Boulevard Irish Ale

Coppery red in color, like most Irish Ales, sturdy head, nice whiff of hops to the nose. Medium malty taste that has a slight sour tang with a bit of caramel in the aftertaste. Sweetness is present, but not overwhelming. Boulevard's website pairs it with "hearty" foods like stews and corned beef, but I think that's more a tip o' the hat to the "Irish" in the name. I had my first glass with some lemon-garlic fish, and they went together very well. I had a second glass without the food to savor the complexity of the flavors. Oh yeah. It's funny, I'm not a huge fan of the Boulevard Wheat ( a bit too wheaty) but many of their other offerings are first-rate.

Sam Adams White Lantern

I've got a few beers in the 'fridge that look ahead to the warmer Spring & Summer months, and this is one of them. Also from the Spring Thaw variety pack, White Lantern is a Belgian style Wit brewed with spices, it pours with a frothy white head and has an apricot-like hue. Tangy Belgian yeast provides most of the taste, with a some lemony brightness sneaking in. Pretty full-bodied, yet light and refreshing. If you pay attention, you might detect some peach and some peppery zip as well. A more complicated brew than I had expected; I was pleasantly surprised. Looking forward to a few more of these later in the season.

Sam Adams Maple Pecan Porter

One of the new beers in the "Spring Thaw" variety pack. Sam Adams has always done a good job with their porters and stouts and this one is no exception. Pouring a deep brown with a heavy head, the maple aroma tickles the nostrils and tantalizes the tongue while the pecan adds a subtle sweetness to the mix. In addition to the obvious there's strong coffee notes and an underlying nuttiness. Pretty good choice for an after dinner beverage.

Guinness Draught

Let me debunk an urban beer legend that has been around forever...most Guinness isn't any stronger than "regular" beer, Guinness Draught is 4.2% ABV however, a "Guinness Extra Stout Foreign Export" is brewed to 7.5-8% ABV. I've gotten so used to the heavier, thicker stouts that I've tried in the last few years that I was a bit surprised at how relatively thin Guinness was. Nonetheless it was very tasty, with some nice coffee and chocolate balanced by light roasted malts. It poured with a big beefy head, with the effect that I think of as a reverse waterfall, the head starting off taking up the whole glass, slowly retreating to a solid one-finger depth. While there are many other stouts out there, Guinness is the granddaddy of them all. Initially, Arthur Guinness was aiming to bring back the "porter" style of beer, eventually cranking it up a bit and started marketing it as "extra stout" porter, with the name eventually being shortened to just "stout". All the stout brewers out there owe a great debt to this beer...cheers!

Anchor Porter

How do I miss some of these brews? I've had many of Anchor brewing's fine offerings, but managed to sail by their porter. All of Anchor's beers have a distinctive tart sweetness - more evident in some than others - the porter has it. Not very heavy, but it does have a deep, rich taste and aroma. The aftertaste is full of figs, raisins and sweet prune - I know, that last one doesn't sound appetizing, but it's better than it sounds. Of course there's the obligatory coffee and dark chocolate. Good stuff. Go buy yourself a six pack.

George Killian's Irish Stout

Killian's Irish Red has been a perennial St. Patrick's Day favorite, but I'd never encountered the stout. This new discovery poured a dark brunette with red highlights. The head was a frothy tan that laced the side of the glass as it receded.  Not the best stout that I've ever tasted, but pretty solid, and a good recommendation for a first time stout drinker, even if it's closer to a medium porter than a stout. That being said, there's some tastiness - coffee notes and roasted malt as well. Enjoy some on St. Patrick's Day - slainte!

What beer styles are up and coming?

http://information2share.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/periodic-table-of-beer-styles.jpg

Some many beers, so little time. Right now, Ill-Gotten Booty recommends stouts and porters for an extended season, through the end of February this year. With a lot of snow coming our way, it is certainly appropriate. As we get closer to the Equinox, we'll transition into Bocks, Irish Reds, Scottish and other smoked ales and some barleywines as well. There doesn't seem to be too many Bocks being brewed these days, but I have a few put away for later. The other styles are year-round beers, but are, in my opinion, a little too heavy for when it really gets warm, maybe after Beltane (May Day). Once we hit the warm weather we make the move to summer ales, Kölsches, Altbiers, Pilsners and the ever popular Belgians. maybe some fruit beers for you lightweights! Autumn brings pale ales and IPA's, although one could certainly enjoy them during the summer, dark lagers and Oktoberfests before hitting the winter warmers, Christmas beers and the lambics with your Thanksgiving turkey.

So for now, if you're on the IGB calendar, enjoy those stouts and porters for another two weeks or so, grab some Irish reds for St.Patrick's Day and switch to the Bocks around Easter. Barleywines will be the official April brew until the summer; let's hold off on the smoked and Scottish until fall this year.

All of this is subject to change.

Great River Redband - stout with coffee

It looks like coffee, it smells like coffee, it tastes like coffee, by the gods, it is coffee...well, stout with some coffee added anyway. Haven't had anything from Great River in a while, not sure why, but this one is another fine winter brew. Pouring a monstrously tall four finger head and as dark as a fresh brewed cup of coffee, you're not only getting the java, but high notes of dark chocolate as well. A little bit of brown sugar and maybe some molasses as well. With all the snow slated to come our way, Redband will keep you warm amidst the winter  chill.

Wes Gorans Homebrew #1

John Joyce & I tried some home-brew supplied by Beer Tour regular Wes Gorans tonight. I'm not sure what it was supposed to be, but here's what it was: Definitely unfiltered, it poured with a hefty three-finger head with a strawberry blonde hue. The taste was reminiscent of a dunkelweizen, with banana and bubblegum notes. I caught a little bit of clove as well, with a medium hop level adding some subtle pine. Pretty successful first effort I'd say.

Sam Adams Cream Stout

Let me tell you, I really missed the Cream Stout in the Holiday Classics variety pack. Cream Stout is a great winter brew. The head quickly dissipated when poured, the color is dark, dark, brown, almost black. There's a hint of hoppiness and a rich chocolaty flavor, but not too sweet. I'm a big fan of stouts, and this is one of the best that I've ever had...a ten on a scale of ten.

I wrote this review over 3 years ago, and it seems like I was over-enthusiastic. Sam Adams Cream Stout is a fine beer, but I've had many stouts that exceed it. Tasting in again in 2013, I'd credit it with more hoppiness than I'd noted before. Also a pumpernickel-like heft to it. Still pretty damn good!

Tommyknocker Cocoa Porter Winter Warmer

Oh yeah! I am and long have been a fan of the chewable beers, and this one really hits the spot. This dark, creamy porter is brewed with cocoa powder and honey, making it like a dessert unto itself. The cocoa flavor is very noticeable and almost tastes like a fudgesicle. Not a beer to drink too many of, but nice for a cold winter's night.

Blue Blood 1335 Wicked Snout

Another fine ale from our former law enforcement friends at Blue Blood. I had the privilege of trying this baby out straight out of the barrel - and once again at the Lazlo's last night (some kind of confusion between "snout and "stout" - it was stout & porter night). Wicked Snout is a Farmhouse Ale, sometimes called a Saison. I find them to be quite delicious, but frankly, more of a late Spring and early Summer brew than wintry. It poured a butterscotchy yellow, with a one finger snowy head, the aroma is reminiscent of apricots; the taste adds a subtle sweetness with overtones of tropical fruit, mangoes and white grapes. It goes down smooth - I look forward to many more.

Blue Moon Valencia Grove Amber

My beer luck has not been very good today. Normally I like Blue Moon's seasonals, but the Valencia Grove Amber just doesn't do it for me. Not enough orange, not enough hops, not enough malt...not really enough anything. Not bad enough to pour out, but not good enough to buy a six pack...or even a single.

Beck's Sapphire

The first thing that I notice, or shall I say, fail to notice, is the distinctive European hop profile, which is fine with me, as I'm not the biggest fan of the German, Czech and Dutch lagers. But when you drink a Beck's, that's what you expect, especially since their promoting "German Sapphire Hops" right on the (admittedly pretty cool) label. So, I guess if you're going for less hoppiness and a dumbed-down "smooth" taste with a higher ABV...sure, go ahead drink one of these. The other thing is that I couldn't find anyone who had every heard of "Sapphire Hops", so I found this:

http://www.brew-dudes.com/saphir-hops/502

Cool bottle...mediocre beer.

Lugene Chocolate Milk Stout from Odell Brewing Co.

Billed as "like drinking a big glass of chocolate milk" Lugene (named for the farmer who hauls away the spent malt from the brewery to feed his cows) is my favored style of dark/heavy beers, the milk or sweet stout. Not much of a head, but a dark, almost impenetrable, not black, but deep red. Lots of chocolate, especially in the aroma and the first taste. A little bit of coffee, and surprisingly, a bit of orange peel.  It's 8.5% ABV, and there's a flash of alcohol heat after a while, but nothing overwhelming. No hop bitterness evident, but some peanuttiness at the end of a long draw. This is a brew to sit and slowly savor.

Schell's Chimney Sweep

Schell's is one of those breweries where good beers have been crafted long before the term "craft beer" entered the lexicon. Their year round beers, as well as their seasonals are always solid representations of their styles. Chimney Sweep is the new winter seasonal, tagged as a schwartzbier, which simply means "black beer" in German, and are usually classed as black lagers. Far from simply a lager with some brown food coloring, Chimney Sweep almost comes across as a lightweight porter. It pours with a small head, the color being a translucent dark brown. There's a touch of hoppiness and some laid back smokiness. Other flavors that make appearances are caramel and some cafe au lait. Might even qualify as sessionable and a great introductory beer for the dark beer phobic.