Mike's Beer of the Week

Beer Information

Brewery: Duvel (Belgium)
Beer Name: Tripel Hop

Beer Style: Belgian IPA
Abv.: 9.5%

Serving Glassware: Tulip, Chalice, Over-sized Wine Glass
Serving Temp.: 40-45 deg. F. (BeerAdvocate.com)

Local Availability: Table and Vine (Limited Release!)

Pairings: Salad, Shrimp, Lobster, Cheese, Chicken



http://www.theperfectlyhappyman.com/

Mike's Ratings (1-5)

Overall Grade/Rate: A/4.35

Appearance: 4.5

Aroma: 4

Taste: 4.5

Mouthfeel: 4

Drinkability: 4.5

BeerAdvocate Avg. Rate: A-/4.23

Mike's Description

Poured into a Tulip Glass.

Appearance - True to the tag's word, refermentation within the bottle is obvious. Pours about 5 inches of head that settles at around 2 inches of fluffy white whipped-cream-like bubbles. Strong head retention with a plethora of lacings. The beer itself is a bright golden/yellowish tint that can't be seen through due to the multitude of spices floating within it.

Aroma - Strong floral notes with sweeter citrusy profile. The large amount of head effectively traps the aromas for the length of the session.

Taste - Prevalent floral and citrusy character with slight hop bitterness. This beer is more sweet than bitter which I am grateful for because too much of a hop taste would overshadow the complex belgian spice and yeast flavors. Extremely smooth beer with no alcohol detectable despite the high abv. and lower hop bitterness.

Mouthfeel - Seems like a full-bodied beer, but it is so smooth that it may pass as a lighter-bodied brew. Pleasant hoppy aftertaste.

Drinkability - Overall I highly recommend this beer despite its steep price (~$20) as a special occasion beer. Easter was my excuse.

Mike's Beer of the Week

Beer Information

Brewery: Dogfish Head Craft Brewery (Delaware)

Beer Name: Aprihop
Beer Style: American IPA
Abv.: 7.0%

Serving Glassware: Tulip, Pint Glass
Serving Temp.: 45-50 deg. F. (BeerAdvocate.com)

Local Availability: Table and Vine, Johnny Macs, Spirit Haus
Pairings: Chicken, Haddock, Shrimp, Lobster, Ice Cream 


http://www.thebrewskireport.com/

Mike's Ratings (1-5)

Overall Grade/Rate: B+/3.98

Appearance: 4.5

Aroma: 4

Taste: 4

Mouthfeel: 3.5

Drinkability: 4

BeerAdvocate Avg. Rate: B+/3.79

Mike's Description

Appearance - Reddish orange in color and crystal clear. Similar in appearance to Nugget Nectar. About a half inch of white head with a good amount of lacing on the over-sized wine glass. Decent head retention that nearly lasts throughout the experience.

Aroma - The fruit character, the apricots, play a dominate role in this facet. The hops are detectable, but with a fruit beer it is hard to get much in the aroma aside from the fruit itself.

Taste - Again, the apricots are dominant as the name suggests. The hops stand out more with this characteristic and pair nicely with the apricots. The hop bitterness and fruit sweetness are bittersweet. This beer is true to the name.

Mouthfeel - I didn't pick up a lot here. The apricots leave a pleasant aftertaste with some hop bitterness to satisfy the hopheads.

Drinkability - Overall this is a great spring beer that you can count on because it stays true to its name. It is pretty much a better #9...especially for the hopheads out there! With a fruit beer you don't really want too much at a time, so the 4-pk is perfect.

Mike's Beer of the Week

Beer Information

Brewery: Avery Brewing Company (CO) 

Beer Name: Maharaja

Beer Style: Imperial IPA
Abv.: 10.3%

Serving Glassware: Snifter, Tulip, Oversized Wine Glass

Serving Temp.: 50-55 deg. F. (BeerAdvocate.com)

Local Availability: N/A

Pairings: Meat (Burgers, Teriyaki Steak or Chicken), Haddock

Mike's Ratings (1-5)

Overall Grade/Rate: A-/4.05

Appearance: 5

Aroma: 4

Taste: 4

Mouthfeel: 4

Drinkability: 4

BeerAdvocate Avg. Rate: A-/4.18

Mike's Description

Appearance - This beer is stunning: about a half inch of white head with strong lace deposits all around the over-sized wine glass. Golden orange in color, similar to Nugget Nectar. Very translucent and fresh-looking with no sediment.

Aroma - Strong hop aroma with a malty backbone. Bitter piney esters - what you would expect from a 102 IBU beer...just hops.

Taste - Extremely bitter tasting...this beer destroys the palate. Strong piney and malty background that attempts to obscure the 10.3% abv., but doesn't completely succeed.

Mouthfeel - Spicey piney feel that completely numbs the tastebuds and the entire mouth for that matter...just drink one of these before you have your teeth removed at the dentist.

Drinkability - Overall this beer is one of the best DIPAs that I've had. It is ludicrously bitter and well deserving of all the fame that it recieves. Its bitterness is right up there with Hop Stoopid. I would recommend this beer, but only a bottle at a time or else you can count on praying to the porcelain gods at some point.