Florisgaarden Framboise



Big tarty berry coulis aroma. Deep reddy brown colour, somewhat cloudy with a small head that dissipated quickly. Strong tart flavour of raspberries…however the taste is somewhat artificial and with an overpowering sweetness. Almost like it has been flavoured with cordial. Very bubbly mouthfeel with a cloying berry aftertaste. My mouth feels horrible after finishing the bottle. A disappointing beer.



2/5

Midas Touch was good, btw. I'm kind of sick right now so I only had 1 and saving the rest for when I'm all better and my sinus and taste buds are working properly. It had a Belgian feel to it. At least that's what I recall.

I had the "Blonde Doppelbock" from Capital Brewing out of Wisconsin.

Sorry, no pics my digital camera is acting up.

This is a doppelbock weighing in at 8%. I believe it came in a six pack for like 11-12 bucks, but I bought this at least 3 weeks ago, so I'm not really sure. It was the second to last one and I hadn't had one in at least 2 weeks.

The beer pours a dark yellow type color with a medium off-white head.

It smelled like apples to me.

Tasted like pears and apples, was definitely not weak in malt. Might have gotten some peaches in the end. Pretty smooth. As it warmed up I was picking up on some other stuff, caramel is the only thing I could really pick out.

Overall, I don't really know how to compare this beer because I've had such little experience with doppelbocks. I enjoyed the beer, and out of the few in this style that I can remember tasting, I enjoyed this one the most. That being said, I did find the taste to be somewhat watered down or "less prevalent" than when I had my first 4 of these a few weeks ago. Obviously not the style to age, but I couldn't of had them for more than a month and they are available every March and April, so it shouldn't be losing flavor this fast. I've had it stored in the lower 40s and out of the light, so none of that should be an issue.

I'll give it a . I may have to revisit this one next March when I've presumably had a little more experience with this style/overall. It's not a beer that I'd like to drink a couple of in one sitting, one is good but plenty and it obviously doesn't age well, so I can't say I'd jump all over recommending a 6 pack to somebody. If you love doppelbocks, give it a shot, but otherwise I'm not labeling this beer as a must have.

Red Hill Scotch Ale (Aus)



330 ml Bottle. Strong malty alcohol nose. Pours a dark reddy brown with a lingering off-white head. Taste is quite hoppy with a nice maltiness and subtle burnt-caramel sweetness. Creamy mouthfeel with a very easy finish. I enjoyed this beer.

3.2/5.

Tonight I'll review a beer I'm really excited to review. RDH had mentioned to me, either in this thread or in PM, about a beer being made that was a collaboration between the Brooklyn Brewery in NY and the Schneider Brewery in Bavaria. He told me that they were working on a special weisse that featured Bavarian yeast and American hops. At the time, I knew nothing of this beer, but I told him I'd keep my eyes open. It sounded good. As it stands, Schneider puts out my second favorite hefeweizen, and Brooklyn puts out the finest American imitation that I've tried. On Saturday, I saw that Beers of the World got this in, and I eagerly bought a bottle. It was not cheap; at $12.99 for a 750 mL bottle, it's the most expensive beer Brooklyn puts out, even more than their Saison, which was already pretty pricey. It weighs in at 8.5% ABV, though, so it's a fair bit stronger than a typical hefeweizen, which usually pack 5-5.5% ABV. They call it a "Hopfen Weisse," and indicate on the label that it is indeed made with Schneider yeast and Palisade and Amarillo hops. This could very well be the best of both worlds, since if it's one thing that German brewers have over American microbrewers, it's their exotic yeast strains, and if there's one thing that American microbrewers have over their German counterparts, it's hops.



Oh man. I could smell the hops as soon as I uncorked this beer, let alone after I poured it. It pours a typical hefeweizen cloudy gold with a nice thick head. The hops smell deliciously floral and piney.



So, this beer is fantastic. Considering how strongly the hops smelled, I was kinda surprised that the hops were only moderate, not as dominant as an IPA. However, I wouldn't have them any other way. The balance between the hops, the malt, and the yeastiness is perfect. The classic Bavarian hefe flavor is there, including the banana and clove, but it has the piney and slightly floral hops on top that are a wonderful compliment. This is easily Brooklyn's best beer, and in spite of the somewhat steep price, I'll probably be buying this again. I give it and a half . This is the best hefe I've had.

I had a fair amount of beers tonight with my buddy, we were supposed to just drink our own beer but we went to the store for something specific and they didn't have it, so we ended up buying a few beers and having a few more different kinds that I already had on hand.

I'll go into them somewhat briefly. Again, no pictures bc the camera is busto.

First up was Kulmbacher Brewery's World Class Schwarz: The Original Black.

This is a Schwarz or "black beer" from somewhere in Bavaria, Germany. It was 4.9% ABV.

This was a pretty tasty beer, I've only had like a half dozen black beers and haven't really hated any of them, but this one was definitely in the top 2-3.

At the moment I don't remember a ton about the beer but I remember it had a very good malty feel to it, like molasses and caramel?

Next up was Dark Horse Brewery's "Black Bier Ale." These guys are out of Michigan and around the same time my friend bought a 6 of this and I bought a 4 pack of their double IPA (more on that to come). We both have never had any of their beers. It weights in at 7.5%.

When I smelled this beer I initially thought it was a Porter. It was very very roasty and had some other flavors, chocolate is what comes to me at the moment, though it was a little more complex than that. Looking at it right now, it's labeled a porter, but I think it would pass as a stout by style. Overall a good beer, and kind of a little different than your normal "in style" beer. Xingu is a beer that comes to mind as a "cross style" beer.

After this we had another Dark Horse Brewery beer, the "Double Crooked Tree IPA." The bottle says that it is the same recipe as their Crooked Tree IPA, but double everything. The beer weighs in at a hefty 13.6%.

It had a very piney, hop character to it, and is the closest Imperial/Double IPA to 3 Floyd's Dreadnought, possibly my favorite Double IPA (DogfishHead 90 would be the other I'd consider the best). The alcohol wasn't as apparent as you'd imagine a 13-14% would be, but I feel like I say this just about every time I drink a beer this strong. A very good beer that I'll buy again ($10 for a 4 pack).

After that we drank La Fin Du Monde by Unibroue. Only my 2nd Unibroue beer (I know, I know). I really enjoyed the beer and I know it's been reviewed at least once on here, so I won't go into too many details b/c it's not the type of beer I could add much to. All I will say is at 5.99 I will definitely be purchasing another one of these.

Our last bottled beer of the night was an Eisbock by Schneider, another Bavarian beer. It was a hefty 12%.

I'd never had an Eisbock before, so I won't really try to act like I know how good this is compared to its counterparts, but here is the "commercial" description:

"Aventinus, the Wheat Doppelbock of Bavaria, has always been known to be the most intense and complex wheat beer in the world. This was the case for the past sixty years, but not anymore...
Up until the 1940's, Aventinus was shipped all over Bavaria in containers lacking temperature control. Consequently, the precious drink partially froze during transportation. Unaware that the brew was concentrated by the separation of water from the liquid. People were baffled by this unique version of Aventinus. By chance, the first Aventinus Eisbock was created.
Well aware of this story, Hans Peter Drexler, brewmaster of the Schneider brewery, decided to recreate this classic "mistake" in a modern controlled facility. Thus, the Aventinus Eisbock is reborn sixty years later ... Prost!"

All I will say is that it was a very complex and extremely good tasting beer. Keep in mind I'd had a fair amount of beers by this time. I will have to try this one solo sometime.

After this we had a few of our own coffee stouts, about 6.5% with added German Chocolate coffee and vanilla extract. It's a pretty good stout but a little too sweet and the body is a little too weak. We have a stronger version with less adjuncts that should be ready in about 10-12 days that I'm hoping will be even better.

Overall, this was a night of good beer. We didn't really run into anything we disliked (though my friend didn't particularly love the Unibroue).

The 12oz of Eisbock ran us like 4 bucks and the Pint + of the black beer ran us about the same. A 6 pack of the Dark Horse black bier was 10 bucks I believe and the 4 pack of the double IPA was also 10. Unibroue's La Fin Du Monde was 5.99 I believe for a 750ML.

I wasn't thinking "review" particularly when drinking these beers so I won't go into too much depth about them, and I don't generally drink so many beers at once that I plan to review, so forgive the lack of details on these, but I don't think you'd go wrong to try anything I tried tonight.

MaxxDaddy and I have both reviewed the Schneider Weizen Eisbock in here, too. We both liked it a good deal, but I did taste a bit of a cough-syrup flavor in it that kept it shy of perfection for me. Still, it's one I'll consider treating myself too every now and then.

Oh yeah, what was the other Unibroue beer you've had?

I just saw a 6L bottle of La Fin Due Monde last night at a bar. Makes the 330 ml bottle in my fridge seem puny.

I have only had Terrible from Unibroue, which I thoroughly enjoyed.

I had a bottle of 15 a few months ago. I like it but don't remember the specifics about that beer.

They still have at least 4 bottles of that at the store near me.

I haven't reviewed a beer from Great Divide in a while, but I saw they had a new Fresh Hop Pale Ale when I was out shopping last, and I decided to give it a shot. A 22 oz bottle ran me $7.79, so this beer, while not cheap, isn't outrageous. It's a little on the weaker side, though, at 6.1% ABV. They say that this beer was made with fresh, "wet" hops as opposed to the usual dry hops. We'll have to see how that impacts the beer.



The beer pours a clear gold with surprisingly little head that doesn't linger.



The aroma is dominantly of hops, obviously, but it's hard to pick out what stands out from that. It smells like a pretty good mix of citrus, flowers, pine, and maybe some grass. That's about the flavor, too. It's somewhat bitter and surprisingly sweet for a pale ale that's only 6% ABV. I had to double check, but this beer says it's only rated at 55 IBUs. It has much more hop flavor than that level of bitterness would suggest. DFH's 90 min IPA is 90 IBUs, and by the hop flavor I would have put it in that ballpark. I'll give this beer and a half . It's good, but not significantly better than the recently reviewed Lagunitas IPA or the Green Flash Double IPA. The wet hopping doesn't seem to be hugely different than dry hopping, assuming that the brewer uses enough hops. I wouldn't be surprised if the biggest difference is that with fresh hops, the brewer just has to use less in order to get comparable flavor. It might be slightly less bitter-tasting than comparably hoppy dry-hopped beers, but this wouldn't be the beer to convert people who hate hops, nor would it leave hop-heads hoping for more bitterness. I get about as much enjoyment from this beer as the Green Flash Double IPA, and the Green Flash is stronger and costs me a buck less. I probably won't be buying this beer again, but I'd encourage some other hop lovers in here to give it a shot. It is still subtly different from typical hopping, and I'm curious to hear another take on this.

I don't know if it has been mentioned in this thread but, I just picked up a quad of DogfishHead's Aprihop.. Apricot India Pale Ale.

It's 7% alch... the apricot taste is strong right from the jump but, then gives way to a nice bitter bite and earthy aftertaste.

I had one last night and then switched to the Sierra ESB's for the rest of the night.

I liked it but, would like to know what the resident drinkers here have to say.

All right, I am going to try this review thing. I am not sure how to judge this sort of thing but I will try my best.
My wife (Fishette) has been watching and believes I have totally lost my mind.

New Belgium - Fat Tire Amber Ale
Alc 5.2%


Price - This was FREE. My wife's uncle left it after a visit last week

Good Head!! Beautiful amber color too! Yes, the kitchen table is a mess. I still haven't put stuff away after putting in a dishwasher.


Beer smells mildly hoppy but I can smell what I think is a malty smell as well

Taste is very nice, smooth and creamy. Sort of sweet with hints of citris and fruit. Also malty which is described on the bottle as biscuit-like and I think I agree with that. It does leave an after taste that lingers but is pleasant.

All in all this is a really good beer. It is heavier than the normal Miller Lite I usually drink but not so much that it is annoying. I know I can't drink as much of this as I can the usual ML. I have never talked to anyone who has tried this beer who has not liked it. Usually, like in the case of my wife's uncle it becomes their favorite.

Now, pizza is ready and I nned another Fat Tire!!!

Kev,

I've had it. There might be a review in here somewhere. I liked it, but it's not something I'm often in the mood for, either.

Red Duck Porter (Aus)



Strong malty dark chocolate aroma with burnt notes. Medium light brown head with large bubbles that dissipated quickly. Earthy roast malt flavour with strong black coffee and a dark chocolate bitter sweetness. Oily mouthfeel with a bitter finish. Not mindblowing, but a good beer nonetheless.

3/5



3 Ravens Black (Aus)



Pours blacks with a light brown head that dissipated very quickly. Malty nose of coffee and fruit…maybe banana. Taste is malty coffee with some chocolate and fruitiness though not especially complex. Smooth mouthfeel with a bitter finish. OK but nothing special.

3/5

Wookie,

Oh man, am I jealous you got to try that. We've only gotten Brooklyn distribution here in the last couple months (ie I've seen it at the distributor's warehouse but not in any stores), so I'll have to keep my eyes open for it. But wow, sounds great. Also,

"Considering how strongly the hops smelled, I was kinda surprised that the hops were only moderate, not as dominant as an IPA."

"I had to double check, but this beer says it's only rated at 55 IBUs. It has much more hop flavor than that level of bitterness would suggest."

Something to keep in mind is that the bittering compounds found in hops are brought out in the boil. How bitter a particular hop is is dependent not only on how much of the bittering compounds it has, but how long the hop is in the boil. The longer it's boiled, the more bitterness it contributes; the shorter, the more aroma. So if you made two beers with the exact same amount of hops, but added all the hops at the beginning of the boil for the first batch, and all the hops at the end for the second, the first would be much more bitter with less nose while the second would be almost all nose and very low bitterness.

If your favorite beers/brewers list what hops they use, often times you can do a litte research and figure out which varieties you're most likely smelling in the nose.

I just tried this one and it is very good for one or two, a bit heavy

Wookie, have you had the Hop Trip Ale from Deschutes? If so, how does the Fresh Hop Ale compare to Deschutes's offering in this style?

Sadly, I can't get Deschutes beer out here, including my beloved Black Butte Porter . I've tried a few of their brews, but not the Hop Trip.

RDH,

Interesting. I guess I prefer mostly late-boil hops, since bitterness is more something I put up with to enjoy hop flavor/aroma and less the reason why I drink hoppy beer.

Wookie have you had a smoke beer before? I'm drinking one right now and it is really crazy. Such a smoky flavour!

I'll have several recommendations to make in the near future, but here's a fun story behind one of my current absolute favorite beers.

****LONG STORY BEHIND THE REVIEW****

I was at my regular beer distributor (New Beer Distributors on the Lower East Side for anyone in NYC, very highly regarded) on a nice Saturday morning trying a few new things. Had 7-8 24oz bottles picked and was in line to pay for them when the owner came over and started chatting with me on my selection. I had a wide variety of imperial stouts on me at the time, and he mentioned they just got a new one from a brewery called Oskar Blue. The name was Ten Fidy and he showed it to me still being unpacked. He claimed it was likely a top 3 stout in his whole inventory. When he opened the box, I became a bit dubious of his claim.



Yup. Canned beer. For nearly $4 a can. I thanked the man for the offer and said maybe next time and went on my way. As I'm leaving he yells, "trust me, look it up on the beer reviews and check out the website. You need to try this beer."

So I forget about it for awhile before I remember it, and I start researching it a bit. I come across their website and wonder if they realize the image they send off with their beer. Their response was on the front page:

"Why cans? We thought the idea of our bold, hoppy pale ale [or in this case dark imperial stout] squeezed into a little can was hilarious. It made us laugh for weeks.
But then we discovered that the belief that cans impart flavor to beer is a myth. The modern-day aluminum can and its lid are lined with a water-based coating, so the beer and the can never touch. Cans, we discovered, are actually good for beer. Cans keep beer especially fresh by fully protecting it from light and oxygen. Our cans also hold extremely low amounts of dissolved oxygen, so our beer stays especially fresh for longer. Cans are also easier to recycle and less fuel-consuming to ship. "

You learn something new everyday, so I run down to the same beer distributor the following weekend and pick up my 4-pack from the owner who gives me the worst "told you so" **** eating grin I've seen in years. I ride the subway back to the apartment in anticipation for the experience to come.

*****END LONG STORY *****

Ok so the review. It's from memory but I think I can still do it justice because I've repeated it at least a dozen times since then (both from a can and on tap). This review will be for the can.

The Pour:
I hesitated when I opened the top out of fear I'd get splashed a la shaken Coors Light. Surprisingly, no carbonation whatsoever and no splash. I realized very quickly why. As I poured it, the beer poured out very smoothly. At this point I realized it was because it had a consistency just shy of motor oil. It pours a near pitch black with a nut brown head. The head is relatively light and leaves quickly though.

The smell:
A first quick sniff has me thinking chocolate milkshake more than imperial stout. Starts of with strong notes of chocolate and coffee. A second deeper sniff reveals a nuttier, almond type scent. Finally I could actually pick out a bit of a sweet vanilla type end with the smell. I've tried several imperial stouts similar to this and generally could classify the "base smell" as a chocolate or as a vanilla but never both. Although the chocolate was certainly dominating, I found it interesting to have hints of both.

The taste:
The best way to describe it is, imagine you're drinking liquid velvet. There is no watery thinness to this beer. First impression is almost a cream texture if you could think of that for a beer. Coffee dominates the chocolate in this taste but ends on a sweeter note than most Imperials. The sip coats your tongue and leaves you dying for another sip.

Overall:
I can't imagine having more than one of these in a sitting (and at 9.4% ABV it's no surprise a few will have you on your ass) because it's just extremely filling. As I mentioned, it is very dense, very thick, and very fulfilling. It's been one of my top 3 beers for some time now and likely will be into the near future. rating.

Next time:
I'd like to do some more of these in depth reviews if you guys enjoy it. I'll leave the teaser name and pic for the next of my top 3 to see if anyone else has tried it:

Stone 11th Anniversary Ale

I've had a couple Oskar Blues beers before. I liked their Scotch Ale, although their pale ale I didn't find too exciting. I'll have to see if I can find their imperial stout. What imperial stouts have you had that you prefer this one to?

There have been a couple reviews of Stone's 11th Anniversary by me and someone else. We both loved it, but I'd like to hear your take.

Lab,

I've had Rogue's smoke ale. There's a review of it hidden in this thread somewhere. I thought it was pretty wild, but it's not something I've had a craving for a second time, honestly. I may get it again if I'm in the mood for another left turn, though.

JrJordan,

Just the other day I was reading about that beer somewhere. Glad to see you liked it so much, I'll have to give it a try if I can find it.

The density description reminds me of the Dark Lord, I hadn't had a stout near that thickness up until that point and I definitely enjoyed it.