I wonder what they called it before they had another beer: The First?! Anyways, this is from ‘The World’s Oldest Brewery’. A very yellow beer that had a nice bit of head on it. A sweet smell leads you into the easy drinking liquid. This is a great blend of wheats and hops, and you can really put these back. This may be perhaps why I only saw this in the 16.9oz bottles. Drink up, and lets find another!

Specs: 16.9oz bottle
5.1% ABV

A 2008 gold medal winner right here in my glass! Flying Dog earned this gold medal for American-style Imperial Stout at the 2008 World Beer Cup. A smoky aroma and a taste to follow. There’ a chocolate sweetness that dominates more of the taste. As the taste sits on your pallet it turns bitter like coffee and I know it got me to have some more. Congrats Flying Dog!


Specs: 12 oz. bottle
7.8% Alcohol
85 IBU

I am quite amazed by this beer. A porter usually chocolate tastes to it, but this is a raspberry porter and I am not one who like flavored chocolate. I actually like this good raspberry flavored chocolate, but in liquid form, and more importantly the form of beer! It poured up nicely with an expected very dark color. The smell gave off hints of the raspberry. The taste was great! I let this one sit too long unattended to in the fridge before drinking it tonight. Really I only got about 3 sips out before my wife tried it and took it for herself. Lesson learned, either don’t let her drink the beer, or buy two of every one!

Specs: 12oz bottle

Labeled as ‘hop cubed” because this brew has 3 pounds of hops per barrel! Hopped three ways, this beer tastes and smells like a barrel of fresh hops. The taste is almost flowery then some sweetness creeps in for the slightest second. The bitters then let loose and you may come to realize this really is a loose cannon. Check out Clipper City’s website for their full description of this Hop3 Ale from their Heavy Seas label.

Specs: 12 oz bottle
7.25% Alcohol

First thing I noticed was some sediment on the bottom of the bottle. I let it sit for a day and tried it today. I did a slow pour watching the bottle to make sure I don’t pour any of the stuff into my glass. The color is a nice yellow when put up to the light. The aroma is sweet wheat. The taste is surprisingly sweet and fruity. To their website for their secret: really old yeast from the oldest brewery in the world. OK that seems good enough of a reason. Their page goes on to suggest an orange with it, but I don’t believe that would be appropriate.

Specs: 22oz bottle
6% ABV
IBU: 12

Happy Mother’s Day! All mothers love flowers and it’s spring time so Red Tulip seemed like an appropriate choice for this occasion. This deep colored ale has a mild nose that hides the true flavors in the brew. It hits the tongue sweet and the hops take over immediately giving a bright and flowery taste before the final bitters take hold. But today isn’t about you, it’s about your mother, so get her something she likes and celebrate!

Specs: 12oz bottle
5.25% Alcohol

The Saranac bottles are very similar and I thought I had done this one already, but I looked, and no I did not. So on to the Pale, but before we do: get some more creative bottle ideas and run with them! Well back to the beer itself. The color is a nice amber that I expect from ales of this style. It poured with small bubbles in the head that seemed to group together and disappear quickly. The aroma was a bit malty as best. The taste was a bit bitter from the hops, but nothing too strong. Nothing compared to a Sierra Nevada or most competitors. I think this is meant for those entering the style. Give it a try, it not bad, but it isn’t great.

Specs: 12oz bottle
5.5% ABV