Weekly Beer Reviews

Falls City MCAPA

The new American Pale Ale from Falls City is quite different from the original Pale Ale. That original is an English-Style Pale Ale with a nice balance of hops and malt. This one is all in-your-face hops starting right at that sumptuous nose. Strong aroma's of pine resin, mango, grapefruit, and honey all mingle and manage to produce a spectacular aroma. The beer is sessionable and you get that immediately with the light body on this beer. Floral notes blend with lemongrass to make a refreshing flavor. The finish is pleasantly bitter with hints of lime pith, hay, and blackened toast. This is definitely the best beer we have had on tap from Falls City.

Mike and Tyler's Rating - 8.75/10


Stone 17th Anniversary Götterdämmerung Imperial IPA

Stone has been working to pump out different one-time beers and this happens to be one of the better ones to release in the last month. This beer is made with an all-German build of malts and hops. While some would expect that to make it less hoppy than your average Double IPA, they would be wrong. It punches you in the mouth with hops right from the get go, and the nose offers tell-tale warnings of the impending hop assault. An assortment of aromas blend to make as diverse of a nose as we have seen. Strong hints of citrus, soap, black pepper, pine resin, and papaya are more dominant with lighter aromas of onion, white grape, and fruit medley picked up as the nose lingered. The flavor is instantly bitter, but not overpowering enough to hide the flavors of honeysuckle, pine, soap, and lemon right up front. The bitterness ramps up on the finish and throws in flavors of lemon pith, cracked pepper, and floral notes. An incredibly diverse IPA and one of the best we have had on all year.

Mike and Tyler's Rating - 9.75/10


Oskar Blues Dale's Pale Ale

The first of the Oskar Blues to grace our wall...Such a beautiful thing. I had heard good things about this stellar APA, and I can see that the compliments are not unfounded. The aroma is quite intriguing with savory hints of green beans and cracked black pepper. Lighter hints of soap, lemon, and rustic mountain air make for a good first impression. The beer is crisp up front with sharp flavors of pine, lemon, and toast. The finish is where the bitterness kicks in and you get thick, cloying flavors of burnt toast and wood chips. This APA is perfect for the Autumn weather ahead of us.

Mike and Tyler's Rating - 8.75/10


Oskar Blues Old Chub Scotch Ale

Let me first state that I am very picky about my Scotch Ales and that Tyler has only had one for reference. So this was an interesting tasting to do. The nose is sweet and rich with hints of brown sugar, toffee, marshmellow fluff, and paint. The nose made the transition to this beer far easier. Especially since that initial taste is quite sweet with hints of milk chocolate and mocha. As the flavor dries towards the finish, a lot of alcoholic burn accompanies it and gives a flavor similar to a high-end scotch or a single-barrel bourbon. The finish is quite the stark contrast, as it is quite sour with flavors of grapes, chalk, and vanilla. An interesting beer that isn't one of my favorite Scotch Ales but is certainly worth a try.

Mike and Tyler's Rating - 7/10


Dogfish Head Punkin Ale

  The first of the Pumpkin Ale's has finally arrived on tap. While many were hoping that Southern Tier's Pumking or Schlafly's Pumpkin Ale would be the first, we instead went with another popular entry from a brewery that tends to push the norm with their beers. Their Pumpkin Ale is no different. The nose is similar to what you would expect at first with hints of cinnamon, pumpkin spice, and nutmeg. However, the nose also displayed aroma's of sauteed mushrooms, cranberries, soap, and tuna that made for a weird addition. The taste is incredibly thin for a Pumpkin Ale, with bitter flavors of coriander, cardamom, and pumpkin pulp. The finish continues the bitterness, then it abruptly becomes creamy with flavors of cinnamon, brown sugar, almonds, and light hints of maple. Tyler enjoyed this brew, while I did not. You all make your own choice.

Mike and Tyler's Rating - 7.5/10


Dogfish Head 90 Minute Imperial IPA

One of the most well-known and beloved Imperial IPA's out there joins our wall yet again. We always have high standards for this beer, as it is one of the few that has scored a 10/10 twice here. It got that score a few years ago when it was Jeff Lewis and I doing the newsletter reviews, and a year ago with Tyler and I. The fact that is was so fresh made the anticipation high that this might score another 9.5 or higher. Heck, maybe it would even score another 10/10 and stand alone. Boy, were we in for a surprise. The nose is exactly what you would expect with thick aromas of earth, citrus, black pepper, pine, rosemary, and tamarind. The nose certainly resembles the fantastic brews of yesteryear. However, the flavor immediately throws you off with a strong sweetness. flavors of alcohol and smoke offset good flavors of orange zest and citrus. The finish is bitter with lovely flavors of soap, pine, and biscuits...followed by a strong flavor of coffee. This IPA is still solid, but those few offsetting flavors take away what it should be.

Mike and Tyler's Rating - 8.25/10