Echt Kriekenbier

And I wish I could pronounce it too.. that aside, what a splendid little beer I stumbled onto.

Echt Kriekenbier is a Belguim cherry ale. Now it's not quite as fruity as other framboise's I've had, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Underneath the ample cherry flavor was a pretty good beer, and the two flavors actually worked quite well together.

It poured a redish brown which produced a pinkish head of about an inch or so. That sounds kind of dirty, doesn't it? Nothing about this beer was dirty though, just plain goodness. Most fruit beers tend to overwhelm the pallet, killing the beer and giving off too much sweet flavor. This beer did a very good job of balancing the two tastes.

It weighs in at 6.8%abv, which isn't too shabby either. Overall, I'd say those crazy Flemmish folk are onto something good... I'm going to give it a 3.5. I'd like to go higher, but it's not quite a 4. I can see it being a good spring beer, sitting out on the patio, having a couple, before the heat of summer hits.

Houblon Chouffe Dobbelen IPA Tripel

Wow, trying saying that five times fast...

And at a stiff 9%abv, it might be tougher than you think. At first pour, I was surprised by the large head the Dobbelen IPA Tripel produced. After waiting the required 2-3 minutes for it to dissipate, I took my first sip. The golden yellow beer went down quite smooth, but I was mildly surprised by its lack of taste. Don't get me wrong, it was good, but nothing really jumped out at me. To me, it was a softer version of a normal IPA, basically just another Belgium beer. Nothing particularly horrible about it, but nothing particularly amazing about it either.

I'd definitely buy it again, but it's not something that I'd search out. I'm going to give it a 3, because everything about this beer is just ever so slightly above average.

Dogfish Head: Pangaea

Three times the charm? Euh, not so much. Three week, three straight Dogfish Head beers. This wasn't a bad beer by any stretch of the imagination, but it didn't really measure up to the Red and White, and Black and Blue.

Pangaea came across as just another beer to me. Sure, it was tasty and went down easily, but nothing really stood out about it. On the other hand, there wasn't anything bad about it, it's simply a solid beer, and nothing more (in my humble opinion at least). At a decent 7%abv, it doesn't really measure up to some of its brother beers either. 7% is nothing to ignore, but I was just expecting more I guess. Because of that, I'm going to give this beer a 3. Middle of the road, nothing outstanding, but nothing horrible either.

As was the case with my last two reviews, it's recommended that the drinker try aging the beers (about a year) before drinking. So this time next year, I plan on rereviewing each, after the aging process. I'm not sure how big of a difference it'll make, but I can't wait to find out...

Dogfish Head: Red & White

Very very interesting...

The Red & White by Dogfish Head surprised me. Well, maybe not surprised, as I wasn't really sure what to expect, and Dogfish consistently puts out quality beers. But I was definitely happy I choose this brew. It pours with very little head, which quickly disappears. This beer really reminded me of a wine. The smell of the orange peel surprised me though. It was strong, but not overpowering.

On the bottle, it states that it contains pinot noir juice and is aged in pinot noir barrels, and it's quite evident that this is the case. There is no beer aftertaste, it went down smooth and a hearty 10%abv really helped with the enjoyment of this beer.

If you're looking for something new, I highly recommend giving this one a go. I'm going to give this one a solid 3.5... enjoy..

Hitachino Nest Red Rice Ale, Kiuchi Brewery, Ibaraki, Japan

I found this beer in a 21 oz bottle at a Trader Joe's, which has a surprisingly varied beer selection. For the good of the site, I decided to review it, particularly since it was not another Lagunitas product for us to review.

Hitachino Nest Red Rice Ale is definitely the most unique beer that I've had in a while. As the name suggests, this beer is brewed with a special Japanese red rice. Additionally, sake yeast is added, as ale yeast is not able to turn the sugars from the rice into alcohol.

When poured into a glass, the red rice gives the beer a pinkish-red color, but it's not like it looks like a pink lemonade. It is unmistakably a beer. The best visual comparison would be something cloudy, like a hefeweizen, with a hint of pink. Like I said, very unique.

The aroma is similar to other Japanese beers, like Sapporo or Kirin, but with a noticeable sweetness. Some beers have a sweet aroma that is like the smell of sweet bread, but the sweetness in the Red Rice Ale is lighter and much less malty.

The taste is probably the most interesting part of this beer. There is a sharp, clean taste, and the sweetness from the aroma carries over into the flavor. But the good news is that the beer is not over-powered by the sugar. There is much less sugar taste than the aroma would lead you to believe. Interestingly, I can't detect any hop bitterness, which is usually used as a counter to sweet flavors. The well-balanced taste is able to hide any hint that this beer carries a 7.0% ABV. Impressive...

If you like Japanese beers, definitely give this one a try. The best comparison would be to say that this is like a Japanese craft brew as opposed to the mass-market Sapporo. Good stuff.

Rating = 3.5

Next time I have sushi, I'm going to have to get another bottle of Hitachino Nest...

Affligem Tripel

Houston, we have a problem. Well, at least I hope it was a problem and it wasn't the beer itself.

After perusing the shelves at my local liquor store (Murray's in Newton Center, great selection of beer and wine), picking up a complementary beer glass (customer appreciation and who doesn't love free stuff), and discussing our website with the owner, I choose the Affligem Tripel. I had high hopes, as I'm a huge fan of the Belgian beers and especially love those that have directions on how to poor, and at what temperature to serve, on the bottle.

When I popped open the top (cork), I was hit with some excess head flowing out of the bottle, which is not a good sign. It did however, smell mostly of wheat with a hint of orange and a wee bit of spices, which is exactly what I was expecting. When poured into my glass, I was hit with a very healthy head (which I'm to believe isn't par for the course for this brew), too much really, but immediately noticed it's light amber color and got that tingle of excitement in my belly.

The first sip was almost medicinal in flavor though, almost like a cough syrup. Not necessarily tasting like cough syrup, but feeling like it. It was pretty flavorful with the wheat being the dominant taste, but I think I got a bad bottle to be honest. Something just didn't feel quite right about it.

The 9.5%abv, did make up for that though. I'm only going to give this beer a 2.5, but I'm reserving the right to come back and re-review it at a later date. I'd like to buy another bottle eventually and compare the two. If it was half decent when not quite right, I'm hoping for something much better when all systems are a go.

Victory Brewing: V Twelve

Before I get started, I would first like to apologize to the two of you out there who actually noticed that I forgot to post this Wednesday morning. I won't let it happen again...

Now on to the beer. Have you had this one before? I'm a fan of Victory but I've never had the V-Twelve and I must say that I was pleasantly surprised .

First off, it took me a good solid ten minutes to get the cork out of the bottle. Obviously, it had expanded too much, which made it quite difficult to remove. This is good because it means no air got into the bottle, but bad because it kept me from drinking the beer. Once opened and poured, a slight head rose in the glass, but didn't last long at all. It poured an amber color which thru me off, as I was expecting a lighter yellow. The first sips presented a high amount of spice to the taste buds, but not in an overpowering way. It went down quite smooth actually. However at the bottom of the bottle, I found the flavor to be dominated by fruits, with the spices taking a back seat. Odd, but still tasty. Other than shaking the bottle before opening (which is a very bad idea), I'm not entirely sure how to get the flavor to even out though.

At 12%abv, the buzz hits you immediately, which is great for a Friday, and even better after a long day at work. I'm going to give it a solid 3.5 rating. It was very good, but I've had better, and I'm trying not to let the 12% cloud my judgement. And if you do buy it, I promise you won't be disappointed.

Allagash White: Allagash Brewing Co

Remember Linus from the Peanuts comic strip? Remember how he always had his blanky that he carried around with him? Well Allagash White is my blanky. Whenever I'm feeling blue, feeling a little out of sorts, this fine Belgium white always manages to lift my spirits.

Brewed in Portland, Maine, this beer is my go to white. Tonight, I had it on tap, which is the preferred method. There isn't much head to the brew, but that's just fine by me. The first thing you notice is it's cloudy yellow color, but upon lifting it to your mouth for that first sip the scent of citrus immediately tingles your nose. That first sip goes down smooth with a hint of bitterness; not too much, just the right amount. At 5%abv, it's not overly powerful, but this is a beer you drink for the flavor, not the buzz.

Overall, I'm giving this beer a very solid 3.5. I'd like to go higher, but it's not quite a 4 in my mind, so a 3.5 will have to do. If you're not a fan of the Belgian's or their beer, I suggest giving Allagash a whirl, it just might change your mind.

Local 1, Brooklyn Brewery, Brooklyn, NY

“Waking up before I get to sleep

Cause I'll be rocking this party eight days a week

No sleep till Brooklyn ....”

The Beastie Boys


When I think of Brooklyn, or if I were ever to think about Brooklyn, the last thing to come to mind would be sweet floral goodness. But here comes Brooklyn Brewery dropping off its Local 1 offering on us. The Local 1 was gifted to me, which for all of you out there know, is weird because I am not a Belgian Guy, in fact I mock most Belgians for their Pot Pourri foul taste. So this beer definitely had a strike against it. Of course, being free wasn’t bad, and the fact it had a sweet label was good enough for me. Well, those things and the fact I was going to a BYOB restaurant. The BYOB restaurant is a bit tricky with its corking fees and well the stigma if you walk in with a sixer of Keystone Light, you not only get labeled as trash, but as an alcoholic because who drinks six beers at dinner? So I thought by bringing the Local 1, with its corked top and fancy label, people would be fooled into thinking it was champagne and thus looking at me like I was some sort of classy guy. Also it’s like 3 beers in one gigantic bottle, and more like 6 with it’s ABV at 9%. The ploy definitely worked, although I was charged that stupid corking fee.

The aroma of the Local 1 is a sweet grape smell. The beer appears light in its coloring, and after sipping you realize the beer is effervescent and not as light as it appeared. The Local 1 has some giddyup in the malt flavoring. As I mentioned above, this beer isn’t fooling around and is packing some serious alcohol content. The taste is crisp, yet not as fruity as the aroma indicates. There is a heavy yeasty taste with fruit languishing about.

I definitely liked the heat Brooklyn was bringing with this beer. Not a beer if you are looking to have more than a few, one or two glasses is enough. The Local 1 gets a 4.0

Excelsior White Gold

Welcome to goodness my friends. I had a bottle of Excelsior White Gold the other day and it was pure joy.

It's packaged in a wine bottle and brewed by the Ithaca Beer Company. When first poured it's a golden color, but it gets a little darker as the sediment flows around your glass (be careful when pouring as there was quite a bit of sediment in my bottle). Plenty of head led to a very flavorful taste, with a slight lemony/fruitful smell. If you're a fan of the Harpoon IPA, then you'll definitely like this, as it takes that flavor up a notch. Each sip went down very smoothly, ensuring that I'll soon go out and buy another bottle.

At 8%abv, there isn't a huge kick to it, but it sure got the job done. I mean, since it comes in a wine bottle, once it's opened you might as well drink the entire bottle, right? It would be wrong not to I suppose.

I'd give this brew a solid 3.5. Very tasty, and I won't hesitate to buy it again, but to me it was more of a summer beer, so I probably won't be picking any up this winter. I highly recommend you try it though, as you will not be disappointed.

So that makes two excellent beers in a row for me. Well, after the Clamato Incident I deserve it. Not sure what I'm going to try next week, so if you have any suggestions, fire away.

N'ice Chouffe, Achouffe Brewery, Achouffe, Belgium

I'll be the first one to admit, I am not the biggest fans of Belgian beers. My record in rating Belgians is what it is. In fact people were horrified that their beloved Chimay was rated only a 3.0 and deemed my ratings "suspect". I get it, some people love when their beers taste like Glade Air Freshener and I do not. However, despite my anti-Belgian propaganda, I still tried the N'ice Chouffe on recommendation from a bartender. It was friggin terrific. The beer's malt tasted like roasted cherries. The N'ice Chouffe was very light bodied, but still was heavy on flavor, in fact it resembled an after dinner liqueur in it's satiny viscosity. The 10% ABV tells you how strong the beer is, but you don't get much of the alcohol bite when sipping the beer, however the aroma lets you know the alcohol is in there. The N'ice Chouffe is well deserving of a 4.0 rating.

Otter Creek World Tour - Otter's Dubbel

Otter Creek Brewing in Vermont is probably best known for their excellent and much-loved Copper Ale. The brewery is now producing a series of brews called Otter Creek World Tour, which is a series of different varieties of beers not normally produced by Otter Creek. Examples include Sea Otter, a Baltic Porter, and Otter Mon, a Jamacian-style Stout. Interesting concept, certainly...

One of the newest releases in the World Tour series is Otter's Dubbel, a Belgian Ale in the traditional dubbel style. For the benefit of the Internet, I tracked down and purchased a 22 oz bottle of Otter's Dubbel for $2.99. Sadly, this beer is a huge disappointment. It is also somewhat hard to find, which could be a good thing for the rest of you.

First, the beer tasted and smelled like sour fruit, like cherries or raisins, which is not uncommon for a Belgian style beer. But it seemed like the fruit was spoiled or something, as it was a flavor disaster. Really not at all good. Then, there is an overpowering taste of caramel or dark brown sugar, as if the brewers were trying to drown out the fruit with sweetness. It didn't work, and the end result is like a visit to the dumpster behind the grocery store where they throw the rotten fruit.

To make it worse, the beer seemed to be a bit light in the alcohol department. ABV is not published, but I'd guess that it is below 6%.

I had to pour out the last few ounces, and throughout the entire beer, I was thinking of something to chase the taste of this one out of my mouth. Like an onion.

Rating = 1.0

And a quick intro - I'm very open minded with my beers, and I'll try anything once. Unlike some other reviewers, I believe that beer glasses were created to enhance the flavor of the beer. Something like Corona is appropriate from the bottle, but a Duvel or a Sam Adams is better in the right glass.

Chimay Rouge, Scourmount Abbey, Belguim

Alas, a Belgian beer, the Chimay Red or Rouge as the Belgians call it. The ale starts of dark and meanders it way to a light floral finish, as the Belgians tend to do. The aftertaste is sweet, approaching a dry bitterness. The beer does have a 7% ABV, which it needs to offset the floral flavors that suggest more of a wine spritzer. All in all, the Chimay Rouge is decent for a Belgian and gets a 3.0.

Delirium Tremens, Brouwerij Huyghe, Melle, Belgium

The only reason why I tried the Delirium Tremens was because it won the "Wheel of Indecision" Spin when I went to Bukowski's. Needless to say, the beer was the winner and I was the loser. If I have not made it clear, Belgian Ales are not my favorite. In fact I think they all taste like dry pot pourri air fresheners sprayed into your mouth from an aerosol can. So instead of continuing with this charade of a review, here are the final details. The beer is 8.5% ABV and gets a 2.5.

There are 2 cool things about this beer, the first is that Delirium Tremens is Latin for trembling delirium, aka the "DTs", the violent sickness induced by withdrawal after alcohol abuse. Second, there is something called the Confrerie van de Roze Olifant, or the Brotherhood of the Pink Elephant, the Brotherhood was founded to promote the Delirium Tremens product. As well know from movies, Brotherhoods are always sinister and I cannot wait for this one to appear in the next Dan Brown novel.

La Fin Du Monde, Unibroue, Chambly, Quebec, Canada

The La Fin Du Monde came heavily recommended from a loyal Beer Crusader. The beer is a triple fermented Belgian style ale that has a golden color and light head. The beer has a floral dry taste, with hints of citrus. I believe Belgian Ale and Hefeweizen fans would really enjoy this beer. Unfortunately, I am not the biggest fan of either of these styles or while we are at it Stouts. I believe beer should taste like malt and barley and hops, not pot pourri. The La Fin Du Monde, does pack a wallop which I like, it has a 9% ABV. I am giving the La Fin a 2, with the understanding that fans of the style would rate it much higher.