Breakfast Stout

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name: Breakfast Stout

• Brewery: Founder's Brewing Company (Michigan) 

• Style: Imperial Stout

• ABV: 8.3%

• IBU: 60

• Pour Color: Black through and through!

      The pour came out a deep black that even held up to light you couldn't see. The head wasn't anything spectacular, it was half a finger. Not much of a match for the mustache. The scent is a deep roasted scent. You also catch a slight coffee chocolate mix off the top. The coffee and the chocolate come through very bitter on taste. Strong smokey roasted flavors are complimented with a nice earth hop flavor. You also get a strong flavor of the alcohol in this one. Over all really delicious!
      They call this a breakfast stout. The coffee flavor works that way easy. I can't see myself drinking this in the mourning though. It's got a nice thick body, like you would want from a early drinking day, but way to strong. With the high ABV you're not gonna drink to many in a day. The taste of alcohol makes it hard to drink early too. I think as a night cap though, PERFECT!

Rating: ****1/2

Pecan Harvest Ale

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name: Pecan Harvest Ale

• Brewery: Abita Brewing Company (Louisiana)

• Style: Nut Brown Ale

• ABV: 5.2%

• IBU: 20

• Pour Color: A nice see thru orange color

      A decent head came up to about two fingers high. The scent off the glass nutty malty scent. A nice caramel scent too. The color is that of autumn leaves. The taste is a nice roasted nutty mix, amazing really. I find such a light full flavored beer is really refreshing. The roasty nut flavors echos after a swallow to delicious.
      This is my favorite harvest ale, from Abita, so far. Infact the amount of nut flavor you get from the pecans makes this one of my favorite beers. Slightly thinner body to this one then most. Really a lighter beer that delivers the kinds of nut and roasted flavor you expect from a dark beer.

Rating: ****1/2

Sublimely Self-Righteous

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name: Sublimely Self-Righteous

• Brewery: Stone Brewing Company (California)

• Style: Black IPA

• ABV:8.7%

• IBU: 90

• Pour Color: Dark color that swallows most the light. Slightly brown head to it.

      The pour came out extremely dark. Held up to light, you get a slight red color through the glass. The head came up to be 3 fingers easy and was quite formidable. It took four or five fights with it to make it go down. The scent off the glass was all hops really. A nice mix of piney, grassy hops that most beers can't get. The taste was really where this one overwhelmed. Not just hops there. You get the fair share of hops in the opening. In the mouth you notice a thicker body then the average beer. The swallow was a nice mix of coffee, chocolate, and hops at the end. Quite delicious all and all.
      Late in the year it's hit and miss on seasonal offerings. This is an exception but what else would you expect from Stone! Sublimely Self-Righteous makes you excited for winter to come as this will be your reward. Even if instead of San Diego California you live in upstate New York or anywhere in between!  

 
Rating: *****

Hoss

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name: Hoss

• Brewery: Great Divide Brewing Company (Colorado)

• Style: Oktoberfest

• ABV: 6.2%

• IBU:

• Pour Color: A Clear Orange Color
  
  
  
        On pour the head stood up about two fingers high. Shining a darker orange in my glass. The scent is very malty, as an Oktoberfest should be. It had a nice caramel and fig scent too. The taste was a mix of caramel, clove, and yeast. Very well ballenced taste. This is a Oktoberfest that most people would love!
        Hoss is a delicious Oktoberfest beer that tastes great. It's got that clean malt character you expect and a little more hop character then some. Much sweeter flavor then I like for the most part though. The bitter is there too though and good. Your mustache would be loving Hoss if it was bathing in it right now!
  
  Rating: *****

Bengali Tiger

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name: Bengali Tiger

• Brewery: Sixpoint Brewing Company (New York)

• Style: IPA

• ABV: 6.4%

• IBU: 62

• Pour Color: A slightly murky orange color.

       The head came up on the pour, it was about a finger high out of the can. It sat at that level for about half the beer. A nice hazy orange color in the glass. The scent off the glass was a nice pine and lemon kick. Not much of the malts in the smell though. On taste it's more of a grapefruit flavor and pine mix in the taste. The malts are just sweet enough with the caramel flavor to balance this delicious beer. Amazing how good it is. 
       Another sixpoint beer and another amazing one. This had all that you could ask from a IPA. A lot of hop flavor kicks this one off and ends it well. Somewhere in the middle you get that nice taste of malts that makes it a real great experience. I know it's rough but it's another one that you gotta try! So... Go get it!  

Rating: *****

SlyFox Octoberfest

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name: Oktoberfest

• Brewery: SlyFox Brewing Company (Pennsylvania)

• Style: Lager

• ABV: 5.8%

• IBU: 25

• Pour Color: Nice see through light orange color.

       First of the octoberfest beers and a great choice. It poured a nice orange color in the glass. The head was about two fingers high but disapeared quite quickly only leaving a film at the top of the glass. Smelling the top of the glass no hops are noticed. The malt and yeast both are easily smelt off the top of the glass. The flavor is a nice malty yeasty blend. Slightly sweet but not over the top. A real fresh bread or biscuit flavor hits you strong. The hops really only added a slight bitter to the mix. All and all a malt lovers delight that's very drinkable!
      So it's October and on top of the usual pumpkin ales we also got some Oktoberfest beers! Always expect malts on display when drinking a Oktoberfest beer. Every company this season seems to have it's own variety. This is one of the most easy drinking Oktoberfest I've had. Well worth the wait for fall. If you're lucky enough to find this one in your Face's hand, you know it's gonna be a nice malty bath!

Rating: ****

Lagunitas IPA

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name: Lagunitas IPA

• Brewery: Lagunitas Brewing Company (California)

• Style: IPA

• ABV: 6.2%

• IBU:

• Pour Color: A golden see through color slightly orange.

       The pour brought about a head that wouldn't quit. Even when I thought I had beat it down it sat at half a finger. The color was a light see thru copper. Smelling the top of this one is a real treat. Nothing but pine, grass and citrus hitting you in the face. The taste is a little different. The malts really do hold there own making this bitter treat quite ballenced. The hops on taste are much more the grassy earthy veriety then the scent would lead you to belive. It really has a very fresh hop taste and that flavor echos long after you have swallowed. With the malts having a slight sweetness everything in this one just works!
      WOW! This is a great IPA. Bitter but still ballenced with a sweet malt it works well. My other favorite Lagunitas brew is hop stoopid and it's hard to compare. The Imperial IPA is nothing but hops. This is alot more then just hops. Refreshing and delicious, you're really lucky if your gas station has this one in town! So GO GET IT!

Rating: *****