Samuel Adams Octoberfest

Boston Brewing Company
Boston, Massachusetts

APPEARANCE: 2.5/3
Orange-copper color. Crisp and clean. Decent white head with fine bubbles. Pretty.

AROMA: 3.25/4
Clean, crisp, fruity nose. Slight citrus and pineapple. Apple juice notes. Sweet and malty. No hop aroma.

TASTE: 6.75/10

Hop/Malt Balance: 2.5/4: No hop, very malty. Sweet. Did they go with only one hop pellet?
Aftertaste: 2/3: Citrus sour, slightly nutty/woody. Slight bubble gum at close. Maybe pineapple.
Mouth-Feel: 2.75/3: Slightly bitter notes at end-very bright. Malty. A clean lager.

OVERALL: 2/3: A clean, bright, malty, crisp Fall beer. Like a bright Fall day.

TOTAL: 14.5/20–I'll Try A Pint

NOTES:
Matt: The best thing on tap at Houlihan's for what it's worth. Lacks the signature "Sam Adams spice" I hate so much. Not bad, but not great.
Ben: A "craft" beer for the masses. But for a Sam Adam's product, one of their better offerings.

Blue Moon Harvest Moon Pumpkin Ale

Blue Moon Brewing Company
Golden, Colorado

APPEARANCE: 2.5/3
White, foamy head that fades fast. Crisp orange-brown color.

AROMA: 3/4
Sweet–all malt. No hop aroma. Caramel apple character, some nuttiness.

TASTE: 6.75/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 2.5/4: Malty, fades to a slight bitter finish. No hop flavor.
Aftertaste: 2/3: Very little of the promised spice. SLIGHT pumpkin sourness, very subtle clove/spice at the front.
Mouth-Feel: 2/3: Full mouth-feel, effervescent, fairly dry.

OVERALL: 2/3: It's an amber–if they didn't say pumpkin on the label, we wouldn't have thought of it. A bit overcarbonated, but a good, crisp fall beer.

TOTAL: 14/20–I'll Try A Pint

NOTES:
Matt: I was hoping for more spice, but it was not to be. A decent amber, that's about it.
Ben: A good amber, good for a Coors product. Not overwhelming pumpkin, but that's as it should be.

Free State Copperhead Pale Ale

Free State Brewing Company
Lawrence, Kansas

APPEARANCE: 2.25/3
Thin, white head that fades quickly. Copper color, slight haze.

AROMA: 3.5/4
Citrus hop. Grapefruit, pine, caramel, pineapple, subtle bubblegum. Hoppy.

TASTE: 8.25/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 2.5/4: Lots of hop–citrus/pine, fades to lasting bitterness. Nicely balanced, if a bit thin. Well-hopped.
Aftertaste: 2.25/3: Lasting bitterness, moves front to back. Nutty sweetness throughout.
Mouth-Feel: 2.25/3: Full, effervescent, hopped throughout. Could use a bit more body.

OVERALL: 2.5/3: Free State is now bottling their standards and distributing in the metro. Better on tap, but a fine product nonetheless.

TOTAL: 16.5/20–Pour Me Another

NOTES:
Matt: Enjoyable, a. because it's local, and b. because it's a good APA, in the spirit of Sierra Nevada. Fun to enjoy Free State beer without driving to Lawrence and back.
Ben: A great beer–a good, classic IPA. If you can get to Lawrence, give it (and any of their great beers) a try.

Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Stout

Goose Island Beer Company
Chicago, Illinois

APPEARANCE: 2.75/3
Black. Espresso-colored head that rings the glass.

AROMA: 2.25/4
Strong bourbon aroma. Oaky. Prune aroma. Mocha notes.

TASTE: 3.5/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 1.5/4: Really bitter hop up front–or is that alcohol? Malty.
Aftertaste: 1/3: Bourbon! Warming bitter. Tongue is tingling. Sourness. Coffee, chocolate, vanilla.
Mouth-Feel: 1/3: Alcohol. Weird mouth-taste, like your mouth has been laminated. Way, way too boozy.

OVERALL: 1/3: If I want bourbon, I'll buy bourbon. This is like a shot of bourbon dumped into a pint of stout. Entirely lacking in subtlety.

TOTAL: 9.5/20–Anything Else On Tap?

NOTES:
Matt: HUGE booze flavor–a lot more bourbon than I expected. When they said it was aged in bourbon barrels, I didn't realize there was still bourbon in it.
Ben: It's like adding bourbon to a mocha. 13% alcohol, and you can taste it, from start to finish. I can still feel the warming to my toes. This isn't beer, it's a mixed drink.

Mikkeller Cascade Single Hop IPA

De Proef Brouwerij
Lochristi-Hijfte, Belgium

APPEARANCE: 2.25/3
Hazy copper color. Effervescent. Lasting, creamy head.

AROMA: 3/4
Strong alcohol. Grapefruit, some piney notes. Overwhelming citrus, huge hop aroma.

TASTE: 5/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 2/4: Really malty. Huge hop flavor. Pine. Way too much alcohol.
Aftertaste: 1.5/3: Alcohol finish, lasting bitterness. Fades quickly at the front, astringent at end. Prune, grassy, nutty, woody.
Mouth-Feel: 1.5/3: Lots of alcohol–huge beer. Very bitter, lingering bitterness.

OVERALL: 1.5/3: Alcohol needs to be offset with malt. This fails–bitter, alcohol-y, disappointing.

TOTAL: 11.75/20–Anything Else On Tap?

NOTES:
Matt: I bought this at 50% off, and I can't imagine paying full price for it. The astringent, bitter end overwhelms all else.
Ben: 1st sip: wow, maybe too much. 2nd sip: Maybe okay. 3rd sip: yeah, I was right the first time. Too big, too boozy.

New Belgium Lips of Faith Series - Biere de Mars

New Belgium Brewing Company
Fort Collins, Colorado

APPEARANCE: 2/3
Hazy. White rocky head. Light brown/orange/yellow color.

AROMA: 3/4
Very floral nose. Fruity notes - grapefruit, pineapple, subtle pruny notes. Spicy - cinnamon, nutmeg. Minimal aroma hop.

TASTE: 7/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 3/4: Some hop flavor but malt is dominant. Earthy with spice - cinnamon, all spice, nutmeg, clove. Brett flavors dominant. Some sourness. Could use more body and hop flavors. Good bittering hop.
Aftertaste: 2/3: Lasting bitterness. Earthy notes last. Some sour-white wine taste. Licorice flavor. Brett flavors a tad overwhelming.
Mouth-Feel: 2/3: Bready. Lots of complex flavors. Spicy, citrus flavors. Some lemon notes. Brett is dominant throughout.

OVERALL: 2/3: This is what Brett tastes like. An unusual beer, not without its positive qualities but hard to put a finger on.

TOTAL: 14/20–I'll Try a Pint

NOTES:
Matt: I don't love it—complex, but just weird. The high notes combined with the earthiness is jarring.
Ben: Unique. Lots going on in the beer. Reminds me of Boulevard's Saison Brett. Earthy and spicy. An okay beer, just too much Brett for my tastes.

Left Hand Milk Stout

Left Hand Brewing Company
Longmont, Colorado

APPEARANCE: 2/3
Thin, creamy, persistent head that rings the glass nicely. Dark, dark brown–not black, not quite opaque.

AROMA: 3.75/4
Coffee, caramel, vanilla, dark chocolate notes. Roasty aroma, really enticing.

TASTE: 8.25/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 3/4: Malty, smooth. No flavoring hop, but bittering hop at finish.
Aftertaste: 2.75/3: Fades to a chocolatey, coffee roast finish. Subtle, lasting bitterness.
Mouth-Feel: 2.5/3: Very sweet. Dark chocolate, nuttiness–hints of roasted almond. A bit watery.

OVERALL: 2.5/3: A solid stout–strong roasty notes, could be darker. Sweet milk chocolate.

TOTAL: 16.5/20–Pour Me Another

NOTES:
Matt: Admittedly, I'm a sucker for sweets. Don't misunderstand, this isn't cloying–it's subtly sweet, an improvement over boring old stouts.
Ben: Very good, I enjoy it–prefer it to Guinness and other "standard" stouts. Very sweet, like an iced mocha beer.