Great Divide Yeti Imperial Stout

Went to the mall, spent about 30 minutes there and wanted a beer. I hate the mall.

Great Divide Yeti Imperial Stout - 9.5% ABV, 75 IBU

Poured into a snifter from a 12 oz bottle. Poured very muddy black. It had a small head but it may have been because of how I poured it (I don't know if I am the worlds greatest beer pourer). The lacing was pretty good on this.

It had a heavy chocolate malt aroma to it. At first I got a faint roasted coffee smell to it but the chocolate was there. Also as it warmed up I started getting a light piney hop nose.

It had a full body that tasted creamy in my mouth. The carbonation was average but I am not sure if that is from the hops or not. The finish seemed a little chalky/dry. I would say that the taste didn't linger very long.

I would say this is a complex beer to me. I am sure true beer nerds, especially ones who really know this style can define it better. The aroma kind of changed on me but that may have been because it warmed up. Very good beer.

What does a beer geek look like?

* full beard/goatee - yes
* t-shirt - yes (not to work though)
* headwear (ballcap, tuque, flat cap, fedora, etc.) - yes
* fifteen to twenty pounds overweight - yes

But I am not a beer geek

http://beeradvocate.com/forum/read/4248178

Bear Republic - Racer 5

Pliny the Elder is my favorite IPA of all time. But Racer 5 by Bear Republic comes pretty close, and it is very easy to find unlike Pliny.

Poured a dark yellow with a small white head into a mason jar. Kind of looked like apple juice.

Smells citrusy with slight pine.

The taste was different, piney with slight citrus. It was also very balanced and drinkable. Medium bitterness and medium body.

Very delicious beer. Kind of wish I was drinking it right now.

They had Racer X on tap and I had a little taste but not enough to write a review. It was pretty expensive and I thought the taste was OK.

Beer Advocate Review
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/610/2751

Harmon Stryker Stout

Harmon - Stryker Stout

I have been looking forward to trying this and when I saw that it was on tap at Chuck's on 85th in Greenwood, I had to hop into my car and get a pint. And I am so glad I decided to get a pint of this beer instead of staying at home watching mini Star Wars documentaries.

This was poured into a mason jar. It poured very dark with chocolate milk brown head. After pouring I can see a little bit of the carbonation in the beer.

The smell was chocolate and a bit of coffee. I didn't get anything too roasty, though I can get a faint hint of it.

Just like the smell the taste was chocolate. Not as heavy as I would have expected. I also got a slight creaminess as I drank this.

Very drinkable and a great introduction to the style. As I get more used to stouts I am sure I can pick this thing apart better than this review. I can also see myself finding new things about this the next couple times I drink it.

Beer Advocate's Review
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/1386/73647

Dogfish Head Olde School Barleywine

Poured an auburn color from a 12 oz glass.

Smell of dark fruits, toffee, and slight caramel. At 15% you can really smell the alcohol in this one.
Slight floral hops.

Tasted like a mature double IPA, which is what most of these American Barleywines are supposed to. Really hoppy with a dry finish. As I mentioned, you can really smell the alcohol in this one and at times kind of reminded me of Hennessy.

I think when I first tried it it was still a little cold after taking it out of the refrigerator. Remember, don't drink these real cold. As it warms up more of the malts come out giving it a fuller mouthfeel.

I may pick up another one and age this for a year or two.

Beer Advocate Reviews
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/64/6533

Fremont Brewing The Sister

Fremont Brewing The Sister Double IPA

I brought this over for the Thanksgiving party in a growler from Chuck's on 85th in the Greenwood Neighborhood.

A total crowd pleaser! I was at Chuck's the night before to find a growler fill for Thanksgiving, and I wanted something along the lines of a winter warmer or something a little more malty. Chuck just tapped this and was giving everyone samples. One guy came in and loved it so much that he got two growlers for his party. I realized I had to get a growler of this since I thought it was delicious and I knew my family would love it.

It had a very strong citrus hop smell to it, which was very delicious. I would smell this beer for a long time. It had a medium mouthfeel but not very malty at all, which was a little surprising looking at the copper color. A very hoppy beer with a hop after taste that lingers.

I really liked it, though I wish it had a little more malts to it.

Beer Advocate Reviews
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/20680/72584

Fremont Brewing Universale Pale

Fremont Brewing Univsersale Pale American Pale Ale

When our family gets together for holidays, we like to try new and interesting beers. I have wanted to try this for awhile, and decided to try it as one of our beers for Thanksgiving.

Like American Pale Ales I've had, this reminded me of a junior IPA. You got a slight pine hoppy smell to it. The mouthfeel was average and you got kind of a dry finish to it.

This was ok. I may pick it up again in the spring or summer since this is when I imagine drinking it.

Beer Advocate Reviews
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/20680/51503

Alaskan Smoked Porter

Had this on tap from Tommy Gun on Capitol Hill.

As the name entails, the smoke is really prominent. I also got some roasted malts and a little bit of chocolate. Heavy mouthfeel.

I am not the biggest porter fan in the world and couldn't finish the whole thing because of the smokiness. Before I have this again, I want to have a couple more porters so I can understand the style a little more. Stouts and porters are styles I am not too familiar with so please bear with me as I try to describe these beers.

Beer Advocate Reviews
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/429/1769

Pyramid Super Snow Cap

Pyramid Super Snow Cap

Served from tap into a mason jar.

The smell was of roasted malts and a little bit of caramel. Tastes a little the same.

There is also a light mouth feel which surprised me because it looked like it would be a little heavier. Not quite sure if there were a lot of hops or if it was carbonation.

I enjoyed it. It took me awhile to drink it and had a nice buzz afterward. If I saw it on tap, I would pick it up again.

Beer Advocate's review
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/403/74424

J.W. Lees English Barleywine

I have been looking forward to drinking this for awhile and finally had it last night.

JW Lees Harvest Ale 2006 Vintage Limited Edition English Barleywine

It is late fall, which I believe is the perfect time for barleywines. I am a little more used to American Style Barleywines, but have had and loved Thomas Hardy English Style. Since they don't make them anymore and are hard to find, I decided to give this one a shot.

Pours a copperish amber with no head.

Smells like raisins with a slight boozy smell.

Just like it smells, it tastes an awful lot like raisins with maybe some brown sugar. At 11.5%, it hides the alcohol pretty well. Tastes very sweet. The high alcohol content and sweetness makes this barleywine a sipper throughout the night.

I may pick this up again. If not this one, then definately try another English Barleywine. I think the sweetness overpowered me at first, then after awhile really came into its own. I think I may have gotten used to it after awhile.

Beer Advocate's Review

http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/178/705

21st Amendment & Ninkasi: Allies Win the War!

I must try this!

"This may very well be the best ale of any style that I’ve tasted in the past two years. With only the exception of the Ale Emeritus, Deschutes “The Abyss” (which, to me, belongs in a different category altogether from mere beers), this 21st Amendment/Ninkasi “Allies Win The War!” is just simply the most swoon-inducing, fully-realized, utterly delicious, and shockingly drinkable ale of the 1000+ I’ve tasted so far in 2011. A dark ale infused with fresh California dates, this avoids every one of the cliches of fruit-added beers and does it by simply amplifying the natural date character that this style expresses better than any other."

http://blog.seattlepi.com/thepourfool/2011/11/08/21st-amendment-ninkasi-allies-the-best-of-friends/

Dogfish Head 90-Minute IPA - How it started

It took me awhile before I got into craft beer. Before, if I drank beer I would drink Coronas and whatever crap my friends would get. Usually if I went out I would get jack and cokes or shots or whatever. I knew there were a lot of beers out there, just wasn't interested in exploring that world.

I even remember there was a radio show dedicated to craft beer and I didn't understand how there can be a whole show dedicated to beer. What could they talk about, beer bonging at a party during the weekend?

Then out of curiosity I decided to pick up a book on different beers just so I could get a general understanding of different beers. I didn't think I would really get into them, just wanted some information on what else was out there because I was sick of the usual Corona, Budweiser, etc.

So based on the book, I got interested in IPAs. I tried a couple here and there (remember, I was new and wasn't quite sure what I was looking for) and while they tasted better than the usual, nothing really stood out to me.

Until I came across Dogfish Head 90-Minute IPA. This is the beer that slapped me in the face and said, "Hey asshole, there is good beer out there!"

The balance of malts and hops just blew me away. Got a nice buzz of the first one and didn't feel the need to drink more to get fucked up, I felt the need to drink more because it tasted good. No, tasted great.

I love it out of the bottle and on tap. And for the longest time I called it my favorite beer. I don't consider it my favorite anymore, which is now Pliny the Elder, I do have a soft spot in my heart for Dogfish Head 90-Minute IPA.


*I stole this picture*

Here is Beer Advocate's review
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/64/2093

I should also note that I have had it on tap where once it tasted like a stout and another it tasted like a barleywine.

From my refrigerator

There are four barleywines I can age for awhile, a Pumpkin beer I should drink soon and an Imperial Stout and Winter Warmer I will drink soon.

The Czar Russian Imperial Stout - Avery
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/30/7850

Sleighr' - Ninkasi
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/14400/47120

Cockeyed Cooper - Uinta Brewing
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/1416/58868

Doggie Claws American Barleywine - Hair of the Dog
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/173/20762

Pumking - Southern Tier
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/3818/38394

2006 Harvest Ale English Barleywine - J.W. Lees
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/178/705

Olde School American Barleywine - Dogfish Head
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/10099/6533

Laurelwood - Gearhead IPA

I love, love, LOVE, the Workhorse IPA by Laurelwood. Unfortunately, they are going to stop making it because there is a shortage of the hops they use to make it. Luckily, it should come back. More info here:

http://www.laurelwoodbrewpub.com/2011/09/10/workhorse-ipa/comment-page-1/#comment-2300

So believe me when I say I was happy to find out about Gearhead. I heard about this beer and finally had it on tap at Barca on Capitol Hill. I also got a bomber after finally buying a car.

Gearhead IPA - Laurelwood
Portland, Oregon

Very delightful beer. Not very big and bold, but light and floral hops. I told my friend I imagine drinking this in a flower bed on a very nice, beautiful sunny day.

Kind of a medium body and nice carbonation.

A great IPA for people who do not like IPAs. I love IPAs and would go to this during spring/summer. Not that I wouldn't drink it during winter/fall, but I really do think this is appropriate on a warm day.

Beer Advocate's Reviews
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/16289/73033

Like I said, I would recommend this to people who aren't really into IPAs because I didn't feel this to be a real bitter IPA. I would love to give this to my boring beer drinking friends. Maybe I can convert them.

He Drinks The Beer

I just love beer. Something I have been getting into more and more lately. I am by no means a beer aficionado and I can't give the most elaborate reviews on beer. This is just to talk about what I drinking and what I like.

I live in Washington State and am surround by great breweries. I am currently making an excel spreadsheet listing breweries in Washington state, some of their signature beers, Beer Advocate's rating, and then my rating. I call it my bucket list.