L'Amoureuse - Brasserie Trois Dames

L'Amoureuse  - Brasserie Trois Dames.  Uhhhh yeah so this is one of those that I tried because it was supposedly sour and I have no real idea of what i was getting.  Sounds almost like a St Lam from Cantillon but lesser known.  This bottle after pouring was heavy and its heavy duty so if i ever need a club/bat to ward off drunk people i know to go for this bottle because it has double the glass as any regular 12 oz bottle.

Appearance - Small lacing of foam but also really bright grapefruit, brown & ruby color to it.

Smell - Hawaiian punch, boozy grape soda & some sort of gummy flavor object that is a mixture of both said before.  I am not sure what to expect because it has the smell of most belgiums with the sweet fruit flavors but has that crazy sweetness in the smell that is telling me that the 8% abv is going to really show.

Taste - Boozy with a light flavor burst of grape soda.  The alcohol flavor overtakes a lot of the fruity characteristics of this beer but the hints of grapes are subtle and is almost musty in flavor.  The smell of gummy flavored candy disappears and we are left with a dry grape booze flavor with very mild sourness to it.

Mouthfeel - Easy to drink I must say for being an 8% abv fruit/little bit sour/belgium boozy kick to it. 

Overall - This thing needs time in the cellar but i know if i need a weapon to bludgeon a robber I know this bottle would be perfect and would not break under the force of impact.  Time will also free this beer into subduing the boozy characteristics and I can see this going well on the fact that the fruit flavors will come out and become more floral.  I would buy this again to cellar but drinking fresh i would be interested in taking a sip to see how different age will have an effect on this beer. 

Waldo - Lagunitas

Waldo from Lagunitas on tap.  Many of you know Lagunitas and this is their special 4:20 beer that they create named Waldo.  It is a triple IPA weighing in at 10.7% ABV and is only poured on tap.  I have enjoyed this beer and would say i have enjoyed it more than some years of the PTY.  Many of you might say I am crazy but until you drink this thing it is on its own level.


Appearance -  as seen above.  Awesome dark color little foam lacing.

Smell - Maple syrup sweetness, hella pine and small notes of citrus.  In my mind this thing smells almost like Surly's Abrasive ale.  On this beer is sweet any syrupy and you know its going to be a beast to drink.

Taste - F(*#)##))#(*# DELICIOUS!!!  Sweet danky pine flavor with a nice alcohol burn comes in the back while having a nice smooth hop flavor come up in the aftertaste.  If they made pine scent cough syrup this would be very close in flavor and I must say for being a triple IPA this thing is super balanced with the hops and the sweetness.  Liquid love is all i say this thing is and if more triple IPA beers could be made like this I would be a bigger fan of this style

Mouthfeel - Its thick as hell and syrupy tasting but versus things like PTY, Dogfish Head 120 & even Boneyards Notorious this thing is smooth as they get for this style.

Overall - People line up for PTY but for me I get excited over the Waldo because its lower ABV and how dank and pine this beer tastes with a refined smoothness.  I would not suggest drinking this beer at any fast rate because it will kick you in the behind.  I will say that this is the most enjoyable 3x IPA because it is drinkable and you don't have to have your bar servers serve you in little tiny 8oz pours and be able to enjoy this in its full entirety as a pint.   Next 4:20 hope to see you excited for this because i know i always do!

Lunch - Maine Beer Company

Lunch - Maine Beer Company from Portland, Maine.  Currently I know nothing at all about this beer other than it came in as an extra from a trade.  I enjoy the simplistic label they have going and currently ranks in at #96 on Beer Advocate.  I have been on a quest recently to find and taste a lot of great IPA style beers and this one seems to be up my alley of around a 7% abv.

Appearance - This pours with a quite foamy head and notice on the bottom i see a little bit of sediment.

Smell - The sweet smell of hops, piney, honey and grapefruit are predominant and almost remind me of a Bells - Two Hearted but a little less floral.  The hops smell gorgeous in here and remind me of also Russian Rivers - Blind Pig.

Taste - Balanced flavor of hops and the sweetness which gives this an amazing clean taste to it.  The hops come up as soon as you drink it but they do not leave a bitter hoppy taste behind but a nice light coating of sweetness finishes this up.  From the initial smell to what the taste is i don't get as much sweet citrus flavors which are predominately apparent in a lot of IPAs which is nice and refreshing.  Their is almost like a green tea/black tea thing going on with a tiny hint of honey flavor without the sweetness which I haven't seen before in many IPAs but it make this one stand out. 

Mouthfeel - Perfection!!! This sucker drinks smooth as hell and even with the initial pour of it having a large foamy head.  Compared to many other IPAs which leave a huge sticky or bitter tingle in your mouth this one actually has a nice dry finish and is a great refreshing beer.  If many other IPA makers could reproduce the carbonation like this beer it would vastly make a lot of my ratings a lot better for them.

Overall -  The taste is a little subdued from the upfront crazy assault from the nose with the hops of the citrus but the ease of drinkability and refreshment value of this rates awesomely high on my list because I can see myself drinking a lot of these outside on a hot summer day.  For a single IPA this packs a great taste and would rank high on my top ten single IPA beers i have tasted.  I do not know how far this is distributed but it is worth taking a dip into this one.

Dayman Ipa - Stone Colab

Stone Stone Stone hmmmmmm what is this that you released?  This seems to be a IPA brewed with coffee at 8.7 ABV.  I am going into the hype and trying this only because of the enjoy by series has tasted so well and the some tastes of some aged old guardian and RIS have been tasting really well.  I know stone has produced some great beers but once you drink one they all seem to taste the same.  I hope the jump out of the box with this newer style of beer isn't as hop forward/clone of arrogant bastard comes with the flavor as advertised on the bottle.

Appearance - Above

Smell - What it advertises I smell coffee and ipa which in no way sounds like a good day.  I would never while waking up go "OH YAY MY COFFEE SMELLS LIKE IPA."  I would say Folgers brand coffee is predominant with a nice danky hop/stone brewing smell comes out of this.

Taste -  Well guess what they killed this!!!  This beer tastes great with a coffee forward and hops in the aftertaste.  The taste is coffee and it tastes like a simple coffee ale without the stout inside itself.  I would never see myself enjoying this flavor but this works well.  It is a smooth drinking beer that tastes like cheap coffee and a tiny tingle of masked hops.

Mouthfeel - Upon tasting this and realizing that this is an IPA that tastes like coffee it drinks like a a kolsch because it has this watery effect that is so desirable in a high abv that is masked by awesomeness of the coffee.

Overall -  Uhhhhhhh yeah so uhm yeahhh I go WTF Stone why can't you do more collaborations like this.  I would really love if Stone could produce this with the product they do already and not have to be so hop forward like all of the bastard series.  This is a great example of something a lot of us will taste once and go WHY WHY WHY can't they replicate this again.  I will say this is one of the most innovative IPA style beers I have tasted in this new year. 

O rly - its sessionable as hell and you know what i will say that if it was on tap it would be a crowd pleaser within the most die hard ipa fan!

Almanac Barrel Noir

Almanac Barrel Noir -  I like this brewery and love to support them because they are a newer small brewer in town trying to push for great things.  They have a great vision of what they like to brew and their beer does not disappoint and never brew the same thing twice.  This seems like the first time they are trying more barrel aged items and expanding to different styles.

Appearance - As shown above when poured!

Smell -  Chocolate, cocoa, bourbon & small hints of honey.

Taste - If you have ever tasted a Goose Island Bourbon County Stout it tastes like a more welcoming cleaner tasting and less abv version of this.  The cocoa and the bourbon shine through but the alcohol burn from this does not linger around much but is present.  The 10% abv is well masked and makes this almost a session style of stouts.

Mouthfeel - Light stout and drinks easily.  At 10% ABV it is masked and is drinkable.  The beer itself is quite watery versus a lot of stouts which are more thick.  A lot of lingering bubbles and is quite awkward.

Overall - This is a fun stout to try and i would say easily to drink.  10% is masked well but does not quite hit a stout in the creaminess as i would crave of a barrel aged stout or the bold flavors.  I wish they might have aged this more because the notes of bourbon aren't coming out.  The beer though for a California stout is a nice version but I would have loved this if it came out during the cold winter times and not the warming of the spring time.  I would want to try this beer again once aged and if all the carbonation has gone. 

Boulevard Brewing Double Wide IPA

Boulevard Brewing Company in Kansas City, Missouri

I will say i do not know much about this company but since it is sitting right in front of me i will do a quick review on this.  Cellar is really full and would love to get more reviews down.

Appearance -  The initial pop of the cork was pretty silent and I was scared that this was not going to have much carbonation.  When poured into the glass it comes out with this dark amber color which then the carbonation is apparent and as seen above has quite a large head which took about 2 minutes to settle down.  Small spots of foam clouds reside on the outside of the glass when it finally settles.

Smell - Caramel, toffee & molasses are some characteristics i am getting out of this which before tasting i can tell this is going to be on the sweet side.
Second pour - I let this warm up and it is getting more dankier with the hop smell and also i get some orange and citrus notes from this beer.

Taste - Sweet flavors come up like like caramel and then gets more floral when it starts to open up.  When i opened it initially it was on the bottom of my fridge and i think some of the flavors were subdued due to the cold temperature. While time passes i let this warm up it is becoming more apparent that this would taste great on cask and i am appreciating this more and more at warmer room temps.  More tropical fruit and tiny notes of pineapple/papaya are coming out but still has that ever so bitter hop kick at the end of each sip.

Mouthfeel - Even with the foamy pours this drinks relatively smooth.  Personally i like my DIPAs a little sticky/candy coating in the mouth but this drinks like a nice single IPA.

Overall - Noticing that this DIPA is bottled corked and caged it might have been sitting for a bit and it has been sitting in my fridge for at least two months.  I would want to try this fresh in bottle or even on handpump and i would assume it might taste like a totally different brew.  This beer is also reasonably priced for a DIPA which appeals for me to try it again. 

Bell's Hopslam Ale

Bells Hopslam - Has been getting a lot of hype online and it rates at the moment #13 on beer advocates top 250 beers.  This is a seasonal release Double IPA which comes out to a 10% abv.  Bell's Brewery is located in Michigan and has been rated one of the best craft breweries in that state.  Some of the staples which Bell's is known for is their Two Hearted Ale, Oberon & Expedition Stout.  I am excited to try this and see what my Michigan friends keep talking about and find out for myself if it is a beer worthy of this praise!

Appearance - Pours a light brown/hazy yellow color and when poured it has minimal foam head only as high as seen in the picture.  After the foam dissipates it leaves some foam around the glass.  On the bottom of the glass i see continuous bubbles forming telling me this is going to be a nicely carbonated ale.

Smell - Cantaloupe, honey, citrus peel & grapefruit are some of the characters that i pick out from the initial pour.  Closer up smell i can smell the sweetness coming off of the honey and it has a small undertone of flowers coming out as if you were in a car for a long time and just opened the door next to a garden store.

Taste - Liquid hop cantaloupe bomb!  The hops linger around in your mouth way after you drink it and you are left with this sweet honey and some awesome dank hop flavor in your mouth.  This is an exceptional tasty beer where the hops and the sweetness are balancing each other out and do not overwhelm the palette for a hop forward ale.  Compared to many high abv hop bomb double ipas this hides the hops and the abv well and almost too well just like their two hearted ale.

Mouthfeel - Low carbonation but enough to feel a little bubbles in your mouth.  This stuff is way to easy to drink for a 10% abv beer.  I believe i drank this pint in about 6 gulps because of how smooth and well carbonated it was.

Overall - I am blessed that i am able to try this beer and if this was in my distribution zone i would pay off a bartender to let me drink this nectar from the tap!  I started to feel the 10% abv after a good 30 minutes and it does kick in.  This is one of those beers which i would classify as a creeper because how easy it drinks and how high the abv is because i can see someone buying a 6 pack of this and dropping it off at a party and the person who is not a craft beer drinking would have the worst blackout and hangover the next day.  If I could buy more bottles of this I would say without a doubt and would compare this to many of the top rated ipas and would say it just hit my top 10.  Bell's has not disappointed me yet and this has proved they deserve the hype and still wish that they would distribute out to the West Coast.