Brew Reviews

Avery Maharaja IPA

Price comparison: Extremely reasonable for a draft beer in a bar: a little less than twice the price of buying beer and drinking it at home.

Alcohol percentage by volume: 9.9%

Cute bottle/label? On tap, served in a chilled tulip goblet. Props to the Surly Girl Saloon for knowing their glassware. Also for printing salient facts on their menu, such as its ABV, the brewery location (Colorado), and giving special mention to its having been crafted by women. Cowgirls rock hardcore.

Appearance: Clear dark copper, with a thick, woolly head and nice threads of lace.

Scent: Alcohol sweetness and citrus, with warm caramels and hints of cherries and that West Coast (U.S.) piney hoppiness.

Flavor: Warm alcohol, very hoppy, with gentle malt and a tang of citrus pith at the finish.

Impressions: This is a surprisingly big beer, easy to drink but a little much for session. Paired delightfully with standard salty bar fare.

Will I buy this beer again? If I can find it in bottles during my next package store run, this is so coming home with me.

Rating:

4½ out of 5 cute beer glasses

Kasteel Bier Triple

Price comparison: About $10.00 USD per 750 ml.

Alcohol percentage by volume: 11%.

Cute bottle/label? 750 ml dark green glass champagne-style, corked, caged, and foiled. Ink-and-watercolor of a moat-surrounded building which I have yet to find identification for: I presume it's a monastic brewery, but I have no proof. The brewery's website appears to be nothing more than a holding spot for further programming that never took place.

Appearance: Bright gold, yielding a creamy white head and sheets of thin lace.

Scent: Butterscotch and white grapes, with a mild, nutty maltiness throughout.

Flavor: Warm, but not burningly alcoholic, with malt, cinnamon, and yeast prevalent, and a gentle citrus-vanilla finish.

Impressions: I wasn't expecting a beer this big to be so smoothly drinkable. I drank it rather faster than was probably good for me, but didn't care.

Will I buy this beer again? Yes, yes, absolutely. It's attractive and not too crass to serve with dinner (I felt it would go nicely with pasta dishes or lightly sauced poultry) and it's very affordable for its quality. Also, it's a live (still contains active yeast) ale, so it could certainly cellar well and possibly even increase in alcohol content over a period of time.

Rating:

4½ 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

Old Marley Barleywine-Style

Availability: 2004 brew; limited availability. The 2005, a 10%, is out already as well. This is brewed and bottled in Hartford, CT, but it is distributed nationwide.

Price comparison: About $8.00 USD per 500 ml.

Alcohol percentage by volume: 9.6%.

Cute bottle/label? 500 ml blue glass with attached swing-stopper. Maroon and blue label that does not list the ABV (but certainly should).

Appearance: Dark reddish-brown with small tan head that settled almost immediately into a sparse lacy island. It did reactivate somewhat when the glass was swirled.

Scent: Brown sugar and sweet alcohol, with lots of malt.

Flavor: Vanilla and port with black grapes and a touch of hops at the finish. There was a sort of caramel undertone that became more evident as it warmed.

Impressions: The difference between a barleywine-styled ale (which this is) and actual barleywine is almost as pronounced as the difference between wine and brandy - the former is good, and reminiscent of the latter, but isn't quite there yet. This is not necessarily a bad thing.

Old Marley is not as sweet as barleywine, but it's good, and quite drinkable, without the alcohol coming up and kicking you in the teeth. Too strongly flavored for subtle foods, but a nice pairing for smoked sausage, grilled meats, or dark, bitter greens such as broccoli rabe or collards.

Will I buy this beer again? I don't know if the 2004 bottling is still available, but I will definitely make tracks for the 2005. (And, again, that swing-stoppered bottle is so cute. The fact that this makes such a difference to me is probably the main reason I will never be a professional beer reviewer.)

Rating:

4½ out of 5 cute beer glasses

Dogfish Head 90-Minute I.P.A.

Price comparison: About 1½ times the price of everyday beer.

Alcohol percentage by volume: 9%

Cute bottle/label? Four-pack of standard shaped 12-ounce brown glass bottles. In traditional Dogfish Head fashion, the label is understated: matte texture and easy-to-read fonts with clever verbiage, in this case describing the contents as being balanced by a "ridiculous amount of English Two-row Barley."

Appearance: Clear bright golden amber with a thick creamy head and lovely drapes of lace on the glass.

Scent: Hugely fruitlike with lots of flowery hops.

Flavor: Consciously citrus peel with malt very prominent in the foreground. Dry, nearly acid finish.

Impressions: Of the Dogfish Head offerings, this is the one that, to me, has the best flavor, even if it isn't the best buzz. Unlike its big brothers, the 120-Minute IPA and the World Wide Stout, you don't feel obligated to save this IPA for special occasions, though at 9% you might want to take it a bit easy, as the near-flawless balance does mask the alcohol content considerably.

Will I buy this beer again? This is one of my regular purchases, and will continue to be.

Rating:

4½ out of 5 cute beer glasses

Affligem Noël Christmas Ale

Availability: Seasonal; winter only.

Price comparison: About twice the price of everyday beer.

Alcohol percentage by volume: 9%

Cute bottle/label? 750 ml corked and caged with a metallic red/green/gold/silver Christmasy label.

Appearance: Clear dark amber with a thick alabaster head. Tiny specks of lace on the glass.

Scent: Sweet malt; toffee; black raspberry.

Flavor: Malt with a lightly chocolate and fruity background, a bit like mulled wine at the finish.

Impressions: So smooth and quiet, I don't know that I'd order it in a busy pub or serve it at a big party, but it's festive enough that I wouldn't necessarily just want to put my feet up and chill out all by myself with it, either. I think it'd go nicely with a small cozy holiday dinner, particularly one of those old fashioned meatless Christmas dinners. I feel kind of bad that I didn't get this sooner so I could clue people in about it ahead of time.

Will I buy this beer again? Next year, certainly, and if there's still a bottle of this year's brew available on Friday, I'll pick it up for next year. Absolutely lovely.

Rating:

4½ out of 5 cute beer glasses

JW Lees Harvest Ale

Availability: 2000 vintage; limited edition.

Price comparison: About three times the price of everyday beer.

Alcohol percentage by volume: 11.5% at bottling. Nearly a 12 Percent Beer.

Cute bottle/label? Brown glass 275 ml bottle, label printed to resemble aged, stained parchment.

Appearance: Opaque reddish brown; not much head and no lacing.

Scent: Very sweet: malt, candy, raisins, and alcohol.

Flavor: The malt is stronger than the hops but not overpowering it. Very fruitlike and sweet, with an almost caramel finish.

Impressions: Easy does it; the label proclaims this to be an "old ale" but really it's a young barleywine. Also, I think it's stronger now than 11.5% ABV, though I've no proof other than its flavor and its kick, which reminded me of whiskey.

Will I buy this beer again? Yep. All reports say it ages well. I want to try some other vintages, if I can find them, and cellar some too. The teensy little bottles shouldn't take up too much space.

Rating:

4½ out of 5 cute beer glasses

Koningshoeven Quadrupel

Price comparison: About three times the price of everyday beer.

Alcohol percentage by volume: 10%.

Cute bottle/label? Brown glass 25.4-ounce bottle, corked and caged. The label has a small, stylized rendering of the abbey at the top.

I have to admit, I'm also tickled by the concept of "quadruple" beer. It just sounds so drunk-inducing.

Appearance: The color of strong tea; gave off a nice orangeish glow when held up to the light. Bubbled in streams, like champagne, with a foamy strong head.

Scent: If you poured red wine over sliced ripe plums and spooned some brandy over it, then smelled it, you'd have something close to this.

Flavor: Malt first, then a sort of parade of different fruit flavors, each passing too quickly to be identified before the next one showed up, and a hint of buttered popcorn. No hops that I could detect. Reminded me of wine with a slight astringent finish.

Impressions: According to every definition I have ever read of the subject, this is not a Trappist ale. Yet it's brewed by Benedictine monks, it improves with age, and its high alcohol content, complex aromas, flavors, and textures are absolutely in keeping with the "real" Trappist ales I've had. Have supper first or the alcohol will sneak up on you.

Will I buy this beer again? This is a "for-special" beer; the flavors are really too complex to serve it with a meal, but it'd be nice for afterwards. Also, the fact that it stands the test of time is a plus with me. Knowing that I can pick up a bottle and not worry about having to drink it immediately is a very secure feeling.

Rating:

4½ out of 5 cute beer glasses

L'Onze (11)

Price comparison: A whopping 3½ times what I pay for everyday beer.

Alcohol percentage by volume: 11%. That's not a typo.

Cute bottle/label? This is Unibroue's eleven-year anniversary offering. A 750ml brown glass bottle (with the still-amusing-to-me cork). No label; instead, gilt lettering is applied directly to the bottle.

Appearance: I'd refer to this beer as honey-colored, but something about it makes me prefer the Anglicised spelling. Honey-coloured. Dense but short-lived foam and little to no lace.

Scent: Orange peel, pineapple and crushed mint leaves, maybe a dash of anisette or fennel.

Flavor: Very bright and sparkly tasting at first, like sauterne, but deepens upon further investigation and adds a bite of fresh ginger and nutmeg. There's also a caramel-apple undertone that does a sneaky little play on you, making you think you've had less alcohol than you actually did.

Impressions: I felt like this beer was a little bit sweet and needed to age more, so I'm going to buy another bottle or two and cellar it for next year or the year after. This particular bottle, which, to my embarrassed drunkenness, I have finished, I shall convert into a candlestick 'cos the gilding is just so quool.

Having emptied the bottle, I do venture to say that this is a refreshingly summery beer and yet would also qualify as a satisfying beer on a cool autumn evening in New England, like tonight. Nice by itself anytime you'd normally find yourself drinking cider, but I got very imaginative and decided it'd also be a nice accompaniment to a Thanksgiving or Christmas turkey dinner with trimmings. So probably I should grab another couple of bottles for the holidays.

Will I buy this beer again? What, did I not make enough excuses for buying more already? If not, let me tell you now, they've only bottled six thousand cases of the stuff and only exported twenty-five hundred to the States. Buy some while you can, because when it's gone, there'll be no more. And yes, it is worth the extra money.

Rating:

4½ out of 5 cute beer glasses

(I will probably need to rereview L'Onze next year when I have a more aged bottle on hand. I believe that's going to be the difference between the above score and a possible perfect score.)

La Fin du Monde

Availability: Not as close to home as my usual package store, but at one fairly close to work.

Do they also carry Bushmill's 1608? Forgot to check. 'Cos I suck like that. I'll get back to you.

Price comparison: 1.45 times what I pay for everyday beer.

Alcohol percentage by volume: 9%

Cute bottle/label? The label's okay. It also has a foil wrap round the neck; haven't seen one of those in a while. The bottle itself is standard-shaped.

Appearance: Pale, almost like champagne with teensy bubbles chasing up the sides. Stubborn, fluffy foam. Left a lot of suds on the sides of the glass.

Scent: Light and spicy, like perfume.

Flavor: Sweet. I wasn't expecting that. (Been drinking stout all week, my own fault.) Feels almost more like sparkling wine than like beer in my mouth. Good by itself or maybe with something you'd order white wine with, but not a pizza-and-beer sort of beer.

Impressions: This is not a beer to be poured into a mug, even a nice frosty one. Note to self: either get the right sort of glasses or drink it out of the bottle only, because the aroma clashes with the flavor.

Will I buy this beer again? Yes. It's refreshing and interesting. Definitely a good turn-on-the-stereo-and-put-your-feet-up-after-work beer.

Rating:

4.5 out of 5 cute beer glasses