Coming from the brew minds and yeasts of Belgium, the Silly Sour Ale from Brasserie de Silly is a tasty little sour ale to get those juices flowing. Pouring a lovely copper with a solid, but fairly quickly dissipating head, the beer smells of flowers, malts, and wheat. The taste is tart, but not overly so, the sourness working with the subtle sweeter flavors and caramel notes. At 5.5% ABV, this is a great party beer for those looking for something more unique. Hooray Belgium!
Colorado's New Belgium Brewery is one of those brewers who have never blown me away, but have also never made anything that i didn't like. They are about as dependable a brewery as you're liable to get, and so, on that train of thought, the New Belgium Portage, a dark and smooth porter, is a pretty tasty beer that's as dependable a representation of a porter style as you're likely to taste. The beer pours dark with a moderate tan head and smells of malts, chocolate, and vanilla. The flavor is similar, but with some added nuttiness and some hints of coffee. The Portage is simple and classic, a traditional porter with no added frills or exotic flavors. It's really easy to drink too and makes a great chilly weather companion.
Houston's Saint Arnold Brewing Company will occasionally put out small, one-off batches of different kinds of beers they are tinkering with. These batches are called the Divine Reserve, and number 15 in the series was released a couple of weeks ago, this one being a tasty and smooth Russian Imperial Stout that weighs in at 10.1% ABV. The beer is dark and black with a tannish head and smells of spices, molasses, and dark fruits. Those dark fruits are very evident in the brew's flavor, added in with some maltiness and some notes of toffee, chocolate, and subtle hop spices. This beer is delicious, and its limited nature makes it a pretty hard brew to find before it's all gone. Lucky me, the corner store near my house has had it in stock the last three times i've been there...but screw you. Go find your own.
I didn't even know this beer existed until a friend brought it over on Saturday night, Beer Thousand, a limited edition lager from Dogfish Head Brewing celebrating the 20th anniversary of of the 1994 Guided By Voices album, "Bee Thousand." And it's a beast. Though it smells and looks like Miller Lite, the brew is actually a double imperial American pilsner, using a multitude of different hops and spices and comes in at a powerful 10% ABV. Hints of honey, citrus, fruit, and malt makes for a tasty beverage, and the alcohol is very evident. Probably one of the best lagers i've ever had, and sadly, i will probably never get to have it again...unless you have some and want to send it to me. Do you?
Visit the brewer, and go ahead and listen to "Bee Thousand" below. Hooray!
