5-Day IPA (bottle) - 4.0

5-Day IPA
India Pale Ale
O'Fallon Brewery
O'Fallon, MO
ABV: 6.1%

Jon:
Unfiltered and hazy. Smells of caramel and fresh grains. Hoppy on the tongue but wonderfully balanced. Honey, malty sweetness is singing next to the citrus hops. Definitely one of the best beers I've tried in recent months.

4.2	Appearance Aroma Palate Flavor Price Buzz Overall 4/5 8/10 5/5 9/10 3/5 4/5 9/10

Mark:
Wonderfully fragrant pour. Unfiltered, amber color, with little to no head. There's a bright sweetness to start with a slightly grainy mouthfeel, followed by a nice hop bitterness with just a touch of bee pollen and floralness.

3.9	Appearance Aroma Palate Flavor Price Buzz Overall 4/5 9/10 4/5 8/10 3/5 3/5 8/10

Jere:
Still wondering what the "5 days" are from, perhaps the website will explain. Whatever the reason, it's definitely tasty. I could even drink another, given the opportunity, and we may have to try some more from this brewery.

4.0	Appearance Aroma Palate Flavor Price Buzz Overall 5/5 8/10 4/5 8/10 3/5 4/5 8/10

Mystic Bridge IPA (bottle) - 3.4

Mystic Bridge IPA
India Pale Ale
Cottrell Brewing Company
Pawcatuck, CT
ABV: ?

Jon:
Reddish hue, foamy head. Sweet floral flavors, reminding me of some seafoam honey I once had at a farmer's market. Sweet middle, bitter tea finish, and the transition between the two makes this feel a tad watery. The bitterness becomes less pleasant as the beer warms up.

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

Mark:
Slightly sweet aroma, like dark unfiltered honey. Sweet start followed by a floral hop kick. Medium dark amber color with a silky mouthfeel.

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

Jere:
No sweetness detected here, in fact no descriptive words are coming to mind at all. It isn't displeasing in any way, just not terribly expressive.

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

JimBrew Gingerbread Ale (bottle) - 3.9

JimBrew Gingerbread Ale
Specialty/Spiced Ale
Arvada, CO

Even more homebrew from Jimbo!

Jon:
The nose on this one is really perfumey, so I was surprised when the flavor perfectly hit my expectation of gingerbread. As it warms up, some very nice chocolate malt undertones are coming through. A tad heavy on the spice, otherwise surprisingly good flavor in a style of beer I wouldn't normally seek out.

3.7	Appearance Aroma Palate Flavor Price Buzz Overall 3/5 5/10 4/5 9/10 5/5 4/5 7/10

Mark:
Like drinking a cookie! I like the sharp nutmeg with the bitterness of the hops. I'm usually a purist when it comes to beer--barley, yeast, hops, and water--but this is surprisingly good!

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

Jere:
The appearance does remind one of gingerbread, with whole wheat flour. At first sip, I sensed more than just that flavor, but I can't quite put my finger on it. There does seem to be some bread-like qualities to the texture, which I'm quite impressed with, all things considered.

3.0	Appearance Aroma Palate Flavor Price Buzz Overall 5/5 8/10 4/5 8/10 5/5 4/5 9/10

Tremont Freedom Trail IPA (bottle) - 2.5

Freedom Trail IPA
India Pale Ale
Shipyard Brewing Company
Portland, ME
ABV: 6.4%

Jon:
I'm not too big on British-style IPAs, but this one strays even farther from my usual tastes. There's a cloying sweetness and a Britishy bitterness that just don't balance each other out.

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

Mark:
Little head with little lacing. Not bad to start with a burst of floral hops, but finishes oddly sweet with a dandelion bitterness.

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

Jere:
Port! That's the first thing that came to mind on the first taste, but after subsequent sips I've revised my impression: bitter port.

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

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