Trader Joe's 2011 Vintage Ale

Trader Joe's Brewing Company
San Jose, California

APPEARANCE: 2.5/3
Deep, dark brown; porterlike. Thick, rocky tan head, big bubbles.

AROMA: 3/4
Sweet, pruny nose. Sweetbread, molasses, some sour from the Belgian yeast. Minimal hop aroma.

TASTE: 7.25/10

Hop/Malt Balance: 3/4: Sugary, spicy. Dark Belgian candy. Syrupy alcohol tucked in there. Slight roast, caramel, very sweet.
Aftertaste: 2/3: Bitter finish, but could use more bittering hop. Some metallic aftertaste.
Mouth-Feel: 2.25/3: Falls out in the middle. Mildly carbonated (appropriately), very smooth.

OVERALL: 2/3: Very sweet—Belgian sugar. Too sweet, maybe? At 9%, this winter ale is a warmer; more of a Trappist ale, really. It's okay (our expectations were pretty high).

TOTAL: 14.75/20–I'll Try A Pint

NOTES:
Matt: For what it is (a Trappist-style dubbel, as near as we can tell), it's not bad. Would be nice to age it for a year and see what develops.
Ben: At first glance, I was ready to pass it up, then I saw it's contract-brewed by Unibroue*, and I had to buy it. Good Belgian Dubbel—a bit dark and maybe too sweet, but at $4.99 on clearance, this was a no-brainer.

*Oh, right—we forgot to mention this was contract-brewed by Unibroue. I know, right? Unibroue!

Dundee Pilsner

Dundee Brewing Company*
Rochester, NY

APPEARANCE: 2/3
Pale straw color. Wispy head, fades fast. Very clear.

AROMA: 2.75/4
Very little aroma, hop or otherwise. Clean, like smelling a glass of water. Very subtle sweet cream.

TASTE: 5.25/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 2/4: No real hop flavor. Corny/grape nut taste.
Aftertaste: 1.75/3: Corny, nice bitter finish. Dry. Aftertaste fades quickly.
Mouth-Feel: 1.5/3: Thin, needs more body to offset bitterness.

OVERALL: 1.5/3
It's a step up from Bud Light. Definitely a pils, fairly true to style. Needs more body–a so-so pils.

TOTAL: 11.5/20–Anything Else On Tap?

NOTES:
Matt: Not awful, could be worth buying, depending on Trader Joe's price point. Not a great pils, though–the bitterness is nice, the body ain't.
Ben: Watery and thin, better than domestics, but if you're looking for a good pils, buy Boulevard.

* This is brewed by Gennessee. Not a great brew, by any means.

Dundee Kölsch-Style Ale

Dundee Brewing Company*
Rochester, NY

APPEARANCE: 2/3
Straw-gold, really clear. Thin, white head that fades (fast).

AROMA: 3/4
Clean. Sweet-cream, lager nose. Candy corn, faint honey notes.

TASTE: 6.75/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 2.75/4: Very malty. Honey notes, no hop flavor to speak of. Sweet cream, slight sour at middle. Corny, otherwise sweet.
Aftertaste: 2/3: Corny aftertast, subtle bitter finish that falls out fast.
Mouth-Feel: 2/3: Nice mouth-feel, not too thin. Lageresque, pils-like, but a bit fizzy.

OVERALL: 2/3
Pleasantly surprised (but our expectations were admittedly low). More pilsner than kölsch, not quite true to style, but adequate and drinkable.

TOTAL: 13.75/20–I'll Try A Pint

NOTES:
Matt: Another Trader Joe contract job, this time brewed by Gennessee (so no wonder it's reminiscent of Gennessee Cream Ale, which we like). Not bad.
Ben: Drinkable, light and clean—a good lawn-mowing beer. Is it a kölsch? I dunno—but I'd drink it again.

* This is brewed by Gennessee; evidently, Trader Joe's contract brews all their stuff. Some of it's lousy; this ain't bad.

Kennebunkport IPA

Kennebunkport Brewing Company
(Contract brewed by Pugsley Brewing Company, LLC for Trader Joe's)
Portland, ME

APPEARANCE: 1.5/3
Light brown color. Clear. White head that fades quickly. Not especially pretty.

AROMA: 1.5/4
Smells like a lager. Minimal hop aroma. Clean, crisp nose.

TASTE: 2/10
Hop/Malt Balance: .5/4: Malty, way too much hop bitterness. Absolutely no hop flavor.
Aftertaste: .5/3: Astringent bitterness at close. Butterscotch (diacetyl) aftertaste.
Mouth-Feel: 1/3: Thin, watery.

OVERALL: .5/3: Can't get past the obvious diacetyl. A lager loaded up with bittering (but no flavor) hop. Not an IPA. Whoever brewed this needs to find another job, immediately.

TOTAL: 5.5/20–Tab Me Out

NOTES:
Matt: We've tried other Trader Joe's contract beers that were much, much better (their hefeweizen, for example). This was abhorrent in all respects—aroma, flavor, everything. Avoid this at any cost.
Ben: Ditto—it's really that bad. It is as bad as Big Flats (and that's saying something).