Boulevard Zon Belgian Wit

Boulevard Brewing Company
Kansas City, Missouri

APPEARANCE: 2.5/3
Minimal head. Hazy straw color. Tiny bubbles. True to style.

AROMA: 3/4
Pineapple, bubblegum, grapefruit notes. No hop aroma to speak of.

TASTE: 7.5/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 2.5/4: Malty, almost no hop. Fades to subtle bitterness.
Aftertaste: 2.5/3: Clove, bubblegum, coriander, bitter orange peel. Complex.
Mouth-Feel: 2.5/3: Crisp, refreshing, effervescent. Real malty, fades fast. A bit watery.

OVERALL: 2.75/3: A good, crisp summer beer. Solid wit–a definite lawnmower beer.

TOTAL: 15.75/20–Pour Me Another

NOTES:
Matt: A really good wit–perfect for summer, a worthy alternative to Hoegaarden.
Ben: A great beer when it's 100° outside and you're grilling burgers.

Spilker Hopluia Double Hop IPA

Spilker Ales
Cortland, Nebraska

APPEARANCE: 2.75/3
Dark copper color, foamy head (which fades quickly).

AROMA: 3.5/4
Nutty, grassy, citrus nose. Almost piney, resinous. Lots of aroma.

TASTE: 9/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 3.5/4: Needs more bittering hop. Very malty, grainy.
Aftertaste: 2.75/3: Substantial floral hop, which fades quickly–no residual bitterness.
Mouth-Feel: 2.75/3: Silky, effervescent, very light.

OVERALL: 2.75/3: A really good beer–needs more bittering hop to be phenomenal.

TOTAL: 18/20–Keep 'Em Comin'

NOTES:
Matt: I don't get it (note: Ben reviewed this beer solo–I recused myself).
Ben: Tastes like I'm drinking hop cones. Add more bittering hop and this could be the greatest beer on Earth.

Avery Dugana IPA

Avery Brewing Company
Boulder, Colorado

APPEARANCE: 2.75/3
Hazy copper color. Creamy, rocky, lasting head.

AROMA: 3.5/4
Piney, hoppy nose. Nutty, like toasted almonds. Resinous.

TASTE: 8.25/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 3/4: Very malty, almost cloyingly sweet. A big beer. Hop up front, so malt is expected (and necessary).
Aftertaste: 2.75/3: Meadowy, grassy. Caramel notes. Pine, citrus, grass, licorice. An almost synthetic aftertaste at the very finish.
Mouth-Feel: 2.5/3: Bold–lots of alcohol. Very malty, very hoppy. Complex flavors, fills the mouth.

OVERALL: 2.5/3: It's a big, hoppy beer. Lots of competing, complex flavors. Lots of hop. Lots of booze (8.5% ABV).

TOTAL: 17/20–Pour Me Another

NOTES:
Matt: A sipping beer, for sure. Very big–satisfying, complex, solid, and again, not a session beer.
Ben: A big Imperial IPA. Lots of malt, lots of hop. Complex. Almost cloying at times, but the hops offset that. A decent Imperial.

Ommegang Witte White Ale

Brewery Ommegang
Cooperstown, New York

APPEARANCE: 2.5/3
Straw gold. Rocky head that reduces to a thin, white, lasting head.

AROMA: 3.25/4
Sweet, champagne notes. Coriander, orange, cinnamon.

TASTE: 5/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 2/4: Not a great deal of malt; no hop character to speak of.
Aftertaste: 1.5/3: Honey, orange. Flat champagne. Sour–cidery.
Mouth-Feel: 1.5/3: Not effervescent. Dry, a bit flat. Underwhelming.

OVERALL: 1.5/3: Disappointing. Weak, too much honey/floral, not enough hop. Falls flat.

TOTAL: 12.25/20–I'll Try A Pint

NOTES:
Matt: The champagne aroma immediately created expectations that were left unsatisfied. A disappointment, given the Ommegang name.
Ben: I would have gone with bitter orange. It misses the mark–I've had much better Wits.

Empyrean Better World Belgian Wheat

Empyrean Brewing Company
Lincoln, Nebraska

APPEARANCE: 2.5/3
Cloudy. Thin, creamy head.

AROMA: 3.5/4
Floral, citrus, hints of coriander, cinnamon and clove. No appreciable hop aroma.

TASTE: 7.25/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 2.75/4: Malty, a bit watery. Needs more bittering hop.
Aftertaste: 2.5/3: Pleasant, crisp. Fades quickly. Spicy finish–coriander, clove, cinnamon, residual citrus.
Mouth-Feel: 2.5/3: Thin but malty. Needs more body, more bittering hop.

OVERALL: 2.25/3: Not a bad wheat, if a bit thin. Spicier and more complex than most wheat beers. Watery, though.

TOTAL: 15.5/20–Pour Me Another

NOTES:
Matt: An okay wheat–not as heavy as most, but too watery. Spicy, though, better than your average wheat beer.
Ben: The taste can't deliver on the aroma. Unique twist on a generic wheat beer–I'd drink it again.

Avery Anniversary Lager Seventeen: Dry-Hopped Black Lager

Avery Brewing Company
Boulder, Colorado

APPEARANCE: 3/3
BLACK–opaque coffee color. Creamy, espresso-like head.

AROMA: 3.5/4
Chocolatey–caramel notes, roastiness, a hint of vanilla. No hop aroma.

TASTE: 8.5/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 3.5/4: Lingering hop at the very end–hop is masked by roasted malt (dominant).
Aftertaste: 2.5/3: Strong chocolate, some caramel coffee, sweet vanilla. An unexpected grassy finish.
Mouth-Feel: 2.5/3: Smooth, malty and very sweet. Could use more hop character.

OVERALL: 2.75/3: Unique–a good beer with a mellow hop flavor. A good after-dinner beer.

TOTAL: 17.75/20–Pour Me Another

NOTES:
Matt: Tough to classify–a nice alternative to a heavy stout. Dark, sweet, hoppy–good.
Ben: Clean, crisp chocolate espresso with a hop finish. A unique beer–I'd have another.

Sierra Nevada Summerfest Pilsner-Style Lager

Sierra Nevada Brewing Company
Chico, California

APPEARANCE: 3/3
Golden color. Rocky, white, lasting head.

AROMA: 3.5/4
Very little hop aroma, true to style.

TASTE: 8/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 3/4: Very clean, not too heavy. Some malt, maybe a little watery.
Aftertaste: 2.5/3: Slightly bitter finish. Very little yeast flavor–lots of grain. Sweet fades to bitter.
Mouth-Feel: 2.5/3: Some nuttiness. Very clean–a little more body would be good

OVERALL: 2.75/3: Refreshing! A great pils, a much better choice than the usual suspects. Better body, better taste–classic Sierra Nevada.

TOTAL: 17.25/20–Pour Me Another

NOTES:
Matt: Less flavorful than refreshing–like the best drink of water you ever had. Good.
Ben: An excellent pils–bigger body, flavor and hops than its big-brewery counterparts.