Suregork Loves Beer

• Brewery: Southern Tier Brewing Company
• Country: USA
• Style: Imperial IPA
• ABV: 9.5 %
• Size: 650 ml
• Bought from: Online
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To celebrate the start of my short winter holiday I thought I’d try another beer that has been in my refrigerator for way too long. Un*Earthly is an Imperial IPA by the New York-based brewery Southern Tier. I have previously tried a couple of Southern Tier beers, one being Gemini, which is a blend of this beer and their Hoppe. I really liked the blend, so am guessing this beer should be great as well. It has been brewed with pale ale malt, carapils and red wheat, and hopped with chinook, cascade, styrian goldings, and centennial to a calculated IBU of 153. Sounds promising, but hopefully there is some hop punch in it still and I haven’t waited too long to try it.

Southern Tier Un*Earthly
Appearance
The beer pours crystal-clear with an amber-orange color. A really minimal off-white head is formed, that remains as a ring on top of the beer the entire drinking session. The surface is oily and a slight amount of lacing clings on the glass as the beer level decreases in the glass. Could have used some more head for a better appearance.
Smell
The aroma is mainly a blend of citrusy and resiny hoppiness and a sweet caramelly maltiness. There are some floral and candied fruit tones present as well. The aroma could be stronger, but I guess the beer isn't super fresh.
Taste
There are some caramel and sweet biscuit tones in the beginning as the beer enters the mouth, but these are quickly overtaken by a floral, grapefruit-like, piney, resiny and earthy hoppiness, that linger in the mouth for a long time. The finish is quite sweet, almost barleywine-like, and there is a moderate hop bitterness present. Could have used a bit more hop flavors and a little less maltiness, but this might be because the bottle isn't fresh.
Mouthfeel
The body is full and the carbonation level is medium-low. Together with the sweetness and the bitterness, it makes the beer a bit difficult to drink, and it definitely is a slow sipper. The beer feels smooth in the mouth though.

Overall

Overall, this was quite a disappointment, even though the beer was quite tasty and enjoyable. I like malty (I)IPAs, but this was a bit too sweet even for my taste. The FG of this beer is around 1.020, so it was most likely quite sweet even when fresher. The hop flavor is quite subdued, so I guess this could up to a year old. There are definitely better (I)IPAs available on the market, but don't be afraid to try Southern Tier's IPA currently available at the Arkadia Alko!

• Brewery: Amager Bryghus
• Country: Denmark
• Style: Imperial IPA
• ABV: 9.0 %
• Size: 500 ml
• Bought from: Barley Wine, Copenhagen
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After beginning the evening with an IPA hopped with 10 different hop varieties, its time to up the odds with an Imperial IPA hopped with 30 different hop varieties. Yes, you read that right, 30 different hop varieties. I have no idea what these 30 varieties are, but I assume they have put in every common hop variety around. After the previous muddled mess I’m expecting the worst. I have no information on any other ingredients either, so will have to see how it does! This bottle was from batch #364, which I think was brewed in June this year as the best before date is 06/2013, so the beer should be around 5 months old (hopefully that, and not 17 months old). Let’s see how it does!

Amager Rated XxX
Appearance
The beer pours with a hazy amber-orange color (slightly darker than the previous Mikkeller 10), and minimal off-white colored head. The surface is oily and the beer leaves minimal patches of lacing along the glass as the surface falls. Not very good looking at least.
Smell
The aroma is a strange blend of tropical fruits and herbs, which is backed up by some slight caramel and resiny tones. The aroma is a little on the weak side, but the little that is there is quite pleasant, though a bit hard to pinpoint.
Taste
The flavor begins with a caramelly maltiness, but before you know it, your taste buds have been attacked by a massive, but muddled, hoppiness. I'm able to pick out some citrus, tropical fruits, resin, berries and herbal tones, but there is a bit too much going on to get a clear picture. The finish is semi-dry and features a huge, dank and mouth-drying bitterness. Balance is definitely towards the hoppy and bitter side, but the maltiness is still there to back it up. Its a shame the hop flavors are as muddled as they are, as otherwise this would be a very nice beer. I love the huge bitterness, coupled with the caramelly sweetness and hoppy flavors. You feel some alcohol as the beer warms up.
Mouthfeel
The beer has a medium-full body and medium-low carbonation level. The beer feels a bit oily in the mouth, and the bitterness is a bit harsh. A slow sipper.
Overall
I liked this slightly more than Mikkeller 10, mostly because the stronger hop flavors and bitterness levels. The hop profile was very muddled again though, and its a shame this didn't contain a tenth of the hop varieties. The crazy bitterness can probably be off-putting to some, but I felt the maltiness and hop flavors managed to keep it on par. These were some interesting experiments, but there is a reason why brewers usually choose to use only a couple of different hop varieties in their brews.

• Brewery: Lagunitas Brewing Company
• Country: USA
• Style: Imperial IPA
• ABV: 8.2 %
• Size: 355 ml
• Bought from: Barley Wine, Copenhagen
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After a week of fermentations and analysing wort (I love my job!), I thought it would be nice to sit down and relax with a nice and hoppy IPA. This is one of the beers I brought home from my trip to Copenhagen in August. I’ve heard lots of good stuff about Lagunitas before, but have never had a chance to try them, so am looking forward to this. This seems to be categorized as an Imperial IPA on the various beer sites online, but the bottle claims the beer is only 59 IBU, so I am skeptical. I have no information on the ingredients used, so I have no idea what to expect. The bottle states that the original gravity was 1.080, which gives a final gravity of around 1.017-1.018 with the ABV of 8.2%. Not too dry, and definitely in my ballpark. Let’s see how this tastes! Unfortunately there are no freshness indicators on this, so I have no clue how old this bottle is.

Lagunitas Maximus
Appearance
The beer pours clear and with an orange-amber color. There was no yeast sediment in the bottle, so guess the beer has been filtered. A minimal off-white head is formed, that disappears as fast as it appeared.
Smell
As I open the bottle I can feel some hop aroma reach my nose. The actual beer features a strong orange and tangerine hop aroma, with some tones of apricots, tropical fruits, resin and sweet caramel in the background as well. I've never actually come across a beer with this kind of aroma before (i.e. this strong of an orange aroma). Interesting, but not among my favorites.
Taste
The flavor begins with a sweet, caramelly, bready maltiness, that together with the hop tones of citrus (orange in the lead again, with some lemon and tangerine) reminds me of some citrus candy drops. You can find some grassy and herbal tones in the hoppiness as well, but they are quite subdued. The flavor ends with a sweet and only slightly bitter finish. I felt this was really imbalanced, and way too sweet to be fully enjoyable. This would also have need lots more bitterness to back up the sweetness. Again an interesting flavor, but definitely not amongst my favorites, especially with the poor balance.
Mouthfeel
The beer has a medium-full body and a medium carbonation level. The sweetness makes this a bit difficult to drink. At least the alcohol is well hidden.

Overall

Definitely disappointed with this one, as I feel this would have been so much better with some more bitterness and a slightly drier finish. The beer featured some interesting hop tones in the aroma and flavor, mostly focusing on orange and tangerine. I have no idea what hops Lagunitas have used, but maybe it could be Summit hops? I will have to give Lagunitas another chance if I see any of their other beers in the future, but this beer was at least no to my taste.

• Brewery: Hoppin Frog Brewery
• Country: USA
• Style: Imperial IPA
• ABV: 8.2 %
• Size: 650 ml
• Bought from: Online
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I have had a bottle of Hoppin Frog’s Mean Manalishi Imperial IPA in the refrigerator for a couple of months waiting for the right time to drink it. Today I thought I’d finally try it, to make some room in the fridge. Have not tried many beers from Hoppin Frog (only the barrel-aged B.O.R.I.S.), but have heard some good things about them. Couldn’t find any official information on ingredients, but some web pages list Columbus and Summit as the hops used. This IPA features a massive theoretical IBU of 168 and it has apparently had an OG of 1.084, which means that the FG should be around 1.021 as the beer is 8.2% ABV. Hopefully the beer isn’t too sweet and still packs a hoppy punch!

Hoppin Frog Mean Manalishi
Appearance
The beer pours with a slightly hazy amber-copper color, and a slight off-white head is formed, that collapses quickly and leaves some lacing along the glass. The surface is a bit oily as well.
Smell
The aroma features a combination of hop tones and caramel. The hop tones bring to mind resin, tangerine, citrus and herbs, and overall the aroma is earthy and dank.
Taste
The flavor begins with a caramelly maltiness, but it is quickly overtaken by a resiny, dank and floral hoppiness, featuring tones of grapefruit, tangerine and pine. As the hop flavors die down, a strong bitterness enters that lingers with the semi-dry finish. Really nice flavors! The flavors are well balanced and the bitterness is backed up by a strong malt backbone.
Mouthfeel
The beer has a medium-full body and a medium-low carbonation level. The beer is easy to drink, even with the strong flavors.

Overall
Overall, a very nice beer, with tons of dank resiny hoppiness and a strong bitterness. The caramelly malt backbone makes sure that the beer is easy to drink and well balanced. Not sure about the freshness of the bottle, but it is most likely at least 6 months old. Even with this age, the beer had great hop aroma and flavor. Looking forward to trying more Hoppin Frog beers in the future!

Today I bottled the keg of my latest Imperial IPA, aka Catnipa. Pia has again designed a nice label for the beer. The beer pours with a slight hazy amber color, and a slight off-white head is formed, that collapses quite quickly, leaving some lacing along the glass and an oily surface. The aroma is very hop-dominated, with dank tones of resin, citrus (grapefruit), and tropical fruits (pineapple and mango). There is some caramel behind the hops as well. The flavor begins with some caramel, but is quickly overtaken by a dank, resiny, piney, citrusy and earthy hoppiness, that clings on until the semi-dry and bitter finish. I’m quite happy with how this one turned out, as it is packed lots of hoppy goodness. Surprisingly drinkable for such a bitter and quite strong (with regards to ABV) beer. Hopefully this improves further with some time in the bottle, and hopefully the aroma stays for a while as well.

My latest Imperial IPA has been in the keg for a week at 0.8 bar CO2 and 1 degree C, so today I poured up the first taste sample. As I was expecting, the beer was only partially carbonated (it usually takes me at least two weeks with the ‘set-and-forget’ method to reach proper carbonation levels), and it poured really murky with almost no head (I poured with low pressure from the keg, so that also explains the non-existing head). I’m positive the beer will clear up after I’ve poured the first few pints, as these usually contain the yeast and other sedimented particles from the bottom of the keg, and also form a much bigger and retentive head, as the beer gets more carbonation and a more vigorous pour. This beer is heavily hopped (both in the kettle and dry-hopped), so that naturally makes it murkier, and right now the appearance reminded me a bit of that of Alchemist’s Heady Topper. Well enough about the appearance, lets go to how it smelled and tasted.

Even though the carbonation level was low, the beer had a great and strong aroma, featuring dank, resiny, grapefruity, citrusy and earthy hop tones. These will hopefully still be amplified with more carbonation and by resting on the keg hops for another week. The flavor was also nice, though not perfect at the moment, as the beer felt a little ‘green’ still (muddled flavors, bland mouthfeel from low carbonation, slight yeast tones). This is not surprising though, as it has only been a week in the keg. The flavor featured some initial caramelly maltiness, which was overtook by resiny, dank, citrusy and earthy hop tones, that lingered long with the dry and bitter finish. I have high expectations for this, and I think that in a couple of weeks this will be fantastic.

• Brewery: The Alchemist
• Country: USA
• Style: Imperial IPA
• ABV: 8 %
• Size: 500 ml
• Bought from: Online, ~8 euro
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Time to try another highly rated IPA (ranked number 3 all-time on Beer Advocate and the 5th best Imperial IPA on RateBeer) I recently acquired: The Alchemist’s Heady Topper. Alchemist are a craft brewery from Vermont, USA, currently only brewing a single beer (Heady Topper, their Imperial IPA). The reason for this is that their brewery was destroyed with Hurricane Irene last year, and they have now just recently reopened. They produced a wide range of beers before, but are now only concentrating on brewing their flagship beer perfectly. The new brewery also features a canning line, so this IIPA should be extra protected from UV light and oxygen. Alchemist are very secretive about this brew, so I have no information on the ingredients used to brew it. The website states that the beer is 120 IBU. The can suggests you should drink the beer directly out of the can, but I wanted a look of it as well, so I poured it into a snifter. Let’s see if this lives up to the hype!

Alchemist Heady Topper
Appearance
The beer pours with a hazy golden-yellow color (some hints of orange), and a slight white head is formed, that collapses quickly leaving some lacing along the glass. There are hop particulates floating around in the beer, suggesting that this is gonna be a really hoppy beer. The surface is oily as well.
Smell
Wow, you can smell this beer from a couple of meters away. The aroma is extremely hoppy, with tones of grapefruit, mango, tropical fruits, resin, grass and lemon zest. As a hop-lover I can say this is the best smelling beer I've ever had.
Taste
The flavor is as hop-dominated as the aroma. There is almost no sign of any maltiness, as the flavor begins with a citrusy and resiny hoppiness, featuring tones of grapefruit, tangerine, lemon, pine and earthy herbs. The flavor clings onto the every exposed surface of the mouth, and it finishes with a bitter and quite dry finish. This beer is balanced completely towards the hops, but the bitterness is not over the top, and it still is enjoyable to drink. In fact, I really like this beer. Maybe not the tastiest beer I've had, but definitely top 3. You really have to like hop flavors to like this one though
Mouthfeel
The beer has a medium-light body and a medium carbonation level. The beer is a little sticky and oily because of all the hoppiness, and the bitterness withdraws some points. This is still surprisingly easy to drink!
Overall
A fantastic beer, filled with amazing hop aroma and flavor. This beer is concentrated solely on the hops, but the beer still manages to be interesting and tasty. The hoppiness is complex, and features a wide range of flavors. Definitely lives up to its hype. If you ever get the chance to try it, do it! Beware though, you have to love hops!

• Brewery: Baird Brewing Co.
• Country: Japan
• Style: Imperial IPA
• ABV: 7.5 %
• Size: 360 ml
• Bought from: Online, 3.5 euros?
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I have never tried a Japanese beer before (well I have had an Asahi Dry, but it is brewed under license in the Czech Republic here in Europe), so am really looking forward to trying this Imperial IPA from Baird Brewing. Baird Brewing was founded in Numazu, Japan in the year 2000 by Bryan Baird (American?) and his wife Sayuri Baird. They are one of the more famous craft breweries in Japan, and brew a wide selection of beer. This Imperial IPA has been hopped with American hops to an IBU of 90 and should be quite dry (85% apparent attenuation). I really like the colorful and artsy label, and they use a similar style for all their beers. Let’s see if they can brew a tasty IPA in Japan!

Baird Suruga Bay Imperial IPA
Appearance
The beer pours with a hazy orange-amber color, and a slight off-white head is formed, that disappears quickly leaving no lacing and an oily surface
Smell
The beer has a caramelly, floral and slightly resinous aroma, that also features some tones of tropical fruits. No alcohol is detectable.
Taste
The flavor begins surprisingly sweet, with tones of caramel and bready malt, that are then joined by a juicy, fruity and floral hoppiness, that ends with a quite subtle resiny bitter finish. The flavor reminds me more of a (American) barleywine, with its sweeter tones and subdued hop flavors. Still an enjoyable and balanced beer.
Mouthfeel
The beer has a medium body and a medium-low carbonation level. It is quite easy to drink, as the bitterness is well balanced by the strong maltiness.

Overall
Overall a good beer, but nothing spectacular. Either this was a little old (best before 3/2013), or it was less hoppy than I expect from an Imperial IPA. The aroma was nice, featuring nice hop tones, but the flavor was dominated mostly by the caramelly malt and the resiny bitter finish. Still better than any hoppy Finnish beers I've tried.

• Brewery: Firestone Walker Brewing Co.
• Country: USA
• Style: Imperial IPA
• ABV: 9.5 %
• Size: 650 ml
• Bought from: Gift from my sister (bought in San Francisco)
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My sister brought home a threesome of Firestone Walker beers from San Francisco a couple of weeks ago, of which I’ve already had the Union Jack IPA (reviewed last summer already, so didn’t bother re-reviewing it). The Union Jack is one the tastiest, if not the tastiest, beer I’ve ever had, so am really looking forward to try the Imperial version of it. The bottle is quite fresh, about 3 months old, so the majority of the hoppy goodness should be intact. The beer is brewed with American 2-row, Munich and Light Crystal malt, and has been hopped with Warrior, Columbus, Cascade, Centennial, Amarillo and Simcoe to an IBU of around 100. The original gravity of the beer should have been around 1.087, while the final gravity is around 1.015 (giving an ABV of 9.5%). The beer has been fermented with an English ale yeast. Hopefully this one is as good as the Union Jack!

Firestone Walker Double Jack
Appearance
The beer pours with a golden-orange color and a slight off-white oily head, that collapses leaving some lacing and foam islands.
Smell
The aroma is very hoppy, featuring floral and citrusy tones, drawing towards grapefruit, lime, pineapple, resin and tropical fruits. There is a slight caramelly sweetness behind all the hops, as well as some minimal alcohol notes. Fantastic aroma!
Taste
The flavor begins with the slightest caramelly notes, but it quickly becomes evident that this beer is all about the hops. The flavor is full of citrusy, fruity and resiny hop tones, which balance perfectly with the slight maltiness that's also present. The hop tones begin with some grapefruit, lime and tangerine, but move on to the resiny and piney territory, where they are joined by a smooth bitterness and a quite dry aftertaste. The flavors are fantastically balanced, as the bitterness, which does not at all feel like 100 IBU, is paired with the slightly sweet, caramelly and honey-like malt backbone and the bucket-loads of hop flavor. This surpasses Union Jack as the best tasting beer I've ever had.
Mouthfeel
The beer has a medium body and medium-low carbonation level, and because of the balance it is fantastically easy to drink.
Overall
Just wow. Firestone Walker really know how to brew IPAs (and they are known for their dark beers as well). This beer is full-packed with citrusy and resiny hop flavors and aroma, that are perfectly balanced with a slight malt backbone and a smooth bitterness. The beer is easy to drink as well for such a strong ale. Still have the Double Barrel Ale left, that I'm looking forward to trying as well. If you ever get the chance to try this, do try. Shame I probably won't get to try this again in a long time.

I organized another beer tasting event together with a couple of friends (Kimmo, Marcus L. and Marcus N.) yesterday, and this time we tasted through a total of 21 different beers (we had 24 beers total, but didn’t taste through them all). Out of the 21 beers, 8 were homebrews (one of my own, two from Marcus L., and five that our Swedish friend Ingo had sent us; Thanks for them!). Most of the beers were fantastic and we had a great time. We also had some tasty homemade hamburgers and potato wedges to fill out stomachs between the beers (thanks Marcus L. and Marcus N. for making them!). Here is a picture of the whole line-up:

The line-up included:
Back row, left to right: Cigar City Jai Alai, St. Feuillien Saison, Black Isle Goldeneye Pale Ale (not tasted), La Trappe Witte (not tasted), Southern Tier Iniquity, Green Flash Imperial IPA, Bear Republic Big Bear Black Stout, Southern Tier Backburner, Norrebro Pacific Summer Ale, De Molen Hemel & Aarde, Brewdog IPA is Dead – Galaxy, Brewdog IPA is Dead – Challenger, Brewdog IPA is Dead – Motueka, Brewdog IPA is Dead – HBC, Brewdog Hardcore IPA (not tasted), Brewdog DogA.

Front row, left to right: “1 AM” – British Yeast, “1 AM” – American Yeast, Citra IPA (mine), Slinka V IPA, PMX II – Sällskapsporter, PraktPretto II – Ale, Slinka V IPA (again), Zum Zum, Grabthar’s Hammer – Imperial India Pale Ale.

We began the evening by trying out Brewdog’s IPA is Dead series:

The beers poured with a similar golden-amber color and a slight white head that left some lacing. The Galaxy version was slightly hazier than the rest of the bunch. The Challenger version featured an earthy, grassy and slightly citrusy aroma, that pulled my mind towards ‘English’-style ales directly. The flavor was the least hoppy of the bunch, and you could get tones of caramel, toasted malt and red berries, along with the earthy and herby hoppiness. The Galaxy version had an aroma featuring tones of mango, passion fruit and grapefruit. The flavor was similar, featuring strong tones of grapefruit, citrus, resin and some tropical fruits. The bitterness of the Galaxy version felt the harshest and most present. The HBC version also featured tones of tropical fruits (mango) in the aroma, but had more of a grassy feel. The flavor felt the sweetest of the four beers, and featured tones of citrus, currants and some grassiness. The Motueka version featured tones of dill and lemon in the aroma, and it reminded me a bit of the tones you get from the Sorachi Ace hop. The flavor contained some tones of tropical fruits alongside the lemon which was present in the aroma already. The beers all had a medium body and a medium-low carbonation level. My favorite of the bunch was the Galaxy version.

Next up was a foursome of homebrews (My Citra IPA, and Ingo’s Slinka V IPA, Zum Zum and PraktPretto II):

Again the beers had a similar appearance, all being slightly hazy, having colors in the golden-amber range and having white to off-white heads. The Citra IPA featured tones of passion fruits, lychee, mango and some alcohol in the aroma. The flavor began slightly sweet, with honey-like tones, which are joined by hop tones of tropical fruits. The finish is quite smooth and with some bitterness. The beer had a medium body and medium carbonation level. Slinka V IPA featured tones of caramel and ‘fruity bubblegum’ in the aroma. The flavor was quite different, moving towards resiny and earthy hop flavors, and a bitter finish. The beer had a medium body and low carbonation level. Zum Zum was a little strange, as according to the label it should have been a beer with a low IBU but loads of hops (I was expecting a beer in the style of an American Pale Ale), but it felt more like a Hefeweizen. Both the aroma and flavor was dominated by spicy phenols, some banana and yeastiness, which are typical of the Hefeweizen-style. The beer had a light body and a medium carbonation level. I wonder if this was infected? PraktPretto II (an English Ale, hopped with EK Goldings, 5.9%, 30 IBU, 1.055->1.010) featured earthy and grassy tones in the aroma, and it felt very true to the style. There was some cherry in the aroma as well. The began with a sweet maltiness, that was joined by some earthiness. The flavors were well balanced. The beer had a medium-light body and a medium carbonation level. This was my favorite of these three Ingo beers.

After this it was time to try two of Alko’s summer beers, St. Feuillien Saison and Norrebro Pacific Summer Ale, and Marcus L.’s two homebrews (the same Amber Ale base, but fermented with S-04 and US-05):

The saison poured golden-yellow with a fluffy white head. The aroma was mostly spicy (Belgian yeast tones), with some slight citrus. The flavor was quite light, with the same spicyness from the aroma and a dry finish. The body was light and carbonation level was medium-high. Refreshing summer beer. The Norrebro Pacific Summer Ale poured golden-amber, with a minimal white head. The aroma contained tones of caramelly malt, honey, and a slight fruity hoppiness. The flavor was similarly malt-dominated, with bready and caramelly flavors dominating, with a slight grassy hoppiness in the background. The finish was quite dry with not much bitterness. The body was medium-light with a medium carbonation level. The “1 AM” ales were amber colored, with slight off-white heads and a oily texture. Both beers had a caramelly and malty aroma, with the British version having some red berries in the aroma as well, while the American version had some ‘dishcloth’ tones as well. Both beers were quite bland in flavor, featuring mostly maltiness and some sour undertones. Both beers had a light body and medium carbonation level. Both were probably passed their prime unfortunately.

After this we started to get hungry, so we cooked up some burgers and potato wedges. While cooking we enjoyed Cigar City’s Jai Alai IPA (unfortunately no picture or tasting notes, but see this post from when I tried it last), full-packed with citrusy hoppiness. After dinner we moved to the heavier beers, and poured up Ingo’s Grabthar’s Hammer (9%, 101 IBU, 1.086->1.018, Amarillo, Riwaka, Cascade, Chinook, and Summer hops), Green Flash Imperial IPA, Southern Tier Iniquity and Southern Tier Backburner:

Grabthar’s Hammer poured with a hazy amber color and a white head. The aroma featured tones of sweet tropical fruits, citrus and slight alcohol (the aroma was similar to his Slinka V IPA). The flavor began with a sweet maltiness, that is joined by tones of tropical fruits and citrus. The finish is quite sweet with a huge bitterness. There are slight solvent tones present as well. The beer has a medium body and medium-low carbonation level. Green Flash Imperial IPA poured with a golden color and a really fluffy and large white head, that collapsed leaving tons of lacing. The aroma featured a sweet citrusy and herby tone, that felt really familiar, but that none of us could pinpoint. Maybe it was tangerine, which Summit hops are known for. The flavor was dominated by hoppy tones of resin and lemon, and the finish was quite sweet and bitter. The beer had a medium body and medium carbonation level. Southern Tier Iniquity (Black IPA) poured very dark brown (almost black), with a off-white head. The aroma contained tones of roasted malt, spices and a slight hoppiness. The flavor began with some roasted tones and caramel, and it was joined by some resiny hop tones and a bitter finish. The beer had a medium body and medium carbonation level. Southern Tier Backburner (Barleywine) poured with a dark amber color, and a slight off-white head was formed. The aroma was nutty, malty and caramelly, and the flavor was similar. The flavor was dominated by very sweet caramelly tones, together with a nutty maltiness and a slightly bitter finish. The beer had a full body and a medium-low carbonation level.

The final beers of the evening were the Imperial Stouts and Porter. Brewdog’s Dog A, De Molen Hemel & Aarde, Bear Republic Big Bear Black Stout and Ingo’s PMX II Sällskapsporter (6.8%, 30 IBU, Magnum, EK Goldings, 1.062->1.010). Fortunately I had read warning notes on the internet about opening the Hemel & Aarde, as when we opened it in the kitchen sink, 75% of the contents came out in a beer fountain.

Dog A poured pitch black with a minimal tan head. The aroma featured tones of roasted malt, coffee, chocolate and some fruitiness from the chili. The flavor was intensive, featuring roasted malt, coffee, caramel, chocolate and some warming chili tones. The beer had a full body and a surprising amount of carbonation (medium level). It was very drinkable already, but I think it will improve with some aging. Hemel & Aarde was a bit hard to comment on, because of the small amount of beer that remained for tasting. It was also pitch black and no head was formed during pour. The aroma was full of smokey whisky tones and some roastiness. The flavor was similar. The beer had a full body and low carbonation level. Shame about the gusher, since it would have been nice to try more of this beer. The Big Bear Black Stout poured pitch black with a cream-colored head. The aroma was quite light compared to the previous two beers, and it featured tones of roasted malt and coffee. The flavor was also surprisingly light, with roasted tones of coffee and chocolate. A slight tartness was present as well. The beer had a medium body and medium carbonation level. The Sällskapsporter also tried to come out of the bottle when opening, so it poured with a black color and a massive cream-colored head that collapsed quite quickly. The aroma was quite light, with some roasted malt and coffee, together with a slight sourness. The flavor was mostly roasted malts, with a very dry finish and slight bitterness. The body was medium-light with a medium-high carbonation level. I wonder if this was infected as well?

Overall I’m very happy with the evening, as there were some fantastic beers. Personal favorites were Brewdog IPA is Dead Galaxy, Cigar City’s Jai Alai, Green Flash Imperial IPA and Brewdog Dog A.