Anderson Valley's Hop Ottin' IPA

"7% ABV" on the label.

Amber-brown appearance with shades of glowing orange in the light. Sudsy white head up top with lacing stuck to the glass.

Sweet citrus aroma: pineapple, grapefruit and orange. Leafy. Malt notes somewhere between light caramel and milk chocolate. Very balanced in the nose.

Creamy up front with hops flavor in the middle offering an acidic liquid note, ending with bitter grapefruit. Caramel notes in the back end. Metallic (coins).

Dry, leafy grapefruit lingers and carries this brew. A good IPA. My brother's been into savoring a couple IPAs in one sitting as opposed to 6 light beers. At 7%, this is probably along the lines of what he's been enjoying.

Iron City Amber

Dark amber appearance with a decent, soapy, white head. Somewhat foggy and opaque.

Sweet, rich caramel in the nose. Nothing more.

Taste is sweet with caramel malts, but a bit flat and muted. Splash of bittering hops. An odd, icy astringency. A bit thin and watery.

Caramel flavor is a little cloying. Not bad overall, but no where near good. Oh, and the re-packaged label with the near-naked lady on the front is just another example of pathetic pandering. Combine that with the fact that I was given a bottle of this by a distributor that was asked to hand out bottles to customers. Iron City must be desperate.
 

Weyerbacher Hops Infusion

Notes from 4/7/12

Amber-brown with an orange tint. Sticky off-white head sits happily. Lacing.

Grapefruit aroma. Pineapple.

Flash of hops up front with a creamy feel. Peppery hops flavor lingers a bit. Caramel malts hold up and balance the bittering flashes. Alcohol in the back end adds some heat to the picture.

Stoudts Heifer-in-Wheat

Notes from 4/6/12

Cloudy, orange-amber gold body with a slim head that doesn't stick around. A thin, white, soapy rim remains.

Bright and cool clove & banana aroma. Warm esters. Floral. Pleasant in the nose.

Deliciously crisp up front with fruity yeast, over-ripe banana and wheat bread. Wood-like tone far in the back end.

This brew throws long and dry on the taste buds. What I discern to be some booze lingers in a friendly way. Exceptional!

Notes: quite possibly the tastiest hefeweizen I've had to date. I threw this down with pleasure in no time.

Ballast Point Brewing Co's Calico Amber Ale

Notes from 4/5/12

Bubbly brown with an amber glow. Nougat colored head slims to a rim with spotty bubbles.

Smell is deep with milk chocolate and rich, dark malts. Haven't smelled brown malts on their own before, but an educated guess tells me they're in there. Floral hops round out the aroma. Good to the nose; doesn't ask one to sniff too aggressively to experience what it's offering.

Good blitz of spicy hops flavor throws in immediately, followed by a near-chewy, amber-dark malt bill. A welcome lingering quality from the finishing hops.

Notes: most of this brewery's offerings are considerably more costly by the bottle than your average microbrewery's.  Calico Amber Ale was the cheapest I came across at $2.25 a bottle. Taste-wise, it almost crosses over into brown ale territory.

Thirst Dog Brewing Co's Labrador Lager

Appearance: pseudo opaque amber with an egg white head. Sticky lacing. Looks good.

Smell: toasty sweet in the nose. Honey, caramel, maybe a splinter of diacetyl, floral moments, and flashes of bitter-sweet fruit tones.

Taste/Mouthfeel: Light, sweet and a touch bitter up front. Honey-like sweetness. Fairly balanced with malts just barely weighing in heavier. Delicate. A peppermint spice hops flavor sits quietly in the middle, almost unannounced. Honey is king of this brew.

Notes: A bit too sweet for my current interest in drier German-style lagers. I was hoping for a little more bittering hops.

Great Lakes Blackout Stout (Russian imperial stout)

Notes from 3/28/12. Bottle indicates this one's best to enjoy before 4/20/12.

Dark as night with a cola-beige head. What else can one say? Head sticks around with lacing stuck to the nonic glass.

Thick, malty aroma. Milk chocolate. Strawberry notes. Faint coffee.

Warm up front with a taste like hot cocoa cooled off...plus hops! Booze is present, with enough malty body to make it an element to savor and enjoy. Spicy hops flavor throws in.

Feels warm, smooth and balanced. Not overhopped, at least when imbibed 3 weeks prior to its "best before" date. This one's been sitting in my fridge for about 2 months. Finally yanked it out with no regrets.