Mike's Beer of the Week

Beer Information

Brewery: The Alchemist

Beer Name: Luscious

Beer Style: Russian Imperial Stout

Abv.: 11.1%

Serving Glassware: Snifter, Pint

Serving Temp.: 50-55 deg. F.

Packaging: 22oz bottles

Price: $20

Availability: One-time Release

Pairings: Dessert (Brownies, Vanilla Ice Cream)

Mike's Ratings (1-5)

Overall Grade/Rate: A/4.33

Appearance: 4

Aroma: 4.5

Taste: 4.5

Mouthfeel: 4

Drinkability: 4

BeerAdvocate Avg. Rate: A/4.41

Mike's Description

Appearance - Pitch black beer that looks similar to motor oil. Brown 1/2" head that lasts throughout most of the session. A good amount of lace is splayed around the Alchemist pint glass.

Aroma - Strong coffee bean aroma from the copious amounts of roasted malts. Chocolate is a major player here as well along with some wisps of caramel.

Taste - The aroma doesn't lie...this RIS has anything that one could ask for. Plenty of coffee, bittersweet dark chocolate, and a faint maltiness to fill in the gaps. The hops aren't directly detectable, but their presence is felt from their contribution to balancing this beer perfectly.

Mouthfeel - The coffee and chocolate notes last after each sip...and that is all that's needed.

Overall - This is a top-notch representation of this style and I wish I could attain/afford more of it, but unfortunately only 700 bottles were saved from the Alchemist flood that destroyed the pub and brewery.

Mike's Beer of the Week

Beer Information

Brewery: Sierra Nevada / Dogfish Head

Beer Name: Life and Limb

Beer Style: American Strong Ale

Abv.: 10.2%

Serving Glassware: Snifter, Pint

Serving Temp.: 50-55 deg. F.

Packaging: 22oz bottles

Price: ~$10

Availability: Seasonal

Pairings: BBQ / Teriyaki - flavored steak

Mike's Ratings (1-5)

Overall Grade/Rate: C/2.88

Appearance: 2.5

Aroma: 2.5

Taste: 3

Mouthfeel: 3

Drinkability: 3

BeerAdvocate Avg. Rate: B+/3.94

Mike's Description

Appearance - Very dark brown, nearly black, beer. In large volume it's opaque, but in a lesser amount I think it's translucent. About a half inch of khaki head that dissipates quickly leaving a good amount of lace on the wine glass.

Aroma - Not too much here; only faint aromas are present such as darker fruits (grape, fig, raisin) and some licorice. Smells (and appears) as though it will lean towards the maltier side of the spectrum.

Taste - The taste is bolder and provides a little more detail than the aroma. The fruits are more pronounced and the malts nearly dominate this area. Very little hop contribution, but some piney bitterness comes through in a feeble attempt to balance this beer. Maple syrup is detectable as well.

Mouthfeel - Surprisingly the hops make a comeback and successfully balance this beer out nicely. Despite the strong malt backbone and initial lack of hops, they somehow do their job.

Drinkability - A well-balanced beer that successfully represents its style. Beyond that, however, nothing special. It's tasty, but there's not anything spectacular or unique about it. If I found it on tap I would order it to compare, but I would not buy it bottled again.

Beer Information

Brewery: Long Trail Brewing Company

Beer Name: Triple Bag

Beer Style: American Strong Ale

Abv.: 9.40%

Serving Glassware: Stange, Snifter, Pint

Serving Temp.: 50-55 deg. F.

Packaging: 4-pk 12oz bottles

Availability: Brewed once (so far hopefully)

Pairings: Dessert (Chocolates, Brownies)

Mike's Ratings (1-5)

Overall Grade/Rate: A-/4.03

Appearance: 3.5

Aroma: 4.5

Taste: 4

Mouthfeel: 3.5

Drinkability: 4

BeerAdvocate Avg. Rate: B+/3.79

Mike's Description

Appearance - Very dark brown beer with slight amber tones when held up to a light. Minimal head and lace. Appears as though it will live up to its 9.4 abv. and pack a punch.

Aroma - Very malt-forward aroma with no hop presence. Tons of sweet esters with dominant elements such as caramel and cherry.

Taste - Strong malt profile as suggested by the aroma that contains sweeter ingredients such as the caramel and cherry mentioned before at the flavor-forefront followed by hints of blueberry, chocolate, coffee, heath bar, plum, and slight grape and apple notes.

Mouthfeel - The powerful and sweet caramel character lives on after the initial sip and compliments this full-bodied and strong-flavored beer. Some cinnamon resides in the aftertaste.

Drinkability - If you're at the less popular end of the beer-spectrum (opposite the hop-heads) and looking for a malt-bomb, this beer will be a rare treat. This is probably the maltly equivalent of the hop-bomb, Hop Stoopid, by Lagunitas. This beer has tons of flavor and alcohol that will satisfy all wants/needs of someone looking for a sweeter one-and-done beer.

Mike's Beer of the Week

Beer Information

Brewery: The Alchemist Pub and Brewery

Beer Name: Heretic

Beer Style: Barleywine

Abv.: 9.99%

Serving Glassware: Snifter, Pint

Serving Temp.: 50-55 deg. F.

Packaging: 22oz bottles

Price: $15

Availability: One-time release (700 bottles)

Pairings: Dessert (Chocolates, Brownies)

Mike's Ratings (1-5)

Overall Grade/Rate: A-/4.03

Appearance: 3.5

Aroma: 4.5

Taste: 4

Mouthfeel: 3.5

Drinkability: 4

BeerAdvocate Avg. Rate: B+/3.80

Mike's Description

1 out of 700 bottles sold at the Alchemist. I am extremely happy that I and my girlfriend were each able to obtain one. The alchemist pub was flooded and only this beer and an imperial stout were saved and bottled.

Appearance - Listed as a DIPA on the bottle, but as a barleywine on BeerAdvocate. I'm gonna have to agree with BA in terms of appearance. Brownish/amber beer with an off-white head...much too dark to be any DIPA that I've ever seen and pretty characteristic of a barleywine. Some lace present on the alchemist glass.

Aroma - Very hoppy as assumed, but has an almost overwhelming malt profile to balance out the bitterness and add some surplus sweetness.

Taste - The hops are there, but again the strong malt presence takes over. Some darker fruits are here such as plum, raisin, and faint hints of grape. Due to the sweet character, some licorice and fig comes through too.

Mouthfeel - Almost no lasting hop bitterness, which is distinct in my barleywine experience. Not too much to elaborate on here minus the obvious lingering sweetness.

Drinkability - Overall a decent barleywine and a horrible DIPA :D. Presents all of the basic elements of a barleywine and lacks all the facets of a DIPA that hop-heads desire. Very happy that I was able to try it, but I'm only happy I spent the $15 on it in order to support the Alchemist.

Mike's Beer of the Week

Beer Information

Brewery: Avery Brewing Company

Beer Name: The Kaiser

Beer Style: Imperial Oktoberfest

Abv.: 9.73%

Serving Glassware: Stein, Pint

Serving Temp.: 45-50 deg. F.

Packaging: 22oz bottles

Price: ~$8

Availability: Seasonal

Pairings: German (Schnitzel, Pork, Hungarian Goulash)

www.flickr.com/photos/buffaloted

Mike's Ratings (1-5)

Overall Grade/Rate: B+/3.90

Appearance: 4

Aroma: 3.5

Taste: 4

Mouthfeel: 4

Drinkability: 4

BeerAdvocate Avg. Rate: B+/3.80

Mike's Description

Appearance - Copper/fire-like appearance with almost no head and no lacing. Cool name for this style..."Give me a woman who loves brew and I will conquer the world". - The Kaiser

Aroma - Intense malt aromas with hints of darker fruits such as raisin and maybe some plum. Slight licorice notes come through here too.

Taste - As foreshadowed by the aroma, extremely malty - even more so than most marzens I've had. Almost no hops whatsoever leading to a complete lack of bitterness and a very sweet marzen. In addition to the fruits I mentioned, some sweeter elements are here such as cinnamon and brown sugar.

Mouthfeel - As expected, the sweet character survives for awhile after each sip. Otherwise, not much to say here.

Drinkability - This beer is a pretty good marzen altogether...if you have it as a dessert beer. It's very sweet, high in alcohol, and a large volume, so the sweet character really starts to build up after awhile. I would never want more than one of these at a time and as a result, I wouldn't choose this on a fall day because I would normally prefer a few oktoberfests at a time : D

Mike's Beer of the Week

Beer Information

Brewery: The Alchemist Pub and Brewery

Beer Name: Heady Topper

Beer Style: Double IPA

Abv.: 8.0%

Serving Glassware: The can itself, tulip, snifter

Serving Temp.: 50-55 deg. F.

Packaging: 4-pk 16oz cans

Price: ~$13

Availability: Year round (only at brewery)

Pairings: Vermont Cabot 'Seriously Sharp' Cheddar Cheese

Finally, a picture that I took.

Mike's Ratings (1-5)

Overall Grade/Rate: A+/4.97

Appearance: 4.5

Aroma: 5

Taste: 5

Mouthfeel: 5

Drinkability: 5

BeerAdvocate Avg. Rate: A+/4.58

Mike's Description

Thanks to Mallory for going to the alchemist cannery with me and enjoying this amazing beer! Also, good luck to everyone at the Alchemist brewpub, what happened was horrible and I hope for a fast and complete recovery.

Appearance - Light brown 'apple cider' appearance with a half-inch of head that lasts almost throughout the session. Wisps of white lace that dance around my new alchemist glass. Looks like it will pack a punch. Graphics and text on the can are unique as well...notably the incentive to be green..."Don't be a D-bag. Recycle this can!".

Aroma - Bursts of hoppy goodness...I'm not sure which hops John Kimmich uses, but it seems as though a little bit of everything is in here. Some pine is there along with fruity esters as well. It might be the fact that it looks like apple cider, but I also pick up some cinnamon.

Taste - As expected, hops...this must be where hops go to heaven. Not overwhelming...well it's overwhelming (in a good way), but a unique hop/malt balance. Some fruit character is here as well such as orange peel and maybe some lemon zest. There is also a complex spice presence involving ginger, cinnamon, and...who knows?

Mouthfeel - Pretty much all you could ask for in a DIPA - lingering hops of all shapes, names, sizes, genders, races, and sexual orientations.

Drinkability - This is the best DIPA I've ever had. It is all that anyone could want this style to deliver. The statement on the can sums this beer up perfectly..."Not intended to be the biggest or most bitter. It is meant to give you wave after wave of hoppy goodness on your palate". I like this beer better than Pliny the Elder, but that might be because I had this beer fresh from the brewery whereas I had Pliny a couple of months after it was bottled.