McKBrew Drinks Beer

Just thought I'd start a thread reviewing some of the different beers I've had the opportunity to try. Nothing too scientific. If you've had the beer, feel free to share your experiences as well.

Tonight 05/04/08 I am sampling Dogfish Head's Midas Touch. Serving in a fluted glass. I've heard good and bad about this beer, but I liked it. Malty with some unique flavors (grapes, honey, saffron). Some slightly floral hops. Very sweet beer overall, with a sweet finish. The 9% alcohol starts to warm up the stomach after the glass is empty.

Overall: Worth the $4 to try it once. Dogfish Head deserves props for giving this a go. If I ever wanted it again, I'd probably brew a clone only because 4 bucks a bottle is 4 bucks a bottle. I'd add some more hops.

That doesn't sound too bad, I might have to give one a try next time I'm in the beer store. All I ever seem to read about these guys is the 90 and 120 supers. I didn't really realize they had something on the malty side of the scale.

Tonight I sampled Dick's Barleywine from Dick's Brewing in Centralia WA. The only other barleywine I have to compare it with is Sierra Nevada Bigfoot. They are two distinct beers. Dick's clocks in at 9.9% ABV and is definately a malt oriented beer. Distinct bready aroma, with some fruitiness, hop aroma is subdued. Beer has a nice off white head, with decent lacing. It's goes down smooth with a sweet aftertaste and a very slight hop bitterness. The alcohol is well hidden.

My only negative would be that it seems to be a bit unbalanced, and needs some more hop bitterness even it out. This would be a great barleywine for someone who isn't a big hophead.

Overall I'm going to give this one a B.

The next barleywine you sample make it the Lagunita's Gnarlywine. Me and the SWMBO shared a bottle of it, and it had the right balance of hops, malt, and alcohol buzz to it.

Midas Touch is definitely one of those one-of-a-kind beers. Sweet and smooth, fruity, and very pleasing to the palate. For me, it's like the satisfaction that having dessert brings. Not to say the beer is that sweet, but more like the happy, contented feeling that eating dessert gives you. I'll likely attempt a clone at some point, minus the cost-prohibitive saffron.

Right now I am sampling Avery's Mephistopheles Stout. Based on recommendations from Evan! I had to give this one a shot.

Serving in the specialty Sam Adams Glass.

This beer pours dark black with a 1" plus head that dissipates extremely slowly. At 5 minutes it's still about 1/4 inch thick. Aroma is very roasty with noticeable hops.

First sip: Initial flavors of cherry and maybe some tobacco followed by a heavy hopiness, then a deep roasted flavor finishing with a lingering alcohol warmth down the throat and into the stomach. It's like a super stout primed with a good whiskey. Woah.

Prounounced chocolate flavors, noticeable strong espresso taste as I continue to sip slowly.

This beer is intense and definately at the extreme end of the imperial stout category, a 12oz bottle that could easily be split 3 ways, but I have to drink it myself. That in itself is probably a detriment, because after a few ounces it doesn't have the same intial appeal. This beer would definately be a prime candidate for long term (several years) of aging. It's good as it is, but probably at my threshold for pain without some mellowing. Not something I'd probably buy again, but I wouldn't mind brewing an RIS this strong just to have around.

Overall, this beer is an B style wise. Worth the $10 price? If you like imperial stouts you have to try it once, if you want it more than once I recommend brewing it yourself, unless you can afford it, or you really do want your SWMBO to divorce you for buying $10 imperial stouts on a regular basis. If you are looking for a more affordable imperial stout for a regular drinker than Old Rasputin is the way to go.

I'm halfway done now and will be borderline comatose before I finish it. Already feeling tingling in my extremeties and a continually alcohol warmth in my lower esophogas.

It's a good one guys and gals, give it a shot if you can find it/afford it.

Edit: Just after posting, my teenage daughter came over to say goodnight and knocked it off the table spilling the remaining 1/4. I shouldn't be pi$$ed over spilled beer, but I am. Only because she was giving me grief earlier, and she has this habit of being a PITA and then wanting a hug before going to bed. But raising kids and getting them to respect you is probably the subject of a different thread.

This evening Dogfish Head's Burton Baton IPA. A mixture of 90 minute IPA and an oaked aged strong ale. I didn't get it cooled in time, so it's served a bit warm. My personal preference is to start cold and then let the beer warm up slowly.

Pours a dark amber color with a thick off white head. Aroma of oak is predominant. Tastes mostly of oak and malt, the hops are not as predominant as I would expect for having the 90 minute IPA as a blended beer. Some citrusy hops as the beer coats the throat, slight alcohol warming in the stomach. (This beer is 10&#37.

This beer is similar in style to the Dick's Barleywine I had a few nights ago.

As far as being an imperial IPA I am a bit disappointed, as I would expect just a bit more in the hops department. Another beer I probably won't try again, but not a bad drink overall.

Final Grade C+

I really like reading beer reviews by people whose beer taste I respect. Thanks, and keep it coming!

elkdog said:

I really like reading beer reviews by people whose beer taste I respect. Thanks, and keep it coming!

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I'm glad you like what I'm putting out there. I really don't consider myself a beer expert by any stretch, but am working to get better. I read quite a few reviews after I try a beer and always am suprised by what other people taste in a beer.

Honestly I have been disappointed in the last couple of beers I've tried, and I think that in the past I have tried to hard to like a beer based on what other people have said.

This evening, Dick's Imperial Stout from Dick's Brewing in Centralia, WA. Pours dark black with a light brown head.

Initial aroma is of chocolate and coffee. This beer tastes strongly of coffee with a slight citrusy hop finish. I ended up going through this one too quick and didn't let it warm. It's not a good imperial stout. At 7.5 percent it falls below the BJCP style guidlelines for the style. I will say it is a decent stout overall, but definately not true to style for it's labeling. It's very similar in flavor to Kona's Pipeline porter.

Based on style, I'll give it a D.
For a stout: I'm giving it a B. I liked the coffee flavor, but thought it dominated a bit too much for something that doesn't appear to actually contain coffee. I would have like a bit more chocolate.

Not a must have beer, but not one I'd refuse either.

Up tonight is Train Wreck (organic) Barleywine from Butte Creek Brewing in Chico, CA. Personally I could care less if a beer is organic. Don't get me started on my opinions there. The name was cool, so I figured I'd give it a shot.

Pours dark amber, with a thick off-white head. Excellent 1/4" head retention with a long lasting lace that clings to the glass.

Aroma is malty, with a nice pine hop aroma. Initial malt taste, with a well balance pine-hoppiness. Prounounce chocolate flavor, with a mellow alcohol warming in the stomach. Residual sweetness with the hint of fruit.

I am enjoying the opportunity to try different barleywines besides Sierra Nevada Bigfoot. While I personally enjoy the hoppiness that SN has to offer, I can appreciate a well balanced barleywine.

I'm giving this beer an A overall. I like it enough that I'd buy it again and wouldn't mind aging a few as well.

Edit: After the beer warms, the chocolate seems to dissipate, and I can detect a definite oakiness.

For Father's Day, I popped open the big bottle of Allagash Four. Beer poured with a thick white head that didn't last long, no lacing to speak of.

Aromas of bread, apple, and a floral hoppiness. Beer is highly carbonated. The taste is of bready malt, with caramel and apples, and a peppery spiciness. At first the 10% alcohol was undetectable but after a few sips it was a continuous warming in the esophagus. Aftertaste is lingering and very apple-like.

I've never had a quad before, but I can't find anything not to dislike about this beer. Here are the beer advocate reviews. I give it an A overall.

Tonight Lagunitas Gnarlywine. Pours a dark reddish amber, with a 3 finger slowly dissolving head with some lacing. Aroma is strong with caramel and malt, hop aroma is minimal.
The first sip was malty, with strong vanilla /oak and a cloying syrup sweetness. Some alcohol present, but not enough hop bitterness to complement the malt. Honestly, this beer was highly under-attenuated. Even the bubbles from the bottom of the Sam Adams glass seemed to struggle to make it to the top of the beer.

This beer is way too sweet and not balanced between malts/hops at all. I don't think it would age well. It might mellow out but the lack of hops isn't going to help it.

This might be a bad batch for all I know, but I'm giving it a D. This is the most disappointing barleywine I've tried. It gets decent reviews on beer advocate, so I am at a loss as to what I ended up with.

Ridgetop Red- Silver City Brewery, Silverdale WA.

Picked up a couple different bottles from my local brewpub today. As close as they are, you'd think I would try more of their beers.

Aroma- Malty, with some subdued floral hop notes.
Pours a rich amber, with a thick but quickly disolving head. (Might be my glass)
Taste- Malt and caramel, with very little hop presence. Similar to Fat Tire, but way smoother, and more malty. Slight residual sweetness, and hop aftertaste.

This beer gets a solid A in my book and makes me wonder why I don't try more of their beers.

Here's some Beer Advocate reviews.

Bavarian Hefeweizen from Silver City Brewery.

Pours golden with a thick white head. Decent yeast layer at the bottom of the bottle that I swirled and mixed into the pour. Aroma is slightly clove-like with malt and a German hop presence. Carbonation is heavy as expected for the style.

Initial taste is malty with cloves and spices, slight banana may be present. Sweet floral aftertaste. Taste continues to develop as it warms. It's well balanced between malt and yeast profile. The spices do not dominate the yeast at all.

Overall an excellent hefeweizen, might not be as appealing to those who like a face full of banana and clove.

I'm giving this beer a solid A.

Tonight Ommegang's Chocolate Indulgence. Beer pours dark brown with a tight bubbled slowly dissipating head. Aroma is of roasted chocolate and bitter hops. Taste of a cold glass is medium chocolate, sweet caramel notes and bitter hops. A slight alcohol warmth permeates the beer. A little light bodied for such a dark beer. As it warms, things turn south in a quick way. A bitter chocolate aftertaste is the dominant feature, very metallic as if sucking on a spoonful of dry cocoa powder. I thought I could improve this beer by mixing the remainder with vanilla ice cream to make a float but the mouth puckering chocolate destroyed the ice cream.

Drinkable but not impressive when cold, a bitter nightmare when warm. Overall D-. A unexpected waste of money in my opinion.

Here's what Beer Advocate reviewers have to say.

McKBrew said:

Tonight Ommegang's Chocolate Indulgence. Beer pours dark brown with a tight bubbled slowly dissipating head. Aroma is of roasted chocolate and bitter hops. Taste of a cold glass is medium chocolate, sweet caramel notes and bitter hops. A slight alcohol warmth permeates the beer. A little light bodied for such a dark beer. As it warms, things turn south in a quick way. A bitter chocolate aftertaste is the dominant feature, very metallic as if sucking on a spoonful of dry cocoa powder. I thought I could improve this beer by mixing the remainder with vanilla ice cream to make a float but the mouth puckering chocolate destroyed the ice cream.

Drinkable but not impressive when cold, a bitter nightmare when warm. Overall D-. A unexpected waste of money in my opinion.

Here's what Beer Advocate reviewers have to say.

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Biggest disappointment ever. I was soooooo looking forward to this beer and it sucks sucks sucks.

I thought I might just have had a bad beer day, glad to know I'm not the only one who thinks it blew goats.

Menage Frog from Rogue's Issaquah Brewery.

Pours golden orange with a thick, white, quickly dissipating head.

Aroma is belgian yeast, sour apples, and floral hops.

Taste of sour apples, floral hops, some bitterness. Not as sour as the aroma hints. Slowly warming, well masked alcohol creates soothing burn in mid-chest.

Style guidelines suggest citrus fruit flavors, but it seems more like apples to me. Head retention was shorter than suggested Since I have had limited experience with Tripels and I couldn't find anything I didn't like, I'm scoring this beer as a 45/50.

For the beer above, the citrus comes out when the beer warms more. The sour aroma goes away and the aroma becomes more breadlike.

Thanks to the generosity of the SWMBO's boss, I had the opportunity to sample a whole 22oz bottle of Stone Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout.

I am a bit leery of any beers with real chocolate as I always seem to end up with a let-down.

Appearance- Dark Brown. If allowed to warm up, it pours with a thick but quickly dissipating brown head with vertical lacing.

Aroma- Roast coffee, chocolate and sweet maple. Hints of raisins and cinnamon with alcohol notes.

Flavor- Wow! Bitter Dark Chocolate, Strong coffee, hints of toffee. Hoppy bitterness at the back of the throat and a full warming feeling in the stomach. Oatmeal is noticeable. (9.2% ABV). The chocolate becomes more bitter and predominant as the beer warms.

Mouthfeel- Full bodied and smooth gets a little harsh as it warms.

Overall. Really good on the cooler side, a totally different but still good beer as it warms. The roastiness and bitterness that come out as it warms are a bit much.
This beer was brewed in July, so it would definately benefit from some aging (wish I had a second bottle). I am giving this beer a B.

And again temperature makes the difference. As I continue to sip and it warms even more the bitterness subsides it becomes roasty, smooth and more pleasurable. Either that or the alcohol is getting to me. Move my review up to a B+ or A-. Definately one of the best chocolate beers I have had the pleasure of trying.

And here is what Beer Advocate reviewer's say.

Pretty sure this brew does not use any hops. I believe hops weren't used in beer until after medieval times. This is supposed to be an exact recreation of what was discovered and analyzed in old ceramic pots.

McKBrew said:

Just thought I'd start a thread reviewing some of the different beers I've had the opportunity to try. Nothing too scientific. If you've had the beer, feel free to share your experiences as well.

Tonight 05/04/08 I am sampling Dogfish Head's Midas Touch. Serving in a fluted glass. I've heard good and bad about this beer, but I liked it. Malty with some unique flavors (grapes, honey, saffron). Some slightly floral hops. Very sweet beer overall, with a sweet finish. The 9% alcohol starts to warm up the stomach after the glass is empty.

Overall: Worth the $4 to try it once. Dogfish Head deserves props for giving this a go. If I ever wanted it again, I'd probably brew a clone only because 4 bucks a bottle is 4 bucks a bottle. I'd add some more hops.

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McKBrew said:

Thanks to the generosity of the SWMBO's boss, I had the opportunity to sample a whole 22oz bottle of Stone Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout.

I am a bit leery of any beers with real chocolate as I always seem to end up with a let-down.

Appearance- Dark Brown. If allowed to warm up, it pours with a thick but quickly dissipating brown head with vertical lacing.

Aroma- Roast coffee, chocolate and sweet maple. Hints of raisins and cinnamon with alcohol notes.

Flavor- Wow! Bitter Dark Chocolate, Strong coffee, hints of toffee. Hoppy bitterness at the back of the throat and a full warming feeling in the stomach. Oatmeal is noticeable. (9.2% ABV). The chocolate becomes more bitter and predominant as the beer warms.

Mouthfeel- Full bodied and smooth gets a little harsh as it warms.

Overall. Really good on the cooler side, a totally different but still good beer as it warms. The roastiness and bitterness that come out as it warms are a bit much.
This beer was brewed in July, so it would definately benefit from some aging (wish I had a second bottle). I am giving this beer a B.

And again temperature makes the difference. As I continue to sip and it warms even more the bitterness subsides it becomes roasty, smooth and more pleasurable. Either that or the alcohol is getting to me. Move my review up to a B+ or A-. Definately one of the best chocolate beers I have had the pleasure of trying.

And here is what Beer Advocate reviewer's say.

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Excellent! I picked up a couple of these brews in Tucson when I drove my daughter back to SDSU last month. They are with my Barley Wine collection just biding time for now. Thanks for the review.

DrewsBrew said:

Pretty sure this brew does not use any hops. I believe hops weren't used in beer until after medieval times. This is supposed to be an exact recreation of what was discovered and analyzed in old ceramic pots.

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I'm pretty sure they used hops for this brew. Couldn't find the information, but I remember reading that they added a small amount to make this beer more appealing to mainstream drinkers.

If I recall on the Midas DFH replaced MOST of the hops with the saffron, but still used a small amount of Willamette.

Today I picked up some Rogue Double Dead Guy, a 12oz bottle of Shipyard Pumpkin Ale and two bottles of 2007 Alaskan Smoked Porter (on sale for 2.99). I think I'm going to grab more at that price.

All Further Posts for this thread will be in the commercial beers review section.