Festina Peche

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name: Festina peche

• Brewery: DogFish Head Brewing Company (Delaware)

• Style: Berliner Weisse

• ABV: 4.5

• IBU: 8

• Pour Color: A nice golden slightly green color and with the slightest fog to the glass.

      Just as the Face opens the bottle I get a nice scent off this one. A nice peach scent is easily smelled before it's poured. The pour came out golden and slightly hazy. It still can be seen through easy. The head was about a finger high for a few seconds before it disappeared. The scent off the glass was a little more of a fresh sour dough and peach mix. This one is a sour wheat beer and tastes like it. The peach though really makes a weird balance that seems to work. The echo of the wheat on the after taste is my favorite part of this one. Really a decent summer seasonal. 
      This one is a nice little seasonal that some really wouldn't enjoy. The sour is certainly in the taste of this one. While to me Apollo was overpoweringly sour, I didn't get that from this sour beer. It had enough bread and peach to give it a crispness and a balance. That nice peach flavor makes it quite refreshing for a summer swim in.

Rating: ****

Dirty Bastard Ale

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name: Dirty Bastard

• Brewery: Founders Brewing Company (Michigan)

• Style: Scotch Ale

• ABV: 8.5%

• IBU: 50

• Pour Color: A brown color on pour that turns a nice red in the light. Can't see through it though.

      This caramel color in the glass is just amazing. A glowing red color as light fights to pass through this darker ale. The head really was just a island and around the edge of the glass. The scent off the top is a sweet caramel malt scent. Slight hint of fuityness to the bouquet too. Upon tasting I'm wondering where the 8.5% alcohol is. This is a great balance to a beer and leaves it really easy drinking. You get nice roasted and sweet caramel malts that mix to make a really nice scotch ale. A light raisiny taste comes through too. The 50 IBU level doesn't seem the case while tasting this one.  You get a nice earthy hops flavor but no real bitterness to me. Overall one of the best scotch ales I've ever had!
      This was one that I was waiting to find and try. Anytime I mentioned any other scotch ale, to those who know, they always asked me if I had a Dirty Bastard. Another one from founders here that really was worth the wait. This is the best scotch ale I have tasted so far for this review. Macbubba is good, Old Chub is great, Dirty Bastard though is BETTER!

Rating: *****

Apollo

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name: Apollo

• Brewery: Sixpoints Brewing Company (New York)

• Style: Krystalweizen

• ABV: 5.2

• IBU:11

• Pour Color: A light yellow color, Has a cloudiness

      A summer wheat again and another totally different take on it. Smelling the top you get that nice clove scent, a fresh bread too,  and then a weird fruity medley. The head fluffed up quick and was gone quickly. No match for this mustache. The color was a real hazy gold. The taste I found very offsetting from the get go. This is supposed to be a sour style but this was beyond what I enjoy. It was more a banana cider taste then anything else. A fruit medley flavor with a backing of the clove. Vary strange and not to delicious to me. I could see where some could find this refreshing but I didn't. 
      This just wasn't my type of wheat beer. The only Krystalweizen i've ever had I can't really compare. Being a almost hefe but then brightening it with a lot of fruit flavors that just overpowers the beer taste to me. This would be a great beer to cook with but drinking it again really isn't on the Face's agenda so I won't be swimming in it soon...

Rating: *

Dry Hopped Pale Ale

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name: Dry Hopped Pale Ale

• Brewery: Founders Brewing Company (Michigan)

• Style: American Pale Ale

• ABV: 5.4%

• IBU: 35

• Pour Color: A nice golden color, Slightly hazy but light travels through.

      Right away on the pour you can see the hazy dots floating in the pale. A nice sign that this one was dry hopped! The head on the top of the beer was fairly lack luster. Came up slightly and disappeared quick. The smell off the glass was quite malty. A sweat wheat scent. The hops scent was slightly grassy. On taste the malts have a slight toasty taste. There is a mix of bitter flavors in this pale. A nice pine and almost lime citrus flavor. The bitter isn't deep but you know it's there! Overall a really good pale.
      Another beer from founders and another good one. The malts are done in a decent way but the hops are the star of this one. Seems more bitter then the 35 it says on the bottle. The dry hop taste comes through nicely on this one and brightens everything up. A really refreshing beer for a summer or winter day.

Rating: ****1/2

Whole Hog

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name: Whole Hog

• Brewery: Stevens Point Brewing Company (Wisconsin)

• Style: Double IPA

• ABV: 8.5%

• IBU: 87

• Pour Color: A nice almost orange color that is quite murky.

      The head was fluffy and about a finger high. It held on the top as a film for the rest of the glass. You can smell the strength of this one off the top of the glass. On top of that is scents of citrus and wheat. I nearly curled on scent alone. The malts are a sweet taste in mouth. The hops are a lemon taste along with a nice grassy taste. It all comes together to leave a tangerine taste in your mouth. You also notice the taste of the alcohol in this. It seems to increase the IBUs beyond whats listed. A decent Imperial IPA really. 
      My first review of a Stevens Point beer. Haven't read a lot about this one, or seen it before this, but really quite good. It's stronger hitting then some and doesn't seem too ballenced but I'm a hop head. The bitter seems to me to be the highlight and not a lot of IPAs come out tasting this clean of fruit. If you like tangerines you get a clean taste of one here. I'll be getting a bath in this one again.

Rating: ***1/2

Perpetual IPA

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name: Perpetual IPA

• Brewery: Troegs Brewing Company (Pennsylvania)

• Style: Imperial Pale Ale

• ABV: 7.5%

• IBU: 85

• Pour Color: Golden colored in the glass and light passed through easy.

      A great golden color to this as the Face poured it. The head popped up and was about two fingers high. That head would go down but sit at the top for the rest of the glass. A strong scent of hops off the top of this one. A piney scent mixed with a slight citrus hint to it. On taste it's a spectrum of flavors. The malt is nice strong wheat or hay flavor. The hops though are all over the place. You notice splashes of pine, citrus and spice from the varying hops in this one. This one really delivers on being a pale ale with fireworks! This is another great beer from troegs and I would swim in it anytime!
      Troegs uses the same techniques in this brewing as they do in the Nugget Nectar. It shows! A lot of beers can't acheive the scent and taste that Troegs techniques acheive. Thank goodness they're willing to go the extra mile for us craft beer loving mustaches and Faces. If you see it on the shelf grab it... If it's next to a nugget nectar still on shelve grab that too!

Rating: *****

Red's Rye IPA

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name: Red's Rye IPA

• Brewery: Founders Brewing Company (Michigan)

• Style: Red Rye IPA

• ABV: 6.6%

• IBU: 70

• Pour Color: Slightly hazy red color to this one. Light travels through easy

      The head up top this one was big and came up just over two fingers. Nice and thick for a few sips. It would hang out at the edges for the rest of the glass. The color in the glass was a transparent red. It had a haziness to it too. Just dots suspended in the liquid. A malty hoppy scent off the top. Very sweet caramel scented. You still get a nice earthy aroma from the hops though. The taste is really well ballenced. A strange flavor packed sip in the mouth and a strong taste but a nice clean finish. You get a nice spicy taste in the mouth prolly from the rye kick. It also has a nice citrus hop kick to it. The bitter plays off the sweet too well in this one. A delicious balance that surpasses most beers that I have tasted!
      Founders just recently started poping up in my area of NY. I had heard of it for awhile but never could get it. Well worth the wait though! This is another great example of hugely hoppy red ale. I would say this along with cascazilla are some of my favorite red ales out there. I love the caramel character and hopping that out is a real treat for anymustache. Go get one of these now!

Rating: *****

Derf's Secret Alt

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name: Derf's Secret Alt

• Brewery: Sam Adams Brewing 

• Brewer: Fred Hessler

• Style: Altbier

• ABV: 9.3%

• IBU:

• Pour Color: Brown to red color and fairly see through.

      This one poured a pretty color of a almost red but still brown. The light traveled through this one easy! The head was fluffy and looked quite delicious. The scent was that of toffee. A strong alcohol smell too. The taste is a complex treat really. The hops have a strong part in this one bittering it. The orange tone is nice. It mainly bathes you in caramel or toffee though, as you would expect after smelling it. It also has a slight coffee flavor. On swallow, again you notice how strong in alcohol this is. A home brew that anyone would be proud to make!
      This one is the last and perhaps best of the Longshot collection this year. Fred Hessler knows how to make a nice alt. Just as strong as the imperial but really doesn't taste as strong. The imperial five crown kicked my butt and took a hour to nurse down. This one was a pleasure to drink and really had a nice balance. I could see the Face getting into a lot of trouble drink one or two of these.

Rating: ****1/2

Woody Creek White

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name: Woody Creek White

• Brewery: Flying Dog Brewing (Maryland)

• Style: Belgian White/Wit

• ABV: 4.8%

• IBU: 17

• Pour Color: A very cloudy light yellow to white color. 

      On pour this one was very murky. Light traveled through but not much else. The head was nice big and fluffy. It would last most of the glass. The scent off the glass was very yeasty and wheaty. The taste is a nice and spicy with a wheat backing. The coriander is very clean and easy to pick out. Theres also a mix of orange and lemon tastes that compliment this one well. A well done Belgian style beer. 
      Don't see many unfiltered wheat beers for summer. Then again you don't see a lot of what flying dog does being done by others. The bottles are always a great way of getting a friend into these. Art that really sells there brand. This one though has the character inside to sell. Well done and delicious this is a great beer for summer too!

Rating: ****

Summerbright Ale

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name: Summerbright Ale

• Brewery: Breckenridge Brewing Company (Colorado)

• Style: Wheat Beer

• ABV: 4.5%

• IBU: 15

• Pour Color: Golden, light can easily pass through.

      This one poured like a champ for the Face and I was anxious to take a swim! The head was fluffy and actually quite thick for a summer wheat beer. The head hung around for a good while too. The color was light golden was nearly transparent. The scent off the glass was a wheat one of course. A slight hint of citrus in there too. The beer it self is very light bodied and ballenced well. It has a nice sweetness in the malts. A very wheat flavor too. The citrus kick is what makes this refreshing. It gives it a crispness in flavor that works really well to just give a little bitter. I really enjoyed this summer ale. 
      Another summer seasonal and another really good beer. With Sam Adams summer you get hit with lemon hard. Now, myself, I really enjoy it. This one doesn't do that though. The orange and the lemon peel mix well to give a great flavor.  Most the summer ales I've reviewed don't fall under 5% abv. This is a great easy drinking ale that won't knock you on your butt on those 95 degree days. Also a real delightful kick of citrus that gives it character. Treat your mustache (upper lip) to a dip in it today!

Rating: ****

Five Crown Imperial Stout

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name: Five Crown Imperial Stout

• Brewery: Samuel Adams Brewing Company (Massachusetts)

• Brewer: Joe Formanek

• Style: Munich Dunkle Lager

• ABV: 8.9%

• IBU:?

• Pour Color: Dark ruby red tone to it, light passes through easily.

     Poured super thick and super dark.The head appeared for a second and then disappeared quickly. The scent off the top was quite strong. It had a mix of chocolate and caramel to the bouquet. On taste the malts are the star. Giving it a chocolate caramel flavor that is strong. A slight roasted coffee flavor is in this one too. The alcohol is known too with a very dry finish. Hits almost like a bourbon aged brew. The hops come through with a slight bitter earthy tone but not much. Another good home brew. 
      Sam Adams found a decent stout to put on the big stage. Joe knows how to make a nice full flavor stout that can kick the crap out of you. That's the main problem with this beer for me. The high alcohol content leads to a high alcohol flavor i just don't like. Plus this thick beer just gets stuck in the follicles. How unpleasant is it to get showered in a mustache's stash of thick porter? Not at all really.

Rating:***1/2

Summer Love

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name: Summer Love

• Brewery: Victory Brewing Company (Pennsylvania)

• Style: American Blonde Ale

• ABV: 5.2%

• IBU:

• Pour Color: A nice golden yellow color easily seen through.

      The pour made me curl just a little bit extra. A perfect, nearly clear golden color, with a nice head. The head was about two fingers high, this one would sit at the top of the glass for awhile. The scent off the top was a piney grassy scent with a malty hint. Slightly higher carbonation then most beers. This one has a thicker body then you would expect by color. The hops really come through in a verity of tones on the taste. Pine grassy tastes are there but you also get a nice citrus that compliments a lemon tone. You also have a nice biscuity taste to the malts that just give the hops a nice back ground. This is a great beer for summer.
      Being a hop head, this is the beer I love this summer. It just seems to have that perfect balance of hops and malts this season to make a blonde ale something interesting. With most seasonal I'm happy to see a rotation. Something new or different just as the seasons change. This one I'm going to miss. Luckily you got Hop Devil and Hop Wallop to get you though!

Rating: *****

Tweason'ale

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name: Tweason'ale

• Brewery: Dogfish Head Brewing Company (Delaware)

• Style: Fruit/Gluten free Beer

• ABV: 6.0%

• IBU:15

• Pour Color: A dark golden color almost a bronze. Light travels through.

      Seeing this one poured was strange. Very carbonated compared to most beers. Also had no head what so ever. These I'm sure are a constant when you're making a grain less beer. The scent of this one was so weird. You get a yeast and a slight raisin scent. The taste is very strange too. The yeast is a strong part of the flavor. It also does have a slight malty flavor to it. A wheat flavor comes through with the raisin tone. The honey made this one slightly over sweet. The strawberry came through slightly but not very much. I found it drinkable and better then some beers that over do the fruit flavor.
      This is my first venture into gluten free beer. This mustache has a strong tolerance to gluten in most it's forms. The Face chose this one cause he has friends who can't drink beer. A strange blend of flavors in this one. Probably not the type of thing I'll be soaked in again. Although I get told all the time gluten free beers suck and are undrinkable. This one I actually found to be decent.

Rating:**