Flying Dog Raging Bitch: Review

Belgian-Style India Pale Ale

Flying Dog Brewery

Frederick, Maryland, USA

flyingdogbrewery.com

8.3% abv

60 IBU

12 oz bottle

I was in a party store the other day and I was thinking about my wife and I ended up with this beer in my hand – coincidence?

Appearance: amber body with a nice one maybe two finger white head that leaves some lacing on the glass.  On my second glass I poured an easy two finger head.

Aroma: nice hoppy nose, grapefruit skin, little caramel in the mix,

Flavors: oh I like this one from the first sip.  Some good pine notes hit the palate with a little white grapefruit bitterness.  Then, the caramel, lightly toasted grains, and fruit mix it up for one interesting IPA.  The fruit reminds me of golden raisin and a touch of peach and maybe a hint of mango. 

Mouthfeel: fine fizzy carbonation, smooth on the delivery and then the bitterness hits the mid and finish, firm and dry aftertaste – pine and earthy yeast,

To the Point: damn this is one nice ale.  I will be keeping this Raging Bitch around too!  This is worthy of a six pack purchase.  If you don’t like it send me the other five.      

Warka Original Recipe: Review

Warka Brewery

Zywiec, Poland

5.7% abv

11.2oz bottle

I have had these lagers and pilsner for a couple of months and never got a chance to review them.  So, let’s get these out of the fridge. 

Appearance: golden lager with a thin white head that leaves nothing on the glass (no lacing)

Aroma: very light lager bouquet, non-descript sweet malts with … uh, nothing much else going on here, okay I notice a hint of hops as the lager warms up a tad

Flavors: crisp, clean, sweet malty style, must have some mild hops to help balance the malts

Mouthfeel: crisp, clean, smooth, clean, low carbonation, clean, watery and clean

To the Point: nothing special here, Bud drinkers would think this is the best beer in the world.  Save the money and skip this one.  On the positive side this would be good with food for it should not interfere with any flavors.

Dominion Lager: Review

Dormunder Lager

Old Dominion Brewing

Dover, Delaware, USA

5.3% abv

12oz bottle

I am trying to finish up some of these lagers and pilsners that I bought during the summer and never got a chance to review them.  This is a nice break from the Oktoberfest beers that I have been drinking lately. 

Appearance: golden orange body with a nice two finger white head that leaves some solid lacing on the pilsner glass.

Aroma: biscuit like, grains, earthy slightly grassy hops, light overall

Flavors: tasty grains, earthy yeast, light herbal hops

Mouthfeel: crisp, smooth, low to moderate carbonation, not much of an aftertaste, okay it is dry, a nice Dortmunder Style Lager,

To the Point: seems to be true to its style, it is tasty, I am not running out to buy more but I would buy again for something different in the lager category 

Mt. Pleasant Oktoberfest Lager: Review

Mt. Pleasant Brewing Company

Mt. Pleasant, Michigan, USA

Mtpleasantbrew.com

12oz bottle

$12.99 a six pack

6% abv

A little pricey for an Oktoberfest. 

Appearance: dusty, hazy amber pumpkin body with a thin eggshell colored head and not much on the lacing front.  Make sure to get the sediment off the bottom of the bottle. 

Aroma: sturdy malt profile with a grassy and slightly herbal like hop note,

Flavors: earthy malts, yeasts, and hops.  Sweet bread like malts, lightly toasted grains, and a hint of grassy hop bitterness on the finish. 

Mouthfeel: moderate-fine carbonation, earthy feel, sweet without being overly sweet, light hop bitterness on the finish, lingering earthy grains

To the Point: a nice Oktoberfest.  I liked the earthy style of this lager.  I drank the other five bottles last week and enjoyed each one.  It was a good change from some of the other Oktoberfest beers which have that Oktoberfest spicy (brown spice) style. 

I would buy this again.  Now, factor in the price.  I might buy this again … well … probably not.  For 13 bucks a six pack – it is not that special.  $8.00 a six pack and it would be a regular fall staple in the beer fridge.  

Klisch Pilsner: Review

Lakefront Brewing, Inc

Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA

Lakefrontbrewery.com

Style: Czech Pilsner

5.4% abv

12oz bottle

Appearance: shiny golden body with a two finger white head that leaves some nice lacing on the pilsner glass.  

Aroma: typical white bread, very light grassy hops, hint of golden raisin

Flavors: bready, light fruitiness that reminds me of white grapes and golden raisin, sweet malts, golden grains, a light dusting of grassy hops

Mouthfeel: on the sweet side of town – on the delivery and through the finish, smooth pilsner like feel, low carbonation, light grassy hop like note on the aftertaste that gives this beer a very mild bitter note; maybe mild-medium body or maybe just mild

To the Point:  a tasty pilsner, better than your average pilsner, I would like to try this one again.

Biere du Boucanier Red Ale

Br. Van Steenberge

Belgium

7% abv

11.2oz bottle

$3.99 a bottle – Lager Mill

Globalbeer.com

Appearance: amber body with a nice two finger white foamy head

Aroma: sweet malts, summer fruits, bready, Belgian yeast, light hops

Flavors: sweet candied fruits, earthy yeast, grassy hops, lightly spiced … might be the alcohol coming through

Mouthfeel: smooth, semi-creamy texture, sweet up-front, grassy hops show on mid and finish with a little spice adding some interest, dry finish like an Amber ale

To the Point: it has been a few years since I have had this beer and I really enjoy it.  I wish they (global beer and distributor) tried marketing this more.  This ale is tasty and the label is a lot of fun.  

Shipyard Smashed Pumpkin: Review

Pugsley’s Signature Series

Shipyard Brewing Company
shipyard.com

1pt 6oz bottle

$10.00 per bottle

9% abv

Ten bucks for a one pint bottle! This pumpkin better be damn good.

Appearance: dirt pumpkin colored body with a thin off white head

Aroma: nice little touch of pumpkin with some allspice and/or nutmeg.  Not that big of a bouquet.  Halfway through the bottle there is a little cinnamon on the nose. 

Flavors: thin on the tip of the tongue (watery), the flavors explode on the mid palate with pumpkin, nutmeg, toasted malts, little grassy feel from the hops.  Ohhhh, it is starting to open up.  This is tasty.

Mouthfeel: alcohol on the finish, thin fizzy feel from the carbonation, seems thin on the delivery (front of the mouth), flavors hit on mid and finish, once the ale warms up the flavors are ready to play ball. 

To the Point: seemed a little uninteresting at first (just out of the fridge) the flavors really opened up after about 10 minutes or so.  The spice (nutmeg/allspice) is not overpowering.  I did not grow tired of the spice profile like I have on some other pumpkin ales.  This ale also has a little pumpkin taste and the hops are doing their job keeping the balance.  But, the alcohol … oh, yes the alcohol … I can feel it already and I am halfway through the bottle.  

Harpoon Octoberfest Beer

Harpoon Brewery

Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Windsor, Vermont, USA

5.3% abv

30 IBU’s

$8.99 a six pack

Appearance: deep copper with a reddish hue, one finger off-white head, nice lacing on the glass

Aroma: toasted malts, slight touch of spice and let me call it brown spice box,  

Flavors and Mouthfeel: bready toasted malts, typical Octoberfest spice profile, smooth on the delivery, mild bitterness on mid and late palate, lingering brown spice on the aftertaste,

To the Point: a very tasty Oktoberfest, I would buy this again

Here is the lacing on the glass

Old Crafty Hen: Review

Morland Brewing

England

1pt .9oz bottle

$4.49 a bottle

6.5% abv

I read that this ale has been brewed since 2008 but, just came to the United States in November of 2011.  I wonder if they still brew “Hen’s Tooth”.  I really liked that ale. 

Appearance: rich copper body with a light tan one finger (if that) head

Aroma: malt focused; caramel, biscuit, and dark fruits

Flavors: lightly toasted caramel, raisin, a little plum skin, apple, light woody tone

Mouthfeel: light carbonation, smooth, mild hop bitterness on the finish giving it a semi-dry feel on the palate.

To the Point: a very tasty Vintage Ale.  I would buy this again.  

Brux: Review

Domesticated Wild Ale

Brewed and bottled by: Sierra Nevada Brewing

In collaboration with Russian River Brewing

1pt 9.4oz bottle

8.3% abv

One problem with these big bottles is getting the sediment off the bottom.  Rolling the bottle before opening my work on some Germen low carbonated beer but, roll a bottle of Belgian or Belgian style ale and you will have a never ending flow of foam.

Pouring your first glass and trying to swirl the bottle during this pour usually does not get much of the sediment up. 

So, what I usually do is pour the first glass and then put a stopper in the bottle and then give the bottle a good swirl to get the sediment stirred up.  The second glass will give you the correct appearance, aroma’s, and flavors.  Leave a comment on what you recommend. 

Appearance: slightly misty amber body (I could call it burnt orange as well) with a nice big foamy head that disappeared before I started to think about the color.  Little to no lacing.

Aroma: The overall bouquet seemed nice when I first opened the bottle but when it was time to check the aroma out well it was fairly light, some spice, light lemon meat,

Flavors: earthy yeast, sour dough bread, summer white fruit – pear, nectarine, and a dirty caramel note.  The flavors all seem to become muddled together after about a half a glass.

Mouthfeel: sparkling water texture to the carbonation and watery edge that swirls through the palate but just like sparkling water the effervesce is short lived; it is like I can feel the alcohol evaporate on my tongue and this of course gives me a dry feel on the finish.

To the Point: it just seems to funky to me, the flavors just seem to muted; you have heard of a Dirty Martine well I’ll have to call this the Dirty Belgian Ale – why you ask – because the yeast and the caramel notes just seem dirty – but that is just me.  On BeerAdvocate they are giving this ale as 88 with 63 reviews. 

Samuel Adams Fat Jack

Samuel Adams Fat Jack Double Pumpkin

Ale Brewed with Pumpkin and Spices

Boston Beer Company

Boston, Massachusetts, USA

8.5% abv

$5.99 a bottle

1pt 6oz bottle

Batch No. 1

It has been a few weeks since I have done any reviews (I did a review an Oktoberfest last night).  The last three weeks of summer I just enjoyed my time without doing any reviews.  Last week I did come down with a head cold.  The congestion is still hanging on but, I should be read for a review.

Appearance: mahogany body, nice reddish amber colored highlights when held up to the light, tan one finger head

Aroma: nice fall-time spices, malty backbone

Flavors: the spice notes are leading the way to me, the ginger and nutmeg combination stands out to me, tasty toasted malts, pumpkin is in the mix but seems to be behind the scene not out in front.  As the ale warms up I start to notice the cinnamon. 

I’ll have to have another one in the coming weeks to see how I did with this review while I had this head congestion.

 Mouthfeel: the spice profile lingers on the palate, smoky feel, medium body, full of flavors,

To the Point: today, I like this ale.  I thought there would be a bigger pumpkin taste; the focus is on the spice; I would buy this again.  I would like to have this with a fine cigar.  I am near the end of this bottle and the spice profile is just too much for me – ‘too much’ might be the wrong words – I am just getting tired of them.  

Altenmunster Festbier: Review

Allgauer Brauhaus AG

Kempten, Germany

5.5% abv

.52 gallon/2liter

Appearance: crystal copper body with a bone colored head that leaves some good lacing

Aroma: very light, crispy malts

Flavors: grassy hops come through, sweet toasted caramel malts, rye bread

Mouthfeel: pleasing, grassy hops linger on the palate,

To the Point: a tasty Oktoberfest, I have shared about three or four bottles with some friends and all have enjoyed, 

Rascal’s Wild Red and Shadow’s Wild Black: Review

Two Fruity Beer Review

Rascal’s Wild Red and Shadow’s Wild Black

Blue Dawg Brewing

Baldwinsville, New York, USA

Wildbluelager.com

Rascal’s Wild Red

Premium Raspberry Lager

8% abv

Appearance: kool-aid red

Aroma: red berries, maybe strawberry, red raspberry / my wife called it refreshing summer red berries

Flavors: sweet raspberry, cough drop like, some strange note floats over the back part of the palate, / my wife has; sweet, red berries, soapy on the back

Mouthfeel: sweet up front, light tart note on the back, fine carbonation

Annie my Black and Tan Coon-hound thinks she would look good on a beer cap

To the Point: I say skip it; she says there are better raspberry beers out there

Shadow’s Wild Black

Premium Blackberry Lager

8% abv

Appearance: deep purple – cola like appearance

Aroma: blackberry medicine

Flavors: God offal, I don’t think anybody has ever made a good blackberry beer (Sam Adams Blackberry sucks)

To the Point: after a couple of sips this stuff went on the grass – the worms were mad at me for doing this – SKIP THIS 

Sadie my Mutt likes the Bull Dog Cap

Barktoberfest: Review

Thirsty Dog Brewing Company

Akron, Ohio, USA

Thirstydog.com

IBU’s 15

6% abv

Appearance: dark amber with a foamy light tan head

Aroma: lightly toasted caramel malts and grains

Flavors: nice Oktoberfest style, toasted caramel malts, light grassy tone

Mouthfeel: smooth and easy to drink, light to moderate carbonation, it is on the sweet side – look at the IBU’s

To the Point: a nice Oktoberfest beer, easy to enjoy with a beer brat.  I would not go out of my way to buy it but, if it’s on the shelf and I wanted an Oktoberfest then this would do the trick.  

Carly the Corgi looking like she is ready for some pumpkin beers