#237 Dogfish Head - 60 Minute IPA

Another Dogfish Head in the numbered minute series.

The aroma has a citrus hops characteristic commonly associated with American grown hops. The color is a dark straw with a hint of orange, and very clear, could tell this was a clear beer while it was still int he bottle. The head is thick with good retention.

There is a lot of hop flavors in this beer. There is some citrus taste like a grapefruit and plenty of bitterness. A slight buttery diacetyl taste is present leaving the roof of the mouth slick. The mouthfeel is thin. The finish is bitter with some diacetyl taste.

This might be the first Dogfish Head beer I don't like. The diacetyl is too strong and mixes poorly with the hops. I really liked the 90 minute and 120 minute IPA, but this one is not as good.

#236 Dogfish Head - Red & White

This beer is brewed with Pinot noir juice concentrate and and aged with 11% in Pinor noir barrels and 89% aged on oak staves. This is one of Dogfish Head's many limited release beers.

There is a pronounced spice aroma with coriander and orange mixed with a little wild bacteria funk smell. This beer has a ruby red color with some sediment floating in suspension. The head pours thick, but does not last long.

This beer has a unique taste, the coriander and orange from the aroma are much more subtle in the taste, just an accent. There might be some wild yeast in this beer with some earth notes and a tart taste, but the tart taste could be a wine characteristic. The mouthfeel is medium full, giving the beer a noticeable body. The finish is fruity and earthy.

This is a great beer, lots of good unique flavors. I always have trouble describing Dogfish Head beer, the flavors are often unique and not like other beers. Just a really enjoyable beer.

#235 Unibroue - Don De Dieu

Don De Dieu is named after Samuel de Champlain's boat. Samuel de Champlain is known as the founder of Quebec after landing in Tadoussac on June 3, 1608. 2008 marks the 400th anniversary and Unibroue a Canadian brewery is celebrating with this beer.

This beer has one of the strongest Belgian spice / clove yet. The color is a pale brown or orange, and very hazy, looks like unfiltered apple cider. There is a some foam on the beer when poured but it quickly fizzes away.

The taste starts sweet with fruity esters of apple, pear, and orange but no banana flavors which are common with Belgian style beers. There is a slight yeast taste to the beer, not surprising for such a cloudy bottle conditioned beer. Being a wheat beer the mouthfeel is very smooth with lots of carbonation. The finish is sweet and fruity but not overwhelming.

This is a great beer, I love all the Belgian spice flavors and aroma. I want to try to making a homebrew beer from the yeast in this beer.

#233 BBC Dark Side Porter

Malty aroma with some strong roasted notes. The color is dark with a little light passing through. The head is pours thick with mild retention.

The taste is dry with lots of dark malt. There is a tannic bitterness to this beer, poorly accenting the dryness. A roasted flavor is coming through but no coffee taste that is common with such dark roasted beers. Some bitterness is present with an ever so slight floral hop taste. The mouthfeel is thin with lots of fizzy carbonation. The finish is dry with some roast notes.

I don’t care for such a dry tannic taste. If the goal of this beer was to make a porter with a ton of dark malt then this is a success, but I am not really thrilled with the beer.

#232 Anheuser Busch - Bud Ice

I normally don’t drink cheap commercial beer but I am always looking for something unique to drink.

This beer has a sweet cloying smell. The color is a classic straw beer color and very clear. The head is light, pours a little foam and quickly fizzes away.

The taste is sweet, like honey with a hint of grain. There is a hint of bitterness, but no hop flavor. The only other flavor is a little chalky lager flavor. The mouthfeel is thin, almost no body. The finish is a little sweet with a slight bitterness.

Fizzle sweet yellow lager. If thats what you want to drink, this fits the bill.

#231 Left Hnad - Sawtooth Ale

This beer has a malty aroma, bready sweet with a hint of fruit. The color is a medium to dark brown and clear. The head is thick with big active bubbles.

Malt is the primary flavor to this beer, grainy biscuity malt flavor with caramel or molasses taste. There are some bitterness from hops, but that is the only hop flavor. The mouthfeel is thin and highly carbonated. The finish has a malt taste, but it is not too strong.

Not really crazy about this beer. It's a light malty beer like a Nut Brown Ale, but doesn't go far enough with the malt, almost like a watered down nut brown. This beer is drinkable, but I'm not going to look for any more Sawtooth to drink again.

#230 St. Louis Heritage Festival - Rye American Pale Ale

The St. Louis Heritage Festival is a local beer festival sponsored by local breweries and brew pubs Anheuser-Busch, Schlafly, O'Fallon, Square One, Alendale and a others. A full range of beer styles are brewed including the local best of show from the 2007 Happy Holidays Homebrew Competition. This Rye American Pale Ale was the winner of the homebrew competition brewed by August "Augie" Altenbaumer. Augie brewed this batch using O'Fallon's 15 barrel (465 gallons) system. Not all the beer was needed for the festival, and O'Fallon allowed homebrewers to fill 5 gallon cornelius kegs with the unused beer to avoid dumping it.

This beer has a light hop aroma with a grassy, fruity, almost orange smells. There is a slight yeast smell but that might be from the keg being from the bottom of the tank. The beer has a light brown color with some hazy, the hazy might settle out this keg has done some traveling today. The foam pours thick and sticks to the side of the glass with moderate retention keeping the beer covered in foam.

The taste is mildly hoppy with a floral and fruit flavor. The malt has a sweet caramel flavor that is well balanced against the hops. There is a definite orange taste coming from the blend of hops and malt. The rye gives the beer a thicker smooth body. This beer finishes fruity with some lingering hop flavors.

I really like this beer, it has a good flavor and balance and is easy to drink. I also like the rye usage, the fuller body really adds to the overall beer. I am excited for the 5 gallons I have to drink.