Not Your Father's Vanilla Cream Ale

Over the course of the 2 years I've been writing this blog, there is one review I wish I could get back. I'm not saying I was necessarily wrong with that particular review, I just think I was blinded by the excitement of what the product was. The review I am speaking of is my glowing assessment of Not Your Father's Root Beer. To be clear I do like Not Your Father's Root Beer, I just no longer think it is the 4.5/5 beer I rated it at the time. Since then I have found it to be a ridiculously inconsistent beverage that seems more like a mixed drink than an ale. At the time, I think I gave it that rating because I had never had anything quite like it before. It was authentic-tasting alcoholic root beer that hit the exact flavor profile I wanted it to. Before I tried that beverage I, like many others have tried to add liquor to root beer with mixed results. I can safely say that no matter how many times I've tried, I've never quite been able to attain the successful flavor that Not Your Father's Root Beer achieved. To sum it all up, at the time I reviewed NYFRB I was too caught up in the exciting concept that my favorite childhood beverage could now get me drunk to properly see it for what it was. Still, I have no intention of changing that review. What's done is done and it's time to move on. I feel this way because I am currently staring at a glass of Not Your Father's Vanilla Cream Ale, about to find my redemption.

Arriving with a lot less fanfare, along with the very low ABV of 4.1%, Not Your Father's Vanilla Cream Ale pours exactly like cream soda. It's copper with a fizzy white head that fades quickly. The aroma is interesting. It almost smells like cream soda. Lots of vanilla stands out but there is a rather unpleasant sourness to it as well, that reminds of old whipped cream. The taste is very similar to the aroma. While Not Your Father's Root Beer tastes like authentic root beer with a slightly boozy finish, this tastes like sour cream soda. Each sip gets more and more unpleasant. There also seems to be a repulsive aftertaste that continues to get worse with each sip. The best way to describe it is being reminiscent of overripe fruit. The alcohol stands out in the aftertaste as well, which is strange since it has less alcohol than a Bud Light. To put it simply, this is poorly crafted and nothing works here.

I was hoping this review would look more like what I wanted the Not Your Father's Root Beer review to look like if I wrote it today. I was hoping to say this was a nice beverage that is definitely worth your time and money. Instead I find it to be one of the worst beverages(don't want to call it beer) I have had since starting these reviews. This is a failure on every level, but what should I have really expected? This seems more like a cash grab, capitalizing on the success of NYFRB, than an attempt at making a successful adult beverage. Oh well, down the drain it goes.

Overall I would rate Not Your Father's Vanilla Cream Ale a 0.5/5. It tastes more like a mixed drink made with cheap vanilla vodka and spoiled whipped cream than a beer. It's gross.


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!

Vacation Beers! (Marz Community Brewing's Jungle Boogie & Building 8 Brewing's The Session IPA)

Whenever I go on vacation, one of the first things I do is look for beer I have yet to try. This past weekend I did a bunch of that with my wife in Boston. We were in town for our 2 year wedding anniversary, as well as seeing Pearl Jam rock the hallowed grounds of Fenway Park. The shows were incredible and so was some of the beer.

This may have not been a proper Beercation, but we did the best we could with the time we had. On the way into Boston we stopped in Framingham to visit Jack's Abby. There, my mind was blown by the greatness of the Bourbon Barrel Aged Graham Cracker & Mole Framinghammers. I hope one day to hold a bottle of one or both in my hands. They were that good.

We also went to Boston Beer Works just outside of Fenway Park. While nothing stood out dramatically as being great, the Boston Cream Ale and the Equinox hopped SMaSH Works beer were quite drinkable. The watermelon ale was what you would expect and the house IPA is something I hope to never drink again. It seemed to swing & miss on every flavor note I wanted it to hit. Still it was a great place to visit right before a game or a show.

We also took time to hit a couple bottle shops while in town to stock up the hotel beers and secondly find some cool stuff to bring back. While we did not bring back a large amount of beer (mainly because of all the Red Sox themed Pearl Jam merchandise in the car), we brought back beer that sounded interesting to both of us. So for today's review I will be taking a closer look at 2 of those.

Marz Community Brewing's Jungle Boogie seemed like the perfect post-concert beer to kick off this blog with. This pale wheat ale brewed with rooibos tea poured a dark amber with an off white head. The aroma was sweet, fruity, herbal with a lot of mango. When I took my first sip my mouth was hit with the wonderful flavors of tropical fruit. Mango especially shined, along with pine, vanilla, a herbal spiciness I could not quite put my finger on and a crisp grapefruit finish. This is a beer I would drink regularly. They seemed to bring out the wonderful flavors of the mosaic hop nicely. I hope to see this on the shelves in Upstate NY regularly.

Overall I would rate Jungle Boogie a 4/5. Great beer, super sad I only brought back one can.

I stumbled upon Building 8 Brewing's The Session IPA by accident. I was looking for something completely different but there on the floor stood a very limited supply of an extremely fresh IPA. In my experience, even though I have not heard of the beer, it's worth a shot because of that alone. The Session poured a straw yellow with a white head. The aroma was very light but was very juicy with grapefruit and pineapple standing out nicely. The flavor was not as light as the aroma. Grapefruit, passion fruit, tangerine and pineapple stood out wonderfully before an underwhelming peppery finish. Without the pepper finish I would rate this as one of the best session IPA's I've had. It just felt completely out of place here.

Overall I would rate The Session IPA a 3.5/5. With some slight tweaking this beer would be amazing. I am definitely looking forward to trying something from this brewery again in the future.

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/

Oh and Happy Anniversary Alicia! We're still Rockin' In the Free World!

As always, thanks for reading. Sláinte!

The Bruery Or Xata

Until last week I had absolutely no luck obtaining a bottle of The Bruery's Or Xata. It just became one of those beers I always seemed to miss. To be fair, I put practically zero effort into obtaining a bottle. I just figured at some point I would be beer shopping and stumble upon a bottle by chance. So for a while now I have browsed The Bruery's bottle section with no luck. Perhaps it's not fair to say no luck, the beers I have tried from them have been pretty great. However, the day finally arrived and I stumbled upon a bottle of Or Xata. After a few days of admiring it in the fridge, I was ready to crack it open and see if it was worth the wait.

Based on the Spanish/Latin American beverage Horchata(which is typically a spiced creamy rice and/or almond beverage), The Bruery's Or Xata pours gold with a white head. The aroma is absolutely wonderful with sweet breadiness, vanilla and cinnamon. Aside from the malt, the aroma left little evidence that this was beer. When I took my first sip, I realized that was exactly the case. The wonderful flavors of cream & vanilla start out bold before finishing with a beautiful hint of cinnamon. I do not want to understate how creamy the mouthfeel of this beer was. It was so creamy, I had to keep looking at the glass to verify it was beer. As I write this I am still not sure it was. Another great thing about Or Xata is how well balanced the vanilla and cinnamon are. Both are bold but they are bearable. The makers of some pumpkin & holiday beers should use this as an example on how to properly use cinnamon.

I may sound over the top in praising this beer. That's because I genuinely think it is that good. The only real drawback here is to me is this does not taste much like beer. It tastes like a fantastic dessert beverage, that I could get used to having after a meal. Another reason this does not remind of me of beer, is the 7.1% ABV is virtually undetectable. That makes this a dangerously easy to drink, deceptively strong adult beverage. It also makes this a beer I can't wait to stumble upon again.


Overall I would rate The Bruery's Or Xata a 4.25/5. It does not taste much like beer, but it is super delicious.


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!

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!

Weyerbacher 21st Anniversary Ale

It feels like it's about a 1000 degrees outside and it is humid as all hell. While sweating profusely I thought to myself, “nothing pairs better with this kind of weather than an imperial stout.” So I went to my fridge and grabbed the brand spanking new offering from Weyerbacher, their 21st Anniversary beer. Even though the style of the beer may not be season appropriate, I could not wait for better conditions to drink this bourbon barrel aged imperial stout with cocoa & vanilla. That style of beer, despite sitting outside literally roasting, still sounds absolutely wonderful. Weyerbacher 21st Anniversary is also a beer that I am sure hit my market in a limited quantity. So I want to get the word out whether this beer is worth seeking out or not. Even if the bottles sell out fast locally it may be sitting on shelves in other markets or available on draft. And if it is anything like Weyerbacher's Sunday Morning Stout, then it would be a must-try and worth going the extra mile for. So I felt despite these warm and treacherous conditions, a review of this 11.9% stout had to happen.

Weyerbacher 21st Anniversary pours a brownish black with a light brown head. There was practically no head retention whatsoever. Roasted malt, smoke, chocolate and oak stood out in the aroma. Everything I tasted initially was very similar to the aroma. I was immediately hit with a lot of smokey, roasted malt. The smoke really stands out above all else. There is also a light vanilla sweetness and a hint of bourbon on the finish. My initial impression is that this could have spent some more time in the barrel. The very light flavors that the barrel aging imparted on this beer are nice, but they felt underdeveloped. The oak is there but after every sip I took I wanted more.  As it warmed the pleasant vanilla sweetness rose to the forefront before a smokey, bitter finish. The flavors here have a lot of potential, but the beer is just too thin, under-carbonated and underdeveloped. I am not saying this is a bad beer. It is just not as good as it could have been.


Overall I would rate Weyerbacher 21st Anniversary a 3/5. This is a fairly underwhelming barrel aged stout from the same brewery that makes Sunday Morning Stout. It is not worth going the extra mile for.

I would also like to have a moment of silence for my fairly new Spiegelau stout glass that did not make it through this review. This fantastic glass and I had a brief but good run. It will be missed.


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!

Ballast Point Calm Before the Storm Cream Ale

Since my first sip of Grapefruit Sculpin, I have been a fan of Ballast Point Brewing Company. I found Grapefruit Sculpin to be delicious, fun and unique. It instantly became a summer favorite of mine. I had a similar reaction during the winter when I tried Victory at Sea Imperial Porter. It was rich, full bodied and showcased the coffee & vanilla in it wonderfully. Victory at Sea was something I felt I could drink year round but the fact that it is full bodied, complex and strong(10%) does not always pair well with a 90 degree humid summer day. So when I first heard Ballast Point was making a warm weather alternative to Victory at Sea, called Calm Before The Storm I became instantly excited. It lived up to the hype when I tried it last summer and I hoped to see its return this year. When I finally saw it again last week, I realized I was not as excited as I wanted to be. This is because my feelings towards Ballast Point Brewing Company had taken a turn for the worst. This change of heart occurred over the past year when they started drowning the base beers in their catalog with flavoring, leading to mixed results. While I admire them trying something different, I feel like saying mixed results is being very polite. For example, the Pineapple Sculpin is a huge letdown compared to the base beer and the Grapefruit variant. The Mango Even Keel tastes like candy sweet mango soda. And the Watermelon Dorado is completely undrinkable. The Thai Chili Wahoo was fun but not something I am looking to have again anytime soon. Basically what I am trying to say is if my feelings towards Ballast Point have changed, would my opinion of Calm Before the Storm change with it?

I pondered that thought as Calm Before the Storm poured a beautifully clear gold with a fluffy white head. Upon closer inspection there was a light amount of sediment floating in the beer but it is barely noticeable. The aroma is slightly sweet, toasty, with coffee standing out. There is a light vanilla in there as well, along with very little hop presence. After my first sip, I realized Calm Before the Storm Cream Ale was just as good as I remembered it. There is a light toasty malt, coffee, a hint of cream and vanilla before a clean, refreshing finish. The coffee is showcased wonderfully without being overwhelming. It reminds me of the refreshing feeling of enjoying an iced coffee on a hot day. The light vanilla only reinforces this. There is no real noticeable hop presence and it is not needed here. This is a cream ale that works well.

While I may not agree with overusing fruit flavoring in beer, I admire the creativity Ballast Point Brewing Company continues to display. Beers like Grapefruit Sculpin, Victory at Sea, Calm Before the Storm, Indra Kunindra and even Habanero Sculpin offer something different and unique to beer drinkers. While the beers they have released recently, that I mentioned earlier have been inconsistent, they are consistently trying to create something different. That alone is what makes trying their beer fun. I look forward to seeing what is coming out next from them.

Overall I would rate Calm Before the Storm a 4/5. This beer is a must try for summer iced coffee drinkers.


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!

Clown Shoes Bluegrass Billionaire

The first barleywine I ever tried was somewhere around 2004-2005. I remember it like it was yesterday, I was at a bar with my dad and as usual I looked for something on the menu I had yet to try. The only option I found was Brooklyn Monster Ale. So like most beers at the time, I ordered it without any idea of what it was and just hoped I would like it. It turned out I absolutely hated it. It was thick, rich, sweet, boozy and had the consistency of cough syrup. It was safe to say it was unlike anything I had tried up until that point. I actually thought it was so bad that maybe the entire barleywine style was not for me. It literally took almost a decade for me to try another barleywine. The only reason I did that was because it was part of the Goose Island Bourbon County line of beers. I absolutely loved that one and from that point on I have absolutely loved the style. Lagunitas Olde Gnarlywine, Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Ale and Bells Third Coast Ale have become just a few of my fairly easy to find favorites. But even though I am not afraid to try it again, I have still yet to revisit Brooklyn's Monster Ale. The reason for that is aside from Sorachi Ace, I have not liked anything I have had from the Brooklyn Brewery. But perhaps it would be fun to revisit Monster Ale down the road for another review. For this review though, I decided on a more “out of the blue” barleywine, Bluegrass Billionaire Bourbon Barrel Aged English Style Barleywine from Clown Shoes.

I realize I could have reviewed a non-barrel aged barleywine but I did not for two reasons. The first being the most obvious; bourbon barrel aged beer in general is more fun to try. And second, reviewing Bluegrass Billionaire also helps me justify my 14 dollar impulse purchase of this 22 oz. Bomber. So as I poured the dense, cloudy reddish-brown barleywine with a light tan head, I could not help but think this was a win for everyone. The aroma was pleasant and really showed off the barrel aging. There was caramel, vanilla, fig, bourbon and oak. When I took my first sip I immediately noticed a pleasant, earthy hoppiness. As I continued to work my way through the glass the flavors of caramel, vanilla, fig, date, raisin and bourbon shined nicely. But an earthy, oak & boozy finish subtracted from the beer. I realize I am complaining about a 12.5% ABV beer having a boozy finish, but I feel it could have been hidden better. If I had patience I realize it probably would have smoothed out a bit by placing it in the cellar for awhile, but I did not want to wait to drink it. A definite positive trait about this barleywine is that it's not too sweet. I recently had Bourbon Barrel Aged Thor's Hammer from Central City Brewers and the syrupy sweetness of that wore on me the further I got into the glass. The earthy hoppiness of Bluegrass Billionaire helps prevent the sweetness from becoming overwhelming. providing a nice sense of balance.

I would consider drinking Clown Shoes' Bluegrass Billionaire a fairly positive experience. It may not be as good as I hoped it would be, but that's not saying it was a bad beer either. What I am trying to say is there are better barleywines out there. While I would like to see what Bluegrass Billionaire tastes like with some aging on it, I do not foresee a second purchase in my immediate future. Even though I liked it, I would still recommend spending that 14 dollars on something else.  The main thing I want you to take from this review is just because a style of beer did not work for you in the past, it is still worth giving a second chance to down the road.

Overall I would rate Clown Shoes' Bluegrass Billionaire a 3.25/5. The main thing I want you to take from this review is that just because a style of beer did not work for you in the past, it is still worth giving a second chance to down the road.


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!