AleDog

Here in the Pacific Northwest, it is Fresh Hop beer season.  With Yakima Valley, which produces 75% of domestic hops, so close there are plenty of fresh hop beers available at this time.  Just moving from Indianapolis to Seattle, I had heard and tried fresh hop beers, but really didn’t pay them a ton of attention.  Well out here, people pay a lot of attention.  Hell there was even a Fresh Hop Throwdown at one of my favorite bars, The Noble Fir.

The first adjective that comes to mind when I smell and taste the beer is “clean.”  The taste of hops is refreshing and pure with minimal bitter aftertaste.  Honestly, and this could be because I’m new to the fresh hop style, this beer reminds me a lot of a less alcoholic Pliny the Elder.  As most of you beer lovers know that’s a compliment.  Unlike Pliny, you can have a couple of bombers without getting too smashed, so that makes me like it even more.  This is yet another excellent beer from Fremont Brewing.

Grade: A

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I tried my first Schmaltz bomber purely out of respect for their pun-inspired “He’Brew” label, not expecting it to be good. Wow, was I wrong. I’ve yet to encounter a Schmaltz product that wasn’t at very least, extremely good. So when my liquor store guy told me about a shipment he just received of the Jewbelation Fifteen, I was all in. I poured it from its bomber into a standard pint glass expecting a normal dark ale color and was intimidated by its slow-as-molasses, black-as-tar, stout-like pour. And yes, this is damn near a stout – and in a great way. At 15% ABV, this beer is going to knock you on your ass – but flavor is actually what its all about. The strong alcohol taste is just enough to let you know you’re drinking something big, but actually overshadowed by very welcome notes of caramel, chocolate and fruits. These tastes remain on your palate long enough to be thoroughly enjoyed, but not so long as to feel like they’ve been permanently painted to your tongue. I’d recommend sharing a bomber with a friend as finishing one yourself is going to leave you tipsy and very full, but that’s nothing to knock the Jewbelation Fifteen about. This beer is absolutely fantastic. MF.

Grade:  A

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I love beer and I enjoy bourbon, but typically I don’t love bourbon stouts as they just have too much bourbon flavor.  I actually tend to avoid them as I seem to be let down more often than not.  I’m not sure what made me try the Kentucky Darkstar when I went to Fremont Brewing Company (especially since it was a fairly warm day and I just had walked a mile to get there), but I’m glad I did.  The beer most definitely had a strong bourbon scent, so I was not expecting to love it.  However, when I tasted the beer….I could taste the beer!  The first flavors were of a delicious stout (oatmeal stout to be exact) with the bourbon flavor complimenting the style perfectly.  The beer is rich, flavorful, very drinkable for such a strong beer (9.5% abv), and really close to perfection.  I’m still in awe of how much I loved this beer.  I even bought one that I plan on aging for awhile, but honestly, it won’t last more than a few months.

Grade: A+

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I was a little skeptical of this beer when it was first announced.  The batch from the year before did not differentiate itself much from OB’s normal Java Stout.  Not saying that is a bad thing, I just wanted something different this time around.  This year the Brewberry Java Stout is truly a great stand-alone beer.  The first taste is just like the Java Sout, however as you finish the drink there is definitely a blueberry flavor that compliments the coffee taste perfectly. This is the best seasonal so far this year for Oaken Barrel, one I’m not sure Apple Buzz will even be able to beat.

Grade: A

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Sorry, not the best picture for this review.  Just Google it.  To start, I’m a big fan of Abita, particularly their Amber and Pecan Harvest.  In fact, Abita Amber was probably the first craft beer I truly enjoyed.  I say this because I am probably a bit jaded with this review.

There really wasn’t a strong smell to the beer, just a slight vanilla sweetness to it.  However when you take a drink you get quite a strong vanilla taste.  Normally so much flavor would be a bad thing, but you quickly get to taste the delicious porter flavor.  I saw that it was listed at 7% abv, which seems about right.  Very good and I could easily down a couple pints without it getting old.

Grade: A-

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Starts off with a spicy smell, but the first taste is a lot of cinnamon flavor.  There is a nice finish of a little heat.  Overall I liked the beer, but there is a bitter aftertaste that is more noticeable as you finish the bottle.

Grade: B+

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This next review comes from my friend Sean Colleran who you will see here with more reviews in the future.

Recently cracked open a Goose Island Bourbon County Stout Rare, and was a little disappointed.  It’s a fantastic beer, but it’s maybe 10% better than the regular version, and it’s 500% more expensive.  It’s a little smoother than the standard version because it’s a few years old, and the bourbon aftertaste is slightly better because they used barrels from a better whisky.  Otherwise, it’s the same as any other Bourbon County Stout, and still not as good as the Vanilla or Coffee versions, which are also way cheaper and (ironically) rarer.  While its insane price and over-hyped release make it a very poor value, it’s still one of the best barrel aged stouts around.  Pours as thick as motor oil, lots of great flavors (chocolate, vanilla, bourbon, and oak), and a nice warming feeling from the high alcohol.  A+ beer, but not worth standing in line outside in minus six degree weather for the privilege of shelling out more than $50 per bottle on a beer that is rare in name only and not as good as some of their other offerings.

Grade (due to price): B

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A big strong taste to start with the rye flavor.  Ends with like a traditional but solid porter. When first looking at the beer I thought I’d be able to have 1 at most, but much more drinkable than anticipated.
Grade: B+

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My Friends Jay and Kal told me about this beer after they had tried it.  Both of them said it tasted a lot like a Irish Car Bomb(which I love), and I’d have to say I agree 100%.  It wasn’t really until probably 2/3 of the bottle that I noticed the alcohol taste.  Pretty decent but I could only take in small quantities.

Grade: B

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