Stone Ruination IPA (Stone Brewing Co.)

According to Stone Brewing themselves, this IPA is named after the effect it has on your palate! While I can't vouch for that, I can vouch for yet another worthy beer from Stone Brewing.

Ruination pours a clear and golden yellow with a minimal amount of carbonation visible. A thick white majestic head forms that barely dissipates and leaves plenty of lacing. Strong aromas of hops and something sweet reminiscent of pineapple juice are present. Ruination packs quie a bitter punch that lasts throughout the drink with a minor malt presence that fleshes out the beer. I also found it to be quite yeasty. The texture is great - not too watery like some other IPA's, but smooth mixed with a good amount carbonation. This beer is definitely very drinkable, since its hop presence isn't so over the top (although Stone would want you to think so).

Final Grade - 8/10

Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Märzen (Brauerei Heller-Trum / Schlenkerla)

After a long hiatus, I finally got around to try this rauchbier from Germany. For those that don't know,  rauchbier means smoked beer, as the the malts are dried over an open fire to give it a smoked quality. It's definitely one of the more interesting beer styles out there.

The beer pours a dark ruby body with a thick beige head. Smells strongly of a Swedish Christmas table, with thick smoked reindeer meat and bacon aromas relentlessly hitting your face as you take a sip. If the smell wasn't enough, this beer is the closest thing to liquid meat that you could find, with flavors of smoked meat dominating this beer strongly. The texture is very smooth and thick, with medium carbonation. Drinkability on this one is very low, unless you're really into smoked meat I suppose.

While interesting at first, halfway down the glass I really wanted something else to drink. Once again, a fine example of the diversity of beers, but I can't say that I'll be having another one of these beers for a long time.

Final Grade - 6/10

Hazelnut Brown Nectar (Rogue Brewery)

The Hazelnut Brown Nectar by Rogue Brewery pours a deep brown body with a nice beige head. It smells strongly of hazelnut (duh) - so strong in fact that you can smell it from an arm length. Similarly, the flavor is just a densely packed hazelnut punch, however slowly a roasty character with a minor hint of vanilla develops. In this respect, it's very similar to the hazelnut liqueur Frangelico. The texture is very fluffy and creamy which definitely adds to the experience. Unfortunately I can't proclaim that the drinkability on the beer is high as it simply becomes overbearing after finishing two-thirds of the beer. This beer is much more suitable as a novelty beer or a substitute for a dessert.

It's definitely an interesting beer, but it's one of those brews you would only have once or twice a year. Try it once to see how far a brewery can go with a drink and still call it a beer, but don't buy a 6-pack!


Final Grade - 7/10

Pranqster (North Coast Brewing Co.)

Now this, ladies and gentlemen, is a beer. Unfortunately I did not have the proper glassware for this Belgian Style Ale, so it won't look as magnificent as it truly should (once I get a new picture I'll replace the current one).

The Pranqster pours a deep golden orange with a hazy unfiltered body and a fizzy head that dissipates extremly quickly, leaving little lacing. Strong fruity smells of bananas and apples emanate with honey and hop tones. When drinking, the hops are quite prominently in the forefront but are masterfully mixed with the fruit flavors of apple and banana to give a full flavor while still maintaining a refreshing quality. The texture is equally balanced with a full bodied feel that's just perfectly thick to minorly coat the chops while still keeping a perfectly moderate amount of carbonation to offset any overly imposing thickness. The drinkability is as high as Snoop Dogg on this one, definitely a session beer for the ages! Just watch out, it's a 7.6%, but it sure doesn't taste like it.

What really makes this beer a winner is it's perfected balance in its flavor and texture. Many breweries seek to achieve such equilibrium in a beer, and North Coast Brewing are one of the few that have succeeded.

Final Grade - 10/10

O'Hara's Irish Red (Carlow Brewing Company)

The O'Hara's Irish Red pours a dark ruby tinted body (reminiscent of Coca Cola) with a thick head that dissipates fairly slow, leaving medium lacing. Strong aromas emanate strongly from the beer as soon as you start pouring that are malty sweet, sugary, roasty, and caramel-like. The beer has a malty sweet beginning that's almost candy like with a minor hop kick at the end to round out the sweetness with some bitter. The texture is very grainy with a thick body and medium carbonation - one of the better textures I've encountered. The drinkability on this one is very high if you are a fan of sweeter beers.

Overall a great beer that could do with just a tad less sweetness (in my opinion) as I felt the minor hop punch at the end did little to stop the over-encumbering malt domination.

Final Grade - 8/10

Carnegie Porter (AB Pripps Bryggerier )

Having a Swedish background, I practically grew up on Pripps lighter beer, so when I saw this beer on the menu at Barney's Beanery I immediately had to try their take on the porter.

A fully black body with minimal head pours out of the bottle with a very malty sweet aroma emanating. Chocolate combined with a vague but terrible metallic taste initially dominate the flavor, which transitions into a mild coffee aftertaste with some hoppy bitterness. The texture is smooth and minorly creamy with medium-low carbonation. The beer is not very heavy, so drinkability is fairly high on this one.

An overall solid porter that could've done much better without that pesky metallic taste.

Final Grade - 7/10

Old Engine Oil (Harviestoun Brewery Ltd.)

I knew I had to drink this beer the second I read its name! There's just something paradoxically appealing about it.

Appearance-wise this beer lived up to its name - pouring a black-as-midnight body with a foamy brown head. Roasty aromas of coffee can be found but I didn't find the smell to be particularly potent. Tastes of chocolate, coffee, and malty caramel strike with a hoptastic bitter aftertaste that rounds out the beer perfectly. The beer is perfectly thick and creamy with a minor carbonation edge. The beer is highly drinkable and could easily be consumed in multiples. Don't miss this one, Old Engine Oil easily among the finest English Porters on the market!

Final Grade - 9/10