Southern Tier Hoppe Imperial Extra Pale Ale

Southern Tier Brewing Company
Lakewood, New York

APPEARANCE: 2.5/3
Orange hue, hazy. Fine, lacing head. Gold, pretty!

AROMA: 3.25/4
Sour citrus, orange peel, orange blossom, pineapple. Tropical, earthy.

TASTE: 7.75/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 3.25/4: Lots of grapefruit, tropical, citrus up-front. Sour notes at middle, bitter finish. Well-balanced.
Aftertaste: 2.25/3: Noticeable alcohol. Nicely bittered, lasts. Body is appropriate, bitterness lingers.
Mouth-Feel: 2.25/3: Big and chewy, full mouth. Boozy, substantial.

OVERALL: 2.5/3: Full, filling and hoppy. All-around, a pretty darned good beer.

TOTAL: 16/20–Pour Me Another

NOTES:
Matt: Not a session beer, a real treat! Something to keep in your fridge to mark special moments—a well done imperial.
Ben: It's big, it's hoppy, it's big and hoppy—I'd buy another.

Deschutes Black Butte Porter

Deschutes Brewery
Bend, OR

APPEARANCE: 2.5/3
Deep, dark brown. Off-white, tan rocky head. Nice lacing, nice-looking beer.

AROMA: 3/4
Coffee, roast aromas. Dark chocolate, subtle sweetness. Vanilla, maybe? Simple, basic. Roast.

TASTE: 6.75/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 3/4: Coffee, chocolatey. No hop flavor, appropriately. Roast is dominant, some hop bitterness.
Aftertaste: 2/3: Lots of bitter roast, roast bitter + hop bitter = maybe a bit much bitter.
Mouth-Feel: 1.75/3: A big light-bodied, could use more hop. Appropriately carbonated, but thin.

OVERALL: 2/3: A very light beer, a nice session porter, just a tad watery. Roast flavors are nice, an okay beer.

TOTAL: 14.25/20–I'll Try A Pint

NOTES:
Matt: Try this, if only because it (and their Mirror Pond Pale) are the cheapest bombers in town. Not perfect, but good in many ways and worth a try.
Ben: Typical porter, a little too watery, but at $2.99 a bomber, you can't afford NOT to try it. Adding smoked malt might make this more interesting.

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 Rye on Rye (Ale Aged in Rye Whiskey Barrels)

***BICENTENNIAL REVIEW!***

Boulevard Brewing Company

Kansas City, Missouri

APPEARANCE: 2/3
Mahogany, opaque. Thick, rocky, tan head that laces and lasts.

AROMA: 3.25/4
Oak, whiskey, molasses, raisin. Rich—pineapple and coconut notes, alcohol nose.

TASTE: 8.25/10

• Hop/Malt Balance: 3.25/4: Alcohol up-front, middle and end. Whiskey, oak, very malty. Peppery middle. Molasses, caramel. No hop flavor, but some hop bitterness.
  
• Aftertaste: 2.5/3: Whiskey, oak at front. Subtle bitter oakiness imparts a dark feel. Sour.
  
• Mouth-Feel: 2.5/3: Spicy/tingly/sparkly—coats the tongue. Alcohol burn. Smooth, dry finish.
  

OVERALL: 2.5/3: This should be served in a snifter to maximize the aroma, and drunk slowly, savored. Be sure to serve it at the proper temperature. Hard to find—it sold FAST when it was released (not Chocolate Ale fast, but pretty darned fast)—so it's a must-have if you can get your hands on it.

TOTAL: 16/20–Pour Me Another

NOTES:
Matt: I'm no boozehound (anymore), but this Boulevard Smokestack offering balances beer and booze perfectly—complex, sweet and oh-so-smooth. A sipper, not for every day, but for the style (and for our 200th review), grand.
Ben: A sipping beer if there ever was one. Sophisticated, so wear a monocle when you drink it. At 11% ABV, be careful. Cheers, and here's to the next 200!

Bell's Oberon Ale

Bell's Brewery
Comstock, MI

APPEARANCE: 2/3
Orange gold color. Lots of floculent yeast in suspension leaves a hazy appearance. White, fizzy head that fades quickly. We've seen prettier beers.

AROMA: 3.25/4
Citrusy with earthy undertones. Lemongrass and subtle apricot notes. Very malty nose.

TASTE: 7.5/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 3/4: Malt peach and apricot flavors. Subtle lemon rind. No hop flavor. Earthy and gritty. Almost musky. Grainy cereal flavors present.
Aftertaste: 2.25/3: Very dry finish. Subtle hop bitterness and orange peel at end.
Mouth-Feel: 2.25/3: Very light bodied. Kind of fizzy.

OVERALL: 2.5/3: A light session beer for the summer. Better than most other unfiltered wheats we've tried. On par with Boulevard Zon.

TOTAL: 15.25/20–Pour Me Another

NOTES:
Matt: Like a mainstream version of Saison Dupont - that same earthiness that is. Really nice. Gives wheat ales a good name.
Ben: An earthy wheat. Not a bright citrus summer beer - more of a summer evening after a thunderstorm kind of beer. I'd definitely pick up another six of this.

Grand Teton The Grand Saison Farmhouse Ale

Grand Teton Brewing Company
Victor, Idaho

APPEARANCE: 2.25/3
Clear gold. Rocky, foamy white head about one inch thick that lasts. Slight haze from yeast.

AROMA: 3/4
Lots of pineapple and grapefruit. White pepper, orange rind, and lemon zest. Citrusy aromas are dominate. Slight grassy notes.

TASTE: 7.25/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 3.25/4: Grapefruit. Coriander, pineapple lemon pepper as well. Some hop but lost in the yeast profile. Typical for a classic saison.
Aftertaste: 2/3: Subtle lingering bitterness. Could use more bittering hop finish. Lemon rind aftertaste.
Mouth-Feel: 2/3: A champagne dryness. Fizzy. Some sweetness. Very full.

OVERALL: 2/3: Exactly what you would expect from a good saison - no more, no less. Worth a try but there are better examples of the style. It would be interesting to see how this would taste if they had added Brett.

TOTAL: 14.5/20–I'll Try a Pint

NOTES:
Matt: Reminiscent of Boulevard's Tank 7 (but not as nearly as good). A good representation of the style and very straight forward. Not terribly unique but good. A solid saison.
Ben: A good example of the style. A little sweet though. Reminds me of Boulevard's original saison. Fresh and citrusy. A good solid saision. Pair this with cheese, grapes, and white fish.

Alesmith Horny Devil Ale

Alesmith Brewing Company
San Diego, California

APPEARANCE: 2.25/3
Highly carbonated. Thick, foamy head, tons of bubbles. Hazy gold, cloudy for a Belgian Golden.

AROMA: 3.25/4
Highly aromatic. Alcohol, cane sugar, sour. Apricot notes. Clean.

TASTE: 7.5/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 3.25/4: Minimal hop flavor. Sour candy, orange sour. Champagne-like. Coriander is lost in the Belgian yeast.
Aftertaste: 2/3: Bitter finish, dry. Sour notes and alcohol linger.
Mouth-Feel: 2.25/3: Boozy alcohol warming. Tingles on the tongue, bubbles move upward into your brain.

OVERALL: 2.25/3: A Belgian Quad times two—a Belgian Octuple? On par with Duvel—at 11%, it's a very big beer. Belgian yeast is front and center.

TOTAL: 15.25/20–Pour Me Another

NOTES:
Matt: A good, very big Belgian Golden Ale—well-balanced for as big as it is, tasty but definitely boozy.
Ben: Sinus-clearing! A typical Belgian gold, Belgian yeast is nice and floral. If you like high ABV beers, here's one!