Fair State Pils Review

Name: Fair State Pils
Style: Pilsner
ABV: 4.9%
IBUs: 40

Your eyes do not deceive you; I have, in fact, returned. No, it's not because my new venture isn't working out, which it totally is! It's actually because I got some new beers to try out. I'll be looking at a couple beers from Fair State Co-Op, who were nice enough to donate some samples to try out as part of their new release series. Besides, I did say I would leave the keys in the ignition, didn't I?

The first beer I'll be looking at is their Pilsner, which is simply called Pils, which is a SMaSH (Single Malt & Single Hop). It's a new canned release from the brewery and it is one that I haven't had yet. Since spring has officially just begun, 'tis the season for lighter beers.

Appearance - Pale yellow color with a high amount of visible carbonation. The head is fairly foamy and there's a decent amount of lacing retention along the sides of the glass.

Aroma - I'm getting some pilsner malts and some bitter hoppiness. I'm also getting some lager yeasts as well.

Taste - Getting some mild bitter hops upfront with some pilsner malts and lager yeasts in the middle and back of the palate. The aftertaste is pretty dry save for some mild yeasts.

It's got a nice, crisp flavor and a great way to kick off the spring season. As far as Pilsners are concerned, this is pretty good! If you so happen to see this in stores, this one is definitely worth checking out

Fair State Pils - 8/10

Goodbye

Before I start, save this link: www.theshelteredgallivant.com

Right now, I'm still building the website but this is where you'll find me once it's up and running!

Now....it's certainly been a fun past four years and the countless beers that have come with it. However, after much thought and deliberation, I have decided to call it quits as far as beer reviewing is concerned and focus on my new travel website as well as my career with graduate school wrapping up here in the next few months.

I had originally planned to cut back on reviews and try to balance out the two websites but after a lot of soul searching, I decided that it just wasn't a feasible option. This wasn't an easy decision by any stretch of the imagination since this blog has played a huge role in my life these past few years: From its humble beginnings in my basement after a long day at work, to the front lines of the Minnesota craft beer scene.

Now with that said, I still intent to write about craft beer from time-to-time with my new website when I go to visit new places. I also intent to keep this website up & running for archival purposes and............in the event that this new venture of mine doesn't quite pan out the way I would like it to.

I will also be maintaining my Twitter account under a different handle but my Facebook page won't be getting any more updates and I intent to shut it down in the near future and focus my energy on building a new Facebook page.

I wanted to thank everyone that I've met these past four years that have ended up having a tremendous impact on my life as well as anyone whose lives I've touched since starting up Nick's Beer Blog. As I ride off into the sunset, I'll leave you with this parting tune...

And as always, drink good beer!

Cheers!

- Nick

Major Announcement & New Venture

A couple weeks back, I posted an article about how beer writers can avoid burnout and that still holds true. However in light of recent developments & events in my life, there's going to be some changes made to how I run this blog as well as the future of this website as a whole. Before I continue, I wanted to let everyone know that I will not stop writing about beer but with everything that has been going on in my life, I have decided that change is needed.

The first is that I will not be posting as many reviews as I normally do and there are a couple reasons for this:

1) With my graduate school schedule and coursework going the way they are right now, I need to prioritize and anything related to school is always going to come first. Plus I'm in the planning stages as to what I'm going to do come August when I graduate from a career standpoint,

2) From a health standpoint, I've gained a bit weight and I'm at a point where I can't say that I'm happy with where I'm at. Since I've got a couple vacations coming up, I want to work on what the kids call a "Beach Bod" and just getting in better shape in general.

The last reason, however, is an idea that I've been kicking around for the past six months, and since I won't be dedicating as much time to this blog (due mainly to the above two reasons), I have decided that I want to focus some of my energy into this idea.

The thing is I really enjoy writing and one of my other passions is getting out and exploring, which is why I am excited to announce that I will be starting up a new blog dedicated to travel. My intent is to focus on destinations that are both local and far. The idea would be to start small (local) before branching out to more elaborate ventures like California, Germany, Italy, etc.

As for the future of this blog, I will be doing beer reviews but nowhere near as many as I post right now. I also want to put a greater focus on visiting taprooms since I've gotten a ton of feedback regarding those posts. These changes will be immediate.

For the travel blog, I'm still working on a name, a format as to how I want to present content, and of course, hosting. I will post more details as I move forward with it.

As always, thank you for reading your continued support.

Cheers!

- Nick

Roughtail Little Blue Pils Review

Name: Roughtail Little Blue Pils
Style: Pilsner
ABV: 5%
IBUs: 26

Well I've finished up my Georgia craft beer package and now I'm moving on...to another one! This time, I have a beer mail from Oklahoma that I got for a Bell's Beer package. So to start things off, I'm going to take a look at Little Blue Pils from Roughtail Brewing, based out of Midwest City, OK.

The label itself is kind of cleaver, with the music pairings for this beer include: You Shook Me All Night Long by AC/DC, Let's Get It On by Marvin Gaye, and My Neck My Back by Khia. The tagline proclaims "Say Goodbye To A Reptile Dysfunction" and it goes on to say that there's some "stiff competition" for the attention of craft beer lovers and that this beer will make your palate "rise to new levels of excitement and will satisfy you for longer than 4 hours."

Viagra!

Appearance - Fairly clear yellow color with a mild amount of visible carbonation. The head is nice and foamy and the lacing is also quite abundant.

Aroma - Pilsner malts with some mild citrus/mango hoppiness and lager yeasts. Nothing terribly complex here but it smells good

Taste - Pilsner malts and lager yeasts on the front of the palate while the back opens up to some mild but noticeable citrus hops with just a touch of melon. The aftertaste is on the drier side, save for some light lager yeasts and citrus sweetness.

I can't really say this......excites my palate tenfold, but what we have here is a solid pilsner and one I can see being a crowd pleaser at the very least. As such, it certainly doesn't hurt to check this out as it's got a good flavor and a rather crisp feel.

Roughtail Little Blue Pils - 8/10

Bud Light Lime Review

Name: Bud Light Lime
Style: American Adjunct Lager
ABV: 4.2%
IBUs: N/A

So originally I was going to start reviewing my Oklahoma Craft Beer Package but I've been getting a few requests for this beer for a while now. That's not terribly unusual, but what sets this apart is that someone in my MBA cohort requested that I review this beer; The things I do for friends.

I give to you Bud Light Lime, a beer that I never thought that would be featured on this blog. I recall last summer when I was in Miami Beach at this beachside patio bar with my wife, I was sipping on some Funky Buddha while she drank her Miller. Suddenly, these promotional models wearing Bud Light Lime Bikinis (which are totally a thing), were going around the bar offering free bottles of the aforementioned beer. When they came to our table, I politely declined but with the other bar patrons, it was a resounding hit.

Appearance - Clear pale yellow straw color with a high amount of visible carbonation. The head is fairly thin and fades to a white ring along the sides of the glass. As for the lacing.............well, there's none!

Aroma - Cereal grains, cardboard and skunkiness, all encompassed by a mild lime sweetness.

Taste - Mild lime flavor that encompasses the flavor, which consists of light cereal grains and light cardboard with no aftertaste to speak of. In fact, there's not really much of a flavor here at all.

You know, I was expecting Bud Light Platinum caliber horrible, but it's just merely bad. Sure, it's skunky in the nose and gives a terrible first impression but when everything is said and done, this is just a pretty bland beer that is devoid of pretty much any sort of flavor, mainly due to the fact that the lime flavoring cancels out anything truly awful on the palate, which may or may not be the intent.

In a strange twist of fate, this is actually better than the original Bud Light but not by much and if there are better offerings available, go with those instead of this

Bud Light Lime - 3/10

The Duluth Experience Announces International Partnership to Promote Duluth to European Mountain Bike Enthusiasts

The Duluth Experience, who I've featured many times on this blog, have a new partnership they'd like me to share with everyone. Being an avid cyclist myself, I figured that this is most certainly worth sharing.

International Partnership Promotes Duluth to European Mountain Bike Enthusiasts 

Duluth, MN – The City of Duluth has quickly emerged as a world-class mountain bike destination and The Duluth Experience is hitting the trail to promote Duluth on the European stage. In partnership with Visit Duluth, The Duluth Experience will attend two large conventions designed to connect Dutch and Belgian travelers with unique cycling and hiking destinations around the world. 

Theo Jorna, Executive Director of the Holland-based tourism promoter Holcus Buiten, sees Duluth’s potential. “Duluth provides an excellent mountain bike experience for European tourists because it combines great cycling with beautiful scenery and you can spend many days exploring the trails and the city itself. Unique and relatively unknown destinations like Duluth are in high demand.” 

This year The Duluth Experience will promote its seven-day, all-inclusive mountain bike adventure package that showcases The Duluth Traverse – a purpose-built mountain bike trail that recently earned designation as a Gold-Level Ride Center from the International Mountain Bicycling Association.

Visit Duluth President Anna Tanski explains, "Duluth’s status as a Gold-Level Ride Center - one of six in the world - has established Duluth’s presence on the international mountain biking scene.” 

While it’s true the city boasts more continuous miles of purpose-built single-track mountain bike trails than any other city in the nation, Duluth also offers amazing arts and cultural experiences. “I like to say that Duluth has an epic backcountry feel with an authentic frontcountry vibe” says Dave Grandmaison, Co-Founder and CEO of The Duluth Experience. “Our guests get to spend the day exploring scenic trails overlooking Lake Superior and enjoy the great food, amazing beer, and vibrant arts and culture that really define Duluth’s international appeal.” 

Grandmaison will promote The Duluth Traverse Mountain Bike Adventure at the two conferences in February – one in Utrecht, Netherlands and the second in Ghent, Belgium. The tour package, which includes everything from airport pickup to hotel accommodations, guided tours, equipment and meals starts this summer.

Tanksi adds “The Duluth Experience mountain bike tour package provides a vital link that international visitors look for when booking an outdoor getaway in the US. This essential service is the centerpiece of our international marketing efforts focused in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany." 

About The Duluth Experience: 
The Duluth Experience is a locally owned and operated tour company dedicated to creating fun and educational experiences that connect people to the businesses, places, stories and adventures that define the Northland’s rich natural, historical, and cultural identity. 

About The Duluth Traverse Adventure Package: 
Details about the Multi-Day Duluth Traverse Mountain Bike Adventure can be found online at: http://www.TheDuluthExperience.com/Duluth-Traverse-Adventure/

Press Contact: 
David Grandmaison 
The Duluth Experience, LLC 
Phone: (218) 464-6337 
Email: dave@theduluthexperience.com 
Website: www.TheDuluthExperience.com

Those who have been reading this blog for a while know how much I admire what The Duluth Experience has been doing for the area and I see this as the next step in getting their name out there. If you haven't been to Duluth yet and want to get a real flavor of the scene (figuratively or literally, depending on who you are), these guys won't let you down.

Cheers!

- Nick

How Beer Writers & Reviewers Can Avoid Burnout

Ah Beer! Such a wonderful thing!

It's hard to believe that it'll be four years this April since I first started this blog in my office the day after a particularly long day at work. It has taken me places I never thought I'd go and experiences that I will remember for the rest of my life. It would be wrong of me to say that I don't pay attention to other beer writers and reviewers out there, whose work I've come to admire and it's inspiring to see how enthusiastic and passionate they are about wanting to share their love of craft beer with the rest of the world.

A couple weeks back, I had woken up early like I always do, much to my wife's chagrin. Not wanting to wake up our puppy to cause incessant barking, I decided to check my Facebook News-feed while I lay in bed and noticed a new video from Chris Steltz of Beer Geek Nation had been posted. Since I'm a huge fan of his reviews, I plugged in my headphones and started watching and what I heard was quite profound. In the video, he had explained that he had taken a break on account of being burned out from the reviews he was doing and felt like he was doing the same thing over and over again.

I was a bit shocked; Somebody who I looked up to and admired for his enthusiasm with every beer he had was admitting to his viewers that it was hard keeping up appearances. However, the more I thought about it, the more his message started resonating with me because, truth be told, I know how that is. There have been times where I've begrudgingly reviewed a beer after a long day at work and really wanted nothing more than just to sit back, relax, watch some Netflix or play some video games. Or that I couldn't bring myself to be excited about writing in general and I see a noticeable difference in quality when I look back at my past reviews, during the times where I just wasn't excited about the beer I had in front of me.

With all these thoughts in mind, it's inspired me to come with a list based on my own experiences of how craft beer writers and reviewers can avoid burnout, or worse, quitting writing altogether. I should note that one doesn't need to follow all these tips as it all varies on expertise and personality but if I can convince at least one craft beer journalist out there to keep writing based on the contents of this article, then I've done my job.

1) Visit a Taproom & write about it.

Occasionally, sitting in my office and reviewing beer can get rather dull so every once in a while, I like to emerge from my Man-cave and experience they joys of a local taproom. In addition to getting out and meeting the people behind the beer, it provides me with a good amount of inspiration. And if don't want to take notes, then take pictures! Even if you don't necessarily want to write about a taproom, visiting it should at least help remind you why you fell in love with craft beer in the first place. Hell, even make a vacation out of it like I did!

Me at the Cigar City Taproom in Tampa last summer

2) Tour a Brewery

This sort of segways in from the last tip but for some reason, seeing the exact place where our favorite libations are made gives me a huge appreciation for beer at large. Case in point, when I was in Tampa last summer, me and my wife were deciding what to do before heading to Busch Gardens when she suggested we visit a brewery which she had a hard time pronouncing called Yuengling. When I heard her say this, I didn't believe her but sure enough, their largest production brewery just so happened to be in Tampa. It has an awesome tour and it was an excellent insight into the oldest craft brewery in America. It also happened at a time where I almost was considering giving up writing, but that tour gave me the kick I needed to continue writing once I returned from my vacation.

Yuengling Brewing Facility in Tampa

3) Don't feel obligated to write about beer if you're not in the right mindset.

A couple weekends ago, we said goodbye to my wife's grandpa, who had passed away a couple days prior. So between that and everything else, I wasn't able to write. Last February, I also had switched careers plus I had graduate school to deal with during that time period and as a result, I wasn't able to do any kind of writing. Since graduate school & work are quite important to me, I had to make some sacrifices and hold off on writing until the dust had settled before I could continue. The point I'm trying to make sure you take care of your personal affairs before you continue writing again.

4) Do a beer mail from somewhere you've never been!

This one's my favorite! Suppose you don't care for going out and mingling with the general population or you find craft beer offerings are becoming same-y. Then switch it up by doing a beer mail from a different part of the country. I just finished a craft beer package Georgia and will be moving on to an Oklahoma craft beer mail after this. There's always something exciting about opening a package that contains beers that you would normally never get to try out otherwise and sometimes you'll find some new favorites that you never would've had otherwise. My favorite way to go about this is to go on Reddit under the Beertrade Subreddit, which I will link below:

www.reddit.com/r/beertrade

5) If all else fails, take a break

There have been a couple of times where I was honestly thinking about throwing in the towel and calling it quits because it had gotten to a point where I was no longer viewing beer reviewing as a hobby but more as a chore and frankly, that's not the way it should be. Every once in a while, I'll go a week without posting in order to gather myself or just for the sake of getting those creative juices following again.

------

So there you have it. My hope is that any beer writers out there who are experiencing some difficulty will take some of this advice to heart. The world of beer writing is a fun one but it's also easier than it looks to experience burnout. As always, thanks for reading!

- Nick

Wicked Weed Medora Review

Name: Wicked Weed Medora
Style: Wild Ale
ABV: 6.6%
IBUs: N/A

I saved the best for last with my Georgia craft beer package and it's one I'm very excited to have as I've heard so much about this brewery from friends and craft beer fans alike about how their sour beers are considered among the best in the country. I give to you Medora, an offering from Wicked Weed Brewing based out of Asheville, NC.

Medora is a wild ale made with blackberries, raspberries and Brettanomyces. On top of that, it's also aged in red wine barrels. To quote a friend of mine who is very familiar with Wicked Weed's offerings said that Medora was a "gold brick" and how it was one of his all-time favorite sours.

Appearance - Hazy crimson color with no visible carbonation. The head is pretty thin for the most part but lingers for a while and the lacing left behind is sparse.

Aroma - Raspberries and blackberries with some plum notes. I'm getting a mild amount of Brett funk in here as well and even some light floral hoppiness.

Taste - Potent raspberry and blackberry sweetness on the front and middle of the palate with a light amount of sour. However, in the back of the palate is where that Brett yeast suddenly becomes the dominant flavor above everything else in a reasonably big way. The aftertaste, on the otherhand, is surprisingly dry. There's also an encompassing light oak flavor in here as well, but it pales in comparison to the rest of the flavor.

Well, it's not too often that I have a beer that meets the hype surrounding it but this one does just that. To top it all off, this may be one of the best sours I've had in a long time. Anyone who is able to have these guys readily available in the store close to them should consider themselves to be very lucky.

With that said, I feel like the bar has been set for sours as a whole, at least for myself. If I ever find myself in the Southeastern United States ever again, this brewery will definitely be at the top of my list of beers to get.

Wicked Weed Medora - 9.5/10

Orpheus Atalanta Review

Name: Orpheus Atalanta
Style: Saison
ABV: 5.25%
IBUs: N/A

We're on to the second-to-last beer from the Georgia craft beer  package and this one is from Orpheus Brewing, which is also based out of Atlanta. I give to you Atalanta, which is described as a "Tart Plum Saison" by the brewery, which also happens to be made with brettanomyces.

Despite preconceptions that this beer is a deliberate misspelling of Atlanta, the name actually derives from Greek mythology from the huntress Atalanta who was renowned for being a fierce hunter and was left on a mountain top to die at birth, only to be nursed back to health by, of all things, a bear; Which is what just so happens to be on the label.

Appearance - Pale dark yellow with a moderate amount of carbonation. The head is somewhat foamy and there's a ton of lacing left behind along the sides of the glass.

Aroma - Strong Belgian Yeasts and sour-funk, along with some plum, light floral hop & white grape notes. I'm also getting a mild pale malt backbone in here too.

Taste - Strong Brett and Moderate Belgian yeasts upfront. Floral hops and flaked oats in the middle and back, More light lacto in back

For what it's worth, this is pretty tasty. I like the funk aspect of the flavor as it's in your face but doesn't necessarily dominate the entirety of the palate. Plus I'm quite pleased to see that there's a brewery in Atlanta dediciated to making sours a year-round priority. If funky/sour beers are your thing, then this will do just nicely.

Orpheus Atalanta - 8.5/10

Scofflaw Double Jeopardy Review

Name: Scofflaw Double Jeopardy
Style: Imperial IPA
ABV: 10.5%
IBUs: 110

Well, I'm on the last leg of my Georgia beer package with three left. So now I'm looking at Double Jeopardy, an Imperial IPA from Scofflaw Brewing based out of Atlanta, GA. This is also the only beer from Scofflaw that I got in the package.

From what I've gathered, this brewery has been open for only six months at the time of writing this so these guys are pretty new! Plus a little fun fact: the brewery's name, Scofflaw, comes from a Prohibition-Era term for someone who drinks illegally

Appearance - Cloudy dark orange color with some mild carbonation, It's got a nice and foamy head and the lacing left behind is both plentiful and sticky.

Aroma - Strong citrus, bitter and piney hoppiness backed up by a hefty caramel and toffee malt backbone. It's nothing I haven't seen but everything in this nose is big and robust.

Taste - Big citrus hop sweetness upfront with a strong bitter & piney hop profile in the middle. In the back, I'm getting some moderate bittersweet citrus hops and toffee sweetness. There's also an encompassing caramel & toffee malt backbone that keeps everything from getting too bitter and the balance achieved here is notable!

For a brand new brewery, this is excellent! It's got a nice & strong diverse hop profile and the solid malt backbone gives this a nice balance. In short, this may be one of the best Imperial IPAs I've had in a long time. For those in the Atlanta area, you're lucky to have this brewery. If I ever find myself in Atlanta again, I need to try out more of their beers!

Scofflaw Double Jeopardy - 9.5/10

Creature Comforts Koko Buni Review

Name: Creature Comforts Koko Buni
Style: Porter
ABV: 6.5%
IBUs: N/A

The other Creature Comforts beer, which I got in my Georgia craft beer package, is one that goes by the name of Koko Buni. It's a porter that's made with coconut and Ethiopian coffee beans. I did some digging on this beer and many people have compared this to Death By Coconut from Oskar Blues though I'll make that call myself.

Appearance - Pitch black color with no carbonation.The head takes on a thin brown look and the lacing left behind is nice and plentiful.

Aroma - Coconut, coffee grounds and chocolate malts with some light lactose notes. I'm also getting some bitter and floral hops in here too.

Taste - Chocolate malts and coffee grounds start things off upfront, with the latter lingering throughout the palate. The middle opens up to some lactose, coconut and light vanilla notes, while the back end of the palate finishes things off with more coconut & coffee grounds, plus some mild bitter & floral hops.

I don't see how many people think this is like Death by Coconut. It's less coconut-centric and more toasty in terms of flavor, plus the addition of lactose sets it apart further. With that said, it's still a very good beer and while it probably doesn't have the wide appeal that Death by Coconut has, this one is most certainly worth checking out should you get the chance.

Creature Comforts Koko Buni - 8.5/10

Creature Comforts Tropicalia Review

Name: Creature Comforts Tropicalia
Style: India Pale Ale
ABV: 6.5%
IBUs: N/A

Back to my Georgia craft beer package. I'm moving on to a couple of offerings from Creature Comforts, based out of Athens, GA. For this review, I got their Tropicalia IPA. I did a bit of research on this beer and it turns out that this is actually a pretty popular beer in Atlanta, so much so that the brewery is having trouble keeping up with demand for this beer. With that said, I consider myself very luck to be able to try this out.

Appearance - Hazy dark yellow color with a mild amount of visible carbonation. The head is pretty foamy and the lacing left behind is plentiful.

Aroma - Rich citrus hops and mango notes, with some mild yeasty notes and a toffee/pale malt backbone. I'm also getting some passion fruit sweetness in here too.

Taste - Getting some very robust citrus and tangerine notes on the front of the palate that lingers throughout. In the middle and back, I'm getting some solid passion fruit and mango notes, along with a solid pale malt backbone and toffee sweetness. In the aftertaste, I'm getting a mild bitter hoppiness, along with more of that passion fruit and tangerine sweetness.

Well, I can definitely see why this is so popular in Atlanta. Between its bright citrus hop profile and balanced malt backbone, this is honestly one of the best IPAs I've had in recent memory. Georgia, consider yourselves lucky to have access to such a wonderful beer! To those who are fortunate enough to have regular access to this, this is worth waiting around for.

Creature Comforts Tropicalia - 9.5/10

Sam Adams Rebel Juiced IPA Review

Name: Sam Adams Rebel Juiced IPA
Style: India Pale Ale
ABV: 6.2%
IBUs: 55

The other beer that Sam Adams sent me is yet another Rebel IPA beer. This time, we have their Juiced IPA, which is an IPA made with mango juice. It's also made with Zeus, Mandarina &.....Mosaic Hops? I'm starting to see a pattern here. In any case, this just came out so I'm curious to see how this is.

Appearance - Mildly hazy orange color with a mild amount of visible carbonation. The head is fairly foamy and there's some nice sticky lacing left behind on the sides of the glass.

Aroma - Citrus hops and mango notes, combined with some pale malts and toffee sweetness. I'm also getting some light passion fruit notes in here as well.

Taste - Potent citrus hop and mango notes that linger throughout the palate. There's a moderate pale/toffee malt backbone that is present throughout the flavor while the back of the palate opens to some mild hop bitterness and passion fruit. Aftertaste is made up of bitter hops and a light mango sweetness.

Overall, it's a solid addition to the Rebel lineup but I can't help but feel that this would be better with blood orange as opposed to say mango juice. As it stands, it's a good IPA that I think any loyal follower of the Rebel series will no doubt enjoy, plus those who are looking for a good intro IPA.

Sam Adams Rebel Juiced IPA - 8/10

Sam Adams Rebel IPA Review (2017)

Name: Sam Adams Rebel IPA
Style: India Pale Ale
ABV: 6.5%
IBUs: 45

So remember a couple weeks back when Sam Adams sent me a couple spring seasonal new beers to try out? Well it turns out that wasn't the only package they sent me as I found out last week when I got home Friday last week. You see they gave me two more beers to look at, so I'm taking a break from my Georgia beers to review these offerings.

First up is......wait a minute, Rebel IPA? Haven't I already reviewed this? The answer is yes, I did indeed review this when it first came out a couple years back, but they've apparently made some changes to it. Released under the moniker "A Rebel Reborn," they changed up the hop profile to include Mosaic hops, as well as two new hops called HBC 566 & HBC 682, which were derived from a program called "Project Lupulus" from which Sam Adams developed their own hops to use. This is, of course, in addition to the Cascade, Centennial, Simcoe and Chinook hops from the original recipe.

For comparison's sake, I will also be including the portions of the original review in italics with the new portions below in plain text.

Rebel IPA pours a fairly clear orange color with moderate carbonation. The head takes on a thin foamy appearance and the lacing is pretty good.

Appearance - Well, I really can't say much has changed here. It's still got the same clear orange color and moderate carbonation, along with the foamy head and good lacing.

The aroma has some strong piney hops and grape-fruitiness, followed by some mild citrus hops and a substantial caramel malt back bone. The piney hops in particular have this almost sticky quality to them, if that makes any sense.

Aroma - Here's where it starts to deviate. For starters, the piney aspect has been dialed back a bit in favor of more of a citra-centric IPA. The citrus hops are a bit stronger here and the Mosaic hops, while not overpowering, is noticeable here. The caramel malt profile is the same here and is still the same as I remember it.

The flavor starts out with some strong grapefruit & citrus hoppiness The second half of the flavor is where the piney hops make themselves known along with some noticeable caramel malts, before ending with a bitter hop aftertaste. On a side note, that citrus hoppiness in the front of the flavor lingers on throughout the whole drinking experience.

Taste - Profile-wise, a good deal has changed. The grapefruit aspect is mellowed out here to have more of a citra hop taste, along with that tropical Mosaic flavor, which noticeable throughout the palate but in a moderate sense. The back end of the palate, consists of some mild bitter hops and more citrus sweetness in addition to some moderate caramel maltiness. Aftertaste hasn't changed too much as there's still that bitter hop aftertaste, in addition to some light citra notes.

So, it really better than the original. Well the answer is.......in some regards, yes. Personally, I like the fact that it has a much stronger citra hop profile than the original and I've honestly yet to encounter a bad beer that uses Mosaic hops.. I was also kind of worried that this would be a malt bomb since the IBUs are only at 45, but upon doing some digging, I saw that the original was also 45 IBUs.

When they first launched Rebel IPA, I feel that it was intended to target primarily the largest segment of the craft beer crowd: the IPA drinkers. It was successful enough that a bunch of spinoffs from the original Rebel IPA. Now that they've captured that segment , they've either wanted to change it up to fit the current mold of taste for IPA or (something much more likely in my opinion) they did it to appeal to a wider demographic without necessarily sacrificing a huge portion of loyal drinkers.

With that said, I can see the new Rebel being another success for Sam Adams and I feel that anyone who was a fan of the original will for sure find this to be just as enjoyable. Like the original, it's not the best IPA I've ever had, but it's still good just the way it is and I'll happily have it again.

Sam Adams Rebel IPA Review (2017) - 8.5/10

Terrapin W-n-B Coffee Oatmeal Imperial Stout Review

Name: Terrapin W-n-B Coffee Oatmeal Imperial Stout
Style: Imperial Stout
ABV: 9.4%
IBUs: 50

I apologize for being out these past few days, as I had to deal with the death of a family member and that had taken up a good portion of my time. It was a difficult time but I feel better knowing that he's in a better place and is no longer in pain.

With that said, I've come to final Terrapin beer in my Georgia craft beer package and that would be their W-n-B Coffee Oatmeal Imperial Stout. It's a beer I first heard about a few years back and I'm fortunate enough to try it out.

Now I was a bit confused over the W-n-B acronym as this beer used to go by the name "Wake-n-Bake" and it turns out that Terrapin did, in fact, change the name some point in the past few years. As to why that is, I cannot say. However, the acronym now stands for "Why not beer?" You wanna know what, why not?

Appearance - Pitch black color with no carbonation. The head takes on a nice pillowy dark brown appearance and the lacing left behind is very abundant.

Aroma - Coffee grounds, chocolate malts with some toffee sweetness. I'm also picking up on a light amount of bitter hops in here too.

Taste - Strong chocolate malts and molasses upfront with the middle opening up to some coffee grounds and roasted barley. The back end of the palate finishes things off with some mild toffee sweetness and a moderate bitter hoppiness, the latter of which lingers for a couple of moments.

What can I say, it's another excellent imperial stout from Terrapin and it serves as a reminder to myself that I need to make it a priority to check out more of their offerings the next time I'm in Georgia!

Terrapin W-n-B Coffee Oatmeal Imperial Stout - 9/10

Terrapin Moo-HooChiato Review

Name: Terrapin Moo-HooChiato
Style: Imperial Milk Stout
ABV: 8.5%
IBUs: 30

Next up from Terrapin, I have their Moo-HooChiato (Get it? Macchiato, Hoo-MooChiato.......no?) which is described as a "Chocolate Espresso Imperial Milk Stout." I did a bit of research on this and it turns out this is an imperialized version of their Moo-Hoo Chocolate Stout, a beer which I didn't get but I'll be sure to try in the future should I come across it.

The bottle is also an anomaly, as it's more than a standard 12 oz bottle but less than a bomber. Instead, it looks like we're getting 500 ml of this stuff. Oh yes, it's also made with coffee beans from a place called Jittery Joe's, a coffee chain that is based out of Athens, GA, the same city which Terrapin is based out of.

Appearance - Pitch black with no visible carbonation. The head takes on a light brown color is reasonably foamy with a light amount of carbonation along the sides of the glass

Aroma - Coffee grounds and lactose followed by some chocolate malts and caramel/toffee sweetness. Well, I can safely say this smells like a Macchiato.

Taste - Pretty identical to the nose. The chocolate malt and lactose notes are quite strong and linger throughout the palate. In the middle and back, I'm getting some some of that coffee ground roast and caramel sweetness. The aftertaste is actually pretty sweet with some light toffee/caramel sweetness and light lactose.

If you like coffee beers like me, then this is pretty much a love letter to you. I'll even go as far to say that even you don't like coffee beers, there's enough maltiness in here to counter to roasty aspect of the flavor profile. So if you're fortunate enough to see this, try it out!

Terrapin Moo-HooChiato - 9/10

Terrapin RecreationAle Review

Name: Terrapin RecreationAle
Style: India Pale Ale
ABV: 4.7%
IBUs: 42

Next beer I have from Terrapin is a session IPA by the name of RecreationAle. I didn't get a chance to visit the liquor stores down there (again, three day wedding that took up 75% of my time in Georgia) but I'm assuming this is a pretty new beer since I don't recall seeing this on their company's website 3-4 years back.

I did some digging around on RecreationAle and found that this used to be classified as an American Pale Ale, which Beer Advocate still has it listed as. However I'm guessing that they did some tweaking to the original recipe as the can describes this a Session IPA.

Appearance - Clear bright orange color with very little visible carbonation. The head itself is pretty foamy but there really isn't anything here in terms of lacing.

Aroma - Mild citrus and piney hops with some toffee malts and just a hint of biscuit/yeastiness.

Taste - Citrus hops on the front of the palate with some mild piney hops in the middle. In the back, I'm getting some mild toffee malts and more light citrus hops. The aftertaste itself is quite dry save for a touch of yeasts that linger for a couple of seconds.

It's a good Session IPA and one that I would gladly accept would it be offered to me again. It plays it safe for the most part but has enough flavor in it that it'll satisfy those in the Session IPA crowd just fine.

Terrapon RecreationAle - 7.5/10

Terrapin Hopsecutioner Review

Name: Terrapin Hopsecutioner
Style: India Pale Ale
ABV: 7.3%
IBUs: 71

Next up in my Georgia beer mail package is a slew of beers from Terrapin Beer Co., a brewery which I have some degree of familiarity with as venue which the wedding reception was held at had a bar; Though the wedding was a dry one so I had to sneak out to try them. Plus it's hard to forget a brewery whose mascot is a turtle.

First up is Hopsecutioner, which is their flagship IPA, which is made with Warrior, Chinook, Centennial, Simcoe, Amarillo & Cascade hops. Also every bar or restaurant we went to in North Georgia had this on tap and I was fortunate enough to try it out, so I'm looking forward to having this again.

Appearance - Mildly hazy orange color with a mild amount of visible carbonation. The head is about 2 fingers in width and the lacing itself is pretty sticky.

Aroma - Strong piney hops with some moderate citrus and floral hops. I'm also getting a fairly hefty caramel & toffee malt backbone along with some light yeasty notes.

Taste - Pretty similar to the nose. You've got that strong piney hop flavor which is balanced out by that moderate citrus and floral hoppiness. Backing it all up is that nice & hefty caramel and toffee malt backbone. The aftertaste is made up of light caramel sweetness and a touch of resin.

I have to say I'm quite pleased with this and I really like the hop profile in this, yet it's malty enough that it doesn't go overboard with the hops. If I ever find myself in Georgia again, I'll definitely be sure to bring this home with me!

Terrapin Hopsecutioner - 9/10

Three Taverns Feest Noel Review

Name: Three Taverns Feest Noel
Style: Quadrupel 
ABV: 10%
IBUs: 30

This past summer, while on vacation, Florida wasn't the only place I visited as I also spent four days in Atlanta. Before going, I was even told that next to Asheville, Atlanta was the craft brewing hub of the Deep South. However the cards of life were stacked against me in this instance. I wasn't able to sample much of the local options due to the three day wedding (Yes, three days) that took up the bulk of my time and was only able to visit Red Brick Brewing and a local gastropub that had a great selection of local brews. As a result, my soul was aching from missing out on what could've been.

Then a couple weeks back as I was looking at my vacation photos, specifically the ones I took while touring Red Brick, I suddenly got the idea to do a beer mail that consisted Georgia beers. After posting a request on Reddit, I was finally able to get my hands on a pretty sizable sampling of beer from the Peach State.

First up is from a brewery called Three Taverns with their Feest Noel, a Quad made with spices. I'm keenly aware that this is technically a Christmas beer but I'm always looking to add more Quads to my library, so let's check this one out.

Appearance - Cloudy dark brown color with no visible carbonation. The head takes on a foamy dark khaki look and the lacing left behind is quite abundant.

Aroma - Caramel malts and spices mixed in with some Belgian yeasts, toffee sweetness, and just a hint of cloves

Taste -  Caramel malts and Belgian yeasts start things off on the front of the palate, followed by some toffee malts, cloves and spice in the back, with a slight touch of floral hops. The aftertaste is a mix of caramel malts and light cloves.

Being that this is my first offering from Three Taverns, I have to say I'm very impressed with this. Between the candied malts, yeast profile and spice, this is a very well put together Quad. Here's hoping the rest of the beers I got here are just as good as this.

Three Taverns Fesst Noel - 9/10

Sam Adams Hopscape Review

Name: Sam Adams Hopscape
Style: Wheat Ale
ABV: 5.5%
IBUs: 30

The other beer which I got from Sam Adams is their Hopscape, which is a wheat ale made with "West Coast Hops" and it's also the other new spring seasonal from the brewery. It's been a while since I've had a good wheat beer, so I'm looking forward to trying this one out.

Appearance - Hazy dark yellow color with a mild amount of visible carbonation. Head is pretty foamy and there's tons of lacing left along the sides of the glass.

Aroma - Pale malts, malted wheat, with some citrus & floral hops.

Taste - Pale malts and malted wheat upfront that linger throughout with the middle and back opening up to that nice citrus & floral hop profile. The aftertaste consists of more malted wheat and a light orange peel finish

Much like the last entry, this one is pretty light bodied and the flavor profile is reasonably bright without being overpowering. I haven't had too many hoppy wheat beers, but this is pulled off quite well and, as such, is very easy to recommend.

Sam Adams Hopscape - 8.5/10

Sam Adams Fresh As Helles Review

Name: Sam Adams Fresh As Helles
Style: Helles Lager
ABV: 5.4%
IBUs: 18

It's not too often I get beer in the mail unless it's for a trade. However Sam Adams was cool enough to send me a couple of new beers which they just released. The first one I'll be looking at is Fresh As Helles, a Helles Lager made with orange blossom and also one of their new spring seasonals. Why is there a skull on the label? I have no clue; Let's just drink this beer!

Appearance - Fairly clear dark yellow color with a ton of visible carbonation. The head is foamy & quite creamy and the lacing left behind is quite abundant.

Aroma - Pale malts, lager yeasts & citrus hops, mixed in with some mild floral notes and just a hint of orange peel.

Taste - Citrus hops and floral notes upfront with that lager yeastiness and solid pale malt backbone in the middle. In the back, I'm getting some light orange peel notes with a light touch of honey. The aftertaste consists of lager yeasts & some floral and orange peel notes.

For a lager, this is very good! It's got a light body & nice crisp feel and on top of that, the flavor profile is bright without being overwhelming and compliments the overall body quite well. In general, it's just a tasty beer & if you're looking for a good spring seasonal once the world outside thaws, this would be a good beer to start with.

Sam Adams Fresh as Helles - 8.5/10

Sierra Nevada Sidecar Review

Name: Sierra Nevada Sidecar
Style: American Pale Ale
ABV: 5.3%
IBUs: 35

Been a while since I've reviewed something from Sierra Nevada, but I couldn't help but take notice of this the other day as it was in both six & twelve pack bottles. I give to you Sidecar, which is described as an Orange Pale Ale, To my knowledge, this is a brand new offering from the brewery and I figured that if they were giving it such a huge release that I may as well check it out at least.

Appearance - Mildly hazy dark orange with a light amount of carbonation. The head is nice and foamy and there's a ton of lacing left behind.

Aroma - Orange peel and citrus hops mixed in with a pale & toffee malt backbone. I'm also getting some light yeastiness in here as well.

Taste - Floral hops and light orange peel upfront with that pale/toffee malt backbone and citrus hops making an in the middle and back. On the back end of the palate, I'm getting a surprisingly strong bitter hoppiness paired with some yeasts; Interesting for a beer that's 35 IBUs. Aftertaste, however, is mainly just yeasts and light orange peel.

It's not as orange-y as the label would leave you to believe but it manages to be yet another solid pale ale from the brewery. I predict this will be a hit among the casual beer drinking crowd and a profitable venture for Sierra Nevada. As such, this is pretty easy for me to recommend and it's worth checking out at the least.

Sierra Nevada Sidecar - 8/10

Funkwerks Solenna Review

Name: Funkwerks Solenna
Style: Belgian Dark Ale
ABV: 6.3%
IBUs: 48

Ever since their arrival to Minnesota, Funkwerks has become one of my favorite new breweries to check out and today I have their Solenna, which is a Belgian Ale with Brettanomyces. I say Belgian Ale because that's not only what the brewery calls it but there's also websites and organizations that have different classifications for this beer.

Beer Advocate calls this a Belgian Dark Ale, while RateBeer calls this a Belgian Ale. Untappd, on the other hand, refers to this as a Saison. For all intents and purposes, we'll just refer to it as a Belgian Dark Ale

Appearance - Hazy brown color with no visible carbonation. The head starts off very foamy even with a gentle pour but the lacing is nice and abundant.

Aroma - Strong brett funkiness and caramelized malts upfront, followed by some mild floral hoppiness and a strong apple-like tartness.

Taste - The front of the palate starts things off with some strong Brett yeasts and moderate caramel malts, while the back end of the palate opens up to some mild floral hops and spice notes. In the aftertaste, I'm getting some of that light apple tartness that lingers for a couple of moments.

I like this. The Brett isn't too overpowering but it gives off just enough funk to make this a crowd pleaser. That said, if you aren't a fan of wild ales, this one isn't going to change your mind but for those who enjoys them will definitely find something to like here.

Funkwerks Solenna - 8.5/10

Bent Paddle Cold Press Black Review

Name: Bent Paddle Cold Press Black
Style: Black Ale
ABV: 6%
IBUs: 34 

Been meaning to review this for a while, but I can never seem to find this in stores; Only on tap at certain establishments. Then this past weekend, I finally found it. I'm talking about Bent Paddle's Cold Press Black, which to my knowledge, is their black ale made with coffee beans from The Duluth Coffee Company. It's also been a while since I've had their black ale, so let's try this out!

Appearance - Pitch black with some light carbonation along the sides of the glass. The head takes on a tan khaki color and it leaves a good amount of lacing along the sides of the glass.

Aroma - Nice roasted barley and chocolate malt profile mixed in with some nice coffee ground notes and faint hops.

Taste - The front of the palate starts things off with some roasted barley and chocolate malts, with some moderate coffee ground notes popping up in the middle. Towards the back, I'm getting more of that chocolate malt backbone and more coffee ground notes. The aftertaste consists mainly of roasted barley and light coffee grounds.

I like the coffee in this; Not too strong and just balanced enough to walk in sync with the other aspects of the flavor. As far as I'm concerned, it's another solid offering from Bent Paddle and the perfect beer for these cold winter days. If you see this, be sure to check it out!

Bent Paddle Cold Press Black - 8.5/10

Dogfish Head World Wide Stout Review

Name: Dogfish Head World Wide Stout
Style: Imperial Stout
ABV: 18-20%
IBUs: 70

While in Wisconsin this past weekend, I decided to stop at Casanova like always after I finish up at either Pitchfork or Oliphant when I noticed an offering from Dogfish Head that I had heard stories about but had yet to try out. I'm of course talking about their World Wide Stout, which clocks in at around 18-20% ABV; Kind of reminds me of their 120 Minute IPA, because they aren't exactly 100% sure what the ABV on this is. It also makes this the strongest Stout I've had to date.

Hey speaking of which, pretty soon I'll no longer have to travel to Wisconsin to acquire Dogfish Head as it was announced a couple weeks ago that they would start distributing to Minnesota this year. This comes after a nearly 17 year absence from Minnesota after the brewery got screwed over by a distributor and, according to what a store owner once told me, said that they would never set foot in the Minnesota market again. You know me though, I'm always down for a bigger selection of craft beer to choose from.

Appearance - Pitch black with a small amount of carbonation along the sides of the glass. The head takes on a brown color and is pretty thin & there's no lacing to speak of left behind

Aroma - Strong chocolate malts mixed in with some fairly strong bitter hops and light cherry notes, along with a hefty amount of roastiness from this on. I'm also getting some pretty strong boozy notes in here as well.

Taste - Strong chocolate malts and roasted barley notes that linger throughout the palate, with those bitter hops and cherry notes showing up in the middle and back. Speaking of which, on the back end of the palate is where I'm getting some very strong boozy notes and boy howdy, those first couple of sips you feel like your esophagus is burning. However, the more it warms up and airs out, the boozy sensation starts to calm down but is still very much there throughout the palate. As for the aftertaste, it consists of more roastiness and moderate hop bitterness, both of which linger for a few moments

I recall my review of Dogfish's 120 Minute IPA as it shares many similarities with World Wide Stout (High ABV, strong boozy aspect, etc.) and I gave it a reasonably high score back then of 9.25. After having World Wide Stout, I'm starting to wonder if I was having 120 Minute IPA while wearing rose-tinted glasses. In other words, I like the flavor but the boozy aspect is just so upfront & strong that it gets in the way of what makes this beer good. In short, it's worth trying out if you're curious but World Wide Stout makes a very compelling argument that bigger doesn't always equal better.

Dogfish Head World Wide Stout - 7/10

Oliphant Citizen Kang Review

Name: Oliphant Citizen Kang
Style: Helles Bock
ABV: 6.7%
IBUs: N/A

When I visited Olpihant Brewing a few months ago, I fell in love with them and how they took a creative approach to their beers. Fast forward to now and they've (somehow) managed to gain the ability to self distribute to Minnesota using some legal loophole/brouhaha that I'm not going to even bother to get into. The point being is that I now no longer have to travel to Wisconsin to have their beers....but will gladly do so going forward.

Case in point, I have their Citizen Kang Helles Bock. Now I grabbed this in Wisconsin this past weekend but the reason being that I haven't given any of their beers a proper review so I figured this would be a good way to start.

Appearance - Hazy dark orange with a mild amount of visible carbonation. The head is pretty foamy and there's a good amount of lacing left behind.

Aroma - Pale malts and caramel with some light floral hops and just a hint of barley. The smell almost reminds me of spring seasonals.

Taste - Pale malts and barley on the front of the palate, but the back opens up to a rich caramel sweetness and mild floral hoppiness, As for the aftertaste, it's mostly just a mild hop bitterness with some barley but is otherwise quite dry.

It's not the most complex beer out there but it's certainly a robust one for what it is. With that said, I look forward to trying out many, many more of their offerings in the future. For the time being, go check this out if you can.

Oliphant Citizen Kang - 8.5/10

Alaskan Husky IPA Review

Name: Alaskan Husky IPA
Style: India Pale Ale
ABV: 7%
IBUs: 50

Well, I've got a new beer from Alaskan Brewing called Husky IPA. With some new beers from Alaskan, I normally make a note to myself to check it out in the future. This beer, however, was an exception for two reasons:

1. It was available for $7.49 for a six-pack
2. It's a Mosaic IPA

Now my regular readers know I love Mosaic IPAs but they've always been in the $10-11 range or priced higher than their other IPA counterparts. Never have I encountered a "budget priced" Mosaic IPA before and yet one just so happened to fall into my lap. Now with lower priced IPAs, I do notice that they tend to be more malty than hoppy so I'm hoping that isn't the case here.

Appearance - Hazy orange color with a mild amount of visible carbonation. The head is pretty foamy for what is and the lacing left behind is also quite abundant.

Aroma - Rich citra notes with some mild bitterness. I'm also getting some toffee and pale malts in here as well.

Taste - Much like the nose, you've got some reasonably robust citra notes upfront with some mild pine bitterness on the back end of the palate. The toffee and pale malt backbone lingers throughout the palate and provides that balance without being overbearing like I was expecting.

For the price I paid for it, I wasn't expecting too much. Color me surprised, but those Mosaic hops stand out quite well from the rest of the flavor. While it's not as robust as other Mosaic IPAs I've had, rest assured that you're getting more than your money's worth with this beer.

Alaskan Husky IPA - 8.5/10

Bald Man Killer Queen Review

Name: Bald Man Killer Queen
Style: Imperial IPA
ABV: 9.5%
IBUs: N/A

A few months ago, I paid a visit to Bald Man Brewing and thought their offerings to be solid. Since I've last visited them, they've not only expanded their availability to some area bars but they've also released their first bottled release, which we have today.

I give to you Killer Queen, an English Style Imperial IPA that I picked up last weekend but was unable to consume due to a bout of illness that I had. It's always exciting to see new local breweries become available but before I start, I do want to address something that is a huge pet peeve of mine in beer: corks.

I spent nearly 15 minutes trying to get this bottle open but the cork simply wouldn't budge and I accidentally ended up ripping the top off by mistake as I tried relentlessly to open it up. In fact, the only way I was able to "open" this was by pushing down the remainder of the cork into the bottle where it could free itself.

What's wrong with a simple bottle cap? There's no need to unnecessarily complicate things by making a beer hard to open. You might as well have a lock combination for the beer in order to get it open. I understand you want to keep the contents of a beer secure or make it stand out from the others, but there's no point in having a hard-to-open corked beer if no one's going to be able to get it open to enjoy it.

Appearance - Hazy dark orange color with a mild amount of visible carbonation. The head is nice and foamy and the lacing is quite plentiful

Aroma - Piney hops and strong caramel malts with some light kiwi notes with a hint of barley.

Taste - Strong caramel malts upfront which linger throughout, while towards the back opens up to some moderate piney/dank hops. The aftertaste is made up mainly of bitter hops with some mild toffee sweetness.

Despite the cumbersome cork situation, this is a pretty good beer. It's fairly heavy on the malts and moderate on the hops which is standard for an English IPA in terms of flavor. If you're willing to deal with the cork (and use a corkscrew to open this,) then you'll probably find something to like about this beer.

Bald Man Killer Queen - 8/10

Angry Inch Backwoods Brown Review

Name: Angry Inch Backwoods Brown
Style: Imperial Brown Ale
ABV: 9.5%
IBUs: 42

So my health had taken a turn for the worse, so I was unable to get around to looking at some beers for a few days but I'm back and ready to have some beers again.

One of my new year's resolutions was to focus more on local craft breweries and I figured that I may as well start with a brewery I am quite familiar with: Angry Inch Brewing. Despite my continued support for them, it's been well over 2 years since I've reviewed any beers from them. In fact, since I did my last review, they became a full-fledged brewery.

So I'm starting things off by reviewing Backwoods Brown, an Imperial Brown Ale that is only available in their taproom at this time. Since temperatures are supposed to drop below zero this week, I decided to grab a growler of this in preparation for the oncoming cold snap.

Appearance - Dark brown color that is almost black in appearance. The head is nice and foamy and there's a ton of lacing left behind.

Aroma - Chocolate malts and roasted barley mixed in with some toffee sweetness and a hint of molasses. I'm also getting some light oak notes out of this too.

Taste - Strong molasses and sarsaparilla notes with a hint of oak. I'm also getting some potent chocolate malts in here as well as some roastiness on the back end of the palate. I kind of want to make an ice cream float out of this!

This is fantastic! It's roasty yet sweet at the same time and the overall flavor profile reminds me a bit of root beer. This is, however, very much a beer. On top of that, the body is also quite smooth! In short, this has become one of my favorite beers they've made so far and serves as a reminder to myself I need to have their beer more often.

Angry Inch Backwoods Brown - 9/10

Funkwerks Tropic King Review

Name: Funkwerks Tropic King
Style: Imperial Saison
ABV: 8%
IBUs: N/A

Well. it's 2017 and while I meant to review this a few days ago, I got caught up with end of the year stuff & work. On top of that, I came down with a rather nasty case of the cold. The likes of which I haven't experienced in a long time. Thankfully my health has taken a turn for the better, so now it's time to get back to looking at some beers.

Today we've got another beer from Funkwerks and it just so happens to be another Saison! In this instance, it's an Imperial Saison made with Rakau hops, which is supposed to give this beer a tropical fruit like flavor.

Appearance - Hazy dark orange color with no visible carbonation, It possesses a reasonably foamy head and some good lacing to back it all up.

Aroma - Belgian yeasts & cloves, with some toffee & Munich malts. I'm also getting some strong mango and citra sweetness profile.

Taste - Belgian yeasts and cloves once again take center stage on the front of the palate but the mango and citrus notes which show up in middle and back of the palate help balance things throughout the palate, in addition to the toffee malts which gives the overall beer some nice support.

What can I say? It's a great spin on Saison-style, it possesses a great & robust flavor profile for what it is and it does so quite well. In fact, I'd even go as far to say that this is one of the best Saisons I've had in a long time. If you so happen to come across, you owe it to yourself to try this out.

Funkwerks Tropic King - 9.5/10