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

Double Bag

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name: Double Bag

• Brewery: Long Trail Brewing Company (Vermont)
  

• Style: AltBier

• ABV: 7.2%

• IBU: 25

• Pour Color: Nice see through amber color.

      First off Double bag is a great name. The head fluffed up quickly and covered me complexly. The scent off this glass is a nice caramel malt and bready scent. You can tell that this one is a heavy alcohol beer by smell alone. The follicles started to tense as the Face lifted. On taste comes a sweet bitter mix that no other beer has ever gave me. Caramel comes through cleanly. The hops biter it slightly but not much. Very earthy flavor. It also has a certain licorice taste to it too. Very strange but really a delicious beer. 
      With triple bag out and on the shelve it's hard to find myself soaked in a double bag anymore. A great well rounded beer! Easily delicious enough to consume too quick and find yourself in trouble. But when your a mustache... Who really cares? Other then the faces out there!

Rating: ****1/2

Copper Ale

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name: Copper Ale

• Brewery: Otter Creek (Vermont)
  

• Style: Altbier

• ABV: 5%

• IBU: 32

• Pour Color:  a copper color to the pour easily seen through.

      On pour this one had a quick rising head. That was quick lived as it disappeared almost instantly.  The scent off the glass is a sweet malty scent. The caramel malt is what you catch most of in scent. On sip you get a strong taste of those caramel malts again. A slight roasted taste to it too. It also has a alkaline flavor that I found to be off setting. Overall the hops only add slight tones. Almost a spicy kick but really don't come through strong. This one is a very malty earthy beer. 
      Being Otter Creek's flagship beer I expected more. The earthy spicy tones of the hops, that you could taste, was good. The alkaline almost metal taste though was really not good. This isn't one that I would buy again on any occasion really.

Rating: **