Grand Teton Wake Up Call Imperial Coffee Porter

Grand Teton Brewing Company
Victor, Idaho

APPEARANCE: 2.5/3
Dark brown. Pretty espresso-colored, rocky head that lasts and laces.

AROMA: 3.25/4
Nice burnt coffee/burnt toast aroma, semi-sweet chocolate. Coffee nose.

TASTE: 8.25/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 3.25/4: Baker's chocolate, coffee, burnt toast. Lots of complex roasted malt, little hop flavor.
Aftertaste: 2.5/3: Roast coffee aftertaste, bitterness lingers.
Mouth-Feel: 2.5/3: Silky-smooth, full roast, coffee feel.

OVERALL: 2.75/3: Wow—a really nice example of the style. Did we mention, coffee? Dark roast, chocolate. Pair with steak, roast beef, that sort of thing.

TOTAL: 16.75/20–Pour Me Another

NOTES:
Matt: Tasty! Coffee, mocha. Smooth, a bit sweet, and bitter in all the right places. Another nice offering from the good people at Grand Teton.
Ben: A good dessert beer, pair it with vanilla ice cream, chocolate cake, cheesecake—wherever you would have coffee.

Firestone Walker Union Jack IPA

Firestone Walker Brewing Company
Paso Robles, CA

APPEARANCE: 2.75/3
Nice copper to deep gold. Crystal-clear, very clean. Beautiful white head, lots of bubbles.

AROMA: 3.5/4
Grassy-piney, very citrusy. Hop aroma dominant. Beautiful!

TASTE: 8/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 3.25/4: Citrus, pine notes, some brown sugar. Malty, very well balanced. Could use a tad more bittering hop.
Aftertaste: 2.25/3: Clean, dry finish. Piney-ness drops out, no lasting bitterness.
Mouth-Feel: 2.5/3: Citrus hop balances nicely with sweet sugar malt. Full but not too chewy, appropriately carbonated.

OVERALL: 2.75/3: Clean, crisp, piney, citrusy. All hop flavor—if you're a hop head, don't pass this up.

TOTAL: 17/20–Pour Me Another

NOTES:
Matt: I love this. A great, complex IPA—lots of hop, pine and citrus. This is my new go-to IPA!
Ben: Clean, lots of hop flavor—pine, grass, citrus. Could use more bitterness, but regardless, I'd buy it again.

Dogfish Head and Epic Porto Marillo (Collaboration)

Dogfish Head Craft Brewery

Milton, Delaware
and
Epic Brewing Company
Auckland, New Zealand

APPEARANCE: 2.25/3
Rocky, foamy almond head. Dark brown color.

AROMA: 3/4
Sweet/sour nose—sour dominant. Subtle pepper, smoke.

TASTE: 7/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 2.75/4: Roasted sourness to it—woody, smoky, malty.
Aftertaste: 2/3: Woody hop bitterness, sour that lingers. Bitter finish. Slight vegetable aftertaste, like roasted squash.*
Mouth-Feel: 2.25/3: Very full, appropriately carbonated.

OVERALL: 2/3: Todd likes it, Ben and I think it's okay. A nice smoked beer, if somewhat difficult to define.

TOTAL: 14.25/20–I'll Try A Pint

NOTES:
Matt: Interesting, smoky, organic. Tasty, but kind of weird. Glad I tried it, but I wouldn't chase it.
Ben: A really unique flavor—roasty, but sour. A lot of vegetable character. Starts high, finishes low. Interesting.

* Todd was convinced that because we read the label and it said some kind of weird roasted New Zealand tomatoes were used in this, Ben and I were just imagining the vegetable notes. Todd is something of a know-it-all.

Alaskan Smoked Porter (2010)

Alaskan Brewing Company
Juneau, Alaska

APPEARANCE: 2.5/3
Dark red-brown, opaque, very fine bubbles. Tan head that lasts forever.

AROMA: 3.5/4
Sweet, malty, smoky nose. Smells like Fall.

TASTE: 9.5/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 3.5/4: Like liquid smoked salmon—smoke flavor coats the tongue. Sweet maltiness, roast notes. Chocolate smoke.
Aftertaste: 3/3: Bitter finish, smoke lasts. Very smooth.
Mouth-Feel: 3/3: Silky smooth, smoky. Sweet awesomeness.

OVERALL: 2.75/3: Lives up to the hype, smoked flavor is very nice. Ideal for the style—gold standard and it shows.

TOTAL: 18.25/20–Keep 'Em Comin'

NOTES:
Matt: All-around good. Smooth, smoky, chocolatey. Appropriately bitter. If you can find it, buy one (hell, buy two)!
Ben: Reminds me of Fall in Alaska—NEVER pass this up! And if possible, pair it with Alaskan salmon!

Great Divide Fresh Hop Pale Ale

Great Divide Brewing Company
Denver, Colorado

APPEARANCE: 2.5/3
Copper to dark gold color. Big head, big bubbles that stick around. Laces the glass nicely. Crystal clear, steady stream of bubbles.

AROMA: 3.25/4
Grassy, meadowy, citrusy. All hop nose, clean and crisp.

TASTE: 7.5/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 3/4: Piney, fades to a lasting bitterness. Hop dominant, but some body is there–subtle sweet/malty notes.
Aftertaste: 2.5/3: Woody aftertaste, bitterness and hop lasts. Nicely bittered, just right.
Mouth-Feel: 2/3: Crisp, appropriately carbonated (though maybe just a touch too fizzy).

OVERALL: 2.25/3: May need a bit more body to balance the fresh hop. Mostly aroma and flavor, good bittering hop.

TOTAL: 15.5/20–Pour Me Another

NOTES:
Matt: Tasty, maybe a little light-bodied, but well-balanced. Very hoppy, citrusy yet piney. Nice.
Ben: Mouth full of hops. Fresh, crisp, bright green. Good–I'd buy it on tap (if Sierra Nevada Estate weren't available, that is).

Founders Backwoods Bastard Ale

Founders Brewing Company
Grand Rapids, Michigan

APPEARANCE: 2/3
Brown to dark brown. Almond-colored head. Fades quickly. Somewhat opaque, cola-colored.

AROMA: 3/4
Whiskey aroma, oaky. Sweet, malty, alcohol is dominant. Too much?

TASTE: 7.75/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 3.25/4: Woody, whiskey flavors overwhelm. Sweet, brown sugar, dark candy. Some hop bitter, no hop flavor.
Aftertaste: 2.25/3: Alcohol warming, alcohol flavor, alcohol last. Lingering bitterness.
Mouth-Feel: 2.25/3: Numbs the tongue. Fizzy, smooth, full-bodied but not chewy or heavy.

OVERALL: 2.5/3: REALLY BIG. You can taste that it's 10% ABV. Whiskey notes are nice; a good sipping beer for a campfire on a crisp autumn night.

TOTAL: 15.25/20–Pour Me Another

NOTES:
Matt: Tasty, but I'm glad Ben and I split this one. Big, smooth, perfect under the right circumstances. Great for a nightcap on a frosty night.

Ben: Wow! Whiskey and woody notes are almost too much, but it pulls it off. A good winter warmer, it's a good sipping beer for sure—drink it out of a snifter.

Founders Centennial IPA

Founders Brewing Company
Grand Rapids, Michigan

APPEARANCE: 2/3
Very hazy copper-orange. Head fades fast, not an especially pretty beer.

AROMA: 3.25/4
Hop aroma–very citrusy, floral. Beautiful hop nose. Malty, brown sugar.

TASTE: 7/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 2.75/4: Nice woody hop up front. Grapefruit. Heavy on hop, definitely needs to be maltier.
Aftertaste: 2.25/3: Fades to bitterness, stays on the tongue. Slight astringence/chemical taste.
Mouth-Feel: 2/3: Fizzy, effervescent, a bit too much so. Could use more body.

OVERALL: 2.25/3: Really hoppy. Reminiscent of Ska Modus Hoperandi (which isn't bad)—great hop, just not big enough to balance it out.

TOTAL: 14.5/20–I'll Try A Pint

NOTES:
Matt: A decent IPA, if a bit sweet. Needs more body. Not incredible, but not bad.

Ben: A little too carbonated for the style. A good hoppy IPA, worth a try.