Avery Salvation Review

Name: Avery Salvation
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
ABV: 9%

I remember it like it was yesterday, having Hog Heaven, my first ever barleywine courtesy of Avery Brewing Company. Hog Heaven introduced to the barleywine style of beer to me and has since become one of my favorite styles of beer. So it hit me like a fist to the gut when I found out that they would be pulling out of Minnesota last winter to focus on growing their brewery. Like a broken heart whose lover left in the middle of the night without uttering a single word.

Then a couple of weeks ago while listening to the radio on the way home, the owner of Keyport Liquor over in Superior, WI, announced that Avery had made it's return to Wisconsin and they had it in stock at the store. After 2 long years, my patience had been rewarded and I now had access to it once more. When I went to pick some up, they didn't have Hog Heaven much to my disappointment but I decided on a bottle of Salvation to try out. Plus I think the Eastern Orthodox-style artwork on the label is awesome.

Salvation pours a clear golden color with a fizzy head, with some moderate carbonation and no lacing left behind.

The nose has some strong Belgian yeast, cloves, and pale malts upfront. The floral hops and mild citrus smells provide a nice balance to what is an otherwise spicy-like aroma.

Likewise the taste is very Belgian yeast forward which provides a foundation for the other flavors, which consist of cloves, spices, pale malt notes before being topped off with a moderately strong citrus hoppiness . Interestingly enough it's got a very piney/resiny aftertaste which I had not detected earlier on.  The palate is fairly moderate in weight and it gives off some pretty mild carbonation, making this pretty easy to drink.

It's nice to see that the quality which I know and love from Avery is still consistent, even after a couple years of absence. Anyone looking for a good & vibrant tasting Belgian-style ale will be pleased with what Salvation has to offer.

Avery Salvation - 9/10

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

Schell's Snowstorm (2013 Edition) Review

Name: Schell's Snowstorm (2013 Edition)
Style: Belgian Ale
ABV: 7%

During the late months of the year, August Schell Brewing Company releases their annual Snowstorm beer and what's unique about this beer is that it's a different style each year. Back in 2011 it was a Scotch Ale, in 2012 a Biere de Garde and now this year it's a Golden Belgian-Style Ale.

Snowstorm (2013) pours a clear golden yellow color with a fizzy head which is quick to fade away. There is no lacing to be seen here and amount of carbonation is fairly high.

The aroma has a strong clove scent to it along with some pepper, spices, yeasts, bubblegum and pale malt notes.

The taste is a bit maltier with some bubblegum, yeasts, cloves, pale malts and a mild caramel sweetness.

The palate is moderately weighted with some stronger carbonation. It's kind of crisp but this would be better if the carbonation was more subdued.

Even though the 2011 edition of Snowstorm is still my favorite, this is still pretty good and a solid Belgian-Style Golden ale overall. I would say this is worth picking up a sixer because even if it isn't perfect, it's still a great winter seasonal!


Schell's Snowstorm (2013 Edition) - 8.5/10

Sprecher Belgian-Style Dubbel Review

Name: Sprecher Belgian-Style Dubbel
Style: Abbey Dubbel
ABV: 6.5%

Up until few years ago, Sprecher Brewing was known to me as the people who made those kickass gourmet sodas at the grocery story (Puma Kola is amazing if you haven't tried it out yet!) and it never really occured to me until I got into craft beer that these guys also made beer. Well it turns out that not only do they make their own beer but they are celebrating their 25th year in business. Like many breweries celebrating their birthday, they have released a commemorative Abbey Dubbel beer to mark this event.

It pours a dark crimson red with an extremely fizzy brown head. There isn't really anything here in terms of lacing and the visible carbonation is rather high.

The nose has a strong licorice & plum note scent. Right behind that are some caramel, hoppy and earthy/grass notes.

The flavor has some mild licorice, plums, raisins, caramelized malts and a slight resin hoppiness. Aftertaste is rather dry and the flavor as a whole feels a bit underwhelming.

The body is light however the carbonation is waaaaaaay too strong for this type of beer; Almost like a club soda it seems.

Sprecher's attempt at making a Dubbel has all of the components to make a good Dubbel Ale but it doesn't quite fire on all cylinders in terms of flavor. As a Dubbel Ale, it's quite disappointing and you're better off looking elsewhere.

Sprecher Belgian-Style Dubbel - 5.5/10

Flat Earth Belgian-Style Pale Ale Review

Name: Flat Earth Belgian-Style Pale Ale
Style: Belgian Pale Ale
ABV: 5.2%

Flat Earth Brewing has been growing steadily production-wise over the past couple of years and offer up a pretty solid rotating selection. They are based out of a small-ish office looking building located a mile down the road from Summit Brewing.

An interesting note is that based on the people I have talked to, I have differences in what people would consider to be their "Flagship" beer. The first one is their Angry Planet Pale Ale, which I reviewed last month. The next one is their Northwest Passage IPA, which is currently the hoppiest beer in the Midwest, measuring in at 115 IBUs (International Bitterness Units.) The last one, which I will be looking at, is their Belgian-Style Pale Ale; It is, of course, a Belgian Pale Ale.

It pours a slightly hazy copper color with a rather soapy head. You can see a small bit of carbonation going on throughout.

The nose has some very sweet bubblegum/cotton candy notes along with a hefeweissen-like clove & banana aroma. Supporting all this is a solid yeasty scent. Very sweet smelling for a pale ale. In terms of flavor, it has some strong caramel, clove and banana notes. Backing that up are light cracked peppers and yeasty flavors. Carbonation is pretty light along with the body, so this one is pretty easy and accessible to drink.

Flat Earth's Belgian Pale Ale is a unique creature in it's own right. It has the qualities of a Belgian Pale Ale, but there's also a Hefeweissen side to it as well. I also find myself strangely drawn to the sweetness of this beer, it's what many would consider to be out of place but I find to work in it's favor well. My opinion is that I think this a great beer, but try it out for yourself to see what you think of it.

Flat Earth Belgian-Style Pale Ale - 8.5/10