Day 175: Red's Rye Pale Ale

Name: Red's Rye Pale Ale

Brewer: Founder's Brewing (Grand Rapids, MI)

Classification: Rye Ale

Alcohol: 6.6%

Thoughts: I have this Founder's pint glass sitting in my cabinet that I got from a pint night a year or two ago. I thought it was about time I bought a Founder's brew and used this glass. Also, let me say that I am thankful to be having a Pale Ale this evening as I have had a bunch of Belgium and sweet beers lately and needed something new and exciting. This Rye Ale pours a dark caramel-like amber color with a wispy beige head. The aroma is hypnotic as it fills your nostrils. I got piney, floral hops and an obvious rye smell that reminded me of New York City for some reason. When drinking this beer the rye comes upfront but is quickly followed by toasted malts, sweet caramel, and a slight bitterness from the hops. The taste is really fresh and crisp. It seems like this is just a well brewed beer made with fresh ingredients. That is usually a good recipe for a great beer. 

Rating: 86/100

Day 174: Blanche de Chambly

Name: Blanche de Chambly

Brewer: Unibroue (Chambly, Quebec, Canada)

Classification: Witbier

Alcohol: 5%

Thoughts: I had La Fin Du Monde, the brew at the #1 spot on my Top 10, quite a while ago. I have been itching to try another brew from the same brewery, Unibroue, ever since. I put on my smart pants and picked up Blanche de Chambly, Unibroue's award winning Witbier. It pours a cloudy pale gold color with a late-rising head. The smell was immediate and forceful. It reeked of sweet spices and a number of fruits including grapefruit and orange. The most noticeable thing in the taste is the crispness. It bites at the tongue and ignites the palate. It could be the yeast or the spice, but either way it works. This beer seems to be a lot more intense and complex than a normal Witbier, which makes me think it is closer to a Belgian White Ale. The classification really doesn't matter because I feel that Unibroue has made another genuine and successful beer. 

Rating: 90/100

Day 173: Allagash Tripel

Name: Allagash Tripel

Brewer: Allagash Brewing Co. (Portland, ME)

Classification: Tripel

Alcohol: 9%

Thoughts: Maine's Allagash Brewing Company is making a return to The Beer Year with their very own Tripel. This was my Christmas gift to myself. I really like Allagash's brews and Tripels have started to become my favorite style of beer. So, it is a natural choice that this beer is so appealing. I did pour this beer but I forgot to take a picture. It poured a gorgeous golden-orange color with a huge cream-colored head. The aroma is heavy on Belgian yeast, citrus and a peppery spice that was not as heavy but noticeable. The aroma is extremely clean and likable. The taste is very similar to the nose but with added fruity esters, lemon zest, and a decent mount of floral hops. The mouthfeel of this beer is crisp and smooth. As for a Tripel this is pretty great across the board. It is exciting, interesting and it is just damn good. 

Rating: 89/100

Day 172: Left Hand Milk Stout

Name: Left Hand Milk Stout

Brewer: Left Hand Brewing (Longmont, CO)

Classification: Milk Stout

Alcohol: 6%

Thoughts: I was really looking to find a good, drinkable stout that I could admit I liked it. I asked around and Left Hand's Milk Stout seemed to be the most talked about drinkable stout. I expect it to fit my criteria, but will I like it? It pours black but there was very little head even though i poured it rough to give it head. I guess this means there is very little carbonation in it. The aroma is light but there is a dose of coffee, some malts and a bittersweet chocolate smell. Because it is a stout I expected it to have a thick feel and big flavor. It surprised me in both areas. The feel was medium-bodied but still creamy. The flavor was fairly crisp for a stout with faint hints of coffee bean, roasted malts and an unsweetened chocolate milk flavor. This seems to be a good beer, but I don't know how good of a stout it is. I liked it, but true stout drinkers may find it less appealing. 

Rating: 82/100

Day 171: Westmalle Trappist Dubbel

Name: Trappist Dubbel

Brewer: Brouwerij Westmalle (Malle, Belgium)

Classification: Dubbel

Alcohol: 7%

Thoughts: This is the first Trappist Ale that I have had on The Beer Year. A Trappist Ale is an ale that is brewed under the rules of the Trappist Monks. There are only 7 breweries in the world that are certified as Trappist and they are all within Trappist Abbeys, which is one of the rules. What all this means is that these beers are brewed with the upmost care and respect for the brewing process and the ingredients used. The result is that some of the best beers in the world come from these breweries. They are expensive beers but this one was a Christmas present and I was very thankful for it. It pours a dark mahogany color with a slight reddish tint and a huge foamy beige head. As I popped the cap of the bottle I walked about 5 feet away to put my bottle opener away and the aroma seemed to beat me to the spot. It was that strong. The smell is full of dark cherries, spicy Belgian yeast and a load of bready malts. The head never faded and I spent the entire experience drinking the beer through the head. It was similar to drinking a Guinness. The body was full and the flavor was potent. More dark fruit and spice are involved but we get some new additions. There are dry, earthy malts, a candy-like sweetness and the backbone of this Dubbel is the warming alcohol that washes the palate and throat. I can easily tell the difference between this Dubbel and other Dubbels I have had. It is stronger in build, deeper in flavor, and livelier in character. This is a beer-lover's delight and a beer-snob's must. 

Rating: 93/100

Day 170: Shock Top

Name: Shock Top

Brewer: Anheuser-Busch (St. Louis, MO)

Classification: Witbier

Alcohol: 5.2%

Thoughts: One of the worst beers I have ever had! It tasted like orange juice with beer in it. That may not sound that bad, but it definitely tasted that bad. 

Rating: 53/100

Day 169: Samuel Adams Winter Lager

Name: Samuel Adams Winter Lager

Brewer: Boston Beer Company (Boston, MA)

Classification: Bock

Alcohol: 5.5%

Thoughts: I never thought I would let Sam Koch have another beer on my blog, but it looks like that isn't true. Here I have Samuel Adams Winter Lager and I hope it sucks. It pours a deep brown with a pencil thin head. I detected faint hops and a fresh ginger spices in the aroma. After another waft I caught cinnamon and a sweetness resembling oranges. The taste is high on the malts, medium on the gain and sweetness, and low on the spices and hops. The mouthfeel is slick and slightly oily, but it goes down easy and smooth. I hate to say it but this is a decent beer and I kind of liked it. Merry Christmas!

Rating: 83/100

Day 168: Kind Beer Red Ale

Name: Belgian Red Ale

Brewer: Kind Beers Brewing (Charlotte, NC)

Classification: Belgian Pale Ale

Alcohol: 6%

Thoughts: Well it is Christmas Eve, my family has gone to Church and we are waiting for the beef tenderloin to get out of the oven. In the meantime we are watching Christmas Vacation and I am drinking a Kind Beer Belgian Red Ale. It is not a brewery I know a lot about, but it is a NC Brewing Company that brews their beer in SC. Also, it should pair well with the beef tenderloin. I drank right out of the bottle but I am assuming that this red ale pours a reddish color. Not very enlightening, I know. The aroma coming out of the bottle was lively with caramel, floral hops and bready malts. It is pretty decent and I expect it to open up a little better poured into a glass. The flavor takes the usual Belgian sweet/spicy/fruit route that I fully expected. It isn't anything overwhelming, but it went well with dinner and was fairly enjoyable. I think this beer is slightly above average, but more than worth a try. Merry Christmas!

Rating: 81/100

Day 167: Le Merle

Name: Le Merle

Brewer: North Coast Brewing Co. (Fort Bragg, CA)

Classification: Saison

Alcohol: 7.9%

Thoughts: When I selected this beer I was unaware that this was also a North Coast brew. However, because I am at my parents I decided to have it back to back with Pranqster. This Saison poured a bright orange-gold with a thick, full head of foam, which is a traditional Saison look. It doesn't smell like a Saison though. There are a lot of lush fruits like guava, clementine, and persimmon. The yeast is giving off very little phenol or funky aromas that Saisons usually employ. Instead the nose is dominated by this abundance of fruit. The taste is unusual for a Saison and it leads me to believe that this may not actually be a Saison. The taste has tart lemon and green apple along with cloves, cinnamon, yeast and a touch of funk. It does finish clean with a bit of warming to the palate. This is not a traditional beer, but it is a very good beer. If you are looking for something different I would recommend it. 

Rating: 87/100

Day 166: Pranqster

Name: Pranqster

Brewer: North Coast Brewing Co. (Fort Bragg, CA)

Classification: Belgian Strong Pale Ale

Alcohol: 7.6%

Thoughts: I am not a huge fan of other people's ratings because I feel that they are a personal opinion, just like my ratings are. However, when I see that a beer is rated at a perfect score of 100, I have to see if that score is feasible. This is exactly what happened with Pranqster. It pours a hazy, extremely bubbly gold with a fat white head that laces wonderfully around the glass. The aroma is aromatic and similar to perfume. There is a trace of pepper and a hint of sweet honey. The flavor of this beer was a bit muted compared to what I was expecting. It is a fantastic taste, let that be known. However, I was really expecting this beer to blow me out of the water. There is some mild sweetness from the malts, fruitiness from the hops and a peppery alcoholic finish. This is a must have beer and one of the best I have had on this blog, but in no way is it perfect. I'm sorry, it just isn't. 

Rating: 89/100

Day 165: Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA

Name: 90 Minute Imperial IPA

Brewer: Dogfish Head Craft Brewery (Milton, DE)

Classification: Imperial IPA

Alcohol: 9%

Thoughts: Since 60 Minute IPA was just knocked off the Top 10 list, I thought I should move onto 90 Minute Imperial IPA. This beer has been on my radar for a while and when I was buying the Delirium Tremens I thought I would just keep going on the spending front, so I put it in my basket. It pours a medium-to-dark amber color with an off white head that reeked a wonderful aroma. There was lots of hops, lots a sweet malt, some grapefruit, and even some pineapple to boot. The smell just sets the table for the taste. It's like the opening band to a bigger, more badass band. This tastes like a well-aged Imperial IPA. It is blended and smooth in flavor, with a touch of alcohol and a mouthfeel on the verge of syrup. All of the flavors (barley, leather, earthy hops, and grass) mingle in the mouth. There were aftertastes of bran muffin and molasses, which went well with the dry-hopped feel. The band playing in this show is on the level of Radiohead or Arcade Fire. Exciting, fun and sophisticated altogether. Great, great beer!

Rating: 91/100

Day 164: Blue Point Toasted Lager

Name: Toasted Lager

Brewer: Blue Point Brewing Co. (Patchogue, NY)

Classification: Vienna Lager

Alcohol: 5.3%

Thoughts: Blue Point holds a special place in my heart since it is brewed on Long Island, which is where I was born. I have never ben to their brewery, but I have been to Patchogue, which is the town on Long Island that they are located. I think that basically means I've been in their brewery. Anyways, something you should keep in mind is that this is the first time I have Toasted Lager in bottle form. There were some differences. The pour was an opaque caramel color with Christmas Lights it. Up top sat a buttload of foamy head. The aroma is obviously thick on the toasted malts, but roasted malts, a stingy sweetness, and a dab of bitterness could also be smelled. The taste however, was not the usual Toasted Lager I was used to. It held its own on a toasted malt level but everything else was subpar. It wasn't bad, just not what I remember. I do recommend it though. Definitely a good example of a Vienna Lager. 

Rating: 81/100

Day 163: Delirium Tremens

Name: Delirium Tremens

Brewer: Brouwerij Huyghe (Melle, Belgium)

Classification: Belgian Strong Pale Ale

Alcohol: 8.5%

Thoughts: Tonight's beer is a special one to me. I have been wanting to try it for a long time because of all the wonderful things I have heard plus its just an awesome bottle. The one problem was that I could never muster up the 6 bucks this bad boy cost. For a 12oz. bottle of beer? I finally did it though and I am damn glad I did. This beer actually looks like a yellowish, highly-carbonated champagne instead of a high-gravity intense beer. The soft sparkly white head sits on top of this beer and really makes it look classy by the way. The aroma is incredibly spicy with lots of pepper and phenol. There is a fruity hit that follows the spice and a hoppy note that follows that. I originally expected this to be a very alcoholic beer with a complex flavor that I wouldn't be able to handle. Instead the complexity was so balanced this beer was just dynamic! The first thing I noticed is the ridiculously crisp bite that hits the palate. It is very similar to the carbonated bite you get from champagne. The crispness is followed by sweet honey, white grapes and a lightly spicy phenol. The finish was a warming alcoholic flush down the throat. This beer is so exciting and so captivating. I recommend this experience to anyone and everyone. It is not just a drink it is much more than that. 

Rating: 92/100

Day 162: Sierra Nevada Celebration

Name: Celebration

Brewer: Sierra Nevada Brewing (Chico, CA)

Classification: American IPA

Alcohol: 6.8%

Thoughts: I have been seeing this beer all over the place lately and even though I had a Sierra Nevada brew not too long ago I felt I needed to at least try it. That's the Ol' Ball & Chain holding my beer by the way. She has been my biggest supporter in this odd adventure and I just wanted to take a moment and thank her everything she does for me beer-wise and life-wise. Back to the beer. As you can see in the picture it pours a very pretty reddish amber with a thin bright white head. As soon as the beer was placed on my table the smell hit my nostrils. It had a "Holiday" scent to it with some spice, toasted grain and fully herbal. The taste is different from most IPAs I've had. It has a sharp citric acid taste with minty, piney hops and a creamy alcoholic finish. The taste is unbalanced as their seems to be more malt than hops in this IPA, but the malts aren't overpowering. The yeast is where it's at. It really sets this beer apart from other Holiday brews. I really suggest this with your Christmas Eve ham or your Christmas Night beef tenderloin. 

Rating: 86/100

Day 161: Loose Cannon

Name: Loose Cannon

Brewer: Clipper City Brewing (Baltimore, MD)

Classification: American IPA

Alcohol: 7.25%

Thoughts: I'd like to welcome back Clipper City Brewing's Heavy Seas series to The Beer Year. It is always lovely to see them. This time around I have Loose Cannon, their American India Pale Ale offering. IPA's have been popular on this blog, but very few have been able to set themselves apart like 60 Minute IPA and Green Flash. Can Loose Cannon be the ext to do it? It pours a hazy orange with golden highlight and a huge foamy head. The smell reminds me of the Caribbean as it is fruity, floral, and tropical. There is an obvious hit of hops in the nose to go along with the Island smell. The taste is not overly complex. The hops hit you first as they are slightly bitter, but they quickly give way to a cannonball of fruit including grapefruit and other citrus fruit. It is fairly sweet, but very drinkable. It is missing the hoppy bite you would expect from an IPA. I think it could have been marketed more as a Pale Ale or even some sort of hybrid. It is a good beer, I'm not going to take that away from it, but it is a little too easy to read and a little too expected.

Rating: 79/100

Day 160: Shotgun Betty

Name: Shotgun Betty

Brewer: Lonerider Brewing (Raleigh, NC)

Classification: Hefeweizen

Alcohol: 5.8%

Thoughts: I haven't had Londerider Brewing on since July I believe, but its time to bring them back on the blog. The reason is Shotgun Betty. This is easily the best beer I've had from them and I needed to share it my massive following of 8 people. I drank this right from the bottle but if I remember correctly this hefeweizen looks like a cloudy pale gold. The nose on this brew has a decent amount of clove, some banana, sweet honey and malts that creep in. The flavor is mighty sweet with more banana, some citrus, and honey. The malts bring a slight grassy flavor on the back end. There is a bit of sourness there too, but this is a crisp beer that is extremely drinkable. Sometimes hefeweizens can have too much sweetness to drink over and over, but I have always found this to be a terrific beer to drink multiples of during an outing or a game of poker as I did this evening. 

Rating: 85/100

Day 159: Dark Cloud

Name: Dark Cloud

Brewer: Mother Earth Brewing (Kinston, NC)

Classification: Munich Dunkel Lager

Alcohol: 5.1%

Thoughts: Eastern North Carolina's finest brewery is back on The Beer Year with their lovely rendition of a Munich Dunkel Lager. Dark Cloud pours an ominous black with a thick two-finger wide head. The aroma is heavy on the toasted malts as you would expect from a dark lager, but the more exciting part is the smell of grapes and aromatic hops. It is a unique smell to me as I have not had a great deal of Dunkel Lagers in my day. Sometimes dark beers can be intimidating because you expect them to be so complex that they are too heavy on the palate or just overkill. Dark Cloud is a simplistic dark beer that still manages to pack a punch, but not a knockout blow. The toasted malts are mild, the bitterness is soft and there is an ample amount of sweetness to interest you, but not over do it. This is a dark beer for people are new to this style of beer, but can still be loved by dark beer experts.

Rating: 87/100

Day 158: Harpoon IPA

Name: Harpoon IPA

Brewer: Harpoon Brewing (Boston, MA)

Classification: American IPA

Alcohol: 5.9%

Thoughts: I had Harpoon's Leviathan Imperial IPA on last week and I am having their regular American IPA tonight. Let's see how it differs from the Imperial IPA. The color of this beer is a somewhat cloudy amber-gold color, and it has a two-finger slightly off-white head that laces nicely. Harpoon IPA's nose has a decent hop aroma up front, some sweet citrus consisting of orange, pineapple, and tangerine in the middle, and a bit of pine on the end. Additionally there are notes of caramel sweetness. The taste is full of grapefruit, lots of grapefruit. It's not really all that bitter though, so it almost captures more of the sweet side of the grapefruit taste. The mouthfeel is foamy, with a lively sense of carbonation, but not the slightest bit syrupy. All in all a pretty decent beer.

Rating: 83/100

Day 157: Leavenworth Whistling Pig

Name: Leavenworth Whistling Pig

Brewer: Fish Brewing Company (Olympia, WA)

Classification: Hefeweizen

Alcohol: 4%

Thoughts: This hefeweizen pours a clouded, orange-gold body with a short, foamy near-white head. This beer has a somewhat weak nose. It smells only lightly of bready wheat, stagnant citrus juice, and a weak, weak hint of phenols. The taste has some wheat and and even less grain. It is a bit coarse and has some husky bitterness. In fact, this one is over-bitter for a hefeweizen. The finish is fairly clean and is possibly the saving grace of this beer. However, I'm looking for more and just not getting it. In all honesty I wouldn't recommend this and I will not be having this brew again. There are better hefeweizens and better ways to spend my time.

Rating: 67/100

Day 156: Working Man's Lunch

Name: Working Man's Lunch

Brewer: Fullsteam Brewery (Durham, NC)

Classification: American Brown Ale

Alcohol: 4.2%

Thoughts: Today is exactly 8 years since my wife, Laura, and I started dating. We haven't really celebrated it the past couple of years because we've been married and have celebrated our Wedding Anniversary instead. However, this was a good excuse to have a fancy dinner and some drinks. We chose to go to Piedmont which is this amazing restaurant that uses local, organically grown foods in all their dishes. It is down the street from Fullsteam Brewery and I was hoping they would have something on tap from them. They did and I chose Working Man's Lunch as it is the only Year-Round beer they make that I have yet to have. It pours a brown that is as close to black as you can get without crossing the line. The tan, highly carbonated head makes this beer look like a cola once it fades a bit. The aroma has noticeable roasted malts, some chocolate, vanilla and a tiny bit of spice, but that could be from the vanilla. The flavor is very enticing and certainly complex. There is a nuttiness and chocolate flavor that presents itself on first sip. The after effect seems to have some sweetness, a bit of sourness and more vanilla that bites at the throat. The feel is creamy and thick, but despite that fact this beer is smooth and drinkable in any situation. I think this may be my new favorite Fullsteam brew, but there are many more to go. Also, I definitely recommend Piedmont!

Rating: 88/100

Day 155: Lucky U IPA

Name: Lucky U IPA

Brewer: Breckenridge Brewery (Denver, CO)

Classification: American IPA

Alcohol: 6.2%

Thoughts: I don't really have a story about this beer or this brewery, but BreckBrew is new to the The Beer Year. They are actually new to me too. Let's see what they got. This American IPA pours a vibrant molasses-brown with a nice compact white head. This smell is pretty simple. It is grassy, sweet and holds the traditional hop presence you get with 99% of American IPAs. On first taste it was very crisp and contained a coldness that seemed to be more than the usual beer out of my fridge. This brew also contained a decent amount of grapefruit, some earthy malts and bitter hops. The bitterness lingers just a tad too long though. This beer is good, but it's nothing special. 

Rating: 82/100

Day 154: Narragansett Lager

Name: Narragansett Lager

Brewer: Narragansett Brewing Co. (Providence, RI)

Classification: American Adjunct Lager

Alcohol: 5.1%

Thoughts: Cans are apparently in the middle of a comeback. So are cassettes, mullets, and bell-bottom jeans. I am not a huge "Can Fan" because I think beer develops better in bottles or kegs. However, there is some breweries that only do cans and these breweries have mastered it about as best as it can be mastered. Narragansett is one of these breweries. I drank this one straight out of the can so I don't know what it looks like, but I can make some assumptions since it is an adjunct lager. The smell reminds me of buttered toast with a hint of floral hops on the back burner. The taste is pretty solid for an adjunct lager. Other examples of adjunct's are Budweiser, PBR, and Corona. This one is much better than all of these. It is crisp, malty and a bit of sweetness to add something extra to the flavor. I have never spent this much on a can of beer, and maybe never will again. However, this juice was worth the squeeze. 

Rating: 83/100

Day 153: Leffe Blonde

Name: Leffe Blonde

Brewer: Abbaye de Leffe (Dinant, Belgium)

Classification: Belgian Pale Ale

Alcohol: 6.6%

Thoughts: I have been to France a couple of times and both times I saw Leffe Blonde heavily advertised. So much so that I began to believe it was a French beer. This is not the case as it is a Belgian beer. However, I don't know if it lives up to Belgian standards. It pours a very opaque gold with a very bubbly head. The aroma is similar to that of a witbier with banana, clove and spicy yeast present in ever whiff. However, I feel like the taste is over done, way too sweet and my lips feel like I've been eating way too much candy. The feel of this beer is a bit oily and thick. I feel like all the advertising in France was a telling sign because this beer seems very commercial. It's also just not enjoyable. 

Rating: 70/100

Day 152: Arrogant Bastard Ale

Name: Arrogant Bastard Ale

Brewer: Stone Brewing Co. (Escondido, CA)

Classification: American Strong Ale

Alcohol: 7.2%

Thoughts: As you can tell by the picture I was at the Village Draft House in Raleigh again. If you learn one lesson from this blog it's that you should have custom glasses with your logo on them because you might have a beer blogger come in and take pictures. This will in-turn give you some free publicity. Anyways, while I was there I picked out one of my favorite beers that I haven't had in a long time. Stone's Arrogant Bastard Ale. Pretty awesome name for a pretty awesome brew. This American Strong Ale pours a luscious dark brown with plenty of reddish highlights and a frothy off-white head that laced around superbly around the glass. The aroma was heavy on the toasted malts, aromatic fruits, and a wonderful dank hop smell. Arrogant Bastard is a massively complex tasting beer that makes it greatly desirable. It is rich in grains and malts, deep in sweet caramel and bits of chocolate flavor, and balanced with hops, alcohol. It has a sensation I can only describe as heavenly. I don't know where this sensation comes from, but it is unique to this beer and only this beer. Maybe that's why it is such an Arrogant Bastard, because it knows how damn good it truly is. 

Rating: 90/100

Day 151: New Holland Charkoota Rye

Name: Charkoota Rya

Brewer: New Holland Brewing Co. (Holland, MI)

Classification: Smoked Doppelbock

Alcohol: 7.79%

Thoughts: I was out drinking with a friend and decided I really wanted to try something different. I wasn't in the mood for a porter or stout, but this New Holland Charkoota Rye caught my eye. A smoked rye doppelbock? Sure, why the hell not. It pours a dark woody brown with a medium-sized tan head that is foamy and clean. The smell is similar to barbecued or smoked pork with some sweet malts, dark fruit and a hint of molasses.  The flavor started out a bit smokey and woody, but ended up being sweet, fruity and very drinkable. The rye and alcohol came into its own during the finish. I was surprised by this beer and I was happy that my adventurousness paid off. I might try and be more adventurous in my selections over the winter, especially if I run into beers like this Charkoota Rye. 

Rating: 86/100

Day 150: #9

Name: #9

Brewer: Magic Hat Brewing Co. (Burlington, VT)

Classification: Fruit/Vegetable Lager

Alcohol: 5.1%

Thoughts: When I had Magic Hat's Oktoberfest beer I mentioned how much I love Magic Hat. There is just something about their beer that entices me. Maybe because it is brewed with excitement or concocted differently than other beers. I'm not sure exactly what it is, but it works. Today, I have their flagship beer, #9, on the blog. I had it straight out of the bottle so I am not sure exactly how it pours. It smells of toasted malts with some nuttiness and a butt load of apricot extract. It is an extremely fruity beer and it borders on being a lambic-style beer. The taste is extravagant in my mind. I know that some reviewers are over the "shock and awe" factor of this beer, but I'm not. It is obviously fruity since it is brewed with apricot extract and it obviously has a paleness to it since it is a pale ale recipe. However, there is a subtle earthiness and a modest hoppy bite on the tongue to it. Even though it is dominated by the fruit, it still has more to it. I will enjoy this beer to the day I die and I don't care who makes fun of me for it. 

Rating: 87/100

Day 149: OBX Beer

Name: OBX Beer

Brewer: Weeping Radish Bavarian Restaurant (Manteo, NC)

Classification: Kolsch

Alcohol: 6%

Thoughts: This is the second offering I got from Weeping Radish. It pours a slightly bronzed sunny-golden-yellow color, with a head that is white but wispy that dies down quickly. The aroma is mostly an appealing metal-meets-bread vibe that typical German lagers of various sorts tend to have. The grassy hops shine at the start of this taste. The end is more citrus notes and malts. No bites or bitterness. I couldn't detect any of the metallic finish I expected from the smell. This is the better of the two Weeping Radish brews. I expected more, but I don't know why. 

Rating: 77/100

Day 148: Corolla Gold

Name: Corolla Gold

Brewer: Weeping Radish Bavarian Restaurant (Manteo, NC)

Classification: Munich Helles Lager

Alcohol: 5%

Thoughts: I grew up going to the Outer Banks every summer with my family. We loved to go to Weeping Radish and eat, but I was never old enough to drink any of the beer. Well, I finally have the opportunity to try it. The first one up is Corolla Gold, their Munich Helles Lager. It pours a straw colored gold with ample head and little carbonation. It smells like your basic lager, but has a touch more grain or malt in addition to grassy notes. It smells good, but nothing more than average. The flavor leaves a bit to be desired, but consists of citrus zest, grainy malt, and a touch of sweetness. But as it warms the carbonation almost seems to detract from the flavor.  It lacks some of the flavor character and crisp mouthfeel that some of its counterparts possess, however it does start off very nice and is worth a sample.

Rating: 74/100

Day 147: Leviathan Imperial IPA

Name: Leviathan 

Brewer: Harpoon Brewing Co. (Boston, MA)

Classification: Imperial IPA

Alcohol: 10%

Thoughts: Harpoon is another good-sized brewery that I have yet to have on the blog up until now. No particular reason for holding off on them, but they are going to have two beers on the blog this week. I bought this one and I have a friend buy me another Harpoon brew that will be on later in the week. This is their Imperial IPA offering and it poured a pale gold that was slightly off-putting because Imperial IPAs are usually a little cloudy and more vibrant. The nose was also not very attractive. It was slow to develop, but when it did there was weak sweet malts, floral hops and citrus. So when it came time to actually drink this brew I was expecting more disappointment. Well, that didn't happen. The foam laced around the glass, the body was smooth as silk, and the flavor was intense. The alcohol was well balanced against the bitter hops and piney malts. It's been a while since I have had such a drinkable Imperial IPA. It is remarkably good. With all that said, they need to work on the presentation of this beer because it could look better and smell better. It cost this beer a chance to be in my top 10. 

Rating: 89/100

Day 146: Mash House Hefeweizen

Name: Mash House Hefeweizen

Brewer: Mash House Brewery (Fayetteville, NC)

Classification: Hefeweizen

Alcohol: 5%

Thoughts: Today the wife and I met my parents and some old friends for lunch in Raleigh. We met these friends when we were living in Fayetteville and have both gone our separate ways. However, the restaurant we ate at served beer from Mash House Brewery which is in Fayetteville. It was slightly sentimental. The presentation on this beer gets some bonus points by the way. It pours a very cloudy orange color with an abated white head. The aroma has the usual hefeweizen suspects. There is banana esters, yeast, clove and tons of sweet citrus. The flavor is rock sold with more spice, hints of banana, and a sour puckering jab from the citrus. This is a powerfully flavored hefeweizen with a smooth, silky feel. Mash House has made a drinkable, exciting, excellent drink. 

Rating: 85/100

Day 145: Sierra Nevada Pale Ale

Name: Sierra Nevada Pale Ale

Brewer: Sierra Nevada Brewing (Chico, CA)

Classification: American Pale Ale

Alcohol: 5.6%

Thoughts: Sierra Nevada is one of the most well respected breweries in the US. They brews tons of different types of beer and many are award winning. I have always been a fan, but I wanted to give myself a few months of not having a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale before I had it on the blog. This is so I could judge it solely on this experience because I honestly do not remember the last experience I had with this brew. As you can see in the picture I got a big ol' mug of this Pale Ale, which poured a rich gold with orange tint and a white, lacy head. The aroma that you get from this beer is slightly grainy with wonderful hints of floral, citrus hops and earthy malts. This is a smell I would love to experience again. When tasting this beer pale malts and bitter hops immediately wash over your tongue. It is sharp, crisp and has a fruity,alcoholic aftertaste. This is a very pungent flavor that gets better as the drink goes down. The mouthfeel of this APA is creamy and heady. Sierra Nevada is truly an American Classic when it comes to beer. It is a must try if you have not had it yet. 

Rating: 86/100