Dark Meddle Beer

I expected a dark beer, but this looks lighter than a red. Has no scent at all. And almost no taste either! Goes down smooth. Nothing obnoxious like a mass-produced beer. So that is good. This must just be the beer drinker's light beer. I taste nothing, it just slides down the throat like I'm not drinking at all. Only a slight caramel flavor at the back of the tongue tells me I'm actually conscious and not dreaming that I'm having a beer. I think I should give low marks for not having flavor, not being dark. But ... this is heavenly! Am I drinking? Am I not? I don't even know now myself, but I'm happy and content with every sip. Holy "mild" Batman, this is it! MB for this crazy neutral but pleasing beer!

22oz bottle, 5.9% ABV
Gigantic Brewing Company
Portland, OR
purchased at Kenwood

TapIt IPA

Smells bitter and a bit like BO. Extremely bitter, and almost a buttery texture, but finishes sharp. And that's all there's to it. Bitter, bitter, buttery, but a clean finish, save for a bitter tongue. Not a bad deal. ID

22oz bottle, 7% ABV
TapIt Brewing Company
San Luis Obispo, CA
purchased at Kenwood

Hopageddon Imperial IPA

Nice hop aroma, and a tiny bit of grain with lots of bitter hops. Neither overly grainy nor too bitter. It blends so well together. Easy drinking for an imperial. Gotta give this a MB for being so smooth with big booze.

22oz bottle, 144 IBU, 9.2% ABV
Napa Smith Brewery
Napa, CA
purchased at Kenwood

Tallulah Extra Pale Ale

Pale is right, but not watery. Lightly grainy, lightly hoppy, just light. Pleasant tasting beer. I wasn't sure it would be, as cases were selling for $14. I may have to go sweep these up tomorrow. I love to find a microbrew on the bargain pile! There may also be more subtleties to this but with this never-ending cold, I'm still not smelling and tasting right yet. So for now ID in general, but at this price, MB!

12oz bottle, 5.6% ABV
Speakeasy Ales & Lagers
San Francisco, CA
purchased at Kenwood

R & R Coconut IPA

A very bitter IPA, but good tasting, as I expect from Stone. This is a 3-way collaboration by Robert & Ryan, Stone, and Rip Current, not that I've heard of these others. I'm not really tasting coconut, so I'm gonna let it warm a bit. Be right back. Now I can smell it, and taste it a tiny bit. It complements the bitterness well. The hop flavor is pretty good too. A nice piece of work. ID

22oz bottle, 7.7% ABV
Stone Brewing Company

Escondido, San Diego County, CA
purchased at Kenwood

Lilja's Hop Nest Monster Extra Pale IPA

This is surely extra pale. Very light, but (OK full disclosure: I'm at the tail end of a cold) grain, not hops, dominates the flavor profile. It is substantially bitter, that is right on for an IPA. But I see a name like this, and I'm dreaming of hop flavor. Not what this provides, but tasty none the less. ID

UPDATE (1/30/2017): Either I was seriously out of it with that cold during my original post on August 17, 2013 or the recipe has changed in the past 3+ years. There is only the slightest hint of grain on the whiff, and the rest is hop dominated! Bitter yes, but even a bit of funky hop flavor at the first taste. It is very light and easy to drink. I revise my original rating to call this a ID+ at least.

12oz bottle, 7% ABV
Sand Creek Brewing Company
Black River Falls, WI
purchased at Kenwood