Blueberry Tart Imperial Sour Wheat Ale

A really nice aroma of blueberries bursts out of the bottle upon opening. That follows on the taste as well. This is not overly sour, as some varieties are. The first taste exhibits dryness, then a sourness follows, and each sip finishes with a slight blueberry sweetness. There's no flavor to hint at the decent alcohol level, so this is put together very well! I'm glad to get to taste a new one from Southern Tier, as they do such a good job overall. MB (Why the hell not?)

22oz bottle, 8.5% ABV
Southern Tier Brewing Company
Lakewood, NY
purchased at Homewood Liquors

Velvet Cashmere Pale Ale

Lots of juicy hop flavor! This is another of a number of beers I've had recently that just ooze danky, juicy, fruity hop flavor. My only question is what's the ABV on this, cause the flavor is just great! MB

16oz can, no deets
18th Street Brewery
Hammond, IN
purchased at Homewood Liquors

2016 Smoked Porter

Definitely smokey. But not obnoxiously so. I normally avoid "smoked" beers, after a bad experience, literally decades ago. But everything about craft beer has gotten better since then, so why not the smoke? I guess it has. I'm sure what I had was "smoke flavor" added. Here the grains are smoked with alder. This is nice for a change. I'm pleasantly surprised. A nice smokey flavor on top of what is also a very nice porter, perfectly a porter, clearly not a stout. Well done! MB

22oz bottle, 6.5% ABV
Alaskan Brewing Company
Juneau AK
purchased at Binny's

Star Chicken Shotgun IPA

This is substantially bitter, which is great, but there is some kind of buttery taste that puts me off a bit. Solid malt backbone without tasting grainy, but no hop flavor jumping out. It's not bad, but not for $10 a sixer. ID

12oz bottle, 80 IBU, 6.8% ABV
Greenbush Brewing Company
Sawyer, MI
purchased at Homewood Liquors

Son of Juice IPA

This is nice and juicy. Very nice hop citrus flavor, so much so that I'd believe it was made with juice. It is, as the label says, "juicy, juicy, juicy"! From Mosaic, Simcoe, Nugget, and Warrior hops, NICE! I'll give this a MB.

16oz can, "low"IBU, 6.3% ABV
Maplewood Brewing Company
Chicago IL
purchased at Homewood Liquors

Moon Man No Coast Pale Ale

Pale as can be, and just nothing but a refreshing drink with some hop flavor and a tiny hint of grain sweetness without the grain. These guys are famous for their other brew, but this one is a standout winner in my book, by tasting great for what craft drinkers want, but at the same time being so clean as to please mass produced drinkers as well. They know their audience in Wisconsin, and they've absolutely nailed this recipe. Too bad I've literally got to drive to Wisconsin to get more of this! MB

12oz bottle, no deets
New Glarus Brewing Company
New Glarus WI
purchased by my wife somewhere in WI