Michelob-Porter

12oz dark brown bottle. No freshness date.
Pours a deep red-tinted root beer-like color with a fast-fading light tan head, along with some wispy trails of lacing.
Smells of coffee and dark chocolate are present throughout. Light whiffs of barnyard hay and hints of citrusy hops come and go.
Fairly strong tastes of sweetened coffee with rich chocolate are upfront. Mild citrusy hop bitterness lends a little balance. As it warms, a light taste of prunes peeks through
A flavor of toasted rye bread is noticed. A light rummy alcohol fuminess adds a bit of interest.
Smooth...almost oily (in a good way) Nice easy-to-gulp Porter.
Well done!

Pretty Things Beer and Ale Project - 1832 Mild Ale

A recreation of a beer originally brewed on Brick Lane, London of February 27th, 1832
22oz brown bottle. No freshness date.
The color is a leathery, hazy copper with a thin beige head and loads of web lacing.
A strong aroma of caramelized sugar and barley malt are dominant. A sharp breath of citrusy and floral hops spring forth. A mild rummy fuminess fades in and out.
Tastes are simply, yet wide-ranging. This is an amazingly balanced brew. The sweet buttery malt, edgy citrus and metallic hop and floral flavors blend very well with a strong Grand Marnier/Triple Sec alcoholic kick. Subtle flavors of tart orange zest and doughy bread come to mind.
We love to see and taste the results of Dann Paquette's projects. Quite the brewer!
This is a nice strong ale to warm by the fire with. Sharp aged cheese or dark chocolates will pair nicely.

Stout Beer Cake

Lucky me! My wife created a birthday cake for me made with Stone's Bitter Chocolate Stout (9.2% alcohol by volume). It's really quite good. Lots of chocolate flavors with stout flavors in the background. Lovely!

Sierra Nevada - Tumbler Autumn Ale

Sierra Nevada - Tumbler - Chico, CA 5.5% abv
12 oz dark brown bottle. No freshness date.
I enjoy this dark auburn, brown leathery color with a medium-sized beige head on top. Loads of sticky lacing cling to the glass throughout.
The aroma is mostly malt-driven, with dry grain, caramel malt and farina wheat smells. There is a bit of fruit and citrus peel to the hop aroma.
The flavors are under-whelming. I expected a strong, sweet malty taste with a solid hop blend for support, but was a little disappointed. It sort of reminds me of a New Castle Ale, except with a bit more of a hop and alcohol kick.
The body has an unexpected spritzy effervescence. I would like a little more solid, rich malty body in an autumn ale. Something to stand up to creamy, thick autumn stews, perhaps.

Sierra Nevada - Big Foot Barleywine

Sierra Nevada Big Foot Barleywine - Chico, CA - 9.6% abv
It pours a lovely sun burnt orange amber with a smallish but fairly long-lasting beige head.
Potent floral hop aromas burst out of the glass while pouring. A smell of spruce, malt and alcohol blend in.
Caramel and candy sugar sweetness are easily noticed. Doughy bread, rum-soaked raisins and a light taste of herbs begin to emerge, though settled in the background.
Sharp grapefruit, lemon zest and a bit of a metallic bite provide quite a bite. The piney esters of whole fresh hops and the big alcohol kick remain quite separate from the other tastes, which begin to mingle halfway through the glass. Bigfoot is an original Northwest American-style Barleywine. I hope that just because something else more extreme flavor-wise, or more potent in the ABV department comes along, doesn't relegate this wonderful brew to the back shelf. Long live the legend of Bigfoot

Paper City-Holyoke Dam Ale

On-tap at Daddy's in Hull.
It pours a deep ruby-hued amber (too dark for the style) with a fast-fading off-white head. Some sticky and trailing lacing.
The smell is for the most part, malt driven. Whiffs of dry grain and damp basement stand out. A light smell of prunes and citrus are in the background.
Flavors of sweet caramel malt and dextrose are upfront. Citrusy and tea-like hop bitterness are hidden under the layers of malt.
The style of this brew more closely resembles a mild Scottish Ale. In fact, with a little boost in abv, it would be a very nice Scottish ale.
This is a very drinkable brew. Just a bit off the mark if this is to be classified as an APA.

Le Merle-North Coast Brewing

North Coast Brewing - Fort Bragg, CA - Saison (Farmhouse Ale) 7.9% abv
16.9.4 oz dark brown bottle. No freshness date.
It pours a hazy orange-hued amber color with a thin white head along with some flecks and patches of lace.
A nice range of smells from farmy, to musty basement, mixed fruit, nutty barley, floral hops and earth.
The flavors are as wide ranging. Tart fruit, zesty citrus, doughy bread with a dose of white Zinfandel wine all mix and play well together.
A bit of an astringent medicinal twang leaves a bit of a raspy mouthfeel, although not in an entirely bad way.
You can tell some care went into this brew. It's a Saison with a purpose in mind.