Stone 09.09.09 Vertical Epic Ale

Stone Brewing Company from Escondido, California, has been known to rock our bodies like the Neptunes produced track. None of their beers have ever been less than good and often they have been great. Russian Imperial Stout, Ruination IPA & Double Bastard are among our favorites and last years Vertical Epic Ale (08.08.08) was quite tasty as well. All these reasons justified our purchase of this year's Veritcal Epical Ale, 09.09.09.

09.09.09 is a Belgian Strong Dark Ale weighing in at 8.9% ABV. Initial smell is earthly and quite potent, perfect for a fall evening. It pours dark and as it flows down the feed hole, it is full bodied as you taste some chocolate then some hidden fruit flavor come to light on the sides of the tongue. The finish is lacking considering it is a full bodied brew; this being our only large complaint about the brew.

Stone's 09.09.09 Vertical Epic Ale is a perfect example of what many American brewing companies are achieving. It is a twist on a classic style, however that twist makes the brew much more interesting and complex. This brew left us a little punch drunk and love Stone-ed. It's sad we had to say bye bye bye to the beer in the glass.

Oz Scale: 8.1
Mike Scale: 8.3

Southern Tier Pumking

Though it's brewery is only 80 minutes away from the house of beer (blog), Southern Tier has not become one of our top breweries to try. Unearthy was delicious but the oaked aged version tasted like a tree with hops somewhere in the middle. Since it is now October, we have decided to get more festive than a Governor Mark Sanford hiking trip. We are infected with the fall spirit like it were crabs. It may itch a little but we decided to give Southern Tier Pumking a try.

With a basic amber color, it is Pumpking's smell that foreshadows what lies ahead. If you ever wondered what beer pumpkin pie would taste like, this would answer it. The essence of this brew is far more present than other, watered down versions of this style. It has more body than Jessy Ventura. The 9% ABV is not completely hidden but balanced as part of this complete breakfast.

This brew is great for what it is, a spiced fall seasonal. It conveniently comes in a 22 oz bomber, as a six pack would be too much of it. At the end of the glass, it became a little too sweet for our liking. This being said, two bombers a year (and possibly one to cellar for nostalgia) would be sufficient for our needs. It holds its place as one of the best pumpkin beers we have tried, but still less superior to Dogfish Head and Weyerbacher's versions. It may have been the first sip, but we we got punk'ed.

Oz Scale: 7.2
Mike Scale: 7.3

Oz 'n' Mike's Top Beer of the Year

It's been (just over) a year since the birth of our beer blog. I know the title promises beer AND music, we just happen to play music together so when we beer, we music too. Don't think about that one too much. Anyway- here are our top picks for the year (in this list only Oz & Mike's scores count.)

Average Score:
1. Bell's Hopslam - 9.90
2. Dogfish Head Sah'tea - 8.95
3. Jolly Pumpkin Ordo de Calabaza - 8.90
4. Weyerbacher Double Simcoe IPA - 8.75
5. Unibroue Trois Pistoles - 8.55
6. Heavy Seas (Clipper City) Winter Storm - 8.45
7. Brooklyn Brookyler-Schneider Hopfen Weisse - 8.40
8. Dogfish Head World Wide Stout - 8.30
Stoudts Winter Ale - 8.30
Rogue Santa's Private Reserve - 8.30
11. Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale - 8.25
12. Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA - 8.15
13. Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout - 8.00
14. Lagunitas Brown Shugga - 7.95
15. Great Lakes Christmas Ale - 7.90
Stoudt Double IPA - 7.90
Dogfish Head Immort Ale - 7.90
18. Rogue Dry Hopped St Rogue Red Ale - 7.85
19. Dogfish Head Punkin - 7.70
20. Troegs Mad Elf Ale - 7.65
21. Great Lakes Oktoberfest - 7.55
Bell's Christmas Ale - 7.55
23. Weyerbacher Zotten - 7.25
Corsendonk Christmas Ale - 7.25
25. Founders Centennial IPA - 7.20
Sierra Nevada Torpedo - 7.20
27. Jolly Pumpkin Lucienrnaga - 7.15
28. Jolly Pumpkin Bam Bière - 7.05
29. Founders Old Carmudgeon - 6.90
30. Great Lakes Glockenspiel - 6.90
Magic Hat Roxy Rolles - 6.90
32. Stone Sublimely Self Righteous Ale - 6.85
33. Bell's Expedition Stout - 6.75
34. Heavy Seas (Clipper City) Holy Sheet - 6.70
Blue Moon Full Moon - 6.70
35. Bell's Sparkling Ale - 6.50
36. Rogue Morimoto Imperial Pilsner - 6.40
37. Summit Winter Ale - 6.35
38. Three Floyds Brian Boru - 6.25
39. Dogfish Head Midas Touch - 6.15
Dogfish Head Theobroma - 6.15
41. Flying Dog K-9 Cruiser Winter Ale - 5.8
42. Avery Old Jubilation - 5.65
43. Weyerbacher Winter Ale - 5.60
44. Sam Adams Winter Ale - 5.55
45. Thirsty Dog 12 Dogs of Christmas Ale - 5.50
46. Abita Christmas Ale - 5.40
47. Michelob Winter Cask Ale - 5.35
48. New Holland The Poet - 5.15
49. Breckenridge Christmas Ale - 4.95

Black & Tan Recipe - N/A
Old Milwaukee Beer - N/A
Atwater Block - Atwater Hell - N/A

Double Dogfish Head: Sah'tea & Theobroma

Dogfish Head takes more risks than having unprotected sex with fifty partners. Their beers, though not alway good (see Golden Elixir post,) are at least interesting and stampworthy. The company keeps pushing the boundaries of what a beer can be. Recreating ancient recipes, creating multiple ales that are 18% ABV and crafting a brew with ingredients from every continent are just some of the interesting things this brewery is doing. We know that it might seem that we review them a little more than the rest, so our last review of Dogfish Head this year is a double one: Sah'tea & Theobroma.

First released this May, Sah'tea is a "modern update on a 9th century Finnish proto-beer." It smells and looks just like a Belgian ale. Though it does have a decent amount of body and mouth feel to it, it is still easily drinkable (even at 9% ABV.) Cinnamon, clove and ginger spice up the palette and makes us miss Great Lakes Christmas Ale. This brew would best be drank on a cold winter day with a couple of good friends... or on a Monday night in September as you watch your roommate play Call of Duty 4 for hours on end. That kid is addicted, seriously.

Oz Scale: 9.0
Mike Scale: 8.9

First brewed in 2008 (our bottle dated 2009) is Theobroma. Per DFH Website: "This beer is based on chemical analysis of pottery fragments found in Honduras which revealed the earliest known alcoholic chocolate drink used by early civilizations to toast special occasions." It pours an almost amber color with a sweet smell. With all the hype about chocolate flavor, this beer has very little if any at all. A slight chili taste on the back brings together a sweet, almost nutty taste. High drinkability or as Oz puts it- "I'd pound a six-er of this. You know, just drink this to get drunk and forget feelings. Our UAV is online!" I'm sure you would get there with its high, 9% ABV. There is a lot here- but nothing seems to stand out.

Oz Scale: 6.0
Mike Scale: 6.3

Rogue Morimoto Imperial Pilsner

Pilsner- the Webster's dictionary defines this style as "a dumbed down beer for frat kids and rednecks." It is not the preferred style in any beer drinker's book but what drew us to this brew were two words - "Rogue" & "Imperial." Fifteen dollars for a bomber seemed a little excessive but any imperial brew from Rogue can't be that bad, right? Joining us today, for the first time, is the newb x-Tina.

The brew pours a cloudy light honey color and a citrus smell. Upon delivery to the beer hole, you experience a different mouth feel than that of an American pilsner- much heavier as it leaves an almost chalk like trail when it drains down the throat. Smell and taste collide when lemon undertones come out from hiding. The alcohol taste is hidden, though hops are definitely prevalent on the back end of the brew.

In the end, Morimoto Imperial Pilsner would be better classified in with classic European-style pilsners. It is, however, overpriced. Fifteen dollars for a 750ml bottle could better be spent on a four pack of Founders Breakfast Stout or it is almost enough money for a six-er of Hopslam. For what it's worth, it is a good brew. If we weren't the snobs we were, it would rank higher. It's hard to get over the negatives this style brings to our palette. Even a TV Chef couldn't help us overcome these convictions.

Oz scale: 6.4
Mike scale: 6.4
x-Tina scale: 5.6

Weyerbacher Zotten

Weyerbacher has long caught our eye when it comes to beer despite the subpar labels on the bottles. From our very first sip of Double Simcoe IPA, we grew ever eager to try more from this brewery. Many have dominated our taste buds (Heresy, Blasphemy and Imperial Pumpkin Ale to name a few) so we were excited that these kind brewers would bless us with yet another beverage. Weyerbacher's newest creation, Zotten, is a Belgian Pale Ale. At 6%, this "session beer" still beats any of the ice domestics you can get at your local NE Ohio grocery in ABV.

Zotten, Belgian for "joker," pours a clear amber color with a Belgian Ale style smell and frothy white head. The brew has a creamier taste than what the label promises with hops hidden beneath its classic Belgian fruit flavor. The brew flows freely down the throat making it incredibly drinkable given the style.

Zotten is an every day style beer. Given the drinkability, its shocking that the brew comes in just four packs. There is nothing too innovative about it, just a slight different take on a classic. We would like more of a bite on the back end of the brew. The hops are promising but lead to a dead end street. This could be a great trasitionary brew to get someone into the style, i.e. Mike's girlfriend. Now if he could only get her to swollow something else frothy and creamy...

Oz Scale: 7.2
Mike Scale: 7.3

Dogfish Head World Wide Stout

Hi, Mike here. Oz and I have taken back the blog from those blasted good ol' boys. However, today we have a special brew so I decide to roll solo for a one time, one night only review:

Oh, Ohio and your pointless laws! Two of my least favorite Ohio laws are the limit to what percentage of alcohol beer can not be over (12%) and the illegalization of intoxicating ducks with alcohol. Why do you have ruin all the fun? I had to put my ducks in a row and lined up a beer trade with JoeyBeerBelly on Beeradvocate.com to trade for Dogfish Head World Wide Stout. Weighing in at 18% ABV, this brew is not for the novice and definately not for the faint of heart. A single 12 oz bottle retails for more than most craft six packs and around the same price as a 30 pack of Old Milwaukee. Being a dollar an once, this is liquid gold (only if gold meant an insane amount of barley.)

The brew pours a thick black solid color with a brown foamy head. Smells of alcohol, raisins and smoke let you know you are about to be taken for a ride. First sip reminds me of a strong rum & coke with chocolate swirled in. WWS is as full bodied as expected but nowhere near as syrupy or thick as I was anticipating. The imperial stout flows surprisingly smooth down the throat as it leaves alcohol on the tongue. As I continue operation 'Move Beer from Glass to Stomach,' the brew becomes more drinkable and more sweet.

This is nowhere near a session beer and I had to clear out a night in my schedule to fully appreciate something so high in alcohol. I would not reccomend this to pregnant women or everyday Guinness drinkers. There is so much barley and an incredible completity to the brew that I would not dare share a brew with someone who would not appreciate. Dogfish Head is known for their creativity in craft beer and maybe it's the alcohol talking, but this beer is fucking sweet.

Mike Scale: 8.3

Dag Gum Beer Re-View: Old Milwaukee Beer

Hey y'all. We done stolen our sisters virginity, this web site and a 30 pack of old milwaukee Beer. We got tired of them thar prissy beers and decides us to drink a real man beers. We got these here beer cuz it have red and white on the box. hAlf the American flag. Dya no what? Whuts better than cornholin yar old yeller behind the barn, some Capps pizza and old Milwaukee.

First wed like to note the smell. It smell like steel. the steel that my great granpappy used to build the best nation in the world. America. Drinks like mississippi. clearer than. sounds like a roarin Leonard Skinner concert. Great for beating your wife. You can drink a lot and it dont make you no fool. You can mov e real kwicke like. My favorite things about it is how it tastes. America. Glad no goddam japs aint ruined no American pastime. This be the old milwalkee. even our coondog otis loves it two. i tell you whut.

Its one of them beers where you drink one of them beers and then you drink another one of them beers before anutter you done drank all them beer and aint even know it. That good. like AMerica. just like my cousin bobby james said 'if it looks like your sister- fuck it. if it looks like your wife[ beat it. if it looks like old millwalkey- drink it.' i'm done bringin a case to my next Brick Stonewall & the United States of Awesome show. real merican values for real amercans.

on a ten chart. ten being papst blue ribbons- the best. zeros being genny cream ale.

Ozzy James Dio skales - Flat 6 LIKe my cuz
Mickeys Malt Fister slakes - like the age of my dream girl 7
Nicky Jo skales - 7 like the fingers i's gots

Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale

The Escondido, California based brewing company, Stone, has yet to let us down. They have produced some of our personal favorites, Russian Imperial Stout & Ruination IPA. So when we saw their new limited release, Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale, we had to pick it up. Being sublimely self-righteous ourselves, it seemed fitting that we had to review this beer.

SSRA is an American strong ale weighing in at 8.7 ABV with 90 IBUs. First impressions can be decieving and this brew proves it. It pours an almost black color with a head similar to a chocolate stout and smells like other Stone brews, but tastes nothing like it's brothers and sisters.

This brew has more kick than its Belgian counterparts. However, the earthy tones remind us more of the dirty hippies in California compared to the Arnold Strongs. While this beer is above average, it does nothing for us like the 08.08.08 Epic Ale or even the Double Bastard. In our sublimely self righteous opinion, it does not smoke our taste buds and it's not the arrogant bastard we were looking for.

Oz Scale: 6.8

Mike Scale: 6.9

Dogfish Head Punkin Ale

Check video posts below:

Brooklyn Brewery's Brooklyner-Schneider Hopfen-Weisse

A collaboration between two different breweries brings us the Brooklyner-Schneider Hopfen-Weisse. Brooklyn Brewery and Schneider Brewery's brewmasters collaborated on this weizenbock that is similar to Schneider's weisse with a Brooklyn's EIPA hop kick. This is a one time collaboration, so Mike didn't mind dropping $12 on a single bottle. By New York standards , this beer is reletively cheap.

With a surprisingly light color, hazy to the eye, the brew pours from the 25.4 oz. with a frothy head and a floral, yet hoppy smell. Given the higher alcohol percentage (8.5%) it is surprisingly light bodied. Tastes of citrus and fruit, it slivers down the throat to welcoming stomach. This brew has the best of both worlds, the light bodied drinkability of a weisse bier with the hop flavor of an IPA the tongue desires.

Brooklyn Brewery has had a couple beers that tickled our fancy (Black Chocolate Stout & Winter Ale) and a couple that were average (Lager & Octoberfest) but this once scores on the former. We could rip on New York apart all day, but after sipping on this brew, we don't want to even make a smart ass remark on their accents or annoying attitude or some other John Travolta Saturday Night Fever joke. That Nanny TV show sucked as well. Anyway...

Oz Scale: 8.2

Mike Scale: 8.6

Great Lakes Brewing Co. Glockenspiel

Since the discontinuation of Moondog ESB and Holy Moses White Ale, Great Lakes Brewing Co. (GLBC) has introduced two new brews to the masses, Grassroots Ale (a siason) and Glockenspiel (a weizenbock.) Grassroots did not catch our hearts like Holy Moses or Moondog so we had high hopes that Glockenspiel, 12 oz bottles sold in a four-pack, would deliver us for mediocracy. With us today is our good friends as well as our part-time beer blog collaborators, Nick and Jason (aka J-Glock,) to give their spiels as well.

Glockenspiel chimes in at 8% ABV and pours a copper color with Jello brand banana pudding smell. With its full body mouth feel, this GLBC beverage hits the oral orifice with citrus-y hops and spices dancing on the tip of the tongue. The brew starts out bitter then becomes sour. As it swims down your throat, you are left with a sweet banana aftertaste with hints of clove and fig.

This is not an everyday brew, as it would best pair with bratwurst and other sausages than by itself. Compared to the other big brew four packs by GLBC, we would not drink this until we blacked out, nor would be stock it in a vampire's cellar. It does however, mow the grass of the fore mentioned farmhouse ale. It promises hell's bells, but all we are left with is some Australian band that only knows four chords and one drum beat.

Oz Scale: 6.8
Mike Scale: 7.0
Jason Scale: 6.8
Nick Scale: 7.2

Heavy Seas - Holy Sheet (Über Abbey Ale)

Holy sheet! It's been a while since we blogged. After a couple of concerts, we are back. It's been some time but we are ready to get our sheet together and write. With us today is our good friend Jason (who has helped produce wines at a local winery) to help us examine an abbey style ale in his second appearance in our blog. Holy Sheet is a 9% Belgian Abbey style ale by Heavy Seas (Clipper City Brewing) that is only produced in February. Holy sheet, our timing is good.


The first thing you notice from the brew is a sweet, fruity boquet. As Jason puts it, "It smells like Niagra grape jam." The dark burgundy red color hints a darker, stronger abbey ale than we are used to. The taste is almost true maple syrup-like with little to no hop flavor. When the brew finishes, you are hit with an slighty coffee taste then progresses to a foamy, light alcohol ending, slightly tart in flavor.

Holy Sheet is an abbey ale, with an American micro brew twist. Using something new on an old standard,... kind of like drinking Falco's 'Rock Me Amadeus.' The flavors don't quite unite harmoniously and it seems to be lacking for this style of beer. This is a brew that you'd have to be in the mood for.... and we were in the mood for love. Enter, Hopslam!

Oz Scale: 6.6
Mike Scale: 6.8
Jason Scale 6.6

Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra IPA

Sierra Nevada brews are more widely available than most that we drink. Still, nothing has completely struck out with us. Their Celebration Ale this year ranked surprisingly high on our blind winter beer tastings. So when we saw an American style IPA by them in the cooler at World Wines & Liquor in Mentor, we couldn't pass it up.

The first thing you notice from their Torpedo IPA is the rich amber color and a deliciously frothy head. Upon first taste of the 7.2% ABV brew you are reminded of the 70 IBUs but it is immediately overtaken by a floral and citrus arrangement. These hops don't quite wallop but at the finish, you are reminded of them as their taste lingers in your mouth.

There is nothing quite outstanding in this brew. It's got hops for a hophead, but not enough. Also, it's too hoppy for a beginner. This would be an intermediary brew for those not used to American IPA's. What won us over for this beer is the surprisingly high drinkabilty, much like Great Lake's Oktoberfest. If you want a sipping IPA, this isn't it. If you want to be floored by 4 PM on a Sunday like we will be, pick yourself up a 6-pack or two.

Oz Scale: 7.2

Mike Scale: 7.2

Three Floyds Brian Boru

Brian Boru. Yeah, I think I know that guy. I'm pretty sure he used to come to our shows. He was the guy from Ireland that is flying out to check out This Dust Was Once the Man at Peabody's in Cleveland February 12th and February 20th at the Cove. Well, after he conquers vikings in Ireland. Enough of that shameless self promoting, let's talk about the beer!

A strong smell deceives the smoothness and light body feel of this red ale. Quite shocking given the description and label on the bottle. Who knew warriors could be so soft? The finish gives a red ale familiarity but not before the complete lack of substance.

The flavor is unique given the circumstances and gives a new twist on a classic. The smell and color give you a false sense that you are in for something serious but in the end, this viking forgot to sharpen his axe. He died and so did our faith in Three Floyds. Well, this is strike one for them. We hope they live up to their reputation, it is just hard for us to get our hands on anything else from this brewery.

Oz Scale: 6.1

Mike Scale: 6.4

Bell's Hopslam

This is a blog of passion. Having tried this brew a year ago, we decided to pick up an eighteen dollar six pack of it this Sunday. It didn't last a mere two hours once we got it home. So this Wednesday, Mike drove thirty miles in a snow storm to get more. Was it worth risking his life for? You're goddamn right it was! We have had a great many Bell's and a great many IPA's but today, we have never been more proud to present our official review of Bell's Hopslam Ale.

The pour is an orangish golden color and the smell is pure imagination. The taste, heaven. We can not express our love for this beer in full detail in just one blog. Let's just put it this way: If we were Harry, this is when we met Sally or as Oz would say, "When Noah met Allie." Honey overtones soften the hops but in a tasteful way to not discourage hopheads like ourselves. Bell's Hopslam has just the right amount of kick and alcohol flavor while the hops linger the way an IPA should.

This 10% IPA has one major downfall, it's limited release. Seriously, even the hefty price tag isn't the issue. We could drink Hopslam all year round. This March, when the beer markets and liquor stores stop selling this fine IPA, we will be like Rose from the Titanic, we'll "never let you go." Hopslam, you will alway have our hearts as well as our stomach's. We will enjoy you as much as we can this year and only hope Bell's brings you back next.

Oz Scale: 9.9

Mike Scale: 9.9

A new high for the blog.

Dogfish Head Midas Touch Golden Elixir

Midas can turn objects to gold and Dogfish Head can turn beer into wine. Midas Touch is a recreation of the actual oldest-known fermented beverage in the world. It is made with honey, saffron, papaya, melon, biscuity and succulent. Interesting. For a worldly brew, we brought in a worldly friend, Allison, to help us today in judging if Dogfish Head made this beer into gold.

There is a grape taste throughout. There isn't a strong start and the beer plateaus to the weak finish. Fruity overtones cast upon this brew with a light body tingle and a slight alcohol burn. The flavors linger like a wine but it doesn't feel like a 9% ABV.

Dogfish Head put it's own magic touch on this brew, which we are pretty sure it isn't a golden one. They have struck gold with many other brews, but Midas failed to touch our hearts. An interesting mash-up of wine, beer and mead, it should have been named it Catholic Priest Touch.

Oz Scale: 6.1

Mike Scale: 6.2

Allison Scale: 6.0

New Holland The Poet

Raven on the bottle. The Poet. Sounds like New Holland styled their bottle to the likings of a drunk who married his thirteen year old first cousin. "Art in Fermented Form" the bottle claims. Hmm. We think they might be missing a 'F' somewhere but not at the end. Lame as that joke may be, the beer equals this.

The beer has the slightest kick and trails off into what a Guiness Light would taste like. The oats and chocolate charicteristics are hidden behind a creamy watery mess. In the bottle holds all things that make an oatmeal stout great but in our opinion, New Holland's Poet has the taste most Michigan fans have had lately. Shitty. We wear our Tressel vests.

Weak front to finish

A ligheter version of Guinness

Stumbles on its face

In someone else's cooler is its place

More lame than FDR's legs
A better beer, our lips do beg

Something that's flavor is heroic

Something that is not New Holland's The Poet

Nevermore will we drink this again.

Oz Scale: 5.1
Mike Scale: 5.2

Bell's Sparkling Ale

A taste of the bubbly in a beer? How can you make a champagne style beer? Bells is brave enough to attempt the challenge with their American style Tripel. While our Champagne knowledge is limited, our proficiency of beer is great enough and we are up for the challenge for this winter seasonal.

The color and sediment is missing for a tripel. The punch hits in the middle and leaves a tingling feeling on the mouth. It is a little bland for a 9% ABV brew. The kick is reminiscent of a barleywine but doesn't have the negatives it is associated with. The taste lingers on the tip of the tongue with a sweet, fruity taste. However, it feels like a light ale that someone dropped some vodka into the barrel.

It is a unique style brew but doesn't seem to convince anyone of it's superiority. The brew could be more reminiscent of a Belgian Tripel but it decided to take matters upon its own hands and that is where things could have worked. In appreciation of everything that is and could have been:

Oz Scale: 6.7
Mike Scale: 6.3

Founder's Old Curmudgeon

How does one finish a great weekend?... One gets too drunk to even attempt at beer blogging. While this may be the first sign of a problem, we promise to humbly deliver our Sunday beer blog on this Monday. I guess we could say that we gave the Lord a rest. However, on a goodwill mission to a local bar, Oz craftily arranged for an outside opinion for a future review. A*is*n and B**ky (the names have been edited to protect the innocent until we can take away their beverage innocence) have promised to give their American commercial brew opinion on our page. We pretentiously add in advance that their opinion doesn't matter... Just kidding. We value everything a woman has to say. No, we aren't bitter. However, we like our beer that way.

Today, we knew we were in for a challenging beer. Old Curmudgeon... wow, the name even sounds tough. Curmudgeon is another word for a stubborn asshole... hmm... how could we ever relate to this beer? The bottle only warns of a 9.3% ABV and a drinking during pregnancy. Please reference the video below of our first tasting to get an idea of the true power of this beast.

The brew starts strong like a low Db power chord and ends in a tremolo picking blaze. Nick, where are you at when when we need you? Flavors similar to brown sugar, molasses, plum and Noni juice hit the pallet harder than if Mike Tyson fronted a Henry Rollins tribute band. There is a TV Party in my mouth. This is not a gateway beer, it is for full blown drunks, I mean... connoisseurs.

We were challenged and we conquered. We might have lost a battle or two but we won the war of two beers apiece. There were a couple taste bud casualties along the way but in the end, General Lee surrendered. It was not easy to finish all four beers, we could have took the King Edward Van Halen way and whammy ourselves out but we did the Jimi thing and just bent the note until it was right. We scored higher for originality over personal preference on this brew due to the complex uniqueness of the flavor.

Oz Scale: 7.0

Mike Scale: 6.8

Rogue Dry Hopped St. Rogue Red Ale

When one has an immaculate journey to the inn at the last home, it is essential to try Oz's (Otik's) World Famous Spicy Potatoes. The best way to cleanse your pallet is a dry hopped red ale from Rogue. Three good friends from This Dust Was Once the Man and their fellow journeyman & guest judge, Jason, sat down to tackle such a feat in a low lit basement.

The brew starts out like a typical red ale and continues this to middle. However, unlike most red ales, the hops begin to take over and leaves a distinct bitterness as the beer finishes. Essentially, red ales are associated with their lingering aftertaste, the St. Rogue Red Ale accentuates the epic plateau of the latter half setting you up for a rather atypical coastic finish.

Even though Moses composed Genesis 2000 years before any known written language, it's obvious Rogue has produced a better crimson product, namely this ale. We crossed the red sea, but in beer form.

Oz Scale: 7.7
Mike Sclae: 8.0
Nick Scale: 8.3
Jason Scale: 6.7

Lagunitas Brown Shugga

California is super cool to the homeless. They've got some tasty brews as well. However, living in Ohio limits the amount of west coast brews accessible to us. The most common being Sierra Nevada followed by Stone, Anchor and Lagunitas. Between us, we have tried two or three different Lagunitas with generally positive reviews. Our good friend Nick has come to help us with our review (also to be a grammar Nazi-- we didn't listen to him once.)

Today we sample Brown Shugga, a strong seasonal ale consisting of just five ingredients: barley, hops, brown sugar, yeast and water. It kicks in with a punch and doesn't let you down to the finish. As the glass becomes less full, the flavor only improves. The box claims a 9.9% ABV and 52.1 IBU while the bottle claims 9.5% ABV and 51.1 IBU. Regardless, this beer has a unique flavor that leaves us excited to try others from this brewery.

It does get style points for uniqueness but the hops inevitably eclipse the initial taste. This six pack is best enjoyed with friends because it is difficult to consume alone. In case you catch someone stealing some out of your fridge, please feel free to sing some Rolling Stones.

Oz Scale: 7.8

Mike Scale: 8.1

Nick Scale: 7.8

So This is the New Year: Battle of the IPA's

By now, everyone should know that we are hopheads. The rare breed of beer drinker that likes their brew more bitter than a North East Ohio winter and with more hops than the king, LeBron James. Our bitter beer faces are all smiles.

With a new year brings new challenges, you know, remembering to write an 09 instead of an 08 on the rent check. It also brings us to our first challenge of the year: The battle of the IPA's. Since we wanted to start out the new year strong, today we sample two of our favorite IPA's for yet another blind taste test: Weyerbacher Double Simcoe IPA and Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA. Both IPA's are double hopped and have a 9%ABV but the Double Simcoe is bottle fermented. This poses a problem: How do we keep this a blind tasting when one has yeast floating in the bottle? Simple. Turn off all lights-- after all this is a blind tasting. To help keep things fair today is Mr. Johnny V.

Fist Brew: The start is not as strong as one would expect from the style but we are okay with that. It has a unique taste that somehow still adheres the the IPA formula. The brew finishes well with an obviously high ABV but not as bitter as we would have hoped. This delicious brew seems to lack something we can't put our finger on, but it sure as hell gets two thumbs up anyway.

Oz Scale: 8.0

Mike Scale: 8.3

Second Brew: This brew has an incredible hoppy aroma. With a slightly slow start that crescendos to almost an overpowering taste that leaves you with two hands in the air plummeting down to a climatic finish. Some beers have a stairway to heaven, this brew has a glass elevator to eternal bliss (at least until the 4-pack is done.)

Oz Scale: 8.8

Mike Scale: 8.7

It was later revealed to us that the Dogfish Head lead off our tasting followed by the Weyerbacher. I guess the rare simcoe hops seem to have our a-card. If you are a hop enthusiast, we recommend trying both these delectable brews on your search for the perfect IPA. In conjunction with this review, Blood of Christ Winery has added both of these brews on tap.