Twenty One percent. Yes, a beer with21% ABV. This is the most serious beer I’m willing to drink.  The Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA, brewed in Milton, DE is an American Double / Imperial IPA.

Appearance

Poured into a goblet, the beer is thick looking. The color is a cloudy soft golden orange. The off-white has little retention, and falls after a minute or two. The lacing is slight.

Smell

Massive sting of alcohol hits you at first. Its not at all what you’d expect from a beer. Citrus notes are present. The extra top hopping leaves a wonderful floral aroma that does manage to cut through the static. Also, there is a more than fair amount of sweetness here. Cane sugar sweet. That may be my one dislike here…

Taste

Ooh! Takes a minute to get used to the almost overbearing sting of all 21%. But after that… the taste is quite complex here. Citrus, like maybe grapefruit. It has a taste similar to unfiltered, very young Gewuerztraminer wine.

It does seem to be on the very far end of most Imperial IPAs. The added daily dry hopping that lasts a full month does give it a tremendous sense of floral notes, both in taste and flavor. But there is no sense of the the extreme dryness that really heavily hopped beers often impart. Your nose can’t help but get involved here. The end result is a warming of your entire mouth.

Mouthfeel

The initial shock of 21% brings an unusual heat. The carbonation is just right.  Very full in the mouth, but doesn’t coat in a slick way. Coats yes – but not negatively. There is a nice citrus aftertaste that seems to stay put longer than most Imperials.

Drinkability

Sipper for sure. The heat off the alcohol alone keeps you from slamming it down. I gotta point out one thing here. This beer gets better and better as you drink it. I think some of that comes from the shock wearing off and you get down to the meat of it.

Bottomline

Did I mention the 21%? Not sure if I got to that yet. Man, this is another beer that I wait all year for… and it does not disappoint. The “wayyy higher than everyone else” ABV is a little out of my comfort range, but it is still very tasty. At $12 a bottle, it isn’t a beer that I have often. When I do, its worth every penny. Ok, I might be a little drunk now. Final grade…

A-

Ok. i’m pretty drunk now.

Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout. Damn, this is a beer I wait all year to drink. Brewed in where else… but Brooklyn, New York by the Brooklyn Brewery. As usual with Russian Imperial Stouts, this one is a little on the kick your ass side, 10.6% ABV. This is one of my favorite styles of beer…

“Inspired by brewers back in the 1800′s to win over the Russian Czar, this is the king of stouts, boasting high alcohol by volumes and plenty of malt character. Low to moderate levels of carbonation with huge roasted, chocolate and burnt malt flavours. Often dry. Suggestions of dark fruit and flavors of higher alcohols are quite evident. Hop character can vary from none, to balanced to aggressive.”¹

Appearance

Into a pint glass and poured heavy, I got a thick 1″ head. Super dark coffee colored beer is topped by a dark beige, fluffy head. The retention is there, but the head does drop slowly to ¼”. The best part, the lacing is coating the side of the glass. The bubbles are well-defined and tight.

Smell

Great googly-moogly. Smells of dark bitter chocolate like 85%. Coffee underneath. Very sweet caramels in there as well. The aroma fills my nose – getting stronger as the glass nears. Much like the Mendocino Special Imperial IPA.

Taste

Toasty, roasty good. Super chocolate flavor sits high in the saddle for the whole ride. The roasted malts make this a delicious beer.

Mouthfeel

Creamy and full bodied, this beer fills the mouth and washes over the tongue. The alcohol lingers after the beer is gone – a little sting to say “hi, I was just here.” The carbonation is very slight.  That would be one thing I’d change… or at least be curious about. This beer is so good that I hesitate to question its creator.

Drinkability

Very smooth. If you weren’t aware, this beer could get you in a lot of trouble if you’re not paying attention. My first few samples of the beer were large, then I realized that I might want to pace myself.

Bottomline

Mmm mmm good. This beer is worth the wait every year. Get it the week its released and be amazed.

A-

“Oak Aged Stout Fermented with Vanilla Beans”

ok, so that sounds good. This stout is legendary. I’ve heard people rave; read tremendous reviews on beeradvocate.com… so I figured I owed it to myself to see what the fuss was all about… Old Dominion Brewing, Co. from Ashburn, VA is an American Stout is worth every accolade afforded it. At only 5.2% ABV, this is your new winter beer du jour.

Appearance

Poured into a pint glass. The color is black,  instantly reminded me of cola. The head is a dark tannish. Came in at a ½” then dropped. No retention. Just a wisp of head remains. Hugs the walls of the glass and most doesn’t leave the surface of the beer. There are strands which seem to climb up the glass.

Smell

Mmmmm. Nice. Vanilla and Roasted Malts dominate. Coffee  and cocoa underneath. Wood maybe. Sweet but in a really understated way. Very enjoyable.

Taste

Wow! I love it. Its caught a complex blend of coffee, roasted malt and chocolate. No one more than the rest. It doesn’t leave much aftertaste, although I find myself wishing it did. I am a little confused when I can’t really get much oak or smoke.

Mouthfeel

Medium bodied, but nothing of substance. This is one area that I think it falls a little short compared to other stouts. It leaves as quickly as it arrived.

Drinkability

Pretty darn good.  In fact, it totally kicks assThe low alcohol helps but the stout doesn’t feel heavy to me.

Bottomline

Wow, this is one I’ll be recommended to a lot of people for a long time. This is a pleasure to drink. If only their website was as pretty as this beer tastes.

A-

Stoudts Brewing Company is a Pennsylvania brewery that I’m hoping to one day visit. I’ve heard a lot of good things and I’m excited to try my first Stoudt’s. Brewed in Adamstown, PA… this tripel is parenthetically described as a “Belgian Abbey-Style Ale”. 9.0% ABV.

Appearance

Cloudy and golden, this bubbles seem to be suspended in middle a solid. The fluffy white drops to just a slight lace that manages to stick around.

Smell

Floral and citrus notes dominate. Orange peelFaint spices underneath – maybe clove and something else. I like it. Smells like a good triple. This is a very nice smelling beer. Makes me smile.

Taste

Hey. A slight hop bitter but just a little toasty malts there. Sweet seems t0 overtake everything else.  The alcohol sometimes gets to be a little much but overall its not too shabby. Banana in there. But way behind the citrus taste that dominates.

Mouthfeel

Lightly carbonated and a little chewy at first. Took some getting used to… Light enough to be really drinkable. This could get you in trouble very quickly.

Drinkability

For a whooping 9.0%, this beer is very drinkable. You are aware that the ABV is there but it doesn’t burn as you might expect. Doesn’t linger too long.

Bottomline

Interesting beer. Not bad but not super impressive. I can’t seem to make up my mind on this one. May have to re-review this one later. Maybe put it head to head with some true Tripel heavyweights. But it smells good.

B-

Here we go. Decided to spend some hard earned money on myself in light of the holiday gift giving process draining me of most of my money. For someone who doesn’t really love the season

I purchased an entire case on a whim. I went into my local distributor for a case of Yuengling and came out with this one too.  I’ve been drinking this for a few weeks now. It has taken me several weeks to get through that case. No help from the wife on this one. The Great Lakes Brewing Company, from Cleveland Ohio, makes this Winter Warmer as a seasonal offering. 7.50% ABV.

Appearance

A loping, aggressive pour into a pint glass provides a thick, well retained head. The color is sort of a nice, dirty white. Fluffy, it clings to the edges of the glass as it fades down to a ¼” where it stays for some time. Impressive. The beer itself is a cloudy light reddish cooper. Raw Sienna.

Smell

Toasty malts ride over top of slight hops and caramel. Spices ride shotgun. Typical winter spices here. Cinnamon and clove. Thickly sweet as well. Honey.

Taste

Complex. A little on the thin side but there is so much going on that I do like it. Caramel flavors dominate with very little hops to balance out the sweetness.

Mouthfeel

Feels full in the mouth for an instant yet doesn’t coat in a negative way. The sensation is slightly slimey. Certainly smoother than most heavily spiced beers.

Drinkability

The higher alcohol content is not a problem. It does go down easy. I’m down to less than a six-pack. I don’t think I’ve ever had more than one in a night. That should about say it all.

Bottomline

Learned a valuable lesson here. Never buy an entire case you know nothing about. Looking back, I can’t even remember what it was that prompted my impulse purchase. Oh well. It does taste all right I suppose – it just isn’t amazingly drinkable in a “one and done” kind of way. Not the worst thing I’ve had to drink tonight. Overall,

C+

This offering from the folks at Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company (Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin) is a Winter Warmer that comes in soft at 4.90% ABV. Again, Leinenkugel misses the mark for me. I am huge fan of Leinenkugel’s Sunset Wheat. Big Fan. But I can’t call myself an unofficial member of the “Leine Lodge”.

Appearance

oured into a frozen mug, the beer has a soft light brown head that appears mushy and disappears altogether quickly. I think that is more a factor of a soft pour and the extremely cold mug. Dark cooper to brown, this beer at least looks like it tastes good.

Smell

Egh. Nasty nutty mess. It just smells unnatural. Very nutty, like crushed wet walnuts.

Taste

Meh. Underwhelming would be accurate. Its not so bad that I want to spit it out but its not too far off. Just not very good. It possesses almost no hop notes at all.

Mouthfeel

There is some carbonation to be found.  It feels slightly oily in my mouth. The nutty malt doesn’t linger very long – which might be a good thing.

Drinkability

No thanks.

Bottomline

At least it was cold. At least it washed down my Bacon and Pepperoni pizza.

D-