Mike's Beer of the Week

Beer Information

Brewery: Dogfish Head Brewing Company

Beer Name: 75 Minute

Beer Style: IPA

Abv.: 7.5%

Serving Glassware: Tulip, Pint

Serving Temp.: 45-50 deg. F. (not on cask)

Packaging: 750 mL bottles

Price: ~$10

Availability: Seasonal (new)

Pairings: Grilled BBQ chicken and zucchini (thanks steve!)

thebeerdrinkerskitchen.files.wordpress.com

Mike's Ratings (1-5)

Overall Grade: A

Appearance: 4

Aroma: 4.5

Taste: 4.5

Mouthfeel: 4.5

Drinkability: 4.5

BeerAdvocate Avg.: A-

Mike's Description

Appearance - About 5 inches of frothy white head...ya I'll wait until that settles down a bit... orange/golden brew with some opacity. Pretty intimidating for a single IPA.

Aroma - Floral esters with some lighter fruity notes such as peach, lemon, and apple. The hop presence is definitely there, but in a distinct way... there isn't a lot of bitterness, but the hops utilized are more citrusy and floral.

Taste - Now that there's about 2 inches of head left... very citrusy. There is definitely hop bitterness, but again it isn't overwhelming. The lighter fruits that I mentioned are even more dominant here. Either the hops used in this beer aren't intended to give off an overly bitter flavor or the malts balance the bitterness out... not sure of the answer. Very tasty though.

Mouthfeel - The lemon zest lasts the longest for me. Definitely a medium-bodied beer that does a fantastic job of hiding the alcohol.

Overall - This beer definitely has the DFH signature "funk" about it, but it's not what you would expect (a hybrid of 60 & 90 minute). By far my favorite of their IPA/DIPA series (120 minute not included...I still don't believe that beer is a DIPA...).

Mike's Beer of the Week

Beer Information

Brewery: Sixpoint Brewing Company

Beer Name: Resin

Beer Style: Imperial IPA

Abv.: 9.1%

Serving Glassware: Tulip, Pint

Serving Temp.: 50-55 deg. F.

Packaging: 4-pk 12oz Cans

Price: ~$10

Availability: 1st Release

Pairings: None

Mike's Ratings (1-5)

Overall Grade: C-

Appearance: 3.5

Aroma: 2.5

Taste: 3.0

Mouthfeel: 3.0

Drinkability: 2.0

BeerAdvocate Avg.: B+

Mike's Description

Appearance - Dark amber, almost red, color that isn't at all representative of the style.  About 2 fingers of off-white head that sticks around for the review.

Aroma - Not too much here, which is very surprising for an imperial ipa. Very faint floral esters and some hints of citrusy hop bitterness, not exactly intimidating despite being 103 IBUs (International Bitterness Units with anything over 90 being pretty damn hoppy)...really?

Taste - A decently balanced beer with a slightly stronger hop presence than malt contribution.  This tastes nothing like an imperial IPA and something like an amber ale (not even an imperial one).  Concerning the hops that are present, there doesn't seem to be a wide variety.  In terms of profile, there is almost no hop flavor (grapefruit, orange...etc), but only bitterness (maybe some lemon).  There seem to be more characteristics to note about the malts than the hops.  No other notable flavors.

Mouthfeel - The hop bitterness lingers for a little while, but nothing beyond this. Medium bodied beer.

Overall - If you're looking for a good imperial IPA to try, look elsewhere.  This beer is decent, but it tastes nothing like a DIPA (more along the lines of an amber as I mentioned).  I have no idea who determined the IBUs, but I highly doubt that 103 is correct.  The appearance, aroma, and taste all seem to point away from the IPA realm.  Lastly, this beer is insanely UNdrinkable at 9.1% abv...you can have one or two of these and call it a night or have a 6-pk of an actual amber ale at 5-6% abv.

Mike's Beer of the Week

Beer Information

Brewery: Brewery Ommegang

Beer Name: Hennepin

Beer Style: Saison

Abv.: 7.7%

Serving Glassware: Chalice, Tulip, Pint

Serving Temp.: 45-50 deg. F.

Packaging: 22oz bottles, 4-pk 12oz bottles

Price: ~$8

Availability: Year-round

Pairings: Seafood (Shrimp, Lobster), Meat (Steak, Burgers)

www.urbanhonking.com

Mike's Ratings (1-5)

Overall Grade: A-

Appearance: 4

Aroma: 4.5

Taste: 4

Mouthfeel: 4

Drinkability: 4.5

BeerAdvocate Avg.: A

Mike's Description

Thanks to my cousin Matt for getting me this beer for xmas!


Appearance - Darker golden brew with a slight opacity and an inch of frothy white head leaving plenty of lace on the chalice.

Aroma - Not as funky as many Belgian saisons out there.  This beer has a very clean floral smell with hints of spice that you might encounter in a hefeweizen along with some butter in the background.  

Taste - The floral character noted in the aroma isn't as prevalent in the taste and more of the farmhouse floor funk that saisons are known for has entered the realm.  The Belgian yeast and spiciness are much more dominant here and miniscule amounts of lemon and orange-peel fill in any gaps.

Mouthfeel - As is the case with most Belgian beers, the yeast is carried into the aftertaste along with the spices in this medium-bodied ale.  Some of the previously mentioned butter has survived to this stage as well.

Overall - Not the greatest saison in the world, but definitely one of my favorites (as is the case with all Ommegang beers).  This beer was fantastic, but it was a little too clean for a saison.  Probably one of the best American-made saisons though.

Mike's Beer of the Week

Beer Information

Brewery: Stone Brewing Company

Beer Name: Ruination

Beer Style: Double IPA

Abv.: 7.7%

Serving Glassware: Tulip, Pint

Serving Temp.: 50-55 deg. F.

Packaging: 22oz bottles, 6-pk 12oz bottles

Price: ~$7

Availability: Year-round

Pairings: Meat (Steak, Ribs, Burgers)

kingbobyjr.files.wordpress.com

Mike's Ratings (1-5)

Overall Grade: C

Appearance: 3.5

Aroma: 4

Taste: 3.5

Mouthfeel: 3.5

Drinkability: 4

BeerAdvocate Avg.: A

Mike's Description

Appearance - Lighter golden color (almost yellow) with a whopping 2 inches of frothy white head. The harpoon ipa glass is completely clouded with lace. I am very surprised at how light and clean this beer looks for a double IPA.

Aroma - A lot of citrusy and floral notes here. Not as in-your-face in terms of hops as most DIPAs. Some fruit presence such as orange and grapefruit.

Taste - The taste is pretty much the aroma for this beer except for a slightly more dominant grapefruit facet. Very well-balanced (in relation to hops and malts) for a DIPA, which isn't necessarily what one hopes for when tasting a DIPA.

Mouthfeel - Some lingering hops, as expected, in the aftertaste of this very light-bodied beer.

Overall - Overall I was kind of disappointed by this beer (as you probably guessed from my scores above). It is a very good beer, but it has everything that anyone could want in an IPA, not a DIPA. It is nearly perfect in terms of all the characteristics of a single IPA (it tastes just like Ballast Point's Sculpin IPA to me) and if it were, I would probably give it a perfect score. The bottle says "IPA" and the alcohol percentage as well as everything else about this beer screams IPA, but I'll trust BeerAdvocate's classification as a DIPA and rate it as such. When I purchase a DIPA, I want to be blown away by the hops.

Mike's Beer of the Week

Beer Information

Brewery: Stone Brewing Company

Beer Name:Vertical Epic 11/11/11

Beer Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale

Abv.: 9.4%

Serving Glassware: Chalice, snifter

Serving Temp.: 50-55 deg. F.

Packaging: 22oz bottles

Price: ~$10

Availability: Limited

Pairings: Seafood (shrimp scampi, linguine w/clams)

Mike's Ratings (1-5)

Overall Grade: B

Appearance: 3.5

Aroma: 3.5

Taste: 4

Mouthfeel: 3.5

Drinkability: 4

BeerAdvocate Avg.: B

Mike's Description

Thanks to Cory for recommending this distinct beer.
 
Appearance - Mahogany beer with an off-white 1/4" head that leaves without a lace :D. Very dark for a pale ale, but I guess that's why it's also a strong ale...it looks like an American strong ale.

Aroma - This variety seems to be the Belgian equivalent of the American strong ale because many of the aromatic notes are the same. Dark fruits (mainly raisin), cinnamon, brown sugar, and maple syrup. The bottle says that Anaheim Chilies have been added to this beer, but I can't sense anything chili-like here.

Taste - I have no idea how the chilies evaded my nose, but they are at the forefront of the taste. The peppers do a great job in balancing this beer...in an unexpected way. Based on the aroma, it was expected that this beer would be on the sweeter side of the spectrum, but the chilies provide a spiciness that almost completely balances the beer. The chilies also block out any hop presence, so it's impossible to tell if the hops are playing any part in the balancing act.

Mouthfeel - The peppery spiciness really plays a part here as well. Most of the time the hop bitterness would linger, but it's almost as if nothing lingers here (maybe some peppery heat). The initial spicy flavor was there to keep the sweet character in check, but it's as if it died out after accomplishing it's sole mission.

Overall - This is a very different beer. Nothing was to be expected and I was led astray at every point possible. Each facet of this beer is decent (nothing fantastic), but I enjoyed how this beer seemed to be a puzzle that provided some new trick at each turn.

Mike's Beer of the Week

Beer Information

Brewery: Stone Brewing Company

Beer Name: Double Bastard

Beer Style: American Strong Ale

Abv.: 10.5%

Serving Glassware: Snifter, Pint

Serving Temp.: 50-55 deg. F.

Packaging: 22oz bottles

Price: ~$10

Availability: Year-round

Pairings: Anything really...

Mike's Ratings (1-5)

Overall Grade: A-

Appearance: 4.5

Aroma: 4.5

Taste: 4.5

Mouthfeel: 4.5

Drinkability: 4.5

BeerAdvocate Avg.: A

Mike's Description

Thanks to Steve Shapiro for this awesome xmas present!

2011

Appearance - I don't know if I'm deemed worthy...a deep amber color with about a half inch of off-white head that dissipates quickly leaving minor lace on the snifter. Insane amount of thought was put into the essay on the back of the bottle...I'm not worthy.

Aroma - Malts flood the aroma with some alcohol burn and fruit character such as apple. Some slight hop presence is here as well.

Taste - Based on the aroma, I expected this to be a pro-malt beer, but it is exceptionally well balanced with a strong hop profile to keep the malt bill in check. Slight citrusy flavors combine with the bitterness to create a piney and tangy product. Some apple is present here too. After only a few sips I can feel the alcohol...not worthy.

Mouthfeel - This beer is insanely balanced and the malt/hop clash does a great job in hiding the 10.5% (although not completely). Raisin and brown sugar reside in the aftertaste.

Overall - This is one of the strongest, and most balanced, beers that I've had. I highly recommend it although it will kick your ass! You must be worthy and deserving of its attention.