Widmer Brothers' Reserve: Chocolate Russian Imperial Stout

    

     Another Russian imperial stout review?  What are the odds?  Well, at least this one is a chocolate. Anyway, it pours a pretty solid black with just a little light shining through on the edges.  Very small amount of brown head even at room temperature.  Drained instantly.  Getting lots of wood in the aroma and definitely some strong alcohol.  Some sweet chocolate for sure.  Little burnt and roasty.  Pretty well balance and rounded in the aroma; nothing too overpowering.
        Very lively when it hits the tongue.  Some sweet caramel and smooth roast.  Slowly evolves into a subtle chocolate.  Ends rather bitter with a heavy alcohol sting and warmth.  Super thick body.  Chocolate is definitely most evident in the aftertaste; lingers for a good while. Not bad.

Wells and Young's Courage Imperial Russian Stout

    

     Pours a very dark black but definitely not solid all the way through.  Got about a finger of light brown head when poured.  Drained quickly, as would be expected with 10% ABV.  Aroma is very overpowering and fragrant.  Getting some dark cherry notes and rich chocolate.  Phenolic and a sharp alcohol; almost stings the nose a little.  Sharp roast. Little smokey and woody.  Definitely lives up to the style.
     First impression upon tasting is that it is actually quite sweet and has a decent amount of crystal malt character.  Was expecting a more dry, burnt flavor up front. The smokey, charcoal character definitely steals the show, though.   Roast really shines throughout. Some dark fruit before finishing with a very heavy alcohol and bitterness.  Alcohol is very strong; leaves a warming sensation.  Finished quite dry with just a little lingering chocolate.  Heavy body and decent carbonation for the style.
     By far one of the better imperial stouts I have had.  Would definitely pick up again if I can find a good deal.

Elysian Brewing's Savant IPA

  
    Pours a hazy dark orange color.  Almost a shade of red at its heart.  About a finger of slightly off-white head with big bubbles.  Drained to a nice skim.  Getting tons of tropical fruit in the aroma.  Lots of mango and a little bit of citrus.  A little pine.  Little spicy and maybe just a hint of alcohol.  Actually getting a decent amount of malt.  Has a strong caramel and bread background.
     Definitely getting lots of mango and peach in the taste.  A little resiny and oily.  Some bready malt that is just a little bit of toast.  Finishes smooth; not too bitter.  Tropical fruit flavors linger in the mouth.  Light body.  Medium carbonation.  Good stuff.

Stone Brewing Co.'s Sublimely Self-Righteous Imperial Black IPA

  
     I remember not being a big fan of their Escondian Imperial Black IPA.  Hopefully, they've taken a different approach to the style with this one.  The Sublimely Self-Righteous pours a solid black wit a little dark brown shining through on the edges.  About a finger of light brown head with some big bubbles.  Has that classic minty pine character in the aroma.  Some sweet coffee and a splash of oak.  Some spice and a bit of a rich chocolate.
     Hits first with some chocolate and develops into this sharp, dry, intense coffee character.  Tons of roast and a bit astringent.  Very piney all the way though.  Bitterness is heavy but mostly balances out the roast.  Little earthy and woody.  Pine lingers for a bit.  Little oily.  Medium body. 

Oakshire Brewing's Ill Tempered Gnome Winter Ale

     The Ill Tempered Gnome pours a nice burgundy color with about a finger of brownish white head.  Drained rather quickly to a skim with solid lacing. Aroma is dominated by a very rich, dense caramel malt.  Getting some raisin, toffee, and candy sweetness.  Some dark fruit esters and spicy hops.
     Hits the tongue a little dry before developing a creamy caramel flavor.  Very rich. Has a rather tart spiciness to it.  Some woodiness. Some berry fruit flavors and strong bitterness finish it out.  Spice and fruit linger for a bit.  Body a little on the thin side, especially for the style.  Decent carbonation.  Quite smooth.  Tasty and well worth the price.

Russian River Brewing Co.'s Pliny the Elder Imperial IPA

     This one really needs no introduction, but I will say that Pliny the Elder is often regarded as the best Imperial IPAs in the craft beer scene.  I've had it once on draft in Portland, OR and remember it being quite impressive.  Thought I'd pick up a bottle today while they are available and give it a more in-depth review.  Pours a nice clear golden amber color.  Nice skim of big white bubbles, solid lacing, and nice legs; great, classic looking Imperial IPA.  This thing is just exploding with hop aroma.  The snifter is sitting about three feet from me right now and it is the only thing I can smell.  It has a beautifully clean citrus hop aroma.  Getting some pineapple, orange, lemon, and just an all-around perfect blend of citrus/tropical hop varieties.  Even getting some pine and some wood.  Very sweet honey malt to balance it all out.
     Hits the tongue with some caramel and bread malt before exploding with hops.  Has a very whole hop flavor to it; by which I mean it is reminiscent of chewing on a hop cone.  Not getting a ton of the citrus or tropical fruit but definitely more of the pine.  Has a sharp, astringent hop bitterness in the finish.  The 8% alcohol is masked very well.  Thin body.  Pretty strong carbonation; a little tingly.  Oily.
     Very good stuff.  Would have to say that the aroma wins over anything else on this one.  A fine Imperial IPA and definitely worthy of the praise.
    

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.