This is Dragon’s Milk by New Holland brewing. It is an Ale Aged in Oak Barrels. It is a sweet stout at 10% ABV. By sweet I mean it feels like a big dose of chocolate milk. It is not boozy so I don’t feel the alcohol. The brew has alot of vanilla, caramel, bourbon and chocolate. There is not alot of coffee flavor like other stouts. The combination is literally like having a chocolate milk. There is also some fruit notes like raisins, cherries and plums. It is easy to drink amazingly and smooth, well from most strong beers I have had. It is not like the Santa’s Little Helper barrel aged as that one is strong because you can sense the alcohol. You mostly have a lot of sweet sugar going down. There is also minor bitterness in the after taste. A hard beer to find as this is mainly from Michigan. Wish I could find a 6 pack of this. For those that like stouts or sweet beers, this might be a good try.

Combination of Black Xantus and Trois Pistoles creates a brew similar and stronger than the Thirteenth Hour Stout. Same Belgian bread taste with Port Wine, Coffee, bitter chocolate and raisin after taste. I have already done reviews on these beers separately but this is the first time I write about a blended beer combination. Very intriguing as both sweet and bitter darkness combine into an even more complex brew. I may not find Thirteenth Hour Stout by Sam Adams again but this is beyond that. And these 2 are at the top of my list so it was worthy of this tasting experiment 😛

Faithful Ale by Dogfish head is an ale brewed with Currants that pays tribute to the success of Pearl Jam’s 20th Anniversary \m/. It is a light golden copper Belgian Style ale at 7%. For those people that do not know who Pearl Jam is or Currants are, well I will try my best to explain both. I’ll start with Currants :P. They are actually these sun dried seedless grapes. They are not like raisins a

Even some animals can be a little evil sometimes ;). Even some animals cant be so good at being evil. This is Kujo, my new dog. He is an Imperial Coffee Stout with 8.9% ABV of bite and bark. His parents were Flying Dog Brewing. At first pour there is not much fizz but pure darkness. He is made with Black Dog Coffee which is locally roasted near Flying Dog brewing. I like the label as it goes on to say: [“Enjoy your new pet!” he said. Twelve hours later, your hear is pounding with terror as you wake up to find the savage beast growling over a puddle of your neighbor’s organs. And that’s not coffee on your breath this morning, it’s fear. Sleep tight my friend.] Pretty gruesome description :S, straight from the dog’s mouth… I don’t know if I will be able to tame this mutt. All I know is that so far the taste is really good. Minor bitter dark chocolate, strong coffee, vanilla, and this sweet after taste that kinda like honey or banana nut or plum. I like this since it is not powerfully bitter and it definitely releases a lot of sweetness as it goes on. Good boy!!…Stay down…lol problem is I don’t know who will stay down for good, either me or the beer. Maybe me ;)…Although I can only tame one bottle even though technically you can get these in “6 packs”. Good luck taming all those dogs…

I don’t think I often do reviews of some of the more common brews out there. Especially brews from Anheuser-Busch. But this is new and well I gotta admit the name intrigued me. This is Shock-top Wheat I.P.A. at 5.8% ABV. I am a big fan of Wheat and heffeweizen beers as well as I.P.As. This is a beer that combines heffeweizen flavors like corriander, orange peels and lemon zest with piney grassy bitter hops of IPA beers. This beer taste like a more bitter shock top orange wheat. There is is minor hop flavor in there but the orange wheat dominates the palette on this one. Feels grainy but other wise okay. If I had to choose between Shock top and this, I would go with this one as it is more bitter. Unfortunately in the IPA category it is missing some more hops. Other than that this beer is decent. There are other beers out there that may fit the bill from the common 🙂

White Rascal Belgian-Style White Ale by Avery Brewing was a gift from my friend Alex after visiting Sunset Beer Company in Echo Park. I have seen this beer around but haven’t really had a chance to grab it. This is my first Avery brewing and from what I have tried so far, it is very good. At 5.6% it is on the light side of beers but well versed in flavor. The beer has a bread and orange flavor. This beer reminds me of Witch’s Wit by Lost Abbey. There are hints of Corriander, honey and banana flavors like Franziskaner but at a lighter degree. The after taste is a bitter but not overwhelming. The sweet and bitter compliment just right. If I had to choose for picking up a refreshing, light, flavorful beer I would try this. Well I for one was intrigued by this small gift and will be looking to see what other ranges of flavors Avery has to offer, besides their collaboration with the Isabelle Proximus. That’s another story all together I posted in my other album.

America’s first micro brewer was Jack McAuliffe. He started his tiny brewing company (New Albion) in the 1976 in Sonoma California which would inspire many people of craft brewing dreams to star their own breweries. Great tribute is spent not only to him but also to Sierra Nevada in their 30th anniversary. Jack McAuliffe and Ken Grossman got together to create this awesome beer in commemoration of  Sierra Nevada’s 30th anniversary (1980-2010). It is a 10.2% ABV black barley wine ale. It is what used to be served in the New Albion for the summer solstice. The ale is made with bittersweet malts and balanced whole-cone hops. Some dark fruits like raisins, bread, dark bitter chocolate, coffee roast, orange peels, grass,wood and oak flavors are present in the taste.It has a great sweet and chocolate coffee smell like a stout but it is definitely not a stout as it is mainly brewed with the barley malts. The trademark hops of Sierra Nevada certainly compliments the malts of the New Albion brewery.Definitely a unique beer and may be worth the pick up. Check it out and see for yourself :P….

Love is in the air. Closer and closer to Valentine’s day lol. If love could be fermented and aged into a bottle, it would looks something like this. Maybe this beer might be something to share with your Valentine loved one. This is Love Buzz Saison Ale standing at 8%ABV by Anchorage Brewing. It is aged with Brettanomices wild yeast. There is a lot of love and care that is take to make this. The ale is brewed with roses, orange peels and peppercorns. This beer is triple fermented. First step is they ferment it in Citra hops and to give it a dry finish and initial complexity. Second Fermentation is in Pinot Noir French wine barrels. More yeast is added at the third fermentation process to let it ferment in the bottle and give this beer more complexity. Upon opening the bottle, it is very fragrant of roses and fruit. The taste is bitter from the hops to start but finishes rather sweet. It is not very sweet but just enough to keep you interested. Since it is dry finish, it leaves you wanting more. But then again, love will do that to you now won’t it ;). There is orange bread, oak, lemon zest and honey flavors. Never knew drinking a rose was awesome :O. There is some mild sourness which gives it that wine like flavor from the Pinot Noir but not too much. Unless you love beer and are willing to enjoy sweet and bitter, then this should be a Valentine gift. Whether for you or your loved one. If he/she don’t like it, oh well, at least you got one good beer here. Who knows, maybe if you save it for next year, you can get your partner to dive into the world of beer taste, art and experience 😉

A revisit for a beer that is worthy!! Good vs. Evil is everywhere at every-time. Our actions can take us down the fork into the righteousness or into the oblivion. For whatever decisions are taken in life, in the the end can only be seen as point of views by the masses. But what is the important truth of what is right? Well that is for you to decide. After all, to the rest of the universe, view points are meaningless.This is the hard and very sought after brew, Deliverance by The Lost Abbey brewing. You won’t find this very easily but it is out there. I was lucky enough to find another bottle of this magic. As my last one was actually used as a present from my friend Chino :). Which was an awesome offering by the way. But I figure this beer deserves a bit more of explorations than what I could conjure at that time. This beer is a 12.5% ABV beer with it’s story depicting battles between good and evil, heaven and hell. It mentions the struggle of the end of the world and what is to come for everyone. Whether your good or bad, it don’t matter. You will get yours and I will get mine. So hope you can find this bottle of Deliverance :P. The tastes is just as I remember it before. With the mix of Angel Share and Serpent’s Stout it brings forth Salvation and Damnation all at once with flavors of Bourbon raisin, Brandy chocolate, Vanilla and caramel aged in oak barrels, velvet and creamy sweetness followed by “sit your ass down son” alcoholic strength. Comes in small bottle so you really have to take it in and take your time like the air you breath. I have to admit, otherwise I would be damned, if I did not say that this one is on my top favorite 10 beers. But hardly would I even get the chance at Deliverance…Life is short, unfair but it is up to you to make of it what you want…enjoy if you can find it friends B-)

BooGoop Buck Wheat Wine-Style Ale is a collaboration brew between the Darkness of Mikkeller and the Monsters at Three Floyds. When you mix the quality challenging mix of Mikkeller and the “not so normal” beers of Three Floyds you get this ectoplasmic entity beer. To explain what this beer is like, it is as if an Arrogant Bastard crashed with a Hefeweizen. Mixing hops and barley bitterness with the orange tangy zest of a heff. The ales is a 10.4% ABV in strength. Aside from the boozy alcohol and the thick creamy feel of this beer, it is quite the complex taste challenger. It is bitter sweet. Almost like the rich orange tangy lemon zest keeps the super hoppy bitterness tamed while still releasing the nice grassy hop and malty earth like flavors. Smells somewhat like honey and flowers. Ramirez Liquor in Soto and Whittier in East Los Angeles is where I found this one. There are times that they have some really rare find. Some to the point that I have not seen in Bevmo. Also, if you miss out on getting them, well goo luck finding them. For those that like hefeweizens and don’t mind IPAs or Arrogant Bastard, then this is a beer for you :). I enjoyed this one. Some may no like it though. But don’t let the name spook you. You may find a good spirit or two in this bottle 😉

Thanks to my friend Julio for hooking me up with this brew….Cheers bro :P…hope you liked the oaked arrogant bastard. The He’Brew Pomegranate Imperial Amber ale is probably the only pomegranate ale out there. Aside from the other drink, the pomegranate margarita lol. Truly a blessed beer. Made with sweet malts and over 9000!!! pomegranates (10,000) to be exact…lol…Definitely strong in the pomegranate department 😛 but also it’s 8% which you can’t really taste. Amber and fruity, tart and hoppy. Just a great beer overall and one I will have to pick up again. My friend Julio gave me this one without trying it….next time I will give you one I have not tried and then you can write about it. As for everyone that has not tried this beer….Jew will love it 😛

Where do I even begin to honor the greatness that is Stone Brewing. for the last 15 years the guys at stone have provided the world with beer that is truly made with non chemically altered products. Stuff that is truly farm raised no pesticides no nothing. No preservatives of any sort are found in these magnificent masterpieces. This month of August we celebrate a fight for not only great taste in beers but also the champions wielding greatness in the fight for craft brewing and all she stands for. Words are probably not enough, but for the great arrogant bastards of the world and to great beers of the world, my applause!!!….Now ….on to the beer tasting :P… To start off with, this is imperial black IPA from Escondido California is truly a testament in craft brewing. I have never tasted no beer like this but I have smelled and ate great food that that is a lot like this. To describe it is kinda hard because it even quality food is complex in its own because it is made with spices such as herbs, oregano, basil and other nice nose appealing scents. To put it simply, its grassy but grassy in the sense of the herbs and spices you can tell. The taste is remarkable. The malts and hops made with this ale are very good and high in quality. To put it short, drinking this ale is like eating a nice seasoned pasta with spiced garlic bread. Not really bitter, just overwhelming with so much flavor. Thank you stone for being awesome :)……and thanks to craft brewing for showing me good taste in both actual flavor and art.

This beer has a good story. It honors woman and how without them, beer would not exist. I guess people believed they were cooking evil potions. LOL it was evil alright, it was beer!!. This has a good chocolaty stout taste, worth trying again.

REVISIT: Finally had a chance to pick this up again so I could write a better review for this one. Last time I got a chance to try this was actually last year around this time. This is Black Couldron Imperial Stout by Grand Teton Brewing. It is an 8% ABV ale. I think one of the reasons I like this beer besides taste and art is mainly because of its tribute. The beer is a tribute to women in brewing history. According to the website, http://www.grandtetonbrewing.com/BCIS.html. It explains that brewing has always been an art for women since the beginning of time. It was believed that beer was a gift from a goddess and through this gift, women were able to establish themselves in power by their skills in brewing. Even today, in many indigenous parts of the world, woman bake bread and brew their own beer. In Europe 1445, the whole story of accusing women as witches for was due to the fact the men could obtain potential tax revenue from beer and establishments that would brew up beer. So a campaign of all-men brewers’ was formed to purge women from making beer by saying that what they were doing was witchcraft. Most of the actual witches that were burned to the stake were actually brewers or alewives. The website goes on to say the following: 

Dig…and keep Digging for the gold. Or in this case some nice herbal hop gold. Dig Pale Ale by New Belgium brewing is a Spring Seasonal that is buried in 5.6%ABV. There are flavors of malt and honey caramel here but it is only minor as the there seems to be alot of herbal and grassy hop action here. Not to the point where it is bitter but more of a nice peach and citrus piney taste.There is a minor notes of biscuit which is seen in some of New Belgium brews. Somewhat of a Rye taste like that of Rustic Rye IPA. Good flavor ready for spring and light on alcohol. A good pick up as I am sure most people would dig some light beer with flavor but not to an overwhelming point 🙂

Temptation temptation… Comes in many forms… But how can one be strong enough to resist is the real question and for which things will we give in and for which will we fight against? Probably doesn’t matter. This is Seduction by Ommegang brewing. This is a Belgian Style porter ranging at 6.8% ABV. For those that like minor bitter dark chocolate bread, then here it is in liquid form. This beer is brewed with 5 dark barley malts. Chocolate from Belgian Chocolatier Calllebut and Cherries from Liefmans Cuvee Brut are copulated to bring out those chocolate and cherry flavors. It is Rich in flavor and easy to sip. The slight bitterness comes from the minor amount of hops added which give it a very low citrus taste. Like most Ommegang beers, there is delicious yeast sediment left over so you want to pour easily and take your time as well. Not a beer to finish in one sitting for sure. You might want to savor some later :D. This is very different from 3 Philosophers for sure. It’s like being passionate with one beer even though you already have another favorite dedicated beer. LOL just don’t get caught cheating with this one. We’re talking about beer here 😉

A nice porter like dark ale with rich smooth flavor. Had this one at Carino’s in Santa Fe Springs

REVISIT: 1554 Enlightened Black Ale by New Belgium is a Belgium Dark Ale at 5.6% ABV. It is a light beer with a range of character and flavor. Although low in ABV, there are are minor hints of biscuit bread, coffee, chocolate, floral fragrance and spice. A beer for those that like good beer flavors but at a decent smooth and refreshing dry finish. It comes in small bottles as you can easily drink several of these. No yeast sediment nor too heavy. Story of this beer goes that the brewers had found some ancient Belgian book with a recipe for the style that came from 1554.It pays tribute to the days when Dark Beer in Belgium was like the “Bud light” common of the times. A decent beer to try if you want flavor but don’t want to get to hammered 😉

Hello my name is Ingrid by Brewdog is as the label says, a sophisticated Bermanesque IPA.This brew goes to my awesome friend Ingrid Mota. In tribute for being an awesome friend, besides the fact that this beer has her name on it :P. As I drink this beer there is a sense of alot of different flavors. Mainly more sweet that bitter. A very hard to come by beer according to brewdog of the UK as they were unable to to fill all the orders since it’s release of March 2011. Lucky I found this somewhere very very secret >:). I had to put Ramona Flowers on this art piece as the song came up “I heard Ramona Sing from Scott Pilgrim” as I was reviewing this beer. So I decided why not :P. Anyways….about this brew. Ingrid, in reference to the beer, is a Swedish silver screen icon or maybe it’d be the line seemingly spoken by every other Swedish actress in films from the 60s and 70s. Very Innocent at first but also very seductive body of rich malts and a buxom amount of Citra, Nelson Sauvin and Bramling Cross hops to Scandinavian cloud berries to deliver a raunchy tart taste to the grassy,grapefruit, piney IPA taste. It was designed by the BeerSweden Beer Blog. So Many flavors of apples and berries are found in this beer. It is very sweet and delicious. A Rarity of IPAs as it is a rarity in it’s entirety. It is like drinking berries and honey :P.The bitterness goes away right away and the berry/apple/citrus feel stays for as very long time. I do not regret picking this beer. I probably may never find it again but like I said as I try it, heard Ramona sing, Ingrid brew is an awesome thing 😛

Another EPIC Release by the makers of Fat Tire Amber Ale. This is part of New Belgium brewing Lips of Faith Series. Some of the most awesome ales I have ever tried. Last year I had the Dunkel Weisse which was a German Epic Dark Heffeweizen with a strong 9% alcohol. This January they released the Prickly Passion Saison. This ale is made with …well…I’ll just describe the label 😉 (” Peter Picked a prickly pear and paired it with a passsion fruit. “Perfect! Pitch it in!” He proclaimed. Now we have this pleasing Prickly Passion Saison brewed with fruit juices and french saison yeast to our brewmaster’s picking.”) LOL moving on… This beer upon opening, there is this rich wiff of fresh bread. It reminds me of the Stone Vertical Epic 11.11.11 which is made with Anaheim Chiles and a definite recommendation for sure :). Too bad, just like that one, this here is a seasonal. Now about the taste. For those who have not tried passion fruit, it is a fruit that is tangy and sour. Purple on the outside and the insides have yellow pulp and dark edible seeds. It almost taste like a orange but with a runny soupy texture. Very good. Prickly pears are spiny green on the outside and juicy with minor sweetness and has edible seeds as well. Mexicans know this fruit as Tunas. Well that is the similar after taste I get from this. Sweet, tangy, minor sourness, bready, candy sugar, honey, spices and floral notes. Over all I mainly enjoy it for a number of reasons. Just like the rare fruits of the world like the Dragon fruit or Pitayas as they are called in Mexico, but also just the nice sweet bread flavors that come from the mixed juices fermented in the yeast. Delicious and a pick up for sure. It may not last a long time so make it count if you get this one

Ruthless Rye IPA by Sierra Nevada is this year’s replacement to the spring lager glissade. This IPA is interesting and different. Pours a nice rusty copper like color. It is brewed with Rustic Grain, pepper rye and their whole-cone hops. There is some of the usual hop, grassy, piney, grapefruit taste here as goes with IPAs. However, there is also malty caramel flavor to it as well. Not super hoppy or bitter, but not too sweet either. There is this hint of pilsner malt in there that gives it a light refreshing taste as well. The after taste is sorta bready. Which is something that is not common with IPAs. It is possibly the evil rye popping in there making that nice bready flavor. The art work is awesome too. It shows a picture of a woman in a cloak out in the field (possibly for harvesting or something else) I am sure she is very ruthless and may not mind using the scythe on other things D:. Sorta surprising with that scythe, just like you may be surprised at this beer. It sure as hell won’t let up. Comes in a 6 or a 12 pack. Your choice and should be a pick up to try. If you don’t..well don’t say I didn’t warn you if you get chased by some chick with a scythe/guitar trying to bash your head…now what would be ruthless…. >:)

For God sakes, this beer is at 100+ ibus (international bitterness units). A very good beer if your into bitterness…Don’t mess with this, unless your willing to have the bitterness stay past 30 minutes..LOL worth trying again 

AS if the original wasn’t enough. Looked everywhere for it after I had a crazy dream that me and my friends except chino tried it. Very bitter in the dream. Funny thing was my friend chino found it for me LOL. Unlike the original, It has has more complex sweet flavors along side with the the original bitterness of the arrogant bastard

REVISIT: Sneaky Bevmo, trying to hide all the good drinks >:P...Actually Bevmo had this in great stock this time in season. There were several reasons why I went back to this beer. 1, ARROGANT BASTARD AND STONE RULES, 2, Last time I tried this beer I only had a small sample. So I picked it up once more and I wanted to try it again. One main thing i forgot to mention about this beer, as not as bitter as the original bastard (As I had previously thought), it has this mesh flavor reminiscent of brandy. The bitterness is there from the original as I had mentioned before but at a lower level and this is because this beer is aged in brandy barrels. I swear there are hints of deliverance and angel share in here (LOL mainly from brandy), but this just beings so much flavor to the table its insane… Sometimes I wish Stone would just brew all the bastards …LOL….but i sure was one lukcy Basartd to try the one at one point in my life ;)….but yes going back to some of these beers I can definitely talk more about them as my taste buds are well experienced in the openess that is the beer world far greater than in the past. LOL funny thing though is sometimes when I go the visit the Buffalo wild wings and have a Firestone Union Jack IPA, I get these reminiscence of the sweet 15th anniversary ale :3….LOL I swear…the food does add to the taste of beer so you get totally unique experiences…no doubt 😉

There is no saving from the brimey deep…nor is there any save from landing at the beach of a mysterious island with no food or substance..except this brew. Oddly enough it was there just right for the taking. But cherish this treasure as it will not last long. This here be Shipwrecked Double IPA by Mission Brewery of San Diego California. 9.25% alcohol is sure to keep you company on this deserted island with no one around. Maybe it will help with taking pieces of what was your mighty ship which sailed the 7 seas one time….maybe even get a new crew which unfortunately may have met their finish in Davey Jone’s locker. Possibly encountering the Sunk Punk by Brewdog or even the Ballast Point Sea Monster. Never the less, spend some time with this one as this is more of a summer Imperial IPA anyway. Now on the the taste experience. For starters, unlike most super hoppy piney bitter IPAs, this one is more citrus orange, lemon and grapefruit flavor with minor caramel notes. It is in somewhat floral and fruit like. Like a peach or mango with corriander and pepper. Somewhat of a Heffeweizen or Belgian White. The usual hoppy, piney grassy flavor are there…but there is more flavor being dug out of this special beer. The whiff of this is outstanding. Maybe one day you will find yourself starnded somewhere. Make sure you bring plenty of these, you may need them …Avast!!…I set sail to the next treasure find B-)

Common Mainstream Stout in many places and easy to find. The Guinness Extra Irish Dry Stout. I don’t often get a chance to review the commoners of the beer world. Never the less, this beer is nothing to shy away from. It is delicious and would prefer to have this over basic bud light if I can help it. This was a gift from my friend Elmer the other day as he somehow hit the jackpot when a friend of his send him a whole of boxes of beer and he really needed to get rid of some. So let’s start out with this beer. I am sure in Ireland this is their “light beer” and when having one it is true Irish beer no doubt. Flavors are roasted coffee, licorice, minor chocolate, minor barley, some smokey thick pork chop flavor..LOL. The beer is dry meaning the flavor only lingers for a little bit before it disappears. Which is not bad as it makes one want to drink even more. It is a good beer to replace when no other beer is around that is worthy of those seeking the craft of brews of the world.

Hercules Double IPA by Great Divide Brewing company is a massive and powerful beer at 10%ABV. Made with a massive amount of hops rating International Bitterness Units of 85. Although there is the initial piney, citrus, grassy feel as most IPAs, this was has a nutty caramel backbone. It is therefore, caramel copper in color. The taste is pure hops through and through but the malts are there to compliment and not fight the hops to let the true brew of gods seem ambrosia into the taste buds of mortal men and women everywhere. Such is what you will find in this dynasty of a bottle. This sort of reminds me of the double bastard in a way it is crazy. While The Stone Double Bastard is a seasonal, I can at least pick this up and try its great flavors all through out the year. It was a recommendation from the local craft brew shop in Downey California. Whoever lives near or in South Gate and enjoys craft brews should definitely stop by and look at their selection. While Wally’s, Ramirez and Bevmo are kinda far away from me, this is my secret one stop shop for nice brews :). As for this strength in a bottle, I will be picking this up once again for sure. A new brewery I have not tried but definitely one of my beer tasting opportunities to explore.

Akevitt Barrel aged Porter by HaandBryggeriet is a Norwegian Porter that is special in two ways: One is that it is a beer made in tribute to the majority of Norwegian Farmers who brew beer as well as the majority of those farmers who would make Akevitt. Second, because it is extremely difficult to find. In Norway, they would have a tradition where some would have a shot of Akevitt or Aquevit and chase is down with beer. Well the guys in Haandbryggeriet took that tradition and aged porter in Akevitt barrels to produce this amazing beer. In Norwegian tradition, Akevitt is a spirit from tradition that has been brewed with herbs and spices since the 15th century. So for beer, it is known to be a very good compliment. They also made a very limited portion as well. I was lucky enough to find this brew and talk about it. When I opened it I noticed it had no head. Just a very thin line along the sides of the glass. This usually means that a beer like this will most likely to be higher in alcohol than the ABV stated as as 10%. There is very rich flavor coming of this beer. I get sensations of some wild yeast aside from the cherry/ chocolate like flavor is present. There is also the dark fruits of raisin and figs. The brew also has a smokey bitterness to it as well that lingers long after it’s initial taste. This is probably due to the Akevitt herbs and spices that compliment this beer extremely well. Never really tried Akevitt but if it is like the what I experienced in this beer… Then it is very delicious 😛

The chosen beer has come. For those chosen to do something of great epicness, they are chosen by the gods. A mark is left as a characteristic of proof that they really are who they are. We have princess Dan Elorah from Willow, the baby that has the birth mark on their arm. Harry Potter which has the birth mark on his for head, and many many other “chosen” ones. LOL so I chose Rider of Fate Night Stay as it seemed appropriate to tell the story of this brew as she too has a chosen mark on her forehead. As for this beer, It was chosen!!! (By me of course) 😛 and it’s unique marks are the 15 malts and hops with 15% ABV. This is the Jewbelation 15th Anniversary Ale by He’Brew side of Shmaltz brewing. You can find more information as to all the malts and hops added here: http://www.shmaltzbrewing.com/HEBREW/j15.html . They do not call this brew the chosen one for no reason. This beer truly is epic in flavor and deliciousness. More than likely it will only be out for a short while sadly :(…Meaning I have to pick up another. This brew is not quite a stout as t is more of an “American Strong Ale”. The malt in this beer dominates as in it s very sweet (Mainly cuz of the alcohol). I get so many flavors here hard to pin point its greatness. Over 9000!!!!…lol just kidding, but the flavors I can sense are Chocolate, coffee, rich caramel, vanilla, molasses, brown sugar, toffee, dark fruits like cherry, raisins, plums, figs with minor hoppy tangy after taste. The overload of flavors is too much for my taste buds. It is weird I know but words are not enough to describe this one.There is hardly any fizz due to the amount of alcohol. Surely this brew was made by some god to be chosen as the nectar for some lucky people to try. Either that or man has discovered the meaning of taste of life. How stuff should truly be. Either way. Don’t miss this one…you will regret not encountering the beauty which is the chosen one D: !!!!

Ommegang Aphrodite is a very limited Belgian Lambic ale at 8.9% ABV. My brother gave me this one for Christmas. Amazing fruit beer. When I poured it it was really red like a very fine red wine. This beer or more of a wine that many beers I have tried previously. It is so good I have to put the description as made by the Ommegang website: http://www.ommegang.com/index.php?mcat=1&scat=14&spclty=1 

In Greek mythology, Aphrodite rises from the foam of the waves of the sea, enchanting all who see her, and inciting thoughts of love and lust where ever she goes.

Franziskaner Weissbier Naturtrub is a lighter version of my favorite pass time beer, the Franziskaner Dunkel. The delicious Bavarian yeast is present similarly to the Dunkel but more refreshing and easy going beer rather than fruity and complex like the Dunkel counterpart . Never the less, this is still an awesome beer especially because it can be sold in quantities such as a 12 pack :P. My favorite 12 pack ever!!!

Delicious little bottle. I could only find the small one way in the back of the shelf but there is a reason it is always gone from the shelves. The Chimay Grand Reserve Ale is a very delicious ale filled with the great tasting Belgium yeast as well as dark fruit and chocolate like flavors. The other best part about this beer is that it has some bitterness to it which makes it balanced with the overwhelming taste. A must try and definitely worth the hype.

Allagash Black, the brew that is so similar to 13th hour but more bitter chocolate than. The Belgian Style Stout is brewed with 2 Row barley, torrified wheat, oats, both roasted and chocolate malt and a generous portion of dark caramelized candy sugar. There is definitely a silky mouth feel as stated in the description. Almost like velvet Merlin. The brew has a lot of reminiscent chocolate/coffee bread taste like the 13th. There is also hints of caramel vanilla, citrus, raisins, figs, cherries and dried apricot. Even if the base overwhelmed is malty bitter sweet chocolate, as I go through this brew it definitely lets out a lot of other complex flavor due to the Belgian bready yeast here.Step into this beer…if you dare…it looks evil but very delicious and lovely and good :). Just like the pic of Midna. You never know what you will find in this brew. Also the bitterness of this beer does remind me of the Old Rasputin hoppy bitterness. Allagash does a great job of balancing the complexity of this brew with that of malty sweet, bready complex, and hoppy bitterness. Surely some one that likes Stouts, Belgian, and hoppy ales will surely, like this complex creation. Looks sorta plain and dark from the outside but they have always said, it is the inside that counts. So give this one a try and take a step into the dark…or black side of the ale world. 😛

A very strong Dunkel weizen or Weizenbock at 9% ABV Magic banana clove drink. This is the Lagunitas very own Bavarian-Style Doppel Weizen. Stronger than the good ol Franziskaner and much more complex in flavor at that. Happy new years everyone :P. This is my first review of the year :D. The beer is made with double the wheat and Bavarian yeast from Bavaria. The usual awesome bready clove and banana flavor with more to add. Slight dark fruity taste like raisin and plum with somewhat of a caramel oak notes for added flavors and minor pine grass feel to add bitterness. The tangyness of orange wheat is also there as well. Yes, truly a magnificent beer. I had overlooked it a couple times but hey,3 times a charm I guess. Also it is a limited release so this is a worth the try for sure. My favorite style of beer enhance to new levels in flavor and alcohol. For any Heffeweizen fans out there, this is a definite pickup. don’t let this pass up as I am sure they won’t last long out there. Surely right up there next to Franzy and Weistephaner…Maybe even a little better ;P …you be the judge of this masterpiece

This is More Brown Than Black IPA. Another awesome collaboration by Stone, Alchemist and Ninkasi brewing companies. The brew was made as a fund raiser to assist those that lost their homes after Hurricane Irene in Waterbury Vermont on August 28th 2011. Alchemist was also hit by the disaster and lost their pub and brewing company. All proceeds of the fund raiser will go to assist those families aff

Now this is something Homer Simpson would want to drink. This monster of fatty flavor is called Voodoo Doughnut Bacon Maple Ale by Rogue Brewing. It is made with alot of junk food…literally…This is from their website
(13 Ingredients:
Briess Cherrywood Smoked Malt, Weyermann Beechwood Smoked Malt, House-smoked Hickory Malt, Great Western 2 Row, Munich, C15, C75 Malts; Applewood-Smoked Bacon, Pu

Waited a very long time for this Egyptian Treasure to surface from taps onto a bottle which was affordable. This is Ta Henket by DogFish Head brewing. My taste bud had traveled through different times and places like when I tried Jiahu of Ancient China and Theobroma of the Ancient Aztecs. Today I try the Egytian Pale Wheat Ale Ta Henket. Upon opening the bottle I got a whiff of something I have never smelled before. As this brew is made with Za’Atar Doum fruit, Chamomile (Manzanilla), Emmer Farro, and Egytian yeast. The info below I got from the Dogfish website (For this ambitious liquid time capsule, we used ingredients and traditions plucked from Egyptian hieroglyphics.

Puss n boots on catnip overdose..lol. This is the Jolly Pumpkin’s Oak Barrel Aged La Roja. I have tried La Roja a few months back. That brew was a grapey wine like cherry flavored ale as I remembered and sour notes as well. This one is way out there in terms of flavor and sweetness along side with the sour tart of the JP and well there is now earthy oak notes in there. Getting flavors of caramel apple and cherry vanilla. The tangyness of this one is more of a citrus like flavor. Similar like Persiguidor but more cherry and grape like tart. The balance of the oak plays well to keep off a lot of sourness away. Gives experience to this ale and is what makes it very distinct from the original Flanders style la Roja. They sure let the cat out of the bad and he is PIST!!!. My favorite part about the art work here the little mouse that dangles off what looks to be his sword. El Gato con Botas :P. I wish his awesomeness did not come in a small bottle but a bigger one. Then again that is why this is the Grand Reserve. Sure a beer worthy of the name La Roja to have puss n boots go berserk ….Friggin Cat!!!!

My search is complete. For the most part I have now tried everything in the Jolly Pumpkin Menu. This beer is Persiguidor Oak Aged Ale batch 1. This ruby golden brew is a combination of that puss and boots beer “La Roja” and the original Bam Biere. Both are combined and aged together in oak barrels. This brew is really old. We’re talking 2006 old. Just right to get all the great flavors from it. The whiff of it seems like nice JP sour/wine like ale touch. However, to my surprise there was smaller percentage of the grapey sourness. In fact It has alot more different types of awesome flavors. I get a taste caramel apple with cherry pie and bread flavor. Very distinct notes of sourness but more vanilla flavor here. Some orange and berry flavors are hidden there. No carbonation hardly and must be greater than what the bottle says at 7.20% ABV for sure. Jolly Pumpkin ales have a diverse selection of beers and also my favorites. For those that do not like sour ales, don’t be afraid to test this one as it is more fruity and bitter than others. LOL like Biere de Mars aged, ultimate sourness on that one. A hard brew to find for sure but if you ever do find it don’t mind picking one up and trying. This is gold for those seekers/persiguidores of beer. You will surely find this one amazing!!!!

This is Hofdraak by Belgian Brewery ‘t Hofbrouwerijke. It is a Belgian Dark sweet caramel bready ale at 6.5% ABV. When I first saw this I was like wow!!. The details in the artwork just like the Bosprotter are eye candy within itself. I like dragons so I was very exited to be able to find this brew. This is not a common brew at all and a specialty store had imported it from that brewery which most likely only speak in Belgian. Either way, it was amazing to see this epic brew as for the taste it doesn’t down at all. This being a quad of sorts with its fermented 4 times yeast is actually like a more bitter abt 12 but with out the intense alcohol. It is a brew for those that like trappist and Belgian quads or darks but are looking for a lower ABV content with the rich flavor. It has so much to offer. I get the usual vanilla/caramel/toffee/chocolate/plum bread along with notes of herbs and spices and tangy hoppy hints. Just amazing overall for such a little dragon bottle. I like the medieval look as always and dragons are just awesome. Also about the brew, it pours a lot of head and was lucky not to spill a drop anywhere. For a such a rarity it is kinda hard if some would spill..LOL although I would already have the main effect of the ale within a couple of sips. Surely everything is worth it in this one, taste and art 🙂

Special Import from Belgium. LOL I didn’t import it but I found it here in California. This is the mystical Bosprotter from ‘t Hofbrouwerijke. It is a brew made by wizards I’m sure. A Belgian Tripel at 8.5 alcohol. The artwork intrigued me so much I had to pick it up no doubt.Sure it did not disappoint :P. Delicious brew with flavors of creamy orange zest, bread, lemon, apples, apricot, herbs and spices fill the taste buds. A recipe of ancient wizards brought here to make a mystical brew such as this. This yeast is definitely alive. The yest was re-fermented in the bottle for the utmost trippel feel. Even when opening the bottle one has to be extremely careful as the bottle over flows with a lot of head. Hard to find and even the name is all in Belgian. So we know this is definitely hard to find for sure. Surely if you find this, don’t over turn. Pick it up its a very delicious beer 🙂

Truly a beasty beer, manly yes!!..This here be the Double Old Thumper ale by Ringwood and Shipyard Brewing of both England and USA. This is an ESB or Extra Special/Strong Bitter Brew. Brewed at 11.22%ABV it doesn’t have tough looking wart hogs for no reason that is for sure. So why not pair it with Risty, a busty strong yet feminine knight chick from queen’s blade. The brew kicks major ass!!. There is a lot of caramel bread and mild toffee, bourbon and vanilla in here. There is also notes of piney hops with raisins and figs in there. Reminiscent of the Lost Abbey Angel share. This beer was originally picked by Juan, my friend chino’s brother and what a selection at that. It was so good when he first let me try it I had to get myself another one and review it. This is too good that is for sure. The kind of brew you pick up if your able to find it. The kind that is full of flavor and kick assness. No kidding this will take you down and own you. Just like Risty in that picture. Don’t let her appearance fool you. This girl is a queens blade knight and is equipped to take ya down :P…Definitely another pickup for sure :3…. It cost less than angel share too 😛

Found this one down the street in a mini mart that recently opened last week. In fact it was in the same location on the street where I grew up, Tweedy Blvd. and State street. I don’t write about ciders…lol but this one…damn sure caught my attention. This is the Crispin’s Natural Hard Apple Cider Artisanal Reserve Lansdowne that is brewed with magic. This I mean it is made with 100% natural apple that is fresh pressed, Irish Stout Yeast and Organic Molasses. What can I say, complex and sweet. Like an apple butter scotch pie. This is due to the sweetness of the molasses and the bready flavor of the yeast, but we also get minor hint of caramel. The after taste leaves off buttery making you want to drink some more. At 6.9% alcohol its not a simple walk in the park but you will get blasted with such flavor. Definitely a dessert drink that may pair well with cheese and crackers I am sure. If you see these give it a try. It definitely brings the goodness of what goes into a bready Belgian ale but in cider form

SO….. this year I tried the 2011 version. LOL well it is almost the end of the year :P. The Three Philosophers by Ommegang is a true Belgian Quadruple brewed with Cherries. This style is called Kriek where you find a diversity of wine like/beer like flavors as a cherry ale is mixed with this Belgium beauty. Caramel, cherry, bread, unique deliciousness as only found in brews that are the best in the world. This is one of my top 10 beers. Originally introduced by my friend Chino, this is a world class for sure. Once that is often missed but surely a necessary pickup. Sometimes I wish they could invent an X-ray tongue tasting device where I can walk into the bev mo or any other craft brew store and learn to pick out the brews of ultimate deliciousness for myself. Sure, there are reviews and all but taste is everything. Until you try it for yourself then you will understand for sure….For anyone that reads my albums here on Facebook you should probably send me some feed back let me know what kind of brews you would like to see posted on here and I will try them and write about them….let me know :)…thanks for reading 😀

http://www.unibroue.com/en/beers/trois_pistoles/product#/history
I kept over looking and wanting to try this beer for so long. When I finally got around to it, I was very impressed. This beer does not disappoint. A very complex amount of flavors. The story on this is very cool too.

Revisit:
Trois Pistole by Unibroue is an amazing beer. I had to go back and try it. One of my favorites :P. This beer is full of so much flavor. You have Belgian yeast, dark fruits such as cherries, raisins, and figs. Some chocolate minor notes, caramel . Simply put flavor is king. Mask is so well put the alcohol is not even there. A Belgian strong quad ale worthy of the name Trappist if it may. also some slight port wine is sensed in this however, they do recommended aging it as it will develop into some strong port and chocolate flavors after several years…. favorite of mine indeed 😛