JimBrew Amber (bottle) - 3.3

JimBrew Amber
Amber Ale
Arvada, CO

More homebrew from Jimbo!

Jon:
Cloudy and foamy, mucho carbonation. Nice and malty, but with a sharp hop counterpoint on the finish. The caramel goodness becomes more apparent the further you get through the glass.

3.5	Appearance Aroma Palate Flavor Price Buzz Overall 3/5 7/10 4/5 6/10 5/5 3/5 7/10

Mark:
Crisp and malty with a slight herbal aftertaste. I taste zinc too, but that must be the Zicam I've been taking for my cold. Very refreshing and clean on the palate.

3.4	Appearance Aroma Palate Flavor Price Buzz Overall 3/5 7/10 3/5 6/10 5/5 3/5 7/10

Jere:
The taste isn't quite distinguishable, but I keep thinking with every passing sip that I'll figure it out. Also lots of carbonation, although that could be operator error. The foam has its own flavor too, incidentally.

3.0	Appearance Aroma Palate Flavor Price Buzz Overall 3/5 6/10 3/5 5/10 4/5 3/5 6/10

Mendocino Imperial IPA (bottle) - 3.7

Mendocino Imperial IPA
Mendocino Brewing Company
Hopland, CA
ABV: 8%

Jon:
Fairly opaque, reddish hue, thick head. Smells like a million bucks: bitter orange, honey, molasses, grains, fig. It's less sweet on the tongue than the nose, as the sage/herb flavors are more dominant. Serious alcohol heat, it just can't be hidden. Wonderfully complex. A little overwhelming.

3.9	Appearance Aroma Palate Flavor Price Buzz Overall 5/5 9/10 2/5 8/10 2/5 5/5 8/10

Mark:
Light caramel color. Lots of carbonation with a creamy, buttery yellow head. GREAT aroma after pouring. First sip: zing! Citrus and piney hops come right through. Very little malt flavor (just how I like it). There's an odd mouthfeel and aftertaste; sort of a pollen feel with a slightly sweet taste of honey.

3.5	Appearance Aroma Palate Flavor Price Buzz Overall 5/5 8/10 2/5 6/10 2/5 5/5 7/10

Jere:
Packs a punch, but for the price I'd expect nothing less. After a few more sips it isn't quite as potent but it still has some spirit.

3.6	Appearance Aroma Palate Flavor Price Buzz Overall 5/5 8/10 2/5 7/10 2/5 5/5 7/10

World Wide Stout (bottle) - 3.8

World Wide Stout
Imperial Stout
Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
Milton, DE
ABV: 18%

Like the rest of America, we watched the premiere of "Brew Masters" on Sunday. Then, like the rest of America, we got a serious hankerin' for some Dogfish Head. (Watching an entire television program about a beer without having said beer on hand for sampling is NOT advised.) So when Mallory came home with two bottles of World Wide Stout today, we lasted a solid 6 hours before cracking them open. Beer on TV is super awesome, but get ready for Dogfish to be even pricier and harder to find in the months to come.

Mallory & Jon:
Black as night; light doesn't have a chance of getting through this beer. Little carbonation and head, as expected. Big alcohol on the nose, with a nice initial mix of chocolate, coffee, and a fairly hefty fig/prune/port aroma reminiscent of barley wine. Hang on to that chocolate/coffee goodness at the start, because once you get going on this it starts to behave more like a barley wine and less like a stout. Not that that's all bad, but we like our stouts to be smoky and roasty, and that just isn't the avenue that this stout happens to be going down. More flavors open up as it starts to warm up; some hints of spice and oily espresso can be found in the finish. The finish doesn't scream "stout," but then again, the nose doesn't even whisper it. Extra points for making a bad-ass Discovery show; minus points for inflated price and bad categorization. New genre suggestion: Stoutly Wine.

3.8	Appearance Aroma Palate Flavor Price Buzz Overall 5/5 7/10 4/5 8/10 2/5 5/5 7/10

400 Pound Monkey (bottle) - 3.4

400 Pound Monkey
India Pale Ale
Left Hand Brewing Company
Longmont, CO
ABV: 7%

Jon:
Really fizzy, sudsy head. Slightly sweet, spiced nose; malty brown sugar notes. The flavor is subdued. I thought that this was some really heavy-handed stuff at the Keystone Beer Fest, but it's not nearly as complex in the bottle. Very acidic mouthfeel, which I don't mind. Awesome bottle art!

3.8	Appearance Aroma Palate Flavor Price Buzz Overall 4/5 8/10 4/5 8/10 2/5 4/5 8/10

Mark:
Creamy, clumpy head with little lacing. Toasty English malt with a strange bitter coppery metallic aftertaste.

3.2	Appearance Aroma Palate Flavor Price Buzz Overall 5/5 6/10 2/5 6/10 3/5 4/5 6/10

Jere:
I don't really care for the taste of alcohol in my beer, and this one is pretty strong in that department. On the bright side, that's the sort of problem that goes away once you get to the second pint!

3.3	Appearance Aroma Palate Flavor Price Buzz Overall 4/5 7/10 3/5 7/10 2/5 4/5 6/10

Hop Czar (bottle) - 3.4

Hop Czar
Imperial India Pale Ale
Bridgeport Brewing Company
Portland, OR
ABV: 7.5%

Jon:
Reddish and coppery. Smells... soapy? Not sure what to think about that. First sip... Holy hell that's bitter. Tastes kind of soapy too. Not distinguishing a ton of flavors, just mucho bitter. I'm on the fence, but this amount of hops is worth it for $7 per 6-pack.

3.1	Appearance Aroma Palate Flavor Price Buzz Overall 3/5 5/10 3/5 6/10 4/5 4/5 6/10

Mark:
Slightly floral, bitter aroma. Bitter, bitter, bitter! Not a lot of flavor beyond the hop. I do detect a slight coffee overtone. Bitter floral finish.

3.5	Appearance Aroma Palate Flavor Price Buzz Overall 4/5 5/10 4/5 7/10 4/5 4/5 7/10

Jere:
Perhaps the color/appearance factor is influencing my judgement, but I do like this particular brew. It also could be my thirst factor enhancing my enjoyment level. Not detecting quite the same bitterness as my bandmates... perhaps a touch of hazelnut.

3.6	Appearance Aroma Palate Flavor Price Buzz Overall 4/5 7/10 3/5 7/10 4/5 4/5 7/10

The Tap Hunter Approacheth

TapHunter.com now has a Denver/Boulder channel up and running, and Jon has been spending some time over there. Check out his posts:

• Keystone Bluegrass and Beer recap
• Jon's Denver Beer Fest picks to keep you occupied until GABF

Beer on the brain!

-Jon

Lagunitas Maximus (bottle) - 3.5

Maximus IPA
Double India Pale Ale
Lagunitas Brewing Company
Petaluma, CA
ABV: 7.5%

Jon:
I'm pretty sure that this qualifies as an "extreme" IPA at +70 IBUs, but honestly, this is not nearly as face-meltingly hoppy as I expected it to be. There's a fair amount of caramel and molasses sweetness going on here; maybe that's what's starting to balance this out. This would be a really great intro for a new hophead into the world of extreme IPAs who doesn't want their face to melt off just yet.

3.6	Appearance Aroma Palate Flavor Price Buzz Overall 3/5 6/10 4/5 8/10 3/5 5/5 7/10

Mark:
Nice creamy head, clean amber color. Lots of bitterness nicely balanced by an understated caramel malt. Nicely crisp with a slightly mineral finish.

3.5	Appearance Aroma Palate Flavor Price Buzz Overall 4/5 7/10 4/5 7/10 2/5 4/5 7/10

Jere:
I probably shouldn't have sampled the Republic Organic Tequila first, as it has colored my palette somewhat. Still working on my first pint, which would seem to indicate the high potency of this "Double" IPA. Hopefully I can get through this one.

3.3	Appearance Aroma Palate Flavor Price Buzz Overall 3/5 7/10 3/5 7/10 2/5 4/5 7/10