April Grades and Ranks

What a great beer month April was for me. Three things worth noting, th0ugh. I didn't tweet an Allagash White that I had while I was in Portland. It was served with a lemon and it really, really distracts from the flavor that I like. Second, the only beer that was worth talking about at the Bacon and Beer Festival was Brooklyn's Dark Matter. It was delicious for the sample that I had, but not enough for me to really credit with a grade. I would try it again, though, if I saw it around. Third, the home-brew I had at Beck's party was excellent, and even though I had enough to qualify it for a grade, I brought a bottle home and planned to drink it April, but didn't. It will be featured in May, I am sure.

If anyone wants to plan a beer-geek-out with us at Lord Hobo, we will be going soon at some point. Let us know and we will make plans.

Here is April's list. Brought to you by Allagash :)

[A]

#1 St. Bernardus Abt 12. special 60Th anniversary edition. brown malty and a touch sour. but oh so good. im drinking a big bottle. A 4:37 PM Apr 19th via txt (A, A)

This beer alone, not just the special edition, is one of my favorite beers. And when you make it something more special, which I believe was a certain hops and other ingredients, it was just the right tweak. But, seriously, this is a beer worth dropping some dollars on.

#2 Allagash Four. so good with the malts and a touch of sour that makes you come back for more. the best from the group. available too. A 6:46 PM Apr 28th via txt (A, A)

Oh Allagash, you have been so kind to me. Maybe I love this beer because it usually means that I am having a good time out with Beth, but I know it is just such a solid beer.

[A-]

#3 Allagash Interlude. french oak barrels this time. sour and Fruity. real nice. A- 8:48 PM Apr 18th via txt (A-, A)

My favorite new-to-me beer this month. Taking the tour of the Brewery made me appreciate all their beers so much more.

#4 Allagash Victor. Ale made with Red Grapes. High alcohol, nice subtle flavor with the grapes. You wouldn't think of it unless you knew it. A 8:23 PM Apr 24th via web (A, A-)

But I did not have this beer there, we found it at a store in South Boston and shared it with some of our fellow beer geeks. We have the counterpart, the Victoria in our fridge.

#5 Altenmunster Maibock. Straight from Germany, brought from a co-worker. Seriously good. Refreshing, little buttery, light and crisp. A- 7:27 PM Apr 6th via web (A-, A-)

Thank you so much to my co-worker who brought this back from Germany for me. That was super nice of her, and it ended up being a really good beer.

#6 Birra del Borgo Re Ale Extra. An IPA? I don't know what makes it extra. From EBF. Lemon, pepper, hops, and a sourness. Heavy body, yum. A- 8:16 PM Apr 13th via web (A-, A-)

This was an Extreme Beer Festival leftover. So, really, we may never have this again, but it was certainly something worth remembering. Italian beer, who knew?

#7 White Birch Barrel-Aged Barleywine Ale. Only 280 btls made. That barrel flavor hits you at first, then you get used to it. Enjoyable. A- 7:25 PM Apr 27th via web (A-, A-)

The first time we tried White Birch, it was a leftover from the Belgium Beer Fest, and it was flat and it really ruined the experience. I don't think that we drank all of it. So, we were a little reluctant to try this one. But I am glad we did. This is a good local drink.

#8 Pretty Things Fluffy White Rabbits. This is some seriously good beer. Since it was Belgian, we had it with Waterzooi. Made it taste hoppier than before. A- 8:46 PM Apr 12th via web
The triple was great with Easter. See, you can be hoppy, yet balanced. Predominant flavors are okay. A- 8:12 AM Apr 5th via web (A-, A-)

You should knew my love of Pretty Things by now, and this is no exception. Drink it, if you haven't started.

#9 Avery Collaboration not Litigation. Nice Belgian style ale. Has a good amount of bitterness, followed with a smooth taste. Easy to drink. A- 9:40 PM Apr 7th via web (A-, A-)

At some point, I was talking to someone about this beer and I couldn't remember who this was a collaboration with. Russian River, the makers of Pliny the Younger (and Elder). I really don't give Avery enough respect. I think something about their labels throws me off.

#10 Pretty Things St. Botolph's Town. One of the best browns around. And that is saying a lot with Brooklyn, DFH, and Smutty always available. A- 1:03 PM Apr 30th via web (A-, A-)

One of the best browns around.

#11 Bear Republic Red Rocket. I paired it well with Mexican, turned out really good. I love the dark red with a great balance. Fine beer. A- 11:56 AM Apr 3rd via web (A-, A-)

Though I don't drink Bear Republic as much lately, my love affair with them still exists. They are one of the reasons that I want to go to San Francisco so much.

#12 Allagash Curieux. Triple aged in a bourbon barrel. Hops and citrus but hidden in the flavor of bourBon. Tasty but not my favorite. Still A- 6:01 PM Apr 28th via txt.
Triple. aged in jim beam barrels. smooth and spicy. nice belgian. when in maine B+ 8:06 PM Apr 18th via txt (A-, B+)

Even though this is lower than a lot of the other Allagash beers, this is a fine beer. But as for taste goes, it isn't quite right for me. Maybe not for you.

#13 DogfishHead Midas Touch. "Somewhere between wine & mead." Felt fairly modern for an old recipe. Would buy a 4-pack for home. B+ 1:02 PM Apr 30th via web (B+, A-)

This may have been my first full drink of this beer. If not, I had forgotter that it was good. I think that I will pick up a pack of it next time we are looking for a session beer. Well, a strong session beer. The best kind, right?

#14 CBC Bad Knees. Yay for barrel-aging. Nice, powerful old ale. Lost a little on the finish, but the middle of the drink was really good. A- 8:43 PM Apr 30th via web (A-, B+)

I hadn't been to Cambridge Brewing Company for quite a long time. I forget that they are really good brewers. This beer is no exception, though I feel like barrel-aging, while great, is getting a little out of control. But, stop by and try this.

#15 Bruery Saison de Lente. Nice to have this again, this time of tap. Like the subtle Brett, not too over-powering. Muted by previous beer. B+ 9:36 PM Apr 7th via web (B+, A-)

Love the Bruery. Learning to love Brett beers

#16 Ipswich Dark Ale. A little malty, very smooth, very enjoyable session beer. I had no opinion of it going in and now I want more. B+ 5:55 PM Apr 25th via web (B+, A-)

Probably the biggest surprise of the month. I thought it was just a filler beer in out party pack, but it turned out to be the best beer of the group. We need to tour their brewery.


[B+]

#17 Pretty Things Mild Ale. A young, hoppy mild. Paired it with chick pea patties. Turned out really good. Complimented the spices. B+ 7:42 PM Apr 22nd via web (B+, B+)

You know that it was a good beer month to have this beer come in at #17. I don't know if they plan to ever do this again, so if you see a bottle, pick it up and enjoy it.

#18 Rogue Dead Guy. I can't believe that I went like 9 months without drinking this, prior to this pack. Drinkable & refreshing on a hot day. B+ 7:01 PM Apr 7th via web (B+, B+)

Interesting that this is a Maibock, and comparing it to the German Maibock I had. I need to explore the whole bock family of beers.

#19 Victory Hop Devil. Would have loved this beer during my HopHead days, but over all it is still pretty good. Good mostly-hops balance. B+ 7:49 PM Apr 29th via web (B+, B+)

Seriously, this would have been my favorite beer if I had tried it in 2006. It's a great beer if you love hops, which I still do, but my taste has diversified over the last few years.

#20 Smuttynose Old Brown Dog. A nice malty ale, really classic when you don't want to drink something overly hoppy. B+ 10:32 PM Apr 10th via web (B+, B+)

I really should try this side-by-side with St. Botolph's. But Smuttynose is always dependable.

#21 Ipswich IPA. Another solid effort from a good brewery. They don't punch you in the face with hoppiness. Just enough to remind you. B+ 8:25 PM Apr 20th via web (B+, B+)

This is a good IPA if you don't want to be over-powered with hops. Beers can have flavor, but they lose so much if they are not balanced, and Ipswich understands that.

#22 Oskar Blues Ten Fidy. The awesomest canned beer. But I drank from a glass anyway. Rich, spicy, dark, coffee. Complex and good. A- 7:32 PM Apr 22nd via web (A-, B)

This may have dropped since I am little hungover from the one that I had last night. I really respect them for being passionate about canned beer, and they do deliver a good product, but there is something more aesthetic about drinking from a bottle or glass.

#23 Anchor Porter. Great, easy porter. Drink it as a session beer. Probably not the best match with hot wings, but would be great with bacon. B+ 8:20 PM Apr 24th via web (B+, B)

Another reason to go to San Francisco. This is a no frills porter, a great definition of the style.


[B]

#24 Mayflower IPA. No frills IPA. Not like DFH or Smuttynose where they try to make it into something more. This IPA is no nonsense. Good. B 8:22 PM Apr 24th via web (B, B)

#25 Ipswich Original Ale. APA. Hoppy, yeah sure, but goes well with any sort of meal that has a little spice in it, like a Turkey Joe. B 7:26 PM Apr 16th via web (B, B)

I get Mayflower and Ipswich mixed up a lot, with their nautical themes and all. But they are all good session beers, which I rarely do enjoy anymore. I drink my one or two beers with dinner, and only drink occasionally without food.

#26 CBC Sgt. Pepper. I thought why not. It delivers, but the saison that it is in would be much better w/o. Taste like Kettle S&P chips. B 8:44 PM Apr 30th via web (B, B)

I got this because I was eating hot food and I thought that it would all go well. It accentuated the heat and made my food hotter. I think that the base of it, the saison part, was delicious, but it takes a lot of courage to drink, let alone brew, a spicy beer.

[C+]

#27 Sam Adams Noble Pils. This is a session beer that really doesn't go with food. It tastes better out of the bottle. Could use spice. C+ 10:48 PM Apr 3rd via web (C+, C)

I tried this a few times and I never got into it. But as national beers go, there will always be Sam Adams and you know they care about what they are brewing.