Advent Calendar Beers: Dogfish Head - Raison d'etre
15 Dec 2010 9:10pm GMT Beer 15: Dogfish Head - Raison d'etre 8% ABV Poured into an oversize snifter Appearance - 3.5/5Chestnut brown with a thin quickly disappearing head. Smell - 2.5/5Chocolate, malt, some alcohol. Taste - 3/5Sweet, malty, warming alcohol with some liquorice on the finish. Mouthfeel - 3/5Nice carbonation - if a little high. Coats the mouth. Drinkability - 2/5Just too sweet for me and too high an ABV..
Advent Calendar Beers: Odell Brewing Co - IPA
14 Dec 2010 8:59pm GMT Beer 14: Odell Brewing Co - IPA 7% ABV Poured into an oversize wine glass Appearance - 3.5/5Pours a hazy amber - lacing throughout. Smell - 3/5Citrus hops - orange - some alcohol - had a cold at this point which didn't help :| Taste - 4/5Malty up front with some honey, then some citrus and a gentle long bitterness. Very nice. Mouthfeel - 4/5Nice carbonation. Feels smooth and light for a 7% beer. Drinkability - 4/5Very nice - possibly as I've had a bastard of a day...
Advent Calendar Beers: Saltaire - Cascade Pale Ale
13 Dec 2010 8:40pm GMT Beer 13: Saltaire - Cascade Pale Ale 4.8% ABV Poured into an imperial pint glass Appearance - 3/5Yellow / gold with a loose white head which quickly diminishes - light lacing. Smell - 3/5Honey, some slight citrus notes, not much else going on. Taste - 2.5/5Burnt sugar? Some honey. Bit rough - bitter - some toffee. Mouthfeel - 3/5Bit too much carbonation - feels quite thin. Drinkability - 3/5Not a nice balanced pint this one. Honey sweet to rough bitter with nothing in the middle.
Advent Calendar Beers: Flying Dog - Gonzo Imperial Porter
12 Dec 2010 8:20pm GMT Beer 12: Flying Dog - Gonzo Imperial Porter 8.7% ABV Poured into an oversize snifter Appearance - 4/5Pours black with a thick sticky coffee / tan head Smell - 4/5Chocolate hits you as soon as you open the bottle. Coffee, some alcohol. Liquorice as it warms up. Taste - 4/5Molasses, treacle, coffee and brown sugar - warming alcohol - liquorice after the swallow. Some marzipan in there? Mouthfeel - 4/5Nice carbonation. Very smooth and silky. Drinkability - 3.5/5At 8.7% it's a big beer but...
Advent Calendar Beers: Big Sky Brewing - IPA
11 Dec 2010 5:22pm GMT Beer 11: Big Sky Brewing - IPA 6.2% ABV Poured into an oversize wine glass Appearance - 4/5Dark amber. Tight toffee coloured head with lacing throughout. Smell - 4/5Malt and chewy resiny hops. Bit of alcohol. Taste - 4/5Very 'deep' - really really deep. Makes you go 'wow' when you taste it as it tastes completely different to most IPAs. Dark, woody flavours along with toffee and brown / burnt sugar. Some apples? Little bit of alcohol. Mouthfeel - 3.5/5Good - correct carbonation. Smooth, if...