Coors Banquet Lager w/ Charles Mingus

Style: Pilsner
Brewery: Coors Brewing Company
Location: Golden CO FOOL!
Website: http://www.coors.com/
Serving Type: 12 Fl.Oz.
ABV: 5.0 ABV

Pour: Smooth pour with a even pilsner head, the head dies off within one minute of pour.

Smell: The beer has a buttery yeast smell to it with a hint of hops and malt.

Taste: This is the true American pilsner, its smooth and crisp. However it has some nice yeasty taste to it and the light hint of maltiness. I do not taste the same beer when i drink it on the east coast.

Drinkability: I drink this beer regularly, it has a nice buttery taste to the yeast. Two things need to be noted about this beer, 1) It doesn't taste good from a bottle 2) It doesnt taste good outside of Colorado, seriously.

Note: On the 1936 can it says, "export lager" it was so good we exported it...but not to the east coast? Where the hell did they export it? HA!

Grade: B, B+ with Mingus

Lion Imperial Premium Malt Pilsner

Beer: Imperial Premium Malt Pilsner
Style: Imperial Pilsner
Brewery: The Lion Brewery Ceylon PLC
Location: Sri Lanka
Website: http://www.lionbeer.com/
Serving Type: 12 Fl.Oz.
ABV: 8.8 ABV

Pour: Smooth pour with a even pilsner head.

Smell: This pilsner smells very malty once you get into it, but at the beginning it has a crisp hop smell to it as well.

Taste: I was really excited when i bought this beer, it comes in a really nice box and the guy from a great liquor store recommended it. I am almost at the bottom of the first glass and it is tough. I enjoyed the first half of the beer and now it taste a little to malty. I did some traveling in the UK last summer and many of the beers tasted like this, it was good with an Indian meal but it doesnt taste as good over here in the states.

Drinkability: The first half is indeed much more drinkable then the second half.

Grade: C

Stone Cali-Belgique IPA

Beer: Cali-Belgique
Style: IPA
Brewery: Stone Brewing Co.
Location: Escondido, CA
Website: http://www.stonebrew.com/
Serving Type: 1 Pt. 6 Fl.Oz.
ABV: 6.9 ABV
IBU: 77
Pour: Smooth pour with a nice head and even thick legs.

Smell: This beer smells hoppy, floral and even malty smell.

Taste: The Stone Brewery Co. is my favorite brewery hands down. Stone Brewery have yet to disappoint me, this beer was another impressive beer. The beer is so well balanced, but it is still a strong complex IPA.

Drinkability: As I mentioned earlier this beer is well balanced and therefore I could drink about two bombers of this fine brew. Many of the IPA's that I have tried are not well balanced and therefore lose their enjoyment about one glass in.

Grade: A+

Sierra Nevada Glissade

Beer: Glissade
Style: Golden Bock
Brewery: Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
Location: Chico, CA
Website: http://www.sierranevada.com/
Serving Type: 12oz bottle
ABV: 6.4 ABV

Pour: Smooth pour with a nice semi thick lager head. The beer has a light amber/golden color, this beer is very clear unlike their pale ale.

Smell: This beer smells malty, with a medium European hop smell.

Taste: I have been drinking hoppy beers for years now and have gotten somewhat burnt out on them, so I am always trying to find new tasty, complex beers and this beer did not disappointing.

Drinkability: I can drink these all the way through a Karate Kid marathon, like a did a few weeks ago. However it will catch up to you because it is smooth but not exactly light weight.

Grade: A

Olde School

Beer: Olde School
Style: Barleywine
Brewery: DogFish Head Craft Brewery
Location: Rehoboth, DE
Website: http://www.dogfish.com/
Serving Type: 12oz bottle
ABV: 15.04 ABV

Pour: Very thick with no head. It was almost syrup-like. Carbonation looked non-existent, but it had a nice amber color and was a little hazy.

Smell: LOTS of alcohol and very sweet. I'm not even sure if they used any hops on this one because I didn't note any. I did smell some dark fruit like raisins.

Taste: Again, more dark fruit. The alcohol smacks you in the mouth, but it's not too bad. Little to no carbonation and it feels very warm in the mouth and belly.

Drinkability: One might be too much. I would recommend sharing this with a good buddy. The 15% alcohol is what this beer is all about. Sit by the fire and relax!

Grade: B+

Brown Shugga

Beer: Brown Shugga
Style: American Strong Ale
Brewery: Lagunitas Brewing Company
Location: Petaluma, CA
Website: http://www.lagunitas.com
Serving Type: 12oz bottle
ABV: 9.84%

Pour: Copper colored with a small head. It doesn't look like there's a lot of carbonation here. I also note some yeast floating in the glass.

Smell: Very sweet...molasses, brown sugar (obviously!), and caramel.

Taste: The first thing is the sweetness followed by the alcohol. At over 9%, it's not hiding. Carbonation is very low on this one, but it feels good in the mouth.

Drinkability: I'd have to say that I could drink a couple of these very easily...either by itself or paired with something savory.

Grade: A-

Howl by Magic Hat

Beer: Howl (Winter Seasonal 09/10)
Style: Black Lager
Brewery: Magic Hat Brewing Company
Brewery Location: South Burlington, VT
Site: http://www.magichat.net/
Hops: Apollo, Hallertau
Malts: Pale, Crystal, Carafa
ABV: 4.6%

Pour: Off the charts dark with a not much head. The bottle caps from Magic Hat are always interesting too. This one said “All my friends are brown and red,” which gave me a little chuckle.

Smell: Really soft nose on this one; slightly nutty with hints of tobacco

Taste: I had mine near ice cold and would recommend it that way. Went down very easy. Felt full and complete in the mouth while delivering just the right hints of coffee and chocolate undertones.

Drinkability: This is a great winter seasonal. It is chilly outside right now, and it felt just right sipping on this brew. If I was going to have a few drinks, this wouldn’t be my choice. It is not especially heavy (I think its Lager roots must help that), some may enjoy having more then one in a sitting. I’ve been milking the six-pack I picked up a couple weeks ago, and look forward to see what Magic Hat has to offer next year.

Grade: B (Almost a B+, but it was less enjoyable as it warmed up just a few degrees.)