Breckenridge Lucky U IPA

Breckenridge Brewing Company
Denver, Colorado

APPEARANCE: 2/3
Copper color, kind of hazy. Not crystal clear. White head, laces glass.

AROMA: 2.25/4
Not a lot of hop aroma. Some citrus hop notes but subtle. A slight malty aroma. Weak.

TASTE: 6/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 2.5/4: Hop bitterness dominant. Citrus and pine hop flavors. Carmel and nutty notes but hop bitterness overwhelms.
Aftertaste: 1.75/3: Bitter finish that lasts. Overwhelms malty notes.
Mouth-Feel: 1.75/3: Lighter body, boarding on thin. Nicely carbonated.

OVERALL: 2/3
A bitter IPA. Could use more hop flavoring and aroma. More body as well. More like a British-style IPA than an American-style (which we prefer).

TOTAL: 12.25/20–I'll Try A Pint

NOTES:
Matt: Not knocked out by it - tough to fairly evaluate because it's just so bitter. Needs more body, more hop aroma, more hop flavor, more everything. Just okay.
Ben: A tad on the bitter end. I expected more hop flavors and aroma. I am finding myself becoming more and more disappointed in the offerings from this brewer.

Schlafly Christmas Ale

The Saint Louis Brewery
St. Louis, MO

APPEARANCE: 2.25/3
Nice caramel/copper color. Thin, white head, fine bubbles. Crisp and clear.

AROMA: 3/4
Spice–nutmeg, clove, subtle orange, cinnamon. Smells like Christmas! No real hop aroma.

TASTE: 7.5/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 3/4: Malty. Pronounced licorice flavor, clove, apples, caramel notes, bitter orange, cinnamon.
Aftertaste: 2.25/3: Alcohol fades from sweet malt to spicy bitterness (sweet at the front of the tongue, bitter at the back).
Mouth-Feel: 2.25/3: Alcohol feel, malty. A mouthful of Christmas spice—interesting, complex.

OVERALL: 2.25/3: A good example of a winter warmer, to be served with apple crisp or pumpkin pie after a huge Christmas dinner.

TOTAL: 15/20–Pour Me Another

NOTES:
Matt: I can picture a jubilant, post-haunting Ebenezer Scrooge enjoying this as he forks another helping of Christmas goose on to Tiny Tim's plate. Nice.
Ben: A good example of what a Christmas Ale should be. Clove, cinnamon, spices—a winter warmer to sip by a roaring fire.

Note: We reviewed this on a 72° day in April; it may have done even better had it been consumed in the setting mentioned above.

Samuel Adams Boston Lager

Boston Brewing Company
Boston, Massachusetts

APPEARANCE: 2/3
Dark gold color, clear. Thin, white head that rings the glass.

AROMA: 2.25/4
Sweet, clean nose. Slightly corny. No hop aroma, smells like a lager.

TASTE: 4.5/10

Hop/Malt Balance: 2.5/4: Caramel, candy corn, nutty-almond. Flavor fades quickly.
Aftertaste: 1/3: Metallic, bitter aftertaste. Astringent, perhaps chemical. Weird.
Mouth-Feel: 1/3: Thin, watery, coats the tongue.

OVERALL: 1/3: Why in the world would anybody buy this? BBC is a large scale brewer masquerading as a craft brewer. We would sooner drink any of the 100+ beers we've reviewed—even the abyssmal Walgreens Big Flats—than this (mostly on principle alone, but at least in part because it's a crummy beer).

TOTAL: 9.75/20–Anything Else On Tap?

NOTES:
Matt: Craft beer? I don't think so. Macro-brew, but also terrible. Nobody should pay money for this.
Ben: I didn't like this before we reviewed this, and I don't like it now. There are many, many, MANY better beers out there.

Breckenridge Avalanche Amber Ale

Breckenridge Brewing Company
Denver, Colorado

APPEARANCE: 2.5/3
Nice light brown-copper color. Clear. Think head, laces the glass. Fine bubbles.

AROMA: 2.25/4
Clean, caramel notes. Slight nuttiness. Malty, smells like a typical amber.

TASTE: 5.75/10

• Hop/Malt Balance: 2.5/4: Caramel, malty nutty notes. Hop bitterness at end, no appreciable hop flavor or aroma.
  
• Aftertaste: 1.75/3: Bitter bordering on astringent. Slightly metallic.
  
• Mouth-Feel: 1.5/3: Bouncy, yet watery. Meh.

OVERALL: 1.5/3
Roasty, carmelly, nutty beer. Not overly impressive; if you want a good amber, get your hands on Alaskan.

TOTAL: 12/20–I'll Try A Pint

NOTES:
Matt: A boring beer—boring even for an amber. Not terrible, but that's faint praise.
Ben: Better than Boulevard Amber, doesn't come close to Alaskan Amber (the standard, as far as I'm concerned). Could have more hop character .

Abita Abbey Ale

Abita Brewing Company
Abita Springs, Louisiana

APPEARANCE: 2.25/3
Dark orange-brown in color, persistent, almond-colored head that laces the glass. Hazy.

AROMA: 2.25/4
Citrus-orange, kind of like orange jell-o, or maybe a creamsicle. Malty, some citrus hop.

TASTE: 5.75/10

• Hop/Malt Balance: 2.25/4: Bitter orange peel. Sour, malty, no noticeable hop flavor. Caramel, raisin, dried apricot, subtle clove. Woody.
  
• Aftertaste: 1.75/3: Slight bitter finish, dry finish. Sour aftertaste, fades fast.
  
• Mouth-Feel: 1.75/3: Effervescent, maybe too much so. Astringent.

OVERALL: 1.75/3
Just okay. It's a Belgian Dubbel, but not a great one.

TOTAL: 12/20–I'll Try A Pint

NOTES:
Matt: I've drunk a lot of beers; most of them I'd drink again before this one. I'm almost inspired to brew a dubbel, just to demonstrate how it should be done.
Ben: I've been disappointed with Abita beers before, and this just continues the trend. Just okay, one is enough for me.

Wilco Tango Foxtrot Imperial Brown Ale

Lagunitas Brewing Company
Petaluma, California

APPEARANCE: 2.5/3
Nice dark brown color. Foamy almond-colored head that lasts, steady stream of bubbles.

AROMA: 3.25/4
Sweet! Grassy, meadowy notes. Caramel, brown sugar.

TASTE: 8.25/10

• Hop/Malt Balance: 3.5/4: Very malty. Roasty, nutty, caramel notes. Hop bitterness balanced nicely, some hop flavor throughout.
  
• Aftertaste: 2.5/3: Some hop bitterness. Sweet, fades to sour bitterness after a touch of sour.
  
• Mouth-Feel: 2.25/3: Full, kind of chewy. Nicely carbonated.

OVERALL: 2.5/3
A nice, hoppy brown—which, if I'm going to drink a brown, is what I'm looking for. Well done.

TOTAL: 16.5/20–Pour Me Another

NOTES:
Matt: If you must drink a brown, this is the way to go—big, hoppy, chewy. A good Lagunitas beer. Their price point really helps them out (this bomber was around $4, for example).
Ben: Lagunitas is hit-or-miss for me—I really love Hop Stoopid, could do without Brown Shugga. This makes my list of Lagunitas favorites.

Lucky Bucket Certified Evil Ale

Lucky Bucket Brewing Company
La Vista, Nebraska

APPEARANCE: 2.5/3
Opaque, dark brown to near-black. Espresso head that lasts, laces the glass.

AROMA: 3/4
Malty, sweet nose. Subtle roast, sherry-liqueur nose.

TASTE: 7.5/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 3.25/4: Coffee, licorice, maraschino cherry. Very malty, very sweet, minimal hop flavor.
Aftertaste: 2.25/3: Coffee-bitter, sweet-cream aftertaste. Hop bitterness at finish.
Mouth-Feel: 2/3: Lighter-bodied than expected. Alcohol warming. Coats your mouth.

OVERALL: 2.25/3: We're not sure what this is, but that's not to say we didn't like it. Not roasty enough to be an imperial stout, not hoppy enough to be a double IPA. A dark brown? Sure, why not.

TOTAL: 15.25/20–Pour Me Another

NOTES:
Matt: I don't know exactly what this is, but I could see me washing down a box of cherry cordials with a bottle of this stuff. Weird, but good—much more body and it wouldn't be as good.
Ben: An interesting beer. Big, but neither hoppy nor roasty. Maybe too sweet, but worth a try—find out for yourself!