Sea Dog - Blue Paw Wheat Ale

Taps for a Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer
Sea Dog Blue Paw Wheat Ale
Sea Dog Brewing Co.
125 Western Ave.
South Portland, ME  USA 
Est. 1993
www.seadogbrewing.com

Brain Damage Quotient = 4.6 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 16.0 (On Tap) 

Postmortem Brew Review
Straw to golden color.
Blueberry fruit aroma, no malt or hops detectable in smell.
Minimal off-white head with some lacing on the glass.
Mostly blueberry tastes comes through with little hops or malt.
Light fruit flavored, light bodied mouth feel. 

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
This is a beaut...like drinking a blueberry muffin.  That comfort food aroma is what your nose detects when you raise the glass to your lips.  A novelty and a drinkable beer, Blue Paw Wheat is low in alcohol and refreshing. 

Ordered on tap, a teaspoon of blueberries were added that floated like little blue lobster pot buoys on the head of the beer!  These beer soaked jewels are your prize to enjoy when you reach the bottom of the glass.  Fun to sample this beer of Maine.

Reissdorf Kolsch Ale

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer
Reissdorf Kolsch Ale
Brauerei Heinrich Reissdorf
Emil-Hoffmann-Str. 4-10 D-50996

Cologne, Germany
Est. 1894
www.reissdorf.de
 
Brain Damage Quotient = 4.8 % ABV

Fluid Oz. = 16.9 

Postmortem Brew Review
Bright golden straw color.
Sweet grain and yeast nose accompanied by unusual tart, citrus smells.
White minimal head that dissipates rapidly.

Minimal lacing of the glass.
Moderate carbonation malt sweet and citrus tart taste.
Light bodied, refreshing.

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
To describe this 'big fella' is to say, how should I put this...like what Bud would be if it had a big brother ale.  Though the unusual citrusy grape/fruit like twang at the end of each sip was an unexpected surprise.  It was served in a tall, symmetrical cylinder of a glass that resembled a rather large shotgun shell, and had the HR brewery logo on the outside along with ml (milliliter) markings.  Some kind of science beaker! 

Very enjoyable and refreshing on an 80 degree day here on the sun-coast of Florida.

Harpoon I.P.A.

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer
Harpoon India Pale Ale

Harpoon Brewery
306 Northern Avenue
Boston, MA USA
Est. 1986
www.harpoonbrewery.com
 
Brain Damage Quotient = 5.9 % ABV

Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Orange with red hues in color, slightly cloudy.
Floral hop and hop oil aromas with some malt.
Off-white, fluffy three fingered head that dissipates slowly.

Head lacing coats entire glass nicely.
Moderate carbonation with bright hops finish.
Medium bodied.

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
There are lots of I.P.A.'s to select from in the beer world today.  Plenty of breweries add tons of hops in order to capture what they believe to be the ale was supposed to be in its origin.  This has led to off-shoot splinter I.P.A.'s that hop even more and more and more, to the point where your tongue goes numb.  And, that is the point of many; climb to the top of the hops pile, to become king-of-the-hops-hill.

What Harpoon has done, is craft an I.P.A. that does not punish your taste buds for wanting more than one...or two...or even three.  They have managed to get it right by keeping the 'hops heat' to 40 IBU's.  By accomplishing this, they allow you to enjoy a session of pure, unadulterated hoppy IPA indulgence.  After some rumination, I decided that point alone was what pushed it from a B+ to an A-.  Imagine that! 

Don't get me wrong.  I like my hops as much as the next fellow.  But when the fire blazes, you'll find yourself backing off from the heat; hence you lose the enjoyment.  By allowing it to smolder, you can enjoy the fire for a long, long time.

Get the picture?  Now you get this exceptionally subtle I.P.A.

Avery - India Pale Ale

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer
India Pale Ale
Avery Brewing
5763 Arapahoe Ave.
Boulder, CO USA
Est. 1993
www.averybrewing.com 

Brain Damage Quotient = 6.3 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Tawny, hazy golden color.
Fruitiness and hop oil presence and a bit of pine spiciness.
Full, creamy-white three finger high head.
Sensational spiderweb lacing on glass.
Medium malty mouth feel with plenty of hoppy bite. 

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
Mmmmm.  The first of Avery's creations I sampled was in the rarefied air of Colorado.  Now, us lowlanders in Florida also get to enjoy the taste.  This is a perfect example of an American built craft IPA.  Start to finish it is an adventure.  So why haven't I been hunting for these sooner?

Let's begin our adventure with the "Indiana Jones" style Mercator projection of the eastern hemisphere, smack dab on the middle of the label.  As the opening credits roll, you trace your finger upon the red line from the north coast of Africa, around The Cape of Good Hope and straight to Mumbai.  A tip of the hat to George Hodgson from the folks at Avery.

In the 1790's Hodgson figured out the alcohol and hop ratios that kept the beer from spoiling before reaching the thirsty troops stationed in India.  His formula produced a bitter, alcoholic, sparkling pale ale that withstood the trip to India. Hodgson's success is legendary, and as a result we all enjoy IPA today.

Nice touch that Avery, though based in a land locked state like Colorado, can carry this traditional style forward.  Killer 69 IBU's will dazzle your taste buds along with the present maltiness.  Start your epic journey today!

Oskar Blues - Ten Fidy

Tin Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer
Ten Fidy
Oskar Blues Brewery LLC
1800 Pike Road
Longmont, CO USA
Est. 1997
www.oskarblues.com

Brain Damage Quotient = 9.4 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Solid black color.
Hop aroma, chocolate and roasted malts with other complex aromas.
One fingered creamy tan head, quickly dissipates.
Stringy lace on the glass.
Full flavor in taste; hop, malt and chocolate complex flavors.
Full bodied; smooth and silky.

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
Oh my.  Nearing the end of a fine evening at the new liquid location "World of Beer", host Brogan sought me out and offered some of the establishment's 'private stock', not yet on the available menu.  

This one almost escaped my grasp due to a 'bone headed' thought.  Getting ready to leave for the evening, I first refused the purchase.  That's when it occurred to me I had a designated driver to navigate.  What fortuitous luck!  I sheepishly returned to my host and apologized for acting the chump.

This imperial stout is so outrageous in so many ways, it simply shouldn't work.  I mean, nearly 10% ABV is a challenge...NO PROBLEM.  You don't pick that up in the taste.  How about the insane roasted malt AND chocolate, chocolate, chocolate flavors? PERFECT!  And for an encore, they add the CUH-raziest amount of hops.  IBU's 98...that cuh razy enough for you?  Sounds like it should be a train wreck. Ahhh, but it's more like the 20th Century Limited.  Simply the finest experience.  But leave the chugging to the train and savor the flavors of this fine imperial stout.

Outrageous? Yes! Worth every bit of it.  Oskar Blues...wooot, WHooooT!  That must be the Ten Fidy train. And to think I almost let it pass me by!

Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer
Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout
The Old Brewery at Tadcaster
Yorkshire, England
Est. 1758
www.samuelsmithsbrewery.co.uk

Brain Damage Quotient = 5.0 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Dark walnut brown color.
Nutty, malted barley with a hazelnut aroma.
Nicely foaming head with clumps of foam and lacing.
Medium bodied mouth feel. 

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
The second Samuel Smith sampling and boy, another winner.  This is a deliciously smooth and rich stout.  The first oatmeal I've had the chance to try and will be a stranger to them no longer.  If you fancy yourself stouts and you are looking for something a little different, try this one.

In the previous Nut Brown Ale review it was stated, "Upon further research, Samuel Smith has many other brews in their arsenal, of which I plan to seek out. If they are half as good as this brown ale, it will be worth the search."   The Celebrated Oatmeal Stout is up to par. See if you don't agree, too.

Michelob Light

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer
Michelob Light
Anheuser-Busch, Inc.
St. Louis, MO USA
Est. 1852
Intoduced 1982
www.michelob.com

Brain Damage Quotient = 4.3 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Clear yellow nearly straw color.
Sweet grain smell, no hops aroma.
Thin, fast dissipating head with minimal to no lacing.
Crisp flavor, light mouth feel.

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
Deja vu all over again.  

If the post mortem sounds like the Bud Light from this past summer you're not dreaming.  Same stuff in a different bottle as far as my taste buds were concerned.

That's not to say it wasn't enjoyable, but not my regular bony-armed reach for liquid refreshment.