Review: Orkney Skull Splitter

Orkney Skull Splitter
8.5% ABV
The Orkney Brewery, Quayloo, Orkney, Scotland
11.2 oz btl

Served in Dogfish Head Signature Glass
Date on bottle: Best by end of May 2015
Reviewed on 4/20/13

This scotch ale pours a hazy light brown color with a good off-white head that quickly dissipates.  Decent lacing.

Smell consists of strong malt, hops, dark fruit, slight caramel, some floral, alcohol.  The smell is strong and hits you at an arm's length when pouring.

Taste has malt, hops, spiciness, floral and herbal notes, dark fruit, some caramel, hint of chocolate, hint of banana, cherry.

Mouthfeel is fairly smooth and creamy/velvety on the palate even as it has a good earthy character to it.

Overall, this is a complex tasting scotch ale that has some surprising fruitiness and a good balance of flavors.  The smell of this beer is quite strong when pouring--I could smell it at arm's length, whereas I can't usually smell a beer until I bring it to my nose.  Its earthy and floral characteristics mixed with malt and spice make it somewhat reminiscent of a Trappist ale, though it's not quite there.  Still, it's quite good.

My score: 92

Review: Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra IPA

Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra IPA

ABV: 7.2%

Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., Chico, CA
12 oz bottle
Served in Dogfish Head Signature Glass
Reviewed on 8/18/12

This IPA pours an amber/gold with a slight haziness.  Good white head that keeps some retention.  Decent lacing.

Smell consists of hops, grapefruit, citrus, some pine, slight malt, slight spice, hint of vanilla.

Taste has hops with good medium bitterness.  Citrus and pine notes as well as malt that is somewhat muted with a strand of spice.

Mouthfeel is smooth with a good earthy graininess.  Nice dryness comes through once the beer comes up to temperature.  Good balance of flavors.

Overall, this is a tasty, hoppy IPA with good bitterness and dryness.  Solid though not palate-overwhelming flavors.  For the price, you can't beat what you get with this IPA.  Actually, it's hard to believe that such a good tasting IPA can be so inexpensive. 

Score: 92

Review: Weyerbacher Heresy

Weyerbacher Heresy
8.0% ABV

Weyerbacher Brewing Co., Easton, PA

12 oz btl
Served in St. Bernardus chalice
No date on bottle
Reviewed on 4/28/13

This Russian imperial stout pours a thick dark brown color with a fairly dark beige head that dissipates somewhat quickly.  Good lacing.

Smell consists of malt, chocolae, some alcohol, slight soy sauce, some bourbon, touches of caramel and coffee.

Taste consists of dark chocolate, malt, some hops, some alcohol, coffee, caramel, slight breadiness, touch of whisky.

Mouthfeel is quite creamy and smooth on the palate.  Has a nice substantial thickness to it. Exceptional.

Overall, this is a solid tasting stout that has an exceptional mouthfeel due to its smoothness. The flavors here are quite good--perhaps not as bold as, recently, Heavy Seas Siren Noire and some other imperial stouts--but it's close enough.  The chocolate, malt, and coffee tastes are nice here, though the bottle description "aged in whiskey barrels" only reveals a hint of a whiskey taste.  Still, it's smooth, tasty, and relatively easy to drink.


My score: 93

Review: Oskar Blues Old Chub Scotch Ale

Oskar Blues Old Chub Scotch Ale
8.0% ABV

Oskar Blues Brewery, Longmont, CO

12 oz can
Served in Duvel tulip glass
Date on bottle: Canned on 11/27/12
Reviewed on 4/4/13 

This Scotch ale pours a dark, opaque amber color with a thick beige head that has decent retention.  Nice lacing.

Smell consists of hops, malt, caramel, alcohol, brown sugar, muted candy, spices.

Taste consists of hops, malt, chocolate (on the thin side), alcohol, caramel, brown sugar, raisin, cherry, mild citrus.

Mouthfeel is smooth yet earthy, with good bitterness at the back of the mouth.  Some dryness.  A bit thick on the tongue.

Overall, a solid tasting Scotch ale that has some good caramel and dark fruit tastes and some alcohol warmth.  Chocolate and brown sugar comes across as well, and there's decent bitterness and dryness mixed in.  Not overly familiar with the style, but this is a good beer.  Another solid offering from Oskar Blues.


My score: 91

Review: New Belgium Rampant Imperial IPA

New Belgium Rampant Imperial IPA
8.5% ABV

New Belgium Brewing, Fort Collins, CO

12 oz btl
Served in Duvel tulip glass
Date on bottle:Best by 8/11/13
Reviewed on 4/25/13 

This IPA pours a light golden amber with a thick frothy head that has good retention.  Decent lacing and carbonation.

Smell consists of hops, grapefruit, some lemon, some orange, mild malt, some pine, floral and herbal notes, mild spice.

Taste consists of hops, citrus, grapefruit, some flat bitterness, mild lemon, touches of pine, floral and herbal notes, hint of spice.

Mouthfeel is fairly smooth with some decent bitterness.  At times, it's a bit flat and a touch thin for an IPA.

Overall, a decent tasting IPA that looks and smells great but falls apart some in the taste as it's a bit thin and flat.  Still, it's got a decent flavor profile with decent hops and citrus tastes coming through that are accented by pine and spice.  There are better tasting IPAs for sure, but this one mostly holds its own.


My score: 89

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Review: Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA

Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA
6.0% ABV
Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Milton, DE
12 oz btl
Served in Duvel tulip glass
Bottled on 2/18/13
Reviewed on 4/13/13

This IPA pours a light golden amber color with a good bubbly white head.  Some decent carbonation evident.  Decent lacing.

Smell consists of hops, grapefruit, citrus, some malt, some pine, slight sugar.

Taste has hops, malt, grapefruit, citrus, pine, sugar, some wheat.  The malt complements the hops quite well.

Mouthfeel is fairly smooth on the palate with some good moderate dryness.  The malt and hops make this fairly well balanced.

Overall, a classic IPA from Dogfish Head that has a strong malt backbone (in classic DFH style) balanced with decent hoppiness.  This is not the dry, bitter hoppiness of West Coast IPAs (which I love), but it's a solid offering from the East Coast with quite a lot to like.  Fresh and citrusy, as sessionable in taste as an IPA can be.

My score: 91