Browse Tag

beer

There’s a train a-comin’

Berkshire Brewing Co. “Steel Rail” Extra Pale Ale (Massachusetts) – A bar I frequent in my summer months used to serve this on draft, to my great joy. Alas, my joy was not shared, and the tap now pours something of less interest. This is a powerful, flavorful ale, full of spice, richness, and presence; it feels Belgian, even though it’s not by geography or construction. (10/10)

Senate

Long Trail “Brewmaster Series” Imperial Porter (Vermont) – I used to love porter, but now I tend to find it an in-between style that’s not as appealing to me as something clearer or something more opaque. This is a fair brew, browned and nutty with a caramelized anise lacquer, but I can’t quite warm to it. (10/10)

Iha-p

Shipyard “Pugsley’s Signature Series” “Smashed Pumpkin” Ale (Maine) – Kind of the neutron bomb of pumpkin ales, absolutely exploding with both the raw and spiced versions of the squash, and yet managing to hold onto its ale status just enough for one to remember that this is a beer, not a Halloween soup. Pretty extraordinary. That said, I doubt everyone will like it; it’s really a lot to take. (9/10)

Black dirt

Rogue “Chatoe Rogue” Dirtoir Black Lager “First Growth” (Oregon) – There’s a lot going on with that name. Perhaps more than is going on with the beer, though there’s a wrinkly appeal to its heart (and skin, and organs) of darkness. I like it, but I wouldn’t want to drink it in mass quantities. (9/10)

Auld lang syne

Ommegang “Cup O Kyndnes” Scotch Ale (New York) – Heavy, as befits the category, but I’ve never had a domestic version of this style that I thought really captured the balanced weight of the original, and this is no exception. Sweet metal and armored stone fruit with a sandy finish. And, in case it needs stressing, quite boozy. (9/10)

Canine pesce tête

Dogfish Head Indian Brown Ale (Delaware) – I almost never like brown ales all that much, and this weirdo brewery’s attempt does not change my mind. Tan-flavored, tan-colored, tan-mooded. Yes, I know that’s not a word. (9/10)

Is it dusty, too?

Long Trail “Brewmaster Series” Double IPA (Vermont) – Lovely, lifted aromatics…I don’t, as a rule, enjoy sniffing beer, but this smells pretty enticing…with, yes, confident hoppiness but very good balance. There’s complexity here that forces one to pay attention. If I rated the things I drink, this would be the point score: I bought a case, and I haven’t bought beer by the case since college. (8/10)

Talk to me, Goose

Goose Island 2010 “Matilda” Belgian Style Ale (Illinois) – I’m immediately moved to hate the labels, which scream pretension and artifice, but this beer is good. Very good. The weight of the ale is expressed in a lower-gravity environment, lending it buoyancy and air, and there’s a singing flavor development full of bronze and spice. I like it, a lot. (7/10)

Goose Island 2010 “Pere Jacques” Belgian Style Ale (Illinois) – No, there’s no accent on the label. Fairly intense but balanced, though there’s not quite the development of flavor I’d expect from the structure. Only sorta good. (7/10)

Goose Island 2009 “Sofie” Belgian Style Ale (Illinois) – In the mode of a Belgian white, with perhaps just a little more weight than is good for it, but an otherwise firm, confident style. Just enough flavoring, just enough beer, just enough spice-fuzz texture. (7/10)