Sunday, February 20, 2011

Southampton Publick House Double White



Double White pours a pale golden color and is fairly hazy. The head is soft and fluffy. It has good retention, and leaves sheets of frothy lace on the glass.

The aroma is nice and tart with a pretty strong lemony citrus and coriander. It carries with it some wheaty sweetness and a bit more astringent grain character than I would want, but overall it is a very refreshing aroma.

The flavor is just as refreshing with a huge amount of lemon zest flavors. It is both sweet and tart at the same time (mostly tart) with some white pepper and coriander. The malt character is super wheaty and has some apple or pear like qualities that are quite tasty. There is a very nice sort of peach character that is in there at well, which I find very enjoyable.

The mouthfeel is medium with effervescent carbonation. Very lively but with a decent body to it and a quenching finish that is fairly dry, but with a floral sweetness in the finish.

Quite drinkable and a great Americanized version of the style. The extra size and bold flavors make drinking this beer stand out from the classic examples, but in a good way

Friday, February 11, 2011

Shipyard Prelude





Shipyard Prelude has a hazy brown body that remains translucent, and becomes orange around the edges. The head is about a finger thick and soapy looking. The retention is pretty solid and the head leaves behind some nice lacing.

The aroma is very malty, with chocolate and butterscotch. There is a bit of nutmeg or spice like aroma in there also, but just a bit.

Prelude has a lot more going on in the flavor department than it does in the aroma. There is a little bit of sourness followed by a black cherry flavor in the beginning. After that a good dose of anise with a touch of nutmeg comes. The beer is rounded out by the malt characteristics that I noticed in the aroma, featuring butterscotch, caramel and chocolate. Just a hint of hops come out in the finish.

The mouthfeel has a nice thick, fullness while still being pretty highly carbonated. It works out rather well.

Prelude has a lot of stuff going on in it, and the layers of sweetness come together very nicely. I suggest drinking it at around room temperature. As winter warmers go, Prelude is a good one.

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Dogfish Head Raison D’Etre




Picked up a 6 pk of this from work.
The pour on this brew was very nice. It poured very much like it says on the bottle, with a deep mahogany brown. It had a nice, small white head, that faded pretty fast.

The aroma on this brew can only be explained as complex. The first aroma that his the nose is some very strong dark malts. That is followed by a some what yeasty, banana aroma. Its soon followed with a bunch of other aromas such as cherries, sweet raisins, it also has a nice nose of what smells like brandy.

The flavors on this brew are very good as well. The first flavors you pick up on are the raisins and toffee. These flavors lead into the dark malts and then into some of the other sweet fruity flavors that make up the brew. There is a nice sugary sweet flavor that comes from the beet sugars that balance all the flavors of this brew.

The mouthful on this brew is well balanced and smooth. It has light to medium body, with a wonderfully dry finish. The alcohol burn afterwords is great, a nice warming feeling.

The drink on this is pretty decent. For some drinkers it might become heavy, as well well as the alcohol burn might turn a few away. I am a huge fan of DFH beers, and once again, they have not let me down. Thanks DFH.