Left Hand Milk Stout

Left Hand Brewing Company
Longmont, Colorado

APPEARANCE: 2/3
Thin, creamy, persistent head that rings the glass nicely. Dark, dark brown–not black, not quite opaque.

AROMA: 3.75/4
Coffee, caramel, vanilla, dark chocolate notes. Roasty aroma, really enticing.

TASTE: 8.25/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 3/4: Malty, smooth. No flavoring hop, but bittering hop at finish.
Aftertaste: 2.75/3: Fades to a chocolatey, coffee roast finish. Subtle, lasting bitterness.
Mouth-Feel: 2.5/3: Very sweet. Dark chocolate, nuttiness–hints of roasted almond. A bit watery.

OVERALL: 2.5/3: A solid stout–strong roasty notes, could be darker. Sweet milk chocolate.

TOTAL: 16.5/20–Pour Me Another

NOTES:
Matt: Admittedly, I'm a sucker for sweets. Don't misunderstand, this isn't cloying–it's subtly sweet, an improvement over boring old stouts.
Ben: Very good, I enjoy it–prefer it to Guinness and other "standard" stouts. Very sweet, like an iced mocha beer.

Odell 90 Shilling Ale

Odell Brewing Company

Fort Collins, Colorado

APPEARANCE: 2.5/3

Nice copper-brown. White head, fades fast. Slight haze.

AROMA: 3.25/4

Subtle smoky nose, sweet. Very little, subtle hop aroma.

TASTE: 7.5/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 3.25/4: Very malty - sweet and smooth. Hop at middle to the end. Sweet up front fades to a bitter finish.
Aftertaste: 2/3: Fades to a lasting bitterness. Sweet up-front with subtle smokiness. Caramel, nutty, and woody flavors Caramel malts are dominate.
Mouth-Feel: 2.25/3: Full, malty, smooth. Some earthiness. Not too heavy.

OVERALL: 2/3

Surprising sweet up=front. Could use more smoked malt per style. Overall a good offering. A good session beer.

TOTAL: 15.25/20–Pour Me Another

NOTES:
Matt: Sentimental for me - my first craft beer. A bit sweet but rich and smooth. A nice Scottish.

Ben: One of my first forays into the world of craft beers. Haven't looked back since. A good solid offering by Odell.

O'Fallon Pumpkin Beer

O'Fallon Brewing Company
O'Fallon, Missouri

APPEARANCE: 2.5/3
Hazy, gold-orange. Pumpkin color. Some head that lingers along the side of the glass.

AROMA: 3.25/4
Pumpkin and spices: nutmeg, cinnamon, clove, all-spice. Smells like pumpkin bread or pie. No hop.

TASTE: 8.25/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 3/4: All malt, no real hop aroma or flavoring. Some slight bitterness. Lots of body.
Aftertaste: 2.5/3: Slightly bitter finish. Subtle pumpkin and spices–clove, cinnamon, nutmeg– not overwhelming. Still is a beer at heart. Slightly nutty notes.
Mouth-Feel: 2.75/3: A little watery. Tart up front–nicely spiced.

OVERALL: 2.5/3
A unique Fall seasonal/Thanksgiving dinner beer. Not as pumpkin pie overwhelming as most pumpkin beers but nicely spiced. Definitely not a session beer.

TOTAL: 16/20–Pour Me Another

NOTES:
Matt: Scored high, but as a stand-alone beer. It's unique and well-done. One is enough though.
Ben: It's like drinking beer with pumpkin bread. Good to try or have around the dinner table in Autumn, but Matt's right–one is enough.

Summit Extra Pale Ale

Summit Brewing Company
St. Paul, Minnesota

APPEARANCE: 2.5/3
Light caramel color. Very clear. White, foamy head.

AROMA: 3/4
Caramel. Nutty–roasted nuts. Subtle coffee. Malty. Very little hop–needs more, in our opinion.

TASTE: 6.25/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 2/4: Malty, not much hop. Bittering hop, but needs more hop balance.
Aftertaste: 2/3: Bitter finish. Sweet, honey notes. Roasty, very nutty. Woody. Caramel, brown sugar. Bready, even.
Mouth-Feel: 2.25/3: Fades to a bitter, dry finish. A bit watery, but fills the mouth.

OVERALL: 1.75/3: Summit's version of the Boulevard Pale Ale–a standard, I understand they feel they need to have one, but unremarkable. There are much better Summit beers out there.

TOTAL: 13.5/20–I'll Try A Pint

NOTES:
Matt: Dry, woody, nutty. Very earthy, but not hoppy, so one is enough for me.
Ben: Okay. A session beer, but could be hoppier; I'd be more inclined to drink it if it were.

Boulevard Pilsner

Boulevard Brewing Company
Kansas City, Missouri

APPEARANCE: 2.75/3
Golden color, very crisp. Minimal head, rings the glass nicely. Darker than your average domestic pils. Pretty.

AROMA: 3.25/4
Minimal aroma, clean, no hop. Mildly sweet. Could use more of a Saaz nose, but apropos.

TASTE: 8.25/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 3.25/4: Hop bitterness middle to finish. Malty, lots of body for the style. Could use more hop up front.
Aftertaste: 2.75/3: Sweet corn, slight sourness. Slightly bitter, dry finish.
Mouth-Feel: 2.5/3: Clean, dry. Full-bodied, but refreshing.

OVERALL: 3/3: Prohibition-style–what beer used to taste like. A great (and affordable) pilsner–no filler (corn, rice, etc.) like you get with other domestic pilsners.

TOTAL: 17.25/20–Pour Me Another

NOTES:
Matt: Priced to compete with the domestics, but just a much better beer. A no-brainer.
Ben: Why bother with a "Lite" beer when you could have this? More flavor, more body–my American lager of choice.

Boulevard Wheat

Boulevard Brewing Company
Kansas City, Missouri

APPEARANCE: 2.25/3
Gold/straw color. Hazy. Big bubbles. White head, fades quickly.

AROMA: 3/4
Malty, bready nose. Mild citrus. No hop aroma.

TASTE: 6.5/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 2/4: Malty, a bit watery. No hop character to speak of.
Aftertaste: 2.25/3: Sweet corn, pineapple. Breakfast cereal aftertaste. Grainy, slightly nutty. Citrus/lemon-orange finish.
Mouth-Feel: 2.25/3: Effervescent, bubbly. Full, fades quickly.

OVERALL: 2.25/3: An okay wheat–Boulevard's beer for the masses. Nothing remarkable–if nothing else good is available, we'll drink a pint.

TOTAL: 14/20–I'll Try A Pint

NOTES:
Matt: I know they sell a ton of it; knowing how much better most of their other offerings are, I can't get excited about it.
Ben: A beer for the adventurous Bud Light drinker, but there are many better beers out there. Just don't drink it with a lemon, that's lame.

New Glarus Alt

New Glarus Brewing Company
New Glarus, Wisconsin

APPEARANCE: 2.25/3
Deep bronze color. Crisp, clean. Cream head, big bubbles, fades quickly.

AROMA: 3.25/4
Sweet aroma–fruity, raisin/prune nose. Minimal hop. Some woody notes.

TASTE: 7.25/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 2.75/4: All malt. Prune, brown sugar, dates. Oaky notes. No real hop flavor (could use some).
Aftertaste: 2.5/3: Bitterness at end, a sour bounce on the tongue, too. Raisin, licorice, even some subtle coconut flavors.
Mouth-Feel: 2/3: Alcohol up front. Taste moves from front to back. Really big–complex, lots of different flavors going on.

OVERALL: 2/3: Definitely not a session beer. Complex and unique, not the typical crisp, dry, German Alt style.

TOTAL: 14.75/20–I'll Try A Pint

NOTES:
Matt: Huge for an Alt, lots of alcohol. Not a bad beer, just not an Altbier.
Ben: Not dry nor crisp finish, as an Alt should be. More like a Belgian double–misses the mark on style.