Bud Light Lemon-Ade-Rita Review

Name: Bud Light Lemon-Ade-Rita
Style: Malt Liquor
ABV: 8%

I can't believe I'm doing this but I'm reviewing my first Malt Liquor in nearly a year and what better way to do so than with Bud Light Lemon-Ade-Rita? Part of Budweiser's wildly successful Lime-A-Rita series, they've got flavors ranging from lime all the way to mango! This beer in particular is the newest entry in the series having been released within the past month in anticipation of the upcoming summer season.

This is the stuff I usually see being consumed at 4th of July events and almost always in bulk. Then again, what better to pass a 6 hour waiting period for a 20 minute fireworks show than with dirt cheap alcohol? Come to think of it, the name Lemon-Ade-Rita isn't even at all catchy unlike the others in the series.

I'll be forthcoming and admit that I've had the Cran-Burr-Rita before at a wedding and I'm pretty sure my taste buds still haven't forgiven me for putting it through such misery. This is coming from someone who, while considering himself to be a beer connoisseur, every once in a great while enjoys a good margarita or mixed drink on the side.

To add further to my point I can-....Wait, what's this on the side of the can?

Gods be good, the can is telling me to deliberately water this down! I don't think I've ever seen a beer can that suggested to me that I add ice to it, which I will not be doing for this review. However, on the front of the can, you can see this being consumed from a mason jar, which I just so happen to have on hand so that what is we'll be pouring this into today.

Appearance - A very hazy bright yellow color with a high amount of visible carbonation, both on the sides of the glass and rising from the bottom. The head is around for maybe 2 seconds before fading away and it should come as a surprise to no one that there is no carbonation either. In fact, it looks like a glass of lemonade.

Aroma - Well, I'd be lying if I said if it didn't smell like Lemonade but it doesn't stop there. I'm also picking up on some light tequila notes along with some surprisingly mild adjunct grains. And hops.....well....there is none.

Taste - Lemonade, orange juice, tequila and very mild adjunct grains with some maltiness thrown in for good measure. Basically it's Mike's Hard Lemonade but Imperialized. To its credit, there is nothing offensive about it.

This is something you drink if you can't afford to buy the ingredients to make an awesome margarita. Do yourself and your BFFs a favor and spend that few extra bucks to buy a real margarita or at the very least, buy a premixed Jose Cuervo margarita bottle; It's certainly a lot better than what this beer/wanna-be margarita has to offer.

Bud Light Lemon-Ade-Rita - 3/10

Summit Great Northern Porter Review

Name: Summit Great Northern Porter
Style: Porter
ABV: 5.6%

Summit Brewing Great Northern Porter: a beer that I feel is often overlooked when it comes to the their offerings. Sure they have 6 packs of this beer and it's often a staple of Summit's Seasonal Sampler packs but I feel this beer doesn't get enough love. After all, between their EPA, Unchained and Union series, there's alot going on at the brewery.

That's too bad because I feel that it is unique in that it's one of the few porters from any Minnesota brewery that is exclusively brewed year-round. In fact, I've only seen this beer on-tap in particular maybe 2-3 times at the very most whenever I go out, with the Minnesota State Fair being one instance.

Appearance - Pitch black with no visible carbonation. The head is thin and khaki colored with some pretty good lacing; Both the head and lacing retention are prolonged and quite nice

Aroma - Strong Chocolate Malts and roasted barley are prominent at the top of the nose. This is followed by some light toffee sweetness & mild but noticeable floral hops.

Taste - Strong chocolate malts and toffee sweetness upfront with some moderate roastiness in the middle with some bitter and floral hops on the back end of the palate. The aftertaste is a mix of bitter hops and roasted barley.

I have always felt Great Northern Porter is an underappreciated offering from one of the most well-known breweries in the Midwest. If you find it in your heart, give this beer a little love and you will be surprised with just how good it is.

Summit Great Northern Porter - 9/10

Founders Dirty Bastard Review

Name: Founders Dirty Bastard
Style: Scotch Ale/Wee Heavy
ABV: 8.5%
IBUs: 50

Today I have a beer that is considered to be one of the most widely known Scotch Ales in the craft beer marketplace. I'm talking about Dirty Bastard from Founders Brewing Company. Why is it called such? Who knows, maybe the brewer is a fan of Ol' Dirty Bastard? Or maybe they named it so Jon Snow can have a bottle for himself (I've been reading too much Game of Thrones as of late.)

Appearance - Dark & very hazy crimson red color with no visible carbonation to speak of. The head is thin and khaki-colored with some creamy retention. The lacing however is quite plentiful/sparse.

Aroma - Very strong peated scotch and caramel maltiness in the front of the nose. I'm also getting some roasted barley, & mild smokiness paired with light floral hoppiness. There is also maybe just a hint of chocolate in here too.

Taste - The peated scotch, caramel malts, smokiness, and roasted barley rush to the front of the palate with each flavor complementing one another. As for the rest of the flavor, it's made up of roasted barley, some strong bitter hoppiness and a light but lingering smokiness which makes up the aftertaste.

This is a beer that is worthy of its reputation and is an exemplary Scotch Ale. I'm not well versed as to how widely available this beer is but if you can get your hands on this, you'll be in for a treat!

Founders Dirty Bastard - 9/10

Sam Adams Rebel Rouser Double IPA Review

Name: Sam Adams Rebel Rouser Double IPA
Style: Imperial IPA
ABV: 8.4%
IBUs: 85

Last month, I reviewed Sam Adams' Rebel IPA, the first IPA that I would consider to be mainstream...relatively speaking, of course. Right after reviewing Rebel IPA, I discovered that there were two offshoots of the original beer and I have been trying to get around to having them. Today's beer is Rebel Rouser, which is their Imperial IPA. The other variation is a session IPA called Rebel Rider, which I hope to get around to reviewing in the future.

While it is heartening to see these offerings based on Rebel's success, I feel it will be a while before Rebel Rouser has a TV commercial of it's own. After all, Imperial IPAs have a ways to go before being considered as mainstream as Budweiser is.

Appearance - Hazy orange color with some very mild visible carbonation. The head is rather thin in appearance but the head (and lacing retention for that matter) are both quite good.

Aroma - Strong grapefruit notes paired with some equally strong citrus hops upfront. Some moderate piney hops and caramel maltiness make up the middle of the nose while there's a slight toffee sweetness on the back end.

Taste - Once again, the grapefruit notes and citrus hoppiness are loud and clear with some very noticeable bitter hoppiness and caramel maltiness in the second half of the flavor. However the biggest difference here is that the piney hops are also a lot stronger here and encompasses the flavor as a whole.

Rebel Rouser is a great beer and it shows that Sam Adams is really putting their best foot forward when it comes to the quality of their beer. Does it do anything to totally revolutionize the West Coast IPA style? No, but it doesn't necessarily need to as far as I'm concerned .

Sam Adams Rebel Rouser Double IPA - 9/10

Great Lakes Conway's Irish Ale Review

Name: Great Lakes Conway's Irish Ale
Style: Irish Red Ale
ABV: 6.5%
IBUs: 25

I was originally going to review this beer last week in honor of St. Patrick's Day but I got distracted by another beer so I'm making amends with this review of Great Lakes' Conway's Irish Ale, named after the co-founders' grandfather, Patrick Conway. You know spring is not too far off when they start releasing Irish Ales for the masses to enjoy

Appearance - Clear red color with a mild amount of visible carbonation. The head is white and quite thin, while the lacing is sparse/non-existent.

Aroma - I'm getting some toffee maltiness and light roastiness. I'm also picking up on some light nuttiness that reminds me of cashews along with some Munich Malts. There's also some slight bitter hoppiness in here as well but it's eclipsed by the other components of the beer.

Taste - Strong toffee maltiness and chocolate notes upfront, paired with some moderate bitter hoppiness and nuttiness. The aftertaste is mainly strong bitter hops and munich maltiness.

I've had my fair share of Irish Red Ales before and while none have yet to blow me away, this is definitely one of the better ones I've had. It's got a nice flavor profile and it's surprisingly easy to drink. Seek this one out before it's gone until next year.

Great Lakes Conway's Irish Ale Review - 8.5/10

Bell's Jupiter Review

Name: Bell's Jupiter 
Style: Brown Ale
ABV: 8%

Bell's Brewery has been releasing a new beer in its Planet Series, which pays homage to Gustav Holst's classical musical suite "The Planets," which each beer paying homage to a section of the suite with seven in all.

Today's beer is based on the fourth section of The Planets called "Jupiter," which should invokes feelings of happiness, joy and other great feelings. Appropriate timing too because Spring has finally arrived! Though the beer itself is classified as a brown ale, Bell's has gone on the record to say that this is actually an Imperial Brown Ale. They also recommend pouring this into a Nonic glass, which is what we are doing today.

Appearance - A dark brown color that has a crimson tinge along the edges of the glass. The head is on the thinner side and takes on a khaki colored appearance, though the retention is quite good.

Aroma - Strong chocolate malts dominate the front of the nose which is paired with some moderate toffee sweetness. There's some mild floral hoppiness in the back too along with some mild roasted barley notes. You really can't tell this beer is 8% ABV.

Taste - Chocolate malts are once again the centerpiece for this beer but the toffee sweetness and floral hoppiness are more or less equals with the toffee notes getting a slight edge. The aftertaste is mainly chocolate malts and a light booziness. There's a light roastiness that encompasses the flavor, but it feels mild at best.

When it's said and done, Jupiter is a solid beer. At the same time, I think it is the weakest (a term I use very loosely) beer in the series so far as I don't think it doesn't do anything that jumps out at me. Sure it's worth checking out but if you don't get around to having this, then you aren't exactly missing too much.

Bell's Jupiter - 8/10

New Glarus Hopster Review

Name: New Glarus Hopster
Style: American Pale Wheat Ale
ABV: N/A
IBUs: N/A

I was at the store recently when I came across a new offering from New Glarus Brewing. I give to you Hopster, which is a Hoppy Wheat Ale and a style that I'll admit I don't ever recall having before. I also found out that this is a re-release of Crack'd Wheat, a beer that New Glarus had last made a while back. Plus with Easter & Spring right around the corner, the green bunny rabbit fits the mood quite well.

Appearance - A mildly hazy bright yellow color with a very high amount of visible carbonation. The head itself has quite a bit of foamy volume and possesses sort of a whipped cream quality, so it comes as a surprise that the lacing is actually quite sparse.


Aroma - Getting some strong malted wheat notes paired with some equally potent floral & dry hops. I'm also getting some mild spicy-characteristics in here too, along with some cracked peppers.


Flavor - Fairly similar to the nose; Strong malted wheat notes & vibrant floral hops upfront. On the back end of the palate are bitter dry hops, cracked peppers, spices, and cloves. Aftertaste is malted wheat and bitter hops.

As stated earlier, I said that this is a style I'm not terribly familiar with. With that said, I'm glad I got a six-pack of this because Hopster is fantastic! It's got a nice malted wheat & hop profile while having a good Belgian-like complexity in the overall flavor, making this very easy to recommend to beer drinkers everywhere!

New Glarus Hopster - 9/10

Toppling Goliath Dorothy's New World Lager Review

Name: Toppling Goliath Dorothy's New World Lager
Style: California Common
ABV: 5.5%
IBUs: 11

I've been looking at quite a few offerings from Toppling Goliath Brewing and I've recently come across yet another offering from them. Today I have Dorothy's New World Lager, which gets its name from the of the founder's grandmother. Despite the immense popularity of PsuedoSue, the brewery refers to Dorothy's as their flagship beer.


Appearance - A very hazy yellow color but with some translucent characteristics and a mild amount of visible carbonation. The head has a good amount of volume to it upon pouring but it's quite soapy and loses its volume after a couple of minutes. As expected, there really isn't any lacing to speak of so it finishes clean.

Aroma - Getting some potent lager yeastiness and biscuit notes. Some graininess mixed with some light alcohol booziness while pale maltiness encompass the aroma as a whole.

Taste - Upfront I'm getting some mild lemongrass tartness & pilsner maltiness, before it gives away to the lager yeastiness

California Commons are a style that never seems to blow me away, but at the same time it doesn't disappoint either (Well, except maybe one time.) With that said, Dorothy's New World Lager is a solid beer and the pilsner touch to the flavor is a welcome addition and it comes across as one of the better California Commons that I've had.

Toppling Goliath Dorothy's New World Lager - 8.25/10

Green Flash West Coast IPA Review

Name: Green Flash West Coast IPA
Style: Imperial IPA
ABV: 8.1%
IBUs: 95

I've been taking a look at beers from breweries that I haven't looked at for a while as of late. For this review, I'm looking at West Coast IPA from Green Flash Brewing. The last time I reviewed anything from Green Flash, they had a different style of branding so this is something that is pretty new to me.

Looking at the label itself, West Coast IPA talks about how Green Flash is a pioneer in giving rise in prominence of the West Coast IPA-style itself. It even displays the types of hops used in the brewing process. It also come as no shock that Green Flash specializes mostly in IPA & Pale Ale styles.

Appearance - A fairly hazy dark orange color with a fair amount of haze and a moderate amount of visible carbonation. There isn't really too much of a head save for a thin film and the lacing is rather sparse.

Aroma - Sweet mango fruitiness and rich citrus hoppiness. Some caramel maltiness in here as well, with some musty and piney hoppiness tucked away in the back.

Taste - Bitter hoppiness in the very front with some citrus and floral hops. On the back end of the palate is a mixture of caramel malts and piney hops. The aftertaste consists mainly of bitter hoppiness and caramel malts.

This is more on the bitter side when it comes to the actual West Coast-style as far as IPAs are concerned. Also it doesn't do anything terribly new when it comes to the Imperial IPA style. With that said, it's still an excellent Imperial IPA and I believe it's worth checking out should you find it on store shelves.

Green Flash West Coast IPA - 8.5/10

New Belgium Slow Ride Review

Name: New Belgium Slow Ride
Style: India Pale Ale
ABV: 4.5%

Well someone has finally outdone Miller Fortune with the heaviest push as far as in-store and magazine advertising for a beer is concerned and that someone is New Belgium Brewing. I present to you Slow Ride, New Belgium's session IPA. The advertising for this beer is about as close as you can get to having TV & movie ads without actually having TV & movie ads. In fact, if you're expecting an obligatory Foghat reference, you're not going to get one.

Seriously I have never seen such a huge advertising push for a craft beer before Slow Ride came along; Though I am trying to figure out what exactly that....thing is on the label. It looks like some mad scientist decided to breed a bicycle & and couch and this is the end result. So a Couch-Bike.....or Bike-Couch? Either way, it looks comfortable!

Appearance - A surprisingly bright and fairly clear yellow color with just a hint of carbonation. The head is surprisingly foamy and the lacing, while very soapy, is plentiful.

Aroma - Very strong grapefruit & passion fruit notes on the front of the nose. I'm also getting some yeastiness, a bit of toffee maltiness and just a touch of hop bitterness

Taste - The front of the palate is pretty bitter hop forward with some citrus & passion fruit notes along with some mils toffee sweetness and a light biscuit flavor . The aftertaste is quite dry with just a hint of bitter hops and yeastiness.

When it comes to session beers, there are some that have been great and others that I could've done without. Thankfully I think Slow Ride is a good example for how to do a Session IPA right. Don't be fooled at first. The entire flavor seems pretty dry upon taking the first sips, but as it warms up, it becomes a lot more vibrant than what you are initially led to believe. I would definitely say this beer is worth checking out if you're in the mood for having a few flavorful beers but not wanting to sacrifice your sobriety in the process.

New Belgium Slow Ride IPA - 8/10

Surly Doomtree Review

Name: Surly Doomtree
Style: English Bitter
ABV: 5.7%

Surly Brewing recently released a new beer called Doomtree. For those of you unfamiliar with the music scene in Minneapolis-St. Paul or Minnesota in general, Doomtree is an indie hip-hop group based out of Minneapolis and they are pretty well known in the independent hip-hop scene. They also happen to be one of my favorite musical acts; Having been to their show here in Duluth about a month and a half ago.

Naturally when two of my favorite things come together, I'm of course going to check it out. Also this is the first Surly Can I've seen that says it was brewed at their new brewery in Minneapolis. Nice to see Surly level up for a change!

Appearance - Starting off, it pours a fairly clear orange color with a minor amount of haze with a mild amount of carbonation. The head takes on a thin & light khaki-color appearance and the lacing is moderate.

Aroma - Toffee & caramel maltiness on the front of the nose. I'm getting some moderate citrus & floral hoppiness in the middle that has a marmalade-like quality to it. I'm also picking up on some pretty mild piney hop bitterness in here as well

Taste - The floral & citrus hoppiness are more front and center here, along with some toffee sweetness. Encompassing the flavor is some light marmalade sweetness & bitter hoppiness that is most prevalent in the aftertaste.

This beer reminds me of another Surly offering called Bitter Brewer as both styles are pretty similar to each other. The only difference is that Surly Doomtree has more of a robust and complex flavor profile than Bitter Brewer. Whether or not you like Bitter Brewer, this still a great beer and it will no doubt satisfy fans of both Surly & Doomtree.

Surly Doomtree - 9/10

Tallgrass Vanilla Bean Buffalo Sweat Review

Name: Tallgrass Vanilla Bean Buffalo Sweat
Style: Milk Stout
ABV: 5%
IBUs: 20

Tonight I've got a beer from Tallgrass Brewing, one of the many breweries I've had frequently but have sadly never have gotten around to review. For this review, I have their Vanilla Bean Buffalo Sweat, which is a variation of their regular Buffalo Sweat.

Now I was originally going to review this along with the original Buffalo Sweat, but I came to the conclusion that the beers are too similar to review both of them, so I'll be focusing on the Vanilla Bean Buffalo Sweat

Appearance - Opaque black with a very foamy khaki-colored head, though I'm not getting too much in terms of lacing; Or carbonation for that matter.

Aroma - Rich vanilla sweetness & oatmeal notes backed up by some chocolate maltiness. There is also a slight roastiness to the nose, but it smells like a dessert beer for the most part.

Taste - The vanilla sweetness is fairly prominent in the front of the palate along with the chocolate maltiness and vibrant oatmeal notes. In the flavor is also a heavy dosage of milk lactose that strongest in the middle. As for the aftertaste, it's a mixture of vanilla sweetness and milk chocolate lactose.

It's low in terms of ABV yet high in flavor. The flavor is nice, smooth and yet vibrant. As for the regular Buffalo Sweat, it's virtually identical to the Vanilla Bean Buffalo Sweat but without the Vanilla Sweetness. Either way, you're getting a good beer!

Tallgrass Vanilla Bean Buffalo Sweat - 8.5/10

Ballast Point Dorado Review

Name: Ballast Point Dorado
Style: Imperial IPA
ABV: 10%

Well look at this, another beer from Ballast Point. This time I have their Dorado, which is their Imperial IPA. According to the internet, Dorado is Spanish for The Golden One. Maybe it's in referral to the beer color? I can't say for certain but it's definitely not talking about the two green fish on the front of the label.

Appearance - Mildly hazy bright orange color with a light constant stream of carbonation. The head takes on a pretty thin light-khaki appearance and the lacing is pretty good. Looks almost like......a Dorado!

Aroma - Strong grapefruit notes on the front of the nose and some moderate citrus hoppiness here as well. I'm also picking up on some mild toffee sweetness backed up by some caramel maltiness.

Taste - It is grapefruit and piney hop notes upfront, with some citrus hoppiness accenting afterwards. The caramel maltiness encompasses the flavor as a whole and compliments everything quite nicely. The aftertaste is mainly grapefruit notes with a strong bitter resiny flavor.

I have to say this is quite flavorful & it has a powerful hop profile that will satisfy hop heads everywhere. I'm not quite sure of what the retail price is on a full 6 pack of this, but if I had to pay a couple extra bucks for one, I would happily do so!

Ballast Point Dorado - 9.5/10

Ballast Point Victory At Sea Review

Name: Ballast Point Victory At Sea
Style: Imperial Porter
ABV: 10%
IBUs: 60

Now here's a brewery I haven't had for a while, Ballast Point Brewing! Today I have their Victory at Sea Imperial Porter, which is brewed with coffee beans and vanilla. Now before I start this review, I'm going to make a little observation. Take a look at the label above....


Now when you consider the name of the beer itself, the label artwork could best be described as ironic. When you're a skeleton at the helm of ship under the sea, it doesn't mean that you've won, it means that you were on the losing end of naval warfare.

Appearance - Pitch Black with some light carbonation on the sides of the glass. The head takes on a khaki-colored appearance with some pretty good lacing.

Aroma - Very roasted barley & coffee ground forward. Some rich vanilla sweetness in here too along with some caramel sweetness that has an almost syrup-like quality to it

Taste - Fairly similar to the aroma. You've got some strong coffee & roasted barley notes upfront, followed by some mild vanilla sweetness. Encompassing the entire flavor is some chocolate maltiness. The aftertaste is mainly roasted barley and bitter hoppiness.

Victory at Sea is a solid Imperial Porter, though I would've liked the vanilla flavor to be a little more pronounced. As it is, it's a decently priced beer that is worth the price of admission and it is great way to introduce someone to the Imperial Porter style.

Ballast Point Victory at Sea - 8.5/10

Bad Weather Windvane Review

Name: Bad Weather Windvane
Style: Red Ale
ABV: 6%
IBUs: 65

Another beer from Bad Weather Brewing! Today I have Windvane, which is their Red Ale. One thing I've noticed is that the labels from Bad Weather remind me of the watercolor paintings that my grandmother used to have growing up. Seeing these as beer labels makes me think of the days when I was just a wee pup visiting grandma's house.

So far every beer I've had from Bad Weather has been excellent, to say the very least. When I had their Migration last year, I didn't exactly have high expectations but I ended up drinking one of the best Blonde Ales I've had to date. Since then they've continued to impress me so here's hoping that the trend continues.

Appearance - Clear dark red color with some mild carbonation. The head is nice, foamy and takes on a tan appearance while the lacing is fairly good.

Aroma - I'm picking up on some surprisingly strong citrus hop and grapefruit notes. I'm also getting some solid caramel maltiness and light rye spiciness tucked away in the back. It smells more like a Red IPA than a Red Ale right now.

Taste - Well the citrus hoppiness is here & quite vibrant but the caramel maltiness is a lot stronger in the flavor. It's to a point where it overtakes the citrus hop and grapefruit aspect of the flavor. As for the rye-like spiciness, it's here but it isn't obvious at first because this is a very malty beer. However in the aftertaste, you do get a nice light rye and citrus hop sweetness.

With some breweries, every once in a while I'll see a change (for better or worse) in terms of the overall quality of their different beer styles. With that said, Bad Weather has managed to make another great beer without changing that quality which I've come to expect from them. Be sure to check this out if you get the chance!

Bad Weather Windvane - 9/10

Castle Danger Danger Ale Review

Name: Castle Danger Danger Ale
Style: American Strong Ale
ABV: 6.5%

Time to look at another beer from Castle Danger Brewing, based out of Two Harbors, MN. Today I have their Danger Ale, which is the brewery's flagship beer. The name comes back in the days when Minnesota's North Shore was only accessible by boat. As boats travelled up the shore, there were cliffs that resembled old castles and between them were rocks reefs, which were dangerous to travelling ships and hence the name Castle Danger. And you thought the drive up the North Shore was bad.

I've also been sitting on this review for the better part of a month. Why, you ask? I originally thought that I had taken a photo of this beer but upon going through my folders, it had mysteriously vanished. So I'll have to make due with a picture I took this past weekend, but it sadly doesn't have the can with it (I had gotten it on tap.)

Photo courtesy of The Growler Magazine

The reason why I care so much about the can is that not only I find it eye-catching but it was done by a local artist by the name of Andy Saur, who is responsible for all of Castle Danger's can designs so far.

Appearance - A mildly hazy amber color with some very mild visible carbonation. The head takes on a foamy khaki colored appearance and the lacing is on the spottier side.

Aroma - Very malt forward as I'm picking up on some strong caramel maltiness, a bit of toffee sweetness & oak. In the back I'm picking up on some dark fruitiness, some yeasts and some mild citrus hoppiness.

Taste -  Like the nose, the flavor is quite malty. Right away the caramel & toffee sweetness make themselves known before giving away to some dark fruits that are reminiscent of blackberries, light oakiness, moderate citrus hops and some mild yeastiness. There is also a bit of an encompassing roastiness and some light alcohol warmth.

It's very easy to see why Danger Ale is Castle Danger's flagship. The maltiness makes a great first impression but the other complex elements of the flavor come together nicely to make a really tasty beer; So much so that I consider this a textbook example for how to do a strong ale the right way! Should you ever have the chance to check this out, I would highly recommend you do so.

Castle Danger Danger Ale - 9.5/10