O where O where has my beer gone?

So sadly I have gout, which has kept me out of commission for awhile, but hopefully I'll be back soon.

Ommegang Biere De Mars

Been awhile.  I'm excited for this beer.

Smells like warm pumpkin bread with amazing baking spices like cinnamon.  Nice warm brown and orange color, hazy, with a head that with small bubbles and light texture.  Heavy mouth feel, sweet with fruit.  Like a warm, glazed sweet bread.  No bitterness, no hops.  Aftertaste is nice, leaves you wanting much more.



Rating - 10.....Because I think everyone should get a 10 at least once, but seriously it's delicious.

Sierra Nevada Northern Hemisphere Harvest

Same night as the Rogue Yellow Snow IPA.  The southern hemisphere was good, so I can't wait to drink

Look/Smell - Dark Tan, slight yellow.  Hoppy, with caramel malt in background.

Taste - Hops, like Yellow Snow, but softer, and balance by caramel and, and too many commas in this sentence.  This is an IPA I'd like to give to someone who's never had one.  Wow, it's smoothness is even better as you get through the initial taste.

Rating - 8
Great IPA, what you should look for.  I think it's right in the middle, so it get's a deserving 8.

Rogue Yellow Snow IPA

Long time...I've been drinking, but for myself.  Here's to me.

Look/Smell - Picture doesn't show how hazy it is, but it is.  I took pic b4 the last, bottom of the glass swirl.  Very carbonated.  Smells like a sweeter IPA, can't wait to down it.

Taste - Has a good citrus sweetness, like lemon in the background, way way in the back of the class.  Hops, bitter hops are in front.  It's like a snow storm in your heart, a bulldozer running through your feather bed. These have nothing to do with it, just nonsense.  I kid again.  It's bitterness is the strongest thing I've had.

Rating - 6
IPAs are bitter, but this ones the most bitter.  Try it for Rogue's sake, but leave it for another IPA.

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.

Shiner Holiday Cheer Dunkelweizen

I'm always interested in the seasonal offerings from great craft brewers, and a Dunkel brewed with peaches and pecans seems completely unique.

Smell/Look/Pour - Light pour with an easy, manageable head.  Warm malt, slight peach in the smell.  Awesome woody red look.

Taste - Wow, holy peaches.  Not expected especially from the smell, while the pecans are sitting in the background.  The warm malt is delicious, like a sweet bread.  The hops are great, the minor note in a big band.

Rating -7
I've had some really amazing dunkels, and so this one is up there in the uniqueness scale.  It's amazing in it's own way.  Take this to the bank and have fun.  Easy drinking dunkel.

Weltenburger Kloster Barock Dunkel

Old world dunkel from Germany, and the year on the bottle is 1030.  It is also very proud of it's 2008 World Beer Cup.

Look/Pour/Smell - Smells of the German Beer Law, but warmer like an abbey.  Red brown look, with a light head.

Taste - the hoppiness of German beers is the sheet, while the warmth of malt is the comforter.  It is the balance that's delightful, not any one flavor.  I'd say the one flavor that is there is an apple, like warm apple pie.

Rating - 8
This unfortunately straddles the fence, but is worthy of a great grade.

Harviestoun Ola Dubh

This one looked special.  Aged in whiskey barrels from their 12 year whiskeys.  I wanted the darkest one they had and this looked good.

Look/Pour/Smell - Deep, charcoal, coffee, light chocolate.  Super dark.

Taste - How espresso is to coffee.  This is dark and deep, light chocolate, lots of coffee.  This would go good w/ a cigar.

Rating - 10

It's the deepest, darkest beer I've ever had.

Rogue Chocolate Stout

This is what I needed to finish my weekend.  After attending Oktoberfest I wanted something substantial.

Smell/Look/Pour - Great brown head that stays.   Smells of coffee and chocolate, so the chocolate is nicely balanced.  Dark, all you have to say about it.

Taste - The chocolate is more a dark chocolate than some others I've had.  Coffee flavor is mellow, behind the delicious, sophisticated chocolate.  It's hard to overstate the awesome chocolate taste.

Rating - 9
It's hard to find a balanced stout.  There's so many things that can go wrong.  This one won't disappoint, and I think this would even be a good starter stout.

: Flavors.me

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HI.P.A. from Magic Hat

Been awhile but this one is special.  Magic Hat says this is a limited edition IPA that they're demoing as a creative outlet for themselves. 

Look, Pour, Smell - Hazy orange, persistent but short head;  hops own the smell.

Taste - Unique hop flavor...the hops are first and and malt second which is super unique.  It's nice that the bitter hops fade for a sweet, buttery malt.

Rating - 8
This one is unique, and you won't be disappointed...if you can find it.

Sierra Nevada Sierra 30th Anniversary Imperial Helles Bock

Man am I excited...this is a one timer and I hope it's amazing.

Look/Pour/Taste - Warm orange/yellow...strong head lasting at least a minute...light smell...malty

Taste - Outstanding hops, the malt is nice but the hops take the cake...after one drink I'm hooked....the taste is deep...you could drown if you're not careful

Rating - 10

This beer body slams all other contenders.

Real Ale Brewing Company Brewhouse Brown Ale

Last one from my friends stash....Brown Ale

Look/Pour/Smell - Warm malt, very brown, not too dark....easy pour not too much head.

Taste - Warm malt...hops under the malt, the malt is cooked just right.

Rating -7
This one is a brown that everyone can enjoy.

Real Ale Rio Blanco Pale Ale

Again a Real Ale Brewing Company brew from my friend....pale ale to pair with some fish and green beans.

Smell/Look/Pour - Straw yellow/orange....smells like a lightly crisp hop, not overbearing...easy to pour

Taste - Malt is up front, but hops are much more tasty throughout...not too hoppy so a good choice for beginners.

Rating - 7
Great beginner beer, a little plain but it's ok that way.