I picked up this big brew (750 ml) at my local grocery store based largely on the strength of its label... I was well familiar with the "pink elephants" of Delirium Tremens, but the happy pink pig was a new one for me.
Characteristics: Slightly cloudy straw gold color, medium weight, plenty of sugar throughout with a little malt body and then a yeasty tang in the finish. 8.5% ABV is hidden in the sugar, no real burn to be found.
Minor Gripes: A touch too sweet -- it could actually use a little hop bitterness to cut the sugar rush.
Bottom Line: As Belgian golden/blonde ales go, this one just doesn't get the job done. I would probably look to La Chouffe or Delirium Tremens or something else next time around.
Rating: 5.5 / 10
]]>Characteristics: Opaque brown color, medium-to-heavy body, low carbonation and minimal head, strong vanilla flavors throughout the deep roasted malts. Sugary taste is rather moderate considering the depth of the brew. Definitely more on the milk/oatmeal end of the stout spectrum.
Minor Gripes: Bar Harbor doesn't have the greatest distribution connections, so you may have to be in northern New England (or a real specialty shop) to score your own sample.
Bottom Line: Quite simply, the best stout I've ever had. Rich, creamy, complex, smooth, balanced -- from start to finish, regardless of age. A must-try for anyone who's ever thought about stouts.
Rating: 9 / 10
]]>Characteristics: Pale orange-yellow color, light body, average carbonation, slight yeasty notes quickly drawn into battle by piney hops.
Minor Gripes: My mega-hop anti-bias is pretty well documented in these parts... this isn't exactly the Troegs Hopback Amber, but the limited biscuit malts here just can't keep up.
Bottom Line: If you're on the east coast and looking for a locavore alternative to Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, then the Spring Fling should work just fine. And though I wanted to say that the Otter Creek Copper Ale was superior, it seems they are pretty close (assuming my tastes haven't shifted over 5+ years of occasional reviews).
Rating: 4.75 / 10
]]>Characteristics: Dark brown and opaque, well carbonated with a thick foamy head, medium body; malty sweet with a balanced cinnamon-pepper finish that hides the 9% ABV veeeerrrry well.
Minor Gripes: Very few. As with any good Belgian, you do need to let this one warm up a little for the whole flavor profile to emerge.
Bottom Line: This is an excellent winter ale that shows remarkable restraint in the face of so much nutmeg and coriander in the world. It's getting very late in the season, but if there's a TJ's near you, it's worth searching for a bottle or two.
Rating: 7.5 / 10
]]>Characteristics: Clear red color; very light body; light head but high carbonation; sour cherry flavors run consistently over a neutral base ale, with a tart finish.
Minor Gripes: Perhaps it's because I had a Flemish Sour Ale earlier in the evening, but I could have used just a touch of sweetness in this one. The thinness also takes away from the experience a little -- I don't want a cough syrup, but this beverage could use a little higher viscosity.
Bottom Line: New Belgium deserves big props for pursuing this direction -- melding one of its own brews with a tempermental cherry lambic. A little more weight (and a corresponding touch of sugar), and this entry in the "Lips Of Faith" family would be a grand champion to obliterate Lindemann's Kriek.
Rating: 5 / 10
]]>Characteristics: Cloudy reddish-brown color; light-to-moderate carbonation with average head; medium body; mildly sweet opening sets the stage for the ginger to build across a yeasty-biscuit middle for an almost peppery finish. It takes time for the ginger to emerge.
Minor Gripes: Depending on your tolerance for yeast, be careful when pouring since there's a sediment in the bottle. And definitely do not drink this one straight out of the bottle, straight out of the refrigerator... this is probably best consumed from a snifter/tulip glass, approaching room temperature.
Bottom Line: A noble experiment that doesn't quite reach the finish line. I'd like to try this with 50% more ginger in the mash, so that the bite is there at a cooler temperature -- but I also eat pickled ginger without sushi. And I do wonder about quality control in the bottling and labeling at Kiuchi -- the first bottle I tasted was so bland that I may not have gotten the right beverage. (That's happened to me before with Hitachino Nest. I loved the first couple Red Rice Ales I tried -- reddish, medium-bodied experiments on the amber ale theme... but later bottles were thin, cloudy, straw-yellow, and utterly lacking in flavor.)
Rating: 5 / 10
]]>Characteristics: Brownish-red color; medium carbonation and head that dissipates fairly quickly; light-to-medium body; consistent flavors of biscuit, malt, yeast, and a little sugar throughout with a little hoppy bite in the finish.
Minor Gripes: Lagers are steady but unexciting (unless hopped within an inch of their lives). In particular, the black lagers follow enough of a formula that distinguishing among them is a challenge.
Bottom Line: Schwarzbiers are a saving grace for those who generally shun yellow lagers and pilseners but find themselves in Germany. Though Kostritzer is my standard reference point, I would certainly choose Eibauer without hesitation.
Rating: 6 / 10 ]]>