March 28, 2012
Mendocino Imperial Stout
I still remember the first time I tried Black Hawk Stout from California’s Mendocino Brewing. It was at The Green Leaf in Williamsburg, VA a year or so into dating my wife. I can tell the beer had an impact on me since I still remember the moment quite well even as we approach our [...]
March 27, 2012
Shipyard Brewing Double Old Thumper (1 Year Tasting)
A little over a year ago, I received a three bottles of Shipyard Brewing’s newly released Double Old Thumper Ale, an imperial ESB based on their classic (and a personal favorite) Old Thumper Ale. Upon receiving the samples, I knew immediately what I had to do. And so the decision was made to review a [...]
March 26, 2012
Echt Kriekenbier
With my recent foray into all things sours and lambics and krieks, I’ve been grabbing singles of the styles from various breweries over the past couple of months. This particular bottle of Echt Kriekenbier from Brouwerij Verhaeghe (just like the Vichtenaar I reviewed the other day) had been sitting in my chest freezer for a [...]
March 23, 2012
Evil Twin Christmas Eve at a New York Hotel Room
Well, I’m pretty sure that I can safely label this the beer with the longest name that I have ever tasted in my many years destroying my liver. Christmas Eve at a New York Hotel Room (CEAANYHR for short) is a 10% ABV Imperial Stout brewed by gypsy brewer, Evil Twin out of Denmark. Forgoing [...]
March 22, 2012
Williamsburg Alewerks Bitter Valentine
First off, I love the dejected look on our little cherub buddy on the label of this brew from Williamsburg Alewerks — it fits the name of the brew perfectly. And as you might have guessed, with a name like Bitter Valentine, this is indeed an IPA and a big one at that. This Imperial/Double [...]
March 21, 2012
Left Hand Stranger
I’ve had my share of left Hand Brewing beers over the past several years, but this is the first time I’ve come across their Stranger pale ale. It’s an annual release that I just recently spied on shelves the other day. Brewed with a variety of malts (including a bit of rye) and Centennial, Willamette [...]
March 20, 2012
Stillwater / Mikkeller Two Gypsies: Our Side
Two of the more celebrated gypsy brewers (those without a brewery of their own) over the past couple of years would have to be Maryland’s Stillwater Artisanal Ales and and Denmark’s Mikkeller. Both companies produce some of the tastiest stuff available — it was only a matter of time before they came together to create [...]
March 19, 2012
He’Brew Hop Manna
Shmaltz Brewing, makers of the He’Brew brand of beers, is out with a new year-round release in the form of Hop Manna. This IPA is brewed with five varieties of malt (Specialty 2-Row, Wheat, Munich, Vienna and CaraMunich 40) as well as six hop varieties in the form of Warrior, Cascade, Citra, Amarillo, Crystal and [...]
March 16, 2012
Vichtenaar Flemish Ale
I remember the plain and understated label drawing me to this particular beer a few weeks ago. It’s made by the same folks that brew up one of my all-time favorite Flanders Red Ales — Duchesse de Bourgogne. Based on that knowledge along I was pretty damn excited about grabbing a bottle. While the Duchesse [...]
March 15, 2012
Innis & Gunn Irish Whiskey Cask
I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect from the samples of Innis & Gunn’s Irish Whiskey Cask (a barrel aged Scottish Stout weighing in at 7.4% ABV) when they first arrived a couple of days ago. Looking at the light brown liquid in the clear glass bottle certainly didn’t do much to instill any faith [...]
