Lilja's Sasquatch Stout

I'm a sucker for a cool name and a cool label. Lilja's Sasquatch Stout has both! Thankfully, it tastes as good as it looks! It has all the characteristics I want in a stout. A dark color, great head, strong roasted flavor with a bitter, dry finish. This one also has a taste of currants and rye bread. Very complex, very interesting, and very delicious. Reminds me both of a milk stout and an imperial stout. I'm a bit confused as to who makes it, though. The label will lead you to Pangaea Beers, but beeradvocate.com has it under Sand Creek Brewing. However, Sand Creek's website doesn't have Sasquatch listed. I don't care who makes, it's wonderful!

Grade: A

Boston Beer Company on the Rise?

I found this article about the Boston Beer Company (aka Sam Adams) to be an interesting read

Great Lakes Brewing Company Nosferatu Review

Seeing as how this beer is called Nosferatu, I expected it to be one of two colors. Dark as night, or blood red. It was neither, rather it was amber. Despite the color being not what I expected, this beer certainly has "bite". They call it an Imperial Red Ale, but it tastes and feels much more like an IPA to me. It has all the familiar characteristics like the dry finish, the huge hoppy, almost piney flavor. It's quite good. And, like every Great Lakes beer, the label is awesome. The vampire really does remind me of Max Schreck.

Grade: B

Magic Hat #9

Magic Hat calls #9 a "not quite pale ale". Based on that, I was expecting something similar to Bass. I was quite wrong! Even though it's an ale, the color and taste were light and crisp like a lager with a lot of citrus flavor. It tasted like a peach/apricot iced tea, with less tea flavor. There were some light hop flavors, too. I liked it, but it wasn't what I expected. I would liken it to Sprite or Stairway to Heaven. When I'm in the mood for it, nothing else will satisfy, but I've gotta be in the mood. I would certainly have it again, but it's not something I would buy regularly.

Grade: B

Founders Breakfast Stout

Wow wow wow. This might be my new favorite beer, Founders Breakfast Stout. Pours black and thick. The second I opened it, I was bombarded by the smell of coffee. And not that cheap, free stuff at work. Real strong, bitter, delicious coffee. That's exactly what it tasted like, with a finish of bittersweet chocolate and toasted oatmeal. It's thick, creamy, and quite bitter. It reads more like a coffee with alcohol than it does a beer, but that's fine by me. By the way, why aren't there more coffee-with-alcohol drinks? And at 8.3% ABV, a few of these will put you where you want to be!

If you don't like coffee, don't even try it. Please save it for someone who will truly appreciate it. Delicious.

Grade: A+

Brooklyn Oktoberfest

Like I said, I am going through lots of Oktoberfest/Marzen styles now. Here's one from Brooklyn Brewing. It has a nice copper color and tastes of caramel, and maple, but it's not sweet like maple syrup. Compared to the Beck's, this is more complex, more roasted, more interesting, and has more overall flavor. They both have a similar finish. Good, but not great. I'd have it before the Beck's, but not before Great Lakes or Sam Adams (both reviews on the way).

Their website is pretty cool. Especially the recipe section which gives food pairings to their beers.

Grade: C

Wychwood Brewery Hobgoblin

I really wanted to like this beer. I really, really did. It's from Wychwood Brewery. A dark English ale with a cool name and cool label. It started out promisingly, pouring a deep ruby color with a nice head. Unfortunately, with the first sip, all I could taste was soap. Yes, soap. I figured I would let it sit and bring the temp up a bit, and it did reveal some more complex flavors like oak and mahogany, but the astringent soapiness was too much. I'm hoping I just got a bad bottle. I would try other beers from there, but I'm not sure I will be revisiting Hobgoblin. Too bad.

Grade: D