Long Trail Belgian White

Our latest tasting is Long Trail's Belgian White which is an infiltered wheat beer. This is the latest seasonal offering from the Vermont brewery. It poured a hazy yellow color with a nice white foamy head that left some lace when swirled around the glass. There is yeast on the nose with underlying hints of fruit (mango, peach?). The body is clean with wheat on the front palate and hints of lemon. There is a very subtle hint of hops on a very short finish. It is a light, refreshing session beer at 4.7% ABV and would be very enjoyable on a hot summer day.

Flying Dog Horn Dog

We continued our Flying Dog tasting with Horn Dog, which is Flying Dog's Barleywine style ale. The beer is aged for a minimum of three months before it is packaged. It pours a brown color with a thin, tan head. The nose is quite malty and the malt and sugars continuing into the first sip. The middle is slightly dry with more malts. The finish has chocolate on it and is nice and short while leaving you wanting another sip. Horn Dog is a really nice dessert barleywine that is smooth all the way through. This beer is well worth trying, but at 10.2% ABV it is a beer made for sipping.

Flying Dog Wild Dog Collaborator Doppelbock

Collaborator Doppelbock is Flying Dog's latest beer in the Wild Dog series. Wild Dog is a series from Flying Dog that has consisted of their Double IPA in 2004, a Weizenbock in 2005, a Colorado Saison in 2006 and now the Doppelbock. The Doppelbock is unique in the fact that the beer was created through Flying Dog's Open Source Beer Project. Flying Dog combined feedback from the site and used it to create the recipe for this beer.
The beer poured a dark amber color with a thick, off-white foamy head. The nose was malty with a smokey note. The first palate consisted of malts and sweetness and progressed into a slightly dry finish in which the hops become apparent. The middle palate has a very smooth set of continuous malts and sugars. It is an enjoyable beer that is well balanced and extremely well made. Hats off to Flying Dog for this one.

Sierra Nevada ESB 2008

ESB poured a hazel copper color with a medium sized head. The nose was quite hoppy and the hops continue into the first sip. The beer is extremely well balanced (which is the goal of ESBs) and transitions into a very nice, long, slightly dry finish. This is a great beer from Sierra Nevada and I believe that other American Craft Brewers should take note of this beer. It seems like everyone is trying to "outhop" each other and the result is unbalanced beers. I applaud Sierra Nevada for their effort in putting this together.

Harpoon UFO

Harpoon's wheat beer is named UFO for unfiltered wheat offering. The beer pours a hazy, yellow color with a foamy white head. The nose gives off lots of wheat and it becomes more apparent on the first sip. The beer is smooth, it transitions well throughout and has a nice mouth feel. The best part is the wheat on the first taste. The body is fairly light and at 4.8% it could be used as a session beer. It left a nice spotted lace on the glass as I finished it. I can't help but think that this beer could be much better, but it is a good introductory beer for those who are looking to try out wheat beers.

Avery Ellie's Brown Ale

  We swung by Aroma Thyme Bistro in Ellenville, NY to taste Avery's Ellie's Brown Ale on tap.  The beer poured a quarter inch, light tan head with a dark red, brownish color.  The nose gives off a strong, yet pleasant malt smell.  The first sip is sweet and malty.  The malt continues into the middle along with a creamy mouthfeel that reminds me slightly of a Guinness or Boddington's draft.  The finish is a nice, slightly dry and long.  This is a beer that all brown ale fans should try.  

Victory Baltic Thunder Porter

We tasted Victory's Baltic Thunder which beer fanatics have been waiting patiently for since it is supposed to be the same brew as the old Heavyweight's Perkunos Hammer. The beer poured a dark brown color with a nice tan head. The nose was very nice with lots of malts, but not overwhelming. There is a nice toffee hint in there, and the malts might be roasted. The first sip is smooth and sweet and leads into a dryer middle. The finish is nice and short. It is almost impossible to detect the 8.5% ABV. The malt leaves a nice, crisp lace outline on the glass as the beer is finished. This beer is a nice, extremely easy drinking porter. I have been told though that it is not quite as good as Perkunos was. This is a very solid beer and definatly worth trying.