Samuel Adams Irish Red

I took a couple nights off from my reviews, but now I'm back at it.

B / 3.7
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | drink: 3.5
Bottle
Cold--to cool

Appearance: the ale has a very nice rose red amberish color which appropriately fits the name well. There was a 1 finger boney white medium to heavy density head which faded to a nice consistent layer, unfortunately there was little to no lacing on the glass. The red brew was very clear and showed little signs of carbonation. This brew looks good, and compared to the other Irish Ale that I've sampled (Smithwick's) it actually looked better in that the Smithwick's looked more like a watered down cola than a red, the color combination was very appealing to me.

Smell: There is a definite hop spiciness in this brew that runs over the softer lighter malts, I also frequently caught citrus notes closer to the orange variety, and as I continued to drink I found some caramel sweetness mixed in.

Taste: This is not as hoppy as the smell might have indicated instead there seems to be more malts than I expected at first, this however does not mean that the hops are absent for in fact they are quite prevalent, and they leave the typical lingering bitterness on the back of the tongue. This is a medium bodied brew with a level of complexity that is well balanced. The citrus tastes more like orange zest with the sweet caramel wrapped around it. As the brew warmed I noticed that the hoppiness and the bitterness began to lessen giving a more even balance to the brew that left it quite pleasant.

Mouthfeel: There is some light carbonation which would match what I expected from the appearance although the carbonation that is present helps with the mouth a creaminess that I wasn't necessarily expecting in a lighter ale, although there was no hint of any diacetyl and no buttery film, instead this ale leaves the mouth very dry. The Irish Red is not as smooth at the Smithwick's but it certainly isn't as crisp as a light beer.

Drinkability: As I've come to expect from Samuel Adam's this brew explores the various flavors of beer without going to the extremes that are found in some of the more exotic craft brews, this doesn't mean that Jim Koch is playing it safe but instead what he's presented here is a well balance brew that is approachable and drinkable by those who are looking for a break from the ordinary. For those who like a bit more bite in their brew I could see this being a moderate session brew and it would probably go well with a nice dinner or a Bar-B-Q, and with the light carbonation I wasn't left bloated at all.

I tried this brew about a month ago when I first started drinking beers and the hops were way above what I could handle, however I am really glad that I didn't pour this one out because I was pleasantly surprised by the flavor in this brew. I can only imagine that this new appreciation of the brew has come with drinking some other beers that push the limits a bit more thus training my palate and giving me some more tolerance in my tasting. In the end after finishing this brew I am left saying, "Thanks Jim for yet another well balanced and enjoyable brew."

Left Hand Brewing Co.: Milk Stout

B+ / 3.95
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | drink: 3.5
Bottle to glass
Room temp

Appearance: Pours a smooth extremely dark amber brew that is not quite opaque, typically I like the look of a brew that is completely black with no light showing, but this one looks good. A ½ inch dark almond head built but quickly faded to a thin ring around the glass, the carbonation streams feed the foam ring throughout the drink. As most stouts are to me this one has a definite appeal and fits the category well. There is however no lacing on the glass at all as it slides off with the smooth thin syrup brew.

Smell: I was struck by just how heavy the dark rich malts are in this brew they smelled very good to me, and to balance there was also a medium intensity hop spice as well as another spice that I couldn't quite identify. There is also a sweet syrup smell that is released when the beer is swirled. I can catch hints of toffees, and caramel but there was no burnt or astringent smell.

Taste: As with the smell the rich malts take the lead and layered with them is the sweetness that floats evenly with the hop spice, I was surprised at just how rich the malts are in this brew and while there is a spice it almost comes as a follow up rather than the main show. I would say that the malts are 50%, while the sweetness and the spice make up 25% each which for me balances very well on the tongue and provides a nice complexity that keeps my tongue working. The creaminess of this brew was also pleasant and apparently in keeping with the milk stout style guide. In the end this brew is a full bodied stout with a very rich sweet malt flavor that sometimes reminds me of a cola drink finished as one would expect a stout to do with a bite of bitterness on the back of the tongue.

Mouthfeel: Thick and heavy are the rule here, this is one smooth and creamy brew that is offset well with the moderate carbonation that sharpens the feel up a bit. This stout left a buttery coating in my mouth that I would attribute to the lactose or some diacetyl. On the glass it looked like a thin syrup in the mouth it feels thinner than that but still plenty of body to this brew.

Drinkability: This is a well balanced beer and the malts are by far the most prominent feature, it is rich in flavor and has an appealing spice that seems to dissipate as the brew warms a bit. The carbonation fills you up a bit, but the way this beer slides down really make it a pleasure to drink. This is a nice evening brew around a filet mignon or while sitting with friends for an nice evening, very drinkable and a shame when the glass is empty.

Samuel Adams Blackberry Witbier

B / 3.55
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | drink: 3.5

Bottle
Temp served cool
From bottle to a glass

Appearance: A nice smooth pour which produces a thin ¼ inch white head that fades fairly quickly. There are several streams of carbonation, and the brew itself is a beautiful dark gold. As I looked at the color I noticed that it was cloudy as per the beer style but it wasn't an even cloud, in fact it seemed that the cloudiness was produced by a lot of particulate. The head dissipates to a thin ring but leaves a light lacing on the glass.

Smell: The first thing I noticed was a sweet floral scent evenly balanced with the hop spice, there was also some light hints of citrus that smelled more of orange peel, and I could smell some other spices in the brew that were not hops, but they balanced well with the hops but on the sweeter spice of things. I don't specifically smell blackberries but they might be part of the sweetness and the floral scent that I noticed first. There was also no alcohol smell.

Taste: This is a light tasting mildly hoppy light bodied brew, the spices are abundant but are not offensive. I notice some sweetness on my tongue but it is layered under the spice, the finish is a bittersweet refreshing flavor that lingers for a few moments on the palate. There is no wonder that this is considered a summer time brew. In that the flavor is light and refreshing while still complex enough so that your mouth doesn't get bored when drinking.

Mouthfeel: Clean, sharp with a dry finish; the moderate carbonation fizzes a bit on the tongue but does not distract. The feeling is thin but not really watery which feels crisp and pleasant. I could not feel any of the particulate that I saw in the brew.

Drinkability: This is an extremely drinkable brew, it is light but not watery, the taste is fresh and clean the sweetness offsets the mild bitterness allowing this brew to go down easy. The carbonation does cause some minor bloating and the bitterness hangs for a moment but those are minor issues of dislike for myself. This is a nice light bodied brew without being a light beer, and I could easily see this being an afternoon Bar-B-Q session beer.

Sierra Nevada Stout

B- / 3.3
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | drink: 2.5
Bottle
Room Temp (glass)

Appearance: The Sierra Nevada pours oily black and builds a huge head, by my count three fingers and that was on a regular pour. The brew itself is black and opaque, with some light showing through on the edges which reveals a rich dark clear amber. The medium density almond colored head is a monster and holds fairly well lacing the glass evenly. The head indicates to me that this may well be a heavily carbonated brew.

Smell: The spice of the whole hops hits my nose first followed up with a mild sweetness and rounded out by the malts which are more subdued. This is a nice smelling brew, not to complex and what one would expect from a stout, although some more malts might increase the pleasure of the aroma. Also in keeping with the style there was no discernable alcohol aroma even with the 5.8% abv.

Taste: Just as the aroma started with the spicy hops so does the taste, this is followed by a dark malt taste with an espresso type quality, it finishes hard though bitter and a lingering bitterness on the palate which for me was uncomfortable and decreased my enjoyment. I was hoping this full bodied brew would be more along the lines of a Bison Chocolate Stout or a Guinness Draught with the malty richness but without the harsh bitterness, instead this brew reminds me very much of the Guinness Extra Stout, as such I think if it were presented as an extra stout it would be more fitting but since it is only a stout I find it harsher than it should be. There was however no alcohol taste although once I did feel the burn in my chest.

Mouthfeel: This is a thick full bodied brew with medium carbonation which results in a nice creaminess, the fizz is present but it is not harsh like with the Dogfish Head Chicory Stout. I actually enjoyed the way this rolled in my mouth.

Drinkability: With this stout being akin to the Guinness Extra Stout I found its drinkability on the low end as this is a sipping brew for a certain group of hopheads that enjoy the bitterness and the lingering bitter after-taste, as for me I found myself just wanting to be done with my glass which is a shame. Rename this as an Extra Stout and I think it would be more fitting of the experience in with this particular offering by Sierra Nevada.

Samuel Adams Black Lager

B / 3.75
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | drink: 3.5
Bottle
Room Temp

Appearance: The black lager is as you'd expect a very dark brew, and is also very clear. The light does penetrate but not overly so. The almond colored head builds quickly with a nice medium density foam that fades to a layer on the beer. The lacing was nice and even but not thick. I noticed some carbonation streams on the surface.

Smell: The first thing I notice is the hoppy spices which are pleasant, in fact I like very much the way this beer smells, under the spice there is a solid foundation of the dark malts, all of which is touched off with a hint of sweetness. This is a well balanced aroma and has not a hint of alcohol present.

Taste: The hoppy spice and bitterness is apparent upon the first pull, but as my mouth filled I tasted the dark malts. I did not taste any bitterness from the malts at all in fact the malt taste was very well balanced. At the finish I could definitely taste and smell the chocolate malts which give an espresso type taste and smell, or a very dark chocolate. The malts have a nice simple arrangement where I tasted the lighter malts first and then finished with the more robust and darker malts. This lager finishes like some dry stouts in that you get the spice and bitterness at the same time.

Mouthfeel: The lager has a medium body but feels very smooth on the tongue. The carbonation is moderate and pleasant, and there is a very nice dry finish again like the dry stouts.

Drinkability: This is an entirely drinkable brew, its heavier than a Guinness ale (I know different family) but goes down just as easy. The carbonation would keep me from drinking too many of these but I can see having this with dinner and then following it after over a good conversation with friends, although I did noticed some light bloating from the carbonation.

In the end this what I've come to expect from Sam Adams; a good flavorful beer that serves to introduce new flavors and brewing experiences into the American palate.

Bluegrass Brewing Company: Bourbon Barrel Stout; Jefferson Reserve

Sorry about missing last night's review, I was out of town with no internet access, I'm still not sure how I survived.
Anyways, here is the brew that was scheduled for last night, and what a nice way to start the week.

B+ / 3.85
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | drink: 3.5
Bottle
Room temp

Appearance: not quiet inky black, but extremely dark, it is completely opaque and on the edges you can see some light through it which shows a murky fluid. As the brew settled into the glass I began to notice some almond colored particles floating in the mix which began to settle on the bottom leaving a thin layer of small things that looked like little globs of something. I was wondering if they were a product of aging in the barrels but between the murkiness and the particles it was clear that this was not a heavily filtered brew. The head rose to 1 ¼ fingers and was a dark almond color this gave the stout a very appealing appearance, in a few moments the head dissipated to a thin layer covering the brew, with several carbonation streams visible from the surface. The unfiltered look got me curious but it lacked a polish that I’ve come to expect from quality stouts.

Smell: The strong dark roasted malts are evident to even an amateur beer taster and very pleasant at that, they have a nice deep aroma that is pleasant. There is the hoppy spice that one would expect from a stout but it doesn’t compete with the malty richness. The aroma is made more complex with the sweetness which at first smelled like chocolates or toffee but further in began to remind me of the bourbon. As per the name I really was expecting more of a bourbon touch to the stout.

Taste: Again the rich malts rule the day with this stout accompanied by the sweetness of the caramel and toffee flavors. As with the smell there is some hoppy bitterness but nothing bold or offensive, it is quite well mannered in that regard. I did notice some woody or oak flavors that added a nice mix to the flavors. As I progressed I began to think that the sweetness I was tasting could be in part due to the bourbon barrels but again I couldn’t taste much bourbon in the brew. In all the stout has a dark rich malt flavor with sweetness backed up by the spice of the hops. If they are looking to highlight the malts then they succeeded in providing a nice well behaved full bodied flavor. There is a very mild alcohol taste but it too is tame and in line with what I’ve experienced with other stouts.

Mouthfeel: The first thing I noticed in this brew was the thick smoothness of the liquid which rolls very nicely on the tongue and feels quite pleasant for those wanting a hearty drink. The carbonation doesn’t seem to match what I saw at first at I thought I was going to have a heavily bubbled drink only to find that the fizz was well behaved. I did notice a slight chunkiness or grit as I began to finish the pint which I imagine was from the particles I saw earlier. I have to know what those are all about. The feel in the mouth is thick and creamy, and leaves the mouth with a light buttery film that clears relatively fast.

Drinkability: This is not a session beer in the least, but it is a certainly a pleasant beer that one could enjoy drinking by itself or with a meal although I would suggest a solo run rather than muttle the malty richness with other flavors. The carbonation fizz added to enhance the feel but didn’t leave me feeling bloated as this smooth brew slid down. I actually finished this beer faster than I would have liked because the flavors were just that good. This is certainly going on my repeat list for the time when I want a brew that I can just settle down with and nurse enjoying the dark richness.

Guinness Extra Stout

B- / 3.5
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | drink: 2.5
Room temp
Bottle to pint glass

Appearance: As I poured the brew came out very smoothly allowing for a nice soft pour, even still once I began pouring down the middle of the glass the almond colored medium density head began to build immediately so much that I had to slow my pour lest I overflow the glass, when I was finished the head was nearly 2 fingers, but faded to about ¼ inch leaving a medium lace that clings to the side.

Smell: I smelled a very strong dark or chocolate malts, there was some caramel sweetness but it was hidden, what I noticed the most was the heavy spice of the hops. The hops was fairly strong but not completely overbearing, I noticed what seemed like another spice in there as well but it might have been just a very heavy hop. I did not smell any alcohol in the brew.

Taste: I really didn't notice much of the sweetness that I smelled initially, there was a very robust malt taste that competed with the bitterness of the hops. The level of bitterness was not offensive in fact it seemed well balanced, but the bitterness held throughout and seems the one constant in this brew, even as I write this almost 15 minutes after finishing I can still feel and taste some of the bitterness in my mouth. There seemed to be some very rich licorice taste which was probably a mixture between the malts and the hops. This is certainly a full bodied brew, but there is a spice in the taste that I simply cannot put my finger on. I also did not notice any alcohol taste.

Mouthfeel: This stout has a thick feel to it but certainly not tarish. The carbonation is about medium as it fizzes on my lips and tongue. There is also a thin layer of diacetyl that is left at finish, but once gone the Extra Stout leaves the mouth dry.

Drinkability: This is where I think this brew suffers, the complexity of this brew means that it is really in my opinion an acquired taste. I cannot honestly say that this stout went down easy, and with the residual bitterness in my mouth now 20 minutes later I don't know if I would want that on a regular basis.

Impressions: This is a robust brew, very dark and bitter, I am sure that this fits the style very well, and I think I just added another brew to my "no drink" list. It is not a skunked beer, or a bad brew its harder than something I'm looking for in a brew.