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

Long Trail Harvest Vermont Maple Brown Ale

I believe I have written this before but if I see a beer with maple syrup in it, I am going to buy it. Not all the beers I have had with maple syrup in them have been winners, but like coconut in beer, I can’t seem to pass them up. When I saw Long Trail Ale Harvest, a Vermont Maple Brown Ale, I had to give it a try and write about it.

Over the years, I have become a fan of Long Trail Brewing’s catalog. The VT IPA in particular tastes fantastic and is very reasonably priced for a 12-pack. I also really enjoy their Cranberry Gose, Limbo IPA and their flagship Long Trail Ale. I had high hopes that their Harvest Ale would become a fall staple in my refrigerator. From the moment I got a whiff of Long Trail’s Harvest, a Vermont Maple Brown Ale, I thought I found a beer that was going to do just that. Chocolate, maple syrup, caramel, toffee, coffee, earthy hops all seemed to beautifully come together in the aroma.

Before I took my first sip, there was something that kept my hopes in check-- the 4.4% ABV. That is light beer territory and for a Fall beer that is extremely low. Not only did that give me concerns about the flavor but it also gave me concerns about body. I think it goes without saying but the cooler weather of Fall demands a beer with a bit more body and warming alcohol to it. I wanted Long Trail’s Harvest Ale to prove me wrong on all of these fronts but it sadly did not. It had the mouthfeel of light beer. There is decent flavor there but it is extremely watered down. The dark chocolate, coffee, maple syrup and toffee are muddled together before an earthy hop finish. The beer finishes clean, but what would you expect from a light beer masquerading as a brown ale for the Fall season?

While Long Trail’s Harvest lacks the flavor and body one would expect from a Fall beer, I did not completely hate it. As I said earlier it by no means tastes bad, it is just incredibly average. I would love to see this beer with at least a 5.5% ABV. More body would give this beer a chance to let its flavors shine. I have a feeling that would dramatically bring my overall rating up.

Overall rating: 2.75/5


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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Thanks for reading. Sláinte!

Magic Hat & Dropkick Murphy's BarRoom Hero Pub Ale

It is almost the time of year when every single bar you walk into adds a whole lot of Dropkick Murphys and Flogging Molly to their playlists. It's like Christmas music for people who enjoy a pint of beer or a shot of whiskey with their friends & family. It is also a sign that Spring and warmer days are ahead. I am a Dropkick Murphys fan and while I may not know a lot from Flogging Molly's catalog, I can hold my own singing along to “Drunken' Lullabies” with the best of em. I truly welcome and love this time of year. However, one thing I do not love is Magic Hat Brewing Company. Now, I have written ad nauseam about my strong dislike for Magic Hat's beer, so I will skip doing that this time. All I can say is that even though I typically avoid Magic Hat beer, I decided to give their collaboration beer with Dropkick Murphys a fair shot, for one, because I love Bar Room Hero, the song it was named after and more importantly, the beer benefits the Dropkick Murphy'\s charity, The Claddagh Fund.

My biggest hope for BarRoom Hero was that it would turn out to be an easy-drinking session beer with a decent amount of flavor. I also hoped that I would be able to make it through the entire 4-pack that I purchased. Normally, I am not that bold with my purchases of Magic Hat's beer since it is usually completely undrinkable, but since BarRoom Hero was priced under 7 dollars for a 4-pack, I decided to gamble and buy the whole pack. So, as I opened the first can I tried to be optimistic and that optimism was surprisingly rewarded.

The aroma of BarRoom Hero is toasted bread, roasted malt, nuts, chocolate, caramel, toffee with a touch of coffee and spice. The flavor was almost identical to the nose. The flavors of roasted malt, toasted bread, chocolate, nuts, toffee & caramel shine before an herbal, spicy, slightly bitter hop finish. The beer is balanced, easy-drinking, and actually tastes good. On the downside, BarRoom Hero is super thin and watery. At 4.2%, this is expected and honestly, maybe tasting less here is why I think this is the best beer I have had from Magic Hat in years. It works as a beer that fits the season and when an occasion calls for a second or third pint. Look, this beer will not make you a fan of Magic Hat, but it does provide you a good beer to hold a glass to when you sing-a-long to “Dirty Glass” with your friends.

Overall rating: 3.5/5


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!

To discuss this blog or all things beer like my Facebook page

Look for me on Instagram & Untappd and Twitter @ACraftyLook

For more beer reviews check out: http://www.acraftylook.com

Thanks for reading. Sláinte!

Lazy Magnolia Southern Pecan

I enjoy brown ales. That really is not the most exciting way to start a blog, but I feel brown ales are a style of beer that has gotten lost in the fold over the past few years. I commonly hear friends of mine tell me they just don't like brown ales. That always surprises me because it is a style of beer I have enjoyed since my early days of beer drinking. However, I also know that when you find a bad brown ale, you do not forget it. I still have not forgotten how much I disliked DuClaw's Dirty Little Freak and Magic Hat's Snow Roller. Those are brown ales I wish I could forget but serve as a reminder to help me understand why so many seem to avoid this style.

The reason I enjoy the style dates back to somewhere around a decade ago. I was sitting in Alternative Brews in Amherst, NY, drinking their Hazelnut Brown Ale from CB Craft Brewers(or at the time Custom Brewcrafters) while enjoying a cigar. It was a tremendous experience and it was that beer that got me into bottle shops and breweries seeking out more brown ales. Like every other style of beer when you find the right one, it is a fantastic drinking experience. Some favorites of mine that come to mind are: Telluride's Face Down Brown Ale, Rogue Hazelnut Brown Nectar, Cigar City Vanilla Maduro and my all time favorite, Hill Farmstead George. All of the beers I mention are well worth seeking out but one that is not is the one I am writing about today. That beer is Southern Pecan from Lazy Magnolia.

Boasting it is the “Original Nut Brown Ale”, Southern Pecan is the kind of beer that would unfortunately reinforce someone's dislike of a style. From the label, I thought I would love this Mississippi brewery's take on a nut brown ale but unfortunately as a whole, it fell flat. I knew something was off right away when it did not have that rich, nutty aroma I have come to expect with the style. Instead it smelled more like an adjunct lager with a lot of bread, grain with a slight nuttiness and hints of chocolate and caramel. The first sip matched the nose. The typical flavors one would expect to experience are pushed to the background. The big grainy flavor of cereal and bread are right up front with a light nutty flavor requiring some seeking out to find. The finish finds the chocolate and caramel one would expect from the style. There is practically zero hop presence in the beer, which does Southern Pecan no favors. The finish is clean and the beer is refreshing on a hot day because there is practically nothing going on here. I keep searching for something positive to say about it but I keep arriving at the same conclusion. Lazy Magnolia's Southern Pecan is a thin, watery, bland version of a nut brown ale.

If my blog does anything today, I hope it steers you away from this particular brown ale and into looking for a better one. To some, brown ales might not be the most exciting style to seek out these days but when you find a great one, you find an excellent drinking experience.

Overall rating: 1.5/5

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!

To discuss this blog or all things beer like my Facebook page

Look for me on Instagram & Untappd and Twitter @ACraftyLook

For more beer reviews check out: http://www.acraftylook.com

Thanks for reading. Sláinte!

Burial Bolo Coconut Brown

For some reason when I hear a beer has coconut in it I have to try it. This has been going on for a while now and I do not seeing it stopping any time soon. I think coconut in beer can be fantastic. I also think sometimes it can be fairly disgusting. A fantastic example of coconut in beer is Oskar Blues' Death By Coconut. Actually, no beer has grown on me more the past few years than Oskar Blues' Death By Coconut. The first time I had it was on draft at a tap takeover. I thought it was good but it got lost in the shuffle with other beers I tried that night. These things happen when trying a lot of beer in a short time. The next time I had it was the following year. I liked it but still did not get the hype behind it. This past release though was when I fell in love with it. It really is a fantastic porter and I am looking forward to seeing it again. Another example of a great coconut beer is Stoneyard's Toasted Coconut Kareem Ale. I dug it instantly and I think it is a perfect compliment to a summer day in Rochester, NY. An example of when coconut does not work in a beer is DuClaw's Dirty Little Freak. I reviewed that one this past summer. It tasted like coconut soap combined with a bland base beer. That bland base beer drowned in adjuncts happened to be a brown ale. That was particularly disappointing because a brown ale is a style of beer coconut should have been a nice addition too. So I chalked it up to DuClaw just doing a bad job with it and I looked forward to trying a coconut brown ale from another brewery. I got the chance this week when I stumbled upon Bolo Coconut Brown from Burial Beer Company. I immediately thought revisiting this style would be perfect for this week's blog. I just hoped Bolo Coconut Brown would get better results than Dirty Little Freak did.

Bolo Coconut Brown's aroma alleviated a lot of concerns I had. The aromas of toasted bread, toffee, brown sugar, chocolate and coconut were quite pleasant. The coconut was not particularly strong and that worked for me. It played a nice role in the flavor by complimenting and not overshadowing anything going on here. Chocolate, caramel, brown sugar, toffee with a nutty, roasty, lightly pine finish were delightful. I did not mention coconut there because it is there throughout. The flavors here work very nicely together. My issue with the beer is it is on the thin side and seems a bit watered down. Unfortunately, the flavors that should be a bit more prominent seem to be on the lighter side because of it. If this beer had a bit more body I think it would have been outstanding. Still, everything worked here and I really enjoyed the beer. I just wanted to see bolder flavors paired with a fantastic coconut flavor.

Although I wanted Bolo Coconut Brown to have more body I really enjoyed the beer. Even better, I thought it was a remarkable upgrade over the coconut brown ale I reviewed previously. It is a bit off topic but I also recently tried Burial's collaboration IPA with Sloop Brewing Company, Money Bomb, and I really enjoyed it. Those two beers have me looking forward to trying more from the Asheville, NC brewery in the future. It also has me looking forward to seeing more coconut brown ales on the market as well.

Overall I would rate Bolo Coconut Brown a 3.75/5. Really enjoyed drinking it. The coconut flavor is really nice. I just wish it had a bit more body.

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!

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

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

For my most recent appearance of 13 WHAM's Good Day Rochester: Click Here!

Thanks for reading. Sláinte!

Rogue Hazelnut Brown Nectar

It really dates me when I say this but I can't believe how much the craft beer industry has grown since I started drinking it well over a decade ago. There are craft breweries popping up all over. There are groceries store that have beer sections instead of aisles. Speaking for my part of New York there are fantastic bottle shops all over. When I first started drinking craft beer going to the only bottle shop in town was a rare treat. The concept of selling a single bottle out of a six pack blew my mind. No matter what my budget was when I entered the store, I would drastically exceed it by the time I walked out. Some beers were great, and some were terrible but I kept learning more and more about different styles. The brewery I could not get enough of was Rogue Ales & Spirits. Their creativity with their beers and their labeling were right in my wheelhouse. My favorite of them all was their Hazelnut Brown Nectar. This hazelnut-flavored brown ale became the beer I bought every time I went to the bottle shop. It was the one constant in the selection of different beers I would always leave with. Then one day I didn't leave with it, and then another. As different brands began to gain distribution in my market the beers from Rogue Ales & Spirits started to become an afterthought. Over the past several years I have had a few of their beers, but outside of the mediocre 7 Hop IPA and gimmicky Sriracha Stout I can't remember a single one. So for this blog, I thought it would be fun to revisit an old favorite of mine in the Hazelnut Brown Nectar.

It had been years but the minute I began pouring Hazelnut Brown Nectar, I was overwhelmed with nostalgia. The hazelnut aroma jumps out of the glass. There are notes of toffee, vanilla, and spice in there but it is mostly hazelnut. The first sip of this slightly hazy reddish brown treat immediately brought a ton of memories back. Once I got past the nostalgia, I genuinely realized how much I missed this beer. The hazelnut flavor is absolutely wonderful and it dominates the beer. Usually I would complain about this but in this case I like it. Aside the finish, vanilla, roasted chocolate malt, and hazelnut flavor is mostly all you taste.  This finish is where things get a little odd. The finish that consists of nuts, grass and spice which do not seem to mesh well together. It's not terrible, it just could have been better.

Due to the dominance of the hazelnut flavor there is not much else here to write about. Rogue Hazelnut Brown Nectar is a beer that still works well for me. Its flavor may be fairly one-note but in this case simplicity works really well. I am glad I went back and revisited this one. I do not think it will be years again before it finds its way back to my refrigerator again.

Over all I would rate Rogue Hazelnut Brown Nectar a 4/5. Over the years my tastes may have changed, but my love of this beer has not.


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, Instagram & Untappd at @ACraftyLook

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

Thanks for reading. Sláinte!

DuClaw Dirty Little Freak Brown Ale

I, like every other beer drinker get very excited when an established out-of-market brewery finally arrives at my local bottle shops. For example, I was excited when Avery Brewing Company became regularly distributed here. I counted the days until New Belgium finally took its rightful place in NY beer aisles. And I always get a little too giddy when Cigar City Brewing occasionally finds its way to Upstate NY. Recently, I was thrilled to see DuClaw Brewing Company beer for sale in my market. This excitement is solely based on their chocolate peanut butter porter Sweet Baby Jesus. I found Sweet Baby Jesus to be a very fun beer when I tried it a year ago. Because of that, I became quite interested in trying some of their other beer, especially Dirty Little Freak. Aside from its completely ridiculous name, the idea of a coconut caramel chocolate brown ale sounded way too good to pass up. So when a friend texted me and told me it was for sale at a local beer store, I dropped everything and bought it immediately. I just hoped Dirty Little Freak, and a few of the other beers I picked up from DuClaw, would live up to the hype I somehow placed on them.

DuClaw's Dirty Little Freak poured a rich brown with a khaki colored head. The aroma gave me the idea this was going to be a very fun beer. Sweet coconut, chocolate, caramel, toffee and vanilla dominated the aroma. I thought to myself, what is there not to like here? Then I tried Dirty Little Freak and the answer turned out to be everything. The first sip brought the flavor of roasted malt & dark chocolate before finishing with the flavor of coconut hand soap. Yes, this seriously reminded me of hand soap. The taste of this beer took me back to the day I dropped my first F-Bomb in front of my parents. I thought I was a pretty cool kid until they promptly washed my mouth out with soap. It was a moment I would rather forget, but the poor flavor of this beer brought that memory flooding back.

The funny thing is I do not have a lot else to say about this beer. I just could not get past the soapy flavor. I think I tasted a little bit of vanilla in there but that may have been wishful thinking. Also, the roasted malt & dark chocolate flavor I mentioned earlier gave the impression that if this was not drowned in coconut flavoring it would still be an extremely boring brown ale. To put it simply, this is bad beer. I would not recommend anyone drink it. I would also not recommend drinking a few of DuClaw's other beers. The Neon Gypsy IPA & Blood Orange Gypsy IPA were fairly poor. The Blood Orange Neon Gypsy IPA in particular tasted like the bad homebrewed IPA I made back in college. The Funk was OK but tasted slightly medicinal. In short, if it is not Sweet Baby Jesus, spend your money elsewhere.

Overall I would rate Dirty Little Freak a 1/5. I did not swear, why is my mouth getting washed out with soap?


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!