Flying Dog Raging Bitch

Wife and I both thought this beer was a bit confused.  It has strong hops and strong malt, which sounds good, but overloads your tastebuds.  We tend towards the super-hoppy, with occasional forays into stouts and porters, so this attempt at a Belgian-style IPA sounded intriguing, but we were ultimately dissapointed.  I am not sure what was Belgian about it, maybe it was candi-sugar or maybe a Belgian yeast, but I don’t think either of those flavors complement a strong hops presence.

Ah well, it was a gift.  What’s that phrase about gift horses?

-Matt

Coldsmoke Scotch Ale

Xmas present from my cousin who lives out in Montana.  The glass is from her sister, my cousin who lives in Brooklyn.  Thanks to both!

Scotch ales can be hit-or-miss.  Usually they’re maltbombs and it’s hard to drink more than one because they’re so strong and sweet.  This was neat because it wasn’t overly sweet and it had a nice bite, maybe from a single bittering hop.

It’s also nice because it’s a pounder, in a can, and not distribute outside Montana. :D

-Matt

Mikkeller Santa’s Little Helper 2009

You win some, you lose some.  This one had lost all of its bubbles.  The flavors were there, nice and tight, but not in your face.  A little of the raisins that come with the higher alcohol, and some of the toffee notes from toasted grains.  It was tasty, but not exciting without the carbonation.  If you’ve got one of these drink it, don’t save it!

-Matt

I’ve just returned from Germany to the US, and visiting places like The Thirsty Monk in Asheville, NC reminds me of what I’m missing living in Germany. That makes it all the more amusing that my inaugural post will be about a beer from Evil Twin out of Denmark, my neighbor to the north back in Germany.

The Thirsty Monk had Evil Twin’s Soft Xmas, a Christmas version of their Soft Dookie in 500ml bottles. This brew isn’t your standard Christmas fare, however. The Soft Dookie is a vanilla stout, and added to that here was a subtle, but not hard to notice, taste of cherries. The Soft Xmas does a good job of allowing the vanilla and cherry favors to shine separately without either being too overpowering. Complex and warming, clocking in at 10.9% ABV, this beer is a worthwhile experience, and seems like it would do especially well paired with a well cooked meal.

This was one of the last brews by Great Divide I had left from my winter variety 12 pack by them. I had drank two of them already on a cold bonfire night and enjoyed them, but I had already consumed a few and was unable to give them a proper review. I saved one for review of them and was unimpressed.

First of all Titan IPA simply looks boring. While looks aren’t everything, they do account for something. If I saw this sitting at a bar I wouldn’t think much more of it though. The scent was a very hop forward piney and citrus aroma with a funky cider smell to it I just couldn’t enjoy. As I sipped the flavors matched the scent and much like the scent, I couldn’t fully enjoy it. I’m not sure what about this didn’t work out, but something about this seems off and I won’t buy it again. -Mark

Lagunitas Gnarlywine

I had this out at the Tap & Mallet.  I’m a huge fan of Lagunitas.  Mostly because of their IPAs, which have the perfect hop flavorings as far as my tastes are concerned.  I was out with my brother-in-law and we were treating ourselves to a nice lunch, so I sprung for a nice bottle.

This is definitely a heavy-hitter, as you would expect with a barleywine, and I almost couldn’t finish it at lunchtime.  Almost.  It has that strong, winey, almost puckering sharp taste so have it with something big, like a steak sandwich and a steak sandwich. :D  But definitely have it.

I picked this up in conjunction with BORIS because, well, I love stouts. There’s something about the, generally, thick and intense flavors that bring me in every time. This one, much like BORIS, doesn’t disappoint. 

DORIS, much like BORIS, pours a thick almost pitch black but there’s something about DORIS that just looks mean. With almost no head DORIS sits menacingly in the glass daring those around her to drink. The head that does form is the darkest tan, essentially brown, head I’ve ever seen. The smell is very similar to BORIS, light floral hops with bitter espresso and dark chocolate with light hints of caramel and dark fruits. The taste is also very similar, very intense but perfectly balanced and mellow with a dry finish that warms your body with each sip. DORIS is as thick as whole milk with a nice fizz that rolls over the tongue and hits the back of the throat, I almost feel as if I should chew.

I’m enjoying DORIS immensely, especially the more I drink. This is a fine Russian imperial stout that sits up there with the best of them. Well done Hoppin Frog.

I’ve been meaning to pick up Hoppin Frog’s BORIS for a while now, there’s something about it that just grabs my attention. Maybe it’s the terrible, yet lovable, bottle design that looks the same from bottle to bottle, maybe it’s the fact that I love imperial stouts. Either way I finally took the initiative to buy one and I’m pleased.

The pour was an almost pitch black with deep brown and caramel colors through the light which became a pitch black beverage with a very tiny dark tan head and some dark tan carbonation bubbles on the side. The scent is absolutely fantastic, intense yet mellow with bitter dark chocolate, floral hops, and an espresso aroma. The flavor matches the nose with a dry finish and a nice syrupy coating and some fantastic carbonation despite the low amounts of it, very snappy and left a tingle on my tongue. 

I recommend this beer, it’s up there with the best of them. It would probably be my favorite beer if it were a tad cheaper. -Mark

This was the last of the 3 beers I enjoyed from the Samuel Smith’s gift pack I just talked about. I normally don’t care for brown ales, but I was excited after reading some glowing reviews.

The beer itself looks very appealing, but the scent doesn’t entice much. There’s hints of nuts, earthy hops and butterscotch, but it’s very faint. The taste was a bit more bland, having a bready earthy foretaste into a slight buttery nutty taste with a semi-dry finish. I don’t care much for brown ales and this didn’t change my mind. -Mark

I picked this up as part of a gift pack because I love Samuel Smith’s Oatmeal Stout and for the included (pictured) pint glass. The gift set included an Oatmeal Stout, an India Ale, and a Nut Brown Ale for $12 so I had to jump at it.

The beer itself is very fruity, hints of pear and apple on the nose with a slight earthy hop character. The taste definitely matched with some bready malts in the foretaste to add to the scent profile. There’s nothing remarkable about this beer, but it’s a nice low alcohol beer to sit back and enjoy, I recommend it. -Mark