First up:
Brewer: 4 hands
Beer Name: Contact High Juiced
Beer Style: Ale
Price $14 for a 12 pack of cans at SAMS
Appearance: Very light, super cloudy, obviously infused with something. This beer is advertised as having Tangarine and Mandarin Orange in it and it has a strong look of something in it.
Aroma: This has a very fruity aroma along with a tradtional ale. It smells wonderful.
Mouthfeel: Very smooth. A very light tingle with a very smooth finish.
Taste: Full disclosure: I love this beer. I don't think it is a surprise that I like the fruity beer. This is an exceptionally fine beer if you are into the fruit infused ales that are all the rage right now.
Overall rating: 4.75. I have bought three cases over the last three weeks. That should be testament enough. It is delicious.
Next One:
Brewer: Stillwater Artisanal
Beer Name: Micro
Beer Style: Pale Ale
Price: $10 for a 4 pack of 16 oz cans at Friar Tucks
Aroma: Ale with a tangarine or orange scent. The fruit cent is very strong despite not having any added fruit. It looks great and smells great. It makes you want to head out by the pool or go on a picnic or somewhere outside.
Mouthfeel: Very smooth. Light, fresh feel with a slight tingle.
Taste: This is a perfect beer. I have drank it all summer and have not tired of it at all. It has a much more subdued citrus flavor then the 4Hands but it is equally refreshing and crisp. This is a nust try; the citra hops give it the perfect blend of citrus to balance out the bitterness of the hops. Perfect balance.
Overall Rating: 5. This is a perfect beer. I love it.
Beer #3
Brewer: Bell's
Beer Name: Hopslam Ale
Beer Style: Double IPA
Price: No idea. This was a gift from Joel the beermaster.
Appearance: A little amber; slightly cloudy but much more clear then the other two.
Aroma: Hoppy. Very crisp.
Mouthfeel: Very smooth as well. No tingle at all.
Taste: This is much hoppier then the previous two. No citrus at all. A much more traditional IPA with hops. I am getting some caramel in the aftertaste as well Wierd for an IPA. John says super hoppy and not his favorite. I concur. Its OK for a double IPA. But not my favorite style.
Overall rating: I say a 3. Well balanced and a goof effort but not my cup of beer. John says a 2.75.
On to the next #4:
Brewer: Narrow Gauge
Beer Name: SHB: DDH Galaxy
Beer Style: Double IPA as well
Price: $18 for a 4 pack of 16 oz cans. Expensive.
Appearance: Light yellow, very cloudy. A nice lacing on the glass.
Aroma: A lot of orange juice here. Very citrusy. The mosaic hops certainly are prevalant here.
Mouthfeel: Somewhat tingly here. Smooth overall. A nice light beer for the summer.
Taste: This beer smells better then it tastes. Not bitter but not very sweet either. Sort of a very mediocre effort in my opinion. If you like Galaxy hops, you probably will like this. If not, they have better beers.
Overall rating: 3. Very pedestrian.
#5:
Brewer: Narrow Gauge
Beer Name: SHB: DDH Citra
Beer Style: Double IPA
Price: $18 for a 4 pack of 16 oz cans. Expensive
Appearance: Looks exactly the same as the other Narrow Gauge. In fact, I think this is the same except the hops are changed from Mosaic to Citra. Both are double dry hopped IPAs.
Aroma: Also, very citrusy or orangy like the mosaic. Smells like a breakfast juice of some sort.
Mouthfeel: Very smooth. Outstanding balance.
Taste: Outstanding. Very well balanced. I really like this beer. Their citrus infused pale ale is even better but they did not have any for sale in cans. This is well balanced, flavorful with a mix of hops and citrus.
Overall rating: I say a 4.5 at least; maybe higher upon repeated drinkings. John says 3.5. It is clearly better then the galaxy.
On to #6:
Brewer: Sam Smith
Beer Name: Organic Pale Ale
Beer Style: Pale Ale
Price: $6 for a pint.
Appearance: Way darker then anything else on the blog. This is a very traditional pale ale is appearance. Medium brown; slightly cloudy; almost no lacing or foam on the pour. John says it is loudier then you would expect for sure.
Aroma: Smells much more like an alcoholic beverage then any of the other beers. No fruit; very little hops, etc. Smells like a strong beer.
Mouthfeel: Almost nothing there. No tingle; no weight, almost watery.
Taste: John says it has a Newcastle feel to it. Smoother then Newcastle but that same vibe. I say it is another flawless entrant from Sam Smith. This is the best brewery on the planet across styles and genres. It is amazing how they put out quality entrants across the board. This beer has a perfect balance of malt, tanginess (thinking plums or grapes?) along with barley and hops. It is a very nice beer to just sit and chill with.
Overall rating: John says each drink has gotten better. He goes 4 even. I am going 4.75. It is basically a perfect beer. The only thing stopping me from giving it a perfect 5 is that I have only had it tonight. I reserve the right to raise my rating if it is equally as good next time.
On to #6.
Brewery: Oskar Blues
Beer Name: Death by Coconut
Beer Style: Irish Porter
Price: No idea- provided by Joel the beermaster
Appearance: Looks like a porter; dark beer, dark foam, nice head. john says it pours well. He keeps lifting his glass and looking at it so I'm fairly sure he likes the look of it.
Aroma: Smells like coconut. It has a very thick aroma. If you like coconut, you will wear this as cologne. I love coconut so this is like nosecrack.
Mouthfeel: Very tingly. A very busy beer as it goes down. Lots happening here.
Taste: Unfortunately, it isn't quite as good as it smells. The coconut is covered up by something. If its chocolate, it's a weird strain of chocolate.
Overall rating: I'm saying 2.5. I can't make it past the tingly/ tangy/ sour, whatever taste is blocking the coconut. John says a 3.25. He says it will be a nice winter beer.
Last one:
Brewery: Brew Link Company
Beer Name: Nuttercup
Beer Style: Porter
Price: don't know- provided by Joel the beermaster
Appearance: Dark, relatively clear. Nice lacing.
Aroma: Think peanuts on top of a bed of peanut butter sandwhich layered with resses and topped with peanuts.
Mouthfeel: Can't tell, I'm afraid to try it. I gave in. Its very smooth but I can't get past the pound if peanuts shoved in my nose to get to the mouthfeel. It's a very pungent aroma.
Taste: I'm shivering with disgust. Really. It's like drinking a liquid nutterbutter. John says all flavors come through very strongly. Chocolate, PB, and porter are all prevelant. He then added that it wasn't his favorite mix.
Overall rating: I'm going .25 It's only slightly better than undrinkable. And I mean SLIGHTLY.
John likes it. He says 2.75.
And this ends tonights blog. By the way, United beat Real 2 to 1. Like there was any doubt.
