The Beer Thread

[d0ublestr0ker0ll]

Flying Fish Extra Pale Ale



Pours a clear amber with a white head that says goodbye quickly. Aroma is citrus hops with butter; it's nice, although not very strong.

Watery feel, and not really any hop bite at all. This just doesn't seem like a pale ale, more like a lager. Not as bland as a Rolling Rock (to compare it to another "Extra Pale Ale"), but relative to the craft-scene it's pretty lifeless.

Overall this would be a nice session beer, yet it's way too expensive on this front. And how the hell do they explain the word "Extra" in the name? Extra dull?

E+ (57)

[d0ublestr0ker0ll]

Flying Dog Horn Dog Barley Wine Style Ale (10.2% ABV)



Hazy brown with a burgundy tinge, large head. Aroma is caramel and fruits with an overtone of booze. Typical forwardness from Flying Dog.

Taste is sweet and sugary, you certainly notice the alcohol. Can't really sense any hops in this one, it has a dominating sweet malt presence. Mouthfeel is thick and syrupy, it goes well with how sugary this tastes.

This is another solid brew from Flying Dog, it's definitely an ass kicker. I like how that brewery doesn't seem to hold back. Usually in-your-face type of stuff. This is right behind the Double Pale Ale as my favorite beer from Flying Dog.

B+ (88)

[d0ublestr0ker0ll]

Lagunitas Maximus IPA



Amber pour with a thick, white, frothy head. Nice lacing. Big aroma of grapefruit and pine hops.

Taste is a bitter slap of pine, citrus and grass. Must say that the malt is hard to detect through all the hop action going on. Perhaps some caramel. This is a bitter one.

This is certainly a bitter beer but I personally enjoy it and will probably get it again this summer. It's one of those beers that will make you snap-to after sitting under the sun on a hot day. You know, but so can a shot of whisky.

B- (83)

[d0ublestr0ker0ll]

North Coast Old No. 38 Stout



Pours black with a brown, creamy head. This smells god damn incredible. Roasted malts with freshly baked oatmeal cookie and licorice. A very holiday-like tone to the aroma. Pleasantly unique.

Taste is a different story. Mouthfeel is light, watered down even. WTF? Taste is relatively bland compared to the aroma. Why? This had such great potential. Roasted malts are the only thing to write home about; there's also dark chocolate with a little bit of a hop note, but it's watered down! Blach!

I am totally digging the aroma of this brew, and totally not digging the taste. Give me an air refreshener of this stuff.

C (73)

[d0ublestr0ker0ll]

Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Barleywine Style Ale



Deep, cloudy amber with a friggen huge off-white head. Wow. Maybe I'm just a little tipsy by now. Woops! The smell is full of hops that are liable to pass as nose spray. Very sharp. Citrus and floral, mostly citrus. Dark fruit in there as well, man oh man.

It's been a couple minutes and the head is still holding on strong. Taste is citrus, grass and pine hops with a sweet malt backbone. Very tasty, and very bitter. Some caramel in the aftertaste as well. Mostly bitter hops all the way through. If you focus on the malt you will taste the malt. This is a dynamic barleywine.

The alcohol is hidden well by the strong flavors of this beer, and I must say the flavors aren't for the regular beer guzzler. It's bitter, it's a punch in the mouth. But the more beers you try the more you want to find something like this. I really like this beer, and it ain't incredibly expensive.

A- (90)

[Skinsfan1311]

Just tapped a keg of this....



My local beer guy let it go for $130.00 tax included.

Someone ordered it, and changed his mind.

Saved me $28.00!!

Now...I'm just waiting for the keg to settle....in the meantime, I'm drinking a Peroni...

[Skinsfan1311]

Lagunitas Maximus IPA



Amber pour with a thick, white, frothy head. Nice lacing. Big aroma of grapefruit and pine hops.

Taste is a bitter slap of pine, citrus and grass. Must say that the malt is hard to detect through all the hop action going on. Perhaps some caramel. This is a bitter one.

This is certainly a bitter beer but I personally enjoy it and will probably get it again this summer. It's one of those beers that will make you snap-to after sitting under the sun on a hot day. You know, but so can a shot of whisky.

B- (83)

I snagged a sixer of the Maximus, when we were in Lake Tahoe, back in February. It was on sale at the local grocery store for around $7.00, so I couldn't resist. Your review is spot on.

Truthfully, I couldn't detect even a hint of malt. It was ok, but nothing that I would consider buying again. I prefer the Lagunitas IPA...

[The Brave Little Toaster Oven]

Blue Moon is amazing...

[WARPATH85]

Sipping on a ice cold Foster's right now. Who knows what I'll be drinking when I go back to Italy.

[GoSkins561]

I loved the Smutty Nose Porter, so I mixed a six pack and thru in a couple Smutty Nose IPA. It's dry hopped so there is tons of bitterness and lots of sediment floating around. The smell is nice and has a very strong citrus/piney taste. There is a very strong lingering bitterness, a really nice IPA.

[d0ublestr0ker0ll]

Blue Moon is amazing...

Got a 12 of Blue Moon today. Had some Budweiser yesterday. I'm perfectly cool with macro brews. If I were to grade them I'd have to do it on a different scale than the craft brews. I personally don't consider craft and macro beers the same kind of beverage.

[GoSkins561]

Great Divide Denver Pale Ale is a sweet smelling beer, the taste is nutty, kind of reminds me of a nut brown ale. There is a little bit of hoppiness, it's a pretty decent beer that is very drinkable.

I am glad I only put one of these in my 6 pack yesterday, leaving more room for a Great Divide Belgian IPA(thought it was very good, but didn't come close to Flying Dogs Raging *****), a couple of Raging Bitches and Smutty Nose IPA's.

[Skinsfan1311]

Sipping on a ice cold Foster's right now. Who knows what I'll be drinking when I go back to Italy.

If you like ice cold Foster's, then you will probably like Peroni, Nastro Azzuro or Birra Moretti.

They're all lagers and they're pretty crisp and refreshing.

Because of Italy's proximity to the rest of Europe, you'll have access to all kinds of great beer.

Go for the German beers, get 'em on draft, when possible.

There are numerous beers that we can't get stateside.

Enjoy!

[d0ublestr0ker0ll]

Dogfish Head Midas Touch Golden Elixir



After a long time of thinking about it, I finally got this beer. Pours gold with an off white head and an active carbonation of fine bubbles. Decent lacing, head didn't stay around too long.

Aroma is a blast of sweet malt with honey and caramel. A pretty strong citrus hop characteristic in there as well. Very thick and powerful smell to it.

Taste right away reminds you of a barley wine. In fact if I didn't know any better, I'd consider this one. Very, very malty, and a thick mouthfeel. The alcohol is noticeable but extremely complimentary, as it carefully heats up the back of the throat after each swallow. The taste is a syrupy malt up front, citrus hops right when you start swirling it around. A little honey and a tiny bit of caramel are in there.

This beer is crazy good. In my opinion it's underrated, even as highly rated as it is. It has a great mix of qualities to it that make it one of the most well put-together beers I've ever had.

A (95)

[d0ublestr0ker0ll]

Harpoon IPA



Pours a very clear dark orange with a fluffy white head. Distinct aroma of citrus hops, a nice touch of pine in there, sweet caramel malt. Great smell. Spotty, but good-looking lacing around the glass.

The taste is bitter, but it's MORE bland. Definitely my first experience tasting an IPA with this kind of character. It tastes like grapefruit and grass hops all the way through, but it really blankets the tastebuds with coat of blandness. It really takes away from what I like about IPAs, which is powerful, yet methodically flavored bitterness. This is more towards non-flavored bitterness. It's a fairly dry mouthfeel, it all equals out to be a pretty chalky beer.

The look and aroma of this beer lead me on, but I'm just not feeling it too much. I really love IPAs, so excuse me if I'm being too harsh.

C- (71)