Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier

Beer: Hefeweissbier

Brewer: Weihenstephaner

Style: Hefeweizen

Tasting notes: (0908) Cloves and banana. Light and flavorful. Wonderful. Click here for previous review.

Top 100: 29 December 2005, 10 March 2007, 8 February 2009 and 2 August 2009.

Rating: 7 glasses

Rogue Shakespeare Stout

Beer: Shakespeare Stout

Brewer: Rogue

Style: Stout

Tasting notes: (0908) Shared bottle w/ Knapps. Yummy, Chocolate and coffee and hops bite. Complex, balanced, tasty, sippable and gulpable. Upgraded from 6 glasses and would like to compare w/ Siberian night. (0702) A bottle at Williams. Very nice. Downgraded to 6/8 after having Bell's Expedition. (0610) Shared a bomber with Valeries. Wonderfully complex and balanced. Present but not overbearing burnt charcoal blends to dark malt with chocolate and coffee and a touch of caramel and then melts to mild hop bitterness.Good to sip and fine to drink.

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

Rating: 7 glasses

Sierra Nevada Kellerweis

Beer: Kellerweis

Brewer: Sierra Nevada

Style: Hefeweizen

Tasting notes: (0907) 3 bottles from a 6-pack. Interesting, easy drinking and complex but somehow misses my mark. Fruity, lemony, sweet apples, banana, breath of clove, and spicy. Could pass for a triple or belgian-style blond ale. A tiche heavy and sweet for a hefeweizen. May rate 2 glasses.

Comment: The brewer has recently added Kellerweis to its year-round lineup.

Rating: 3 glasses

Starr Hill Northern Lights

Beer: Northern Lights

Brewer: Starr Hill

Style: IPA

Tasting notes: (0907) On draft @ Joe's Inn. OK. May rate 3 glasses. My memory is fuzzy.

Comment: May not have been fresh. The brewer's web page says that the beer is sold Jan-April.

Rating: 2 glasses

"Finest Kind" IPA

Beer: "Finest Kind" IPA

Brewer: Smuttynose

Style: IPA

Tasting notes: (1003) Beautiful lacing. (0907) 2 from a six best by 0911. Wonderful. A perfect blend and amount of hops. Nice bite but not overpowering, some flowers, some citrus, and some pine, especially at the finish. (0809): 1st of a 6 pack. Lots of piney hops.It has "flava". (0807) Continues to impress. (0802) Last of the 6. It continues to hit the spot. Dry, hoppy, w/ the perfect bite. (0801) Upgraded from 6.glasses. (0801) Just enough hops. Flavorful AND easy to drink. Goes great w/ a wide variety of food. What more would you want? (0801) Not as much hop bite as I remembered but still very nice. (0708) 1st 2/6. Still my fav IPA. Nice mix of floral, bitter, and piney hops. Loooong bitter finish. (0609) Pineier than I remembered but still GREAT. Nice bite: a little rough, but not harsh. (0604) 8 oz. in South Winds, on tap. Confirmed this as my favorite IPA. Lots of hops but not harsh. (????) Do you like hops?

Comments: "Finest Kind" has become and remains my favorite IPA and one of my favorite beers. Click here for an earlier description.

Top 100: 29 December 2005. (Not on10 March 2007, 8 February 2009 or 12 July 2009.)

Rating: 7 glasses

Stone 13th Anniversary

Beer: 13th Anniversary

Brewer: Stone

Style: Strong Ale

Tasting notes: (0907) A well-made hop-delivery vehicle. Hops is the entrée, not a spice. Lots of flowers and deep orange and pine.

Comments: This is a darker malt version of a double IPA.

Rating: 4 glasses

Westmalle Tripel

Beer: Tripel

Brewer: Westmalle

Style: Tripel

Tasting notes: (0907) Not what I remembered. Spicy, phenolic, and lemon zest. Apple emerged as beer warmed. Downgraded from 6 glasses. (0712) A 1 wk old review and I have forgotten some details. My favorite triple to date. White raisins, a touch of banana, w/ spices and light hops. As it warms pear (and apple?) flavors emerge. Ed wants more.

Comments: This brewery is one of only only seven that may carry the name “Trappist". Also, the monastery's web page states that the .75l bottle matures differently than the .33l. My first bottle was .75l. The second was .33l. I need to investigate further.

Top 100: 29 December 2005 (not 10 March 2007 or 12 July 2009).

Rating: 5 glasses

Prior 8

Beer: Prior 8 Brewer: St. Bernardus Style: Dubbel Tasting notes: (0907) Wonderful: root beer, complex, quaffable, nice deep bite at end. A great beer. Went gr8 w/ flank steak. May rate 7 glasses. Top 100: 29 December 2005 (not 10 March 2007 or 12 July 2009). Rating: 6 glasses

Vitus

Beer: Vitus

Brewer: Weihenstephaner

Style: Weizenbock

Tasting notes: (0906) A bottle @ Mekong. Thicker, sweeter version of a hefe, with a touch of cloves and banana. Downgraded from 5 glasses. Previous review.

Rating: 4 glasses

Oerbier Reserva

Beer: Oerbier Reserva

Brewer: de Dolle

Style: Flanders Bruin

Tasting notes: (0906) Apple, brown sugar, vinegar, tart, oak, a tiche of smoke, lingering mix of tart and mild hop bite.

Comment: It was a gift from KT from 2005. May rate 7 glasses with a second bottle.

Rating: 6 glasses

Hoegaarden Original White Ale

Beer: Original White Ale

Brewer: Hoegaarden

Style: Witbier

Tasting notes: (1008) Another glass @ Joe's. Upgraded from 4 glasses. (1008) A light summer delight. Thought about 5 glasses. (1007) On draft @ Joe's Ins. Light and refreshing w/ a little fruitiness, a little clove, and a little coriander. Upgraded from 3 glasses. (0907) A 6-pack from Chincoteague. Nice but no clove. Downgraded from 4 glasses. Previous review.

Comment: Previous ratings were 3, 4, 3, and 4.

Rating: 4 glasses

Green Flash Imperial IPA

Beer: Imperial IPA Brewer: Green Flash Style: Double IPA Tasting notes: (0906) Nice dose of hops with malt to balance. (0701) Hops like grapefruit rind. One bottle lasted 4 hours. Rating: 4 glasses

Koningshoeven Tripel

Beer: Tripel

Brewer: Koningshoeven

Style: Tripel

Tasting notes: (0906) Apple juice syrup w/ some spices. Missed my mark.

Comments: This brewery is called La Trappe outside of the US and Canada. It is one of only only seven that may carry the name “Trappist”. The other six are: Achel, Chimay, Orval, Rochefort, Westvleteren, and Westmalle. La Trappe is the only one in Netherlands. The other six are in Belgium.

Rating: 3 glasses

Ommegang Abbey Ale

Beer: Abbey Ale

Brewer: Ommegang

Style: Dubbel

Tasting notes: (0906) A bottle from 0809. Ditto and delicious. (0906) Bottle @ Belga Cafe. Complex. Flashes of wheat, chocolate, burgundy, sour and funk. Great w/ venison. (0805) Split 750 w/ Oleg. Delightful, complex taste. A flash of brown sugar followed by a dry, sour bite with hints of funk and Burgundy wine. Upgraded from 4 glasses. (0610): 12 oz. at Avalon. Complex taste. Cinnamon? Burgundy wine? Well crafted but I tired of it at end. (I was being rushed.) (????) Had one bottle long before writing this review. My memory my be off but my recollection is that I thought it was quite tasty. However, I was not inspired to buy another. Perhaps Hennepin eclipsed it.

Comments: (0802): BeerAdvocate changed style from Belgian Strong Dark Ale. I think that dubbel is correct.

Rating: 6 glasses

Full Nelson

Beer: Full Nelson

Brewer: Blue Mountain

Style: Pale Ale

Tasting notes: (1012) On draft @ Joe's Inn. A wonderful pale ale, Crisp hops w/ nice malt balance. Better than SNPA. Upgraded from 3 glasses to 5! (0905) On draft @ brewery. Made w/ hops grown @ the brewery. A nice pale ale. May rate 4 glasses.

Comment: The brewery is located in or near Nelson County in VA.

Previous rating: 3 glasses

Rating: 5 glasses

Millennium

Beer: Millenium

Brewer: Old Dominion

Style: English Barleywine

Tasting notes: (0906) A 2-year-old bottle. What was I drinking last time. This bottle was pollen, honey, malt, and English bittering hops. Was thinking about 6 glasses. Previous review.

Comments: Millennium was (and may still be) a spring seasonal release that used VA honey. AB acquired 49-51% of the firm 2 years ago and may have altered the release schedule, beer menu, or recipes. The production has moved from Ashburn, VA to Dover, Delaware.

Rating: 5 glasses

Rockfish Wheat

Beer: Rockfish Wheat

Brewer: Blue Mountain

Style: Kristalweizen

Tasting notes: (0905) On draft @ the brewery. An excellent representative of the style - banana and clove are present without being overpowering. May rate 4 glasses but gets a boost for being so true to style.

Comment: I drank this beer as part of a visit to the brewery. Jose and I stayed in Waynesboro on a bike trip. Rockfish is what Virginia's call Striped Bass. They are prized catch in the Chesapeake Bay. The brewer left a little yeast in the brew, giving the beer a slight haze, unlike traditional kristalweizen that is clear. I think that the brewery brews the best beer in VA.

Rating: 5 glasses

Original White Ale

Beer: Original White Ale

Brewer: Hoegaarden

Style: Witbier

Tasting notes: (0906) On draft @ Belga Café. More clove than I remembered. (0905) On Draft @ Mellow Mushroom in C-ville. Ditto and better than I remembered. Upgraded from 3 glasses. (0602) Subdued, light, citrousy and refreshing with a touch of coriander

Rating: 4 glasses

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: Bells

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 Bells summer seasonal. Jose tells me that its release is greatly anticipated by UM students.

Rating: 4 glasses