Courtesy of Smuttynose Brewing Company

Here’s one from a brewery I have read a lot about in the trade magazines, but had yet to sample their wears.  Until now.  From Smuttynose Brewing Company of Portsmouth, NH, I give you S’muttonator Doppelbock.  It certainly pours yeasty, medium orange and hazy, kind of rusty water-like, with a fleeting head and no lacing to speak of.  The bouquet is sweet, with a honey quality.  It’s sweet tasting too, alcoholy, and hops only makes its presence known in the finish, in the form of some dry bitterness.  At 9.5% ABV it is definitely gut warming, and ear warming for that matter, and the roasted malt highlights make it a pleasant beer, although the overall sweetness is a bit cloying.

As this is not my favorite style of beer, I find it hard to give a really fair rating, but it is definitely good and a high quality brew.  So, I think an 80/100 doppelbock rating is fair.

Courtesy of Two Brothers Brewing Company. You'll like this one!

Being a resident of DuPage County, I would be remiss if I were not to partake of a beverage which is named after the region of my residence, so it was with great anticipation that I first sampled Domaine DuPage French Style Country Ale (Biere de Garde) from Two Brothers Brewing Company in Warrenville, IL.  This 5.9% ABV ale is Orange/amber in color with pinkish highlights, and its lacy head is as white as a snow drift.  The malty bouquet foreshadows the sweetness that greets the tongue, but the slight dryness noticed upon the first swallow signals the presence of some moderate hops.  It is a little syrupy perhaps, but very drinkable and worth an 84/100 on the beerbliographer scale.

malt + hops = balance

Shiner Old-Time Alt, part of the Family Reunion 12-pack from Spoetzel Brewery of Shiner, TX pours a beautiful copper color, produces a big old white head and laces like whitewash on the sides of your glass.  This Dusseldorf-style altbier achieves the balance characteristic of the style from beginning to end.  The clean, crisp bouquet starts with a lightly floral hop vibe and ends with malt leaning toward the carmelly side.  Shiner Old-Time Alt is medium-bodied and is lively on the tongue despite not showing a lot of carbonation.  The malt is up front on the palate and hoppy dryness is at the back, in equal measures.  Again, balance is achieved and appreciated in this alt.  It’s not complex or daunting, just a good beer with some character, and a change from the ordinary.  Why do people drink Bud Light when beer like Old-Time Alt is available?

The answer to that semi-rhetorical question is:  83/100 on the beerbliorgapher scale for altbiers.  Good day.

Rzzzzzzzz.

Pours light yellow and fizzy, head lasts a good 10 seconds before disappearing and leaving no lace.  Light skunk and corn in the nose.  Hops?  Yeah, right.  Weak and light-bodied, I understand why a lime is usually served with this beer.  If it is poured in a glass, the lime adds a flavor to this bland beer.  If served in a bottle, the lime can be used to plug the bottle before any of the beer is consumed.  Corona Light is a beer for people who don’t like beer or getting drunk.  I would recommend water and psychotherapy if you fit that description.

Crap…20/100

Image courtesy of Mendocino Brewing Co.

Deep, deep brown with lavish lacing and a medium brown head, Black Hawk Select Stout (Mendocino Brewing Co., Saratoga Springs, NY) looks substantial.  The lacing of this Irish-style stout looks like the spotty pattern of a whale shark.  The initial whiff yields a goodly amount of sweet cream with a note of Voortman’s wafer cookie, and maybe some vanilla ice cream.  It works, it’s very appealing.  The texture is smooth and creamy, and the taste of coffee with cream can be detected, without too much bitterness, but some dryness in the finish.  A slight earthy note (maybe Irish moss or peat?) also exists in this very good 5.2 % ABV stout.  Black Hawk Select Stout is worth a try.

87/100

Courtesy of Southern Tier Brewing Co.

Hold on to your hat IPA lover, this brew is for you!  For a Double IPA, Southern Tier 2XIPA (Southern Tier, Lakewood, NY) is not over the top hoppy and in fact quite drinker friendly.  Pale gold with a hint of pink, a good white head and reasonable visible carbonation, 2XIPA is a work of brewing art.  Floral hops dominate the bouquet, but they are followed closely by a restrained sweetness.  This 4 hop, 3 malt, 8.2% ABV beer produces plenty of lacing.  It is hoppy, but the malt fills in quickly on the palate after the initial humulus lupulus blast.  Still, there is a great balance and interplay between bitter, sweet, dry and piney.  Just a fantastic IPA is all!

95/100 IPA

Image courtesy of Summit Brewing Co.

Yes, Summit Black Ale is really black, and the head looks like the surface of the moon, the lacing like the Himalayas.  An impressive start!  The bouquet is robust, roasty and hoppy, creamy and coffeelike, with a hint of yeast.  The taste follows the bouquet, but with a touch off earthiness and some green grass.  The finish is expectedly bitter.  I don’t see myself craving another one down the line (which is good, as this is a limited release), but as this may be the only Black Ale I’ve tried, I’d have to give Summit Black Ale a “not bad” rating.

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Image courtesy of Central Waters Brewing Company, Inc.

Glacial Trail IPA (Central Waters Brewing Co., Inc., Amherst, WI) is the poster boy for head.  Holy cow, this head is huge and long lasting, reminiscent of a root beer float head, complete with the sticky residue on the glass as it recedes, however slowly and slightly.  Glacial Trail IPA is deep golden and hazy with minimal visible carbonation, and a full, hoppy bouquet, sweet and citrusy with a firm, malty foundation.  Full-bodied with plenty of bready malt notes, the initial hoppiness in the bouqet is not fully trasnslated into the taste, but the dryness in the finish confirms the hops presence.  There is a refreshing bitterness and a warm alcohol note (5.5 ABV) in the exhale that concludes the Glacial Trail experience nicely.

73/100  American IPA