Fuller's ESB

Brewery: Fuller Smith & Turner
Style: Extra Special Bitter
ABV: 5.9%
Country: England

Like the Pilsner Urquell, Fuller's ESB is another beer that started a style. In this case it started the Extra Special/Strong Bitter which is a more potent version of the Bitter style. Seeing as this is an English style, "extra strong" doesn't make this a bitter beer. IBUs are typically in the 30s and are balanced with plenty of sweet malts.

Poured a bright caramel color that was crystal clear. Had a thin, wispy head that vanished rather quickly. Aroma had plenty of caramel sweetness to it with just a bit of herbal grassiness to it. An especially malty beer. For something with the name "bitter" in it, this is a rather sweet beer. Some herbalness was present throughout that lead to a crisp finish with some biscuit malts and, wait for it, a light bitterness that lingers a while. While it was a good beer, nothing really jumped out and grabbed me. It would be a good beer to have several of in a social gathering. One that doesn't need any focus but isn't off putting. Great for malty beer lovers out there. B

Pilsner Urquell

Brewery: Pilsner Urquell
Style: Pilsner
ABV: 4.4%
Country: Czech Republic

Pilsner Urquell comes from the Plzen region of the Czech Republic. Astute readers with futures as police detectives will notice that Pilsner is awfully similar to Plzen. The reason for this would be the fact that the Plzen region gave birth to the Pilsner style of beer. One of the main reasons for this was that the soft water present in the region gave the beer a unique character at the time. The style goes back to 1842 and Pilsner Urquell claims to be the standard bearer of the original. As most lagers produced and consumed are of the light pilsner style, this is a bit of a big deal in the beer family tree.

Pored a bright straw yellow and perfectly clear. Standard sized head was bright white and settled out rather quickly. Aroma was plenty grassy and earthy. The aroma is often described as "skunky" though for this beer, it is a desired characteristic. A "skunked" beer is on that has been damaged from UV rays. In this case, the "skunky" flavor comes from the yeast and hops. First flavors of the sip match the aroma perfectly with both grassy and earthy. The mouth feel was fantastic with a nice heft to it that was crisp and bubbly. Finish had a light bitterness along with some biscuity malts. Overall I really enjoyed this one. Clean and simple, this is easy to drink but still has enough malt and hop presence to not be dull. B

Southern Tier Choklat Imperial Stout

Brewery: Southern Tier Brewing Company
Style: Imperial Stout
ABV: 11.0%
Country: USA, New York

This was another find from the State Line Liquor Store, the first beer on this blog from Southern Tier, and the second imperial stout that I've personally reviewed. This came in a big 22oz bomber that will leave me weak in the knees by the end of the night. Poured nearly pitch black with only a small hint of caramel near the edges. Nice thin and tan head that settled into a nice and lingering lace. Aroma is full of plenty of types of different types of chocolate. Cocoa powder is the most prevalent along with some dark chocolate. Absolutely fantastic aroma, one of the best. The first sip was nice and smooth with plenty of chocolate. Chocolate flavor was not as pronounced as the aroma but still quite noticeable and plenty rich. Plenty of sweetness along with dark and roasted malts are quite potent. Mouthfeel is smooth and a bit syrupy. Finish was more roasted malts and a nice a lingering bitterness that wasn't overpowering. The most surprising aspect of this brew is that the 11% ABV is completely hidden. There are no astringent flavors at any point. Wonderfully chocolaty and absolutely delicious, I'd have this again in a heartbeat. A

Trappistes Rochefort 8

Brewery: Brasserie de Rochefort
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale
ABV: 9.20%
Country: Belgium

Here is the second of the three Rochefort beers, Rochefort 8. The first one, Rochefort 6, was only okay by my standards. A bit too sweet and a bit too carbonated. This version comes out a bit stronger and should pack more of a punch.

The pour was similar, a murky brown with a darker head than 6. Big head that dissipated and left a nice lace. Plenty of yeast seen swimming around. Plenty of dark fruits. Cherries and plums both present. I smelled more yeast than 6 and the alcohol was certainly noticeable. The first sip had some sweetness and lots of bready malts. Quite similar to number 6 in flavor as well. The largest noticeable difference is that alcohol flavor is much more prevalent. This gave the beer a nice spiciness that helped to improve the taste. The high level of carbonation made it hard to enjoy this. B-

Dogfish Head Namaste

Brewery: Dogfish Head Brewing Co
Style: Witbier
ABV: 5.0%
Country: USA, Delaware

Its not quite summer yet but today felt nice enough that it may have well been. That being said, I felt a nice summer beer was in order, hence the Witbier. Pour was bright and sunny yellow color with a nice head that dissipated quickly but left a nice and lingering lace. Body was slightly cloudy with some yeast and sediment visible. Aroma was faint and floral with definite signs of wheat. Flavor was incredibly crisp and refreshing. Lemongrass and coriander were both present in good quantities along with a hint of orange. The spice flavors lingered while the finish had the distinct wheat taste although it was more subdued than other wheat beers that I've had. As stated before, this was incredibly crisp and refreshing; Perfect for a hot summer day. B+

Curator Dunkler Doppelbock

Brewery: Ettaler Klosterbrauerei
Style: Doppelbock
ABV: 9.0%
Country: Germany

Another fine looking German beer here. The bottle claims that the recipe dates back to 1609 and the monastery where it was brewed dates back to 1330, so a bit of history here. Poured a dark-brown color with a thin and tan head. Cola like in appearance. Aroma was dark and sweet with molasses, raisins, and cherries along with a spicy kick. Taste is quite complex. Raisins and cherries are both present upfront along with a molasses sweetness and a hint of caramel. Floral and earthy hop flavors are present as well throughout. The finish is dry with a hint of bitterness that lingers slightly. The mouth-feel is syrupy and has plenty of carbonation to give it a kick. Leaves behind some oily residues. A hint of alcohol reminds you that this is 9% ABV but the astringency is covered up for the most part. This went down remarkably easy and would be dangerous in large quantities, great to drink though and I thoroughly enjoyed this. A

Weyerbacher Double Simcoe IPA

Brewery: Weyerbacher Brewing Company
Style: Imperial IPA
ABV: 9.0%
Country: USA, Pennsylvania

This was another beer that I found while at State Line Liquors. The "SIMCOE" in big bold letters on the bottle caught my eye immediately. The Simcoe hop is the main aroma hop of the wonderful Hopslam ale. Since my first attempt at finding a beer to tide me over until next year was a total failure, I was eager to have another go.

Poured a reddish coppery color with a nice and fluffy off-white head. Somewhat hazy with visible yeast. Big hoppy aroma is full of pine resin and citrus, this was what I remembered and loved from Hopslam. The first sip carried with it plenty of the hoppy flavors from the aroma. Sticky pine was the most prevalent with the citrus flavors playing second fiddle. Plenty of sweet, caramel malts managed to hold their own though and lent the body a thick and creamy mouthfeel that was quite pleasant. Speaking of the body, it coated the mouth well and left a lingering residue that was quite tasty. The finish crept up slowly with a pleasing bitterness that stuck around with the stickiness. This was quite a delicious and well balanced brew that I'll have to remember the next time I'm in the mood for some Hopslam and it isn't January. A