Beer

Anchor Our Special Ale 2012

/ Adam Barhan / Leave a comment


Anchor Our Special Ale 2012, originally uploaded by adambarhan.

A: Pours a nice dark black cherry body with a thick tan head that slowly fades and leaves a nice amount of lacing on the glass.

S: Nice amount of spice smell, some black licorice, sweet malt and sort of pine type smell.

T: Pretty faint compared to the previous years, but it is still pretty nice. Picking up some strong malt and some spice and just a nice sweetness.

M: The beer is nice and creamy and leaves a dry feeling in my mouth. It has a full body and a tiny bit of crispness on the back of the throat.

O: This a solid beer and I will be throwing a few in the cellar. Not too bad, would by another 6pack

Brouwerij Roman N.V. Rince Cochon

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A- Deep golden color with a hearty white head, seen still lingering in photo.

S- Disappointing, and the most incomplete aspect of this beer. Yeasty aromatics with some hints of pear, but nothing very pronounced.

T- This was very sweet right away. It reminded me of some domestic Tripels. The yeast kicks in on the mid palate and leaves a hint of brioche on the finish with some light apple flavors. The sweetness persists throughout. VERY SWEET

M- Soft and round which adds to the fruit and sugar mentioned above. Lacks refreshing character one looks for in a lighter beer.

O- Extremely sweet. This could pair well with sharp cheese or some spicy Asian dishes. The nose could be so much more considering that this is a flavorful beer if it wasn’t so sweet

Full Sail Session Fest

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Full Sail Session Fest, originally uploaded by adambarhan.

Pours a clear medium brownish-red with a slight bit of chill haze. Just a small white head fading to some splotches after a couple of minutes.

A lot of grass in the aroma along with some toast and caramel much like the regular Session lager with a little extra roast.

The aroma translates well into the flavor with grass/hay up front followed by some light toast and caramel. There is a little sweetness and a thicker body than a typical amber lager might have along with some light bitterness.

Overall, a tasty amber lager and one that, as the name would suggest, is quite sessionable. Definitely pick up a box if you see them in the store around the holidays.

Left Hand Warrior IPA

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Left Hand Warrior IPA, originally uploaded by adambarhan.

: The pour is a slightly hazed golden orange color with a big white head and some spots of lacing.

S: Pleasant citrus hop notes come through and provide a nice nose to the beer. Mild grass and pine notes. Some slight sweetness from the bready malts, but not overly so. And overall, not the most fragrant IPA, but good.

T: Better flavor than the nose indicates. Good grapefruit and orange peel flavor, some mild pine, and and a nice bitterness. The malt flavor is there in the background and is mostly bready in nature.

M: Medium in body with a moderate carbonation.

O: Another solid beer from Lefthand Brewing Co.

Ommegang Scythe & Sickle

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Ommegang Scythe & Sickle, originally uploaded by adambarhan.

A: Pours a dark burnt orange with a medium soft white head, some nice lace.

S: Yeasty, musty grain, grass, hint of herbs.

T: Very bready biscuity malt flavour, white pepper, grassy hops. Hint of orange, rye spice and some assorted citrus.

M: Crisp, medium-bodied, frothy, easy drinking yet feels big for it’s ABV.

O: An interesting beer. I like biere de gardes, and it’s cool that Ommegang put it in a 12 oz. bottle, so this didn’t cost $10 to try, they should do that for all their releases.

New Belgium Brewing Lips of Faith Peach Porch Lounger

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A: Pours an orange body with slight golden tints to it with a small off-white head that has decent retention. A small cap forms on top and bits of lacing cling to the glass.

S: Some light peach upfront with a malty sweetness on the back, presumably from the molasses. Slight funk mixed in.

T: More peach in the beginning mixed with a bit of citrus. This is followed up by a pretty heavy malt sweetness. There is a bit of straw/mustiness mixed in as well.

M: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.

O: Not a bad beer, but was hoping for a bit more in terms of the peaches. The entire time I drank it, I wanted the beer to be much more sour as well.

Ayinger Oktober Fest-Märzen

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Ayinger Oktober Fest-Märzen, originally uploaded by adambarhan.

A – Poured out a clear, amber color with golden highlights. It had a thick, off-white head of bubbly foam. It left some soapy trails of lace.

S – It smelled of sweet caramel, some grass and subtle spice.

T – It had a toasty maltiness with sweet caramel. There was a nice bitter hop character, not overpowering but just enough to add some balance.

M – It was crisp, sharp and smooth. A light bodied, easy drinking lager.

D – This is a really solid Oktoberfest. Cheap at the store and crazy at the bar. Tell me why its $3 and change at the store and $11 at Saucer? I dont get the markups.

Ommegang Abbey Ale

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Ommegang Abbey Ale, originally uploaded by adambarhan.

A: Seems to be burgundy in color, although maybe a bit more “brownish”. A lot of foam initially, but it subsides quickly.

S: Smells sweet, a nice aroma of fruits with lots of figs and some dark cherries, a noticeable alcohol scent as well.

T: The fruit (especially the figs) come through, with notes of plums and cherries as well. A caramel type sweetness is present as well.

M: A nice amount of carbonation on the tongue, and good body.

D: A delicious Dubbel, and another fine beer from Ommegang.

Deschutes Brewing Co.Chainbreaker White IPA

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A – Poured a cloudy, yellow color with golden highlights. A two-finger, rocky, white head of foam left sudsy patches of lace on the glass.

S – It smelled fruity and yeasty with a touch of wheat.

T – Good fruity bite from the Belgian yeast. Nice cracked wheat flavor with citrus notes.

M – It was crisp, sharp and smooth. A medium bodied ale with a dry finish.

O – They’ve really combined an American wheat beer and a Belgian IPA. Really cool would be a great summer beer

Russian River Pliny the Elder

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Russian River Pliny the Elder, originally uploaded by adambarhan.

A – Poured out a somewhat cloudy, orange color with golden highlights. It had a small, thick, foamy head that left soapy trails of lace.

S – Tons of grapefruit aroma; really amazing! There were mild notes of pine and caramel.

T – It hits you with a tart ruby red grapefruit taste and sweet orange peel flavors. The burnt toast caramel flavors add balance to the strong fruit taste.

M – It was crisp and sharp with a dry finish. A medium bodied ale.

D – A very hyped beer, very good but not worth all the hype although I feel like I need one every time I see it.

Serving type: bottle