This isn’t the spookiest brew for Halloween, but it certainly fits for the occasion. What you see is a very light color, a bit cloudy, and a mild aroma to boot. As you celebrate this all-hallows-eve, the light taste of this will remind you of that hayride and the straw still stuck to your clothes. A hop finish that’s comforting to know they they did, in fact, add the hops and didn’t forget. Overall, a smooth drink that Jon said wasn’t too unlike Mishawaka Brewing’s Raspberry Wheat Ale from a couple days ago, just without fruit. An ok drink, but I’m more into something dark and scary on this day.

Specs: 500mL bottle
? ABV

Well, Jon and I have completed over one year on DailyHops.com trying new brews from across the country and even the globe so we needed to find something to commemorate the one year of the site. We looked to Brooklyn Brewery’s Local 1. A corked selection at a high ABV and enough to share seemed the perfect choice. It looks and smells like a Belgian Hefeweizen, which makes sense considering the international ingredients, just with a Brooklyn take. What you get is a body whose sweetness is clouded with hops throughout giving a consistent taste and no real prominent transitions. It’s neither dry nor heavily malty but the “100% refermented in the bottle” brew dives a depth that balances the entire drink. Take your time enjoying the color and aroma as the head pours thick and takes some settling to receed to a drinkable level. Cheers to all of those who’ve been keeping pace with us!

Specs: 25.4oz corked bottle
9.0% ABV

Don’t ask me how to pronounce that one. I think we are lucky they have a website! This golden beer that came out of the bottle with the most shiny label I have ever seen on a beer had a very high head. The aroma of sweet juices came from this one. Again it smelled like white grape juice. The taste wasn’t so much raspberry than fruit juice that had a sour taste to it, it made me almost twist my neck back. I wasn’t expecting the sour taste, and I really wouldn’t order or buy another one, so the rating goes down. Sorry Mishawaka Brewing, perhaps the stout I have will be better.

Specs: 12oz bottle
5.3% ABV

This is the last of my large Rogue beers I picked up awhile ago. Chipotle is simply a smoke dried jalapeño. So what I expected of this beer was smoke and spice, along with the traditional beer goodness. After opening the bottle, the beer began to flow by itself. Don’t worry, I only lost about an ounce or so. After quickly finding the glass I poured it off with it’s enormous head of four to five inches which eventually went down to a simple one to two inch head. The color was more reddish brown than what I expected. The aroma is not something that I have really smelled before and you might have to try it yourself on this one and let me know. The taste really hits you when you finish the drink. There is a quick smoky flavor that fades away and you think you are done. Finally the jalapeño kicks in and warmed up my throat. I do like spicy foods, and this is on the mild end of things. This is one creative beer, but I believe it will be my last as I don’t think I could handle a few rounds of it. Once in a great while this would be good.

Specs: 22oz bottle
?% ABV
IBU: 35

Another large Rouge just for me. This is one that I wouldn’t mind sharing. It took some time pouring as the head grew and stayed around like a root beer float. The head was full of small and large bubbles alike. The aroma is sweet with orange and some spices in it. The color is that of a dark apple cider. The taste is where this let me down at. The beer had some tingling carbonation as it was sweet, but then as soon as I stopped drinking another taste filled my mouth. It was spices and orange and a taste that made me flinch afterward. I knew the herbs and spices were there as it said so on the label. Perhaps I thought it was a joke like their ‘free range costal water’. I won’t be having another of these. One is enough. For those who like spiced beers, give it a try!

Specs: 22oz bottle
6.2% ABV
IBU: 18

Here’s a spooky choice I found at the local beer store. There’s a nice sweet and smoky aroma that made me wonder if this was the human or wolf form. Wow, this was a great drink! There is some sweet malts layered well with some roasted malts, maybe notes of caramel, all of which add amazing flavors. That wolf bite from the hops never quite scares away the deep flavors. This is just one of the brews called Warewolf from Rinkuskial, so look for it by ABV!

Specs: 16.9 oz bottle
8.2% ABV

Check out the deep color and high head on this porter choice from Dick’s Brewing. There’s a smoky aroma that comes off the glass and only hints to the taste that is to come. You may notice those smoky notes off the bat, but there’s plenty of bitters, don’t you worry. The hops hit but leave that deep flavor to really come through as the smoky flavors are washed away. Certainly an excellent choice for a porter.

Specs: 12oz bottle
5.5% ABV?

I should save this for Mother’s day, but as you see I got my hands on some 22oz bottles of Rouge and I just can’t wait. This beer is as sweet as Mom could get. The light golden color is nice, the aroma of the sweet wheat is strong. The taste is light and sweet with just a bit of an after taste This is like many other hefeweizen beers with it being unfiltered. I love that these are 22oz bottles, just enough for others to sample, or just enough for a couple glasses for myself!
From Rouge’s website:
“A woman drove me to drink and I didn’t even have the decency to thank her.” – W.C. Fields

Specs: 22oz bottle
4.8% ABV
IBU: 34

I am almost sorry I opened this one without sharing. Chris, I am sorry you didn’t get to try it. The brown beer that hid under that high head is no longer made. It was a limited one time release. I thought you knew about it since your likeness is on the bottle. The aromas of sweet malts, all five types of them are wonderful. The taste of the beer is sweet and then the five types of hops come in with a very nice bitter. The bitter lasted for a minute or two and then finally faded. I never expect a deeper roasted malt beer to have the bitters that a beer like this has. It is a surprisingly great beer. If you find one of these still at the store, grab it. I found this in August at the Cork and Barrel in Kentucky.

Specs: 22oz bottle
7.4% ABV
IBU: 68

This brew has a great golden color, low head, and hoppy aroma.
Dragon’s Gold has no wheat, barley, rye, or oats. All sorghum brews give a light taste and really allow the bitters to come thru a sweet and refreshing body. The simplistic taste of this brew is a perfect break from some of these strong seasonals with a taste that you have to find at a microbrew.

Specs: 12oz bottle
4.6% ABV
21 IBU