Russian River Blind Pig Another re-review with a new photo. Blind Pig pours a lovely clear copper color, hues of golds and oranges with just a touch of light amber, a few bubbles rise from the bottom of the glass while a nice thick white head rises about 2 fingers high out of the glass that has great retention and leaves behind a great sticky network of lacing. The aroma is great, bright and vibrant floral hops, juicy grapefruit and tangerine with some nice pine and grassy flavors at the back end, just a touch of sweet pale cereal grain comes out. The flavors are just as nice, huge grapefruit presence on the tongue, light floral notes with a big burst of bitter earthy pine and grass flavors but the brightness is still there which is remarkable, a touch of sweet pale grain at the finish reminds you that there is some malt used in this beer but this is all about the hops. The body is great, medium carbonation, a touch higher than anticipated and moderately prickly with a full body and and great dry bitter finish. Verdict: An absolutely fantastic IPA from Russian River, it should come as no surprise that they have mastered the art of hoppy beers. The flavors across so wonderfully with such mild bitterness, this really is one of the most drinkable IPAs on the planet. This really is a must try for anyone who loves hops. (4.58/5)

Half Acre Callow Knife Another Pale Ale offering from Half Acre, Callow Knife shares a malt base as Daisy Cutter, but is dry hopped with Citra and Falconer’s Flight hops. The beer pours a nice dark copper color with fairly cloudy complexion, light amber with hues of orange and a nice 2 finger white head, very soapy and frothy that has nice retention and leaves behind a great network of sticky lacing. The aroma is pleasant, light tangy citrus with a bit of earthy pine but a significant amount of pale cereal grains, the hops don’t really shine like I anticipated they would and the malt is fairly dominant which comes as a surprise given the hop forward nature of Daisy Cutter. The flavors follow suit with nice flavorful citrus, bitter earthy pine, dank grassy flavors that sweep into sweet bready grain. The hops come out a bit more on the tongue but still don’t take off or really pop. The body is nice, smooth, medium carbonation helps prop up the flavors with a great dry finish. Verdict: A solid Pale Ale from Half Acre, but certainly doesn’t hold up to many of their of their other hoppy offerings. The flavors come across better than the nose and while this is an enjoyable beer, it didn’t quite live of to expectations. (3.78/5)

Boulevard Long Strange Tripel Another offering from Boulevard’s Smokestack Series of beers, Long Strange is their take on a Belgian Tripel. I reviewed The Sixth Glass, the Smokestack series Quad, many moons ago and will be revisiting it soon, but tonight, it’s all about Long Strange Tripel. The beer pours a very nice golden straw color, hues of very faint amber and copper with a very big tall white head, big cloudy bubbles with just a touch of froth on top. Many bubbles rising to the top of the glass, the head has great retention but leaves behind almost no lacing. The aroma has nice notes of banana and funky straw, a touch of clove, faint berries in the background with some nice pale malt as well. The aroma is very nice and balanced, just not overly complex like many Tripels can be. The flavors are a bit spicier, banana, peppercorn, nice bit of funk, a touch of earthy bitter hop flavors as well with some alcohol and and light lemon but again, not as complex as many Tripels coming out of Belgium and the balance is a little poorer here. The body is nice and lively, a bit prickly on the tongue with a nice dry finish. Verdict: A well made American Tripel from Boulevard and I think that this can be considered another success of the series. It may not be their strongest Belgian style offering, I still prefer The Sixth Glass and Saison-Brett, but this is definitely a worthy beer for anyone who enjoys this style. (3.91/5)

Bell’s Eccentric Ale (2010) One of the more interesting brews that comes out of Bell’s, the Eccentric Ale is just that, a bizarre Ale brewed by Larry Bell himself using a variety of interesting ingredients that is meant to test the limits of what a conventional beer can be. This beer is brewed with Maple Syrup with spices added, surely to an interesting experience. The beer pours a very deep brown, borderline black color, very opaque with a nice thick cloudy tan colored head, about a finger and a half high that has nice retention and leaves behind  a nice amount of soapy lacing. The aroma is very spice laden, nutmeg, allspice, lots of peppercorn with some rich dark grain and sweet maple with a a sharp alcohol finish. It’s not overly complex and somewhat off putting, not sure the spicing really melds that well and the maple seems somewhat out of place as well. The flavors a bit harder to handle, rich, sweet, grainy malt, zesty peppercorn, sweet maple, a lot of dark bark laden wood and sharp alcohol. Molasses, ashy leather and bitter tobacco are also present but nothing seems to blend together or compliment each other in any way, it’s a big mess really. The body is nice though, smooth and rich and does help this beer out, medium carbonation is spot on and it has a nice smooth full finish. Verdict: A really big mess of a beer, all over the place and lacking any sense of cohesion. The idea behind this season is wonderful, but this releases execution is a bit of a fail. (2.80/5)

Russian River Supplication (Batch 010) One of the first beers I reviewed here, Supplication deserved to be re-examined and re-photographed. Supplication, aged in Pinot Noir barrels with cherries, is part of the standard line-up of world class sour beers from Russian River and one of my favorite beers on the planet, if you haven’t had it before, you should really do yourself a favor and seek this one out. The beer pours a very nice burgundy color, hues of medium amber, orange and ruby, a touch of fizzy off-white head rises out of the glass but dissipates instantaneously leaving no lacing. It’s fairly clear, a touch of haze, lots of bubbles rising to the top of the glass, certainly looks to be a lively beer. The aroma is very intense, strong cherry presence with a nice amount of red wine behind it, earthy wood and funk with some mild vinegar also leap out of the glass. The flavors are simply wonderful, especially as the beer warms and decants, nice juicy cherry, tanin heavy red grape that brings out a bit of a leathery flavor as well from the barrel. The oak flavors really come to form on the tongue, smooth, a bit sweet and just a touch chewy, a bit of tobacco comes through with the wood as well that quickly gets faded out by an assertive but not dominating vinegar presence that brings out the acidity in these flavors, balancing out the earthiness a bit. The body is very lively, high levels of carbonation, prickly on the tongue and as it goes down with a nice dry finish. Verdict: A truly world class Wild Ale. One of the more complex beers on the market and one of the finest examples of what a sour beer can become. Everything is in harmony with each sip, a beer everyone must try. (4.56/5)

Dieu du Ciel! Aphrodisiaque I was very fortunate to be able to visit the Dieu du Ciel! brewpub in Montréal in late December and had a blast. While many of their beers are readily available across the United States, I had little exposure to them before visiting and really fell in love with the pub and many of their beers. Aphrodisiaque is a stout brewed with cocoa and vanilla and with Péché Mortel, another stout from Dieu du Ciel! garnering praise, I’m quite excited to try this. The beer pours a nice deep black-brown color, a bit like cola out of the bottle, very opaque with a thin soft caramel colored head, a quick swirl of the glass brings about a better showing with better retention and some spotted lacing. The aroma is very vanilla heavy, quite sweet and does seem a bit artificial, some smooth chocolate is there as well but the vanilla really dominates the nose. The flavors are much more rounded, roasted coffee comes out quite nicely with smooth dark chocolate providing some nice bitterness to counterbalance the sweet vanilla, some rich grain also comes through quite nicely behind the vanilla, it’s fairly simple, not overly complex, but sure to satiate anyone with a sweet tooth. The body is nice, a touch thinner and more carbonated than I anticipated, but it’s by no means cloying and goes down quite smoothly. Verdict: A nice stout from Dieu du Ciel!. The vanilla is really the star player here and while it comes off a bit artificial, the other supporting elements do enough to provide a bit of balance. This is certainly a great choice for desert or for anyone who has a sweet tooth. (3.83/5)

Peg’s Cantina (Cycle Brewing) G.O.O.D RareR D.O.S Very excited to try this beer as I’ve yet to sample any of the fine offerings from Peg’s Cantina in Florida not to mention the very high acclaim that this brew receives as well as Rare D.O.S receives. This version of Doug’s Original Stout (D.O.S) is aged in rum barrels, as opposed to Rare D.O.S which is aged in Palm Ridge Reserve Whiskey barrels. The beer pours black as night, motor oil consistency out of the growler, hues of dark brown around the rim of the glass when struck by the light, a thin fizzy caramel colored head appears for a brief moment but recedes into nothingness almost immediately. A touch of film does remain on top of the beer, but there is no apparent lacing as it goes down. The aroma is nice, dark chocolate, charred wood, roasted coffee jump out with a nice smooth lingering rum presence with a touch of sharp fusel alcohol, the nose isn’t overly complex but very balanced and inviting. The flavors, however, are truly wonderful. Nice dark chocolate cake flavor with a smooth coffee touch greats the tongue right off the bat with a great wood character, a nice layer of cherry and raisin that leads to a fantastically smooth rum finish with just the faintest vanilla notes lingering behind. The flavors are so perfectly balanced, wonderfully integrated and brilliantly complex, each sip brings out some great nuances that really take this beer to a new level. The body is wonderful, impressively smooth, rich, full bodied and leaves a nice warming sensation as it goes down. Verdict: A truly inspired beer, the complexity is superb and the smooth body is absolutely fantastic. For anyone who loves a great stout or barrel aged beer, this is a must have. (4.54/5)

Town Hall Brewery Masala Mama IPA One of the more under the radar IPAs in America, Masala Mama comes from the Town Hall Brewery in Minneapolis and receives a great deal of acclaim and I am very excited to be able to try a fresh growler. Masala Mama pours a lovely copper color, medium amber, hues of orange with a clear complexion, a nice finger of thick white head that has great retention leaving behind a great layer of frothy film atop the beer with nice webbed lacing.  The aroma is nice and pine forward with a nice grassy presence, bright citrus tones with a really nice sweet malt presence. The nose is very well balanced, not overly complex, but pleasant and inviting. Pine jumps onto the tongue, very resinous and sticky on the tongue, earthy lemongrass flavors pop as well, a bit of dandelion weediness as well, some bright grapefruit comes across as well with a light floral presence that is lost on the nose. Smooth sweet malt eases it’s way forward with a nice dry bitter lingering finish that really hits the spot. The body is great, full and rewarding but not overly soapy, medium carbonation, great for the style.  Verdict: A really rewarding IPA from Town Hall. While not overly complex or testing the limits of a hoppy beer, the balance of hoppy flavors and the sweeter malt profile is artfully executed. This is definitely a beer worth seeking out. (4.21/5)

Stillwater Folklore - “The Tale of Van Winkle” An interesting brew from Stillwater Artisanal Ales in Baltimore, Maryland, Folklore is a Belgian Strong Dark Ale project that has seen numerous different barrel aging variants, this one being “The Tale of Van Winkle”, with the beer aged in Pappy Van Winkle barrels. These barrels have gotten considerable notoriety after Goose Island aged their famed Rare Bourbon County Stout in 23 year Pappy barrels. This beer pours a deep black color, a bit thinner in texture than I’d expect, intensely opaque with no head, just a few loose bubbles that vanish instantly, no lacing. The aroma is very barrel heavy, bourbon, molasses, toffee, oak, dark stone fruits with some rich dark grain. I was skeptical of this beer after the pour which was somewhat disappointing but the aroma is really wonderful. The flavors are nice but the body is weak, as expected from the pour, and it really detracts from the experience. The barrel is much more muted in on the tongue, stone fruits are more dominant, cherry and plum, chocolate, molasses and some oak and sweet alcohol. The body is just so disappointingly thin, it still does coat the mouth well, which is one saving grace and does help the flavors come across better. Verdict: This one was a miss for me, the weak body really hurt this beer. The flavors aren’t potent enough on their own to come across without the support of lively carbonation. The aroma is spectacular but the rest of this beer literally falls flat. There is a lot of potential here and I’d be very interested to try the other variants. (3.65/5)

Hill Farmstead Birth of Tragedy Another lovely treat I got to bring home from Vermont, this is the barrel aged version of their winter porter, which on it’s own is Twilight of the Idols. This is a much more limited release and I’m very thankful to have been able to get a few bottles. The beer pours a very viscous motor oil texture, jet black in color, massively opaque, touches of dark brown around the rim of the glass, no head, only a few bubbles, and no lacing to be found. The aroma is really amazing, big notes of bourbon and charred barrel, bitter baker’s chocolate, vanilla, some slight roast, hard to believe coffee is in this beer, alcohol is definitely present as well. It’s a very intriguing nose, heavy on the barrel and bourbon but the bittersweet chocolate and sweeter alcohol and rich notes play so well together. The flavor is wonderful, balanced to perfection, bourbon, charred oak that lends some sweetness, toffee, bitter dark chocolate, vanilla, roasted coffee definitely has a bigger presence here which really lends a hand to balance this better than the nose, rich malt and smooth warming sweet alcohol at the finish. The body is a bit thinner at first, carbonation is much lower than many other barrel aged stouts or porters, but it is certainly full bodied, thick, viscous, a bit syrupy with a nice smooth finish.  Verdict: A really delicious barrel aged porter from Hill Farmstead. It is certainly on the lower end of the carbonation spectrum, but it is by no means flat or still. A little bit more carbonation would definitely help prop up the flavors and help with the body, but it’s still quite creamy and the balance of flavors is tremendous. (4.28/5)

Cantillon Kriek 100% Lambic (2012) I don’t think I can stress how big of a treat to enjoy a beer from Cantillon, so I decided to make this beer my midnight toast to ring in 2013. The beer pours a lovely ruby red color, hues of garnet and crimson even as dark as plum depending on the light, nice hazy complexion with a bright pinkish white head that rises very quickly, fizzy and light that recedes very quickly, a bit of film is left behind with no lacing. The aroma is wonderful, massive amounts of cherry, a bit of funk, but such a nice grainy malt backing, very inviting and pleasant. The flavor is a knock out, just like a fresh juicy piece of cherry pie. Great fruit, super fresh cherry, a bit of pomegranate flavor as well and even a bit of light strawberry come out, just like a great jammy pie filling, a touch of vanilla and light bready malt is present, just adds to that pie like experience. The body is nice and lively, high levels of carbonation, dances on the tongue, crisp finish. Verdict: Such a delightful kriek from Cantillon. The fruit is so fresh right now and the pie-like experience is really wonderful. It’s always a treat to have a fruit lambic from Cantillon as they really don’t take shortcuts when it comes to using fresh fruit. (4.33/5)

Hill Farmstead Susan I had the good fortune of being able to take a road trip from Chicago through Michigan, Toronto, Montréal and into Vermont to visit some breweries, see the sights and visit with some family and was fortunate enough to bring home a great haul of special treats! Being able to enjoy beers from Hill Farmstead is always a delight and visiting the brewery was really special, so look out for a few more of their beers in the coming weeks! Susan is an IPA dedicated to Shaun’s grandfather’s sister and is brewed with Riwaka, Citra and Simcoe hops. The beer pours a really lovely copper honey color, hues of gold and light amber, very cloudy complexion. A nice finger and a half of white soapy heady appears and has good retention, lots of film atop the beer after the head has completely receded and wonderful soapy lacing survives the entire session. The aroma is spectacular, bright and vibrant notes of grapefruit and pineapple, floral notes of a fresh bouquet of wildflowers are very dominant as well, light earthy pine is there as well with a healthy amount of pale cereal malt. I could stick my nose in this beer forever, the balance is wonderful and the brightness is really special. The flavors are nice but fall a bit flat compared to the nose, grapefruit, pineapple and tangerine are all present with the same kick of fresh wildflower and lemongrass, the earthiness take over at the finish with bitter dirty pine and grassy weeds and some stronger sweeter malt than the nose suggested. Susan is full bodied, lower on the spectrum of carbonation but still lively and appropriate for the style and has a nice dry bitter finish that leaves a bit of a cottonmouth sensation behind. Verdict: A really wonderful IPA from Hill Farmstead and another triumph in their hoppy arsenal. The aroma is really something to behold, a truly delightful beer to savor and enjoy. (4.23/5)

Lawson’s Finest Liquids Kiwi Double IPA A new release from Lawson’s in Warren, Vermont, this beer celebrates the hop harvest from the Southern Hemisphere, focusing on exclusively New Zealand hops. The beer pours a really nice bright copper color, hues of gold, orange and straw, fairly clear complexion with a slight chill haze. A nice thick soapy, frothy head sits atop the beer that has great retention and leaves behind a great webbed network of lacing. The aroma is very nice, lots of juicy tropical fruit aromas, pineapple, mango with some grapefruit mixed in as well, nice bright floral bouquet blends nicely with some resinous pine, a bit of spiciness from the Nelson Sauvin hop, and some nice sticky yet sweet malt character. The flavors are just as exciting, really bitter earthy hops lead quickly to the bright floral flavors and the really juicy tropical fruit flavors, fresh pineapple and mango are really delightful with some nice acidic citrus at the finish. A touch of malt and alcohol sweetness is present, but never detracts from the beer. The body is nice and full, medium carbonation, a bit of soapiness, everything you’d expect from a Double IPA. Verdict: Rock solid IPA from Lawson’s, definitely a notch below Double Sunshine, but this is really great in it’s own right. The flavors are really balanced, and I love the fresh juicy fruit qualities, a perfect treat for the holidays! (4.08/5)

Hill Farmstead Twilight of the Idols Named for the famed Nietzsche text, Twilight of the Idols is Hill Farmstead’s annual Winter Porter, brewed with coffee and aged on vanilla beans. It pours a delightful jet black color, very opaque, hues of deep brown and dark amber when held to the light. A nice thick, tightly packed caramel colored head rises about 2 fingers high, has moderate retention with some light spotted lacing. A nice chocolate forward aroma leaps out of the glass, strong roasted coffee follows with nice dark rich grain and a light smokiness with just a touch of sweet vanilla at the end. The flavors are great, milk chocolate and mild vanilla with just the lightest of cinnamon lead to some nice dark grains that are chewy, add some sweetness but have a nice savory character to them as well. There is a nice amount of smokiness and roasted espresso in this beer as well, balanced very well with the sweeter flavors. The body is nice, very rich and creamy with a lightly dry finish that really compliments the chocolatey and coffee forward flavors. Verdict: Delicious porter from Hill Farmstead, a really nice treat to have as desert. Rich and complex flavors complimented by a nice roast character, what else could you ask for in a porter? (4.10/5)

Alpine Duet This is a re-review and with it a better photo! This has always been one of my favorite IPAs and I’m really stoked to have the chance to take a fresh look at an old favorite. Duet pours a really nice clean copper color, very golden, hues of light amber and orange with a small, finger high white soapy head on top. The head has moderate retention but leaves behind great lacing. The aroma is very potent, lots of tropical fruit with a zest citrus backbone of grapefruit and lemon, sticky pine with some faint cereal grain, the hops are in full force and balanced quite well. The flavors really bring it all together, grapefruit, lemon, lots of tropical fruits like pineapple and mango, really nice juiciness. A big burst of bitter, sticky pine and earthy resinous hops come through behind the bright fruit flavors than trail off with some light malt sweetness at the finish. The body is great, very juicy, big and thick, coats the mouth well with a very dry finish. Verdict: Just as good as I remember it to be, it really is one of the premier West Coast IPAs. The balance of flavors is superb, truly celebrating hops in all their glory. Alpine has proven again and again that hoppy beers are their forte and this is no exception, a masterclass. (4.68/5)