas Eve at a New York City Hotel Room

I am not a big fan of how everything on November 1^st becomes Christmas themed. We go from the costumes, monsters and candy of Halloween, to holiday themed everything. On November 1^st it seems everything has a snowflake, a candy cane, a Christmas tree, or Santa on it. One of the reasons I don't enjoy this is that I love Thanksgiving. I don't even want to think about Christmas until I have a stomach full of turkey, gravy & stuffing and wake up from my food coma on Black Friday. But year after year Christmas season seems to come earlier and earlier. Right now, stores are filled with holiday themed decorations while Christmas songs play in the background. Streets are lined with Christmas lights and I just can't take it. I would try to wish all of it away until after Thanksgiving but that would mean winter beer would have to go with it and I just don't want that. For this review I decided to suppress my inner Grinch and take a look at the holiday offering from Evil Twin Brewing, Christmas Eve at a New York City Hotel Room Imperial Stout.

In retrospect I probably could have picked a beer with a shorter name for this review but I appreciate the originality of the name Christmas Eve at a New York City Hotel Room and that alone is why I picked this beer. Christmas Eve at a New York City Hotel Room pours a rich, deep black with a dark brown head. The aroma is not filled with any Christmas spices, instead it is filled with roasted malt, espresso, chocolate and coffee. The flavor is immediately roasty with the pleasant flavor of smoke. There are notes of coffee, caramel and chocolate but nothing that really shines outside of the roasted malt and the smoke. The finish has a light earthy hop bitterness, along with a hint of alcohol, reminding you it has a 10% ABV.

Christmas Eve at a NYC Hotel Room Imperial Stout is a good Imperial Stout but it is not a great one. I feel the flavor lacked the depth I wanted from an Imperial Stout, as well as mouthfeel. To me, this beer is a bit thin for what it is. A little more body and more malt complexity could have pushed this beer into great imperial stout territory. One thing I am a fan of is that Evil Twin did not add any cinnamon, nutmeg or ginger to this beer. It is just an imperial stout. So for someone like me, who is not ready for the Christmas season just yet, this is a perfect seasonal beer to start with.

Overall I rate Evil Twin Brewing Christmas Eve at a New York City Hotel Room a 3.5/5. While I wanted more depth in the flavor, sometimes simple works. Plus, the 10% ABV does a great job at silencing your inner Grinch.

Rating Scale:
1 - Repugnant and undrinkable
2 - Acceptable but forgettable
3 - Good, worth a purchase
4 - Excellent, a step above the norm
5 - Truly exceptional　

To discuss this blog or all things beer follow me on Twitter & Untappd at @ACraftyLook

For more beer reviews go to: http://acraftylook.blogspot.com/

Thanks for reading. Sláinte!

Magic Hat Snow Roller

The first time I tried a beer from the Magic Hat Brewing Company, I thought I was drinking something that stood out from the typical craft beer selection in my area. Their flagship beer, #9 became a sessionable favorite of mine during my senior year of college. During that time I also found the Hocus Pocus pale wheat ale, among others to be interesting. My personal favorite, the long retired Roxy Rolles red ale helped establish my love of hops balanced by a wonderful malt profile. But at some point, my palate seemed to shift and I began to find most of their beer to be bland & forgettable. The unique styles of beer that I enjoyed so much seemed to be made better by other breweries. For this review I decided to keep an open mind and revisit Magic Hat by taking a look at their latest winter offering Snow Roller.

Magic Hat Snow Roller according to the bottle is a hoppy brown ale. It pours a reddish brown with an off white head. Nothing really stands out in the aroma, it is nutty with caramel malt, chocolate and light earthy hops. Upon tasting the caramel, chocolate malt flavors flood the palate before finishing with an unpleasant earthy, pine bitterness. Now I may have singled out the finish as being unpleasant but frankly the entire experience of drinking this beer is unpleasant. The malt flavor is boring and understated. I feel like Snow Roller would have worked significantly better if the malt was more pronounced. Instead the hops are showcased and their bitterness with no balance from the malt makes this practically undrinkable. In fact, a third of the way into this beer I began to wonder if I should finish it or put it down the drain.

All and all, drinking Magic Hat Snow Roller was a huge disappointment. To me, the idea of a hoppy brown ale brings the promise of bold flavors and a balance between the hops and malt. There are no bold flavors here, just a lingering hop bitterness that makes me want to brush my teeth as soon as possible rather than take another sip of this horribly disappointing beer.

Overall I give Magic Hat Snow Roller a 0.5/5. I really want to say something clever here, but I really just want to finish this review and move on as soon as possible.



Rating Scale:
1 - Repugnant and undrinkable
2 - Acceptable but forgettable
3 - Good, worth a purchase
4 - Excellent, a step above the norm
5 - Truly exceptional　

To discuss this blog or all things beer follow me on Twitter & Untappd at @ACraftyLook

For more beer reviews go to: http://acraftylook.blogspot.com/

Thanks for reading. Sláinte!

Genesee Salted Caramel Chocolate Porter

The other day I opened my fridge, stared at my beer collection and realized it had been far too long since I have written a blog. Now I could bore you with stories of where I have been or make up more dramatic & interesting stories about what I've been up to, but what good does that do? The important thing is I'm back, I've got a fridge full of beer and it's time I let you all know whether those beers belong in yours. The beer I will use to kick things off is the latest beer from the Genesee Brewing Company, Salted Caramel Chocolate Porter.

Genesee Salted Caramel Chocolate Porter is a beer that surprised many(including yours truly) during its very limited release in early 2015. Now it is back and in bottles for first time as part of the “Pilot Batch” series from Genesee. While I found this to be exciting news, so far the “Pilot Batch” beers have yielded mixed results. The Imperial Black IPA was a solid beer but there was nothing impressive about the Scotch Ale. And while I admire Genny's attempt at trying to break into the craft beer market, neither one of those beers offered something that separated them in a crowded field. That has now changed with the release of Salted Caramel Chocolate Porter.

Salted Caramel Chocolate Porter pours a rich black with a fluffy khaki colored head. Caramel dominates the aroma, with hints of chocolate and salt. The flavor itself is fairly similar. The wonderful caramel flavor is bold and flooded my palate initially. This gave way to the slight bitterness of roasted malt and dark chocolate before finishing with a hint of salt and a light hop bitterness that balances out the sweetness beautifully. While this might sound strange to some beer drinkers, I cannot begin to describe just how well this works. The mouthfeel is silky smooth and the sweetness of the caramel never becomes overpowering because of the slightly bitter finish. On top of that the caramel tastes authentic and not artificial like the caramel in Saranac Caramel Porter for example. The only thing that I wanted more of was the chocolate. And while the chocolate did provide a nice bitterness to the finish, it was a bit understated in the flavor. But truthfully, that is just nitpicking. Genesee Brewing Company truly hit a home run with this beer and hopefully it is a sign of innovative releases to come.

Overall I give Genesee Salted Caramel Chocolate Porter a 4.5/5. This beer is so good you will forgive Genesee for those bad Cream Ale hangovers.


Rating Scale:
1 - Repugnant and undrinkable
2 - Acceptable but forgettable
3 - Good, worth a purchase
4 - Excellent, a step above the norm
5 - Truly exceptional　

To discuss this blog or all things beer follow me on Twitter & Untappd at @ACraftyLook

For more beer reviews go to: http://acraftylook.blogspot.com/

Thanks for reading. Sláinte!

Bourbon Barrel Aged Arrogant Bastard Ale

I'm a huge fan of bourbon barrel aged beer. Bourbon County Brand Stout, Founders Backwoods Bastard, Central Waters Bourbon Barrel Aged Barley Wine and Founders KBS are some of my personal favorite beers. I enjoy them so much that, if they are on tap in my area I will recruit my friends to go try those beers with a level of enthusiasm that makes it seem like we are attending the Beer Super Bowl. Because of my fondness for those beers I seem to think any beer that spends time aging in a bourbon barrel is going to be fantastic. And while that is definitely not the case, I seem to fall for it every time.

On a recent visit to my local beer store, I stumbled upon Bourbon Barrel Aged Arrogant Bastard Ale from Stone Brewing Company and immediately picked up a couple bottles. While I was excited to try it, I've always had mixed feelings toward Arrogant Bastard Ale. I always thought the name of the beer was fantastic and the label on the bottle is hilarious. The flavor of the beer however has never quite been as good as I wanted it to be. Over the years I've revisited it from time to time hoping for different results but I always seem to arrive at the same conclusion, it's a mediocre beer that relies on its name to sell it. But I felt it was time to push those feelings aside. This version of Arrogant Bastard was aged in bourbon barrels and that gave it a clean slate and a strong desire for me to like it. But would I?

Bourbon Barrel Aged Arrogant Bastard pours a slightly hazy dark red with a lingering khaki head. The aroma is full of caramel malt and dark fruit with citrus, pine and oak. The initial flavor is pine and citrus with a caramel malt backbone, basically Arrogant Bastard. The flavor progresses to some pleasant vanilla and toffee sweetness from the oak before a slightly bitter pine finish. The most noticeable thing is the absence of bourbon flavor which to be honest I found most disappointing. The flavors of the oak clearly come through and do in fact add to the flavor in a positive way. However this isn't the oak aged version of Arrogant Bastard, this is the bourbon barrel aged version. Another thing I felt was lacking was proper carbonation. While it wasn't flat it was certainly lacking the proper amount of effervescence it required.

Grading Bourbon Barrel Aged Arrogant Bastard is difficult. While it is an improvement on the original beer, the barrel aging should have added more to its flavor profile. That being said, the added layers of sweetness brought a better balance to the aggressive hops of the original beer. But at the same time the lack of carbonation reminded me of drinking out of an old 2 liter bottle of soda. It might not be flat but it certainly was close. What I am basically trying to say is while this is not a bad beer, it just feels like a missed opportunity at making a really good one.

Overall I rate Bourbon Barrel Aged Arrogant Bastard a 2.75/5. It's worth trying if you are a fan of Arrogant Bastard Ale. But if you are a fan of bourbon barrel aged beers it feels like a disappointment.

Rating Scale:
1 - Repugnant and undrinkable
2 - Acceptable but forgettable
3 - Good, worth a purchase
4 - Excellent, a step above the norm
5 - Truly exceptional　

To discuss this blog or all things beer follow me on Twitter & Untappd at @ACraftyLook

For more beer reviews go to: http://acraftylook.blogspot.com/

Thanks for reading. Sláinte!

Not Your Father's Root Beer

From the moment I heard that Not Your Father's Root Beer was getting distribution in New York, I became very excited. The idea of an alcoholic root beer, while not uncommon, was something I had never seen, much less had the chance to try. So one day as I was reading the morning newspaper(Facebook news feed), I saw it was on sale locally. At that point I jumped out of bed and headed to the store. While driving there I started to have doubts about Not Your Father's Root Beer. What if this wasn't as good as its reputation? What if it tasted more like the awful Jack Daniel's Hard Cola I thought was such a good idea so long ago? What if this is just another “beer” that arrived with a lot of hype and ended up being a gigantic let down? My concerns seemed to vanish immediately as soon as I drove into the parking lot and went into the store. Two minutes later I walked out with a huge smile on my face, 8 bottles and a desire for it to be 5 o'clock somewhere. Several hours later, the time to try my first alcoholic root beer arrived and I was not disappointed.

Not Your Father's Root Beer pours very similar to root beer. It is very dark brown with a light fizzy head that dissipates quickly. The aroma in fact is reminiscent of an old fashion style root beer. It is candy sweet with heavy vanilla, along with anise and clove. The flavor matches the aroma and it is fantastic. The flavor of Not Your Father's Root Beer tastes pretty much exactly like an old fashioned root beer. The only noticeable difference is there is a slight spice and alcohol burn in the finish. While this is truly nitpicking(that's what I do here) the flavor of the alcohol seems to vary per sip. It can go from barely noticeable to an almost mixed drink-like finish. At only 5.9% I feel this should not be case and would have preferred it was masked slightly better. Other than that, this is a fantastic root beer that exceeded every expectation I had for it. I see this being a fixture in my refrigerator for the foreseeable future.

Overall I would rate Not Your Father's Root Beer a 4.5/5. If you are a fan of root beer, this is for you. If you are not a fan of root beer then ignore this review completely.



Rating Scale:
1 - Repugnant and undrinkable
2 - Acceptable but forgettable
3 - Good, worth a purchase
4 - Excellent, a step above the norm
5 - Truly exceptional　

To discuss this blog or all things beer follow me on Twitter & Untappd at @ACraftyLook

For more beer reviews go to: http://acraftylook.blogspot.com/

Thanks for reading. Sláinte!

Victory Kirsch Gose

When I was a kid I loved Cherry Crush soda. On a nice summer day I would ride my bike to the local supermarket and buy a six pack or a 2 liter bottle of it and spend the remainder of the day drinking every last refreshing drop. By the end of the day I would have a tremendous sense of accomplishment, a massive stomach ache and a sugar high so big I could barely blink. But one day, seemingly out of nowhere, my desire to drink Cherry Crush completely vanished. I want to say it was because I realized drinking over 250 grams of sugar in a single sitting was a poor life decision but the truth is my palate changed. To me, Cherry Crush became so sweet it was unbearable to drink. For years I have been trying to relive those days with different cherry beverages, but found none that worked with my adult palate. Cherry sodas were too sweet, seltzer waters tasted too medicinal and cherry beers were typically mediocre at best. I had pretty much given up hope on finding a refreshing cherry beverage that worked me, but that changed when I took my first sip of Victory Kirsch Gose.

Victory Kirsch Gose, which according to the label is a “Sour Cherry Bier” that pours a light red, almost pink color with a white head. The aroma is bursting with tart cherries and little else. The flavor is more of the same. The flavor of sour, tart cherries immediately flooded my palate, before the light flavor of salt(which is common for the Gose style) and malt sweetness come in at the finish. I wish I could tell you I detected more subtle flavors but I did not. While I would have loved to see a little more depth in the flavor, I have to admit Kirsch Gose is an example of when a beer doesn't try to do too much and it works. The simple flavor of tart cherries with the perfect amount of carbonation make this a perfectly refreshing beer for a hot day. It's lack of overpowering sweetness and a low 4.7% ABV make it wonderfully sessionable as well. Basically this is cherry crush for adults.

Overall I would rate Victory Kirsch Gose a 4/5. It's simple, delicious and accessible. It just plain works.

Rating Scale:
1 - Repugnant and undrinkable
2 - Acceptable but forgettable
3 - Good, worth a purchase
4 - Excellent, a step above the norm
5 - Truly exceptional　

To discuss this blog or all things beer follow me on Twitter & Untappd at @ACraftyLook

For more beer reviews go to: http://acraftylook.blogspot.com/

Thanks for reading. Sláinte!

Southern Tier Tangier Session IPA

It is with great pleasure I make the following statement; warm weather, sunshine and summer beer are finally here. And while I am not always excited to see summer beer, I am excited to finally enjoy a light, crisp, refreshing beer outside without the need of 10 layers of clothing. If you live in upstate New York or the Northeast in general I'm sure you understand what I am talking about. This was a winter that truly felt like it was never going to end. While I love winter beer and feel it's never time to completely put down the stouts, porters, strong ales and double IPAs that compliment the cold so well, I am excited to lighten up and enjoy one of the many styles of summer beer. The wheat beers, shandies, session ipas, goses and fruit beers or any combination of those compliment the sunshine nicely. The first of those beers I am going to review is the latest summer offering from the Southern Tier Brewing, Tangier Session IPA.

Tangier Session IPA caught my eye immediately because it was brewed with Tangerine peels. In my mind anytime you can find a way to boost the citrus in an India Pale Ale, the better. Tangier pours golden yellow with an off white head. There is a noticeable amount of sediment floating in it which is not pleasing to the eye but not noticeable in the mouthfeel. The aroma is this beer's best trait, it is literally bursting with citrus. At this point I had high hopes for Tangier but unfortunately they were squandered the moment I tasted it.

After my first sip of Tangier, I was immediately hit with the watered down flavor of citrus before a light pine hop finish. It sounds simple because it is. There really is not a lot going on here. I could tell you I detected a little malt sweetness but that would be reaching. To make matters even worse, the tangerine peels are completely non-existent in the flavor. I started to think the tangerine peels were what was floating in the beer, which did not make any sense because it certainly did not make Tangier look appetizing. Going back to the flavor, the light, almost watered down citrus might be good if not for the strong lingering dirty hop aftertaste that seemed to grow the deeper I got into the beer. By the time my glass was empty, my palette was wrecked and I was relieved I only purchased one bottle. As far as summer beer goes, this is one to stay away from.

Overall I would rate Southern Tier Tangier Session IPA a 1.5/5. While the aroma is delightful, Tangier tastes like a watered down version of a bad IPA with a horrible aftertaste. Summer is too short to drink a beer this bad.

Rating Scale:
1 - Repugnant and undrinkable
2 - Acceptable but forgettable
3 - Good, worth a purchase
4 - Excellent, a step above the norm
5 - Truly exceptional　

To discuss this blog or all things beer follow me on Twitter & Untappd at @ACraftyLook

For more beer reviews go to: http://acraftylook.blogspot.com/

Thanks for reading. Sláinte!

Westbrook 4th Anniversary Chocolate Coconut Almond Imperial Stout

One of the best feelings in beer collecting is finding that rare beer you have been going store to store looking for. Depending on the level of effort you put forth and whether you have had the beer before, the act of chasing it down a lot of times can be more satisfying then drinking it. The more effort and miles you put in, the more special it can become. This process occasionally creates unrealistic expectations for the right occasion to drink said beer. This is what I ran into when I finally obtained a bottle of Westbrook 4^th Anniversary Stout.

In some areas Westbrook 4^th Anniversary Chocolate Coconut Almond Imperial Stout just sits on shelves collecting dust, waiting for someone to purchase it. In the area of Upstate NY I live in, Westbrook 4^th was only available for a couple of hours making it quite the challenge to obtain. When I got one of the last bottles I felt a tremendous swell of pride. I was excited to have it and was certain I would be drinking it immediately. But then a week went by and I felt that the beer was so rare that I had to save it for a special occasion. Then a month went by and it was still sitting the fridge. Then another month passed, and it finally hit me I need to drink that beer now before any of its interesting flavors fade away prior to drinking it. So instead of a special occasion I decided to treat myself to this beer on a random Thursday night watching cheesy horror movies--an occasion I viewed just as good as any.

Westbrook 4^th Anniversary Chocolate Coconut Almond Imperial Stout pours a rich, thick black with a dark brown head that slowly dissipates. The aroma is incredible, full of dark chocolate, vanilla and roasted malt. Simply, it smelled like chocolate milk for grown ups. And while the aroma was delightful, I was disappointed to not detect any coconut but hoped it would come through in the flavor. Unfortunately worrying about finding coconut in the flavor was the least of my worries because this beer is a mess. Much like the aroma, chocolate, vanilla and roasted malt are noticeable right away before a dry, nutty, espresso-like finish. While that may sound good initially(it is), the sloppiness of blending those flavors becomes intolerable by the end of the bottle.

One of the best parts of drinking a truly complex imperial stout is allowing the beer to warm so the flavors typically start to open up and more subtle flavors are noticeable. Here, when the beer warms, it becomes an overly sweet, clunky mess. It seems Westbrook 4^th does not seem to know which flavor it wants to showcase, but it certainly does not try to showcase the coconut. In this beer, warm or not the coconut is pretty much non-existent. To a point, I honestly do not know why coconut was on the label. The almond flavor is there but that falls victim to the poorly blended bigger flavors of the roasted malt, sweet chocolate and vanilla. Basically this is a beer that tries to be too complex for its own good and it suffers because of it.

Westbrook 4^th Anniversary Stout is an example of a rare beer that arrives with a bunch of hype but fails to live up to the expectations. For this particular beer, chasing it down was by far the most interesting part about it. With the ingredients involved there was a lot of potential for it to be great but unfortunately the clunkiness of its' craftsmanship left a lot to be desired. I hope to see other coconut stouts hit my area in the future and hope someone can get this style of beer right.

Overall Westbrook 4^th Anniversary Chocolate Coconut Almond Imperial Stout gets a 2.5/5. While it is not terrible, it is a mess of big flavors that do not seem to fit well together. A prime example of a big stout that failed to live up to its potential.

Rating Scale:
1 - Repugnant and undrinkable
2 - Acceptable but forgettable
3 - Good, worth a purchase
4 - Excellent, a step above the norm
5 - Truly exceptional　

To discuss this blog or all things beer follow me on Twitter & Untappd at @ACraftyLook

For more beer reviews go to: http://acraftylook.blogspot.com/

Thanks for reading. Sláinte!

Sam Adams Rebel Rouser IPA

I've always viewed beer from the Boston Beer Company, better known as the makers of the Samuel Adams, as a gateway to craft beer. They were certainly mine so many years ago. Their seemingly endless catalog of beers provided me with the opportunity to try my first Octoberfest, Cream Stout, Winter Lager, Hefeweizen, Imperial Pilsner, Double Bock...well you get the point. But as my palate matured I found myself leaving the beers of Sam Adams behind in favor of those from breweries all over the world. I frequently wonder why this was the case? I think one reason is that while they made a lot of beers, there were only a few that were truly unique. I always felt a lot of their dark beers shared a familiar malt profile that made buying a mix pack from them a lot less exciting and adventurous then it seemed. Another reason I think I shied away from them was their lack of IPAs. Years ago while other breweries were producing IPAs to meet the growing demand from hopheads nationwide, Boston Beer Company seemed to want to go in any direction but one that involved them making one. And worse, when they finally did produce an IPA(Latitude 48) it was lackluster. When they tried again with their supposed west coast style Rebel IPA, it was also lackluster. So as you can imagine going into my first Rebel Rouser IPA, I was not very optimistic about it being anything other then a forgettable beer from the brewery that once taught me there was more out there then just the yellow mainstream fizz. But after tasting it I am pleased to say I was pleasantly surprised.

Rebel Rouser pours a beautifully clear gold with an off white head that leaves plenty of lacing. The aroma is quite pleasant, full of citrus, pine and a hint of malt sweetness. The 8.4% ABV is slightly noticeable in the aroma, letting you know you are about to drink a big beer. It was at this moment, I experienced a swell of optimism thinking the folks at Sam Adams had finally succeeded in making a quality IPA. This feeling was confirmed when I took my first sip. Bold tropical fruit, citrus and pine flooded my palate immediately before finishing with a clean malt sweetness that seems to fade a bit too quickly. While there is an expected bitterness from the hops in the aftertaste, there is almost no indication in the flavor that Rebel Rouser carried such a high ABV which falsely gives the idea that it is sessionable. While that is not a knock against the beer, the fact that the flavor comes and goes so quickly is. It seems like Rebel Rouser is almost too polished and too conservative to live up to its' rebellious graffiti themed label. That being said, this is a good beer and a step in the right direction by the Boston Beer Company to satisfy hop heads nationwide.

Overall I would rate Sam Adams Rebel Rouser a 3.5/5. While it does not break any new ground, Rebel Rouser finally proves that Boston Beer Company can make a respectable IPA.

Rating Scale:
1 - Repugnant and undrinkable
2 - Acceptable but forgettable
3 - Good, worth a purchase
4 - Excellent, a step above the norm
5 - Truly exceptional　

To discuss this blog or all things beer follow me on Twitter & Untappd at @ACraftyLook

For more beer reviews go to: http://acraftylook.blogspot.com/

Thanks for reading. Sláinte!

Tocobaga Red Ale

One of my favorite things to do on vacation is try to find new and exciting beer I can't get at home. If I go out to a restaurant I look for something on the menu I do not recognize. When I go to the beer store I look for reputable breweries that do not distribute to my area or I look for something locally made. Most recently I made my way down to Tampa, Florida, where I found myself all about seeking out beer from Cigar City Brewery. Famous for making Jai Alai IPA, Cigar City makes a wide array of delicious and experimental beer. While in their tasting room I tasted some incredible beers, with the standouts being the Nitro Vanilla Maduro Brown Ale, Milkmaid White Stout, Strawberry Shortcake Lager and Salted Chocolate Peanut Butter Porter. But due to the constantly positive reviews I see, there was one Cigar City beer in particular I wanted to try and that beer is Tocobaga Red Ale.
Tocobaga pours a slightly hazy reddish amber with a light tan head. The aroma is strong and welcoming with caramel malt, floral notes and lots of citrus. The flavor delivered what the aroma promised and then some. At first I was hit with the flavor of citrus up front with a nice caramel sweetness. This gives way to a grassy, herbal hop finish that paired with the perfectly sweet caramel malt to create a melon or pear like finish. A pleasant pine residue lingers on the tongue between sips but never becomes overpowering. It is there to remind you to take the next sip and when its gone, remind you of the fantastic beer you just experienced.
To me, this is normally a style of beer that is difficult to perfect. Some are too malty, some are too hoppy, some are too boozy etc. Tocobaga Red Ale, while on the hoppier side than most, seems to be perfectly balanced to handle that. It is also bursting with flavor and its 7.2% ABV is virtually undetectable. Bottom line, this is an exceptional beer and if this was distributed to upstate NY it would be a staple in my fridge.

Overall, this beer is the best red ale I have ever had and for that reason I am going to give Tocobaga Red Ale a near perfect 4.75/5. If you are a fan of this style of beer, this is truly worth seeking out if you are in Florida.

Rating Scale:
1 - Repugnant and undrinkable
2 - Acceptable but forgettable
3 - Good, worth a purchase
4 - Excellent, a step above the norm
5 - Truly exceptional　

To discuss this blog or all things beer follow me on Twitter & Untappd at @ACraftyLook

For more beer reviews go to: http://acraftylook.blogspot.com/

Thanks for reading. Sláinte!

Shiner Birthday Beer Chocolate Stout

Ever since I saw the bar scene in Quentin Tarentino's Death Proof I wanted to try Shiner Bock or any of the Shiner brews. But up until a little over a year ago, drinking anything from the Spoetzl Brewery in Shiner, Texas meant I would have to be traveling outside the state of New York. This made drinking a Shiner beer feel special. Even though the taste of the Bock is nothing amazing, it still felt special to drink one. But now that it is easily available in New York it is often an afterthought when I look through the beer aisle. But recently their latest limited offering caught my eye. Shiner Birthday Beer is a chocolate stout that commemorates the 106^th anniversary of their brewery. With winter still in full swing, trying a rich chocolate stout seemed like a wonderful idea. Unfortunately, Shiner Birthday Beer did not live up to expectations.

Shiner Birthday Beer pours a dark black with ruby highlights and a light tan head. It looks unusually thin for a chocolate stout. but with an ABV of 5% this does not come as a surprise. The aroma is rich with chocolate. The chocolate in the aroma is almost so strong it became a challenge to find anything else. I think I detected some smoke but that might have been reaching. The flavor is full of candy sweet chocolate and roasted malt. There seems to be little to no complexity though. The chocolate dominates the flavor and then it washes away cleanly. The mouth feel doesn't feel right either. A beer like this should be at least a little thicker, Shiner Birthday Beer is so thin it seems like it would fit in nicely with the Michelob Ultra line of beers.

Overall I would rate Shiner Birthday Beer a 2/5. It has a thin one note flavor but delivers if you are looking for a chocolate fix.

Rating Scale:
1 - Repugnant and undrinkable
2 - Acceptable but forgettable
3 - Good, worth a purchase
4 - Excellent, a step above the norm
5 - Truly exceptional　

To discuss this blog or all things beer follow me on Twitter & Untappd at @ACraftyLook
For more beer reviews go to: http://acraftylook.blogspot.com/

Thanks for reading. Sláinte!

Prairie Artisan Ales BOMB!

When I was in college I thought the idea of paying 10 dollars for a 12 oz. bottle of beer would have been as ridiculous as it was irresponsible. At that time spending 10 dollars on beer meant buying a 6 pack of Sierra Nevada, Heineken or Sam Adams. And after purchasing one of those, I would spend an evening feeling like I was drinking like a king. This all changed the first time I saw Dogfish Head 120 minute IPA. I was shocked at how expensive it was but nevertheless intrigued by how fast it would fly off the shelves. What made things even worse for my bank account was how delicious it was. Fast forward a number of years later, and I still find the idea of paying 10 dollars a bottle ridiculous. But I, like many others are guilty of trying to find those rare high end beers that come to town. One of those high end rare beers is Prairie Artisan Ales BOMB! and recently I was able to find a bottle. So what better way to kick off a new year of reviews then reviewing one of the more complex beers I have ever had?

Prairie Artisan Ales BOMB! is an imperial stout that pours a rich, thick black with a dark brown head that does not stick around long. The aroma is very heavy on coffee and roasted malt; as well as sweetness from chocolate and vanilla with a hint of spice. Because this beer was 13% ABV I knew I was going to be working on it awhile and I had no issue savoring every last complex drop. Upon initial tasting I was flooded with the flavor of coffee with a slightly spicy finish. As BOMB! began to warm the flavor of chocolate and vanilla became more noticeable. It got to a point where the delightful flavor of chocolate seemed to move to the forefront, with coffee becoming a complimentary flavor. The spice of the chili peppers also seemed to disappear altogether as the beer warmed. This was about the only thing I can say I was disappointed by. I really wanted to see more spice, but after experiencing such a flavorful beer it does feel like nitpicking.

Overall I was very impressed with Prairie Artisan Ales BOMB! It was full of flavor and the 13% ABV was hidden quite well but not altogether. As I was making my way through the glass I knew I was drinking something quite strong. While the price tag is high I think it is a worthwhile one-time purchase. It could be interesting to have it once yearly to see how the beer, as well as your palette evolves, but there are cheaper and easier to find beers for that.

Overall I'd rate Prairie Artisan Ales BOMB! A 4.75/5. It's a fantastic, complex beer that lives up to its hype and reputation.

Rating Scale:
1 - Repugnant and undrinkable
2 - Acceptable but forgettable
3 - Good, worth a purchase
4 - Excellent, a step above the norm
5 - Truly exceptional　

To discuss this blog or all things beer follow me on Twitter at @ACraftyLook

For more beer reviews go to: http://acraftylook.blogspot.com/

Thanks for reading. Sláinte!