Widmer - Falconer's Flight IPA

This was very enjoyable and had the great low price of $8 for the six pack. It shares the same hop as DC Brau's On the Wings of Armageddon and Public Ale.

Caramel and mild bready malt flavor. Moderate amount of bitterness, aroma is nice (could be a little stronger, but I'll take it). Recommended.

Evolution - Jacques Au Lantern

From Joe Drinks Dinner and Stuff

Lots of allspice in the aroma, but it doesn't taste terrible in the beer. It actually works with the belgian yeast. I'd never get a six pack of this, but one is perfectly fine.

Uinta - Hop Notch IPA

From Joe Drinks Dinner and Stuff

This smelled great but... it has a really... interesting aftertaste. Its like a honey sweet and bitter taste. Don't think I'll get this again...

Southern Tier - Pumking

From Joe Drinks Dinner and Stuff

So I've had this once in the past, but apparently took no notes on it.

Aroma is a lot pumpkin spices (allspice and cinnamon). Taste is pretty good. Spices aren't overwhelming. Not too sweet. I guess I'd recommend it?

New Belgium - Red Hoptober

From Joe Drinks Dinner and Stuff

Ooo. This is pretty tasty. Slight chocolate/roast aftertaste. Nice bitterness. The centennial and cascade hops come through great. I'd recommend it.

Bell's - Expedition Stout - 2011

From Joe Drinks Dinner and Stuff

Batch 10759
Bottled 11/01/11
Enjoyed on 9/25/12

Not quite a year old.

The initial taste is super smooth.
The middle has a hint of licorice to go along with standard roasted malt.
The aftertaste is not great. Its like the aftertaste of a bad cigar.

Did the finish always taste like this? I'll probably sit on the remaining two bottles I have for a while to see if that sorts itself out after awhile. 

Flying Dog - Secret Stash 2012

From Joe Drinks Dinner and Stuff

"A celebration of Maryland’s agricultural roots, each year’s batch of Secret Stash reflects the season’s harvest. This year, our Harvest Ale is an American-Style Wheat Ale brewed with local wheat and malted rye, along with local Cascade and Chinook hops."

This is far superior to last year's brew that had potatoes and a bunch of other stuff that made it taste... interesting. 

Not sure how much rye is in here (can't really taste it), but the cascade hops definitely are present. Reminds me of a lighter Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. Perfectly unoffensive. 

New Belgium - Peach Porch Lounger

From Joe Drinks Dinner and Stuff

Slightly malty, a little hint of peach. Also a hint of brett. Less interesting than it sounds from my very boring description.

Mandy described this as "slightly cidery."

DC Brau - The Citizen

From Joe Drinks Dinner and Stuff

As Gary said "Yeasty!"

Something about this beer just doesn't do it for me. I think probably the high abv, combined with the sweetness. Its fairly one note. I like my Belgian Pale Ales more refreshing than this. By far the worst non-barrel aged DC Brau offering.

Lagunitas - Day Time IPA

From Joe Drinks Dinner and Stuff

A "session" IPA

Simcoe hops pop in the aroma.

I'm going to go on record to say I'm not sure "session" IPAs are such a great idea. There's zero sweetness to balance out the bitterness. 

Firestone Walker - Sucaba/Abacus

From Joe Drinks Dinner and Stuff

Got better as it warmed up, but I don't think bourbon barrel aged barleywines are always my thing. Don't think I'd buy this again. The barrel aging just dominates any of the base beer.

Sierra Nevada - Oatmeal Stout (Best of Beer Camp)

Part of the Best of Beer Camp mix pack (not pictured)

Pretty enjoyable.Smooth is the best way to describe it. Not bitter. Nice level of chocolate flavor.

3 out of 5 (It's a good beer, I wouldn't go out of my way to get it again though)

History of Beer with Greg Engert

From Joe Drinks Dinner and Stuff

Mandy and I went to a class at the Livingsocial space in DC. It ended up consisting of Greg Engert (from Churchkey fame) rambling about the history & origins of beer for two hours. Depending on your interest level in beer, this was either a good thing, or a terrible, terrible thing.

First off, the beer drinking portion consisted of seven 4 oz. pours of a wide range of beers. Here's what I can remember:

Jolly Pumpkin - Bam Noire
Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Weizen
Stillwater - Cellar Door
Victory - Hop Devil
Duck Rabbit - Doppelbock
Flying Dog - Pearl Necklace
Tupper's Keller Pils

There was also a table with an assortment of meat, cheeses & olives which people went to town on.

Greg talked non-stop for two 45 minute periods about the history of beer. It was pretty interesting for me, not so much for Mandy. Most interesting point was that all beer probably started out as very smokey & sour due to how grains would be dried and the beer fermented. Mandy was not impressed with the smoked beer:

From Joe Drinks Dinner and Stuff

The dude that sat next to me was not impressed with any of his beers. In the back right corner of the picture below, you can see his first two beers still full even after they passed out the second set of beers. He barely touched anything that was put in front of him. I have no idea why he signed up for and attended this class.

From Joe Drinks Dinner and Stuff

Overall it was a little long and a little pricey. I'm not sure I'd recommend it, but it was certainly a change of pace on a Sunday night.

DC Brau - Deus Ex Machina

From Joe Drinks Dinner and Stuff

From a growler

Smells terrific. Very bitter. More on the grapefruit side of hoppy than the piney side. I'd buy it again. 

Doug's Tripel

From Joe Drinks Dinner and Stuff

At least I think its supposed to be a tripel. It seems a lot darker in the picture than it was in person.

Extremely carbonated. Letting it sit a few minutes helped it be less prickly.
Nice fruity esters. Sweetness is just right for the style. Enjoyable, I'd drink more if I had them. Thanks Doug!

DC Brau - Oaked Penn Quarter Porter

From Joe Drinks Dinner and Stuff

Picked up this bottle after a tour of the brewery.

This is pretty tasty, but perhaps a little thin. I guess it is a porter though. The barrel aging isn't overpowering, which is nice. A subtle oakiness and hint of whiskey is present. It works well. Only complaint is it could use a little more carbonation.

And: Debuting at the request of my devoted followers is the following rating:

4 out of 5 (Its a good beer, and I'd potentially buy it again)

Cisco - Whales Tale Pale Ale

From Joe Drinks Dinner and Stuff

Some friends brought this over share.

Not bad. Bready malts. Only a slight hint of bitterness at the end. The best by date was in April on this bottle, although another in the six pack that I drank had a date of December and didn't taste much different.

I wouldn't buy it, but I'll certainly drink the other remaining beer in the fridge.

Great Divide - Barrel Aged Old Ruffian

From Joe Drinks Dinner and Stuff

Oh man. This is delicious. Great fig and raisin flavor, with some vanilla there from the barrel aging. Its really good. Hops come through a little. Very good, very enjoyable (and better be for the price). 

Cigar City - Riverwalk Dry Hopped Pale Ale

From Joe Drinks Dinner and Stuff

Pretty easy drinking. For something billed as "dry hopped" I didn't think it was that aromatic. Nice enough. I did not get a second.

Epic - Straight Up Saison

From Joe Drinks Dinner and Stuff

3 Stars - Urban Farmhouse

From Joe Drinks Dinner and Stuff

You can definitely tell its high alcohol. The peppercorns impart almost a smokey taste (vs. peppery). Enjoyable enough, but expensive.

DC Brau - Your Favorite Foreign Movie

From Joe Drinks Dinner and Stuff

Very light. Noble hops come through. Nice enough. Not sure I'd recommend it.

Also. Rant about beer names: Why the fuck would you name your beer this? I guess its not that ridiculous, but having to shout "I want a Your Favorite Foreign Movie" at a bartender is awkward for everyone involved in the transaction.

Oliver's - A human must never say no to an ape

From Joe Drinks Dinner and Stuff

Super Dark!
Cask with ginger root and lemon peel

It smells like floor cleaner. Tastes slightly better. The ginger is really prevalent and it would definitely be better had they left it out. Otherwise a nice drinking blonde ale.

Allagash at Meridian Pint

From Joe Drinks Dinner and Stuff

Part of yet another DC beer week event. There was a crazy amount of Allagash on tap, including two vintages of Confluence, some barrel aged beers, one coolship beer and other beers I had not heard of.

Goulschip - on the right Definitely tart. That's all I really get. It's brewed with pumpkin and an assortment of other things, but its just tart. Definitely enoyable though. (And the first Allagash coolship beer I've had). Yakuza - on the left Tripel dry hopped with sorachi ace & cascade hops It doesn't seem as sweet as I remember their standard tripel. I didn't get too much out of the dry hopping. Nice enough. Saison Mihm - (Not Pictured) This was really enjoyable. Dry and slightly spicy. Recommended. Confuence 2011 - (Not Pictured) Something didn't come together for me on this. The brett is more pronounced, but its not as "bright" as I remembered. Maybe better fresh?

DC Brau - Barrel Aged Beers

From Joe Drinks Dinner and Stuff

I had these at Meridian Pint, part of a DC beer week event. There were about 6 DC Brau barrel aged beers on tap. Some of them were ridiculous (a barrel aged session IPA?) that I didn't bother to try.

Stone of Arbroath (Barrel Aged) - On the left
Some slight fruitiness comes through. Eh.

Hells Bottom (Barrel Aged) - On the right
The non barrel aged version is far superior. It gets a little lost with the whiskey/etc. Some roasted flavor. Eh.

Weyerbacher - Seventeen

From Joe Drinks Dinner and Stuff

Courtesy of the Newtster!

This is a "big" saison. Definitely sweet for the style, and under carbonated (for my tastes). Tastes more on the style of a tripel maybe? Not sure I would pick up more, but I certainly wouldn't turn one down.

Stone - Smoker Porter with Chipotle Peppers

From Joe Drinks Dinner and Stuff

This is actually pretty good. The heat from the peppers works well with the smoked malts. I wouldn't go out of my way to get it again, but its pretty interesting and tasty.

DC Brau & Stillwater - Middle Name Danger

From Joe Drinks Dinner and Stuff

From a growler. Very tasty. Slightly bitter. A little peppery. Mabye a little sweeter than I'd like but very enjoyable.

Sierra Nevada & Russian River - Brux

From Joe Drinks Dinner and Stuff

This was enjoyable enough. The brett was more pronounced in the aroma versus the actual taste. It may be more interesting after a year or two after the brett has been able to do some work, but I'm not that patient. It was substantially more drinkable than the New Belgium Brett Beer though. Pass, for the short term, buy another for the long term?

Sierra Nevada - Imperial Pilsner (Best of Beer Camp)

From Joe Drinks Dinner and Stuff

Pretty enjoyable. Reminds me of Prima Pils (which I haven't had in forever).

Sierra Nevada - Imperial Red (Best of Beer Camp)

From Joe Drinks Dinner and Stuff

This was delicious. Reminds me of nugget nectar. nice caramel malty flavor with a great hop bite. Highly recommended.

Sierra Nevada - Floral IPA (Beer Camp)

From Joe Drinks Dinner and Stuff

This tastes amazingly like almost every other Sierra Nevada hoppy ale. If I hadn't poured it myself, I would have thought it was SN Pale Ale. Nice enough, not earth shattering. The obligatory IPA in a mix pack.

New Belgium/Lost Abbey - Brett Beer

From Joe Drinks Dinner and Stuff

Not that wonderful. I was hoping for something close to Epic's brett beer (I can't remember if it had some sort of barrel aging too to get the tartness).

This was pretty malty compared to what I was hoping for. It has an aftertaste slightly similar to their Biere de Mars that I actually poured out, but this is a lot better than that beer was.

I'd pass and would not recommend.

Founders - Frangelic Mountain Brown

From Joe Drinks Dinner and Stuff

Definitely has hazelnut coffee in it. Slight chocolate flavor to it also. Its okay. Novelty beer.

I haven't had Rogue's hazelnut brown ale in years, so I don't have a comparison point there.

Southern Tier - Oak Aged Backburner

From Joe Drinks Dinner and Stuff

Oooh. This is good. Definite vanilla & oak flavor to it. Its a lot more pronounced than i thought it would be. I'd definitely get this again.

Full Sail - Top Sail

From Joe Drinks Dinner and Stuff

A little thin (but i guess it is a porter). Not bad, not great. Don't think I'd buy it again.

Great Divide - Wolfgang

From Joe Drinks Dinner and Stuff

Love the label with the subtle racing stripes and the gray background.

The beer is only just okay. Nice enough example of the style, but I like Celebrator a lot better.

Stone - Ruination 10th Anniversary IPA

From Joe Drinks Dinner and Stuff

For an 11% abv beer, its really balanced. For comparisons, its light years better than the flying dog el dorado single hop IPA. Very bitter. Aroma is great. I'd recommend it.

Dogfish Head - Urkontinent

From Joe Drinks Dinner and Stuff

Not really a traditional dubbel. Some licorice & chocolate taste to it. Reminds me vaguely of Bell's Batch 9000. Nice enough. I'd get it on tap, but probably won't get another bottle.

Devil's Backbone - Azrael

From Joe Drinks Dinner and Stuff

A nice, drinkable pale ale. Nothing more, nothing less.

Weyerbacher - Blasphemy

This was better than I was expecting. Nice vanilla notes. Pretty sweet, but not overbearing. For $9, this is actually really good. For comparison, this is far superior to the Backwoods Bastdard I've had. You can actually taste the beer vs. the barrel aging. I'd actually get another bottle for the same price and stash it away for awhile.

Bruery - White Oak

From Joe Drinks Dinner and Stuff

Nice vanilla flavor from the barrel aging. This worked well. A lot more enjoyable than the local species from last night.

Williamsburg Alewerks - Caledonia

From Joe Drinks Dinner and Stuff

Sort of tastes like a "super" (for the style) bitter scottish ale or english pale ale/bitter. Interesting enough.

Blue Mountain - Local Species

From Joe Drinks Dinner and Stuff

Slightly bitter, with a slight alcohol burn at the end. The barrel aging is definitely present. Nice enough beer. I wouldn't buy another bottle but I'd try something else from this brewery.

DuClaw - X-1 Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Chocolate Rye Porter

From Joe Drinks Dinner and Stuff

Definitely a barrel aged beer. Slightly chocolatey. Not too sweet or overly alcoholic. Enjoyable enough.

Heavy Seas - Letter of Marque 2012 - Tripel Wit Style

From Joe Drinks Dinner and Stuff

Definitely tastes like a tripel with wit spicing. I'd pass.

Flying Dog - El Dorado Single Hop IPA

From Joe Drinks Dinner and Stuff

I bought a six pack of this and it just didn't work for me. It was a tad too sweet for a double IPA (so, really sweet) and the bitterness didn't offset it enough. And it was about 10% abv which would completely through me off. Do not buy. Do not pass go.

Allagash - Old HLT

From Joe Drinks Dinner and Stuff

Purchased after a tour at Allagash

Botttled in Nov 2011. Not very tart. I was expecting something a little more tart and cherry. Heavy carbonation. Nice enough. I have three more bottles to go through, we'll see how it holds up.

Sebago Brewing IPA

From Joe Drinks Dinner and Stuff

It's a pretty light and citrusy. Fairly bitter. I wouldn't turn it down.

Bonus Mandy Thoughts
It doesn't have a lot of depth of flavor.

Devil's Backbone - Belgian Congo Pale Ale

From Joe Drinks Dinner and Stuff

Its a little sweeter than I'd like. Slightly citrusy. Belgian & fruity flavors come through. Its enjoyable, but I'd either like it to be a little less sweet or a little more bitter. Doesn't work for me where it is.