The Stoic Belgian-Styled Quad

Deschutes Brewery
Bend, OR

APPEARANCE: 2.5/3: Pretty orange-gold. White, thin head, rings the glass. Hazy.

AROMA: 3.25/4: Spicy, tropical, citrus. Passion fruit, orange blossom, sweet raisin, richly aromatic. Alcohol.

TASTE: 7.25/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 3.25/4: Big, sour, tropical. White raisin, pineapple, orange, passion fruit, chamomile notes.
Aftertaste: 2/3: Whiskey aftertaste, bitter back of the throat. Whiskey sour is there, but the rest is lost.
Mouth-Feel: 2/3: Chewy, big-bodied. Alcohol tingle.

OVERALL: 2/3: The big body overwhelms the whiskey, relegates it to an aftertaste. If we knew what pomegranate tasted like, we'd have to say it's in there. Good, but BIG.

TOTAL: 14.5/20–I'll Try A Pint

NOTES:
Matt: Complex, like any good Belgian. I feel like there are almost too many factors at play to evaluate it fairly, but I do like the sour. Worth a shot.
Ben: Maybe they tried to do too much with this. Would be better left with the Belgian yeast profile alone; the whiskey gets lost in the tropical flavors. Big and boozy, almost too much.

Kilt Lifter Scottish-Style Ale

Four Peaks Brewing Company
Tempe, Arizona

APPEARANCE: 2/3
Very little head, thin. Brown, clear.

AROMA: 2.25/4
Clean, sweet—apple notes? All malt, no hop.

TASTE: 6.5/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 2.25/4: Very malty, lots of caramel. Some grassy hop.
Aftertaste: 2/3: Very subtle smoke, subtle bitter, drops out fast.
Mouth-Feel: 2.25/3: Finishes clean, okay body, appropriately carbonated. Maybe a tad thin.


OVERALL: 1.75/3: Tastes like an amber, really. Scottish Ale for the masses—sweet caramel, crystal malt, not the Scottish Ale we'd hoped for.


TOTAL: 12.5/20–I'll Try A Pint


NOTES:
Matt: Not an awful beer, but more like an amber than a Scottish—I'd take a 90 Shilling over this in a heartbeat.
Ben: Crystal malt makes it really caramelly-sweet. A bunch of peat-smoked malt would make it more true to style.

Totally Naked Lager

New Glarus Brewing Company
New Glarus, Wisconsin

APPEARANCE: 2.25/3
Straw gold color, thin white head that laces. Crystal clear, steady bubbles.

AROMA: 3.25/4
Sweet cream, apple juice, totally clean. Classic lager, no hop.

TASTE: 8/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 3.25/4: Sweet corn, clean. No hop flavors, malt dominant. Apropos for a pils.
Aftertaste: 2.5/3: Nice subtle bitter finish, slight hop bitterness—sweetness there as well.
Mouth-Feel: 2.25/3: Nice body, effervescent, and again, clean.


OVERALL: 2.5/3: The quinessential lager—so clean it should be sponsored by Ivory. A definite lawnmower beer, reminds us of Boulevard Pils.


TOTAL: 16/20–Pour Me Another


NOTES:
Matt: The cleanest beer I've ever had—Mr. Clean should be on the label, it's so clean. Mr. Beer, Mr. Beer, Mr. Beer…(I like it).
Ben: Clean, crisp, refreshing. A summer beer for sure. I'd put this and Boulevard Pilsner up as better alternatives to the big boys.

Palate Wrecker Imperial IPA

Green Flash Brewing Company
San Diego, CA

APPEARANCE: 2.5/3Light brown, thich foamy head that laces and lasts. Clear, clean.

AROMA: 3.75/4Citrus, pine, hop overload. It's like we're running through the hop fields of the Pacific Northwest (and drinking a beer at the same time—trust us, it's really hard to do).

TASTE: 9/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 3.75/4: Hop, then hop, with a hop finish. Grassy, citrusy then hop bitter, but malty. Nicely balanced, big enough to offset hop bitterness.
Aftertaste: 2.5/3: I'm still tasting hop! Hop bitter that sticks to the tongue—man, I'm STILL tasting hop!
Mouth-Feel: 2.75/3: Big, chewy, boozy, HUGE (and hoppy). Maybe a bit boozy, but hey, 9.5%!

OVERALL: 2.75/3: This is as close to eating hop cones as  you're going to get. God bless you, Green Flash! Oh, and you non-hopheads? Stay away—stay FAR away.

TOTAL: 18/20–Keep 'Em Comin'NOTES:
Matt: LOVE THIS. Big, boozy and a great imperial, true to its name—if you possibly can, buy it!
Ben: Another one for the hophead bucket list. If you don't like hops, stay away—more for the rest of us! And it really is a palate wrecker; once you try it, don't plan on tasting anything for the rest of the night.

O'Fallon Belgian-Style Dark Ale (aged in Port Barrels)

O'Fallon Brewing Company
O'Fallon, Missouri


APPEARANCE: 1.75/3Deep red-brown, thin almond head that fades quickly. Hazy.

AROMA: 3/4
Licorice, alcohol nose, prune, anise, cinnamon, subtle spice.

TASTE: 7.5/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 3.25/4: Big, alcohol prominent. Port wine, prune, licorice, clove, ginger. Winey, complex.
Aftertaste: 2.25/3: Hop bitter finish, alcohol bitter, sour.
Mouth-Feel: 2/3: Alcohol warming, stays with you. Surprisingly thin finish, drops out fast. Boozy, what you'd expect from a dark Belgian.

OVERALL: 2.25/3Big, big, big—warming and spicy. Balanced pretty well, you can definitely taste the effects of the barrel aging. Okay.

TOTAL: 14.5/20–I'll Try A Pint

NOTES:
Matt: Tasty, but geez is it big—boozy all the way through. Finishes a bit thin, but solid, complex and unique. Try it.
Ben: This would be a phenomenal winter ale, paired with red meat or chocolate dessert—could be a dessert on its own!

Anderson Valley Hop Ottin' IPA

Anderson Valley Brewing Company
Boonville, California

APPEARANCE: 2.25/3
Great head—thick, rocky, off-white. Brown-gold, slight haze. Head rings the glass, laces and lasts.

AROMA: 3.25/4
Citrus/piney nose, some pineapple. A lot of hop aroma. Nice.

TASTE: 7.5/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 3.25/4: Grassy, green. Caramel notes, sweet malt. Piney hop flavors move to strong hop bitterness. Appropriately malty to balance.
Aftertaste: 2/3: Woody hop bitter that comes in fast and sticks around (maybe a little too much).
Mouth-Feel: 2.25/3: Full, well-balanced. Appropriately carbonated, coats the tongue with hop flavor.

OVERALL: 2.5/3
Really good, a touch on the bitter side (fine with us, but perhaps not for everyone). Less over-the-top malt  than some big IPAs; if you like a solid, hoppy IPA, look no further.

TOTAL: 15.5/20–Pour Me Another

NOTES:
Matt: This was a pleasant surprise for me—nice body, well-hopped, woody, grassy, a solid IPA. I think I tried this before and wasn't knocked out, but I'd totally buy this again.
Ben: I'm impressed! Hoppy nose, flavor and bitterness. A good IPA—in a can, no less! Definite buy again.

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 the style.

AROMA: 3.25/4
Aromatic—alcohol, cane sugar, sour. Apricot notes, clean.

TASTE: 7.5/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 3.25/4: Minimal hop flavor. Orange sour candy, champagne-like. Coriander gets 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 float up into your nasal cavity.

OVERALL: 2.25/3
A Belgian quad x2—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: Clears your sinuses—it's a typical Belgian gold. Belgian yeast is nice and floral—if you like high-ABV beers, this sure is one.