41/100) Dogfishhead

I have set myself the goal to review three beers or ciders every week for 100 weeks. I will be learning about beer and ciders more as I do this, and if I am successful in this venture, I will have tried about 300 unique drinks. If you're curious how I'm doing, the number in the post's title tells you which week I am in now.

90-minute imperial IPA, Beer Thousand, Midas Touch, Raison D'extra

Thanks to a friend who was gracious enough to snag me these bottles, I have now tried some of the "legendary" Dogfish Head fare. Aside from plain just knowing how to make amazing beers, they resurrect recipes to brew "ancient ales." From what I understand, that means they have even used amphora to brew beers.

90-minute imperial IPA) I am seriously going to have to start taking hop-heavy beers off my list of things to review. Piney, resiny, and yet very smooth, I only made it through a small glass of this beer before my taste buds were nuked. Don't let my two-star on this one fool you, it only means that I, personally, don't want to have another all that much. My hop-loving friends rave about this one, and for those of you curious, they also make a 60 and 120 minute versions. It's just not my style. ☆☆

Beer Thousand) Made with 10 different grains and 10 different hops, this beer was dialed to a 10% ABV. And that's how you get the name: 10x10x10 = Beer Thousand. The smell is like that of sauvingon grapes with a touch of peach and plum. The flavor tastes similar to that aroma, but there is more to it as a bit of a yeasty flavor rides in the background. A lot of complexity to this one, but a smooth easy finish. ☆☆☆☆

Midas Touch) So apt is the name that you could say that this beer is gold-touched. The pour is a golden apricot. The ingredients even include honey, muscat grapes, and saffron. The aroma is something like grape juice, but the taste is on a different plane. It's very easy to drink and no harsh nuggets of hop-originating bitterness. ☆☆☆☆

Raison D'extra) My attempts to describe this beer will not do it justice. It has characteristics of a brown ale, but the raisins -yes, there are tons of raisins in this beer - do something special to the finish. My only advice is let this baby warm up and sip it slowly. The flavors change and open up as it approaches to room temp. This is a truly upgraded raison de etre. ☆☆☆☆☆

40/100) North Coast Brewing Co. 2

I have set myself the goal to review three beers or ciders every week for 100 weeks. I will be learning about beer and ciders more as I do this, and if I am successful in this venture, I will have tried about 300 unique drinks. If you're curious how I'm doing, the number in the post's title tells you which week I am in now.

Scrimshaw, Old Stock Ale 2014, PranQster

After one week of North Coast, I just had to do a second. 'tis all.

Scrimshaw) so named for the practice of carving images into whale bones. This pilsner is German style and therefore was going to be a bit straightforward. Or so I thought. It pours a darkened yellow with a touch of orange and like the intricacies of a Scrimshaw, has just the right traces of browned malt flavors amidst sea of light, refreshing crested waves. ☆☆☆

Old Stock Ale 2014) Amazing. The magic word is "dark fruits." As the title suggests, this ale is meant to be socked away with the rest of your stock until whenever you feel is right. Mine wasn't aged long, maybe six months, but I can see how the flavors would mellow out over time. This is one beer that is barely worth describing because I suspect from one year's reserve to the next the flavors will be different. Tack on how much it can change over time and that is a lot of diversity in one beer. ☆☆☆☆

PranQster) This Belgian-style Golden Ale is very similar to La Merle in flavor but instead of being tart is nice and warm. I still marvel at the name though. Is this a prankster beer because it looks "light" but is very rich? I suggest springing it upon a friend and enjoying the reaction. ☆☆☆☆

39/100) North Coast Brewing Co.

I have set myself the goal to review three beers or ciders every week for 100 weeks. I will be learning about beer and ciders more as I do this, and if I am successful in this venture, I will have tried about 300 unique drinks. If you're curious how I'm doing, the number in the post's title tells you which week I am in now.

Brother Thelonius, Old Rasputin, La Merle

North Coast is legendary. They've been around since 1988 and over time have become very well established, distributing their beers to 47 states, parts of Europe, etc. And while I've even heard them touted as one of the top 10 breweries in the world, what caught my eye was the name: NorthCoast. I don't see California as all that North, but if you look at where they are situated, they are indeed settled in the Northern end of California in a place called Fort Bragg. I can only presume that is the origin of the name.

Brother Thelonius) so titled to honor Thelonious Monk, this abbey ale's sales support a Jazz school, a legacy of a musician with the same name. The bottle cover depicts a stylized image of that jazz master, and I hope you noticed the halo made of black and white piano keys. The beer itself pours a nice a brown-red and plays across your tongue as a malty masterpiece of bliss. ☆☆☆☆

Old Rasputin) The aged Russian mystic is brilliantly represented in this potent imperial stout. Pitch like his beard, it too holds a wealth of secrets. I thought is was a bit boozy and harsh on the finish, but the rich maltiness and thick mouthfeel won me over. I will have to see sometime if the barrel-aged version smooths out that crusty edge, but for now I'm still very satisfied. ☆☆☆☆

La Merle) This saison farmhouse is golden and great. For those of you who don't speak French - like me-, the name means "the blackbird." Perhaps the name is a reference to Poe's the Raven? Unfortunately for me and my literary fandom, not likely. However, it could be from "La Merle Noir" a piano and flute piece that encapsulates how much of a nuisance a black bird can be. The song is quite frustrating and jumpy unlike the smooth, tart traits of this beer. ☆☆☆☆

(This post was composed while listening to Thelonious's jams, by they way. I recommend Monk's Dream. The album is very soothing)

38/100) Crispin Ciders

I have set myself the goal to review three beers or ciders every week for 100 weeks. I will be learning about beer and ciders more as I do this, and if I am successful in this venture, I will have tried about 300 unique drinks. If you're curious how I'm doing, the number in the post's title tells you which week I am in now.

Original, Brut, Pacific Pear, Blackberry Pear

Through my experience of interesting ciders this last year, I've already mentioned that I tried a number of Crispin's special ciders. Despite having a lot of their unique artisan ones, I hadn't actually had their normal fare yet. So I tracked down these four, pretty easily I might add, and gave them a run.

Original) Juicy, sweet, nothing to complain about.  ☆☆☆

Brut) In short, if the Original is apple juice, this one is apple cider. The flavors are more robust and the finish cleaner, more crisp. I prefer this style of cider, but really they are both on the same level: decent. ☆☆☆☆

Pacific Pear) The smell was nearly a turn off on this one. It reminded me of candied pears. However, the taste is like the syrup that comes in a can of sweetened pears. I liked it, but my concern was that I couldn't figure out it if I really wanted a perry to taste like a pear or if I wanted that fermented degree of separation that this one lacked. Still, it was enjoyable and that is the main thing. ☆☆☆

Blackberry Pear) was my least favorite of these four. I'm sure if you did a blind taste testing with this one and a blackberry soda, most of the participants would not be able to tell the difference. It doesn't make it bad. It just makes it so that I don't really want it. ☆☆

37/100) Boulevard Backroads

I have set myself the goal to review three beers or ciders every week for 100 weeks. I will be learning about beer and ciders more as I do this, and if I am successful in this venture, I will have tried about 300 unique drinks. If you're curious how I'm doing, the number in the post's title tells you which week I am in now.

Entwined Ale, Hibiscus Gose, Last Splash

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference. 

~Robert Frost

Welcome to the Backroads Series by Boulevard Brewing Company. These three are the first in their adventuresome and unusual set of beers. I hope you too will venture down this road less traveled.

Entwined) I really hate to knock their first Backroads beer, but this ale is just not for me. I just can't convince myself that I would want a beer that tastes that much like wine, and Boulevard's success on this one is that it indeed tastes like a light semi-sweet white wine. ☆☆

Hibiscus Gose) Characterized by a touch of coriander, salt, and tartness, the Gose, pronounced go-za, is a unique style of beer. Boulevard added their own touch via an infusion of hibiscus flowers. I rather like this one, and the only thing that could improve it is if it were warm outside. Cold and snow and just doesn't go with well with tart or the tropic image invoking hibiscus. ☆☆☆

Last Splash) This Pale Ale is wet-hopped. The concept behind that is that the hops are fresh, usually picked and then added within 48 hours. For me though, this beer style was the next turning point in my education. I used to say I don't like hops. Then I learned that hops were in pretty much every beer, so I learned to say I don't like bitterness. Then I learned through pale ales that bitterness didn't have to hit on the finish and completely wipe out one's taste buds. And now, I learned that fresh hops can make all the difference. There's a grassy bitterness to this beer, and the finish ends smooth. Pun intended: It made a splash with me. ☆☆☆☆

36/100) Special Woodchucks

I have set myself the goal to review three beers or ciders every week for 100 weeks. I will be learning about beer and ciders more as I do this, and if I am successful in this venture, I will have tried about 300 unique drinks. If you're curious how I'm doing, the number in the post's title tells you which week I am in now.

Hopsation, Chocolate Raspberry, Winter Chill, Belgian White

The woodchuck is an intrepid little creature known for chucking wood. Nowadays, his redeeming qualities are his adorableness and how much he loves apples. He inspires us with a growing series of hard ciders produced in Vermont, or at least his namesake Woodchuck Hard Cider does.

Hopsation) is an unusual drink treading a fine line between beer and cider. Using cascade hops, Woodchuck has created a hop forward hard cider. Not likely to satiate a hop head anytime soon, the general flavor profile is a bit what I imagine Boulevard's Tank 7 subdued and turned into a sweet cider would be like. A lighter cider, but with a very distinct amount of grapefruit in the finish. I found it very easy to enjoy. ☆☆☆☆

Chocolate Raspberry) Part of Woodchuck's adventuresome Out on a Limb series, they made a raspberry cider this time around. The chocolate was too light, appearing only near the linger as a subtle vapor, and even though the raspberry merged well with the cider, I just couldn't get excited about it.  ☆☆

Winter Chill) has easily become one of my favorite Woodchucks ever. This cider is oak aged and that makes all the difference. The finish is mellow and the flavors are just a touch woody. As it lingers, a light vanilla plays in the backdrop. ☆☆☆☆

Belgian White) As the name implies, this cider was made using Belgian beer yeast. The end result was so amazing that I almost gave this a five-star rating. The smoothness was unprecedented, and the aroma had that lovely Belgian yeast smell. Furthermore, the apple flavors came through just right: not too sweet and not too tart.
The only sad thing about this one is that it is "not produced" anymore (please someone tell me I am wrong on that). ☆☆☆☆

35/100) Large bottle Barleywines

I have set myself the goal to review three beers or ciders every week for 100 weeks. I will be learning about beer and ciders more as I do this, and if I am successful in this venture, I will have tried about 300 unique drinks. If you're curious how I'm doing, the number in the post's title tells you which week I am in now.

Scourge of the Dude, Barrel-aged Barleywine, Killer Penquin

What's a barleywine? And isn't that a total contradiction of terms? A wine-beer? Well, this type of beer is exceptionally deep, complex, and sweet as well as meant for sipping. Now, take that level of strength in a beer and tack on the mellowing, yet concentrating nature of barrel-aging. The end result is one of my favorite types of beer, alongside the quadrupel that is.

Scourge of the Dude)  And "totally in the way." Apparently, these sort of one shot, barrel-aged drinks of liquid epicness, take up just enough space to make things inconvenient. For a potent 12.5%, you can barely detect the alcohol in this delectably smooth yet robust barleywine. Expensive, but worth every cent. ☆☆☆☆

Zipline Barrel-aged Barleywine) A local Lincoln, Nebraska brewery caught me off guard by releasing this monstrous 14.7% ABV beer. Sadly, there is more bourbon and barrel to it than barleywine. Sipping it was almost the same as having a decent bourbon that had its ABV cut in half. Enjoyable if you are a beer connosiur who is thinking about getting into bourbons. If presented to me, I would have again. I just won't seek it out. ☆☆

Killer Penquin) is the most affordable of the three, and nothing to be afraid of. Oh, wait. It's just a killer penguin. It's probably got razor sharp claws, laser eyes, and a beak made of steel. Really though, this barley wine is not as spectacular as its name. The complex flavors are all still there, but they aren't all that robust. Still enjoyable, just nothing to make you go "wow."  ☆☆☆