Wild Goose IPA (bottle) - 3.2

Wild Goose IPA
India Pale Ale
Wild Goose Brewery
Frederick, MD
ABV: 5.9%

Jon:
From Beer of the Month Club. Copper and foamy. Doesn't smell much like an IPA, the nose is very mellow and kind of sweet. But there's some huge bitterness on first sip, not too describable, just the absence of sweet. The more I drink, the sweeter it gets. Long aftertaste, otherwise quite crisp and refreshing.

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

Mark:
This reminds of an uber-hopped amber ale. Slightly toasty and mellow with a splash of floral hops and a bittersweet, honey-mead finish.

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

Jere:
My first taste of mail-order beer; not too bad if I do say so myself. The aroma is a tad nondescript, but nothing that would negatively affect the overall experience.

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

Harp (bottle) - 2.8

Harp
Pale Lager
Guinness Brewing Company
Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada
ABV: 4.3%

Jon:
It's almost Saint Patty's Day, time to start drinking Irish beer brewed in Canada! That's how we roll in the States. It tastes similar to any mass-produced lager, with a little extra sweetness and considerably better balance and taste. Harp has a little place in my heart for some reason, and it's been exceedingly affordable for the past few weeks. Can't beat that.

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

Mark:
Good, basic beer. Reminds me of a nice Mexican lager, without the lime of course.

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

Jere:
I need some Guinness Stout with this, otherwise it's just a Tan without the Black. But, it'll do.

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

"Test Product" Pale Ale (bottle) - 3.8

"Test Product" Pale Ale
American Pale Ale
Arvada, CO
ABV: About 5%

Mark has been making his own hard cider for a while, then made a batch of that into applejack, and now he's finally ventured his way into brewing his own beer. His first batch is a pale ale using Warrior, Amarillo, and Cascade hops. Mark didn't want to rate his own brew, so his brother-in-law Chris is sitting in on this one.

Jon:
Clear, golden honey color. There's something interesting going on with the nose... I smell orange and banana but Mark says my smeller is off today. A tad sweet and a tad fizzy, otherwise a really great pale ale. I like the mix of hops, the flavor is right on.

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

Chris:
Great beer, almost more enjoyable than the beer is hearing about how it's made and everything that went into it. The flavor has lots of dimension and character. Two thumbs up!

3.9	Appearance Aroma Palate Flavor Price Buzz Overall 4/5 7/10 4/5 7/10 5/5 4/5 7.5/10

Jere:
Even though it's not specifically intended to be sweet, I appreciate that unexpected quality. Considering it's a homebrew I'm definitely impressed. Can't wait for the IPA!

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

Hazed & Infused (bottle) - 3.1

Hazed & Infused
American Pale Ale
Boulder Beer Company
Boulder, CO
ABV: 4.85%

Jon:
Looks hazy. Ha! The bitterness is sharp and lemony. Very fizzy and acidic, it's got a lot of bite. Quite refreshing.

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

Mark:
Very bright and sparkly for an unfiltered beer. The combination of Centennial and Crystal hops gives it a sharp lemon rind, sour herbalness.

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

Jere:
Stronger than I remember, or maybe it's the glass... I'm guessing this is usually drunk out of the bottle.

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

JuJu Ginger (bottle) - 3.0

JuJu Ginger
Herb/Spice Ale
Left Hand Brewing
Longmont, CO
ABV: 4%

Jon:
One of my favorite ginger beers! Slightly sour nose, pretty hefty amount of ginger on the first sip. Slightly sweet and very bubbly. This is one of the priciest beers I buy on a semi-regular basis... usually the pricey beers I lean toward have a much higher ABV.

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

Mark:
Sweet and spicy gingerbread beer. I'm not really sure I like the sweetness of this. I feel an immediate urge to eat something salty.

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

Jere:
After trying some of Mark's latest distillery efforts, I probably should've had a palate cleanser before trying this ginger beer... Perhaps ginger would've done the trick! I could drink some more of this, which is high praise coming from me.

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

JimBrew 2.0 IPA (bottle) - 3.9

JimBrew 2.0
India Pale Ale
Arvada, CO
ABV: 5.4%

You won't find this one in stores... partly because we already drank all of it, and partly because it was never in stores to begin with. Our friend Jim has started brewing his own beer, and he sent a few bottles of his first IPA our way.

Jon:
Cloudy and dark. Citrus and caramel aroma. Smooth up front then considerable lingering bitterness on the end. Quite malty for an IPA, but that's a big part of what makes this really unique. The nose and finish are a bit contrasting for me, but I think things would've started to match up had I tried it more than twice. Extra point for home brewing!

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

Mark:
I'm very impressed with Jim's foray into home brewing. This IPA has a malty, slightly dark chocolate feel with a very bitter, dark aftertaste. Get job! I'm going to have to get the recipe!

3.9	Appearance Aroma Palate Flavor Price Buzz Overall 4/5 8/10 3/5 7/10 5/5 3/5 9/10

Jere:
I've had this twice before, and if anything it's gotten better with age. Considering it was a homebrew, I appreciate it even more. Kudos to the brew meister!

3.8	Appearance Aroma Palate Flavor Price Buzz Overall 4/5 7/10 3/5 6/10 5/5 4/5 9/10

Alaskan IPA (bottle) - 3.7

Alaskan IPA
India Pale Ale
Alaskan Brewing Company
Juneau, AK
ABV: 6.2%

Jon:
Lovely citrus nose, but has a strange herb/sage quality on first sip. Feels bright and fizzy on the tongue. Loses pretty much any distinctiveness after saturation. A good buy when on sale.

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

Mark:
This is my economy IPA, as it's been on sale for a long time at my local liquor store. Bright carbonated mouthfeel with a lemon peel bitterness.

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

Jere:
It's different, but a good different. Perhaps the 2° Below I had prior to this is coloring my judgement, but for now I don't mind. We'll see how I feel after I finish it I guess...

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