Stone brewing co. - Thunderstruck double IPA 19thAnniversary

With fall and winter quickly approaching I'm running out of time to constantly talk about ipa's. Soon I'll be spouting off about browns and stouts and porters and oktoberfesters, but before I do all that I have to tell you to go buy Stone's new Anniversary ale. Of course it's a giant hop bomb, that's expected. What's new and awesome here is the use of 100% Australian hops. Malt too. 4 hops specifically: topaz and galaxie but also newcomers ella and vic secret. The use of these make this beer one intense tropical fruit tasting, super sticky and dank ipa. To no surprise either as Stone is known for being kings of the ipa in my opinion. Sort of a heavy hitter at 8.7% abv this one is sure to please you hop heads searching for the new what's next. Cheers!

My Score: 98

Rate Beer:  97

Beer Advocate: 90

Founders Brewing - Double Trouble Imperial IPA

A little bit sweet, a little bit bitter, a little juicy and dank, a little bit country, a little bit rock and roll. Oh, how I love me some seasonal releases. Especially from Founders. Also, ya know... IPAs forever. Weighing in at 86 IBU's and 9.4% abv so it's a big juicy bitch and I love her. This one never disappoints and honestly will hold it's own with any other highly touted DIPAs. Definitely some citrus hops in there but unfortunately I can't tell you what else is in there because they just don't tell ya! I'm just here to tell you that if you've been neglecting your local beer store, stop that right now. Go grab what's left of these majestic four packs and fire up a giant blunt. Prepare for your favorite summer day. Cheers!

My Score - 1oo

Rate Beer - 99

Beer Advocate - 94

Kiuchi Brewery - Hitachino Nest Extra High

Ji bīru or, "local beer" has only been a thing to Japan since 1994 when tax laws were relaxed and breweries could produce fewer than 16,000 gallons. There are now over 200 microbreweries in Japan. The kiuchi brewery makes some of my favorite Japanese craft beers with the hitachino nest series. one in particular being aged in shochu barrels. shochu is sort of like sake but typically more diluted and weaker in alcohol, in addition to being more commonly brewed with barley instead of rice. Hitachino XH is considered a belgian dark strong ale because of its high alcohol percent and larger malt bill. its a pretty boozy tasting beer but also bready and sweet. even notes of brandy are there because of the shochu barrels. this brewery makes incredible beers and it was hard to pick which one to talk about. i recommend picking up a few of their brews as most places wont just carry one style. Cheers!

My Score - 95

rate beer - 96

beer advocate - 85

Dogfish Head - Festina Peche Berliner Weisse

Considered a bit of a neo-berliner, Dogfish Head's Festina Peche is one of my favorite summer seasonals. This year seems to be a bit more on the tart-side which, for my money, is great. Peach sugars are included in the fermentation process so the yeast is farting all that nice peachy flavor right into the brew. It's a light peach too so this isn't really that overly sweet type of brew. Extremely drinkable and refreshing. Perfect for this time of year. It almost has a pinot grigio essence to it and would pair great with the same things a white wine would pair with: fish, chicken and salads. A hazy straw color with a fluffy white head, the nose upon first pouring reminds me of what your sock would smell like after cutting the grass. I mean that in the best way possible. It's a little sweet on the nose but the funk is there. Berliners are meant to be drinkable and this one rings in at 4.5%abv so you can have more and more. A nice alternative to the overly sweet shandy beers that tend to find their way around this time of year. Cheers!

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My Score_80

Rate Beer_60

Beer Advocate_83

The Bruery - Tart of Darkness - oak aged sour stout

I was at a bar last night where some older gentlemen next to me were experiencing their first sour beer. One guy said it tasted like a fruity bandaid. He's not wrong. Most people assume a beer with a sour taste has gone bad and cannot find the appreciation behind the talent it takes to make a truly good sour. It's certainly an acquired taste, but when you get it there will never be enough. One brewery who certainly understands the delicate art of funkifying beers is the Bruery out of California. Tart of darkness has all the great chocolately-roasty qualities of a stout but this ponys trick is an amped up carbonation(lessens when aged, highly recommended) and a HUGE sour bite. Even thinking about this beer makes the back of my jaw water. It's definitely overwhelming if it's your first dive into the sour world, but such a giant treat once you're addicted to them. A low 5.6%abv to so drink away. Honestly, buy a bottle and forget about it in your cool basement for a couple years. Thank me later. Cheers!

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My score: 100

Rate beer: 99

beer advocate: 94

Deschutes Brewery - Fresh Squeezed IPA

welcome to michigan deschutes! i'm very happy to finally be getting this Oregon brewery on the regular. having just tried this beer yesterday i can happily say i'm eager for more. this year round ipa offers such a juicy, citrusy flavor given to it by the citra and mosaic hops. two of my favs. great malt balance, this beer doesn't have too big of a mouth feel. very easy drinking at 6%abv. this is one of those ipas that has such a balance and just the right amount of sweetness that is going to make you want one after another. pair with seafoods, red sauce pastas and cold cuts. duh. cheers!

my score: 100

rate beer: 98

beer advocate: 95

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Green Flash - Silva Stout

Ever since trying my first Green Flash brew when I had met their marketing team, I knew these guys had a penchant for big flavors. Just one sip of that west coast IPA and they had a fan for life. Now, I've had their double stout, and while it is delicious, it is not what I expected out of the Silva. Silky and creamy, and this amazing butterscotch flavor I have never tasted from a barrel-aged stout. Even on the nose you get that burnt sugar smell, like a crème brûlée. As far as I've read this is a blended stout. They first age the double stout for 17 months(!) in bourbon barrels, then blend in fresh stout as to not overwhelm the palate with whatever happened in those barrels. Sure there's the usual roasty-chocolatey niceness that comes with stouts, but this one has that little something else that I've just never come across in an aged beer. Which makes for a very unique and desirable brew. Cheers!

my score: 100

rate beer: 100

beer advocate: 96

Flying Monkeys Brewery: The Matador version 2.0 - El Toro Bravo

Have you ever been inside of a humidor? It's a very distinct smell. Ever wonder what it would be like to burn one down and then use the ashes to make a beer that tasted just like it? Wonder no more. This version of Flying Monkeys The Matador dark rye ale is aged on a bed of Spanish Cedar. This process marries the beer with the flavors of the wood and, with the spiciness of the rye malt, leaves this beer with an amazing flavor and mouth-feel. A little on the beefier side in the mouth, along with a huge 10.10% abv Flying Monkeys is no stranger to gigantic flavors and huge beers. This beer is no exception. I can only imagine chewing the perfect medium-rare steak and sipping this in unison. The flavors were almost meant to be. Drink it now or cellar this beast for up to 2 years and see where it goes. Cheers!

My Score: 97

Rate Beer: 95

Beer Advocate: 87

Stillwater Artisanal_Contemporary Works - Surround

When first seeing Stillwater come into the state it seemed as if they were sort of a one trick pony. Everything I saw was a saison, or a take on a saison. I'm not a huge saison fan but they seemed to have an allure to them that made me try every single beer of theirs. Then some other stuff started to trickle in with an eye-catching packing and style descriptions that begged to be sampled. Specifically the new Contemporary Works series that has just been released. The Surround is... wait for it, an oak-smoked imperial wheat stout. Oh yeah. Unfortunately this is a one-off brew so you may never see it again but for now it's in abundance. Taken from Stillwater's site: "Like a sound system that fills the room with audibles swarming in every direction. This massive stout overtakes your senses with aromas & flavor of dark chocolate, caramel, roast, smoke, earth & wood, It's heavy I know, but you have to drop that bass every once in a while if you really wanna get down." Fuckin' A Stillwater. I'm always tryin' to get down. Pair with all of the bbq. Especially a fat Delmonico steak. Cheers!

My Score_95

Rate Beer_97

Beer Advocate_90

BLACKROCKS BREWERY 51K IPA

This one is for my Michigan beer geeks who read this, however few there may be. Yes, another IPA. I had the pleasure a few months back of trying a delicious canned brew from Blackrocks brewery out of the great north... the Upper Peninsula! Blackrocks brewery has now acquired distribution into the lower half of the state, which means elsewhere soon enough. As of this week you can start finding their great canned line wherever finer beers are sold. The first one I'd recommend and the first I've tried was the 51K IPA. It has all the wonderful floral and citrus notes you'd expect from a midwestern IPA. Nice alcohol at 7%. Some might be reminded of a certain beer with a couple hearts, but this beer stands on its own. A great balance of malt and hops, I sure can't wait to try the rest of their beers. I can tell Blackrocks is going to be around for quite a while with flavors like this. Cheers!

Stone Brewing IPA

Hops? Yup, lots. Malt? It's in there, promise. Alcohol? Yeah, that's there too at 6.9%. One of the best selling IPA's is brought to you by Stone. First introduced in 1997, this perfect example of the west coast IPA is bursting with citrus and floral hop flavors and aromas. Notes of pine explode from the glass. Fitted with Magnum, Chinook & Centennial hops Stone IPA is a dry biting beast. Nice body and nice carbonation, nothing about this beer is offensive and honestly it's a very refreshing IPA. Pair with cheese, salads... fuck, it's bbq season. Grill some chicken and fish and keep these as handy as the lighter fluid. Cheers!

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My Score: 1oo

Rate Beer: 1oo

Beer Advocate: 94

New Holland Brewing "Incorrigible" Berliner Weisse

Usually when the warmer months start to hit I always find myself wanting beers that are lighter on the gut. Thankfully, session IPA's and the lighter sour styles are becoming increasingly available. Among the lighter sour styles is the berliner weisse. A light bodied, slightly tart, low alcohol wheat beer. So refreshing on a hot day. Basically adult lemonade but not disgusting like a certain "hard" beverage. New Holland said, we see your light refreshing weisse and we raise you a ton of bacteria and funk. Incorrigible is the mother of sour berliners (New Holland calls it a White sour. Whatever New Holland). Still light bodied and lightly carbonated, this beer still packs that back of the jaw bite. Very acidic but also very fruity. Remember, wild ales get their fruity characteristics from the wild yeasts. Unless noted, typically on the bottle, these sours are not brewed with any fruits. For the price and the 4% abv, this beer is going to be a great picnic beer for me this summer. Pair with sandwiches and cheeses and fruits. Cheers!

My Score: 95

Rate Beer: 96

Beer Advocate: 87

Great Lakes Brewing_Chillwave Double IPA

Yup. More IPA's. I can't help it and I just love when one of my favorite hops gets shown off. Chillwave is a blend of Mosaic and Nugget hops. There's a nice sweetness in there from the honey malt too. This is a great hop bomb. Upfront bitterness to a nice dry after taste. Citrusy and floral. Formerly called Alchemy Hour, paying homage to the icy cold lake Erie surfers who brave the freezing temps to shred the gnar. This seasonal IPA always comes around right as spring starts to push it's way out of winter's butthole and its timing is impeccable. Chillwave also clocks in at 9.4%abv so the buzz I currently have is telling me that I've done my work here. Cheers!

My Score: 1oo

Rate Beer: 1oo

Beer Advocate: 95

Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales_Oro de Calabaza golden wild ale

If you've never had a Jolly Pumpkin or aren't really used to the whole funky-brew thing yet, all the beers they have to offer may lead you to assume they've gone bad. They have not. Also no, they're not all pumpkin beers. In fact they only make one pumpkin beer and it's once a year. Jolly loves to infect all their delicious beers by letting them age in wooden barrels that have been carefully infused with bacterias such as brettanomyces, lactobacillus.  These leave the beers with fruity esters, smelling of barnyards and having champagne-like characteristics on the tongue. Oro de Calabaza is brewed in the traditional Belgian Strong Ale way, but then aged on the bacteria barrels for some time. This is a nice light, not too sweet, but delightfully refreshing beer. Sort of spicy but in a zesty kind of way. Slightly floral with a nice acidity to it. Honestly, you can't really go wrong with anything from Jolly Pumpkin. It's obvious they are brewers who truly care about beer and see how many ways they can originate themselves by coming up with unique beer experiences such as this one. This could easily be paired with salads or white fishes. Maybe some chicken or turkey dishes. Cheers!

My Score: 99

Rate Beer: 99 

Beer Advocate: 92

Uerige _ Doppel Sticke altbier

According to this German dick I encountered a few days ago, this isn't an altbier. I rolled my eyes like a turd but really, it's more of an imperial altbier. With a higher abv at 8.5%, it's compared more to a barley wine style. It has a nice medium body and sticky. Definitely a sipper. Spicy notes, dark fruits. A little sweet and a little boozy. Overall it's a great German beer, even if it's not technically true to the style it presents itself as. That flip top lid bottle is awesome too. I'm looking at you, home brewers. Cheers!

My score: 93

Rate Beer: 98

Beer Advocate: 92

Founders Brewing Co _ Kentucky Breakfast Stout

It's upon us once again. The wily and elusive Kentucky Breakfast Stout. Known to us beer nerds as the one and only KBS. If you've never had the original Breakfast Stout then stop reading now. Have one, then come back to me. If ever there was a beer that paired with pancakes and sausages, this is the one. How could that get any better, you ask? Let's age it in bourbon barrels. Perfect. Sweet bourbon chocolatey goodness. There are few stouts that meet the expectations of this beast. Only problem is finding some. This is the game we play. Sifting through shelves at every local beer store, bribing clerks to hold us even just one bottle for a chance at sipping this sweet nectar. Of course having two bottles is the idea; one to drink, and one to forget about in your cellar. Not to worry though. Your favorite local craft bar should be getting at least one keg of this. In my experience that keg lasts as long as the piss you take from drinking several of these, so get on it. Cheers!

My Score: 1oo

Rate Beer: 1oo

Beer Advocate: 1oo

Sierra Nevada _ Hop Hunter IPA

If I may quote (be lazy) the Sierra website: "Hop Hunter IPA harnesses the complex flavors of just-picked hops through an all-new method of steam distilling wet hops before they even leave the fields. This revolutionary technique captures and intensifies the natural flavors, creating a unique and intensely aromatic beer. Our custom process gathers pure hop oil which, when combined with traditional whole-cone hops in the brew kettle and in our Hop Torpedo, makes for an incredible IPA experience." I have a source that says they hired the guy at Crest toothpaste who distills the mint leaves. Who knows!

That being said, not only does this beer push new boundaries for brewing, the owner of Lagunitas was trying to sue Sierra over label likeness. Claiming Hop Hunters label looked too similar to the flagship Lagunitas IPA. You be the judge. The lawsuit was dropped because of all the negative feedback from the beer community. Either way, this shit is amazing. It smells like weed. That's always good. Cheers!

My Score: 98

Beer Advocate: 91

Rate Beer: 97

Omnipollo _ Fatamorgana Imperial IPA

This is some low key, headbanging shit right here I'm letting you in on. Don't you fucking tell nobody. This "brewery" was started by two Swedish gents back in 2011. They think up these ridiculously wonderful brews in their native land, then travel all around the planet to make them with other brewers. It's what's referred to as a nomadic style of brewing. This specific beer is insane.

Drawing inspiration from saisons, this oat/wheat IPA is unlike most any others you've tried. Pours so murky and smells so sweet and citrusy. Hops include colombus, citra and centennial. 8%abv so on the lower side of a double IPA. This thing is in a league of it's own. Plus, the bottle is dope as fuck. Made right here in the US. Find this! Drink this! Cheers!

My Score: 97

Beer Advocate: 97

Rate Beer: 98

Lagunitas Brewing - Night Time Black IPA

I wish more breweries made them, or at least made them this good. Black IPA's are in a league of their own. With all the characteristics of an IPA, juicy and citrus flavors and bitter, sometimes dry, but with roasted malts. Taking your palate to a whole different place.

First came the Lagunitas Day Time, which is a great session IPA. Low abv and extreme drinkability was the idea behind that one. Well, every yin has it's yang. Night time is the dark, dinner beer. Bigger abv at 7.9% yet hardly noticeable. Last year it was available in 22oz bottles but this year it has been put into 6 packs. Cool. More for less. This beer is available in Jan/Feb. Cheers!

My Score: 100

Rate Beer: 99

Beer Advocate: 92

Wolverine Brewing - Gulo Gulo Imperial Pale Lager

Not only are lagers some of the hardest and most time consuming beers to brew, those are the only beers Wolverine Brewing makes. The insane part is how they manage to push the lager envelope making some serious use of their house yeast. Today I'm telling you to go out and experience their Gulo Gulo Lager. Especially if you're an IPA fan. It's made with Cascade, Chinook, Columbus, Warrior and Pilgrim hops and dry hopped twice with Cascade before it's done. This results in one damn smooth and heartily hopped lager. Smells and has the bite of an IPA but the crisp, yet light, mouth-feel of a lager. Oh, and it's 6.7% so again, just pushing that lager yeast higher and higher. As far as I know this beer is available year-round. Named Draft Magazine's top 25 beers of 2013! Pair this with your favorite brand of hotdogs. Cheers!

My Score: 90

Rate Beer: 88

Beer Advocate: 86