Avery Brewing Company’s Ellie’s Brown Ale is a nice dark brown ale with lots of smoky, roasty malty flavors plus a bit of nuttiness and a hint of chocolate. This is a really nice, pleasant brown ale.
I give it 4.2 out of 5.
Samuel Adams – Noble Pils goes into the bucket of, “I remember it being much better the first time around”.
I enjoyed this beer quite a bit last year and distinctly remember making multiple purchases. However, this year something seems off. The taste is not as full and it feels like it is missing something.
I am still a big fan Sam Adams (I am drinking a traditional lager as a I write this), but for me sun has set on Noble Pils.
3 out of 5.
Review Submitted By: Scott Watermasysk
Q. Is it a beer or is a delicious desert in a bottle?
A. Both
World Wide Stout is definitely a unique sweet dark stout. I think DogFish has it right to compare this more to a glass of port than your average beer.
At 18% ABV you won’t be pounding a six pack of it any time soon, but I do recommend you pick up a bottle and give it a try.
4.5 out of 5.
Updated – removed blurry picture
Review Submitted By: Scott Watermasysk
Smuttynose’s Barleywine Style Ale is one of their “Big Beer” series. At 11.7% ABV it definitely belongs there.
It’s a nice big malty sweet sipping beer that has a little bit of spicy notes to it as well. I had one from fall of 2010 and it was fine, but I think it ought to sit an mellow for a while. If you do find yourself with a bottle of this stuff then hide it away in your beer cellar until next winter. And if you find one from 2009 then drink it!
My favorite of the style and one of my top 3 favorite beers across all styles is Sierra Nevada’s Bigfoot Ale. This beer is very different, but it’s still very good – good enough that I’d definitely buy another.
My Rating: 4.0 out of 5
Beer Advocate rating: B+
Review Submitted By: Dan Hounshell