Motörhead Röad Crew Pale Ale

I spotted this on a friend's Facebook page not too long ago, so when I saw it at my local beer store I thought I'd give it a try. It's billed as an American Pale Ale, but have also heard it described as an IPA. The ABV is a modest 5%, but the IBUs are a healthy 45, giving it a robust hop bitterness. It's a solid, decent tasting pale ale, but there's not a lot of complexity, or corollary flavors coming through. That's not necessarily a bad thing, just that there's nothing setting apart from every other pale ale on the market. Other than the umlauts. 
 

Surly Brewing: Pentagram Dark Sour

I thought I was done with the sours for the season, but this looked so interesting I had to bring it home with me. It pours dark, like a black ruby, with a short reddish-tan head. It's an extremely odd flavor - not unpleasant - I might inaccurately call it gamey. It's actually the first sour that I've tried that was made with dark malt, giving it that dark hue. There's a strong aroma/flavor of oak, much stronger than your usual oak barrel infused brew. There's some grape, like a red wine, and some smokiness - like a fine cigar. I know that last part sounded unappetizing, but keep an open mind! Subsidiary flavors include strawberry, raspberry and black cherry. Plums, dates and figs bring up the rear. Don't know how to rate this, but I'd drink it again. 

Keg Creek Old Marathon Barleywine Style Ale

As we close in on Imbolc, the barleywine style makes its appearance. Sometimes called a "strong ale", a barleywine ale was typically the highest ABV style around before the modern "imperial" and "double" beer varieties were introduced by craft brewers and before we saw many trippels and quadruppels from Belgium. Old Marathon clocks in at a serious 13.3% ABV. No word on the IBUs, but the hoppiness is quite subdued. It pours a hazy maple syrup hue with a thin tan head. It's got a medium creaminess and it's whiskey-like at first. The corollary flavors are evocative of dark fruits like fig, dates and black cherries, along with brown sugar and maple. Very smooth going down. IGB awards it an 8.5 on the strong ale scale. 
 

Fargo Brewing Cinnabuster Coffee Cake Stout

 I'm a sucker for the stouts and porters, but sometimes they just don't come through for me. Cinnabuster Coffee Cake Stout is another in the long line of brews that tries too hard but really should just stick to the basics. I guess if you squint with your taste buds really hard you'll detect something that reminds you of coffee cake, but only if you have a good imagination. The basic requirement of a flavored beer is that the underlying beer, whether it's a stout, porter, sour or IPA, is a decent beer. The flavoring is supposed to complement the underlying beer, not disguise its deficiencies. In this case the stout base is a bit too thin for my taste, and bit sour - not in a good sense, but more like it's off. I very seldom post negative reviews, but it is what it is. 2.5 on the IGB stout scale. 

Keg Creek Sunrise Mexican Coffee Imperial Stout

I cannot get enough of these imperial stouts. And when they're bolstered with some stout-friendly flavorings, all the better. Out of Glenwood, Iowa, Keg Creek's Sunrise Mexican Imperial Coffee Stout is a keeper. It's an imperial stout, or double stout, so it's got a little extra alcohol kick at 8.2%. It pours the color of black coffee, with a creamy, tan, three-finger head. Coffee, dark chocolate, cinnamon and chilies get together, and rather than competing for attention, have agreed to work together to give us a smooth, yet exciting brew. The combination of the desert-like mocha and the spicy chilies make for a very seasonally appropriate brew. 9 on the IGB stout scale!