Live Oak Hefeweizen

Live Oak Hefeweizen
Hefeweizen
Live Oak Brewing Company
5.2% ABV

Growler poured into a tall weizen glass. Thanks Rubio for the excellent trade. Unfortunately the first growler sent my way leaked and Rubio promptly replaced it. Thanks again.

Cloudy golden hay colored with a very creamy moderate sized white head. The head retention is average, and lacing just meh. Strange.

Strong banana, clove-spice, light sweetness and some refreshing tartness in the aroma; pretty standard for the style but delightful.

Taste is strong on banana, but with a rather empty middle and finish. Not very bright in my opinion --- feels a little watered down, but still very estery. The finish is clean but I think that the aftertaste could've been longer and richer. The carbonation and the body are dead on, and overall a very good hefeweizen.

Appearance 4/5; Aroma 4.5/5; Taste 4/5; Mouthfeel 3.5/5; Overall 4.5/5

Red's Rye

Red's Rye
Rye Pale Ale
Founders Brewing Co.
6.6% ABV
70 IBUs

    12 oz bottled in 2011 poured into a Surly pint glass. Only 2011 was visible in the printed date, so it's a crap shoot.

    Pours dark amber-brown with moderate clarity and a nice and thick light tan head. The head retention and lacing, both, are par excellence. Rye, caramel, and herbal hops are prominent in the aroma. Could've been stronger but I don't know if it's the freshness :/

    Wow! Didn't expect this blast of hops in the taste. Red's Rye can easily put a few IPAs to shame. Pungent and earthy bitterness on a great malt base, this ale leaves it bitterness right into the throat.  Rye is definitely present in the finish, and complements the hops very well. The mouthfeel seems unimpressive although I can't place the exact flaw. Perhaps the body could've been heavier, but I'd rather have higher carbonation at this body.

    Overall, this beer is not so much about malts as it claims. I'd seek it whenever I need a hop fix and am bored with the fruity, floral notes of AIPAs. Good beer!

Scores: Appearance 5/5; Aroma 3.5/5; Taste 4/5; Mouthfeel 4/5; Overall 4/5

Pine Belt

Pine Belt
American Pale Ale
Southern Star Brewing Company
6.3% ABV
45 IBUs

16 oz can with no visible date poured into a Surly pint. Thanks Rubio.

Clear and deep amber-orange with a medium and creamy off white head. Good retention, great lacing.

If a beer is named pine belt, I expect a PtE out of it, and even PtE didn't deliver in that department :/ This smells of some hops, if not powerfully piney, but rather woody. Not strong enough and just average. Tropical fruit comes in screaming WTF when it gets warm. Kinda discordant if you ask me, but not repulsive.

The taste is ok... slightly sweet, quite clean, and unidirectionally bitter w/o any hop derived flavor. A little too clean, if you know what I mean. The bitterness however is very perceptible because of the "simple" nature of this beer. I am divided about whether to call it simple or ordinary or simply ordinary! Also, the woodiness of the aroma is very present in an unlikely astringent finish that I would normally frown at but the moment makes it ok.

Mouthfeel is "right" given the clean nature of the beer. This one is the kind that is not worth actively seeking out, but drinking a few over a few hours at the bar. Problem is the ABV; a little too much bang for the buck?! Overall I am NOT impressed but discontinuing this beer will NOT make the world a better place.

Scores: Appearance 4.5/5; Aroma 3/5; Taste 3/5; Mouthfeel 4.5/5; Overall 2.5/5

Buried Hatchet

Buried Hatchet
Imperial Stout
Southern Star Brewing Company
8.25% ABV
50 IBUs

12 oz can with no visible date poured into a Chimay chalice. Thanks Rubio.

Clear and brown, darker than most brown ales but not in the Imperial Stout territory, Buried Hatchet pours with a medium tan head. Although this chalice doesn't support as good a retention as many other glasses, this particular stout retained a small cap for quite a while. No lacing though.

I find it amazing, and unbelievable, that this is not brewed with actual coffee. Perhaps it is, but there's no mention of coffee additions on the brewer's page even though many other details are given. Smells of roasted coffee beans and sugars, that I always find good. However, the aroma is weak compared to the stouts commonly known for their coffee character (I am comparing it to Breakfast, Speedway etc.)

This is the only beer that I have had in the shower and I recall that it wowed me over, even though I was drinking it from a can. Perhaps it was the low expectations but right now it's not tasting as amazing --- still very good, but not "surprisingly" good I suppose. That doesn't understate its awesomeness though --- strong coffee, fitting but not overwhelming roast and a chocolaty coffee finish, that is lingering. I like this one. The bitterness kicks in only towards the end and seems to be derived from the roast; so the hops are in a strictly balancing role here, which is just fine by me.

The long coffee-chocolate aftertaste gets along really well with the slight warming brought upon by this stout. The mouthfeel is just meh, especially because it gets watery with warmth. Carbonation is alright though, so it can't be called poor in terms of feel. Overall good, if not up there.

Scores: Appearance 4/5; Aroma 3.5/5; Taste 4/5; Mouthfeel 3/5; Overall 4/5

Lost Gold IPA

Lost Gold IPA
American IPA
Real Ale Brewing
6.6% ABV
55 IBUs
OG: 15 deg. Plato

12 oz bottle with an Enjoy by of 07/19/2011 poured into a Bell's tulip. Thanks Rubio.

Golden-amber, slightly hazy but mostly clear, Lost Gold pours with a medium off white head that recedes in due time leaving some sticky lacing. All in all, quite AIPA looking. Aroma is nothing remarkable and very faint if at all perceptible.

However, this beer really delights me in its taste. A good example of a balanced IPA, that lets its malt character (that I am digging!) shine, without getting too sweet. Lush and juicy on the palate with a light sweetness, this one delivers the punch at the end and finishes moderately bitter. Okay, it doesn't really deliver a punch, but is still moderately hoppy.

Mouthfeel is crisp and Lost Gold feels refreshing; but as remarked earlier, it doesn't hide its malts. Perfect body for an AIPA in my opinion.

With warmth, some defects get amplified, most notably a slightly harsh (NOT crisp, just harsh) finish that is not common to IPA's. I am surprised that the aroma stays just as dull.

Overall, this one went down easy and smooth, and was one of those beers that I could keep drinking for a while. Too bad that the alcohol is higher than my benchmark IPA's (Furious, Masala Mama).

Scores: Appearance 4/5; Aroma 2/5; Taste 4/5; Mouthfeel 4/5; Overall 4/5

Saisons

    Saisons, like many styles of Europe, don't lend themselves to strict classifications as much as the North American beers do (or the crowd likes to). Only that they are more baffling that any other category/confusion, including the good old dubbel/quad/BSDA debate. Complex, spicy, tart, aromatic, hoppy, and still somewhat malty, the character is more of the brewer's and circumstances' and terroir's signature than the expected style guidelines. Did I forget yeasty?

What to expect? (All from BJCP's definition!)

Aroma: High fruitiness, moderate to no herb, spice and alcohol. Citrus fruits such as oranges or lemons. Low to medium-high spicy or floral hop aroma. Moderate spice aroma (from actual spice additions and/or yeast-derived phenols). Low to moderate sourness or acidity.

Flavor: Combination of fruity and spicy flavors supported by a soft malt character, a low to moderate alcohol presence and tart sourness. Dry finish. The fruitiness is frequently citrusy (orange- or lemon-like). Low to moderate tartness. Spices, hop bitterness and flavor, and sourness commonly increase with the strength of the beer while sweetness decreases.

    All saisons that I had had up to now were American brewed, and I really wanted to pitch them against the "real" thing. Verdict - not EVEN close. But I digress! Here are my earlier reviews of the style: Hennepin (I have overrated this one!), Wild Rice Farmhouse, Tank 7. Off to the real thing!

Fantôme Saison

750 ml corked and capped bottle with best by date not marked, poured into three Saison Dupont glasses.

    Murky amber hued with plenty of "stuff" floating in it even when poured gently. I poured this beer into three glasses and the amount of sediment was drastically different, with the last glass many times murkier than the first. A layer of sediment settled on the side of the bottle after pouring and at the bottom of the glasses as well.

    The head on this beer was surprisingly disappointing: tiny soda bubbles formed and left really fast even though the glasses it was poured into favor good retention. Only thing left was a tiny ring of finer bubbles, and no lacing whatsoever.

    As I was pouring, I could pick some hops. When I brought the glass closer, I got the dubbel like dessert notes of toasted dark fruit but once I sniffed, all I could think was massive funk. Horses - scores of 'em. And then some faint tartness lurking somewhere. It's amazing how many things are going on in this ale!

    Tastes like it smells, only stronger. Moreover, the taste is strongly dependent upon the part of the bottle the pour is from. Strong notes of dark fruit, lighter fruit, lemony tartness and bitterness. Perhaps the most complex beer I have tasted, if not the most delicious. Tastes more like a blend than an individual beer. The best comes when it warms up and starts to taste like honey with a few drops of lemon. Nice!

    Quite dry and slightly bitter with a long fruity finish; although I am sure that my bottle wasn't properly conditioned given the poor appearance. And even then, this is the best beer I have had in its style. I would buy much more of it if (a) It was cheaper than almost ~$15/bottle (b) Didn't come in green bottles and (c) Fantôme was known for putting out a consistent product.

Saison Dupont

750 ml corked and caged bottle, poured into three Saison Dupont glasses.

    Golden amber and seemingly clear, Dupont pours with an "off-the-hook" Belgian head that took forever to settle and left killer lacing on the glasses. Perfect looks. Upon closer inspection, very fine yeast is seen suspended in the liquid.

    The aroma is dominated by hops - herbal notes (Euro hops), spices, and a little funk. Lemony notes upon warmth.

    Not nearly as complex as Fantôme in taste, the hops overwhelm this one. Malt-yeast complexity wavers; although some fruity esters, and citrus character that's not from the hops,  are felt upon warmth.

    Finishes real dry and is always crisp with high carbonation... nice! Very drinkable with moderate alcohol, I quite like this one although I would take Fantôme over it. Any day.

Scores

	Fantôme Saison	Saison Dupont
Appearance	3	5
Aroma	4.5	4.5
Taste	4.5	3.5
Mouthfeel	4.5	5
Overall	4	4

Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout

Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout
Russian Imperial Stout
Brooklyn Brewery
10% ABV
IBUs?
OG: 1.096
12 oz. bottle (2010-11 vintage) poured into a snifter. Thanks Dan!

First off, this is not a chocolate stout, but uses specially roasted malts to achieve chocolate notes, and I will rate it as a regular RIS. Moving on, BBCS pours dark and clear with a big espresso brown head that formed in cascades and stuck around for quite a while. The lacing was very good too. However, it didn't seem as dark and viscous as the beers it would be compared to.

The aroma reminds of Bell's Expedition more than any other stout because of its tartness. Roast is present too, and some soft alcohol --- a typical RIS aroma but at pleasantly high levels. Dark sugars and some charring are evident and welcome.

The taste can stand up against any other stout not brewed with actual coffee/chocolate additions, or barrel aging. Bittersweet, with a strong bias towards bitter, BBCS is like dark chocolate minus the flavors. Well, there's a strong resemblance in the aftertaste so the last sentence should be taken as a negligent comment. Starts displaying a molasses character with warmth, and is tart to begin with. Smoothly warming, with a long and bitter finish with medium roast character.

The mouthfeel is way silkier and richer than what I expected based on the relatively thin color. Carbonation level couldn't have been better either. Overall, I am very glad to drink this beer finally --- especially when I haven't had a RIS in days. This beer reminds me why I like the style in the first place. Highly recommended.

Scores: Appearance 4.5/5; Aroma 3.5/5; Taste 4/5; Mouthfeel 4.5/5; Overall 4.5/5