Dogfish Head Kvasir and Birra Etrusca

Dogfish Head Kvasir (2013)

Occasional Rarity (Limited Release).

25.4 fl. oz. / $9.99 USD / 10% ABV

About: "With the help of biomolecular archaeologist Dr. Patrick McGovern, we've re‐created another Ancient Ale, this time from the Nordic climes of Scandinavia. The recipe for Kvasir was developed with the help of chemical, botanical and pollen evidence taken from a 3,500‐year‐old Danish drinking vessel. The vessel, made of birch bark, was found in the tomb of a leather‐clad woman Dr. Pat says was probably an upper-class dancer or priestess. The analysis pointed to the ingredients used in this unique brew: wheat, lingonberries, cranberries, myrica gale, yarrow, honey and birch syrup.

The base of Kvasir is a toasty red winter wheat, and the bog-grown berries deliver a pungent tartness. While a handful of hops is used, the earthy, bitter counterpunch to the sweet honey and birch syrup comes from the herbs. Food Pairing Recommendations: Sweet-­‐and-­‐sour pork, beef tacos with pickled vegetables, smoked salmon, root vegetables, fresh gingerbread / Glassware Recommendation: Snifter / Wine Comparable: Pressac."

Thoughts: Kvasir poured a vivid orange-red with a thick frothy eggshell white head on top. The beer is incredibly clear, and carbonation is abundant.

Smells like a spiced, alcoholic fruit punch. There's a lot of cranberry all over this, and tons of honey as well. The birch and herbs are what really make this one rather intriguing. It's really sweet smelling, and the spices make it as if it's some exotic herbal candy. I actually really like it.

The first sip of this gives off such a light cranberry juice quality that's it's hard to believe that this is a 10% beer. Then suddenly a rush of bewildering booze flows in that is just strong enough to for you to say "oh there it is" and yet not too strong as to turn you off. This beer is very herbal, very spiced and luckily, not overbearing in the sweetness department. It's not an easy one to describe, since the herbs they used here I had to look up and that birch syrup is masking them a bit. The herbs still come through strong though, but pinpointing just exactly how they taste is proving to be rather difficult. Nonetheless, those two aspects of the beer itself blend together quite nicely. I used to drink birch beer all the time after I first tried it a couple of years back, I never thought that it would go this well with cranberry, but it does, and that's a good thing since this one reeks of cranberry though and through.

I like this beer, though it may be a bit too sweet for me. It doesn't exactly taste anything like a beer though, more like a mead mixed with juice, though that's not a problem for me. I like juice, mead and beer so whatever. Mouth feel is a bit frothy. It's got a soft tartness that you only start to notice as the beer warms towards the second half of the bottle. The bitterness isn't exactly anything I would describe as more than noticeable, as it itself drowns in herbs. You may get a slight puckering affect, but overall it's really fucking sweet and juice-like. If you can get this for 10$ or under I say go for it. I've seen some places trying to sell it for 12-14$ and in my book that's no good. I enjoyed this beer, but it's a bit too sweet for me and while really layered, not complex enough to cut through the sweetness that's represented here.

Dogfish Head BIRRA ETRUSCA Bronze (2012) 

Occasional Rarity (Limited Release).

25.4 fl. oz. / $10.59 USD / 8.5% ABV

About: "To develop the recipe for Birra Etrusca Bronze, Dogfish Head's Sam Calagione traveled to Rome with molecular archaeologist Dr. Pat McGovern. With the help of Birreria Brother Brewers Leo DeVencenzo of Birra del Borgo and Teo Musso of Baladin, they analyzed drinking vessels found in 2,800-year-old Etruscan tombs. The backbone of Birra Etrusca comes from two-row malted barley and an heirloom Italian wheat. Specialty ingredients include hazelnut flour, pomegranates, Italian chestnut honey, Delaware wildflower honey and clover honey. A handful of whole-flower hops are added, but the bulk of the bitterness comes from gentian root and the sarsaparilla-like Ethiopian myrrh resin.

Food Pairing Recommendations: Spiced pickles, marinated olives, hearty beer bolognaise / Wine Comparable: Malbec."

Thoughts: Wow. The head on this thing dissipated fast as fuck. I poured it, went for the camera, and it was just fucking full and then gone. Color is a dirty orange, and slightly cloudy. I see a fair abundance of carbonation rising despite what just happened. And then there's that cyclopean bubble gleaming freakishly in the light.

This smells sweet and just a little bit herbal. It's like a wine actually. Grapes are evident here. Actually, it rather reminds me of a mead once again. I've only had a few of those so far but this one really fits that description.

Well, this is some crazy tasting shit right here now innit? It's extremely herbal tasting, fully. It hits hard and instantly before swirling in a circular motion inside the mouth. Damn that sounds dirty. This beer tastes kinda dirty actually... it's malty, sweet and tart. There's a good blend of sweet and tart here and it's really balanced well. It's a pretty strong beer. There's a thick amount of haze that really lays in and spreads throughout the face. There's honey dripping all over my mouth. Spicy honey. Nicely done DFH.

The feel is a little drying, as if it's almost astringent like. That's fitting.  I like this beer a lot. It's out of its fucking mind, and that's a beautiful thing. Dogfish always intrigue me with their ancient ales, and I hope they keep searching for more to do. Trying all of them in a back to back tasting would be absolutely incredible now that I think about it. Someone better get on that, or I may just have to do it myself.

Dogfish Head FORT

Dogfish Head Fort - Ale brewed with Pureed Raspberries (2009!)

Occasional Rarity (Limited Release)

25.4 fl. oz. / $16.99 USD / 18% ABV

About: "An ale brewed with a ridiculous amount of pureed raspberries (over a ton of 'em!). Fort has a Belgian-style base, then we follow a similar fermentation process to the one we use on our other super-high ABV beers, 120 Minute IPA and World Wide Stout. 

Fort is an excellent candidate for cellaring. Grab a few bottles, enjoy one now and lay the others down for a few years. Want to know when the Fort you find was bottled? Check the 'Bottled On' date on the neck of each bottle. Fort is also an excellent food beer. Our favorite pairings include anything chocolate or a nice piece of duck.

The Fort label art was designed by our rock-and-roll friend Tara McPherson. Tara also did the label art for our Chateau Jiahu and our 2012 Seasonal Prints and Uber-Tap Handle. Can you tell we kinda love her work?!"

Thoughts: I've been wanting to try this one for years. Something about that incredible artwork, the ridiculous price, the warning label on the cap... five or six bottles have been sitting in the liquor store down the street for a long time now, so I figured I'd make today that day. Three of the bottles were from 2011 and the two in the back were from 2009. So like a maniac I of course grabbed a 2009 one, since I too, like to live dangerously.

Fort poured a really hazy dirty orange color and featured an off white head that puffed up, before slowly dying down and never completely fading away. It's really murky. Some black flakes floating around the bottom, but I can only see it due to the light through that narrow bottom tip of the glass.

The smell actually reminds me of the other high gravity Dogfish head brews. I haven't exactly had a lot to compare these to so obviously they would I guess. The first whiff I got off the bottle wasn't exactly a pleasant one though. This is some harsh shit, right here. It smells a lot like wine. And not those pussy ass fruit wines either, I'm talking actual wine. Though it is fruity and has almost a little bit of a cider-like quality to it as well. The raspberries came through just moments later with a tremendous amount of alcohol. After a while they lay hidden until breathing in for a long period, then the sweetness starts to slowly emerge and build up heavily. But this doesn't smell sweet. It smells tart as fuck actually. The Belgian base is somewhat hard to get, but one you find it, it stays right there along with the blistering booze. 

The taste at first is way sweeter than the scent led on. It started with a huge blast of raspberry puree, followed by doughy warm bread that engulfed the mouth and then the slightest haze of booze which came in and fell back reasonably quick, leaving a very smooth and luxurious aftertaste. Nice. I didn't really know what to expect from the smell, but I was thinking it was going to be a lot harsher than it actually ended up being. Make no mistake, this is boozy as all hell... but I'll be damned, there's nothing off putting about it at all. It's a little bit spicy, a bit fiery (both in the mouth and belly), sweet and tart at the same time, robust and malty, succulent and savory, tangy and tickling. It's got a zing to it, and a light haze that rides through all the way. The brews got hints of golden raisins, tart cherry, half-cooked sugar rolls, plums, white grapes and tons of raspberry. Some truly mystifying shit this one is.

Mouth feel is smooth, slightly watery, tingling, extremely coating, long lasting, immense and satisfying.

Overall thoughts? Well, I can't say that I'm not satisfied. It could have been a shitload worse. Not only did I enjoy this brew thoroughly, but I'm feelin' real nice right now as I finish the bottle alone in this dark room of lamented anguish. I wouldn't go as far as to call this a great brew on its own, but for a Dogfish head rarity, its among the top, and that's despite being a fruit beer! Let's face the facts... who really likes fruit beers? Double IPAs that reek of tropical fruit juice, perhaps, but this is one fruit beer actually worth trying. Now where'd I stash my bottle of raspberry MD20/20 for that comparison review!?

Founders Cerise

Founders Cerise - Cherry Fermented Ale (2012)
Seasonal Release (Discontinued - No Longer Brewed)
12 fl. oz. / $3.25 USD / 6.5% ABV

About: "You’ll have a soft spot for this one. Using only fresh Michigan tart cherries, this beauty tantalizes with intense flavors combined with a no hesitation malt bill. Adding fresh cherries at five separate stages of fermentation achieves the ultimate balance between tartness and sweetness."

Thoughts: My first Founders. Pretty excited about it. Seen the bottles in the store for a long time, but figured I'd start off with this special release of theirs. A "Malt Beverage with Cherry Puree". Nice!

Cerise poured a raspberry red color, almost burgundy, like a dark orange-red that hides itself in shadows. The small, slightly pink head fizzled away rather quickly. Carbonation seems low. This beer is extremely hazy. I really like the color on this one. There's just something about red beers that makes me feel... sexy. Uh, I mean evil as shit. Yeah, that's the ticket. 

Smell up front is very malty. It's not really giving off any real "fruity" notes, but rather there seems to be a lurking tartness to it. Cherry is present overall, just laying low.

Wow! Holy fuck. Those cherries didn't really come out in the scent but man, they come out blasting in flavor stages. Starts off with a sweetness, and a sweet tart that builds up incredibly slow before delivering a puckering punch right to the cheeks. This is very flavorful, and leaves a blazing trail of cherry rush throughout the mouth. The effect is pretty intense right at the back of the tongue immediately following the swallow. Leafy hops start to appear as I breathe in and smack my lips. Utterly sweet, tart as hell in some spots and all in all pretty damn tasty.

The feel is a viscous attack on the taste buds! It's a lighter medium, and it's a little foamy, but when it hits you it's a real smacker. I can't imagine drinking more than one of these at a time. This stuff is crazy.

Samuel Adams Porch Rocker

Samuel Adams Porch Rocker (2012)
Summer Seasonal.
12 fl. oz. / $1.49 USD / 4.5% ABV

About: "Perfect for any summer day, Porch Rocker was inspired by traditional Bavarian Radlers that mix beer with German-style lemonade. Our bright and citrusy Radler is a Helles beer with a fresh-squeezed lemon taste, effervescent sweetness, and slightly tart, refreshing finish. A light malt character and hint of hops balance out this satisfying summer brew. Malt Varieties: Samuel Adams® two-row pale malt blend / Hop Variety: Hallertau Mittelfrueh Noble hops / Special Ingrediens: Lemon / Yeast Strain: Samuel Adams lager yeast."

Thoughts: Porch Rocker poured a super light yellowish gold color with a fizzy white head that evaporated fast as all hell. The beer is almost completely clear, but something interesting, all of the carbonation bubbles are clinging to the side and laying at the bottom of the glass. Weird, dude. A floor lining of bubbles... they look like those little underwater eggs from Hellboy.

The smell is kind of out there. It's not strong at all, but it's pretty damn fruity. Kinda like Fruity Pebbles, but not as distinct. It's a bit lemony, and there's an almost unnoticeable scent of hops.

The taste is an amped up version of the smell. Liquid Fruity Pebbles, with no milk. It's malty for the most part, with only a little hop burst at the end, and while pretty OK, it's a bit on the light side. But I suppose that's the point of this beer. It's got a very good ratio between sweet and tart, leaves a very welcome aftertaste and is incredibly refreshing. Not bad at all. This must be the liquid equivalent to light fluffy cereal.

Mouth feel is light, very watery, a little bit airy, incredibly easy to drink and just slightly filmy.

I bought a single of this figuring I'd probably end up disappointed, but I guess I'm not. I ended up drinking this beer pretty fast and actually this is the best I've felt all day. There must be something about these light citrus beers after a ten hour work day that just work well for me. I'm not super enthusiastic about this one, and I doubt that I would drink more than two in a sitting before switching to something heavier, but it was still pretty good.

Berkshire Raspberry Barleywine Style Ale

Berkshire Brewing Raspberry Barleywine Style Ale (2012)

Seasonal Release (February)

22 fl. oz. / $5.99 USD / 9% ABV

About: "This special ale is inviting with its ruby hued appearance from the generous use of half a pound per gallon of fresh raspberries from a local farm only a few miles from the brewery.  Luscious malts and a balanced hop bitterness support the rich sweet/tart character of the fruit.  This brew is dangerously drinkable, challenging the notion of what a “fruit beer” is. Available each year in February, in time for Valentine’s Day." Awwww...

Thoughts: True to its name, this brew poured a raspberry red color straight out of the bottle. Got some pretty good head retention. This beer is has a slight cloudiness to it. 

This smells great. Very sweet, those raspberries come out on top and there's almost like a silky malt flow in the undercurrent. I myself am a bit perplexed as to why my brain went to silky as a way to describe a scent, but it just smells silky smooth. It smells sweet, but not overly sweet and there's a little bit of booze lurking in the shadows. Not getting any hops in the nose.

Taste starts off beautiful with a rich malty tenderness mixed with those sweet raspberries. Very light orange-zest citrus hops come out in the flavor around the middle, and in the end there's a tingling tartness that gently flows in then out. Savor, gulp and repeat. After a while the alcohol brings forth a fog in the mouth that lasts between each sip or chug. The booze seems well hidden, but it's a creeper, slowly wedging its way into the flavors. A gentle bitterness to this beer, I'm going to say, really helps it out from being one of those disgustingly sweet and vomitory semi-brews. This is true Ale, through and through, and it's pretty damn good too.

Mouth feel, and very important, this feels like Beer! It's a bit frothy, medium to heavy, good carbonation, and filling. It doesn't really coat the mouth much in terms of anything sticky, which one may consider with a fruit beer or barleywine/strong ale, but the taste stays long after it's been swallowed.

Alright, poured the rest of the bottle in and now it's a little bit grainy and hazy as all fuck. Berkshire of course produces unfiltered and unpasteurized brews that allow the yeast to remain in the bottle... so always expect a treat when that second glass is in front of you. This beer isn't really complex at all, but I have no problem with the way it presents itself. Especially for a fruit beer, since they're apparently so easy to fuck up.

At the end of the bottle now and it's a bit warm and still tastes good, but it's far better when it's cold. If you're one of those people who think all fruit beers are absolute shite, I'm going to tell you that this one has a 50/50 chance of you enjoying it, and those are the best possible odds in this imaginary scenario. If you give fruit beers a try from time to time and a lot of them suck, which they will, then this one will not. You can trust me. I'm a professional. Though Valentine's Day has far since passed, you can still buy your girl a bottle of this, smash it over her head and say "I love you... when you're unconscious."

Leinenkugel Summer Shandy

Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy - Beer with natural lemonade flavor (2012)

Brewed and Bottled by Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company, in Chippewa Falls, WI. USA.

Summer Seasonal

12 fl. oz. (x2) / $3.30 USD / 4.2% ABV

About: "Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy is our take on a traditional German radler. Crisp, refreshing and brewed with natural lemonade flavor, it's perfect for the sun-splashed summer months. The refreshing lemonade flavor of Summer Shandy goes great with backyard dishes like BBQ chicken, hot dogs, brats and Italian sausages. It's also great with White Cheddar. Malts: Pale and Wheat / Hops: Cluster."

Thoughts: Well, straight out of the bottles this hazy beer looks more like lemonade than actual beer. There's really nothing more to really say other than if you had a glass of lemonade and this beer, the only way you'd be able to tell the difference is that sliver of a white head that's leftover.

The smell is that of a decent enough lager mixed with lemonade.

Taste is just like the smell. It pretty much seems to be a straight half and half mix of lemonade and beer. If you've had any american beer with a lemon wedge in it, then you know what that adds. This is a bit stronger on the lemon that that. Perhaps 80% lemonade? Not unpleasant by any means... but it really seems more lemonade than beer.

Mouth feel is excellent on this one. It's a meduim, little bit fizzy, not overly watery feeling and easy drinking.

Yeah, this isn't a beer with lemonade flavor at all. It's a Hard Lemonade. Overall thoughts, well it's not horrible... it kinda really sucks as a beer, but as a lemonade it's pretty damn good.

Wells and Young Banana Bread Beer

Wells and Young Banana Bread Beer (2011)
Brewed and Bottle at Wells and Young's Brewing Company in Bedford, England. UK.
16.9 fl. oz. / $4.99 USD / 5.2% ABV

About: "This unique brew combines all the traditional qualities and style of a Charles Wells beer with the subtle flavour of banana. The beer has achieved a number of accolades including winner of "Beer of the Festival" award at CAMRA's London Drinker Festival in March 2002."

Words: Poured a darkish orange amber with a fluffy eggshell white head that slowly bubbled itself away.

First impression. Wow! Smells just like freshly baked banana bread. Spot on! It's crazy how close they got it. After a few more times leaning in and out it starts to smell a bit like those candy "circus peanuts". The real banana bread scent and banana "flavoring" seem to go back and forth. And it's a bit like dried sugared banana slices... like those ones you find in trail mixes.

Taste is a strange one. I don't really tend to notice "bubblegum" flavor that I've read about quite a few times, but this one's got it. Aside from that the beer seems well balanced, but has this sort of overall blandness about it. I wish there were a more spice-pronounced flavor that goes along with banana bread. And while it is bready, it could use a touch-up on the recipe - say for instance a little brown sugar and cinnamon. The spice of the hops alone just isn't cutting it (no pun intended). That said, it's still pretty decent.

It's a little heavy, and not the most approachable beer I've ever had. Kinda tough to swallow in big gulps. Finish is thankfully bitter, yet dry.

It's an interesting gimmick beer that's fun to try once, but I just couldn't get past those Circus Peanuts. I never really liked them too much when I was a kid, and I'm pretty much still a kid... only with a long ass wizard beard. Wells, it was fun while it lasted.

Opa-Opa Blueberry Lager

Opa-Opa Blueberry Lager (2011)
Brewed and Bottled by Opa-Opa Brewing Co., in Williamsburg, MA. USA.
12 fl. oz. / $1.85 / 4.2% ABV

About: "This light lager is flavored with natural blueberries giving it a clear but subtle blueberry flavor. Made with pilsner malt, a touch of wheat for crispness & lightly hopped with fine German hops."

Thoughts: Bottle says that this brew is a "gold medal winner", but doesn't say from what or where. Doesn't show the ABV either. Quite frankly, I'm shocked there's even a born on date as many other beers don't even have that.

What in the fuck!? Poured a very light cloudy yellow with a no-inch thick head that disappeared as I took the photo. It was basically gone as I poured the thing. Born on date is 07/12/11. Looks like white grape juice. Talk about unexpected.

Well it sure as hell smells of blueberry. The lager smells very light. Not really sure if the blueberry flavor is real or not. I would imagine if there were actual blueberries brewed in with this it would have some color and not be one of the clearest beers I've ever seen.

Hmm. Smells a lot sweeter than it tastes. It actually tastes pretty sour and citrusy. Like the kind of feeling you get when you bite into a lime. There's no kick to it other than the puckering up it forces on the mouth. Taste is fairly light beyond that though, and there's really not much too it aside from that synthetic tasting fruitiness. The closest thing I've had to this recently would be that Woodchuck's Pumpkin Cider.

It's fizzy in the mouth and real light. It's pretty drinkable but you probably wouldn't want to do so. This rates slightly above Blueberry Seltzer Water.

Finish is dry and stale. I don't want to gross anyone out, but 'about to engage in oral sex after a few hours of exercise without showering' is what I'm getting two thirds of the way through. Do yourself a favor and pass on this one. Sorry dudes. Opa-Opa's Pumpkin wasn't half bad (it was pretty much half good), but it was leaps and bounds a hell of a lot better than this concoction.