Horizon Red Ale

Summit Brewing Company
St. Paul, MN

APPEARANCE: 2/3
Red-brown color. Foamy, creamy head. Steady stream of bubbles. Clean and clear.

AROMA: 2.75/4
Clean. Malty-sweet. Candy sugar, a touch of citrus and pineapple.

TASTE: 5.75/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 2.5/4: Woody. Nicely bittered, very malty up-front. Sweet malt that fades to bitter. No real hop flavor.
Aftertaste: 1.75/3: Bitterness up-front and at the end, and it lasts. Very bitter for the style.
Mouth-Feel: 1.5/3: A bit thin; chemical aftertaste.

OVERALL: 1.75/3
A mass-produced red, Minnesota's version of Boulevard. Not awful, kind of an interesting style, but not a great beer.

TOTAL: 12.25/20–I'll Try A Pint

NOTES:
Matt: Started okay and became less appealing as I drank it. Just can't get past the astringent chemical taste.
Ben: It's a red, and I'm not a big fan of reds. Definitely bitter, too much so for style. Don't go out of your way to try it.

Dundee Pilsner

Dundee Brewing Company*
Rochester, NY

APPEARANCE: 2/3
Pale straw color. Wispy head, fades fast. Very clear.

AROMA: 2.75/4
Very little aroma, hop or otherwise. Clean, like smelling a glass of water. Very subtle sweet cream.

TASTE: 5.25/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 2/4: No real hop flavor. Corny/grape nut taste.
Aftertaste: 1.75/3: Corny, nice bitter finish. Dry. Aftertaste fades quickly.
Mouth-Feel: 1.5/3: Thin, needs more body to offset bitterness.

OVERALL: 1.5/3
It's a step up from Bud Light. Definitely a pils, fairly true to style. Needs more body–a so-so pils.

TOTAL: 11.5/20–Anything Else On Tap?

NOTES:
Matt: Not awful, could be worth buying, depending on Trader Joe's price point. Not a great pils, though–the bitterness is nice, the body ain't.
Ben: Watery and thin, better than domestics, but if you're looking for a good pils, buy Boulevard.

* This is brewed by Gennessee. Not a great brew, by any means.

Dundee Kölsch-Style Ale

Dundee Brewing Company*
Rochester, NY

APPEARANCE: 2/3
Straw-gold, really clear. Thin, white head that fades (fast).

AROMA: 3/4
Clean. Sweet-cream, lager nose. Candy corn, faint honey notes.

TASTE: 6.75/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 2.75/4: Very malty. Honey notes, no hop flavor to speak of. Sweet cream, slight sour at middle. Corny, otherwise sweet.
Aftertaste: 2/3: Corny aftertast, subtle bitter finish that falls out fast.
Mouth-Feel: 2/3: Nice mouth-feel, not too thin. Lageresque, pils-like, but a bit fizzy.

OVERALL: 2/3
Pleasantly surprised (but our expectations were admittedly low). More pilsner than kölsch, not quite true to style, but adequate and drinkable.

TOTAL: 13.75/20–I'll Try A Pint

NOTES:
Matt: Another Trader Joe contract job, this time brewed by Gennessee (so no wonder it's reminiscent of Gennessee Cream Ale, which we like). Not bad.
Ben: Drinkable, light and clean—a good lawn-mowing beer. Is it a kölsch? I dunno—but I'd drink it again.

* This is brewed by Gennessee; evidently, Trader Joe's contract brews all their stuff. Some of it's lousy; this ain't bad.

Gubna Imperial IPA

Oskar Blues Brewing Company
Longmont, Colorado

APPEARANCE: 2.5/3
Hazy gold-brown, creamy white head that laces nicely..

AROMA: 3.5/4
Hoppy nose, very sweet aroma. Prune, raisin bread. Woody, very floral. Honey notes, lots of pineapple.

TASTE: 8/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 3.25/4: Tons of resinous hop. Sweet and bready, woody and grassy notes. Heavy pineapple, subtle apricot.
Aftertaste: 2.25/3: Alcohol aftertaste, bitterness at the back of the tongue that lasts. Very dry. Slight metallic tang.
Mouth-Feel: 2.5/3: Alcohol warming–tingly. Decently balanced, but mighty big; alcohol could be masked better.

OVERALL: 2.5/3
Definitely an Imperial IPA—lots of hop, appropriate body. Complex flavors, spiciness, alcohol warming. A little big for its britches is all.

TOTAL: 16.5/20–Pour Me Another

NOTES:
Matt: This is good–I think we wanted to like it more than we do (it's just a bit big). Still, hoppy, complex and tasty, so worth a try.
Ben: 10% ABV, in a can, no less! Maybe too big for a 12-oz. can—the presentation may be throwing me. A good imperial, a treat when you're on a rocky mountain high.*

*Yes, we know, this was terrible.

Boulevard Collaboration 2 (White IPA)

Boulevard Brewing Company (and Deschutes)
Kansas City, Missouri

APPEARANCE: 2.5/3
Hazy, light gold color. Thick, white, foamy head. Effervescent. Some suspended yeast.

AROMA: 2.75/4
Lemongrass–like lemon Jolly Ranchers—orange peel, coriander. Earthy, some sourness.

TASTE: 7.5/10

• Hop/Malt Balance: 3/4: Hop bitterness dominant. Grapefruit, citrus tartness (akin to Squirt). Flavor hop gets lost in yeast and accompanying flavors.
  
• Aftertaste: 2/3: Bitter hop, for sure. Complex yeast flavors (coriander, spice) last, too.
  
• Mouth-Feel: 2.5/3: Puckering, citrusy, fizzy but full, almost chewy.
  

OVERALL: 2/3: Definitely a wit, and a bitter one at that. Any hop flavors are overwhelmed by yeast complexity. Tasty, but to call it an IPA is a stretch.

TOTAL: 14.75/20–I'll Try A Pint

NOTES:
Matt: A good, big, complex wit, but that's about it. I'd probably buy Zon or a sixer of White Rascal before I'd buy this again.
Ben: It's a wit first. The hop flavor just gets lost; the hop flavor gets lost. The Belgian yeast is good, but I'm not seeing the IPA, and it's a high price point.

Alaskan IPA

Alaskan Brewing Company
Juneau, Alaska

APPEARANCE: 2.75/3
Honey-gold, effervescent—lots of big bubbles. White, creamy head that fades to lace the glass. Pretty.

AROMA: 3/4
Earthy hop–grassy, meadowy. Some citrus, more piney. Malty. Brown sugar notes, like raisin bread.

TASTE: 8.5/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 3.25/4: All hop flavor–woody, floral. Fades to nice bitter. Grassy, earthy, some nutty maltiness.
Aftertaste: 2.5/3: Subtle but lasting hop bitterness—a nice degree of bitterness.
Mouth-Feel: 2.25/3: Surprisingly light-bodied. Crisp, refreshing, not heavy or big, just nice.

OVERALL: 2.5/3: A good meadowy, earthy, bitter IPA. Atypical–doesn't have the citrus you find in most American IPAs. Eminently drinkable, though at 6.2%, might not be the best session beer.

TOTAL: 16.75/20–Pour Me Another

NOTES:
Matt: This surprised me–lighter than I expected, meadowy hop vs. citrusy, just a different IPA. And do I like it? You bet I do—well done.
Ben: Piney, grassy hop flavors nicely offset by hop bitterness. A little too light-bodied, the only knock I can give it. A great brewery–try any of their beers and you'll be pleased.

Dale's Pale Ale

Oskar Blues Brewing Company
Longmont, Colorado

APPEARANCE: 2.25/3
White, creamy head. Orange-brown color. Crisp.

AROMA: 3.25/4
Very malty, nutty, woody. Some hop aroma. Clean, almost lagerish.

TASTE: 8/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 3.25/4: Sweet malt, sugary flavors. Lots of hop bitterness throughout. Woody and nutty.
Aftertaste: 2.5/3: Bitter throughout, nicely so. Punch of hop bitterness from the start.
Mouth-Feel: 2.25/3: Full, bitterness lasts on the tongue. Crisp and clean.

OVERALL: 2.5/3
Bang! Bitter hop hits you at the front and sticks around through the end. Clean and refreshing, nicely bitter, a unique pale!

TOTAL: 16/20–Pour Me Another

NOTES:
Matt: Bitterness done right–a clean, crisp pale with bitterness in all the right places. Dale, where have you been all my life?
Ben: This beer is best appreciated with mountain views. A great, hoppy pale, a must-have for any hop-head's beer bucket list.