Stone Arrogant Bastard Ale

Stone Brewing Company
Escondido (San Diego County), CA

APPEARANCE: 3/3
Clear, mahogany in color. Lasting almond head, fine bubbles. Beautiful.

AROMA: 3.25/4
Hop! Sweet, bready, slightly nutty.

TASTE: 8.5/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 3.75/4: Very hoppy, very malty–hop at beginning, middle, end. Well-balanced, but boy howdy, it's a big beer.
Aftertaste: 2.25/3: Hop hop hop, etc. Sweet, nutty, woody front. Bitter, lasting finish. A bit too sweet.
Mouth-Feel: 2.5/3: Bitter, hoppy throughout. Fills the mouth. Moves from front to finish at the back of the tongue.

OVERALL: 2.75/3: If you're a hop-head, you want it. If you aspire to be a hop-head, start small and work your way up to it. (For our part, we love it.)

TOTAL: 17.5/20–Pour Me Another

NOTES:
Matt: Big, hoppy as hell, delicious. A beautiful sippin' beer, definitely one to try.
Ben: A good one to end the night on, because I'm shot for all other beers after this one. Hop, hop, hop. Awesome.

Green Flash Imperial IPA

Green Flash Brewing Company
San Diego, CA

APPEARANCE: 2.5/3
Orange-marmalade color. Hazy. Nice, creamy, rocky head–a great, lasting head.

AROMA: 3/4
Wood, pine, some nuttiness, some breadiness. Alcohol aroma.

TASTE: 7.75/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 3/4: Big–noticeable alcohol. Could use more hop flavor and aroma to offset the sweetness.
Aftertaste: 2.5/3: Sweet, bready, woody. Nutty. Licorice, fig, prune-raisin. Bitter throughout.
Mouth-Feel: 2.25/3: Sweet, not quite cloyingly so. Big and rich. Bouncy. Bitter at the back of the tongue.

OVERALL: 2.5/3: Green Flash makes great beers–this is reminiscent of Dogfish Head 90-Minute IPA. A bit big, but still, a good offering by a great brewery.

TOTAL: 15.75/20–Pour Me Another

NOTES:
Matt: I like it, but it's awfully big–I prefer the regular Green Flash IPA, frankly. A great brewery, a good beer, but just a lot to deal with.
Ben: A big beer–one is enough, but really good. Take advantage of any Green Flash beers you can find. This is a classic imperial IPA.

St. Louis Premium Peche

Brouwerij Brasserie Van Honsebrouck
Ingelmuster, Belgium

APPEARANCE: 2/3
Brown color. Minimal head that doesn't last.

AROMA: 2.25/4
Some sugary peach. Almost a peach Jolly Rancher or peach syrup aroma. Sour - pungent. No hop aroma.

TASTE: 3.5/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 1.5/4: Malty - sweet. No hop bitterness. Sour. Peach syrup, maybe cherry notes?
Aftertaste: 1/3: Sour overwhelming. Fades to a slight sweetness. Vinegary.
Mouth-Feel: 1/3: Fizzy. Sour. Almost mouth puckering so.

OVERALL: 1/3: Vinegar was the flavor we couldn't identify right off. It became much more apparent and overwhelming as the beer warmed in the glass. Neither of us could finish it.

TOTAL: 8.75/20–Tab Me Out

NOTES:
Matt: Tastes like something somebody accidentally left out, and by the time you tried it, it bore no resemblance to what you thought it was suppose to be.
Ben: Started out with potential, ended up like I was drinking a glass of vinegar with peach syrup. Not a fan. There are much better lambics out there.

Miller Lite

Miller Brewing Company
Milwaukee, Wisconsin

APPEARANCE: 2.5/3
Thin, white head. Fades quickly. Pale straw color.

AROMA: 1/4
No hop aroma. No real aroma of any kind. Maybe sweet cream. Smells like a glass of water.

TASTE: 4.25/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 2/4: All malt. Corny and watery. No hop flavoring at all. Triple hopped? With what? A single hop pellet each time?
Aftertaste: 1.75/3: Corn aftertaste. Sweet cream. No hop bitterness at all.
Mouth-Feel: 1/3: Watery. Fizzy. Nothing else to say.

OVERALL: 2/3: We don't hate it. Inoffensive - nothing to recommend it. But it doesn't taste bad. Still, this beats out very, very few beers. Drink only if absolutely necessary.

TOTAL: 10.25/20–Anything Else On Tap?

NOTES:
Matt: It does make a good palate cleanser between tastings of better beers. Refreshing, but so is water, and it's free. Many far better beers out there.
Ben: Memories of college days. Will still drink it when I have to. Fortunately there are almost always better choices at the bar.

Dogfish Head 90 Minute Imperial IPA

Dogfish Head Craft Brewery

Milton, Delaware

APPEARANCE: 2.75/3
Hazy copper color. Creamy head - persistent. Fine bubbles. Pretty.

AROMA: 4/4
Nutty, caramel, citrus, pine aromas. Really hoppy nose. Sweet. Beautiful smelling beer bringing high expectations for what's to come.

TASTE: 9.25/10 WOW!
Hop/Malt Balance: 3.75/4: Lots of malt; caramel, toffee flavors. Very well balanced.
Aftertaste: 2.75/3: Lasting bitterness. Woodiness persists - bitter finish. Offset by sweet malt. The sweetness lasts too.
Mouth-Feel: 2.75/3: A big beer - very full. Sweet. Like a liquid creme brulee.

OVERALL: 3/3: Phenomenal. A sippin' beer for sure. One for special occasions. One of our all-time favorites and a real treat when we can get it. Not for session drinking though!

TOTAL: 19/20–Keep 'Em Comin'

NOTES:
Matt: Top of the pile for hop heads like us. A rich, hoppy treat. Just great!
Ben: PHENOMENAL! Nuff said. A lot bigger than the 60-minute. If you can get it on tap, it's heaven.

Grand Teton Lost Continent Double IPA

Grand Teton Brewing Company
Victor, Idaho

APPEARANCE: 1.5/3
Copper/light brown color. Cloudy, lots of yeast—big chunks. Fine bubbles, persistent head that rings the glass. Not an especially pretty beer.

AROMA: 3/4
Hoppy, very malty. Citrus, pine, pineapple, honey notes. Some alcohol—smells big.

TASTE: 6.75/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 3/4: Very malty. Sweet-bready. Needs more bittering hop.
Aftertaste: 2/3: Honey, prunes, licorice. Piney-resinous. Sweet up front, fades to lasting, subtle bitterness. Warming alcohol feel.
Mouth-Feel: 1.75/3: Big–alcohol throughout. Almost thick enough to chew.

OVERALL: 1.75/3: A big, big beer—a sipping beer, without question. Sweet, almost cloyingly so. Could use more aroma and flavor hop, could be lighter. We know it's a double IPA, but come on.

TOTAL: 13/20–I'll Try A Pint

NOTES:
Matt: Tastes like a liquid fruitcake—a lot of work to get through, just too darned big.
Ben: Reminds me of some Lagunitas big, sweet beers (e.g. Brown Sugga)—one was enough. Bring me a Sweetgrass instead.

Goose Island Honker's Ale

Goose Island Beer Company
Chicago, Illinois

APPEARANCE: 2.5/3
Copper/light brown color. White, lasting head. Crisp, clean-looking. Nice.

AROMA: 3/4
Sweet. Nutty—almond, brown sugar, grainy. Sweet corn. No hop aroma.

TASTE: 6.25/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 3/4: Malty, fades to bitter. Minimal hop flavor.
Aftertaste: 1.75/3: Grainy—grape nut, sweet raisin. Really nutty. Slight weird chemical aftertaste.
Mouth-Feel: 1.75/3: Dry, clean. Sour at front, ends grassy, woody. A bit watery at the close.

OVERALL: 2/3: Could use more aroma and bittering hop. Slightly watery. Goose Island's beer for the masses.

TOTAL: 14/20–I'll Try A Pint

NOTES:
Matt: I don't love it, but I appreciate the attempt. A nutty take on a standard pale–if I have to drink a pale ale, this isn't a bad one.
Ben: Unique enough to be craft, safe enough to entice newbies to try more ambitious Goose Island products. I don't love it, don't hate it—it's better than Sam Adams.