The Drunken Polack

Clipper City Heavy Seas The Great Pumpkin – I’ve been kind of hard on Clipper City.  I’ve tried some of their stuff and well I really couldn’t get into any of it.  But what do you know,  a Pumpkin Ale shows some hope!!  One of my favorite beers of all time happens to be from the same style, Southern Tier Pumking, but for reason this years version isn’t to good.  So it’s nice to find another good Pumpkin Ale to fall back on and this is right up my alley.

The Great Pumpkin pours a fiery orangish red color.  Small head and minimal lacing.  Right off the bat I know I’m going to love this beer.  The smell just reminds me of fall and a nice pumpkin pie.  What I liked about it is that yes there’s a good aroma of pumpkin in there but there’s also a great balance of spices to along with it.  Cinnamon, nutmeg, and brown sugar come together to make a hell of a aroma.  The spices definitely take front stage on the taste but aren’t overpowering.  Just like in the smell it’s a great mixture.  It has a great rich, spicy, and sweet taste to it.  The 8.5% abv is masked really well.  I didn’t get any kind of alcohol taste.  The mouthfeel is thick, smooth, and creamy.  My favorite brew from these guys and I could easily see myself going back to this brew in the future.

Found: Grape and Gourmet, Virginia Beach, VA
Price: Around 5 dollars a bottle
Website: http://www.ccbeer.com/
What the company says: The Great Pumpkin is our best experiment ever. The secret is in the 3 ounces of spice per barrel for this fall brew. We add the pumpkin during the mash at precisely the right time to create just the perfect balance of malt, hops, pumpkin and spice.  The crew at the brewery voted on their favorite recipe to bring you the best & biggest pumpkin beer you’ll ever have!
ABV%: 8.50%
Other beers to try from this brewery: Heavy Seas Prosit!, Heavy Seas Yule Tide
Other beers to try within the same style: Dogfish Head Punkin Ale, Williamsburg Alewerks Pumpkin Ale
Rating: B+

Avery Mephistopheles Stout – This is a beer I’ve been holding on for a while.  It’s a doozy at 16% abv.  I’ve been holding on to it hoping the alcohol taste would die down a bit.  I’ve heard people say it was pretty damn strong.  Now I love and I mean love big beers.  Especially huge stouts but this beer was just a little bit to much.  Not because it knocked me on my ass but because all of the great ingredients are stuck behind the alcohol.  There’s some really good stuff hidden behind the alcohol but how many years would it take for the beer to mellow and show it’s good stuff.

Mephistopheles pours black.  Pitch black.  It’s thick.  Huge crater filled head.  Great retention and lacing.  As soon as you pour this baby your nose is blasted with alcohol.  It’s hot.  In the aroma you can still pick up some other stuff.  Like raisins, roasted malt, molasses, chocolate, and a shot of hops but it’s in the taste where everything for me just fell apart.  The alcohol was just to big.  It covered everything else.  Sometimes I would pick up the other ingredients.  Mainly the roasted malt and chocolate but then they would get covered up again by the alcohol.  This beer is the perfect beer to have if you are stuck outside in 10 below weather.  It’s sure to warm your body.  The mouthfeel is thick and creamy.

If you buy this beer, buy two.  Try one now.  Maybe you’ll like how it is but I’m also guaranteeing you’ll get blasted by the alcohol but also put the other one away for the next 50 years.  Maybe it will mellow out by then =)

Found: Grape and Gourmet, Virginia Beach, VA
Price: Around 8 dollars a bottle
Website: http://www.averybrewing.com/
What the company says: Mephistopheles is the crafty shape shifter, the second fallen angel. Amazingly complex, coal black, velvety and liqueurish, this demon has a bouquet of vine-ripened grapes, anise and chocolate covered cherries with flavors of rum-soaked caramelized dark fruits and a double espresso finish. IBU’s 107.
Mephistopheles is the final installment of “The Demons of Ale” series.
ABV%: 16.00%
Other beers to try from this brewery: Avery DuganA IPA, Avery Ellie’s Brown Ale
Other beers to try within the same style: Mikkeller Beer Geek Breakfast, Southern Tier Mokah
Rating: B

Terrapin Maggie’s Farmhouse Ale – Here’s another one of Spike’s Side Projects.  Beers that are only supposed to see the light of day once and then quickly disappear forever.  That doesn’t always happen though as some of his one off beers come back and get into their regular line of beers.  Gamma Ray I’m looking at you.  This time around he chose a Saison/Farmhouse Ale.  Overall I liked this brew but it’s definitely not one of the better saisons I’ve had.

Maggie’s pours a clear bubble filled light amber color. Medium sized frothy head.  Ton of lacing.  The smell is yeasty and bready.  Spicy with a hint of grassy and herbal hops.  Finish that off with a nice sweet aroma of fruit.  I was really hoping for more of a funky smell but what I got was more of a fresh clean smell.  Not bad but just not what I was hoping for.  The taste is also very clean and crisp.  Light amount of fruit, especially orange. Small amount of tartness. A shot of yeast and wheat.  It ends with the grassy hop flavor.  The mouthfeel is medium bodied and crisp.  Goes down really easy.  Overall a decent saison like I said above but I’m glad they didn’t turn this into one of their regular lineup brews.

Found: Grape and Gourmet, Virginia Beach, VA
Price: Around 8 dollars a bottle
Website: http://www.terrapinbeer.com/
What the company says: Welcome to the next version of Terrapin’s Side Project series of beers. Volume #7 “Maggie’s Farmhouse Ale.” Brewing this style of beer was as exciting as it was challenging because of it’s high fermentation temp. (90 F) and its finicky yeast strain. You’ll get all the aroma and flavors you’d expect from a farmhouse ale out of Maggie’s. The nose is a combination of grassy and spicy yeasty notes with an underlying bready earthiness character. The flavor is slightly sweet up front with a tartness in the middle followed with a white pepper/tart finish. Maggie’s offers the beer lover an old world style that is very pleasing to drink by itself or paired with fine foods. Cheers! Spike
ABV%: 6.00%
Other beers to try from this brewery: Terrapin Gamma Ray, Terrapin Monk’s Revenge
Other beers to try within the same style: Goose Island Sofie, Ommegang Hennepin
Rating: B+

Mikkeller Nelson Sauvin Single Hop IPA – It just so happens that one of my favorite beers of all time, Alpine Nelson, is brewed with the hop used in this brew.  It didn’t really hit me until I took the first sip of the beer and looked at the bottle.  To me Nelson Sauvin has distinct aroma and taste to it.  I remember popping this beer open and saying to myself, this smells like body odor, but in a good way.  Yes I know that sounds weird but this hop has a very different smell to it.  It’s pungent and raw.  The beer is full of fruit.  Grapefruit and mangoes come to mind.  Mix that with a nice caramel malt presence and you have a very nice brew.  Out of the four single hop brews that I’ve had from Mikkeller this was my favorite.  Mouthfeel is slick and oily and like all the other single hops the head that it pours is huge.

Found: State Line Liquor, Elkton, Maryland
Price: Around 6 dollars a bottle
Website: http://www.mikkeller.dk
What the company says: Nothing on the site about this one.
ABV%: 6.90%
Other beers to try from this brewery: Mikkeller Warrior Single Hop IPA, Mikkeller Stateside IPA
Other beers to try within the same style: Alpine Nelson
Rating: A

Mikkeller Cascade Single Hop IPA – So up top you’ve just seen my favorite of the 4 I got to try, now meet my least favorite.  Not that Cascade isn’t a great hop to make beer with but for some reason I was bored with this beer.  It didn’t do much for me.  This brew pours clear dark amber color.  Once again these beers produce a huge fluffy crater filled head.  Smell is light of bready malt and citrus.  Not much else going on.  In the taste I picked up a few more things.  The bready malt flavor is toned down a bit.  The citrus shows up a little more with a little bit of lemon and grapefruit.  But not enough to make this a fantastic beer.  Mouthfeel is a little light.  But as with the other 3 single hops they go down really easy and are smooth.

Found: State Line Liquor, Elkton, Maryland
Price: Around 6 dollars a bottle
Website: http://www.mikkeller.dk
What the company says: The third in the series of single hop IPA’s from Mikkeller. Brewed with Cascade, a true american classic hop type. This hop is less powerfull than the ones used in the previous two single hop IPA’s – creating a great balance with the beers other aspects.
ABV%: 6.90%
Other beers to try from this brewery: Mikkeller Jackie Brown, Mikkeller It’s Alive!
Other beers to try within the same style: Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA, Surly Furious
Rating: B-

Two Brothers Hop Juice – What we have here is the first brew I’ve ever tried from Two Brothers Brewing Company out of Chicago.  This beer is in their Artisan beer line.  In this line is also an Porter and two mystery beers that will be available later this month and November.  I’ve always heard good things about Hop Juice so when I spotted it on the Archer Liquor website,  I included it in with my latest package.  What I got from Hop Juice was a very good Double IPA.  It doesn’t quite match up to Pliny or Pure Hoppiness but it’s very good.

Hop Juice pours a very dark amber color.  The head is thick and creamy.  A ton of spotty lacing is left behind as you drink.  The smell on this beer is wonderful.  It’s full of fruit and hops.  Pineapple, citrus, grapefruit.  Sweet malt is also in there.  The sweetness kind of stings the nose.  Same deal with the taste.  This is a sweet tasting beer.  The fruits are more toned down in the flavor but the piney hops kick in a little more.  A small bit of alcohol rounds out the taste but the 10% hides really well.  A really nice taste.  The mouthfeel is thick, chewy, slick and oily.  A winner from Two Brothers.

Found: Archer Liquors, Chicago, Illinois (Mail Order)
Price: Around 8 dollars a bottle
Website: http://www.twobrosbrew.com/
What the company says: Hop Juice is a powerful Imperial IPA. It is brewed to 9.9% ABV, 100.1 IBU’s, and dry hopped with a pound of hops per barrel. Hop Juice has a very strong aroma of pine and citrus. This hefty beer is balanced at the start with some nice caramel and brown sugar notes. Then it has a massive hop flavor and bitterness with some complex fruity characters.
ABV%: 9.90%
Other beers to try from this brewery: First one I’ve tried.
Other beers to try within the same style: Three Floyds Dreadnaught, Russian River Pliny the Elder
Rating: B+

Clipper City Heavy Seas Big DIPA – Last but not least is a new beer from Clipper City.  This is out of their Heavy Seas line.  Now within that line is a totally new line called Mutiny fleet.  Confused yet?  This line is a line of bigger beers.  These are brews that are only going to see the light of day once and are limited.  Now in the past I really haven’t found any Clipper City brews I’ve really loved.  So I was hoping this beer would break the curse.  Well it really didn’t.

Big DIPA pours a copper color with a nice big frothy head.  The smell is strong of alcohol up front.  It’s hard to get past the alcohol at all.  But once in a while you’ll get a small amount of citrus and grapefruit.  Now the taste is what truly threw me off with this beer.  It had a very candy like taste.  Like butterscotch.  Very buttery.  If that’s even a word.  Mixed in with the strong alcohol it really doesn’t make for a very good combination.  Small amounts of citrus and piney hops follow but I really couldn’t get that taste out of my mind.  Mouthfeel is creamy and medium-full bodied.  If you asked me if you should try this brew I would probably say no.  I believe a few more beers from this line will be seeing the light of day very soon.  One of them is a Pumpkin beer.  I’m really looking forward to trying that one.  Hopefully that will break the Clipper City curse =)

Found: Grape and Gourmet, Virginia Beach, VA
Price: Around 6 dollars a bottle
Website: http://www.ccbeer.com/
What the company says: Big DIPA – Double IPA, is the first in the Heavy Seas Special Edition Series due to be released in mid June. Hopped 3 times in the brewing process, Big DIPA has an earthy hop aroma. In keeping with the Heavy Seas philosophy we’ve made a big beer with a surprising balance. The best part is that you’ll hardly notice it’s 10.6% ABV (est). The label artwork was created by Kurt Krol, one of our brewers who also helped to develop the recipe.
ABV%: 10.60%
Other beers to try from this brewery: Heavy Seas Below Decks, Heavy Seas Small Craft Warning
Other beers to try within the same style: Moylan’s Moylander Double IPA, Alesmith Yulesmith Holiday Ale
Rating: C+

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: Local Total Wine
Price: 2 dollars a bottle
Website: http://www.ccbeer.com/
What the Company Says: We call this beer an Über Pils – a pilsner style bock lager. Rich, malty, and well rounded but with a firm structure of noble hops. Surprisingly pale in color for such a powerful, complex beer. Available year round beginning Feb. 05′.

The Intro: For some reason I’ve never really been a fan of Pilsners.  They aren’t bad usually but just not my kind of beer.  This one grew on me though. 

The Look: A nice hazy golden color with a huge fluffy white head. 

What the Nose Thought: Huge smell of lemon and sweet malt.  A bit of a hoppy smell hides in the background. 

And the Tastebuds?: Usually with Pilsners they just bore me but this is an Imperial Pilsner and you can tell.  It has a nice kick to it.  Not alcohol wise but taste wise.  Nice bready and wheat malt taste with a kick of lemon in there.  Spices also hit your palette.  A very nice taste. 

The Feel: It’s smooth up front and gets a little rough on the aftertaste but still a easy to drink beer. 

Would You Drink More?: Yes.  Maybe the extra kick is what I really liked about this beer. 

Ending Notes: I’m going to have to pick up some more Clipper City beer in the future.  I do have Holy Sheet waiting for me in the fridge. 

Rating: B

Found: Local Total Wine
Price: 2 dollars a bottle
Website: http://http://www.clippercitybeer.com
What the company says: Magnum, Fuggles, Cascade, Centennial and Chinook Hops
This ale is pure hop power but perfectly balanced with a rich malt character. Floral and aromatic, the hop character is enhanced by the technique of dry hopping, a traditional method of increasing aroma. Available from mid-October to February.

What I say: This would be the second beer reviewed from the Heavy Seas line from Clipper City.  The first was Loose Cannon which was an ok beer but I’m glad to report this one is better.  I rather enjoyed it and would of liked to have more.

This beer poured a amber color with a good amount of head at first that disappered rather quickly.  Had a very nice floral aroma.  The taste was nice and clean with some citrus and spice and left a nice aftertaste.  If you’re enjoying a six pack of this stuff just watch out for the 7.5 % ABV.  Give this beer a try. 

Rating: B-

Found: Local Total Wine
Price: Around 2 dollars a bottle
Website: http://www.clippercitybeer.com
What the company says: Loose Cannon Hop 3 Ale – called Hop 3 (hop cubed) ale to reflect the enormous amount of hops in this beer: over 3 pounds per barrel! Also the beer is hopped 3 ways – in the kettle, in the hop back, and dry hopped. Winner of the Overall Best of Show Award in the Maryland State Governor’s Cup 2005 Competition and voted the #1 IPA by Mahaffey’s Pub. We are very excited about this new product and have decided to make this beer available year round!

What I say: First beer I’ve ever had from this brewery.  I’ve had a few since then.  Clipper City Brewing is from close by Baltimore (well sorta close by)  Loose Cannon is their American IPA.  I would call this a middle of the road IPA for me.  Not fantastic but not horrible.  It poured a amber color with a floral aroma with some citrus thrown in.  Very little head.  Taste is just ok.  Very little citrus flavor that quickly disappears.  This beer comes out to 7.25% ABV so if you’re looking for an IPA to get drunk I guess you can down 6 of these babies.  Once again not a horrible IPA but not as good as others like Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA, Racer 5 (just reviewed!) or Weyerbachers Hops Infusion.

Rating: C