Brewery: Otter Creek Brewing
Location: Middlebury, VT
Style: Black IPA
Brewery Website
Rating: A-
We're following up on our recent review of the perfect Heavy Seas Black Cannon with another Black IPA. Today we have the Otter Creek Alpine Black IPA on tap. The Alpine Black is ebony-amber in color with a thick, foamy dark-tan head. There is a considerable amount of chunky sediment as well, so take care in pouring if you prefer not to have it in your glass. The nose has the classic grapefruit note of Cascade hops along with some smoke.
On the palate the Alpine Black IPA has a long initial fruity lead-in before bitter and smoky notes start to roll in. Hops provide citrus fruitiness and a mild kick of juniper/bitter hop resin. Smoke and roast notes are here, but mainly play a support role to the hops. Also notable are yeast notes and a touch of residual sweetness. The Alpine Black IPA is medium-bodied and juicy, making this a very drinkable beer. The finish has a squirt of lemon over bitter hops notes and black coffee.
In contrast to the Black Cannon that we recently reviewed, the Otter Creek Alpine Black IPA is really more of a fruity IPA with some smokiness as a highlight rather than equal parts porter and IPA. This is just as effective of an interpretation of the style, as the smoke and roasted coffee-like bitterness really play well in supporting the hops-forward flavors of an IPA. The Alpine Black is a great beer with some great flavor. I'm really liking this Black IPA style. I hope more breweries follow the lead that breweries like Otter Creek and Clipper City have set, because there is a wide range of interpretations possible on this style and I want to taste them all.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Monday, March 21, 2011
Victory Old Horizontal Barleywine
Brewery: Victory Brewing Company
Location: Downingtown, PA
Style: Barleywine
Brewery Website
Rating: A
Today's tasting is Victory's Old Horizontal Barleywine. The Old Horizontal is ruby-amber in color with a hint of gold. The head is slow-rising and climbs up to a massive volume. The head is a ruddy tan in color. The nose is very fragrant of fruit, with notes of berries, citrus, and apricot. There is a wininess to nose that is characteristic of a barley wine as well.
Upon tasting, there is a sweet fruitiness up front that quickly gets taken over by syrupy malt. A bitter kick is here from the hops, which takes on a bit of an herbal character. The Old Horizontal is well-hopped, but not over-hopped. Flavors of maple, pretzels and cherries are also notable. The Old Horizontal is heavy with a slightly syrupy body and leaves a bit of a warming sensation. The finish has piny hop resin over malt syrup.
Victory has really hit the mark with this year's showing of the Old Horizontal. It is very drinkable and enjoyable right now. I especially like the fruit notes both on the nose and the palate. What I am most excited about, however, is the promise this beer shows for aging. I'm kicking myself for not grabbing a few extra to tuck away for aging, so I'm hoping to grab some before they're all gone in my area. The big fruitiness and hops paired with the syrupy malt is generally a recipe for great aging. I'm really looking forward to revisiting the Old Horizontal in a year or two.
Location: Downingtown, PA
Style: Barleywine
Brewery Website
Rating: A
Today's tasting is Victory's Old Horizontal Barleywine. The Old Horizontal is ruby-amber in color with a hint of gold. The head is slow-rising and climbs up to a massive volume. The head is a ruddy tan in color. The nose is very fragrant of fruit, with notes of berries, citrus, and apricot. There is a wininess to nose that is characteristic of a barley wine as well.
Upon tasting, there is a sweet fruitiness up front that quickly gets taken over by syrupy malt. A bitter kick is here from the hops, which takes on a bit of an herbal character. The Old Horizontal is well-hopped, but not over-hopped. Flavors of maple, pretzels and cherries are also notable. The Old Horizontal is heavy with a slightly syrupy body and leaves a bit of a warming sensation. The finish has piny hop resin over malt syrup.
Victory has really hit the mark with this year's showing of the Old Horizontal. It is very drinkable and enjoyable right now. I especially like the fruit notes both on the nose and the palate. What I am most excited about, however, is the promise this beer shows for aging. I'm kicking myself for not grabbing a few extra to tuck away for aging, so I'm hoping to grab some before they're all gone in my area. The big fruitiness and hops paired with the syrupy malt is generally a recipe for great aging. I'm really looking forward to revisiting the Old Horizontal in a year or two.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Magic Hat Vinyl Lager
Brewery: Magic Hat Brewing Company
Location: South Burlington, VT
Style: Lager
Brewery Website
Rating: B+
With spring just around the corner, it's a good time to kick into Magic Hat's spring seasonal - their Vinyl Lager. The Vinyl is golden amber in color and shows a good amount of fine carbonation rising in the glass. The head pours up a light golden-tan color and is on the shorter side. The nose is fairly light. Aromas of lager malt, wheat bread, and fruity hops are all here along with a faint whiff of cucumber.
On the palate the Vinyl starts with juicy notes that lead into an off-dry malt. There is a rich maltiness with some Eurolager notes in the background. Mineral and earth are also here as highlights. The bitter hops are on the mild side and take a few sips to build up. The Vinyl is medium-bodied, which suits this full-flavored lager well. The finish has lager malt highlighted by a fading hop bite and some steely minerality.
Magic Hat has a nice, full-flavored lager on their hands with the Vinyl. While this is pretty much a straightforward lager, flavor-wise this is a big step up over the typical Euro/Canadian fare. Vinyl hits the right balance between flavor and drinkability, and is a great addition to your spring rotation.
Location: South Burlington, VT
Style: Lager
Brewery Website
Rating: B+
With spring just around the corner, it's a good time to kick into Magic Hat's spring seasonal - their Vinyl Lager. The Vinyl is golden amber in color and shows a good amount of fine carbonation rising in the glass. The head pours up a light golden-tan color and is on the shorter side. The nose is fairly light. Aromas of lager malt, wheat bread, and fruity hops are all here along with a faint whiff of cucumber.
On the palate the Vinyl starts with juicy notes that lead into an off-dry malt. There is a rich maltiness with some Eurolager notes in the background. Mineral and earth are also here as highlights. The bitter hops are on the mild side and take a few sips to build up. The Vinyl is medium-bodied, which suits this full-flavored lager well. The finish has lager malt highlighted by a fading hop bite and some steely minerality.
Magic Hat has a nice, full-flavored lager on their hands with the Vinyl. While this is pretty much a straightforward lager, flavor-wise this is a big step up over the typical Euro/Canadian fare. Vinyl hits the right balance between flavor and drinkability, and is a great addition to your spring rotation.
Friday, March 11, 2011
Heavy Seas Black Cannon
Brewery: Clipper City Brewing Co.
Location: Baltimore, MD
Style: Black IPA
Brewery Website
Rating: A +
In my glass today is the Black Cannon from Heavy Seas. Black Cannon is a Black IPA and is billed as a dark version of their Loose Cannon IPA. The Black Cannon pours up opaque and reddish-black in color. The head is creamy and dark tan in color. The nose has a big citrus note of Cascade-style hops (actually from Simcoe here) and some faint toast aromas as well.
The main overall impression on the palate is roasted coffee fading in and out with citrusy hops. There is a piny note on the bitter hop side. The roasted malt contributes wheat toast, peat smoke, dark chocolate and caramel. Fruity hops yield flavors of apricot and grapefruit. The Black Cannon is medium-heavy bodied, which is perfect for a big IPA like this. There is a touch of warming alcohol as well. The finish has dark chocolate and espresso paired with lingering citrus.
To put it plainly, if there is one beer to choose as the standard for the ideal Black IPA, then the Black Cannon is your winner. The balance between hops and roast is spot-on. This beer is a perfect marriage between porter and double-IPA. A wide-mouthed glass is highly recommended as the hoppy aroma is intoxicating and entices with each sip. Get some in your glass ASAP; the Heavy Seas Black Cannon is absolute perfection.
Location: Baltimore, MD
Style: Black IPA
Brewery Website
Rating: A +
In my glass today is the Black Cannon from Heavy Seas. Black Cannon is a Black IPA and is billed as a dark version of their Loose Cannon IPA. The Black Cannon pours up opaque and reddish-black in color. The head is creamy and dark tan in color. The nose has a big citrus note of Cascade-style hops (actually from Simcoe here) and some faint toast aromas as well.
The main overall impression on the palate is roasted coffee fading in and out with citrusy hops. There is a piny note on the bitter hop side. The roasted malt contributes wheat toast, peat smoke, dark chocolate and caramel. Fruity hops yield flavors of apricot and grapefruit. The Black Cannon is medium-heavy bodied, which is perfect for a big IPA like this. There is a touch of warming alcohol as well. The finish has dark chocolate and espresso paired with lingering citrus.
To put it plainly, if there is one beer to choose as the standard for the ideal Black IPA, then the Black Cannon is your winner. The balance between hops and roast is spot-on. This beer is a perfect marriage between porter and double-IPA. A wide-mouthed glass is highly recommended as the hoppy aroma is intoxicating and entices with each sip. Get some in your glass ASAP; the Heavy Seas Black Cannon is absolute perfection.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Skull Splitter
Brewery: Orkney Brewery
Location: Orkney, Scotland
Style: Scottish Ale
Brewery Website
Rating: B+
In my glass today is Skull Splitter, a Scotch Ale from the Orkney Islands in Scotland. Skull Splitter pours up a deep amber color with mahogany highlights. The head is foamy and a golden tan in color. On the nose there are aromas of fruity wine and a sweet bready malt, as well as a dry, spicy/woody note.
On the palate there is a dry fruitiness that evokes raisins and dates, but without bringing much sweetness to the party. The malt takes on a pretzel/pizza dough quality. Hops show up as hidden citrus and pine notes that take a few sips to find. Wininess and some oak are present on the palate as well. The Skull Splitter has a medium body that is quite smooth for such a big beer. There is a big, warming alcohol sensation that develops in the pit of your belly after a few sips. The finish, which is on the short side, has bitter hops that remain as the malt and fruit notes fade.
Skull Splitter is a very enjoyable ale. It is well balanced, and manages to be very dry without going too far and ending up over-dry. This is a big beer that drinks very easily. Be sure to sip this one, or you may end up waking up with a Skull Splitter of your own.
Location: Orkney, Scotland
Style: Scottish Ale
Brewery Website
Rating: B+
In my glass today is Skull Splitter, a Scotch Ale from the Orkney Islands in Scotland. Skull Splitter pours up a deep amber color with mahogany highlights. The head is foamy and a golden tan in color. On the nose there are aromas of fruity wine and a sweet bready malt, as well as a dry, spicy/woody note.
On the palate there is a dry fruitiness that evokes raisins and dates, but without bringing much sweetness to the party. The malt takes on a pretzel/pizza dough quality. Hops show up as hidden citrus and pine notes that take a few sips to find. Wininess and some oak are present on the palate as well. The Skull Splitter has a medium body that is quite smooth for such a big beer. There is a big, warming alcohol sensation that develops in the pit of your belly after a few sips. The finish, which is on the short side, has bitter hops that remain as the malt and fruit notes fade.
Skull Splitter is a very enjoyable ale. It is well balanced, and manages to be very dry without going too far and ending up over-dry. This is a big beer that drinks very easily. Be sure to sip this one, or you may end up waking up with a Skull Splitter of your own.
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