Starr Hill Dark Star Stout **
Star Hill Bewery, Charlottesville, Virginia
3.8% Nice looking, good head. initial taste is a little “empty”, not much for the mouth. Gets increasingly better as it goes, would be nice with food, as it is not such a meal-in-a-can stout. Roasty and watery with a little body on the back and sides of tounge. 2-Row malts and Magnum hops are apparent. Not Bad.
Kinmount Willie Oatmeal Stout *
Broughton Ales Limited, Broughton Pebblessire, Scotland
4.2% Not so great, unfortunately. Very different from other oatmeal stouts I have had in that it drank more like a brown ale. To a particularly attactive head. The beer never delivered, just a bland overall experience.
Chocarrubica **
Birrificio Grado Plato, Chieri, Italy
7% Okay, I paid entirely too much for this 1PT 9.4FL.OZ. bottle but what the heck. I had never heard of an Italian dark beer. This beer isn’t so bad, considering what it could have been. The brewer says ‚ÄúDark Ale Brewed With Carob And Cacao Beans‚Äù, and the beer tastes accordingly. The initial smell was rubbery, like a kickball. As my mouth got aquatinted it tasted better but not one of my favorites, it was worth it to try.
Brooklyn Local 1 ***
Brooklyn Brewery, New York, New York
9% Yet another fantastic beer from Brooklyn Brewery! I love Belgian Ales but cannot sit and enjoy more than one or two due to the sweetness found in many. Local 1 is a great not-to-sweet not-to-sour American-Belgian Ale. This one is very drinkable, and goes great with food also. Hopefully this will be year round!
Oberon Ale ***
Bell’s Brewery, Comstock, Michigan
5.8% Nice ale, good refreshing brew as I am drinking it springtime in late April 08. It does not have that fresh brewed taste inherent in other ales; Dominion Ale, or Ledgend Ale like I expected. Head pour nice, and the beer does have a fair amount of sediment left in the bottom. Good beer overall.
Liberty Ale ****
Anchor Brewing Co., San Francisco, California
6.0% Very nice ale, I wouldn’t expect anything less from Anchor Brewing. Well balanced, good malts, hops, and tasty barley. This one is smooth and easy to drink before during, and after dinner, lunch or breakfast.
Anchor Porter ***
Anchor Brewing Co., San Francisco, California
5.6% Anchor does it again with this porter. This porter is like a nice cup of strong coffee. Roasty malts, chocolate, and coffee hit you first then come the hops for a huge finish. This porter drinks more like a stout, but is everything a porter should be.
Saison Dupont ***
Vicille Provision, Belgium
6.5% This is a great Belgian Ale. I expected it to be sweeter than it was. I would almost say it was quite unsweet. I enjoyed it, paired well with the pork I had for diner. This would take a little getting use to, one was fine. Nice yeast and sediment one this one, good complex Belgian.
Cask ESB ****
Victory Brewing, Pennsylvania
5.3% Back to London, thank you! This is on par with a pint you may find around the corner on any given street in London. Nice bitter, drinkable beer. Tasty English malts make this a rough, cloudy beer.
Old Speckled Hen ***
Morland Brewery, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, England
5.2% Old Speckled Hen is a traditional English Ale. Pours nice out of the can, tight head, flat smell. Drinks bold with hops but smooth malts finish. Again, this has a little more in front, but typical of any great ale or bitter you would find at any pub in Britain.
Circle Master(Scarecrow) ***
Wychwood Brewery, Witney, Oxfordshire, England
4.7% Delicious golden color, smooth velvety head, Scarecrow will grow on you. This is a light golden ale with balanced hops and malt, then a little more hops. Great summer beer.
