Review: Stone 17th Anniversary Götterdämmerung IPA

Stone 17th Anniversary Götterdämmerung IPA
9.5% ABV

The Stone Brewing Co., Escondido, San Diego County,CA

22 oz btl

Served in Duvel tulip glass
Date on bottle: Bottled on 7/26/13

Reviewed on 10/19/13

This IPA pours a hazy amberish gold color with a frothy bubbly white head. Decent lacing.

Smell consists of hops, citrus, spice, floral notes, slight malt, faint berry.  On the nose, it's fairly unassuming.

Taste has hops, grapefruit, touch of bitter lemon, slight malt, wheat, rye bread.

Mouthfeel is quite dry on the palate, though not quite an IPA kind of dry as wheat/bread flavors emerge.

Overall, this is a dry, bready IPA that's sort of a mix of a India pale ale and some thing maltier such as an Oktoberfest beer.  The aroma on the nose is there but faint--it took consistent sniffing to get scents to register.  Much more is revealed on the palate, as hop and breadier flavors are revealed.  It's an interesting mix, even if it's a bit disjointed.

My score: 88

Review: Elysian Night Owl Pumpkin Ale

Elysian Night Owl Pumpkin Ale

5.9% ABV

Elysian Brewing Company, Seattle, WA

12 oz btl

Served in Dogfish Head signature glass
No date on bottle

Reviewed on 9/24/13

This pumpkin ale pours a medium to dark amber color with a thin white head that quickly dissipates. Moderate lacing.

Smell consists of pumpkin, nutmeg, cinnamon, malt, clove, brown sugar.

Taste has pumpkin, malt, slight hops, nutmeg, clove, cinnamon, brown sugar, slight candy.

Mouthfeel is fairly smooth on the palate with some good sugary-like texture. Mild bitterness.

Overall, this is a decent tasting pumpkin ale that's fairly full of pumpkin, nutmeg, cinnamon, and clove flavors. It's fairly sugary on the palate, but it doesn't come across as being cloying. It's not overly complex, but does well with what it has and is refreshing to drink.

My score: 90

Review: Bison Organic Chocolate Stout

Bison Organic Chocolate Stout

5.0% ABV

Bison Brewing, Ukiah, CA
12 oz btl

Served in Dogfish Head signature glass
No date on bottle

Reviewed on 10/5/13 

This stout pours a dark brown color with a thin beige head that dissipates quickly. Moderate lacing.

Smell has malt, chocolate, cocoa powder, faint hops, hint of caramel, hint of coffee.

Taste consists of cocoa powder, malt, chocolate, some caramel, touch of coffee, earthy sugar.

Mouthfeel has some earthy bitterness on the palate from the prevailing cocoa powder taste.

Overall, this is a fair tasting chocolate stout that has a strong cocoa powder component. Decent amounts of chocolate and coffee come through after the beer has warmed up some. The cocoa powder is enough that it comes through as somewhat bitter, leaving the impression that it should be balanced by something else.

My score: 86

Review: Perennial Aria

Perennial Aria
7.2% ABV

Perennial Artisan Ales, St. Louis, MO

25.4 oz btl

Served in Burley Oak tulip glass
No date on bottle

Reviewed on 10/4/13

This Belgian style ale pours a hazy amber-tinged color with a bubbly white head that has decent retention. Good lacing.

Smell has hops, wheat, citrus, banana, spice, breadiness, some malt, slight butteriness.

Taste consists of hops, breadiness, banana, cloves, spice, citrus, some banana, slight malt, slight floral.

Mouthfeel is fairly smooth on the palate with some slight dryness and a hint of bitterness.

Overall, this is an interesting tasting ale that has a good if mostly typical profile of flavors. This ale was fermented with Brettanomyces, which comes through in the flavor if somewhat mildly.  It's a bit like a Duvel, with a spicier kick.  As it warms up, the spices come through more as the breadiness and citrus/banana recede somewhat. Perennial is a bit exclusive to find in Maryland (found this at Dawson's Liquors in Severna Park).  This one seems like a good starting point.

My score: 91

Review: Schlafly Tasmanian IPA

Schlafly Tasmanian IPA
7.2% ABV

The Saint Louis Brewery, St. Louis, MO
12 oz btl

Served in Duvel tulip glass
Date on bottle: Bottled 9/26/13

Reviewed on 10/5/13 

This IPA pours an almost clear golden color with a thin bubbly white head that has good retention. Plentiful evident carbonation. Good lacing.

Smell has hops, grapefruit, pine, citrus, spiciness, floral, some pepper.

Taste consists of hops, pine, dry citrus, peppery-like spiciness, grapefruit, fresh herbs, some fresh garden flowers.

Mouthfeel is fairly dry on the palate with a good strand of bitterness. Good penetration on the tongue.

Overall, this is a great tasting IPA that has strong hops, grapefruit, and spicy/herbal qualities.  This beer is quite fresh, as it's only 9 days old at the time of review, and the freshness is quite evident in the appearance and flavor.  This rates well with some of the finer IPAs.

My score: 95

Review: Saison Dupont Cuvée Dry Hopping (2013)

Saison Dupont Cuvée Dry Hopping (2013)

6.5% ABV

Brasserie Dupont, Tourpes, Belgium

25.4 oz btl

Served in Duvel tulip glass

No date on bottle
Reviewed on 9/20/13

This farmhouse ale pours a hazy gold color with a thick, frothy, bubbly white head with great retention. Moderate lacing.

Smell has hops, spices, some malt, citrus, floral and herbal notes.

Taste has hops, citrus, pepper, floral, malt, touch of dry champagne, wheat, slight yeast.

Mouthfeel is quite dry on the palate with a touch of a bitter kick.

Overall, this is a quite dry farmhouse ale that has a decent profile of flavors. Hops, citrus, and peppery spices are dominant here, and it's backed up by some solid floral and wheat flavors. The dryness comes across like a champagne.  The dryness gives it uniqueness.

My score: 90

Review: Otter Creek/Lawson's Finest Liquids Double Dose IPA

Otter Creek/Lawson's Finest Liquids Double Dose IPA
8.5% ABV

Otter Creek Brewing Company, Middlebury, VT
(collaboration with Lawson's Finest Liquids)
12 oz btl

Served in Duvel tulip glass
Date on bottle: Bottled 9/20/13

Reviewed on 10/10/13

This IPA pours a light hazy amber color with a bubbly off-white head that has decent retention. Decent lacing.  Plentiful carbonation.

Smell has hops, citrus, mild grapefruit, fresh flowers, slight pine, some malt, tropical fruits, peppery spice.

Taste consists of hops, dry grapefruit, muted pine, fresh flowers, herbs, malt, peppery spice, tropical fruit.

Mouthfeel has medium dryness on the palate with a touch of bitterness.  For an IPA, it's fairly smooth.

Overall, this is a great tasting double IPA that boasts fresh flavors of hops, flowers, grapefruit, and various tropical fruits.  This is quite hoppy, yet a medium dryness keeps its from being overwhelming in hops, and it still retains great IPA flavor.  As it warms up, a flavor profile reminiscent of a muted Heady Topper comes through.  Quite fresh and crisp.

My score: 96