Beer Review: Northstar Imperial Porter

Another good reason to attend the monthly beer tours over at Empyrean Brewing; this month was dark beer month. We didn't have dark beers exclusively (Thank you Rich Chapin, for that 20 minute lecture on why barleywines didn't have to be dark!) but there were some nice offerings, including this beauty from Twisted Pine Brewery in Colorado (we should move to Colorado, if only for the beer!). As a stout & porter fan, and one who tries to keep to the dark heavies during the cold months, this high ABV porter appealed to me. Some breweries sneak in some sweet stouts or porters after Imbolc (look it up) and the Spring Equinox before bocking it up and surely before the blondes and other "spring" beers hit the shelves.  Northstar (Nickname: gator - inside north Lincoln joke there) is a sweet porter, thick and rich and intoxicating, but sweet and dessert-like at the same time. Go try some...but you can't have mine.

Wasatch Polygamy Porter

Made by the Utah Brewers Cooperative, but obviously not by Mormons, this is a good tasting, brew, but more of a heavy brown ale than a porter. Notes of coffee and chocolate, roasted malts and more than a little bit of hops. Low ABV for a porter at 4%, but like I said, pretty tasty, just not heavy enough for a porter.

Beer Review: Cowboy Coffee Porter

Pours a tall frothy head (that's what she said), dark brown, with a distinct coffee aroma. Smoky, hoppy, wakes you up and puts you to sleep!

Beer Review: Boulevard Smokestack Series - Dark Truth

Not sure if this is some kind of anniversary edition or what, but the "Smokestack Series" appears to be some special edition, hopped up, high octane beers. Dark Truth is an Imperial Stout, 9.7% ABV. The taste is chocolatey brown, small, 1/2 finger head, but the head that it does have sticks to the sides of the glass as one drinks it down. tastes of chocolate, molasses, roasted malts and coffee. Medium carbonation, not too much hop bitterness, lots of flavor. Full bodied, yet goes down smooth. I had one yesterday in a Sam Adams perfect pint glass, drinking one out of a wine goblet today. The Sammie brings out the flavor better in my not-so-humble opinion.

Beer Review: Sam Adams Revolutionary Rye (

The new variety pack is out, like always, right after New Year's, but like always, some head-scratching as to why some of these offerings go in here. White Ale was in the holiday pack, Noble Pils is a warm weather brew in my opinion, leaving only the Rye, Irish Red and Scotch Ale. I'd load it up more heavily with dark beers, like the Cream Stout, Black Lager, and keep out the lightweights.

Revolutionary Ryre is ruby-red hue, poured with an itty-bitty head. Tasted of citrus and pine. A little bit of orange, signature rye taste way down in the mix. Nothing wrong with it, in fact it tasted great, but doesn't hold up to some other ryes I've had this past year.

Beer Review: Widmer Brrr Winter Seasonal

Poured a clear, light brown with a one-finger head. IPA-ish in character, lots of citrus, especially grapefruit in the taste. 7.2% ABV. A little strong for everyday use, but not bad for sipping.

Beer Review: Sam Adams/Weihenstephan Infinium

 Infinium is a special release from Sam Adams in collaboration with the 1000 year-old Werihenstephan brewery in Germany and follows that country's Reinheitsgebot, or beer purity, laws. The bottle resembles a champagne carafe more than any beer bottle that you've ever seen and there's champagne-like qualities to the taste as well. It pours, highly carbonated, leaving a head that stretches from the top to the bottom of the glass. The hue is a light honey-amber, while the head itself is a snowy white that dissipates into a clingy lacy-ness. The first thing that hits me is the sweetness, followed by the alcohol heat. (ABV is 10.3%). There's a light maltiness to Infinium, with hints of toffee and butterscotch, reminiscent of Belgian whites. Most assuredly a New Year's Eve at midnight style of thing....yeah.