Beer Review, Denver Pale Ale

Great Divide Denver Pale Ale
Denver, CO
5.6% ABV

Appearance: Reddish-orange hue, very hazy with suspended carbonation, with a thick white bubbly head. Makes my mouth water just looking at it. 4.5/5

Smell: Crisp malts and hops, hints of caramel and probably Kent Goldings on the hop front. Some hints of citrus. 4.0/5

Taste: Some malty sweetness up-front, with a caramel backbone and a dry hoppy finish. Very nice, very clean, very refreshing. 4.5/5

Mouthfeel: Thicker than anticipated, heavy with carbonation. Hops tickle the mouth. Probably a bit thick as per style, but still quite nice. 4.0/5

Drinkability: One of my all-time favorite English Pale Ales, for sure. 4.5/5

Overall: 4.35/5

Beer Review, Affligem Blond

Affligem Blond
Flanders, Belgium
6.8% ABV

Appearance: Yellow-orange body, very hazy, some effervescence from the bottom of the glass. Thick foamy white head that sticks around, leaves some lacing. 4.5/5

Smell: Sweet, tart, heavy with Belgian "funk." Some corn maltiness, which is odd for the style, but not at all unpleasant. 3.5/5

Taste: Very sweet up-front, nice Belgian tartness, some hints of citrus. A bit drying on the finish and strong with oranges on the aftertaste. It's actually quite refreshing and relaxing. 4.0/5

Mouthfeel: Thick and foamy, but with only a slight carbonation. Somewhat chewy with suspended yeast. 4.0/5

Drinkability: I usually don't think of Belgians as "summer beers," but this one is a pretty good example of that concept. 4.0/5

Overall: 4.0/5

Beer Review, Maharaja Premium

Maharaja Premium
Bangalore, India
5.0% ABV

My first beer from India. At least that's a milestone of a sort.

Appearance: Transparent yellow body, very slight orange tinge. Very minimal head that dissipates immediately, leaving only slight traces of soapscum. Not an auspicious start. 1.5/5

Smell: Very sweet, strong notes of corn. Uncomplex, but decent. Not spectacular, but sets the stage for what might be a decent pils. 2.5/5

Taste: This one is way off. Too sweet on the up-front, almost lip-puckeringly so. Unpleasant corn aftertaste. 1.5/5

Mouthfeel: Decent. Thin body, goes down clean like a pilsner should. Flat, with almost no carbonation. 3.0/5

Drinkability: Maybe this would go better with curry, or maybe it just doesn't travel well, but I'm very unimpressed. 2.0/5

Overall: 1.9/5

Beer Review, New Holland Night Tripper Imperial Stout

New Holland Night Tripper Imperial Stout
Holland, MI
10.8% ABV

Appearance: Rich dark velvet color, slightly reddish tinge. Thin brown foamy head that dissipates fairly quickly. 4.0/5

Smell: Very dry, roasty, heavy with dark chocolate malts. Some hoppy bitterness buried in the backbone of the aroma. Hints of an almost caramel sweetness. Very rich, aromatic. 4.5/5

Taste: Strong with grains and malt. Some alcohol astringency on the tip of the tongue, especially on the finish and aftertaste. Sweet backbone, rich with chocolate and very heavy with coffee. 4.5/5

Mouthfeel: Moderate thickness, no real carbonation, with that aforementioned alcohol astringency on the finish. Coats the palate. 4.0/5

Drinkability: Quite a nice beer. Very drinkable, especially considering the alcohol. 4.0/5

Overall: 4.3/5

ESB Recipe

6.6 lb Amber Malt Extract
1 lb Vienna Malt
1 lb 60L Crystal Malt
1 oz Kent Goldings (60 min)
.5 oz Liberty (30 min)
.5 oz Liberty (15 min)
1 vial White Labs Burton Ale Yeast

I boiled the crystal malt and the Vienna malt for 30 minutes at 170F, then added the extract and the Kent Goldings. After thirty minutes, I added half of my Liberty hops, then after another fifteen, I added the other half. I let the wort cool, then added the yeast starter I made a couple of days ago with Pilsner DME in a half-gallon growler.

I'm aiming for something rich and malty, not too alcoholic and overall pretty relaxing.

Beer Review, Lake Effect Pale Ale

Mishawaka Brewing Lake Effect Pale Ale
Mishawaka, IN
5.8% ABV

Appearance: Transparent yellow body, some bubbles from carbonation, but with absolutely zero head. 2.0/5

Smell: Much better here. Rich, malty, with caramel undertones. Strong hoppy aroma. Reminds me more of Dead Guy than any pale ale I've ever had. High marks for impressiveness, though. 4.5/5

Taste: Sweet with apples but quite tart, borderline sour, with a dry yeasty aftertaste. There's a lot going on here, but it's a cacaphony rather than a symphony. 3.0/5

Mouthfeel: Thin, but it does coat the palate on the finish. 3.0/5

Drinkability: This doesn't really work as a pale ale. I'd rather think of this as an amber. 3.0/5

Overall: 3.1/5

My Gaming Life

This is how I feel pretty much all the time.

 

I've been obsessed with Dead Rising for the last few months, and the game came out in 2006, so I am clearly not on the bleeding edge of video game culture. And yet I am okay with that.

Shorter Vox Day

Shorter Vox Day: "You should judge a book by its cover."

(There are so many levels of horseshit in that small post of Vox's that I was originally tempted to write out an entire post drawing out the threads of the utter dumbosity -- but why waste my time pointing out such obvious flaws in the writings of the intellectually blinkered?

Beer Review, Guinness 250th Anniversary Stout

Guinness 250th Anniversary Stout
Dublin, Ireland
5% ABV

Appearance: Very dark coloration, black/brown with a slight reddish tinge on the bottom. Thick off-white head that leaves significant lacing. 4.5/5

Smell: Dry aromatic maltiness, lots of breadiness, hints of mild hops. Has an almost bock-like aroma. Interesting. 4.0/5

Taste: Sweeter than expected. I'm drinking this warmer than usual, having left it out of the fridge longer than I intended, and the extra warmth is bringing a lot of sweet malty complexity to the forefront. Astringent on the finish, dry on the aftertaste. 4.0/5

Mouthfeel: Perhaps a touch thicker than ordinary Guinness (which is very watery to my palate), with a touch of carbonation. No hop bite at all. 4.0/5

Drinkability: I'll probably get a bottle of Guinness and a bottle of Extra Stout and do a three-way side-by-side at some point. I think this is a better beer than either of those, but whether it's just my mind playing tricks on my tastebuds I can't say. 4.0/5

Overall: 4.1/5

Beer Review, Founders Imperial Stout

Founders Imperial Stout
Grand Rapids, MI
10.5% ABV

Appearance: Very dark, black, with a thick tan-colored smooth head. Head sticks around and leaves significant lacing. 4.5/5

Smell: Sweet, malty, chocolatey, but with a bit of a fruity undertone. Hints of chocolate-covered cherries and... grapes. Very nice aroma. 5.0/5

Taste: Highly astringent, very strong with the alcohol. Underneath the astringency is a strong malt presence and a touch of breadiness. Finishes dry. It's pretty unbalanced for my palate -- I'd prefer this with either a stronger malt to overcome the astringency or less alcohol. 4.0/5

Mouthfeel: Thick, velvety. Leaves the tongue coated. No significant carbonation. 4.5/5

Drinkability: A good RIS, but not quite a great one. Maybe if I let one cellar for awhile... 4.0/5

Overall: 4.35/5