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.