D-

B+

Lagers are fast becoming my default beer as of late. Still like the stouts and hops… but on a daily, i’m trying to see beer. Nothing complicated. Lager. Old School. So i get talked into cheating on Yuengling, and trying a 6-pack of Boston Lager. Samuel Adams Boston Lager. Sam Adams, from Boston, comes out of the Boston Beer company.  Nice website (www.samadams.com). Fresh enough to look current without going out on a limb.  Still looking for a twitter stream to follow. Hard to believe they would be late to the 2.0 communication stream.  Facebook though.

Poured into a Yuengling pint glass. Nice and cold out the fridge.

beeropedia has a really nice description:

Samuel Adams Boston Lager is brewed using two row Pale and Caramel Malt as well as the German Noble hop varieties of Hallertau Mittelfruh and Tettnang Tettnanger. It is brewed using a decoction mash and undergoes a secondary fermentation called Krausening, both of which impart a lingering, complexly sweet finish. Samuel Adams Boston Lager is also dry hopped using the Hallertau Mittelfruh hops for an enhanced hop signature in the aroma and finish. It takes about five weeks to brew. This long conditioning period gives Boston Lager a complexity and smoothness that have become its hallmark.

This was a beer I bought for Nicole. She really likes the Lindemans Framboise so this is right up her alley. We’ve enjoyed this beer on one other occasion at a wonderful restaurant with some friends. Dogfish Head is fast becoming one of my favorite breweries. So I’m looking forward to sitting down and really spending some quality time with this fruit beer. At 18% ABV, I am interested in seeing how the sweet fruit plays with the heat of the alcohol.

And here’s an interesting little blurb from beeradvocate.com…

The World’s Strongest Fruit Beer with over a ton of Oregon and Delaware raspberries that were dosed in, slowly, over a two month primary fermentation. This process produced lots of complex fruit aromas and flavors without being too sweet.

Appearance

Poured into pint glasses for both myself and nicole. Its odd. As raspberry beer, I think the natural assumption is that it would have a color reflective of the red raspberries. It is a mostly amber color with a slight reddish tint. Under light, it has a faint cloudiness. The carbonation appears minimal. The  head dropped quickly and remains as only a thin halo. The lacing seems to rock side to side when the glass is manipulated.

Smell

Whew. Definite fruit notes, but they do not dominate. The alcohol is certainly apparent. Personally, I found it hard to denote any malt or hop spice.

Taste

You would think a ton of raspberries would be liable to impart a more pronounced flavor. The malt sweetness tag teams with the well balanced fruit elements.

Mouthfeel

There is an obvious alcohol bite that tends to shock, but the carbonation imparts a nice crispness. Bubbles slightly.

Drinkability

It is a beer which is not to be taken lightly. Very high ABV limits how much one could reasonably drink. But for the most part, the heat of the alcohol and the carbonation marries well with the fruit forward nature of this beer. Overall, it is easy to drink once the shock of the alcohol passes.

bottomline

Nicole says “Fruity, strong… I like it.” wow… thanks for showing up princess.

I do like it but I don’t think I’d rave about it. I know Nicole really likes the taste of this beer, but she admits that it is one that one drink only occasionally. I prefer to mix this with a Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout. That combination is quite delicious.

B-

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-