Southern Tier Imperial Rum Barrel Aged Pumking. Lakewood, NY 10.7% ABV.

Served chilled from a 22 oz bomber and poured into a large snifter. Pours a coppery-orange color with practically no head. Smells are of rum, vanilla and pumpkin. Carbonation is light with a medium to full body. Taste is like the smell. Vanilla and pumpkin lead with a slight warming quality from the rum. A hint of oakiness as well and some sweetness from the malt.

Overall this beer was phenomenal. I would compare to an aged Pumking. I had a 2011 "king" recently and this resembled it in terms of body and flavor. Is it worth double the price of a regular king? Probably not but it is still a world class level beer. At the same time think of the cost to age a regular one for 3 years and it doesn't sound as bad. I would be very curious to see how this one ages. I have one more bottle that I plan on holding on to.

96/100

$15/22 oz bomber

I'm excited to officially review my first ever homebrew! My roommate Ari, and buddies Justin and Mike and I brewed the Caribou Slobber Brown Ale from Northern Brewer. It sat in the fermenter for 3 weeks before bottling and then in the bottle one week before I first sampled. Been waiting a long time to do this!

Served chilled from a 12 oz bottle and poured into a snifter. Pours a deep brown color with a one finger tan foam head. Smell is sweet and malty. Carbonation is moderate to high with a medium body. Taste is of caramel malt, with hints of toffee and sugar. Aftertaste is slightly bitter and boozy (boozier than I thought it would be.)

Overall I was really excited about this beer. My first bottle of homebrew and it was a success! Honestly ranks up there with my comparable brown ales. If anyone wants to try it please claim it now there are only a few left to put aside!

84/100

Priceless/bottle

Rogue Ales Santa's Private Reserve Ale. Newport, Oregon. American Amber/Red Ale 6% ABV.

Served chilled from a 22 oz bomber and poured into a snifter. Pours a reddish amber color with a one finger off-white head. Smells are of cinnamon, nutmeg and spruce. Carbonation is moderate with a medium body. Actually for an amber this is a pretty full bodied beer (and is only 6%!). Taste is of caramel malt, spruce, nutmeg, allspice, toffee and more spices. This is one sweet, but well balanced beer. Finishes clean and with hints of sweetness.

Overall I was a big fan of this one. I graduated from the Fall season to the Winter beers, and while it isn't even Thanksgiving, all I crave are holiday porters, ales and stouts. A side note, I actually brewed my own Holiday Porter last weekend, and is is still fermenting away in my apartment. It is a Robust Porter brewed with Argentinian honey, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice. After trying this beer, I will be on the hunt for spruce, to see if this can be added a few days before bottling. 

Do you have a favorite holiday beer?

90/100
$8.99/22 oz bomber

Anderson Valley Winter Solstice Seasonal. Boonville, CA. 6.9% ABV.

Served chilled from a 12 oz bottle and poured into a snifter. Pours a beautiful red-Amber to almost copper color with a thin white head. Smells are of caramel malt, dark fruits and vanilla. Carbonation is moderate to low with a medium body. Taste is very sweet and caramelly, with hints of black current, vanilla, raisins and allspice. Aftertaste is quite sweet with very little bitterness.

I am a HUGE fan of this, and can honestly say it is one of the best Christmas beers I have ever tasted. I immediately went out and bought another bottle and drank it the next day. Will be stocking up on this before it runs out!

97/100

$2/bottle

Well its that time of year again. Holiday seasonals are beginning to be released and with that, it's time to review Sierra Nevada Celebration. It has been a favorite of mine for several years, and I bought it the first chance I had!

Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale. Chico, CA. 6.8% ABV.

Served chilled from a 12 oz bottle and poured into a pint glass. Pours an amber color with a thick tan foam head. Smells are of caramel, fruits and spices. Carbonation is moderate with a medium body. Taste is sweet yet bitter, with a spicy finish. Hints of allspice, fruits and sweet malt protrude, and it is practically a sessionable beer.

Overall this is a favorite holiday selection of mine, and I would recommend stocking up!

98/100 (seems high but I could drink this every day-high quality and delicious)

$2/bottle

Cigar City Maduro Brown Ale. Tampa, Florida. 5.5% ABV.

Served chilled from a 12 oz can and poured into a goblet. Pours a dark brown-mahogany color with a two finger off white head. Smells are of roasted malt, caramel, toffee and chocolate. Carbonation is moderate with a medium body. Aftertaste is sweet and of the caramel and toffee.

Overall this was a nice beer from Cigar City. I have always been a fan of their beers, and on my recent trip to Florida made sure to pick up some local selections. My favorite is still Jai Alai, but this was still quite good!

85/100

$2/12 oz can

Harviestoun Old Engine Oil Engineers Reserve Blackest Ale. Alva Industrial Estate Clackmannanshire, Scotland, United Kingdom. English Porter 9% ABV.

Served chilled from an 11.2 oz bottle and poured into a goblet. Pours a deep black color with a thin, tan head. Smells are of espresso beans, dark chocolate and heavily roasted malts. Carbonation is light with a full body. Taste is of coffee and dark, bittersweet chocolate. It has an incredibly roasted flavor and a wonderfully bitter aftertaste. The beer is full bodied and smooth, yet extremely drinkable.

Overall a fantastic beer from Harviestoun. My readers know how much I love this brewery, and it is clearly my favorite overseas brewery. (Unibroue is a close second). I bought this at Total Wines in Fort Myers, Florida. Several upcoming reviews will be from there so be on the lookout.

96/100

$5/11.2 oz bottle

Anderson Valley Fall Hornin. Pumpkin Ale. Boonville, CA 6% ABV.

Served chilled from a 12 oz bottle and enjoyed straight from it. Smells are of pumpkin, spices and some slightly roasted malts. Carbonation is moderate with a medium to light body. Taste is bready and malty with hints of pumpkin and nutmeg. The pumpkin doesn't taste fake like many of today's pumpkin ales. Aftertaste is spicy and sweet: brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and pumpkin.

This was a nice beer. Would definitely buy again and as always, the prices are good with Anderson Valley.

86/100

$2/12 oz bottle

First off, apologies for my lack of posts lately. I've tried several things in the past few weeks so look out for some new posts in the coming weeks. 

Goose Island Madame Rose-2012 edition. Flanders Oud Bruin style. Chicago, IL. 7.1% ABV.



Served chilled from a 22oz bomber and poured into a red wine glass. Pours a reddish brown color with absolutely no head. Smells are of cherries, and a ton of yeast in this. The nose is also very tart, but not reminiscent of an American-style sour. It seems like an aged Belgian Trappist Ale with cherries and other fruits added. Carbonation is light with a light-medium body. Taste is like the smell. Tart and puckering, much more so than the time I had it on tap. 


I love this beer, and was thrilled to find a bottle of the 2012 edition. Check out my previous review from June 8th below: I think you will find the results were similar. It aged quite well, and my taste buds were not affected by anything else. The time I had it before I had a Bourbon County Coffee right before, so the sour was a HUGE contrast. This time it was much more subtle, and it was a totally different tasting experience. I think I will rate it very similar, perhaps a tad higher.


96/100
$15/22 oz bomber at Palumbo Liquors

Goose Island Big John 2012. Chicago, IL. American Imperial Stout 11.5% ABV.

Served semi-chilled from a 22 oz bomber and poured into a wine glass. Pours a deep black color with a thin tan lace head. Smells are of coffee, chocolate, and molasses. Carbonation is light with a very full body. Taste is chocolately and roasty, with a thick viscous consistency. The beer has a warming quality and is very full bodied. Aftertaste is almost bourbon-like, and hints of the cacao nibs.

Overall this is a great beer, and aged nicely. Two years in the bottle did wonders for this beer. I have had it on tap fresh before, though this was much better. A big thank you to Mike for bringing this bottle to our bottle share last weekend-great selection!

97/100
$10/22 oz bomber