review: Ayinger Celebrator Dopplebock

Today's beer adventure: Ayinger Celebrator Dopplebock (Germany). 330ml bottle. 6.7% ABV. Served in pint glass. Purchased at Willow Park Wine and Spirits. ~$6.00ish

The pour is dark dark brown with two fingers of tan head. Light carbonation. Nose is sweet fruits, fruitcake, slight alcohol.

The flavour is of sweet dark fruit - plums, raisins, dates, cherries, a bit of bread. Maybe a bit of vanilla and some nuttiness. Sweet fruitcake finish. Thick, smooth mouthfeel.

Rating is 9.25/10 dogs. This stuff is incredible. Yum, yum yummers. Would be fantastic as a dessert beer. One of the best beers I have had. Do yourself a favour and go have one.

What other people think: http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/39/131
Brewer's website: http://en.ayinger-bier.de/?pid=118

review: New Belgium 1554 Black Ale

Today's beer adventure: New Belgium 1554 Black Ale (Colorado, USA). 355ml bottle. 5.6% ABV. Served in pint glass. Purchased at WalMart near Nellis AFB in Las Vegas. $14.00 for a 12 bottle Folly Pak (with Ranger, Fat Tire and Dig).

The pour is black with slight ruby hues. Not much carbonation visible. Small tight head with decent lacing. Nose is coffee, toasted (burnt?) malt, molasses, pumpernickel bread. This oughta be interesting.

The flavour of toasted rye/pumpernickel bread. Molasses. Coffee. Ever so slight dark fruit - cherry, plum. Mouthfeel is chewy yet not heavy. Finish is long coffee roastiness. More warming than the ABV might imply.

Rating is 8.75/10 dogs. Wow. This is a BIG ASS BEER! I will go out of my way to find this in the future. Puts lead in yer pencil, this does.... Delicious.

What other people think: http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/192/1914
Brewer's website: http://www.newbelgium.com/home.aspx

review: New Belgium Dig Pale Ale

Today's beer adventure: New Belgium Dig Pale Ale (Colorado, USA). 355ml bottle. 5.6% ABV. Served in pint glass. Purchased at WalMart near Nellis AFB in Las Vegas. $14.00 for a 12 bottle Folly Pak (with Ranger, Fat Tire and 1554).

The pour is golden amber with one finger of fluffy white quickly dissipating head. Medium carbonation. Good lacing. Nose is grapefruit, apricot, lemon, slight spices. Smells yummy!!

The flavour is lemon, peach, grapefruit. This beer is more bitter than fruity in it's hop character. Very crisp long lasting hoppy finish.

Rating is 7/10 dogs. Good seasonal brew. Would pick up a sixer once in a while if I could. 

What other people think: http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/192/77480
Brewer's website: http://www.newbelgium.com/home.aspx

review: Anchor Brewing Porter

Today's beer adventure: Anchor Brewing Porter (California, USA). 355ml bottle. 5.6% ABV. Served in pint glass. Purchased at Willow Park Wine and Spirits in Regina. Approx $4.00(?)

The pour is black with two fingers of dark tan head. Nose is of molasses and toasted malt with an underlying crispness..pear? Only slight coffee on the nose. Light carbonation

The flavour is well..definitely different for a porter. Plum and cherry mingle with the coffee, chocolate and toasted malts. Slight alcohol. Finish is bitter and lingering. There is a liveliness on the tongue as well.

Rating is 8.25/10 dogs. This porter has some of the qualities that I like in abbey/trappist ales so I am not put off by the fruit. Others might be. Delicious brew.

What other people think: http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/28/61
Brewer's website: http://www.anchorbrewing.com/beer/anchor_porter

review: Deschutes Black Butte Porter

Today's beer adventure: Deschutes Black Butte Porter (Oregon, USA). 355ml bottle. 5.2% ABV. Served in stolen BP pint glass. Purchased WalMart near Nellis AFB in Las Vegas. $7.00 for a 6'er.

The pour is dark dark brown with 2 fingers of slowly dissipating head. Low to no carbonation..hard to tell with it being as dark as it is. Nose is huge dark chocolate, toasted malt, coffee. It smells incredible.

The coffee is right out front in the flavour, joined by the hint of chocolate and the roasted malt. Vanillla, molasses and banana(?). The back end is crisp and bitter..lively on the tongue. Medium mouthfeel. Not as creamy as some.

Rating is 8.25/10 dogs.  Highly drinkable, very sessionable porter. Lighter than the Bushwakker Palliser Porter. Quite tasty.

What other people think: http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/63/198
Brewer's website: http://www.deschutesbrewery.com/brew/black-butte-porter

review: Fernie Brewing Co. First Trax Brown Ale

Today's beer adventure: Fernie Brewing Co. First Trax Brown Ale (Fernie, BC). 355ml can. 5.0% ABV. Served in stolen BP pint glass. Purchased at random gas bar in Medicine Hat, AB during my recent driving trip to Las Vegas. $11.50 for a 6'er.

The pour is medium brown with amber highlights. One thumbwidth of off white head dissipates to solid lacing around the glass. Nose is toasted malt, slight chocolate and coffee. Decent carbonation. Light/Medium mouthfeel.

The flavour is crisp with notes of toffee, coffee and chocolate. Alcohol is barely noticeable.

Rating is 6.75/10 dogs. Decent brown. It is tough to make a brown ale that REALLY stands out, but this one is solid. Similar to other browns from BC that I have had. Easy drinking. Very sessionable.

What other people think: http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/fernie-first-trax-brown-ale/44848/
Brewer's website: http://www.ferniebrewing.com/first-trax

review: Tree Brewing Vertical Winter Ale

Today's beer adventure: Tree Brewing Vertical Winter Ale (Kelowna, BC). 330ml bottle. 5.0% ABV. Served in my stolen BP pint glass. Purchased at random gas bar in outside Medicine Hat, AB during my recent driving trip to Las Vegas. $12.00 for a 6'er.

The pour is light amber with a very small amount of head. Nose is minimal, although I can make out the vanilla and possibly some nuttiness. Low carbonation. Light mouthfeel.

The flavour is vanilla. Lots of it. Caramel, toffee, chocolate and a small amount of alcohol. That's it.

Rating is 6.5/10 dogs. Pretty good although there it might have been nice to have some other flavours to round out the brew maybe?

What other people think: http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/2594/63380

More about the brewery: http://www.treebeer.com/

review: Bayern Dancing Trout Wheat Ale

Today's beer adventure: Bayern Brewing Dancing Trout Wheat Ale (Montana, USA). 355ml bottle. 5.3% ABV. Served in pint glass. Purchased at random gas bar in Montana during my recent driving trip to Las Vegas. $7.00 for a 6'er.

The pour is straw yellow-amber with a small quickly dissipating head. Ample carbonation. Nose is of malt, bread, slight alcohol, small amount of toffee(?) and spices(?). Medium, slightly creamy mouthfeel.

The flavour is veeerrryyyyy nice. The spices are right out in front, coriander and cloves - similar to a belgian wheat. Lemon, banana, honey and malt round out the palate. Ever so slightly bitter on the finish. I could drink loads of this stuff.

Rating is 7.75/10 dogs. Another solid offering from Bayern Brewing in Missoula, MT. I had sampled this at a bar during our Plentywood beer adventure, but didn't bring back any for "evaluation". I am certainly glad I was able to grab a sixer during my last trip south.

Other observation...shared  a couple of these with my travelling companion during a rest stop on the trip. He enjoyed the beer, as did I, but there is certainly something to be said about beer being served out of a glass rather than the bottle. The aromas and flavours really come to life as intended when the beer is served properly. Holy crap..I have really become a beer nerd.

What other people think: http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/605/38518
More about the brewery: http://www.bayernbrewery.com/

review: Duvel Pale Ale

Today's beer adventure: Duvel Strong Pale Ale (Belgium). 330ml bottle. 8.5% ABV. Served in pint glass. Purchased at Willow Park Wine and Spirits in Regina. Approx $7.00(?)

The pour is straw yellow with a massive fluffy white head that hangs around and hangs around. High carbonation in glass. Nose is of coriander and cloves and all those good things Belgians put in their beer. Biscuit and bread. No hint of the high alcohol content in the nose.

The flavour is of the regular Belgian spices, then the lemon, banana and bitter hops show up. Bitter finish. No real sign of the alcohol here either. Very crisp, slightly dry and bitter finish.

Rating is 8.5/10 dogs. Nothing fancy here. Excellent Belgian. Could session this one if it wasn't so high on the ABV. :)

What other people think: http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/222/695

review: Mill St. Brewery Coffee Porter

Today's beer adventure: Mill St. Brewery Coffee Porter (Ontario). 341ml bottle. 5.5% ABV. Served in pint glass. Given as a gift from a porter-loving co-worker - Rob. Thanks Rob!

The pour is black as molasses with very little head. No visible carbonation. Nose is sweet espresso coffee (duh), toasted malt, semi-sweet chocolate. 

The flavour is of coffee, chocolate, etc, but is tamer than I had anticipated. More chocolate than coffee, IMHO, which makes it a bit sweeter than I had thought it would be as well. Medium-light mouthfeel. Finish is light and dry.

Rating is 7.5/10 dogs. Tasty, approachable porter. 

What other people think: http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/3760/9781  http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/mill-street-coffee-porter/22306/

review: Bushwakker Palliser Porter

Today's beer adventure: Bushwakker Palliser Porter (Regina, SK). 2L bottle. 5.8% ABV. Served in pint glass. Purchased at the mighty Bushwakker Brewpub. Fifteen buckeroonis.

The pour is dark brown, almost black with a one finger of dark tan head. Nose is bittersweet chocolate, espresso coffee, toffee, rye bread(?).

The flavour is more of the same, semi-sweet chocolate, coffee, walnuts(?). Light carbonation. Medium bodied. Pleasing bitterness on the finish.

Rating is 9.0/10 dogs. This is a great porter. World class. A porter to measure others against. This is one of the original brews that Bushwakker has put forth, and it is in my opinion, the one it hangs it's hat on. Excellent beer.

What other people think: http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/bushwakker-palliser-porter/31788/

review: Anchor Brewing Liberty Ale

Today's beer adventure: Anchor Brewing Liberty Ale (California, USA). 355ml bottle. 5.9% ABV. Served in pint glass. Purchased at Willow Park Wine and Spirits. Price..about $2.95.

The pour is golden with one finger of white bubbly head. Nose is hoppy - pine needles, slight grapefruit, lemon peel. Mouthfeel is crisp and dry.

The flavour..ahh the flavour. This is one crisp, ESB/IPA style beer. Lemon, grapefruit and evergreen trees make up the taste, while the lemon is what lingers...it is really crisp and bitter on the finish. This is a tasty brew! 

Rating is 8.0/10 dogs. I knew nothing of this beer before I picked it up. I have had Anchor Steam before and it was OK..but this beer is really tasty, especially for the price point. This is what a "crisp, refreshing" beer should taste like.

What other people think: http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/28/665

review: Boulevard Brewing Sixth Glass Quadrupel Ale

Today's beer adventure: Boulevard Brewing Sixth Glass Quadrupel Ale (Missouri, USA). 355ml Bottle. 10.5% ABV. Served in pint glass. Purchased in Minot, ND by my good buddy Derek Barnes! No idea about price! Who cares!?!?

The pour is hazy golden amber. Lively carbonation. Head is fluffy white and about 2 fingers high before dissipating into a pleasing off-white ring. Nose is nutty(?), bananas, ripe pineapple, cherries(?), bread. No hint of the alcohol.

The mouthfeel is fantastic! Full, creamy, like a fruit nectar. There's just a HINT of all that carbonation...just enough to make it sparkle for a split second on the tongue. Taste is of candied dark fruits, plums, cherries again, esters. No trace of the alcohol here either. Finish is a wee bit bitter and long lasting. VERY nice.

Rating is 9/10 dogs. Wow! A second 9/10 for Boulevard Brewing! This stuff is incredible. One of the best abbey/trappist style beers I have had. I'm glad I have one more bottle in the collection!

What other people think: http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/423/39621