I know I can get at least a few Lagunitas beers, so their distribution can't suck too hard. I'll look it up.

No, their distribution do not suck. We even get them in Denmark. I haven't tried the above mentioned beer but their Maximus IPA is great

Maximus is awesome. Their [censored] copper ale is pretty mediocre, though it could be a style thing with me.

I'm currently enjoying their Imperial Red. Quite good. Good balance of hops and malt. 7.4%, $8 and change for a six pack. Good value.

I finally got around to sampling the Cooper's Sparkling Ale side by side with Flying Dog's Tire Bite Golden Ale. First, one of my favorite beers - Tire Bite. Flying Dog is a Denver based Microbrewery. Not sure how widely distributed it is. Tire Bite has a bright yellow gold color. When I poured it into my glass, it had a nice white head that lasted quite awhile. I really like the mouth feel - very full bodied. It's got a very sweet malt flavor with just a touch of bitterness. I give it 4

The Cooper's Sparkling Ale is a bottle conditioned beer. It has a sediment of yeast at the bottom of the bottle. I poured the yeast into my glass. I think this probably affected the color. It is a bit lighter - more of a straw gold color. The head seemed thinner and didn't last as long as the Tire Bite. Also, the beer felt lighter and thinner in my mouth. It had a very acidic taste. This may have been due to the yeast or maybe it was more carbonated. It was little more bitter, and a little less sweet than the Tire Bite. IMO, This beer rates about 3 .

I was out at a bar this weekend that had a whole array of German Oktoberfest beers available. I tried two: one from Ayinger and one from Paulaner. Having tried the Saratoga lager, which I'd also discovered at this same bar, I wanted to try out some more beers of the same style.

First, I tried the Ayinger. The beer pours with a slight head. It's light brown in color, and clear, as a lager should be. It's not as light as a pilsner, but it's lighter than brown ales and such. The smell and the flavor is rich and complex. I was not at all expecting something this deep. There are great flavors of chocolate, spice, and coffee, and all this is in addition to a solid malt base. The beer isn't too sweet, though, and it isn't too heavy or alcohol-laden. It would be really easy to put pint after pint of this beer away, and every sip would be delicious. Even non-beer-drinkers who tried this enjoyed it. I give this beer and a half .

By contrast, the Paulaner didn't compare as well. The color and malt flavors were similar, but it didn't have as much spiciness, and the chocolate and coffee flavors weren't really there. This was still a solid lager that was quite enjoyable, but having tried the Ayinger first, I kept longing for it after every sip of the Paulaner. I give this beer .

Thanks for the recommendation. x 5

Deep, fruity beer, 9%, triple-fermented, and simply awesome.

Proud to be Canadian tonight.

I got my new snifters in the mail on Saturday and so I was excited to try this beer myself, given everyone else's rave reviews. To be honest, I can't say I enjoyed it as much as others. I definitely enjoyed the citrusy aroma and on occasion i caught some bananas in there. Being a bit of a beer noob, I haven't tried many other styles before and I found the aftertaste of this one to be pretty alcoholic at first. After a while I enjoyed it more. I just finished my 750 ml bottle today. Overall I'd give it and a half s. Maybe I'll have to try it again some time. I'm not one to set beer reviews in stone. However, if the beer selection at my local store is the same as last time, I think I'm gonna get my hands on some Maudite and give it a review here. Something to look forward to I suppose...

Maxx,

The LFDM is a really strange beer, and if you don't really know what you're getting yourself into, it's easy to find it a little strange and offputting. I'd definitely like to hear from you on other beers, and consider going back to it after you've tried some other Belgian-style beers, either from Belgian brewers, American brewers, or Unibroue.

This was my first foray into an abbey tripel. I'm a big stout fan, but haven't had an imperial, which should give you an indication of how new I am at all this. I have had Belgian strong ales before- Delirium Tremens, Delirium Nocturnum and Ommegang. Thought Delirium Tremens was the best thing I ever tasted the first time I had it. The second time was a letdown, so I guess the jury is still out. I'm just trying to expand my beer horizons. The store about five blocks from me has Three Philosophers and some other foreign brews regularly, so I'll have plenty to taste.

On Monday I went over to the local grocery store and decided to stay Canadian after La Fin du Monde. This is the story of:



I was pretty excited to try this beer and the aroma only helped that; it was rather fruity; assorted berries to this taster's nose. Initially poured a nice amber-brown with a big white head, larger bubbles on the top that eventually gave way to smaller ones evenly distributed throughout the foam. It had a pretty lively palate...the right amount of carbonation for my taste. Finished a nice bitter and certainly didn't give me the infamous "bitter beer face." As advertised on the bottle it "goes down uncommonly smooth" and it has a nice "warm mellowing effect." I drank the last of it during the rain delay for Game 2 of Yankees-Tigers. I won't go as far as to say I don't care that the game was delayed, but the warmth is definitely there. In summary, I give Maudite

I'm going to have to respectfully disagree with your Maudite review. I found it to be quite a disappointment relative to other Unibroue beers. Not that it wasn't good, but that it isn't their best.

What I'm finding as I drink more Unibroue beers is that they, for the most part, all have similar spice characteristics, but the bodies of the beers vary pretty widely. The Maudite has a similar spice character to the LFDM and the Trois Pistoles, and a couple others that I should get to reviewing here. In addition to the spices, though, the LFDM packs some great fruitiness with a light malt, and the Trois Pistoles has a rich, flavorful dark malt. The Maudite's malt, though, is much more mild. Having enjoyed the others' strong flavors, this beer tasted like either the LFDM or TP had lost its backbone. I suppose if someone's looking for an introductory beer to this style without wanting to sample something too wild, it's not too bad, but I think the other offerings from Unibroue are superior. I award this beer .

Alright, I've got another Unibroue review tonight. This time, it's the Don De Dieu. This beer pours a light gold color with a moderate head. It packs a solid 9% ABV. It smells slightly fruity, and slightly spicy. Taking a sip, it comes through very mild, but I'm reminded of the LFDM. It's quite sweet, a little fruity, and noticibly less spice than the other Unibroue beers I've had. It doesn't have the same sharpness to the flavor that some of the other beers had. The sweetness and some of the fruit lingers, but it's not as rich as some of the others I've enjoyed. Consequently, I think this might be a great one for MaxxDaddy to look up, since he seems to go for the milder beers. I'm going to award this beer . Like the Maudite, it's still a good beer, but it doesn't live up to the high standards of the other Unibroue beers.

i agree with 3 s for don de dieu. i agree with your review but i think i'd add that it has a very watery mouthfeel and kind of weird carbonation... no head retention whatsoever iirc.

Both of those are true, although I might not say a "very" watery mouthfeel. It's not as thick as some. The head does die off quickly, though.

I'm going to make RDH extremely jealous with this next review. I am now in possession of a case of Schneider Weisse.

This beer pours with a rich, thick head. It weighs in at 5.4% ABV, par for the variety. It doesn't smell as strongly as I remember the Weihenstephaner smelling, but there are smells of apple, clove, and banana. Sipping my way through the head, the spice comes through strongly, but not as strongly in the body of the beer. The beer is quite sweet. It tastes dominantly of the things I smelled, along with the wheat malt and some nutmeg and coriander. Unfortunately, I don't think I like this beer quite as much as the Weihenstephaner, and I paid about $60 for the twenty 500 mL bottles. I award this beer and a half . It's a great beer, but I like the Weihenstephaner better at the same price, and I think the Julius Echter is a better value - comparable quality for about 30% less.

Man, you're right: I AM jealous. You get that direct from an importer or what?

I never had Weihenstephaner when I was actually living in Germany, so its a bit hard for me to compare the weizens I've had since then to Schneider.

Nope, no importer. Beers of the World came through. I also picked up a case of Brooklyn Brown, a couple beers from Lagunitas (their imperial red and their "Freak Out" ale), an imperial red from Southern Tier, a pack of LFDM, a couple bottles of the Three Philosophers, a 15 year anniversary ale from Unibroue, and an assortment from DFH including their pale ale, their pumpkin ale, and a couple bottles of World Wide Stout. Some of these are for more reviews, but some others are destined for celebration on the night of the 19th after I hopefully pass my qualifying exam.

OK, I'm on a beer review rampage. Hopefully someone else will start reviewing somethings, because while I like reviewing beer, I don't want to be the only one still posting things in this thread.

Today's review is Southern Tier's Big Red imperial red ale. This is the first imperial red I've tried, but judging by the fact that it packs 9.5% ABV and 93 IBU's, I'm expecting an alcohol-ridden hop bomb. The beer pours the expected copper color with great swirly carbonation and a thick, peristent head. What do I smell? Hops, hops, hops. Taking a sip, that's exactly what I get. The hops are very much of the classic, bitter variety rather than the more exotic flowery or citrus-y varieties. In that regard, it's reminiscent of the Great Divide Hercules Double IPA. Similar colors, too. Also, while I don't like the hop flavor quite as much, this is also pretty reminiscent to the DFH 90. I would not be at all surprised if the imperial red variety of beer was invented for the people who wondered why their imperial IPA wasn't pale. As the carbonation on this beer finally subsides a bit, the malt and hints of sweetness have started coming through the dry, bitter hops. And really, it's quite nice. The malt here is solid. If this beer toned down the hops just a hair to let the malt come through a little better, I'd probably give it a 3.5. As it stands, I'm going to give it . I paid $6.85 for a 22 oz bottle of this, so how does this stack up in the value department? Meh, not all that well. I can get a 4 pack of the DFH 90 for about $11, and two of those have slightly more beer than this that I enjoy more. This is a solid beer, but I don't think I'll buy it again with superior offerings available for comparable prices.

This is definitely my favourite Finnish beer. It's a lager type beer called Karhu (it means bear ) The taste is full and good. I'd say the taste is more stronger than in other Finnish beers. If you ever happen to get a hold of one of these babies give it a try!

I'd give a better review if I knew anything about beers .

For a follow up, I have another Imperial Red Ale review, this time the offering from Lagunitas.

This is the first beer from Lagunitas I've had. It sounds like a slightly dialed back version of the Southern Tier brew I had yesterday. It's only 7.6% ABV, and 84 IBUs compared to 93. I paid $2.50 for one 12 oz bottle, so it's a little less than the Big Red. It pours almost an identical color, but with less head. The carbonation is persistent, though, and it laced my glass. Smelling it, it smells of slightly less hops and a little more malt, which is a somewhat welcoming, actually. Sipping, the hops are stronger than I expected from the smell, but about on par with what I'd expect from 84 IBU's. There is just a little citrus in addition to the bitterness. The malt of this beer comes through a little better. It may not quite be as sweet as the Big Red, but I think I like it a little better. All in all, this beer is just a little more balanced. Toning the hops down just a hair helps the malt come through just a little better, giving this beer a slight edge. I'm still going to award it , though, because I don't think the differences between these two are quite worth an addtional half a heart. The Big Red is a hair sweeter, a fair bit hoppier, a little simpler, and has a better head. The Lagunitas Imperial Red has just slightly better hops, is better balanced with the hops against the malt, but a little lacking in head. I think the Lagunitas is a slightly better value, since, while I'd have to double check the discounted price of a 6 pack compared to a single, I think you could get a sixer of the Lagunitas for less than what it'd cost to get two of the 22 oz bottles of Big Red. I'd enjoy the Lagunitas just a little more, and it'd get me just about as drunk.

I've kinda been nuts with the beer reviews lately, but after I went nuts buying them all, I might as well write them up for your benefit.

Tonight, I return to what is easily one of the best breweries in America, Dogfish Head. Allegedly Three Floyds and Alesmith are also in the running, but I can't seem to get their beer out here. Regardless, the beer of the night was the DFH "Punkin" pumpkin ale. They billed this beer as a brown ale made with pumpkin, nutmeg, and cinnamon, but it doesn't look all that brown. It's distinctly orange in color. It smells mostly of malt, with hints of pumpkin, nutmeg, and hops. I don't quite catch the cinnamon. The head is very modest, but it does hang around to the bottom of the glass. Taking a sip, I'm instantly impressed with how many different things I taste. This beer is not just about tasting like pumpkin pie, it's got a great balance of malt, pumpkin, spice, and even just a little bit of hops in the finish. The spices, in particular, are nicely subtle without overpowering the malt. This beer is not at all sweet, which was surprising, but it works well. Having been enjoying many extreme beers lately, the balance here is a nice change. My initial impression was 3.5, but I'm going to give this beer . All in all, this is an excellent beer from a brewery from which I'd expect nothing less.

Edit: I forgot to add that this beer was 7% ABV, and I paid $2.59 for a 12 oz bottle. That's a little more than the baseline DFH beers, but for a 7% beer, it's pretty reasonable. I'd say it was worth the price.

Edit #2, well after the fact: I'm thinking now that my 4 heart rating of this beer was a little generous. It's good, but I think it's really more of a and a half beer.

Im going to try to buy a sampling of pumpkin beers today, and review them all over the enxt week or so.

I'm back with another DFH review, this time their pale ale. It feels a little odd to be reviewing something so "ordinary" from this place, but I was curious how well "ordinary" could be done.

This beer packs a healthy 5% ABV, and I paid $2.15 for one 12 ouncer. I'd have to double check, but I think a 6 pack would still be on the high side for this variety of beer, ballpark $9. The beer pours the typical gold color, smells subtly of hops, and has great swirling carbonation and a moderate head. Taking a sip, this beer is nice and subtle. The malt is mild, and the hops are not overpowering. The hop finish of this beer is excellent, though, and the best part. There's a little bit of citrus. All in all, though, this beer doesn't blow me away. It's good, sure, but nothing too exceptional. Honestly, I kind of think of the whole APA variety like I do of Chardonnay wine. There are good ones, and there are bad ones, but I have to find one that really knocks my socks off. I give this beer and a half . I strongly encourage APA fans to try this one out, because it is a great example of the variety. Those who aren't the biggest fans of APAs, there isn't much to see here that might make you a convert.

Well, I decided to crack open another beer while watching football, and I decided to make it a new one that I hadn't reviewed yet. That beer was the Lagunitas "Freak Out." I didn't know what sort of beer it was I was getting, but I had seen Lagunitas held in high regard here, so I figured I'd give it a shot. I paid $4.55 for 22 oz of beer that weighs in at 7.3% ABV.

The beer pours a light orange in color with a good head. It smells predominantly of hops, so I figure this is some sort of double IPA. Taking a sip, though, and I'm mostly bored with it. The hop flavor is decent, somewhat citrusy, but it's nothing exceptional. The malt is rather bland. And really, that's all there is. I guess the cost isn't all that high, but it's high enough that I'd rather be drinking the DFH pale ale or the 60 min IPA (I don't think this was a true double IPA after all). I award this beer , and I considered giving it just 1.5. There are many other beers I'd rather drink of this style, and not much of a price advantage, it doesn't have much going for it.