Beer Review: Iniquity

Reviewing the Iniquity by Southern Tier Brewing Company.
Score: 83

2011 Vintage bottle served in a snifter.

Appearance: Very dark caramel-black color. Light permeates the outline of the beer. Pours a few inch fizzy head that subsides a minute later into a very faint fizzy lace. 4/5

Smell: Toffee and citrus aroma, mixed with dark fruit (maybe prunes?). 3/5

Taste: Very balanced, carbonated and malty beer with faint bitterness. Slight fruit taste as well. Very sweet lingering flavor, but cannot pin down any specific reasons why. 3/5

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied beer, with a faint malty finish. 4.5/5

Overall: An enjoyable beer overall, but nothing special.

Recommendation: Not a beer I would buy again.

Pairings: Sharp cheese? This one could make a dessert on its own given its malty flavors.

Cost: $7.99 for a 22 oz (bomber) bottle.

Beer Review: Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale

Review of the Celebration Ale from Sierra Nevada Brewing Company.
Score: 85

Totally fresh 2011 vintage bottle served slightly chilled in a Sam's Adams glass.

Appearance: 4 inches of bubbly, frothy head on pour. Very carbonated carmel-amber color. The see-thru of this beer falls somewhere between transparent and translucent. Carbonation fuels the foamy head for several minutes, leaving thin layer once the pour settles in. 4/5

Smell: A Lemony-soap bitter aroma dominates the nose. There is also a malty citrus smell at the front. 4/5

Taste: This beer is unlike most IPAs I have drank. The taste has a malty-caramel backbone, and the lemon-citrusy bitterness is very balanced. The finish is malty and slightly lemony, but not bitter at all. 3.5/5

Mouthfeel: Sticky medium-body beer with lots of refreshing carbonation. 3.5/5

Overall: The taste was unexpectedly malty, which is unique for the IPA's that I usually drink (hop bombs). The malty-balance is not very apparent by the nose, but a pleasant surprise. This is an IPA that the more casual drinker can enjoy.

Recommendation: An interestingly malty, rather than hoppy, IPA that I would recommend for people who are hops/bitter averse with their beer. 6.80% ABV is hidden in the maltiness.

Pairings: Teriyaki marinaded steak or duck. Definitely would work well with a fattier, slightly smokier dark meat.

Cost: $8.99 for a six pack.

Beer Review: Samuel Smith Imperial Stout

Reviewing a Samuel Smith Imperial Stout by Samuel Smith Old Brewery.
Score: 94

2011 vintage bottle served in a brandy snifter.

Appearance: A finger's length of fizzy heady pours and subsides into a thin blotchy tan lace. The color is as dark brown/black as midnight, and no light even pretends to permeate through. 4/5

Smell: A very sweet, vanilla-extract nose. Faint dark rum and unsweetened dark chocolate notes. I go back and forth as to if I smell faint oak flavors, though that might just be the vanilla. 4.5/5

Taste: Very complex, malty and balanced. Flavor toggles between sweet/dark chocolate, and then smoky roasted coffee. 4.5/5

Mouthfeel: A viscous, sticky beer. Slightly foamy, and the finish is of delectable coffee breath. 4.5/5

Overall: Wow. This is light in alcohol, but big in flavor. This beer is super smooth, and certainly one of the better Russian Imperial Stouts I have had to date.

Recommendation: This is one of the better beers I have ever had the pleasure to drink. This would be a great first Russian Imperial Stout to drink in order to get into the style, as the flavors are less aggressive and more balanced than some other Russian Imperial Stouts.

Pairings: Dark meats or chocolate dessert.

Cost: $3.99 for a 22 oz (bomber) bottle.

Beer Review: Staghorn Octoberfest

Reviewing a Staghorn Octoberfest by New Glarus Brewing Company.
Score: 73

Drinking a quarter of this beer (2011 vintage) out of a very large tasting glass from Goose Island. I only bought this beer to cook brats in, but decided to siphon off some for tryin'. Full disclosure, I tend to dislike lagers, and have not found a marzen that I like that was not made by Paulaner. On to the review.

Appearance: a light translucent amber color, more yellow with a hint of brown than red. The beer has no head other than the fizzy carbonation. 3/5

Smell: Has a sweet corn and bread smell that reminds me of miller lite. Vague spices also seem to float around in the aroma too. 2/5

Taste: A diluted malt-and-spice flavor that has way too much "corn" and "grain" taste. There is a very faint finish. 2/5

Mouthfeel: A low bodied, watery beer with fizzy carbonation. Very clean, crisp and refreshing. 3/5

Overall: This beer is very drinkable, but it's hard to distinguish this as anything other than a slightly spicer, more expensive Miller Lite. Again, I do not like the style, so take my opinion with a grain of salt, but even for a Marzen this one fell flat for me.

Recommendation: If you are looking for a seasonal beer to have several of during a tailgate, this one certainly serves its purpose. The flavors are pretty low-key and quick, however, given the beer's fizzy crispness. For all my flavor criticisms, however, this beer makes a great brat marinade!

Pairings: Bratwurst and hot dogs.

Cost: $9.99 for a six pack.

Beer Review: Founders Breakfast Stout

Reviewing Founders Breakfast Stout by Founders Brewing Company.
Score: 96

2011 bottle served in a snifter glass.

Appearance: Pitch black used motor oil. Completely opaque. Even with maybe three sips left in the beer, the body stubbornly keeps out light. Pours maybe one finger of tan head, but it doesn't stick around for long. Tan lace coats the side of the glass as you drink. 4.5/5

Smell: Prominent bitter/roasted coffee and roasted oat flavors (someone left the percolator running!) mask a lot of the beer's aromatic subtleties, but swirling helps to bring some of the other smells out of hiding. Some silky milk chocolate, a little oaky and and a touch of ethanol. The nose is interesting because it is simultaneously acrid from the coffee and creamy from the chocolate. Most stouts tend to be one or the other in my experience. 4.5/5

Taste: Bitter black coffee dominates the flavor. Dark chocolate quite noticeable as well. A little acidic, but smooth. Also has some cooked spice/oak flavors that I may be be mistaking for what is really the oatmeal character of the beer. Some earthy hop presence. Finishes dry with malty coffee breath and a little alcohol sting as the beer warms. 5/5

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, slightly oily, with very little carbonation. Malty/bitter finish. 4.5/5

Overall: Incredibly drinkable, and aggressively coffee flavored, Breakfast Stout lives up to its hype as one of America's best stouts. Founders is my favorite brewery, and this is my favorite of their seasonal (I'm omitting their limited/rare release beers from this definition) releases. It is probably the best stout you can get a hold of without have to stalk a distribution truck, though Old Rasputin and Peche Mortel certainly give this beer a run for it's money as a top tier easy-access beer. I feel sorry for the people outside the Founders distribution network! 5/5

Recommendation: This is about as close to perfect as beers come. I'd probably recommend that casual drinkers sip this one a little colder, but the flavors in this beer get really complex and robust at room temperature.

Pairings: Brownies, Coffee Cake, Oatmeal. Might make a great after dinner dessert for BBQ. Pretty much anything you'd pair coffee with would work here.

Cost: $11.49 for a four pack.

Beer Review: Sierra Nevada Stout

Reviewing Sierra Nevada Stout by Sierra Nevada Brewing Company
Score: 92

Tap pour served in a Stella Artois glass.

Appearance: Pours like jet black coffee with 2-3 fingers of head. Average lacing. Totally opaque; no light is getting through this sucker. 4/5

Smell: Dark unsweetened chocolate with a hint of coffee beans. The chocolate aroma is more silky if you swirl the glass, and hints of caramel come out. A slight boozy smell as it warms. 4/5

Taste: Imagine melting down the darkest unsweetened chocolate bar you've ever eaten and pouring it into a glass. That is this beer. A little alcohol warmth as well, mixed with lightly toasted caramel malt on the mid palate. Finish lingers for a while with dark unsweetened chocolate. 4.5/5

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied beer, minimal carbonation. Pretty dry finish. 4/5

Overall: I've always appreciated Sierra Nevada as making above average brews across the board -- with their signature brand and 30 year anniversary beers standing out as strong beers -- but this one might be my new favorite Sierra Nevada beer. It is certainly one of the better "regular" stouts I have had the pleasure to drink. Very smooth and drinkable. I would recommend this to anyone who likes darker, unsweetened chocolate flavors.

Recommendation: This is certainly a beer with a lot of good flavors that is not too aggressive. Low ABV, pretty drinkable. This is one anyone can enjoy.

Pairings: A good steak would probably go wonderfully with this beer, maybe the dark meat of a lamb as well.

Cost: $4 at the bar, $8.99 a six-pack.

Beer Review: Chocolate Abbey

Reviewing a Chocolate Abbey from the Thumbprint series by New Glarus Brewing Company.
Score: 75

2011 Vintage bottle served in a chalice glass.

Appearance: Deep caramel root beer color. Red-brown hues when held up to light. Average lacing, thin fizzy head. Falls somewhere between translucent and opaque. 3/5

Smell: Chocolate and caramel candy, kinda like a tootsie roll. Very sweet and malty. A little licorice. Banana and yeast aroma. Hint of spice or clove. 3.5/5

Taste: Very yeasty, banana and clove-like at first. Caramel on the mid-palate. Almost tastes like root beer candy at certain points. Definitely taste some brown sugar. Finish is like a slightly earthy, sweet toostie roll. 3/5

Mouthfeel: Malty-sweet and slightly syrupy. Medium bodied. Very carbonated and fizzy. Finish is sugary, but dry. 3/5

Overall: This one comes off almost like a chocolatey/caramel wheat or root beer. Not a beer that is up my alley, I guess. Very smooth, but the sweetness is a bit heavy, and thus this one is more a sipper than a drinker in my mind. If you ever wanted to try Tootsie Roll soda, this is your beer

Recommendation: Skip this one.

Pairing: I think this would work well with a light and bready cake (like a pound cake), or a sharper/aged cheese like swiss or gorgonzola. Something salty would work too. I'm having one with a viscous garlic-dijoin pretzel dip (and pretzels).

Cost: $2.99 for a single or $10.99 for a four pack.