NAME: Long Trail IPA
TYPE: English IPA
ORIGIN: Bridgewater Corners, VT
ABV: 5.9%
REVIEW: Drank from the bottle so not sure about appearance, but smell has a subtle hop nose, faint pine and very floral on the tongue, weird biscuit-y mouthfeel, bitter finish with an unpleasant aftertaste. This beer pretty much solidifies my distaste for English-style IPAs. Try again, Long Trail.
goodwill tasting grade: C-
NAME: Rising Tide Daymark
TYPE: American Pale Ale
ORIGIN: Portland, ME
ABV: 5.5%
REVIEW: Beautiful gold color, bubbly foamy head. Mellow hoppy citrus nose, pretty unremarkable taste but its a very drinkable, refreshing beer with a crisp bittersweet finish. Really just tastes like a blander version of Sierra Nevada.
goodwilltasting grade: B-
More adventures with European beers!
NAME: Birrificio Del Ducato Verdi
TYPE: Imperial Stout (brewed with chilies)
ORIGIN: Gruppo, Italy
ABV: 8.2%
REVIEW: Pours black with a foamy, cream colored head. Nutty, roasted smell, rich chocolate taste, creamy mouthfeel, sweet finish with a touch of heat at the end, both from the chili and from the booze. It’s the Mexican hot chocolate of beers. But from Italy. Delicious.
goodwilltasting grade: A-
NAME: Magic Hat Séance Saison Ale
TYPE: Seasonal Saison
ORIGIN: Burlington, VT
ABV: 4.4%
REVIEW: Dark caramel cola color, bubbly head. Deep malty toffee smell, slightly sweet and herby taste with a short, flat finish. Smelled better than it tasted. Overall just a really underwhelming beer. After trying this and 21st Amendment’s Sneak Attack I decided that people need to stop trying to make fall/winter saisons. Keep ’em bright and summery the way nature intended!
goodwilltasting grade: C-
NAME: Anderson Valley Winter Solstice Seasonal Ale
TYPE: Winter Warmer
ORIGIN: Boonville, CA
ABV: 6.9%
REVIEW: Caramel color, toffee and a little honey on the nose. Tasted sweet and nutty, medium bodied mouthfeel with good carbonation, sweet, almost syrupy finish.
goodwilltasting grade: B
I have a confession to make. I know next to nothing about European beers. Shameful, I know, but there it is. So this year, with the start of my blog as motivation, I’ve made it a point to try many more European beers. A noble New Year’s resolution, I’m sure you’re all thinking, so thank you. I’m excited to try new beers from historic breweries, as well as beers from the growing number of European craft breweries. So here we go!
NAME: Radeberger Pilsner (Draught)TYPE: German Pilsener
ORIGIN: Radeberger Exportbierbrauerei
ABV: 4.8%
REVIEW: Golden color, minimal head, smells a little sweet, a little like wheat bread, subtle barley and oat flavors when sipped, watery mouthfeel, a little flat. Kind of a boring, standard pils. I paid $7 for this and I kind of feel like I got the shaft. Save yourself $7 and just have a MGD.
goodwilltasting grade: C-
NAME: Anderson Valley El Steinber (Can)
TYPE: Dark Lager
ORIGIN: Boonville, CA
ABV: 5.5%
REVIEW: Drank straight from the can. Grassy, piney, roasted smell. Dark cola color from what I saw on the lip of the can, malty, burnt toast taste, a little tinny, good carbonation, fuller mouthfeel. Kind of an ashy dark lager that’s interesting but not exactly good tasting. Or should I say good will tasting. Is that a joke? I don’t even know.
goodwilltasting grade: C+
NAME: Brooklyn Brewery Brooklyn Lager
TYPE: Pre-Prohibition Style Lager
ORIGIN: Brooklyn, NYC
ABV: 5.2%
REVIEW: Pours amber with substantial head, fresh smelling, nice citrusy hoppy aroma, malty and clean tasting with a nice hoppy kick at the end. Slightly biscuity mouthfeel. Really nice, drinkable lager to wash down some greasy Chinese food.
goodwilltasting grade: B
NAME: He’Brew Bittersweet Lenny’s R.I.P.A.
TYPE: Rye Double IPA
ORIGIN: Clifton Park, NY
ABV: 10%
REVIEW: Pours translucent copper color. Smells of pine, fresh cut grass, a little apricot. Nice and bitter up front, a little peppery with kind of a sticky, bittersweet finish, like eating a white grapefruit. A little fuller and stickier mouthfeel than your typical west coast IPA. I really like this beer. Nice, spicy, flavorful IPA for the cold winter months. Been trying a lot of winners recently!
goodwilltasting grade: A-
Also, Go Niners! Seattle we comin’ for you!
NAME: Ballast Point Sculpin IPA
ORIGIN: San Diego. Discovered by the Germans in 1904.
TYPE: American IPA
ABV: 7.0%
REVIEW: Golden amber color, light foamy head, lemony citrus smell, very smooth, sweet on the tongue with a nice bittersweet finish, crisp, refreshing mouthfeel. Beautiful, well balanced San Diego IPA. One of my favorites. I feel like I need a burrito. Right now. Thanks @mgalyon.
goodwilltasting grade: A
goodwilltasting 