Baltika #6

Baltika #6
Porter
Baltika Breweries
7% ABV

    500 ml bottle with a best before date of April 14, 2012 (brewed April 14, 2011) poured into a Surly pint. Poured clear and dark brown with a medium tan colored head with average retention and some lacing.

    Smells slightly malty with some caramel and toast lurking underneath. Hint of roast.  Off to taste. Starts on an average, maybe even good, note displaying plenty of dark malt character and robustness; but off flavors are soon felt, especially a strongly metallic taste and stale, icky bitterness. I expected this to be a Baltic Porter but it is just a bad attempt at the British/American examples it seems.

    The carbonation and the body are alright, but that's about it. Overall I am not impressed.

Appearance 3.5/5; Aroma 3/5; Taste 2/5; Mouthfeel 3.5/5; Overall 2/5

Young's Double Chocolate Stout

Young's Double Chocolate Stout

    Very clear, medium brown-garnet, with a nice cascading mocha head with good lacing and retention. Not as dark as I expected but no worries. The aroma is strongly chocolate, dark malts, brown sugar and molasses.

    Tastes moderately sweet and lightly tart with a charry, bitter chocolaty medium dry finish. Low-medium body, good carbonation... very easy drinking. Overall, a very good low abv option. Hard to pass in this format although I hated the nitro cans.

4, 4, 4, 3.5, 4

Taddy Porter

The Famous Taddy Porter
Samuel Smith, U.K.
Porter
5% ABV
32 IBUs
OG 1.050

550 ml (bought for 2.99 at Zipp's Liquors!) poured into a Surly pint glass.

    Dark brown with garnet highlights and a medium tan head with creamy texture. Good retention and great lacing. The aroma is classic British dark ale: caramel, toast, coconut and toffee; even more than dark malts that should be the highlight of this beer. Decent frutiness.

    Taste is heavier on the dark and fruity side of things than, say, toast and coconut. I don't get any coffee but certainly some chocolaty notes are present. The finish is quite sweet, with hints of roast, but not enough to make it too dry. The body is medium and carbonation a little high for the taste profile.

    If it indeed is an example of Old World porter, then the American versions are much better on the characteristics this beer boasts to be its highlights viz. roast, dryness etc. On the other hand I am loving the maltiness of this porter. Tough choice, but if I were aching for a porter as I know it, I'd rather grab an Edmund Fitzgerald.

Appearance 4/5; Aroma 4/5; Taste 3/5; Mouthfeel 4/5; Overall 4/5

Adam

Adam
Barleywine
Hair of the Dog Brewing Company
10% ABV
50 IBUs

This is my first review of any HotD beer and 100^th unique brewer. 12 oz. (Batch 80) sent by cb462 as an extra. Thanks! Poured into a snifter.

    Deep, dark mahogany with a good and creamy textured khaki-brown head. Medium head retention and ok lacing. Good for its kind. Aroma is sweet malts, hint of smoke, some dried fruit. Certainly leather. No booze. Very generic, however, especially because it's so mute.

    Tastes disappointing :/ I had high hopes and I am feeling let down. I can see the potential but it seems too rough. Some sweetness with a biting earthy bitterness, roast, and over the top astringent character. Medium finish with a lingering bitterness.

    Mouthfeel is above average with understated carbonation and a medium body. Overall though, it drinks more like a blend of a barleywine and Old Rasputin, than a barleywine on its own. I don't like it.

Appearance 4/5; Aroma 3/5; Taste 2.5/5; Mouthfeel 3.5/5; Overall 3/5

Pannepot (Old Fisherman's Ale)

33 cl bottle, 2007 vintage, sent as an extra by Romulux. Thanks a lot! Poured into a 25 oz snifter.

A darker hue than most Belgian Strong Ales, Pannepot pours the dark brown color of an Imperial Stout with good clarity, and yet little transparency. The head is creamy and dark khaki-brown; the retention good and the lacing beautiful.

The aroma is earthy, spicy, caramel and candy sweet, with sweet alcohol. The fresh dessert notes that only quality Quadrupels have. Maybe not as good as I remember the Reserva to be.

There is certainly a powerful chocolate note, but dark fruit and toasted coconut dominate the taste. On a second thought, Pannepot tastes like a seamless marriage of the three. I am digging the play between sticky sweetness and the tannins. And the mild carbonation somewhere in between. Among the dark fruit notes, plums stand out the most in my opinion.

Overall, De Struise has done an excellent job with this, and with Reserva. The only non-Trappist beers to come close to the Trappist examples, with the exception of Cuvee Van De Keizer Blauw. I love it.

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

Exponential Hoppiness

Exponential Hoppiness
"Triple" IPA
Alpine Brewing
11% ABV
Theoretical IBUs are off the charts, actual should be less than 75.

    Bomber from the most recent release poured into a Duvel tulip. 'bout a month old give or take. Thanks Casey!

    Falls in a brilliant golden stream with a medium alabaster head atop the orange "body". The head retention is medium and the lacing insane. Looks hoppy, doesn't it?! I have had this before and know that it's juicy. And it fucking looks juicy.

    There are fruity IPAs, weedy/dank IPAs, and this is both. Signature Alpine. Very juicy, ripe tangerine, pineapple, mango; and pine and marijuana. Ample amount of malt. Damn, it smells fruity and sweet! THE best smelling IPA I ever had.

    Tastes bitter, but not nearly enough. That has been my complaint against Alpine. I'd rather have sex with Paris Hilton than watch Audrey Hepburn strip. Very flavorful nonetheless. Pineapple and even more mango, but not enough weed. Oak adds another dimension and at times, especially when warm, the sticky sweetness combined with oak lends almost a barrel aged strong ale note. Nice! Almost chocolate with orange peel.

Mouthfeel is perfect. Just perfect for its magnitude. Creamy, yet crisp. I know.

    Overall good but not that good... aroma is the high point of this beer, unrivaled by anything else that I have had. But the taste leaves something to be desired. A brewing achievement in the sense of masking the stronger notes and letting the delicate come across, but still not the hops-in-yo-face-with-bitterness-turned-max that I crave.

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

Abacus

Abacus
Barrel aged Barleywine
Firestone Walker Brewing Company

    Poured from a bomber (Spring 2011) into a Darkness tulip on August 13, 2011. Thanks drDogBeer! Dark wood to rust colored with good clarity. A small light tan head formed but left rather fast.

    Aroma is signature barleywine - dark fruit, specifically raisins and figs with notes of chocolate and toast. Very restrained booze. Tastes flavorful with notes of dark, dried fruit; some chocolate and vanilla, but as with the aroma, the bourbon is very restrained. The finish is very clean and the feel of the beer in general is closer to a Quadrupel than a barleywine - light body (for the style!), cleaner flavors and high carbonation. I am not digging it all that much.

    Overall it's certainly a good beer but it's not the ultimate barleywine. It's a shame that Mirror Mirror 2009 got infected, otherwise that would have been a much superior alternative. Well, I can always cough a few bucks more and go for J.W.

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

Maharaja

Maharaja
Imperial IPA
Avery Brewing Co.
10.46% ABV
102 IBUs
OG 1.090

    22 oz. bomber from batch # 14 (bottled June, 2011) poured into a 25 oz. snifter on 08/11/2011. Pours a deep shade of amber-red with a big off white head. The head retention is good, the lacing very very good. Looks like there's plenty of hops in here. Signature DIPA.

    There is no doubt in my mind that Avery wasn't stingy with hops for this one: the moment I pried the bottle open, hoppy fruitiness hit my nose, and that's what this beer is about. Fruity hops --- mango, papaya, pineapple. Sweet alcohol follows soon after.

    Tastes just as sweet as its bitter, Maharaja is one of the sweeter and fruiter beers I have had. Strange as it might sound, this seems like a beer that could convert non beer drinkers. That or mine is an acute case of LTS. The caramel backbone is solid but the finish clean and the beer not one bit cloying. It's funny that I thought I'd hate Maharaja because of how folks keep saying how malty it is, and malty it INDEED is. But, it's well done. Very very well done. Can't but think of pineapples, damn!

    One of the silkier beers of its genre, Maharaja's feel and texture is more into Strong Ale territory. Makes me wonder if DIPAs should be further classified into sweet DIPAs and dry DIPAs, much like wine. Coming back to this one, everything seems fitting. Yes there's alcohol, but ya know, what the hell. It complements the beer.

    It's strong, reasonably intense, quite warming and very flavorful. A good DIPA even if not exactly my type.

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

Odell IPA

Odell IPA
American IPA
Odell Brewing Co.
7% ABV
60 IBUs

    12 oz. bottle with kickass artwork (signature Odell!) and a best by date of 11/02/11 poured into a New Belgium globe on 08/09/11. Pours hay golden, slightly hazy, with a nice and big alabaster head; great head retention and excellent lacing!

    Smells very fruity with dominantly tropical fruit notes and some grassy-weedy undertones. Very balanced and complex hop profile. Tastes smooth and slightly fruity, and while the malt backbone is felt on palate, I don't really taste the malts much. The bitterness appears most towards the back and in the finish.

    Carbonation is appropriately high and the finish really dry. As remarked, goes down easy and smooth without too much bitterness. All good, except that the alcohol is rather high for this easy drinking a beer.

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

Cran-bic Ale

Cran-bic Ale
Fruit "lambic"
New Glarus Brewing Co.
4.8% ABV

    A part of what was known as the Unplugged series earlier, Cranbic belongs to the Thumbprint series of New Glarus' experimental and specialty beers. 2011 release poured into a Surly pint glass.

    Pink hued, and brilliantly clear, Cranbic pours with a light rosy head that is pedestrian for Lambics, and that minuscule head leaves soon too leaving some patchy lace. Aroma hints at the sourness to come, along with some funk that I didn't notice at earlier tastings. Lots of spice (clove and cinnamon).

    Tastes fruity tart with strong notes of spice, and surprisingly only a hint of cranberries. Maintains its beer roots instead of tasting like cranberry soda. The finish is tart and long with some funk at the back. Quite acidic overall, and more so than many a Gueuze in my opinion!

    Well carbonated, very crisp and very very refreshing. And yet it doesn't settle as well as a similar beer would sit with this weather because of the spicy notes that remind me of a Winter Warmer/Christmas beer :/

Overall a beer that is above average for fruit beers and at an unbeatable price! (~$10/4-pack)

Appearance 2/5; Aroma 3/5; Taste 3.5/5; Mouthfeel 4/5; Overall 3.5/5

4D

    I had been wanting to try the Kuhnhenn Brewing Company's Bourbon Barrel 4^th Dementia and its base beer for a while now and scored them in a recent trade. Thanks Ron (Romulux), finally!

    4^th Dementia poured a deep murky brown color, incidentally very close to fig flesh, with a medium khaki colored head. The head retention was average, basically a firm ring of foam and a small sheet of bubbles on the surface. The barrel aged version was the same color, but noticeably cloudier and there was no head, nada, none.

    The aroma of 4^th Dementia was figs, other dried fruits, caramel, and mild sweet alcohol. The 13.5% alcohol by volume is well masked. Good, but not nearly as rich as what's next! The barrel aged 4^th Dementia is an onslaught of vanilla, coconut, and strong strong dark fruit. Very very delicious, although the alcohol is rather in-your-face. Not on the level of bourbon, but more on the level of stronger wine.

    4^th Dementia, a great tasting ale, is a very very balanced blend of rich, flavorful sweetness, understated bitterness, and a moderate to low astringent character derived from what I assume are roasted grains. Exceptionally clean finish with a medium-long aftertaste. The carbonation keeps the beer alive, bubbly and amazingly easy to drink. The body is medium, and not all that viscous. I assume it's the extended secondary/bottle conditioning that achieves so much flavor while not letting the beer get tiring.

    And just when you think it's not getting any better, the barrel aged version delivers everything good about the regular version in twice the amount, and with some bonus notes of its own: exceptionally silky, amazingly balanced, very sweet, yet quite bitter, and still so clean in its finish, this one can stand up against J.W. Lees! The flavors are primarily dark fruit, chocolate, leather and tobacco. While there was no head, the carbonation is just right; the body is no thinner or heavier than it should be. The roast is much more mellow than the regular version, but still present, and very welcome.

    Overall, great beers, and so much better than most others in their class. Thanks Ron for introducing me to this fine pair.

	4th Dementia (2010 Vintage)	Barrel Aged 4th Dementia (2010 Vintage)
Appearance	4	3
Aroma	4	4.5
Taste	4	4.5
Mouthfeel	4.5	5
Overall	4.5	4.5

Sierra Nevada Porter

Sierra Nevada Porter
Porter
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
5.6% ABV
32 IBUs
OG 13.8 Plato
FG 3.5 Plato

12 oz poured into a shaker pint.

    Coffee colored, and noticeably lighter than other examples, but with a beautiful frothy coffee head. Good head retention too and excellent lacing. Smells very generic, and closer to a nut brown or dark ale than a porter: the roast is really not there.

    Clean, slightly sweet with a lightly roasty finish. Medium body and medium carbonation. Easy drinking beer, but nothing too great.

Appearance 4/5; Aroma 3/5; Taste 3/5; Mouthfeel 4/5; Overall 3/5

Silva Stout

Silva Stout
Barrel aged Imperial Stout
Green Flash Brewing Co.
10.1% ABV

    A limited, one time release from Fall 2010, sampled with almost an year on it courtesy of ever generous Ron (Romulux). What an extra! Thank you very much. Poured into a 25 oz snifter.

    Pours in a very dark brown, borderline black, velvety stream and a surprisingly robust dark khaki head forms atop the beer. The head retention and lacing are more than good for a barrel aged stout.

    Smells... sweaty?! Aside from this off aroma that disappeared soon, and might as well have been my imagination, the smell is strong vanilla and laid back chocolate. Rich and dessert like. Maybe with a side of coffee. Sweet booze creeps in with warmth, but is never ever fusel/hot.

    The taste is very very chocolaty with ample vanilla, accentuated by the silky and luxurious texture of the beer. Dollops of bitterness come at the back of the palate leaving behind plenty of dark chocolate and coffee aftertaste. Notes of alcohol ring in the nose along with the long and relatively clean finish.

    The texture, as pointed out, is luxurious with a very balanced body that is not cloying but carries the flavors with ease and the understated carbonation that gives the beer life without making it too bubbly.

    Hands down the best beer I have had in a month or two, and certainly one of the better ones of an year that saw BCS Rare and Kate! A gem not so talked about, but a great stout with something that lacks among many beers of its kind --- balance! This beer, named after the brewmaster Chuck Silva, is a testament to his skill. Great job!

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