Brooklyn Sorachi Ace

Brooklyn Brewery is a company with strange stardards. They can create some amazing brews (Local 1, Black Chocolate Stout) yet let a couple slip past them and continue to be sold on the market (East India Pale Ale, Pennant Ale.) The brewery is much like the city it is from- some amazing things and some things that we'd rather not see again (another Yankee pennant or George Steinbrenner) So when we noticed a new Brooklyn 750ml bottle on the shelf, we were intrigued.

Sorachi Ace is a 100% bottle refermented saison ale. It boasts a respectable 7.6% ABV and is brewed with the rare Sorachi Ace hop and a Belgian yeast strain an re-fermented with champgne yeast in the bottle. This sounds like it could be a home run.

Sorachi Ace pours cloudy and golden with a fizzy white head with sweet lemon-y smell. SA hits the tongue with sweetness, a tarty lemon zest and a crisp hop flavor with a bit of carbonation. The alcohol is the hidden treasure hid beneath the complex and completely refreshing flavors. This brew would pair nice with a light dish and cheeses and is perfect for a summer evening split with a good friend.

Brooklyn Brewery's Sorachi Ace delived what we hoped for. It acheives where many Jolly Pumpkin beers fail, tart and sweet but that flavor does not overpower the rest of the beer. This is what a saison should be, light and crisp but with enough alcohol to encourage the purchase of an expensive brew. While not quite a grandslam, this beer is a walk off home run.

Oz Scale: 8.5

Mike Scale: 8.4

Weyerbacher Fifteen Smoked Imperial Stout

Weyerbacher does not pour large sums of money into their graphic design department. Their logo was probably made with Microsoft Paint by the owner's son during study hall. However, they seem to invest their money into something worthwhile- creating new beers. Weyerbacher's Fourteen is responsible for our deeper dive into the wheatwine style and their latest imperial stout, Tiny, was nothing short of amazing. For all these reasons amongst others made us anticipate the arrival of their next anniversary brew, Fifteen.

Weyerbacher's Fifteen pours jet black with a light carmel head. An earth-like tinge hits the nose as you go in for that initial whiff. Hints of nuts with chicory as the "smoked" flavor lets it's presence be known as it flows over the taste buds. This beer is well bodied and coats the tongue with a silky yet earthy taste as it lingers until the next sip. We let this beer warm up to near room temperature and it's body went from a Baconator with a Frosty to just a Wendy's Double.

Weyerbacher knows how to celebrate their birthday. Twelve, Fourteen and Fifteen (Thirteen wasn't sold in Ohio) are all fine examples of what an anniversary beer should be. This is something a stout fan should pick up since this is a perfect example of an imperial smoked stout. At 10.8% ABV, this will get you where you should be for a birthday- intoxicated.

Oz Scale: 8.6

Mike Scale: 8.6

Great Divide Expresso Oak Aged Yeti

Colorado's Great Divide is working their to our hearts. The saying goes "the way to a man's heart is through his stomach" and they are doing a good job at it. We have had some delectable beverages in the recent months and given an opportunity to try a variation at their most popular beer, Yeti, we took couldn't leave the 9.5% ABV Expresso Oak Aged Yeti on the shelf any longer.

EOAY pours jet black and thick with a foamy carmel head. Roasted malts, chocolate and hint of coffee overtake the nose as you smell. First impressions become reality as it tastes almost exactly as it smells yet it is exceptionally smooth given the ABV. As the brew leaves the tongue you are left with chocolate dancing on the tongue with a tinge of alcohol to remind you that you are drinking a brew, not a dessert. As the beer warms in it's glass, the taste shifts and the oak becomes noticable on the back end of the flavor.

This is an incredibly solid brew from a company that we are becoming more familiar with. However, there is nothing unique to this brew and the word "expresso" should be removed from the label. While there are differences to this and the other Yeti brews (which are all delicious- by the way) there is nothing that sets this one apart from its siblings. Kind of like one of the Osmonds that isn't Donny or Marie.

Oz Scale: 7.9

Mike Scale: 8.0

Southern Tier Farmer's Tan Imerial Pale Lager

Farmer's Tan- check. It is the season where pasty human beings get their first prolonged exposure to the sun to leave some unsightly color lines on your body. Southern Tier celebrates such an event with their new summer seasonal bomber, Farmer's Tan. Farmer's Tan is an imperial pale lager weighing in at an impressive 9% ABV. In theory, it is a perfect summer beer for the lazy- crisp and light yet higher in alcohol- best suited for an evening hanging out on the porch.

Farmer's Tan pours a slightly more carmel color than a typical pale lager yet has a floral pale ale smell. This medium bodied beer is well balanced with little alcohol taste left on the tongue. It is not a beer that typical lager drinkers would enjoy- in other words, it doesn't taste like urine. There is a bit of sweetness that lies in this brew that eventually leaves the tongue to give a more traditional lager aftertaste.

This beer lived up to the promise of a lazy summer night. Southern Tier took a traditional style and grew it into something of their own. While many breweries try to lighten their load with a more traditional pilsner or wheat ale for the season, ST took a great summer style beer and made something that could pass the piss test.

Oz Scale: 7.4

Mike Scale: 7.7

Clipper City Heavy Seas Letter of Marque 2010 Rye Porter

Heavy Seas (Clipper City Brewery) has always been a solid brewery. Their beers have yet to let us down and none have ever been just mediocre (in fact, their Small Craft Warning is our favorite imperial pilsner.) Last year, Clipper City did a homebrew competition called Letter of the Marque where the winner got their brew mass produced for a one-time release. Boston Beer Company (Sam Adams) has been doing these competitions for years (Longshot Series) and usually the victors end up producing better beers than many of their in-house lagers and ales. So when we got our sights on a Heavy Seas version, we couldn't pass up the opportunity to consume their Letter of the Marque Rye Porter.

LoM pours a deep amber to an almost black color with a foamy cream head. I has a sweet and citrus smell reminiscent of an IPA. When the rye porter hits the pallet you are left with a unique taste. It has hops and spices of a RyePA but malt overtones of a porter. A medium to full body coats the mouth nicely and and leaves you with a west coast IPA bitterness which is shocking at first but welcomed after the initial sip.

This beer succeeds where Nightstalker by Goose Island failed. It balances rye, malt and hops to create something that is unique and highly drinkable. If we were given this beer without a name or style, we'd swear that it was a black IPA. However, this is our first experience with a rye porter and if given the chance to try others, we'd welcome a glass or two.

Oz Scale: 8.0

Mike Scale: 8.2

New Belgium Ranger

New Belgium is the third largest microbrewer behind Sam Adams and Sierra Nevada. Unlike those "giant" micros, New Belgium does not have lower 48 distribution including Ohio. However, we have managed to try nine of their beers. Mike's sister-in-law's older brother works for New Belgium and Mike was able to walk away with some free cases at his brother's wedding. So when Oz was in Chicago a week ago, he noticed New Belgium's first non-Belgian style beer that they've ever produced, Ranger. New Belgium's Ranger is a 6.5% ABV American-style India Pale Ale

When poured, this beer smells of citrus, grapefruit and hops. When Ranger hits the pallete you are reminded of an American Pale Ale with a bit more bite than most APAs. It has a medium finish and the hops linger on the tongue like you'd expect from a good IPA. This beer has more of a bitter hop flavor than most regular IPA's and therefor we don't suggest this as a transitionary beer for a beginner into the style.

New Belgium's Ranger is what a pale ale should taste like. We might be a bit biased since we normally like a bit more bight when we drink an IPA as we are used to drinking their imperial counterparts in the 7.5-11% range. This brew is incredibly solid for what it is and if sitting on our the shelf of a local grocery, it'd battle our wallet with our local favorite, Commodore Perry by Great Lakes.

Oz Scale: 7.4

Mike Scale: 7.2

Goose Island Night Stalker Imperial Stout

Based in Chicago, Illinois, Goose Island has always made a decent beer. Some are better than others, but we wouldn't call it one of our favorite breweries. Sure, Matilda, Bourbon County Stout & Pere Jacques were great but their year round brews are just a bit weak. When we got word that they had just released a "heavily-hopped imperial stout," our jinies tingled. A 11.7% ABV hoppy imperial stout was something we could not pass up.

Night Stalker pours black with a carmel head and has a strong citrus smell. This is by far the strangest tasting imperial stout we have ever tried. It has medium body with an alcohol burn as it leaves the mouth. When it hits the pallet- citrus, fruit, toffee and chocolate dance on the tongue. This beer has us just about stumped. At first we didn't even want to finish our glasses but the following sips got better so we let the beer warm up to get a better effect. There is a fruity sweetness to Night Stalker that some would welcome with open arms but we would call a nuisance.

The beer lets its alcohol presence be known unlike a good stalker. You have to give credit to Goose Island for creating an imperial stout that taste NOTHING like what is typically associated with that style. This brew is a true sipper meant best to be shared with a friend or two but you have to have the right palette for this one. Mike and Oz can both agree on its originality, the flavors just don't come together well and the alcohol ruins what was a good concept. We are going to file a restraining order.

Oz Scale: 6.0

Mike Scale: 5.8

Sierra Nevada 30th Anniversary - Fritz And Ken's Ale

Sierra Nevada has always been one of our choices for transitional beers. Their pale ale has helped many consumers into the world of craft brewing. Also, many of their beers stand up with the best (see our 12 Beers of Christmas.) Once any company hits 30 years, it's an great accomplishment so it's time to celebrate. To commemorate their achievement, they have collaborated with many pioneers of brewing to release four 30th anniversary ales. Having been a huge fan of their previous collaboration with Dogfish Head, Life & Limb, we couldn't resist picking up their first offering, Fritz and Ken's ale. Ken Grossman, owner of Sierra Nevada brewed this beer with the help of Fritz Maytag, owner of Anchor Brewing Company. Since this is all about working with others we have our friend and bass player Johnny V to help out with this review.

Fritz and Ken's Ale is an imperial stout weighing in at 9.2% ABV. It pours jet black with a nice carmel colored head. It smells of alcohol, roasted malts, cocoa and carmel. It has strong punch in the beginning and flows down extremely smooth. You are left with a serious alcohol warmth with nice malt and chocolate flavors lingering on the tonge. The body is a bit weak with as the alcohol finishes up the back end. It must be notated that this beer in best drank at around 50 degrees. We tried this as originally around 40-42 degrees but decided to let the beer warm up. As the beer became warm, more and more flavors awoke from behind this black beauty.

If this is any indication of what the other beers in this series will bring, then we will be sure to pick up the next three in the series. It would be great if Sierra Nevada released a year round "big" beer to introduce many others to the world of imperials. Their Torpedo is a step in the right direction and let's hope if they do decide to make a yearly four pack, they taste something like Fritz And Ken's Ale.

Oz Scale: 8.3
Mike Scale: 8.3
John Scale: 8.5