Commercial Beers -- Blind Tasting Comments...
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Alaska - Anchorage to Fairbanks
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Alpharetta / Cumming, GA
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Athens, GA
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Atlanta, GA
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Belgium
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Chicago, IL
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Fort Collins, CO
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Minneapolis, St. Paul
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New England - RI, NH, ME
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New Orleans, LA 1999
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New Orleans Beer Tour Photos
2001
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New York, NY
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Philadelphia, PA
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Germany: Munich, Bamberg,
Kulmbach, and Berlin
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Tampa, FL
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Chimay Trappist
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Orval Trappist
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Rochefort Trappist
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Westvleteren Trappist
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Westmalle Trappist
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Globe Bar, Athens, GA.
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EKU 28
Doppelbock - 11%
alcohol by
volume (abv)
Kulmbacher
Brewery, Kulmbach,
Germany
FIRST PLACE
Aroma: Toffee, alcohol, hints of
fruit.
Appearance: Crystal clear and
brilliant with a
copper color of rum.
Flavor: Huge malt, huge mouthfeel,
alcohol is
warming. This is a beer for sipping by a fire on a cold
night.
There is a bready, German character with slight undertones of roast
malt.
Raisiny and delicious! |
Christmas Mead 1999
Traditional Mead - 12.5%
abv
Lurgashall Winery,
Sussex, UK
SECOND PLACE
Aroma: Honey, flowers, fruit, orange
blossoms,
vanilla.
Appearance: Still, golden, clear.
Flavor: Not very sweet. Tart-hint on
aftertaste,
great balance, clear, not cloying, seems well-aged, hints of apple,
rich
honey flavors. This is a near-perfect, well-balanced mead.
Fullers Vintage Ale
1998
English Barleywine -
8.5% abv
Fullers/Griffin Brewery,
Chiswick,
UK
THIRD PLACE
Aroma: Fruity, mild, hints of English hops.
Appearance: Clear, amber, gorgeous color.
Flavor: Excellent and well-balanced.
Hop/malt
components work perfectly together. This is an extremely
sophisticated
and refined Barleywine with nice, fruity complexity. What an
awesome
beer!
Unibroue 10
Belgian Specialty Ale -
10%
abv
Unibroue, Chambly,
Quebec, Canada
HONORABLE MENTION (tie)
Aroma: Fruity, musty, cellar-like.
Appearance: Beautiful thick, white foam
with good
head retention. Color is bright golden and clear.
Flavor: Alcohol, spice, fruity esters,
malt --
all work well together. Hints of pepper and spice. There
are
slight dry/metallic notes. This is a good Belgian ale -- coats
the
tongue with mouthfeel and flavor.
Aventinus
Weizen-Eisbock
Weizen-Eisbock - 13% abv
G. Schneider and Sohn
Brewery,
Kelheim, Germany
HONORABLE MENTION (tie)
Aroma: Banana, clove, vanilla,
smoke. There
are also spicy, musty hints and lots of complex phenols.
Appearance: Dark brown and cloudy with a
nice
head for a 13% alcohol beer.
Flavor: Malt, alcohol, spice, phenols
(clove,
banana). Warming with notes of caramel. This beer was
cooled
until ice formed, then some of the ice was removed to concentrate the
beer
and alcohol. This process has complimented the rich flavors of
this
beer.
Kasteel Belgian Ale
with Cherries
Belgian Specialty Ale -
8% abv
Brewery Van Honsebrouck,
Ingelmunster,
Belgium
HONORABLE MENTION (tie)
Aroma: Sour cherries, chocolate, cherry
jubilee.
Appearance: Dark brown with ruby
highlights.
Clear and attractive.
Flavor: Cherry pie with crust and
syrup.
Cinnamon, almond, cherry pits, sweet and sour. This is a luscious
dessert beer that has a remarkable tart/sweet balance. Sour
cherries
and malt are in harmony -- well done.
Gulden Draak
Belgian Strong Dark Ale
- 10.5%
abv
Brewery Van Steenberge,
Ertvelde,
Belgium
Aroma: Light phenols, vegetables, DMS.
Appearance: Nice head with foam lace on
sides
of cup. Reddish/brown in color.
Flavor: Chocolate, dark candi sugar,
rum-like,
cardamom, spice. A bit oxidized. Sweet and pepper notes.
Don De Dieu
Belgian Specialty Ale -
9% abv
Unibroue Brewery,
Chambly, Quebec,
Canada
Aroma: Cereal grains, citrus, fruit,
spice, phenols,
corn, vanilla.
Appearance: Nice white head with a cloudy
haze.
Dark golden in color.
Flavor: Alcohol is hidden in this
beer.
Orange/citrus, spices, vanilla, hints of butter. This is a
pleasant,
honey-like, flowery ale.
N'Ice Chouffe
Belgian Specialty Ale -
10%
abv
Brasserie D'Achouffe,
Achouffe,
Belgium
Aroma: Plum, raisins, sherry, port.
Appearance: No head, medium brown in
color, reddish,
no carbonation to speak of.
Flavor: A touch thin, fruity, pleasant,
caramel,
plums, dark candi sugar, hints of sweet ripe cherries. Flavor
falls
short of aroma. Some carbonation would help.
Bobby Krusen's
Barleywine 1999
English Barleywine - 13%
abv
Buckhead Brewery and
Grill,
Tallahassee, FL, USA
Aroma: Caramel, chocolate, hops in
background,
balanced aroma.
Appearance: Hint of haze, nice dark brown
with
ruby hints.
Flavor: Dry for a Barleywine of 13%.
Hops
cut into malt profile a bit too much for an English Barleywine.
Dark
malt character. Mouthfeel is a bit light. A well-aged,
rich,
pleasant beer.
Big Ale 1999
English Style Barleywine
- 13%
abv
Brimstone/Frederick
Brewing
Co., Frederick, MD, USA
Aroma: Malt hints, fruity, light toffee,
dry/bready.
Appearance: Good head retention, a bit
hazy, nice
dark amber color.
Flavor: Malt, alcohol, hints of cherry,
vanilla
and caramel. Very nice ale.
Hog Heaven
Barleywine-Style Ale
American Style
Barleywine -
9.2% abv
Avery Brewing Company,
Boulder,
CO, USA
Aroma: Fruity, smells of fresh hops like
it was
dry-hopped. Very nice aroma.
Appearance: Deep garnet red, clear,
brilliant.
Flavor: Malt expression is good, and hops
are
balanced. Aftertaste fades too quickly. Needs more
lingering
hops. This Barleywine is perhaps a bit thin in body for style.
Prize Old Ale
Old Ale - 9% abv
George Gale & Co.,
Horndean,
Hampshire, UK
Aroma: Oxidative quality is a bit much
(even for
an Old Ale). There is also treacle and fruit in aroma.
Appearance: Very dark and clear, but hard
for
light to penetrate at all. Very low in carbonation.
Flavor: Corky, very oxidized, thin, sour,
metallic.
This bottle was probably subjected to heat in transit. Flavor is
flat with notes of port, sherry, and cardboard. This was probably
a rich, flavorful ale before it degraded.
![](buckheadbrew.jpg)
Buckhead
Brewery and Grill!
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