Category Archives: Beer Reviews

Jai Alai IPA – Cigar City Brewing – Tampa, FL

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Jai AlaiJai Alai IPA pours a light amber orange with a fruity nose that has aromas of citrus.  The hopps are at the forefront of this American IPA, delivering a incredible citric flavor and west coast hop dankness.  Flavors of grapefruit, orange, and sweet tropical fruit abound while background notes of malt and caramel round out the taste.  I also noticed notes of black pepper that add a pleasant warming spice.  For IPA lovers, it doesn’t get much better than this, Jai Alai is a of exploration of everything IPAs have to offer.  Like many IPAs Jai Alai is an excellent pairing for spicy food, the hoppiness adds appropriate juxtaposition while while the peppery citrus notes add to the flavor.  This is one Kick-ass American IPA.

Seller Description:  Pours copper in color with notes of citrus and tropical fruit in the aroma. Flavor has upfront citrus bitterness with a hint of caramel and citrus and tropical fruit hop notes in the finish. ABV 7.5%

Pumking – Southern Tier Brewing Company – Lakewood, NY

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IMG_0412-2 (3)This Pumpkin Ale pours a golden hue reminiscent of a ripe pumpkin with a ominous foggy white head.  The nose, forever nostalgic of the holiday season, encapsulates the natural aroma of pumpkin spice with a slight hint of caramel. The dominant pumpkin spice flavor is accompanied by the slightly smokey flavors of cinnamon and nutmeg.  Don’t be ashamed to enjoy it with a flavor complimenting cinnamon sugar rim. This is perhaps the best autumn seasonal beer I have tasted and one of the best I have encountered in general.  Pumking speaks for the passion with which Southern Tier conceptualizes and executes the brewing of great beers.

Official Description:  All Hallow’s Eve is a time of the year when spirits can make contact with the physical world, and when magic is most potent. It is thought that we harness this magic to brew our powerful pumpkin ale. Not so, but it is with great respect to the magic of their trade that our brewers produce this fine beer. Take a whiff of this complex ale and your journey has just begun. At first sip, a magical spell will bewitch your taste buds, yet another victim enraptured by the Pumking.  ABV 8.6%

Cubano-Style Espresso – Cigar City Brewing – Tampa, FL

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Cubano-Style Espresso - Cigar City Brewing - Tampa, FLCigar City Cubano-style Espresso pours a dark brown black and has an awakening, delicious nose of coffee.  This English Brown Ale has notes of espresso and coffee that are more rich and poignant than any beer or stout that I have ever had.  Background notes of cocoa and chocolate add to the well-rounded warmth of this beer.  True to the smooth nature of a brown ale, this beer is unique and excellently executed.   I would much rather drink Cigar City Cubano-style Espresso beer than any cup of coffee.

Bottle Description: This rich brown ale is redolent with Cuban-style roasted espresso beans, sweet caramel and toffee and hints of dry nuttiness. Cuban Espresso is a popular drink in the Cigar City of Tampa owing to its many Sicilian and Cuban immigrants. The beans for Cubano-Style Espresso Brown Ale are roasted locally by Mazzaro’s Italian Market and Deli in St. Petersburg to our exact specifications.  ABV 5.5%

Black Ops 2013 – Brooklyn Brewery – New York, NY

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BrooklynBlackopsA very well-rounded Russian imperial stout.  The lush pour yielded a dark brown/black colored stout with a light, brownish tan head.  The nose exudes the scent of liquor and coffee.  I noticed very nice background notes of chocolate, brown sugar, vanilla, and dark fruit and  I found the bourbon and coffee to be the most pronounced flavors.  The added carbonation and texture donated by the champagne yeast is very pleasant, this stout is truly a masterpiece.

Bottle Description: Brooklyn Black Ops, a Russian Imperial Stout was aged for four months in bourbon barrels, bottled flat, and re-fermented in the bottle with Champagne yeast.  ABV 10.5%

Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale – Lexington Brewing and Distilling Co. – Lexington, KY

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KentuckyBourbonKentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale has a nice amber color upon pouring and an enticingly noxious bourbon nose.  Flavors of charred oak, vanilla, and  Bourbon, of course, emanate from this incredibly well executed Bourbon Ale.  In a time when many brewers are experimenting with oak aging and the infusion of flavors this beer epitomizes what makes an oak barrel aged beer great.  Kentucky Bourbon Barrel ale is a benchmark in barrel aging technique and style that other brewers should take heed of.  As a lover of bourbon I have trouble selecting other ales, this beer has a kick and some real grit.

Seller Description:   Award winning Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale is a unique sipping beer with the distinctive nose of a well-crafted bourbon. Our Kentucky Ale is aged for up to 6 weeks in freshly decanted bourbon barrels from some of Kentucky’s finest distilleries.   ABV: 8.9 %

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Hop Karma Brown IPA – Terrapin Beer Co. – Athens, GA

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Pours a golden brown color, notes of molasses and brown sugar in the aroma.  A very nice malty smooth flavor reminiscent of a brown-ale but with a nice hop flavor as well.  The hops are eclipsed by the malt, but present none-the-less. I wanted more hops and West Coast IPA style after reading the description but then I realized I wouldn’t expect it from a brown ale and I appreciate the sweet malt. The hops are evident, especially in the aftertaste and the taste add to the complexity of this exceptional, creative brown-ale.  This beer is no longer available, this limited release may return one day so keep an eye out.

Bottle description: “The Terrapin Hop Karma IPA is a head-on collision between a hoppy West Coast India Pale Ale and a malty, complex brown-ale. Brewed with five varieties of hops, and seven different malts. This hybrid style represents the best of both worlds.”  ABV 6%