Beer Review: Midnight Sun Brewing Co – T.R.E.A.T
Jan0
A delicious pumpkin beer!
Amount of brew in bottle: 22 fluid ounces
ABV: 7.8%
Type of brew: Pumpkin Stout
Price: ~$11
Ahh pumpkin beers how I love thee. Seriously though I usually associate pumpkin beers with Halloween, go figure, right? But, when I saw this beer in the grocery store it was very intriguing and with the better half’s blessing I purchased it (granted she loves pumpkin beers so that helped). Neither of us were disappointed by this brew it is very good. This beer takes a stab at dethroning our favorite pumpkin beer (pumking from Southern Tier). This is the second beer – first review here – that we have reviewed from Midnight Sun and both have been top notch brews. I will have to consume a few more of their beers before I put this brewery into the “good brewery list” but it is on its way. Anyways, back to this beer. It pours dark and smooth like a normal stout, there is very little head and it has a rich smell mostly of cinnamon and pumpkin (shocking as shit I know). The taste of the beer is a little bit like a weak chocolately pumpkin pie. The aftertaste is also very nice. This beer doesn’t pack as much of a wallop as the pumking which is one mark in this beer’s favor.
Overall this is a great beer as long as you like pumpkin. If you don’t like pumpkin well you should steer clear of this guy.
The good: Awesome pumpkin beer
The bad: A bit expensive
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Beer Review : O’Hara’s – Celebration Stout
Nov2
An awesome stout!
Amount of brew in bottle: 25.4 fluid ounces
ABV: 6.0%
Type of brew: Stout
Price: ???
I have had this bottle of brew in my fridge for at least two months now. It has been one I have been waiting to try but I just never have gotten around to it. I really shouldn’t have waited so long because this beer is damn good! This beer pours with a fairly thick head and is fairly carbonated. It has an almost chocolatey sweet smell to it as well. The beer is super easy to drink and has a dry finish to it.
I had really high expectations for this beer since it is brewed in Ireland and there is at least one few famous stouts that comes out of that country. Personally I think this is better than the very well known stout that comes out of Ireland. The beer is a bit heavier than some stouts but it is far from the heaviest beer I have had either. Overall this is probably one of my favorite stouts I have had to date. If you get a chance to try this stout I would definitely pick it up!
The good: A great stout, really easy to drink
The bad: A little bit hard to find and it comes in a big bottle
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Beer Review: Dick’s Imperial Stout
Jul0
Yummy deliciousness
Editor’s Note: This is a guest post by my fiancee so please don’t think I started to carry around a man-purse or something stupid like that 
.
Amount of brew: 12 fluid ounces
Warm and fuzzy factor: 7.5%
Type of beer: Read the title
Purse-thinning-factor: $2.49
I hardly ever post a beer review. My usual role on this website includes the very amateur photography. My secondary role includes picking beers for Mr. Beer Guy to review. Don’t get me wrong, it isn’t that I am averse to sharing my opinion (about beer)… It is just that putting my opinions down on “paper” means that I have to really think about them first.
So why am I doing a review now? Did you happen to notice the lovely textbook that is in the background of the picture? Um, yeah. That would be a review book for my next big fat test in a series of big fat tests that I will be involved in for a while. I figured that procrastination is definitely a part of studying, and this beer review is helping in the procrastination department.
Oh yeah, I should start talking about the beer.
As the title indicates, this is an Imperial Stout. Please refer back to Mr. Beer Guy’s info post on Imperial Stouts if you want more technical information about that. Mr. Beer Guy chose this beer partly because he had not seen it before and partly because Dick’s Beer has consistently produced delicious beers. As another side note, before I actually get to reviewing this beer, Dick’s Beer makes a GREAT variety pack that we actually buy pretty often. They have a good spread of brews that have never disappointed. FTW We are actually thinking about using at least one Dick’s beer at our wedding.
Okay, so the beer… Out of the bottle and from the fridge, this beer smells pretty rich and smokey. It tastes just as mouth-watering as it smells. The beer is not over-powering in taste or intensity of the stout. I would recommend this beer to people that are wanting to try a stout but don’t want something that is going to knock them off their feet (or USMLE studying chair). The stout definitely went quickly and Mr. Beer Guy kept making his way from the office to the dining room so that he could get sips of the beer before I finished it off.
I don’t think that I would have like this beer if it had been hot and muggy outside. But then again, I don’t know too many people that like to drink heavy drinks while it is that warm outside. Unfortunately, I can’t tell you what happen to this beer as it warms up. I think that it does start getting a bit stronger, but I happen to have finished off the beer before it got too warm.
The bottom line is that Dick’s Beer has brewed up yet another winner. It is great for people who want delicious beer, and it is even better for people who want delicious beer while procrastinating for studying for a test.
The Good: A good imperial stout that lives up to the Dick’s Beer label
The Bad: I don’t have more of these in my house to help me procrastinate further.
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Beer Review: Quilters Irish Death by Iron Horse Brewery
Apr0
It is as deadly as it is smooth. Photo by Jana
Here in Washington (or maybe it is just Seattle) we have people that come out and knit at coffee shops and bars. I find this kind of weird but hey whatever floats your boat. Any ways I saw this bottle called “Quilters Irish Death” and I thought of these people (yes I know quilting and knitting are different but they are god damn close enough).
Amount of brew in bottle: 22 fluid ounces
ABV: 7.8%
Type of brew: stout
Price: ~$4.50
What can I say the bottle really says it all with “smooth dark ale.” Yep, that pretty much sums up this beer. On first taste there isn’t too much to the beer but there is a pleasantly sweet after taste that isn’t too strong but is still noticeable. Since there is no barley (at least from what I can tell) in the beer it isn’t as bitter as you might expect. Even though this beer is very easy to drink that can also be a bad thing, especially on an empty stomach! I know for me I came off feeling more buzzed from this beer than I did from the belzebuth. This is one of the few dark beers that I have had that can be easily gulped down.
The good: easy to drink perfect for cold rainy days (so 4 out of 5 days here in Seattle)
The bad: It only comes in big bottles 
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Beer Review: Great Divide Brewing Co. – Espresso Oak Aged Yeti
Mar0
This is one hairy mutha
The Espresso Oak Aged Yeti claims to be a good food pairing for breakfast burritos, eggs Benedict, hash browns, cheesecake and creme brulee. I am not sure if I could ever come to drinking beer in the morning but I can see how this beer would wake anyone up. It has a strong taste, the taste is good but is not subtle. Here are some pertinent stats:
Amount of brew in bottle: 22 fluid ounces
ABV: 9.5%
Type of brew: Imperial Stout
Price: $12
This beer is dark, intense and not super smooth or sweet like you find with many wood-aged beers. The taste of the espresso comes through quite clearly and adds to the bitterness. Although the hops and malts finish off the taste. Like all of the other imperial stouts I have had this is not a fast drinking beer, especially from the intensity of the flavor I would get my ass kicked to the floor chugging this beast. It appears that this beer is coming out slowly and in small batches. When my fiance went to grab this beer for me (ain’t she great!) there was only one case left in the store and they had not even brought it out yet. Thankfully we got a bottle to try as I could see drinking this beer often. Although for the price of this beer you could buy a 6-pack of oak-aged arrogant bastard which is one of the more expensive 6-packs you can find in a grocery store making it the only major downside to this beer.
The good: great tasting beer, awesome label, kickstarts you if you are at all tired
The bad: the price and limited stock
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La Biere des Collines – Hercule Stout
Mar0
Run away!
Today I am drinking La Biere des Collines’ Hercule Stout which is a bottle of brew I purchased a few weeks ago mainly because the label caught my eye. Before I get into the bulk of the review below is a summary of the pertinent stats:
Amount of brew in the bottle: 11.2 fluid ounces
ABV: 9%
Type of brew: Belgian ale / Stout
Price: ~$4
I was pretty anxious for this beer as I thought it would good and since most belgian ales aren’t stouts I figured it would be interesting. Plus with a name like Hercules Stout I was imaging a dark strong beer that would kick anyone’s ass. Sadly, I was let down like a geek going to watch Episode 3 of Star Wars on opening night. The smell of this beer is awesome with hints of chocolate, sweetness and a faint scent of hops and if the taste was half of what the smell was my expectations would have been met. However, on first sip the illusion setup by the smell disappeared. The taste has a tiny hint of chocolate from the barley but otherwise the taste is flat and boring. I would not recommend this beer as there are far better ones out there.
The good: The label is dang cool, the smell is great
The bad: The taste
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Full Sail – Black Gold Imperial Stout
Feb0
That's it I am moving to Beverly Hills
Today I am reviewing Full Sail’s Black Gold Imperial Stout, this beer is a limited brewmaster’s release. Upon pouring this beer you can see it is dark, very dark. This beer is cask-conditioned that was aged in bourbon barrels which gives the beer some additional flavors. While the beer is still cold it is more bitter than I expected, however, after the beer warms up that bitterness goes away. This beer has a sweet smell that is a bit like a liquor and brown sugar which I am guessing is from the bourbon barrels. The taste has small hints of vanilla and the alcohol taste comes through more (but not much) as it warms up. Once the beer is at a good serving temperature (~55) it is more mellow and a delight to drink. The aftertaste on this beer is very sweet and it sticks around for at least 15 seconds.
Let me digress a little about why I am even reviewing this beer. I was recently at my local grocery store and this beer was at the bottom of the end display with a sign saying “2 bottle limit per customer.” It piqued my interest. I know Full Sail is a good brewery but the sign tipped me over the edge for purchasing this $10 bottle of beer. That and it was the very last bottle. Anyways, I am very glad that I bought this beer. Ok, back to our regularly schedule review…
As the name suggests this beer is thick as black gold, but probably sweeter. This beer has an ABV of 10.5% which is pretty strong but the alcohol taste isn’t overpowering which is nice. I have had quite a few beers that had an ABV of 9+% and it is quite common for the alcohol taste and smell to be very noticeable. I have now let this beer sit for an hour and a half and the beer has become almost sickeningly sweet. What does this tell you? Don’t nurse your dang beer! However, both my fiance and I have nursed ours as it is just not a beer you drink quickly. I couldn’t imagine drinking the whole bottle by myself!
The Good: A great tasting beer that is easy to drink, until it gets really warm
The Bad: It is a limited release and a bit expensive
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Laughing Dog – The Dogfather
Feb0
Even dogs must bow down to it...
Tonight I am drinking The Dogfather from Laughing Dog Brewing. From the get go you can tell this is a serious stout! The beer is rated at 10.85% ABV which is not exactly a budweiser 
. The higher alcohol comes through in the taste and the smell of the beer. I can’t drink this beer quickly for many reasons: it has a high ABV, the taste would be over powering, the bitterness would get to me. Overall the Dogfather isn’t that bitter but it does have an IBU rating of 71 which is higher than some IPAs. I am going to guess based off of the sharpness in the bitterness that it is mostly coming from the malts with the hops giving it the sharp finish. The aftertaste of the beer is surprisingly sweet which would be almost gross if someone was to take a huge gulp. As the beer warmed up the bitterness and sharpness toned down a bit and a slight smokey flavor showed up.
Overall this beer was pretty damn good. I would say the hardest part of this whole review was getting a picture of my dogs looking like they actually gave a damn about the beer. It was almost as bad as getting a girl interested in engines: the easiest way is to put a “cute” pair of shoes around the damn thing. However, in this case, the “engine” was beer and the “cute” shoes were freeze-dried liver treats.
The Good: aftertaste, makes you feel good after a tough work week, taste
The Bad: A little too bitter
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Stone – Imperial Russian Stout
Jan5
Like the bottle says it pours like crude oil!
This is the second time I have had this beer and point blank I would have to say I love it. Many of the brews coming out of Stone don’t float my boat but this one had me thinking about buying a case and seeing how well it ages (it is supposed to age well). As you might be able to ascertain from the picture there is no head on this beer and it is dark…very dark. It has a strong lasting taste but is not overly bitter. The initial taste is very smooth but if left to sit in your mouth the bitterness will hit you and a hint of coffee will leak through. The smell of the beer has no prominent scent except for alcohol. The pour of this beer is thick and is almost too easy to pour .
The website for this beer describes the beer as having hints of “anise, black currants, coffee, roastiness and alcohol.” Since I am not exactly sure what anise and black currants are I will have to take their word on that. I can taste a very, very faint hint of coffee but the roastiness and alcohol are definitely there! This beer has an ABV at 10.8% which makes it a decently strong beer, although not the strongest I have ever tried. The taste of the beer changes as it warms up, becoming more mellow, less bitter, and the flavors more distinctive.
The Good: Delicious taste in an utterly dark beer, this beer truly could be chewed.
The Bad: I am not sure what type of food would go with it, that would be the one down side I could think of, it would probably kick the living shit out of any food you had.
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Cheers!
Avery – Mephistopheles’ Stout (2006)
Dec0
a devilishly strong stout
When I chose this stout, I was going off of a few things I know I like. Firstly, I love darks, and stouts are one of my favorite. Second, I’ve had a few Avery beers, and usually they have a way of putting a spin on a beer that’s a little bit different, a little better. Finally, I wanted a nicer, more expensive beer, to have with a nice meal. Oh, and I have a history of drinking beers with Demon heads on them, but that’s a different story.
So when I was at my local bottled beer retailer, Bottleworks, and I saw the red foiled, shiny stout, I thought I would give it a whirl. Little did I know, this devious brew was going to give me a whirl!
What I didn’t take note of, is that this beer has a 16.03% alcohol by volume. Once again I remind you, this is not a tipple or IPA, but a stout. I opened and it poured nicely, with a beautiful rich and dark head. However on first sip, Mephistopheles informed me why this was his stout. The first sip is almost antiseptic in nature. The malted barley and hops were not meant to be bent and twisted to this high of an ABV. The after taste is barely recognizable, like fine vodka. I’m drinking it straight out the refrigerator, and even at this cold, I can smell the mouthwash aroma.
I decided to finish my meal, and let this beast sit. Perhaps patience will dominate it.
15 min later, the brew is losing its alcoholic punch, and the Stout is coming out to let its self be know. It still needs to still a bit longer.
I’ve finished my meal, cleaned the dishes, and I look across the room, at this dominating stout, and give in, and decide to finish it. The alcohol flavor has passed as much as it is going to. What’s left is one of the strongest stout flavors I’ve ever imbibed. There is almost an oaky finish, while maintaining a velvety smooth texture. I like it, but I know that this beer is my better. I doubt I will finish it within the hour. Avery has twisted this stout into a demon, only those strong enough should attempt to drink.
The Good: When you get to it, it’s got a super flavorful body. Very Stouty, very smooth.
The Bad: Huge ABV. “This is going to hurt” kind of ABV.
The Evil: Meph’s Stout is 100% evil. it makes you want to drink it, and punishes you the whole way.