I was quite intrigued by the Widmer Brothers Brewing Alchemy Project’s 2012 version of a Raspberry Russian Imperial Stout, so I decided to try it out tonight.  My first impression is that this is a big, dry, bitter imperial stout, so doubt about it.  The head is heavy and creamy, and nose is rich with roasted malt and chocolate.   When it hit my tongue, I was surprised by how dry it is.  There’s a hint of tartness more than sweetness from the berries, and more as it warms, but the first big flavors are of earth and coffee.  There’s a nice round finish with just a little bit of tart and bitter balanced, and a bit of alcohol throughout.  The body is medium to heavy, and it’s a pretty big beer at 9.3% ABV.   It was a nice twist on what’s really a good solid imperial stout without overwhelming it, or turning it into a fruit beer.   I really like it a lot.

Another wacky dark ale from Dogfish Head tonight.  Raison D’Être is a Belgian style ale brewed with Belgian sugars and raisins, of course.  The nose is of sweet fruit and bread.  The body is heavy and sticky, and the middle is sweet malt and intense grape flavors from the raisins.   I didn’t used to be a fan of Raison D’Être, but it’s grown quite a bit on me.  It isn’t as wonderfully complex as some of the traditional Belgian ales, but it’s a nice quirky ale, very heavy on the sweet and malty side of the scale, and a fun beer.

The description first.  This has a thick, dense head.  There are oats and chocolate, and a hint of coffee in the nose.   Next is a heavy, creamy middle with vanilla, brown sugar and alcohol, finally leading to a super smooth syrupy finish.  I’m a big fan of the mellowness of oatmeal stouts, and though this is a particularly big one (at 9% ABV) it still pulls it off nicely, though it’s nearly overpowered by the alcohol right in the middle.  This is a really nice dessert beer.

Tonight’s brew is an oak-aged Imperial Barley Wine style ale from Southern Tier Brewing in Georgia. This is a big (9.6% ABV) heavy beer, perfect for a cool night.  The nose has sweet with raisins and yeasty, smelling faintly of runny blue cheese.  The middle is sweet and malty, rich with fruit and toffee. and the finish is vanilla from the oak and just a bit of warmth from the alcohol.  I’m not a connoisseur of barley wine ales (yet) but this is certainly a nice big beer for a cool autumn (or winter) night.

Hop Head Red is what Green Flash Brewing Co. of San Diego, Ca calls Red IPA.  The head is light and fluffy, and the scent is deceptively sweet, with pine and some caramel.  I say deceptively, because the flavor is massively bitter, heavy with pine resin in the middle, and some citrus in the finish.   This is definitely has a bit more richness and depth than their standard IPA which lends nicely to the red ale character, but I’d have liked it better if they’d toned down the bite a bit.

The Floral IPA from the mixed case of Sierra Nevada’s Beer Camp styles I’m trying is true to its name.  The dense foamy head dissipates pretty quickly, not adding much, and the nose is distinctly floral, with the nectar of a garden in bloom.  The flavor is straight hops, predominately pine in character, with just a bit of citrus in the finish.  It’s got a medium body, and good carbonation without being overly carbonated.  A nice refreshing beer, and I love the floral attributes, but the rest is a bit uninspired.

Today’s tasty treat is an Imperial IPA from the 21st Amendment Brewery in Minnesota.  It’s starts with a thick, dense, foamy, long lasting head.  The aroma is predominantly floral.  The body is heavy and there’s grapefruit sweetness balanced carefully with bitter pine in the middle, and a neutral citrus finish.   It’s a big beer at 9.7% ABV, but the alcohol is definitely in the background.  It can hit pretty hard, because it doesn’t taste nearly as potent as it is.  This is a really nice Imperial IPA, well balanced, and it ticks all the right boxes for me.  Definitely the best I’ve had from a can, and I really enjoy the convenience of cans.

From a mixed case of Sierra Nevada Beer Camp styles, I’m trying out the Imperial Pilsner (#43) tonight.  It’s definitely a beefy Pilsner   It has a nice fluffy, creamy head, and an earthy, grassy nose.  On the tongue it’s heavily malty with some spicy kick.  There’s a bit of bitter pine right at the finish as well.  It’s got a medium body, so it’s heavier than a standard Pilsner  but it’s still crisp and refreshing, and peppery spice in the middle makes this a nice treat.

Founders Brewing Company’s All Day IPA is billed as a “Session Ale” but like many of Founders excellent brews, it’s tilted way over towards the big and bold side, rather than the lighter taste I’d expect from a session beer.  This is a west coast style IPA, crisp and bitter and all hops.  The nose is fragrant pine, and the middle is grapefruit rind, pine and pepper, and more pine in the finish.   It’s a very tasty beer, but the flavor is definitely strong.

Argh! For some reason I have a hard time resisting a nice pirate themed beer, and particularly when I find it in one of my favorite styles.  Heavy Seas Loose Cannon Hop3 IPA by the Clipper City Brewing Company of Baltimore is a fun treat.  It’s an American IPA, but with only 45 IBUs, it lends toward the traditional, balanced side of the style, rather than the crisp hop-bombs of the West Coast.   There’s a bit of grapefruit and pine in the nose, and lots of sweet orange and a tiny hint of bitter orange rind in the middle, and the finish is orange with caramel and a bit of pine.  This is a really nice well balanced IPA, and I’m enjoying it quite a lot.