Capital Jobu Review

Name: Capital Jobu 
Style: Brown Ale
ABV: 8.5%

Capital Brewery has been steadily releasing some new beers in the form of a bomber as opposed to the 12 oz. bottles that I'm used to seeing. I give you Jobu, a brown ale aged in Caribbean Rum barrels, as opposed to Whiskey or Bourbon barrels, which I'm used to seeing. Since I'm currently in an environment which is the polar opposite of the Caribbean, I've decided to grab irony by the horns and take a look at this.

Jobu pours a dark brown color which turns to a crimson red when held up to a light. The khaki-colored head is quite filmy and fades after a couple of minutes. There is some mild carbonation visible as well. If I didn't know better, I'd say I'm looking at a glass of Coca-Cola.

The nose starts out quite yeasty with some chocolate malts, roasted barley, oak and rum. The rum characteristic at this point is somewhat subtle at this point

The flavor starts out with some chocolate malts paired with caramel, oak and a bit of nuttiness. The rum aspect is quite a bit stronger here but it's not as prevalent as as the chocolate/roasty flavors. Still it is there and goes nicely with everything else.

The palate fairly lightweight and mildly carbonated. This gives it an easy drinkability & crisp quality which fits well with the flavor.

It's a different take on the brown ale style and I think it works out pretty well. I think anyone looking for something a little off the beaten path in terms of conventional styles will find something to love with Jobu.

Capital Jobu - 8.5/10

Flying Dog Raging Bitch Review

Name: Flying Dog Raging Bitch
Style: Belgian IPA
ABV: 8.3%

Tonight I'm trying out a beer from a brewery that I haven't had for a couple of years: Flying Dog Brewery which based out of Maryland. Perhaps what is most noteworthy about the brewery aside from being from Maryland is that each of the beer label is done by artist Ralph Steadman, whose best known for his artwork with writer Hunter S. Thompson. If you've been to any college dorm across America, chances are that you've probably seen his poster of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas adorned on a wall.

Tonight I will be reviewing a beer called Raging Bitch Belgian Style IPA. It's also the first beer I remember from when I first tried out Flying Dog.

Raging Bitch pours a hazy orange color with a foamy head. The carbonation takes on a rather mild appearance and the lacing retention is also fairly good.

The nose starts out with notes of citrus & piney hops, with caramel malts, spices and yeasts. The Belgian influences are rather noteworthy here.

The flavor also doesn't deviate too much but the caramel maltiness and Belgian profile are more noticeable here, particularly with the Belgian yeasts and clove aspects.

The body is rather moderate in weight but has a sort of thinness to it. It's also mildly carbonated so it allows the drinker to take in the flavors.

Despite it's name, this a very good beer! It utilizes it's Belgian characteristics very well which balances nicely with the citrus & piney hops. All and all, it makes for an excellent Belgian-style ale that is worthy of your attention.

Flying Dog Raging Bitch - 9/10

Alaskan Pilot Series Barleywine Review

Name: Alaskan Pilot Series Barleywine
Style: Barleywine
ABV: 10.7%

For this review, I've got a little something that I have been sitting on for a couple months now and that's Alaskan Brewing's Barleywine, which is part of their Pilot Series: The brewery's lineup of seasonal beers which come in bombers. I've had a couple Pilot Series beers before but both times they have been the Smoked Porter, which is quite good if you haven't tried it out yet!

The beer pours a hazy crimson color with a semi-foamy head. The visible carbonation is mild and the lacing is pretty good.

The aroma starts out with a rather piney hop scent with notes of grapefruit and orange peel. On the backend is a nice malty backbone which consists of caramel malts and toffee.

On the flipside, the flavor starts out quite malty with notes of caramel, toffee and dark fruit notes before settling to a piney & citrus hop finish. The overall flavor is surprisingly smooth and mellow, yet at the same time, not subdued.

The palate has a moderately weighted body and some very mild carbonation. It is quite easy to drink in my opinion and allows one to enjoy the flavors.

It's vibrant and flavorful, yet at the same time, not overwhelming. The flavor isn't subdued but mellow and enjoyable. In short, it's a very balanced barleywine that will please anyone who tries it out and definitely worth your time!

Alaskan Pilot Series Barleywine - 9/10

Bell's Hopslam Review

Name: Bell's Hopslam
Style: Imperial IPA
ABV: 10%

During the bitter cold months of winter when it seems life has all but  vanished from the outdoors, Bell's Brewery delivers to us their highly anticipated Hopslam Imperial IPA. In fact I'm fairly certain that this is one of the most highly anticipated craft beers that is given a widespread release.

Even if you don't know of Hopslam, then you would probably recognize the label: A person laying flat on the ground, seemingly crushed to death by oversized hops dropped on him by the angry beer gods as punishment for drain-pouring a bottle of Pliny the Elder (Alright so I made that last part up.) I remember having this back in college and it was one of the first Imperial IPAs that I ever had. At the time I thought it was quite good, so I figure it's time to revisit this beer.

Hopslam pours a dark orange color with a cloudy appearance. The head is filmy, and the beer leaves behind some good lacing.

The nose is quite fruity to start out with notes of mangoes, strong citrus hops, toffee and caramel. At the back end of the aroma is a subtle piney hoppiness.

The flavor is almost the same as the nose but there piney hop aspect is definitely stronger here. It's goes,along well with the mango, citra-hops and caramel malts that are already in the flavor.

In terms of drinkability, it’s rather heavy in body with some mild carbonation, making this pretty smooth and easy to drink.

Overall, this is an excellent and well balanced Imperial IPA that any hop head should try out. It may be a bit pricer for a 6-pack but the price of admission is worth it.

Bell's Hopslam - 9/10

Peace Tree Imperial Stout Review

Name: Peace Tree Imperial Stout 
Style: Imperial Stout
ABV: 10%

Tonight I'm trying out a new brewery from Iowa called Peace Tree Brewing, of whom I have been seeing offerings on the shelves in stores around here. The only other high profile breweries that I know of that are Iowa-based are Toppling Goliath (which is supposed to be available in Minnesota later this year) and Exile Brewing. I decided I would take a look at their Imperial Stout and I found it to be decently priced for a bomber.

The beer pours a pitch black color with a filmy brown head. There are a few bubble which climb along the sides of the glass and the lacing retention is minimal at best.

In the nose are some chocolate malts, cocoa nibs, cloves, and licorice. Interestingly enough, there is a fairly prominent smokiness in here too, but not in the Baltic Porter/Rauchbier sense. What I mean is that it smells like actual smoke from a house fire.

The flavor is quite roasty with notes of roasted barley & malts, smokiness and mild cherries. There is also an encompassing ash-like characteristic here, which derives from the smokiness which I picked up in the nose. It's different but I'm not sure if I'm digging it. The mouthfeel is quite heavy and it has some pretty moderate carbonation.

It's got some decent flavors going for it but the flavor way too smokey/ashy for my liking. If it had a more balanced flavor profile, this would've been a great Imperial Stout. For right now, it's probably in your best interest to spend that extra $2 on a better Imperial Stout.

Peace Tree Imperial Stout - 7/10

Miller Fortune Review

Name: Miller Fortune
Style: Amber/Vienna Lager
ABV: 6.9%

Today I have a special review lined up and that is Miller Fortune from The Miller Brewing Company, which was just released within the past month or so. This is MillerCoors' answer to Bud Light Platinum and, more namely, Budweiser Black Crown. Both of the latter beers mentioned have a higher-than-normal ABV for a marco-lager.

About a month or so before it's release, I was seeing posters for this beer in stores everywhere; Like it was the newest upcoming release from Michael Bay. I have never seen such a huge push for in-store marketing like there was for Miller Fortune.

Now before I start, I'm going to break my normal rule of keeping a neutral tone and just throw this out here: I did not like this beer and anyone who is curious to try it out should avoid this at all costs.

Miller Fortune starts out with a clear amber color with a amount of high carbonation. The head is rather fizzy which settles to a small filmy appearance and there is no lacing left behind.

The nose itself is actually quite promising with Munich and pale malts, mild hoppiness, barley, caramel with some minor but noticeable boozy notes. Booziness aside, this actually has the aroma that is fairly typical of a Vienna Lager.

Flavor-wise, it's a much different story. In what I can only describe as "bizarre," the flavor is mixture of cardboard, barley, metallic rust, very strong booziness and Munich Malts. It's almost like they made a malt liquor with munich malts

The body is fairly lightweight but, as expected, the carbonation is very heavy and intense. As you can probably guess, this does not sit well on the palate.

I may not be a huge fan of the regular offerings of Bud, Miller, or Coors but if someone offers it to me at a party, I would not turn it down. Miller Fortune has the rare distinction of venturing into Molson XXX territory as being one of the beers that I would turn down at a party if I was offered it for free. You aren't missing anything by having this, trust me.

Miller Fortune - 1/10

New Belgium Abbey Review

Name: New Belgium Abbey
Style: Dubbel
ABV: 7%

I know I have said this many times in different reviews before but New Belgium Abbey holds a special place in my heart for being the first Abbey style ale that I ever had. In fact alot of beers styles that I was introduced to was because of New Belgium Brewing. Funny how that works out, yeah?

In any case, when I first had this a couple years ago when I was still in college, I was taken aback by how good this was and it introduced me to a plethora of new flavors as well as what a beer can taste like. I have had quite a few Abbey Dubbel ales since then and now I think it's time for me to revisit this beer.

New Belgium Abbey pours a darker but clear red color with a filmy head. The visible carbonation is quite mild and the lacing is pretty good.

Dark fruits and licorice starts things off in the nose with caramel malts notes and some mild clove and spice notes. The flavor is more or less the same as the aroma but with more of a spicy/yeasty taste to it and there are noticeable floral hop notes thrown in for good measure.

The palate is moderately weighted which has a rather thick texture. The carbonation is also rather moderate but it helps bring out some extra characteristics in the flavor.

Having been exposed to more Dubbels since I first had this, New Belgium Abbey has held up surprisingly well and I also don't think the quality has suffered in the time New Belgium has expanded their operations. In fact, I would go as far to say that this is a great beer to introduce someone to the Dubbel-style ale. Check it out and you'll see why I fell in love with the Dubbels in the first place

New Belgium Abbey - 8.5/10