Sierra Nevada Celebration Fresh Hop Ale 2011

Sierra Nevada Brewing Company
Chico, California

APPEARANCE: 2.25/3
Clear light-brown/copper color. Off-white head, big bubbles. Nice.

AROMA: 3.25/4
Fresh citrus hop nose. Clean, grapefruit and pineapple. Some grassy, meadowy aromas. Brown sugar maltiness.

TASTE: 8/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 3.5/4: Hop up front—flavors and bitterness. Woody, grassy. Nicely balanced with toasted caramel malts, brown sugar. Hop is the main player here.
Aftertaste: 2.25/3: Bitter, in a good way (Matt thinks maybe too bitter; Ben thinks Matt is a wuss).
Mouth-Feel: 2.25/3: Bright, full. Bitterness fills the mouth and stays put.

OVERALL: 2.5/3: A hop lover's seasonal must-have. Big and hoppy to rival Torpedo—it's good.

TOTAL: 16/20–Pour Me Another

NOTES:
Matt: Clean and crisp, hoppy, tasty—pair nicely with prime rib. A beer worth celebrating!

Ben: You can never go wrong with Sierra Nevada, and I always look forward to a new season of Celebration. A hop lover's dream.

New Belgium Snow Day Winter Ale

New Belgium Brewing Company
Fort Collins, Colorado

APPEARANCE: 2.5/3
Red-brown, cola-colored. Tan head, thick with lots of fine bubbles, laces and lasts .

AROMA: 3.25/4
Hoppy nose, grassy, woody. Subtle roast, caramel sweetness.

TASTE: 7.75/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 3.25/4: Nice woody hop flavor. Deep caramel notes. Subtle roast, molasses. Good stuff.
Aftertaste: 2.5/3: Nicely bittered, offsets malty caramel notes. Falls out rather quickly.
Mouth-Feel: 2/3: Full mouth-feel, hop flavors tickle the tongue. Nicely carbonated, but could use more body.

OVERALL: 2.25/3: Wow—good caramel flavors, a wintry brew for sure.

TOTAL: 15.75/20–Pour Me Another

NOTES:
Matt: A pleasant surprise—dark and hoppy, a bit thin at the end, but a nice winter treat. Get it while it's around.
Ben: Every once in a while I find a New Belgium product that impresses me. This is one of them. Dark crystal malts add nice caramel flavors, and nicely hopped. Worth picking up a sixer.

Founders Porter

Founders Brewing Company
Grand Rapids, Michigan

APPEARANCE: 2.5/3
Black-opaque. Brown espresso head, nice lacing.

AROMA: 3.25/4
Chocolate, heavy roast. Some coffee aromas. Rich, silky, maybe a bit smoky? Dark and mysterious.

TASTE: 7.25/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 3/4: Baker's/dark chocolate. Bitter roast at finish. Sweet up-front, no hop.
Aftertaste: 2.25/3: Roasty bitterness lasts. Smoky, burnt toast, burnt coffee at finish.
Mouth-Feel: 2/3: Full, for the most part. Complex. Lots of roast going on; falls out quickly at finish.

OVERALL: 2/3: Roast flavors are overwhelming. Burnt toast, roasted dark coffee, baker's chocolate—this is a DARK beer.

TOTAL: 15/20–Pour Me Another

NOTES:
Matt: Smoky, roasty, a good porter. Not quite as good as their breakfast stout, but that's a high bar—a solid, smoky porter.

Ben: Complex roasted flavors. I would pair this with smoked turkey, gouda or a nice smoked cheddar. Also makes a nice after-dinner beer.

Big Eddy Russian Imperial Stout

Leinenkugel Brewing Company
Chippewa Falls, WI

APPEARANCE: 2.5/3
Black-opaque; big, thick brown head that LASTS.

AROMA: 3.25/4
Chocolate. Roasted notes, lots of 'em. Alcohol nose.

TASTE: 7.75/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 3.25/4: Big and boozy—chocolate, roast, subtle smoke. Sweet, malty, nutty. Roasted bitterness, no hop to speak of.
Aftertaste: 2.25/3: Subtle bitterness, roasty bitterness that lingers. Alcohol on the tongue.
Mouth-Feel: 2.5/3: Full, sweet. Chocolate roast. Smooth and full, if a tad overly effervescent.

OVERALL: 2.25/3: A good example of an imperial stout; at 9.5%, definitely a sipper. Great for a Leinie product, we say give it a try.

TOTAL: 15.75/20–Pour Me Another

NOTES:
Matt: Very good—smoky, sweet and roasty. A solid imperial stout, and a nice surprise from Leinenkugel.
Ben: Surprisingly good for Leinie—did we mention that? Big and boozy. Full, classic stout. Lots of roasted flavor. We'd buy this again.

Schlafly Reserve Imperial Stout (2010)

The Saint Louis Brewery
St. Louis, MO

APPEARANCE: 2.25/3
Black-opaque, with a thin almond head that fades quickly.

AROMA: 3.25/4
Vanilla, molasses, bourbon. Oaky alcohol. Quite aromatic.

TASTE: 7.5/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 3.25/4: Prune, bourbon/alcohol. Oak, woody notes. Chocolate, caramel, toffee, licorice notes.
Aftertaste: 2.25/3: Bourbon taste lingers, nice lingering bitterness.
Mouth-Feel: 2/3: Alcohol tingle on the tongue, warming. Very smooth.

OVERALL: 2.5/3: Bourbon, oak, stout. Big, sipping beer—sophisticated.

TOTAL: 15.5/20–Pour Me Another

NOTES:
Matt: Sweet—caramel, toffee, chocolate. And boozy! A big imperial stout—winter is here, this will keep you warm.
Ben: A winter warmer, good to enjoy with Santa on Christmas Eve. Big, boozy, bourbony. Watch out—at 10.5%, this will sneak up on you.

Grand Teton Wake Up Call Imperial Coffee Porter

Grand Teton Brewing Company
Victor, Idaho

APPEARANCE: 2.5/3
Dark brown. Pretty espresso-colored, rocky head that lasts and laces.

AROMA: 3.25/4
Nice burnt coffee/burnt toast aroma, semi-sweet chocolate. Coffee nose.

TASTE: 8.25/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 3.25/4: Baker's chocolate, coffee, burnt toast. Lots of complex roasted malt, little hop flavor.
Aftertaste: 2.5/3: Roast coffee aftertaste, bitterness lingers.
Mouth-Feel: 2.5/3: Silky-smooth, full roast, coffee feel.

OVERALL: 2.75/3: Wow—a really nice example of the style. Did we mention, coffee? Dark roast, chocolate. Pair with steak, roast beef, that sort of thing.

TOTAL: 16.75/20–Pour Me Another

NOTES:
Matt: Tasty! Coffee, mocha. Smooth, a bit sweet, and bitter in all the right places. Another nice offering from the good people at Grand Teton.
Ben: A good dessert beer, pair it with vanilla ice cream, chocolate cake, cheesecake—wherever you would have coffee.

Firestone Walker Union Jack IPA

Firestone Walker Brewing Company
Paso Robles, CA

APPEARANCE: 2.75/3
Nice copper to deep gold. Crystal-clear, very clean. Beautiful white head, lots of bubbles.

AROMA: 3.5/4
Grassy-piney, very citrusy. Hop aroma dominant. Beautiful!

TASTE: 8/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 3.25/4: Citrus, pine notes, some brown sugar. Malty, very well balanced. Could use a tad more bittering hop.
Aftertaste: 2.25/3: Clean, dry finish. Piney-ness drops out, no lasting bitterness.
Mouth-Feel: 2.5/3: Citrus hop balances nicely with sweet sugar malt. Full but not too chewy, appropriately carbonated.

OVERALL: 2.75/3: Clean, crisp, piney, citrusy. All hop flavor—if you're a hop head, don't pass this up.

TOTAL: 17/20–Pour Me Another

NOTES:
Matt: I love this. A great, complex IPA—lots of hop, pine and citrus. This is my new go-to IPA!
Ben: Clean, lots of hop flavor—pine, grass, citrus. Could use more bitterness, but regardless, I'd buy it again.