Bell's Kalamazoo Stout

Old Dominion Hop Mountain Pale Ale

Hop Mountain poured a dark copper color with a thumb width, off white head. The aroma is big, with lots of hops and biscuity malt meshing together. The body has a full mouthfeel, a big malt backbone. There are heaps of fresh, piney, resiny hops on the backend before a dry, hoppy finish that lingers for a bit. The beer left some hanging lace left on the glass.

Overall, this is a solid pale ale that stretches the style guidelines a bit. It has an extremely big body, drinking a little bigger then it's 5.6% ABV yet is able to stay fairly but stays simple. This is a big, bold beer from Dominion that is worth a try.

Heavy Seas Red Sky at Night Saison

Smuttynose Star Island Single

Star Island Single poured a clear, golden yellow color with a two fingered width, white head. The nose is light, some faint pale malt underneath citrus notes. the body is smooth, with a fairly full mouthfeel. The body is fruity with the citrus growing as the beer progresses. The finish is almost absent, with only a little corn like yeasty dryness.

Overall, this is kond of just an average ale that is enjoyable without being memorable. The fruity sweetness takes over a little bit and could use a dryer finish to balance it out. Smuttynose is calling this a pale gold ale and it seems that the ber kind of toes the line between both styles, leaving it without an identity. Not bad, but I was hoping for more from Smuttynose.

2010 Samuel Adams Sample A vs. Sample B

Old Dominion Dortmunder Lager

Dominion Lager poured a clear, orangey yellow color with a two fingered, frothy white head. The aroma is clean, with a light mixture of hops and malts together. The body is smooth, a little thin up front before getting bigger. There was a touch of sweetness, with bready malt and a yeastiness to it. The finish is short and dry, just enough to dry the palate out. There was some hanging lace left on the glass.

The dortmunder style is one of my favorites and Dominion makes a pretty nice representative of the style. It has a really nice balance, and more then enough body. The body was a bit thick in the middle, and it is just one step below some of the great dortmunder beers out there. This is a great weekend beer and at 5.6% ABV more than one can be enjoyed.

Heavy Seas Small Craft Warning Über Pils

Lagunitas Wilco Tango Foxtrot

The bottle of Wilco Tango Foxtrot that I tasted for this review sat in my temperature controlled wine fridge for about three months. While I have not tasted it fresh, there were certain parts of the beer that I could tell were vastly different then what a fresh "WTF' would taste like.

Wilco Tango Foxtrot poured a clear, reddish brown color with a two fingered width, off white head. There were tons of small sediment floating around in the body of the beer.

The aroma has a hoppy edge to it, with some malt in there. There is a slight offness to it which might be the only negative thing that came from aging the beer.

The body was smooth, malt based with a little sweetness. There is a little chocolate on the backend before a flood of hops hit the palate. The finish is dry and lingers for a bit, working perfectly with the malty body. The beer left plenty of ringed, hanging lace on the glass.

Overall, this was a beer that I absolutely loved. It is layered, balanced, and very drinkable at the same time. While not aged for a long time, I can tell that the malt base had rounded out and it tasted more like a rich brown ale rather than an imperial brown ale. The chocolate was still there and was a wonderful touch. It is flat out just a fantastic beer from start to finish.

Terrapin Hopsecutioner

Old Dominion Dominion Ale

Dominion Ale poured a clear, orangy amber color with a two fingered, off white head. The aroma is malty, with sweet bready notes. The body is fairly long, smooth with a nice malt base and plenty of toffee. There is a nice touch of hops towards the end leading to an enjoyable slightly dry finish. The beer left some hanging lace left on the glass.

Overall, this is probably my favorite of the four Dominion beers I have had. I love the English beers as they can be subtle yet so enjoyable. Dominion Ale reminds me a bit of some of the better English ales. It could be a little more dry on the finish but this is still a very nice beer. At 4.7% this is a a great beer to sip on all day.

Berkshire Mountain Brewers Mankin's English Ale

Oliver's ESB

"The ESB at the Pratt Street Ale House is served from 21.6 gallon casks (kilderkins) through a traditional English beer engine from a separate cask room maintained at 52F. The ESB is 6% ABV, medium bodied and red in color. It is brewed using our base pale malts (see above), crystal and chocolate malts and torrefied wheat. Bittering hops are cascade & Kent Goldings and it is finished with English Fuggles."

Oliver's ESB poured a dark copper color with a pen width, off white head. The aroma is mild, dominated by malt. The body is smooth and creamy, with a full mouthfeel. The malt bill is rye-like with just a touch of sweetness before a slightly dry finish that lingers for a bit. The glass was left with a coat of hanging lace.

Overall, this is just flat out a wonderful beer. It is simple, yet well made. Perfectly balanced, malty with a little dryness on the ended and rounded out very nicely by the cask. There is a slight alcohol warmth on the back end that gives the beer just enough bite. This is a beer that can be enjoyed every month of the calendar and can be paired with just about any dish.

Lagunitas Lucky 13 Cask

The first Friday of every month is cask beer night at Aroma Thyme Bistro, in Ellenville, NY. This month's beer was Lucky 13 from the Lagunitas Brewing Company. Lucky 13 was first brewed in 2006 to commemorate the brewery's 13th anniversary. The beer was so well received that Lagunitas decided to keep it around.

Lucky 13 poured a cloudy apple cider color with absolutely no head. The nose was clean, big hop aroma with some underlying malt. The body was smooth, with almost no carbonation. There is a big malt backbone, a noticeable sweetness and notes of beef jerkey, and a large amount of hops on the backend. The finish is loaded with hops, a sharp bitterness, and a nice lingering dryness.

Overall, this is a nice, well made beer. It is a monster that should be sipped or paired with rich, gamey meat. This would be a great beer to buy and lay down in the cellar for a year or so.

Crispin Ciders

Crispin Cider Company was launched in 2008. They are headquarted in Minneapolis but the cider is produced in Northern California. Crispin Hard Ciders are naturally fermented using a premium apple juice blend, not from concentrate, with no added malt, grape wine or spirit alcohol. All of their ciders are gluten-free. Crispin Ciders acquired Fox Barrel Cider Company in January 2010.

Part I
Crispin Original
Crispin Brut
Crispin Light



Part II
Honey Crisp
The Saint



Part III
Fox Barrel Black Currant Cider
Fox Barrel Pear Cider

Beer Steins

One of the most often discussed topics in the world of beer involves what the proper glasswear is for drinking a particular style of beer. There are dozens of different style glasses, many of them designed for a specific style. Hundreds of years ago, there was no such dilema as everyone drank from a beer stein.

Beer steins are any beer container that contains a handle and a hinged lid. They were traditionally made out of stoneware which is a material made from fire clay. Over time, they have also be made with pewter, porcelain, silver, wood, and crystal glass.

Beer steins usually consist of two sizes, either .5 Liter or 1 Liter, although they have been made in much bigger sizes. A stein without a hinged lid is referred to as a mug. These steins came originated in Germany during the 14th Century. With plagues and hordes of insects covering Europe, the German government passed laws that all food and beverage containers be covered with a lid. Over time, these steins were adorned with intricate designs, with shields, political and religious scenes being the most common.

Beer Steins can be difficult to find but there are several websites that offer a wide selection. The best website to buy a quality stein is 1001 Beer Steins. In addition to making a wide variety of quality steins, 1001 Beer Steins has the World's Largest Beer Stein for sale. This stein stands 4 feet high, weighs 35 pounds empty, and can hold a whopping 8.45 gallons of beer.

Berkshire Mountain Brewers Pale Ale

Brewer's Art Resurrection

From Brewer's Art: "During the fermentation of the first batch of Brewer's Art Resurrection "the yeast «died» and was «resurrected» by brewer Chris Cashell."

Resurrection poured a clear, light brown color with a paper thin, off white head (This may be a result of not the best pour by the bartender). The aroma is malty with hints of dark cherries. The body is smooth and medium bodied. There is plenty of malt here, a little sweetness, plenty of dark fruit notes and a little dryness on the back end. The finish is simple, short and a dryness to it.

Overall, this is a really good abbey ale that falls just short of being great. It is a very well made, layered yet balanced. There is plenty of tasty aspects here and the sweetness is not overdone. This is a great local beer but is just missing a distinct characteristic that would make it a classic.

Samuel Adams Summer Ale