Breakfast Stout

Brewer: Founders

Style: Imperial Stout

Beer Advocate: The coffee lover’s consummate beer. Brewed with an abundance of flaked oats, bitter and imported chocolates, and Sumatra and Kona coffee, this stout has an intense fresh-roasted java nose topped with a frothy, cinnamon-colored head that goes forever.

Tasting notes: 

2511: On draft at The Alley Light. A big stout with too much coffee for me. Rating = 4 glasses is perfect.

1010: A 1 yr. 1 mn. old bottle. Coffee is muting. (1002) A 4 mn old bottle. Well made stout. More coffee than I prefer and the coffee comes forward as the beer warms. (0910) Coffee! The flavor is growing on me. Upgraded from 3 and though about 5. Click here for a previous review.

Top 100: 29 December 2005, 10 March 2007, 20 December 2008, and 04 November 2009.

Rating: 4 glasses

Stone Ruination

Brewer: Stone 

Style: Double IPA 

Tasting notes

2208: Super bitter. Upgraded to 6 glasses.

2208: A nicely balanced bitter double IPA. Upgrading the rating from 4 to 5.5. Thought about 6 glasses but think Dreadnaught is a titch better.

1006: Ditto although the grapefruit was not as pronounced as I remember. 

0706: Moved to 4 in new rating. 

0602: Floral, hoppy nose. Plenty of hops taste but milder than I expected (or advertized on the bottle). Strong grapefruit aftertaste. Would be fun to share with a hop head, although my recollection is that Bear Republic Racer X would be a better choice. 

Top 100: 29 December 2005, 10 March 2007, and 14 August 2010. 

Rating: 5.5 glasses

Tripel Reserve

Brewer: Allagash

Style: Tripel

Tasting notes: (1012) A bottle @ LeMaire. Fruity, spicy, with a tiche of dry funk. Complex. Upgraded from 4 glasses and thought about 6. (1008) Fruity and nice w/ a touch of triple sour dryness. 0705: Dry, sour, grapefruit hops, with hints of lemon and citrus.. Downgraded from 5/8. ???: My first Belgian style ale and still one of my favorites. Fruity and nice. You spend half the bottle trying to identify the flavors and then the 9.0% ABV hits you.

Top 100: 29 December 2005

Previous ratings: 5, then 4 glasses

Rating: 5 glasses

Northern Hemisphere Harvest Ale

Brewer: Sierra Nevada

Style: Pale Ale

Tasting notes: (1010) Slight sweetness up front followed by wonderful bite - a tiche of resin and a tiche of pine. (0811) Another fine bottle. Nothing too strong: tamer than the description that follows. (0810) Sweet malt w/ resiny musty hops. Very nice. (0710) A 24 oz. bottle. Resiny, musty hops. May rate a 5, but it is the best example of American Pale Ale. My tastes have changed. Upgraded from a 1. (????) Well crafted but too much pine

Comment: This is a seasonal release (Fall) that uses fresh hops. Sierra Nevade trys to use them the day that they are picked.

Top 100: 29 December 2005

Previous ratings: 1 glass

Rating: 6 glasses

Unearthly

Brewer: Southern Tier

Style: Double IPA

Tasting notes: (1010) On draft @ Mekong. May rate 5 glasses. (0803) Hoppy w/ enough malt to balance

Top 100: 10 March 2007.

Rating: 4 glasses

Porter

Brewer: Sinebrychoff

Style: Baltic Porter

Tasting notes: (1009) A dry stout? May rate 4 glasses. (0606) Wonderful raisan and prune nose and taste. A finish something like Sam Smith Impy Stout.

Top 100: 29 December 2005 and 10 March 2007. (Not 02 January 2011.)

Rating: 5 glasses

Oude Geuze

Brewer: Drie Fonteine

Style: Gueze

Tasting notes: (1008) A 2 yr 7 mn old bottle. Tartness is muted by oak. Hints of apple and grapefruit. Complex and quaffable. (0803) Not as tart as Girardin. More apple and smokey oak. Complex and quaffable. Upgraded from 4. (0712) Grapefruit cider. Vineous and refreshing.

Top 100: 10 March 2007 but not 29 December 2005 or 14 August 2010.

Rating: 6 glasses

90 Minute IPA

Brewer: Dogfish Head

Style: Double IPA

Tasting notes: (1007) On drart @ Joe's Inn. Citrous and pine and malt and complex and balanced. Upgraded from 5 glasses. (0711) A glass @ CAH. Very nice. Good hops balanced by sweet malt. Still thinking about a rating of 6. (0609) One bottle. A great beer. Complex and balanced. At first I noticed smooth citrous hops with nice malt backbone. It had a lemon flavor at the end of a taste. As it warmed, the malts came forward and it remined me of an English Barleywine. May rate a 6/8. I wonder if it "aged" sitting in my refrig for a while.

Top 100: 29 December 2005, 10 March 2007, and 14 August 2010.

Rating: 6 glasses

Kentucky Breakfast Stout

Brewer: Founders

Style: Imperial Stout

Tasting notes: (1012) 2nd of the 4-pack. Big sweet bourbony malt w/ touch of vanilla. Not my cup of tea and disjointed. Downgraded from 4 glasses. (1006) 1st of a 4-pack. Release was delayed in VA for label approval. A ton going on. An odd effervesent tanginess up front, chocolate, coffee, and sweet vanilla w/ a hint of bourbon. Almost quaffable. I can see why it is rated so high but am not sure if this is my cup of tea or if everything comes together well. I was also put off by the odd tanginess - it reminded me of the sensation generated by eating fruit that has started to "turn" from a salad bar. It may also need time to "stew". I'll try another bottle in the winter.

Top 100: 01 March 2007 and 13 June 2010. (But not 29 December 2005. I don't think it existed then.)

Previous ratings: 4 glasses

Rating: 3 glasses

Arrogant Bastard

Brewer: Stone

Style: Strong Ale

Tasting notes: (1005) On draft @ Joe's Inn. Still rough but much more mellow than I remember. Sort of like drinking cracked barley. Upgraded from 2. 0706: Moved to 2 in new rating. 602: Loads of flavor. Sort of a Barleywine with a rough taste with more hops and a bitter end taste. I much prefer SNBFBW.

Top 100: 29 December 2005. (Neither March 2007, 2009 or June 09, 2010.)

Rating: 4 glasses

10

Brewer: Trappistes Rochefort

Style: Quadruple

Tasting notes: (1002) A 1 mn 4 mn old bottle. Complex and quaffable. Luxuriant mouthfeel. Wonderfully balanced.

Previous review.

Top 100: 29 December 2005, 10 March 2007, and 5 March 2009.

Rating: 7 glasses.

Siberian Night

Brewer: Thirsty Dog

Style: Imperial Stout

Tasting notes: (1003) A 1 yr. 11. mn old bottle. Bittersweet chocolate w/ a hint of soy. May be better fresh. (1002) A 1 yr 10 mn old bottle. A disappointment. A tiche of soy, some sour, some bitter chocolate. Downgraded from 7 glasses. This serving would rate at most 4 glasses but I dropped the rating to 5 based on previous tastings. Click here for previous review.

Top 100: 29 December 2005 and 10 March 2007. (Not 10 April 2009.)

Rating: 5 glasses

Shakespeare Stout

Brewer: Rogue

Style: Stout

Tasting notes: (1001) Ditto. as previous review. Nice smokey bite at end.

Comments: Downgraded from 6 glasses; it doesn't seem as "full" or "thick" as I remember it.

Top 100: 29 December 2005 and 10 March 2007. (Not on 3 August 2009.)

Rating: 5 glasses.

Bigfoot Barleywine-Style Ale

Brewer: Sierra Nevada

Style: Barleywine

Tasting notes: (1103) A fresh, 2011, bottle. Malty and long bitter finish. Hops were strong but not overpowering. The sensation of biting into a grapefruit with lots of pith emerged as I drank the beer. (1101) A 2010 bottles about 1 year ago. Yummy caramel and honey and subdued bitterness and long bitter aftertaste. (1101) A 2006 bottle cellared almost 5 years. Marvelous sweet barley malt followed by pungent yet restrained piney hop bite. A tiche of chocolate in the malt? Is the chocolate sherry? Best beer ever? (1003) My favorite beer? (1003) A fresh 2010 bottle. What's for dessert? (1001) A fresh 2010 bottle. Smoother than I remember w/ a bite that grows. Fantastic. (1001) A 2006 bottle cellared for almost 4 years. Marvelous sweet barley malt followed by pungent yet restrained piney hop bite. A tiche of chocolate in the malt? Previous Review.

Comment: The beer is getting better and better with age.

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

Rating: 7 glasses

Saison - Brett

Brewer: Boulevard

Style: Saison

Tasting notes: (1308) Nice with a touch of bret. A glass on draft @ Mekong. Downgraded from 6 glasses. (1101) Mellowed over the year. A wonderful quaffable saison w/ a touch of pineapple. May rate 5 glasses. (1001) Ginger ale and pineapple. Sweet up front and w/ slight citrus bite at end. Quaffable.

Top 100: 9 January 2010. Not available 29 December 2005 or 10 March 2007.

Rating: 5 glasses

World Wide Stout

Brewer: Dogfish Head

Style: Imperial Stout

Tasting notes: (0912) Prunes cooked in soy sauce. Interesting in a freak-show kind of way.

Top 100: 29 December 2005 but not 10 March 2007.

Rating: 1 glass

Vintage Ale

Brewer: Fullers

Style: Old Ale

Tasting notes: (0912) A 5-yr old bottle dated 2004. A luscious and subdued blend of spice, malt, and lactic acid. May rate 7 glasses.

Top 100: 29 December 2005 but not 10 March 2007.

Rating: 6 glasses

Peche Mortel

Brewer: Brasserie Dieu du Ciel

Style: Imperial Stout

Tasting notes: (0912) Sweet coffee w/ a dash of vanilla. Easy drinking.

Comments: Brewed w/ coffee. Peche Mortel = mortal sin.

Top 100: 29 December 2005, 10 March 2007, and 26 December 2009.

Rating: 5 glasses

Ten FIDY

Brewer: Oskar Blues

Style: Imperial Stout

Tasting notes: (1102) A fresh bottle shiiped from the brewer. A great example of th style. Viscous, dark, chocolate and cofffee flavors, a battle between sweekt, bitter, and astringent, w/ hops lurking in background. Thoufht about a downgrade to 5 glasses. MAY be better w/ age. (0911) A 1.5-yr. old can. Delightful. Viscous pour. Dark chocolate w/ a perfect amount of bitterness. No sourness. Upgraded from 5 glasses. Previous review.

Top 100: 15 December 2009 and 03 May 2009 but neither 29 December 2005 nor 10 March 2007.

Rating: 6 glasses

Shakespeare Stout

Beer: Shakespeare Stout

Brewer: Rogue

Style: Stout

Tasting notes: (0909) Coffee, chocolate, and hops. A little thin. Downgraded from 7 glasses w/ misgivings but was comparing it with Old Ruffian and Hanssens Oude Gueuze that I had also had that weekend. Click here for a previous review.

Top 100: 29 December 2005 and 10 March 2007. (Not on 3 August 2009.)

Rating: 6 glasses.