Weekly Beer Reviews

New Holland White Hatter

Most of these Hatters are new to our wall, and this one is no exception. One could call this a White Ale crossed with an IPA, and the flavors mix beautifully. The nose is full of citrus, coriander, pepper, cloves, and broccoli. It makes for an interesting and well blended aroma. The taste is crisp and bitter up front with flavors of citrus, grapefruit, and ash. The finish throws in some mango for good measure and a decent amount of clove, hay, and chalk. Crisp and refreshing, this IPA is possibly the best fit I have seen on our wall for these scorching days.

Mike and Tyler's Rating - 8.75/10


New Holland Oaked Hatter

This is probably one of the hardest styles to get right. The vast majority of these beers don't have enough hop flavors to blend well with that Oak. This one is no exception. The nose is thick with a cloyingly sweet aroma of caramel and brown sugar. Softer aromas of honeydew and pie crust were picked up as the beer warmed slightly. The taste had an overbearing amount of bourbon up front with flavors of cream and sweet lemon. The finish had better hop notes on it once the flavor of buttered corn passed. Bitter and woody with pine and grapefruit flavors at the end, but by then it was too little too late. To those of you who enjoy Burton Baton, this is a cheaper alternative.

Mike and Tyler's Rating - 6/10


New Holland Black Hatter

A new Black IPA to the tap wall. While it is a little warm for these types of IPA's, this one is thin enough to remain drinkable as another unbearable Summer rolls around.The nose is rich with aromas of dark chocolate, roasted coffee, cocoa, and white chocolate. It is almost like stepping into a coffee shop in the morning. This brew is tart up front with flavors of coffee and grapes with a slight bitter twang. The finish pumps up the bitterness and has more of those stout-like qualities. Thick flavors of baking chocolate, charcoal, smoke, and oats were prevalent with lighter hop flavors of lemon and grass.

Mike and Tyler's Rating - 7.5/10


New Holland Imperial Hatter

This is the lone one of the Hatters that has been on the wall before. Imperial Hatter is usually known for its deep pine flavors, but this one had plenty of flavors outside of that. The nose was skunky with aromas of sweet onion, citrus, and what could only be described as that of a backed up sink. Suffice to say the stinky hops dominated the aroma. The flavor was far different. Sweet up front with flavors of papaya, lemon pith, and parsley. The finish turns the beer from sweet to bitter with those flavors of pine I mentioned earlier. Softer flavors of citrus and lemongrass are also present and make this a fairly well rounded Imperial IPA.

Mike and Tyler's Rating - 8.5/10


Southern Tier 2X Steam

Back by popular demand, this Imperial Steam Beer drinks like an IPL (India Pale Lager). The nose has tons of citrus with lighter aromas of copper, pine, and bran. The nose is light, but is still quite fragrant. The taste is crisp and clean with flavors of bright citrus, garlic, papaya, and a dash of licorice. The finish is dominated by strong flavors of pine resin with dashes of lemon thrown in. While not quite as crisp and flavorful as the first keg we got of this, it has still held up remarkably to a month of age and remains very drinkable and another good choice for these hot days.

Mike and Tyler's Rating - 8.5/10