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.

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.

Sixpoint Mad Scientist Series #1 Spelt Wine

Labeled a “spelt wine”, this is the first in an upcoming series of unique, limited-release beers brewed by Sixpoint (the “Mad Scientist Series”).

One-finger head, very white and somewhat restless like a champagne/bubbly, or the spray of the waves on the beach at Assateague Island. Color is a very hazy pale orange, like the golden fields of wheat that Vincent painted near St Remy.

Yeast, cooked juices. Lemony citrus. Herbal candles, shampoo. Lemongrass and a tad of booze.

Grassy bitterness upfront. A bit like a Belgian IPA. Hoppy-yeasty-champagne-y. Dry all around. It’s got a cider feel to it, like a carbonated light wine.

Intense carbonation, but not too high or overwhelming- just right. Dry and bitter finish. Medium body.

A little filling. Definitely a sipper for that reason more than the alcohol, which at 9.4% is well played and not too evident.

They claim this beer is unique. Sure enough, I have never heard of a “smelt wine”, but this tastes like a regular wheatwine.

Pretty Things Beer & Ale Project St. Botolph’s Town Rustic Dark Ale

Poured from a 22 oz bomber into a Blanche de Chambly Flut glass(only clean beer glass :-\). Labeled as bottled on /may 2010 Batch Six.

A heads up, Pretty Things has to be one of my top 5 favorite breweries in the United States, if not the world.
Dark ruby brown, nearly opaque, with an impressive 1 1/2” light brown, thick, foamy head. Leaves thick lacing. Settles down to 1/2” with awesome head retention.

Smells are a little subdued, but I smell some maple/brown sugar, caramel, some kind of nuttiness, a little spice- anise or nutmeg maybe.

Rich tastes of brown sugar, roasted malt, some breadiness, light smoke, a hint of caramel and cocoa, some oak, and an interesting earthy and nutty finish with a nice bitterness. Malt forward but nicely balanced with some slightly spicy hops. A little sweetness comes out as it warms up.
Nice texture, medium bodied, ends light and clean.

For its complexity, its still smooth and engaging, easy to drink the bottle by myself.
This is a pretty awesome beer. Has some stout-like qualities mixed in with the great brown ale qualities (the bottle calls it a “rustic dark ale”, which seems fitting). Complex and unique. I look forward to having it again.

Unibroue Éphémère (Apple)

Pours a hazy golden yellow with a very fizzy head that dissipates to nothing. There is a ton of carbonation to be noted streaming up the sides of the glass. Lots of little colonies of bubbles around the rim of the glass.

As soon as I uncapped the bottle, green apples were very strong and sweet smelling. after smelling it more, the yeast comes through, too.

Tastes very fruity, the sour apple is definitely there, and the coriander catches up in the back end. very dry, a bit tangy.
The burps certainly taste of apple.

The feel of this beer in the mouth is extremely dry and crisp, almost so much so that it almost feels like there is nothing in the mouth until my tongue is bitten by the high carbonation.

Highly drinkable due to the nice taste, and the light bodied crispness, not to mention the modest abv of 5.5%

Tea Beer???

We have coffee stouts so why not tea Weizen Doppelbock? Left Hand Brewing Company is going to be releasing TNT a Weizen Dopplebock this Febuary as part of a bi-annual seasonal. Left Hand will be using Lapsang Souchong tea, which is known for its smoky character.

I’m really interested to see how this beer comes out. I really loved Dogfish Head’s Sha-Tea which is brewed with chai tea. 

Fall Summit By Peaks Organic

This clear deep copper brew gives an inch of frothy light tan head that gradually settles from 1/2” to a thin layer. A fair amount of carbonation clings to the sides of the glass. Smell is very faint, just a hint of toasted malt, caramel, maybe earthy citrus hop. The taste leads with a sharp bitter grass hop that’s soon attenuated by a moderately thick caramel malt body. Finishes dry and crisp with lingering lemongrass hop and faint brown sugar.

Not as impressive as nearly every other brew I’ve had from Peak Organic.