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.

Mike's Beer of the Week

Beer Information

Brewery: Trappist Westvleteren 

Beer Name: Blonde

Beer Style: Belgian Pale Ale

Abv.: 5.8%

Serving Glassware: Snifter, Chalice, Tulip, Oversized Wine Glass

Serving Temp.: 45-50 deg. F. (BeerAdvocate.com)

Local Availability: N/A

Pairings: If you obtain this beer, enjoy it by itself...then call me!

web.mit.edu

Mike's Ratings (1-5)

Overall Grade/Rate: A+/4.58

Appearance: 4.5

Aroma: 4

Taste: 5

Mouthfeel: 4

Drinkability: 4.5

BeerAdvocate Avg. Rate: A-/4.23

Mike's Description

Thanks to Craig for giving me this amazing and extremely rare beer! For those of you that are unaware, any Trappist Westvleteren beer must be reserved and obtained from the monks who brew it within their trappist in Belgium... and it's very very pricey. 

Appearance - Pretty much a perfect representation of what a Belgian pale ale should look like...very aesthetically pleasing. Extremely modest bottle with no label, merely "Trappistenbier" engraved in the glass...mysterious...and a sweet logo on the cap. Completely opaque yellowish golden hue with a 1/2" of white head. Very good retention and moderate speckled lacing.

Aroma - Pure Belgian yeast...mmmm...unparalleled. Earthy and woody scents with a slight hint of citrus and perhaps pine from the hops. 

Taste - This is just awesome. The Belgian yeast dominates as in the aroma with a slight citrusy taste. Very complex spiciness that only Belgian trappist beers are capable of...go monks! Very earthy tones take over the background.

Mouthfeel - This is where the Belgian spices really steal the show. The natural spices are present immediately, through the experience, and in the aftertaste. The unique yeast strain plays a role here as well...it seems as though it's still fermenting in my mouth.

Drinkability - Overall I believe that this beer is the pioneer of the style. Not my favorite style, but the leader nonetheless. It is the perfect spring beer and I wish I had more than one to drink! Thanks again Craig!

Mike's Beer of the Week

Beer Information

Brewery: Maine Beer Company 

Beer Name: Zoe

Beer Style: American Amber Ale

Abv.: 7.2%

Serving Glassware: Pint, Stein

Serving Temp.: 45-50 deg. F. (BeerAdvocate.com)

Local Availability: Table and Vine

Pairings: Meat (Beef, Chicken, Fish), Cheese (Sharp, Bleu, Cheddar)

www.flickr.com/photos/brostad

Mike's Ratings (1-5)

Overall Grade/Rate: A/4.45

Appearance: 4.5

Aroma: 4.5

Taste: 4.5

Mouthfeel: 4

Drinkability: 4.5

BeerAdvocate Avg. Rate: A-/4.23

Mike's Description

Appearance - Unique looking bottle with interesting label. A couple inches of tannish smooth head with fantastic retention and lacing deposits. the beer itself is a beautiful dark amber color that is completely transclucent...sort of like a ruby.

Aroma - Wonderful hoppy bouquet with floral wisps. Although the hops are very strong, there is a strong malt background with an earthy/woody feature.

Taste - Exactly what you want for this style, lots of hops with a strong malty backbone. Very crisp and easy to drink. The alcohol is noticeable, but it is well hidden.

Mouthfeel - Great hoppy feel and aftertaste; the syrupy malt is nice and smooth. Medium-bodied brew that is a perfect balance and representation for this style.

Drinkability - Very drinkable beer...despite its size and alcohol content I could see myself drinking about 4 of these.  Fantastic beer overall; world class for this style in my opinion. It's a little pricy, but completely worth it especially if it's fresh...I'll be getting more of this and I hope it is a year-round beer.

Mike's *BeerS* of the Week (Special Pairing)

Beer Information

Brewery: Founders Brewing (MI)

Beer Name: Kentucky Breakfast Stout (KBS) & Breakfast Stout

Beer Style: Oak Bourbon Barrel Aged Stout & Dbl. Chocolate Coffee Oatmeal Stout

Abv.: 11.2% & 8.3%

Serving Glassware: Snifter, Pint, Red Wine Glass

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

Local Availability: KBS Not Available / BS available at Johnny Macs

Pairings: Meat, Chocolate

Mike's Ratings (1-5) KBS

Overall Grade/Rate: A+/4.97!!!

Appearance: 4.5

Aroma: 5

Taste: 5

Mouthfeel: 5

Drinkability: 5

BeerAdvocate Avg. Rate: A+/4.53

Mike's Ratings (1-5) BS

Overall Grade/Rate: A-/4.13

Appearance: 4.5

Aroma: 4

Taste: 4

Mouthfeel: 4

Drinkability: 4.5

BeerAdvocate Avg. Rate: A/4.43

Mike's Description

I was very lucky to obtain these extremely rare beers.  Obtaining KBS was a bloodbath at Table and Vine and it sold out in a matter of hours.  I was also lucky to obtain the nearly as popular Breakfast Stout at Johnny Macs.  Pairing them side-by-side...well I never thought I'd have the opportunity...until tonight!!!!!

KBS

Appearance - Completely black with absolutely no translucency. Only a little khaki-tinted head with bits of refined lacing on the Stella glass. Moderate retention, but pretty good considering how little it started with.

Aroma - Amazing...milk chocolate and bourbon mixed together perfectly. I'm not a big bourbon fan, but it's so well balanced in aroma that it is good whether or not you like bourbon. Slight bitterness as well.

Taste - Slight hop bitterness up front with a nice bourbon bite that is balanced out with a viscous milk chocolate taste that coats the tongue. The alcohol is slightly noticeable, but it is hard to decipher due to the bourbon flavor that pretty much masks it.

Mouthfeel - This is one of the best features of this brew. Typically in a bourbon barrel aged beer, the bourbon lingers forever due to its strong and ever-present tones. In this beer, however, the bourbon lingers, but at the perfect magnitude creating a warming sensation that makes you eager to keep coming back. The sweet milk chocolate is also a very desirable quality that isn't overdone in this beer. The bitterness of the hops (70 IBUs) is perfect for this style and does not kill the palate, allowing you to enjoy this brew for quite some time!...until you're dominated by the 11.2% abv...

Drinkability - Overall this beer is one of the best I've ever had and it is certainly the best I've had of this style. I thought all the hype might raise my expectations too high, but this beer really came through...well worth the effort and I am ecstatic that I was able to obtain a 4-pk. !!!

Breakfast Stout

Appearance - Pretty much the same as KBS with slightly paler head. The brew is completely black with no translucency. 1/4" tan/off-white head with moderate retention.

Aroma - Unlike the KBS in which chocolate and bourbon dominate, coffee and slight chocolate undertones are at work here.

Taste - Very smooth for a stout. Similar to the aroma, coffee beans and dark chocolate are the stars of the show. Slight sweetness is present, but it is overwhelmed by the coffee and hoppy bitterness.

Mouthfeel - Uh...feels great in my mouth! The coffee and chocolate really soothe and coat the tongue in a way that most stouts don't. The aftertaste fades pretty fast making you all the more eager for more.

Drinkability - A fantastic stout and definitely one of the best I've had. Side-by-side with KBS...I prefer the KBS, but with no intention of belittling this solid brew.