Style: Ale
Alc./Vol.: 9.5%
Rating: 3.9/5.0
Stone’s 13th Anniversary Ale is a very robust and intense beverage. Be prepared for extreme hoppiness and a load of unhidden alcohol! It pours a deep dark red with a tan head. Aroma is of the traditional Stone floral hop variety – quite lovely. Roasted nuts and some smokiness provide some character in the flavor. The yeast left just enough sweetness to make this ale go down smoothly. A very strong, celebratory beer.
Style: Hefeweizen
Alc./Vol.: 4.9%
Rating:3.6/5.0
Hoegaarden is cloudy and pours a pale yellow color. A delightful foamy head is easily produced when pouring from the bottle. An intense citrus smell greets the senses as a sip is taken. The flavor is also citrusy and sweet with lemon, orange peel and a hint of pineapple. The body is full and creamy. Some fizziness is a welcome element to counter some of the sweetness. Compared to many other commonly available wheat beers, Hoegaarden provides a little extra goodness that is sure to be enjoyed.
Style: Ale
Alc./Vol.: 7.8%
Rating: 3.4/5.0
Pours a deep burgundy color with a thin beige head. Aroma of dried fruit and hops. The flavor is really takes center stage: a combination of molasses and fruit – mostly cherries. The result is sweet, but quickly followed by some sourness. Moderately carbonated mouthfeel. As you finish a sip you get a slight burn from the high alcohol content. Hops are present, but play only a supporting role in this ale. A decent effort, but nothing to write home about.
Style: IPA
Alc./Vol.: 7.2%
Rating: 3.5/5.0
Sierra Nevada’s Torpedo unleashes a hop explosion as you take a healthy sip. Clear and orange with a foamy, cream colored head, this IPA will test your hops tolerance. In other words, besides the subtle apple flavor that lurks beneath the surface, drinking this beer essentially amounts to eating the hops that were put into the recipe itself. The bitter flower takes center stage here leaving room for little else. Otherwise, Torpedo is heavy in the carbonation department producing a buzzy mouth-feel. The ending is the best part: smooth and dry.
Style: ipa
Alc./Vol.: 5.8%
Rating: 3.4/5.0
Hi.P.A. pours a hazy orange hue and features a frothy white head. Aroma of citrus and fresh hops. The beer has a real earthy character that is rich in floral hops along with sour grapefruit notes. An apple flavor emerges as well. High, fizzy carbonation tickles the roof of the mouth, which is common among most Magic Hat brews. The end of the sip is airy and dry. One of the better Magic Hat beers I’ve had.
Style: pale ale
Alc./Vol.: 5.6%
Rating: 3.6/5.0
The Pale Ale is Sierra Nevada’s flagship beer. It’s light gold with a fluffy white head and has a wonderfully lively hop aroma when you pour the ale from the bottle. Medium-light in body with moderate carbonation. The balance between the sweet malts and hops is well executed here. It just goes down smooth and has an ending like that of an Olympic diver as she enters the water: quick and elegant. My only big criticism is that the beer is somewhat linear. There’s nothing unexpected; no bends to go around as you take a sip. But for the pale ale genre, this is a real winner.
Style: lager
Alc./Vol.: 5.5%
Rating: 2.7/5.0
Flying Dog’s Amber Lager has a copper hue with a thin head. Flavors of molasses and caramel unite with nuts and earthy tones to produce a strangely orchestrated sip. The finish is sweet, but dry. I had hoped for a longer taste duration, but the flavors just kinda evaporated before the party began. Furthermore, the hops were not too engaging. I appreciate the effort in taking the lager style to new places, but this attempt is just not particularly tasty.
Style: ale
Alc./Vol.: 4.9%
Rating: 3.2/5.0
While down in Maryland over the weekend, I picked up a 6 pack of Clipper City Gold Ale. It’s a local brew brewed in Baltimore so I felt compelled to give it a try. The beer is clear, light gold in color with a small white head, and has a fresh, mild hop aroma. There’s low carbonation here and the body is light, but not watery. Definitely the type of beer you could have a few of without feeling gross. Flavor was a bit fruity – apples and apricots perhaps. The hops gave the ale a little kick, but were by no means a dominating characteristic. The finale had a pleasant lingering bitterness. Great summer beer with some personality.
Style: fruit
Alc./Vol.: 8%
Rating: 3.2/5.0
I don’t think I’ve ever had a pomegranate by itself, but this beer has given me some insight into what one might taste like. Sweet and a bit tart, the Hebrew Origin Pomegranate Ale succeeds in not being disgustingly fruity. The counter to the ripe sweetness is not so much the hops as it is the alcohol. In appearance, the brew is a clear, medium amber with a fizzy cream colored head. Smell is fruity with some malt aroma. The ending is especially dry and sour, but only slightly bitter. An interesting concoction for sure, but it still tastes like a work in progress.
Style: red ale
Alc./Vol.: 5.4%
Rating: 2.9/5.0
I don’t really get into St. Patrick’s Day celebrations, but I grabbed a 6-pack of Harpoon Celtic Ale this year (although I doubt I actually had one on the actual holiday). In all honesty it was on sale at Whole Foods and I decided to give it a try since Harpoon makes some other decent brews. It’s dark orange/red in color, and clear with a white head. Aroma is of malts. The beer sputters around in the mouth a bit during the sip but never gets anywhere interesting. I wanted some complex flavors, but was greeted with just a flat barley taste along with a cherry hint. Carbonation is at a healthy moderate level however and there’s a slight hop kick that gives the beer it’s fresh, dry aftertaste. This is decent, but certainly not one of Harpoon’s greatest hits.
