I haven’t updated in a while due to a variety of reasons. I won’t bother you with those reasons (at least not in this post), so here are 6 mini reviews to make up for my absence. And no, I did not drink these all at once:
1) Big Sky Brewing Company’s Trout Slayer – sweet enough to be a cream ale, but with enough of a hop presence to push this into the realm of pale ales. If I had to guess, this is Big Sky’s gateway drug, designed to lure in the unsuspecting “lite beer” lover into the world of craft brews… 4/5 in that regard, but 3/5 taken without any pretense.
2) Fort Collins Brewery’s Retro Red – a well-balanced, malt-forward American Amber Ale. I have a hard time remembering anything about this beer, and I don’t think it is due to alcohol’s affect on memory. Nothing to write home about, 2/5.
3) Harviestoun Brewery’s Old Engine Oil – as dark and smooth as black velvet, but I wouldn’t go so far as to compare it to engine oil. That’s not just because I created and named a beer Oil Stout long before I heard of this beer. This is just too smooth to give it a crusty old name like that. Think Sam Adams Black Lager, but richer and smoother. 4/5
4. Samuel Adams Longshot Double IPA – this beer gets an extra point right off the bat for having Mike “Tasty” McDole on the label. Check out the Brewing Network if you don’t know what I mean. In my opinion, Tasty needs the point as this isn’t a fantastic beer. I know I’m one of the few beer nerds out there who would say this, but there is such a thing as too many hops. This beer comes off very complex and cloying. In my opinion, the perfect IPA features one or two hops and lets them shine without balancing them out with a lot of malt. Sorry Tasty, but 3/5.
5. Sarnac Brewery’s Irish Red Ale – maybe I bought an old bottle – I did buy this in June – but this just tasted like old beer. There was a funk about it that just ruined the experience for me. It was too sweet and seemed to use American hops and malt – although that would disqualify it from being an Irish Red Ale. Hm. I’m disappointed in you Sarnac. I guess they can only make so many fantastic beers before hitting a dud. 1/5
6. Urthel Brewery’s Hop-It – Wow. A hoppy Belgian ale. The label even features the statement “superior hoppy blond ale”. And a goofy, bearded, dwarf-thing surrounded by hops and Christmas lights. At 9.5% ABV, this all seems normal by the time you finish the bottle. Very sweet and crisp, this beer tastes like a hoppy, ultra-fizzy Trippel that’s just fun to drink. 5/5
