Fair Maiden Double IPA (8.2% abv)

Foley Brothers Brewing (Brandon, VT)

This DIPA pours a deep gold with a thin head that leaves decent lacing on the glass. Its aroma is full of peaches, oranges, mangoes and plums. The taste is a beautiful balance between the smooth, bready malt backbone and those same sweet fruits from the aroma. Fair Maiden has a medium body with light carbonation so as to not distract from the flavors of the beer. Overall a delicious DIPA. Not in my top 5 DIPAs but I would certainly buy again. 

93/100

It's been quite a while since my last blog post. My daughter was born
just over two months ago, so between my wife's third trimester and my
daughter's first few weeks, I've been a bit wrapped up. My beer
adventures have been fewer and farther between, so I've tried to make
them count. Here are some quick highlights from the last few months.

- I've been lucky enough to try Founders CBS a few times when it's
popped up in the city. It's damn good, but I still like Goose Island's
Vanilla Rye a bit better. Now if only I could find a bottle of that
Vanilla Rye somewhere, and at a reasonable price. I've seen it going
for around $150 on various beer trade sites. Too rich for my blood.

- Speaking of insanely overpriced beer, a Key Food store in Forest
Hills, Queens, was selling a 4 pack of Founders KBS for $80. That's
$20 a beer! Insanity. I made a trip out to Brooklyn's Prospect Heights
Beer Works to pick up some KBS, at a more reasonable price. I also got
some more at a Whole Foods up in Port Chester for an even more
reasonable price.

- The annual KBS release in NYC sure seemed to be more hyped this
year, at least based on the short window it took for most places to
sell out. Some other places have gotten it in within the last week or
two, so it's still out there if you look.

- Ballast Point Victory at Sea Coffee Vanilla Porter now comes in 6
packs. Get it when you can find it.

- I've heard some great things about Weyerbacher's Sunday Morning
Stout. Have yet to try it, but I'm definitely looking forward to it.

- I'm not a big hops head, but I did enjoy Bells Hopslam more than I
thought I would. I also liked Ballast Point Grapefruit Sculpin, but
not as much as the Hopslam

- One of my favorite summer beers, Bells Oberon, was recently released
for the season. The first 6 pack of it I got seems to have way more
sediment than previous years, with sizeable floaties as well as the
typical sediment on the bottom of the bottle. Wondering if it was part
of an off batch. I guess the only way to find out is to get another 6
pack, or maybe the new 4 pack of cans.

That's all I've got right now. Until next time, keep the brews cold for me.

Pinner Throwback IPA (4.9% Abv)

Oskar Blues Brewery (Brevard, NC)

This IPA pours a crystal, clear gold with a thin head. It has a soft aroma of oranges, pineapple, and damp grass. The body is light and smooth, with quite low carbonation. It tastes of orange and bitter pine in the finish with a cracker like malt backbone. Overall a pleasant beer, a bit too light (almost watery) for what I associate with the IPA style but nothing offensive.

78/100

Holbrook's Homebrew

Belgian Tripel (Avb ??%)

This beer pours a deep copper, with an large, beige head. The aroma is fruity and yeasty yet a touch spicy. Oranges, banana and clove come to mind. The taste is notably bready with some orange and banana flavors layered in. The aftertaste has a bit of spice and is slightly astringent. This homebrew has a medium body and medium/high carbonation. Overall an enjoyable beer and a solid Belgian triple.

83/100

Beer Geek Brunch Weasel Imperial Oatmeal Stout brewed with Coffee (10.9% abv)

Mikkeller (Lervig Aktiebryggeri, Norway)

This imperial stout pours a pitch black with a thin dark brown head. It has a powerful nose of chocolate, booze, tobacco, coffee grinds and dried fruit figs/ prunes. It tastes predominantly of chocolate and coffee with some of those sweet fig/ prune flavors at the end before its surprisingly bitter finish. It has very little carbonation and a silky, medium body. An wonderful imperial oatmeal stout but with so many other great beers in this category I can't say I'll be running to the store to buy more of this.

91/100