Region: Kalamazoo, Michigan

Price: $9.99/6-pk at Total Wine

ABV: 5.8%

Sight: tawny brown

Smell: cola, caramel, walnut, molasses

Taste: caramel, walnut, cocoa powder, black tea

Overall: It’s been a while since I’ve had a good brown ale—I forgot how rich they can get.  Really strong aromatics on this one, some bakery ingredients dominated by dry walnut.  Round mouthfeel, big sweet cocoa-caramel malt, framed again by a determinedly dry nuttiness.  Something tannic like black tea lingers for a long time after, holding a place and priming the palate for the next sip.  If nothing else, this brown ale presents great dynamics; from start to finish, it swells then streamlines with a pleasant array of sweet flavors and dry textures.  It’s a hearth beer, warming and slightly smoky, perfect for an early winter evening, especially if you’ve got a fire going.  

Region:  Kansas City, Missouri

Style: Quadrupel

ABV: 10.5%

Price:  $9.99/4-pk at Total Wine

Sight:   rusty, tawny amber, decapitated

Smell:  molasses, sugar cookie, banana bread, fruitcake

Taste: banana, creamy mouthfeel, ginger, toffee, licorice tea, alcohol

Overall:  This is the second beer I’ve tried by Boulevard—we just got their stuff in about a month ago at our store.  The diabolical Sixth Glass is part of their Smokestack Series, in which their bottles take on more of a chimney shape.  This isn’t super dense for a quadrupel, but the color is a gorgeous brownish-amber.  Even with a more aggressive pour, there isn’t much of a head on this beer—it only gets about a centimeter thick at most and then does a neat little vanishing act.  Aroma-wise, I feel like I walked into a bakery sometime between fall and winter.  Aromas of sundry fruited and spiced baked goods hover at the top of the glass.  Flavor-wise, a very ripe (almost brown) banana dominates, although soft ginger spice and toffee sweetness provide highlights and shadows.  The creamy mouthfeel is languid and full of alcohol, which manages to warm without spiking unpleasantly in any way.  The Sixth Glass is full of nuance and flavor without being over-the-top.  It’s a very relaxed effort, and quite perfect.

Price: $8.99/6-pk at Total Wine

Region: Greensboro, North Carolina

Style: Amber Ale

ABV: 4.9%

Sight: clear copper

Smell: cat kibble, nutty

Taste: toasty, walnut, dry

Overall: This has happened to me before with an amber ale, but something about this smells EXACTLY like the inside of a cat food bag.  Some people may not want to admit it because it doesn’t sound very appetizing, and its not a scent you’re “supposed” to smell in a beer, but I promise you, it’s there.  It’s not horribly upsetting, and it’s backed up by a toasted almond note, so I could think of worse things.  The saving grace is that once you actually taste it, the kibble aroma doesn’t carry through to the palate.  Flavor-wise, this is simplistic and straightforward.  Its crisp, earthy hop presence keeps it dry, and it tastes of roasted walnut.  It might be a little too simple for me.  It’s tight and quaffable, but it didn’t change my life.  I think there are other amber ales out there at that price point with a little more complexity that have a little more fun expressing the malt.  That being said, I never do this, but if I had to rate this beer, I’d probably put it around an 80 and send you to Highland Gaelic instead.

I picked up “Mischief” about a month ago in anticipation for the release of Marvel’s The Avengers on May 4th.  Why?  The main villian of the film is Thor’s brother Loki, god of Mischief.  (See what I did there?)  Actor Tom Hiddleston made Loki my favorite part of the Thor movie that came out last year; somehow his calculating, sinister subtlety is just as compelling as the rawness of his passion and pain.  So clearly I’m inordinately excited to watch Loki take on all of the Avengers in this most epic of superhero films.

Incidentally, this is my very first beer review.  I’ve learned a LOT about beer in the past year since I started working at Total Wine.  I still don’t know as much about beer as I do wine, but I hope I can still do a good job describing the flavors. 

Price: $12.99 at Vintner Wine Market

Region: Orange County, CA

Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale

ABV:  8.5%

Sight:  cloudy yellow, moderate head retention

Smell: cantaloupe, tangerine, banana, yeast

Taste:  sweet melon, lemon peel, yeast, clove, gentle hops

Overall:  This bottle-conditioned ale pours a little cloudy, and the color is something between amber and Sunny-D, if you can picture that.  Big melon and tropical fruit aromas jump out of the glass, shaded by a gentle waft of yeastiness that somehow made me think of saltine crackers.  Flavor-wise, the candied melon flavor carries through quite roundly; a hint of citrus appears, and the yeastiness turns a little biscuity as the flavor progresses.  The phrase on the bottle that defines Mischief—“not quite evil, yet not to be trusted”—could be an accurate summary of the hop profile.  The hops aren’t full-blown or violent by any means, but they do sneak up on the finish with this spicy little citric tang that provides a great structure for an otherwise soft little ale.  As beautifully balanced and delicious as this is, I certainly look forward to seeking out more of The Bruery’s portfolio.

The Avengers:  There is not a wasted moment of film from start to finish.  Every single character is flexed, challenged, and empathized with.  Absolutely exceeded my expectations, and I hope you get to see it!

How did I do for my first beer review?  Did I leave anything out?