Review: New Holland Michigan Hatter

New Holland Michigan Hatter
4.8% ABV
New Holland Brewing Company, Holland, MI
12 oz bottle
Served in Duvel tulip glass
No date on bottle
Reviewed on 8/28/13

This pale ale pours a solid amber color with a good 1/2" off-white head that has nice retention.  Moderate lacing.

Smell consists of malt, hops, citrus, light grapefruit, mild breadiness, some spice, touch of brown sugar.

Taste consists of malt, hops, dry citrus, breadiness, some peppery-like spiciness, mild yeast, floral earthiness.

Mouthfeel is quite dry on the palate with some moderate bitterness.  A bit thin through the middle.

Overall, decent tasting if not overly distinctive pale ale.  Probably the most distinctive aspect of this beer is the dryness--it almost comes as a dry, hoppy IPA, but is quickly muted by decent maltiness.  Still, it's sessionable and fairly refreshing.

My score: 87

Review: Founders All Day IPA

Founders All Day IPA
4.7% ABV

Founders Brewing Co., Grand Rapids, MI

12oz btl
Served in Duvel tulip glass
Date on bottle: Bottled on 7/12/13
Reviewed on 8/18/13

This IPA pours a quite light golden color that  has a slight amber tinge.  Lots of carbonation.  Quite good lacing.

Smell consists of hops, grapefruit, citrus, some malt, light pine, floral, spicy herbs, some resin.

Taste consists of muted hops, wheat, slight grapefruit, touch of pine, malt, slight bread, hint of yeast.

Mouthfeel is fairly smooth on the palate with a mild thread of champagne-like dryness.

Overall, this is a drinkable IPA that smells like an IPA but tastes more like a standard pale ale. On the nose, typical IPA aromas such as hops, grapefruit, and even some pine are evident; however, on the palate, the hops are muted as are the grapefruit and pine, as wheat, malt, and bread flavors become more abundant.  Quite interesting. Enjoyable.


My score: 92

Review: Union Duckpin Pale Ale

Union Duckpin Pale Ale
5.5% ABV
Union Craft Brewing, Baltimore, MD
12 oz can

Served in Duvel tulip glass
No date on can

Reviewed on 6/30/13 

This pale ale pours an amber-tinged golden color with a decent bubbly white head.  Good lacing.  Nice evident carbonation.

Smell consists of hops, citrus, grapefruit, malt, floral and herbal notes, some spice. 

Taste consists of hops that are decently dry and bitter, citrus, grapefruit, resin, floral/herbal, mild spice, some malt, some lingering pepperiness.

Mouthfeel is quite dry and bitter on the palate, packing an almost West Coast IPA feel.  Fairly smooth and consistent going down.

Overall, this is a quite good pale ale, made right around the corner from where I grew up.  This one comes close to mimicking an IPA, as it's decently hoppy with a strong citrus/grapefruit flavor, and its dryness and bitterness are reminiscent of a West Coast IPA.  Still, it's fairly smooth and easy to drink.  As it warms up, more maltiness comes through and balances it out.

My score: 92

Review: Uinta Wyld Extra Pale Ale

Uinta Wyld Extra Pale Ale

4.0% ABV

Uinta Brewing Co., Salt Lake City, UT

12 oz btl 
Served in Duvel tulip glass
Date on bottle: Best before 4/14/13
Reviewed on 3/9/13

This pale ale pours a hazy golden color with a nice bubbly white head.  Good lacing.

Smell consists of hops, malt,wheat, some breadiness, some floral/herbal note, touch of citrus.

Taste consists of hops, malt, wheat, spiciness, some citrus, floral and herbal notes, slight burnt taste.

Mouthfeel is somewhat dry and bitter.  Fairly smooth with decent liveliness on the palate.

Overall, this is a decent tasting pale ale even if it's fairly mild.  Quite good taste for a beer that's relatively low in ABV.  Hops, malt, and wheat flavors work well together with some nice floral/herbal and citrus accents.  Sessionable. 

My score: 86

Review: Samuel Adams Double Agent IPL

Samuel Adams Double Agent IPL
5.0% ABV
The Boston Beer Co., Boston, MA
12 oz bottle
Served in Duvel tulip glass
Date notched on bottle: Best by July 2013
Reviewed on 2/22/13

This lager (an India pale lager) pours an almost clear golden amber color with a decent bubbly off-white head.  Decent lacing.  Moderate carbonation.

Smell consists of hops, malt, wheat, sugar, floral, citrus, spice, grapefruit.

Taste consists of dry hoppiness with good malt lager notes mixed in.  Wheat, spice, citrus, floral, slight pepperiness.

Mouthfeel is smooth, dry with a decent touch of bitterness.  Good floral earthiness on the palate.

Overall, this is a good mix of a hoppy IPA and a malty lager.  Nice dryness and spiciness come together with some sugar, wheat, and citrus flavors.  Not sure who this style of beer is meant to appeal to, though it does appeals to this hophead and it makes for a neat and somewhat unexpected brew.

My score: 89

Review: Twin Lakes Greenville Pale Ale

Twin Lakes Greenville Pale Ale
 5.5% ABV
Twin Lakes Brewing Co., Greenville, DE
12 oz can
Served in Dogfish Head Signature Glass
No date on can
Reviewed on 2/23/13

This pale ale pours a hazy golden amber color with a bubbly white head that dissipates quickly.  Mild lacing.

Smell consists of hops, malt, bread, yeast, some citrus, floral and herbal notes.

Taste has hops, malt, some citrus, herbal and floral notes, bread/biscuit, slight berry, hint of smokiness.

Mouthfeel is smooth, mild on the palate, somewhat dry.

Overall, this is a decent if mild tasting pale ale with some nice citrus and herbal and floral notes coming together.  Some good hoppiness comes through as it comes up to room temperature.  Some decent lemony tastes come through as well.  Not a bad pale ale.  Almost sessionable.


My score: 87

The Classics

If you're a craft beer connoisseur, there are certain beers that were likely your gateway into the world of craft beer.  You may not have known it at the time, but once you tasted them, your palate realized that, yes, beer can be something different than what's being sold as beer on clever tv commercials.  If you came of drinking age in the 1990s, I think the following three beers, which I consider the "classics," were likely part of your craft beer introduction:

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale:  The classic pale ale that was likely my introduction to craft beer back in the '90s.  It still doesn't disappoint.  In terms of flavor, it may have been surpassed by others over the years, but this one is the grandfather of them all.

Samuel Adams Boston Lager: Possibly the most pervasive craft beer in America (Blue Moon doesn't count).  If you're into craft beer, it's easy to overlook, but it's still worth coming back to now and again.  At many dining establishments, this might be your only craft choice.  My review here. 

Anchor Steam Beer:  It took me a long time to realize that the brewery is "Anchor" and the beer style is "Steam," rather than "Anchor Steam" being the brewery name (which would be a cool name for a brewery).  "Steam" beer is an old American style that's not widely brewed anymore, and everyone but Anchor has to call it "California Common," as Anchor holds the rights to the designation "steam beer" (more info here).  Anchor Steam has a distinct, even unique taste.  Malty, with hops, bread, and touches of caramel and citrus, and even what I call a slight cotton candy touch at the front. 

The best thing about each of these beers is not only are they tasty, but they're affordable and widely available.