AW's Beer Reviews

[AWMiller]

Boulevard Dark Truth Stout
Boulevard Brewing Co. | Kansas City, Missouri USA
Purchased @ Beer & Wine World - Mansfield, Texas USA

Style: American Double/Imperial Stout

ABV - 9.7%

IBU – 60

Stop reading and go get some of this brew and enjoy! Poured up a dark brown colored body with a frothy thick tan colored head with good retention and light lacing. Aromas of chocolate, smoked wood, dark fruits, and a hint of hops. Flavors of roasted malts, chocolate, coffee, dark fruits. Medium-bodied, lots of carbonation, dry finish with lingering flavors of dark chocolates. Would definitely pair this one up with some smoked meats!

Pairing Recommendations: beef, buffalo, dove, duck, geese, squirrel, venison, wild boar

Disclaimer: All beer tasting notes and reviews are subjective. The thoughts and opinions contained herein are those of the ‘bier vorgeschmack’ and him only. The intent of this beer review is to spur interest in brands and styles that one may not normally indulge in and to entice them to venture out and try new brews. While some may argue that there are no other beers than Miller, Coors, Bud, and Keystone, this is much akin to arguing which vanilla ice cream tastes the best. There are more brews out there; try some and enjoy the savory adventure.

[AWMiller]

Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron
Dogfish Head Craft Brewery | Milton, Delaware USA
Purchased @ Beer & Wine World - Mansfield, Texas USA

Style: American Brown Ale

ABV - 12%

What a magnificent brew to get introduced into the Dogfish Head line of brews! This brew poured up a deep, dark mahogany colored body with a two-finger thick tan colored head with amazing retention and lacing. Deep dark aromas of roasted malts, robust coffee, dark chocolates, thick-n-rich molasses and smoked/charred wood. Flavors reflect those same in a very well-balanced brew. Full-bodied, thick-rich-n-creamy, ultra smooth and very easy on the drinkability scale with a crisp clean finish and lingering flavors of chocolate and caramel. In my opinion, any food would just undermine this fine brew. Have it all by itself as a well-deserved dessert! You can thank me later!

Pairing Recommendations: beef, buffalo, dove, duck, geese, partridge, pork, rabbit, squirrel, venison

Disclaimer: All beer tasting notes and reviews are subjective. The thoughts and opinions contained herein are those of the ‘bier vorgeschmack’ and him only. The intent of this beer review is to spur interest in brands and styles that one may not normally indulge in and to entice them to venture out and try new brews. While some may argue that there are no other beers than Miller, Coors, Bud, and Keystone, this is much akin to arguing which vanilla ice cream tastes the best. There are more brews out there; try some and enjoy the savory adventure.

[AWMiller]

Unibroue Maudite
Unibroue | Chambly, Quebec; Canada
Purchased @ Beer & Wine World - Mansfield, Texas USA

Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale

ABV - 8%

IBU – 22

Well this is one big step above Labatt!!!! This brew poured up a deep dark amber colored body with a white frothy head with great retention and loads of lacing. Aromas of yeast, sweet malts, spices (cloves, etc.), bananas. Flavors of the same with even a hint of made-from-scratch fresh-baked biscuits. Medium-bodied, good carbonation, velvety smooth with a dry, yeast-filled finish and aftertaste. Smoked salmon would be my choice to pair up with this brew.

Pairing Recommendations: beef, buffalo, salmon, venison, wild boar

Disclaimer: All beer tasting notes and reviews are subjective. The thoughts and opinions contained herein are those of the ‘bier vorgeschmack’ and him only. The intent of this beer review is to spur interest in brands and styles that one may not normally indulge in and to entice them to venture out and try new brews. While some may argue that there are no other beers than Miller, Coors, Bud, and Keystone, this is much akin to arguing which vanilla ice cream tastes the best. There are more brews out there; try some and enjoy the savory adventure.

[AWMiller]

Unibroue La Fin Du Monde
Unibroue | Chambly, Quebec; Canada
Purchased @ Beer & Wine World - Mansfield, Texas USA

Style: Tripel

ABV - 9%

IBU – 19

Oh, Canada! La Fin Du Monde – the end of the world. Probably one of the finest tripels I have tasted thus far! This brew poured up a cloudy apricot colored body with a thick foamy head with amazing retention and lacing. Scents of fruits (apricots, maybe peaches), bready yeasts, tropical fruit and cloves. The flavor is absolutely amazing; full of fruits (apricot) and cloves. Medium-bodied, smooth and creamy, with a dry, bready finish. A spicy pork meal would be the choice of mine for this hearty tripel!

Pairing Recommendations: beef, poultry, pork

Disclaimer: All beer tasting notes and reviews are subjective. The thoughts and opinions contained herein are those of the ‘bier vorgeschmack’ and him only. The intent of this beer review is to spur interest in brands and styles that one may not normally indulge in and to entice them to venture out and try new brews. While some may argue that there are no other beers than Miller, Coors, Bud, and Keystone, this is much akin to arguing which vanilla ice cream tastes the best. There are more brews out there; try some and enjoy the savory adventure.

[AWMiller]

Avery Mephistopheles Stout
Avery Brewing Company | Boulder, Colorado USA

Style: American Double/Imperial Stout

ABV - 16.83%

Strong. Aromatic. Flavorful. Exquisite. This brew poured up a rich black colored body with a hearty mocha-colored frothy head with good retention and lacing on the glass. Aromas of chocolate, cherries, roasted malts, smoked/charred wood. Flavors of the same along with dark fruits (raisins, figs, plums), strong bitter espresso, rum or bourbon (depending on which sip you are on!). Full-bodied, thick and creamy, very easy on the drinkability scale but do take note of that ABV level and keep an eye on how many you are enjoying! Go slow, sip and savor this fine brew. This brew would pair nicely with various meals but I would recommend enjoying this one all by itself as a dessert brew. Don’t blame me if you find yourself holding the bottom upside down trying to ensure you get the very last drop!!

Pairing Recommendations: beef, buffalo, dove, duck, geese, squirrel, venison, wild boar

Disclaimer: All beer tasting notes and reviews are subjective. The thoughts and opinions contained herein are those of the ‘bier vorgeschmack’ and him only. The intent of this beer review is to spur interest in brands and styles that one may not normally indulge in and to entice them to venture out and try new brews. While some may argue that there are no other beers than Miller, Coors, Bud, and Keystone, this is much akin to arguing which vanilla ice cream tastes the best. There are more brews out there; try some and enjoy the savory adventure.

[AWMiller]

Left Hand Wake Up Dead Imperial Stout
Left Hand Brewing Company | Longmont, Colorado USA
Purchased @ Lone Star Beverages - Carrollton, Texas USA

Style: American Double/Imperial Stout

ABV - 10.4%

Now this is one fine sippin stout!! It poured up a rich near-black colored body with a foamy tan colored head with moderate retention and great lacing. Aromas of coffee, bitter-sweet chocolates, plums, roasted malts, vanilla and zest of either orange or grapefruit. Flavors of the same; very complex yet very well-balanced. Medium-bodied with just the right amount of thickness that I prefer in these double stouts. Good carbonation with a nice dry finish with lingering notes of chocolate and orange zest. Would pair up nicely with beef or venison fajitas!

Pairing Recommendations: beef, buffalo, dove, duck, geese, squirrel, venison, wild boar

Disclaimer: All beer tasting notes and reviews are subjective. The thoughts and opinions contained herein are those of the ‘bier vorgeschmack’ and him only. The intent of this beer review is to spur interest in brands and styles that one may not normally indulge in and to entice them to venture out and try new brews. While some may argue that there are no other beers than Miller, Coors, Bud, and Keystone, this is much akin to arguing which vanilla ice cream tastes the best. There are more brews out there; try some and enjoy the savory adventure.

[AWMiller]

Rahr & Sons Ass Kisser Smoked Porter
Rahr & Sons Brewing Company | Fort Worth, Texas USA
Purchased @ Beer & Wine World - Mansfield, Texas USA

Style: American Smoked Porter

ABV - 8.03%

Another fine brew from the folks at Rahr’s! This brew poured up a rich black-colored body with a thick, creamy tan-colored head with good retention and lacing. Aromas of smoked/charred wood, espresso coffee, roasted malts, dark/bitter chocolates. Flavors of the same and so well-balanced. Near full-bodied, smooth and creamy, good carbonation with a nice dry almost oak-like flavor on the finish. Can’t wait to pair this one up with some stuffed dove or some savory squirrel gumbo!

Pairing Recommendations: beef, buffalo, dove, duck, geese, squirrel, venison, wild boar

Disclaimer: All beer tasting notes and reviews are subjective. The thoughts and opinions contained herein are those of the ‘bier vorgeschmack’ and him only. The intent of this beer review is to spur interest in brands and styles that one may not normally indulge in and to entice them to venture out and try new brews. While some may argue that there are no other beers than Miller, Coors, Bud, and Keystone, this is much akin to arguing which vanilla ice cream tastes the best. There are more brews out there; try some and enjoy the savory adventure.

[AWMiller]

Stone Imperial Russian Stout (2011 Classic Release)
Stone Brewing Co. | Escondido, California USA
Purchased @ Beer & Wine World - Mansfield, Texas USA

Style: Russian Imperial Stout

ABV - 10.5%

This is definitely one of the finest tasting RIS I have enjoyed in quite a while! This brew poured up a black colored body with a billowy tan-colored head that dissipated rather quickly but left moderate lacing. Aromas of roasted coffee beans, dark fruits, burnt sugar, and sweet malts. The body is rich and thick and loaded with sweet malts. Moderate on the carbonation with flavors of coffee, dark fruits, brown sugar, dark chocolate. This brew continues to improve on flavors the more it warms up. Generally with stouts I will take it out of the refrigerator and open; then let sit for 45 minutes to an hour so that it can ‘breathe’ and warm up; the flavors and scents just abound when you enjoy it this way! The finish has just the right amount of hops to sneak in with just a nip before giving way to lingering flavors of roasted malts and dark semi-sweet chocolates. By far this is my most-preferred brew from the Stone line-up!

Pairing Recommendations: beef, buffalo, dove, ducks, geese, squirrel, venison, wild boar

Disclaimer: All beer tasting notes and reviews are subjective. The thoughts and opinions contained herein are those of the ‘bier vorgeschmack’ and him only. The intent of this beer review is to spur interest in brands and styles that one may not normally indulge in and to entice them to venture out and try new brews. While some may argue that there are no other beers than Miller, Coors, Bud, and Keystone, this is much akin to arguing which vanilla ice cream tastes the best. There are more brews out there; try some and enjoy the savory adventure.

[AWMiller]

Rogue Hazelnut Brown Nectar
Rogue Ales | Newport, Oregon USA
Purchased @ Lone Star Beverages - Carrollton, Texas USA

Style: American Brown Ale

ABV - 6%

IBU - 28

This brew poured up a dark hazelnut colored body with a creamy tan-colored head that held moderate retention and light lacing effects. Aromas full of sweet roasted malts, hazelnuts (duh!), dark fruits, and something akin to powdered cocoa. Medium bodied and loaded with carbonation. Flavors of sweet malts, hazelnuts, dark fruits, chocolate. The addition of the hazelnut extract makes for a nice spritz to a brown ale! This would pair well with a juicy steak or better off as a dessert brew.

Pairing Recommendations: beef, buffalo, dove, ducks, geese, partridge, pork, rabbit, squirrel, venison

Disclaimer: All beer tasting notes and reviews are subjective. The thoughts and opinions contained herein are those of the ‘bier vorgeschmack’ and him only. The intent of this beer review is to spur interest in brands and styles that one may not normally indulge in and to entice them to venture out and try new brews. While some may argue that there are no other beers than Miller, Coors, Bud, and Keystone, this is much akin to arguing which vanilla ice cream tastes the best. There are more brews out there; try some and enjoy the savory adventure.

[AWMiller]

Oskar Blues Dale’s Pale Ale
Oskar Blues Grill & Brewery | Lyons, Colorado USA
Not purchased; received as a gift.

Style: American Pale Ale (APA)

ABV - 6.5%

IBU – 65

This brew poured up a crystal-clear light amber colored body with a frothy head that had great retention and lacing. Aromas of hops, hops, hops, and hops with a smidgen of sweet malts. Flavors matched the scent; loaded with hops but not too hoppy. The malts help to bring things in balance. Medium bodied, lightly carbonated with a dry, refreshing, slightly bitter finish and aftertaste. This brew would be awesome for the BBQ and/or fish fry!

Pairing Recommendations: beef, buffalo, poultry, ducks, geese, fish, partidge, pheasant, quail, grouse, rabbit, salmon, shellfish, squirrel, venison

Disclaimer: All beer tasting notes and reviews are subjective. The thoughts and opinions contained herein are those of the ‘bier vorgeschmack’ and him only. The intent of this beer review is to spur interest in brands and styles that one may not normally indulge in and to entice them to venture out and try new brews. While some may argue that there are no other beers than Miller, Coors, Bud, and Keystone, this is much akin to arguing which vanilla ice cream tastes the best. There are more brews out there; try some and enjoy the savory adventure.