The Drunken Polack

The girlfriend and I made one of our spur of the moment trips to Dogfish Head Brewpub in Rehoboth, DE.  Gotta love a girl that doesn’t mind driving 3 1/2 hours each way  just to have lunch and watch her boyfriend drink some beer.  My goal this time was to try their brewpub exclusive beers, pick up a few bottles of their Beeradvocate/Dogfish Head Wrath of Pecant! and hopefully pick up a few bottles of Namaste.  Sadly Namaste, which is brew pub only, didn’t get released until yesterday and to make matters worse, the keg of it just got kicked before I got there!  I guess 2 out of 3 ain’t bad.

First beer I tried was one that was called Voodoo Down.  An Imperial Stout brewed with honey.  Sounds fantastic and damn it, it was pretty damn fantastic.  For a 9% brew this one had no problem going down and would of easily drank a few more if I didn’t have to drive home another 3 1/2 hours.

This one pours pitch black with a two finger creamy mocha head.  The aroma is sweet.  Chocolate, coffee, and roasted malt.  The honey brewed with it doesn’t really show.  Maybe it’s mixed in with the sweetness.

In the taste though I did get a bit of the honey.  The taste is roasty and dry.  Once again the coffee and chocolate come in nice.  Alcohol really wasn’t present at all and surprised me for the heavy 9% it comes in at.

The mouthfeel was dry but smooth.  A little bit to much on the watery side for me but it added to the drinkability on this one.

I was sitting there wondering something while drinking this.  I read an article on Beernews.org about their up and coming release, Bitches Brew.  Here’s what DFH says about Bitches  Brew.

“In honor of the 40th anniversary of the original release of Bitches Brew, Miles Davis’ 1970 paradigm-shifting landmark fusion breakthrough, Delaware’s Dogfish Head Craft Brewery has created its own Bitches Brew – a bold, dark beer that’s a fusion of three threads imperial stout and one thread honey beer with gesho root, a gustatory analog to Miles’ masterpiece.”

What I drank sure did sound like a version of it.  Sure enough Dogfish Head announced on twitter yesterday that indeed what was on tap at the brewpub was a test batch.  Pretty cool.  Decent beer and can only get better.  Can’t wait to try a bottle.

Found: Straight from the Brewpub!
Price: 5 dollars a snifter
Website: http://www.dogfish.com/
What the company says: A roasty, inky, not-so-dinky Imperial Stout fermented with honey to off-set the inordinate volume of dark grains we included in this here recipe. Enjoy this dark, complex brew-pub exclusive with some spicy BBQ or your favorite dessert.

Voodoo Down will go on tap 5/17/10 and will be available until it’s gone!
ABV%: 9.00%
Other beers to try from this brewery: Dogfish Head World Wide Stout, Dogfish Head Chicory Stout
Other beers to try within the same style: Alesmith Speedway Stout, Cigar City Hunahpus Imperial Stout
Rating: B+

Next up was their Stop the Spill ESB.  Can you guess what this is named for?  Yes the BP oil spill.  A dollar gets donated every time you buy a pint of this stuff.  Very cool idea.

This one pours a dark amber color.  Very little head is poured and what is poured quickly disappears.

Now a little story on this one.  As  I was drinking it, I kept on saying to myself “This is not an ESB”  I got to the middle of the glass and finally got up enough nerve to say to the waitress “Excuse me, can I try a sample of the ESB”  She says “Why?  You have it right there”  I preceded to say that this doesn’t really taste like an ESB to me and it tastes more like a brown ale.  Maybe they got it mixed up with the Indian Brown?  She’s like no I think you’re wrong!  Now I haven’t had the Indian Brown in years so I totally forgot what it tasted like.  She brings out the Indian Brown with a sample of the ESB.  Sure enough I was wrong.  I felt bad but she laughed and all was good.  But dammit this didn’t taste like any ESB I’ve ever had.  Anyway back to the review.

The smell was fruity with a little bit of caramel and some floral notes.  The taste was ok but nothing fantastic.  I would of loved to try this beer off nitro but that’s all they had it on.  I think maybe it might of killed some of the taste.  What I did get was a nice dose of citrus mixed in with some chocolate and caramel malt.  A nice hop bitterness remains after every sip.

Since this was on nitro, it was very smooth and creamy.  Went down easy.  Maybe to easy.

Loved trying another brewpub only beer from these guys.  Makes going there just that much better.  Didn’t think this was a ESB dammit! =)

Found: Straight from the brewpub!
Price: $5.50 a pint
Website: http://www.dogfish.com/
What the company says: Brewed just days after the Gulf oil spill began… and we hope the spill is stopped before the beer kicks! Even if it is – $1.00 from every pint of this beer we sell will be donated to help the Gulf Coast cleanup efforts.

This very British style ale is a nitrogen poured Extra Special Bitter with English Malt and American Hops (Willamette and Galena).

‘Stop The Spill BP ESB’ has a pleasantly sweet malty flavor that sticks around until the hops arrive. The English ale yeast leaves a nice citrus, floral flavor and aroma.
ABV%: 6.00%
Other beers to try from this brewery: Dogfish Head Festina Peche, Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA
Other beers to try within the same style: Mcneill’s ESB, Three Floyds Lord Admiral Nelson
Rating: B-

And now for what I might have come for the most.  I’ve been trying to land this brew for a few months now but traders want so much for it I decided to just hold off and see if I could pick it up later.  Luckily when I went to the brewpub they still had bottles.  What we have here is an American Brown Ale.  This one is different though.  It’s brewed with pecan-wood smoked malt, plantains, and carob.  Can’t say you’ll find that in a beer every day.  It was brewed for the 2010 Extreme Beer Fest.  It was a collaboration between the brothers from Beer Advocate.  There was a contest held to name the beer and Wrath of Pecan won but the FDA had an issue with the name so it was changed to Wrath of Pecant.  As you can see by the bottle it’s very Star Trek inspired.  Ok now on to the review!

Pecant pours clear dark amber.  Two finger frothy light tan head is poured.  Lacing throughout the glass as you drink.

I said this is a different Brown Ale and right from the start you notice it.  Of course it’s like a lot of Brown Ales in one way.  It has a nutty aroma but unlike a lot of Brown Ales this has the pecan-wood smoked malt and that comes through really nice.  Mixed in there is a caramel sweetness.  But for me the smokiness shined through most for me.  As it gets warmer the deeper smoke aroma pops out more.

In the taste the smokiness still reigned for me.  It just added another level of depth to the beer.  Mixed in there was a bready malt taste and some fruit.  This was probably the Plantains talking.  You can never say DFH uses normal ingredients.  I love how they go out on a limb.  Once again as the beer warms up a bit it gets more complex and the ingredients get a deeper and more rich taste.  By the end of the bottle you can tell the smokiness was just hanging in the back of the throat.

Mouthfeel is smooth and dry.  Medium to full bodied.  At 6% it goes down easy and is a very good sessionable beer.

Overall I loved this beer.  In the beginning I wasn’t very impressed.  But as everything came together and became more complex I was sorry to see the bottle empty.  Good thing I have one left.  Another different brew from DFH.

Found: Straight from the Brewpub!
Price: 7 dollars a bottle
Website: http://www.dogfish.com
What the company says: Wrath of Pecant is a collaboration between Dogfish and the Alstrom Brothers of Beer Advocate celebrating the 2010 Extreme Beer Fest.

We worked with them to come up with the concept for the beer. If you want to read the actual ‘making of the beer’ converstaion -check it out here!

Once we had the beer idea, we let Beer Advocate members vote to name it – the winning name came from BA member ‘strangefate.’ (find out the long, strange story behind the final name ‘Wrath of Pecant’ here)

So in the end… Wrath of Pecant became a 6% abv brownish ale brewed with pecan-wood smoked malt, plantains, and carob. It is complex yet quaffable; maltiness nuttiness and subtle earthy notes prevail.

The beer was first tapped at the 2010 Extreme Beer Fest in Boston in February. The bottles (750ml) were released from the Milton brewery for The Weekend Of Compelling Ales & Whatnot in March of 2010. They are now available for sale from the brewery (and very soon at the brewpub!) and should be around into the summer. There are no plans to distribute this beer outside the state of Delaware. Pay us a visit and get some!
ABV%: 6.0%
Other beers to try from this brewery: Dogfish Head Theobroma, Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA
Other beers to try within the same style: Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron, Voodoo Brewing Wynona’s Big Brown Ale
Rating: A-

Whenever I make the trip up to PA I try to stop by one of my best brewpubs I’ve ever been too.  Mixed in with the brewery lies Victory’s Brewpub.  It’s just a really nice place to stop by to eat some fantastic food and drink some even better brews.  The thing I like the most about Victory though is their variety.  Whenever you go there you can expect to see a nice list of stuff on draft.

You really can’t go wrong with any of their usual stuff but what I also love is all the brewpub exclusive stuff you can try.  Just looking at the list I counted a total of 9 beers you can’t find in stores.  It makes you not want to leave =)  In this particular trip I tried Smokin’ Oats Porter, Altbier, and their Bottom’s Up Brown which isn’t even on the list.  I spotted it on their black board. 

What is also great is this little beer bible they have on every table.  Here is an example of one of the pages.

As you can see it has everything you could possibly want to know about a particular beer.  I love the idea.  Especially love the idea of them helping you out with what would pair well with each brew. 

Now you know no post here on the Drunken Polack would be complete without some small reviews thrown in.  =)

Smokin’ Oats Porter- I really enjoyed this one.  Victory calls it a Hybrid Porter.  BA calls it’s a Smoked Beer.  Whatever it is, it’s a really nice session beer.  A good mix of coffee and smokey flavors.  Ends with a small hop finish.  Nicely carbonated and just goes down nice. 

Rating: B+

Altbier – I was really impressed with this beer.  Didn’t know what to fully expect with this one.  Nice mixture of spices, nuttiness, and a kick of hops. Had kind of a biscuit backbone.  It was highly carbonated and light bodied.  An even better session beer. I could of sat there all damn day and drank this one. 

Rating: A-

Bottom’s Up Brown – Last but not least was the Brown.  Nutty, Caramel, and roasted malt notes on this one.  Hop bitterness in the finish.  Overall a decent brown but nothing to write home about on this one.

Rating: B

Bottom line is, stop by this brewery if you ever get a chance.  It’s about 30 minutes off the Northeast Extension of the PA turnpike.  Stop by, enjoy a few pints or samples, and don’t forget to fill a few growlers of goodness.

Before I get into any kind of info or review I would like to thank Stu from Friday Night Beer for getting me this beer.  You are awesome my friend.  So where was I.  Oh yes. What we have here is a American Brown Ale from a collaboration between Dogfish Head and Three Floyds.  No doubt two of the best breweries in the US.  They make some fantastic beers and like to take chances.  Popskull was released right around Dark Lord Day 2009 and heck was I looking forward to trying this beer.  I mean come on!  These breweries are just sick.  So the other day I popped one of these babies open and well what can I say, I was a little disappointed.  See I figured this beer would of been well, better then what it was.  I was hoping for something that would blow my mind.  More like Palo Santo Marron, another American Brown Ale from DFH.  What I did get was a decent brew, don’t get me wrong I wouldn’t turn it down but it was just missing the um mph I was hoping for.

Popskull pours a pitch black color.  Whatever head that’s poured just fizzes away like a soda.  If you put a glass of coke right next to this beer you might have a bit of a problem telling the two apart from the distance.  The aroma this beer gives off is caramel malt, dark chocolate, molasses, and a small amount of oak earthy smell.  Overall the smell wasn’t to impressive and was really hoping for more.

The taste is more of the same.  Feels like it’s missing something.  Small amounts of caramel and chocolate.  Mixed in their was some dark fruits, herbal kind of taste, and a bit of a nutty flavor.  The oak aroma I got disappears a tad in the taste.  The best part of this brew might be the mouthfeel.  Full bodies, creamy and smooth.  But it’s just not enough to make this lacking beer really good.

I was waiting to be blown away but it just didn’t happen.  I don’t mind easy drinking beers at all.  I just wish more came out of this beer especially since these two breweries know how to make a good big beer.

Found: My Buddy Stu!
Price: No idea
Website: http://www.dogfish.com/, http://www.threefloyds.com/
What the company says: Nothing about this brew on either site.
ABV%: 10.00%
Other beers to try from this brewery: Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron, Three Floyds Dreadnaught
Other beers to try within the same style: Voodoo Brewing Wynona’s Big Brown Ale, Surly Bender
Rating: B

Last but not least is a weird release from DFH.  Before I get started, this time I need to thank my buddy Aaron from the Vice Blog.  He picked this brew up for me.  It’s only distributed in a few states and well Virginia isn’t one of them.  So thanks bud!

Squall IPA is actually an unfiltered, bottled condition version of DFH 90 Minute IPA.  First question I had when I heard of this beer is why the hell would you want to mess with a perfect thing?  90 Minute IPA is one of the best Double IPAs in the world.  Secondly what the hell is up with the labeling on this beer.  If you are familiar with DFH you know that this label isn’t their usual thing.  Well it ends up this beer was made to support Rogue Gallery.  A Maine based clothing line that Sam fell in love with.  In the end I do like the label.  It’s different but if I didn’t know what I was looking for I would pass this beer up not knowing it was a DFH creation.

The good thing about Squall is that you can still tell this is 90 Minute IPA.  For messing around with a beer a bit it still remains balanced and tasty.

Squall pours a nice clear copper color.  A nice sized head is poured but comes down to earth rather quickly.  A good amount of spotty lacing throughout as you drink.  The smell is unmistakably 90 Minute.  Nice bready and caramel malt background.  Tropical fruits.  A nice raw hop aroma.  Citrus and piney.  But the tropical fruits is what really smacks your nose around when the beer warms up a bit.  It’s lovely.

As with the smell, this beer gets better and better as you let the beer warm up.  The flavors just pop.  Nice sweet caramel malt base.  The hops come out a tad bit more then they do with the regular 90 Minute but it’s a welcome addition.  Once again the fruity taste was the winner.  It was just tasty.   Mouthfeel was medium bodied, dry finish, nicely carbonated and goes down really well.  Easy to polish off the champagne bottle.

While I probably would like to have the regular version more then this version.  It just seems a little bit more balanced, I still wouldn’t turn this beauty down.  It’s a treat to try.  Thanks Aaron!

Found: My Buddy Aaron!
Price: I honestly forget, he did tell me though =)
Website: http://www.dogfish.com/
What the company says: An unfiltered, 100% bottle-conditioned, super-pungent imperial I.P.A. clocking in at 9% ABV and dry-hopped with Palisade, Amarillo, Simcoe, Cascade, CTZ, and Willamette hops.

As many of you know, Dogfish Head is named after a ‘head’ of land off of Boothbay Harbor, Maine where company founder Sam Calagione grew up. A few years ago we discovered and fell in love with a Portland, Maine company called Rogues Gallery that makes beautiful, unique clothing. Their rustic, quality-centric creative approach mirrors our off-centered obsession with inspired brewing. As Time Magazine put it Rogues Gallery is all about “Masculine-style with a nostalgic eastern seaboard feel”. Alex Carleton and the crew at Rogue’s Gallery were down with getting their chocolate in Dogfish Head’s peanut butter. We agreed to do a beer in keeping with their brand and a line of co-branded clothing in keeping with ours. The theme of the clothing line is superlative stuff to wear while drinking beer at a sunset beach bonfire and the clothes will be available by mid-summer 2009. The beer will come out in June of 2009 in a handful of eastern seaboard states.

ABV%: 9.00%
Other beers to try from this brewery: Dogfish Head Burton Baton, Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA
Other beers to try within the same style: Russian River Pliny the Elder, Alpine Pure Hoppiness
Rating: A-

This past weekend I visited my family down in Georgia.  Visiting other people in different states is always a nice time to go beer hunting!!!  To my surprise every beer store I went to was well stocked with beer I’ve never seen before.  There version of Total Wine just blows away the ones we have here.  Distribution in Georgia is strong.  Maybe I should move there.  Instead of going nuts I decided to only try to pick up brews that were from the state.  (That worked out sorta)  I decided to get my education in a brewery named Terrapin Beer Co.  Terrapin is located in Athens, Georgia.  Which I don’t think is to far from where I was staying.  They have a line of beers called “Side Project”  These beers are only brewed once and once they are gone, they are gone forever.  I was lucky enough to find two of those brews (well actually three but I didn’t have time to drink it while I was down there) Dos Cocoas and Monk’s Revenge.  I also decided I needed to try their year around beers.  They make a four in total.  I won’t go into huge reviews for those four because well by the time I was done with drinking most of the box, I was pretty lit.  But instead here are some quick ones.

Rye Pale Ale – My second favorite of the bunch.  A decent pale ale with a punch of hops, bready malt, and of course the rye.  I love beers brewed with rye so this was good to me.  Easy to drink.  Light and crisp.  Good for the 90+ degree weather.  Rating: B

Golden Ale – Probably my least favorite of the bunch but still a really decent beer.  A nice light beer brewed with honey.  Light floral hops with a grainy taste rounded out the experience.  A great session beer.  You can down these babies all night.  Rating: C

India Style Brown Ale – Easily my favorite out of the four.  Nice mixture of brown ale and IPA characteristics.  Nice roasted malt flavor, chocolate, with a nice shot of hops.  Interesting mixture here and like I said the highlight of the 4. Rating: B+

SunRay Wheat Beer – Last but not least is their take on a Hefeweizen.  Was not to overly impressed with this Hefe but like everything else in the box it was a easy drinker and decent.  Mixture of wheat and tart fruit.  Rating: C+

Ok now on to the beers I was really searching for.  The Side Project beers.  The two I found like I said above was Monk’s Revenge which is classified as a Belgian IPA and Dos Cocoas which is a Chocolate Porter.  While I really enjoyed one, the other one really didn’t do much for me.  Read on!!

Terrapin Dos Cocoas Chocolate Porter – First is the porter.  This beer is number 4 in the series of 6  This brew poured like a soda.  At first it poured a huge head.  But quickly the head fizzles out like a soda does.  Bubbles shooting everywhere. The color of the brew is pitch black.   The smell is full of bitter chocolate. roasted malt, and a small amount of coffee.  The smell was decent but nothing to write home about.  Sadly same goes for the taste.  I was hoping for more of a rich taste.  But instead the bitterness of the chocolate takes over to much.  I know this is a chocolate porter but it was to much bitter chocolate for my tastes.  Wanted a little bit more complex taste.  Mixed in with the bitterness was a bit of sourness.  The mixture just turned me off from this beer.  What else bugged me is how watery this beer was.  One of the more watery beers I’ve had in a while.  While this was a nice beer to make I’m glad they are only doing it once and not making it a full release.  Maybe a little tinkering with the recipe would make this one a winner.  But you know you really aren’t into a beer when you don’t want to even finish it.  Luckily the other Side Project beer made up for it.

Found: Somewhere in Georgia!
Price: 7 dollars a bottle
Website: http://www.terrapinbeer.com
What the company says: The “Dos Cocoas” is a traditional Porter with a chocolaty experimental twist. “Spike” incorporated two types of chocolate at two different stages of production to achieve the balanced chocolate flavors in the “Dos Cocoas.” The first addition was 60 pounds of cocoa powder added in the whirlpool. Next, the porter was aged for one month on a 60 pound bed of cocoa nibs to really bring the dark chocolate flavors home. The result is a fine chocolate aroma, a unique bitterness and a tantalizingly balanced chocolate flavor from both the cocoa powder and the nibs.
ABV%: 5.80%
Other beers to try from this brewery: Terrapin India Style Brown Ale, Terrapin Rye Pale Ale
Other beers to try within the same style: Samuel Adams Holiday Porter
Rating: C

Terrapin Monk’s Revenge – Up next is their take on a Belgian IPA.  Ever since I’ve tried my first Belgian IPA (Stone Cali-Belgique IPA) I’ve really enjoyed the style of beer.  I mean how can you go wrong.  A mixture of Belgian style brewing with my favorite kind of beer, India Pale Ale.  A mixture made in heaven.  This might not be my favorite version of the style but it’s pretty damn good.  It’s big.  That’s for sure.  The beer pours a light orange color with a fluffy white head that leaves a good amount of lacing throughout the glass.  The smell is just inviting.  Mixture of piney hops, citrus, sugary sweet aroma, Belgian yeast and spice.  Good mixture.  When you take your first sip you’ll be welcomed by a nice fruity, sweet sugary flavor mixed in with hops and the Belgian side of things, the yeast and spice.  You’ll also notice a nice amount of alcohol.  Burns your mouth and throat a bit as it goes down.  The beer is smooth and crisp.  Just a lovely beer.  I even had my brother try it, he’s a Coors Light man, and he liked it.  Could I be converting someone else to the darkside?  No probably not.  Out of the two Side Project beers this is easily the winner.  To bad I missed the others.

Found: Somewhere in Georgia!
Price: 7 dollars a bottle
Website: http://www.terrapinbeer.com
What the company says: This Belgian IPA has a malt bill of a Belgian Tripel and a hop bill of a Double IPA. The yeast I chose for this beer comes from one of the 7 Trappist breweries. Believe it or not, this is the first time in my professional brewing career that I have used dextrose (corn syrup) in a Terrapin brew. True to style no doubt. “Monk’s Revenge” (otherwise known as the “Big Nasty”) has all the flavor and aroma of a Double IPA while hidden beneath lies the malt character of a fine Belgian Tripel. I hope you enjoy my interpretation of this very fun style.
ABV%: 9.80%
Other beers to try from this brewery: Terrapin Golden Ale, Terrapin SunRay Wheat Beer
Other beers to try within the same style: Green Flash Le Freak, Stone Cali-Belgique IPA)
Rating: B+ (Almost an A-)

So I can personally thank Steve over at the Summer of Beer for introducing me to this brewery.  Since I’m from the East Coast, some of the small West Coast breweries slip through the cracks for me.  I saw him mention this brewery on his blog.  So later that day I went to the South Bay Drugs website and sure enough they had some of their beers for sale.  This was the only one I bought because I really didn’t know the quality of their beer.  I’m happy to say that I will be trying more from these guys.  I can thank their Quadrupel, Partridge in a Pear Tree for that.  This is a damn fine beer.

This brew pours a dark cloudy brown color with a small tan head.  The smell is full of candi sugar, dark fruits (raisins and figs), sweet malt, belgian yeast and spices.  It’s  a very big smell.  Very sweet smell.  Complex but it all comes together nicely.

I said it was sweet in the nose, yeah well it’s sweet in taste too.  If you’re diabetic, don’t drink this beer.  Ok if you’re diabetic you probably shouldn’t be drinking any beer but heck don’t touch this one.  What I love about this brew is that it’s good from start to finish.  The taste kicks in up front and doesn’t die in the end like some beers.  Taste just pops.  The candi sugar is the highlight, followed by what seems to be brown sugar, raisins, figs, spices, and the Belgian yeast.  I’m not a quad expert but this is a very good tasting beer.  The mouthfeel is full bodied, smooth, and syrupy.  The alcohol content doesn’t really show in the taste or smell of this beer but when you’re done with the bottle, you definitely feel it.

This beer has a lot going on, but in the end it tastes fantastic.  Great from first sip to the end of the bottle.  I would easily buy this again, but next time I would find someone to share it with me for sure.  I will be buying more beer from this brewery.

Found: South Bay Drugs, Imperial Beach, CA (Mail order)
Price: 10 dollars a bottle
Website: http://www.thebruery.com
What the company says: Our holiday beer is a Belgian-style Dark Strong Ale, brewed with our brewery-made dark candi sugar, Munich and Vienna malts. Dark brown in color, fruity and complex with a rich malt backbone. This is a simple yet immensely complex beer meant to be savored and shared with friends and family.
ABV%: 12.0%
Other beers to try from this brewery: The Bruery Saison Rue, The Bruery Orchard White
Other beers to try within the same style: St. Bernardus Abt. 12,  Avery The Reverend
Rating: A

Good ole Aaron from The Captain Chair comes through again with a beer from Surly.  This time around it’s there version of a American Brown Ale.  Folks this isn’t your usual American Brown Ale either.  I’m loving Surly for their take on different styles.  This beer has a ton of taste to it.  It had me wanting more.  If you ever check the bottom of each review, you’ll see I like to put a little section that states what the company says about the beer.  Usually I can’t agree with everything they say, it’s usally my lack of expertise in finding a lot of flavors in certain beers but their description of this beer is right on.  To a tee.

Surly Bender pours a very dark brown with a frothy large head.  Now honestly when I poured this beer I didn’t know what kind of beer it was.  It looks like a stout or porter.  The smells it gives off reminds me of some stouts.  Oats, coffee, chocolate, vanilla, a nice kick of hops.  You pretty much get the same with the taste.  It’s a great mixture of all the ingredients I listed for the smell.  I got more of the caramel that the brewery mentions in the taste than I did in the smell.  It also comes together very nicely.  I really like the little kick of hops also.  It’s not huge.  It’s more of a tease.  The mouthfeel is light to medium.  It has a little bit of roughness to it.

I was very surprised when I went to the computer and found out this was actually a Brown Ale.  Pleasantly surprised.  These guys make a Coffee Bender that I must get my hands on one of these days.

Found: Beer Trade!
Price: No Idea
Website: http://www.surlybrewing.com/
What the company says: Here’s what happens when substance meets smooth. This oatmeal brown ale defies traditional categories. Bender begins crisp and lightly hoppy, complemented by the velvety sleekness oats deliver. Belgian and British malts usher in cascades of cocoa, coffee, caramel and hints of vanilla and cream. An easy-drinking ale with many layers of satisfaction.
ABV%: 5.10%
Other beers to try from this brewery: Surly Furious, Surly Cynic
Other beers to try within the same style:Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron, Voodoo Brewing Wynona’s Big Brown Ale
Rating: B+

Now sadly I think this is the first review that I have ever given a n/a too.  Reason being is that this is a beer that my girlfriend got me while she was in Chicago last week.  Basically I said to her, you see anything that says Three Floyd’s on it, please pick it up.  She came home with a Stout, Porter, and this beer.  Which ends up being an IPA.  Now the sad part is, this beer is over 8 months old.  This beer is far from fresh and you can definitely tell.  Does no one buy beer in Chicago?  You can read earlier review from Matt.

What I got from this beer was a beer that was just missing basically all the hops it had ever had.  I got some caramel malt in both the smell and taste as well as a sweet taste of tropical fruits and grapefruit.  Otherwise the beer had nothing else to it.  It really felt like it was missing other stuff.  It was a little bland.  Matt states in his review that this beer also had some herbs and spices in it.  I didn’t get any of that at all.  Shame really.  Sounds like a different kind of IPA.  The mouthfeel is light and juicy.  Goes down very easy.

Anyone else have this one?  Let me know what you thought.  I just hope my other two Three Floyd beers stayed ok.

Found: A store in Chicago
Price: Around 10 dollars a bottle
Website: http://www.threefloyds.com/
What the company says: Nothing on the site about it.
ABV%: 7.0%
Other beers to try from this brewery:Three Floyds Alpha King Pale Ale, Three Floyds Alpha Kong
Other beers to try within the same style: Surly Furious, Ballest Point Big Eye IPA
Rating: n/a

Found: My girlfriend while taking a trip to Tennessee. Straight from the brewery.
Price: N/A
Website: http://smoky-mtn-brewery.com
What the company says: You can check out the description of this brew at http://smoky-mtn-brewery.com

What I say: Up next is their Black Bear Ale which is a American Brown Ale.  I’ll admit it right from the start that this is not my favorite type of beer.  But for the sake of science and because my girlfriend bought it for me it must be reviewed!!  Now there aren’t to many reviews of this brew out there.  It only has one on Beer Advocate and the guy pretty much trashed it and gave it an F but I really didn’t see any kind of issue with this beer.  Was it fantastic?  No.  But it really isn’t horrible. 

The Look: Poured a amber color with a small head that quickly and I mean quickly disappears.  Like it stole a TV or something.

What the nose thought: Sweet nutty flavor with caramel thrown in and toasted malt. That’s pretty much it but that’s ok because it’s a decent sweet smell.

And the tastebuds?: A nice nutty flavor up front with the caramel back end.  It’s got a nice toasty malt flavor with a earthy kick but it’s got a sweet flavor to it. 

The feel: What surprised me about this beer is how light it is.  Almost water like. 

Ending notes: Yeah there are a ton of better Brown Ales out there but as with the Pale Ale from these guys drinkability is huge.  It doesn’t deserve an F in my book.

Rating: C-

Found: State Line Liquors
Price: Around 4 dollars a bottle
Website: http://www.lagunitas.com/
What the company says: Nothing on the site about the beer other then announcing it will be out soon.

What I say: I totally missed Kill Ugly Radio last year.  I saw it so many times but passed it up.  Why?  No idea other then why would you want to buy a beer with a ugly mug like Zappa’s ugly mug.  I’m kicking myself now.  But I did pick up the next round in the series, Lumpy Gravy, so here goes!

The Look:Clear mahogany color with a very small head.  Whatever head was there was very fluffy though.  Head disappeared quickly. 

What the nose thought: Floral hops up front with a good amount of caramel and toffee. 

And the tastebuds?: Toffee and caramel are the main tastes you’ll get from this beer.  Beer is actually kind of dull.  Floral hops are there along with a bitter end. 

The feel: Bitter in the end but still easy to drink.  Like I said in the taste section that this beer was kind of dull.  I really wish they would of pushed some more taste into this beer. 

Would you drink more?: No.  This beer really did nothing for me.  While not horrible at all, it just didn’t do much for me. 

Ending notes:  Lagunita beers are always quality.  This one is no different.  I just wish there was more to it.

Rating: C+

Found: Grape and Gourmet
Price: $4.50 a bottle
Website: http://www.dogfish.com
What the Company Says:

Palo Santo Marron (Holy Tree Brown)

An unfiltered, unfettered, unprecedented brown ale aged in handmade wooden brewing vessels. The caramel and vanilla complexity unique to this beer comes from the exotic Paraguayan Palo Santo wood from which these tanks were crafted. Palo Santo means “holy tree” and it’s wood has been used in South American wine-making communities. 

This beer is a 12% abv, highly roasty, and malty brown ale aged on the Palo Santo wood.  It was a huge hit at our Rehoboth Beach brewpub when first released in November of 2006, so it’s coming back… into full production!

At 10,000 gallons each, these are the largest wooden brewing vessels built in America since before Prohibition.

It’s all very exciting. We have wood. Now you do too.

The Intro: This is one of two new beers Dogfish Head will be releasing this year.  I’ve been waiting patiently for this one for a while now and I finally got to try it.  I was not disappointed. 

The Look: Very dark brown with a caramel color head.  Pours a little bit like a soda.  The head is highly carbonated.  Fizzes. Bubbles pop out of the glass.

What the Nose Thought: Nice complex smell.  Molasses, Toffee, Vanilla, Caramel, with a yeasty smell.  The smokey smell rounds out the complex smell.

And the Tastebuds?:The taste is as complex as the smell.  It’s a powerful taste.  Kicks you in the face.  A different taste.  Not like anything I’ve ever tasted before.  Roasted malt, Vanilla, Toffee, Caramel, some fruits and the fantastic wood taste. I’m sure there’s more in there but it’s hard to pinpoint.  Awesome experience.  The 12% abv is hidden nicely.

The Feel: A little thick and chewy but goes down easy.

Would You Drink More?: Yes. This is not an everyday beer though.  A once and a while treat.

Ending Notes: Unique beer.  Nothing like this out there (that I’ve tasted anyway).  Everyone should give it a try.

Rating: A+

Found: Beer of the Month Club
Price: N/A
Website: http://www.harpoon.com/
What the Company Says: Harpoon Munich Dark is a blend of dark malts that creates a deeper hue than some other beers brewed in this style. The grains which create a malty chocolate-like flavor also add a warm malty nose that mingles with the subtle hop aroma. This medium bodied beer is balanced quite well with a moderately bitter hop finish.

The Intro: I’ve never seen this beer until I was lucky enough for it to be part of last months Beer of the Month club delivery.  I’m glad it was in there….

The Look: This one pours a dark deep brownish color.  Huge white head.  As you drink the beer the head laces the glass. 

What the Nose Thought: Lovely smell from this one.  I had no idea what to expect.  Rich roasted malts.  But chocolate is the winner in this one.  While not strong it mixes well with the roasted smell. 

And the Tastebuds?: In the beginning you’ll notice the nice chocolate and what seems to be coffee flavors.  Then you’ll notice it’s smokey flavor and in the end you’ll get a bit of hops.  A very nice taste overall. 

The Feel: Smooth and creamy.  Not to light not to heavy.  Nicely done.

Would You Drink More?: Yes but I’ve never seen this around my area. 

Ending Notes: While I’m not a huge fan of Harpoon this one is a winner. 

Rating: B

Found: Sickpuppy from Should I Drink That?
Price: Around 8 dollars a bottle
Website: http://www.voodoobrewery.com/
What the company says: This is named after a song that sparked the idea to make this ale. Brown ales seem to be there, but not really there, do you know what I mean? Well that won’t be the mistake with Wynona! Voodooed out this style and add more that’s what we say. Hoppy and smooth hints of chocolate and tons of brown malt to let you know it’s there. Try the brown, You’ll be Happy You Did!!

What I say: I got this beer in a trade with Sickpuppy from Should I Drink That?  So thanks Sick!  This is a small brewery out of PA.  Their stuff isn’t down here in VA yet so this is probably the last review you’ll see from this brewery (well until I find somemore one day of course!)

The Look: Huge, huge, huge amount of head.  Most i’ve probably seen on any beer I’ve ever poured.  The head stuck around.  I waited and waited for it to die down and it just wouldnt die!  Of course it laced the glass as I drank it.  Very dark brown color

What the nose thought: Very nice sweet malty smell.  In the background a very roasted coffee smell.  Some chocolate thrown in.  What you don’t notice are the hops until………

And the tastebuds?: Yup there are the hops.  Not strong but they are present. It’s kind of weird because in the smell chocolate and coffee kind of dominate but with the taste they take a back seat to a little bit of hops.  Very complex.

The feel: This beer has a nice bitterness to it.  Nicely carbonated.  Very thick.

Would you drink more?: Yes, I would easily drink more of this beer.  It has a lot going for it.  A lot of different smells and tastes.  Now only if I could find more.

Ending notes: If you see this beer give it a try.  I actually hear this is the best beer they produce.  But like always I could be wrong.  I usually am.

Rating: B+