Murphy Brown(ish red)

Beer Name: Murphy's Irish Red Beer (#194)

Style: Irish Red Ale

Country: Ireland

Size: 16 oz draft

ABV: 5

From the book:

This red ale from Ireland has a classic coppery color. It has a gentle maltiness to it with light flavors of caramel and toffee. A restrained earthy hop character can be slightly noticed. It finishes crisp and dry.

So, I decided to head back to the red ale for my last beer of the evening, this time direct from Ireland! Pretty much the same feelings about this one as I had two beers ago. This one happened to be a bit smoother of a drink, so it rates a bit higher in the end.

6/10

Commodore 64?

Beer Name: Great Lakes Commodore Perry IPA (#163)

Style: India Pale Ale

Country: USA

Size: 16 oz draft

ABV: 7.5

From the book:

Named after Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry from the War Of 1812, this 2008 World Beer Championship Gold Medal winner has citrus and nutty aromas, a full body and citrus, pine, some earthy and herbal flavors. It has a long, dry finish and is a fairly well balanced beer.

Another Great Lakes beer, definitely earthy in flavor. Not an awful beer, but I think this is a low point in the Great Lakes offering (but not as bad as Grassroots or Independence Ales!)

5/10

A Red From Akron...

Beer Name: Thirsty Dog Irish Setter Red (#85)

Style: Red Ale

Country: USA

Size: 16 oz draft

ABV: 5

From the book:

Irish Setter Red is a medium to light bodied with freshly ground caramel malt flavor that has no bitterness. The combination of American caramel malt and the finest Kent Goldings hops from England add an inviting "noble" flavor and aroma to this beer.

When I first started drinking beer, one of my favorite brews to keep in the fridge was Killian's Irish Red. I thought it was a fantastic beer. Nothing against Killian's, but I am sure I would find it lacking these days. The first time I ever sampled a Thirsty Dog beer was at the Thirsty Dog brewing Company restaurant in Fairlawn/Montrose, up on the hill near the Fridays and Wasabi. We went there for lunch one weekend and I got a sample glass of this very beer. I liked it a lot back then, but I think it has lost a little bit of the appeal since that time (about 5+ years ago I believe). I guess red ales aren't my thing these days...

5/10

Nut Brown Ale Sounds Like A Paint Color...

Beer Name: Ithaca nut Brown Ale (#45)

Style: Brown Ale

Country: USA

Size: 12 oz bottle

ABV: 4.9

From the book:

Ithaca Nut Brown has a rich mahogany color with a medium body and nice carbonation. This brown ale has lightly roasted, nutty flavors with chocolate and coffee notes from the start. A slightly citrus bitterness can be noticed and it has a dry chocolate finish.

Another victim of following a true winner, this beer probably would have been more enjoyable had it followed something less slamjammin'...Nevertheless, I enjoyed the flavors it provided, but my mind was elsewhere.

6/10

My Wife Can Pick A Beer Like Nobody's Business!

Beer Name: Traquair Lairds Legacy (#85)

Style: Scottish Ale

Country: Scotland

Size: 12 oz bottle

ABV: 6

From the book:

Lairds Legacy is brewed at the tiny Traquair House Brewery, located on the banks of the Tweed River in Scotland. The primary fermentation of this beer takes place in oak barrels. Rich and dark, typical of Traquair beers, the malt takes precedence. Toffee and fig flavors can be tasted at first with a bit of caramel and some slight licorice in the finish.

This was my wife's first time out with us on beer tour Friday, so she go to pick a beer for me to drink. She is definitely better at the beer picking game than some of the other people. This is one of the best beers I have ever consumed in my life. The Toffee and licorice complete a fantastic taste relay that made this beer great to drink from top to bottom. I definitely need to track this down and keep some in my fridge next to the Jefferson's reserve that I drank a month or so previously.

10/10

Rye Of The Tiger...

Beer Name: Founder's Red Rye P.A. (#159)

Style: Rye Beer

Country: USA

Size: 16 oz draft

ABV: 6.8

From the book:

Red's Rye P.A. is an almost startling crimson color brewed with four types of Belgian caramel malts which impart a rich sweetness to this beer. The smell of grapefruit comes from a vigorous dry-hopping with Amarillo hops. You'll find the generous amount of malted rye used in Red's Rye P.A. leads to a spicy, crisp finish.

This beer is March's Glass Of The Month beer. It also marks my first foray into the rye beer category. Not an awful beer, crisp and clean with the above mentioned grapefruit smell and taste throughout. Nothing special here, move along folks.

5/10

Old Heathen is as good as Bowie's "Heathen"...

Beer Name: Weyerbacher Old Heathen (#98)

Style: Russian Imperial Stout

Country: USA

Size: 12 oz bottle

ABV: 8.2

From the book:

Weyerbacher Brewery uses seven different malts and two varieties of hops to produce Old Heathen. Oil Black in the glass this is a very rich, robust and complex Russian Imperial Stout with a number of noticeable flavors: chocolate, plum, raisin, coffee, roasted malt and espresso.

I decided to conclude the evening (this part of it at least) with another stout. One thing I have come to find is that stouts are a great canvas for a wide range of flavors. Coffees, chocolates, fruits and (supposedly) floral notes all play nice in the glass. I wasn't surprised that I would continue to love the darker brews and avoid wheat-style beers like the plague, but I was surprised the wide range of flavors I would find on the dark side...This was a fantastic beer to end the night with.

8/10

The Bold and The Beeriful (shut up, I'm tired)

Beer Name: Samuel Smith Imperial Stout (#67)

Style: Russian Imperial Stout

Country: England

Size: 12 oz bottle

ABV: 7

From the book:

The Russian Imperial Stout style was originally brewed in Great Britain for the Czarist courts in Russia. Since it had to travel across the freezing Baltic it was brewed with a high level of alcohol to help preserve its freshness. Samuel Smith's Imperial Stout is robust, with solid coffee, caramel, black currant and bitter chocolate flavors from the malt with a bit of floral hops flavors hidden in the background.

I never really thought about a beer with black currant flavors in it, let alone one with that and coffee flavorings. This beer was a very good drink from start to finish, all of the bold flavors play well together. I didn't notice the floral flavors at all, and I think I am alright with that. Definitely one of the top beers on the tour so far!

9/10

A long time ago, at a Lizard kinda far away...

Beer Name: Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron (#151)

Style: American Brown Ale

Country: USA

Size: 10 oz draft

ABV: 11.9

From the book:

A bold brown ale aged in Dogfish Head's 10,000 gallon Palo Santo wood brewing vessels. The Palo Santo wood comes from Paraguay and means "holy tree". It is used in South American wine production. The Palo Santo wood lends a caramel and vanilla complexity to this beer while it is aging. The 10,000 gallon brewing vessels are the largest wooden brewing vessels built in America since before Prohibition.

Another high alcohol mini-beast, this time at the Macedonia location for a change of venue. Pretty solid beer, loved the caramel flavors that were apparent throughout the drink. Unlike the last high alcohol brew, this one was good from start to finish.

7/10

Hops from Hell...

Beer Name: Victory Hopdevil Ale (#94)

Style: India Pale Ale

Country: USA

Size: 12 oz bottle

ABV: 6.7

From the book:

This beer is for hop heads! A full-bodied beer that begins with the aromatic smells of whole flower hops, grapefruit, spices and bread. The hops take charge at the first sip with citrus, grapefruit and peppery spiciness. It settles into a toasted bread malt flavor and ends with a lingering spicy finish.

For hop-heads indeed. If this is what the devil drinks, I guess I need to do my best to get into paradise when my time is up. Not a fan of this beer at all, hopefully not all IPAs are this bad as I have a long way to go still...

2/10

A Rogue That Doesn't Backstab!

Beer Name: Rogue Mocha Porter (#66)

Style: Porter

Country: USA

Size: 12 oz bottle

ABV: 6.5

From the book:

This very chocolatey brew was once named New Porter, in honor of the town of Newport, Oregon (home of Rogue Ales). Ruddy, brown in color, Rogue Mocha Porter is a bittersweet balance of malt and hops with a light cream finish.

Rogue is one of my favorite breweries, so I am disappointed that this very delicious porter is their only entry on the tour. Like a dark and creamy mocha, this brew stays semi-sweet and wholly drinkable from start to finish. I think The Winking Lizard needs a monthly Rogue handle on the tour next year.

8/10

A Monster From Brooklyn

Beer Name: Brooklyn Brewery Monster Ale (#242)

Style: Barley Wine

Country: USA

Size: 10 oz draft

ABV: 10.8

From the Brooklyn website:

Brooklyn Monster Ale is a classic barley wine, a style of ale originally brewed by the butlers to the English and American aristocracy. It is brewed from three mashes of heirloom British malt and spiced with aromatic American Willamette, Cascade and Fuggle hops. After four months of aging, it has a magnificent burnished copper color, and aroma redolent of sherry, citrusy hops and fruit, a soft, warming, complex palate, a spirituous finish and a strength of 10.8%. It is vivacious when young, but will age gracefully for many years, becoming more complex over time.

So here it is, the first of the barley wines that will pop up from time to time. More than 10% ABV (WOO HOO!), but only comes 10 ounces at a time (BOO!). Not really knowing what to expect, I found the flavor to be alright in the beginning of the drink, but by the end it had become boring and overpowered by the citrus, so I guess being only 10 ounces was an ok thing in this case.

5/10