Dogfish Head - Miles Davis' Bitches Brew (Batch 2)

Russian Imperial Stout, 9% ABV

"A bold, dark beer that's a Fusion of three threads Imperial Stout, and one thread Honey Beer with Gesho Root, a gustatory analog to Miles' Masterpiece..."

Sorry my picture is kind of weird and bad. I couldn't get my camera flash to behave.

Appearance: Well, it definitely looks like an RIS. It's totally dark, opaque, oil. The head when first poured is about 2 fingers deep, and it leaves no lacing.

Smell: For me, predominantly coffee, chocolate, and a touch of resin from the hops.

Taste: It also tastes like how it smells. It's definitely rich with chocolate and coffee, but there are also notes of leather and dark fruit.

Mouthfeel: Pretty smooth, and not exceedingly thick. It drinks fairly easily for the style, but for many it is probably a sipper (including me -- I liked it, but I definitely didn't take it down all at once.)

Overall: It kind of has Dogfish Head Syndrome -- again. Which means, it's probably a good beer, even a great beer, but they go on for hours about all of the weird stuff they've put in and how this is going to be such a unique drinking experience it's going to blow your damn mind. For me, Bitches Brew was a great RIS, and one I'd love to have again, but the whole bit about the honey beer with "gesho root" was totally lost on me. Still, it is a solid effort even if overall they didn't deliver the exact flavors they promised.

4/5

Kern River Brewing Co - Just Outstanding IPA

6.8% ABV

Appearance: Hazy, deep orange-amber. The head pours to about three fingers-worth in a tulip glass. Lacing and retention are average.

Smell: Big on citrus -- orange, pineapple, grapefruit. Just the slightest hint of resin, but the hop characteristics are followed at the end by sweetness from the malt and a touch of alcohol.

Taste: Still a lot of citrus, but the earthy-resin character also comes through a lot more here in the taste than in the nose. There is a slightly bready characteristic at the very end, toward the back of the palate.

Mouthfeel: Rich and creamy, but with a reasonably dry finish. Pretty nice, but some of the lightness may be coming from a whiff of alcohol at the end.

Overall: Not the best or the worst. I've probably done Kern a disservice by trying Citra from them before Just Outstanding (next up, I'll be doing this to Russian River by trying Blind Pig!) But really, this is actually nice. I'm not very particular with my IPAs in that I love many of them, but I have over time started to distinguish between some that I really love and some that I simply enjoy. The particular balance of notes in this one didn't really tickle me as much as others have, but I'd still recommend it to any hophead.

4/5

Kern River Brewing Co - Citra DIPA

DIPA, 8% ABV, bottle released Thanksgiving day.

Holy crap guys, I hit the motherload on this one.
"THIS BEER IS ALL ABOUT THE HOPS. Cirtus, mango, and pineapple aromas abound; but make no mistake, there is no fruit here, just a serious dry-hop regimine (sic) of Citra and Amarillo hops. We put in just enough malt backing to balance out the flavor, but Citra Double IPA is as close as it gets to chewing on a hop vine. Enjoy this one fresh --  at least while you can get your hands on it!"

Appearance: Hazy orange, with a thick, full head that leaves nice lacing on the glass.

Smell: Lovely aromatics include citrus and mango, with an undertone of honey and sweet grain.

Taste: Hoppy as hell, but balanced too? How does that even work? A bouquet of grapefruit, pineapple, mango, orange zest, and floral notes are backed reliably, but not overpoweringly, by resin and caramel malt.

Mouthfeel: Unique and fantastic. Full and robust, but then finishes perfectly clean and dry. They've gotten this exactly right.

Overall: My reviews are becoming more concise, which is probably good. I'm worried though, that in this case, my shorter review is doing Citra a disservice by sneakily implying I don't have much to say about it. On the contrary, I could probably go on for hours about how delicious this is, not to mention balanced and finished perfectly. This is as close to a perfect brew as I've ever had, and it's definitely at the top of my favorites list. I wish it was easier to come by, and I wish I had a spell to magically make this cellar-able, so that I could have it on hand as I pleased.

5/5

New Belgium Lips of Faith - Prickly Passion Saison

8.5% ABV "...pleasing prickly passion saison brewed with fruit juices and French saison yeast to our brewmaster's picking."

Appearance: Dark golden amber, minimal visible carbonation, and a smallish head that recedes fairly quickly and leaves no lacing on the glass.

Smell: Ester! Banana, apple, clove. Honestly, it kind of smells like a pumpkin ale.

Taste: Seriously, is this a winter-warmer-pumpkin-saison? It's been a long day, but I'm pretty sure that's what I'm tasting here. It's definitely fruity, with the banana characteristics, and I actually do get a note of what I believe is the prickly pear.

Mouthfeel: Thick. Thick as hell. It's kind of bizarre. Like I said earlier, this seems to have all of the sweetness, heat, and viscosity of a winter warmer, and yet it's supposed to be a saison.

Overall: It's supposed to be a saison? Huh. I guess I get a bit of funk, but really, if you put this in front of me and didn't tell me the style, I would have guessed pumpkin/holiday/winter ale. It's not bad. But it's not exceptional, and it certainly bears no resemblance to its name -- the prickly pear is there (I think) but where is the passion? And the saison? As a saison, this is just not good. As a winter warmer, eh. It's okay. I've had way better this season.

3/5