Samuel Smith's Imperial Stout

This beer is an indescribable experience like no other.  It's a cool summer midnight in your glass, rich and dark and alive and yet understated and refined.

It pours an oily black with a rich khaki head.  Aroma is a complicated palate of yeast, chocolate, bread, raisin, and light caramel.  Fruit and yeast greet your tastebuds, followed quietly by chocolate that isn't sweet, roasted coffee and malt, and a mild burst of alcohol.  There's a depth of flavor here that is both mysterious and comforting, strange and yet so hauntingly familiar.  It finishes bitter and a little dry and slightly sour, but refreshingly and invitingly so.

This was my first imperial, so it may be that I don't yet know what I'm talking about... but.  If this beer really is an example of the imperial style, then I am, without a doubt, an Empire man.

The Bottom Line: I think I've got something in my eye... *Sniffle*

The Rating: Legendary.

Hockley Valley Black and Tan

A "Black and Tan" is blend of pale ale and dark beer, often poured in such a way as to create a layered effect.  In some cases, the two are simply mixed together.  When a pale lager is substituted for the ale, it's called "Half and Half".

In this case, it's a blending of Hockley Stout and a specially-brewed ale to stand in as the "tan".  This delightful brew pours out a rich dark mahogany with a creamy tan head that gently exudes the aromas of smoke, coffee, chocolate, and sweet malt.  The taste is a subtle explosion of sorts, bursting with all of the aforementioned presences with breathtaking richness and harmony that takes one's breath away.

The Bottom Line: I ran out of this liquid awesomeness last night, slurped the last precious drops from the bottom of my glass, and *may* have tried to lick the Hockley Valley website.

The Rating: Good Stuff.

Holsten Festbock

I like the contrast of light and dark, so I grabbed this dunkler bock from Holsten Brauerei last night to pair with my Hockley Valley brown ale.

Holsten has been brewing since the mid nineteen hundreds, and it shows in this classic bock.  Clear and coppery in color, it spouts an odd, fizzy, soda-like head that dissipates quickly and disappointingly without leaving a ghost of a trace behind save for the occasional prickly bubble.   It's pleasantly nutty and malty on the nose, exciting the imagination with visions of a crackling hearth, a soft chair, and quiet conversation.

The taste was surprising in it's sweetness, and even more so in how well it works.  Starting off slightly bitter, the flavor flowers into buttery caramel, roasted malt, and a rounded sweetness that finishes smoothly.

The Bottom Line: A good choice for sipping by a fire with good friends.

The Rating: Not Bad.

Anchor Steam Beer

I've been eyeing this West Coast brew at my local MLCC for quite some time, but never tried it until today.  The anchor logo and squat bottle have always intrigued me, conjuring up grainy, yellowed images of bearded sea captains and chugging trawlers.

Anchor Steam pours a nice coppery color with a creamy off-white head.  Lacing is slight, but sticky.    It's full and nutty on the nose, with malt and hops taking center stage.  Likewise on the palate, where the sweet malt and rounded profile are both pleasing and refreshing.  Tapers off with a slightly crispy bitterness.

The Bottom Line:  This nicely balanced and no-nonsense brew went well with my spicy dinner and was the perfect ending to a long, hot day.

The Rating:  Good Stuff.

Negra Modelo

This Mexican beer had me expecting a fiesta in a glass, but ended up being surprisingly generic.

Dark amber in color with an off-white head, this beer smells oddly of Vienna sausages, malt, and not much else.  Taste is fairly clean with no particularly distinguishing character.

La línea de base: ¿Podría un mejor sabor si se combina con música de banda.

La Valoración: Eh.

[Traducción al español por traductor de Google]

Estrella Damm

Estrella Damm cervesa is nothing more and nothing less than your average Damm lager.

Crystal clear, straw-colored, and with a tall white head, this Damm beer is crisp, clean, and light.  The Damm aroma is of Damm delicate hops and a slight Damm sweetness, and finishes cleanly.

The Bottom Line:  It's not horrible, but it's not Damm good, either.

The Rating:  Eh.

Desnoes and Geddes Dragon Stout

Dragon Stout by Jamaican brewer Desnoes and Geddes comes in a teeny-tiny bottle (only 300ML) but packs a wallop with the 7.5% alcohol content.

It pours murky and dark with a vague reddish hue and a finger of dense tan head.  Aroma is of alcohol, toffee,  coffee, light hops, and baker's chocolate.

The taste is sweet, but then it would have to be to cover up all of the alcohol.  It hints of licorice and spice, almost like some sort of rum.  Notes of espresso lurk in the background, but chocolate takes center stage.  The finish is bittersweet and alcoholic.

The Bottom Line:  Good, but a bit sweet and chocolatey for my tastes.

The Rating:  Not Bad.