Pale Ale

Beer: Pale Ale

Brewer: Sierra Nevada

Style: Pale Ale

Tasting notes: Ditto as previous review.

Rating: 4 glasses

Widmer Hefeweizen

Beer: Hefeweizen

Brewer: Widmer

Style: American Pale Wheat Ale

Tasting notes: (0909) A bottle w/ chicken, slaw, and tomatoes. Pleasant. May rate 2 glasses.

Rating: 3 glasses

Racer 5

Beer: Racer 5 IPA

Brewer: Bear Republic

Style: IPA

Tasting notes: (0909) A bomber @ Acacia. A wonderful IPA. Floral nose and nice bitter bite at finish. (0608) A pint at CAH. Hops is king here. Pine and grapefruit.

Top 100: 29 December 2005 but not 10 March 2007 or 26 September 2009.

Rating: 5 glasses

Bigfoot

Beer: Bigfoot Barleywine Style Ale

Brewer: Sierra Nevada

Style: Barleywine

Tasting notes: (0908) 1.5 year-old bottle. Delightful. Malty and mellow at first sips. Then piney bitter hop bite which was almost over the top emerged. Ages wonderfully. Click here to read an earlier review.

Top 100: 29 December 2005 but not 10 March 2007 or 26 September 2009.

Rating: 7 glasses

Red Seal Ale

Beer: Red Seal Ale

Brewer: North Coast

Style: Pale Ale

Tasting notes: (0908) A bottle as a Bday gift. Nicely balanced red ale. Close call but downgraded to 4 glasses. (0803) Another bottle @ Avalon. Nice, malty, easy drinking pale ale. Upgraded from 4. (0612) As bottle warms pine begins to dominate. (0608) A bottle at Avalon. A nice balance of malt and hops.

Note: BeerAdvocate now classifies the beer as a Red Ale.

Rating: 4 glasses

Pinhead

Beer: Flemish Primative Wild Ale (Pinhead)

Brewer: De Proef

Style: Belgian Stong Pale Ale

Tasting notes: (0908) Sweet mangos followed by sour brett bite and dry end. Complex but didn't quite come together for me.

Rating: 4 glasses

Abt 12

Beer: Abt 12 Brewer: St. Bernardus Style: Quadruple Tasting notes: (1103) A deep complex beer w/ fruit and yeast notes. Uograded from 5 glasses. (0908) Shared bottel w/ GS. Apples, borown sugar, wheat. w/ a spicy bite. Complex and way too easy to drink. Each sip called for more. Click here to read an earlier review. Top 100: 29 December 2005, 10 March 2007, 22 January 2009, and 25 September 2009. Previous ratings: 5, 6, then 5 glasses Rating: 5 glasses

Chocolate Stout

Beer: Chocolate Stout

Brewer: Rogue

Style: Stout

Tasting notes: (1010) On draft @ World Market. Chocolate milkshake. Sweeter than I remembered. Went great w/ chocolate gananche pie. (0908) Shared bottle w/ GS. CHOCOLATE! Dark bitter chocolate taste predominates (0706) Downgraded to 5 glasses in new rating based on Shakespeare. (0601) Yummy. Chocolate taste with rich smokey flavor. Enough edge to sip but smooth enough to gulp.

Top 100: 29 December 2005, 10 March 2007, and 25 September 2009.

Previous ratings: 6 glasses

Rating: 5 glasses

Oak Barrel Stout

Beer: Oak Barrel Stout
Brewer: Old Dominion
Style: Stout
Tasting notes: (0908) A bottle @ Avalon.Thin w/ an odd off sour taste. May have been a bad bottle. My recollection for a bottle years ago @ CAH as being a thin, OK, w/ a sweet vanilla oaky flavor.
Rating: 1 glass

Mothership Wit

Beer: Mothership Wit

Brewer: New Belgium

Style: Witbier

Tasting notes: (0908) Shared bottle w/ GS. Lemony flavor up front followed by sour bite come from orange rind spice. Light, flavorful, and pleasant.

Rating: 4 glasses

Goose Island 312 Urban Wheat Ale

Beer: 312 Urban Wheat Ale

Brewer: Goose Island

Style: American Pale Wheat Ale

Tasting notes: (0908) Lemony wheat ale. Easy drinking. May rate 3 glasses.

Rating: 2 glasses

Floreffe Prima Melior

Beer: Prima Melior

Brewer: Floreffe

Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale

Tasting notes: (0908) Pleasant, interesting, but not complex. Anise gives it a nice bite. Downgraded from 5 glasses. (0711) Pleasant and interesting. Sweet malt w/ fruit when cold. As it warms (better) the anise and spices come forward, sweet up front with a licorice sour/spicy bite at end.

Rating: 4 glasses

Belhaven Twisted Thistle IPA

Beer: Twisted Thistle IPA

Brewer: Belhaven

Style: IPA

Tasting notes: (0908) A b-day gift from MT. A nice subdued English IPA w/ citrus, and pine notes. A hint of thistle, smoke, and peat. May rate 5 glasses.

Rating: 4 glasses

Duvel

Beer: Duvel

Brewer: Duvel

Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale

Tasting notes: (1308) This has become one of my favorite beers. Upgraded from 6 glasses. (0908) A complex beer and a beautiful pour. Dry, fruity, a touch of funk and spice. A great introduction to the world of Belgian beer. (0809) Wonderful. (0806) 2nd of the 4. Wonderful, sour, and funky. Great w/ lemon chicken, saltines, and brie. Upgraded from 5 glasses. (0806) 1st of a 4-pack. Light funk w/ a touch of sweet apple up front and peppery hops at finish. Massive head. May rate 6 glasses. (0710) A bottle @ Mary Lou's. Light funk. Very nice. Massive head. (0602) 12 oz. bottle at Millie's. Light and lots of funk. At first taste I wondered if the beer had soured. Good with subtle foods. A pretty pour. Lots of long lasting head and bubbles in glass. Fantastic lacing that lasted well after the glass was empty. (????) Unimpressed with first bottle. Rating = 2 glasses.

Notes: Recognized as one of the world's great beers and a classic example of Belgian Strong Pale Ale.

Top 100: 29 December 2005, 10 March 2007, and 1 September 2009.

Rating: 7 glasses

North Coast ACME California IPA

Beer: ACME California IPA

Brewer: North Coast

Style: IPA

Tasting notes: (0908) A solid and pleasant IPA. More good stuff from North Coast.

Rating: 4 glasses