50. Duck-Rabbit Schwarzbier

Duck-Rabbit hails from Farmville, NC and considers themselves dark beer specialists.  Their website (http://www.duckrabbitbrewery.com) needs some serious updates and upgrades.  I think very highly of their brews, it's a shame that their website is amateurish and not current.  Heck, if you tried to go there right now, you wouldn't know they offered a schwarzbier.  I think I got this particular bottle from The Beer Dispensary, but I could be wrong..it's been a while.

Anyway, this was my first time with a schwarzbier, so I wasn't sure what to expect.  It also didn't help that I'm pouring this thing almost two months later than the best-by date.  I'm crossing my fingers, hoping for the best!  It poured a near black color, with some light able to penetrate the edges.  There was a thin, tan head, with very light retention and no discernible lacing.  I could smell toasted malt, coffee, and chocolate, very similar characteristics to a porter or stout. 

And that's where the differences end.  It might smell like a porter/stout, but it doesn't taste like one.  I can still pick up the coffee and chocolate on the front end.  On the back end, it gets a sour finish.  There's probably a better way to explain it..maybe a hoppy finish, but the finish is mild and doesn't last like other beers I've had.  It's also not unpleasant..it's different and unexpected, but not unpleasant. The beer is also very light bodied, making this beer very drinkable.  I'll have to keep my eye out for other schwarzbiers..this one was very good.  I also need to try this beer when it's not two months after the best-by date.

Grade: B

Price Paid: $2.39 (12 oz bottle)

49. Yazoo Dos Perros Ale

I picked up some Yazoo when I was vacationing through Tennessee earlier in November and now I'm finally getting around to trying some of their brews.  Yazoo (http://www.yazoobrew.com) is based out of Nashville and my only regret was that I didn't snag some of their seasonal or limited release stuff.  Granted, I didn't really know where to go to find them, and since I was with the wife, I couldn't spend all day in the beer store.  Shoutout to Midtown Wine & Spirits, since that's where I went to get my haul.

I didn't know what to expect when I cracked this open.  It just said ale, and I know that it could be anything.  It poured a nice brown color, with some hints of red.  Small one finger head, low retention, not a lot of noticeable lacing.  It had a sweet aroma, some caramel notes, along with some malt.  

Tasting the brew, I was able to figure it out.  The nutty characteristic let me zone in on a brown ale.  The initial taste brought some sweetness, but the finish was light, crisp, clean.  There was an acidic taste that went with it that wasn't unpleasant.  The more I drank it, the more I thought to myself that this is a very good beer.  It's also a very light beer.  3.5% ABV.  Wasn't expecting that.  Still, it makes for a great session beer and I could crack a few of these easy.  

Grade: B

Price Paid: $1.79 (12 oz bottle)

48. Fox Barrel Orange Peel and Coriander Cidery Reserve Unfiltered Pear Cider

Talk about a hard picture to find..it seems that the Orange Peel & Coriander brew is only found in the Fox Barrel variety pack, so there's not a lot of photos.  This was the other drink I had for Christmas Eve.  I was going to go with the Fox Barrel Pear Naked, but noticed that I had two of these in the aforementioned variety pack and that made it easier to part with one to share.  

The hard cider poured a hazy golden orange color, very similar to a Blue Moon.  This is a cider, no there's no head, no retention, no lacing.  The cider is unfiltered, and I made sure to give it a decent shake to get the sediment evenly distributed.  You can definitely smell the pear, maybe pick up a subtle scent of orange.  Tasting the beer, I realized that this is very dry and not sweet at all.  I was also drinking some moscato, so the difference in sweetness stands out tremendously.  I wished that there was more honey to bring out the sweetness.  I could taste the orange and the coriander, as advertised.  With light carbonation, it was pretty easy to drink.

I reviewed the English Perry cider from Fox Barrel in the past and this doesn't hold up to it.  It's still not bad or anything, but it seems like it could use a little more balance.

Grade: C+

Price Paid: $5.50 (22 oz bomber)

47. Highland Cold Mountain Winter Ale

Christmas time has come and gone, but I was sure to celebrate in grand fashion.  For Christmas Eve, I took a couple of beers (and a bottle of wine) to the parents house to share with my light-drinking family.  I was on the fence between Cold Mountain and Sam Adam's Merry Mischief, but the lower alcohol content in this brew and the fact that my brothers probably couldn't handle a stout made this an easy choice.  Highland Brewing (http://www.highlandbrewing.com) is based out of Asheville, NC and therefore is a brewery that I support.  Quite surprisingly, this is the first beer I've had from them.

Cold mountain has a pretty good reputation around here and I was looking forward to drinking.  The beer poured a red tinged brown color.  I poured in such a way to get two fingers of head, light retention, little lacing.  I picked up a sweet aroma..brown sugar, some vanilla, maybe even some spices.  It had a fairly neutral aroma going for it.

The taste wasn't what I expected.  I think it had to do with the vanilla.  I'm not an overly huge fan of vanilla, and I find vanilla to mellow out anything I'm drinking.  In this case, I could taste the vanilla but it mellowed out the other tastes.  There would be some light hoppy aftertaste to go with it.  Overall, a solid, but unspectacular brew.  Took a few sips to adjust, but it wasn't too bad.

Grade: C

Price paid: $5.99 (22 oz bomber)

46. Woodchuck Private Reserve Barrel Select Hard Cider

"Woodchuck Private Reserve Barrel Select is our ultra-limited cider crafted in small batches for a rare taste of sweet, crisp apple cider combined with smoky, dry bourbon flavors.  Aged in genuine white oak Kentucky bourbon barrels, this copper-hued gem pairs excellently with cheese, pork roast and chocolate cake.  Served best at 50 degrees, Barrel Select is truly an exclusive joy to relish."

I had picked up two of these bad boys and hadn't had any cider for a while, so I thought I would crack one open.  With some venison stew on tap for dinner, I thought this would be a solid compliment for it.  The private reserve series is supposed to host their rarer brews.

There was little to no head.  No retention, no lacing.  No big deal, since after all, it's a hard cider and not a beer.  It looks like carbonated apple juice.  So if you know what apple juice looks like, there's your color.  The aroma was very pleasant.  Full of sweetness, filled with aromas of apples (duh), maple syrup, and bourbon.  

Now on to the taste.  I know woodchuck tends to be the sweeter of the ciders, but I forgot how sweet it can be.  This one is sweet.  Too sweet.  Maybe I've been drinking too much Crispin, I don't know.  Nevertheless, the apple, wood, and bourbon was evident in the cider.  Made for an interesting combination, but I'd have to think that the wood and bourbon would have shone through a bit more if the apple sweetness wasn't so overpowering.  I like the beer, and I'll drink the other barrel select that I have, but I hope the next iteration won't be so sweet.

Edit 1/2/14: I had the other barrel select cider and found the bourbon taste to be tremendous and potent.  The beer is still sweet, but the bourbon, vanilla, and oak flavors were much more pronounced and it made for a much better experience.  I guess my recommendation would be to let this beer sit for a while and let the bourbon flavors soak in.

Grade: C B

Price Paid: $1.99 (12 oz bottle)

45. Scuttlebutt Amber Ale

I was on my way to see the NC State Wolfpack play St. Bonaventure and thought it would be nice to have an alcoholic treat prior to entering the game.  They don't sell alcohol at the PNC Arena during State games.  So I packed a couple of glasses, a bottle opener, and the Scuttlebutt Amber (http://www.scuttlebuttbrewing.com) with me and drank it in the parking lot with my buddy.

The beer poured a hazy pumpkin color.  My buddy's beer had more than finger of head.  Mine had less than half.  Not a lot of retention, very little lacing.  The aroma was hard to pin down.  Smelled sweet, reminded me of the Cockeyed Cooper I had a while back.  Smells of baked bread, raisins, maybe some other fruits in there.  

The taste wasn't appealing.  Couldn't tell if I had a bad bottle or if this was what it was supposed to be.  Had a weird tang to it that I wasn't expecting from an amber ale.  Since we had to rush to get inside the arena, I didn't have a lot of time to try and figure out what was going on here.  My buddy and I agreed that this was "aiight", but we were both probably being nice about it.  Lightly carbonated, it was light bodied and went down easily.    Nevertheless, I probably won't be having this one again.

Grade: D+

Price paid: $3.99 (22 oz bomber)

Haul for 12/22/12

I've got another confession to make..  I said I wasn't going to buy anymore until next year.  That's what I said.  I am a liar!  The thing is, my haul today wasn't my first one since I said I wasn't going to buy anymore!  I had a haul from 12/10 that I kept under wraps!  Fail!  That said, I can say with great confidence that I will not be buying any more beer until 2013.  The wife would kill me otherwise.  I'm hopeful that I'll be able to use this holiday season to eat into my inventory.  If I had a place to put the beer, that would be one thing.  Unfortunately, I don't, and I really should be waiting until I buy a house and get a cellar or some racks put up before going too far.  I can't listen to myself though.  

So here's the damage I've done from 12/10 and from today.  My 12/10 visit was to Total Wine in Raleigh - Capital Blvd and the 12/22 visit was from The Beer Dispensary in Apex:

• Magic Hat Humdinger Series: Burn Pile - I have to admit, I was drawn by the look of the bottle.  Smoked porter does sound pretty interesting though.  Price paid: $5.99
• Woodchuck PR Pumpkin - One of the few Woodchucks that I haven't tried, felt pressed to pick it up. Price paid: $1.99
• Sierra Nevada Northern Hemisphere Harvest Wet Hop Ale - I thought the price point was right, and I am genuinely interested in Sierra Nevada's offerings. Price paid: $5.99
• Abita Abbey Ale - I was specifically targeting a Dubbel and thought I'd give this one a shot.  Price paid: $5.99
• Widmer 
• Scuttlebutt Amber Ale - Again, specifically targeting an amber ale.  Amber ales are one of my favorite types.  Price paid: $3.99
• The Bruery 4 Calling Birds - Didn't think I'd even find this one since it was for last year.  As soon as I found it, had to pick it up.  Price paid: $13.00
• Terrapin Wake n Bake - Bought this one based purely on its reputation.  Looking forward to it.  Price paid: $3.50
• Terrapin Oaked Aged Big Hoppy Monster - I'm starting to get drawn to a lot of Terrapin's offerings.  If they have something I haven't tried, I'll try to pick up.  Price paid: $3.80
• Weyerbacher Fourteenth Ale - Wheatwine?  I was reading and the beer type got me interested.  Figured I'd give this one a go.  Price paid: $4.00
• Big Boss Aces & Ates - Local limited release, wanted to say that I tried it.  Feel like I'm paying a premium for it, but I'll get over it.  Price paid: $4.60
• Left Hand Nitro Stout - Bought this one based on reputation as well.  It doesn't hurt that I like stouts, and I think I like milk stouts too.  Price paid: $2.40
• Weyerbacher Seventeen - Didn't see 15 or 16, but thought that it would be fun to try the seventeen and get into a rhythm or getting anniversary beers from certain breweries.  Price paid: $4.30
• Widmer SXNW - Widmer Brothers are another one of those breweries that I'll be interested in sampling their special releases.  The green chilies in this one has me interested.  Price paid: $14.00
• Mother Earth Windowpane Series Peaches - As an NC native, I think I'm going to do what I can to support my local breweries and try to stay on top of their special releases.  I may not find Silent Night, The Event Horizon, Pistols at Dawn, or Sexual Chocolate (to name a few..) but I'll go with this one instead.  Price paid: $16.50

44. Sweetwater Dank Tank Danktoberfest

I've had several beers from Sweetwater..just haven't gotten around to posting the others.  With the free time over the holidays, I plan on putting a dent into my backlog.  For now, I have a glass of this in front of me and I'm drinking, so I figured I'd give it a review now.  Sweetwater (http://www.sweetwaterbrew.com) is another good brewing company based out of Georgia.  Their Dank Tank series is supposed to be their creative outlet for one-off beers that they want to try.  

This particular beer pours a clear burnt orange color.  I poured it in such a way to purposefully try and create   some head.  Was able to get two fingers worth out of it.  Retention was solid, leaving sheets of lacing around the glass.  Aroma smells of baked bread and caramel. 

The taste is peculiar.  I've had my share of Oktoberfest style beers this year and the one thing I've noticed is that they don't seem to be consistent.  In this particular brew, there's a sweetness on the front end that's pleasant, but then the hops and bitter finish stands out on the back end.  It also tends to linger.  If you're an IPA fan, you may appreciate this.  For those of you very few that may have read my posts, then you're aware of my chronicles with the IPA and my continuing quest to get used to them.  I can get used to this brew, I just wasn't expecting it to be there.  Medium mouthfeel, a little warming on the back-end as well from the alcohol (8.5 ABV).  The high alcohol content makes this less like an Oktoberfest beer as well, since I could probably finish the bomber and be good for a while.  If I take the whole Oktoberfest motif out of it and just try to judge the beer solely by its taste, it's not a bad brew.  If the bitterness was down just a tad, it would be even better.

Grade: C+

Price Paid: $1.99 (22 oz bomber)

43. St Ambroise Citrouille

I cracked open this one last night, as I felt that it would be a good pairing with my grilled shrimp.  This pumpkin ale comes courtesy from Canada!  I tend to think well of some of the macrobrews that come out of Canada (Molson, Labatt), so I hoped for some good things with this one.  I remember getting this particular brew from The Beer Dispensary in Apex..can't quite remember what I paid for it though, but I'm sure I can get a decent estimate out there.

The brew poured a deep copper color with little head, little retention, no lace.  It almost felt like I was pouring a cider, gave me the impression I might come across some unexpected sweetness.  I picked up the typical aromas consistent with pumpkin ales: pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove.  It also seemed to be heavy on the malts as well.  

How'd it taste?  Not bad.  High carbonation, very similar to a soda.  It gave it a spicy finish in it's own little way, which was pleasant.  The malt taste lingers afterward.  It feels sweet, but finishes a little on the dry side, which isn't a bad combination (in my eyes).  It's not a particularly heavy beer, and I didn't exactly love it.  When I finish dinner before I finish the beer, that's not a good thing.  When I'm pining for some spiked egg nog before I finish my beer, that's also not a good thing.  To me, it was your run-of-the-mill pumpkin ale.  I could certainly have another, but I'd opt to try other brewer's versions before coming back to this one.

Grade: C-

Price Paid: $2.59 (12 oz bottle)

42. Allagash Dubbel Ale

I'm pretty sure I picked up the Allagash Dubbel Ale during a trip to Total Wine.  Allagash (http://www.allagash.com) is based out of Maine and this is one of their year-round offerings.  

I've had this one for a while, so I gave it a quick bottoms up swirl before I cracked it open.  Color was a very dark orange.  Not a lot of head, less than a finger of it.  Not a lot of retention or noticeable lacing.  I tried to pick up on the aroma, but there wasn't much there.  I could smell the malt a little bit of nuttiness,  but that was about it.

Now onto the taste.  I liked it better cold.  As it warmed up, it opened up, but not in an appealing way for me.  The taste was a little more boozy, the finish was more bitter, and there was a lingering metallic aftertaste.  I like the metallic aftertaste from Red Oak..I don't like it here.  I could get the malt tastes on the front end, which made it odd that the bitter citrus notes came through at the end.  The beer feels unbalanced. Mouthfeel is light with light carbonation to try and make it more drinkable.  I've had the Ommegang dubbel and it is superior to this.  Pass.

Grade: C-

Price Paid: $2.29 (12 oz bottle)

41. Chatoe Rogue First Growth Pumpkin Patch Ale

Mm..pumpkin beer.  It's still quite tasty even when it's not November.  Decided to crack this baby open since I had planned to drink since Thanksgiving and never got around to it.  Nevertheless, I knew I had the whole 750 mL bottle to myself and that it would be my responsibility to make sure that none of it went to waste.  This particular beer comes courtesty of Rogue (http://www.rogue.com), a very popular brewery out of Oregon.  I can say with certainty that this is the first that I've had from their brewery.  I've noticed a lot of the other offerings they have had, just never got around to picking them up.

The beer poured a hazelnut color, which was a little unexpected.  Considering the flashy orange bottle, I thought I'd see something more caramel or burnt orange colored.  Nope!  Just looking at it, I would have assumed a nut brown ale.  But of course, appearance isn't everything.  On the first pour, I didn't get much head or retention.  On the second pour, I had plenty of head, plenty of retention, incredible looking lacing.  Aroma?  I could pick up the pumpkin right away, along with some of the typical spices that go with pumpkin: nutmeg, clove, cinnamon.  

Upon tasting, I didn't taste the heavy spice that I thought would be evident from the aroma.  It came off as a pretty light ale.  Not a ton of carbonation, so it went down smooth.  Bitter aftertaste that was very much on the light side.  Had a fruity feel to it, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it.  Had a light mouthfeel to it..not heavily bodied.  Very solid pumpkin beer front and back.  Would definitely have again, but I'd prefer to share instead of having it all to myself.

Grade: B

Price Paid: $6.99 (750 mL bomber)

40. Port City Porter

I'm reaching back, but I believe I picked up this particular porter from Total Wine.  Just a random pick, thought I'd give it a go.  The labeling doesn't really stand out, and it wasn't until I opened the bottle that I noticed the 7.5% ABV.  Port City Brewing (http://www.portcitybrewing) is a newer brewery (less than 2 years) so hopefully their offerings can hold up well enough for them to survive.

I bought this one a while back, so there was no best by dates or anything to go by.  When I poured the glass, I noticed the tiny little bits of "sediment" floating through my glass.  Uh-oh.  Was this supposed to be unfiltered?  I didn't think so.  Probably just bad luck on my part for waiting so long to drink.  Anyway, the color of the beer had a cola-like appearance.  Small tan head with small amounts of lacing.  Smelled of chocolate and coffee which was nice.  I was a little worried about the sediment, but knew it would settle at the bottom and as long as I didn't feel like I was drinking old amoxicillin, I'd be okay.  

I could taste the chocolate and coffee, but didn't didn't detect any skunky tastes to it.  Whew.  That said, I did get a bite of soy, which I'm not particular fond of.  I had a previous exposure to a porter or stout with some soy characteristics (I'm looking at you, Sam Adams Imperial Stout) and it did not appeal much at all.  In this case, it hurt the beer.  I could also taste some of the graininess, and the bitter aftertaste had some linger to it.  Overall, the beer wasn't bad, I was able to drink the whole thing, but it could have been better.  I'd like to try a fresh brew to see if some of the tastes I encountered was just an aberration.  

Grade: C-

Price Paid: $1.79 (12 oz. bottle)

39. Red Oak Hummin' Bird

I went out to eat at Porter's Tavern and noticed Hummin' Bird on tap and had to get it.  If this beer is bottled, I've never seen it.  Since I figured that I'd never get to taste this beer unless I ordered it in this manner, I went and ordered it!  I received a golden colored 10 oz glass of goodness.  Little to no head was apparent by the time I received my glass.  Faint smell of grains, maybe a light citrus note, but that was about it.  When I tasted it, I immediately thought to myself that this was a Red Oak product.  Incredibly clean finish.  Nice mouthfeel.  The occasional metallic aftertaste.  

At first, I thought this beer was another winner from Red Oak.  But then I got around to thinking.  This beer didn't have a lot of flavor to it.  It could have come across as a light beer..a very good light beer for its kind,. but not too different from the Coors/Bud that you can find anywhere.  When I realized that fact, I realized that this beer didn't have enough..needed more.  Not a bad daily drinker option, but only if you're needing to throw 3-4 beers back.

Grade: C

Price Paid: $3.00 (10 oz draught)

38. Fox Barrel English Perry Cider

I was on a cider kick and decided to have my Fox Barrel English Perry to quench my thirst.  English perry is a pretty simple concept.  The ciders were made from pears that were grown in the U.K.  Just like wine aficionados can tell the difference between a riesling grown in Washington State and one in Germany, I'm assuming the same can be said of cider.  I honestly wouldn't know the difference, to tell the truth.

As far as the cider itself, it poured a color very similar to pineapple juice.  No head, no retention, high carbonation.  You could smell the pear aroma in the nose, some of the alcohol, but nothing much aside from that.  Drinking the cider, it tastes a lot like a sweet wine, like a riesling (there's a reason I used riesling as an earlier example..!).  The pear taste is not as evident, but there's a lingering crisp and dry finish.  I let the wife try some and she actually really liked it.  That said, my grade is certainly the more important grade and I can say that I really liked it too.  Seems like the folks across the pond can grow some pretty good pears.

Grade: B

Price Paid: $2.49 (16.9 oz can)

37. Blackstone American Pale Ale

Blackstone is a brewery out of Tennessee and I picked up a lot of their common offerings while I was vacationing through Tennessee in November.  There was a highly regarded store in Nashville where I got my wares.  I thought I'd pick up some of the local stuff that I can't find here in the NC triangle area (granted, it wouldn't surprise me if they're out this way..there's only so many stores I frequent).

I poured the contents into a coca-cola glass (looks like a pint glass and it can carry all 12 oz, so it's good enough for me).  Honey colored throughout, with less than a finger of white head.  Little retention, but some minor tracing.  Hops definitely evident in the nose, along with some citrus and grassy notes.  When I saw APA, I was thinking something close to IPA.  It's definitely a little different.  Tasting this brew, I can detect lemon/grapefruit, some grassy notes as well.  Thin bodied, but kind of chewy as well.  Lingering bitter aftertaste, which I'm not exactly a fan of, but I'm getting the hang of it.  Could probably use a little more carbonation.  It's not a bad beer, but considering the style and my growing adjustment to it, it's hard to give it a quality score.

Grade: C
Price Paid: $1.89 (12 oz bottle)

36. Tool Goliat Imperial Coffee Stout

While I was searching for beers within Bottle Revolution, I opted to try one of their draughts while I was there.  The owner recommended this one to me, as I am a coffee stout fan, and I decided to give it a go.  Tool (http://www.to-ol.dk) (it is a different type of spelling, but I'm too lazy to make it right) is out of Denmark, so the higher cost is from shipping.  

The beer's color was something like motor oil, with a finger's worth of mocha head.  You could easily pick out the coffee scent in this beer.  The coffee, chocolate, and toffee malt flavors will smack you right in the mouth as soon as you take a drink.  It's sweeter than expected, and there's a boozy aftertaste there..not too noticeable, but noticeable enough.  This beer is dangerous.  Put it this way, I only had an 11 oz pour and I was feeling the effects from this bad boy.  10.1% ABV, it's packing some heat.  The 11 oz I had was more than enough.  I don't think I could handle any more than that.

Grade: B+

Price paid: $5.80 (11 oz draught)

Haul for 12/7/2012

Okay, so here's what I picked up from today's haul.  Ended up going by Bottle Revolution in Raleigh and Total Wine - Cary locations.  Needless to say, I'm not picking anything else up until next year.  I'm spent.

• Sweetwater Festive Ale - On a Christmas kick, so I've been targeting Christmas and holiday ales.  The bomber was much more expensive by volume than the 12 oz, so the 12 oz it is! Price paid: $1.79
• Santa's Private Reserve - Price paid: $2.29
• Woodchuck Barrel-Aged Cider - This is one of those reserve releases that I don't see all the time, so I actually picked up 2! Price paid: $1.99
• Bison Gingerbread - Another Christmas release, had a good experience with the Organic IPA, so went and picked this one up.  Price paid: $2.19
• 12 Dogs of Christmas - Add another Christmas release to the list! Price paid: $2.29
• Harpoon Coffee Porter - I picked up the last 100 barrel series release, so I figured I'd try and get the next one. Price paid: $6.49
• Widmer Brothers 2011 Brrrbon - I couldn't drop by without getting a high end Christmas type beer, and this is the winner for the year.  Price paid: $12.99
• Widmer Lemongrass Wheat - The combination was appealing to me, so I had to pick it up.  Price paid: $8.99
• The Bruery 5 Golden Rings - I was on the fence about picking this one up, but saw that I could age it for some 7 years, and I wanted to start finding some beers that I could collect and pick up from year to year, so this one was the winner.  Too bad I won't find a partridge in a pear tree, two turtle doves, three french hens, four calling birds, etc. Price paid: $10.99
• Sweetwater Danktoberfest - This one was steeply discounted.  I don't know if the beer is skunky (I'll find out soon), or if they're just trying to move their seasonal stuff out of the way. Price paid: $1.99
• Fox Barrel English Perry - One variant that I haven't tried before.  Last one there, so I figured I'd snag it. Price paid: $2.49
• Fox Barrel Combo Pack - Inside are 4 bombers of 3 different varieties, none that I've actually tried yet.  Since I hadn't tried any of them, I picked them up.  There was also a Crispin Combo Pack, but I had 2 out of the 4, I've seen 1 of the remaining 2 available, so I just have to bank on the last one being around sometime in the near future.  Price paid: $21.99

35. Terrapin Monk's Revenge

Is this really the first time that I've reviewed a beer from Terrapin?  I guess so.  I've certainly drank a few from them, so I'll get around to reviewing the rest eventually.  Anyway, Terrapin (http://www.terrapinbeer.com) is one of those breweries that I tend to enjoy.  They're based out of Athens, GA (When I see Terrapin and the fact that they have a picture of a turtle, I'm constantly reminded of the University of Maryland..would have thought the brewery was up there or something) and can compete with Sweetwater for the best brew from Georgia.  

For this review, I'm judging Monk's Revenge, a beer I picked up a little while ago.  Considering the fact that it's an IPA, I knew I wanted to drink it quickly.  First things first, I thought I was ready to embrace the IPA.  I was wrong.  I can embrace it, but I can only embrace it so much.  The hops was strong in this one.  So was the alcohol content (9.6% ABV).  The brew poured a hazy orange color with little to no head.  Little retention as well.  Grapefruit presence was definitely there and left a bitter finish.  Compared to the Bison I had a while back, I think I can now tell the difference between an American IPA and a Belgian IPA, and I think I prefer American at the moment.  I'll have to do more sampling before I make up an official opinion.

This wasn't my favorite, but I didn't pour it down the drain.  I did drink the entire bottle, and realized that my tastes are changing.  I would have poured it down a year ago.  Onto the next one!

Grade: C-

Price Paid: $3.00 (12 oz bottle)

34. Samuel Adams Winter Lager

"German brewers may have been onto something centuries ago when they created rich bock beers for the winter.  Our brew is a dark wheat bock subtly spiced with fresh ground cinnamon, ginger, & orange peel for a deep smooth flavor that's perfect on a cold winter's night.  Cheers!"

Mm..Sam Adams.  It may have started as a microbrewery, but now they're a macrobrewery (http://www.samueladams.com), constantly putting out new offerings, almost too many to track.  Almost.  I ended up visiting my alma mater to do judge some oral presentations.  Afterwards, I caught up with some of my buddies from college, headed to the Ale House to get some food.  While I was there, I opted to try the Winter Lager.  After my last Christmas like brew, which was a disappointment, I was hoping for better.  

My beer came in your standard pint glass.  It had a nice amber color with a cream colored head.  Retention was average, didn't see any noticeable lacing.  My friends made fun of me while I examined my beer.  I didn't care.  Didn't detect a lot of flavor.  Malt was noticeable, along with a nutty taste.  Didn't taste a lot of lingering spices, but that was probably my lack of awareness shining through as I was distracted from really making a thorough assessment.  Overall though, it wasn't bad, and I'd have it again.

Grade: C+

Price Paid: $4.50 (draught pint)

33. Bell's Christmas Ale

The holidays are soon upon us!  And with that note, I've been working towards obtaining and consuming the recent seasonals that have come out in the last few weeks.  Bell's Christmas Ale (http://www.bellsbeer.com) was a brew I picked up while I was shopping or some going away gifts for a co-worker.  Yeah, I couldn't help myself, had to get something that was for me!  While being subjected to a cliche and lame Hallmark/ABC Family Christmas movie, I decided to crank this baby out, then use the movie as a drinking game.  Everytime something cliche happens during the movie, take a drink.  I didn't make it to the end.

As far as the beer is concerned, it poured a nice amber color, with a finger of off-white head.  What was weird was that I couldn't smell much of anything.  I could catch some of the malt, but that was it.  No spices, nothing I expected from a Christmas seasonal.  If there was any spice, it was in the finish, but I couldn't pick it up.  Medium/high carbonation, I felt like I could be drinking a soda.  

I guess I had overly high expectations, especially since it was coming from Bell's, but I was ultimately underwhelmed.  

Grade: C-

Price Paid: $2.29 (12 oz bottle)

32. Bison Organic IPA

From my previous post, I mentioned that I was currently drinking the Bison Organic IPA.  By doing enough reading, I learned that IPAs should be consumed as soon as possible, as the hop taste is lost through time.  The folks from Berkeley, CA (http://www.bisonbrew.com) have worked to concoct organic beers that still taste good (those crazy Californians, what will they think of next?).  I actually had a Bison offering before, the Bison Honey Basil, but I'm not counting that because I can't remember what it tasted like, for the life of me.  No worries, I'll get it back in my system in due time.

Now onto the beer.  I popped the bottlecap and it started to heave over, so I quickly grabbed my pilsner glass and poured out the contents.  Nice light amber color with less than a finger of white head.  Solid lacing on the glass.  I could barely pick up on an aroma..maybe some grassy notes.  I thought I detected bread/biscuit from the malt as well.  It tastes pretty good.  Not overpowering which is probably good for an IPA newbie like me.  Citrus/grapefruit taste all the way down, with that grapefruit coming back in the bitter aftertaste.  Beer didn't feel heavy, at 6% ABV it shouldn't be.  Would make for a solid beer while watching the game.  I know there's too many IPAs out there, so I won't settle on this one, but if I had to choose between domestics and this, I know where I'm going (and it's not domestic).

Grade: B

Price Paid: $2.29 (12 oz bottle)

Haul for 12/1/2012

Alright, so I ended up having to meet the wife at Whole Foods so we could take one car and ride to where we needed to go.  It was either Whole Foods or Walmart, and she said she was looking for some protein powder, so Whole Foods it was!

I've purchased some beer from Whole Foods in the past (reviews of those beers coming soon, by the way), but hadn't been since, so I wasn't quite sure what to expect from a selection standpoint.  Needless to say, it was refreshing to see that they changed the variety up a little bit.  Some of the 6-pack selections were still the same, along with the growlers that could be picked up, but the bombers had some variety and the 12 oz singles were a little different too.  So here's what I picked up:

• Terrapin Monk's Revenge - $2.99 12 oz bottle.  I had been meaning to try this one for a while.  I thought I was picking up the 12 oz bottles thinking that they were all $1.99 based on the labeling.  I think I'm learning that the $1.99 price only applies if you make a six-pack.  Anything less, and you're paying the regular price.
• Bison Organic IPA - $2.29 12 oz bottle.  I really wanted to try the chocolate stout, but they didn't have it available as a single.  Nonetheless, I know I've been more tolerant of IPAs, so I thought I'd give this one a shot (I'm drinking it now, review on it to come next).
• Highland Cold Mountain - $5.99 22 oz bomber.  This seasonal actually sold out in one of the craft beer stores that I keep tabs on, so I wasn't sure what the demand was for this particular brew.  That said, when I found it, I knew I had to have it.
• Fox Barrel Pear Naked - $5.99 22 oz bomber.  Hard ciders are one of the few things that my wife could tolerate, and I do enjoy getting the seasonal or limited varieties that come out.  
• Crispin Bear Naked - $5.99 22 oz bomber.  If you didn't know that Crispin and Fox Barrel were owned by the same company, just compare the two to each other.  Both had hunter green labels with almost identical descriptions.
• Sam Adams Merry Mischief Gingerbread Stout - $6.99 22 oz bomber.  This one had me at gingerbread stout.  Personally, I plan to bring it to the parent's house for Christmas, along with the Crispin and a bottle of wine and share with family.  This seemed like an appropriate holiday treat.

31. Uinta Cockeyed Cooper Bourbon Barrel Barley Wine 2011

The Uinta Cockeyed Cooper (http://www.crookedlinebeers.com) was the draught beer offering I tried while perusing the wares at the Appalachian Vintner.  I decided to go with this based on the recommendations of the owner/worker at the store.  It was a 2011 vintage, which means that it had been aged for a year or so before they cracked it open.  I had struck out on the cask offering as they were out, and I came to find out that I struck out with the Cockeyed Cooper too!  I was only able to get about half a pint, but that would turn out to be plenty.  I did get a discount for my smaller glass though, so no complaints here!

The beer had a baker's chocolate color with two fingers of head.  Talk about long lasting.  I was eager to drink and I had to wait..and wait..and wait some more.  Then I got impatient and tried some.  But before I go on to the taste part, I wanted to talk about the lacing.  It was incredible.  Hung on the glass for dear life.  The aroma was somewhat off-putting.  I'm not quite sure how to describe it.  Bready?  I guess my first impression was along the lines of a dubbel, but there was just something that seemed off about it.  Maybe it was the fact that this beer is considered an American Barleywine, and something I've never had before.

The taste was different.  I detected bourbon, plum, malt, hops, caramel, chocolate.  It was very complex.  The bourbon and caramel would hit off first, and there was a boozy finish that let me know that at 11.1% ABV, this could put you down.  The plum and chocolate tastes would come around on the back end.  The beer was well balanced, had some significant body behind it.  The beer tended to incorporate a different taste when I drank the beer with the head, and then drank without it.  In conclusion, it's probably a little too complex of a beer for me right now.  I'm not sorry I tried it, but I feel that I can't quite appreciate everything that's going on here right now.  Oh well, I'll give it another crack in a year or so.

Grade: B-

Price Paid: $3.86 (Draught 6-8 oz glass)

30. Foothills Brewing Hoppyum CASK

Okay, so I gave up on the whole "trying to list my beers in chronological order" thing.  First, there's too many on the front end that I sampled but won't bother to put on this list.  Second, it would be a chore to try and remember some of the most recent beers that I've sampled, when I could draw on my direct memories and be able to provide a decent review right here and now.  If I waited to catch up, I wouldn't be as detailed, and for those of you that may have read my previous stuff, you'd see that it does matter.

Anyway, I was in Asheville for work this week and in my 11/26 haul at the Appalachian Vintner, I decided to try some of the beers they had on tap.  They tend to have ten beers to sample from, plus one special casked tap.  I decided to try the cask and one of the draughts (review coming next..!).  So their cask offering was the Foothills Brewing (http://www.foothillsbrewing.com) Hoppyum IPA with pineapple and papaya nectar added, maybe even a touch of local honey.

So, first things first, they were practically out.  I ordered a glass, but got about a shot or two worth.  That said, the owner/worker at the store offered it to me for free, of which I was most appreciative.  Cask beers are typically unfiltered, so the appearance had a strawlike hazy color to it.  What really blew me away though was the nose.  You take a whiff and the pineapple aroma smacks you right in the face.  In an absolutely good way.  I wasn't sure if I was about to drink pineapple juice, it was so strong.  Even though the beer was sweet smelling, it was not sweet tasting.  You could certainly pick up on the citrusy flavors.  With no carbonation, the hops didn't stand out as much, but I thought it brought a certain amount of balance to the beer, even without the carbonation.  By now, I'm starting to get adjusted to hoppy beers, so I had no problems with this one.  It went down light and easy, and was truly a very delicious beer.  Only makes me wish that I was able to get a full glass instead of the tiny sample.  I really, really hope that something like this comes along in Raleigh.  I want another go-round with this.

Grade: A

Price Paid: Free (2 shot sample)

29. Carolina Brewing 17th Anniversary Tripel

The last beer I tried at my inaugural beer tour at Carolina Brewing was their 17th anniversary tripel.  It would also be the beer that I purchased to take home, since it would probably never come around again.  I split a 6-pack with my buddy and even gave one away as a gift.  Needless to say, my gift wasn't well received as he thought it was nasty.  I did not, since I wouldn't have bought the 17th anny tripel if I shared those same thoughts.  

The beer looked like apple cider.  There wasn't a lot of head, and there was a cloudiness to the drink.  When it came to the aroma, I could pick up that it was different, but I couldn't figure out what I was smelling.  Part of being new to the beer game, I can't pick up on some of these scents like more seasoned drinkers, but I know my reviews will improve with time.  The taste..now that was different.  Had a malty sweetness to it, a little boozy.  The ABV was somewhere in the 7-9% range.  I didn't think it tasted bad, but it certainly tasted different..like nothing I had ever had before.  It wasn't highly carbonated, and it went down pretty smooth.  Looking back, it wasn't a great beer by any means, but it was definitely tolerable, and my desire to get something that wasn't offered everyday drove me to buy more of a beer that I probably wouldn't do again.  Lessons being learned over here!

Grade: C-

Price Paid: Free (Draught Pint)

28. Carolina Brewing Summer Ale

Beer #3 of 4 from the brew tour was the Summer Ale seasonal from Carolina Brewing Company.  It's labeled as a Kolsch.  Comparing it to the spring bock, it had a greater golden appearance and had more drinkability to it.  It had some elements (hoppyness) that reminded me of something like a pale ale.  That said, it also had a bitterness to it that, at the time, I was still trying to get adjusted to.  It did go down pretty smooth though, for what it's worth.

Grade: C-

Price Paid: Free (Draught Pint)