Noble Rot

Dogfish Head Craft Brewery

Milton, Delaware

APPEARANCE: 2.75/3
Straw-gold, crystal clear. Steady stream of bubbles. White head fades and laces.

AROMA: 3.25/4
Sour, champagne-like and fruity. Grape, yeasty, white pepper notes.

TASTE: 8.25/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 3/4: Champagne! Sour, earthy finish. Very little hop. Dry, fruity. Is this a beer?

Aftertaste: 2.5/4: Sour lingers, earthiness stays on the tongue. Dry, no hop bitterness.
Mouth-Feel: 2.75/3: Sour flavors overwhelm. Dry, effervescent.

OVERALL: 2.5/3: Clean, champagne-like, effervescent—easier to evaluate compared to wine than beer. Unique and definitely worth a try, unlike any beer we've had.

TOTAL: 16.75/20–Pour Me Another

NOTES:
Matt: The most wine-like beer I've ever had. Sour, bubbly, clean—a nice hybrid, definitely unique. Hard to compare to other beers, it truly is different.
Ben: Wow! It's a saison, it's champagne, it's wine. It's just wow, really unique. This may have been the only bottle of Noble Rot consumed in the states of Kansas OR Missouri, so we feel blessed (as should you, for the opportunity to experience it vicariously through us).

Boulevard Smokestack Series–Harvest Dance Wheat Wine Style Ale

Boulevard Brewing Company
Kansas City, Missouri

APPEARANCE: 3/3
HUGE head. Caramel color, pretty.

AROMA: 3.5/4
Sweet, no hop aroma to speak of.

TASTE: 9/10

• Hop/Malt Balance: 3.5/4: Well-balanced, the hop offsets the maltiness, but still very sweet (but not cloying).
  
• Aftertaste: 2.5/3: Pineapple, grapefruit, some bubble-gum notes, even (surprisingly enough). Back-end bitterness, alcohol is evident.
  
• Mouth-Feel: 3/3: Very dry, very smooth.
  

OVERALL: 3/3

TOTAL: 18.5/20–Keep 'Em Comin'

NOTES:
Matt: A nice departure from the more commonly-encountered styles. I'd definitely buy it again–really delightful and unexpected. Dial back the sweetness a touch and it's perfect.
Ben: Nice warming effect. I'd put it on a par with a good barleywine, with a wheat twist. Maybe a little more hop.