Weihenstephaner Pilsner

Brewer's Notes: Known as "Pilsner" in the USA.
Golden-yellow and bright, with 32 bitter units and quite hoppy compared to most of the other Pilsners our Weihenstephaner Pilsner comes up with a distinctive aroma of hops with a pleasant bitterness. This combination provides a balanced mix and guarantees great enjoyment. Brewed according to our centuries-old brewing tradition on the Weihenstephan hill.

29 Oct. 2020
Pilsner is a fine example of German pilsner. The taste is grainy and grassy, a tiche musty, and has a decent bite from what I think are Noble hops. My bottle was bottled about 6 months ago. I suspect that a fresh bottle would be crisper and have a better hop profile.

Beeradvocate

Rating = 4 glasses

Smuttynose Robust Porter

Brewer's Notes: This hearty, mahogany colored ale is brewed to evoke the dark, full-bodied ales that were a favorite of dockworkers and warehousemen (hence the name “Porter”) in 19th century London. It is a good bet that when Dickens’ Mr. Pickwick sat down for a pint, we would have been drinking an ale much like our Robust Porter.This is a smooth and very drinkable beer, characterized by its well-balanced malt and hops, plus subtle notes of coffee and chocolate.

29 Oct. 2020
Robust Porter is a fine beer. It delivers a strong dose of chocolate and smoke but doesn't go crazy. Probably too simple to rate 6 glasses. It will be a regular in my rotation.

I feared that the beer would not be as good as I remembered. Smuttynose declared bankruptcy a while ago and distribution in VA stopped for a while. The only difference I noticed is that the brewery is using cans now instead of glass bottles for Finest Kind and Robust Porter. I view the change as a feature, not a flaw.

Beeradvocate classifies it as a Robust Porter. In this classification a Robust Porter is between Brown Porter and Stout.

Rating = 5 glasses

(1005)
Last of the 6. Upgraded from 4 to 5 glasses after following it with Stockyard Oatmeal Stout. 

Rating = 5 glasses

(1003) Flavorful, easy drinking, and nice smokey bite at finish. A dry Irish stout? May rate 5 glasses. 

Rating= 4 glasses

Blue Mountain Dark Hollow

Brewer's Notes: Bourbon Barrel Aged Stout. Dark Hollow blends the miracle of two crafts--brewing and distillation--to create a work greater than the sum of its parts. An Imperial Stout has been aged in charred American oak bourbon barrels still dripping with uncut whiskey. For 100 days the young beer patiently breathes in and out of the wood, gaining complexity, character, and serious attitude.

I was looking forward to revisiting Dark Hallow after having Concealed Darkness. I came away slightly disappointed.  The beer is a titch thinner than I expected. It falls between Stout and Imperial Stout. Also, the bourbon is sightly more prominent than I prefer.

Beeradvocate

Rating: 4 glasses

25 Sept. 2020

Dark Hollow Imperial Stout is a delightful bourbon-barrel aged Imperial Stout. The bourbon is light. The base is a nice balance of sweet dark malts and hop bitterness.

FYI: Blue Mountain changed the name from Artisanal Ale to Imperial Stout.

Rating = (at least) 4 glasses.

13 Oct. 2013

Rating = 4 glasses

Hardywood Kentucky Christmas Morning

18 Oct. 2020
A bottle from 2018. I drank it after drinking a crowler of Concealed Darkness. (I had help.) Kentucky Christmas Morning is way sweeter and bourbony that Concealed Darkness. It is a BIG beer with Big flavors but I am downgrading the rating.

Rating = 6 glasses 

25 Dec. 2019

Kentucky Christmas Morning is Christmas Morning aged in bourbon barrels. The bourbon flavor is subdued and adds more complexity and some sweetness. 

Rating = 7 glasses.

Blue Mountain Concealed Darkness

Concealed Darkness is an Imperial version of Dark Hallow, already classified as an Imperial Stout. It is a fantastic beer. It pours black with a dark brown head. It is Big AND Smooth, too easy to drink. Flavors include bourbon, chocolate, oak, char, and caramel, but all or muted and blended. It finishes with a wonderful charred bite at the finish. I don't know if the bite at finish is from hops, chocolate malt, bourbon,or all three. Yummy. It replaces Hardywood Kentucky Christmas on my list of beers rating 7 glasses. It came from a crowler sold by Corks and Kegs as part of an anniversary celebration. I look forward to drinking my second and last crowler in my cellar

Beer Advocate. 

Rating= 7 glasses.

Birds Fly South Brand New Eyes

Brand New Eyes is "table saison blended with Red Wine Puncheons starting in 2016." Yeasty with sniffs of lemon and musty red wine.Interesting but not great3

Beeradvocate

Rating = 3 glasses.

Rare Barrel Map of the Sun

Map of the Sun is a "Golden sour beer aged in oak barrels with apricots." The description is spot on, some lemon tartness and apricot. I described the apricot as mango as I was drinking it. Came from a crowler sold by Corks and Kegs as part of an anniversary celebration. The beer is wonderfully crafted but fall prey to my adage. "I don't like fruit in my beer except when I do."

Beeradvocate

Rating: = 4 glasses

3 Floyds Zombie Dust

10 Oct. 2020
Still yummy but I am downgrading the rating to 5 glasses. I prefer Alpha King's sweetness.

Rating = 5 glasses.

07 Sept. 2020
Zombie Dust is a wonderful example of American pale ale: nicely balanced but not sweet, with loads of pleasant hop flavor and bitterness. Yummy.  

Currently ranked #1 American pale ale on BeerAdvocate and #35 overall. 

Rating = 6 glasses.

3 Floyds Alpha King

 

08 Oct. 2020

I am revising the rating.

Rating = 6 glasses.

13 Sept. 2020

Alpha King is a fantastic pale ale. It balances malty sweetness with subtle hop bite to create a flavorful, complex beer that is good enough to savor but begs to be gulped. It is more English (sweet and balanced) than American (hop-forward). It paired wonderfully with a Tex-Mex carnita burrito covered in enchilada sauce.

Rating = 5 glasses. I need to try another Zombie Dust to decide whether the best rating is 5 or 6.

Samuel Smith Taddy Porter

Taddy Porter is THE English Porter. I may revise after drinking another one from Fullers. Understated bitterness and charcoal. Perfect for a block of cheese and 1 hour in a pub.

BeerAdvocate

Rating = 5 glasses.

Hardywood The Great Return

The Great Return is Hardywood's take on a West Coast IPA. I like it. It combines a nice bitterness from a big dose of hops and a sweet malt backbone. Previously, I rated it as my favorite Double IPA. The correct category is IPA. I am downgrading the rating from 6 glasses. 

BeerAdvocate

Rating = 5 glasses.

The name, Great Return, alludes to the return of Atlantic Sturgeon to the James River in Richmond.

Stone Old Guardian 2010

I cracked open my second growler of Old Guardian 2010 last weekend. The beer is now 10 years old and spent the last year and change in a crowler in my refrigerator. The beer is not what I remembered. The sweet malt had faded. A nice chocolate taste had emerged and the hops were kicking. malt. I don't know if the result is simply part of the aging process or being the crowler too long. Folks on Beer Advocate warned me that crowlers are NOT generally suitable for long-term storage. 

I would not rate what I had as 7 glasses but am leaving the original rating alone.

20 Aug. 2019
This vintage American barleywine was on tap @ Stone. It is yummy. It has aged wonderfully. - way better than the Big Foots in my "cellar". Loads of sweet malt with backbone of muted hops. Don't tell my wife; but, I bought two crowlers. The opportunity may never come again: Stone quit brewing Old Guardian circa 2015.

Rating = 7 glasses.