Brew Reviews

Petrus Gouden Tripel Ale

Price comparison: About twice the price, ounce for ounce, of domestic macrobrews; however, in a four-pack, pretty affordable at about $10 USD. Not for me, though - this was a holiday gift from G and I spent precisely nothing on it.

Alcohol percentage by volume: 7½%

Cute bottle/label? Slender little brown 11.2 ounce bottle with a black and beige label depicting a jolly, Santa-looking monk holding a chalice in one hand and a humongous key in the other - presumably the key referred to in the slogan over the jolly monk's head: The Key to Heaven.

Appearance: Cheerily yellow, delicate but profuse effervescence rendering its appearance nearly opaque. Lovely, soapy, snow-white head leaving sticky mounds on the sides of the goblet.

Scent: Spice, citrus, and a faint yeastiness.

Flavor: The hoppiness catches you almost immediately, with a fresh piney feel. Deep grapefruit tones with a touch of honey and malt at the finish.

Impressions: I don't know if it's the key to heaven, but it is a very smooth, drinkable beer - stronger than the leading brands of domestics but not too strong for session. The hoppiness pairs well with anything salty, from bar snacks, to most deeply-flavored cuisines, to pungent cheeses, though it's definitely got sufficiently interesting characteristics to fly solo.

Will I buy this beer again? Yes. It's not a great value in and of itself, but it's packaged very affordably and its flavor and drinkability are worth it. I don't think you'll find this in a supermarket or any packaged goods shop without a decent selection of imports, but if you can get your hands on some, I do recommend it. (Thanks and a hi-sign to G.)

Rating:

4 out of 5 cute beer glasses

Thumbsucker

Availability: Winter seasonal.

Price comparison: About $10.00 USD per 750 ml.

Alcohol percentage by volume: 7.9%.

Cute bottle/label? 750 ml opaque black, nearly-triangular bottle, corked, caged, and foiled. This is part of Magic Hat's series of Epic brews, but I've no idea why they call it Thumbsucker.

Appearance: Black as ink, with a sticky, quickly-dissolving cocoa-colored head. Poured very thickly with little carbonation.

Scent: Apples, cherries, rum, and bourbon.

Flavor: Very roasty, almost burnt quality to the malt, with sweet alcohol and a slight hoppiness. The finish is slightly nutty, with some bitterness more reminiscent of coffee than of hops. The drinkability factor is affected by a considerable afterburn, surprising with the low ABV on this imperial stout.

Impressions: The alcohol flavor is prevalent and nearly overpowers the beer.

Will I buy this beer again? Cute bottle, decent imperial stout at a more reasonable price (but less of a kick) than the Dogfish Head offerings. This is a seasonal, but I do like it well enough to get it again next time it rolls around.

If you have the opportunity to try this, don't attempt to finish the bottle yourself and don't drink it on an empty stomach. It's not classy enough to serve with a fancy meal, but it is warming enough to have after dinner, in six-ounce wine goblets if you've got some, or chilled rock glasses if you don't.

If you're not going to have a full meal with this, at least get yourself some salty snacks. It burns like whiskey. But in that good way.

Rating:

4½ out of 5 cute beer glasses

БAЛTИKA (Baltika) #6 Porter

Price comparison: About the price of everyday beer.

Alcohol percentage by volume: 7%

Cute bottle/label? 25-ounce squat brown glass. Short neck wrapped in a foil triangle, like the other Baltika offerings.

Appearance: Dark, like cola, with a sticky brown head.

Scent: Extremely malty, with hints of smokiness and molasses.

Flavor: More like a thin stout than a domestic porter in mouthfeel. I detected very little hops, even at the finish, but I've been sick and I'm out of practice. The flavors were decently restrained and balanced, some dark fruit and a bit of mocha, with a smoky finish.

Impressions: I think I like this better than some of the other porters I have had, but probably because it was almost like a doppelbock. It was a little heavily carbonated, so if I was going to be drinking it in mixed company, I'd probably want it slightly off the chill. It's a big but drinkable beer, and the flavor and texture would go well with beef or any strongly-flavored dish, perhaps something with onions and/or garlic.

Will I buy this beer again? I preferred it to the Baltika Extra, which has more alcohol but less flavor. I might buy this again, but not in bulk; it's more of a taster's beer than a crowd-pleaser. (And, okay, I am a sucker for the Cyrillic labeling.)

Rating:

3 out of 5 cute beer glasses

Dogfish Head Au Courant

Availability: Winter seasonal.

Price comparison: About 1½ times the price of a domestic national brand.

Alcohol percentage by volume: 7%

Cute bottle/label? It's Dogfish Head. Standard shaped 12-ounce brown glass bottle wrapped in the usual understated matte label with a bit of cleverness; in this case, "brewed with currants to bolster your bluster in the colder weather."

Appearance: Brightly transparent gold with neither discernable head nor lace. Not flat, just very lightly carbonated.

Scent: Mixed berries (raspberries, blueberries, maybe some wild cherry) and white grapes. I don't really smell any currants at all.

Flavor: Tastes very mixed-berry indeed; not much alelike in the flavor. Some malt comes through as the mixture warms, but overall the flavor is rather weak.

Impressions: The concept really sounded better than it tasted. It's all right, but I expect better than "all right" from Dogfish Head.

Will I buy this beer again? I can safely say no to this one. Dogfish Head's got better offerings, including year-round IPAs that kick ass and take names. I'll have those instead, thanks.

Rating:

2½ out of 5 cute beer glasses

Dogfish Head Snowblower

Availability: Winter seasonal; available on-cask only.

Price comparison: About twice the price of a domestic national brand.

Alcohol percentage by volume: 7%

Cute bottle/label? A ½ gallon growler filled at the tap at the MOBY DICK, so, no.

Appearance: Hazy gold with a fluffy white head.

Scent: Cashews and light hops.

Flavor: Buttery, with a malt background and a crisp finish.

Impressions: More subtle than the other Dogfish Head offerings but delicious.

Will I buy this beer again? Whenever it's available and I have an empty growler on hand.

Rating:

4 out of 5 cute beer glasses

Hop Ottin' IPA

Price comparison: About the same as everyday beer.

Alcohol percentage by volume: 7%

Cute bottle/label? Standard twelve-ounce brown glass; the label is accented with gilt and metallic purple. On the back is an explanation of "hop ottin'" (Boontling for "hard-working hops") and of "Boontling" (the name given to the patois of Anderson Valley, California, where this ale originates). Quite helpful.

Appearance: Very clear goldeny brown; soaplike head and clingy lace.

Scent: Oh, pretty. Intensely floral hops with citrus and rosemary.

Flavor: Rich; butter and malt to start, but the hops makes itself present quickly, along with a light lemony tartness that leaves the finish refreshingly crisp and clean with very little spiciness.

Impressions: I want to kiss the tall scruffy kid at the Other Package Store for pulling this off the shelf and saying, "This is calling you. It's the hoppiest ale I've got."

Will I buy this beer again? In a six-pack. At the price and for the flavor, this is a brew well worth making into a regular visitor in my home. And the not-too-dramatic 7% ABV means I won't have to feel guilty about having more than one when I have to work in the morning.

Rating:

4 out of 5 cute beer glasses

Pangaea

Availability: This ale is being discontinued; I got one of the last bottles ever.

Price comparison: About twice the price of everyday beer.

Alcohol percentage by volume: 7%

Cute bottle/label? 750 ml bottle, corked and caged. The label is Dogfish Head's traditional matte label, with a stylized antique map (depicting the Pangaea - the original single continent that existed before continental drift caused the land masses to separate and the oceans to fill in the blanks. Go me for giving you a Greek lesson), the word "beer" crossed out in every description, and a small, subtle hint to "think globally [and] drink globally."

Appearance: Peach colored and slightly cloudy. The head foamed but did not endure, and left no lace.

Scent: Ginger and hops. Also something in the subtext that reminded me of a freshly mown lawn. In a good way, I suppose, although that aroma doesn't usually tend to whet my appetite or thirst.

Flavor: The single most mild, uncomplicated Dogfish Head offering I've ever tasted. I admit I originally chilled it a bit too long and as a result there was very little complexity in the flavor. However, I tried again once it warmed slightly, at which point I could sort of taste the ginger, but it's still not as interesting as the other Dogfish Head brews.

Impressions: Spoiled by the wonder that is Dogfish Head, I really was a little disappointed by this experiment. They're usually right on the money, but I have to agree with their decision to discontinue the line. This is acceptable, slightly stronger than the normal session beer, but it was pricy for what I got; namely, a bottle with a pretty map on the label to add to my antique map/globe collection.

Will I buy this beer again? It was worth trying just to know that Dogfish Head isn't always perfect, and to say that yes, I did try it before it was discontinued. If you see it available and don't mind spending extra for a fairly pedestrian brew, have at it, but I can't say I'd recommend your going out of your way to seek it out.

The label, incidentally, does include a sentence, almost as an afterthought, stating that "[t]his beer ages with the best of 'em." If I didn't know better, I'd think that one of their marketing moguls suggested, "Let people think that, if it doesn't taste excellent now, it will in a few years. Then they'll buy out the rest of the line." I grant that it's possible that it will, indeed, age well, but having finished off the bottle, I can tell you that the sediment at the bottom was predominantly grated ginger, not yeast or sugar, and I can't say whether or not that would lend itself well to the aging process. If you care to experiment, I suppose you could, but I personally am planning to chalk this one up to experience and move on with my life.

Rating:

3 out of 5 cute beer glasses

Prelude Special Ale

Price comparison: Priced about the same as or only slightly more than the average national domestics.

Alcohol percentage by volume: 7.5%

Cute bottle/label? 22 ounce brown glass; green label with a nice holiday tableau painted thereon. I have also had this on tap countless times; it's not local as such, but fairly close to home nonetheless.

Appearance: Dark clear amber with thick tan head and lingering laciness on the glass.

Scent: I never have this ale without being reminded of pancakes and maple syrup. Malt is strongly present, as is a rich sweetness that could be interpreted as anything from caramel to ice cream. This tasting was the first time I ever had it from a bottle and it has a bit more hoppiness (like flowers) to the aroma than it does when served from the tap.

Flavor: Predominantly hops, some malt in the background. Surprisingly unlike its aroma, it tastes and feels like drinking British-style bitter. The alcohol is virtually unnoticeable in the flavor, but make no mistake, it's present.

Impressions: "Prelude" is sort of a gray area. It supposedly refers to the time period from right before Thanksgiving through Christmas, and I personally never heard of it, though I grew up in New England, until I first had this seasonal ale in a local pub. Presumably, it's not so much a specific time as it is a season that seems almost - but not quite - to be set entirely by commercialism. When you start seeing the first Christmas ads in the newspaper, hit the pubs; they'll be rolling out the Prelude shortly.

I used to know it was "prelude" when the pub got this beer on tap, but now that I don't drink at the pub as much, I tend to think of "prelude" as the time my Christmas tree goes up to the time I get up the energy to pull it down.

I like the sort of festive feeling I get drinking this beer, but I'm never sure how much of that emotion comes from the actual flavor of the beer and how much is derived from that incomparable atmosphere of near-holiday that it evokes - a combination of memory and anticipation that is universal, no matter what winter holiday, festival, or gift-exchange-for-no-good-reason that you choose to celebrate.

Will I buy this beer again? I had, as I mentioned, never purchased this in a bottle before. Now that I know it's available, yes, I'll get it again. It's seasonal, but its got a sufficient sugar content that it would probably cellar well for a year or so. And yes, it does reappear every year. It's a perfectly acceptable bitter and the cute wintery-looking label make this a good "pressure's off" informal drink to have after the more uptight of your holiday guests have departed.

Rating:

3½ out of 5 cute beer glasses