Wander - Googly Eyes

I feel like I'm about to have a "Dark Helmet moment." Explaining how I came into this beer is going to sound a bit like "I am your father's brother's nephew's cousin's former roommate." A coworker and friend, who also likes craft beer, is also a graphic designer. He of course has other friends who like craft beer and a few who brew it. One of those friends has started Wander Brewery and needed my coworker to design a can for him. As part of the payment, my friend received some of said beers he helped to package, and shared a can with me to celebrate his success.

That turned out much longer than Dark Helmet. Maybe one of the powers of the Schwartz is brevity.  In any case, this pint can labels as a Double IPA and hails from Bellingham, WA. Can I expect one of the West Coast hop bombs or one of the trendy new cloudy East Coast concoctions? One way to find out.  Let's pour!

Aroma 9/12

First to the nose is pineapple, but grapefruit and pine resin are also abundant. I'm going to give this another sniff after it's had a chance to warm up a bit... OK, some caramel malts are finally starting to poke through, which is to be expected. Grapefruit is now the primary aroma. Smells like a DIPA, but isn't particularly earth shattering.

Appearance 3/3

Appropriate for this time of year, the beer pours a bright, pumpkin-y shade of orange into the glass with copper glints abundant. The beer is surprisingly clear - not a trace of cloudiness here to hint at some sort of East Coast styling (not even with a swirl of the can to stir up the dregs). Pillars of bubbles stream to the surface like a champagne, giving at least a consistent half finger of foam even after the beer has sat temporarily. That ivory-colored head starts out looking thick like whipped heavy cream, but eventually leaves big gaps where large bubbles have escaped. Nice lacing too.

Flavor 19/20

After smelling those caramel malts, I expected a sweeter introduction to Googly Eyes. Instead, it was rather neutral or cream-like, which does allow one to pay attention to the body and mouthfeel rather quickly. A quick touch of light caramel, almost honey-like, sweetness and then the hop profile kicks into full gear and it's off to the races. My notes list the following flavors and I almost couldn't jot them down fast enough: weed, earth, spiciness, pepper, woody, resin. This is definitely not the citrus cocktail that most folks fawn after, but that certainly doesn't make it any less complex nor any less of a feat to bring out all those flavors. How many hop varieties are in this anyway? The longer you hold it in the mouth, the more you will discover. The finish is more of the spice and pepper, plus a tiny bit of the 8.5% ABV. Well, if you've held it in your mouth.  Quicker swigs allow that crazy hop profile to blend a little more with less-than-intense sweetness. Aftertaste is that grapefruit bitter and tingle on the tongue, plus that undeniable earthiness.

Mouthfeel 5/5

Big and solid, without being syrupy or heavy.  Perfect level of carbonation that gets an assist from the peppery hops that are prickly on the tongue. Alcohol warmth is basically hidden. I'm pretty sure I could drink this faster than I should.

Overall Impression  9/10

That hop profile is impressive!  Lots going on there. Appearance is appropriate, mouthfeel is great, drinkability is dangerously high. The aroma seemed to be the beer largest shortcoming. Of course, I am just recovering from a cold, but as I can breathe through both nostrils, I hope this isn't too large of a handicap. I would definitely buy a 4-pack of this,or feel comfortable giving it to a hop head friend.

Total  45/50

Definite "bonus points" for hop complexity. I said it before, this bitter, earthy mix isn't everybody's cup of tea, but that shouldn't detract from the variety of flavors presented.. Hop heads will love it anyway. The sweetness is a bit "watered down" for as big a style as a DIPA should be, then again a larger malt sweetness may have hidden some of the hop complexity. Though with the aggressive flavors in these hops, I find that unlikely. That and the basic aroma are all that are holding this beer back in any fashion. In my mind, the complexity is the significantly more difficult characteristic to produce 

The Alchemist - Heady Topper

Out of the blue, an old college buddy named Wilder texts me.  This is the transcript.

Wilder:  Hey question for you.  You still doing that beer review?

Sud:  I still have it, but I haven't written on it for quite some time.  Though I know I will when I try some on my bucket list that I want to remember.

Wilder:  Is Heady Topper on that list?

Sud:  I would say so.

Sud:  Consider my curiosity piqued.

Wilder: My dad just came back from VT and brought 7 cans with him.  I asked if he'd be part with 1 to another beer nerd who named their first kid the same name as my brother.  He said sure.

Sud:  You keep this shit up and I'm gonna name the next one Wilder.

At that point, in the true spirit of craft beer altruism, he also tried to tell me he wanted nothing in return and offered to transport the beer to me!  Thrilled enough with the prospect of finally being able to try Heady, I gave him a Prairie Artisan Ales "Christmas Bomb" and went to pick the beer up myself.  However, this did not diminish my appreciation one bit.  Heady is obtainable in the Midwest but typically one must be willing to part with some pretty primo barely pops in order to do so.  That said, this opportunity is being relished for the gem it is.  Let's pour!

***Note:  Both of my prized tasting glasses from Port City Brewing have met rather unfortunate ends; neither at my hands.  Also, my typical "beer reviewing space" is in the process of being remodeled.  Those two things in mind, there has been a rather unceremonious change in glassware and location, both of which are temporary.***

Aroma 12/12

Strong pine followed by aromas  of its cannabaceae relative and some distant mustiness.  All of this is sitting atop a large supporting cast of sweet malts that are difficult to discern through the wash of citrus nectar.  If there's something that The Alchemist is missing here, I can't think of it.  Color me impressed.  As the beer begins to warm the pine is replaced very distinctly by the tropical fruits and the slight sting of resin.

Appearance: 3/3

A pleasant bright and hazy ochre with accents that, appropriately for this time of year, remind one of a ripe cantaloupe.  Head is thin, nearly as white as the paper on which I'm taking my notes, and thin - taking very little time to settle as a barely a film on the beer's surface.  Translucent.

Flavor 20/20

Initial flavors were hard to isolate because this beer jumps right into the body.  Very reminiscent of grapefruit, with a mixture of bitter and citrus sweetness dancing together as able partners.  At first, the main body offers mostly bitter flavors, but once the mouth has conditioned to that a wonderful array of flavors takes over: resin, honey, and grapefruit.  I'm going to take a minute to make an analogy about the grapefruit in this beer.  It's like Jelly Bellys to regular jelly beans.  Jelly Bellys are amazing, right?  Why?  Because they taste exactly like what they say they will.  Pear?  Buttered popcorn (my favorite)?  Mango?  Jelly Belly nails it every time.  Heady Topper is like tasting a grapefruit flavored Jelly Belly.  Sure, using a standardized vocabulary you state that many beers offer grapefruit flavors.  That's like comparing a red jelly bean to Jelly Belly's cherry flavor.  Jelly Bell actually tastes like the real thing.  So does Heady Topper.  It tastes like honest-to-goodness grapefruit.  No analogy.  No kinda-sorta-almost.  Grapefruit is in there.  And the strange thing is, I don't enjoy eating that actual fruit, but I dig this beer.  

Anyway, like I was saying: resin, honey, grapefruit.  But as it warms, much like in the aroma, those tropical fruit flavors are becoming more pronounced and getting ready to party.  The aftertaste at first was musty, but again, after the mouth becomes conditioned, things change.  It went from musty to almost the complete opposite end of the scale by showing off its sweet tropical hoppy flavors.  Finish is a bready sweetness with a true, but never overwhelming, bitter earthiness that lasts and lasts and gives the beer's final impression.  Maybe even a little peppery?  Yes, definitely peppery, but only after the 8% ABV has subtly and finally revealed itself ever so briefly.  This is not a palate wrecker by any means, but more of a showcase of what hops are capable of in skilled and nurturing hands.

Mouthfeel 5/5

Just wow.  Bigger beers should take note.  There is plenty of sensation of carbonation on the tongue, but never in danger of becoming prickly nor effervescent nor heavy and sluggish.  It's perfect.  Furthermore, it helps cover up the medium-heavy body of this DIPA and makes it ridiculously drinkable.  Even the alcohol warmth is all but invisible until well after the swallow.  Well done at every possible turn.

Overall Impression 10/10

Confession: Heady Topper didn't instantly "wow" me.  It was not some beer that kicks your palate's face and then demands its lunch money.  There was no wide-eyed epiphany, pillar of light, or chorus of angels.  This beer's approach was much more cerebral.  It shows you one facet, then quickly changes to show yet another.  Before half the beer is gone, you've tasted 8 or 9 very different flavors, and smelled nearly as many aromas.  This is a technical masterpiece of hops.  Admittedly, it seems unfair to label something as "technical" when it abounds with such pleasing aesthetic qualities, but with such complexity I find anything else less plausible.

Total 50/50

Much like cooking, the brewing of beer is as much science as it is art.  People like Alton Brown have shown us the science behind delicious recipes and combinations, and others can combine ingredients without any training except experience in a way that bends chemistry to their will while simultaneously ignoring it.  Which does Heady Topper do?  I'm tempted to say the former.  The mastery of hops in this beer is so complete that I find it hard to believe that anything but careful study and tedious practice could be its foundation.  Regardless of its origins, the beer has clearly earned its reputation.  I am typically skeptical of such widely-acclaimed brews, but the endless complexity, drinkability, and perfect mouthfeel have easily won me over and earned a perfect score.  I have never had a more complex beer that changes more in the glass than Heady Topper.

Speaking of complexity, Heady is a beer I would love to do a vertical of week by week.  I feel that its complexity warrants it and new flavors would come and go as the beer ages and changes.  To anybody who has that access and opportunity, a toast to you.  Don't let that opportunity slip by.

Thanks Wilder!

Ska - Vernal Minthe

Some people simply don't drink stout in the summertime.  I may understand that reasoning after running a race, having done yardwork, or otherwise spending all day in the sun, but I fail to see the problem with a delicious stout simply because of a little heat wave.  A heat wave that has been mercilessly bashing the Midwest and East Coast with a fury of an axe-wielding Viking berserker.  Besides, Ska's Vernal Minthe even has the word "vernal" in the title meaning "1. of, relating to, or occurring in the spring. 2. fresh or new like the spring."  So they clearly don't want me to fall into the trap of only drinking beer styles during certain seasons, right?  Guys?

Oh, who cares when you drink a particular style!  I like stouts.  A lot.  I might knock over my own mother to get one (sorry, mom).  In case you couldn't guess today's review is for Ska's minty experiment in the stout world.  I'll tell you, they must be doing something right because I essentially have to battle my wife in a no-holds-barred, Jackie-Chan-meets-Jason Bourne-style battle, just for one of these cans every time I bring them in the house.  Let's pour!

Some good pulp-like can art.

Aroma 10/12

Ever open a package of Girl Scouts' Thin Mints cookies?  Of course you have.  They're legalized crack.  Because you have opened one of those silver-wrapped, cylindrical diet wreckers, you can also imagine what this beer smells like.  Roasted malt is present first, but is quickly overwhelmed by the peppermint and spearmint.  The result is a cooling, menthol minty-ness that also manages to incorporate some darker cocoa aromas.  The mint cooling is the primary aroma, but it shows a healthy promise for the beer beneath it.

Appearance 2/3

It looks like a stout should, but I withheld a point for the lackluster head.  It was a nice tan color, but couldn't even raise a finger's worth of foam and died a death as inglorious as its birth.  This beer is all but black, with some dark coffee browns along the edge when held to light.

Flavor 18/20

The early combination of dark chocolate/cocoa notes and the bright mint, make the Thin Mints comparison an easy one to make.  Thankfully, that is not all the beer offers.  As it sits in the mouth the mint remains, but the cocoa tones begin to becomes a sweeter more molasses-like note.  It's sweet, but dark in a way that is appropriate to the beer's composition.  Lots of neutral malts also begin to appear, which of course offer little in the way of flavor, but in this case do help the beer transition to the finish.  Put the beer on the tip of your tongue to get a tingly, sweet sensation.  The finish is also a mint reprise, but with little else to combat the mint it becomes as fresh and refreshing.  Any lingering flavors are fairly light, but the omnipresent mint tingle along with some dark, almost charred, malts, and a bit of a peppery bitterness all come together in a pleasant echo of the beer you just enjoyed.

Mouthfeel 4/5

Ah.  So this is where they tried to make it a "seasonal stout."  The mouthfeel is not what one typically comes to expect from a stout.  The body is a solid "medium," but the carbonation is aggressive and prickly.  Maybe this is in concert with the menthol-like cooling of the mint somehow?  Is it just an illusion?  Eventually that carbonation dies a bit and the beer is smooth down the throat with a little bit of sticky cling.

Overall Impression 9/10

Not an "all the time" beer, but it certainly did what it set out to do.  It's not often that some of these "flavor experiments" turn out for the best, but this is one that has succeeded.  The aroma is spot on, the appearance is black and... well, that's about it, the flavor is distinct and harmonious, and the mouthfeel is pretty darn close to style.  It's a nice experiment that I'm bound to drink again one day and until then will undoubtedly use this beer in conversations of unusual beers.

Total 44/50

Not a bad score in my book, though this stout undoubtedly will have its detractors.  It's a distinct, unique flavor and that simply won't appeal to every single craft beer drinker out there.  Does it taste like a thin mint cookie?  Yes.  Has my wife discovered that it pairs insanely well with a mint chocolate chip ice cream sandwich.  Within moments of tasting it.  Can you drink this in any season?  Of course.  I've never had a stout with mint in it before, but after drinking this I wouldn't be afraid to try others' forays into the combination.  I claim this as a successful experiment by Ska!  They tried something different, did what they said they would regarding a new flavor, and it turned out pretty darn well.

Bad news:  having been released in the spring, if you can't find it in your area, you may have to wait until next year.

Good news:  There's still a lot of this out there and it shouldn't take a secret treasure map to find it.  I suggest you do.  It's always fun to try something new.

Perhaps my wife's new favorite food pairing.

21st Amendment - Allies Win the War

OK, OK, so I missed VE Day (May 8th), D-Day (June 6th), Memorial Day, and I don't feel like waiting until VJ Day (Aug 15th) to review this beer.  Heck, I've waited long enough!  The original release date of the collaboration between Ninkasi and 21A was back in November of 2011.  The can, on par for 21A, has some great art on it that mimics the famous photo of FDR, Churchill, & Stalin at the Yalta Conference.  The history nerd in me must note that the Yalta Conference occurred in February of 1945, about 3 months before the Allies did "Win the War."  Tiny details aside, I'm ready to taste and heed the immortal words of Gen Dwight D. Eisenhower when he said, "You are about to embark upon a great crusade, toward which we have striven these many months."  OK, so maybe that's not what he had in mind.  Let's pour!

Aroma 10/12

When they say that this is an ale brewed with dates, brother they ain't kiddin'!  Dark fruit aromas abound with dates and raisins practically burping up and out of the can.  This pairs nicely with a dark molasses sweetness and makes for a very rich bouquet of malts.  The dark fruit aromas lend themselves very well to an almost vinous/boozy aroma.  Oh, and all that is when the beer is still cold.  Warming adds toffee notes to the molasses and a woody/earthy hop note.  I must say I'm surprised to have any hop aromas at all after the can has sat for as long as it has.

Appearance 3/3

A tan head the color of aged parchment caps provides a modestly sized cap for the dimly lit beer that idley loafs in my glass.  Sitting there it shows shades of maroon and stained cherry wood.  Lifted to the light the beer tosses aside the "wood" and puts an exclamation point on the "cherries!"  Vibrant reds and glowing magentas fill almost the entire glass, save for a iced-tea colored tinge at the very surface.

Flavor 17/20

I kept taking sips and waiting for the beginning of the beer to show me something, but alas, it never really does outside of some neutral, body-giving malts.  Small sips show a lot more of the neutral malts and, of course, plenty of the added dates.  Larger mouthfuls reveal a much more complicated beer of dark roasts, dates, a very nicely balancing bitter, an undercurrent of dry, biscuity malt, and a subdued molasses.  The bitter seems to seek out the rearmost sides of the tongue and make sure they not left out.  The finish is a bit boozy and offers and additional bitter punch to the omnipresent dark fruits as they descend.  The spicy hops immediately become present in the mouth after the beer has gone.  Lots of black pepper and dry tongue tingling goodness!

Mouthfeel 5/5

All the neutral malts start things with out a medium-full body, but eventually morph into heavy, creamy texture.  As it sits heavier in the mouth, things begin to turn peppery and tingle the tongue.  That's three unique mouthfeels during the course of one beer and I approve.  The 8.5% ABV is barely noted in the finish due to the prominent spicy hops, but does still make its presence known.  You'd think a beer involving added dark fruits would not end dry nor bitter!  A pleasant and contrasting surprise.

Overall Impression 8/10

I certainly did not expect where this beer was going based on my early sniffs!  Things were dates, raisins, vinous, and malty, leading me to believe I'd be receiving a very dark, sweet beer.  This was not to be the case.  The hops really stepped things up to not only give this beer balance throughout its backbone, but by also taking the beer in a completely different direction and ending it in a spicy, dry, bitter fashion.

Total 43/50

This beer turns the tides like the Battle of Stalingrad (I had to fit in a WWII reference somewhere)!  Starts out with dark fruits, but finishes with a bitter, spicy note that repels the initial invaders.  I like it.  It has definitely turned into a sipper thanks to the closing flavors and a body that is pleasant to roll around the mouth.  I haven't found any sources indicating that this beer has been brewed since 2011, but it would be a darn shame if this was the only time this was brewed.  Who knows?  Maybe they can make the recipe a bit more robust and release one helluva barleywine!  Much like VE Day, they might just earn their own ticker tape parade.

21st Amendment - Hell or High Watermelon

It's that magical time of year when we start delving into some wonderful fruit beers that truly help to welcome in the fall season.  I refer of course to pumpkin, yam, and gourd beers.  Heck, I suppose a few folks are even releasing some cranberry beers, but as I am not a fan of cranberries I will continue to ignore them.  With all these new fruit beers (Yes, guy who knows everything, pumpkins are considered a fruit) being released I figured it was only appropriate to consume my last vestige of summer fruit beers.  Today's review is for 21st Amendment's Hell or High Watermelon.  Besides having a clever name and great can art (as always), I cannot say that I've ever had a watermelon beer before.  Nor have I ever fruited a beer with watermelon.  It just seems weird, which is why it's perfect.  New weird ingredient?  Count me in.  Neat talking point with fellow beer geeks?  Sign me up.  Answering questions with brief affirmations that end in prepositions?  Right on.  Let's pour!

Aroma 7/12

There are no bad smells coming from this beer.  Unfortunately, there are not much for good smells coming from this beer either.  It just sort of... exists.  At first, I got some aromas almost like a distant sour/wild ale and touches of the grain and lemon given by the wheat in the malt beer, but even as the beer warms it never opens.  I smell only the minuscule wheat and none of the sugary sweet watermelon that I expected.

Appearance 1/3

This poured with virtually no head and what did appear hissed away completely in well under ten seconds.  Unacceptable.  It pours a pale, straw yellow color and plenty of sediment has ended up at the bottom of my glass.  It is an unfortunate, drab shade of yellow and this beers sole redeeming visual quality is that any edge of the beer seems to have a slight pinkish tinge to it, as if the glass were outlined with this rosy hue.  It's a good thing we don't drink beer for how it looks.

Flavor 13/20

It starts out with a citrus hint, but is ultimately rather creamy in its initial flavor.  From there we are given a mouthful of the same light citrus and some very faint bitter before the beer settles in a very neutral way in the mouth.  Not too exciting.  Even a wine taster's slurp only manages to bring forward a slightly invigorated version of the light citrus with some grainy malts.  Overall, the citrus, the ever-so-slight bitter, and the yet-to-be-described carbonation combine for a pretty crisp beer, even if it isn't laden with flavor.  Oddly, the flavor picks up slightly in the finish.  We go from a grainy, mild, citrus splashed backbone, to a finish that begins with a very light candy-like sweetness courtesy of the watermelon.  It lingers into the finish before fading away slowly and leaving the mouth with the wheat's grain flavor.  Initially the finish is quenching, but somehow manages to leave the tongue dry as it continues.

Note:  The beer almost has to be room temperature before the watermelon enters the main flavor profile in any significant fashion.  I know it's supposed to be drank in the summer when it's warm out, but sheesh...

Mouthfeel 4/5

This is probably the most sound area of the beer.  It's light in body, well-populated with lively carbonation that dies down appropriately in the mouth, crisp at times, and drying in the finish.  This is one part of the recipe that could be a foundation for them to build up the other areas of the beer.  The mouthfeel has a lot going for it as a summer ale.

Overall Impression 4/10

Ultimately, this beer is average, but if one considers the potential involved having been brewed by 21A plus the fact that there was a cool new flavor involved, it ends up being more disappointing that if one had just been reviewing an average beer to begin with.  Everything save for the mouthfeel seemed to fall far from expectations.  The fruit barely contributes at all, the aroma is bland, and the flavor is grainy and muted.  As mentioned earlier, the mouthfeel shows promise and hopefully 21A continues to build on that cornerstone and surround it with a better base beer, perhaps some citrusy hops to strengthen the citrus of the wheat and the drying characteristic, and a watermelon flavor that is present in more than just the finish.

Total 24/50

Ouch.  To date, I believe this is my lowest score given.  Normally, I have in my mind that even a beer with no faults would score no lower than a 25/50, and that beers with faults (off flavors, off aromas, major style deficiencies) would be scored lower as necessary.  This beer is making me reconsider all of that.  Certainly, it is an average beer.  People who cling firmly to their adjunct lagers would have no problem drinking this beer.  However, my disappointment got the better of me and I had to score it low.  This is 21st Amendment after all!  I think it goes without saying that we expect some pretty premium stuff to flow from their camp (Monk's Blood, anyone?).  For them to put out this offering just seems like they're not trying.  Yes, I'm aware that 400 lbs of watermelon go into each batch.  Yes, I'm aware that this is a light, sessionable brew suitable for summer drinking.  There ARE things going for this beer, they are just grossly outweighed by what doesn't.  I feel a jerk handing down such a negative review without much constructive criticism, but  this beer could really benefit by scrapping it and starting anew.

Oskar Blues - Deviant Dales

The first time I had Deviant Dales was at a bar in Washington D.C. called Elephant & Castle Pub and they were charging $12 for a pint can.  I was desperate to try it for the first time and so I splurged and got a can.  I did not regret that action.  Today, I am finally reviewing Deviant Dales as part of "/r/beerblogs" community on Reddit.  In a rather neat idea, a bunch of bloggers are reviewing it together and then posting/sharing the results with each other.  Since it was the first time we've tried something like this, the response wasn't exactly overwhelming.  However, such things will be tried again and I look forward to more community interactions and discussions with fellow beer bloggers.  If you're interested in finding more on the Reddit community for beer blogs you can check that out by clicking here.

Also, as a side note Oskar Blues is one of my favorite breweries and I have yet to be disappointed by their offerings.  Their Ten Fidy is one of my favorite stouts ever and their Old Chub scotch ale is out of this world.  If, for some strange reason, you are still not a believer that good things can come in cans, Oskar Blues is out to prove you wrong.  Buy some and try it.  You won't regret it.  But now... on to the Deviant Dale's!  Let's pour!

Aroma 11/12

So many hop aromas at once!  The nose is initiated with a blend of pine and pineapple, but the pineapple soon reveals itself to be a citrus medley full of pineapple, grapefruit, lemon, and some cleansing grassy notes. As you can imagine, it makes for a rather tart hop profile.  Resin enters the picture fashionably late, arrogantly aware of its own importance.  Malts at this point are a muted brown sugar flavor.  However, the sweetness blends so well with the sweet hop aromas and the malt aromas are so distant in this hop-forward beer, that the malts are hard to define even at a proper serving temperature.

Appearance 3/3

This is a B-E-A-U-tiful beer.  When held to light it's a sunset in a glass.  When set on a table it's rusty, dusty orange-red.  When held in front of you, those oranges seem to glow from within, as if there were embers on the very bottom of the glass.  The head was about a finger thick of a dense, orange-pastel colored foam.  It was a great look to top off an already great looking beer!

Flavor 19/20

The first few sips seem dominated by resin in most phases of the beer until the tongue becomes a bit more acclimated and then other flavors become more apparent.  The initial flavors are a rush of resin over a caramel malt that is desperate to be heard.  The primary flavors of the beer slowly fall into place as a big, fat, sweet caramel note shares a park bench with an equally large resin bitter.  The two arrange a really nice, if not precarious, balance with support from some sweet lemon citrus (now appearing caramelized thanks to the malts) and, if held long enough in the mouth, a spicy hop note as well.  Giving this beer a wine-tasters' slurp shifts those flavors into "Ludicrous Speed" and is super intense.  Also, as this beer warms beyond proper serving temp, the peppery hops really come forward and add an interesting tingle to the existing bitter.  Eventually the malts fade away entirely and the hops are left to their own devices to start the finish.  The finish offers little except a reprise of the bitter before the beer slides lazily down the throat, leaving the mouth bitter and the back of the throat slick.

For those not understanding the Ludicrous Speed reference.

Mouthfeel 5/5

The loads of sweet malt let this beer slide over the tongue and provide for no foaming action in the mouth, even when given a slight swish.  The carbonation is minimal, but what is present speaks loudly.  This gives the impression of more carbonation that is actually present, but without disrupting the smooth, heavy mouthfeel.  Well done.  The 8.0% ABV is really only present in a minor way during the finish and otherwise remains unseen.

Overall Impression 10/10

I really like this beer.  It's a chewy, thick, sweet, bitter slap to the tastebuds that leaves you wanting another can.  In fact, I just opened another can.  I wish the hop flavors were a bit stronger in order to offer a bit more complexity to the "caramel vs. resin" battle, but it's still a damn good beer all the same.  This is a big beer that's worth the price of admission.

Total 48/50

Did any of us really doubt the deliciousness that would be present in an "upper echelon" Oskar Blues product?  It has a great aroma, gargantuan flavors, a big smooth body to carry them, and a deceptive ABV. "Well, if it has all those characteristics why didn't you give it a perfect 50," asked both people reading.  Fair question.  Frankly, I thought the aroma was just short of amazing.  It is certainly delicious and definitely delectable, but fell short of me rolling my eyes and uttering an expletive.  Also, as mentioned earlier I felt that the hop flavors were under utilized.  Certainly a few hop flavors are present like pine and citrus, but they are an afterthought compared to the giant bitter and caramel notes.  They've certainly added hops at the beginning and the end of the boil, but it seems that the "flavor" issuance of hops received the short straw.  Or maybe the sweet flavors of hops are being usurped by the sweet malts.  Or maybe the freshness has something to do with it.  These beers were canned on 4-03-2012, making them about 5 months old.  Looks like they're a little older than I thought.  I imagine that given a fresh can, this could be a perfect score.  I'll just have to find a fresh can... just to be sure.  This is definitely a premier IPA and not to be missed.

Great River - Bix Street Fest Copper Ale

It feels like it has been quite some time since I reviewed a local beer and there's no better way to break that unsavory streak that with a brewery who crafted a beer especially for a local city's annual event.  Great River makes some darn tasty beers and this year they again made their "Bix Street Fest," a copper ale.  For those unfamiliar with turn of the century jazz musicians (essentially ALL of us), Leon Bismark "Bix" Beiderbecke was an Iowa boy born in 1903 and grew up in the Quad Cities area.  He taugh himself to play cornet by ear, had his first gig at 18 in a band under his name, and was one of the most influential jazz soloists of the 1920's.  Unfortunately, he died in his Queens, NY apartment at the age of 28 and most of his music was not well known until after his death.

To remember this fine musician, every year the Quad Cities throws a street festival rife with live jazz music and hosts a 7 mile race known as "The Bix.".  Why seven miles?  I have no idea.  But regardless of its length, it's a fairly grueling race because the downtown area of the city is built on hills thanks to its proximity to the Mississippi River Valley.  It attracts runners from around the world and, no surprise here, is usually won by Kenyans.  After the race, there is much celebrating and Great River prints this on their cans for the finishers,

"You've trained hard and the run is over, now it's time to relax and enjoy a Street fest Copper Ale, brewed especially for the Bix weekend.  Handcrated in a limited volume, you'll find Street Fest Copper Ale to be smooth, refreshing, and light enough to keep you on your feet.  Everyone wins with a Copper!" 

Meanwhile in college, Bix was a great excuse to come back to college over the summer, hang out with all your friends, party, smoke cigars, cook out, and sleep on whatever couch you could find.  Both events bring back fond memories and to date it's the only "street fest" that makes me a bit nostalgic and reminds me of friends from my past.  Let's pour!

Aroma 10/12

While this beer is not a powerhouse style, it brings some nice things to the table.  It starts out malt driven, is somewhat grainy, and shows a moderate amount of roast.  Just behind that is a light citrus snap that keeps things fresh and clean smelling.  It all feels rather simple until the beer warms a tad and a sweetness starts to develop.  Eventually it shows itself to be toffee, but continues to evolve until there is also an unmistakable vanilla note.

Appearance 2/3

The color is as promised - copper - but not without some sunset oranges to add to its appeal.  In a lighter style like this, I wouldn't expect the colors to range so much, but this is definitely above average.  I'm going to assume that this beer has a fuller mouthfeel than the style typically demands.  The head is average at best.  It gives about a finger in height, is a faded beige in color, creamy in texture, and leaves no lacing.  I'm just happy there's still some around the edge of my glass.

Flavor 17/20

As expected, this is a malt-centered beer, but thankfully there is more to it than that.  It begins with a distinct dose of the copper malts and a faint hint of that great toffee from the aroma, but the main flavors of the beer rush in quickly to silence it.  The backbone is more of the copper malts, however it has also added a slight spice, and that timid citrus which seems quite content to sit on the sides and tickle the edge of your tongue.  The sweetness is definitely detectable, unfortunately the specific vanilla and toffee notes are lost and replaced with a general sweetness.  The finish is a nice change of pace and tries to fool you into thinking you're drinking a lager.  It has a lager's bitter and crispness yet maintains the great grain flavors of the copper ale instead of finishing clean.  The aftertaste is more of the grain and roast flavors that linger on the crest of the tongue.

Mouthfeel 4/5

This beer pulls a couple of interesting tricks in the mouth..  First of all, the brewers know that this is going to be drank en masse by the Bix runners after the race, so they can't make anything too heavy.  That said, this beer has a medium body, is insanely & ridiculously smooth, and only employs minimal amounts of carbonation.  What carbonation exists is tiny and likely drowned in the silky body.  However, this is far from a monster beer.  At 4.8% ABV and 25 IBUs, this beer's numbers allow it to be something that macrobeer drinkers won't feel uncomfortable drinking.  

Their super sweet, much-improved poster for this year! Oh,
and I don't own this image at all.  Please don't sue me.

Overall Impression 7/10

This is a good beer, but far from the best that Great River makes.  It's refreshing, crisp, crazy smooth, shows some great malts, and smells like a million bucks.  To its detriment, the smell doesn't translate quite as well as I'd like into the flavor, the carbonation vanishes quickly, and it's rather simple as a whole.

Total 40/50

Solid "B" material, which frankly might be the most a copper or amber ever gets from me.  It just seems too hard to make one into a flavor rich version of the style.  Not that this beer didn't have flavor, but I wouldn't go so far as to call it rich.  Nor SHOULD I call it rich!  It's supposed to be a lighter, more refreshing offering from a brewery known for putting vanilla beans into brown ale firkins on a whim.  Indeed, it is lighter than most of their offerings and likely crafted to both please the throngs of festival goers as well as show them that beer can be more than just the flavorless macrobrews that are all too easy to purchase.  I'd say that Great River succeeds on both counts.  Unfortunately, when you make a beer to help introduce the masses to craft beer, it's seldom a powerhouse of the style.  I'd be happy to drink this on any hot summer day, but don't sign me up for that 7-mile race just yet.

One of the best-known photos of Bix.

Sources:

http://www.bixsociety.org/

http://bixography.com/

Ihttp://www.bixsociety.org/index.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bix_Beiderbecke

Surly - Furious

Red has long been the color that signifies anger.  We see it when raging, bulls charge at it, and that little button that always threatens global nuclear war seems to fancy it as well.  It only follows that I could only take so much of this red can glaring at me like the eye of Sauron every time I opened the beer fridge.  "Too long has it watched me.  Too long has it haunted my midnight snacks." (I'm pretty sure that's a direct quote from Tolkien)  While I'm ready to finally sample this brew, I may have second thoughts if I have to throw the One Ring Tab into Mount Doom in order to finish it.  OK, enough Lord of the Rings references.  Let's pour!

I'll never get tired of juxtaposing cans next
to big, fancy tasting glasses.

Aroma 11/12

This smells like a big, damn IPA.  Pine and resin are front and center, ready to take on all comers and they brought back up.  Citrus fruits are abundant and one can easily find grapefruit, lemon zest, and pineapple without searching too hard.  Put those fruits together and you've got one acidic combination.  Alongside the citrus are the malts that smell like dark caramel candies that have just begun to crystallize.  They provide the semblance of balance, but this is a true hop-leaning IPA.

Appearance 3/3

It doesn't pour especially thick, but everything else in its appearance says that it is.  The head is stiff and barely moves when first poured, the bubbles slog around the glass slowly when swirled, and there's a pretty nice amount of lacing.  This looks a big beer.  The color is phenomenal!  I can't even call it copper; it truly is a red beer.  Though there are shades of copper in it along with magenta, ruby glints, and bright sunset oranges.  Wow!

Flavor 17/20

After the first two categories, this beer has raised its expectations exponentially and, for the most part, meets them.  First to the tongue are the malts.  They're somewhat brown sugary sweet, show caramel, and have a nice authentic grain flavor to them, but they fall short of the dark, rich, sugary notes detected in the aroma.  Things then lighten a bit and become a distinct, delicate citrus.  This citrus is not what one would expect given the plethora of hop aromas, but it does blend extremely well with the malt's more sugary notes and the resinous bitter that has taken shape.  If this brew sits in the mouth long enough, it turns almost entirely bitter and it's not hard to believe the label's 99 IBUs.  Slurping really lets the spicier notes of the hops come forward.  The finish is another example of the hops present in this beer!  They're a deep, inky bitterness that quickly vanquishes any of the prior flavors and lingers to prevent any hope of a clean finish.

Note: This particular beer was canned on 12/13/11

Mouthfeel 5/5

This is a monstrous, full-bodied IPA.  All the malts make this beer a giant, but without feeling syrupy.  It has the carbonation to thank for that.  The bubbles are so diminutive, but span the border between acting as "normal" carbonation and lending the beer a creamy texture as it foams ever so slightly.  At 6.2% ABV, there is no noticeable warmth, but on a good, deep slurp you may sense some among the spicy hops.

Overall Impression 7/10

A great first impression likely ruined by deteriorated hops.  The aroma is huge, the appearance spectacular, and the mouthfeel is spot on.  The flavor is wondrously malty, but the depth of hop flavors is lacking at this point.  Not to say that they are absent, but they're not what I caught in the aroma: pineapples, grapefruits, pine, resin, and lemon.  I would be very interested in reviewing a fresher sample.  The fact that this beer scores this highly even under the suspicion of hop deterioration speaks very highly of it.  A fresh can could yield even higher marks.

Total 43/50

Dammit, even though I kept this can in ideal conditions I feel that may have spoiled a great drinking experience by trying to hold on to this beer.  This is the second review in a row where this has happened (although the first one may have already been older as it was from a trade), and it really motivates me to get cracking on all my hoppy beers!  Long story short, this is a great beer as is, but I can only imagine it fresh.  If it has all the hop flavors that I think it might, this beer is an out of the park home run.  Looks like I'll be visiting those relatives in Minnesota sooner than I thought.

21st Amendment - Brew Free! Or Die

Today marks the official 68th anniversary of the D-Day invasion on the beaches and fields of Normandy, France.  I know I just got off my soapbox from Memorial Day, but there is no way we can possibly honor too highly the memory and deeds of these soldiers.  In short, watch the first 30 minutes of Saving Private Ryan and you should be able to accurately visualize about 30% of the horror these men endured and eventually conquered.  Ken Burn series "The War" (episode 4) is also a great perspective on this historic day.  What other beer could I possibly drink besides 21st Amendment's Brew Free! or Die IPA.  I've never had it before, but based on my other 21A experiences, I don't plan on being disappointed.  Let's pour!

But before we do, check out this kick ass can art!  It's awesome enough to come in a can, but to wrap the can in this great artwork is just one other way that 21A is setting the bar higher.  For those that aren't familiar with Abraham Lincoln's exploit smashing through mountains, you'll be extra surprised when you see him killing scores of vampires.

Washington looking
aprehensive.

Honest Abe smashing
through a friggin'
mountain!

Teddy looking thrilled.  I
always liked him best.

Aroma 10/12

It seems like it has been a while since an IPA entreated me with a nice, distinct pine aroma so this brew is a refreshing change of pace.  Behind the pine is a light herbal note and an even fainter sharp citrus.  The beer smells thick and balances the hops extremely well with a rich, bready malt.  This is no sweet bread, but a thick slice of homemade wheat bread.  Extra points for the balance even if the citrus malts do get a bit stronger as the beer warms.

Appearance 3/3

It shows a great head size, fair retention, and little lacing.  The head was a nice ivory color that threatens to take up a hue or two from the orange beer beneath it.  The color is a cheerful shade of fresh spaghetti squash that enjoys being made brighter by the beer's high clarity.  It's a blend of gold and copper and takes for its own the luminosity of both these metals.

Flavor 14/20

Boy, was I right on the mark before about the malts not being sweet!  The first sips are dry, crackery, bready malts with a fair amount of hop bitterness.  To those expecting something a bit sweeter, this may come off as bland, but rest assured those malts are in there not only giving some flavors but also adding to the big body of this beer.  By holding the beer in the mouth, one finds a continuation of the initial flavors but with more grain flavors and an ever-so-faint citrus.  Extremely faint tropical fruits are detectable on an exhale, but even a wine taster's slurp yields very little additional flavor.  The finish shows more pale malts, but little else.  Oddly, some additional flavors come to light in the aftertaste when on the occasional exhale one can nice whiff of a dried tropical fruit; it also has a lingering bitter.  For an IPA, this really is lacking in hop flavor.  In full disclosure, it was canned on 1/05/2012, so I'd love to try this fresh and be completely wrong about it.

Mouthfeel 5/5

All the aforementioned malts give this beer a full-bodied, rolling feeling in the mouth, and with the perfect amount of "barely there" carbonation I can see myself drinking this beer even on the hottest of days. I'm not sure I'd call it 70 IBUs, but then again hop deterioration might just be to blame.  The 7% ABV is also completely undetectable.

Overall Impression 7/10

There is a lot going for this beer: a pleasant aroma, great mouthfeel and body, and a bright color.  However, the flavor seemed to fall flat.  All that remained was really a bitter note that went with the bready malt; I found none of the great hop flavors!  Overall it tasted like a milquetoast version of a pale ale, but with a heavier body and none of a pale ale's great crispness.  Does 5 months kill almost all hop flavor?  Apparently so in this brew, though I have sampled others that were not this effected.  I wonder what makes the difference.

Total 39/50

I fear that I may have underscored this beer based on a less than fresh can (5 months old), but I can only score what I have in front of me.  I'd love to try this again fresh, but until then I'm afraid this review remains.  This is not a sweet IPA.  In fact, it's not much of an IPA at all.  I take that back, it has the body and mouthfeel, and even meets us halfway in the aroma, but as far as taste... this comes off as rather bland.  The malts are good, even if they don't lean toward a sweeter flavor.  That's fine.  IPAs are varied and don't have to have a sweet malt present for balance.  However, when the hops are absent in an IPA, then we have problems.  The only thing this beer took from the hops was a "good" aroma and some bitter.  Other than that, the flavors and aromas, which should be strong and forward, are not even meek, they're nonexistant.  This was a disappointment after having 21A's Bitter American (which I would gladly buy a case of), but I look forward to trying this beer again when fresh.  Until then try a different IPA... and remember our veterans.

21st Amendment - Bitter American

Dammit.  It's an election year.  This of course means that extremists from both parties will emerge as predictably as cicadas to declare the opposite party's dedication to evil and single-handedly destroying the U.S. of A.  It also means that any form of entertainment I choose to enjoy will inevitably be populated by attack ads like flies on a summer roadkill.  All that said, I try not to focus on all that.  Truth be told, I try to ignore it much as possible by doing my own research and selecting the best candidate.  Plus, summer brings out more reasons to be proud to be an American than most other seasons.  Summer gives us the 4th of July, D-Day Anniversary, Flag Day, VJ Day (Victory in Japan), and this weekend it brings us Memorial Day.  While Memorial Day can certainly be a time to crack open a few craft beers with buddies, grill out, watch the Indy 500, go shopping, and enjoy a day of rest, I certainly hope that we can all take some time to remember those who have died while  in service to this great country.  They have certainly earned it we owe them that much.

Stepping off of my soapbox now, but I'll be reviewing a beer that is closer in name to the divided politicos than the fallen soldiers.  Today's review is for 21st Amendment's Bitter American.  I obtained this with a trade from Eric as I currently don't have 21A in my neck of the woods.  The can indicates that this is an "extra pale ale with bold malt and hop flavors."  Since I love pale ales and big beers, I'm really looking forward to this.  Let's pour!

Thanks to my buddy Kevin for this pic.

Aroma 10/12

Not initially strong in aroma.  The malts are first to the nose in a straw & biscuit combination that eventually allows the biscuit to win out.  Hops come next and are a well-blended mix of a  light pine and spice.  Citrus, at this point, is far, far in the background, but as the beer warms it becomes more and more of a primary player.  This citrus note allows the hops to dominate the slightly warmed beer with a sweet citrus note, not unlike a mandarin orange.  Very pleasant!

Appearance 3/3

This would earn higher marks if it could.  It pours a fairly light gold, but settles in the glass as a wonderful bright apricot orange.  The head is a perfect size, slightly beige in color, and shows excellent retention.

Flavor 19/20

This concoction definitely focuses on the "crisp" nature of a pale ale!  The beginning is an insanely dry and crackery malt with even a bit of bitter on the front of the tongue.  What a great sensation!  Before diving into the backbone, the beer dangles those sweet citrus hops in front of you for just a moment before snatching them away and plummeting the drinker into what Coolio would certainly describe as a "Malt-tastic Voyage."    It is a voyage of more crackery malts that are so crisp you'd swear you could snap them in half.  A moderate bitter from intelligent hop usage adds to the effect.  The finish is a continuation of the backbone, but with hints of grain.  It then becomes perfectly clean before splashing back to existence with a steady crescendo of bitter.  That bitter doesn't linger too long and the aftertaste is mostly clean and extremely drying.  I can't believe one beer can do all this!

Mouthfeel 5/5

The carbonation in this brew compliments the crispness extremely well.  While the carbonation is not abundant, what is available is fairly lively, helping give that extra little bite.  The body is much heavier than most pale ales and at 4.4% ABV this "session ale" (as described on the can) has no detectable warmth.

Front half of can.

Back half of can.

Overall Impression 9/10

This beer focuses all its effort into one characteristic with laser-like intensity: being crisp.  Everything from the  dry crackery, malts and carbonation, to the light citrus aroma and light bitter flavors all come together for a common purpose.  I must say, it succeeds wonderfully.  On top of being crisp, it's also light enough in flavor and ABV that I could truly put these down all day.  Talk about a session ale!  21st Amendment has hit the nail on the head.

Total 46/50

It's not so much that it's a really bitter beer as the name would imply (though the can claims 42 IBUs), it's that 21st Amendment has managed to remove almost all sweetness from this beer.  No caramel malts, no hoppy citrus, no unfermentable sugars, this beer is just dry malt and fairly clean hops.  As unappetizing as that may sound, this beer is fantastic!  Some folks might like a bit more sweetness in their pale ale, but I would urge them to try this anyway just for a different take on a fairly universal style.  I absolutely dig it, even though most of my favorite pale ales often involve a citrus bouquet from the hops.  Doesn't matter.  Like I mentioned earlier, I could drink this all day.  In fact, if these were available in my area, I probably would.  This was my first 21st Amendment beer, but I can assure you, it won't be my last.

Great River - Hop-A-Potamus

Friends!  It's only May 9th and you've already made this my best month ever!  With a little extra love from Goose Island, it's not only my best month, but I also breached 20,000 hits.  I'm feeling pretty good about things right now and with that in mind, today's review will be for a brewery who also has quite a few things going for them.  Today, I'll be reviewing Great River's Hop-A-Potamus.  Don't worry, if you haven't heard of it.  They're a local brewer in Davenport, IA (just off the Arsenal Bridge, for those wishing to find it), but are enjoying a pretty good local distribution and really coming into their own with some unique, flavorful beers.  Also they recently won a "Canny" Award at the first ever Cannys.  The Cannys are "a competition that recognizes the high-quality, captivating graphics featured on craft beer in cans. Awards were presented during the Craft Brewers Conference, May 2-5 in San Diego, California." (Source: craftcans.com)

Photo blatantly stolen from Great River's Facebook page.

The best part about Great River?  Their craft brewing spirit.  They've embraced cans.  They collaborate like crazy with a local distillery, Mississippi River Distilling Co, to the point where both business have been out at local supermarkets giving out samples.  They have a great presence at local festivals.  They try creative things at their bar ("We have organic brown beer and vanilla beans?  Throw 'em in the firkin!").  They seem to embody everything that is right about craft beer and I hope that attitude continues with their deserved success.  The can for Hop-A-Potamus reads,

"Hop-A-Potamus is a double dark rye pale ale made with a ton of pale and six kinds of rye malt for a 'full' body.  This double dark rye pale ale is fiercely hopped with a Northwest blend for a stampede of flavor and aroma.

Beware: Hop-A-Potamus will charge if provoked!  Hop-A-Potamus is not for the foolish for the faint of heart."

With a description like that, who can wait?  Let's pour!

Aroma 10/12

I initially poured this beer a bit too cold and it changed the aroma completely.  Initially, the hops and rye were fairly minimal but the sweet malt was bursting from the glass.  The malt was so laden with caramelized sugars, I could've sworn it was an overripe banana.  Really weird considering the style.  The hops materialize soon enough and provide a light citrus and what could be a peppery spice, though that is likely from the rye. While the malts never fade away entirely, the rye becomes more noticeable in that earthy, slightly sour way that rye has about it.  Thankfully, the sour of the rye helps to bring out those faint citrus hops.

Appearace 2/3

Simply sitting in the glass, this beer appears like a darkly stained cherry wood.  Deep walnut browns and blacks abound, but not without ruby facets shining from time to time.  When held to the light, the red shades become even more striking and allow for all sort of brown-red combinations like maroon and even magenta.  The head was small, less than a finger, but appeared creamy, wet, and thick.

Flavor 18/20

A lot of earthy, yet not spicy, rye gets things started and quickly moves into a backbone that is quite reminiscent of the aroma.  The sweetness returns in that uber-caramelized way that I swear reminds me of an over ripe, caramelized banana!  Is there Belgian yeast in this?!  Despite the sweetness, the beer remains remarkably crisp, and enjoys a faint, bright citrus note.  An earthy note from the rye casts its shadow over the proceedings to bitter things up quite a bit (and add a moderate peppery spice), but only an occasional glimpse of hop resin is available from time to time.  The finish is a strengthening of all the ingredients that would cause you to buy this beer in the first place.  The hop resins bite at ya, the rye is earthy and bitter, the alcohol (9.0% ABV) even shows up a bit, and there's a finish almost like mouth-watering, bitter, brown ale. Aftertastes are a reprise of the rye's sour and a dark, lingering bitter down the back of the tongue.

Mouthfeel 5/5

 I dig this.  For a beer that claims to have 9% ABV (I believe it) and 99 IBUs (I am skeptical), this beer drinks like it has neither.  It's full-bodied (as advertised on the label) and offers a carbonation that is not aggressive enough to compliment or bring out a rye's spiciness, but neither does it leave the beer feeling flat or syrupy.  Keep in mind, not feeling syrupy is no easy task with he amounts of malt the brewers have crammed into this can.  The warmth is all but invisible throughout the beer and two pints of this on an empty stomach will leave you laughing at all sorts of internet nonsense.

 Overall Impression 8/10

This is a tasty beer, but I'm having a difficult time determining the borders after these worlds collide.  On one side, you have a ton of malt (rye and pale).  This results in a lot of sweetness, a great color, and a full body.  Got it.  However, if six kinds of rye malt are being used in this thing, I rather expect it to be insanely earthy, peppery with spice, and bitter like a custody battle.  While I get lesser amounts of bitter and earth, the spice is all but absent.  And on the OTHER hand, you have a pale ale - traditionally, a biscuity.crackery tasting, dry, lightly hopped delight of a beer (pale ales are rapidly becoming one of my favorite styles).  I'd venture that none of the pale ale characteristics remain.  There is an abundance of sweetness in the malt, despite the rye's attempt to bitter things up, and... OK, I guess I can see how some folks could argue this an "imperial" version of a pale ale.  Abundance of (attempted) dry malts up front and a nice hop presence behind.  However, if that argument IS to be made, then the malts up front need to be made even more dry and crisp (the hallmark of a great pale ale) with the rye, and the hop presence at the end could be made even stronger.

Total 43/50

I can nitpick all I want, but in the end this is a damn tasty beer.  Big, earthy, with high marks in the technical categories, and a well hidden ABV, this beer is one I would encourage more locals to buy if it was available.  This beer sold quickly once it hit the shelves.  It truly is a unique beer and I have trouble measuring it against other styles... but I'll try anyway.  It's not as rye heavy as Sierra Nevada's Ruthless Rye, but then again it's also trying to blend in the pale ale style.  It's much more bitter than a good pale ale (like, say, Three Floyds Alpha King), but lacks some of the hop intensity one might expect give the abundance of malt (and the high IBUs).  This review was written on my last two 16 oz cans, but I happened to find a lonely 4-pack in the back of a grocery store cooler.  Huzzah!  If you're planning a visit to the Quad Cities, make sure that Great River is on your list.  They completely understand the craft beer vibe and they make some damn good beer to boot.  Cheers Great River!  Keep up the great work.

Stolen from the Great River website.