Brew Reviews

Allagash Tripel Reserve

Availability: Brewed year-round in reserve batches, in Portland, Maine.

Price comparison: I forget. Sue me. It was more than an everyday beer, but I bought it a while ago, so I can't remember by how much more.

Alcohol percentage by volume: 9%.

Cute bottle/label? Brown 750 ml glass bottle, corked and caged; medieval-style woodcut of a forest (stream? very smooth path?) on the label. Batch #60.

Appearance: Lovely, soft gold with a creamy white head. Very pretty beer with sparkly carbonation.

Scent: Sweet fruity malt with hints of peach or possibly mandarin orange.

Flavor: The flavor is sweet as well, but clean, with a light, not unpleasant alcohol burn at the back of the throat. Drinks very easily for such a high ABV. A little bit of flowery malt and yeast at the finish.

Impressions: I had this after dinner, but I could just as easily have served it with strongly-flavored ethnic cuisine such as Asian or Mediterranean; it would also taste nice with pungent cheeses. It's a hearty ale but delicious and sweet enough to serve by itself, provided that everyone involved was sufficiently warned of its relatively high alcohol content.

Will I buy this beer again? Yes; I'm curious about the other reserves, to see how well they compare, and I'm hopeful I can luck onto something this pleasant again.

Rating:

4 out of 5 cute beer glasses

Never Summer Ale

Availability: Winter release only.

Price comparison: Dunno. It was part of my Beer of the Month Winter shipment, which was a gift. I've never seen this beer available locally, but I know that it must be, because the bottle has a CT refund listing of 5¢ on its label.

Alcohol percentage by volume: 5.94%.

Cute bottle/label? Standard brown glass twelve-ouncer with an attractive snowy-mountain-blue-sky-intensive label. The copy on the side of the label is delightfully pretentious, chock full of fun adjectives such as "aggressive" and "assertively hopped."

Appearance: A pretty reddish brown with an off-white head, leaving rings of lace on the glass.

Scent: I detected a touch of cranberry at first inhalation. Also brown sugar, raisin, and a touch of yeast and hops.

Flavor: Very citrusy and hoppy, with sweet malts and not a lot of spiciness.

Impressions: Went down altogether too smoothly. I don't mean to imply that this is a bad thing in the slightest. If you like beer at all, this is an ideal example of what to be looking for: not too strong to drink by itself, yet strong enough that you can get a buzz faster than by consuming equal amounts of domestic macrobrews; flavorful enough to hold your interest by itself, but not so overpowering that it would insult cheese or seafood; a winter beer that you could, conceivably, drink whilst sitting in an armchair by the fireplace, but not so spicy that you couldn't just sit at the bar and enjoy it for what it is.

Will I buy this beer again? Guess I'll have to. I've only got two bottles left and I think I'm going to have to trade at least one of them. It's only available in wintertime, so I'll have to act pretty fast. The worst thing about it was the copy, and, frankly, I got a kick out of that. It was just so ... silly.

Rating:

4 out of 5 cute beer glasses

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

Maredsous 10

Price comparison: About 1½ times what I pay for everyday beer.

Alcohol percentage by volume: 10%

Cute bottle/label? Squat little brown 11.2 ounce bottle with a nicely stylized-bordering-on-modernistic-iconic brown, orange, and black label. Definitely crying back to its spiritual abbey roots without hammering religion down one's throat.

Appearance: Dark orange with a thick, sticky white head and hyperactive natural carbonation. Deep sheets of lacing left on the goblet.

Scent: Much more maltiness and sweet alcohol than I generally perceive in a Belgian, but that's to be expected. Hints of deep sweet fruitiness like cherry and plum.

Flavor: Very sweet malt and caramel with pronounced alcoholic heat. Slight yeastiness and a small peppery hint at the finish. Creamy, nearly sticky mouthfeel. Nearly a teaspoonful of yeast left at the bottom of the bottle

Impressions: Warm and pretty enjoyable. Not a sit-down-and-have-a-coupla-brewskis kind of beer. Too strong to drink by itself but, unlike its cousin Duvel, not as well balanced and much too deep in flavor to serve as a serious accompaniment for expensive cuts of meat or luxurious vegetables. I would probably not serve this with a meal, but possibly as an appetizer with strong cheeses, grapes, olives, and pickles.

Will I buy this beer again? Yes, I did like the depth and the nice, not-too-harsh alcohol kick. Not a regular player, but I'd pick it up again if I saw it. I also think that this would cellar well, considering the fact that it's designed to referment in the bottle and has already done so more than once, and there was residual yeast that could possibly raise the alcohol volume still further over the period of another six months to a year.

Rating:

4 out of 5 cute beer glasses

Victory Old Horizontal

Availability: Fall seasonal. I got lucky.

Price comparison: About the same as everyday beer.

Alcohol percentage by volume: 11%

Cute bottle/label? Standard twelve-ounce brown glass; the label has a "man in the moon" crescent moon wearing a nightcap, lying on his "back" and snoring tiny Zs into the night sky.

Appearance: Deep tawny brown with sheets of spotty ivory lace left on the glass.

Scent: Sweet malt, black grapes, vanilla or caramel, and some light hops.

Flavor: Grapefruit, a bit of pepper, and hops, with a very easy malt finish.

Impressions: Far more dry than the aroma suggested, and absolutely less sweet than the average barleywine. The malt is balanced to the point where the alcohol is not terribly blatant, and it's eminently drinkable. I'm thinking this would go well anywhere that a fine burgundy would go.

I absolutely recommend this barleywine to anyone who claims that all barleywines are too sweet to be drinkable.

Will I buy this beer again? If it wouldn't already be after 8:00 pm by the time I got there, I'd already be on my way to the package store. I hope it isn't all gone by the time I get back over there, or I'll have to wait till fall rolls around again.

Rating:

4 out of 5 cute beer glasses

Hop Rod Rye

Availability: Summer seasonal.

Price comparison: About the same per twelve ounces as everyday beer.

Alcohol percentage by volume: 8%

Cute bottle/label? Twenty-two ounce brown glass with standard metal cap; black label decorated in bright primary colors with flames and an old-time auto circa 1930s.

Appearance: Brunette with thick, nearly-white foam that left sheets of lace on the goblet.

Scent: Cider, lemon peel, grapes, clean malt, and an interestingly forestlike hoppiness. (I almost said pine, which is sort of what it reminded me of, but not like pine cleaner. Like trees. Okay? Okay.)

Flavor: Hugely hoppy, but balanced incredibly well by the maltiness, which isn't so much sweet as it is breadlike (most likely due to the high concentration of rye in the grain content). Very dry, pithy finish, balanced more to the malt than to the hops.

Impressions: Exceedingly refreshing and surprisingly drinkable. Very full-bodied and deceptive - it drinks like a 4% alcohol and therefore kicks you twice as hard.

In respect of the flavor balance, the fact that this is a summer offering is not astonishing. Whether your preference is cold, dark-green salads and hot grilled vegetables, slow-smoked barbecue, or plain old hot dogs and hamburgers, this would be a great treat. I might even drink this with a strong seafood such as grilled salmon, but I think it would overtake anything really delicate.

Will I buy this beer again? I bought two this time round, 'cos the label was so cute I wanted to give one to a friend. However, the beer's so good he may not get it after all.

Rating:

4 out of 5 cute beer glasses

La Chouffe

Price comparison: A little under 1½ times what I pay for everyday beer.

Alcohol percentage by volume: 8%

Cute bottle/label? 750 ml dark green glass, with a cap instead of the cork, cage, and foil I've grown so fond of. A little guy with a white beard and bright red hat; nose also bright red, and Dutch-styled clogs, carrying a bundle of hops over his shoulder. I presume he is the titular gnome (chouffe being the French for gnome). Not as cute as a Keebler elf, but a decent beer mascot. Also present on the bottle is a small depiction of the ale in an appropriately-shaped chalice, which is a nice visual hint as to how to serve the stuff if you're not sure.

Appearance: Deep copper with a large ivory head that dissipated quickly into blobs of floating lace.

Scent: Yeast and citrus zest prominent; chased by clove, ground coriander, and a bit of black pepper.

Flavor: Tasted less spicy than it smelled; light maltiness twisting quickly to a dry, tannic finish.

Impressions: This is one of the reasons you have to get the right glasses, even if they're cheap. There's no way I would have enjoyed this as much as I did if I couldn't smell it at the same time I was tasting it. However, I did have a nice goblet (2 for $1 USD at a craft store), so I was golden. The flavor would have been disappointing without the accompanying spicy scents; with, it was really quite good.

Will I buy this beer again? The dryness makes it nice with any food you might ordinarily pair with a red wine, and the coriander and pepper aromas would be a nice companion to ethnic cookery.

Rating:

4 out of 5 cute beer glasses

Duinen Tripel

Price comparison: About twice the price of everyday beer.

Alcohol percentage by volume: 9%

Cute bottle/label? 750 ml white bottle (on closer inspection, the bottle reveals itself to be dark glass that has been airbrushed an opaque white, whether with paint or some sort of ceramic, I cannot tell), topped with a resealable cork and gold foil. Understated white, yellow, and blue label, including the abbey year (Anno 1107).

Appearance: Bright orange with small white head. Left flecks of yeast in the bottom of the goblet.

Scent: Heavily influenced by citrus peel and yeast.

Flavor: Oranges, black pepper, malt, sweet alcohol, with a nice dry hoppy finish.

Impressions: I admit to having been somewhat amused by the fact that the first three letters of this beer's name are D.U.I. Seriously, though, I need to look further into this importer, Merchant du Vin, from Seattle, and see what else they have brought to our country. This was a delicious, big, refreshing beer.

Will I buy this beer again? At twice the price, it's no bargain; however, the flavor is easy, even with the high alcohol content, and it would go nicely with seafood or poultry. If you're willing to shell out the extra fold and are new to Belgian beers, this is probably a good place to start, because from what information is on the bottle alone, it's available on both coasts of the US and the yeast content is such that it will age well and the alcohol content will boost over time. I'm going to get some more myself - it's also available in 11.2 ounce single-serving white bottles.

Rating:

4 out of 5 cute beer glasses

Quintine Ambrée

Price comparison: About twice the price of everyday beer.

Alcohol percentage by volume: 8½%

Cute bottle/label? 11.2 ounce cute squat brown glass with matte-finish brownish label and a built-in flip-top cork.

Appearance: Opaque orange with thick white head and smeary lace.

Scent: Sticky orchard fruits, malt, and some caramel, very faint hint of spices.

Flavor: Smooth wine flavor, tannic without being overpoweringly so, with some dryness at the finish reminiscent of a burgundy.

Impressions: I liked the winey characteristic of this, particularly if I was put into a position to recommend a beer that would pair well with, for instance, a meat and potatoes sort of meal, or if I needed to cook something using a strong red wine but did not have any at hand. On the other hand, Belgian or no, this is pricy to be drinking on a regular basis, let alone cooking with.

Will I buy this beer again? I bought this pretty much on the strength of how cute the bottle is. Yes, it tastes good, yes, I might consider buying it again if I were planning to serve it with beef or something of that ilk, and yes, I imagine it will age well, but it's probably never going to make regular appearances in my home. I don't have any qualms about recommending it, though — it's good and the bottle is, indeed, extremely cute ... it's all down to deciding whether or not those qualities justify the extra money, which is, as always, a matter of perspective.

Rating:

4 out of 5 cute beer glasses

Trappist Achel 8° Blond

Price comparison: About twice the price of everyday beer.

Alcohol percentage by volume: 8%

Cute bottle/label? 11.2 ounce brown glass with an understated earth-toned label.

Appearance: Cloudy yellow with a thick white head and sticky lace.

Scent: A mixture of wildflowers and assorted sweet fruits, with some reminiscence of brandy.

Flavor: I was very much reminded of banana walnut pancakes, with the whole maple syrup/butter experience and maybe even a café au lait. The finish did have a slight yeasty bitterness.

Impressions: The pancake thing is just really odd when it's not breakfast-time. Also, the carbonation was a bit sharp. But overall, it was a really nice Trappist.

Will I buy this beer again? Not the best buy, but very good Trappist Belgian. The slender little bottles would be nice to serve out cold at a less formal cocktail party, and the flavor would pair well with cheeses and cold canapés.

Rating:

4 out of 5 cute beer glasses

Weyerbacher Raspberry Imperial Stout

Availability: Winter seasonal; couldn't get it in Connecticut, but New York had it.

Price comparison: About $1 to $2 more per six-pack than the average domestic national brand.

Alcohol percentage by volume: 8%

Cute bottle/label? Twelve-ounce standard-shaped bottle with a bright red label.

Appearance: Dark, nearly black, but glowing burgundy when held to the light. Sparse brown head with very little lacing.

Scent: Raspberry (duh), chocolate, burnt malt, chicory, with a smokiness throughout.

Flavor: Bitter chocolate with more raspberry apparent as it warmed; not much hops but a pleasant alkalinity in the middle. Sweet but not cloying raspberry-and-malt finish.

Impressions: Neither as sweet as Chambord nor as creamy as a traditional stout, but an interesting combination of the two concepts. Tasted odd with food, but would go nicely after dinner. And with its 8% ABV, I would recommend a full meal before having this one.

Will I buy this beer again? Yes, I want more of this, and soon.

Rating:

4 out of 5 cute beer glasses

Morimoto Hazelnut Signature Ale

Availability: Not listed as such, but I believe this is a limited edition available only in select markets.

Price comparison: About $2 more (per twelve ounces) than the average domestic national brand.

Alcohol percentage by volume: Unlisted; at a guess, less than 6%

Cute bottle/label? Twenty-two ounce brown glass bottle with an image of Iron Chef Morimotosan in traditional Asian garb silkscreened directly to the bottle.

Appearance: Chocolatey brown with small head and some lace.

Scent: Definitely hazelnut, with undertones of cocoa and smooth coffee.

Flavor: Slight nuttiness without being overpowering, peppery hops at the finish. More malt in the flavor as it warmed.

Impressions: Allez taverne!

Sorry, I couldn't resist. Can you blame me?

This was a nice little treat. Very drinkable; I finished the whole bottle in no time, with no ill effects. Ironically, I think this is too brusque to match with the more delicate styles of Japanese cuisine, but it would complement hibachi fairly well, and would also pair well with red meat or game. If you're a vegetarian, don't have this with dinner, wait and have it with dessert instead; I found it went surprisingly well with chocolate ice cream.

Will I buy this beer again? I'm learning my lesson. I liked this enough that I want some more; therefore, I must buy it now in case it is indeed a limited edition. I don't know how well it will mature, but I do know that Rogue brewery uses special capping processes to absorb oxygen and the malt-to-hops balance was such that I don't see it corking off or getting skunky; it should be quite stable to hang onto, at least for a little while.

Rating:

4 out of 5 cute beer glasses

Rogue Imperial Stout

Price comparison: About a dollar more (per twelve ounces) than the average domestic national brand.

Alcohol percentage by volume: 10½%

Cute bottle/label? Usually available in six-packs of twelve-ounce standard-shaped bottles with a purple and orange label, but this time I had a ½ gallon growler filled at the tap at the MOBY DICK.

Appearance: "It's like, how much more black could this be? And the answer is: none. None more black."

The head, such as it is, is cocoa-colored and does not last, but leaves rings of lace on the glass and a light swirl of film on the surface of the beer.

Scent: Black grapes and coffee with very heavy hops.

Flavor: Bitter chocolate with toasted malt and a really hoppy finish.

Impressions: I think I could sell this to my friends who claim not to like stout; it's got the strength, kick, and thinner mouthfeel of a nice ale, and it isn't as malt-intensive as traditional stout. Sort of a cross between IPA and stout. Good with strong, salty foods.

Will I buy this beer again? I have bought this in bottles before; this is the first time I've had it on tap and it's really good this way.

Rating:

4 out of 5 cute beer glasses

Gulden Draak

Price comparison: About twice the price of everyday beer.

Alcohol percentage by volume: 10½%

Cute bottle/label? 11.2 ounce white ceramic-looking bottle, squat and unglamorous, but kind of cool nonetheless. Red, black, and metallic-gold label depicting a stylized gold dragon (copied from the statue on top of the clock tower at Ghent).

Appearance: Dark chocolatey brown with a thick tan head and heavy lacing.

Scent: Sweet smokiness with cherry, cranberry, and plum, also a hint of vine-ripe tomato on the edges.

Flavor: Malt and sweet wine, not very hoppy. Nice spicy finish though.

Impressions: It was a bit sweet but the big alcohol was nicely couched in the surrounding flavors. This is strong enough to go quite well with any grilled foods, with or without sauce.

Will I buy this beer again? It's not a great bargain, but it's a good strong Belgian. If you've never had Belgian beer before, I wouldn't recommend starting with this unless you are already used to sweet sherry or port wine. However, I like it a lot and I got a nice buzz from it.

Rating:

4 out of 5 cute beer glasses

Delirium Nocturnum

Availability: 2003 vintage.

Price comparison: A gift from Laura. (Thank you!)

Alcohol percentage by volume: 8½%

Cute bottle/label? 750 ml deckled white ceramic, corked-and-caged with a blue neckfoil; year (2003) on the cork. Pink elephant on the label.

Appearance: Dark cola-colored with a beige head, brightens to a deep bronze when held to the light. Virtually no lacing, but the carbonation reactivated every time I picked up the glass. Very lively.

Scent: Sweet alcohol with some spice and some vanilla. Soft plum and banana aromas began to emerge as it warmed.

Flavor: Malt, with a hint of green apple and rum, but with a dry sour-cherry finish. Smooth, not much hops.

Impressions: A far better-balanced ale than the Delirium Tremens, to my palate, and more drinkable as well. I wanted a bowl of French onion soup with this, or an order of frites.

Will I buy this beer again? The cute bottle is, of course, the big selling point for me on this beer, but it is a delicious Belgian, which always makes me happy. The price for the bottle cuteness plus the good beer is what will ultimately clinch it. I think I will look around for some older vintages (2001 perhaps) and see how they age, because this has the feel of a brew that could mellow nicely given some time.

Rating:

4 out of 5 cute beer glasses

Rare Vos

Price comparison: About $2 more per 12 ounces than the average national domestic.

Alcohol percentage by volume: 6½%

Cute bottle/label? 750ml brown glass corked and caged; red and white label, nothing special. Also available in four-pack.

Appearance: Dark orange with a creamy white head and lots of lacing.

Scent: Tart and spicy like citrus peel.

Flavor: Very light malt, with mixed fruity sweetness as it warmed. Clean and uncomplicated finish.

Impressions: Stronger carbonation and lighter in mouthfeel than I tend to expect from a Belgian-style, but not in a bad way.

Will I buy this beer again? In the four-pack next time, but yeah. Good stuff.

Rating:

4 out of 5 cute beer glasses

Boont Amber Ale

Recommended by: Spencer the Scruffy Beer Kid

Price comparison: About the same as everyday beer.

Alcohol percentage by volume: 5.8%

Cute bottle/label? Standard twelve-ounce brown glass; the label depicts a clear mountain stream tableau with an antlered bear that reminds me of a jackalope.

Appearance: Deep rust-red with a tan head and sheets of lace left on the glass.

Scent: Strong floral and grapefruitlike hops, with an almost piney aroma involved as well.

Flavor: A hodgepodge of citrus, flowers, hops, rosemary, a bit of malt and rum caramel, with a bit of yeast in the finish.

Impressions: Very drinkable indeed. More than one is in order, but more than one is not a problem. You could have this by itself, in moderation, or drink lots of it with heavy thirst-inducing foods.

Will I buy this beer again? I'm there. Bring it.

Rating:

4 out of 5 cute beer glasses

V Grand Cru

Availability: Limited edition 2003 vintage.

Price comparison: About $1 more per 12 ounces than the average national domestic.

Alcohol percentage by volume: 9%

Cute bottle/label? 750ml brown glass corked and caged; jewel-toned label including the caption "Sensual Splendor ..." and I couldn't possibly resist that.

Appearance: Dark reddish orange with a fluffy white head and attractive lacing.

Scent: Green apple, citrus, and peach, with a hint of floral hops.

Flavor: Cinnamon and malt with a clean fruitlike sweetness and some breadlike qualities as it warmed, and a nicely dry hoppy finish.

Impressions: I don't know that it's necessarily a "sensual splendor", as such, but still; go Victory. Another successful experiment.

Will I buy this beer again? If it's still available next time I'm shopping, I'll get one to cellar, as it has a decent cache of yeast at the bottom and will probably age pretty well. At just under a year old, this particular bottle is already pretty damned good. Victory is, in my limited experience so far, the best domestic brewery at recreating the Belgian beer emotion in me.

Rating:

4 out of 5 cute beer glasses

Val-Dieu Triple

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

Alcohol percentage by volume: 9%

Cute bottle/label? 750 ml corked-and-caged; year (2004) on the cork. Red label with a woodcut of the Abbaye Val-Dieu (Valley of God Abbey) and the establish year (1216).

Appearance: Cloudy copper with a thick white head and not so much lace as clumps of suds retained on the glass.

Scent: Bright citrus with yeast and malt.

Flavor: Spicy sweet (clove and pepper); the yeast is also nicely present in the flavor. Peppery citrus-peel finish.

Impressions: This is another beautiful Belgian abbey ale; I can't get my fill of it, and it gets more aromatic and interesting as it warms. Clean and crisp, and very well balanced.

Will I buy this beer again? I think I'd rather get it in smaller bottles next time, if it's available; the head was more fun on the first pour than on subsequent ones from the big bottle.

Rating:

4 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

Three Philosophers

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

Alcohol percentage by volume: 9.8%

Cute bottle/label? 750ml brown glass corked and caged; understated white label. Looks very like wine at first glance.

Appearance: Hazy dark brown with heavy white head and lots of lace. Except for the head, the beer, like the bottle, looks very like wine.

Scent: Highly malty; also fruit, brandy, and some peppermint.

Flavor: The flavor is predominantly malty as well, but sweetness pops through from time to time. I tasted black coffee and cherry pie, but virtually no hops. Nice dry finish with some yeast on exhalation.

Impressions: Like its cousin, Duvel, this is a diva. It really needs to be consumed with something solid but is too good to be paired with cheap snacks. The experiment involved here, that of blending a Belgian-style tripel with cherry lambic (to produce a quadrupel) is, I think, a success. The flavors are lovely together and I definitely prefer the combo to cherry lambic by itself.

Will I buy this beer again? I think I should. There's a nice sprinkling of loose yeast at the bottom of the bottle that's practically waving both hands at me and saying, "I can make this beer a goddess by next year, just give me the chance."

Rating:

4 out of 5 cute beer glasses

Aventinus Wheat Doppelbock

Availability: 2000 vintage; limited quantities still available, but once they're gone, this won't be obtainable outside of someone's private stock.

Price comparison: About 2½ times the price of everyday beer.

Alcohol percentage by volume: 8% at bottling in 2000.

Cute bottle/label? Standard-shaped 25 ounce brown glass with a purple and gold metallic label. The whole thing was wrapped up in purple and ecru giftwrap.

Appearance: Translucent amber brown with a thick ivory head that left very little lace.

Scent: Yeast and malt prevalent with some citrusy hops and a light potpourri of spices.

Flavor: The yeastiness, spices, and a hint of caramel reminded me somewhat of rye bread. Heavy (natural) carbonation and a delicately bitter finish camouflaged the high ABV.

Impressions: This was pleasantly drier than other doppelbocks I've had, and the amount of yeast left in the bottle after three years leads me to believe it'll only get better over time.

Will I buy this beer again? I'm gonna buy one more to hold onto for next year.

Rating:

4 out of 5 cute beer glasses

Abbot Ale

Price comparison: Priced about the same as the average national domestics.

Alcohol percentage by volume: 5%

Cute bottle/label? Standard 12 ounce brown glass with green metallic label depicting some old clergy guy in a funny hat. Also available in nitro cans.

Appearance: Clear golden brown with a lightweight head and decent glass lace.

Scent: Sweet; butterscotch and malt.

Flavor: Nice hops with a yeasty back and a clean spring-waterlike finish.

Impressions: This is a nice smooth ale; delicately flavored and balanced for session drinking. Not for getting drunk quickly or for maintaining a buzz, but so much more appetizing than the standard domestics and comparably priced.

Will I buy this beer again? Absolutely. A perfect offering for guests: refreshing, good just for drinking but would also go well with snacks or a meal. And I won't feel guilty drinking this on a weeknight either.

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

Bad Elf

Recommended by: ska-t - sort of. Actually, he recommended Troeg's Mad Elf, but I couldn't find any, so I bought this to console myself.

Availability: Only sold during the winter holidays.

Price comparison: About twice the price of everyday beer.

Alcohol percentage by volume: 6%

Cute bottle/label? Twenty-five ounce brown glass. Label depicts a rather lecherous-looking elf and an admonition that "too much winter's ale may be bad for your elf, and may impair your ability to drive a sleigh or operate toy-making machinery."

Appearance: Dark golden with a frothy white head and lots of pretty lace on the glass.

Scent: Very hoppy and citrusy.

Flavor: Tastes like a mixture of traditional British bitter and American IPA. Hops and citrus peel predominate, as promised in the aroma, but there's also some spun sugar and malt in the background. The finish is unexpectedly dry but once you feel it, it makes sense.

Impressions: I was looking for one thing and found something completely and totally other. I never had an IPA that wasn't domestic before now, and I was intrigued by the concept. The Brits put their own spin on it that makes it different from the American IPA, yet not so different that you don't immediately recognize the style. Kudos to Scottie for pointing me in the right direction, even though this was so not what he had in mind.

Will I buy this beer again? I will, indeed, be having some more of this. Not anytime soon, as I'm currently inundated by new beers and have to lay off the reruns till after the holidays, but I may get a bottle to cellar for after the holidays, and perhaps yet another, because there's a lot of yeast at the bottom, to keep for next year.

I'd recommend this ale to lovers of British bitter or pale ales alike. This is a crowd-pleaser.

Rating:

4 out of 5 cute beer glasses

Corsendonk Christmas Ale

Price comparison: Twice what I pay for everyday beer.

Alcohol percentage by volume: 8½%

Cute bottle/label? Brown 12 ounce standard-shaped glass with a colorfully-snowy-Christmasy label.

Appearance: Deep garnet-red, opaque with yeast. Reasonably thick, beige-colored head; not much lace.

Scent: Brandy, citrus peel, hops.

Flavor: Yeast and cranberries, a nice alcoholic bite at the finish.

Impressions: This is delightfully festive and fits well with a holiday meal. Warming and satisfying, with a slight kick.

Will I buy this beer again? It's seasonal, but I'd consider buying some in the off-seasons and cellaring it till the holidays. I'll certainly be buying more for this year as well.

Rating:

4 out of 5 cute beer glasses

Luxury Double Chocolate Stout

Price comparison: Twice what I pay for everyday beer.

Alcohol percentage by volume: 5.2%

Cute bottle/label? Dark brown glass 25 ounce (with a ram - insignia of the Ram Brewery - on the shoulder) ; royal purple label with gilt accents. Also available in the "nitro can" (a large-sized can with a plastic float inside designed to blend the nitrogen and CO₂ for the ultimate stout draught experience).

Appearance: Deep, darkest brown, like black coffee, with downward-flowing nitrogen bubbles and lavish, creamy foam.

Scent: Chocolate malt. A very basic, but appealing, aroma.

Flavor: Malty, mocha, thick yet silky; hops balancing out the sweetness; lightly bitter finish like semi-sweet dark chocolate.

Impressions: My very first impression of this beer was an almost fully-formed commercial playing itself out in my brain:

"You've got Hershey's Syrup in my Guinness!"
"Well, you've got Guinness in my Hershey's Syrup!"

If you know both of those flavors, you'll have the gist of the Double Chocolate Stout.

It's certainly luxurious. A very filling and comforting beer; not a thirst-quencher. Don't serve it with dessert, serve it instead of dessert. Also, don't serve it as cold as you would Guinness - I got the best results refrigerating for three hours but leaving the bottle out at room temperature for twenty minutes before opening. A nice alternative to cocoa on a winter night. If you like stout, this is a winner.

Will I buy this beer again? I like this quite a lot. It'll never replace Guinness in my heart, but it might come in as a relief player once in a while.

Rating:

4 out of 5 cute beer glasses

Trois Pistoles

Price comparison: 1½ times what I pay for everyday beer.

Alcohol percentage by volume: 9%

Cute bottle/label? The big brown 750ml bottle with a cork - again. I am becoming a creature of habit. I like popping the cork. The label is another Unibroue Goth-like book-jacket-like illustration, this time of three towers with a winged horse hovering nearby.

(I swear, someone in the tattoo industry has Unibroue on their payroll.)

Appearance: About the color of cola, but with a nice thick light-brown head and lots of laciness. Extreme carbonation, as in, I know this ale is naturally carbonated, but it fizzes like a bottle of pop.

Scent: Reminds me of a variety of black raspberry mocha coffee beans that I used to buy, where the coffee smell was most prevalent, followed by the chocolate in close second, and the fruit as a darkly interesting background to the prevalent aromas.

Flavor: A bit more lemony than I expected based on the deep coloration of the brew. I feel a lot of flavor happening: cloves, citrus peel, apple, and berries, yet the aftereffect is more like that of port wine.

Impressions: The flavoring of this ale is very complex and intricate, but hard to pinpoint due to the liveliness of the carbonation. I think the Trois Pistoles would be an interesting alternative to burgundy with a meal, or to port after a meal.

Will I buy this beer again? Yes, I believe I will. It's certainly more cost-effective than port.

Rating:

4 out of 5 cute beer glasses

La Maudite

Price comparison: About 1½ times what I pay for everyday beer.

Alcohol percentage by volume: 8%.

Cute bottle/label? A 750ml brown glass bottle corked and caged as usual. (Also available in four-packs, but more expensively). The label is an artistic representation of La Chasse-Galerie, a Quebecois legend not unlike The Flying Dutchman, wherein a group of lumberjacks strike a deal with the devil to fly home in their canoes for Christmas, ultimately winding up cursed (maudite). Kind of morbid, but a beautifully rendered piece of artwork.

Appearance: Deep amber with lavish head. Lots of floating yeast, especially toward the bottom of the bottle.

Scent: I could definitely smell the alcohol first, but was also reminded of cinnamon raisin bread.

Flavor: Yeasty and tangy with a hint of bite. In common with the other Unibroues, the alcohol is present but not overpowering. I had two in quick succession and am bound to be sorry tomorrow morning.

Impressions: I drank this beer less than ice-cold, which usually works out for me with the dark brown ales, but in this case I think I'd want my next glass served colder. Like the 11, the Maudite could have stood to age a bit more, but the sugar content is such that, sealed tightly and cellared properly, it could potentially be quite a kicker in a few years. It's already a more-than-acceptable accompaniment for roast beef or something equally hearty.

Will I buy this beer again? Yes, very likely. It's damned good. No pun intended.

Rating:

4 out of 5 cute beer glasses

Duvel Rood

Price comparison: About 1½ times what I pay for everyday beer.

Alcohol percentage by volume: 8½%

Cute bottle/label? You can get a four-pack of twelve-ounce bottles, but I opted for the big stupid 750ml bottle of lurve with the cork again, like the Chimay. (I might not have, had I not found that the IHOD also carries bottle stoppers so that I could reseal the open bottle rather than be obligated to finish the lot.) Black label with red writing (hence, Duvel "Rood") but I was impressed by "Anno 1871", which means the brewery is exactly 100 years older than I am. I like stuff that's older than I am.

Appearance: Pale. A bit cloudier than the standard pale ale at first, but I may have accidentally swirled the bottle while pouring, because it cleared as it settled. The color changed the closer I got to the end of the bottle; while the original shade was like the skin on a Golden Delicious apple, the later shade was more like the skin on a Granny Smith. Long-lasting foam like shaving cream. More on that in a moment.

Scent: Black pepper and citrus (grapefruit and lime). A nice combination.

Flavor: A pronounced bite, with slight acidity and an aftereffect of clove or cinnamon with vanilla. Lots of yeast at the bottom of the bottle.

Impressions: Couldn't stop concentrating on "damn, this head isn't giving up here, is it?" The foam never settled at all and the empty glass looked like the dishwasher had broken before the rinse cycle. Preoccupation with suds aside, definitely a nicely balanced and enjoyable flavor.

This is indeed quality beer, but it struck me as very much a spoiled high-maintenance bitch of a beer. You lose part of your investment in the masses of sediment at the bottom of the bottle, and drinking it out of a glass means you lose even more unless you're willing to ask for a spoon to eat the foam, which I imagine is frowned upon in your nicer establishments. Also, it's a very strong ale that you don't want to drink on an empty stomach, yet the sorts of foods that it would match well with are not standard beermates like nachos or pretzels, but more expensive fare such as grilled scallops or veal.

Will I buy this beer again? Overall, yes. I admit she's a bitch and a diva, but she pays off very well in the end. I do feel that it will be worth my while to pursue the relationship.

Rating:

4 out of 5 cute beer glasses

Don de Dieu

Availability: Another Unibroue offering, like la Fin du Monde, and available at the same package store.

Do they also carry Bushmill's 1608? Forgot to check. Again. I'll remember just as soon as I need to buy some. Sort of like fixing the roof when it rains.

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

Alcohol percentage by volume: 9%

Cute bottle/label? Standard-shaped bottle; textured metallic label with a boat on it. Ooh pretty.

Appearance: Looks like your standard pale ale; active carbonation; head disappeared almost immediately but left some lace up the sides of the goblet.

Scent: Yeast is prominent; chased by cloves and peaches, of all things.

Flavor: More yeasty than the Fin du Monde; I was also reminded rather oddly of banana liqueur or possibly maple walnut. The bottom of the bottle was more peppery and felt thicker in my mouth than the rest of the bottle.

Impressions: Not as smooth to me as the Fin du Monde. I was constantly aware of how much more booze per sip I was consuming at any given time, which to me sort of defeated the purpose of having the higher alcohol content.

Will I buy this beer again? Sure. It's not as much of a diva as the Fin; more of a good collaborator with perhaps a white-sauce pasta sauce like carbonara. I had some potato chips with it, since I have little to no class, and it tasted pretty good with them. The main point is that I didn't feel as comfortable drinking this on an empty stomach as I did drinking la Fin du Monde, but they are obviously two different beers with two very different agendas.

Rating:

4 out of 5 cute beer glasses