mikkeller barrel aged big worst cognac edition

this is very sweet and you notice the cognac immediately. there's a lot of carbonation and heat from the alcohol is definitely present, but it's very smooth for 18.7% abv. very glad i got to try this. i'd like to seek out the bourbon barrel version, too. 

tallgrass 8-bit pale ale

i've been looking forward to this for a while. i first got to try it last week, but had had a couple of palate killing ipa's before hand so i couldn't get a proper read on it. the galaxy hops are the big draw for me. i swear it's not patriotism, they are just so good.

this is a great use of the galaxy hops and i'm glad that this appears to be a year round release from tallgrass, because it will be a fixture in my fridge. i still may prefer stone & wood's pacific ale, but since i'm half a world away this is a great substitute. the tropical/passionfruit flavors of the hops are really what make galaxy do it for me. i also have to mention the excellent artwork on the can. really stellar. this is the first mention of tallgrass brewing on here, but it won't be the last. their (canned!) tripel, velvet rooster will be the next one from them i check out.

nøgne ø red horizon

very sweet. very viscous and nearly no carbonation. at 17% it is almost a liqueur, but still pretty smooth. the strong flavors from the sake yeast dominate. it's an interesting beer for sure. of the 'horizon' series i've had, i definitely prefer 'dark horizon'.

hitachino nest nipponia

hard to classify this beer with a specific style. the sorachi ace hops are the star here. it's light, peppery and very refreshing. it's a beer you could enjoy on a hot summers day. another excellent beer from hitachino nest.

hitachino nest xh

this was a beer that i first had a long time ago when i started getting into beer. it still stands up very well. the aging in skae casks gives it a very interesting quality. add that to an excellent belgian strong dark ale base and you get a delicious and interesting beer. it's one that i definitely keep coming back to.

cigar city guava grove

my first cigar city beer. pretty tart. a nice amount of sourness. belgian yeast and tropical fruit as well. i really enjoyed this. looking forward to being somewhere i have access to cigar city's beers.

captain lawrence captain's reserve imperial india pale ale

brought this back from new york. it was my first experience with captain lawrence and it will definitely not be the last. a really solid dipa. good hop bitterness balanced well by the malt. not too grassy. a very well done beer.

founders KBS

it's KBS. it's really good. i do like it with a bit more age on it to take the edge off the coffee flavors. i was lucky enough to get  a few this year, so i'll be aging the rest. founders really knows how to barrel age a beer.

BFM abbaye de saint bon-chien grand cru (rum barrel)

really get the rum on the nose. some good fruit flavors and decent sourness. almost no carbonation. good, but probably a bit expensive.

nectar ales black xantus

had this on tap a few months ago. coffee has faded a bit. still some hops and a bit of oak from the barrels. i like this beer, both fresh and with a few months.

i'm a bit behind on updating. i'll be catching up slowly.