Beer Review: Harviestoun – Ola Dubh
Nov0
Black as black can be!
Amount of brew in bottle: 11.2 fluid ounces
ABV: 8.0%
Type of brew: Ale
Price: $8.50
Earlier I reviewed a beer from Ireland and now I am reviewing a beer from Scotland, it is like I planned it! I have been eyeing this beer for awhile but have been reluctant to get it because of the high cost of one bottle. Finally though I got a bottle of this and am now reviewing it (no shit, right?). This beer is not what I was expecting though, I was really expecting a syrupy sludge. Instead this beer is sweet, flat and fairly light tasting. The beer gets considerably better as it warms up, this is not a beer you want to drink straight out of the fridge.
The beer does have hints of whisky which makes sense since it is aged in whisky barrels. Like all other wood-aged beers it is a lot sweeter than your normal beers. When I mentioned this beer was flat in the first paragraph I really meant it, there was absolutely no head at all when I poured it. It is like drinking a wine, water or flat soda. This is one of the darkest ales I have ever consumed though, it is pitch black. Initially I was not impressed with this beer but as it warmed up I really enjoyed it. It is not the best beer I have ever had nor do I think it is worth the price tag of it, but it isn’t horrible. I kind of think of it as a cheesy action flick that you don’t mind paying $9 to see once because it was pretty funny and entertaining but you wouldn’t buy it or even remember it in a year.
The good: A fairly tasty beer once it warms up
The bad: I think the price point is a little high
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Beer Review: Ommegang – Chocolate Indulgence
Oct2
Yummy, yummy chocolate
Type o’ beer: Ale
Warm-and-Fuzzy Factor: 7%
Wallet/Purse-Thinning Factor: $13
Anyone want to guess why this beer caught my eye? The beautiful design of the label ensured that it would be an absolutely delicious beer that was worth every penny I paid for it.
Right.
It said “chocolate.” It also said “Ommegang” and I have liked their beer before. It also said “Cooperstown, NY” on the label. Only close friends will know the importance of that town. 
Originally, I wanted a pumpkin beer. It is fall and I usually don’t like fruity beer but pumpkin beer is just up my alley. I am having issues finding a pumpkin beer that isn’t too pumpkin-y or one that also doesn’t leave me asking Mr. Beer Guy if I bought the wrong beer. Instead, I found a new chocolate beer that I hadn’t tried before.
A disclaimer. I was making this lovely chili recipe when I was drinking this beer. The seriously intense steam and flavor coming out of the pot o’ ingredients MAY have changed how my taste buds feel about the flavor.
Mr. Beer Guy had to make sure things were correct, so he let the beer warm up a bit before serving it up. Out of the bottle the beer had a nice, creamy looking head to it. It looked pretty dark for an ale, but I figured that would be due to the chocolate.
And the taste? A bit like chocolate, a lot like…
kalamata olives.
You think I am joking? I tried it a few more times. And then waited until I was done cooking, and tried it some more. It still tasted like kalamata olives in a much stronger way than chocolate. What I can’t figure out is why Mr. Beer Guy doesn’t like this beer. He usually really does not like olives. So I guess that leaves two options…
One – This beer doesn’t really taste like olives
Two – He actually likes olives but just wants to make things interesting for me
I am thinking that two is more likely.
The Good: Easy to drink, flavorful, not too crazy with the ABV, and a good dinner beer
The Bad: Not a good beer to finish the night with, not what I was hoping for in the flavor category, and I felt like I expected more from Ommegang
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Beer Review: Traquair Jacobite – Merchant du Vin
Apr0
May I have some cilantro with my beer, please?
During this past week I went to the store with my fiance to pick-up some food I was running low on review beers so I decided to grab a few. This beer was picked out by my fiance (who also digs beer but that is a whole different subject) but I get to drink it, I am not sure who gets the better half of that deal in this case! On a dorky sort of note the design and typography of the label on this beer is damn good it has style but is still very easy to read, well enough design dork shit here are some stats:
Amount of brew in bottle: 11.2 fluid ounces
ABV: 8%
Type of brew: Ale w/Coriander
Price: ~$5
This beer pours a dark molasses type of color and is decently fizzy (sort of like a cola that has been sitting out for a few hours). There is a sweet and tangy smell to the beer which is almost normal except I don’t usually describe my beers as “tangy”. One thing that stood out to me was the part of the label that said “Ale flavored with coriander” I had no fucking clue what coriander was so I did what any self-respecting person would do I google’d it. Coriander is also called cilantro which made me emit a WTF and to look sideways at this ale that I was about to consume. On first sip I drew back a face like it had just been hit with a very disgusting wet dishrag but as the beer warmed up the taste got better or I just got accustomed to the taste. I think once it got to serving temperature the tastes mellowed out and blended together. This beer reminds me of a wood-aged beer but not as sweet or mellow.
Overall this beer is pretty damn decent it is very drinkable once it warms up a bit. It has some taste to it but is not overwhelming like some of the higher alcohol beers but it is not piss-water. It does not have the bite of something crazy hoppy or anything else it is just a straight sipper type of beer.
The good: Easy to drink and it gives you bragging rights that you drank a beer with cilantro in it
The bad: If the beer is cold it tastes like shit
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Beer Review: Spring Reign Ale – Ninkasi Brewing Company
Apr0
It is reigning beer! - Photo by Jana
This is the second Ninkasi beer I have had and my first seasonal from them. Here are the pertinent stats:
Amount of brew in bottle: 22 fluid ounces
ABV: 6%
Type of brew: Session / ale
Price: ~$5
The first thing I noticed when I poured this beer was how much carbonation it had, it almost poured like a pop! This beer has a hoppy taste but not as full of hops as an IPA. It has an IBU rating of 38 so it isn’t as bland as a lager but it is no 120 IBU monster . The color of the beer is close to apple cider but thankfully it doesn’t taste like cider. The beer is not that sweet so the bitterness from the hops is very apparent which makes it a nice weekday beer. Like many spring and summer beers it is highly refreshing and it would be great to have during a warm day or while eating a nice juicy burger.
There is not much more I can say about this beer. It is a great beer for drinking throughout the day on a hot day or after a hard bike-ride/hike/run. I like this beer but it is not something I will be having dreams about.
The good: great session beer
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