Reviews over the Holidays
I’ve reviewed at least ten beers over at Beer Advocate since the last time I shared a review on this site. You can catch up with all of my reviews here. Here are three highlights from the recent batch.
Brooklyn Monster Barleywine
B+ / 3.85
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | drink: 4
Reviewed from my notes. Enjoyed on 12.30.09 in my Uprising Chalice at Novare Res.
Dark red/ruby color. Thick tan foam.
Yeast and grassy hop aroma.
Some toffee sweetness up front. Mild dry hop bitterness in the finish and in the aftertaste. Some alcohol, but not as much as I’d expect from a 10.8& ABV.
Fuller body. More carbonation than I expected.
I’ll enjoy this generous pour for a while, but I don’t think I’d order more than one in a row. It’s very drinkable, but I don’t want to over do it.
Bear Republic Racer 5 India Pale Ale
A+ / 4.65
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | drink: 4.5
Served from a cellar temperature 22oz bottle, split between two pint glasses. It has a translucent golden orange color, with a pretty head of pure white foam. It leaves some good lacing on the glass. The aroma is all hops, both citrusy and woodsy. As you would expect, the flavor is also dominated by the hop character. It starts out dry, then builds to sharp bitterness that lingers on after you swallow. You can detect some alcohol, especially in the finish and aftertaste. There are flavors that remind me of fruit and forests. This is as good as an IPA can get. It has a medium body and a higher-than-average amount of carbonation. It leaves a coating to your mouth that evaporates while you let the bitter flavors linger. This is an impressively drinkable IPA. There are hops everywhere, but I never grow tired of them. I wish I had more than this one bottle.
Anchor Our Special Ale 2009 (Anchor Christmas Ale)
A / 4.3
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | drink: 4
Poured from a cellar temperature bottle into a pint glass. The beer is a translucent dark brown, nearly black, with hardly any light penetrating it. There was a huge head of brown foam. As it dissipated, it left some impressive lacing. There is a hearty malt aroma with a hint of pine hops. The flavor reminds me of a great porter. There are some toasted caramel malt flavors and a smooth finish with just a touch of hop bitterness. It has a body lighter than the color would lead you to believe. There is plenty of carbonation. The beer is highly drinkable; I could keep drinking it all night, the only things stopping me are the price and my desire to hang on to some bottles to cellar for a year or two.
