Read on, dear reader, read on:
JK's Scrumpy
Organic Apple Cider ABV 6%
Almost unfiltered with a light carbonation that is not detrimental to the style. Very sweet with flavors of apple peel. Alcohol is well hidden, in fact very well hidden. If you ever wanted to put a diabetic high school girl into a coma, and we don't suppose you would or should, this is the juice. Quite tasty though.
3 out of 5
E9
Oaked Saison ABV 7%
Hazy wheat color with a thin head. Very light estery, yeasty, nose with hints of banana and corn. More creamy than crisp, the oak muddies the finish. Definite Dupont funk present but lacks the fresh farmyard alfalfa cow poop character. Alcohol well hidden but still gives a pleasant warming. A good saison up front but gets confused in the finish.
Split 4s and 3s out of 5
Next we tried a trio of efforts from a brewery new to the market. Thanks for nothing overzealous sales robot.
Black Diamond
Free Style Belgian Blonde ABV ?
Aptly named, although "Lacking Style" might have been more accurate. Light amber color and no nose. If you're going to make a crappy Belgian don't make it taste like a French lager.
1 out of 5
Steep Trail Amber ABV 5.7%
It's amber looking. Sugary nose. Remember when Alaskan Amber tasted good? Neither do we but this is worse. Watered down malt and chocolate...wait.. is that a hop in the finish? Nope.
1 out of 5
IPA ABV 7.3%
Amber color and smells like the amber too. Interesting malt and slight hops. Balanced to the point of oblivion. A little more body and this could impersonate a NW brown. Not an IPA but maybe a good something else. Not bad hops in the finish but the alcohol burns hot.
IPA 1 out of 5
Something else 2 out of 5
New Belgium
Love Sour ABV 6%
The unblended raw material for La Folie. Hazy orange color. Smells like toast. Tastes like toast with a hint of bile. Strawberry notes just before the finish but overwhelmingly sour. Other than trumpeting the technical accomplishment it's difficult to see who this might appeal to. Still we really liked the toast and the finish gets more complex as it breathes. If you like sours you'll probably like this, if you don't, then you haven't disappeared up your own beer geek ass yet.
3 out of 5
Sierra Nevada
Torpedo Extra IPA ABV 7.2%
Dark gold to red color. Solid head. Slightly cheesy nose. Good bitterness in the middle and a solid finish. But, and this is a big but, a beer brewed by guys with slide rules. Not fancy or outstanding but solid and textbook. Maybe someone could send a slide rule to the Black Diamond folks.
A solid 3 out of 5
E9
IPA ABV 6.5%
My notes get a little blurry here so we'll go with the stream of consciousness style of reporting.
Golden. Skunky. Butterscotch. Bag of Hellertau. Pleasant nose. Candy. Watery. Harsh bitterness. Orangey. Needs more body. Young. Chewing pine cones. Fishy. Buttery. Cheesy.
2 out of 5
Lagunitas
Hop Stoopid Double IPA ABV 8%
Gold color. Citrus pineapple and weed (no shit) in the nose. Creamy mouth feel with tropical mango and strawberry hints. Solid body and bitterness all the way through and a hint of spice at the end gives a nice counter to the hops. Not much of this went into the dumpbucket.
4 out of 5
Green Flash
Le Freak Imperial IPA/Trippel ABV 9.2%
It's no secret that many of us aren't fans of this style. We still aren't. Hazy golden honey color. Spicy nose of cumin and banana. The first 2/3rds aren't bad but the finish is medicinal peat and peppery. The high alcohol is drying and not well disguised. Another science experiment gone wrong. Why ruin two beers? Still some geeks like this stuff.
2 out of 5
Dumpbucket
Jesus! That is horrible. Like being at a party where everyone is throwing up. For once Knuckles, the Hobo, Chug guy, and the Panel agree.
Negative zero
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