724. Redemption Boom Baby! Brown

Very standard brown ale. Good flavors, maybe a tiny bit watered down, but not bad. The flavors are still there and enjoyable. I could drink a good number of these in a night. Very enjoyable.

723. Lagunitas New Dog Town Pale

I really want to like Lagunitas. I really do. I want to support their brewery and their vision. But I just can't find many of their beers I like. Obviously they are very into the West Coast Hoppy formula - and they do it well. I can tell the quality. This is supposed to a fruit forward beer, but I don't taste it long enough to mellow out the super dry and bitter backend. Very standard Pale Ale.

722. Taxman Qualified

Very similar to the previous Taxman I drank tonight. Many similar flavors, although I suppose this one was a bit smoother. Also good quality, a little bit drier than their Dubbel, but still really enjoyable. Not something I will seek out, but something I could enjoy drinking.

721. Taxman Deduction

Pretty good Dubbel, but not something I would drink a lot.  Still decent enough.  Dry with some rye-like flavors. Almost no bitters.

720. Brouwerij Rodenbach Grand Cru

A gift and high recommendation from my buddy Steve. He has just gotten into sours, so he's trying a lot of them and the we compare how many I have tried. This one came highly recommended from him, so much so that he bought me a bottle to make sure I tried it. 

It is really, really good. Amazing sour flavors up front, goes down super smooth and then leaves a nice sour puckering flavor in the back of your mouth. In Steve's own words: "Like I just ate a handful of Sour Patch Kids".

719. Big Woods Brewing Martin's Pumpkin

Quaff On!

Big Woods. 

Whatever. Same company - legal garbage. Whatever. 

Standard Pumpkin Ale. Pretty light and easy to drink, with solid pumpkin flavors. Luckily it's not heavy like most of its competition. One of the better pumpkins I've had. But still nothing out of the ordinary. 

718. Chilly Water Peter Paul Porter

It's a really good beer, that I just wish was better. It's good. I like it and I enjoy it. Not too bitter, very chocolate flavors. I just can't taste any coconut. I like it, and I'm going to enjoy a few of them...  Maybe I built up too much hope in my mind???

717. BIER Belgian Blonde

I live one mile away from BIER Brewery, and this is only the second beer I have ever tried from them. It's good, but much like the previous Belgian I tried - it's much drier than I expect it to be. This one is enjoyable. Drinkable. Goes down smooth and easy and has good flavors. Still dry and bitter on the backend, which is my only complaint. 

716. Blind Owl Milk Stout

Pretty standard milk stout - but the chocolate notes really stand out in the back half. Sadly, it's got a pretty bitter aftertaste. The lactose doesn't seem to smooth it out as much as some other milk stouts I've had. Still very drinkable. 

715. Evil Twin Ryan and the Beaster Bunny

I love to see a beer with live and active yeast floating in it!!!  Lovely citrusy aromas come off and his beer goes down so quick and smooth. It has a sleightly heavier body than I would expect, but nothing that hurts the flavors. Very delicious and enjoyable.

Yet another gift from my buddy Jae - who deserves special recognition for the beers he has donated to me for this website!  Cheers, Jae-Lao!

714. Goose Island Oktoberfest

This was a gift from my buddy Jae, and sadly didn't get drank during the official Oktoberfest 2015.  Sadly, life was pretty busy and hectic for those two weeks and not much new beer was drank - but I did still enjoy some quality Oktoberfest beers, just none of them were anything new.

So, finally cleaning out my refrigerator and got to this one. It's decent. Nothing spectacular. A good offering from Goose that has some really nice notes to it, but they aren't enough to make it stand out. Also a little drier than I tend to enjoy. I'd still drink it, especially if I was celebrating the season in Chicago. 

713. Ommegang Iron Throne Blonde Ale

This was the first and original "Game of Thrones" beer that Ommegang did - the one that sold out everywhere super fast. I was very happy when I heard they were re-releasing all of their "GoT" beers this year.

Delicious Blonde, wonderfully amazing aromas and flavors. So happy I got to drink this - as Ommegang never fails to produce quality beers. 

712. Books & Brews Dubbledore's Magic Ale

I'm really glad I was convinced to give Books & Brews another chance. Last year when I tried them I was not impressed with their watery offerings.

I actually really enjoyed this beer and look forward to buying it in the future to drink more. Really good and flavorful offering, a very quality Dubbel. 

711. Indiana City Murder by Pumpkin

Very standard pumpkin ale.

Taste good, but nothing fantastic. 

Smooth, light, refreshing. 

Perfect for this time of the year, if you enjoy pumpkin - and I've gone on record saying I don't. Except at this time of the year. 

710. Blind Owl Phantom Forest Oktoberfest

Really tastes like a Light-Oktoberfest.

It goes down really quick and smooth, but still has a lot of the flavor without the bite. I like it, despite the fact that it doesn't really feel like I'm drinking a true Oktoberfest beer. I will be excited to try this next fall, and see if they improve the recipe a bit. 

709. Brugge Pooka

Really good sour, not the best I've ever had, but I am enjoying it a lot. Good flavors, wasn't sure about Boysenberry, but it's nice. Really good sour flavor that I enjoy. 

708. Redemption Alewerks RecMyPumpkin

This tastes exactly how it sounds, and it awkwardly works. Very smooth potter flavors with some pumpkin flavors that creep in while you drink. The vanilla kicks in late and stays a while, making it refreshing in the end. I wouldn't want to drink a lot of these - but at this time of the year, one a night is almost perfect. 

707. Redemption Alewerks Deliverance IPA

Solid IPA. 

And that's coming from a guy who doesn't really like IPAs. The flavors are there, the bitterness is there, and it's pretty smooth with no bad aftertaste. Probably their best beer I've had - which is weird. But, I can taste the quality of this. 

706. Redemption Alewerks Atonement

A pale ale brewed with Citra Hops makes for an interesting flavor. While it retains very dry and bitter hop flavors, you can really tell that they have been tamed down with a bit of sweetness. My only dislike is the aftertaste. It's pretty good going down, but the lingering flavors just aren't enjoyable. 

705. Redemption Alewerks Nitro FourFathers

Typical Cream Ale. It's fine, nothing special, but not bad. Exactly what I was expecting. Not much to say about it. 

704. Redemption Alewerks Pineapple Pitstop

Yet another American Wheat. Luckily, this one isn't terrible at all. It's nice and smooth and whatever pineapple flavors it carries really helps with the taste of the beer. It's not super-pineapple-smash-in-your-face, but nice and subtle. Very enjoyable, and one of the few American Wheats that I can enjoy. 

703. Redemption Alewerks Salvation

There is a lot going on in this beer. Again, it's an American Wheat, very light and not what I want or expect from a Wheat Beer. The orange flavor comes with the drink and its followed up with the honey and a peppery taste on the back end. I think it accomplishes what they wanted, but I'm not really a fan. 

702. Tow Yard Hula Hoop Girl Belgian Witbier

I tried Tow Yard last year, and was not impressed at all. A year and a half later, and their core line up hasn't changed or gotten more appealing to me. I tried one that I knew I hadn't had before, and it was beyond disappointing. It's not a terrible beer, but there is nothing appealing about the dry flavor of this beer. 

701. Highland Gaelic Ale

Nice and smooth beer. Not really anything special, it goes down easy with a little more dryness than I prefer. There is a bitter aftertaste that lingers but it's blended with some caramel flavor, so it's not terrible. It's a fine beer, one I could drink if it was the best offering, but not something I will order before trying something new. 

700. Mikkeller Black (黑)

So much quality in this beer.

Really good flavors for what it is - not my typical style, but this was the best option for a milestone such as 700.  Lots of chocolate and coffee aromas and then a very nice and smooth drink. Then, it hits you hard in the end with a very sharp alcohol flavor. Leaves my mouth feeling like I just did a shot of hard liquor. 

No bitterness. Smooth. But rather dry in the finish. Not as bad as a serious IPA, but still dries my mouth up more than I like. Very good, very enjoyable for this, but not anything I will drink again. 

Celebrated this beer with Miller, Steve, Jason, Snow and Claire while we were in Chicago at Headquarters Beercade.

699. Goose Island The Ogden

A really good representative of a Tripel. Banana and Clove flavors with some peppery notes. Goes down smooth but has a dry/slightly bitter finish to it. Pretty good, but nothing super special. 

698. Tin Man Apricot Sour

Super delicious and mega-sour ale. My buddy Steve recommended it, saying: "It's like a handful of Sour Patch Kids in your mouth" - that's pretty accurate. Yum yum. I like this beer a lot. 

697. Great Divide Colette

Good flavors, pretty smooth. Good, but nothing great. Malty with some very prominent yeast flavors. 

696. Lagunitas Sucks

Sucks. Sucks. Sucks. 

Yep. The name says it all. 

Brown Shugga Substitute Ale?  It had me intrigued for a minute. Sadly, it tastes like a serious hop head IPA. My mouth was as dry as a desert after the first drink. Not my kind of "ale".

695. Sun King Valour Soccer Mom

This is exactly my kind of beer. Spurs are one of my favorite styles. I could drink lots of these. However, there is nothing special that sets this aside from any other sour. It's good, I like it, but it's a very standard flavor. 

694. Sun King Drink On and Prosper

Kind of the polar opposite of the previous Sun King beer I drank today. 

This one looks light and innocent - but is full of amazing flavors that go down very smooth. It's slightly heavy, so I don't know how many I could drink outside on a hot day, but inside at a bar I could kill a lot of these and enjoy their flavors. Good beer!

Sun King is now Two-For-Two in Gen Con Beers. Last year's Froth of Khan was delicious, and this one follows suit. 

693. Sun King Sir Nigel the Tame

Very light and refreshing for how dark it is. Some pretty good Newcastle-Like flavors to it. Goes down really easy, no bitterness to it. Really enjoyable for such a simple offering. 

692. Jackalope Bearwalker Maple Brown

There is a slight hint of sweetness to this beer - which I assume is from the maple syrup - but I wouldn't have been able to pinpoint that without the knowledge of how this was brewed. It is a really solid Brown Ale, and something I would enjoy drinking all the time. 

691. Yazoo Pale Ale

Stopped in Nashville while driving Steve back to Indy. 

Trying to continue to drink local. 

This is a pretty standard Pale. Not to dry or bitter, so I enjoy it. Got some flavors all around. Not too terrible, but nothing something I would drink often. 

690. Blue Pants Brewery Double Stuff Pinstripe Stout

Chocolate and Vanilla always make for a great stout. This is nice and smooth. It's not my typical drink, but I can enjoy this. It's a little dry, but still has some enjoyable flavors. I can't complain...  Won't order it again, but would drink it again. 

689. Avondale Brewing Miss Fancy's Tripel

Much better Tripel than I was drinking an hour ago. 

Avondale > Yellowhammer

Lots of nice flavors, goes down smooth, some tart to it and minor bitters. Very nice to sip on. 

688. Yellowhammer Miracle Worker Tripel

A little too dry.

Not enough flavor for what I want from a Tripel. It's strong, and I can taste what I think the flavors are supposed to be - but they just don't explode in my mouth like I want. 

687. Pensacola Bay Brewing Belgian Abbey Ale

This was a test batch. 

It has no official name. 

It was the best beer I drank from here. Really good flavors, nice malts, very strong flavors and a full body. I really enjoyed this beer. 

686. Pensacola Bay Brewing Blackbeard Stout

Enjoyable stout. Good flavors, but just not my usual beer. Nothing wrong with it - exactly what a Stout drinker would expect. 

685. Pensacola Bay Brewing Lighthouse Porter

Oddly, this tastes super watered down - but the aftertaste kicks in hardcore and some really nice flavors come out. I'm having trouble deciding if I like this fact...?

684. Pensacola Bay Brewing Li'L Napoleon IPA

This is an IPA!  Full of hops and bitterness. Not my cup of beer, but I can tell its appealing to those who like their Bitter IPAs. 

683. Pensacola Bay Brewing Riptide Amber

Some really good flavors, pretty standard Amber.  Drinkable, but other better options. 

682. Pensacola Bay Brewing Treasure Grove Pale Ale

Not my favorite. Pretty dry and bitter for me. Leaves my mouth very dry. Good flavors up front, but they don't follow through so well in the end. 

681. Pensacola Bay Brewing Sawgrass Wheat

Kind of a light wheat, but better flavor and body than most "American Wheat" crap I've been subjected to recently. Nice lingering flavors after a good drink.

 

680. Pensacola Bay Brewing Desoto Berliner Weisse

Really nice and smooth, with some good flavors. Almost sour-like. I could down a lot of these.

 

679. Pensacola Bay Brewing Deluna Kölsch Ale

Pretty standard. Nothing special, but enjoyable. Easy to drink. 

678. Mt. Carmel Brewing Nut Brown Ale

I dig this beer. 

Brown Ales are one of my favorite styles of beer and this is a good offering. There's nothing really that stands out, but that is just because it is exactly what I expect. So, it's good, smooth, with nice flavors. A lot better than I expected from a brewery I have never heard of. 

677. Victory Kirsch Gose

Decided to do back-to-back sours tonight. 

This one has a better flavor because of the cherry, but overall I don't like it as much. Not as sour, and a little flat tasting. Still enjoyable, and the cherry flavor does linger.