Good Juju

A beer brewed with ginger, one of my favorite flavors, so expecting good things. A bit grainy, but light, and that ginger flavor is nicely pronounced. Not nearly as flavorful as a ginger ale soda, but this works nicely. ID 

12oz bottle, 4.5% ABV
Left Hand Brewing Company
Longmont, CO
purchased at Binny's

Oktoberfest Froggy Style Lager

Carmel grainy. A bit of a funky sourness. This one is really just ok. Not thinking I'd buy this again, and it may even get the skunk if I come back to this rating before I finish my glass. ID

22 oz bottle, 20 IBU, 7.3% ABV

Hoppin' Frog Brewing Company

Akron, OH

purchased at Binny's

Positive Contact

Another DFH ale with a laundry list of strange ingredients: apple cider, farro, cayenne, cilantro! But I've long since accepted that you gotta just trust this brewer. Has a bit of a farmhouse thing going on, but that's not bad. Definitely taste the cider and a bit of spiciness. Not feeling the cilantro though, which is a shame, cause I love it, even on sandwiches. Smooth as silk and very easy to drink. You'd never know it's ABV. Not bad at all, but not something I need to have again, so ID.

25.4oz bottle, 9% ABV
Dogfish Head Craft Brewery (+ Dan the Automator)
Milton, DE
purchased at Binny's

Lakefront IPA

A bit watery, but good tasting. I must be used to "doubles" too much. Crisp, clean, and very easy to drink. A bit of citrus, and no malty or boozy taste at all. All good on this one. For a plain ole IPA, this is MB.

12oz bottle, no particulars listed
Lakefront Brewery, Inc.
Milwaukee, WI
purchased at Binny's

Crooked Line Labyrinth Black Ale

First off, I poured a glass which proceeded to piss all over my bar, so strike one. Yes, you were in a corked, secured champagne bottle so I should have expected, but I'm pissed off to begin with, so you will take the foul! Rich brown head, and complicated, dark flavor. Bread, burnt wood, label says "licorice sticks" though I don't think I taste those, this is complex. IDK, kinda tasty, and it'll get ya drunk! But I'm gonna go ID.

25.4oz bottle, 13.2% ABV
Uinta Brewing Company
Salt Lake City, UT
purchased at Binny's

Hop Juice Double IPA

Characteristic of the style you have the citrus hop aroma, and creamy malt flavor. Smooth, delicious, just nothing to mark it as unique. You won't go wrong with this one. But I've been raving too much of late, so I'm calling this average, since I've found no hook to make it exceptional. ID

22oz bottle, 9.7% ABV, "massive IBUs" per the label
Left Coast Brewing Company
San Clemente, CA
purchased at Binnys

LiVE Bottle Conditioned Pale Ale

Slight citrus aroma, whoa, a lot like my beloved Zombie Dust! Didn't I just say that about something else? Well it's got a bit of that great hop flavor, but there's also this residual sort of citrus(?) flavor that wraps the tongue in a weird sort of way, and is kind of unpleasant. And it seems over carbonated. Which leaves me in an odd sort of predicament for the rating. Hmmm... I guess I'll go ID.

12oz bottle, 5.5% ABV
Southern Tier Brewing Company
Lakewood, NY
purchased at Binnys

Double Stout Black Ale

Very sweet aroma. Sweet and thick, with a bitter/dry sort of burnt flavor. All around good! The sweetness could have been too much, but just as your brain is processing that bit of sugar, this total assault of burnt blackness swarms your tongue like a spectral mobster wrapping your dying corpse in an ash blanket. That may sound unpleasant, but until you try it, you won't know, and now that is how I want to go! MB easily for creating such a unique brew!

12oz bottle, 8.8% ABV
Green Flash Brewing Company
San Diego, CA
purchased at Binny's

VooDoo Vator Dopplebock

Nice dark flavor! Grainy, almost a coffee flavor. This is the last of a 4-pack I bought Monday. Sucked them down quick, they were so good! A perfectly flavored dark beer, that I couldn't praise enough, so I won't try other than MB.

12oz bottle, 9% ABV
Atwater Brewery
Detroit, MI
purchased at Binny's

Mean Manalishi Double IPA

Nice citrus IPA whiff, and that's how it tastes. Definitely tastes like a double: choppy with a creamy, malty finish. Just a good all around brew. I think I've been saying this too much lately, but I'll call this MB.

22oz bottle, 168 IBU, 8.2% ABV
Hoppin' Frog Brewing Company
Akron, OH
purchased at Binny's

Hop Henge Experimental IPA

Instantly light flavor, backed up by an alcoholic warmness. But only very slight. Warming to proper ale temperature, it is very smooth, creamy even. The experiment is a success! This is a very nice, comfortable IPA. MB

22oz bottle,

Repo Man Rye Stout

Dry and slightly sweet. The dryness is its most pronounced feature, and makes it really good. Simply good stuff. MB

22oz bottle, 6.2% ABV
Revolution Brewing
Chicago, IL
purchased at Kenwood

Smitten Golden Rye Ale

Slightly grainy whiff, and very complicated flavor. Well, less complicated on my second pint, but very light, watery-refreshing, and some decent flavor dominated by hop bitterness. Since I have already bought it twice (full disclosure it's on special) I gotta go MB Now three or four pints I've had. Still good!

16oz draft, 6% ABV
Bells Brewing Company
Comstock, MI
purchased at Quigley's

Victory Headwaters American Pale Ale

Light and easy drinking, with a nice citrus hop flavor. Wow, I'm batting 1000 today on great tasting beers! And day drinking with 60 degree temps outside. A beautiful day. Glad I walked here!! MB

16oz draft, 5.2% ABV
Victory Brewing
Dowingtown, PA
purchased at Quigley's

Brickstone APA

Wow, very citrus, and a bit of that Zombie Dust flavor! Great taste, then the Hawkes score a goal! Wow again, this has hop flavor up the wazoo! With many choices currently at my disposal, I do believe I'll order this again! MB

16oz draft, 6.25% ABV
Brickstone Brewery
Bourbonnais, IL
purchased at Quigley's

Dogfish Head Rhizing Bines Imperial IPA

Go to the corner bar for a Hawks game, and whala, craft beers to rate! And a DFH no less! And on draft! This is a smooth, tasty IPA. Dogfish always brings the flavor. Very drinkable. Yup, it's MB

12oz draft, 8% ABV
Dogfish Head Craft Brewing
Milton, DE
purchased at Quigley's

Perkulator Coffee Dopplebock

Smooth and bocky, with great coffee flavor. Kinda spicy! Light enough for easy drinking. Dark Horse says this is their only lager, and they did good on this one! Bock and coffee definitely make an excellent flavor pairing! Art competition means two different labels are used on bottles of this one. MB

12oz bottle, 7% ABV
Dark Horse Brewing Company
Marshall, MI
purchased at Jimmy Garant's Party Store

Old Guardian Barley Wine Style Ale

Nice amber color. Immediately bitter on the sip, but a strong alcoholic sweetness follows, blossoming on the back of the throat like a mushroom cloud. The thought of that is what usually scares me away from barley wines. But this has good flavor! Definitely drinkable, and finishing the bottle should get me drunk!! Glad I sprung for this. Leave it to Stone to put sufficient bitterness into a barley wine so I can thoroughly enjoy the brew. MB

22oz bottle, 11.6% ABV
The Stone Brewing Company
Escondido, San Diego County, CA
purchased at Kenwood