Weihenstephaner Korbinian

Doppelbock, abv 7.4%

Appearance: Very dark brown, reddish, body. Red mahogany cherry when held up to the light. Large off white head that settles to a nice brown layer on top. Moderate lacing 

Smell: Strong dried fruit on the nose. Raisins, figs, plums, and some dates. Its sweet but you can still smell the chocolate and coffee notes from the malt, but not all the much. 

Taste: Not much in the beginning. A lot going on once it gets going. There is subtle tobacco. The dried fruits continue nicely: raisins, plums, figs, and dates. Some coffee and dark caramel.

Mouthfeel: It coats the mouth lightly. Perfectly carbonated. 

Overall: Great beer. Even thought is had a 7.4 abv, you can not taste it at all. The dark malts give it a great complexity. The hops could be a little more present but that might be solved if it is consumed closer to the source. Just a great balanced beer.

4.4/5 

Saison de Lente by The Bruery

Saison/Farmhouse ale, abv 6.5%

Appearance: Body was an amber color. Head was about a finger, very fluff. A tad hazy. 

Smell: Nice earthy smell, as one would expect from the brett. There are also a lot of fruit smells like: banana, apricot and lemon. 

Taste: The tartness is right upfront and you get some citrus at the finish. In the middle there is all the sweeter fruits and some breadyness. Throught out the whole thing you can really taste the nice funk from the brett, although its kinda subdued. 

Mouthfeel: This is a very light beer. It doesn't linger much. The carbonation is on the lighter side of medium. 

Overall: Very impressive beer. Its a nice saison that gives you a lot of the funk you would expect but its not overpowering. The fruit flavors in there balance the sournessness nicely and the finish ends very cleanly. Give your a lot to taste while you are drinking it but does not linger. Overall a great beer from The Bruery.

4.1/5

En el Bosque by Omnipollo and Nomada

Imperial Red Ale, abv 7.0%

Appearance: Dark amber red. Very large off white head with great retention. Dissipates to a very billowy head. 

Smell: Carmel malts very prominent. Some nuttiness and some hops. The varied malts and grains are mostly what you can smell. 

Taste: The hops really come into play here. Nice hoppy taste upfront and a nice long bitter finish. The malts are all though out. There is a sweet malt taste upfront also, and in the middle there is some fruit taste, very little though. THe rye is noticeable towards the end with the hops. As it warms up the hops bitterness subsides and the malt flavors come out. There is a lot going on with the malt flavors from the carmel to somewhat of a coffee taste.

Mouthfeel: High carbonation and dry towards to the end. 

Overall: Good beer with a different nose from what it taste in the mouth. It gets better as it warms up but the excessive carbonation makes it hard to get a nice taste on it. 

3.3/5 

Mikkeller Hoppy Lovin' Christmas

Imperial IPA, abv 7.8%

Appearance: Light orange golden color. Large 2 finger head. Settles to one finger that is foamy on top and tighter towards the bottom. Good lacing.

Smell: Pine is very prominent. Lots of tropical fruits and sweet grain smell also. Citrus and pineapple are the first things to come to mind. 

Taste: Not a traditional Imperial IPA taste. The have a very soft hit but develop in your month. The flavors stay in your mouth for a long time. Pine upfront with a bitter finish. Fruits are in the middle but lacking. Smell and taste are different. 

Mouthfeel: Very oily and the flavors seems to envelop your mouth. 

Overall: Very interesting overall. Good beer but the taste seems to be lacking the fruitier flavors that can be had with hops. To me, this lack of roundedness in the hops does not make it an imperial ipa, its missing too much. Although it is said to have ginger, I can not detect it in the nose or mouth. Even while being super critical of this beer, it is a good beer and very drinkable. For the price, a better buy can be had.

3.4/5