Ovila Saison (Collaboration)

Sierra Nevada Brewing Company
Chico, California
and
Abbey of New Clairvaux
Vina, California

APPEARANCE: 2.5/3
Big, rocky head. Deep gold-copper. Hazy. Lots of bubbles, steady stream.

AROMA: 3.25/4
Citrus–orange peel. Pineapple, tangerine, coriander. Peppery, earthy, big and fruity.

TASTE: 7.25/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 3/4: Apricot, honey, pepper notes. Fruit cocktail, pear (so, fruity). Some citrus hop flavor.
Aftertaste: 2/3: Sweet up-front, ends with a grainy/cereal finish. Slight hop bitterness to finish.
Mouth-Feel: 2.25/3: Big, chewy, a bit boozy. Fizzy on the tongue, dry and smooth.

OVERALL: 2/3: More like a tripel than a true saison. More fruity than earthy. Americanized? Or just playing it safe? Either way, it's good, but falls short of the saison we'd hoped for.

TOTAL: 15/20–Pour Me Another

NOTES:
Matt: It's not raw enough, lacking the earthy qualities that make, say, Saison Dupont so good. Tasty, smooth and dry, but we've had better saisons.

Ben: It has the fruity notes of a Belgian but lacks the deep earthy, spicy notes it needs. More like a Duvel than a Dupont.

Life and Limb (Collaboration)

Sierra Nevada Brewing Company
Chico, California
and
Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
Milton, Delaware

APPEARANCE: 3/3
Deep red-brown, almond head that lasts, rings the glass. Beautiful! The head is still there!

AROMA: 3.75/4
Woody, oak. Licorice, whiskey, chocolate, sweet cream, burnt toast, vanilla. Complex, NICE.

TASTE: 9/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 3.5/4: Hop bitter and roasted malt dominant. Nutty, woody, smoky. Licorice, whiskey, coffee notes. Well-balanced, complex.
Aftertaste: 2.75/3: Bitter–roast, hop. Alcohol. Sour tang.
Mouth-Feel: 2.75/3: Alcohol warming–smooth. Dry, nice oaky flavors. Bouncy on tongue, alcohol is superbly masked.

OVERALL: 2.75/3: A really really REALLY good beer. Lots going on. Silky smooth, a great blend of sweet and roasty. Sophisticated, really brilliant.

TOTAL: 18.5/20–Keep 'Em Coming

NOTES:
Matt: Dark, mysterious and absolutely brilliant. I feel classier for having drunk it, and privileged to have even tried it. God bless America!

Ben: Is it a stout? A porter? Neither? Both? Whatever it is, it's sweet awesomeness to be sipped by a roaring fire at Christmas. Pair it with ice cream (or just drink it on its own).

Stillwater Artisinal Ales Cellar Door American Farmhouse Ale

Dog Brewing Company
Westminster, MD

APPEARANCE: 2.25/3
Pretty gold, very hazy. Creamy head, fine bubbles. Head lasts and lasts.

AROMA: 3.25/4
Fruity, dry. A bit sour. Floral, peppery notes, chamomile, banana. No appreciable hop aroma.

TASTE: 7.25/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 3/4: Lemongrass, orange peel, ginger, honey. Bready, subtle licorice. No real hop flavor.
Aftertaste: 2/3: Subtle hop bitterness at finish, a hint of sage.
Mouth-Feel: 2.25/3: Nice body, full, effervescent. A little boozy.

OVERALL: 2.25/3: Interesting, complex (as expected, given the style). Bright. A nice Belgian Saison/Farmhouse. The subtle sage notes make for a spicy finish.

TOTAL: 15/20–Pour Me Another

NOTES:
Matt: Not a bad Farmhouse Ale. I'm always intrigued by the style, they're always complex and unpredictable. This one was just okay, in my opinion.
Ben: A bright, fruity, floral beer. Strong Belgian notes. Nice! A tad boozy, but overall a nice example of the style. Maybe more hop? I'd buy it again, and pair it with Thanksgiving turkey.

Note: I must say, the label for this beer was damned near unreadable.

Deschutes Hop In The Dark Cascadian Dark Ale

Deschutes Brewery
Bend, OR

APPEARANCE: 2.75/3
Black opaque, like black coffee. Perfect head: rocky, fine bubbles, espresso-colored. Beautiful lacing.

AROMA: 3.25/4
Green-grassy with a hint of roast—like an espresso. Meadowy, with a hint of chocolate.

TASTE: 7.25/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 3/4: Sweet, grassy and biscuit, with a touch of coffee. Sweet cream up-front, fades to hop bitter. Nicely balanced.
Aftertaste: 2.25/3: Roast coffee aftertaste, some coffee. Subtle hop bitterness.
Mouth-Feel: 2/3: Light-bodied, smooth.

OVERALL: 2.25/3: It's good, a good example of the style. Would have liked to seen it a bit bigger. But good.

TOTAL: 15.5/20–Pour Me Another

NOTES:
Matt: Nicely done, and I'm a sucker for Cascade hops. I was expecting a bigger beer–in a 4-pack, I might have accepted it better. A sweet take on the style, and tasty.
Ben: Lighter-bodied than I expected. Roasty and hoppy, a good example of a black IPA. Tasty, lip-smacking, I'd buy it again.

Deschutes Hop Henge Experimental IPA

Deschutes Brewery
Bend, OR

APPEARANCE: 2.25/3
Cloudy orange-brown. Foamy, rocky head that lasts, laces nicely.

AROMA: 3/4
Sweet, malty but not a ton of hop nose. Bready, some pineapple. Touch of citrus, woody aroma.

TASTE: 8/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 3.5/4: Very nicely balanced. Sweet up front–bready, orange peel, brown sugar. Piney hop.
Aftertaste: 2.25/3: Nice hop bitterness at finish, subtle sour that lingers.
Mouth-Feel: 2.25/3: Bouncy, full but not cloying. Nicely carbonated. Maybe a bit chewy.

OVERALL: 2.5/3: A big beer, but not boozy. At 9% ABV, it's dangerously drinkable. More like a really good Imperial Pale Ale than an IPA.

TOTAL: 15.75/20–Pour Me Another

NOTES:
Matt: I'm a hophead, and this doesn't beat you over the head with hops—but I'm not complaining one bit. A big, smooth, tasty beer, well worth a try.
Ben: I would have liked more hop aroma; that said, I'd buy it again in a heartbeat.

Green Flash West Coast IPA

Green Flash Brewing Company
San Diego, CA

APPEARANCE: 2.25/3
Thick, rocky head with big bubbles. Gummy, floculent yeast (though Matt may have done a bad job pouring it). Orange-brown color. Not super-pretty, but head-lacing is very nice.

AROMA: 3.75/4
Hop! Piney-woody-meadowy, all at once. Heaven.

TASTE: 9.25/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 3.75/4: Mouthful o' hop. Lots of hop flavors. Nicely balanced. Woody, biscuit taste. Slight brown sugar.
Aftertaste: 2.75/3: Hop bitterness! Sits on back of tongue and lingers (for a while).
Mouth-Feel: 2.75/3: Very full. Smooth—easy drinking. A bit boozy for the ABV, but good.

OVERALL: 3/3: This is the perfect American IPA—phenomenal, the gold standard for the style. Great on tap, or in a bottle, or in a puddle on the floor which you would then shamelessly lick up—it's that good.

TOTAL: 18.25/20–Keep 'Em Comin'

NOTES:
Matt: The day Green Flash came to Kansas City, I was born again. A fantastic IPA, as good as it gets. You deserve an IPA this good.
Ben: This and Pliny are the top 2 IPAs in the known universe. If you see it on tap, don't dare pass it up!

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.