North Coast Brewing's Old Rasputin (Russian Imperial Stout)

Black as night with a tan head. Inky black blots drip on the head as I pour every last drop out of the bottle. Head thins out fairly quickly. Regardless, head retention is there.

Smells amazing: candy-sweet hops (I think it's hiding something from me...), roasted malts, charcoal (can someone say "Prime Rib?"). Sweet fruits remind me of how much I love Ales over Lagers (this is not a fruit beer!). Meaty and savory; full flavored.

Head first in the fire pit with the first sip from the glass. Abundantly burnt, but in a good way. Slick hops help balance the dryness of this brew. Lingering qualities. Certainly a sipper, but I can't help but throw it down. Pitch blackness infiltrates the tan head as it rides up the rim of the glass. Alcohol shows itself like a toned down liquor (9% ABV). Bitter hops blend with the burnt flavors to offer up a serious Stout.

A great brew to enjoy. Cheers!

Yuengling Black & Tan

Out of the can: pitch black with dark brown edges. Nougat colored head slims down, but keeps its composure.

Smells malty; brown sugar; homemade icing on an overdone cake; notably hoppy.

Taste: toasted sweetness on a thin bed of charcoal. Well attenuated while sustaining a respectable body. Hops catch up as it warms and I start quaffing. Like Yuengling Bock, this brew's body turns watery as it warms and is shaken to pull out aromas. I'm starting to think this may be an inevitable characteristic of blended and packaged Black & Tans.

Notes: Yuengling makes good use of its less stellar, Premium brew, as the tan, matched up with their, better than decent, Porter (actually a lager) beer. I really enjoy this on-tap (in some respects it reminds me of Sierra Nevada Stout), and I have no complaints about it being poured into a glass from a Tall Boy can (pint).

Miller High Life Light

Out of the can pours a tarnished yellow-golden hue.  Soft white head sits atop for a minute or two, ultimately settling down to an oddly messy, thin, splattered head. Notably carbonated.

Smells as expected. Faint example of sweet malts; Pilsner-esque; near-muted, but rounded grassiness. Very mild.

Tastes of slight oxidation with a tangy metallic character. Thin, but rounded out with sweet malts (again, faint), and balanced with just a touch of hops. Predominately wet; hardly dry at all until the finish. Apparent adjuncts like rice and/or corn utilized in the wort/brewing process. Corn husk starts to build up in the aftertaste, but nothing too bad.

Not as thin as some light beers, and that I like. Suggestions of a syrupy body, but enough hops to counteract the entrance to that avenue.

A worthy change-up brew for the light-beer-inclined; the folks that refuse to step away from the American Adjunct Lager style.

Gennesee Light (Genny Light)

Yellow in appearance like carbonated water mixed with yellow food coloring for the purpose of staining eggs around Easter. Head doesn't stick around for long, but a slim rim does. Well carbonated.

Icy-grass aroma with mild pilsner-like qualities. Some hops surfing in the distance. Dry in the nose for the most part.

Pleasant taste. Clean and inoffensive. Enough bite to make it a beer, but still balanced with the modest tasting, pale malt character.

Hard to ask for more balance out of this little guy. It doesn't rush to conclusions as it delivers a subtle progression of bitterness, moisture, and finally, an agreeable, slow-dry cleansing. I'm interested in finding this on-tap just to see what it's made of in my favorite format.

Notes: While I find Genny Light to be a quality light beer, I'm still not a fan of the style. A once-in-the-while for me, at best. If anything, it's much better than the Big 3 (Bud Light, Miller Lite & Coors Light).

21st Amendment's Bitter American (Pale Ale)

4 sentences for a 4.4% ABV pale ale from 21st Amendment Brewery...

Slightly hazy amber-orange appearance, with a slim, but sustained, head.
Cinnamon-butter and pineapple found happily in the nose.
Carried by dry hops in the taste, with a near-balancing amount of toasty malts.
Feels and finishes dry; exceptionally approachable and impressive.

...One of the best session beers I've had yet.

Notes: Came in a can; poured into a fat weizen glass.

Great Divide's Hibernation Ale (bottled 2007 - imbibed 1-16-2011)

Notes from 1-16-2011 (Bottled 2007)

From the bottle it smells of milk chocolate with dark notes. Poured into czech pilsner glass, the brew is dark brown and kind of scary. Very little head. Hardly any at all; slim rim. Tons of sediment in suspension.

Tastes like I'll survive to see tomorrow. Chocolate-y with warming alcohol in the back. They didn't shy from the use of hops; definitely counteracts the sweetness from the discerned use of chocolate malts. Again, so much sediment in suspension; quite the thing to see. This brew is likely a hoppy, cold cocoa.

Hefty body to this one. The alcohol really starts to come out when the temperature begins to rise past the 40 degrees mark.

Mouthfeel transcends into a more syrupy condition. Alcohol, hops and chocolate malts start to bring out a smoky, burnt malts taste. As tasty as last year, at least I remember it that way.

Yuengling Bock

Mahogany-brown in appearance with a light-gray head on top that slims down to a thin yet respectable rim with a misty surface. Smells of wet malts and strange hoppy aromas. Floral with citrus notes (lemon and lime). Alcohol shows itself in the nose as well. Swirled the beer for more head and caught a whiff of a well-herbed beef stroganoff with mushrooms. Call me crazy.

Taste is muddled at first sip. Dry, bitter, and a bit muted. Fairly hoppy. Attenuation, just a smidgen; I'm not complaining. Alcohol flavor pulls itself up from below the stage. Faint caramel notes.

Mouthfeel...drink cold for best results. I'm drinking another to take another look, and a cold Yuengling Bock feels a lot better than one that's warming up after 20-30 mins. Pretty close to their Black & Tan in that respect.

Not bad; a little messy. Similar to Penn Brewery's St. Nikolaus Bock, but not as good.

SIDE NOTE: I've heard whispers that Yuengling Bock is merely another Black & Tan style of beer; this time a mixture of Yuengling Traditional Lager with Yuengling Porter or the Black & Tan. In my opinion, Yuengling would do better to create an authentic Bock. Still, if your Yuengling fan (and I'm one), not a bad seasonal change-up from the year-rounds.

Augistiner Lager (Iron City Brewing Co)

Poured into my fat 20 oz weizen glass from Leinkenkugel's. Brew is a golden amber color with a cream colored head on top. Smells wet. A near-Oktoberfest aroma. Brown sugar on toasted wheat bread. Sweet malty smell spreads thin, but matches the taste. Attenuated with a balancing amount of bittering units. A mallty, honey-like sweetness in the taste. A touch of alcohol in the finish as it drys on the buds. I appreciate the head for sticking around.

Some people around my way like to compare this brew to Yuengling's Traditional Lager. While they've got a point, Iron City's Augistiner is more tepid and reserved. Still, a highly drinkable brew.

Because I work at a distributor, I paid around ten bucks for a case, but any customer can walk in and walk out with a case of IC's Augistiner for roughly $13, and that is not at all a bad thing.

Lion Brewery's (Sri Lanka) Lion Stout

Black as expected with brown floaties (such a poor choice of words, I know) that tell me this brew is left unfiltered. A creamy, tan head sits atop and looks delicious. Remarkable lacing does its thing from the pour.

Smells rich with dark roasted malts, bitter chocolate, coffee beans and alcohol. Dried prunes & figs (smell is outstanding).

Taste embodies characteristics in the smell with a smoky, burnt contour; so rich. Warmth from the alcohol (8.8% ABV). Oily hops brighten the taste & lighten up the taste buds. I welcome the creamy, heavy body. The flavors allow an otherwise mild swiss cheese to expose its better attributes. I can't get enough of the smoky, burnt aspect to this brew. It even washes down smoothly.

If someone can think of a negative remark in regards to this stout's quality, I'm all ears, but I certainly won't be jotting anything down. Simply outstanding.

Miller Lite

No freshness date on can. All I know is that my brother brought a few cans over back in early December 2010, and considering how fast this stuff moves, I'm guessing it's only 3-4 months old now.

Hay to yellow color pours out into my weizen pilsner glass. Head sits atop for nearly a minute but slims down into a thin off-white rim. Tons of carbonation bubbles. Looks very light (who would have guessed?).

Smells of wet grass, malts, hops; faint aromas, but the pilsner smell is there.

Taste is pretty mild. A slight bitterness from the hops (did you know it's triple-hopped?) and some of the usual dry malts one can expect from a "pilsner." Finishes dry with a little bit of that cardboard aftertaste from cheaper pale lagers which I don't like. Too attenuated. Comes off as a brew that's better when imbibed in the its original container (I also know from experience).

As light as baby steps in the mouth. If this was genuinely triple-hopped it would taste better. Muted flavors.

My brother and father must get something about this brew that I just don't gather. Gotta love family, though. It's the rest of the population that's got me mouthing, "what the...?" Still, to its credit, it's at least a few points better on-tap.

Dogfish Head's Palo Santo Marron

Notes from 1/29/2011

My wife compiled a six pack of different brews for my birthday and included this curious and mysterious brew.

Dark brown in appearance, nearly black. Dark nougat head. Aroma similar to Cabernet Sauvignon, not that I'm a wine expert. Fruity. Cocoa nibs. Pealed apples (green). Woodsy aromas remind me of olive oil. Fierce alcohol & acidity presenting itself in the midst of a nuance of smell variables. Sticky like jam hands (smell still).

Man, oh, man! Alcohol up front (taste). Very warming. That it's aged on wood is clearly evident. Wife calls it "salty" (reluctantly tried it). The alcohol is upfront like I said, but warming as opposed to offensive & aggressive. Washes down smoothly. Nearly a wine, but with the body of a beer. Woodsy notes linger like reverberating chords.

Sip, sip, sip slowly. Any reasonable palate will only permit a savoring of this brew, not a fast, hasty finish. I find it hard to distinguish between the hops & alcohol in this brew as it carries so much depth, but they're both playing their part undoubtedly. Mouthfeel is warm like wine, but offers a broader body with far more discernible death.

Other than slowly sipping this for a cool 45-60 minutes, it almost has zero drinkability. The high alcohol content (12%) renders this brew an "only one" endeavor.

North Coast Brewing Co's Old #38 Stout

The only thing that tends to be up in the air in terms of a Stout's appearance is the head. In this case, a beige to sandy brown. Head is definitely sticking around on this one.

Smell is deeply rich. Chocolate cake on ice, chocolate milk, thick brown bread, enough hops to bring it to a splendid balance.

Taste is roasted to burnt up front. Smoky. A touch of bitterness from the hops. Amazing how they pulled off such a milk chocolately, friendly smell while pushing harsher qualities through on the taste. Mucho props. It's part of what makes this beer so delicious.

Enough bite, but a tad bit thin. That in mind, a little dangerous because it's exceptionally drinkable. My only suggestion would be for the brewmaster to add a little more to the body. Other than that, a solid, in some aspects, outstanding stout.

Sierra Nevada's 30th Anniversary - Fritz and Ken's Ale (Imperial Stout)

Aged in my fridge for 10 months, beginning in March 2010; imbibed last night, January 5, 2011.

Posthumous reflection:

Appearance -  black body with an immense, fluffy light beige head.  Inky.  The body falls back through the head after sipping, rendering a chocolate colored trail.

Smell - Dark, deep roasted malts; citrus hops in the back.

Taste - Deep roasted malts; charcoal; alcohol taste is quite reserved. 

Mouthfeel - Thick and aggressive.

Drinkability - Loved the brew and would definitely drink a bunch of it, but considering the brew sits at over 9% ABV, I'd have to take it easy.