merry xmas, merry xmas, kiss my a**, kiss his a**, happy hannukah! 2016 XMAS BLOG

Merry XMas everyone!  2016 flew by.  I have only blogged a few times this year.  I put hardwood in on the main floor of the house last winter and then decided to install a deck over the summer/ early fall.  Now that these projects are over, I can get back to the important stuff; blogging.

We are blogging live from Dooley's house.  He and I are sitting in his kitchen quoting XMas Vacation.

   "Anything else I can get for you Uncle Lewis?"
   "If your not doing anything constructive, can you go to the living room and grab my stogie?"

On to the first beer!

We are drinking a beer from a brewer in Denmark.  It is made and bottled in Belgium though.  The brewery is TO OL but the second O is supposed to have a line through it.  Here is their website:

http://to-ol.dk/home/

We are drinking their imperial milk stout.  Here is a picture:























Luckily, the bottle barely has two 1/2 filled glasses.  I've drank gasolin with less kick to it.  Holy cow.

Brewer:  TO OL Brewery.  Denmark.
Beer Name:  Jule Maelk (but the A and E are supposed to be connected)
Beer Style:  Imperial Milk Stout
Price:  Don't remember.  I bought this last winter and let it age in the fridge so the alcohol content would increase up to Everclearish levels.

Appearance:  Dark and frothy.  Can't see through it.  I poured it at least 20 minutes ago and the foam has gotten thicker as it has sat here.  Brownish red in color.

Aroma:  Smells like prunes.  And whiskey.  Lots of whiskey.  IMPERIAL.  Did I mention this is 15%?

Mouthfeel:  Light for a stout.  Very tingly as it goes down and the whiskey tickles the side of your tounge.  Assuming it isn't completely numb.  John said a slight burn as it makes it way down.  I'm thinking a full bottle and you could melt the breathalizer before it even registers,  John is going to hold a lighter in front of his mouth and see if he can be a firebreather at the circus.

Taste:   Tart; followed by whiskey.  It tastes like some kind of fruit; slightly sour red grapes, prunes, something along those lines.  John says his is getting better as he finishes his glass.  I don't think its bad for an imperial; slightly tart but not bad overall.  If I was a whiskey fan, I'm pretty sure this would be pretty good.  It is smooth; even with the alcohol taste at the back end.  And the bonus is 12 ounces of this is about 4 and a half cases of Coors Lite for roughly 1/200th of the calories.

Overall rating:  John says a 3.  I agree.  John says if it tasted better, he would have rated it higher.  The in-depth analysis we give here on here is unparalleled on the internet!  I am saying a three due to the over-tartness of the beer.  I'm not sure prunes are the first thought I want on my mind as I drink.  Not bad though and how many times do you get to try Danish beer?  I have another bottle from them that we are saving for the next blog.  It is a porter so hopefully, it won't be as fruity.

Beer #2!!!!!

We are drinking a beer that Goose gave me for my birthday last year.  It is a strong, dark ale from Belgium.  It was bottled in 2012 and says it is best if used by December of 2017.  This beer is four years old and was supposed to be drank before 12/17.  So it has aged for year a since Goose gave it to me.  I think it was worth the wait.  This beer is delicious.  I mean the best Belgian beer I've ever had; besides maybe Stella.  But Stella isn't really a traditional Belgian beer.  This is and it is tasty.

Here we go with the ratings:

Appearance:  Medium brown in color, very murky.  We have FLOATERS!  Being unfiltered, john and I are getting our recommended daily allowance of fiber with this one.    Not any foam at all except  slight ring around the edge of the glass.  There is a little school of tadpoles swimming around the bottom of the glass.  Think of Lake of the Ozarks party cove after Labor Day weekend.

And my wife is hung over from hr afternoon magaritas.  Its 8:23 pm.  This is how she does it.

Aroma:  Slightly fruity, tarty.  Not nearly as strong as lot of Belgian beers but the yeast is still there.

Mouthfeel:  Not nearly as tingly as the previous beer; this is nice and smooth and fairly tame.  Very straightforward and easy to drink.

Taste:  John says a typical Belgian taste but not overpowering.  I say its like a traditional American brown ale made with the Belgian yeast.  Think 4Hands brown ale with a slight fruit aftertaste.  Very good indeed.

Overall rating: John says a 4.  A highly rated Belgian for us.  John is not really a huge fan of Belgian beer so that is a high rating for him.  I think I'm going a 4.5.  This is a fine beer.  And at only 9%, we can slam the hell out of this stuff.  I'm on half-glass number three of beer tonight (in 1 hour and 40 minutes) and I'm buzzed.  I guess a 15% and a 9% will do that.  Hallelujah.  We should do shots of this stuff,

Beer #3 is going to be really frickin good...





   

















Brewer: Samuel Smith (England)
Beer Name: Organic Chocolate Stout (Best Beer Ever)
Beer Style: Chocolate Stout
Price:  $6 or so- People pay $100's for wine; this is way better and a fraction of the price)

Probably my favorite brewer on the planet combined with my favorite beer style.  I couldn't be more excited at the moment.  Well, maybe if Scarjo came prancing by sans clothing...  But, I digress.  Wow, what a digression...

This beer is only 5%.  This is practically NA for us.  It smells like cocoa crispies.  For real, the best chocolate smell ever.  John just tried it and said, "OOOOOOOOOOOOhhhhhhhhhhh, its GREEEATTTT."  That was a quote.  This might be the David Freeze game 6 11th inning of beers.  OH MY GOD.  I have died and gone to Las Vegas!  This is fantastic.  This is why we blog.  This gives purpose to our lives.  I love beer.  John wants to bathe in it and gently splash himself.  John is convinced it will remove wrinkles and smooth those facial blemishes.  I'm not making this up.  I'm pretty sure we will be buying this by the 18 wheeler with the second trailer on the back full,

Appearance:  Dark, clear, good head on top with little lacing on the glass.  A nice, smooth stout but lighter then a traditional stout.  More like a dark brown ale.

Aroma:  Might be the best chocolate smell ever.  'Nuff said.

Mouthfeel:  Smooth, easy on the tongue, just a hint of bitter at the end.   A very smooth stout.  A little on the light side maybe but I'm being super-critical here.

Taste:  Combine nectar of the Gods and cocoa puffs and you pretty much nailed it,  I LOVE the 4Hands Chocolate Milk Stout but this is better.  Holy crap.  I could turn into a wino on this if I could afford it.  I might sell meth to get this stuff.

Overall Rating:  John says a 5.1 out of 5.  I'm going 5.15.  This is a perfect beer.  Definitely the best beer I've tried in the last 5 years.  It is perfection.

BONUS BEER TIME:

We have a bonus beer to end the evening with.  John went to our local brewer tonight and picked up a growler of their brown ale.  We have both drank it several times but until we blog it, it doesn't count.

Brewer:  Friendship Brewery, WENTZVILLE, MO (future SC United shirt sponsor)
Beer Name:  Downtown Brown
Beer Style: Brown Ale
Price:  $14 per growler
ABU:  6.5%

I am partial to this beer as we have a local brewer that actually brews beer about 5 minutes from our houses.  That automatically makes it good.  That being said, here we go:

Appearance:  Ummm, brown.  Medium and relatively clear.  Not crystal but clear enough to at least see light through on the opposite side of the glass.  Slight lacing but not a whole lot of foam.

Aroma:  Sort of sweet; almost a brown sugar aroma to it.  Maybe a hint of coconut as well.  It smells good.  John gets cocoa in this one.  Not cocoa crispy good but chocolate undertones as well.

Mouthfeel:  Smooth, very light.  Crisp, smooth, etc...
                                                                                                         

Taste:  A nice, smooth, very consistent brown ale. Not too dark, not too light.  Drinkable on every occasion.  This is their best beer John and I have tried up until now.   It is my go to from their brewery.  Well worth a stop if you pass through Wentzville,

Overall rating:  John says 4.5.  I go 4.0.  A very solid beer in my opinion but not a head-turner.  It doesn't disappoint but doesn't overwhelm like SAM SMITH ORGANIC CHOCOLATE STOUT.  BUY IT NOW!

Sidenote;  The owners have the best beer memorabilia collection ever.  You have to see the old beer signs, crates, etc. to believe it,  The place is covered in it.  And supposedly, the other 90% of his collection is in a warehouse somewhere.  Its a cool joint to hang out in.

POST #50!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  This is a cataclysmic, exciting moment in blog history!  I don't mean to suggest this blog is similar in importance to Neil Armstrong's steps on the moon or anything but I think it goes without saying that this blog is one of the pillars that American culture is based on.

By the way, If you haven't watched "Why's James Crying?" by Froggy Fresh on youtube yet, you should.  Its kid friendly and pretty funny.

To start off with tonight, I have the other beer that my friend brought over from AB last week.  The Goose Island Pale Ale.

Brewer:  Goose Island
Beer Name:  Green Line Pale Ale
Beer Style:  Pale Ale?
Price:  It's available for about $7.99 at stores now even though I have the test bottle from AB.

Appearance:  Cloudy, looks like your pee after a long night at the local tavern.

Aroma:  Smells deliciously fruity.

Mouthfeel:  As expected, not much happening here.  Very light and refreshing but not a lot of tingle or anything.  

Taste:  John says hoppy.  I'm getting more citrusy IPA then pale ale for sure.  I think its prettu good but not in a typical pale ale kind of way by any means.  This is a summer beer for sure.  No way I'm drinking this if its under 80 degrees.

Overall Rating:  John says 2.75.  Not his favorite beer.  I'll say a 3.5 but not as a pale ale.  As an IPA. If I'm rating this as a pale ale, I'm saying about a .5.

Next beer is a different style altogether.

Brewer:  Boulevard
Beer Name:  Dark Truth Stout from the smokestack series.
Beer Style:  Stout and this earns the title of Stout.
Price:  About $10 for a 4 pack.

Appearance:  This is going to block out the sun.  If you are worried about skin cancer, just forget the SPF 50 and slop this on for protection.  Chris has visions of windmills when he drinks this.

Aroma:  A bag full of  prunes that have been sitting on the porch in the 98 degree heat.

Mouthfeel:  Very smooth for a stout.  More like a Belgiun beer then a true stout.

Taste:  Crazy strong alcohol on top of fruit flavors- mostly plums.  Chris says a fermented chocolate lava cake.   John says smoky chocolate with a kick.  Kevin says it reminds him of his favorite movie "Chocolat."  Can't get enough Johnny Depp.

Overall rating:  Chris says a 4.5.  John says 4.25.  Kevin says a 4.  I'm going a 3.  Not a fan of the prunes/ plums.

Brewer:  Guiness
Beer Name:  Nitro IPA
Beer Style:  IPA?
Price:  $7 a 6 pack roughly.

Appearance:  Nitro head for sure.  Very clear but a dark color for an IPA.

Aroma:  Slight citrus.  Not much here.

Mouthfeel:  Watered down water.

Taste:  Chris says it tastes slightly better then Hamm's special light.  Slightly.  I think he might be wrong.  This is awful.  John won't even comment.  He's just realized that he still has to drink 5 more of these.

Overall rating:  John says 1.0.  Kevin says 1.0.  Chris says 1.0 also.  Again, I'm going lower.  I'll say .1.  It does have alcohol but I'm not sure how much.  This beer is terrible.  I might not drink if this was the only beer available and that's saying something.

Time to right this ship.  We are on a bad roll.  We need something good.  Here we go.

Brewer:  Ommegang
Beer Name:  Iron Throne Blonde Ale
Beer Style:  Blond Ale
Price:  About $10 for a pint bottle.

OK.  I'm switching gears and going with a proven brewer; Ommegang from New York.  And I have high hopes for this one.

Appearance:  Nice and blonde.  Clear.  Exactly what you would expect.  Chris says slightly opaque.

Aroma:  I think I smell peaches but it could be any fruit.  Definitely a belgiuny bouquet.  Kevin says it reminds him of a Glade plug-in.

Mouthfeel:  Slightly tingly; very light as you would expect.

Taste:  Tastes like a well-made belgiun blonde ale.  Very fruity and sour with a definite belgiun twang at the end.  Nice and light.  Kevin says it tastes like a Bud Light with a shot of the Glade plugin liquid dropped in.

Overall Rating:  Chris says 1.5/  Kevin says 3.5; 2.5 plus one extra for the label.  John says 3.1.  I'm going a 3.5 also but the label isn't playing into it.  I think it was good.  A fairly complex blonde ale. I'm a fan and may pick this one up again.  This would hit the spot pool side.

OK.  We are going to head out to the 40 brews after I kill myself from this 21 pilots song kevin is urging us to suicide to.

Been a good first 50.  Here's to the next!

    


    

Its Friday night.  USA women are up 3-0 against Trinidad and Tobacco.  They are about to go undefeated in their group stage of Olympic qualifying.  They are our best national team and if you don't watch them, you should.  Every game.  DVR it, Watch it live; whatever.

So on to the blog, tonight, Lonnie, John, and Jim are here to add their opinions in and give some perspective.  We have about 10 different beers to rate tonight so we better get going.  We are going to start light and move to the dark as the night progresses.

First off, before we get started, you need to watch this video when the kids aren't around.

https://youtu.be/IrSsjdzlUSw

It is hilarious.  I mean HILARIOUS!  Gotta love St. Louis.

On to the first beer. Lonnie brought a beer with him.

Brewer:  Lienenkugel's
Beer Name:  Big Butt Doppelbock
Beer Style:  Doppelbock
Price:  $7.49 at UGas

Soundtrack Song for this beer:  Doin the butt by EU.  Classic rap

Appearance:  Amber; very clear.  Nice pour.    Great head on the beer and nice foam on top of mine.

Aroma:  Smells like butt; all 4 of us said the same thing.

Mouthfeel:  Smooth, nice carbonation.  Good feel for a light beer.

Taste:  A little malt, John gets a little caramel; its a nice smooth beginner with a slightly German feel to it.  Very accessible for all seasons.  Dark enough for winter; light enough to have by the pool.

Overall Rating:  John throws out a 4; Jim says a 3.5, Lonnie says a 3.5.  I'm saying 3 flat.

On to the next:

This is a test beer from AB that just came out.  It is the Goose Island 4 star pilsner.  I have inside connections at AB as the pic shows.  Can't divulge my source.

Brewer:  Goose Island
Beer Name:  4 Star Pilsner
Beer Style: Duh, pilsner
Price:  I'll let you know when it comes out.

Theme Song:  Detachable Penis by King Missile.  Not sure why.  Just seemed to match the beer.

Apprearance:  Fairly clear; filtered for sure.  Not see through but definitely clearer them most.  Lonnie says dehydrated urine.

Aroma:  Fruity, a nice fresh fruit aroma.  

Mouthfeel:  Slightly bubbly- pretty light though.  Jim says soft with a light-medium body.

Taste:  A very fruity pilsner.  Overall pretty refreshing.  Lonnie and Jim echo the refreshing.  John says slightly bitter.

Overall Rating:  John says 3.0,  Jim says 3.75, Lonnie says 4.0, I'm going 3.5 also for a summer beer.

On to the next!  Goose gave me this one for my birthday.  Thank you Goose.

Brewer: Liefmans
Beer Name: Goudenband
Beer Style:  Belgiun Brown Ale
Price:  ?  Don't know.  Goose got me this for my birthday.

Theme song for this beer:  Losing my Religion by R.E.M.

Appearance:  OK.  I was shocked.  I thought this was a light, Belgiun beer but it is dark.  Like really dark.  It is a Belgium brown ale.  I didn't even know that beer style existed.

Aroma:  Jim says it smells like his grandpa's fruitcake.  Lonnie says sour grapes.  John says

Mouthfeel:  SOUR!

Taste:  Lonnie says he is taking communion.  John says very sour, tart.  Jim says it tastes like a fruity wine.  I think it is such a combination of grapes and plums that it is more wine then beer.  I like Belgiun beer but this is pushing it.  Not bad but a totally acquired taste for sure.

Overall Rating:  Lonnie says 1.0.  Not a fan.  John says 2.75, Jim says 3.0.  I'm not sure I drink enough true Belgiun beer to really rate this.  I wouldn't rate it more then a 2.5 at first taste as it is more wine then beer but I'm not sure my rating is valid due to my inexperience with Belgiun beers.

Next beer:

Brewer:  4 Hands Brewery
Beer Style:  Stout
Beer Name:  Peanut Butter Chocolate Milk Stout
Price:  About $5 for a pint bottle

311:  Beautiful Disaster (Get it?  Peanut- the bassist?  Oh yeah.  We just did that.  Clever...)

Appearance:  Dark, like John's ladies.  Looks like a stout.

Aroma:  Peanut butter.

Mouthfeel:  Finally a stout...  Nice.  this one has some girth.

Taste:  Holy Christmas cookies Batman!  This one is not messing around with the peanut butter.  Good if you like the PB w/o the J.  Like this is PB.  Jim says all around goodness in a bottle.

Overall Rating:  I'm going a 3.0, John says a 4.1, James says a 4.5,  Wow.

Last beer of the night!  (Save the best for the last).

Brewer:  4 Hands
Beer Name:  Horchata Chocolate Milk Stout
Beer Style:  Chocolate Milk Stout
Price:  $8.99 for a pint.

Theme Song:

Appearance:  Dark.  Like a chocolate milk stout.

Aroma:  Where's the sugar toast to go with the cinnamon?  Holy crap.  This is cinnamony plus a little cinnamon.

Mouthfeel:  Not much outside of the obvious cinammon.

Taste:  Well, did I mention its cinammony?

Overall Rating:  I'm going a 1.5.  The only beer from 4 hands I haven't cared for.  Not very good.  Unless you like snorting cinammon like you are Tony Montana.

Until next time...

Solo Valentine's Day Post!

As usual, its Valentine's day and I'm drinking beer and watching TV at 10pm.  Happy valentine's day everyone.  I hope you all watched Walking Dead and headed off to bed.  It was a very good episode and I don't know anything that could set the mood better then 100's of zombies getting hacked, slashed, shot, and burned to death.  Going with that theme, I am going to hack, slash, and burn my way through a few new beers for the betterment of my audience's thirst for beer knowledge.  Without further ado, here we go:

Brewer:  Urban Chesnut
Beer Name:  Reverence Series Hardwood Myth
Beer Style:  English Porter
Price:  $8.99 for a 4 pack of 16oz bottles

Nice pic with the fireplace in the background.  Watching Talking Dead.  Carrie Underwood is hot. She is the guest and really hasn't said much and that works for me.  OK.  Onto the beer.

Appearance:  Dark; cloudy.  Can't see a thing through it.  Looks like a porter.

Aroma:  You can smell the malt in this beer.  It smells carmaley and delicious.   The aroma is not overpowering by any means but just tempts you to take a drink.

Mouthfeel:  A little fizzy but not a lot happening here.  Relatively light and watery but not a detriment at all.

Taste:  Delicious.  A surprisingly complex beer.  For a beer with almost no hop taste at all, it is surprisingly bitter.  But a good bitter.  It has a buttery, smooth caramel taste throughout followed by a bitter finish.  Very good beer here.  I am impressed.

Overall rating:  4.0.  For a beer that seems pretty straightforward, it is surprisingly complex as I make my way through the glass.  I am a huge fan of Urban Chesnut when they get a beer right (some they haven't).  They got this one right for sure.  If you are a fan of caramel malt or dark beer in general, you need to try this.  I got this 6 pack at Total Wine on Clarkson.  Swing by and grab a six and give it a shot.

On to the next beer!

Brewer:  Odell Brewing Company
Beer Name: Lugene Choco;ate Milk Stout
Beer Style:  Chocolate Milk Stout
Price:  Can't remember.  Maybe $8.99 for a 4 pack

I had one of these when I got home from my soccer game.  Going to blog #2 of the evening.  The first one was good.  This one is delicious as well.

Appearance:  As the pic shows, it is dark with a beautiful pour.  It is absolutely muddy as a good stout should be.

Aroma:  Not much here; maybe a little chocolate or cocoa.  A slight hint of cinnamon maybe?

Mouthfeel:  Tingly. definitely a lot heavier then the porter.  This is a substantial beer with a lot happening up front.

Taste:  As most of you know by now, I am a fan of the stout; particularly the milk and the chocolate stouts.  This one does not disappoint.  I love the malt and the bitterness of the cocoa.  As a general rule, I love the sweetness found in the stouts and this one suits me perfectly except for one thing.  It has a lot of cinnamon taste and I'm not a huge fan of that.  If they toned down the cinnamon and let the cocoa come through a bit more, this would be a really good beer.  If you like the spice that the cinnamon provides, this beer is perfect.  Its still a good beer; just not perfect in my book.

Overall rating:  I'm going 3.0 with all of the points being deducted for the cinnamon taste.  Not the best chocolate milk stout but still well worth drinking and it may suit others who like the spice more than I do.

That's all for tonight I'm afraid.  Going to watch the rest of Birdman.  I'm going to do a blog this week on last year's Oscar awards as I have now seen 3 1/2 of the 8 nominees.  I need to watch the rest of Birdman and I am taping Boyhood this week.  I have seen Grand Budapest Hotel, American Sniper, and also The Theory of Everything as well.  I still need to see Selma, The Imitation Game, and Whiplash.   I am going to do a post on the first four and then the last four after I see them.

Until next weekend, here's to beer!



    

Blog From South County

We are blogging from Goose's house.  In the heart of Sunset Hills.  We have three guest tasters.  Goose, Mark, and Mike.  And off we go.  5 bottles to get through.  Not much time for hyperbole.

Brewer:  Firestone Walker
Beer Name:  Wooley Jack Black Rye IPA
Beer Style: Black IPA
Price:  Gift From Goose- it would be impolite to ask but I just saw it for $5.99 at Friar Tuck's.  We will assume Goose paid at least $15.99 since it was a gift for me.

Apperarance:  Slight lacing, obviously very dark in color- almost black.
Aroma:  Hoppy, of course.  Very black licoricey.
Mouthfeel: Tingly, a great starter beer for the evening.  8.3% alcohol so there is some weight to it.
Taste:  Not as much of a rye presence says Goose.  Mike adds, "but its free."  I think it has a very strong hop taste with almost no citrus at all.  This is an IPA for the fans of hoppy beer.
Overall Rating:  Goose gives 3.0, Mark says 4.5.  Mike says a 3.0 and +1 for being free.  I say a 3.5.  I prefer an IPA with a little citrus in it but this is good for a starter beer.  Not quite a traditional IPA but has a good thing going on.  On to #2:

Brewer:  Brouweru Verhaege
Beer Name:  Duchesse De Bourgogne
Beer Style:  Reddish Brown Belgian Ale
Price:  Again, a gift from Goose so not sure.

Appearance:  Very light reddish brown color; fairly cloudy.  I can't see anything looking through it even though it is very light in color.  Mark is mad he has to turn the bottle sideways to read it.  Also, he finds the woman on the label unattractive.  It is very light in color for an ale.  Mark says the label is stupid because you have to turn it
Aroma:  Slightly underwhelming for a Belgian beer.  Not a huge aroma for a belgian.  Actually, it is quite pleasant.
Mouthfeel:  Mike says it is very effervescent as was demonstrated by the fact that I shot the cork through Goose's ceiling.  It is very tangy.  Almost fruity.
Taste:  Very fruity.  Goose says Sunny D with an infusion of apricot Febreze. Mark wants to know if we are drinking cologne.  It is actually really good.  Not a slam a twelve pack by the pool good but a sip with a friend over your after dinner cigar good.  It reeks of classy beer.
Overall ranking:  Mike says 3.0.  Mark is going a 1.0.  Goose says a 4.5  He digs it.  It is such a change from the IPA; I'm going a 4.0 as it would be very drinkable during the summer.  ON TO #3!

Brewer:  Huyghe Brewer
Beer Name:  Delerium Noel
Beer Style:  Belgian Ale
Price:  Again, a gift from Goose.

Appearance:  Almost the same as the previous but it is much clearer.  Still not a clear beer but not cloudy.  No lacing at all.
Aroma:  Mike says "Musty female crotch, picture the sweaty chick who danced for too long in the skirt- He did not mention whether she had panties on or not.  I think it has a very nice aroma.
Mouthfeel:  There are some serious chunks in this beer.  I mean floaties and flakes and other assorted flotsam and jetsam floating in the beer.  After you get past the crucnh, it has a good aley feel to it.
Taste:  Quite a bit less fruity then the last belgian but still definitely an ale from Europe.
Overall rating:  Mark says, "Given that they are not good, they aren't good.  A solid 1.5"  Mike says 1.5 also.  Goose gives it a 3.7.  I'm going to give this a 3.75.  On to the 4th beer:

Brewer:  New Belgium
Beer Name:  Cocoa Mole'
Beer Style:  Spiced Chocolate Porter
Price:  $7.99 for a pint.

Appearance:  Medium brown.  Not quite clear.  No lacing on the glass.
Aroma:  A lot of cinnamon, and peppers.  Quite a weird flavor mix.
Mouthfeel:  Very spicy, tingly ale feel here.  Quite a bit of hot peeper at the end.
Taste:  No one likes this at all.  It is a very weird flavor combination.  Chocolate up front, cinnamon in the middle and hot peppers at the end.  Actually, I'm going to say this is rather disgusting.  Definitely found the loser of the night.
Overall rating:  Mike says 1.5.  Mark goes 1.5.  Goose goes pi to the 7048th digit.  I give it a 0.0.
Seriously.  It may have been the worst beer I have ever had.  I dumped mine out.

Brewer:  Rouge Brewery (otherwise known as heaven)
Beer Name:  Voodoo Donut Lemon Chiffon Crueller Ale
Beer Style:  Voodoo Donut Lemon Chiffon Crueller Ale
Price:  Too much- it was about $14 for the pint bottle

Appearance:  Normally, we stick with the beer appearance, but Mike and Mark have focused on the bottle.  Mike says it looks like a lemon douche.  Mark says the bottle is shaped for her pleasure.  I'm not sure I have an opinion on the bottle.  Somehow we have digressed to a douche actually being a pine scented air freshener worn on the belly button ring of a female.  We need a female panel member to verify.  Don't ask.
Aroma:  It smells like a lemon donut.  Absolutely the best smell ever- besides maybe a vanilla long john.
Mouthfeel:  Very citrusy; almost a lemonade feel- very tangy.
Taste:  Delicious.  This beer tastes like a lemon donut.  Seriously.  It is not super sweet- definitely not as sweet as the Shock Top or the Leinenklugels but it has the donut taste perfected.
Overall rating:  I'm going a solid 4.0.  If it was a little sweeter, the rating would go up but it is delicious. Definitely the best beer of the bunch.  Goose gives it credit for being exactly what it wanted to be; he just said what it wanted to be sucks ass.  A 1.7.

Wait a second!!!!!  Goose just grabbed a sixth beer!!!!

Brewer:  The Musketeers
Beer Name: Troubador Obscura
Beer Style:  Belgian Mild Stout
Price:  Goose's fridge.

Appearance:  Reddish brown and not very clear.  A dark, thick looking beer.
Aroma:  WOW!!!!  Quite a Belgiany aroma.
Mouthfeel:  Not much there.  Very flat as a stout should be.
Taste:  Very belgiany.  Think Gallagher smashing a fruit basket on the back of your tounge.  Somewhat fruity and very tangy for a stout.  I'm not even sure you can call it a stout.
Overall Rating:  I'm giving the stout a 3.5.  Definitelty not the best stout of all time.  But not bad.

Hello again!  Dooley and I are back at it as my fridge is overloaded with blog-worthy beer.  First, I have to give a shout out to Kevin who brought back two beers from Florida which we are going to review first:

Brewer:  Florida Beer Company
Beer Name:  Key West Sunset Ale
Beer Style: American Amber Ale
Price?
ABV: 4.8%

Aroma: A slight citrus maybe?  John said "something".  Not sure it is anything at all but air.  Weird start to a beer rating.

Appearance:  Amber, duh.  Pretty clear.  Nice foam and lacing.  Overall, a good looking beer.

Mouthfeel:  Light, slightly bubbly.

Taste:  Smooth.  Definitely a light summer beer.  Not much taste at all.

Overall Rating:  I'm saying a 3.5.  If it was August and I was sitting poolside, the rating may be higher but its January and I'm on my 55 degree basement.  John says its 3 and he would drink heavier when it gets warmer.  Definitely better than Bud Light but not much to it.

Brewer:  Cigar City Brewing cigar citybrewing.com
Beer Name: Maduro Brown Ale
Beer Style: Brown Ale
Price: ?
ABV: 5.5%

Aroma: Hint of Cocoa nibs.  Yummmm  Chocolate.  Smells delicious.

Appearance: Definitely cloudy. Dark.  Looks like a dark brown ale.  Very little lacing in the glass.

Mouthfeel:  A little tingly.  Lighter side but not disappointing.

Taste:  Delicious.  This is a very nice beer.  It has a great chocolate taste with some other sweet notes as well.  Very well balanced; slightly malty and very smooth.  I might see if I can find this somewhere in Missouri.

Overall Rating: I'm going 4.5.  Almost perfect.  My only complaint is that it is fairly simple and straightforward which isn't a bad thing.  John says 4.25.  Good hints of chocolate.  Overall good cold weather beer.  Check their website.  It looks legit.  They have a lot of weird sounding, intriguing beer.

On to #3!

Brewer: Schmaltz Brewing Company amd Terrapin Brewing Company
Beer Name:  Reunion Ale '14 (A Beer for Hope)
Beer Style: Ale w/ toasted coconut, coffee, vanilla, cinnamon, choclate, and cocoa nibs (This is legit- it says it in the label)
Price: Can't remember- Probably about $5 for a pint bottle.  This is a beer brewed for charity- specifically Myeloma and Bone Cancer Research,

Aroma:  Smells like friggin coffee.  Like Folgers in your cup coffee.  I was hoping for a little more of a blend.  Maybe the taste will be better then the aroma.  John gets a hint of chocolate.  I got some cinnamon after the Folgers cloud vacated the area.

Appearance:  Mississippi mud pie in a glass.  Dark and cloudy for sure.  A good looking beer- nice lacing; good foam.  This looks like a good beer.

Mouthfeel:  Slightly tingly- not very heavy.  Pleasant.

Taste:  Holy crap!  John says its too many tastes being celebrated at one time.  I concur.  This is like drinking the entire Golden Corral in one glass.  Cinnamon, chocolate, vanilla, kung pao chicken, artichoke hearts in a light butter garlic sauce, lemon cake with chiffon icing, its all here.  Might be slightly ambitious as a beer.  It smells like you are drinking a cup of coffee but very little coffee taste because everything else comes through.

Overall rating:  First off, I love the Schmaltz brewing company mentality. They have great beer names, labels, pictures, etc.  As an overall brewer, they are up there on my list.  This beer however, is not their best offering.  I am saying a 2.0 with the points being deducted for biting off a bigger chunk then they could chew.  John says licorice.  2.5.  Not good but better then Milwaukee's Best Light.  (Check out our rating for MBL in the cheap beer blog from a couple of years back!)

Next Beer:

Brewer:  Boatswain Brewing Company
Beer Name:  Chocolate Stout
Beer Style: Chocolate Stout
Price:  Don't know.  Wife picked it up at Trader Joe's for me.

Aroma:  Nothing.  Literally air only.  Second weird aroma tonight.  John thinks the chocolate beer thing is a giant farce as every time he drinks a "chocolate" beer, it is nothing near chocolate.  He might be on to something with this one.

Appearance:  Super dark, Like a chocolate stout.  Great lacing, perfect pour.

Mouthfeel:  Not much there.  Very smooth and easy on the palate.

Taste:  Very bland.  Not much chocolate and not very stoutish either.  More like a very mild brown ale.  John says nothing up front and nothing on the back end.  Sounds like a real bad date to me.
We are watching "The Wendell Baker Story".  Its pretty funny.  Wait for the comvenience store scene.  Hilarious.

10:38 pm  We just turned on the Godfather and we are going to blog one more beer.

Brewer:  Boulevard
Beer Name:  Smokestack Series Imperial Stout
Beer Style:  Chocolate Imperial Stout
Price:  $12.99? at Schnucks

Aroma:  Whiskeyish.  Go figure.  Quite a bit of whiskey stout.

Appearance:  Not as dark as the other stout.

Mouthfeel:  A shot of whisky, anyone?  Definitely not a light beer here.  Plenty of weight, tingle, etc.

Taste:  Not a bad Imperial; stout at all.  I'm not a huge fan of imperial stout but this is fairly mild with a very laid back whiskey taste.  At 11%, it still packs a whallop but niot as bad as some others.  It is reasonably drinkable.  

Overall rating:  John says 3.75.  Good taste but hard to swallow.  No comment necessary.  I'm saying a 3.0.  Not a huge imperial stout fan but its not bad.  I'm going to sleep tonight for sure given that this is 11%.  Night night.  Pics come tomorrow.