surly wet

Another wet hop beer. This years uses Centennial and Cascade hops. Grassy, floral and piney, this is a very well done IPA. It may be a little subdued compared to Surly's other hoppy beers, but I highly recommend it.

stillwater premium

This is a brett beer made with pilsner malt and adjunct grains (rice and corn). It's very light at 4.5% and very funky. I really enjoyed this beer.

founders harvest ale

Fresh hop beers are in season and that's a very good thing. Piney and tropical hop flavors with balanced malts make this as good as every other year I've had it.

prairie 'merica

The Prairie house yeast and and Nelson Sauvin hops make for an awesomely earthy, funky saison. For a single hop, single malt beer it's pretty complex. Prairie has been killing it and this is no exception.

beer geek breakfast

Haven't had this in a long time. Loads of coffee, hops and chocolate flavors. I really missed this beer.

tallgrass ethos ipa

Some citrus, resin and it's not too malty. Overall pretty solid.

4 hands no place like home

This is an imperial red ale aged in Cabernet barrels. Fruity, with some nice oak and slight tannic flavors from the barrels. Really complex, unique and definitely worth seeking out, even though it's long gone from shelves.

maine beer company peeper

Peeper is an excellent pale ale and I was very happy to get a fresh bottle. Very nice citrus in the aroma, not much in the way of malt sweetness, which I definitely prefer in pales and IPA's. It finishes nice and dry with a good bitterness level. Maine Beer Co.'s IPA's and pale ales that I have had have all been stellar. Lunch was definitely my favorite of their offerings that I have had, but Peeper is a nice crisp pale that I will gladly pick up again.

evil twin hipster ale

Originally Evil Twin used the 'Hipster' beers to showcase the spirit of hipster neighborhoods across different cities and countries spanning both Europe and the US. Beers brewed in the series included: Williamsburg, Mission, Södermalm, Istedgade and Shoreditch to name a few. Each beer was unique, some pale ales, IPA's and even one white wine barrel aged pale ale, Sønderho Hipster, that was dry hopped with citra, cascade and summit. It was a spectacular beer that I forgot to write up on here, but will track down again for sure.
As far as this incarnation goes, it has ditched the specific neighborhood and become just 'Hipster Ale'. There isn't really too much to say about this beer, but that isn't a bad thing. It's a very solid pale ale, good citrus aroma and not too malty. It finishes with a nice bitterness, too. I'm glad to see the price dropping on some of the Evil Twin beers as they are always a pleasure to try.

half acre beer hates astronauts

Lucky for me I happened to be in town the weekend that Half Acre was releasing this awesome beer. This single hopped citra IPA is the official beer of the comic God Hates Astronauts by Ryan L. Browne. Browne also provided the excellent label artwork. I was unfamiliar with the comic until I picked up this beer and checked it out. It's funny, weird and definitely worth checking out. The beer is great. I love citra and as mentioned earlier, it's a single hop IPA that also uses only vienna malts. It is pure unadulterated citra goodness. The citrus flavors and bitterness are well complimented by a light malt profile, coming in at a very easy drinking 7% ABV. Half Acre's hoppy offerings are some of the best around and this is no exception.

half acre over ale

This is a brown ale/ESB hybrid. It's got some nice caramel malt flavors and slightly grassy hops. It's a well done beer and another great offering from Half Acre.

half acre daisy cutter pale ale

This past weekend we took a trip to Chicago for a friend's wedding and took the opportunity to sample some of the cities beers. Our first stop was the Half Acre Tap Room. I won't talk about the space or atmosphere, because I didn't take any photo's. Trust me when I say that it is really nicely designed and has a very good vibe. I did sample some of their special release beers while there, including the Mikkeller collaboration 'Guest Lager' and the 3 Floyds collaboration IPA 'Anicca'. They were both awesome, but the photo's were terrible. I did pick up some beer to bring home, this one, Daisy Cutter Pale Ale and a special release IPA called 'Beer Hates Astronauts'.
Daisy Cutter has a lot of citrus and a grassy hop aroma. Some malt is present in the aroma and taste, but it's a much more hop forward beer that has a really nice dryness and touch of bitterness in the finish. This is a perfect everyday beer and I wish I could get regularly. It's without a doubt one of the best pale ale's I've had the pleasure of trying.

stillwater classique

I love this beer. It's a tribute to the adjunct lagers like Natural Bohemian from Stillwater's founder Brian Strumke's native Baltimore. On the can it's described as a 'post-modern beer' and I think that is the most accurate description. The 4.5% beer is made with the malt bill of an adjunct lager (pilsner malts, corn and rice), Cascade hops and a farmhouse yeast. The resultant beer is a not overly sweet, fruity 'farmhouse ale'. It's not quite a saison by the traditional measure, but then again it's not really meant to be. It is an awesome 'everyday' beer and one that has already become a mainstay in my fridge.

new glarus berliner weiss

This is an excellent berliner weiss. Tart, refreshing and at 3.5%, it checks all the right boxes. New Glarus always creates excellent versions of traditional styles and this continues that legacy.

hill farmstead phenomenology of spirit

This is the first barrel aged saison I've had from Hill Farmstead and hopefully not the last. It is a dark, spontaneously fermented and wine barrel aged saison named after philosopher G.W.F. Hegel's book. I am unfamiliar with Hegel's work, but if this beer is any indication, I'm sure it's pretty interesting. Funky and sour, with some sweetness from the dark malts. The wine barrel aging shines through and melds well with the flavors from the wild yeast. It is a very dry beer and I really enjoyed it. Very glad that I still have another bottle. Shaun Hill knows how to make phenomenal beers.