Shiner Bohemian Black Lager

Spoetzl Brewing Company
Shiner, Texas

APPEARANCE: 2.5/3
Essentially black - does have a slight reddish hint. Creamy head that rings the glass and lasts.

AROMA: 2.75/4
Clean, crisp, subtle roasted malt character. Very little hop aroma. A roasted nuttiness is present.

TASTE: 6.75/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 2.75/4: Sweet maltiness up-front. Very little hop, all malt.
Aftertaste: 2/3: Some roasted residual notes. Fades to a subtle roast bitterness. Very little hope bittering if at all.
Mouth-Feel: 2/3: Very light bodied. Very crisp. True lager feel.

OVERALL: 2/3: Very clean and crisp, with subtle roasty notes. A good session beer.

TOTAL: 14/20–I'll Try a Pint

NOTES:
Matt: A nice alternative to a standard lager. More hop bitterness would be nice.
Ben: A little on the light side, could use more body. But overall a good showing.

Boulevard Bully Porter

Boulevard Brewing Company
Kansas City, MO

APPEARANCE: 2.5/3
Thick,espresso-colored head. Nice and foamy that lasts. Opaque brown, almost black color.

AROMA: 2/4
Surprisingly little aroma. Subtly roasty, smoky, nutty maybe?

TASTE: 6.5/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 2.75/4: Very little hop flavor - roasted malt is the word of the day. Very little malt sweetness.
Aftertaste: 1.75/3: Subtle smoke, roasted malt is dominant. Slight chocolate. Burnt coffee taste at end.
Mouth-Feel: 2/3: Fairly full-bodied. Bitter finish. A bit chewy.

OVERALL: 2/3: It's a very roasty porter. A decent offering. Some of the more complex flavors we were expecting were absent.

TOTAL: 13/20–I'll Try A Pint

NOTES:
Matt: Not bad. A sort of one-note porter. All roasted malt, little else. Better than some other Boulevard standards.
Ben: Tastes like a porter for the masses. Could use more chocolate or smoked malt for a more interesting beer.

Arcadia IPA

Arcadia Ales
Battle Creek, MI

APPEARANCE: 2/3
Orange-copper color, cream-colored head that fades. Hazy. Big bubbles and lots of them.

AROMA: 2.5/4
Clean, crisp nose. Some citrus, sweet and sugary. Malty, not much hop aroma–needs more. Smells like a lager, not an IPA.

TASTE: 6.75/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 2.5/4: Hop flavor, bitterness at finish. Sweet pineapple up front. Nutty, a little piney. Some kind of chemical taste.
Aftertaste: 2.25/3: some sourness, bitter finish lasts. Hop flavor fades quickly.
Mouth-Feel: 2/3: Very bubbly. Slightly astringent, fairly thin. Something of a soda pop quality.

OVERALL: 1.5/3: It's okay; there are better IPAs out there. Flavor is odd and yet forgettable. Don't get us wrong–we'll drink it (and be thinking of superior IPAs while we do).

TOTAL: 12.75/20–I'll Try A Pint

NOTES:
Matt: Bummer–a new IPA in town, and it's just not great. Any flavor fades quickly, to astringent bitterness. I wouldn't buy it again.
Ben: Disappointing, I expected more (more hop aroma, more hop flavor). Not a fan of some weird flavors; not terrible, but a forgettable beer.

100th Review Spectacular: Boulevard Irish Ale

Boulevard Brewing Company
Kansas City, MO

APPEARANCE: 2.5/3
Red-brown color. Crystal clear. Thin head. Nice, if typical.

AROMA: 3/4
Clean, very sweet–brown sugar, subtle nuttiness. All malt, no hop aroma.

TASTE: 7.25/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 3/4: Malt dominant. Brown sugar. Some nuttiness, some woodiness, some grassiness. Lots of 'ness.
Aftertaste: 2.25/3: Sweet, fades to subtle hop bitterness (which is nice). Clean finish.
Mouth-Feel: 2/3: Sweet, bubbly, very refreshing. Body appropriate to style.

OVERALL: 2/3: Classic malty Irish Ale–a good spring session beer. A popular Boulevard offering, and rightly so.

TOTAL: 14.75/20–I'll Try A Pint

NOTES:
Matt: A good Irish–I don't love the style, but it's a nice reminder that spring is coming, and it's nice for a change. Not bad.
Ben: It's always worth picking up a six of this Boulevard seasonal when it's available. Far superior to Killian's.

Avery Salutation Belgian-Style Golden Ale

Avery Brewing Company
Boulder, Colorado

APPEARANCE: 2.5/3
Hazy orange-gold color. Rocky, white, lasting head.

AROMA: 3.5/4
Alcohol nose. Citrus, honey, peppery, pineapple. Very floral, fruity.

TASTE: 8/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 3.25/4: Wow! Big! Alcohol. Malt, lots of hop. Orange blossom, candy corn, lemongrass. Complex.
Aftertaste: 2.25/3: Sweet, fades to bitter finish that lasts. Alcohol is noticeable.
Mouth-Feel: 2.5/3: Full, fills the mouth. Complex. Alcohol is there, but not offensively so.

OVERALL: 2.5/3: Heavenly? Sinful? Probably a bit of both. A good sipping beer–easy to drink, but at 9% ABV, be careful! Avery does it again.

TOTAL: 16.5/20–Pour Me Another

NOTES:
Matt: We kept coming back to "big." Full, complex, extremely satisfying. A good sipper–you won't be disappointed.
Ben: Big and deceptive. At 9%, this one can sneak up on you. Lots of flavors going on–good paired with fish or fruit.

Anchor Bock Beer

Anchor Brewing Company
San Francisco, CA

APPEARANCE: 2.25/3
Deep mahogany-brown. Thin, almond head that rings the glass. Dark, pretty.

AROMA: 3.5/4
Very malty. Vanilla, caramel notes. Woody, nutty, subtle roast. Prune? All malt, no hop aroma (appropriately). Should be sweeter.

TASTE: 6.25/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 2.75/4: Sour up-front, fades to bitter. Coffee, burnt finish.
Aftertaste: 1.75/3: Roasty, BITTER. Burnt coffee, prune notes buried under the bitterness.
Mouth-Feel: 1.75/3: Light-bodied, weakly carbonated. Almost watery–very thin.

OVERALL: 1.75/3: Relatively true to style, but too bitter, weak and thin. Could use more body, more malt, more sweetness.

TOTAL: 13.75/20–I'll Try A Pint

NOTES:
Matt: Decent, not your typical bock–the sour notes set it apart. Still, I can't see me wanting more than one. Really roasty and bitter–okay, but kind of weird.
Ben: Good for something different, but thin and a little bitter. Could be a good session beer, good for a rainy spring afternoon. The flavor didn't live up to the promise of the great aroma.

Avery Anniversary Ale 16: Saison

Avery Brewing Company
Boulder, Colorado

APPEARANCE: 2.25/3
Pretty, straw-gold. White head, big bubbles, steady stream. Head fades quickly.

AROMA: 3.5/4
Grapefruit, honey. Floral, peppery, earthy.

TASTE: 7/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 3/4: Citrusy. Alcohol noticeable. Sweet hop at finish; hop dominant.
Aftertaste: 2/3: Hop bitterness, spice. Some sourness. Cream, subtle peach. Bittersweet finish at the very end, fades quickly.
Mouth-Feel: 2/3: Light-bodied, effervescent. A bit thin. Very bubbly, probably too much so.

OVERALL: 2/3: Fleeting–fades quickly. An okay saison, but there are better ones out there.

TOTAL: 14.75/20–I'll Try A Pint

NOTES:
Matt: It's all right; less substantial than I'd hoped for. Lacking the really earthy notes I love in a good saison.
Ben: Missing the pepper notes one would expect. The aroma built expectations the flavor just didn't deliver on. But not bad.