Piraat

Why I tried this: I think a co-worker of mine, David, recommended this to me, but my memory is a bit hazy. Shit happens when you drink lots of beer. It was a tripel belgian, a style I haven't touched much of recently, so why not?

Smell: Has a slight hoppy bitterness to the scent, but otherwise is overwhelmingly sweet, mostly from malts and various fruits, such as citrus and berries. Quite pleasant.


Taste: Slight hints of caramel, but heavy on the berries and sweet malts. I could also detect some pear and apple in the taste, but that may be the beer playing tricks on me. Or the alcohol. Had a bit of a yeasty taste to it as well, but this was very mute and a welcome addition.

Overall, I'd probably award this beer a strong quarter full glass. It's a very good example of the belgian tripel style, incorporating heavy amounts of fruits and malts, but quality enough that you can taste almost everything that went into it. The carbonation is a bit high on this one, but I rather enjoyed that. I really can't say anything particularly negative about it, other than it didn't completely floor me. All in all, I would definitely recommend.

--Jeff

Cigar City Big Sound

Why I tried this: Lately I've been finding myself drinking quite a few beers from Cigar City, and minus the Jai Alai (IPA), I've really enjoyed the brews from this company. I had no idea what to get and asked Kyle to surprise me. Happily, he brought back a new Cigar City brew I hadn't tried yet, a scotch ale at that.

Smell: A big whiff of roasted and sweet malts pretty much overwhelm the nostrils. There is also a hint of cherry, which was quite pleasant.

Taste: The roasted malts come through here in full force, but fade to allow a complex sweetness to arise. This sweetness seems to be a mix of malts, toffee, and cherry. On top of this, I also got a bit of yeasty breadiness, which affirmed its ale status. Pretty complex, thick, and damn tasty.

I think this ale deserves an empty glass award. Cigar City has made a scotch ale with all the right ale ingredients, providing a powerfully complex but ultimately delicious blend. The malt and toffee sweetness mix very well with the cherry hints, and the whole brew just screams quality at me. It was a pleasure to drink the entire glass. I can only imagine how much better this must be on tap. Highly recommended if you like ales or just malty beers in general.

--Jeff

Lagunitas Undercover Investigation Shut Down Ale

Why I tried this: I honestly don't remember. I can tell you that the name of this beer is quite the mouthful. I probably saw it in the bottles book and picked it out because of the name. However, I generally have enjoyed Lagunitas beers before, so that probably played a pretty big part as well.

Smell: Has a very slight spice scent to it, but mostly has a malty and floral hop smell.

Taste: Not quite what I was expecting. There are some very light spice and citrus flavors, but mostly it's an epic battle of sweet malts versus mildly bitter hops. Normally, I'm not a fan of hoppy beer, but the malts are able to keep things balanced to the point that I actually really enjoyed this mix. The slight bitterness at the end was fairly nice, giving it a modest crispness.

This was a pretty good ale. It was very strong at nearly 10%, but you couldn't taste any of the alcohol. Instead, you got a nice balance of sweet malts, light citrus, some spice, and floral hops that added a bitterness to the end of the beer. It smelled nice, and went down pretty easily. Overall, I'd give this beer a quarter full glass. I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a good ale and wouldn't mind trying it again.

--Jeff

Hitachino Nest Classic Ale

Why I tried this: After enjoying the Hitachino Stout so much I decided it was time to try another beer from Japan's Hitachino. I was in an Ale kinda mood so when I came across the classic ale on the menu my mind was almost made up. I asked Greg about this beer and he said it was great so what more convincing would I have needed?

Smell: Less hoppy then expected. There was a stong malt scent that covered most of the hop scent. Caramel scented.

Taste: Not what I expected at all but still good. I went into this beer expecting a lighter mostly floral hop flavor and thats not what you get at all. This beer has a deep dark malt flavor that reminds you of a woody flavor and caramel. The flavor is pleasant and enjoyable. There is a slight hop flavor but it absolutely is not the defining characteristic of the beer, it's just a backup support actor to the malts.

I would give this beer a rating of a quarter glass left. This beer was great tasting but it did not taste anything at all like what I expected going into it which is not a bad thing. The malt flavor of this beer is smooth and delicious and this is probably a beer I would order again if I saw it out somewhere.

--Jon

Stone Levitation Ale

Why I tried this: I've had a few things from Stone before, such as their Arrogant Bastard, which led to quite a few good nights. However, I hadn't had much of them at World of Beer, so I figured I'd rectify that a little by ordering the Levitation Ale. I hadn't had an amber red ale in a while, which is a style I normally enjoy, so why not?

Smell: Has a light citrus scent followed by floral hops and some moderate malt smells.

Taste: Pretty much mimics the smell. You get an initial hint of citrus that is covered up by sweet malts, eventually paving way for a bitter hoppiness that is fairly crisp and not overdone.

It's been a while since I've had a beer from Stone brewery, and I'm glad I finally came back to them. This amber ale was a decent effort, and while I don't think it's a home run, I would give it a quarter full pint glass rating. I enjoyed the balance of sweet malts and citrus transitioning into a moderately hoppy finish. If you like a good amber ale, I'd definitely recommend it. Otherwise, it'll probably be hit or miss. I may pick it up again some time.

--Jeff

Samuel Adams Summer Ale

My Canon DSLR put to good use...

Why I tried this: I have loved my good friend Samuel and most of his beers for a pretty long time now. I love picking up the samplers at each season from the store and I am always excited when I see a new Samuel Adams that I haven't had yet. Whenever I go out to a bar with a potential customer or boss I always order a Sam Adams so I look legit like in the commercial.

Smell: Summer. Scents of citrus, earthy hop scent, a relaxing refreshing scent.

Taste: The flavor starts out as a citrusy flavor that seems composed mostly of lemon and grapefruit ..mostly. There is a very good wheat flavor that is pretty subtle and very enjoyable. After you get past the citrus it has the typical hop flavor finish that I enjoy and expect with each of the Samuel Adams beers. The flavor is blended nicely and all of the flavors complement each other nicely.


This beer receives the quarter pint left rating. It is a good beer but there are plenty of other Samuel Adams beers that I enjoy much more then this one. I love trying all of the Samuel Adams beers and there are certain seasonals I always cant wait for when it gets close and unfortunately this is not one of the ones I will impatiently be waiting for. This beer is still very good but, Ive had better from Mr. Adams, and there are plenty of others I cant wait for.


--Jon

Summit Winter Ale

Why I tried this: Once again, this is another beer that Jackie gave me. I was pretty happy to see it since typically I am a fan of winter ales, especially the Sam Adams one. When the bottle opened I could not wait to try Summit's version.

Smell: Caramel and a slight roasted malt scent. A pleasant smell.

Taste: Floral and earthy hop flavor as I would typically expect. The hops are not at all overpowering and make this beer very pleasant to drink. There is a slight roasted caramel malt flavor that blends together nicely with the hops. There is a slight spice flavor but this beer is a very smooth easy drinker. I wouldn't mind one of these at all right now.




This beer receives a quarter filled pint rating. I did enjoy this beer very much and it was very smooth however this beer is not something that I would go out of my way to look for. If I saw it on a menu I would possibly order it depending on what else was on the menu. At a place like World of Beer I probably wouldn't get this again but somewhere with only 10-15 beers I'm sure I absolutely would. Its smooth delicious flavor is what earns it a quarter pint left. A great winter ale for sure.




--Jon

Bell's Consecrator Doppelbock

Why I tried this: It was Bell's night at World of Beer. Every once in a while they have a brewer's night where they hook up a handful of beers from a craft brewery on tap, and have neat swag and stuff going on. This was such a night. Although this wasn't the first Bell's beer I had that night, this will be the first one I will review, as it was probably my favorite, that I could remember.

Smell: I was able to detect a lot of malts and a caramel sweetness in the scent of this beer.

Taste: Malty and sweet, likely due to the caramel. It also has a slight fruitiness to it as well, but I couldn't discern exactly what was in it. Overall, the taste is pretty well balanced and almost a bit mild.

Overall, I'd give this beer an empty glass award. It was a hard decision, because I actually wanted almost a little stronger of a flavor, but then I realized this is made up for in the smoothness of the beer, which in turn makes it more drinkable. I think that's a fair trade considering the great taste and smell. Definitely give this beer a try if you can find it.

--Jeff

Magic Hat Circus Boy

Why I tried this: It was a nice day and lunch time was looming. Instead of making some food we thought it would be a better idea to go to World of Beer for a liquid lunch. While at the bar, I asked Josh what hefeweizen I should get. He recommended Magic Hat Circus Boy. I hadn't had it yet, and I really enjoyed Magic Hat #9, so I went with it.

Smell: It has a light spice note with a hint of lemon. Not a very strong wheat smell, which I thought was unusual.

Taste: Pretty damn good! You get a medium bodied flavor of lemon, orange citrus, and a slight spice hop, with a moderate amount of wheat. This beer was really crisp, probably due to the light hops, and went down very smoothly. All in all a great taste.

Overall, I'd have to give this beer an empty glass. This was a hefeweizen that didn't scream "Look at me, I'm a wheat beer!" but was nonetheless a very good beer of the style. This is the third beer I've had from Magic Hat, all three having been very enjoyable. I'm definitely starting to like this brewery. If this were on tap, I wouldn't hesitate to order it, and I think along with offerings from Sea Dog, this Circus Boy will be one of my go to hefeweizens in the future. Highly recommend!

--Jeff

Black Sheep Ale

Why I tried this: I'm going to be honest with you here. I was pretty damn drunk. I don't even remember ordering this beer, so honestly couldn't tell you why I tried it. Maybe it was the sheep on the bottle that allured me. Your guess is as good as mine.

Smell: A bit of wheat maltiness, but overall very light on the smell. Doesn't really give away too much.

Taste: It's like half malty, half hoppy. The hops are fairly bitter, as a pale ale should be. But, the malt kind of cancels some of the bitterness out, and provides a mild sweetness. I detected a faint citrus in there, but then again I was drunk, so I'm not entirely sure...

Despite not remembering much from that point on in the night, I do remember that Black Sheep Ale was a decent English pale ale that was fairly drinkable and not overly hoppy. It had a bit of sweet flavors mixed in to keep things balanced, which is what I liked the most. If you're a pale ale fan, I'd recommend checking this one out once. It gets a quarter full glass award from me.

--Jeff

Cigar City Maduro Brown Ale

Why I tried this: It was a Tuesday, and a fine day out. I was perusing the bottles section while discussing Cigar City brewery with my buddy Dave. I was telling him I had had the Jose Marti Porter and didn't much care for it. He asked if I had tried their Maduro Brown Ale. I had not, and he insisted it was pretty good, so I ordered it.

Smell: Just like a brown ale should, earthen and malty. Nothing too exciting.

Taste: Wow. Not what I was expecting at all. This is not your average brown ale. It starts with a malty flavor that is roasted, tasting more like a porter than a brown. A sweetness of chocolate then hits. The entire sip is insanely smooth. I literally felt like I was drinking velvet.

This beer gets an empty glass from me, no questions asked. Cigar City, a local Florida brewery, has hit a home run. I never expected a brown ale to taste so dark and sweet. The balance was just simply incredible. And the smoothness...that really tops it off. Get this ale.

--Jeff

Anchor Liberty Pale Ale

Why I tried this: I was in the mood for something light, but most importantly I was really just going down my list and trying to knock beers out of the way. I found the Anchor Liberty Pale Ale, and it sounded good, so I gave it a shot.

Smell: Had a floral hop scent that was combined with an unidentified spice. Not bad.

Taste: I got a citrus taste as well as some spice notes that were buried under moderately bitter hops. You could also taste the pale malts a bit. The hops and the bitterness were well balanced, and the beer itself was very crisp, which I enjoyed.

Overall, I'd probably award the Anchor Liberty Pale Ale a quarter full glass. It was a fairly good beer, with its strong points being its balance of flavors and hops, while still providing a crisp drinking experience. It wasn't a great beer that I'd get most of the time I go out, but I'd likely get it every once in a while.

--Jeff

World of Beer UCF Tuesday Tumble

Will be heading to World of Beer UCF today. Right now I'm 9 beers behind Jon, and 5 beers behind 9th place. It looks like the top 10 got scared when they saw us hit the board momentarily after one month, and our competition is picking up the pace. Sucks for them, so am I.

--Jeff

Sea Dog Bluepaw Wheat Ale

Why I tried this: I was sitting at World of Beer UCF with my wife Kristy, and my friend Derek. I had been on a stout and porter binge for the longest time, so I really wanted to break the mold and go for something a bit lighter, a bit more refreshing. Kyle recommended a wheat beer, so I went with Sea Dog Bluepaw on draft.

Smell: Notes of wheat and blueberry are definitely noticeable. The smell is light, but pleasing.

Taste: Outstanding. This is a very clean, crisp, refreshing wheat beer. Golden wheat, malts, and a mix of blueberry play with your palette in a very fun way. It's simple, yet effective. On top of that, when you're finished, you get to eat the blueberries that are floating around in there. Yum.

When this beer came to me, I kind of freaked out when I noticed huge objects floating in my beer. Turns out they were whole Publix blueberries. Guess I should have read the description more carefully. Sea Dog is a brewery from up in Maine, and I really found their Bluepaw Wheat Ale to be excellent. It was a clean, refreshing wheat beer brewed with blueberries that had a great taste that didn't overwhelm. All in all, just a very pleasant beer to drink, so I award this an empty glass. I'd get it again, and again, for sure.

--Jeff

Hitachino Nest White Ale.

Why I tried this: So very recently I got "burnt out" on my staple of wheat and belgian style beers that I tend to drink. I was needing something new, and something outside so I went on a short bender of strange and foreign beers. This was the first of many new and strange beers I'll be reviewing.

Smell: Very "citrus-y" with a light effervescent quality to it. Notes of wheat, orange, and lemon of all things. Not to bad.

Taste: I could definitely taste the lemon in this playing off the wheat which was a bit strange for me. The mouth feel was similar to a Sprite with the fine carbonation and left the palate a bit dry on the finish. It wraps up with a tart little bite, not so much a "lip pucker" tart as a nice pleasant tart pastry.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd give this a 7.5. So this is a solid beer for sure, and was a nice little mix up to what I normally drink. A safe and comfortable foray into new styles. This beer was easily drinkable, and more like a sort of dessert than anything else.

--Scott

P.S. The beer glasses are stupid. Not doin it.

Verhaeghe Echt Kriekenbier

Why I tried this: I had the Verhaeghe Vichtenaar about a week ago and it definitely got me interested in the Flemish Red style of beer. I wanted to try all Verhaeghe had to offer, so I went with their kriekenbier next, which was described to me as a full bodied cherry style. My curiosity got the best of me.

Smell: A sourness tickles the nose, followed by the pleasant smell of cherries. Very nice.

Taste: I was fairly impressed. A very moderate but sweet taste of cherries comes out immediately in the first sip, followed by a bit of sourness to make it tart. The balance is really quite good! You can feel the carbonation, reminding you that this is not a wine, but a beer.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd give this an 8. This balanced kriekenbier was simply delicious. Not too sour, not too sweet. Jon and Scott weren't big fans, but I really enjoyed the melding of the flavors and the age of the beer coming out as you continued to drink. The beer smells pleasant, and looks great in a glass, pouring with an initial big foamy white head. At 6.8% alcohol, you're left with a smooth beer that is still moderately potent, without any of the alcohol taste. All in all, if you think you can handle a Flemish Red, I'd recommend starting with this one.

--Jeff

horrible.  Like a whiskey sour minus the getting stupid drunk immediately.  2/10


--Jon

Boulder Hazed and Infused Dry Hopped

Why I tried this: I'm going to be completely honest here. I was really drunk, and don't know how I got this beer. Damn you World of Beer, damn you.

Smell: Had a light floral hop scent with a strong sense of citrus. Pretty pleasing.

Taste: It starts off with a bitter hop that is balanced out by a sweet lemon flavor. The hoppiness is medium bodied, and quite tolerable. The ale was smooth, drinkable, and highly refreshing.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd give it a 7.5. I have to admit, this is probably one of my more favorite pale ales. It was an easy to drink beer with great flavor. It smelled wonderful, and poured a nice looking white head. As the name suggests, this is a craft pale ale from Boulder, Colorado. Not bad. I'd recommend giving it a try.

--Jeff

Bell's Two Hearted IPA

Why I tried this: I was on an IPA binge this certain day, after coming off a Magic Hat #9. I'm generally not a huge IPA guy, as they always seem one dimensional and overly hoppy, but Magic Hat showed me otherwise. This baby was on draft and generally Bells makes a fairly quality product, so with one IPA down the gullet I braved this little number.

Smell: It has a nice herbal hop smell to it, balanced with a fruity scent that had some citrus notes to it akin to grapefruit. Definitely a strong nose on this one, and actually a huge head sitting at about 1.5 inches.

Taste: It's got a nice bitter hop taste to it up front, giving that nice herbal taste that you come to expect from an IPA. The citrus notes are nice and mild, nothing like a Belgian Wheat might have, so definitely a good addition there. The end is sealed off by a slight malt taste, not to strong, but present. A nice bitter American IPA to be sure.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this beer a 7.5: It's a very drinkable beer for sure, would go great on a nice spring or summer day, but not anything out of this world in my opinion. It's definitely worth a try though, especially if you can get it on tap. A bit of a side note however, make sure you let it warm up a few degrees first. If it comes out too cold it will mute all the flavor this beer has to offer.

--Scott

Verhaeghe Vichtenaar

Why I tried this: I was browsing through the various beer types at World of Beer UCF, out of boredom. I came across a style known as Flemish Red, which intrigued me because it was described as sour tasting. I've never had anything like that before, so I decided to be adventurous and give it a go. Vichtenaar was the first I found in the menu under that brew style.

Smell: Wow. Sour. It felt like a blast of vinegar, with a very slight hint of sweetness, perhaps from berries. I knew I was in for one hell of a sip.

Taste: My initial reaction was that I was drinking vinegar. Several sips into it, I began to get through to the full taste of the beer, and the sourness lessened somewhat with a little sweetness. It was a full bodied taste, very strong. Not recommended for the uninitiated.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this beer a 6. Verhaeghe Vichtenaar is a sour Flemish red ale made in Belgium. With 5.0% ABV it was not very strong, but the taste was anything but. Expect a similarity to vinegar. There is little to balance this strong flavor out. It is exactly as described, red and sour. If you're looking for something interesting out there, I can say this might be something to look into, but I probably wouldn't get it again. However, this did get me interested in other Flemish Red style beers, which turned out to be a great thing.

--Jeff

Probably the most awful beer I have had in my entire life.  Still cant believe this is a beer style 2/10.

--Jon

Lost Coast Downtown Brown

Why I tried this: I was on a brown ale binge the day I tried the Downtown Brown. After having the Shipyard Brewer's Brown Ale and being disappointed, I wanted to leave on a high note, so I asked the bartenders at World of Beer UCF for a recommendation. This is what I received.

Smell: Good and malty, just the way a brown ale should be.

Taste: I took my first sip and got a mouthful of nice, dark malts. Behind the maltiness was a bit of nuttiness, which complemented the flavor fairly well. The only down side I can say about the taste was that it was perhaps too simple.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd give it a 7. With a malty smell accompanied by a dark, malty, nutty taste, this brown ale was good but somewhat pedestrian. It was fairly light and drinkable, which isn't necessarily a bad thing for a beer of this type. Brewed in California, this 5.0% ABV beer is probably about on par with Newcastle. I may or may not get it again.

--Jeff

I dont really like brown ales that much but this one was OK. 7/10

--Jon