Weekly Beer Reviews

Southern Tier 2x Steam

I must admit I was at a loss when I went into this beer. Tyler has never had a Steam beer, and I have only had one (Anchor Steam). Thus, it was very hard to rate this beer on where it should be in terms of a Steam. So we just winged it. The nose is interesting and has more in common with an Imperial IPA. Aroma's of citrus, grilled onions, grapefruit, pine, and shoe leather made for quite the intriguing nose. The taste went in a different direction. Strong flavors of earth and dirt hit my palate first, quickly followed by lemon, lemon pith, creamed corn, and a strong bitterness that lingered into the finish. The finish itself had strong flavors of oats and bran with lighter flavors of plantains. All in all, I found this beer to be stellar while Tyler was only mildly impressed.

Mike and Tyler's Rating - 8.25/10


Finch's Threadless IPA

The IPA assault on our wall has begun. Over the next few weeks you will notice a plethora of new and interesting IPA's gracing our wall. Finch's Threadless IPA is just the first. The nose on this IPA was floral with soft hints of citrus, raspberries, garlic, and fresh cut grass. Upon first taste, the bitterness hits like a wave. It doesn't destroy the lovely flavors of lemon pith and grapefruit though. The bitterness continues, becoming almost cloying. A strong flavor of grain and more lemon hits on the finish. While I usually don't tend to like bitter bombs, this one balanced it just right.

Mike and Tyler's Rating - 8/10


Arcadia Ales IPA

Another IPA hits the wall, this one an English Style. I thoroughly enjoyed Arcadia's Double IPA, so I went into this hoping for another home run. The nose was the first to disappoint, with aroma's of grapevine, tomato's, lemon, and fresh linen. Not exactly what I expect from an IPA, even an Enlglish Style. The keg had a little age on it, so there is no surprise that the nose decreased a little. The taste had very little bitterness to it with flavors of cherries, lemon zest, and mineral water.  The finish was quick with flavor of orange juice and parsley. The taste itself disappeared so quickly that it made the beer underwhelming, even though the flavor itself was good. Definitely worth a try, folks.

Mike and Tyler's Rating - 7.75/10


Heavy Seas Below Decks Bourbon Barrel Aged Barleywine

Now that is a mouthful of a name for a beer. It certainly promises a rich and full beer being both barrel-aged and a Barleywine. The nose certainly delivers a full aroma that has tons of aroma's in it. We detected hints of oak, creamed corn, bourbon, caramel, vanilla, cream, pound cake, burnt brown sugar, and a hint of salt water. It certainly made for a pleasant entry into this beer. The taste was sweet and rich with flavors of cocoa, bourbon, oats, oak, and vanilla. That sweetness mellowed out in the finish and left you with a slight bitterness. Strong flavors of oak, cream, and coffee grounds was present with a slight bit of heat from the alcohol. Overall, this was intense but probably could have used age to mellow out the strong alcoholic and bourbon presence.

Mike and Tyler's Rating - 8.5/10


Schlafly Black IPA

This is a true treat. Schlafly's Black IPA is finally available on draft (and only draft) and it truly is stellar. The nose is diverse with strong aroma's of burnt charcoal, grilled onions and peppers, bright grapefruit, and fresh cut grass. The dark malts and the hops blend seamlessly into a wonderful aroma. The flavor is no different. Grapefruit hits you first with strong flavors of earth, oranges, lemon juices, and fresh cut grass. The finish has wonderful flavors of charcoal, burnt toast, and coffee. Lighter flavors of honeysuckle, hay, and clover round out the finish on this beer. Come and get it while supplies last!

Mike and Tyler's Rating - 9.5/10