Brewery Ommegang Fleur De Houblon Review

Name: Brewery Ommegang Fleur De Houblon
Style: Belgian Pale Ale
ABV: 6.8%

With the exception of their Iron Throne Blonde Ale, I have never had anything that is a limited release or a seasonal from Brewery Ommegang. In fact, up until now, I didn't even know they did seasonal releases but thanks to the Keyport Growler Fill Station (and Wikipedia), I now know that this is not the case.

Coming from a growler, I give you Ommegang's Fleur De Houblon: A Belgian Pale Ale that just so happens to be the brewery's Summer Seasonal; The name, Fleur De Houblin, is French for "Hop Flowers." I have never had any of Ommegang's beers on tap, let alone, from a growler and I'll be honest, I never thought I'd ever have anything from the brewery in a growler.

Fleur De Houblon pours a fairly clear yellow color with some fizzy carbonation rising to the top of the glass. The head, while quite foamy, did not produce that trademark voluminous head upon pouring that I'm used to seeing from most Ommegang beers. I suspect that the reason for this is because it's from a tap line and not a bottle.

The aroma possess a pretty solid Belgian yeastiness to it with a nice floral and piney hop scent. I'm also picking up on some cloves, spices, some light lemon zest and sweet maltiness which sit at the back of the nose.

The flavor carries over some aspects of the nose, certainly in regards to the Belgian Yeasts with the cloves hanging off of that. The hop profile is pretty vibrant and is a mostly even split between Floral & Resin Hops with the latter comprising mainly of the aftertaste. The malty backbone is best described as moderate at best but does provide some needed balance to the flavor itself.

The palate possess a fairly heavy body and there is also some moderate carbonation in here too. There's also a bit of a light thickness in here too.

Fleur De Houblon is a very good Belgian Pale Ale. It may not break the mold in terms of style but the vibrant flavor is more than enough to justify the purchase, whether you're getting it in a growler or a bottle.

Brewery Ommegang Fleur De Houblon - 8.5/10 

Brewery Ommegang Hennepin Review

Name: Brewery Ommegang Hennepin
Style: Saison
ABV: 7.7%

It's been a while since I've reviewed a Brewery Ommegang beer, as in over a year ago, so I've decided to make up for that with a review of their Hennepin Saison Ale. I had this beer a few years ago but they have changed the label since I've last had it.

The beer is named after Father Louis Hennepin, a Catholic Missionary from Belgium who was one of the first explorers of the interior of the United States. On a side note, the city of Minneapolis, which is where I'm originally from, is located in Hennepin County which was also named after Louis Hennepin. In fact the area in which Minneapolis is located was one of the areas that Louis Hennepin charted out.

Hennepin pours a hazy yellow color with a very foamy head typically found in most Ommegang beers. The lacing is rather soapy and the visible carbonation is fairly moderate.

The aroma starts out with some healthy Belgian yeasts, along with spices, grassiness, pale & pils malts.

The flavor is fairly identical to the nose but there is less of a focus on the grassiness and more on the Belgian yeasty aspect.

The palate is fairly moderate in terms of body with some moderate carbonation. It's fairly easy to bring with the carbonation bringing out some of the flavor.

Overall, I found Hennepin to be a very good representation of the Saison style. Definitely worth picking up if you get the chance.

Brewery Ommegang Hennepin - 8.5/10

Southern Tier 2X Steam Review

Name: Southern Tier 2X Steam
Style: California Common
ABV: 8.0%

I have to say that I've never encountered a California Common-style quite like Southern Tier's 2X Steam. Why is that, you ask? Because much like Leinenkugel's Uber-Oktoberfest, it's stronger interpretation of a beer style that is generally lower in terms of ABV level.

Much like the Big Eddy series, the 2X line-up consists of stronger offerings by Southern Tier. Needless to say I've never had an ”Imperial California Common” before so this will be interesting to try out.

2X Steam pours a darker orange color with a slight haze. The head has a thin, soapy appearance with some decent lacing. There is also no visible carbontion activity.

The aroma has very bready and yeasty characteristics up front, which isn't too surprising. I'm also getting some mild floral hop, roasted barley and pale malt notes in here as well

The flavor also doesn't deviate from the nose except for one key difference: The booziness. The booziness in the flavor is strong enough to the point where it tastes like rubbing alcohol! This to me, totally offsets any other flavors present.

The body is very light weight and with no carbonation, so it's a pretty easy to drink...provided that you don't take the flavor into consideration.

If you haven't already figured it out yet, I'm not really a fan of this beer. It's too boozy for it's own good and is probably my least favorite beer from Southern Tier. I love the brewery but I don't like this beer.

Southern Tier 2X Steam - 4/10

Southern Tier Live Review

Name: Southern Tier Live
Style: American Pale Ale
ABV: 5.5%

Southern Tier is best known for their stronger interpretations of traditional beers (pumpkin, helles, etc.) but it seems that this offering is more traditional in terms of style. Named "Live" for it's.......liveliness or something, is an American Pale Ale, which according to the brewery, has strong citrus hops balanced with malt breadiness.

Live pours a darker hazy yellow color with a foamy head. The lacing retention is good and the carbonation is mild in appearance.

Bready yeasts permeate the nose along with lemon zest, citrus & piney hops, and pale malts. There's a bit of a Pilsner influence in the aroma that's pretty easy to distinguish.

Flavor-wise, it's got a surprisingly potent floral hoppiness and lemon-zest. This is all followed up by yeasts, barley and pale malts. It's a bit earthy overall and the citrus hops are mysteriously absent.

The carbonation is somewhat moderate in intensity but the overall weight is rather light, giving it a nice crisp feeling.

Though it lacks the citrus hoppiness touted in the commercial description, Southern Tier Live is still a good American Pale Ale. Check it out if you see it!

Southern Tier Live - 8/10

Southern Tier Creme Brulee Stout Review

Southern Tier Brewing just released their Creme Brulee Stout this week, or Crème Brûlée if you want to be fancy. It's classified as an American Double/Imperial Stout, though Southern Tier calls it an Imperial Milk Stout with an ABV of 9.6%.

Creme Brulee is a french custard desert topped with caramelizd sugar and flavored with vanilla. The closest thing I've had to an actual Creme Brulee was a Frostop Creme Brulee-flavored Root Beer when I was in high school; It was an....interesting flavor but it really didn't mix well together.

To start off, it pours a pitch black color with a off-white head that has a slightly brown color to it. You can also make out some mild carbonation rising up along the sides of the glass.

The nose is a surprisingly vibrant mashup of Vanilla, Cheesecake, Chocolate Malts, Amaretto and Caramel Marciato. The aroma is truly unique amongst other stouts which I have tried out; It smells kinda like an Iced Coffee/Milk drink that one would get from Starbucks.

For the flavor you have Vanilla, Butterscotch, Cheesecake Milk Chocolate, Caramel Marciato and Roasted Malts; Which all become more noticeable as it warms up. It finishes with a bittersweet dark chocolate aftertaste.

Body is in the middle in terms of weight and the carbonation is a couple steps below that, allowing that extra dimension of the flavor to shine through.

I've had a couple of Southern Tier's offering before and thought they were decent, but I was very impressed by this. The flavor is pretty unique and reminds me of eating a slice of Chocolate Cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory, but at the same time it's still very much an Imperial Stout. It costs around $8.99 in my area for a bomber, but it was well worth the price of admission.

Southern Tier Creme Brulee Stout - 9.25/10

Brooklyn East India Pale Ale Review

Well we are finally at the end of the Brooklyn Brewing Sampler Pack and I'll be finishing it off with a review of Brooklyn East India Pale Ale, an English India Pale Ale with a 6.9% ABV. It's supposedly based off of a recipe used by George Hodgson, a brewer who lived in England during the 19th Century, who would brew this ale and send it to British Troops who were stationed in India during the time of the British Raj. These beers would usually arrive in the city of Kolkata (Calcutta) in West Bengal, India

Since I just got done watching Kahanni, which is not only an excellent Indian movie but also is set in Kolkata, I feel it's only appropriate to take a look at this beer.

It pours a fairly clear orange color with a fairly large amount of carbonation. Head has a soapy look to it and the lacing it leaves behind is spotty.

The nose has a fairly strong caramelized malt scent to it, along some citrus hops, toffee and yeasts. It smells oddly familiar to my Sierra Madre Pale Ale homebrew I did, but my homebrew has a strong malt profile. The flavor is more balanced out with citrus hops, caramel, malts and yeasts. The aftertaste is a bittersweet piney hop finish.

The body overall is pretty light, crisp and easy to drink. Being that this is an English IPA, it fits in rather well when you consider the sum of it's parts.

This is a straight up English IPA just by how it smells and tastes. The aroma may come off as a bit malty but the flavor is very well rounded and balanced when compared to the former. I think Brooklyn Brewery did a good job with this one and I would recommend trying this out.

Brooklyn East India Pale Ale - 8/10

Brooklyn Pilsner Review

So now we're on the second-to-last beer in the Brooklyn Brewery Sampler Pack and this time it's their Brooklyn Pilsner, which is, obviously their Pilsner...or is it Pilsener? I'm not getting any red squiggly lines under Pilsner or Pilsener, so one could assume it is spelled both ways, but we'll just go by what's on the bottle; Brooklyn Pilsner has an ABV of 5%

This pours a clear & filtered pale yellow/straw color with a high amount of carbonation. The head comes off as soapy but has fairly good retention. It also leaves behind a fairly healthy amount of lacing in the glass.

The aroma has your typical pils notes; Lemon Zest, Yeasts, Pale Malts, Barley and Grassiness. Not as earthy as other pilsners on the market, but the earthy qualities are still there

The flavor, however, has a strong Pale Malt backbone which helps support the Floral Hops, Yeasts and Lemon Zest. Aftertaste is a piney hop resin-like flavor and some earthy-grassiness. Surprisingly prominent malt characteristics, yet it helps balance everything out quite nicely

The body and carbonation are both light, and generally feels refreshing for the most part. It does feel a bit too watery though due to the very low amount of carbonation present; It's a not a big deal but worth noting.

Aside from the minor body issues, this is a pretty good Pilsner. While the flavor doesn't do anything groundbreaking, it is nicely balanced and it makes for a great session beer.

Brooklyn Pilsner - 8/10

Brooklyn Pennant Ale '55 Review

For our next beer from the Brooklyn Brewing Sampler Pack, we have an English Pale Ale clocking in at 5.1% ABV called the Pennant Ale '55 or "Brooklyn Ale" according to Ratebeer.com. This beer is named after the 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers who beat the New York Yankees to win the 1955 World Series. Let's be fair, whenever the Yankees lose anything, it is cause for celebration...except for Yankee fans, they will whine like little kids who have just been told they cannot have another chocolate chip cookie after eating 27 of them because it'll spoil their dinner.

Anyways......

Pennant Ale pours a slightly hazy orange color that gradually turns into yellow at the bottom of the glass and leaves behind a filmy head up top. It also leaves behind some pretty good lacing along the sides of the glass.

The nose has faint buttery biscuit notes along with floral hops and barley. You really gotta let it warm up before you start to smell anything truly noticeable. As for the taste, it has a mild butter-biscuit profile, followed by some faint caramel, floral hop and yeast notes. Really isn't much in terms of an aftertaste as it is rather dry save a faint floral hop bitterness.

The body falls in the middle in terms of weight, while the carbonation falls a couple of notches above that; It helps add to the flavor but can come off as a bit too strong.

For a beer that's named after a great sports upset, this is kind of...average. I enjoyed the buttery-biscuit flavor but there simply wasn't enough of it. This could've been an excellent English Pale Ale had the flavor been more vibrant but as it stands, it's just average.

Brooklyn Pennant Ale '55 - 7/10

Brooklyn Brown Ale Review

Next in the Brooklyn Brewing Sampler Pack is the Brooklyn Brown Ale, which of course, is their Brown Ale. Tonight I will be mixing it up a bit as I will be having some Macaroni & Cheese to go along with this after being told by a buddy of mine that Brown Ales go really well with it; Since I'm no cicerone, I'll have to take his word on it. Although I have had an English Pale Ale to go along with Macaroni and Cheese before and found the pairing to be excellent!

Brooklyn Brown Ale pours a dark brown, almost crimson color with a frothy off-white head. It is rather clear in appearance and has some lacing along the sides of the glass.

The nose has some nice chocolate and nutty notes along with some roasted malts, cocoa, mild floral hops and barley. Much like the aroma, the chocolate and nuts are fairly prominent in the flavor as well, along with the aforementioned roasted malts and finishes off with a slight hoppiness with a hint of cocoa. The body is also pretty moderate in weight but the carbonation is quite mild, allowing for pretty easy drinkability.

Brooklyn Brown Ale is a nicely balanced Brown Ale and quite sessionable at that. As for the pairing with the Macaroni and Cheese, it was alright but I prefer the stronger hoppy power of an English Pale Ale to help the palate more over that of a Brown Ale.

Brooklyn Brown Ale - 8/10

Brooklyn Lager Review

Before moving onto my New Glarus and Ale Asylum beers, I'm going to burn through my Brooklyn Brewing Sampler Pack. I've been seeing more of these "Variety Packs" from brewers recently and have found it to be more cost effective (and sometimes cheaper) than my typical mix-a-six pack. So start it off, I'm going to review their best-selling beer simply called "Brooklyn Lager", which is their Vienna Style Lager according to their website. Besides, after working for 10 hours a beer sounds quite nice.

Brooklyn Lager pours a mildly hazy amber color with a filmy white head and some carbonation activity. Lacing along the sides of the glass is sparse but there.

The nose has some mild caramel notes, yeasts, toffee and floral hops. Not terribly complex and the aroma is slightly earthy.

The flavor is a little more diverse with mild caramelized malts, mild citrus & piney hops, and yeasts. Oddly enough, it's surprisingly hoppy for it's style! The aftertaste has both a bittersweet maltiness and metallic flavor to it.

Body is moderate in weight and the carbonation itself is a couple notches down from moderate as well. Somehow I don't feel it fits the flavor and style of the beer.

With a couple of exceptions, I am not a really big fan of Vienna Lagers as a whole and the reason is that I feel it tastes too metallic-like and the malty sweetness is all over the place and Brooklyn Lager is no exception to this. It isn't a terrible beer and you could do worse but if you aren't a Vienna Lager fan you probably won't like this.

Brooklyn Lager - 6.5/10

Brooklyn Black Choclate Stout Review

Well as it turns out, I apparently have one more Winter Seasonals in my possession than I originally thought. One of which I am saving for an upcoming review, and the other one I have is Brooklyn Brewery's Black Chocolate Stout. I had this on-tap earlier this year and thought it tasted pretty good, so I'll be sitting down and giving this a closer look.

To start out, it pours an opaque black color with a brown head. This is one those beers where I can see my own reflection on the glass as I hold it up to look at it; It's that dark!

The nose has very sweet chocolate, licorice, rum raisin, and roasted malt notes. The licorice note in particular sort of jumps out at me, giving this an almost burnt sweet-spice smell to it....at least that's the way I can best describe it, or I can just say it's hard to put my finger on.

In the flavor you get rich chocolate, mocha-chino, licorice, rum raisin and roasted malts. Pretty unique flavor in terms of Imperial Stouts, with a nod in particular to the rum raisin & licorice flavors. There is a very very slight booziness to the flavor, but for a beer clocking in at 10% ABV I'll let it fly.

The body feels "wide" but not heavy, it's mildly carbonated, and feels quite creamy when consumed. I say that they have the body nailed down almost perfectly for this style.

I was impressed by the uniqueness of the flavor and how smooth it was, maybe next time I'll take the advice on the bottle and allow it to age. Even without the aging, this is a great Imperial Stout that I would recommend checking out

Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout - 9/10

Brooklyn Monster Ale Review

**Update they have since decided to discontinue making Monster**

I've gotten into the habit of aging certain beers which I have acquired. Call it an experiment if you want, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to try it out.

Tonight I've decided to finally crack open a Barleywine that I've been saving for the past 3 months by letting it age. This of course is none other than the Brooklyn Monster Ale, a Seasonal Barleywine named after the cat which resided at the brewery until he died of kidney failure last year. Thankfully they've decided to keep making this beer in honor of Monster

Before I start, I will admit that I had a bottle of this last year and found it to be quite good, so I've decided to review this again; And it gives me an excuse to buy it all over again, not that I really needed one to begin with.

To start, it's got a nice hazy ruby color with just a couple of bubbles climbing up the sides. The head is fairly thin and disappears into a film immediately after the pour. It finishes clean so there's no real lacing along the sides.

Nose has a strong caramelized malt sweetness and potent citrus hop profile. It's also got a pretty strong yeasty scent too.

The flavor consists of sweet caramelized malts, strong citrus hops, and yeasts with just a hint of toffee. Each flavor is surprisingly robust and the alcohol is very well hidden.

The overall palate is creamy and light, making it very easy to drink.......almost too easy. But hey, I'd rather have it be easy to drink as opposed to impossible.

Monster Ale is a very accessible Barley-wine style ale, thanks to it's easy drinkability and awesome flavor. If you're not a fan of the style then this isn't going to change your mind. If you're a Barleywine fanatic, like myself, you'll love it!

Brooklyn Monster Ale - 9/10

Brooklyn Sorachi Ace Review

Name: Brooklyn Sorachi Ace
Style: Saison
ABV: 7.6%

I mentioned before that I'm a fairly big fan of Brooklyn Brewery and it's offerings. This summer I'll be going to New York for a wedding and a tour of the brewery is on my list of things to do. That of course will depend on how long we'll be in Upstate New York for, which where the wedding is being held and whether or not we'll have enough time to do so.

About a week ago, I stopped by one of my local liquor stores and was recommended Sorachi Ace, which is a Saison/Farmhouse style ale. My experience with this style has either been it was really good or too skunky for my liking. Usually it's pretty good, so I can't complain, so I figured I'd give this one a try.

Upon pouring, it has a dark yellow & gold color with a mild haze and quite a bit of carbonation activity. It does, however, get cloudier the further through the bottle you go which I believe comes from the yeasts used in making Sorachi Ace. It also finishes pretty clean too so there's no lacing to be seen.

The nose has consists mainly of lemon zest, pilsner malts, yeast, and a slight floral hop aroma. This saison has more of an earthly aroma to it, as opposed to a sweeter aroma that can be found in other saison ales.

Pilsner Malts & Yeasts are fairly heavy upfront on the flavor; Which is in turn backed by cracked peppers, floral hops and lemon zest. The yeast notes in particular get stronger the further through the bottle you go, correlating with the cloudy appearance you see when drinking this. Again, fairly earthy in taste but not overwhelmingly so. It finishes with a rather dry  but bittersweet Pilsner Malt aftertaste.

The body is fairly lightweight and the carbonation level sits perfectly between light & moderate. This makes it quite crisp and refreshing to drink.

I was surprised by Sorachi Ace because my experience with earthy Saison/Farmhouse Ales have usually been bad ones, but this one changed my mind! Its flavor is nicely balanced, refreshing and it makes for a tasty beer.

Brooklyn Sorachi Ace - 8.5/10