Lagunitas Cappuccino Stout

Brewed by: Lagunitas Brewing Company

Brewery Location: Petaluma, CA

Style: American Imperial Stout

ABV: 8.80%

I’ve tasted several cappuccino stouts from several different breweries, and I happened to randomly stumble across the Lagunitas while perusing through my local beer distributor. I am very, very impressed by this brew.

I poured into a pint glass, and the appearance is exactly how it should be. It pours a deep coffee brown, with a little more than a half-inch tan head. As you can tell from my other reviews, I am all about examining the color of a fresh pour under a light, but it’s just not going to happen here. This is an incredibly dark pour.

The smell is what immediately attracted me to this beer. It doesn’t try to be delicate at all, and has an incredibly bold, upfront smell: coffee and roasted malts. There are hints of chocolate as well, which only adds to the flavor of a good cappuccino stout.

Upon first tasting, I couldn’t believe how smooth this beer is. The coffee is absolutely the most prominent taste, followed up with a bit of an alcoholic edge and roasted malt flavor. It tastes a bit less full than other stouts, which actually is very pleasant and allows for a very nice balance of flavor.

Like I said, I very much enjoyed this beer. I purchased a 22 oz., and was very happy with that decision. It is a nice beer to enjoy with a dessert, but it’s just a bit too full of a flavor to enjoy multiple in one sitting.

Dogfish Head Pangaea

Brewed by: Dogfish Head Craft Brewery

Brewery Location: Milton, DE

Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale

ABV: 7.00%

I have to say, Dogfish Head brews some pretty off-the-wall beer, but this truly was one of the more interesting ones. An interesting fact right off the bat: the Pangaea is brewed with an ingredient from every continent of the world, including ginger from Australia, moscavado sugar from Africa, and basmati rice from Asia. How’s that for a worldly brew?

The Pangaea pours a clear red, which settles out into a very interesting hazed head. I poured this beer into a tulip glass, and it had a very attractive appearance, especially in direct light.

There is a fairly prominent and intricate smell to this beer. You can smell the spices right off the bat, and there is almost a hint of cinnamon. The smell of hops are faint, but definitely apparent. The most up-front smell from the Pangaea is something that the normal beer drinker wouldn’t expect: ginger. The ginger gives it a sweet and spicy smell, which was a bit unlike anything I’ve had before.

The taste was almost exactly how I predicted it would be: gingery. It has a medium body, and tastes a bit more carbonated than your average beer. As the beer warmed up a bit, the ginger taste took a step off the main stage, and let in some more fruity flavors, like apple and orange. They were certainly faint in comparison to the ginger, but made for a very pleasant undertone.

I would certainly drink this beer again. Based on the sweetness of the ginger, it could not be a daily beer by any means, but it would absolutely make for a nice treat once in a while.

Local Harvest Ale Sebago

Brewed by: Sebago Brewing Company

Brewery Location: Gorham, ME

Style: American Pale Ale

ABV: 6.20%

The Sebago ale pours a deep brown, with hints of amber. A thick head makes a brief appearance, and then soon after settles into some serious lacing. Overall I was extremely happy with the appearance in a pint glass, especially under the light.

There is a very faint smell, which is quite hoppy, and definitely fruity. You can almost smell a bit of tangerine and grapefruit, which makes for a very pleasant smell that is not overpowering in the slightest. The aroma of alcohol is not present in the slightest. I found myself just taking in the aroma of this beer for a bit longer than usual.

The taste is very smooth, with the sweet fruity flavors complementing the hoppy bitter flavors quite well. There is a very impressive balance of flavors. As the drink progresses, the bitterness of the hops make themselves more apparent, but it does not detract from the flavor at all. It is hard to pick up on the fact that this is a 6.20% ABV.

I was fairly impressed by this beer, especially due to the fact that it comes from a fairly underrated brewery. I certainly wish this wasn’t a seasonal beer, as I could see myself drinking it again in the future.

You can purchase this beer at Connecticut Liquors.

Left Hand Brewery Milk Stout

Brewed by: Left Hand Brewing Company

Brewery Location: Longmont, CO

Style: Milk Stout

ABV: 5.20%

Looking through my local distributor, the Left Hand Milk Stout immediately caught my attention. I had been drinking a lot of hop-heavy beers, and was looking for a decent darker beer. I'd never heard of the Left Hand Brewing Company before, and on a whim decided to purchase a six-pack, and couldn't be happier with my decision.

The Milk Stout pours a very dark color, with a hint of redness. I was a bit surprised at the amount of head, which was a consistent 1/2", and left a decent amount of lacing as I progressed through the beer.

This beer just absolutely smells dark. I was also able to pick up on a nutty, almost earthy smell. There was a hint of sweetness in the smell, almost chocolate-like, which set my expectations fairly high for a decent stout, which appeals to both ends of the palate.

The beer tastes very milky, and fairly sweet. I was immediately reminded of a cup of coffee, with hints of caramel and vanilla throughout. It is a very full-bodied beer, and frankly it is a bit hard to believe that the ABV only clocks in at 5.20%.

I am very impressed by the smoothness of this beer, which made it incredibly enjoyable, especially since I purchased it completely on a whim. Give Left Hand Brewery a shot!

Dogfish Head Raison D'etra

Brewed by: Dogfish Head Craft Brewery

Brewery Location: Milton, DE

Style: Belgian Strong Ale

ABV: 8.00%

As a craft-head, I am very much attracted to small breweries that are able to tell a story of success, which is why I am such a supporter and buyer of Dogfish Heads craft beer. I have tried a ton of their beer, generally enjoying the majority of them. The Raison D'Etra was the exception, however.

The Raison D'Etra pours a deep mahogany, with minimal head and very little lacing.  The beer has a very deep, bold smell consisting of fruit and alcohol, along with a bit of oatmeal and smokiness. I found the smell to be rather overpowering, and a bit boozy.

Upon first sip, all of my suspicions resulting from the smell were confirmed. It has a very sweet taste, with the taste of alcohol and raisons at the forefront. It has a fairly medium body.

What pains me the most about the Raison D'Etra is that it is just so close to being a fantastic beer. If Dogfish Head would have just toned down the overpowering sweet and fruity flavor, and let them complement the less prominent dark, nutty flavors, it would be a bit more drinkable and would have appealed to me more.

I'm glad I tried it, because it is a very unique beer.  Based on their other beer however, I know Dogfish Head can do better.

Dogfish Head Squall IPA

Brewed by: Dogfish Head Craft Brewery

Brewery Location: Milton, DE

Style: Imperial IPA

ABV: 9.00%

The Squall IPA is the unfiltered and bottle-conditioned version of Dogfish Heads ever-popular 90 Minute IPA. It shares many features with the 90 Minute, including a beautiful dark orange pour, with a very thick head.

Upon first tasting, the first thing that comes to mind is: hops. This is an incredibly hoppy beer, and that flavor does not go away as the beer warms up, although it is partially taken over by a malty, almost caramel flavor. Thoroughly impressed by the dominant hop flavor, I researched and learned that this beer is dry-hopped with six different types of hops: Palisade, Amarillo, Simcoe, Cascade, CTZ and Willamette.

The Squall IPA is a very well balanced beer.  There is an almost perfect ratio of hoppy flavor to other dominating flavors, which include citrus and other tropical fruits, which results in an IPA that is very drinkable. For those turned off by the bitterness of some IPAs, the Squall IPA could very well be a nice change of pace.

Brooklyn Local 1

Brewed by: Brooklyn Brewery

Brewery Location: Brooklyn, NY

Style: Belgian Pale Ale

ABV: 9.00%

The Brooklyn Local 1 pours a very attractive straw color, and is incredibly cloudy. The traditional Belgian head is apparent, which has a very sweet and citrus smell to it

Upon first sip, the Belgian yeast is very apparent, along with a bit of a spicy flavor.  As the beer warms up a bit, you can begin to taste a more malty flavor. What is unique about the Brooklyn Local 1 is that it is brewed with German hops, rather than the traditional Belgian hops.

The pour is beautiful, the body of the beer is very flavorful, and the beer finishes up with a sweet, grassy and almost citrusy aftertaste. As the beer warmed up, these flavors became much more apparent, resulting in a beer that is truly enjoyable.

If you enjoy other Belgian beers, then this one is right up your alley. It features all of the crisp and clean aspects of a Belgian beer, and hides its 9.00 ABV very well. It could very easily sneak up on you, just something to bear in mind.

Brew Backer

Like most college students, on weekends I would scour the campus looking for the loudest and most rambunctious parties. The cheaper I had to pay to enter a party, the better. All you can drink Pabst Blue Ribbon for five bucks? I'm there in a second. This is how the first two years of my college experience unfolded. Pabst Blue Ribbon, Natural Ice, Miller Life and Budweiser tightened their grip on my weekends. As I sit here typing this, sipping on my Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout, I realize that I probably wouldn't have gotten along with two-year ago me. Beer was simply a material to get drunk on, and I had absolutely little to no appreciation for it.

A friend of mine brought home a six-pack about a year ago of a beer that I had never heard of. He offered me one and I gratefully accepted. I began to drink it like I would a cheaper beer, and had to stop. The flavor was absolutely delicious. I slowed down, and began to savor the drink. The rest, as they say, is history.

This blog is aimed at twenty-somethings who do not realize that there is a whole other world of beer out there. There are brewers who are truly passionate about their craft, and pull long hours seven days a week in order to provide their customers with the best tasting beer that they can. There are homebrewers who tamper like mad scientists in order to create a unique beer for their family and friends. And there are groups of younger people who are starting to realize that cheap American lagers are an embarassment to the true world of brewing.

I will be providing beer reviews, brewery reviews/trip recaps, homebrewing tips and whatever else crosses my mind on this adventure. More and more people are beginning to discover this new world, and I will be doing my best to encourage many others.

Cheers.