Kerberos Tripel - 12oz, 8.5%ABVThe Pour - Thin pour, very light head that faded quickly
The Color - A slightly hazy golden-orange body.
The Nose - Barnyard/straw, an orange/citrus aroma opens up the nose like a shot of smelling salts (and I mean that in a good way), clover. It screams Belgian.
The Taste - A touch of sweetness with a hint of caramel, balanced with an orange-peel bitterness. Does not hit you over the head with alcohol; a "sneaky" 8.5 if there ever was one. Very full mouthfeel, lingers on the palate for quite a long time. Getting some hints of banana now that the beer's opened up (and warmed up) a bit. Did I mention this lingers? My beer's been done for 5 minutes, and there's still a pleasant bitterness lingering on the back of my tongue. Now, when I posted that last thought at TTL, my friend Jeff's reply was "Yeah, lingers along the middle of my tongue all the way back." The only thing I could think to say to that was "LIKE MY COCK!" but I didn't want to tweet that publicly. So that was a special message directTweeted to him. Take that, Mr. "I can do 11 minus you divided by FUCK!"
The Verdict - B+.
Horn Dog Barley Wine - 12oz, 10.2%ABVThe Pour - Standard pour, building a nice tall head that lasts.
The Color - Deep orange amber.Very, very slight haze.
The Nose - Getting some barnyard/manure on this one. What the hell is up with my nose tonight? Also, coffee/mocha/chocolate, nutmeg, fig.
The Taste - Raisins, raisins, raisins. Very sweet, more than a little out of balance. Vanilla, molasses, chocolate/mocha. A hint of hops lingers nicely, but I can't get over the syrupy mouthfeel.
The Verdict - B-. Just too damned sweet. Which is strange, because I gave this an A- last time I beerblogged it, and it's been one of my favorite barleywines since I discovered it.
UPDATE: It was less cloying today, but still too sweet. A problem with the batch?
Double Dog Double Pale Ale - 12oz, 11.5%ABVThe Pour - Slightly thicker than average pour, nice long-lasting head.
The Color - Golden amber, medium haze, abundant floating sediment.
The Nose - Cigar box, hops, clove, pine forest. There's a lot going on here. Some tropical fruit too?
The Taste - Holy shit. This a hop monster. Bitter orange peel, corriander, and yes, pineapple. My nose isn't broken after all. Great beer.
The Verdict - A
UPDATE: Revisited this one, and nothing changes. I probably nursed this for 2 hours over yardwork and cooking, and it was good to the last drop. Tons of hops character, perfectly-balanced, and a totally sneaky ABV. I'll definitely keep this in the summer rotation. Wonderfully refreshing.
Gonzo Imperial Porter - 12oz, 9.2%ABVThe Pour - Standard thickness, HUGE head, which is to be expected at almost room temperature.
The Color - Brown/black, totally opaque.
The Nose - Caramel, smoke, honey.
The Taste - Everything a porter should be, but maybe a bit too sweet.
UPDATE: I was pretty hammered by the time this one came around, so I had another one today to give it a fair shake. The verdict is the same: too sweet. Everyone was raving about this last night, but I just don't see it. It's basic porter, and flawed at that.
The Verdict - C (downgrade from B- during the tasting)
