239. Bell's 30th Anniversary Ale

"Brewed to celebrate 30 years of inspired brewing, this big, bold stout honors all that has gotten us to this point - hard work, authenticity, and our commitment to quality.  Whether you choose to celebrate now or later, here's to the next 30 years."

This was the other beer that I had while watching UNC beat down NC State early and never look back.

Beer was poured into a stemmed snifter glass.  Almost jet black liquid with motor oil consistency coming out of the bottle, leaving a half finger of mocha colored head.  The aromas are quite evident, full of chocolate, roasted malt, coffee, and licorice.  Boozy on the nose too.  It's 11% ABV, so it's packing quite a punch.

There are tastes of chocolate, cocoa powder, bitter coffee, molasses, some dark fruit, and toasted wood.  While the nose is boozy the booze in the taste is masked very well.This brew is full bodied, with little carbonation.  Slightly chewy with the mouthfeel. 

It has been a while since I've enjoyed one of these big, bold imperial stouts and I remembered why I'm so fond of them.  While I'm partial to the style, this one was hitting all the right notes for me.  That said, while it is complex, I did prefer the likes of a BCBS over this one.  Still, you really can't go wrong with this one, and for the price, it's definitely a better value.

Grade: A-

Price Paid: $3.49 (12 oz bottle)

238. The Duck-Rabbit Marzen

Cracked open this bad boy while watching my beloved NC State Wolfpack in a rivalry game against UNC.  Needless to say, I wasn't terribly interested in drinking after the 1st quarter.  But I'm not one to let a good beer to waste.

Beer was poured into a stemmed snifter glass.  One finger of dirty-white colored head.  Ended up getting moderate to long retention with this one, leaving splotches of lacing along the sides.  There are aromas of caramel, biscuit, maybe a faint whiff of apples.  

This doesn't taste quite like a marzen, although it hits many of the same notes.  It starts out with the caramel sweetness and the finish is more hoppy and bitter than I recall from other beers of this style.  The apple taste is also more pronounced at the end.  Medium bodied with medium carbonation.

Imagine a marzen that's a little more extreme on the front and back end and I think this is what you would get.  To me, if I was served this at Oktoberfest or something, it would be a pretty good beer but I don't know how sessionable it would be for me.  That said, if I was comparing this not against this style but as a beer that I would drink, it's pretty good.

Grade: B-

Price Paid: $1.79 (12 oz bottle)