Pelican Pub & Brewery's Bad Santa CDA

    
     The Bad Santa pours a very dark amber color.  Easily looks black without some good lighting.  About a finger of mostly-fizzy tan head.  Aroma is a smokey pine with some noticeable alcohol.  Has an earthy/wood character.  Some strong caramel malt with almost a licorice and raisin quality.  Aroma is heavy and hits the nose pretty hard.
     Hits the tongue dry with a burnt/charcoal flavor.  Evolves into a very subtle caramel.  Finished with a sharp alcohol bitterness and some herbal hops.  Light body and strong carbonation.

Lagunitas Brewing Co.'s Cappuccino Stout

    
     Pours a very dark brown with about a finger of light brown head.  Drained quickly but retained a nice skim.  Not getting a ton of coffee in the aroma, which is surprising since it tends to dominate in these styles. Definitely has that roastiness, though, and some rich chocolate.  Little burnt.  Sweet malt.  Herbal and maybe just a little smokey.  Alcohol is evident, but definitely not overwhelming for 9.2%.
     Has a very sharp roast with almost an astringent quality.  Toasty malt with just a hint of anise.  Finished out a bit smokey with a strong alcohol flavor and burn.  Alcohol tends to linger in the mouth for a bit.  The body is very similar to coffee in that it has a bit of a grainy texture.  It really is quite unlike any other beer body I've experienced. 
 

Gigantic Brewing Company's Black Friday Imperial CDA

    
     Pours a solid black with a good finger of light brown head.  Drained to a nice skim and appears to have a strong carbonation.  Aroma is dominated by wood, pine, and roast.  Has a bit of that smokey herbal character I notice a lot with Simcoe hops.  Toasty malt. 
     Surprisingly smooth for an imperial CDA.  Lots of the flavor seems to linger in the aftertaste.  Hits the tongue a little sweet and roasty.  Finishes with a subtle pine flavor and little alcohol.  Herbal character all around. Not too bitter.  Wood in the aftertaste.  Thin body with a decent carbonation. 

Mactarnahan's Brewing Co.'s Goose Bump Imperial (Coffee) Stout

    
     The Goose Bump pours a solid black with about a finger of creamy, light brown head.  Head drained pretty quickly to a bare skim. Some sharp roast coming through on the aroma.  Has a little bit of a burnt character and some sweet chocolate.  Noticeable alcohol but blends well with the other elements.  Some dark fruit. 
     My first impression is that it is rather sweet and surprisingly smooth.  Some subtle chocolate and caramel finish out with an alcohol bitterness.  Some roast character lingers in the mouth a bit. Thin body and very drinkable.
     Doesn't pack much of a punch for an imperial stout.  However, it is impressive to have a beer so high in alcohol and smooth at the same time. 

Dogfish Head 120 Minute Imperial IPA

   

    Been waiting years to get my hands on a bottle of this.  It's almost impossible to find in Portland because of how quickly it sells out.  Luckily, Belmont Station gave a heads up about when they would be cracking the cases open on the November release.  The limit was one per customer, which is unfortunate because this would have made a great Christmas present for a number of people I know waiting to try it.  Understandable given the demand of the beer, though.
      It pours a dark amber color.  Pretty clear.  Got about a finger of off-white head that didn't stick around for long.  Aroma has some very sweet malt, rich caramel, and strong alcohol (18%).  The sweetness and alcohol make it very reminiscent of a barley wine.  Getting a lot of pine and wood from the hops.  Little floral. 
     Getting tons of malt out of this one; very bready, sweet, and caramely.  Hop flavor is a sharp citrus with a bit of an earthy character. Getting lots of pine, too.  At 120 IBUs, it's really not as bitter as one might expect.  It mostly works to just balance out the warming alcohol bite in the finish.  Has a medium-thick body and a decent carbonation.  Leaves the mouth a bit oily and alcohol warmth lingers in the back of the mouth. 
     I'm really liking the 120 Minute, but it did surprise me a bit.  Hops weren't as overwhelming as I had expected, but it is an extremely well-balanced beer for 18% ABV.   Reminds me of a barley wine with a sharper finish.

Squatters Pub Brewery's India Pale Ale

    
     Pours a hazy, brownish-orange color.  Looks murky; not the prettiest beer I've seen.  A skin of slightly off-white head covers the surface.  Aroma is just dominated by citrus.  Getting tons of Mandarin orange on this one; very sweet and tangy.  Some bready malt.
     First impression on taste is that it has a very noticeable bitterness.  Very sharp orange flavor with a strong malt backbone.  Light body with a strong carbonation.    Good beer.  Not exactly my kind of IPA, but I can see how it would go over well with the right person. 

Widmer Brothers Brewing's Milk Stout

    
     This one has been catching my eye at the store for a while now.  Finally got around to picking up a bottle of it.  Not entirely sure of what to expect.  It pours an opaque black with about a finger of dark brown head.  Aroma isn't too powerful on this one, but definitely getting some coffee roast and chocolate notes.  There's a cream and vanilla quality to it as well.  Getting some burnt caramel and maybe just a hint of charcoal/smoke.  Little woody, too.
     This one definitely has an interesting flavor profile.  It has that dry, roast character of a stout, but it is mostly washed away and masked by a sweet, creamy caramel shell.  Has a little bit of a burnt bitterness.  Finished rather dry.  Full body, silky smooth, and easy to drink.
     I'm liking this one.  Might not be something I'll run out to buy again, but it's definitely one that I'll remember well and recommend to the right people. 

Oakshire Brewing's Harvest Ale Autumn Seasonal

   
     Coming in at 6.5% ABV, the Oakshire Autumn pours a hazy dark orange color; almost on a shade of red but definitely much more of a lighter orange around the edges.  Appears to be strongly carbonated.  About a finger of really uniform, compact, slightly off-white head.  Very rich, raisiny malt aroma.  Heavy caramel.  Some dark fruit character.  Herbal hops.
     Hits heavy with some intense toast and rich caramel.  Little on the dry side.  Tons of malt flavor coming through.  Earthy hop finish.  Good stuff.

MacTarnahan Brewing Co.'s Noble Scot Scottish Ale

    
     Looks like we've got a new seasonal from MacTarnahan's between the Grifter IPA and the Humbug'r Porter.  The Noble Scot pours a hazy blood orange color.  Strong carbonation produced about a finger worth of slightly-tan head; drained quickly. Aroma is dominated by huge amounts of caramel, biscuit, toast, and other rich malts.  Tons of esters coming through; maybe some strawberry and dark berry.  Earthy, herbal noble hop character.
     First impression upon taste is that it is incredibly earthy.  Ripe berry surrounds a toasty malt flavor.  Ends a little bitter with maybe just a little hop spice.  A phenolic smokey sweetness lingers in the mouth.  Medium body . Medium-strong carbonation.
     Not bad and pretty solid for the style.  A nice deal for the price. 

Pyramid Brewing Co.'s Oktoberfest Autumn Lager

  
     What's with all the pumpkin beers hitting the shelves so early this year?  It's nice to see the fall seasonals, but August is way too soon for pumpkin-flavored anything.  Anyway, definitely not going to complain about the Oktoberfest beers at any time of the year.  I've always been a bit disappointed in the lack of breweries in America that don't take a shot at a good Marzen. Pyramid's take comes in at a monster 6.7% ABV. It pours a very dark orange color; almost like a reddish-orange.  Just a tad hazy. Strongly carbonated, big finger of fizzy head when poured.  Retention seems strong. Nice lacing.  Aroma is very toasty.  Getting a bit of dark fruit character from the crystal malt.  Very clean and crisp on the rose.  Some hop spiciness and herb. 
     Hits the tongue pretty sweet and evolves into a very rich malt character.  Crystal malt is almost candy-like.  Something really standing out for me is that it is extremely well-carbonated.  Seems a tad too bitter, but it's mostly accentuated through carbonation.  Some earth notes.  Candy sweetness and herbal hops linger.
     There's really nothing too special about this one, but what really kills it for me is the carbonation.  It's certainly not helping in any way.  It's cheap, as Pyramid always is, and it seems you're getting what you paid for on this one. 

Oakshire Brewing's Watershed IPA

   
    Pours a hazy, almost-solid orange color.  Some lighter shades of orange shining through the edges.  Little head and not much sticking around.  Some huge grapefruit and orange notes in the aroma.  Has a minty pine character that is reminding me a lot of Simcoe.  Great Northwest hop character.  Some tart esters. Definitely a strong malt backbone, too.  Very bready and maybe just a little toasty.  Very cool and pleasant on the nose.
     Very rich caramel malt; almost has a bit of that raisiny flavor you get with highly carmelized malts.   Hop flavor isn't too overwhelming.  Getting some spice notes.  Little resiny. A sharp bitterness tends to dominate the hop character.  Some orange.  Little oily.  Finish rather dry with a lemon flavor lingering in the mouth.  Medium body. Decent carbonation.
     Aroma definitely wins on this one.  Great brew, but I think it could benefit from some more of that Northwest character in the flavor. 
    

Lagunitas Brewing Company's Censored Rich Copper Ale

    
     Pours a very dark gold-orange color.  Maybe even teetering on some shade or red.  Little hazy. Good finger worth of fizzy head when poured, half of which seems to be sticking around and looks very compact and uniform.  Aroma definitely not exploding out of this one.  Getting some very sharp caramel malt and a splash of sweetness. Some herbal hops.
     This certainly lives up to the "rich" in its name.  A huge explosion of caramel malt and toast.  A strong ester presence; somewhat appley.  Not too bitter in the finish.  Some earthy hop character but definitely nothing overwhelming.  Leaves a subtle biscuit flavor in the mouth.  Decent carbonation. Body on the lighter side.  Good stuff.

Cascade Lakes Brewing Co.'s India Red Ale

     The Cascade Lakes IRA pours a slightly-hazy blood orange color.   Very solid, uniform color; nice looking beer.  Little head on this one.  Not a ton of hops in the aroma like you might expect.  Getting some very strong esters; banana and tart cherry.  Intense malt sweetness.  The hops the do shine through are woody and spicy.  

     Hits the tongue just a little sweet and quickly evolves into a very tart bitterness.  I'd say the most defining characteristic of this beer would be the esters, which is definitely not what you might expect from an India-style ale.   Finishes with some herbal hop notes and an intense cherry flavor similar to some cough syrups.  Some pleasant caramel flavors linger.  Decent carbonation; thick body.

     Can't say I'm too crazy about this one.  It's not a bad beer by any means, but I can't see myself picking it up again.

8-Bit Brewing's Cascadian Dark Ale

    
     Thought I'd go with something a little different this time around and review one of my own creations.  This has always been one of my favorite styles and one of my favorite recipes.  It's one I'm always trying to improve.  Coming in at 7.4% ABV, the CDA is a very dark black with little if any light shining through.  About a finger of creamy brown head that sticks around for the most part.  Nice lacing.  Aroma is mostly characterized by a strong woodsy character. Not a lot of pine that I like in this style.  Some herbal and mint notes shine through.  Little caramel malt, but almost none of the roast/charcoal/toast I was hoping for.  This is the first time I didn't dry hop this recipe, and though I really do like the aroma, I think I might go back to just a small addition.
     Starts out with a very dry, burnt, and roasty character.  I used quite a bit of black barley in this.  This moves into some smooth caramel before becoming dominated by hop character.  A lot of my IPA-style brews have never been quite as bitter as I would have hoped for.  I did some tweaking with the water chemistry and finally got some really sharp, noticeable bitterness out of this one.  Hops have a very strong wood character to them.  The Simcoe really shine through, but I'm not getting enough of the citrus/floral hops that I was hoping for.  Leaves a decent pine taste lingering in the mouth.  Medium body and carbonation.
       I think this is one of the best I've brewed, but as usual, there is always room for improvement.  I want more pine/roast in the aroma and definitely in the flavor.  Needs some tweaks to the grain bill and perhaps just some dry hopping. 
      

Millstream Brewing Co.'s Schild Brau Amber (Vienna)

    
     Another one of the Midwest beers my friend picked up for me; this one comes out of Amana, Iowa.  The Schild Brau is a slightly-hazy orange color; almost a dark gold.  Pretty.  About half a finger of slightly off-white head that drained quickly.  Some nice lacing.  Aroma is just dominated by rich caramel malt.  Quite sweet.  Just some great toasty, bready malt coming through.  Some herbal and noble hop character linger in the background.  Really liking the aroma on this; just a wonderful expression of malt.
     Hits you with a pretty sharp crystal malt; has a little bit that "raisiny" character you get form some heavily caramelized malt.  Quickly smooths out to some very pleasant, toasty notes.  Nothing too overwhelming in the malt department, but it's very good.  Ends with a bit more hop character than you might expect from a Vienna; mostly herbal flavor that lingers for a bit.  Body a bit on the lighter side.  Decent carbonation.
    I'm loving this.  I'd really like to see more breweries in the US take a shot at some Marzen, Vienna, and Oktoberfest-style beers.  Some of my absolute favorites when done well.

Bell's Brewery, Inc.'s Porter

    
     A friend of mine just got back from the Midwest and decided to bring some beers for me.  Bell's is based out of Comstock, MI, and I'm always excited to check out a new brewery.  The porter pours a very dark brown.  Quite dense; very little light shining through (if any).  Very little head- light brown; fizzy.  First thing that strikes me in the aroma is some very sharp, burnt malt. Also getting some sweet chocolate and dark fruit.  Little smokey and a little toasty.
     Hits the tongue pretty dry and roasty.  Definitely tasting some sort of smoked character to the malt.  This turns into a more nutty, chocolate sort of flavor before ending somewhat sweet.  Really mellow in the finish; not bitter.  A little bit of plum or dark fruit lingers for a bit, but the roastiness is more evident.  Medium body; somewhat lively carbonation.
     This is a bit of an interesting brew.  Starting dry and phenolic while ending chocolately and sweet is sort of the opposite of how you expect most porters to taste.  Quite different.  I'm not crazy on the smoke character, but overall a fine brew.

Firestone Walker Brewing Company's Porter

    
     Big fan of this brewery.  The porter is a very dark brown with a little bit of reddish hue; looks black without strong lighting.  Appears to be decently carbonated and pouring produced about a finger of tan head.  Seemed a bit fizzy and drained quickly.  Getting a huge hit of biscuit and toasted malt in the aroma.  Very rich, almost-raisin-like caramel.  Little bit of roast.  Little estery.  Some wood/spice hops.
     Hits a tongue a little dry and a develops a very sharp crystal malt character.  Some noticeable fruit character.  Not too bitter in the finish; more toasty than anything.  Leaves a bit of a toast and wood taste in the mouth.  Some subtle chocolate.  Carbonation definitely not overwhelming.  Medium body and smooth.
     A might fine porter and well worth the price.

Emelisse Barley Wine Ale

    
     "Product of Holland".  Had a "triple IPA" last year from these guys that was quite impressive.  Their barley wine pours a very hazy dark orange color with a very noticeable lighter red hue.  Looks incredibly thick; syrupy. No head when poured (10% ABV) and doesn't sound nor appear to be extremely carbonated.  Aroma is extremely sweet; candy-like.  Very rich, heavy, raisiny caramel malt.  Not overly estery but definitely a sharp fruit character.  Getting a little bit of a grape smell.
     Hits the tongue very hard with an explosion of rich caramel and esters.  The fruit character is almost a bit much.  Pretty sweet, but nothing overly dominating like you might expect.  Quite bitter and a little spicy.  Noticeable alcohol flavor and burn, but nothing overly offensive. Very oily, coats the entire mouth.  Some nice candy sweetness lingers.
     Admittedly, I'm not the biggest barley wine fan.  This one certainly isn't bad by any means; rather good actually. However, if I'm going to bust out my wallet for another beer from Emelisse, it will definitely be that triple IPA.

Nero's Apecchio Red Ale

   
     "Imported Italian Craft Ale".  This beer was pretty cheap; worth the price just for the bottle. Huge pop when opened.  About of finger worth of fizzy head drained quick over a hazy orange color.  Very sweet caramel aroma.  Tons of crystal malt shining through.  Getting a bit of toast and pleasant esters as well.  Slightly herbal. 
   Hits the tongue a little dry.  Some sharp toffee sneaks in and is washed away with some berry esters.  Finishes slightly bitter and with a decent bit of hop flavor, mostly spice. Quite lively.  A subtle caramel sweetness linger for a bit.  Body a bit on the lighter side though masked with a strong carbonation.
     This beer really didn't have very strong reviews when I was looked it up.  It's nothing stellar, but it's far from a bad beer. 

Widmer Brothers Brewing W '12 Dark Saison

    
     Always pretty exciting to see the new Brewmasters' Release from Widmer.  I've been impressed most years, but I really do miss the Black IPA from 2010; the re-release isn't quite the same.  Anyway, looks like they're going for something quite different this year with a Dark Saison.  It pours a clear burgundy color with very little head.  Getting lots of ripe fruit esters in the aroma.  Picking up some raspberry and maybe a little banana.  Strong malt; getting some dark crystal character/raisin.  Aroma is coated by a light blanket of alcohol and flowers.
     Hits the tongue ever-so-slightly sweet and quickly evolves to some strong fruit.  Finished off with a strong spice, almost-wood character.  Not too bitter but a little tart.  Berries and raisin linger in the mouth for a bit.  Light body.  Medium carbonation.
      Definitely a fine brew within the constraints of the style.  Have to give Widmer a hand for really going out there this year for something a bit different.  Not really my go-to type of beer, though.

Lompoc Brewing's Proletariat Northwest Red Ale

     The Proletariat pours a blood orange color.  Little hazy with some lighter orange colors shining through the edges.  Very little head; quickly drained to a skim. Getting some rich caramel in the aroma.  Very bready and biscuity. Strong esters; very berry-like.  Getting some very sweet raspberry, almost like a jam.  Little pine hop character. 
     Hits the tongue with some very sharp, sweet malt.  Evolves into a strong berry flavor.  Strongly carbonated; very lively.  Noticeable bitterness, but still rather smooth.  Some spice hops.  Very fruity all around.  Medium body.
     Little too much ester and not enough hops for what I like to consider a Northwest red ale, but definitely a tasty brew.

Lost Coast Brewery's Raspberry Brown Ale

    
     I'm not as opposed to incorporating fruit into beer as a lot of people seem to be.  I think it's interesting to find how certain fruits work with more traditionally non-fruit beer styles.  It can be done well and shouldn't inherently be turned away.  The Raspberry Brown pours an orangish-brown with maybe a hint of some ruby redness. Light head.  Very hazy.  Aroma is dominated by raspberry sweetness.  Pretty tart, too.  Has a licorice quality and some caramel malt, but the raspberry really just dominates everything.
     It has the real smooth, mellow, non-bitter qualities that you might expect from a brown ale, but the raspberry flavor is just overwhelming.  Some subtle roasted malt.  My problem with a lot of these beers is that they never really allow for the fruit and style to mesh and work together; it seems that the fruit it just always in the spotlight.  I don't think this is a bad idea at all, but they need to work it out a little bit.

Elysian Brewing Company's Dragonstooth Imperial Oatmeal Stout

  The Dragonstooth pours an opaque black with about half a finger of light brown head.  Does not appear to be retaining the head.  Aroma is dominated by a very sharp, burnt malt.  Quite roast and astringent.
     Starts our slightly sweet and quickly develops into a very rich chocolate.  Ends with a sharp roast and slight bitterness. Burnt malt lingers for a bit. 7.6% ABV and only shows a little. Medium, silky body and not overly-carbonated.   Definitely a fine brew. 

Lagunitas Brewing Co.'s Imperial Red Ale

     
     It pours a slightly-hazy dark orange color with some lighter yellow shining through on the edges.  Very little head and not even a skinning has stuck around.  Doesn't appear to be overly-carbonated.  Tons of citrus hops on the aroma; some orange shining through more than anything.  In the background hides some very sweet, candy-like caramel malt.  7.8% ABV and I'm really not picking up much alcohol; those citrus hops are really overpowering. 
     Starts off with a very tingly, light caramel flavor and slowly evolves into a very rich sweetness.  This is all quickly overpowered by some intense hop flavor.  Getting some wood/pine, spice, and definitely that citrus.  Not too bitter.  Can taste the alcohol just a little bit.  Candy-like sweetness lingers for a while in the mouth.
     This is actually one of my favorite Lagunitas beers.  This is what I like to think of when I hear "American" red ale.  Just an overabundance of hops that I can't get enough of and just the right balance of rich, caramel malt. 

Deschutes Brewery's Green Lakes Organic (Amber) Ale

    
     The Green Lakes pours an orangish red with some very light yellowish orange shining through the edges.  About half a finger of slightly off-white head developed and is holding due to a very strong carbonation.  Getting some very rich caramel and a little sweetness in the aroma.  Little toasty. Some nice berry-like esters. Finishes off with some grassy hops and maybe just a splash of citrus.
     Starts out with a mix of very sharp, candy-like sweetness and toast.  This is quickly overtaken by some very pungent esters, which almost provide a sour quality.  Finishes with a decent amount of bitterness and some herbal hop flavors.  Some woody hops linger in the mouth for a bit.  Light body carried by lively carbonation.
     A fine brew; you can't really go wrong with Deschutes.  I'm normally turned off by such ester-heavy ambers, but this one seems to work for me. Nothing overly fantastic; just an all-around great beer. 

Bridgeport Brewing Co.'s Raven Mad Imperial Porter

    
     I've never actually been a big fan of barrel aging.  It always seems too dominating on the senses and just steals the show.  The Raven Mad, as printed on its label, is 50% aged in whiskey barrels, 50% aged with oak, and comes in at 7.5% ABV. I approach every beer with an open mind, however, and am definitely curious about this one.  It pours a pitch black; no light shining through this one.  About half a finger of light brown head developed and quickly drained to a nice skinning.  Good lacing. In regards to the aroma, I'm eating my own words already.   Has that sharp alcohol you get from barrel aging, but it's nothing too overwhelming.  Getting some very pleasant caramel, chocolate, and just a hint of roast.  Quite rich; the chocolate seems to dominate the aroma more than anything. 
     Hits the tip of the tongue with some sweet roast and fruity esters.  This is quickly washed away with some very sharp oak, dry wood, and herbal hops.  Finishes with some strong alcohol warming.  Some of the chocolate character and esters linger for a bit.  Medium body and carbonation.
     Like I said before, I'm eating my words with this one. Definitely a tasty brew, but the things I don't like about it do come back to the barrel aging.  I don't like how it accentuates the alcohol character, but it is subtle enough to still appreciate the wonderful malt and hops.   

Victory Brewing Co.'s Golden Monkey Tripel Ale

    
     The Golden Monkey is a very nice light honey color.  Little darker near the center and quite hazy.  Strongly carbonated; got about a finger of fizzy head when poured and settled to a light skinning.  Very sharp banana and bubblegum esters on the nose.  Has a very strong yeast odor.  Getting a little bit of wort-like astringency as well.  The sharp esters really mask any alcohol, which at 9.5% ABV is pretty impressive.  Very sweet; candy-like.
     It hits the tip of the tongue with some nice toasty malt but it quickly washed away by some intense esters.  Getting some banana, grapefruit, and a little orange.  Very sharp; makes the mouth pucker a bit. Some very subtle spice/wood hops.  Slight alcohol warming and lingering taste.  Finishes quite dry. Body is pretty heavy.
     Pretty good and by no means a bad beer whatsoever. Nice for the style.  Like I've said before, I'm just not crazy on too many Belgian styles. It just takes a lot to win me over when it comes to styles like this.