Victory Yakima Glory Ale

This is a seasonal from Victory that I didn't want miss.  The bottle has a pretty orange hop surrounded by a butterfly-like psychedelic ripple of greens and blues.

Look/Smell - Nut brown, slight red.  Looks to be a little more carbonated than normal.  Brown ale warm caramel hops, very full and adult smell.

Taste - The hops were the main point of the aside on the bottle, and it's very apparent in the flavor.  The malt is a dark caramel, which is a warm molasses background behind the blaring horns of hops that pierce through and fill the the room with their full glory.

Rating - 8
I think Brown Ales are under-represented in beerdom, with Newcastle leading the way and most falling behind, but this one is delicious.  Get it while it's at the store.

Sierra Nevada Organic Estate Homegrown Ale

I can't say "No" to Sierra Nevada, especially in such an awesome, wax capped bottle.  The label is beautiful, a green garden vine wrapped around a little prairie house growing barley.  It says it's wet hopped, as opposed to dry hopping which lends itself to higher alc., and this one does come in at 6.7%, so on the medium side.

Look/Smell - Orange Amber slight Red, hazy but not opaque.  The head is super light and white.  Sweet hops and barley make up most of the aroma.  Smells sweet, like orange or persimmon or peach.

Taste - Yes peach, and maybe persimmon...ooohhh and lemon.  What a Wam-Pow! of great fruitiness subtley hidden behind well mannered hops.  The hops are like the guy/girl at the party you notice who's cool even by themselves.  The barley is that same person, only a little smarter and more flamboyant.  If barley were a guy he'd be stronger and have a little hair on his chest.  As a women she'd wear a succulent dress, very classy 1930's look.  Mouth feel is light, never going beyond a wheat beer feel.  After taste is barley and hops, the fruit's up front.

Rating - 10 WOW!!! DELICIOUS!!! Man this is what I needed after a long night of studying.  Cheers!

Chatoe Rogue

It's been awhile....it sure has.  So, this is the medicine that's going to put me to sleep tonight.

Look/Smell - Very dark, as dark as they come.  Burnt chocolate, but a good amount of hops too.  A little bit sweet, like dark chocolate covered cherries.

Taste - Deliciously black.  Coffee on the after taste.  The choco-cherries are on your lips.  It's medium thickness comes in halfway through...it builds as you taste.  This is a nice balance between coffee and chocolate, sweet and bitter.

Rating - 9
When it's this dark many things can go wrong.  This one is ALL-RIGHT.

Infinium

This is the most expensive beer I've bought.  "1,000 years of brewing expertise.  A collaboration between the brewers of Samuel Adams and Bavarian State Brewery Weihenstephan." 

Look/Smell/Pour - The head is light, like a super light meringue.  Color is straw, but golden and orange.  Great German beer smell, malt is sweet, crystal clear.  Hops are a little pine and a little citrus, very balanced.  The rest is filled with nectarine peach smells.

Taste - I let it settle, I let it get it's bearing.  I wanted to make sure it new I was ready to taste it.  Strong and creamy.  Up front is hops which are sharp, the malt is creamy.  The after taste is a mix between the two.  They are strong enough to leave peach/nectarine taste in the dust, although thankfully it's still there.  This beer's alcohol content isn't apparent in the first few tastes but rears it's head later.

Rating - 8
This beer is a once in a lifetime beer.  Does that make it better?  Not in itself.  It's been hard for me to not give a rating based on price.  This beer will impress anyone, but I don't think it's the best in class.  What class do you say?  Above average alcohol German style beer.

Left Hand Brewery Twin Sisters Double IPA

Left hand impresses me with there unique ideas in marketing and in beers.  The bottle is beautiful, and it's from a beautiful state, Colorado.

Look/Pour/Smell - Hops all over, but the hops are sweet not pine-cone-E.  Orange yellow, but very clear.  Head is monstrous and fluffy, long lasting also.

Taste - It's sweet and spicy at the same time.  Not spicy like hot sauce, spicy like titillating on the tongue.  The bitterness is found all throughout, especially after the initial taste.  The beginning is where the sweetness lies.

Rating - 7
This is a good IPA, but I don't know if it's worthy of a larger bottle in the specials section.  I think it belongs in a four pack.  With all this it's still a good time.

Boulder Beer Co Never Summer Ale

Winter ales, must be coming to that season of warm, hearty brews.  I bought this two round out my other buys of the last winter seasonal beers.

Look/Pour/Smell - Hops galore, and a beautiful amber brown/red.  Sticky, easy, fluffy head.  The hops have a fruity smell, maybe lemon and orange.

Taste - The hops fade a bit to the silky malt.  The hops are upfront, the bouncer and the malt is the slick d.j. running the party.  It's really a two man show.  It does impress in the look category.

Rating - 6
There are other winter's that will impress more than this one.  This is a middle of the pack.

Shiner Hefeweizen

I must have been on a shiner kick, but I can't pass up a hefe.

Look/Pour/Smell - Amber-wood orange, awesome orange and citrus, light warm sweet malty smell.  Almost explosive pour, but not too hard to control

Taste - This one is more than I expected.  I can't say I expect so much from American Hefe's, but now I'm impressed.  It's malt is creamy like a cream stout, but light like your normal hefe.  Slight orange, more spice are there, but they play pawn to the awesome malt and light hops.

Rating - 9
Again, I'm partial to hefes, but here we are.  This beer will fit in with even the best rated hefes from anywhere in the world.