Dragon Stout

I've come to the conclusion that stouts from the Caribbean are brewed for more for the liquid desert quality than stouts produced in other regions of the world. Dragon Stout supports this conclusion. Straight from Jamaica, I bring you 7.5 % of alcoholic goodness....



Appearance: Dark with blood red tones shining through when placed in front of a ceiling light. Tan head that quickly dissapated faster than Kid Flash with a case of diarrhea.

Smells: Extremely malty with hints of chocolate and coffee.

Taste: Is sweet to start with a slightly bitter aftertaste that reminds of semisweet cooking chocolate. This tropical stout is definetly a dessert beer.

Body: pretty light in all actuality. If I were to judge it on body alone I would say it were less of a stout and more of a schwartzbier.

Drinkability: I could session this,the 7.5 % abv would probably knock me on my ass after 3 or 4 though.

White Rascal Belgian-Style Wheat Ale

Judging by the label and style, I feel this a perfect beer to follow the Lucifer review. I'm not quite sure exactly what a white rascal is. I couldn't find a reference to it in demonology. So that leads me to believe it is just the name of the beer, and the demonic image was added for the belgian religious image obsession I commented on in the last post.



In this post I'm going to be trying out a new review format to liven up the blog. It also keeps me from boring myself with the same sentence formulae I've been using for the past month.

Appearance: Cloudy, Light gold with a fluffy white head.

Scent:Smells of Hops, Wheat, and fruit. Based on the little blurb on the bottle,I'm going to guess the fruity smell is curacao orange peels.

Taste: a light taste with a fair amount of wheat and citrus.

This was a good beer overall. The orange peel was a nice touch. This beer made me realize i'm starting to really appreciate wheat beers. I don't know if I would place them before abbey ales,at least not at this point in my alcoholic journey.

Lucifer Belgian Golden Ale

I've noticed religious imagery is a fairly common element in a great deal of belgian/belgian-style beers. Whether it be the trappist monks who brew or the demonic images on a bottle of Maudite,christianity is a fairly strong theme. Lucifer is obviously no exception. It was indeed the theme that caught my attention, and it's the taste that will make me keep on sinning.



This cloudy,golden ale has a thick white head that kept for a pretty mid-range period of time. The word "fruity" was the first one that popped in my head upon inhalation. That same word was also prevalent in the complex sweet taste I have found in quite a few belgians. When I say sweet, I mean that with a "very" in front. Very with a capital V. It had a whiskey-like quality to it,especially in the aftertaste,which lingers on long after the beer is finished.

If Lucifer is indeed evil, I don't ever wanna be good.

Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA

I don't typically pay attention to too many IPA's. If I had a choice between an IPA and a stout, I would take the stout on any day of the week, or so I thought. The 90 Minute is not your standard India Pale Ale. It's 9 % abv to start, and doesn't taste anything like the many of the brit beers in which style it emulates. I love this beer and so does many of the people I know who have tried it.



When poured into one of my several pint glasses, it's appearance was amber with a thick cloudy head, and smelled of hops from a foot away. This is definetly and IPA! The initial taste is bitter,which is to be expected. The kicker is the tastiness. Complex flavor and sweetness make this product a step above the other IPA's in the world. As it warms, it's still has bitter undertones, but those are easily forgiven due to the tastiness and the alcohol content. I love this beer, and can see my self having a beautiful future with the Dogfish Head company.

Nate's Harvest Pumpkin Ale

For Christmas, I got quite the selection of homebrews from Ingrid that her good friend Nate made. Out of the 6 that I was gifted with,this is the first review. The Harvest Pumkin Ale.



I'm a fan of Pumkin Ales. I think out of the several that I've tried, this one rates pretty close to the Pumkinhead,which is my favorite. It poured a dark amber and the head had a very good staying power, it had travelled roughly, but I opened it days after. The smell is of pumkin and alcohol. Not a "whiskey" smell,but you can definelty tell it has a fairly good abv %. The taste of pumkin is mild,unlike the Pumkinhead. Something that I sometimes consider a negative due to the fact I drink it too quickly. This was not the case with the Harvest Pumpkin. I was able to sit back and nurse it for quite a while. Thankfully I have one more left,it will probably make a great Christmas day present to myself after the McNeil's.

Thanks Nate for knowing what the hell your doing in producing a damn good beer.

Young's Double Chocolate Stout

Young's is from the UK and puts out quite a few brews. It's not available in much of NH and it was nice to have the pleasure of trying this much talked about stout. The "chocolate stout" I tried quickly turned into one of my favorite beers. This didn't have the abv of Brooklyn's, but what else would I expect from a british beer.



The first thing I noticed about the labels were the ram images. In german beers, rams are typically symbolic of bocks. I don't know if they were trying to emulate the germans or this is purely by accident. I didn't care. This was a damn good brew.

It poured black (like a stout) with a sliver of red in the middle when held up to a lamp. The head was honey-brown and had a pretty good staying power. I respect the staying powewr of the head.hehehe. I wasn't quite sure I was smelling toasted malt or chocolate,but the taste was definetly of dark chocolate,bitterness included. This is a pretty thick brew, Just like a stout should be. Not quite a meal in glass,but that's not what I was looking for. Overall, this wasa impressive for a british beer and will probably make a fairly regualr cameo appearance in my fridge.

Rheingold...an American classic

Rheingold is a classic American brew from here in Brooklyn. Not much can be said about it as far as taste and shit are concerned. It pours piss-gold and smells and tastes like a macro. It's watery and doesn't have a skunky taste to it. It's decent and classic and I hold in in the same light I hold PBR and Iron City.

Some interesting facts about Rheingold:

It held 35% of NY state's beer market from 1950 to 1960. That's pretty fuckin impressive. Not only was everybody in Brooklyn drinking the shit,but so was the whole city.

The company shut down it 1976,unable to compete with the larger asshole corporations(Amheiser-Busch) who were respobsible for the decimation of a great deal of regional breweries during the 70's. Thankfully it was revived in 1999, and has since went through 3 owners. It is still brewed here in Brooklyn, but in Greenpoint instead of Bushwick.

It's classicmthat's all that matters....

Mackeson XXX Stout

This dark import was a wanting for me for several years before I got the chance to try. Hippie Nate used to rant and rave about it back '99 and it has always been on Weird Dave's top list of brews. I first tried Mackeson 4 years ago on my first foray into NYC. It was a beer of mystery, something I had only heard spoken of so I knew I needed to try it. I finally got my chance at the Peculiar Pub one night. From then on I fell in love and tried to hook Dave up with it whenever possible. I didn't drink this ambrosia again until Summer of 2005, during my honeymoon. Since there is a brewery in Trinidad, I was imbibing on a daily basis for the majority of my trip. It's been over a year, and now I have a legend in liquid available at a whim.



The basics: Poured dark enough so that no light got through. The scent is very malty,a fairly common occurance in stouts. The basic tasty goodness is full of chocolate and malt and it has a pretty thick mouthfeel.

I love the beer. For years it was my cuban cigar,now I can have it at all times if I wish. XXX is probably my session beer of choice. I love it that much. If I didn't need new things constantly, I would drink this like a redneck with Bud.

Hofbrau Oktoberfest

I have had an Oktoberfest fantasy for quite a few years. It was initually spawned by the first time I saw European Vacation. In my fantasy that I hope to make a reality, I hope to be in Germany for the celebration of celebrations. I wish to be wearing leiderhosen,carrying a capped stein with an endless supply of beer, and listening to polka day in and day out. This beer is something of a let down for my idea of an Oktoberfest beer.



This is my second time trying an HB product,and I was dissappointed this time around. The most noticeable characteristic this golden beer had was a citrusy aftertaste. It really was nothing special. I feel this beer is not just a letdown for Oktoberfest,but the country of Gemany as a whole. It should probably be outlawed.

Brooklyn Monster 2006

This year's Barleywine,everyone. I haven't yet reviewed a Barleywine,so this is a first. This blog is alot of firsts.The only other Barleywine I've tried is Smuttynose,and I loved that one. But that was NH and this is Brooklyn. Good thing my second Barleywine was brewed here in my new home.



Once poured into an imperial pint glass, the color was a dark amber with athick head. The head actually lasted awhile and ended with a nice foam for the remainder of the drink. The smell, like you would expect a barleywine to have, is sweet. Not sickly sweet. But a nice happy beer sweet. It wasn't too sweet for my tastebuds either,in facte the it had a mildly bitter aftertaste. Despite the ,color,this was one of the thicker beers I've had in the last couple of days. It feeled like a stout,but I could see through the glass. Overall, a great experience. I don't really think it's work 12 bnucks for a sixer,though. Maybe 8 or 9.

Brooklyn Brooklyner Weisse

I know I have covered a disproportionate amount of BB products,but there are quite a few of them and they are generally awesome. Pay attention to the word generally. I actually found one that I felt was nothing special. Brooklyn's own Hefeweizen, The Brooklyner Weisse.



I don't know much about wheat beers,so I'. not going to claim to be any sort of judge on this one. From what I understand, through research into this product via the internet, this isn't one of the best hefeweizens out there.

I do know what I experienced. The beer settled at a murky gold color with a quickly desintegrating head. It's smell,as I expected, was mostly of wheat. The taste was pretty citrusy,and those were the most outstanding characteristics I discovered. I think this would be a good session beer. Something to just sit around and drink,beer after beer. I'll have to try other wheat beers before I can form a better opinion. Until then, this one will have to do.

Tennants of Scotland

I read a great deal of talk in the beer community about the state of beer from Britain. Most of it is negative. I'm sure they, like me, started on the craft path through such UK favorites like Guinness and Bass. Two beers I used to love at one point but don't really care for nowadays. The same could be said for Tennants. If I were ten years younger, I would love it. Today..not so much.



The color was golden yellow with a small head whiter than I've seen in a beer. The smell was slightly hoppy,like the taste with something fruity about it. It went down pretty quickly with no real affect,considering the abv was less than 5%. I would drink Tennants if it were still available at the Coat of Arms in Portsmouth,NH, but I don't think it has been for a while. It was still better than 95% of American macros, which is still nothing to write home about but I had to give it something.

Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout

Sometimes you find a beer that makes you never wanna drink a different kind of beer again. Sometimes you don't have to go very far to find one of the best beers ever made. Sometimes......Oh I'll just shut up. I tried Brooklyn Brewery's crowning acheivement the other day, and I must say it made the Old Rasputin taste like cow piss. If this is what Russian Imperial Stouts are supposed to taste like,bring them all on.



Black Chocolate poured blacker than a trillion midnights. No light was getting through when I held it up to a bulb. Probably the darkest beer I have ever seen. The head was brown and creamy and there was an evident chocolate scent. It tastes sweet, but not sickly sweet, with a faint hops undertone. At 10.6% , I had a great mini-buzz after just one. This is the kind of beer you bestow upon people as a gift,which I'm probably going to do.

If you haven't tried Brooklyn's Black Chocolate Stout,your losing a very important life experience.

Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout

I was excited to finally get a chance to try a Russian Imperial Stout,which some regard as the king,or czar, of beer styles. The beer was first made in Britain for export to the Russian royalty during the 18oo's. Thankfully the style didn't die with the Revolution. I have heard people rant and rave about Rasputin for awhile now. This was my chance to give it a shot.



Old Rasputin started of with a thick,tan head and so dark that only the smallest amount of light escaped(I say a blood red sliver at the bottom of the glass). Upon further inspection through taste, I was bitten with the bitterness of a hops monster on the first sip. I thought the bitterness might die down as the beer got warmer, but it didn't. I'm not afraid of bitter beer, they are just not my favorite. I also don't enjoy sucking on lemons, if you can believe that.

Aside from the bite, I enjoyed all the other aspects of the beer. The malty smell was nice and so were the sweet undertones. The best part was probably the 9% abv. That always makes my experience more pleasurable. I'll buy it again when Brooklyn's Black Chocolate is out of season or if I'm in an area where it is the best thing around. Until then,there will be other Imperials to try.

Rogue Chipotle Ale

I like spicy. Not so spicy where it burns my mouth. But spicy enough that it almost nums my lips and tongue,and the tingling sensation stays for a bit. I found it in a beer yesterday. Not that I believe that beers all beers should be made with hot peppers. No way in Hell. But this is a good beer to try just once.



I've been eying this bomber for close to a week now. Yesterday I had a day off so the oppurtunity presented itself for me to travel for beer. So I went to Thrifty on Court St and picked this up as soon as I walked in the door. I let it chill for awhile upon arriving at home,because unlike most of the beer I get,this ale is meant to be served cold.

When poured into a pint glass, the color was a murky amber with a head about 1 finger wide that was as white as snow. The peppery taste isn't quite as evident in the initial sip as it is in the aftertaste. Even then its not mindblowing. Just tingly. The burp itself was fairly spicy. In the end,there really isn't anything special about it, besides being made with peppers. For me it was a novely beer. I probably won't buy it again,but I'm not going to bad mouth it to those who are interested in trying it. It's worht the experience.

Pacena

The beer distribution center closest to my house (6 blocks) carries a large collection of South and Central American Beers. I would assume it's because this is the prime cultural make-up of my neighborhood. This gives me the chance to find beers that the other stores don't carry. Beers like Pacena from Bolivia.



Pacena pored a light gold color seen in most of the American macros. The head was probably one of the most amazing I've seen. It stayed above the glass for at least 5 minutes before settling at about to fingers thick. Upon close examination,I found that the beer had a sweet smell with a bit of a bite. Pacena was smooth going down and starting to aquire a sweet aftertaste 20 minutes inot drinking it. Al and All, It wasn't a bad experience. I probably won't be buying it very often,but I really don't have anything negative to say.

Carib Royal Extra Stout

Yes, I have reviewed a Carib product before. Yes, It was not too long ago. Last time it was the Carib flagship lager. This time I bring you the Royal Extra Stout from Trinidad.



This is a sweet beer best served at about 50 Degrees. I mean sweet. As in dessert sweet,but you can't fully appreciate the taste unless it's kinda warm. I would have bought more if the store had it. Sadly,there was but one left that I didn't take in hopes that they might get the hint and order more. Apparently,most beer people aren't fond of of the sweet beers. I don't know whether to feel unschooled or sorry for them. I like it just fine.

Brooklyn Brewery...Brown Ale and Winter Ale

Lo and Behold!!!! I'm finally going to review a couple from my most local of Breweries. Brooklyn Brewery is actually located about 25 minutes walking distance from my place,15 minutes if i walked to the subway and took the train. I'm suprised I haven't yet took a tour. I have loved BB since I first visited NYC over 4 years ago,and now I am blessed with livng in the same area as one of the most renowned micro-breweries in America. Today I'm going to be giving you the scoop on the Brown Ale and 2006 Winter. Both great and both available almost everywhere in the city.



The Brown Ale poured a nice reddish-brown with a fairly good head. I noticed right of the bat that it smelled like grass. Not pot, real grass. From what I understand this was the hops. It wasn't very bitter,in fact it tasted quite nice. Fairly sweet and it went down really easy. A little too easy.

The Winter Ale was what started my adventure called Wednesday Night. A lighter color than the brown (obviously) and the head was about 2 fingers thick. The beer was pretty thick itself with quite a bit of flavor. Spicy even. Definetly something to sit by the fire and drink. Since I started drinking it as soon as I left the store, I didn't really start noticing the best parts until it warmed up for about 20 minutes. A mistake I've made less and less as I learn about beer. Overall, a great winter ale. I'll probably bring some up to VT for my in-laws to try.

Tecate

Being low on cash and feeling kinda trashy after a long day of work,I decided to try something equally as trashy. At least in the appearance department. Tecate is IMPORTED,so I guess it's not too bad(even though it's from Mexico.



Typical American Macro lager. Very little is special about the taste,piss gold in color, and goes down pretty easy without making the gasface. The head was about 2 fingers thick when poured into a pint glass,not that it matters considering this wasn't exactly top shelf. It did taste better than other Mexican cerveza's I've had,namely Corona. I would probably drink it again if the local bodega was out of Yuengling,which is always a possibility. I'll probably drink it again just because it's cheap and highly available and every once in awhile I like to get drunk(not to mention my neighborhood is majority latino).

Xingu Black Beer...

Don't be thrown off by the name and style. Just because it's dark doesn't mean it's a stout. Only in color is it anything like a stout(well...maybe a couple other things). This brazilian beer actually gets it's color from the dark hops that are used.



Xingu is quite the mindfuck. I thought it might be thick like a stout or a porter,but it was thin like a lager. It was quite sweet though,and smelled like berries and brown sugar. The head didn't last too long,but the lace crept slowly down the glass with every sip I took. It wasn't very expensive for a 12 oz. but I doubt I'll be getting this beer very often,unless I happen to go to Brazil. If that happens,it will be one of the first things I order.

The name doesn't sound very portuguese,does it?

Chimay Red

If you ever get into a conversation that involves Belgian beer,9 outta 10 times the word "chimay" is going to be mentioned. It doesn't necessarily mean it is the best beligian abbey in the world,they just happen to have better distribution than any other (with the exception of Stella....errr),so you'll fins there abbey ales in many places that have a decent beer selection. Just remember,budweiser isn't the best beer America has to offer.



I have put off trying Chimay until now because of all the hype. Now I realize the hype is just that...hype. Don't get me wrong,it's a good beer. It's just not the cream of the crop in the Abbey Ale world. Ommegang is brewed in NY,and I think it's a much better beer. I could possibly be trying the wrong Chimay. Only time will tell. But for now, I give you the Public Enemy Award for "Don't Believe The Hype".

Old Engine Oil

Old Engine Oil comes from Scotland,and is brewed by Harviestoun Brewery. It has a great name,almost unapetizing.



I initally started drinking the beer fresh out of the fridge. Bad move as I've come to learn with stouts that have real flavor. I didn't start finding the beer tasty UNTIL it had been sitting out for a half an hour. That's when a started notiving the choco nuances( I hate that word). The beer wasn't exactly dark like oil. When putting it to the lamp, quite a bit of light got through. But it was still darker than a porter, or a dark porter. I Haven't had a bad scottish beer yet,especially those that are WEE heavy. This was not,but it was still damn good at a little less than room temperature.

Frostbite Ale

Frostbite Ale is yet another craft brew from Upstate NY (obviously not hard to get around here) produced by the lake Placid Brewing Company,who's motto is "Real Town. Real Beer." Real crafty motto, if you ask me. The only thing I really know about lake Placid is the bad movie with the alligators. REAL bad CGI.



I thought that the beer would be best served cold,due to the name....I was quite wrong. I found that the beer got better as it approached lukewarm. A far cry than the hoppy bitterness my mouth received when I first started drinking it. I wasn't very fond of the 15 feet of frothy head that the beer produced as I poured iti into the glass. It took away a few minutes of drinking experience. I should have just drank it straight outta the bottle. Overall, the beer was pretty good, after it was warmed up a bit. I would buy it again,as long as started drinking it after an hour of pulling out of the fridge.

HB Mai-Bock

Maibocks are a pale-colored,strong german lager that are typically brewed in the spring. The HB mai-bock was definetely not pale,more of a coppery-amber. It was mos def strong. I'm talking 3rd and last beer of the night strong. This is one of the reasons I decided to try to drink only import and craft brew,because the alcohol % is more than 3.2%,which is what you'll find in most domestic American beers. This beer is also awesome because it has a goat on the label. My homeboys (and girls) in the League should dig that.



I couldn't really tell you much more about this besides that it's awesome. As usual that I've discovered with German beers,bochs in general, is the taste sensation you don't find in most american ales,even british ones for that matter. Apparently the HB Maibock is the oldest in Munich,where the beer is brewed. I hope to visit one day, as long as it secures my drunkiness for at least a week straight.