Boulevard Collaboration 1 (Imperial Pilsner)

Boulevard Brewing Company
Kansas City, Missouri

APPEARANCE: 2.5/3
Hazy golden color, fine head.

AROMA: 4/4
Minimal hop aroma, appropriate to style.

TASTE: 8.5/10

• Hop/Malt Balance: 4/4: Malty, minimal hop bitterness.
  
• Aftertaste: 2.5/3: Citrus notes, alcohol at back end.
  
• Mouth-Feel: 2.5/3: Rich feel, almost chewy. Dry finish.
  

OVERALL: 2/3

TOTAL: 17/20–Pour Me Another

NOTES:
Matt: Very Belgian. A good pilsner, well done, but a lot to pay for a good pilsner.
Ben: I'd drink it again. It's a big beer, very malty, not hoppy. Would have liked to see more hop flavor.

Hop Stoopid IPA

Lagunitas Brewing Company
Petaluma, California

APPEARANCE: 3/3
Clear, light copper color. Good creamy, persistent head.

AROMA: 3.75/4
Strong hop nose, citrusy with a bit of pine.

TASTE: 8.5/10

• Hop/Malt Balance: 3.5/4: Hop dominant–citrus hop flavor (we suspect Simco hops).
  
• Aftertaste: 2.5/3: Citrus, grapefruit notes. Bitter aftertaste, lingers a bit. VERY hoppy.
  
• Mouth-Feel: 2.5/3: Dry. Hop presence. Sufficiently malty up front, quickly fades to bitter.

OVERALL: 2.75/3
An excellent IPA and an all-around great beer.

TOTAL: 18/20–Keep 'Em Comin'

NOTES:
Matt: Unmistakable citrus and hop goodness. Way too drinkable; only just barely too rich to be a session beer.
Ben: Tastes like liquid hop–not for the Bud Light crowd, and affordably priced (20 minutes later, I'm still tasting hop!).

Wild Blue Blueberry Lager

Blue Dog Brewery
Baldwinsville, New York

APPEARANCE: 2/3
White head, weak but persistent. Purple hue.

AROMA: 2/4
Welch's cran-grape juice. No hop aroma.

TASTE: 3/10

• Hop/Malt Balance: 1/4: No malt or hop to speak of.
  
• Aftertaste: 1/3: Blueberry/grape syrup flavor overwhelms.
  
• Mouth-Feel: 1/3: Watery, fades quickly (blessedly).

OVERALL: 1/3
Bud Light + syrup = Wild Blue = wine cooler beer for high school girls.

TOTAL: 8/20–Tab Me Out

NOTES:
Matt: If you're thirsty for beer, drink beer. If you're thirsty for a Capri-Sun, drink a Capri-Sun. Either way, don't drink this.
Ben: Feels like I'm drinking my morning grape juice. Pass.

Tommyknocker Maple Nut Brown Ale

Tommyknocker Brewery & Pub
Idaho Springs, CO

APPEARANCE: 2.5/3
Nice mahogany color. Crisp, clear. White, lasting head.

AROMA: 2.75/4
Some maple notes, some caramel, nutty roast.

TASTE: 7.75/10

• Hop/Malt Balance: 3/4: Malty–very little hop (appropriate to style). Nutty, sugary.
  
• Aftertaste: 2.5/3: Honey-roasted finish; subtle maple syrup/brown sugar at the very end.
  
• Mouth-Feel: 2.25/3: VERY nutty, very malty. Sweet hints. Needs more body (a bit thin).

OVERALL: 2/3
A little more maple would be nice, and more body as well; those two additions would make this a really good beer.

TOTAL: 15/20–Pour Me Another

NOTES:
Matt: A good twist on a brown; didn't go quite as far as it could have, but a good start.
Ben: A good brown, but where's the maple? Would like to see this as a porter. Anyway, a nice variation on the standard brown.

Big Eye India Pale Ale

Ballast Point Brewing Company
San Diego, California

APPEARANCE: 2.5/3
Clear, light copper, thin head, big bubbles. Almond head, honey color.

AROMA: 3/4
Woody, nutty, caramel. Hop nose, some alcohol notes.

TASTE: 7.75/10

• Hop/Malt Balance: 3/4: Grassy, meadowy. Hop up front, fades to bitter finish. Big body, alcohol throughout. Alcohol presence.
  
• Aftertaste: 2.25/3: Bitter, lasting. Nutty. Some residual sweetness. Alcohol finish.
  
• Mouth-Feel: 2.5/3: Big beer. Nutty, grassy hop flavor. Alcohol feel.

OVERALL: 2/3
A little too big for a session beer, but not bad.

TOTAL: 15.25/20–Pour Me Another

NOTES:
Matt: I like it, just a little too much alcohol. I'd buy it again, though.
Ben: Big beer–needs more bittering hop to mask the alcohol. Nutty, hoppy; I'd order a pint in San Diego.

Coors Light

Coors Brewing Company
Golden, Colorado

APPEARANCE: 2.5/3
White, creamy head, vanishes quickly. Pale straw color. Crisp.

AROMA: 1/4
Clean, no hop aroma. Very little aroma of any kind.

TASTE: 5/10

• Hop/Malt Balance: 1.5/4: No hop, very little malt. Watery.
  
• Aftertaste: 2/3: Faint sweetness, a little residual bitterness.
  
• Mouth-Feel: 1.5/3: Watery, very little body.

OVERALL: 1.75/3
As far as domestic lagers go, it is one. I'd rather have a Miller Lite (or a Boulevard Pilsner, in a heartbeat).

TOTAL: 10.25/20–Anything Else On Tap?

NOTES:
Matt: Meh. There are so many beers in the world, why would you willingly drink this one? Fans of the style, there are far better examples than this one.
Ben: Adequate for an American pilsner–it beats Natty Light, but it's no High Life.

Weston Brew Labs IPA #1

Weston Brewing Company
Weston, Missouri

APPEARANCE: 2/3

Thick, foamy, creamy head. Big bubbles. Clear, red-copper color.

AROMA: 2/4

Some hop aroma–citrus, pineapple, subtle grass/floral. Weak but present.

TASTE: 7.5/10

• Hop/Malt Balance: 2.25/4: Malty. Pine nut notes. Bitter finish that lasts, fades to astringence.
  
• Aftertaste: 2/3: Very nutty, toasty. Caramel notes. Strong alcohol finish.
  
• Mouth-Feel: 2/3: Needs more body to offset the very alcohol-y finish.

OVERALL: 2/3

Needs more hop–more aroma for sure, more bittering hop, more malt.

TOTAL: 12.25/20–I'll Try A Pint

NOTES:

Matt: No real flavor, no aroma to speak of, not a beer I'd buy again.

Ben: Just okay–lots of alcohol apparent at finish. Needs something (i.e. more body) to offset that alcohol.