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

Fuller's London Pride (Fuller Smith & Turner PLC)

Fuller's London Pride has won a plethora of awards, including Beer of the Year and has risen from underground status to one of the most popular ales in England.

London Pride pours a clear, dark copper body with a creamy white head that leaves copious lacing. Smells of malty sweetness and caramel dominate the nose. Upon drinking, a malty sweet taste strikes with hints of cherry that rounds out with a roasty aftertaste. Definitely an interesting morph, something that stays consistent throughout the beer. Just as interesting of a morph, the mouthfeel is fairly watery but somehow manages to leave a fairly thick coating in your chops. This beer is highly drinkable and could easily be a session beer!

Final Grade - 8/10

Prima Pils (Victory Brewing Company)

Prima Pils doesn't keep any secrets. This American-made German Pilsner is dedicated to hopheads and tells you by smacking a giant hop on the label.

The beer pours a clear golden body with a frothy pearl white head and a surprisingly low amount of bubbles. Light smells of pine and hops can be found, but no strong aromas emanate from the beer. Upon drinking, intense bitterness strikes and stays throughout the aftertaste as well. Minor malt flavors come through as well but the beer is not sweet whatsoever. The mouthfeel is dry, crispy, and surprisingly more carbonated than it looks.

I just can't help but feel that this beer could use less of a hop attack because German Pilsners are great refreshers and I find the intense bitterness to detract from such qualities. While it's an interesting spin on the beer style, I would probably not grab a Prima Pils when in the mood for a German Pilsner.


Final Grade - 7/10

Hop-15 (Port Brewing Company)

At first I thought the name Hop-15 was a reference to a bomber aircraft (as further hinted by the label image) but it actually refers to the brewing process. Port Brewing Company uses 15 different hop varieties, each one added to the beer every 15 minutes!

The Hop-15 has a nice copper toned body with lots of bubbles and pours with a nice off-white head that leaves moderate lacing. It has a great smell of tropical fruits, especially of pineapple and mango. The taste is just what you would expect from a double IPA and then some. The hops punch you in the face upon first sip and numb the tongue. The hops are quite dominant and contribute to a bitter ride, but there's hints of spices and some minor sweetness as well. It's full-bodied with just the perfect amount of carbonation and crispiness. This beer is fairly drinkable, although I generally like to take my time with double IPA's due to their intense bitterness. Besides, with an alcohol percentage of 10%, you don't want to be drinking these too quickly! I warmly recommend the Hop-15 to fans of this beer style!


Final Grade - 9/10

Hacker-Pschorr Hefe Weisse (Hacker-Pschorr Bräu GmbH)

Hacker-Pschorr have been brewing since 1417 (under the Hacker name) with the hefe weisse being the flagship beer. You'd think that after almost 600 years of experience they'd have a hell of a hefe weisse to show off! Well sadly they don't.

The beer looks great with a darker-than-usual deep orange body and a two finger head that dissipates quickly with little lacing. It smells of banana bread, hops, and freshly mowed grass. Upon drinking, a minor hop punch hits complementary with a brief orange and citrus zing and an extremely minor banana aftertaste. With the exception of the hop punch, there really isn't much going on with this beer as all the flavors are so deeply underlying that it comes off as a bland brew. The mouthfeel is very watery with medium carbonation - not too pleasant for a hefe weisse - but it works in the combination with the weak taste.

The Hacker-Pschorr Hefe Weisse is simply too bland to be considered one of the greats, but it's still a solid beer that's drinkable - especially if you're looking for a lighter weissbier.

Final Grade - 7/10

Ayinger Celebrator Doppelbock (Privatbrauerei Franz Inselkammer KG)

Since when did beer wear jewelry? Well, the Ayinger Celebrator Doppelbock comes equipped with a plastic necklace in the shape of a billy goat hanging from the neck of the bottle. A cheap marketing ploy or a humorous addition in the spirit of "bock"? Who cares? I'm here to talk about the beer - and a damn fine one at that.

The Celebrator pours with a minimal head that dissipates so quickly that by the time I took the photo it was nowhere to be found. Although decapitated at an early stage, it's still a gorgeous beer with a ruby tinted deep brown body . Very sweet smells emanates with hints of caramel and toffee. The taste on the other hand is very malty and sweet. Strong flavors of raisins appear early on with caramel and chocolate undertones that round out the aftertaste. A very smooth and creamy mouthfeel that is counterbalanced with moderate-strong carbonation which makes for a very interesting experience. Clocking in at a 6.7% ABV, it's a slightly lighter beer than most doppelbocks which usually contain more than 7%. However, the alcohol content is barely noticeable in the beer due to it's malty sweetness. Warmly recommended to fans of doppelbocks.

Final Grade - 9/10

Baltika #8 Wheat (Pivzavod Baltika)

Yes, I am just as surprised as you are - Russians drink beer?! I thought they were on a steady diet of vodka. Well, as it turns out they not only drink beer, but brew it as well.

This weissbier pours an extremely bubbly orange body with a quickly dissipating head. It has the typical weissbier aromas of banana bread, honey, and some citrus. The taste is not far off either with a bready flavor coupled with banana (reminded strongly of the Hopf Helle Weisse). Mouthfeel was fairly dry with an insane amount of carbonation -the first sip felt like a razorblade slicing the tip of my tongue! Drinkability is high on this one as it's not too filling and the flavor is not too imposing.

A solid weissbier that I would recommend, although it could use a little less carbonation.

Final Grade - 8/10

Hinano (Brasserie de Tahiti S.A.)

Hinano is the official beer of Tahiti, brewed by Brasserie de Tahiti on the island itself. Thinking that this was a rare gem I found, I did some research on it and found out that this beer is sold in French supermarkets and is also big in Japan! I soon found out why - the beer is just Tahiti's spin on the tasteless soap water that is the light lager akin to a Bud Light.

What is there to say about this beer? It looks just like a regular adjunct lager, it smells just like a bland adjunct lager and above all it tastes just like...well it doesn't taste much at all. It has a slightly more bitter punch compared to other light lagers but its not enough to differentiate it from any of them.

It's simply a boring beer, although I would most likely choose it over a Bud or Miller Light.

Final Grade - 3/10

Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout (Samuel Smith Old Brewery)

It's been two days since I drank this beer and I can still taste it in the roof of my mouth.

The Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout pours what initially looks like a black-as-midnight body, but upon closer inspection you can see it's actually a really really really deep dark ruby tint, and comes with a nice thick light-beige head that dissipates at the same rate as a grandparent trying to write a text message. It smells of coffee and oats (duh) with hints of toffee and hops. The taste isn't too far off the smell with a very strong coffee flavor as well as chocolate and oatmeal. After a few sips, a lingering aftertaste of vanilla appears which is very welcome. The real highlight of the beer is the incredible smoothness and creaminess. The beer simply refuses to leave your chops as your drinking it. This in turn makes the beer less drinkable than others, but oatmeal stouts are not meant to be drunk quickly and abundantly. A highly recommended beer for people looking for a dark, filling, and creamy stout.

Final Grade - 9/10 

Hopf Helle Weisse (Weissbierbrauerei Hopf)

I can't think of a more gorgeous beer than a Weissbier, especially one like this with a hazy orange body and two finger head that dissipates fairly fast with minimal lacing. The Hopf Helle Weisse smells of banana and citrus but not much else. It has a surprisingly dry taste with bready flavor. As the beer strikes the tongue, the hops strike  for a minorly bitter beginning while the banana flavor takes a backseat as an underlying tone. A very fizzy beer that has a crispy mouth feel. It's highly drinkable and would definitely recommend this one for almost any occasion, although it would probably be served best as an epic apres-ski beer.

Final Grade - 9/10

Franziskaner Hefe-Weisse Dunkel (Spaten-Franziskaner-Bräu)

Being a huge fan of the Franziskaner Hefe-Weisse, I was very excited to finally try the dunkel version.

Pours with about a two finger head that quickly dissipates with very thin lacing. Smells strongly of bananas as well as honey and syrupy sweetness. The flavor has banana bread written all over it, so much in fact that it's hard to find any other underlying tones because the banana bread is so dominant! Unfortunately this beer has an extremely watery mouthfeel and goes down like a light lager. This makes it highly drinkable, but a beer with such packed flavor and aromas aught to be thicker and heavier, especially considering it being a dunkelweizen.

Final Grade - 7/10

Panzer Imperial Pilsner (Port Brewing Company)

A medium copper toned body and a fluffy head with sticky lacing feast the eyes as the Panzer Imperial Pilsner by Port Brewing is poured into the glass. Surprisingly tropical and sweet smells emanate from the beer with minor hints of pineapple accompanied by a bitter alcohol aroma. The taste is very layered with a strong hoppy and bitter initial taste which soon develops into a warm, buttery, caramel and toffee taste that vaguely numbs the tongue. As the glass gradually becomes less full the hop punch hits more and more like a tank and the warm aftertaste slowly disappears - a slight inconsistency in the beer that disappoints. The beer has a whopping alcohol content of 9.5% but tastes much milder than it's actual percentage. This in turn makes this beer highly dangerous due to it's drinkability - it goes down way easier than it should!.

Final Grade - 8/10