Sixteen - Weyerbacher

Style: Braggot

Served in: Pint Glass

Size: 12 oz

ABV: 10.5%

Appearance - Dark, almost black, with a reddish-orange hue in the light.  A mild head at best, but lacing all down the glass as I am drinking.

Smell - Earthy sweetness and mild malt.

Taste - There are malts up front with intense but fleeting sweetness, while there is bitterness throughout and honey on the finish.  Very full bodied flavors.  I can taste some faint alcohol up front, but given the ABV I'm not too surprised by this, it isn't a big problem.

Mouthfeel - Much thinner than I had expected in the texture, and probably medium at most in body. 

Overall - This brew is quite a depart from most styles I drink, and after researching they style I am not surprised- the Braggot is an old style (originally Welsh) ale that is based on a mixture of beer, mead, and honey.  Sixteen (my first of the style), offers complex sweetness, malts, and a nice bitter touch.  The mouthfeel allows for an easy drinking experience, and my only issue would be with the alcohol taste, though it wouldn't prevent me from picking up some more.  Overall I would score Weyerbacher's offering a 90, and encourage craft beer nuts to give this interesting beer try!

Hop Devil vs Hop Wallop - A Victory Showdown

Style: IPA (Hop Devil), Double IPA (Hop Wallop)

Served in: Pint Glasses

Size: 12oz bottles

ABV: 6.7% (Hop Devil), 8.5% (Hop Wallop)

Appearance  - The color difference here is huge.  Hop Devil is a dark honey amber color, while the Hop Wallop is a more golden blonde with a hint of orange hue.  The Devil produces a larger head, but neither are particularly large. 


Smell - HD has a dark, malty hop aroma with some heavy citrus.  HW has a light, lemony citrus smell with mild hops and some faint flower notes.

Taste - Immediately HD delivers and menacing dose of malt and hops. The citrus in the smell is refreshing, and gives way to bitter hops and deep caramel and earthy malt flavors.  The finish is long, with a lingering hop/malt mixture in the back of your mouth.  HW starts out with intense, fruity hops and a yeasty background, followed by a short finish of bitterness and spice.  A pine flavor is present behind the hops, and there isn't a trace of the hefty 8.5% ABV.  Both display marvelous balance, and will easily satisfy any hophead's cravings.

Mouthfeel - The HD has a fairly heavy body, with a smooth mouthfeel and mild carbonation.  HW is surprisingly light-medium in body, having a light texture and heavy carbonation.

Overall - I must be honest, I am a Victory nut.  What really made me a fan of their brews though are these two outstanding beers- each proving a heavy hitter in their respective styles.  The dark caramel malt and citrus hops unify to make Hop Devil a flavor bomb rivaled by few.  It really hits all my weaknesses, and deserves a 97 in my book (try it on cask at Victory's brewery- it's basically the perfect beer).  Hop Wallop exemplifies a superior Double IPA, with extreme hops, fruit, yeast, spice, and a complete lack of alcohol flavor (great but dangerous!).  There are few DIPAs that can boast such a balanced profile, and the Wallop gets 94 points from me.  If you can, stop by the Victory brewery for some great food and fantastic beers, and get that growler filled with one of these two gems!

Red Devil - Coronado Brewing Company

Style: Imperial Red Ale, American Strong Ale

Served in: Pint Glass

Size: 22 0z

ABV: 9.0%

Appearance - Dark amber in color, with a small, thick tan head.

Smell - Very malty, some alcohol smell with bread and a faint fruit.

Taste - Huge malts with bread, carmel, coffee, and some citrus fruits up front, and a hoppy bitter finish with a hint of alcohol.  There is intense, dark complexity here that I am enjoying, but might not suite all beer drinkers. 

Mouthfeel -Fairly heavy body, though not chewy.  Quite drinkable with moderately high carbonation and a long bitter finish.

Overall - If you are a malt lover, this beer is right up your ally. The heavy body, complex bready/carmel/malt notes, and smooth mouth feel allow for an enjoyable sipping experience (yes, sipping recommended at 9%).  While this would not be an every day beer for me- the malt became almost overpowering by the end of the bomber -I wouldn't mind having some around for colder months and malt cravings.  Worthy of an 88 for me.  

PS Other than the amber color and hop finish, I wouldn't really consider this a Red Ale.  

The Famous Taddy Porter - Samuel Smith

Style: English Porter

Served in: Pint Glass

Size: 550 ml

ABV: 5.0%

Appearance - Virtually black in color, with a hint of amber in the light.  A thick, foamy head of a light coffee color.

Smell - Smells of malty chocolate, and though there is definitely something else there, I can't quite pick it out..

Taste - Roasty malt and some dark fruit flavors (black cherry?) up front, followed by a slightly bitter, dry, coffee finish.  Surprisingly there is a bit of hoppiness mixed in with the malt.

Mouthfeel - Mildly carbonated, with a thin texture and medium-full body.  Dry on the finish.

Overall - Definitely enjoyed this beer, and it would make a great session beer at only 5.0% ABV.  The flavors are enjoyable and mesh well with the mouthfeel and body. That being said, there was not as much depth/complexity as I had expected or would have wanted.  Overall I would give this an 86- good but not fantastic, worth a try though!

Celebrator Dopplebock - Ayinger

Style: Dopplebock (Doublebock)

Served in: Tulip Glass

Size: 330 ml

ABV: 6.7%

Appearance - Virtually black in color; a small, dark tan head dissipates quickly

Smell - Rich coffee and caramel malt notes with some toastyness and barley

Taste - As in the smell, the malt notes dominate with coffee, adding dark chocolate now.  There is also toasted bread, smokey barley, some bitter fruit, and a hint of alcohol in the complex flavor scheme.  The finish is exceptionally long.

Mouthfeel - Though clearly a full bodied beer, the Celebrator has a comfortable texture, a mix of chewy and smooth.  Surprisingly drinkable, with more carbonation than I had expected.

Overall - This is one of, if not the best beer I have ever had.  It has exceptional balance, unbelievable flavors, great texture, a cool logo... I could go on and on.  The flavors exemplify the term 'rich,' a true 'meal in a glass' as the style has always been considered.  This will be in my beer stash at all times, and is worth 97 points in my book- I don't believe any beer can every really be perfect, but the Celebrator comes about as close as you can!

Tiny - Weyerbacher

Style: Imperial Stout, Belgian Style Imperial Stout
Served in: Tulip Glass

Size: 750 ml

ABV: 11.8%

Appearance - Almost black, with a dark caramel colored head that didn't last too long but lingered on the glass

Smell - Very malty with a dark chocolate note, some alcohol notes

Taste -  Rich coffee/toffee and malt, with nuts and chocolate, and fruit in the finish.  It is sweet but bitter, and fairly dry.  The high alcohol content is present, though not offensive or overpowering, more a warming effect.

Mouthfeel - Thick and chewy, light on the carbonation but full in body.  Definitely some alcohol in the background but not overwhelming

Overall - My cousin is here sampling Tiny with me, and after a few sips said 'chocolate covered almonds!' and I agree.  The nutty and chocolate flavors combined with the strong malt and fruity finish are a wonderful combination.  The ironically high alcohol content takes away almost nothing from the flavor. Clearly not an everyday beer, but definitely something I will come back to.  I would also like to see what some cellar time would do for it!  Overall, worth 88 points from me, a fine offering from Weyerbacher.

Red's Rye PA - Founders

Style: IPA, Rye Beer
Served in: Tulip Glass

Size: 12 oz

ABV: 6.6%

Appearance - Dark amber in color, a modest head with good retention on the side of the glass

Smell - Quite pleasant hops, with grapefruit and citrus with a dark twist

Taste - Bitter hops, citrus, and the malty spice of the rye hit immediately, with the hops and a slight warming sensation lingering in the finish.  The balance is fantastic- though the bitter hop flavors dominate they are contrasted with the darker rye spice.  Virtually no alcohol taste of note.

Mouthfeel - Though the head was not very large, this brew is well carbonated.  It is very smooth and fantastically drinkable even at a medium body.

Overall - Loved this beer.  I haven't tried too many Rye Beers, but I love the spicy flavor of rye, and this brew incorporates it perfectly with the  hops (not overwhelmingly!) of an IPA.  The flavors are complex and 'different,' and the mouthfeel and drinkability are top notch.  Worth a 93 point rating for me, and a revisit soon!

Merry Monks' Ale - Weyerbacher

Style: Triple

Served in: Tulip Glass

Size: 750 ml

ABV: 9.3%

Appearance - Cloudy, a golden pumpkin orange with a tint of grapefruit

Smell - A strong fruity, spice aroma with a definite alcohol background, some yeast as well

Taste - A strong alcohol note is instantly present, along with fruity (citrus, banana, apple?), some mild malt, and a spice flavors.  As it warms up, a sweetness emerges that adds another dimension to the flavors.  Though the flavors themselves are pleasant, once I got to the second half of the bottle the alcohol note seems to be a bit much.

Mouthfeel - Very carbonated, almost fluffy in my mouth.  Thin and very smooth, surprisingly light in body

Overall - I thought this was a solid beer with great fruit and spice flavors and an enjoyable warming alcohol quality.  That being said, the alcohol boardered on boozy which I wasn't fond of, though that can sometimes be the case with Triples and stronger brews.  Not my favorite of this style, but not bad either, as I would rate this an 82.  If the alcohol taste mellowed out with some age, this would have the potential to be a very good beer.  Also, watch out the 9.3% is sneaky when you're sipping!