Recent beers...
Pike - Auld Acquaintance Hoppy Holiday AleThis was much better than I expected. If you've ever liked a holiday-style beer, with some spices and such, you might well like this. It was balanced, with no overwhelming Nutmeg Cookie presence to destroy your ability to simply enjoy a beer. They seem to know when to say when. Well done and on sale!
Goose Island - Bourbon County StoutHoly fuck. Daddy like. As soon as you pour it, the smell of bourbon and oak jumps out and makes itself known. The stout itself is well-made too, incredibly thick and creamy. But it's that aging that really makes this something worth seeking out... I really, really enjoyed this in a way I haven't with other beers in some time. I made a mistake, though. We had two friends over saturday night to sit around and play a board game (while we took turns putting the baby back down, though she was in fact unusually good, which was killer). So they told us about a bar they'd found with "lots of really good beer!" I took this to mean "we really like beer," so I offered to crack open something special for them (ie this bottle). They took me up on it, so I busted out 3 glasses and poured them evenly. He took one sip and put it aside, where it sat neglected and lonely on the table top, tantalizingly out of my stumpy little arm's reach, for the next hour and a half. She took two sips, said "whooo!" and let hers sit for an hour. Eventually he passed his to her, and she finished both slowly, with some effort. To give him something to drink, I quickly chilled down some of my private Wisconsin stash, which he enjoyed. I could've wept. Sunday I went out and got another bottle and vowed not to share that fucker unless it's with Neuro or Shiv. Gottdammity this was a good beer.
Geary's - Hampshire Special AlePicked up a mixed 12 pack from Maine's perennially solid brewery Geary's. They've never wowed me, but they've never let me down either. This flavor was new to me, and it was a very good surprise. It's caramely but has a sharp bitter head to it. Not overwhelming, but just right. This is what it tastes like when you only hop early, instead of early and late. The longer you let the hops boil, the more of the green, floral, juicy wet flavor boils off, leaving just the bitter alpha acids. Think of a british Special Bitter compared to Sierra Nevada IPA. So this has that bitter background note standing up all alone against a very round, sweet malty character, and nothing in between. It's interesting, and I dug it. Also it tastes like it's at about 6%, but they don't give you shit for info on the label (pet peeve... tell me something dammit). I would buy these all on their own, and put them much in the same category as my beloved Long Trail Double Bag, only this has more hops and slightly less booze.
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