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.

Uinta Brewing Co.'s Dubhe Imperial Black IPA

   
     Always giddy to try a new black IPA.  It's not too common to find an imperial-style black IPA, and this one definitely deserves that title at 9.2% ABV. Its pours a very dark black but there is some brownish amber shining through on the edges.  Pouring produced very little head, though it appears to be decently carbonated.  Hops hit very heavy on the aroma with some sharp pine and pungent citrus.  Also getting a very coffee-like roastiness. The hops blend well and the malt character, while subtle, really helps to accentuate everything else.
     First impression upon tasting is that it is very spicy and piney.  Definitely getting a lot of wood character from the hops as well.  Hidden in this is some very sharp, burnt malt character and some rich chocolate.  Alcohol is evident, but it seems to mix well with the intense hop flavors.  You would never guess it was 9.2% ABV based on taste alone.  Bitterness is pretty strong and definitely seems to linger longer than anything else.  Alcohol warming.  Body is a little on the lighter side but works well with a strong carbonation.
     I've decided that all Cascadian dark ales are black IPAs, but not all black IPAs are Cascadian dark ales.  Hope that makes sense.  Anyway, this is definitely what I would consider a CDA; just has that wonderful pine/wood Pacific Northwest hop character with a splash of roast that defines the style.  Would recommend, would drink again.

Bridgeport Brewing Co.'s Ebenezer Winter Warmer

    
     Ah, Bridgeport.  I'll always have a soft spot for these guys.  Anyway, the Ebenezer pours a cloudy light brown color with some orange hue shining through.  Got about half a finger worth of tan head which quickly drained to a thin surface.  Aroma is dominated by some very toasty, bready malt.  Some caramel and sweet brown sugar are evident.  A bit yeasty. Herbal hops.
      First impression upon tasting is that is has a very toasty, almost-astringent malt quality.  Hits dry and evolves to some super sweet candy malt and subtle bread. Pretty fruity; getting some dark apple-like esters.  Hops are quite flavorful.  Ends pretty bitter with some wood and spice notes.  Dry finish.  Pretty thin body.  Very well-carbonated. 
     My biggest problem with this one is that the malt is just too sharp. It's not exactly something I would describe as rich (which is to be expected of a winter warmer).  Definitely a tasty brew, but it needs to thicken up the body and tone down the toasted malt.

Great Divide Brewing Co.'s Hibernation English-Style Old Ale

    
     It pours a pretty clear dark amber color.  Small skimming of head which seems to be sticking around from decent carbonation.  Huge malt aroma; getting lots of sweet candy and raisin.  Very rich; strong. Very toasty. Some plum-like esters mixed in.  Hops are very earthy and clean, but they are definitely taking a backseat to the malt.  Not smelling any alcohol, which at 8.7% is rather impressive.
     First thing I notice upon tasting is a very rich, dark crystal malt.  It's like a super robust caramel with a sharp sweetness.  Noticeable esters; no one particular fruit flavor seems to stand out.  I like to refer to this as "general fruitiness".  Well-balanced bitterness mixed with some spicy hop flavor.  No alcohol evident, but definitely gives off that warming sensation.  Full body; strong carbonation.
     Perfect seasonal.  Definitely the type of ale you kick back to with a fire going.  Solid for the style and just an overall very impressive brew.

Elysian Brewing Company's Bifrost Winter Ale

    
     Got a chance to visit these guys in Seattle this past weekend.  Had one of their signature stouts, which I have to say was quite impressive.  Anyway, the Bifrost pours a nice dark honey color, definitely not what I was expecting from a winter ale.  Pretty hazy; light yellow color around the edges. Almost no head produced; seems to not be carbonated too strongly. Nose is full of very sweet, candy-like malt.  Some rich caramel. Definitely some strong esters; getting some banana and maybe a bit of cherry.   Hop presence is definitely noticeable; mostly earthy, little wood and citrus. 
     Malt character upfront is very subtle.  What does shine through are some nice toffee and caramel notes.  This quickly evolves into an ester presence that seems to dominate a lot of the taste.  It would best be described by me as some general fruitiness, but it does seem quite plum-like if I did have to narrow it down to something.  Finishes off some some nice hop spice without being noticeable bitter.   No noticeable alcohol taste even at 7.6%.  Some candy sweetness lingers.  Medium body
     This is definitely something much different that what I think of as a winter ale.  Typically, a winter ale is a dark, full-bodied, malt/ester bomb.  The ester notes and candy-like malt definitely make this a very seasonal, holiday sort of brew, though.  Good stuff. 
     

Silver Moon Brewing's Hound's Tooth Amber Ale

     I remember having this at GABF 2010 and thought it was pretty impressive.  Excited to give it another try. It pours a very hazy dark orange color with about a finger of head.  Seems to be draining rather quickly and retaining a nice skin of foam.  Some much lighter orange coloring shines through on the edges.  Huge hops in the aroma.  Very sharp notes of citrus, pine, and earthiness.  Also has a very strong, candy-like sweetness. Some more subtle malt flavors can be detected, too.  Little bit of biscuit.  Little bit of cherry-like esters.
     First impression upon tasting is that it is pretty hop heavy; spice and herbal notes tend to dominate the entire mouth.  Malt flavor is a pretty strong blend of rich caramel sweetness. Very well-carbonated; makes the spice flavors really sting a bit. Hop flavor kind of reminds me chewing a cone right off the vine.  Some caramel and herbal flavor lingers.  Pretty oily. Thin body.
     I'm kinda torn on this one.  It really feels like there is a fantastic beer hiding somewhere in here, but it just needs some minor tweaks in every category.