Bells Christmas Ale

With snow on the ground and temperatures barely above freezing, I have found it very easy to make the early transition to winter or holiday-themed beers. Like every year I started with a 6-pack of Sierra Nevada’s winter classic Celebration Ale, then transitioned to some local favorites like Rohrbach Kasey’s Kristmas Ale & Naked Dove’s Nice & Naughty Christmas Ale. After I make my way through the classics I then looked to try something new, which brings us to the beer I am writing about today, Bells Christmas Ale,

Bells Christmas Ale is a 7.5% scotch ale, that pours reddish-brown with a light tan head. Its aroma thankfully did not contain any holiday spices. Not that I don’t enjoy them from time to time(Nice & Naughty), I just prefer a more straight forward approach to my holiday-themed beers. The aroma did contain a lot of caramel, along with a nice touch of peat smoke, a beautiful hint of cherry, raisin, toffee, herbal hops and a warm touch of alcohol. Honestly, the aroma was fantastic. I was fairly certain I would enjoy this beer. After my first sip, I knew my next beer purchase would be another 6-pack of this.

Sweet caramel dominates the flavor throughout. It is the first thing you taste and sticks around through the finish. While that might make it sound like Christmas Ale is unbearably sweet, it is beautifully balanced. Notes of cherry, toffee and peat smoke come through before a warm, herbal finish. The 7.5% is not completely hidden and I feel like that helps the beer. Its warmth pairs beautifully with a cold, snowy evening. The only thing I wish there was more of in the taste is the peat smoke. It comes through a lot more in the nose and if there was a bit more in the flavor, this review would be even more glowing.

I think it’s very clear by now that I really enjoyed Bells Christmas Ale. It’s a fantastic scotch ale and easily one of the best beers from Bells I have had in quite some time. If you are looking for a great holiday beer without the spices, I definitely recommend giving this one a try.

Overall rating: 4/5

Alosta & Live's Throwing Copper Ale

In the mid-90s, I was a young kid that enjoyed listening to modern rock radio. At the time I appreciated a few genres of music but nothing was better then riding the school bus home listening to FM radio’s The Nerve 95.1, 95.5. They had everything I loved at the time: Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Rage Against the Machine, Garbage and a lot of hits from Live’s Throwing Copper Album. Without possessing the album, I found myself constantly singing along to all of Live’s radio hits. “Lightning Crashes” & “I Alone” in particular were huge favorites of mine. The songs were on the radio so much in the coming decades that I would instantly be taken back to my youth every time I heard them on the radio.

Fast forward to the summer of 2009, a good friend let me borrow a copy of Throwing Copper. From the first full listen I was blown away at what a fantastic album it was. From top to bottom, the songs were strong. I found myself enjoying the “deep cuts” just as much as the nostalgic hits.

After 10 years of fondness for the album as a whole, I made seeing Live in concert a huge priority. Once I heard they were touring for the 25th anniversary of Throwing Copper, I made sure I was in a seat to catch a show. I was blown away by what an excellent show they put on and listened to the album frequently in the weeks to follow. It was in that post-concert euphoria that they announced a craft beer brewed by California’s Alosta Brewing Company celebrating the release of Throwing Copper. Without a hint of hesitation, I purchased a 4-pack. For months, I waited for this beer to arrive. Now that it is here, I just hoped the beer inside the amazingly designed cans would half as good as the album. I felt that would have made it a satisfying purchase.

Throwing Copper Ale's appearance was a gorgeous, rich copper with a little but of haze. The aroma was caramel, toffee, creamy peanut butter(uh oh) and earthy, spicy hops. The first sip and every sip after that was rich with buttery diacetyl. There were hints of nuts, coffee, caramel and spice much like the aroma along with an unwelcome vegetal note. To be honest though, the buttery off-flavor stole the show. I wish I could give more insight but to be honest, the beer is barely drinkable. Which is super disappointing, especially when considering the cost of getting the beer shipped to Western NY.

Throwing Copper Ale is a disappointingly bad beer and now I am stuck with a 4-pack of it. As I write this I am staring at a glass half full wondering how I am going to finish it. I certainly do not want to pair this with listening to the album because that would tarnish the experience of listening to the album for me. Honestly, I think this beer is so bad that every time I hear a song off of Throwing Copper from this point on, I am going to think about the great show I saw them put on and how bad the beer they put their name on was. This is without a doubt the worst musician collaboration beer I have had. If you are on the fence about buying a 4-pack, don't. Your money is better spent on literally anything thing else.

Overall rating: 1/5

Greater Good Good Night Moon

For this blogger, it’s very easy to like what Worcester, Massachusetts’ Greater Good Imperial Brew Co. is doing. As you may already know, I love big beers and the idea of an all imperial brewery is right up my alley. I am very excited that they are currently getting regular distribution in Western NY and am more than ready to make my way through their catalog. For this blog, I thought starting with a beer that would pair nicely with a cool, Fall evening would be a perfect way to start this journey and Good Night Moon, an 11% imperial milk porter is just that.

I can’t lie, the idea of an 11% imperial milk porter had me a little worried before I tried it. It had the potential to be unbearably sweet and I knew if that was the case, the remaining three cans in the 4-pack might end up having an indefinite stay in my refrigerator.

As I poured my first can into a glass, I could tell from the aroma this was undoubtedly going to be on the sweet side. I just hoped it would be bearable. The first note that really stood out in the aroma was chocolate, think a dark chocolate cake with milk chocolate frosting. I found that to be delightful, along with the notes of coffee, licorice, creamy vanilla, a hint of pine, and earthy hops.

The first sip, like the nose, really brought the chocolate. Rich, decadent milk chocolate, balanced out with roasted malt and coffee. Some creamy vanilla & licorice follow and that rolls right into the semi-sweet, charred finish that lingers on the palate. It is a sweet beer, but that is what you should expect from the style. However, I never thought it was too sweet. I also thought that the 11% ABV was hidden exceptionally well. I could tell I was drinking a stronger beer but I would not have placed it as high as 11%. Good Night Moon is definitely a beer that can sneak up on you, especially if you decided to enjoy a second can.

I am not going to say that Good Night Moon is going to blow your socks off but if you are a fan of a slightly sweeter stout or porter, you will really enojy this beer. I, for one, am relieved I enjoyed it as much as I did. I am fairly certain the 3 other cans I purchased won't see the end of the week.

Overall rating: 4/5

Founders Underground Mountain Brown

Whenever there is a new release in the Founders Barrel Aged Series, I can’t help but write about it. The series might not always deliver a great beer but the creativity behind each of the offerings is something that should be celebrated. The latest release in the series, Underground Mountain Brown, a bourbon barrel aged version of their coffee brown ale Sumatra Mountain Brown, feels like a more crowd pleasing entry on paper. Especially when compared to the previous entry, the margarita-inspired beer Mas Agavé. In fact, the first time I tried Sumatra Mountain Brown, I found myself wondering what it would taste like after spending some time in a barrel. Now, with the release of Underground Mountain Brown, I no longer have to wonder.

After spending a year in bourbon barrels, the barrel character is immediately noticeable in the aroma. Creamy vanilla blends beautifully with robust coffee, baker’s chocolate, oak tannins, toffee, hazelnut & a warm, boozy note. When I took my first sip, I thought I was drinking KBS Lite. It had many of the same flavor notes with a touch less body and a more acidic burn on the finish. Tons of earthy, robust coffee, as well as a big hit of roasted malt sits up front before giving way to creamy vanilla & a touch of caramelized sugar, which tries to add a touch of balance. A huge hit of baker’s chocolate then comes in before a tannic, acidic, boozy finish.

There is a large barrel presence in Underground Mountain Brown but a not a huge bourbon presence. I feel like the only time I noticed the bourbon was in the finish. I would have liked that to stand out more. I also would have preferred a touch more sweetness, to balance the flavor out. With each sip, I kept hoping the vanilla would come through more before being blasted with acidity. Another fantastic note I did not mention earlier was the subtle hint of hazelnut. I am a huge fan of hazelnut brown ales and would have really liked more of that to come through here.

This review might give you the impression I am not a fan of Underground Mountain Brown, but I actually did enjoy it. However, I will stress that one 4-pack goes a long way. I have consumed three bottles so far and plan on putting the fourth in the cellar awhile to see if the acidity calms down a bit. If you are a fan of Founders’ Sumatra Mountain Brown, KBD  or coffee brown ales in general, I feel this is a must-try. If those are not your thing, I would recommend passing on this one unless you absolutely have to try every entry in the Founders Barrel Aged Series.

Overall rating: 3.5/5

New Belgium Oakspire 2019

Last year, when I tried New Belgium's Oakspire I was a bit underwhelmed. With the market heavily saturated in quality barrel aged beers at the time of its release last fall, I felt my money was better spent elsewhere after trying a single bottle.

I was going to let it pass by this year, but a friend's palate I trust asked me to give it another try. Rarely do I turn a free beer down, so I decided to bring it home and give it a try the first chance I got. I went into this year's New Belgium Knob Creek collaboration with a positive attitude and decided to write about it. It was that positive attitude that gave me hope that this year's batch of Oakspire is better than last year's. That being said, I still was not crazy about it.

Oakspire's appearance is a gorgeous deep amber with a creamy white head. The aroma is full of caramel, vanilla and oak. Hints of corn, toffee, brown sugar, dark fruit, smoke and a touch of bourbon round out the aroma. Caramel and vanilla flooded my palate on the first sip. A strong corn note also came through as well. There were hints of smoke, raisin before a very tannic, bitter finish. This finish lingers and accumulates. By the end of the glass, it is a touch overwhelming. This was by far my biggest complaint when it came to this beer. Another one, since this is a review blog is, it is a bit too thin. A beer like this should have more body to it.

Oakspire is an interesting beer. I definitely think, New Belgium & Knob Creek improved this beer. I am not saying it is going to blow your socks off, but as the weather cools, this is a solid beer to have around before stout season gets into full swing. I hope next year, this beer is even better. A bit more body and a touch more bourbon could earn this beer a regular place in my fridge. A positive thing to come out of me revisiting Oakspire is next year, I will definitely buy a bottle. I might not buy another this year but I am very open to trying next year’s batch. That is progress.


Overall rating: 3.25/5

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Wadworth 6X Amber Ale

Once in a while, like many beer drinkers, I pick up a mixed 6-pack to purchase beers I do not want to make a full 4 or 6-pack commitment to. Usually I can find a few gems, but a lot of the beers I pick I am happy with having only one can or bottle of and moving on.

While picking my most recent mix pack, I found myself craving malt a bit more even though it is still very summer-like outside. While that malt craving is stronger than it normally is this time of year, I am still not looking for something heavy. England's Wadworth 6X Amber Ale seemed to fit that bill nicely. Now granted, I was a little concerned about the freshness of the beer(according to the can, the best-by date is August 31st), so I am getting this blog in at the last possible minute for this can.

Clocking in at a summer-appropriate 4.3%, 6X pours a beautifully clear amber. Its aroma is rich in caramel, toasted bread, a touch of toffee, a hint of fruit, with some earthy, grassy hops and an unfortunate touch of cardboard. I was worried age had really taken a toll on this beer but when I took my first sip I was pleasantly surprised. It is not going to blow your socks off but this is a decent amber ale. Lots of malt sweetness up front, caramel sweetness to be more specific, with a touch of fruitiness, molasses, toasted bread, apple, a sad note of stale cardboard before an earthy, slightly bitter finish. It definitely could be fresher and I would have loved it to be just a little less watered down. The latter feels like a silly complaint when considering this is a 4.3% beer. The only other complaint I have is the strong taste of mineral water that accumulated on my palate the more I drank of 6X.

When I really stepped back and looked at Wadworth 6X, I did enjoy it. However, I think it works better in a mixed 6-pack because once I finished the can, I felt I did not need another. If you are a fan of the style, I think you should give it a try. It is by no means a bad beer. I just think there are better and fresher amber ale options out there.

Overall rating: 3/5


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Southern Tier Bourbon Smash and Gin & Tonic

If you have been following my blog for awhile now then you know I have mixed feelings about Southern Tier Brewing Company. While I do think some of their beers are wonderful, most of them, especially recent releases, have left me feeling a bit underwhelmed. My low batting average with recent Southern Tier releases has significantly lowered the amount of time their beer takes up real estate in my refrigerator:

I still find myself curious about each new offering I see from them, but rarely does that curiosity get me to actually purchase one. This blog is about one of those rare times curiosity got the best of me. I not only purchased one of their offerings I had yet to try but two. The only issue about writing about it on a beer blog is the fact that neither one is a beer. They are both mixed cocktails and they are both surprisingly good.

I will start with Bourbon Smash. If you are a fan of bourbon & ginger ale, you will really enjoy this take on it. Southern Tier Bourbon is showcased nicely but does not over power. It is balanced nicely by the strong flavor of ginger and a refreshing touch of lemon on the finish. The can says there is mint in the cocktail but I did not taste any. It is a touch on the sweet side, but I did not think it was cloying.

Speaking of sweet, Southern Tier's take on a Gin & Tonic is a bit sweeter than I would have liked, but it is still quite good. It is floral, refreshing and also really showcases the gin. The use of cucumber instead of lime was also a fantastic choice for this canned cocktail. I wish the sugar was dialed back a touch as I could see that being off-putting to some, but overall this is a really impressive canned cocktail.

I feel like this is the first positive blog I have written about Southern Tier in quite sometime. I honestly wish it was about beer but unfortunately the praise here is going to their distillery. If you are looking for a great Southern Tier beer, I highly recommend checking out their recently released Fall offerings Warlock Pumpkin Imperial Stout and their Harvest ESB. If you are looking for something different and refreshing for your summer drinking, I highly recommend both the Bourbon Smash and Gin & Tonic. Oh, and for my next blog, I promise to go back to writing about a beer.


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Lord Hobo Pineapple Glorious IPA

Shopping for beer to bring on a weekend getaway always seems to take me way longer than it needs to. It has gotten to a point that I can’t do it with another person because they quickly lose patience while I ponder what would work best. I swear, I can switch the beers I am going to bring multiple times before I finally settle on what I consider are the beers to bring. Even when I’m given guidance and am told to bring cheap, sh—ty beer, I can’t bring myself to do it. If I am drinking beer all weekend long and sharing it with friends I want it to be something good.

Before this past weekend’s trip, I spent about a half hour in the beer aisle before I finally made a concrete decision on what to bring. There were a ton of great options but I decided to go with a couple of my local summer favorites: Three Heads Couch Tour Cucumber Sour and Genesee Lemon Strawberry Cream Ale. I love both beers. They are delicious, crowd-pleasing, low ABV session beers with a fantastic price point. I felt great about going with just those beers until I saw Lord Hobo Pineapple Glorious IPA. For some reason, I could not pass that beer up even though there were a few red flags attached to it. The first being Lord Hobo’s catalog is very hit & miss. The second being pineapple beer is also very hit & miss. Seeing “ale with natural flavor” was the third red flag. Then finally the price point for the beer was a bit more than you typically want to spend for a beach beer but I decided to go for it anyway and hope for the best.

Lord Hobo’s Pineapple Glorious IPA certainly delivers the pineapple. The aroma is full of it, along with peach, passion fruit, grapefruit, grass, herbal and floral notes, and bread dough. The first sip was a little disappointing due to the artificial taste of pineapple. The use of natural flavoring does not always get the best results and here is a perfect example of that. It is by no means a drain pour but it’s nothing special either. Peach, citrus, grass, doughy malt, and passion fruit go fairly well with the pineapple flavoring before an aggressive finish of bitter grapefruit rind and black pepper. In future batches I hope they soften the finish a bit.

It took a couple cans but I ended up kinda liking Pineapple Glorious IPA. However, I can’t bring myself to recommend you go out and purchase it at its current price point. I, for one, will probably not buy it again without a fairly dramatic price drop. I also can’t say it’s an upgrade over the base beer Glorious. As I mentioned earlier, Lord Hobo’s beers are hit & miss. Overall, I would list this one as a miss. At 13 dollars a 4-pack, you should expect better.

Harpoon One Hazy Summer

The past few weeks I have been slowing down on writing and that is unacceptable. Summer beer season is in full swing and I need to do a better job helping you sort through what’s on the shelves to find the best recommendations possible.

The main reason I have been behind on my blogs is because my summer beer drinking has become predictable. I have been obsessed with Other Half Brewing being in town and frequently find myself stopping there for cans, bottles & pours. The other beers that have taken up a fair amount of space in my refrigerator are Genesee’s Ruby Red Kolsch & Lemon Strawberry Cream Ale. The latter feels like a response to Natural Light’s surprisingly successful Naturday, a Strawberry Lemonade flavored light lager. It could be my local pride talking here but I honestly believe Genesee’s Lemon Strawberry Cream is the better of the two. Genesee’s Lemon Strawberry Cream Ale is not as sweet as Naturday which is a plus and the fruit flavor is dialed back a bit allowing the base beer to come through a bit more. To keep it short, both beers are good, but Genesee’s is better.

Another great summer beer I enjoyed was Couch Tour, a cucumber sour from Three Heads Brewing. It’s very refreshing with just the right amount of cucumber. If you come across it, I highly recommend trying it.

Basically, I have been drinking a lot of great beer but my drinking habits need to expand. So for this blog, I decided to go with a widely released beer from a craft brewery I have not drank anything from in quite some time. I also really wanted summer to be in the beer’s name, so I decided to go with One Hazy Summer from Harpoon Brewery.

Hazy, hoppy beers that get a wide release tend to be hit and miss. For example, I really enjoyed Hazy Little Thing from Sierra Nevada but found Bells Official to be disappointingly bland. Harpoon’s One Hazy Summer is not going to blow you away but it is a decent pale ale. The aroma is floral, fruity & malty. Biscuit in particular really comes through, along with pineapple, mango, berry and a touch of citrus. The aroma matches the flavor for the most part. The hops compliment the biscuity malt profile, adding a touch of brightness. Mango & pineapple come through the most, along with a touch of berry & citrus before a soft, herbal, dry finish.

I was actually surprised by how much I enjoyed One Hazy Summer. It might not be as hoppy as I wanted it to be but it works. It’s a light, easy drinking, reasonable priced, session beer that will work nicely as a beach beer, lawnmower beer, camping beer, basically any summer occasion beer. One that I am glad is taking up real estate in my refrigerator.



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Shiner Lemon Pils

The Shiner brand first got on my radar in 2007. I was sitting in a movie theater watching characters in Quentin Tarantino’s Death Proof enjoying a beer I had not seen before. At that time in my life I bought into whatever Tarantino was selling. I thought he was the absolute greatest thing to happen to movies and if he put his endorsement on a beer, I had to try it. Product placement worked on me and I began my quest to find Shiner Bock as soon as I left the theater. It took a few years, but I finally came across a 6-pack in Wisconsin. As I sipped it while tailgating a Pearl Jam show later that day, I remember thinking it was a solid beer. It was not the magical libation I thought it was going to be but it was a good beer. Fast forward almost a decade later, and it is still the only beer from the Shiner brand I have enjoyed.

My feelings on beer from Spoetzl Brewery come from years of disappointment. I keep trying their beer with the hope that I will find one that I enjoy enough for a repeat purchase, but outside of the Bock that has yet to happen. For this blog I wanted to take the time to vent about how I felt about the Shiner brand, but also review one of their latest offerings that I had yet to try in hopes of possibly finally finding a beer from them I could say something nice about.

Shiner’s Lemon Pils lined up with my current drinking habits. It’s a warm weather, sessionable lager with a hint of citrus. I had the hope that it would work as a summer crusher. I had no aspirations that this was going to be a world class beer, I just wanted a beer that would work well as a “lawnmower” or “beach” beer. The nose of Lemon Pils gave me some hope. It had a touch of citrus, particularly lemon, bready malt, grains, and a nice touch of floral notes with an herbal spiciness. While the aroma worked for me, the first sip was not what I had hoped it would be. Lemon Pils is surprisingly sweet up front. Lots of bready malt, and cereal grains before lemon and citrus come in. The finish is spicy and bitter with a lemon rind note that is a bit more aggressive then necessary. There is a disappointing metallic note in the finish as well. Lemon Pils is also extremely watery. Sadly, there is just not a lot to like here and this just turns out to be another mediocre beer from Shiner. I can't even recommend it as a "lawnmower" beer because there are so many better options out there.

Honestly, at this point I am not holding out hope I will find a beer outside of Shiner Bock from the Spoetzl Brewery that is worth purchasing again. I will give anything a try, especially for this blog, but even for blogging purposes my money is better spent elsewhere. I recommend you spend yours elsewhere, as well.


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Founders Más Agave

Lately I have been all about the lighter, more refreshing beers that are best enjoyed with warm weather. That is clearly reflected in my previous blog on Naturday. For the past week or so, I have been drinking that and Genesee’s Ruby Red Kolsch. Both of those beers are refreshing and great values, and as much as I want to continue to look at lighter beers that compliment the warm weather, I can’t pass up an opportunity to blog about the latest offering in Founders Barrel Aged Series.

If you have been reading my blog for awhile now, you know I am a big fan of the Barrel Aged Series. My favorite part about it is how creative Founders gets with each new release. While I have liked some more than others, I really enjoy a brewery that continues to take chances, especially one on the scale of Founders. 

With the classics(CBS, Backwoods Bastard, KBS) taking up the last few months of releases, Founders’ Barrel Aged Series returns with an extremely fun & creative take on a beer version of a margarita. Más Agave is an imperial lime gose, brewed with agave and aged in tequila barrels. From the moment this beer was announced, I started counting the days until I could get my hands on some.

It’s fair to say I had high hopes for Más Agave and I was not disappointed. The aroma teased that Founders was successful with their take on a beer margarita. Lots of zesty lime on the nose, with agave sweetness and salt, with a touch of tequila & vanilla and spice. On the palate, Más Agave is a touch syrupy. Tart lime and sweet agave dominate the flavor. The barrel comes through as well, adding a touch of oak, tequila and vanilla. The flavors are strong here and leave little subtlety. The finish adds the perfect amount of salt, which brings a touch of balance to the sweetness and really makes this margarita-style beer work.

With a 10% ABV, the latest entry in the Founders Barrel Aged Series is deceptively easy to drink. I personally am a huge fan of it. I plan on making this the first of many 4-packs in my refrigerator throughout the summer. I also think this is the strongest entry(aside from the classics) in the barrel aged series in quite some time. Founders has crafted a fun, fantastic beer here and I highly recommend you pick it up.


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Natural Light Naturdays

When I first read about Natural Light Naturdays I thought it was a joke. I took it about as seriously as a snail flavored beer announcement of April Fool’s Day. Then when I found out it actually was a real beer, I instantly dismissed it. I knew I would try it at some point, but I thought for sure my low expectations would not be met and I would end up dumping the remainder of it down the drain.

When Naturdays started getting distribution to Western NY, I found myself  in no rush to buy it. However, I was stunned by how quickly it was flying off of shelves. Then, in an even more surprising turn of events I started hearing positive things from fellow beer enthusiasts. I was still skeptical but I decided to accelerate my time table for trying it and purchased a 30-rack. I justified that purchase because it was extremely inexpensive and  I was having a get together over the weekend. I thought most people there out of curiosity alone would give it a try. Later that night, I opened a can and got the biggest surprise of all.

After I took my first sip of Naturdays, I found myself staring at the can, stunned. I took another sip, then another, and before I knew it the can was empty and I was reaching for another. I could not believe how smooth, refreshing and easy to drink Naturdays was. It beautifully blends together strawberry lemonade and a light lager. Both are present and neither dominates the flavor. It is not overbearingly sweet either, and I was thrilled about that. The finish is crisp and clean, and that concluded a shockingly good drinking experience.

There is no need to dive deeper into more subtle notes of Naturday. I do not believe one spends less than 20 dollars on 30 beers to do that. I will just say that Naturday is a really fun, refreshing, crowd-pleasing summer beer. One that goes very fast at a party and one that I can’t believe will be taking up real estate in my refrigerator all summer long.


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Dogfish Head Super Eight Super Gose

From the moment that Dogfish Head & Eastman Kodak's collaboration beer SuperEIGHT Super Gose was announced, it was only a matter of time until I blogged about it. I am a fan of Dogfish Head's beer and I am the son & nephew of long time makers of Kodak film products. For that reason alone, I could not pass up an opportunity to try this beer as soon as distribution hit Western NY. 

What makes SuperEIGHT fun is that it is a 2-for-1 beer. It is a light, fruited session gose and it also develops Kodak's Super-8 film. It pulls this off by having a low pH which means that SuperEIGHT is going to be a touch acidic but that should work perfectly for the style.

As the can says, SuperEIGHT pours a vibrant red. Besides the beautiful color, the lemon, lactic sour aroma was the first thing I noticed as I poured the beer. The aroma is also very fruity, grainy, and a touch floral with the berries and prickly pear really shining. The pear added a really nice note of watermelon and that is the first thing I noticed and loved about my first sip. Raspberry and watermelon really come through in the flavor before a touch of malt and grain. The finish is very tart, with a touch of salt, bubble gum, green apple and lemon rind. The lemon rind lingers on the palate long after the beer is gone and to be honest is not ideal. Also, I can't say all SuperEIGHT ingredients are noticeable. The mango in particular seems MIA which is disappointing but there is still a lot going on here and this beer is a lot of fun. 

SuperEIGHT is one of those beers where Dogfish Head's unrelenting creativity pulls off something really cool. Sometimes, their use of adjuncts goes a touch a overboard and while this beer is no different, I found myself really enjoying it. With summer just around the corner, SuperEIGHT would serve as a wonderfully refreshing beer to both make and develop summer memories. I highly recommend picking it up.

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Omnipollo Super Size Hilma DIPA

If you have read my blog long enough you know I tend to buy the occasional gimmick beer. Whether it is a beer based on a show or band I like or a beer with an odd adjunct in it, I will give anything a try and hope for the best when I do. For this blog, I purchased one of those beers with a strange adjunct. Omnipollo Super Size Hilma is a double dry hopped imperial IPA with vanilla, crispy French fries, and burger buns. It sounds ridiculous, right? That was what I thought, but I was curious how it would all come together.

The aroma of Super Size Hilma did little to show off the fries & burger buns but gave me hope I was going to drink a fantastic double ipa. The aroma was very fruity, lots of fresh pineapple, tangerine, grapefruit, passion fruit, with a touch of grass, bread dough and a light hint of vanilla. At this point I was slightly disappointed that I did not notice the French fries in particular but I felt that I had purchased a really nice beer. I could not have been more wrong. Super Size Hilma is a disaster of a double IPA. The pineapple comes through initially, along with some citrus before sweet, bready malt takes over. This is the most dominant note of the beer. It certainly allows one to believe they are getting the burger bun aspect of the beer. The vanilla then comes through along with some grass before a very hot, saline finish. None of these flavors work well together. As far as the heat goes, letting this beer sit a few weeks might help that a bit. Nothing however, is going to help the salt aspect. It’s not refreshingly subtle like in a Gose, it’s very prominent and frankly does not fit well with anything here. It is also the only indication that French fries were actually used in this beer.

I spent a while trying to find something I like about this beer. It was priced at 7 dollars a can so I was trying very hard. Instead, I found myself pouring it down the drain. I was not expecting a great beer, I was expecting a fun beer, Super Size Hilma was neither.



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Labatt Blue Citra

When I first saw Labatt Blue Citra on the shelf, I knew it was only a matter of time until I tried it. Normally, Labatt is a brand I tend to shy away from. My reason for this has little to do with how it tastes, but more because of the memories associated with it. It was the beer from my early days of drinking that I not only lost some battles to, I lost the war.

To this day, I can’t look at Labatt Blue, Jack Daniels or Absolut Citron without feeling my stomach turn. Perhaps, one day that will change, but I have been thinking that for well over a decade and nothing has changed. However, when I first saw Labatt Blue Citra, a light, hoppy session lager, I surprisingly did not feel my stomach turn. I thought it had potential to be a nice, sessionable, reasonably priced summer beer. So for the first time in a very long time, I purchased a beer with the Labatt name on it.

The Citra & Mosaic hops featured in Labatt Blue Citra are light and most noticeable in the aroma. Zesty grapefruit, along with tropical fruit(particularly pineapple) come through along with bread dough, floral notes, herbal spice and grass. Once it hit my palate, the unfortunate memories of drinking Labatt Blue came flooding back. The familiar bready, grain malt sweetness comes through, and combined with the grassy, spicy finish should have made me nauseous. What was different though were the subtle notes of grapefruit & tropical fruit. They were a welcome addition to this familiar beer and I found myself enjoying them. I want to reinforce that the hops here are light but I do not feel like I needed more from a beer that was clearly brewed for a broader audience. The hops were just enough to make a familiar beer just different enough.

Labatt Blue Citra is not going to blow your mind. It is just a simple, easy drinking lager with a touch of hops. If you are a fan of Labatt Blue, I think you will like this beer. From the point of view of someone who typically avoids Labatt products at all costs, I found it to be a surprisingly enjoyable beer I would not mind drinking again when the weather gets warmer. I found that to be a pleasant surprise.


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Oskar Blues & Cigar City Bamburana

From the moment the Oskar Blues & Cigar City breweries announced Bamburana, a double barrel aged collaboration imperial stout, I had been counting the days until I could get my hands on some. It took longer than I hoped but it finally hit shelves in Western NY. I was so excited to purchase it that literally moments after it hit shelves I found myself in the car going to purchase it. I am a huge fan of both breweries and had extremely high hopes for this beer. Everything about it sounded fantastic and I am pleased to report that Bamburana did not disappoint.

Bamburana gets its name from amburana, a South American wood. It is a wood that adds unique flavors and reduces acidity. It successfully accomplished both in Bamburana. In fact, this is one of the most unique stouts I have had in awhile.

Bamburana spent time in both whiskey & brandy barrels but in both the aroma and on the palate they only play a complimentary note. Dates, figs, chocolate and the amburana wood are front and center here. The aroma caught me off guard in that aspect. Figs, dates, cinnamon, molasses, chocolate, caramel, an earthy woodiness and smoke shine with brandy complimenting the fruitiness. On the palate, the fruitiness of the figs and dates, along with notes of dark cherry and brandy come through initially before savory notes of cinnamon, licorice, molasses, ginger, coconut, caramel, vanilla and fudge. There is also a subtle espresso note, with a touch of whiskey before a tobacco, woody, spicy finish. With each sip, I found myself enjoying Bamburana more and more. It's a full-bodied, velvety smooth-sipper that offers a ton of complexity. In short, I am a huge fan of this beer.

These two amazing breweries have brewed a fantastic imperial stout. Since Oskar Blues contract brews some of Cigar City’s offerings I hope this is the first of many collaborations to see a wide release. That is looking to the future though. In the meantime, I highly recommend picking Bamburana up as soon as possible,


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Cherry Chouffe

Over the past few weeks I have been a bit obsessed with Rodenbach Alexander. It has been a mainstay in my refrigerator since I blogged about it and I do not foresee that changing anytime soon. Unfortunately, I cannot blog about Rodenbach Alexander every week, that would get fairly boring. So, to keep it fresh I picked up the new cherry forward offering from Brasserie D'Achouffe, Cherry Chouffe.

I will start this out by saying this beer is by no means as good as Rodenbach Alexander. In fact, I would say this straight forward Belgian-style fruit beer tastes more like Nyquil than Alexander. Being cherry forward is about the only thing these beers have in common. When I took in the aroma, I got a strong hit of cherry cold medicine. The phenols were noticeably strong in this beer. This carried over into my first sip. The cherry note is fantastic at times. It added a nice bit of tartness and blended well with the sweetness in the finish. There is a touch of graininess, licorice, toffee, chocolate and a vegetal note but they are mostly hidden behind the cherry. It’s weird to put it like this, but if you like the taste of cold medicine, you will enjoy this beer. If you hate the taste of cold medicine, I would strongly encourage you to purchase something else.

For me, Cherry Chouffe is definitely a one and done. It was by no means a drain pour for me but it is a beer I have little interest in purchasing it again. Cold medicine is a flavor I expect from cold medicine, not from my beer.

Once again, if you are looking for a cherry forward beer, go with Rodenbach Alexander.


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Jack’s Abby Citra Brau Lager

I am always looking for a great value and Jack’s Abby always seems to deliver just that. Over the years, the Framingham, Massachusetts Brewery has become a personal favorite of mine. The main reasons for that are they consistently push the boundaries of creativity with their lagers and they are always priced reasonably. I honestly can’t recall a single beer from them I have not enjoyed. Granted, there are some of their beers I prefer more than others, but that is how I feel about every brewery. Jack’s Abby consistently makes solid beer at a great price and their latest offering, Citra Brau, reinforces that.

I keep mentioning that Jack’s Abby beer is always a great value, but Citra Brau is the first beer from them that actually gave me “sticker shock”. “Sticker shock" is something that happens to every beer enthusiast at one time or another. It usually occurs when you find yourself paying a bit more for a beer than you expected to. For Citra Brau, a dry-hopped citra lager, I had the complete opposite reaction. A 6-pack of 16 oz. cans is priced around 10 dollars. Once I tried it, I felt like I had found one of the best values currently on the market. 

Citra Brau certainly showcases the citra hop but Jack's Abby balances it beautifully with a fantastic lager backbone. The aroma is super dank, floral, grassy, grainy and very fruity.  The taste matches the nose and as I mentioned earlier it is beautifully balanced. Orange, lemon, peach, melon, resinous pine and grass hit initially before the slightly sweet, grainy, crackery malt profile comes into play. The finish is dry, peppery, crisp & clean. Nothing here is going to blow you away, but this is a really nice, easy drinking lager with just the right amount of hop flavor.

Clocking in at 5.5%, Citra Brau is sessionable and a beer I hope to see year-round from Jack's Abby, especially for the summer. Citra Brau has "lawnmower beer" written all over it. In the meantime, its very reasonable price point could make it a staple in my refrigerator for the foreseeable future. Once again, Jack's Abby delivers another solid beer.


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Rodenbach Alexander

As I sit here writing this, I am wondering if my house is going to be swept away by the crazy wind storm occurring outside. Hours before the wind storm began, I went out to get a few last minute essentials. The most important being, beer. To be honest though, I did not need to make a beer run. There was more than enough beer in my refrigerator to ride out the storm. However, I went looking for a specific beer. I went looking for Rodenbach Alexander.

Like last week's blog, I wanted to write about another classic beer. Rodenbach Alexander is a Flanders red ale macerated with juice from sour cherries from the legendary Brouwerij(Brewery) Rodenbach in Roieselare, Belgium. Brouwerij Rodenbach are masters of the Flanders red ales which requires the blending of oak aged ales. The composition of Alexander is two-thirds two year old oak aged ale and one-third young oak aged ale. The amount of craftsmanship behind Alexander is immediately noticeable from the moment you first take in the aroma to the very last sip.

The aroma is full of cherry, along with a touch of raisin, funk, leather, oak tannins, a slight mustiness, vinegar and an earthy spice. From the nose, the cherry is very clearly the star of the show here and that is even more clear on the first sip.

As I took my first sip, I was immediately greeted with huge amount of tart cherry, along with the perfect amount of acidity, a touch of funk, a touch of mustiness before a spicy, tannic finish with a lasting amount of cherry. From my first sip, to my last, I was blown away. There is so much to love about this vinous beer.

What makes Rodenbach Alexander even better is that it is a beer that can cater to a wide audience. Its fruit forward flavor is very accessible, but its more subtle notes will offer enough complexity to a seasoned beer or wine enthusiast. If you have yet to give this beer a try, I highly recommend picking it up on your next beer run, whether there is catastrophic weather coming or not. I assure you, you will not be disappointed.



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Orkney Skull Spiltter Scotch Ale

I am always looking for something  new to try for this blog. Once in awhile though, I come across a classic beer I have yet to try. That is the case for this blog.

For as long as I have been drinking beer, I have heard people talking about Orkney Brewery’s Skull Splitter Scotch Ale. I always thought it had a badass name and that I should pick it up, but sadly it never went any further than that. I would always tell myself that I would pick it up sooner than later but somehow always forgot about it when it came to restocking the fridge. Well, thanks to a friend's generosity I finally had a bottle in my refrigerator with no excuses. It was time to try Skull Splitter.

From the moment I took in the aroma, I knew I had made a huge mistake by not trying this scotch ale sooner. The aroma was incredibly fruity with notes of dark cherry, plum, dates, figs, toasted bread, caramel, a hint of apple, a touch of earthiness, and a warm boozy reminder that this is an 8.5% beer.

After my first sip. I was astounded by the complexity of this beer. Toasted bread, caramel, tobacco, dark cherry and molasses are the strongest notes to come through. There are also hints of dates, figs, smoke and apple. The finish is dry, spicy, and boozy with a pleasant hint of lemon. The lemon was subtle but a really nice touch. There is so much to like here from this Scottish classic, I wish I had a second bottle to follow this.

It might sound like I am gushing here but I really enjoyed Skull Splitter. This classic scotch ale lived up to its reputation and it will not be long until it finds its way into my glass again. If you are a fan of scotch ales and have yet to try this one, I highly recommend picking it up.


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Lawson's Maple Nipple Amber Ale

I am excited that offerings besides Sip of Sunshine & the Super Session session IPA from Vermont's Lawson's Finest Liquids are getting distribution to Western NY. It feels like only yesterday I was waiting in line for a draft pour of Sip of Sunshine and now I can walk in to any beer isle and find their beers. What a time to be alive! Since I had yet to try their Maple Nipple Amber Ale, I wasted no time in purchasing it once it hit stores. I thought it would be the perfect beer for this blog.

First things first, I am not going to lie. I had a touch of sticker shock when I saw the 17.99 price tag for a 4-pack but figured if it was from Lawson's, it was going to be well worth purchasing. After opening my first can and pouring it into a glass, I took in the aroma. It reminded me of Fall more than anything else. Rich caramel, toasted bread, a lighter than expected maple syrup note and herbal hops greeted me in the aroma. It instantly took me back to October and in hindsight, if it was paired with a crisp Fall night I might have enjoyed it slightly more. 

When I took my first sip, I found myself underwhelmed. The caramel, toasted bread, toffee and spicy, herbal hop finish stand out the most. In a way, this very much reminded me of a stronger Oktoberfest, and for a moment I enjoyed it. The maple syrup is there but there is not enough of it in the flavor for my taste. If you have been reading my blog long enough, you know that when a beer promises maple syrup, I really want to taste the maple syrup. With Maple Nipple, it is definitely there, there is just not enough of it. I found myself disappointed by that and even more disappointed by the green apple off-flavor that I continued to pickup the further I got into the pint. By the time my glass was empty, I felt like the best thing about Maple Nipple was its hilarious can art. 

With some beers, if I feel future batches could improve them, I have no problem revisiting them down the line. That could very well be the case for this one. However, with this beer's price point and the level of disappointment I feel as I write this, I highly doubt I will be picking up again.

Overall rating: 2.5/5

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. Drop everything, BUY IT NOW!

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Oskar Blues Guns 'N' Rosé & Can-O-Bliss

Oskar Blues' two new releases just hit shelves in Western NY and I wasted no time in purchasing both of them. The only thing I wrestled with was which one to try first. Guns 'n' Rosé is a rose ale brewed with hibiscus & prickly pear, and Can-O-Bliss is a Tropical IPA and the first in a trilogy of IPAs to bear that name. The next releases in the series will be Hazy & Citrus. While this is usually where I tease my thoughts on these beers, I will skip ahead and just come out and tell you that both of them are fantastic.

My favorite beer of the two was Guns 'n' Rosé. To describe it as easy-to-drink is an understatement. The floral, berry, and lemony-citrus aroma is delightful and the flavor that followed blew me away. Lemon tartness dominated initially before a wonderful balance of herbal tea, cranberry, and bubblegum sweetness. The finish is dry and crisp, clean, and begs for another sip. This is a beer version of herbal tea and while I do not think it is for everyone, I really enjoyed it and will be restocking my fridge with it once it is gone.

Can-O-Bliss Tropical IPA is also fantastic and kicks off the series on a high note. It also made me laugh out loud when I read Juice Willis on the top of the can. Bright citrus, lots of passion fruit, mango, crushed pineapple, melon, pine resin, and peach with a touch of spice came through in the nose. That tropical bliss carries into the flavor which sees the pineapple, peach, passion fruit, mango, orange marmalade, and melon in the flavor before a hit of bitter grapefruit, pepper and pine in the finish. The finish is a touch chalky but by no means ruins the beer. Can-O-Bliss is delicious and delivers a lot of flavor for its under 10 dollar a six pack price point. 

If you are looking for something new to drink, you can't go wrong with either of these beers. Both deliver a ton of flavor for a great price. The Can-O-Bliss is definitely the crowd pleaser of the two but if you are looking for something different I highly recommend Guns 'n' Rosé. I do not think you can go wrong either way.

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Thanks for reading. Sláinte!