Gordon

Beer: Gordon

Brewer: Oskar Blues

Style: Double IPA

Tasting notes: (0905) On draft @ Mellow Mushrrom in C-ville. A big and nicely balanced beer. May rate 4 glasses. (0805) Shared w/ Louis Anderson @ L. Dail's wedding. Load of hops w/ malt to match. Another example of a well-crafted DIPA that somehow does not hit my spot. May rate a 4.

Rating: 3 glasses

Oberon

Beer: Oberon

Brewer: Bell's

Style: American Pale Wheat Ale

Tasting notes: (1008) On draft @ Joe's Inn. The classic American Pale Wheat Ale. (1005) On draft @ Cancan. Heavier w/ a tiche of sourness. Seemed stale. Downgraded from 5 glasses. (1003) On draft @ Mekong. Fantastic - light and spicy w/ a touch of lemon. Upgraded from 4 glasses and thought about 6 glasses. (0905) On draft @ Mellow Mushroom in C-ville. Easy drinking and wheaty. (0806) Shared minikeg @ Davis's. Wheaty w/ a touch of lemon. Easy drinking. Summerfest may be better. (0705) Light and refreshing yet flavorful. Beats any pilsner.

Comment: Oberon is Bell's summer seasonal. Jose tells me that its release is greatly anticipated by UM students.

Rating: 4 glasses

Snake Dog IPA

Beer: Snake Dog IPA

Brewer: Flying Dog

Style: IPA

Tasting notes: (0905) A pleasant IPA w/ a nice hop bite. May rate 4 glasses but too many other IPAs are better.

Rating: 3 glasses

Hennepin

Beer: Hennepin

Brewer: Ommegang

Style: Saison

Tasting notes: (1308) Downgraded from 7 glasses. The beer is wonderful but lacks the little extra that makes a 7.(1103) A 12 oz. bottle. Wonderful. Upgraded from 6 glasses. (1011) Another fine bottle. Upgraded from 5 glasses. (1008) A bottle @ Jose's. A pure pleasure. No hint of orange rind that I remembered from earlier bottles. Thought about an upgrade to 6 glasses. (0905) On draft @ Mellow Mushroom in C-ville. Wonderful. Previous review.

Previous ratings: 5, 7, 6, 5, 6, 7

Rating: 6 glasses

Baltic Thunder

Beer: Baltic Thunder

Brewer: Victory

Style: Baltic Porter

Tasting notes: (0905) Toffee malt with sour prunes. Previous review.

Rating: 5 glasses

Ara Bier

Beer: Ara Bier

Brewer: de Dolle

Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale

Tasting notes: (0905) A bottle @ Mekong. I thought is was a triple. Dry, spicy, and grapefruit rind bitterness.

Rating: 5 glasses

Jumo Lager

Beer: Jumo Lager

Brewer: Starr Hill

Style: Vienna Lager

Tasting notes: (0905) 2 bottles @ ML's. Malty and pleasant. Upgraded from 2. (0806) A pint @ Davis and Main. Ok. A red lager w/ some sweetness. May rate a 3.

Rating: 3 glasses

In Heat Wheat

Beer: In Heat Wheat

Brewer: Flying Dog

Style: Hefeweizen

Tasting notes: (0905) A bottle @ ML's. Good attempt @ a German-style Hefe from an American brewer - bananas and cloves.

Rating: 4 glasses

Summerfest

Beer: Summerfest

Brewer: Sierra Nevada

Style: Pilsner

Tasting notes: (1005) A good lager but other 4's are better. Downgraded from 4 glasses. (1005) Ditto. Great w/ food, easy drinking, and quenching. Good by itself. (0905) A summer treat. Light and refreshing. (0807) Good pilsner. Downgraded from 5 glasses. SNPA is better. (0807) #5 in the 6. Maybe lagers are growing on me. Wonderful w/ summer sausage and crackers. Upgraded from 4 glasses. Perhaps it gets a bump because it is best in style. (0806) 1st in a 6 pack. Ditto as before. This could become a summer tradition. Upgrraded rating from 3 glasses. Category changed from Pale Lager. (????) A summer delight

Comment: Summerfest is Sierra Nevada's summer seasonal.

Rating: 3 glasses

Update on Titan IPA

Beer: Titan IPA

Brewer: Great Divide

Style: IPA

Tasting notes: (0905) Balanced, pleasant, and well-crafted. Somehow misses my mark. Downgraded from 5. Previous review.

Top 100: 29 December 2005 but neither 10 March 2007 nor 03 May 2009 .

Rating: 4 glasses, a downgrade from 5.

Grupo Modelo Negra Modelo

Beer: Negra Modelo

Brewer: Grupo Modelo

Style: Munich Lager Dunkel

Tasting notes: (0905) A freebie @ a party. Pleasant and a tiche sweet

Rating: 2 glasses.

Yuengling Traditional Lager

Beer: Traditional Lager

Brewer: Yuengling

Style: Red Lager

Tasting notes: (0905) Another freebie @ a party. Nice. May rate 3 stars. (0606) Freebies at a party and purchased w dinner. Not bad.

Rating: 2 glasses.

Allagash White

Beer: White

Brewer: Allagash

Style: Witbier

Tasting notes: (0905) A bottle @ Acacia. Nice, fruity, light, and spiced. No bitterness. A tiche heavy for a wit. Upgraded to 4 glasses. (0606) 3/4 of a 4-pack tasted off with a bitter finish. I want to buy another single. Downgraded from 4 glasses. (0604) Only a taste. Light, refreshing - a wonderful summer ale. Lisa likened it to lemonade. My initial impression was that it is better than Hoegaarden.

Rating: 4 glasses.

Paulaner Hefe-Weissbier Naturtrub

Beer: Hefe-Weissbier Naturtrub

Brewer: Paulaner

Style: Hefeweizen

Tasting notes: (1005) A minikeg. A good example of the style. Upgraded from 3 glasses. (0905) Two minikegs. Pleasant and good w/ paella. May rate 4 glasses. Upgraded from 2 glasses. (0702) On tap in Denver. Well crafted but seems to have a hole in the flavor. Did not scratch my itch.

Rating: 4 glasses.

Ommegang Three Philosophers

Beer: Three Philosophers

Brewer: Ommegang

Style: Quadruple

Tasting notes: (0905) Ditto. Goes well w/ a wide variety of food or by itself. (0802) A bottle from gift pack. Interesting and complex. A little apple and other fruits, a little sweet something. a touch of bitter hops and tart lambic at end, with a touch of alcohol. Thought about 6 glasses. When well w/ Country Captain, apples, Clementines, and cheese. Another winner from Ommegang.

Comments: This beer is 98/2% blend of quadruple and Kriek. (I may be off slightly on the percentages.

Rating: 5 glasses.

American Pale Wheat Ale

Amerian Pale Wheat Ale features wheat in the malt and the flavor tends to be wheaty and yeasty. These are good beers in the summertime. They are light and refreshing. The style is an American twist on Hefeweizen. Unlike most American versions, this beer tends to have less flavor than the original. German Hefeweizen feature banana and clove flavors.

North Coast Blue Star Wheat Beer

Beer: Blue Star Wheat Beer

Brewer: North Coast

Style: American Pale Wheat Ale

Tasting notes: (0905) A bottle @ Acacia. Clean and refreshing.

Rating: 3 glasses.

Oud Beersel Oude Geuze Vieille

Beer: Oude Geuze Vieille

Brewer: Oud Beersel

Style: Gueuze

Tasting notes: (0905) An interesting verison of gueuze. Less tart and more sour and bitter than others. Sour rotten oranges, sugarless grapefruit, and a grapefruit sour/bitterness at finish when cold. The sour and bitter diminish as the beer warms and after the yeast is added.

Comments: The bitter flavor may be hops. My understanding is that gueuze uses aged hops to eliminate hop bitterness. However, the Oud Beersel website describes the beer as "traditional oude geuze with fruity nose and hoppy flavour."

Here is how the brewer describes the taste of the beer:

"The taste of the Oude Gueuze of Oud Beersel combines from way back a pleasant bitterness with a sour yet smooth character. The first mouthful refreshes the tongue and opens the way to the wondrous world of the spontaneous fermentation with its complex subtleties."

Rating: 3 glasses. May rate 4.

Trappistes Rochefort 6

Beer: 6

Brewer: Trappistes Rochefort

Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale

Tasting notes: (0905) A pleasant dark ale w/ a tiche of hop bite.

Rating: 4 glasses

Great Divide Yeti Imperial Stout

Beer: Yeti Imperial Stout

Brewer: Great Divide

Style: Imperial Stout

Tasting notes: (0905) Another fresh bottle. Big and masive with hops lurking in the background. Tasted a little hot and not as chocolately as I remembered. Might be better w/ some age. Previous review.

Comment: The brewer has changed the look of the label.

Top 100: 29 December 2005, 10 March 2007, 25 November 2008, and 12 May 2009.

Rating: 6 glasses, a downgrade from the previous rating of 7.