B.O.R.I.S. The Crusher Oatmeal-Imperial Stout - Hoppin Frog Brewing Company

APPEARANCE: (5) Super dark, heavy almost molasses looking when pouring into the testing glass. Foam is weak at first when pouring. Builds up somewhat when twirling the testing glass. The foam then looks like thick milk chocolate pudding.

AROMA: (4) Intense scents of chocolate and banana liquor.

TASTE: (5) Sweet, intense and very hoppy.

EXTRA: (4) Label and Website is approved. It would have been nice to read something more about each beer on their website though.

Hoppin Frog Brewery

Beer style: Imperial Stout
Serving temperature: 10-12 C
Alcohol: 9.4%
60 IBU

Food Pairings: Nuts

APPEARANCE: 5 x 5 = 25
AROMA: 4 x 10 = 40
TASTE: 5 x 10 = 50
EXTRA: 4 x 1 = 4

Total: 119/130

Oatmeal Stout - Free State brewing

APPEARANCE: (4) Ink jet black with light brown creamy head.

AROMA: (4) Oat and malt, distant smell of banana.

TASTE: (4) Pretty good mouth feel. Malt and hops in perfect harmony with either sticking out over the other. There is a pleasant after bitterness that comes hunting you later.

EXTRA: (3) See previous testing. Website OK but again, why is it so difficult for these breweries to print the alcohol level on the label or at least on their website?

Beer style: Oatmeal Stout
Serving temperature: 10-12 C
Alcohol: Unknown. 6.10% ABV according to Ratebeer.com

Food Pairings: Hard cheeses, deserts or as a session beer.

APPEARANCE: 4 x 5 = 20
AROMA: 4 x 10 = 40
TASTE: 4 x 10 = 40
EXTRA: 3 x 1 = 3

Total: 103/130

8 (ball) Stout - Lost Coast brewery

APPEARANCE: (4) Very dark (as expected from a Stout :-)) Not a very rich foam head initially but some twirling of the testing glass builds up the foam which is creamy milk chocolaty.

AROMA: (4) Hints of chocolate and coffee

TASTE: (5) Very rich chocolate flavor. There is some coffee in the after notes but the first taste is chocolate. There is some sweetness is this beer and the special 'house flavor' of Lost Coast brewing. This is a very nice stout, well balanced and pretty drinkable.

EXTRA: (3) Nothing really to mention. Website is OK but not much information about the beers.

Beer style: Stout
Serving temperature: 10-12 C
Alcohol: 5.50% ABV

Food Pairings: Session beer and pairs well with some deserts and cheeses.

APPEARANCE: 4 x 5 = 20
AROMA: 4 x 10 = 40
TASTE: 5 x 10 = 50
EXTRA: 3 x 1 = 3

Total: 113/130

IPA - Arcadia Brewing Company

APPEARANCE: (5) Clear dark golden color with a head so thick that the beer cannot be poured immediately even into a very large testing glass.

AROMA: (5) There are fresh hops in the aroma. Apricot and banana scents.

TASTE: (4) The beer has a pretty good mouth feel but the hops is not easy to identify in the taste. The bitterness is perfect but I was hoping for some more aroma hops in the flavors. This beer has been sitting for some month in my home so I am not sure if this is typical for this beer or if the beer in my bottle has faded somewhat.

EXTRA: (4) Extra points for printing the ABV on the label. The website is nice and informative but I wish that breweries would use more websites that focus on the content and not the design. It is difficult to overview the beers with the 'spinning pictures'.

Of some reason I cannot find this beer either on the brewery's web site or Ratebeer.com.

Arcadia Brewing Company

Beer style: India Pale Ale
Serving temperature: 8-10 C
Alcohol: 6.0% ABV, printed on the label!!!

Food Pairings: Hard flavorful cheese.

APPEARANCE: 5 x 5 = 25
AROMA: 5 x 10 = 50
TASTE: 4 x 10 = 40
EXTRA: 4 x 1 = 4

Total: 119/130

Copperhead Pale Ale - Free State Brewing Co

APPEARANCE: (4) Creamy head. Hazy bronze color.

AROMA: (4) Fresh hop aroma.

TASTE: (4) Dominating malt which reflects the English style IPA more than the American IPA. Hop bitterness plays a background role for this beer. There is almost a little bit of smokiness in the flavor and I could swear that I taste asparagus also.

EXTRA: (3) The website is pretty informative about each beer they brew but why can they not state the alcohol level on the website or preferable on the labels?

Free state brewing company

Beer style: English style IPA ("with an American twist")
Serving temperature: 8-10 C
Alcohol: Unknown. According to Ratebeer.com 6.0% ABV

Food Pairings: This beer has a little bit more malt and some more hops which makes it more tasteful but also reduces the food pairings somewhat. It pairs well with cheese, hot dogs, stews, chili etc.

APPEARANCE: 4 x 5 = 20
AROMA: 4 x 10 = 40
TASTE: 4 x 10 = 40
EXTRA: 3 x 1 = 3

Total: 103/130

Flying Monkey Amber Ale - Flying Monkey beers

APPEARANCE: (3) Light brown hazy with a tiny foam head which very quickly disapperars.

AROMA: (3) Sweet maltiness. Clean aroma.

TASTE: (3) Taste about the same as the aroma. A very easy drinking beer. Not a bad thirst quencher.

EXTRA: (1) Not much extra to give here. A pretty regular beer which is not bad but does not stand out either. No extra points for less informative label and the website looks like something from 1995.

Flying monkey beers.com

Beer style: Amber ale
Serving temperature: 8-10 C
Alcohol: Unknown. Ratebeer.com claims that it is 4.0 ABV which seems reasonable after tasting.

Food Pairings: Very versatile with all kind of food. A good general beer to pair food with since it is not imposing with a lot of flavors and pairs well with most food.

APPEARANCE: 3 x 5 = 15
AROMA: 3 x 10 = 30
TASTE: 3 x 10 = 30
EXTRA: 1 x 1 = 1

Total: 76/130

Bitch creak Extra Special Brown Ale - Grand Teton Brewing

APPEARANCE: (5) Pours a very thick dark, dark brown beer into the testing glass. Foam is thick but settles fast. When glass is twirled the foam builds up and takes an beige or creamy color.

AROMA: (4) Very nice thick aroma. Hazelnut and toffee notes.

TASTE: (5) Thick mouthfeel with smokey flavors.

EXTRA: (3) I am not sure I have stumbled over a beer called "Extra special brown" before.

Grand Teton Brewing

Beer style: Brown ale
Serving temperature: 8-10 C
Alcohol: 6.0%

Hops: Galena, Chinook & Centennial, Dry hopped with Centennial

Food Pairings: Pistachio nuts

APPEARANCE: 5 x 5 = 25
AROMA: 4 x 10 = 40
TASTE: 5 x 10 = 50
EXTRA: 3 x 1 = 3

Total: 118/130

Duke of Wellington - Granite City Brewing

APPEARANCE: (3) Very dark for being an IPA like the website says but the label states Pale Ale. Foam flattens out fast but can be built up again with twirling the glass. Color pretty dark with some red hints.

AROMA: (4) Malty fresh rich aroma.

TASTE: (3) Somewhat flat taste with a sweet maltiness that is balanced pretty good with the hops. Very easy drinking beer.

EXTRA: (3) Not much extra except that it is very interesting to try a beer from this Wisconsin (Monroe) brewery

Granite City Brewing website

Beer style: Pale Ale
Serving temperature: 8-10 C
Alcohol: x.0%

Food Pairings: xcx

APPEARANCE: 3 x 5 = 15
AROMA: 4 x 10 = 40
TASTE: 3 x 10 = 30
EXTRA: 3 x 1 = 3

Total: 88/130

Denver Pale Ale - Great Divide Brewing

APPEARANCE: (4) Bronze colored semi clear with a rather weak foam head. Foam grows back after some twirls of the testing glass.

AROMA: (4) Sweet malty and nutty aroma.

TASTE: (4) Fairly light but very malt dominant. The hops are just playing a background role.

EXTRA: (3) This is considered Great Divides 'flagship' beer with many awards from different beer festivals. If you prefer a malty beer before a hoppy one, this is your perfect beer.

Beer style: Pale ale
Serving temperature: 8-10x C
Alcohol: 5.4%

Food Pairings: Burgers, stew, any meat dishes. Very versatile with food pairings. Or as Great Divide says on their website: "Robust pasta sauces, such as Arrabbiata, Puttanesca, spicy Italian sausage and roasted red pepper sauce, or sausage and sun dried tomato cream sauce. John Lehndorff of the Rocky Mountain News suggests serving DPA with spicy ribs. DPA’s hearty hop profile is the perfect complement to the rich flavor of DPA Braised Lamb Shanks"

APPEARANCE: 4 x 5 = 20
AROMA: 4 x 10 = 40
TASTE: 4 x 10 = 40
EXTRA: 3 x 1 = 3

Total: 103/130

Namaste - Dogfish head

APPEARANCE: (4) Thick foam builds up when the beer is poured into the testing glass. As with most bears of wheat or wit style, it settles fairly fast. A quick twirl builds up the milk white foamy head again.

AROMA: (4) Spicy coriander flavor. Fresh fruity aroma.

TASTE: (4) A very refreshing and tasty with beer from Dogfish head. I prefer Wit today before regular wheat beer because of the extra freshness and the interesting spices often used in them. It is mainly a refreshing beer style though and the variety between different brands are not huge.

EXTRA: (4) Nice presentation in form of this champagne bottle. Cannot figure out what the skeleton on the label symbolizes though.

Beer style: Beligan Wit
Serving temperature: 6-8 C
Alcohol: 5.0%

Food Pairings: Perfect thirst quencher beer. Works well with most dishes.

APPEARANCE: 4 x 5 = 20
AROMA: 4 x 10 = 40
TASTE: 4 x 10 = 40
EXTRA: 4 x 1 = 104

Total: 104/130

Red Rocket Ale - Bear Republic

APPEARANCE: (3) Beautiful foam fills the testing glass but dies down pretty fast. If this beer is supposed to be a "red ale", it is VERY different from all the red ales that I have had before. This beer looks more like Coca Cola.

AROMA: (3) A twirl of the glass releases a rather complex aroma; Sweet rum, overripe bananas, spoiled fruits.

TASTE: (3) Taste of molasses or burned sugar. Scottish red ale is one of extremely few beer styles that I have a problem with. This beer is not that significant as mostly red beers. It is fairly malty but kind of thin in the flavor. Since I am not a fan of red ales I cannot give this beer credit even if it would be good from a red ale fans perspective.

EXTRA: (3) Label is kind of less serious aiming to attract people who are not really beer connoisseurs.

Bear Republics website

http://www.bearrepublic.com/home.php

Beer style: "Bastardized Scottish style red ale" (according to the brewery)
Serving temperature: 8-10 C
Alcohol: 6.8%

Food Pairings: I have no idea since I don't like this beer style.

APPEARANCE: 3 x 5 = 15
AROMA: 3 x 10 = 30
TASTE: 3 x 10 = 30
EXTRA: 3 x 1 = 3

Total: 78/130

Rumble - Oak aged India Pale Ale - Great Divide Brewing Co

APPEARANCE: (5) Beautiful clear reddish color with a creamy inviting head.

AROMA: (5) Oakey intriguing scents from the oak caskets that this beer has been matured on. Almost smell like a good single malt.

TASTE: (4) Taste is less flavorful than expected but still very nice. Very balanced, the malt is heavy which almost is going to stand out as a identification for this brewery since the previous tested beer was the same. The hops is balancing the malt. I tried it also together with Brie cheese as Great Divide recommended and it is a pretty good choice for this beer.

EXTRA: (3) After for the first time trying Great Divide brewing I think that they are very close in their beer styles to Diamond Bear Brewing of Little Rock, AR. Even their IPA:s are dominating on the malt which makes them different. Not necessary the best beer choice for the 'hop head' but very good beers still.

Beer style: American IPA
Serving temperature: 8-10 C
Alcohol: 7.1%

Food Pairings: According to Great Divide Brewing: Marinated skirt steak, sweet potatoes, brie or Tallegio cheese, apple crisp with creme fraice ice cream.

APPEARANCE: 5 x 5 = 25
AROMA: 5 x 10 = 50
TASTE: 4 x 10 = 40
EXTRA: 3 x 1 = 3

Total: 118/130

Titan IPA - Great Divide Brewing Co

APPEARANCE: (4) Pours a beautiful copper colored fairly clear beer with a competitive foam crown.

AROMA: (4) Buttery aroma with faint hints of hop. From the aroma I can almost picture an IPA which is heavier on the malty side compared to most IPA:s.

TASTE: (5) Very interesting taste. The malt is higher than in most IPA:s but the bitterness is definitely there to balance it. The taste is somewhat surprising because it is almost a little bit butter flavored liked in Czech pilseners.

I like it. It is a fairly easy drinking beer but still with a lot of flavor. It is very well balanced between hop and malt. A different IPA. Closer to the British style than the American IPA.

EXTRA: (3) I wish that their website was a little bit more informative about the different beers.

Great Divide Brewings website

Beer style: IPA
Serving temperature: 8-10 C
Alcohol: 7.1%

Food Pairings: According to Great Divide: "Grilled halibut, Thai curry, strong/soft cow milk cheeses.

APPEARANCE: 4 x 5 = 20
AROMA: 4 x 10 = 40
TASTE: 5 x 10 = 50
EXTRA: 3 x 1 = 3

Total: 113/130

Tallgrass IPA

This will be the first time that a canned beer is tested on this website. Not that I have anything against canned beers but usually craft beer which is more expensive is sold in bottles even if cans have become available for some craft beers lately.

The cans today are ideal for beer since they are easy to transport and does not break. They also protect the beer better against light which can destroy a beer over time. However, the downside is the esthetically part. Bottles are just so much nicer than cans.

APPEARANCE: (4) This beer pours nicely (from the can) into the testing glass and creates a beautiful thick creamy head which lasts a long time. It is towards the darker side, mahogany would be a close match in color. It also seems pretty hazy, not clear.

AROMA: (4) Wonderful piney hoppy aroma. Some of my favorite hop brands have definitely been used here.

TASTE: (4) Very drinkable and still very flavor full. Pretty thick mouthful feeling with a round finish. The hops are truly present also in the taste and not just in the aroma. The bitterness is very well balanced with the malt and even if it is dominating, it does not take completely over the full experience of this beer.

EXTRA: (3) This is a very good IPA which I could drink anytime. Their website is clean and easy reading but I wish that they could give out some more facts about the components of their beer.

Tallgrass brewing co

Beer style: American IPA
Serving temperature: 8-10 C
Alcohol: 6.3%

Food Pairings: IPA:s are great beers to enjoy as they are. Because of their high bitterness they can sometimes be difficult to pair with dishes. Spicy or flavorful food is usually the best pairing.

APPEARANCE: 4 x 5 = 20
AROMA: 4 x 10 = 40
TASTE: 4 x 10 = 40
EXTRA: 3 x 1 = 2

Total: 103/130

The Beer Basket has been refilled

The beer basket blog started with my wife surprising me with beers that she had ordered over the internet and that I could not get here in Arkansas. A couple of weeks ago she made a trip to Kansas and was able to by me several beers there which are not available in Arkansas and that is why I have some exciting new beers to present on this blog. Please stay tuned for beers from Great Divide, Tallgrass and many other nice breweries.

True Begian Dubbel - Ommegang

APPEARANCE: (5) Enormous huge foam fills the testing glass. The foam lingers but is fairly shallow like most Belgian style ales are.

AROMA: (5) Even when just pouring this beer into the testing glass, a strong and wonderful aroma fills the room. Further twirling of the glass relieves earthy notes and fruity flavors consisting of figs, overripe bananas and buttery esters.

TASTE: (3) Medium bodied beer with fairly high drinkability despite of the high alcohol. A little bit thinner in the taste than expected and anticipated.

EXTRA: (4) The package is very nice looking in the same style as luxury beers as Chimay.

Brewery Ommegang

Their website is awful. When you click on "our beers" you are taken to a site where several glasses are shown. Well, which one is the beer that you are looking for? After a while you might figure out that you are supposed to click on the bottles instead of the glasses and you are taken to a page where some rather unstructured information is presented about the beer that you are wanting to get more information about.

Please get management to think about what should be said about each beer and get a new webmaster that can understand how to present this and not a kid that want to show off his web creating abilities. It is better to not be on the web at all than to have a website like Ommegang where there are no good information available about each beer. Should that not be the #1 reason to be on the internet for any CRAFT brewing beer company?

Beer style: Belgian Dubbel
Serving temperature: 8-10 C
Alcohol: 8.5%

Food Pairings: According to Ommegang: "savory dishes, meats, slow-cooked French dishes made with pork, lamb, rabbit, beef, carbonnades, hotchpot, marinated roasts, barbeque, rich cheeses, almost every dessert"

APPEARANCE: 5 x 5 = 25
AROMA: 5 x 10 = 50
TASTE: 3 x 10 = 30
EXTRA: 4 x 1 = 4

Total: 109/130

Olde School - Dog fish head

APPEARANCE: (5) Pretty head with a rich foam. Beer is semi cloudy towards the darker brown side. A twirl of the testing glass gives the beer a richer head but not overwhelming. This is pretty typical for this style of beer.

AROMA: (5) Sweet rich aroma of molasses and pears is the first thing that comes into my mind. Dates and figs is what dog fish head themselves says. An intriguing aroma for sure.

TASTE: (4) Very sweet on the palate. This beer definitely needs to be balanced with some food. A piece of sopressata salami with strawberry really takes this beer to a new tasting level. I would like to give this beer more than a 4 but don't think that I can do so. The taste is great but more was expected after the aroma.

EXTRA: (5) Dogfish head will probably always get my highest extra points for their innovative thinking.

Beer style: Barley Wine style ale
Serving temperature: 8-10 C
Alcohol: 15%

Food Pairings: I truly don't know what is the best to pair a beer like this with. However, a good old friend of mine who also has a beer blog recently recommended Strawberries together with strong salami. This sounds crazy enough for me to want to try it. One thing you have to do with a potent luxury beer like this is to definitely pair it with some good food. I took it a little step further by combining the strawberry salami with asiago cheese.

APPEARANCE: 5 x 5 = 25
AROMA: 5 x 10 = 50
TASTE: 4 x 10 = 40
EXTRA: 5 x 1 = 5

Total: 120/130

Liberty Ale - Anchor Steam Brewery

APPEARANCE: (5) Thick beautiful head of foam raises in my testing glass. Beer is clear and bronze colored. When twirling the glass the foam raises to new levels.

AROMA: (4) Piney rich hoppy aroma. There are aromas of citrus fruits. Grape fruit, tangerine?

TASTE: (4) Very well balanced bitterness. When I tested this beer for the first time over 20 years ago it was extreme in flavors compared to the beers that were available at that time. Now time has changed and this is still a very good beer but not extreme compared to the many beers that tries to pass boundaries nowadays.

EXTRA: (5) This brewery and this brewer, Fritz Maytag was the one that started the whole new craft brewery movement in USA which today we see so many good examples of.

Beer style: Premium American Ale
Serving temperature: 8-10 C
Alcohol: 5.9%

Food Pairings: Spicy food. Cold cuts. Cheeses.

APPEARANCE: 5 x 5 = 25
AROMA: 4 x 10 = 40
TASTE: 4 x 10 = 40
EXTRA: 5 x 1 = 5

Total: 110/130

Lunar Ale - Boulevard Brewing

APPEARANCE: (4) Dark mahogany cloudy. Foam is fairly firm and last on the longer side.

AROMA: (3) Fruity aroma.

TASTE: (3) Pretty anonymous. It is probably a good thirst quencher but not much more. It has a little bit of yeasty flavor which is not a bad thing but this is not a true wheat beer either.

EXTRA: (2) Not much to rave about except for the exotic name.

Beer style: Unfiltered ale
Serving temperature: 6-8 C
Alcohol: 5.0%

Food Pairings: Since the taste is more on the lighter side, this beer goes with most food.

APPEARANCE: 4 x 5 = 20
AROMA: 3 x 10 = 30
TASTE: 3 x 10 = 30
EXTRA: 2 x 1 = 2

Total: 82/130

Pilsner - Sudwerk

APPEARANCE: (4) Livelier foam than the Hefe Weizen. Foam is firm and last longer. When testing this is a true pils glass, it does not live long enough though to qualify for a 'sieben minuten pils', a pils that take 7 minutes to pour into a pils glass. Crystal clear yellow brew.

AROMA: (3) Pils does not really have a rich aroma. The best examples like Jever, König pils and Bitburger all have a herbal aroma. This beer does not even if that does not mean there is anything wrong with this beer.

TASTE: (3) Clean taste with the hint of 'typical' pils taste. This is a good beer but not extraordinary.

EXTRA: (3) This brewery stays true to the styles that they mimic from Germany. Their best beers are the Hefe Weizen and the Märzen.

Beer style: Pils/Pilsner
Serving temperature: 4-6 C
Alcohol: 4.5%

Food Pairings: Salty cold dishes like salami, cheese tray with cold cut meat and maybe bratwurst with Sauerkraut.

APPEARANCE: 4 x 5 = 20
AROMA: 3 x 10 = 30
TASTE: 3 x 10 = 30
EXTRA: 3 x 1 = 3

Total: 83/130

Hefe Weizen - Sudwerk

APPEARANCE: (3) Light foam which settles fairly fast and builts up fast when the glass in twirled. Cloudy appearance which is normal for a 'Hefe' (means yest in German).

AROMA: (4) A little bit of a yeasty aroma which smells very freshing.

TASTE: (5) For this style of beer this has a wonderful taste which is very true to this style of beer coming from southern Germany. Wheat beers have become very popular in US but most of them does not taste like the original. This one does and the only other American hefe weissbier that I know comes close is Flying dogs version of it

EXTRA: (4) I give this beer a 4 in extra points just because it is so true to the original beer from Bavaria.

Beer style: Hefe Weissbier. Wheat beer with yest sediments.
Serving temperature: 4-6 C
Alcohol: 4.2%

Food Pairings: Works with most type of food or just as a wonderful thirst quencher. Wheat beers are ideal thirst quenchers since they don't trigger you to want more beer like a bitter hoppy beer.

APPEARANCE: 3 x 5 = 15
AROMA: 4 x 10 = 40
TASTE: 5 x 10 = 50
EXTRA: 4 x 1 = 4

Total: 109/130

Palo Santo Marron - Dogfish head brewery

APPEARANCE: (5) Pours a surprisingly syrupy thick Stout colored brew into the testing glass. Foam dies down fast. A fast twirl of the glass builds up the foam again.

AROMA: (5) Sherry vine aroma. Very rich and complex bouquet. There are smell of figs, dates and whiskey. Is this the perfect 'Christmas beer'?

TASTE: (5) Wow, smokey, rich and almost a taste of tobacco. Still the flavors of Madeira or sherry is coming into mind. The flavor is definitely more towards a barley wine style ale or an imperial stout rather than brown ale. The flavor is so rich that is impossible to have another beer after this. Nothing will have a taste after this taste explosion.

EXTRA: (5) They go above and beyond for all their beers and this is not an exception.

Beer style: Brown ale aged on Palo Santo Marron wooden casks.
Serving temperature: 10 C
Alcohol: 12%

Food Pairings: According to Dogfish head brewings website: "Steak, chorizzo sausage, Cajun cuisine, farmhouse cheddar " I think it goes well with cheeses in general.

APPEARANCE: 5 x 5 = 25
AROMA: 5 x 10 = 50
TASTE: 5 x 10 = 50
EXTRA: 5 x 1 = 5

Total: 130/130

Two Term IPA - Diamond Bear Brewery

This Little Rock brewery decided on it's name based on that Arkansas is known both as the Diamond state and the Bear state so the spelling 'Diamond Bear' is deliberately and not a misspelling.

This double IPA is a seasonal and the name Two Term comes from their regular IPA which is called 'Presidential IPA' and since this is a double IPA, the name for this is relating to a President that is elected to a second term, Two term IPA.

APPEARANCE: (4) Thick creamy foam which settles in the testing glass leaving a 1 centimeter resistant foam. A quick twirl to release the aroma built up the foam again to a nice creamy layer. The appearance is towards the darker side for an IPA and somewhat hazy.

AROMA: (4) Piney, earthy and herbal but I was expecting to find a little bit more in the aroma than I did.

TASTE: (5) Full spicy, hoppy flavor with a little bit of sweetness. This version is even better than last years version since this one has more dominance on the hop while the previous version was pretty malty dominant for being a double IPA.

EXTRA: (4) Beautiful packaged. Two term is a genius name which relates to the other IPA from the brewery.

Diamond Bear Brewerys website

Beer style: Double IPA
Serving temperature: 8-10 C
Alcohol: 8.9% ?

Food Pairings: Spicy Asian food or spicy food in general.

APPEARANCE: 4 x 5 = 20
AROMA: 4 x 10 = 40
TASTE: 5 x 10 = 50
EXTRA: 4 x 1 = 4

Total: 114/130

Sudwerk - Märzen

Since I don't drink much lager (bottom fermented beer) this will be a different tasting. The Sudwerk brewery in Davis, California has recently introduced 4 of their beers on my home market. The first one I tried was their Hefe Weissbier which I think is maybe the best American clone of the real Hefe Weissbier from Southern Germany (Bavaria) that I have had with Flying dog breweries version coming in at a second place. (A test of that beer will soon come to this website). Just because I was so pleased with their Hefe weissbier (which is an ale) I decided to also try their Märzen. Märzen is a beerstyle brewed in the spring in Germany and when it is saved for the fall in becomes 'October fest bier'. They also have a Pilsner and a Lager and even if these beer styles does not attract me as much as they used to, I will do an exception and try them. I will probably wait for a true hot summer day though when these type of beers taste best to drink.

A rainy gloomy day like this is on the other hand is perfect for a Märzen.

APPEARANCE: (4) Thick creamy head which settles nicely. Amber clear color.

AROMA: (3) Malty aroma.

TASTE: (4) Rich full flavored lager. Little bit of sweetness on the palate.

EXTRA: (3) I like the way they market their different beers. The labels remain almost the same but they use different colors depending on the beer style. The Märzen is red, the Hefe Weissbier yellow, the lager and pilsner beige and green.

I really like this beer but it will not show that way through the points given. The aroma is not really strong which is not expected either for this type of beer. The taste is really nice but not exceptional. I wish that I could give more points but this is what it ends up with. It is really a nice session beer though.

Sudwerks website

Beer style: Märzen (a bottom fermented lager style beer)
Serving temperature: x-x C
Alcohol: 5.70%

Food Pairings: Good session beer. Meat dishes. Fairly versatile with any kind of food.

APPEARANCE: 4 x 5 = 20
AROMA: 3 x 10 = 30
TASTE: 4 x 10 = 40
EXTRA: 3 x 1 = 3

Total: 93/130

The Beast - Avery Brewing

Last out tonight is a heavy weight champion from Avery brewing, The Beast. The last time I tested this beer, I tried it together with Gorgonzola on ginger snaps and since that was altogether one of my best tasting sensations, I am going to stick with that but this time only have the Gorgonzola with the beer.

APPEARANCE: (4) Intriguing dark reddish brown color. Flat rather light foam when pouring, The foam get richer when the testing glass is twirled.

AROMA: (5) A total plethora of aromas. Where could one even start? There are bananas, figs, plums, molasses, cedar, sherry....

TASTE: (5) This is a time when I wish that I could temporarily increase the scoring for taste because this is a treat. This is a 6 out of 5 in taste. With the Gorgonzola the taste sensation increases but maybe the ginger bread should be there to accommodate the sweetness better?

With a piece of Gorgonzola on top of a ginger snap, the Beast totally surrenders and turns into a Feast. This is truly one of the best drink-food combinations that I can think of. This is divine.

EXTRA: (5) Avery makes some of the finest beers in the world. This is from their "demon" series of beers. It is elegant and completely seductive.

Beer style: Belgian Grand Cru
Serving temperature: 10-12 C
Alcohol: 16.21%

Food Pairings: According to Avery brewings website: "Pineapple upside down cake pairs nicely with the sweet, rum-like flavors found in our Beast Grand Cru."

I think this beer is great with a strong cheese like Gorgonzola and don't forget to put in on a ginger snap. Preferable the 'Lars owns'-brand.

APPEARANCE: 4 x 5 = 20
AROMA: 5 x 10 = 50
TASTE: 5 x 10 = 50
EXTRA: 5 x 1 = 5
BONUS: 1 x 5 = 5

Total: 130/130

With this beer I realize that I have to install the 'Bonus' judgment. This beer does not get full 'Appearance' points but it still is one of the best beers in the world so it should be up there on the top.

Midas touch - Dogfish head brewing

King Midas according to the Greek mythologgy would turn everything he touched into gold. Dogfish head has this to say on their website about this beer: "This recipe is the actual oldest-known fermented beverage in the world! It is an ancient Turkish recipe using the original ingredients from the 2700 year old drinking vessels discovered in the tomb of King Midas. Somewhere between wine & mead; this smooth, sweet, yet dry ale will please the Chardonnay of beer drinker alike."

APPEARANCE: (3) Airy foam. Light colored, lighter than gold.

AROMA: (4) Intriguing aromas from peach and honey. I think that I also can find traces of cognac in the scents.

TASTE: (4) Very surprising taste. It is sweet which was expected but there is a taste which brings me back to the first time that I ever tried beer. A taste sensation that I haven't had since long time. It is not as 'different' in the taste as I expected. It reminds me of an almost non alcoholic malt drink which is served around Christmas in Sweden called "Svagdricka" (Literally 'Weak drink') even if this is much lighter in color. It also reminds me of 'Busgrogg', the habit of mixing beer with a soft drink similar to Mountain dew.

EXTRA: (5) One of the most surprisingly tasting beers that I have had and as always a very interesting beer from the most innovative brewery in the world(?)

Beer style: Ale with additives
Serving temperature: 10 C
Alcohol: 9.0%

Food Pairings: According to Dogfish heads website: "Pan-Asian dishes, risotto, curries, baked fish and chicken "

APPEARANCE: 3 x 5 = 15
AROMA: 4 x 10 = 40
TASTE: 4 x 10 = 40
EXTRA: 5 x 1 = 5

Total: 100/130

Salvation - Avery brewing

Tonight we are going to test three beers from two of the best breweries in the whole world according to my opinion. Two beers from Avery brewing which we sadly might loose here in Arkansas and one beer from Dogfish head brewing which we never have seen in Arkansas yet and probably wont for at least a long time.

First out is Salvation from Avery brewing a Belgian Style golden ale (think Duvel).

APPEARANCE: (3) This beer pours a bubbly foam which settles fairly fast. It is golden colored (duh, it is a Golden ale :-)

AROMA: (3) The aroma is a little bit yeasty with typical (for this beer style) ester notes. Some people find pear in Duvel and this beer has a fruity note also but not from pear rather from peach.

TASTE: (5) Taste is silky smooth and very drinkable. This variety of Belgian golden ale I find more drinkable than for instance Duvel even if Duvel is not a difficult beer to enjoy. It is very difficult to detect the high alcohol level of this beer in the taste. It has a warming feeling and is very versatile despite it's high alcohol.

EXTRA: (5) Great American craft brewery version of this beer style. Avery brewing s beers are always nicely presented often with very artistic labels and little curious funny notes about the specific beer. This beer is also available as a mix with a beer with the same name but from Russian River brewing. Their Salvation which is dark is mixed with Avery brewing's golden Salvation to a new beer called Litigation.

Beer style: Belgian style golden ale
Serving temperature: 6-8 C
Alcohol: 9.0%
Hop Variety: Styrian Goldings
Malt Variety: Two-row barley, cara 8, cara 20
OG: 1.080
IBUs: 25

Food Pairings: According to Avery brewing: "We find that dishes featuring mushrooms--like Mushroom Melange on Crepe--will bring out many of the herbal and spicy characteristics of the Styrian Goldings hops in Salvation. We also like portabella beef wellington, mushroom duxelle and salads with spicy vinagrettes."

APPEARANCE: 3 x 5 = 15
AROMA: 3 x 10 = 30
TASTE: 5 x 10 = 50
EXTRA: 5 x 1 = 5

Total: 100/130

Aprihop - Dogfish head brewery

APPEARANCE: (5) VERY thick airy foam, peculiar color which seems to vary between burgundy to light lilac. I don't think that I ever have seen a beer with this color.

AROMA: (5) Wonderful flowery Amarillo hop aroma. Dogfish head claims that the amount of hops is 'irresponsible'. There is also hints of wood and maybe light tobacco.

TASTE: (4) Very refined and not extreme flavor. This is a very, very good beer but I had maybe expected something more in the flavor than I found.

EXTRA: (4) Fun beer and I don't think that I have had an IPA before which has been flavored with apricots. It is interesting but maybe the fruit additions makes a better match together with Belgian style beers like lambic. Somehow the acidity in the lambic is a perfect match with the sweetness from the fruit. A combination that is not as stunning when fruit is mixed with a very bitter IPA.

Dogfish head brewery's website

Beer style: American IPA with apricots
Serving temperature: 10 C
Alcohol: 7.0%
IBU: 50

Food Pairings: According to Dogfish head brewery: Salads, swordfish, Mexican dishes, barbeque, hummus

APPEARANCE: 5 x 5 = 25
AROMA: 5 x 10 = 50
TASTE: 4 x 10 = 40
EXTRA: 4 x 1 = 4

Total: 119/130

Indian Brown Ale - Dogfish head brewery

APPEARANCE: (5) Very dark, porter style appearance. Thick and dense foam which survives long time in the glass.

AROMA: (5) Aroma is intense with syrupy scents and hints of raisins, figs, almonds and chocolate. No wonder why I associate the smell from this beer with Christmas.

TASTE: (4) Thick complex taste with several of the aromas listed above found in this beer. A little bit of a surprisingly sweetness which is balanced perfectly with the bitterness. The bitterness is mostly noticed in the after bitterness. This would be a perfect Christmas beer since it has a warming feeling.

EXTRA: (5) Can I give a beer anything else than 5 that has mixed three distinctive beer styles into one beer? This is good, exciting and new thinking.

Dogfish head brewery's website

Beer style: Hybrid between a Scotch Ale/India Pale Ale/American Brown Ale
Serving temperature: 10 C
Alcohol: 7.2%
IBU: 50

Food Pairings: According to Dogfish head brewery: Balsamic vinaigrette salads, smoked meats, duck confit, braised ribs, venison, prosciutto, stews

APPEARANCE: 5 x 5 = 25
AROMA: 5 x 10 = 50
TASTE: 4 x 10 = 40
EXTRA: 5 x 1 = 5

Total: 120/130

Beer Basket news

We are back with some exciting news. The Beer Basket has been refilled and not just with any beer but with some really different and exciting beers to try. My wife surprised me again and bought me a collection with beers from the famous Dogfish head brewery.

We have both watched the show on Discovery called Brewmasters which is a show with Sam Calaglione who is the founder and owner of the Dogfish head brewery i Milton, Delaware. The show have had so many watchers and the beer from this brewery have had such a demand that they have to pull out of different markets in several states i US in order to keep up with the demand in their vicinity.

Maybe not the best situation when a brewery gets popular but we hope that they will be expanding in order to keep up with the demands in the whole nation and worldwide.

Anyway my sweet wife managed to order this beers from Dogfish head brewery over the internet and I will have some very exciting test evenings of their very different and amazing beers.

Stay tuned for the updates.

Frambozen - New Belgium Brewing

APPEARANCE: (5) Beautiful reddish color with a dense thick foam on top

AROMA: (4) Fruity, berry aroma with almost cheesy notes.

TASTE: (5) First dry on the palate then a little bit of soothing sweetness that disappears and a wonderful berry flavor with a perfect bitterness finish.

EXTRA: (5) Brown ale with raspberry is a wonderful idea. Despite that this is a brown ale it reminds a little bit of flavored lambic.

New Belgiums Website



Beer style: Brown ale flavored with raspberry
Serving temperature: 10-12 C
Alcohol: 6.5%
Hops: Target
Malts: Pale

Food Pairings: Deserts, ice cream, cheesecake or just as a session beer.

APPEARANCE: 5 x 5 = 25
AROMA: 4 x 10 = 40
TASTE: 5 x 10 = 50
EXTRA: 5 x 1 = 5

Total: 120/130

Spring India Pale Ale - Choc Beer Company

APPEARANCE: (2) Hazy 'dirty' dark yellow. Highly carbonated foam.

AROMA: (4) Fresh herb hop aroma with citrus notes.

TASTE: (3) Nice bitter hoppy palate. This could be a really high scoring beer but the promising scent doesn't not occur as much in the taste. This is not a bad beer but from an IPA I had expected a little bit more genuineness.

EXTRA: (2) Not much information either on the bottle or their website. Since this is a seasonal, I could not even find it on the website despite that it is spring now. Pretty surprised when I finally located the alcohol content level on the label (in tiny prining) and it was as much as 7.6%




Choc Beers Website

Beer style: India Pale Ale
Serving temperature: 8-10 C
Alcohol: 7.6%

Food Pairings: Spicy food, asian, chili etc.

APPEARANCE: 2 x 5 = 10
AROMA: 4 x 10 = 40
TASTE: 3 x 10 = 30
EXTRA: 2 x 1 = 2

Total: 82/130

Indica - Lost Coast Brewing

The last beer in the beer basket will be an India Pale ale from Lost Coast Brewing. Since this is my favorite beer style I have high expectations on this one. The last one in the basket.

APPEARANCE: (5) Dark golden brown. Thick, thick foam that is dense and last a long time.

AROMA: (5) Wonderful flowery piny hops aroma that hits your nose like a tornado. I cannot find this beer on the brewery's website so I have to guess that it is Cascade and or Amarillo

TASTE: (5) Citrus fruitiness in the hops aroma which is very, very pleasant. The bitterness is well balances with the malt giving the hops the domination in this beer, exactly how I like it best.

EXTRA: (3) Despite that this is a really good beer, there is not that much extra to add besides a medium 3.



Lost Coast Breweings Website

Beer style: India Pale Ale
Serving temperature: 8-10 C
Alcohol: 6.5%

Food Pairings: Good IPA:s are tricky to pair with food I think since they are so flavor dominant. They are also high in alcohol which makes them not suitable as session beer.

There is nothing that beats a good IPA. The flowery aroma and the wonderful aromatic bitterness is the King of beers. This was a worthy beer to end the beer basket with.

APPEARANCE: 5 x 5 = 25
AROMA: 5 x 10 = 50
TASTE: 5 x 10 = 50
EXTRA: 3 x 1 = 3

Total: 128/130

Alaskan Winter - Alaskan brewing Co

Second out in the final of the beer basket is Alaskan Winter. An English style Old Ale spiced with spruce tips. I am very excited to try this beer too since I haven't had spruce tip in a drink since I was in the military and made tea out in the forest of spruce tips during the survival week. I hope this will taste somewhat better.

APPEARANCE: (2) The color surprised me since I thought that this was going to be a very dark syrupy looking beer. Instead a bronze colored beer pours into the glass. The foam settles almost immediately.

AROMA: (3) A twirl of the testing glass to smell the aromas builds up the foam more than at pouring. There is a distinct sweet malt aroma but I cannot tell that I smell spruce yet.

TASTE: (5) The taste is surprisingly dry for being an Old Ale and here the spruce flavors really hits me hard. This is truly like chewing on spruce tips and I really love that taste and it is such a surprise in a beer. The spruce gives this beer a really refreshing and interesting aroma. It is almost like a new type of hops.

EXTRA: (5) Full points for something as unusual as brewing beer with spruce tips.



Alaskan Brewings website

Beer style: English Old Ale (brewed with spruce tips)
Serving temperature: 10-12 C
Alcohol: 6.4%

Food Pairings: This is a winter warmer but I can see this beer paired with stews and chili or almost any kind of spicy meaty food.

I really liked this beer. Not only because of it's uniqueness but also because how surprisingly well the spicy spruce go with the malt and hops of this beer. I also like it because it is an Old Ale that is not overly sweet or extreme in alcohol.

APPEARANCE: 3 x 5 = 15
AROMA: 4 x 10 = 40
TASTE: 5 x 10 = 50
EXTRA: 5 x 1 = 5

Total: 110/130

Humboldt Brown - Nectar ales

I am excited because I am down to the last 3 beers in the beer basket that my wife gave me for Valentines and that is also what gave this blog it's name.

I saved the ones for last that sounded most interesting so the expectations are high which is never good when you are judging something.

First out is Humboldt Brown from a brewery that I never before have heard of called Nectar ales. The thing that is so interesting with this beer is that I never heard of a beer that is brewed with hemp and I have no idea what hemp taste like.

APPEARANCE: (3) A very distinct brown color. Nice dense foam which builds up to a creamy head with some twirls of the glass.

AROMA: (4) Nutty aroma that are present even upon pouring. Sweet maltiness with frail scents of vanilla.

TASTE: (4) Good balance between the malt and hops provides a very drinkable brown ale with character. There is a little bit of smokiness in the aftertaste. This beer is very likable and is a perfect session beer. It is not extreme in any way but feels just right in it's perfect balance.

EXTRA: (5) Just the fact that this is the first beer that I ever have had with hemp renders a 5 in extra. Otherwise is the label and website very informative with most information needed for a beer nerd.





Nectar Ales Website

Beer style: Brown ale
Serving temperature: 10-12 C
Alcohol: 5.7%

Hops: Chinook & Tettnanger
Malt: Wheat Malt, Crystal 75, Crystal 120, Chocolate Malt & Toasted Hemp Seeds

Food Pairings: Smoked meat and also smoked fish feel like a good pairing with this mellow very nice drinkable beer.


APPEARANCE: 3 x 5 = 15
AROMA: 4 x 10 = 40
TASTE: 4 x 10 = 40
EXTRA: 5 x 1 = 5

Total: 100/130

Big Foot - Sierra Nevada

APPEARANCE: (5) Very thick dense foam. Beautiful semi dark, close to reddish color.

AROMA: (5) Piny rich hops aroma with background citrus notes.

TASTE: (5) Incredible rich flavor. First a bitterness shock, then a thick mouthful of malt and hops in it's best combination. Very complex beer with lots of aroma hops and a great full flavor. More of a hoppy dry taste than equivalent English versions of Barley Vine

EXTRA: (4) A surprisingly distinctive Barley Wine Style Ale. This could be easily identified in a blind test because of its unique flavor. It has its base in English Barley Vine but goes the extra mile to be a unique beer.





Sierra Nevada Brewing

Beer style: American Barley Wine Style Ale
Serving temperature: 10-14 C
Alcohol: 9.6%

Food Pairings: Difficult beer to pair with food. Probably works best on its own after a meal instead of coffee and cognac.

APPEARANCE: 5 x 5 = 25
AROMA: 5 x 10 = 50
TASTE: 5 x 10 = 50
EXTRA: 4 x 1 = 4

Total: 129/130

Old Foghorn - Anchor Steam Brewery

APPEARANCE: (4) Dark reddish with a nice foam that almost seems to be a little bit colored red by the beer

AROMA: (4) Sweet nuances resembling figs. Maybe a little tiny bit of banana hints in the background.

TASTE: (5) Sweet with a deceptive bitterness that is hidden in the sweetness. No trace of the high alcohol level in the taste. The maltyness is dominating even if hops has it's important share in making this beer balanced.

EXTRA: (4) Barleywine style beers are always interesting to try. They belong on the colder part of the year when you want to warm yourself with something with high alcohol and rich flavors.

It is fun and interesting to notice how close in taste this beer is to the first Barleywine ale that I ever had. It was from Ram Rod Brewery in London where I tried it on site many, many years ago. This beer might very well be older than the version I tried in London. Fritz Maytag created this beer already 1976 at his Anchor Steam Brewery, long before anyone used the term 'craft brewery'.

Drinking Barleywine style ale on a hot summer day seems just as crazy as drinking a cold wheatbeer a cold winterday. Unfortunately restaurants here in US do not understand this concept and serve the old wheat beers year around.



Anchor steam brewery website

Beer style: Barleywine style ale
Serving temperature: 10-14 C
Alcohol: 8.2%

Food Pairings: Chocolate, some cheese, deserts.

APPEARANCE: 4 x 5 = 20
AROMA: 4 x 10 = 40
TASTE: 5 x 10 = 50
EXTRA: 4 x 1 = 4

Total: 114/130

Peche Mel - Brasserie Dubuisson

APPEARANCE: (4) The beer is slightly golden colored and pours into the testing glass with a thick foam which settles somewhat after a while.

AROMA: (4) The aroma is stunning from peach and smells far from the glass even without twirling the testing glass. It is difficult to detect any other scents since the peach smell is overwhelming.

TASTE: (5) The taste is sweet with an initial bitterness that goes away and then comes back as a boomerang. It is very drinkable despite the high alcohol level and the sweet taste.

EXTRA: (4) Definitely an interesting beer to test. It is always fun when someone invents something new and it happens now and then that breweries are experiencing with mixing fruit to a regular beer style instead of imitating the gueuze/lambic concept. One good example I think is Frombozen from New Belgium where raspberry has been mixed with a brown ale.




Brasserie Dubuisson Website

This beer is called Peche Mel - Scaldis on the label I have but on their website they call it Peche Mel - Bush and the picture shows a different label for this beer that is obvious the same. The website also reveals that originally this beer was born as a mix of the Bush amber beer with a peach gueuze and was invented by students who wanted a 'cocktail' drink.

Beer style: Amber ale mixed with peach juice
Serving temperature: 10-12 C
Alcohol: 8.5%

Food Pairings: Deserts, ice cream.

APPEARANCE: 4 x 5 = 20
AROMA: 4 x 10 = 40
TASTE: 5 x 10 = 50
EXTRA: 4 x 1 = 4

Total: 114/130

Firestone DBA - Firestone Walker Brewing Company

APPEARANCE: (3) Dark golden color. Inviting creamy foam

AROMA: (3) Pleasant mellow malt aroma.

TASTE: (3) Moderate mouthfeel. Little bit of burnt wood, slightly dry malty finish with a little bit of dry aftertaste.

EXTRA: (2) Mimics the original English style ale well but so does a lot of beers.

It is difficult to find anything exciting in the British style ales when there are so many better ales brewed in America today. It is also a beer style that is not often used for new innovative craft breweries, either in US or Europe. Maybe that says it all.



Firestone Walker Brewing Company

Beer style: English Style Bitter / Amber Ale
Serving temperature: 8-10 C
Alcohol: 5.0%
Malts: Premium Two-Row, Maris Otter Pale, Munich, Crystal, Chocolate
Hops: Bittering—Magnum; Late Kettle—Styrian Golding, East Kent Golding; Dry Hops—East Kent Golding

Food Pairings: British pubfood maybe :-) Fish and chips or Steak & Kindney pie. Maybe, maybe not :-)

APPEARANCE: 3 x 5 = 15
AROMA: 3 x 10 = 30
TASTE: 3 x 10 = 30
EXTRA: 2 x 1 = 2

Total: 78/130

Alaskan Amber - Alaskan Brewing Company

APPEARANCE: (3) Light mahogany colored. Moderate foam that settles rather fast leaving only small foam islands.

AROMA: (4) Define malty aroma with sweetness notes reminding of molasses. Tiny hints of banana. Second sniff reveals some earthy tones, mushrooms?

TASTE: (2) Rather dry taste with moderate flavors. Surprisingly anonymous.

EXTRA: (3) Interesting to drink beer from Alaska. The water is coming from glaciers outside Juneau.



Alaskan Brewing Company

Beer style: Alt style
Serving temperature: 8-10 C
Alcohol: 5.3%
Bitterness: 18 IBU

Food Pairings: From Alaskan brewings website: "Smooth and richly malted, this altbier goes well king or silver salmon, flavorful meats and hearty Italian dishes. Also pairs nicely with delicate cheeses, artichokes and roasted red peppers - a perfect accompaniment to gourmet pizzas"

APPEARANCE: 3 x 5 = 15
AROMA: 4 x 10 = 40
TASTE: 2 x 10 = 20
EXTRA: 3 x 1 = 3

Total: 78/130

Great White Beer - Lost Coast Brewing

APPEARANCE: (3) Thin bubbly foam and light yellow hazy color (normal for this beer style)

AROMA: (3) Yeasty but fresh aroma. Does not reveal that much of the herbal spicyness in the aroma.

TASTE: (3) Light very refreshing taste. Not much bitterness or flavors. This is a very refreshing beer and beer style but it does not exceed expectations or surprise. I DO like wheat beers and wit beers but I don't think that I could tell many or any of them apart. They are great thirst quenchers but that is it.

EXTRA: (2) Not really much reason to give anything extra.



Lost Coast Brewery

Beer style: Belgian Whit style beer
Serving temperature: 6-8 C
Alcohol: 5.0%

Food Pairings: Anything. Otherwise a great beer to refresh yourself with while mowing the lawn.

APPEARANCE: 3 x 5 = 15
AROMA: 3 x 10 = 30
TASTE: 3 x 10 = 30
EXTRA: 2 x 1 = 2

Total: 78/130

Orval - Brasserie d'Orval S.A.

APPEARANCE: (5) Beer foams up extremely much making it impossible to pour even a small bottle into a large testing glass without stopping to let it settle some. Foam is medium dense to dense. Color is orange. It is a beautiful beer to look at in the glass.

AROMA: (5) The aroma raising from the glass is stunning. Even without twirling the glass, the scents starts filling the room. Spicy aromas with some citrus flavors closer to orange than lemon. Dominating is the herbal spiciness of many described as sage. No other beer smells like this.

TASTE: (5) The flavor is dry but with a little bit of fruitiness. The taste is close to lambic or farmhouse ale. It is a very refreshing beer still complex with all it's flavors. It is the ONLY Trappist beer that has a taste that is close to lambic.

EXTRA: (5) This beer is beautiful in everything. From the unusual bowling pin bottle to how it pours in a glass and gives you the strongest and most distinctive aroma and taste than any other beer in the world. I strongly believe that this is the best beer in the world.



The Orval Brewery's website


Beer style: Trappist ale
Serving temperature: 10-12C
Alcohol: 6.9%

Food Pairings: I think that anything served with this beer would just enhance the flavor of the food.

APPEARANCE: 5 x 5 = 25
AROMA: 5 x 10 = 50
TASTE: 5 x 10 = 50
EXTRA: 5 x 1 = 5

Total: 130/130

Trippel - New Belgium

APPEARANCE:(4) Beautiful golden color. The foam is thick and dense.

AROMA:(3) Fruity and esters. Banana marshmallows

FLAVOR:(3) Rather sweet palate at first that mellows out in the end and leaves a little bit of dryer finish. Low bitterness.

EXTRA:(3) New Belgium always produce good products. Their website is excellent and their bottles are pretty and have informative information even if they left out the serving temperature on these beers from the 'explore'-series.




New Belgiums website

I used to prefer NB Trippel before the Dubbel but I have changed my mind with time. This is still a very good beer but I prefer the somewhat dryer finish that the dubbel have,

Beer style: Belgian Trippel spiced with coriander
Hops - Saaz, Liberty, Target
Malts - Pale, Munich, Victory

IBU - 25
Serving temperature: 10-12C
Alcohol: 7.8%

Food Pairings: This beer is a little bit different to pair with food. I can imagine that something like salty meat would work but I would not bet on it.

APPEARANCE: 4 x 5 = 20
AROMA: 3 x 10 = 30
TASTE: 3 x 10 = 30
EXTRA: 3 x 1 = 3

Total: 83/130

Abbey - New Belgium

APPEARANCE:(3) Almost read colored towards the more darker side. Foam is settling fast which is common for this beer style. The beer foams up to a thicker foam when rotated in the glass.

AROMA:(4) A twirl of the glass reveals a large spectrum of aromas. Figs, pears, banana, fudge.

TASTE:(4) A little bit of estery taste hits first. Then the flavors relating to the aroma but they are not as clear as expected. There is a hint of sweetness and a low but long lingering after bitterness.

EXTRA:(3) I have been raving about New Belgiums habit of posting alcohol levels on their bottles together with suggested serving temperature. Of some reason they omitted the serving temperature on the new labels that covers the 'explorer'-series. Their new labels for the 'explorer'-series is not at all as nice as the first version or the ones that covers their other beers.



New Belgiums website

Abbey is part of New Belgiums 'explorer'-series. I have read that the found thought that this beer was going to be the best selling flagship of the brewery in the beginning but it turned out to be the more main stream styled beer 'Fat tire'.

This is a very nice American version of this beer style from Belgium.


Beer style: Belgian Double (dubbel)
Hops - Williamette, Target, Liberty
Malts - Pale, Chocolate, Carapils, C-80, Munich
Serving temperature: 10-12C
Alcohol: 7.0%

Food Pairings: I think this beer would work fine together with a cheese tray where even some fruit could mix well with the beer. As session beer I think it works great even if one has to take into consideration that it is stronger than regular beers but still far from as strong as vine.

APPEARANCE: 3 x 5 = 15
AROMA: 4 x 10 = 40
TASTE: 4 x 10 = 40
EXTRA: 3 x 1 = 3

Total: 98/130

Negra Modelo - Cerveceria Modelo

This is one of the few decent beers that I usually can find in a Mexican-Texmex restaurant. It has been around for a long time and usually gets pretty good reviews in beer testings.

APPEARANCE:(3) Light mahogany colored. The foam settles rather thin.

AROMA: (2) A little bit of yeasty aroma with brown sugar hints in the background.

TASTE:(4) Rather full bodied. Clear malty flavors with hints of chocolate. Low bitterness and not much if any hops in the flavor. Still this is a very nice drinkable beer with the weight on the malt. There is some small sweetness that is not disturbing at all.

EXTRA: (2) Not that many extra points to give except that it is probably the best Mexican beer on the market, at least that I have tried.

This style of beer can be a little bit hard to define. Wiener or Munchener style but bordering towards bock bier.



Cerveceria Modelo

Beer style: Wiener style/Munchener style beer
Serving temperature: 10-12C
Alcohol: 5.3%

Food Pairings: Very versatile beer since the hop bitterness is low and malt dominates. It is very drinkable and works great as a session beer.

APPEARANCE: 3 x 5 = 15
AROMA: 2 x 10 = 20
TASTE: 4 x 10 = 40
EXTRA: 2 x 1 = 2

Total: 77/130

Pepe Nero - Goose Island Brewing Co

APPEARANCE: (3) Thick looking brew is pouring into the glass. The color is dark, dark brown, not black. This beer is called a farmhouse ale but I cannot remember that I have tested a farmhouse ale being this dark before. The foam settles first nice on the surface but dies rather fast leaving only traces of foam islands on top of the brew.

AROMA:(4) The aroma is at first a fruity and reminds of white vine. A twirl in the glass increases the fruitiness and it now smells like champagne. The aroma is intriguing and very different from what I expected.

TASTE: (4) The flavor is like champagne mixed with port vine. Where there champagne flavor dominates. It has hints of apples and an earthiness with mushroom flavor. It's intriguing palate leaves a bitter coating in the mouth. I am trying to find the peppercorn flavor but realize that it must be what came across to me as mushrooms.


EXTRA: (5) This beer bottle with it's appearance and dark label makes me think of a Port Vine. Goose Island states that this beer can develop for up to 5 years in the bottle. It looks very elegant. An extra plus for the adventurous idea of spicing with peppercorns. It might be the first beer I have ever tried flavored with pepper corns and most certain the darkest colored Farmhouse Ale that I have had.



Goose Island Brewings website

Beer style: Farmouse ale (flavored with Peppercorn)
Serving temperature: 10-12C
Alcohol: 6.0%
Malt: Pilsner, Rye, Crystal Rye, Black Malt
Hops: Pilgrim, Saaz

Food Pairings: According to Goose Islands website: "ideal for pairing with grilled meats and roasted vegetables."

APPEARANCE: 3 x 5 = 15
AROMA: 4 x 10 = 40
TASTE: 4 x 10 = 40
EXTRA: 5 x 1 = 5

Total: 100/130

Pipeline Porter (with Hawaiian Kona Coffee)

APPEARANCE: (4) This beer looks beautiful when it pours down the testing glass. It is not black but very, very dark brown. The foam is dense and sits nicely on top of the beer with a moderate thickness. When the glass is twirled for the aroma, the thickness of the foam increases.

AROMA: (3) Clear coffee notes that is not overwhelming. A little bit of a smoky flavor in the background.

TASTE: (3) The beer gives a very nice mouthful thickness. There is almost a little bit of salty twist to the palate. The coffee dominates but there is also subtle notes of sherry. The carbonation is mild which let the maltiness and flavors dominate. It is a fairly easy drinking beer and maybe a good introduction for newbies to porter style beers.

EXTRA: The label of this beer looks like taken from a travel magazine from the 50:ies. This is according to the brewery a limited release of a seasonal beer (Fall). I miss the good information about serving temperature and alcohol content which is not displayed either on the bottle or on their website. The colorful and unusual label and that this beer is flavored with coffee render this beer at least 3 points.



Kona Brewing Company

Beer style: Porter (flavored with Coffee)
Serving temperature: 10-12C
Alcohol: 5.3% (Ratebeer.com), 5.4% (according to Beer Advocate)
Food Pairings: According to Kona Brewings own website: "Pipeline Porter is perfectly paired with hearty soups and stews, roast beef sandwiches, pot roast and mashed potatoes. It's also a perfect beer on its own, drink it to take the chill off a windy, cold day!"

APPEARANCE: 4 x 5 = 20
AROMA: 3 x 10 = 30
TASTE: 3 x 10 = 30
EXTRA: 3 x 1 = 3

Total: 83/130

Black Hawk Stout

The Beer pours black and almost visually thick into the testing glass. The foam dies down fast with only a small amount sitting on the top of the brew in little islands. APPERANCE: 2

The AROMA (2) reveals nice scents of coffee, vanilla and maybe some cocoa.

The taste is surprisingly thin with dominating coffee notes. For being a stout the taste is weak and a little disappointing. No creamy full mouth flavor, no lingering bitterness. It is not bad but not really exciting either to drink this beer. TASTE (3)

Not many extra points to give here. I would like all breweries to display alcohol level and recommended serving temperatures. At this time the this post was written the website link did not work either. The alcohol level was copied from BeerAdvocate.com so I cannot guarantee that it is accurate. This brewery seem to use birds as their themes for their beer. It is a little bit original so I will give them a 2 instead of 1 EXTRA points.



Beer style: Stout
Serving temperature: 10-12C
Alcohol: 5.2%
Food Pairings: Rather versatile beer with food since the flavor is so moderate. Works fine as session beer.

APPEARANCE: 2 x 5 = 10
AROMA: 2 x 10 = 20
TASTE: 3 x 10 = 30
EXTRA: 2 x 1 = 2

Total: 72/130