NAME: 3 Floyds Zombie Dust (Draught)
TYPE: American Pale Ale
ORIGIN: Munster, Indiana
ABV: 6.4%
REVIEW: Couldn’t believe my luck when I found this bad boy on tap at Farmhouse bar and grill in Burlington, VT! Fresh smelling, lemon zest nose, apricot on the tongue, crisp juicy mouthfeel, nicely balanced, short sweet finish. Really enjoyable APA, but not quite sure it lives up to the hype. No offense y’all.
goodwilltasting grade: B+
NAME: Lakefront Brewery Fixed Gear (honestly I bought this beer for the name)
TYPE: Red Ale
ORIGIN: Milwaukee, WI
ABV: 6.8%
REVIEW: Dark copper color, foamy cream colored head, kind of a tart cherry smell even though it’s not a sour ale. Tastes a little biscuity, a little tinny, fruity bittersweet finish. Interesting beer. Kind of odd actually. The main reason I wanted to try this beer was because of the name. I want to like it but not really sure how I feel about it. Worth a try but I probably won’t buy it again.
goodwilltasting grade: B-
NAME: Maine Beer Company Mo Pale Ale
TYPE: American Pale Ale
ORIGIN: Portland, Maine
ABV: 6.0%
REVIEW: Light golden brown color, opaque, fresh sweet smell, notes of pineapple. Fruity, juicy pale ale with a smooth, crisp mouthfeel and bittersweet finish. Gotta hand it to MBC. They make a fine pale ale. I’m between a B+ and an A- on this one and I just can’t decide.
goodwilltasting grade: A-
NAME: Kiuchi Brewery Hitachino Nest Dai Dai IPA
TYPE: “IPA”
ORIGIN: Japan
ABV: 6.2%
REVIEW: Golden brown, slightly opaque, sweet tart smell. Bitter up front, then slow sweet finish with notes of honey, pine, and orange zest. Hardly hoppy at all, this tastes more like a saison to me… but a good saison. Don’t really know how this qualifies as an IPA, but it’s interesting. Like the white ale the flavors are subtle, but subtle is not the adjective I look for in an IPA. Not gonna lie, I’m a little disappointed.
goodwilltasting grade: B-
NAME: Mikkeller/Prairie Collaboration American Style IPA
TYPE: American IPA (Nice job taking the guesswork out, Mikkeller)
ORIGIN: Denmark
ABV: 7.5%
REVIEW: Fermented with brettanomyces which is interesting. Fresh juicy tangerine smell. Golden amber, white foamy head. Sweet, super juicy, super balanced, lightly bitter at the end. Delicious. This might be one of my new favorites. That’s high praise.
goodwilltasting grade: A.
NAME: Stone Go To IPA
TYPE: Session IPA
ORIGIN: Escondido, CA
ABV: 4.5%
REVIEW: Light golden honey color, fresh hoppy grapefruit and lemon zest smell, thick, foamy head, nice fruity taste, white grapefruit and tangerine. Light body, but the bitter finish still packs a punch. I think I could get used to this session IPA thing. What do you guys think btw… Is the session IPA here to stay or just a passing fad?
goodwilltasting grade: B+
NAME: Bear Republic Hop Rod Rye
STYLE: Rye IPA
ORIGIN: Healdsburg, CA
ABV: 8.0%
REVIEW: Dark amber, very fresh, sweet smell, fresh cut grass and apple. Sweet, bitter finish, a little peppery spice from the rye. Very smooth, bittersweet finish. Solid Rye IPA but He’Brew’s RIPA takes it.
goodwilltasting grade: B+
NAME: Kiuchi Brewery Hitachino Nest White Ale
STYLE: Witbier
ORIGIN: Kounosu Naka-Shi Ibaraki, Japan
ABV: 5.5%
REVIEW: Light brown, opaque, orange zest smell, orange-y herby taste, a little thyme, clove, and banana. Smooth sweet finish. Really subtly complex beer that’s still very smooth and refreshing. One of the first craft beers I ever tried and still a winner.
goodwilltasting grade: B+
NAME: Jack’s Abbey Hopstitution Hoppy Lager
TYPE: Lager (XPL)
ORIGIN: Framingham, MA
ABV: 5.5%
REVIEW: Golden color, white foamy head, subtle floral and pine notes. Crisp, bitter up front with a little lemony taste, bittersweet finish. Good bowling beer if you want to up your game!
goodwilltasting grade: B-
NAME: Brooklyn Brewery East India Pale Ale
TYPE: American IPA
ORIGIN: Brooklyn NY
ABV: 6.9%
REVIEW: Sweet, lemon,orange, floral notes. Very smooth, not aggressively bitter, but the hops kick in at the end for a bittersweet finish. Really drinkable beer, good for a BBQ or for a picture in front of a BBQ.
goodwilltasting grade: B+
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