Beer Review, Hopf Dunkel Weisse

Hopf Dunkel Weisse (bottle)
Germany
5.0% ABV

Appearance: Dark brown/black appearance, thick brown foamy head that sticks around. Very nice presentation for a dunkel. 4.5/5

Smell: Dark roasty aroma. Malty, slightly nutty. Hints of citrus in the back. 4.0/5

Taste: Strong citrusy yeast up-front, with a dark roast back end and a dry aftertaste. Sweet, refreshing. 3.5/5

Mouthfeel: Thin body, low carbonation, low hops. Pretty standard for a dunkelweizen. 3.5/5

Drinkability: Pretty drinkable. Not as nice as some other dunkelweizens, but decent. 3.5/5

Overall: 3.8/5

Beer Review, Brasserie des Rocs Triple Imperiale

Brasserie des Rocs Triple Imperiale (bottle)
Belgium
10.0% ABV

Appearance: Dark coloration, amber-brown, with a thick off-white head that dissipates slowly. Significant sediment in the glass. 4.5/5

Smell: Very yeasty, strong notes of rich nuttiness. Somewhat bready, with a strong Belgian funk. Rich, complex, inviting. 5.0/5

Taste: Dark maltiness, nutty, almost chocolatey in flavor. Perhaps a touch of caramel? On the back-end a nice yeast character, rich with the best of Belgium. A slight tarty fruitiness on the finish, notes of cherries. Slightly dry on the aftertaste. Delicious. 4.5/5

Mouthfeel: Heavy body, coating the palate well. No significant hoppiness or carbonation. Very chewy as one gets to the bottom of the bottle where the yeast resides. 4.0/5

Drinkability: A very drinkable, delicious Belgian Ale. Worth a try by anyone who loves a good Belgian. 4.5/5

Overall: 4.55/5

Beer Review, Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA

Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA (bottle)
Milton, DE
6.0% ABV

How is it I've never reviewed 60 minute? Time to rectify that.

Appearance: Yellow body, quite a bit of effervescence, with a thin white head that dissipates quickly. Somewhat hazy. 4.0/5

Smell: Sweet oranges up front, nice citrus aroma, with a clean hoppiness underneath. Quite inviting. 4.0/5

Taste: Hops are more prevalent in the flavor than the nose. Strong crisp hop bite on the tip of the tongue, with a slight citrus fruitiness on the back end. Hops fade in the finish leaving a dry, almost yeasty aftertaste. Quite nice. 4.5/5

Mouthfeel: Highly carbonated, high hops, otherwise moderate thickness. Coats the palate. A bit thick for a standard IPA, but not unpleasantly so. 3.5/5

Drinkability: A very drinkable IPA. Worthy of its reputation. 4.0/5

Overall: 4.15/5

Beer Review, Dogfish Head Sah'tea

Dogfish Head Sah'tea (bottle)

(What do you know? A whole style I didn't know even existed.)

Appearance: Very hazy translucent yellow-orange body, thin white head that dissipates quickly in my snifter. 4.0/5

Smell: Strongly citrus (think oranges), hints of grapefruit and berries. Very strong black tea underneath. 4.5/5

Taste: When cold, this has a orangey citrus flavor, but as it warms the citrus fades completely into the background, leaving a strong black tea flavor with a nice yeasty tart finish. 4.5/5

Mouthfeel: Moderate thickness, slight carbonation, very slight hoppiness. Tartness leaves its effect on the palate. 4.5/5

Drinkability: Very drinkable, high in alcohol but very much worth a try. Not worth $27+ a bottle, but decent. I may buy again someday. 4.0/5

Overall: 4.35/5

Beer Review, Capital Brewing U.S. Pale Ale

Capital Brewing U.S. Pale Ale (bottle)
Middleton, WI
5.0% ABV

Appearance: Slightly hazy yellow body (a tinge of orange) with a thin white bubbly head that sticks around for a bit. Not bad for an APA, but I usually expect a bit more red. 3.5/5

Smell: Pale maltiness, piney citrus hops. 3.0/5

Taste: Much like the aroma, a strong citrus flavor with a hint of dry piney hops on the finish and a dry aftertaste. This is better when it's a bit colder. Almost reminds me of a lager at times. 3.5/5

Mouthfeel: Thin body, heavy hops, moderate carbonation. Actually quite pleasant. 4.0/5

Drinkability: This is a bog-standard APA. Worth drinking, but nothing special. 3.5/5

Overall: 3.45/5

Beer Review, North Coast Old Rasputin XII

North Coast Old Rasputin XII (bottle)
Fort Bragg, CA
11.2% ABV

Appearance: Black, completely opaque, not even showing light through when held up to a light source. Very thick brown head that sticks around and leaves significant lacing. Amazing. 5.0/5

Smell: Strangely sweet, highly astringent, strong with coffee and rich with chocolate malt. Rich, malty, very good. 4.5/5

Taste: Dry roasted malt on the front with a sweet chocolate-coffee backbone and a malty finish. The dryness is perfectly balanced so as to remove much of the alcohol astringency. 4.5/5

Mouthfeel: Thick but not syrupy, with a moderate hop bite. The alcohol burns the palate a bit. 4.0/5

Drinkability: This is an amazing beer. I'd love to age a couple of these for a few years to see if the alcohol fades a bit -- I'd bet it'd be even more amazing down the line. 4.5/5

Overall: 4.55/5

My Homebrew: India Amber Ale

I'm trying for a nice hoppy amber this time. Here's the recipe.

1lb Gambrinus Honey Malt
1lb Vienna Malt
6.6lb Sparkling Amber Malt Extract
1 oz Chinook (60 min)
1 oz Centennial (30 min)
0.5 oz Centennial (5 min)
0.5 oz Centennial (0 min)
1 vial White Labs California V Yeast

I added the honey malt so that it will hopefully have a bit of residual sweetness. I'm calling it a "India Amber Ale" because I'm wanting it to have a nice hop bite.

Physics and Beer

Sometimes the Onion just rocks, man.

Did you hear that, everybody? Please don't serve Nobel Prize–winning physicist Douglas Osheroff over here any lukewarm alcoholic beverages or he might go crying into his antiferromagnetic resonance data conducted for Bell Laboratories in 1979!

Okay, so they're baiting me by combining my love for beer with my love for obscure physics, but I still think this bit is pretty awesome.

Beer Review, Arcadia Jaw-Jacker Ale

Arcadia Jaw-Jacker Ale
Battle Creek, MI
6.0% ABV

Appearance: Transparent reddish-orange body, thin white head that dissipates immediately. Some effervescence. 3.5/5

Smell: Sweet spicy pumpkin aroma, slight malt, hints of dry hops. A nice sweet aroma, welcoming for the beer to come. 4.0/5

Taste: Nice spiced ale. Hints of orange rind and coriander. Maybe some nutmeg? Otherwise a decent pumpkin backbone with a sweet finish. 3.5/5

Mouthfeel: Thin-to-moderate thickness, with a very low amount of carbonation and hops. 3.5/5

Drinkability: Not the greatest pumpkin ever, but definitely quite drinkable. 3.0/5

Overall: 3.55/5

Beer Review, Bell's Rye Stout

Bell's Rye Stout (bottle)
Comstock, MI
6.7% ABV

Appearance: Dark black color, slight reddish hue at the bottom, moderately-sized brown head that sticks around. Head is rich and creamy. Nice presentation. 4.0/5

Smell: Smells almost like a nitro stout. Dry malty aromatics, slight notes of chocolate. 3.5/5

Taste: Nice rye flavor up front with a significant chocolate malt presence on the backend. Slightly astringent finish, dry aftertaste. A bit cloying. 3.5/5

Mouthfeel: Moderate thickness, slightly chewy. 4.0/5

Drinkability: A rye stout is an interesting concept, and this is good, but it's not quite up to the standards of most Bell's beer. Definitely worth a try for fans of Bell's or those who love rye, but a bit lacking for my palate. 4.0/5

Overall: 3.7/5

Beer Review, Lagunitas Lucky 13

Lagunitas Lucky 13 (bottle)
Petaluma, CA
8.3% ABV

Appearance: Red-orange body, transparent, with a thin off-white head that dissipates to soapscum rather quickly. Very slight effervescence. 4.0/5

Smell: Rich fruity amber aroma, crisp white hops. Very floral, very inviting. 4.5/5

Taste: Rich amber flavor, thick with apples and syrupy goodness, with a hoppy backbone and a very dry finish. The alcohol is present in the aftertaste, along with a strong floral hoppiness. Very very nice. 4.5/5

Mouthfeel: Thick, heavy with hops and with high carbonation. 4.5/5

Drinkability: The beer I'd describe as the closest to this is Arrogant Bastard, which has got to be one of my all-time favorite beers. This is higher in alcohol and may be even smoother than the Bastard, although it's not quite as well-balanced. Highly recommended. 4.5/5

Overall: 4.4/5