Nosferatu Imperial Red Ale

I like reds with big hop flavor. Had one at a local brew pub on Wed that I remember liking, but was disappointed. This one fills the bill with huge bitterness. You can taste the red flavor trying to sneak through, but this fanger has a huge bitter bite that dominates the mix. I'd maybe like that dialed back a bit (did I really just say that?) so the red flavor was just a touch more prominent. Actually, as it warms I do get more flavor, so i should drink it at the right temperature and stop thinking I know more than the brewer. I'll give this an MB as a great way to start October.

12 oz bottle, 8% ABV, drink @50°F
Great Lakes Brewing Company
Cleveland, OH
purchased at Kenwood

Japanese Green Tea IPA

Bitter, really bitter but not bad. A little complicated flavor, which may be the green tea. Soft on the tongue, hard on the throat. An interesting treat. You'd never know the alcohol was so high. Proceeds benefit Japanese Earthquake & Tsunami Relief Fund. I so love my charity work! ID

12 oz single, 9.2% ABV

The Stone Brewing Company in collaboration with Ishii Brewing Company
Escondido, San Diego County, CA
purchased at Kenwood

Pangaea

This ale has a bit of the taste I call "farmhouse" whether I'm correct or not in this term. Sweet grainy with a strange flavor. It balances the sweetness with hops, but sweet is the primary flavor. It says it is brewed with crystallized ginger, but I don't get that as an overt flavor. I was ready to say it is too sweet for me, but after a few sips that seems to mellow out making this drinkable. This is not the bad heavy sweetness, but rather has complex sweet flavors all over the tongue. Nothing simple from this brewery, ever. Totally drinkable, but not something that I just have to have again. ID

25.4 oz champagne bottle, 7% ABV
Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Inc
Milton, DE
purchased at Kenwood

Heavy Handed IPA

Another IPA from one of my favorite brewers. The label shows a heavy handful of hops which is just my style. Bitter as all hell, which I like, but I was a bit disappointed at the lack of aromatic hops. The smell is a bit funky, or maybe that's just 'cause I rinsed my glass in the basement shop sink. Oh well. A solid beer for when you want to scorch your tongue with bitterness, which I often do. Finishing my third as i sit down for this rating. Pairs well with the tequila resposado I'm shooting alongside. ID

12 oz bottle, 65 IBU (I'd have guessed more), 6.7% ABV
Two Brothers Brewing Company
Warrenville, IL
purchased at Kenwood

15 Escondidian Imperial Black IPA

Black with a dark brown head looks better than the namesake in my Guiness imperial pint glass. But that is not the taste. Fresh hop citrus assaults on the first taste, confusing my senses of sight, taste, and smell. This is quite a treat. All the bitterness and hop flavor you could want from an IPA (seriously, this beats many a traditional IPA in both ends of the hop flavors) backed up with the charred flavors of dark roasted grain. A crowning achievement to celebrate their 15th anniversary. These guys rarely disapoint, but will if they fail to adopt this special brew into the regular product line. Get it while you can, just in case. MB

22 oz bottle, 10.8% ABV (wow)
The Stone Brewing Company
Escondido, San Diego County, CA
purchased at Kenwood

Midas Touch Handcrafted Ancient Ale

Light in color. You can definitely taste the grapes right away. Almost a wine, but enough of a beer to warrant the "ale" label. I just ate a raw halepeno pepper, so my taste buds are admittedly f-ed up (side note: this ale pairs well with spicy foods). Silky smooth, light and pleasant, maybe a little easier going than the previous DFH wine blend I had (Jintau?). Always something different with these guys, which always keeps me coming back. "Never buy the same beer twice," is often my motto, and so as long as these guys keep cranking out new experiments, I'll keep buying. A great business model if the population like me has any size. Hard to rate this MB when i know I'll never buy it again, mostly because with new DFH products streaming out I won't have to, so ID, but you won't go wrong if you find this in your local microbrew pantry and are in an adventurous mood.

12 oz bottle, 9% ABV
Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
Milton, DE
purchased at Kenwood

Atom Smasher Oktoberfest Style Lager

Nothing notable but "beer" on the sniff. Silky-smooth mouth-feel, and grainy taste balanced with appropriate bitterness. A bit of a sour taste, but not offensively so. Aged in oak, but I'm not finding that as an overt flavor. A nicely blended flavor profile, and completely drinkable, just not my usual cup of tea, and this brewery is definitely one of my tea wholesalers. ID

12 oz bottle
Two Brothers Brewing Company
Warrenville, IL
purchased at Kenwood

Zwack Hungarian Herb Liqueur

Bought this as a new shot for a party. Saw it advertised on NHL websites so I'd support the club and give 'er a shot, literally. Smells and tastes almost like Jager, but I actually like this better, even warm. Not quite as thick, and at a standard liquor proof. Sweet with anice and a bit spicy. Never really a liqueur fan as i like my 5 basic food groups (vodka, tequila, whiskey, gin, rum - roughly in that order) but this is not bad. We'll see what the party guests think. ID. Update: need to give this a MB as everybody thinks it is so much better than Jager!

1 L bottle, 40% ABV
Product of Hungary, imported by Diageo North America, Inc.
Norwalk, CT
purchased at Kenwood

Burton Baton

Smells like an IPA, but another complicated flavor from DFH. The label says this is a blend of a "young" IPA with another wood-aged Imperial IPA. I remember choking down malt-liquor as a kid in order to get an 8% drink (think 40s of "the Bull"). This has a huge 10%, and with great flavor. Malty sweetness, oaky colorations, that Imperial taste, all nicely bound and gagged by a perfect bitterness. Watching a few episodes of the apparently failed series Brewmasters, I got a distaste for DFH owner Sam, and never having their beers, was sure they would suck. But that was just jealousy, and this is now one of my favorite breweries, because they make what I like best. When the guy at the store asked me if I was looking for something tonight, I replied, "variety". No doubt that is exactly what DFH delivers. Another MB.

12 oz bottle, 10% ABV
Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Inc.
Milton, DE
purchased at Kenwood

Summit Silver Anniversary Ale

Very hoppy nose, and very bitter. Refreshing with some hop flavor. Comfortable around the tongue. A little more hop flavor would make this perfect. ID

12 oz bottle, 80 IBU
Summit Brewing Company
St. Paul, MN
purchased at Kenwood

Samuel Adams Harvest Pumpkin Ale

Dark with a definite pumpkin pie spice on the aroma. Same pumpkin pie flavor on the taste. Wondering if I should toss a spoon of Cool Whip into this to round out the experience. Brewed my own ale with an actual baked pumpkin years ago, but was not as flavorful as this. Will definitely have to compare this to a Fallon's when i find it, which was the "gold standard" of pumpkin ale for me in years past. After my last post, I was looking for a "cucumber ale in TX" stamp on the label (Dan Luhn would get this joke). No complaints, this goes down easy, and could easily be a Fall staple. I'll go MB on this experience, not remembering the last pumpkin I had. Will revise if necessary, but I don't think you'd go wrong with one of these for a Fall party. Sam Adams did a good job on this pumpkin.

12 oz bottle
The Boston Brewing Company
same cities
purchased at Jewel

Samuel Adams Oktoberfest

Very smooth and malty, but again with good bitterness. Unlike many breweries who let the sweetness dominate in these malty beers, Sam Adams, who serves a national audience, continues to provide solid hop bitterness, even if lacking the hop flavor. Makes me feel less of an outcast for loving bitter beer. This is a solid drink, with no strong flavors, that should please the new masses (who I hope exist) of more complicated beer drinkers. I so hate seeing the dude or chick with a shopping cart of Lite. If I just want to get F-ed up, I'll drink vodka. That's effective and less filling for sure. But if I want to drink beer, let's drink beer with some flavor. This is at least a step in the right direction which is widely available. The bottle calls it a lager, but notes "ale in TX". Are you fucking kidding me? The lone-brain state has redefined "ale" just like other states redefined Pi as exactly 3.14? Never settle for reality, when you can legislate your own. Don't mess with Texas? Fuck Texas, and let Sam Adams tell you what they brewed. It's determined by the yeast dumbasses, so it is not a matter of opinion. Maybe you think Jesus blew the bubbles to carbonate this, or Rick Parry (Colbert spelling intended) shot holes in the wort. Beer is beer as it naturally exists, and you can't define it you fuckin' hicks. And don't get me started on Utah! ID

12 oz bottle
The Boston Brewing Company
all the same cities listed in my last post
purchased at Jewel
redefined at will in TX

Samuel Adams Irish Red

Sweet malty aroma. A great combo of malt and bitterness, with, good for me, the bitterness taking a little stronger role. Though the roasted malt lingers pleasantly on the back of the tongue, there is no sweet flavor which another plus for me. I think this deserves MB.

12 oz bottle, 5.8% ABV
The Boston Beer Company
Boston, MA; Cincinatti, OH; Breinigsville, PA
purchased at Jewel

Dolly Varden India Pale Ale

A good bitter brew that tastes mass-produced rather than craft, to be expected I guess when buying from a supermarket. Tried to get some microbrews from Barley and Hops this week, hoping they'd be open at 9:30 only to find they have permenantly closed, apparently another victim of the shit economy. This is drinkable, but mostly unremarkable. Crisp, fresh, and bitter. ID

12 oz bottle
Metolius Brewing Company
Seattle, WA / Berkeley, CA / Portland, OR
(who knows where this came from)
purchased at Jewel