Beer Review: Shipyard XXXX IPA

Brew Style: American Double / Imperial IPA
Brewer: http://www.shipyard.com
ABV: 9.25%
BrewNewb Opinion: Decent beer

I love a good presentation, and I thought the foil wrapping around the cap was a nice touch. I was rather surprised to notice, after cracking the cap, that it was actually a twist off. I don't know why this struck me as odd, and frankly I never really thought much about the fact that I apparently associate twist off caps with crappy beer, much like wine that comes in screw-cap bottles. 

It isn't an association I established consciously, and perhaps it's not a fair one. However, I can't seem to help it. There is no good rational reason for it, except that all the crappy beers use twist offs. Maybe in my head, the good beers decided not to, to further distance themselves from their crappy counter parts... Who knows. 

Anyway, this beer poured from the pint bottle into my Sam Adams Perfect Pint glass, a nice amber peachy color. This frothy head with a good lacing. 

The smell was a little surprising. It was a bit too complex, with too many hoppy smells coupled with the smell of the alcohol. (Which is hard to avoid at 9.25%!)

The taste, like the smell was a little bit of a disappointment to me. I love a solid IPA, but I feel like they tried to do too much with this one. Too many flavors, and too much ABV. I tasted mostly caramel malt and alcohol that completely dwarfed the various hops. I would have liked to see them use either fewer hops, for a strong hops flavor in one direction or another, or less alcohol. 

All in all, not a bad beer, though it's not what I expected out of an IPA. Perhaps a barleywine?  

A to Z Blog Challenge Beer Review - Otter Creek's Copper Ale

Holy fizzy fluffy head Batman!

I popped this thing, and smelled maybe some Killians.. malty, bready, a little sweet. I had so much fizz it was ridiculous! I got about four ounces in there, and the whole damned glass, which is a 16oz Sam Adams glass, filled to the brim with foam. 

Citrusy, a little coppery (ironically?) Poured a cloudy coppery red.

Slight hops, overtones of wheat and honey.

This is a very mellow ale. All in all, not a bad beer. I would drink this if there weren't an IPA available.

I don't have a hell of a lot to say about this brew, it's understated, and good. I think I'll leave this post understated as well. :)

A to Z Blog Challenge Beer Review - Mayflower Oatmeal Stout

Popped the top of this beer and honestly didn't smell much... After the pour I did though.

It poured smooth, slight chocolate brown head. Smelled malty, tones of brown sugar, and toffee.

Tastes like toasted malts, baker's chocolate, and oatmeal. Brings it all together nicely. Lots of tastes in one nice flavor... or is it lots of flavors in one nice taste?? Not sure how that works...

Anyway... not a bad beer. Not wonderful, but way better than yellow fizzy.

A to Z Blog Challenge Beer Review - Chicory Stout by Dogfish Head

Image from here. 

Brew: Chicory Stout
Brewer: Dogfish Head
ABV: 5.2%
Opinion: Good Beer!

Chicory. Chicory. Chicory... Fun to say. What is Chicory anyway, you ask? It's a plant. Glad you asked?

Sorry, this is a beer review, not a botany class.

So I cracked this puppy open, found it's scent maltier than anything else, with sweet raisin-like tones.

The pour was smooth, almost no head. It had a little more carbonation than I'd expected. Perhaps had I poured a little quicker there'd have been more head / less carbonation? Eh.

It tasted smooth, tones of coffee and chocolate, odd after taste, slightly bitter, but not hoppy. (Likely from the chicory, which is known for it's bitterness... There, you got a little info outta me...)

This wasn't my favorite ever, but still pretty good. It's hard to go wrong with chocolate and coffee in a stout.

Ok, fine. This is a chicory flower (with an insect):