The Drunken Polack

Mcneill’s Blond Bombshell – Another brew thanks to my buddy Jeff and his trip to Vermont.  I still owe you more beer Jeff.  I didn’t forget.  This time it’s American Blonde Ale from Mcneill’s Brewery.  I’ve had a few beers from these guys and each time I’ve really enjoyed them.  This is the weakest of the bunch but it’s still a decent brew.  Blond Bombshell pours a fluffy good sized head that quickly disappears into the hazy golden color brew.  A nice amount of carbonation throughout.  The smell on this one herbal and spicy with a decent amount of citrus.  The taste up front is good.  Bitter and sour.  Tastes of citrus, spice, and lemon.  The beer kind of falls apart in the end though.  Goes from a nice full flavor to almost nothing.  Still decent but these guys have far better beers.

Found: My buddy Jeff!
Price: No idea on this one.
Website: http://www.myspace.com/mcneillsbrewery
What the company says: These guys use Myspace as their homepage.  Kind of sad really.  Especially since they brew good beer.  You guys deserve better!
ABV%: 5.20%
Other beers to try from this brewery: Mcneill’s Oatmeal Stout, Mcneill’s ESB
Other beers to try within the same style: Tyranena Beaches Honey Blonde
Rating: B-

Harpoon Leviathan Imperial IPA – Thank you Harpoon.  Thanks for putting out a really good East Coast IPA.  You see lately I’ve lost all my faith in East Coast breweries and their IPAs.  Sure there are some great ones but lately I’ve been trying a ton of West Coast IPAs and well what I’ve had surely kicks the hell out of the East Coast.  But Harpoon comes through with a really good IPA and throws it in their Leviathan series.  A series which also holds a really good Baltic Porter.  Keep it up Harpoon!  You’re restoring my faith.  Oh and they made this a year round offering.  Hell ya!

This brew pours a hazy orange color.  Huge, huge head with great retention and lacing.  The smell is packed with fruit.  Orange, grapefruit, and mango.  It’s lovely.  A sweet caramel malt backs everything up nicely.  One of the better smelling IPAs I’ve had in a while.  Same thing with the taste here.  Big flavorful fruits with the malt background.  Nice hop bitterness.  Mouthfeel is medium, creamy, and smooth.  Goes down really nice.  I’m usually not a Harpoon fan but the Leviathan series is pretty good so far.  As for the East Coast IPA thing?  Faith has been restored a little.

Found: Grape and Gourmet, Virginia Beach, VA
Price: 4 dollars a bottle
Website: http://www.harpoonbrewery.com/
What the company says: Harpoon Leviathan Imperial IPA will challenge your senses and your palate. As the vibrant aroma rushes out of your glass you will notice the blend of piney and tropical fruit notes.  At first sip, this big beer starts with apowerful hop bitterness up front and an aggressive hop flavor and character throughout.

Leviathan Imperial IPA is brewed with tons of pale malt and just enough caramel malt to provide a sweet malt body to balance the hop intensity. We used copious amounts of a variety of hops including Chinook, Centennial, Simcoe, and Amarillo at various points during the boil to create a complex hop flavor and clean lingering bitter finish. We then fermented the beer with Harpoon’s own versatile proprietary yeast.   Finally, we dry hopped at a rate of over 1 lb a barrel to produce this beer’s massive aroma.
ABV%: 10.00%
Other beers to try from this brewery: Harpoon Leviathan Baltic Porter, Harpoon Rauchfetzen
Other beers to try within the same style: Two Brothers Hop Juice, Founders Double Trouble
Rating: A

Williamsburg Alewerks Washington’s Porter – So Williamsburg Alewerks is only an hour away from me but for some reason I’ve never stopped by to see the brewery and tasting room.  This all changed a few weeks ago when the girlfriend and I took a week day trip up to the brewery.  While there I got to try their sampler.  By far their best brew in the sampler was their American Porter which is called Washington’s Porter.  So I picked up a growler of this stuff to share at my fantasy football draft that would occur the very next day.  Only me and one of my buddies drank the growler.  We both agreed it was pretty decent.  Actually this ended up being his gateway Porter.  The very next day he picked up a couple of porters from our local Total Wine.  I’m such a bad influence.

Washington Porter pours a huge, creamy tan head.  The head quickly disappears though.  Like a soda fizzing away.  Color is a very very dark brown.  Smell contains some roasted malt, dark chocolate, and coffee.  None of the aromas really pop out.  All just mix together for a decent smell.  The taste has a little bit of a bitter coffee taste.  Mixed in their is the dark chocolate and roasted malt.  There’s a small kick of hops in there.  Mouthfeel is medium bodied with a tad bit of carbonation.  This beer is bordering as a session ale but at 6.35% abv it might be a little bit to much.  I know after the 3 glasses I had a felt a little bit of a buzz going on.  Overall this is a strong offering from a local brewery.  Always happy to support the local guys.  I just wish Surly or Alpine we’re more local.

Found: Straight from the brewery
Price: I believe it was around 12 dollars for the growler
Website: http://williamsburgalewerks.com/
What the company says: Rich and smooth, AleWerks Porter is a traditional example from colonial times. A six malt backbone is balanced with Fuggles hops. Sit back and relax after dinner with a pint...
ABV%: 6.35%
Other beers to try from this brewery: Williamsburg Alewerks Rapadou Porter, Williamsburg Alewerks Chesapeake Pale Ale
Other beers to try within the same style: Founders Porter, Terrapin Dos Cocoas Chocolate Porter
Rating: B

Welcome to part two of beer I probably should of drank a while ago.  Now these beers aren’t bad in the sense they are spoiled or anything.  I just didn’t get around to reviewing them until now.  Yes I have way to much beer in my house people.

Up first is a Belgian Strong Dark Ale from Clipper City out of Baltimore, Maryland.  I’ve had 3 or 4 beers from their Heavy Seas line and while all are decent, none really knock your socks off.  I’m sad to report that this beer to your right is probably the worse one out of the bunch.  The bottom line is, this is a watered down and fake version of a Belgian Strong Dark Ale.  What do you mean by fake?  Think of the fake Rolex you can by in NYC for a few bucks.  It tries to look like the big boys but just doesn’t pull it off.  OK Clipper City don’t write me any hate mail.  

When I poured this brew I thought I might have myself a decent beer.  The smell wasn’t all that bad at all.  More on that later though.  This beer pours a dark amber color with a small amount of head that quickly fizzes away. Like I said about the smell, it really smelled pretty good.  It has a fruity aroma that includes cherries, plum, figs, and raisins.  It also smelt a bad bit spicy.  The bready malt background finishes it off.  Overall not bad.

Now on to the bad part.  You know when you make some homebrewed iced tea out of that sugary stuff you can buy in a container?  You have to keep on adding it and adding it to a jug of water just to get it right.  This is what this beer basically tastes like.  A watered down version of a Belgian Strong Dark Ale.  Tasted just off and left a weird feeling on your tongue.  Everything is there that I describe in the smell but when the beer finishes basically you’re left with no taste at all.  Disappointing.  What is in the taste that I didn’t get in the smell was a pretty big kick of alcohol but that really doesn’t save the mess that is this beer.  As for the feel of this beer, it’s smooth and a little thick.

Now maybe if I didn’t know that there was any better beers in this style out their, I wouldn’t of killed this beer in this review.  But there is much better beers in this style.  The Lost Abbey Ten Commandments for example.  If you can, look somewhere else to try.  There are a ton out there.

Found: Total Wine, Norfolk, VA
Price: 2 dollars a bottle
Website: http://www.ccbeer.com
What the company says: From the centuries-old tradition of Belgian Abbey monks comes our “Über Abbey” Ale. Aromatic and full bodied, pouring deep burgundy in color, it’s bold, it’s Heavy Seas. Grab a line…Holy Sheet!…or you’ll be swept overboard. Seasonally available in February while supplies last.
ABV%: 9.00%
Other beers to try from this brewery: Clipper City Heavy Seas Small Craft Warning, Clipper City Heavy Seas Winter Storm
Other beers to try within the same style: The Lost Abbey 10 Commandments, Gouden Carolus Carolus D’Or – Cuvée Van De Keizer
Rating: D

Up next is a beer that my buddy Jeff got when he visited Wisconsin.  I think I held off on this review because these kind of beers usually aren’t my kind of thing.  But for the sake of beer science I finally went ahead and gave it a try. =) The end result is a beer that I actually really enjoyed.  A beer you can just sit down a enjoy multiple of.  This is the first beer I’ve had from these guys but luckily in my latest beer trade I’ve received their IPA.  So look out for that one soon.

This brew pours a very cloudy straw color with a small amount of head.  It’s pretty fizzy up front, like a champagne but eventually calms down.  The smell is grainy with a nice kick honey.  The honey is the main smell on this one but it’s not overwhelming at all.  I also got some lemon and pepper.  

The taste on this beer is simple.  They don’t try to do much.  It’s just enjoyable.  Grassy hop like flavor, of course the honey, a small amount of lemon,  and a yeasty ending. It’s a little watery but goes more towards being medium bodied.  It’s crisp, dry, and easy to drink.  Overall not bad at all and would be a fantastic beer to have a lot of on a hot summer day.  I’m looking forward to trying more from these guys.

Found: My buddy Jeff
Price: No idea!
Website: http://www.tyranena.com/
What the company says: Three Beaches Honey Blonde is our Wisconsin version of the American Blonde Ale. This beer is light-bodied with a sweet touch of honey and a mild citrus accent.
ABV%: ?
Other beers to try from these breweries: Tyranena Bitter Woman IPA
Other beers to try within the same style: Been a while since I had a beer fromt his style so I’ve only ever reviewed one. Pete’s Wicked Rally Cap Ale
Rating: B-

Found: Once again the local Farm Fresh
Price: $7.99 a six pack
Website: http://www.petes.com
What the company says:The key ingredient to a good summer is a GREAT brew! Born to play, Pete’s Wicked Rally Cap Ale is crafted with a special blend of pale and wheat malts, Mt. Hood hops and a smack of natural lemon. Get in the game… Get Wicked!

What I say: I’m not going to lie, I tried this beer because of the design on the bottle. It screams summertime and baseball. But the beer is strong enough to recommend on it’s taste alone. Now would it be the kind of beer that I would buy over and over again? No. Only a few beers get that kind of honor in my house. But if you are looking to try a new Ale that won’t break the bank then give it a try.

Rating: D