Dogfish Head - Squall IPA Review

Brewery: Dogfish Head Craft Brewery

Type: Imperial India Pale Ale

ABV: 9.0%

Sight: A very beautiful golden-orange, copper-penny-like with a lighter yellow towards the bottom. The head pours creamy white and is a good finger thick. Lacing is abundant and sticks to the glass all the way down.

Aroma: Subtle but pronounced orange essence up front with an earthy, slightly piney twinge following. I get caramel malt notes and some of that alcohol comes in near the end. The nose of this brew is very fragrant but not to the point of overkill.

Taste: Mild up front, but the tongue does get a mild burn from the alcohol. Orange and some earthiness present well and balance with the lighter malt base. Some sweet malt hangs in the back of the throat along with tingles from alcohol with a bigger gulp. The brew finishes leaving a thin creamy film on the tongue.

Overall: Kinda disappointed with it overall...yeah there were good points, the malt was sweet and creamy, the earthiness was pleasant and welcoming. On the other hand the hop presence was a let-down...sure I got some citrus in the nose but, not what I expected with the tremendous amount and type of hops used. I also didn't get any dryness from said hops, along with very little bitter, if any. Maybe my expectations of DFH are so high that I am hurting the review, but I really don't thing so. In closing, the mouthfeel was actually light to medium and the finish was duller than expected.

Score: 7.5/10

Brooklyn Brewery - Oktoberfest Review

Type: Oktoberfest Seasonal

ABV: 5.5%

Sight: Transparent amber brown with an almost cherry hue to it. The head pours bright white, fluffy and thin...quarter inch thick.

Aroma: Earthy, like grass hop front with some alcohol tingles. The roasted malt comes near the end as caramel and is light and clean.

Taste: The malt roastiness comes through strong but balances well through to the middles light hoppy pop. Not any bitter but there is some dry in the finish. There is a little zing from alcohol that smooths out to close.

Overall: Like the earthiness of this Marzen. The hop notes are of grass which I love. Great balance of ingredients. Light-medium mouthfeel and a dry aftertaste.

Score: 8.0/10

Lancaster Brewing Company - Hop Hog IPA Review

http://www.lancasterbrewing.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=115&Itemid=189Type: India Pale Ale

ABV: 7.9%

IBU: 55

Sight: It pours a deep reddish-brown that is translucent in nature. The head is bubbly and full(finger and a half thick), and dissipates to a nice lacing cream.

Aroma: Hoppy and sweet citrus are the first impressions. With a deeper sniff I get the caramel sweetness along with a twinge of alcohol.

Taste: Spice of alcohol pops first then that caramel follows. The hop presence is underwhelming and because of that the citrus essence lacks also. The brew finishes with a slight bite towards the back of the throat, but nothing really to make you want more.

Overall: Mouthfeel is medium, with a minimal coating of the tongue. Basically lackluster and unimpressive. The "Hog" must have eaten the hops on this one. I want my IPA's to be full of bitter hops and citrus...so maybe my expectations are a little high...I don't think so though. I am sorry Lancaster Brewing co., but get with it and hop it up.

Score: 6.0/10

Lancaster Brewing Co. - Hop Hog IPA

Dominion Brewing - Hop Mountain Pale Ale Review

Type: Pale Ale

ABV: 5.6%

Sight: Nice amber-orange body that is more orangish-amber towards the bottom of the glass. The head pours with a fingers thick creamy white head...that dissolves to a ultra-thin film on the surface.

Aroma: Ridiculously awesome orange front that leads to a deep malt base, with hints of earthiness. A bouquet of florals and citrus intermingle well together.

Taste: Actually surprised with the profile...I was expecting an almost overwhelming, almost IPA-esque hop- citrus start because of the nose, but got a very laid back citrus/malt combo which was superbly blended. The front leads to a slightly dry middle that transitions to a tingly finish, leaving a creamy coating on the tongue and pinches on the jaw corners.

Overall: Wow, I am getting more and more impressed with the quality of brews coming from this brewery, Octoberfest and Beach House were super duper and now this Hop Mountain Pale Ale is rivaling it. Smooth, citrusy, lightly bittered, dryness, with a creamy center. I could drink this beer as a regular drinker. The mouthfeel is light and creamy and leaves a light sour pinch to make you wanna have another.

Score: 8.9/10

Flying Dog Brewery - Dogtoberfest Marzen Review

Type: Marzen/Octoberfest

ABV: 5.6%

IBU: 30

Sight: It is a beautiful crystal clear amber red with those beautiful carbination bubbles floating towards the top. The head is fluffy-white and a half-inch thick...dissolves to a swirly white film on the surface.

Aroma: A mellow sweet malt nose that basically engulfs the glass. There is also a very light spice of alcohol, along with ultra light hoppiness.

Taste: The malt continues from front to back. A tad bit of yeast hits first along with a very mellow hoppiness that takes the beer to its end. Malt overwhelms, but it is really a great quality malt taste...Slightly sweet and deep without the roasted or smoked flavor you would usually need to get this type of malt depth.

Overall: Very well put together with nice ultra light flavors of yeast and hops under the nice even sweet malt. I really want to give kudos for the flavor of this malt...I can't really explain what the "thing" that makes it so original to me is, but it has some"thing". Mouthfeel is light to medium with some creamy characteristics that coat the tongue to the end, where a tad sour bites the corners of the tongue.

Flying Dog Brewery - Dogtoberfest

Score: 9.1/10

Brooklyn Brewery - East India Pale Ale Review

Brewery: Brooklyn Brewery

Type: India Pale Ale

ABV: 6.8%

Sight: This brew pours a very attractive light copper tinted gold, with a moderate bubbly white head roughly a fingers thick. It leaves a solid film on the surface when the head diminishes down.

Aroma: Clean and crisp nose at first with a pleasant hoppy citrus character that dwindles to a mild malt essence with a deeper inhale.

Taste: The front gives a definite earthy tone...grass, dryness of hops and a sweetness of malt. The middle lends the the citrusy esters that are common to the brew type...Brooklyn Brewery balanced this through til the end with a continual hop presence that finishes sweet and clean, with very little aftertaste.

Overall: I was a little twisted with the breakdown of the brew...It looks and smells of an IPA, but I don't know if it really follows to the letter, the description of an IPA. The characteristics are there, hops, dryness, citrus, and malts, but the flavors are a tad backwards. The hops you'd expect to be dominant aren't the main tastes...The more overwhelming taste is of the malt. I woouldn't say it was a "lighter" malt either. The malt is sweet and tends to overpower the hops all the way through.
The brew fits more of an english bitter than an IPA. That doesn't mean that it isn't good, just means to me that thetitle could be a little misleading.
The mouthfeel is medium and is full of carbination, finishing with a mild to no aftertaste.

Score: 7.7/10

Tucher(Nurnberg, Germany) - Helles Hefe-Weizen Review

Type: Helles Hefe Weizen

ABV: 5.35%

Sight - Cloudy golden yellow body with a fluffy thick white head that hangs well and diminishes to a full film of white on the surface.

Aroma: Wheat and lemon are dominant on first inhale. A light spice and a stronger citrus pop are there on deeper sniff.

Taste: The initial sip brings alot of spicey notes from the wheat, along with deeper lemony and lime esters from the combo of the hops and the wheat. There is a little light malt bringing the front to the end where the flavors basically come to an abrupt end.

Overall: Not bad at all, but it is nothing really different than the many other Hefe-Weizens from Germany I have had...Spicey, light malt, and citrus, generally in that order. This one though is much easier to down in a hurry if need, than some with a harder-core strength of spice. The mouthfeel is medium and there isn't much of an aftertaste to speak of.

Score: 7/10