Category Archives: Reviews

New Belgium Cascara Quad

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A Belgian Quad from New Belgium Brewing’s Lips of Faith series, Cascara Quad has a number of interesting additions including dates, cherries, and Cascara tea. The nose is rich with figs, cherries, and leather. The middle is smooth and heavy, with notes of dates, plums, cherries, and brown sugar. There isn’t much new in the finish, just subtle hints of molasses and cloves. There is no bitterness in this beer at all, so fans of big Belgians should be fans. The yeast is also subdued, so there’s no particular funkiness here, as you often find in Belgians. This is a very nice, well executed American rendition of the Belgian Quad.

I give it a 4.3 out of 5.

Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron

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Palo Santo Marron is a big, heavy beer more suited to a cold winter’s night that a hot summer eve, but I had one in the fridge, so reviewed in the summer it will be. It’s called as a “malt beverage” rather than a beer due to FDA labeling requirements, but in fact it’s a big huge brown ale aged in Palo Santo wood, from whence its name is derived. Given the heaviness, the aging, and its 12% ABV, it is far more similar to a oak-aged imperial stout or porter than a traditional brown ale. The nose is heavy with chocolate and musty wood…It’s rich and full and gives you a hint of what’s to come. The middle has massive amounts of flavor. There’s chocolate, caramel, brown sugar, coffee, and burnt toast. The finish has maple syrup, loads of vanilla, more coffee, a hint of cherry, and plenty of heat from the alcohol. This is a big, bold beer that’s a wonder winter warmer, and good enough to be worth grabbing regardless of the time of year.

I give it a 4.8 out of 5.

Shiner Ruby Redbird

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My favorite beer that the reviewers love to hate, Shiner Ruby Redbird by the Spoetzl Brewery of Shiner, Texas, while a beer of only modest acclaim by the authorities one might fine on the Internet, is also one of the few brews to make it onto my Five Best Beers for Summer list recently. To me, this beer is light, well-carbonated, and loaded with tangy citrus which makes it just about a perfect liquid refreshment for a hot summer afternoon. The scent is bready, and there is a bit of spice, and the middle is all grapefruit. There’s some ginger, which shows up a bit in the finish along with some toasty malt and a bit of bitter grapefruit rind, and just a little astringency. It may not win any awards, but it’s one that I’ll reach for without any hesitation, summer after summer.

I give it a 4 out of 5.

Natty Greene’s Elm Street India Pale Ale

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Elm Street IPA from Natty Greene’s Brewing Co. of Greensboro, NC, is a standard English IPA, with a bit of wheat thrown in to mellow it out a little. The head is foamy and persistent. The nose is grassy with lemon and a bit of bread dough. The middle is heavy and sticky with tons of grapefruit and caramel, and the finish fades to orange and a little pine. The body is heavier than a typical IPA…More like a double IPA, and the big sugars in the middle help it to resemble a DIPA as well. It’s quite a nice English IPA, and the wheat gives it a bit of character all its own.

I give it a 3.9 out of 5.

Yuengling Traditional Lager

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Yuengling is widely regarded as a “craft-y” rather than a craft brewer both because of it’s size, (over two million barrels annually) and the fact that the recipe for their Traditional Lager uses an adjunct ingredient in corn. However, given that they’ve been a family-owned brewery ever since the company was formed in 1829, and since the recipe for Traditional Lager hasn’t been changed since the late 19th century, I tend to cut them some slack. The beer is a fairly mainstream style American lager. The head is fairly weak, and the scent is of toast with honey. The middle has roasted grain and quite a bit of sweet honey. The finish is slightly metallic, and the flavor of corn peeks through here. The transitions and overall flavor profile is very smooth and mellow, but not overly watery, and the body is light to medium. It’s a really nice lager, and I enjoy it as a malty break from the hop-bombs that I normally crave. This is a good lager, and a great into to start transitioning a beginning beer drinking away from the macro world.

I give it a 4 out of 5.

Samuel Adams Belgian Session

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Another from this year’s Sam Adams summer variety pack is Belgian Session, a Belgian-style pale ale. The head is nice and creamy, and doesn’t fade too quickly. The nose is malty, with toffee and a hint of Belgian yeast in the background. The middle has banana esters and some traditional Belgian spices, particularly coriander. The finish has some caramel and orange, and a little lemon zest. All in all, a very decent Belgian Pale Ale.

I give it a 3.5 out of 5.

Chimay Tripel (White)

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chimay-tripel

I’ve previously reviewed several of Chimay’s other offerings, but the tripel is by far the hardest to find (and to find in good condition) so I’m happy that I’m finally getting a chance to report on it. I love Belgians, I love Chimay, and this is no exception. As a Tripel, it’s not as big and heavy and fruity as my favorite Chimay, Grande Réserve, which is a strong dark ale, but it’s still no lightweight. The nose is full of yeast and sweet pears. The middle is tart oranges and more lovely delicate pear. The finish is heavy, syrupy, and a bit boozy with some oaky bitterness right at very end. This is a marvelous, delicious treat, fruity and complex and a brilliant example of the style. One of my favorites for sure.

I give it a 4.8 out of 5.

Olde Hickory Ruby Lager

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Ruby Lager is a red lager from Charlotte’s Old Hickory Brewery. It’s a fairly traditional malt-heavy lager with some neat flavors. The nose is super bready with some well-done toast. The middle is flinty, with molasses and a bit of lemon zest. The finish is pretty similar to the middle. The bottle claims a “nutty” finish, but I’m not tasting it, so it must be pretty subtle. All in all, a nice, but not great lager. One that I wouldn’t hesitate to order, but also wouldn’t seek out.

I give it a 3.4 out of 5.

Arrogant Bastard Ale

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Arrogant Bastard is a top-notch craft beer classic from Stone Brewing that I’ve avoiding reviewing, and for that matter drinking, solely based on how passionately I hate the name. Yes, I know it’s tongue in cheek and all in good fun, but it still makes me cringe. That said, it gets a 98 on BeerAdvocate from the brothers, and a 99 on RateBeer, so I really can’t ignore it any longer. It’s classified as an American Strong Ale, which in this incarnation means it’s a big, heavy, hop-bomb. The nose is actually pretty light, lighter than I expected for sure, primarily grassy with a bit of pine and some lemon. The middle is bitter, with dark roasted coffee, pine pitch, and grapefruit rind the major notes. The malt brings a bit of caramel sweetness towards the finish along with a bit of booze and more lemon. It’s got a fairly heavy body and lingers on the tongue for a bit. As a strong ale, I can envision it being more balanced, but that clearly wasn’t what they were going for here, and it’s without doubt exceptionally artfully crafted and executed. If you don’t enjoy hoppy, bitter beer this is certainly not the brew for you, but if do you enjoy the big west-coast hop bombs, this is an wonderful example of the pinnacle of the style and craft.

I give it a 4.7 out of 5.

New Belgium Rolle Bolle

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A summer seasonal from New Belgium, Rolle Bolle is a nice light (in body and color) beer with a Belgian twist. It’s kept light with malted oats to soften the base in a manner similar to wheat, and then spiced up with monk fruit and Soursop. The head is large, very light and lasts for quite a long time. The nose is light and floral and just a bit grainy. The middle is an interesting combination of the sweetness of the monk fruit with bitter herbal notes. The finish has some lemon, the last hint of some sweet grapes, and mineral bite that New Belgium aptly describes as “flint.” There is a notable resemblance to a very dry, very light white wine. It’s quite an interesting beer, and though it may have a bit too much going on for an everyday post-lawn-mowing beer, I’ve really enjoyed it.

I give it a 4.4 out of 5.