BEER#8: GREAT DIVIDE HERCULES DOUBLE IPA

The eighth beer I chose to film was Great Divide Hercules Double IPA. I have seen this one around a bunch of times and decided to buy it when I found a very fresh bottle of it. Most Double IPAs are very hoppy now but this one was a surprise and had some barleywine-like characteristics. Not what I expected but a great beer either way.

WHAT I LIKED ABOUT THIS BEER: A great looking beer. The amber-red beer has a head that has extreme retention and creamy/frothy texture. An insane amount of lace was left on the glass as the head dies down. The smell was good but the taste was great. Both had barleywine aspects and notes of high malts. The hops were citrus and earthy with good bitterness and even some tea and grassy hints to them. Not a hop-bomb but who cares with such a good malt backbone.

Alcohol is present in the nose and was somewhat undesirable. The taste could have used a tiny bit more hops but was great nonetheless. A thicker mouthfeel would have been perfect but the mouthfeel was nice and creamy and had a good level of carbonation. The price was decent for the quality of a pretty big beer that should probably be taken one glass at a time.

FINAL GRADE: 4.4 / 5 = A (for fantastic looks, great taste, and good mouthfeel, smell and drinkability)

BEER#7: PORTSMOUTH IMPERIAL PORTER

The seventh beer I chose to film was Portsmouth Imperial Porter. I picked up a growler of this on Kate the Great Day because I missed out on bottles of KtG. I didn't do a green screen effect on this one because I was homebrewing at the time of filming. I think it came out pretty nice this way and may do more like this in the future.

WHAT I LIKED ABOUT THIS BEER: Overall it was a solid Baltic porter. The ABV was hidden very well and it had most of the nice aspects of a porter. The taste and smell both had good notes of nice roast malt, cocoa, earthy hops and fruit notes. I really liked the mouthfeel which was very creamy and also a bit warm and bitter. It certainly went down smoothly for a 9%ABV ale.

The appearance was nice but the head could use a bit more size and retention. The nose definitely was a bit weak (strength wise) and was hard to pick up after a while. The beer also seemed a tiny bit less than an Imperial Porter, it tasted and felt more like a regular porter to me (a bit too smooth maybe).

FINAL GRADE: 3.95 / 5 = B+ (for great mouthfeel, good taste, looks and drinkability)

BEER#6: FULLERS ESB

The sixth beer I chose to film was Fullers ESB. I have had this beer a few times and this last time I enjoyed it the most. You really gotta find the fresh ones to enjoy this one fully. I got a six pack that was about 10-11 months before the freshness date.

WHAT I LIKED ABOUT THIS BEER: Taste and mouthfeel were great. The taste is a nice balance of very good, somewhat-caramelly malts with a nice laid-back fruity/earthy/citrus hop profile. The bitterness is low and helps create one of the better malt/hop balances I have experienced. The medium body and moderately high carbonation back up the flavor almost perfectly for a very smooth mouthfeel. It is highly drinkable due to the above aspects as the taste seems to stay the same throughout several of these.

I really wouldn't change much here. The price is great for an import. A bit of creaminess to the mouthfeel would make it outstanding but that is nitpicking. The looks could use better head retention and lacing but are still good. The smell was nice but could have used a bit more strength.

FINAL GRADE: 4.3 / 5 = A (for great taste, mouthfeel and drinkability, good aroma and looks)

BEER#5: FOUNDERS CENTENNIAL IPA

The fifth beer I chose to film was Founders Centennial IPA. I have really enjoyed the Founders beer line so far and ad high hopes going into this one. This one is made year-round and since it is a hoppy beer I tried to find the freshest possible bottles of it. The bottle I had was made on 12/14/09, still fresh.

WHAT I LIKED ABOUT THIS BEER: Looks are the best part of the beer in this case. The extremely frothy head seemed to stand still in time but leave blankets of lacing behind. Smell and taste were good, both pretty much had a decent dose of earthy, floral and fruity hops. Hop bitterness is pretty much spot on. The malt was surprisingly pronounced for a balancing backbone. Drinkability is good because of the good price and pretty good taste. Alcohol (7.20%) well hidden.

Some things I thought could use changing. The hops fade in the flavor and aroma to leave the beer with a heavy orange peel and caramel malt characteristic. In the end, the beer gets kind of bland. The carbonation is a bit low and the body itself feels sort of watery.

FINAL GRADE: 3.75 / 5 = B (for excellent looks, pretty good taste, aroma and drinkability)

BEER#4: UNIBROUE CHAMBLY NOIRE

The fourth beer I chose to film was Unibroue Chambly Noire. I have had many of the Unibroue beers and have enjoyed most of them. I would like to visit the brewery someday if I ever go back to the Montreal area. The thing I notice most about their ales is the presence of a highly yeasty flavor, it seems like a signature to them. They list this as a "Black Ale" on their website.

WHAT I LIKED ABOUT THIS BEER: Pretty nice looks. The smell and the taste have nice yeast and roasted malt elements to them. There is also a bit of a smokey note to it. I also get dark fruits and alcohol in the taste. The fruits give it a minor wine-like characteristic. The mouthfeel is good, especially the carbonation (noticed this in most Unibroue beers). The price is good and allows it to be sessionable (I got it for $9/4 pack). Worth a shot for dark beer/Belgian beer enthusiasts.

Things that could use change or improvement for me. The head forms nicely but needs more retention. The lacing was almost non-existent as well. I like the yeast notes but I think they could be toned down a tiny bit. The mouthfeel would be world class if the body was a tiny bit thicker.

FINAL GRADE: 3.75 / 5 = B (for nice flavor and mouthfeel, a good Belgian Dark Ale)

BEER#3: FLYING DOG SNAKEDOG IPA

The third beer I chose to film was Flying Dog SnakeDog IPA. I had bought a six pack of this because it was one of the most affordable craft beers in the store I was visiting. I also had a craving for some hops. I took this wintry picture while snowboarding at Sugarbush Mountain in Vermont.

WHAT I LIKED ABOUT THIS BEER: It was good looking with an orange-amber body that had a creamy head with good retention. The smell had fresh hops of the earthy, citrus and fruity variety. The taste also had fresh hops of the same varieties. The malts come through a good amount for an IPA and help balance the hops out. There was nothing to complain in the feel of the beer. It had a medium body with moderate carbonation and a coat of bitterness. I would say this beer is a good session beer because of the nice hop flavors are and the price is very affordable (for a well made craft beer).

I would make a few changes to this. The aroma could use a bit more strength in all aspects. The flavor is a bit overly bitter. If this was toned down, the flavor would score a few more points. I would also be happy if there was a bit more creaminess/body to the feel of the beer.

FINAL GRADE: 3.8 / 5 = B+ (for nice fresh hop aroma and taste; overall a well-rounded, sessionable beer)

BEER#2: FOUNDERS IMPERIAL STOUT

The second beer I chose to film was Founders Imperial Stout. I have had it a few times and figured I might as well film it. I like most of the shots on this one but the last one, still learning. I think the picture I took of the Pyrenees Mountains near Queralbs, Spain goes great as the backdrop of this one.

WHAT I LIKED ABOUT THIS BEER: The looks are nice for an Imperial Stout. The beer looks like oil and the head is coffee colored. The head beats out most I see on Imperial Stouts and leaves a creamy layer on top of the beer indefinitely. It also left very good lacing! The aroma is good and consists of the expected roasted malts, cocoa notes and some coffee notes (from the malts). The taste is better than the aroma and consists of the same elements but at a better strength and balance. There is a hop element to the taste that backs the malts very well. The MOUTHFEEL is my favorite part of this one. This is the thickest beer I have ever had. It has an almost milkshake consistency and some alcohol warmth that compliment the flavor perfectly. The price at $11 per 4-pack is amazing for an Imperial of this quality. For me it is dangerously drinkable at 10.50% ABV. I could drink a few of these at any one time but won't because I would rather enjoy this one thoroughly one at a time.

The only thing I would change in this beer is the aroma. The smell is good and necessary elements are there but alcohol vapors keep it from being great.

FINAL GRADE: 4.55 / 5 = A+ (for excellent looks and mouthfeel, great taste and drinkability)