Local Heroes: Charlie Papazian

Welcome to the local heroes series. This new segment will focus on people in the "industry" who have local connections. The first subject is someone a little less than obvious, in the sense that his connection to our fair city ended more than three decades ago. While this man only lived here for a few years, what happened during that time was so profound that reverberations are still being felt across the beer world to this very day.

Younger beer drinkers such as myself are lucky. Ever since I was old enough to truly appreciate beer, I have been able to explore a mesmerizing array of breweries producing an incredible variety of styles. But I am well aware of the fact that it hasn't always been that way. The beer scene of not too long ago was outright depressing. Prohibition killed off a vibrant beer scene in the United States, and for decades after its repeal, only a handful of styles were available from just a few companies. Most Americans adjusted their palates to these dismal offerings, but those who craved quality and flavor were left to languish in a bland despair.

But a few people took matters into their own hands. One of those people was a nuclear engineering student at UVA by the name of Charlie Papazian. Charlie's beer drinking career started like any typical college student, featuring whatever macroswill was trendy at the time. But he didn't find that satisfying and came to the the frightening conclusion that he did not like beer. Fortunately, he eventually discovered that he was wrong. One day a local preschool owner, George Conner, introduced Papazian to homebrew brewed up by one of his neighbors...

And a monster was born.

Fascinated by the concept of homebrewing, Papazian tried his hand in the dirt floor basement of the preschool. The first few batches were undrinkable, but soon, Charlie was turning out gold. Experiment with high quality ingredients, he found out that beer could actually be flavorful and good. After graduation he left Charlottesville and slowly embarked on a career that would eventually send shockwaves through the world of beer.

The class curriculum from a homebrewing class he tought at a community school in Colorado would slowly evolve into a book, the Complete Joy of Homebrewing, in 1984. This book is considered one of the all-time important tomes on the art of homebrewing. But Charlie didn't stop there... He founded two major homebrewing and craft beer advocacy groups, the American Homebrewers Association in 1978 and the Association of Brewers in 1979. Both exist to this day in some form. In 1982 came the Great American Beer Festival, which has turned into one of the premier beer events in the world, drawing 408 breweries and 46,000 attendees. The World Beer Cup was founded in 1996, featuring the international beer scene

Charlie continues to be heavily engaged with these events and organizations, as well as many others, and he has become one of the most renowned beer and brewing experts in the world today, earning himself the nickname "Father of Homebrewing." And it all started in our back yard. Charlottesville can be proud of the fact that the man who done more than anyone to make homebrewing accessible to everyone found the beginning of his journey right here in our own town.

AleSmith IPA

There has never before been an AleSmith review on this blog. That's a shame. While AleSmith is not available anywhere in this area, if you do ever see it be sure to pick it up. Whatever it is, it will be good.

AleSmith Brewing Company is one of many breweries that make up one of the premier beer scenes in the world. I'm talking of course about San Diego, California. Founded in 1995, AleSmith Brewing Company is regarded as one of the highest quality breweries an in area rife with insanely good beer. (Stone, Ballast Point and Green Flash are locally available San Diego beers).

AleSmith prides itself on high quality craft brewing, as well as a strong connection to homebrewing. In fact, if you're not a homebrewer, you're simply not going to get hired at AleSmith. Both the owner and head brewer are past presidents of homebrewing associations. Given the fact that some of the best breweries in the country, like Dogfish Head and Hair of the Dog, grew from homebrewing backgrounds, this bodes well for AleSmith.

The AleSmith IPA won bronze at the 2005 GABF and a boatload of other awards at other festivals. Ratebeer.com currently ranks this the 90th best overall beer, and the #1 overall IPA. BeerAdvocate has it 35th overall and the 2nd best IPA. In other words this is good stuff.

A massive thanks to trading partner Brian of West Orange, New Jersey who apparently felt that the really good extras he included with the main part of our trade weren't enough, so he sent a second box with this gem a week later. Also, this just happens to be my 600th beer rating.


Appearance: Beautiful reddish-orange color with a medium sized head. The head does disappear rather quickly, leaving little specks of lacing and finally sticking around as a thin film on the top of the beer that creeps just slightly up the sides of the glass. Slight haze and vigorous carbonation. 3.75/5.0.

Aroma: Very appropriate IPA aroma... floral, citrus and pine hop notes with a sweet background. Not terribly complex, but very pleasant. 4.0/5.0

Taste: Nicely complex taste. It hits me as sweet, bitter, sweet, bitter with the sweetness having a honey-like quality juxtaposed with a strong citrus hop bitterness. I am reminded strongly of lemonheads candy. A slight vegetal note. Very nice. 4.0/5.0

Mouthfeel: The carbonation gives this a lively feel. Bitterness and sweetness balance fairly well. The beer has a slightly viscous feel and the alcohol is absolutely hidden. 4.5/5.0

Drinkability: Bitter, sour, sweet, but absolutely smooth and approachable. It's not perfectly balanced, but every aspect of this beer stays relatively in check with the others. It's not cheap (Brian paid $8.99 for this somewhere in Jersey), but 22 ounces is absolutely no problem, and is a very pleasant experience. 4.5/5.0

Overall: This is a top-notch IPA, in the league of anything Stone, Bell's or Russian River can produce. A joyful experience, and a worthy 600th rating. 4.1/5.0

Miscellaneous Reviews - Cleaning Out the Notebook, Pt. III

I am soooooo behind, haha. Either that, or I've been reviewing too many beers lately. Let's say it's a little of both. First up in this, part III of the "Ohmigosh I Need To Get My Reviews Up" series, is Boulder Beer's Hazed and Infused, a dry-hopped American Pale Ale. Brewed with caramel, two-row, and roasted malts, boiled with Willamette, Chinook, and Cascade hops, and dry-hopped with Crystal and Centennial hops, Hazed and Infused is relatively low as far as abv% goes - 4.85%. It's the flagship beer of the "Looking Glass" series, introduced in 2002, though Boulder Brewing has been around since 1979 and was actually the first microbrewery in Colorado. Neat. Consumed on draught at Beer Run.

Appearance: Hazy orange, with a bright, billowy, full head. Seriously, it was like a mushroom, it actually rose above the lip of the glass and didn't spill over the edge. Good retention that leaves speckly lacing. 4.0/5.0.

Aroma: Dry-hopping really comes through here - leafy, vegetal hops are crazy strong, as are light citrus hops, and there's nothing to balance it out except a faint, grainy sweetness. Very one-dimensional. 2.5/5.0.

Taste: Citrus/apple esters are stronger here - there's a very strong tart/bitter presence up front, almost like lemon juice. There's some caramel malt too, stronger than it is in the nose, but, still, a little too bitter. 3.0/5.0.

Mouthfeel: Oily, but still very spritzy/effervescent. Medium-to-thick bodied, with very low "sublimation." Even. And puckering. 3.5/5.0.

Drinkability: Nothing in terms of alcohol, and good if you like tart beers. It was, unfortunately, a little too tart/bitter for me. 3.5/5.0.

Overall: 3.20/5.00. An average dry-hopped beer that's a little too one-dimensional in my opinion. Hops are totally off the deep end, and while that's ok in places, it's not so ok across the board.

So that was like, Thursday or something. Friday was the 4th of July, so I was on vacation. While on vacation, I partook in an Allagash Dubbel, a beer Dan has actually reviewed on here before. Dan kinda already went into all the details about the beer, so for the sake of makin' things go faster, here's the review.

Appearance: Good one-finger, slightly off-white head with sticky lacing and really good retention. The bubbles are really fine, which makes the head look very smooth. It's a deep amber brown, lighter than most dubbels I've enjoyed - has lots of ruby and mahogany hues. 4.0/5.0.

Aroma: Mild stone fruits, spices (nutmeg, cloves) from the yeast, brown sugar, and golden raisins. Very sweet, fruity, spicy. Excellent. 4.5/5.0.

Taste: Sweet candy sugar up front, same spices as in the nose, other lightly roasted malts, a nice rounded toasty flavor in the finish. There's also a faint ghostly alcohol in the finish. 3.5/5.0.

Mouthfeel: Low sublimation - stays very liquidy in the mouth - but the foamy goodness that is there is very smooth and even. 3.5/5.0.

Drinkability: Fairly high. It's not a sweet dubbel - rather dry, so it's not cloying - nor are the spices too harsh or overwhelming. The alcohol is also not too noticeable nor too terribly high (7.0% abv). 4.0/5.0.

Overall: 3.85/5.00. Gotta echo Dan on this one largely. It's a good attempt at a Belgian style, but at the same time it's got its own thing goin' on in a few different places. Appreciated both for its uniqueness and its loyalty to its style.

My vacation also saw me trying Artevelde, a Belgian dark ale I had on draught at Brasserie Beck in Washington D.C. Brewed by Brouwerij Huyghe (producers of the ubiquitous Delirium beers), a brewery that's been around since at least 1906, the brewery's website has a description of this beer in French. So I decided to put it into the Altavista Babelfish. Here it is in its original translated form for your reading pleasure:

It represents the Gantese tradition mainly by the character qu' it symbolizes, Jacob Van Artevelde (1290-1345), Gantese revolutionist who gives again at the town of Ghent a certain independence. The beer joined its initial symbol by its special character. It makes somewhat forget its social role and convivial qu' it must play throughout l' year, with a strong point at the time of the " gantoise" celebrates;. Its taste points out a little the " ales" English but with a know-how specific to the Belgian brewer. Unceasingly round, it however offers a dry bitterness, but which is not prolonged too much in length, thus allowing an additional round. It is also remarkable on the digestive plan, but s' open also worms of the talents aperitifs. To be useful fresh.

The Babelfish is fantastic. So now that you know everything you need to know about Artevelde, off to the review!

Appearance: Deep copper, straw, gold color, a white, one-finger head with great retention and very attractive, streaky lacing. Heavy looking but active carbonation. 4.0/5.0.

Aroma: Sweet fruits, dates, spicy, floral hops, and alcohol. Well balanced. 3.5/5.0.

Taste: Also very balanced. Sweet, lightly roasted malt and figs are pitted against tart citrus and plenty of hop bitterness, and lots of yeasty spices are noticeable up front. Spices are well-rounded, and there's a hint of alcohol in the finish. 3.5/5.0.

Mouthfeel: Thick, good sublimation feel, a fairly even (though not perfect!) and medium-sized bubble profile makes for a reasonably smooth mouthfeel. 3.5/5.0.

Drinkability: Good, but not outstanding. It's a sipping beer, thick and sweet, and moderately alcoholic. It's also reasonably entertaining to drink, though I don't know if I'd have more than one glass. 3.0/5.0.

Overall: 3.55/5.00. A full beer, but one I find myself not being too enthusiastic about. It was interesting, moderately tasty, and pretty drinkable, but I just wasn't that gung-ho about it. All the pieces were in place though, so maybe I'm short-changing it. Give it a go. *shrugs*.

Miscellaneous Reviews - Cleaning Out the Notebook, Pt. II

All four of the following beers were consumed by Dan and I on the evening of Wednesday, July 2nd. We had enjoyed a nice dinner at Himalayan Fusion on the Mall (Dan had a coupon for a free entrée), which didn't have a beer menu nearly as bad as either of us had expected. We then proceeded up to Court Square Tavern, where we had an experience that will likely result in me adjusting their score on our Where To Drink Beer in C'Ville page.

So I asked for an Anchor Liberty Ale, one I've had before but had never gotten a chance to properly review. It seems that opportunity has continued to elude me, because the beer I was brought was an Anchor Liberty in name only. I was brought a Liberty coded "5S3," which my previous foray into the details of Anchor bottling coding allows me to determine was bottled on ... September 3rd, 2005. Now, my previous foray was with a beer four years older, but it was also with a beer nearly twice as alcoholic (by volume). There's a reason people don't age pale ales. If you don't know that reason, you might after reading this review.

Appearance: An aggressive dump yields a poor half-finger head. Cloudy orange-amber body with minimal, dead-looking carbonation. No lacing. 2.5/5.0.

Aroma: The hops are gone here, and their faint remnants are hardly even hanging around anymore. A shame. A few light malty notes, but a lot of a) creamy diacetyls and b) light fruity phenols and esters. The yeast have been busy. Very strange smelling. 3.0/5.0.

Taste: Butterscotch - not sure if that's intentional - and tons of esters, light, like granny smith apple skins. There's still some minor bitterness, but it's largely overwhelmed by the funkyness. Has not aged gracefully. 2.5/5.0.

Mouthfeel: Even, creamy, big, and fluffy - the best part of this beer by far. A very mature feel. 4.5/5.0.

Drinkability: Not so hot. Just lacking in too many departments and funkified in too many others. Age has been kinder to Debbie Harry. 2.5/5.0.

Overall: 2.80/5.00. Not this beer's fault, at all, because I've had this beer fresh, and it's a damn solid pale ale, one of the oldest, and one of the best. South Street Court Square needs to keep what ages well - they may even be able to mark those up to break even with the losses that they should be experiencing from disposing of their expired beer.

So then we came home, Dan with two beers in tow and me with a bunch of stuff in my fridge that was nowhere near as impressive as what Dan brought, as usual. But some interest was expressed in an organic brew Clare had brought me from DC last weekend (part of a package deal in exchange for a Troegs Nugget Nectar), so we popped that open. All of Peak's brews are organic, which is of course their shtick. I'm not much of an "organic" guy, despite being a vegetarian who's obsessed with food. The meaning's just been so diluted and I'm not really sure it's even really worth it that much, because there's so much more that's wrong with modern food than pesticides or hormones or whatever else it is that really separates organic food from regular food. So now I'll get off my soapbox (which is actually a beer crate) and review the beer, which is ~5.1% abv, 41 IBUs, brewed with organic caramel malts, and hopped with organic Cascades.

Appearance: A mild pour yields a nice one-finger, creamy head, moderate lacing, a hazy golden body with hints of orange, and mild carbonation. A very good start. 4.0/5.0.

Aroma: Hmmmm, a step down. Crisp, spicy hops are fairly neutral otherwise. Smells in many ways like a pilsner, and that's never what you want from an APA. There's some grainy notes, as well, and then that strange milk-carton top off-note. 2.5/5.0.

Taste: Very sweet, grainy caramel malts, Cascade hops (orange zest), a good dose of hop bitterness, and a few of strange, funky off-flavors. Wheaty in places. 3.0/5.0.

Mouthfeel: Fluffy, but medium-to-thick bodied. Good bubble structure, right Dan? 3.0/5.0.

Drinkability: Nothing outstanding here. Alcohol's fine and all, but it's just a little too sweet, a little too funky, and a little too strange to make me want to have more than just one. 2.5/5.0.

Overall: 3.05/5.00. This beer is notable for being organic, and not much else. I don't think it's not great because it's organic or anything, it's just generally not all that great a beer. Worth it if you're into the whole organic scene, but otherwise, not recommended.

So with my pittance out of the way, Dan whipped out his 2005 Fuller's Vintage Ale. It came in a Fuller's bottle (the most solid of all beer bottles, IMHO) which itself came inside a nice-looking red box. The Vintage Ale has been released in limited batches every year since 1997, with the recipes being tweaked slightly from year to year. There were 150,000 of the 2007 edition released, an 8.5% abv brew made of that year's "finest malts and hops."

Appearance: A gorgeous copper bodied brew with a small amount of haziness, topped with a huge foamy off-white head that leaves behind some incredible lacing. A very attractive beer! 4.5/5.0.

Aroma: Like a liquid sour apple jolly rancher! Very, very estery, with a touch of dry, well-fermented malt and a finish of solvent-like alcohol. Unique. 3.0/5.0.

Taste: Sour esters are still present, but not as prominent here, which lets a lot of the other aged notes shine through. An initial honey-like sweetness, fades quickly with the sip and is replaced by chewy, darker malts, fruit-like sweetness, and - surprisingly - some hop bitterness. Still lots of warming alcohol, but it's rounded. A very well-rounded taste with a definite transition as the sip progresses, always nice. 3.5/5.0.

Mouthfeel: Big bodied but very smooth, full, and fairly even. Creamy. 4.0/5.0.

Drinkability: Surprisingly drinkable, gets better as it warms. Complex and interesting, and, although the alcohol is both high and detectable, it's the good kind of alcohol. 4.0/5.0.

Overall: 3.70/5.00. A very respectable brew - the English idea of an "extreme beer," perhaps. Very proper. I wouldn't mind trying some of the other vintages, both to see how they differ as well as to see when this beer "peaks."

We finished the evening off with my favorite beer of the evening and another Dan contribution - the Lost Abbey's Lost and Found dubbel. Located in San Marcos, California, Port Brewing Company/The Lost Abbey is perhaps most famous for their Angel's Share Bourbon Barrel Aged ale, a top 15 brew on BA (a 4.56 average w/ 81 reviews). You're likely not going to find any Lost Abbey brews around here, but if you ever feel like taking a road trip to California ... This 7.5% brew is modeled after the Abbey ales of Belgium, and includes a special raisin puree as one of its ingredients, along with two-row, wheat, medium and dark English Crystal, Special B, and Chocolate malts, as well as German Magnum and Tettnang hops. Vintage 2006.

Appearance: Deep brown with gorgeous garnet hues, a medium one-finger slightly tan head, and really nice lacing, a pleasant surprise for a style not really known for its lacing. 4.5/5.0.

Aroma: Oh so doughy and bready - sweet, soft grain, almost like maple syrup in some places. Despite the sweet simpleness of it all, there are a lot of dark malts here, some fruity, some molasses-like. A few spices and yeast notes present as well. 4.0/5.0.

Taste: Nutty up front, with a few light citrus notes and tartness. Earthy and floral hops next, and then, bam, tons of dark, bready malt, heavy fruity esters, light roasty notes, and a few good spices. Very clean. 3.5/5.0.

Mouthfeel: Belgian-esque ... but not quite Belgian. It's pillowy and fluffy and full, but it's just a little short of that "sublimation" effect I'm always talking about. Alcohol feel, as well, though it's smooth, not sharp. Very clean and distinct. 4.0/5.0.

Drinkability: 7.5% abv, but very clean, complex, and tasty. Plenty to keep you coming back for more, and goes down very easy. 4.0/5.0.

Overall: 3.90/5.00. Not a world class dubbel, but a pretty good one, in my opinion, and a good first experience with the Lost Abbey. So, Dan, when are you bringing over the Angel's Share?

Brewdog Paradox Islay Edition 008 - Bowmore 1987

Now that's quite a name for a beer! BrewDog is a Scottish brewery whose Punk IPA was previously featured at a Cville Beer Geek tasting. Their Paradox beers are a series of imperial stouts that have been aged in casks that have been used to age some of the country's finest whiskies. This particular brew was aged in a cask that had previously aged a Bowmore whisky (if you see a Scotch with an "e" it's a fraud) for a good 19 years. I want some. Now. I think I read somewhere that Bowmore had reused a sherry cask for their scotch whisky, so by the time this cask saw some beer, it was likely full of all kinds of amazing flavors.

The Paradox was purchased at Wine Warehouse for $10.99 for a 11.2 ounce bottle (yeah, I know). A few days ago they had two left, so if you want to try this... hurry. Best before 06/06/09, abv 10%.

I have previously had one other paradox, the Speyside Batch 010. Thanks to my trading partner's contacts and the timing of this release, I can be sure that I was the first one in the United States to try this beer, and among the first few dozen in the world. I found it fruity, peppery but very dry, with a strong whisky character and very drinkable. Now let's see about this one...

Appearance: This pours a dark chocolate brown with a very thin head that quickly goes away. Visibly thick. Not much to look at, but appropriate for an imperial stout. 3.5/5.0.

Aroma: The aroma is very strong. The whisky comes through so strongly that the aroma shows strong peat notes. Very peppery and oaky with notes of leather, tobacco and smoke. Very rich, dry and interesting. 3.6/5.0.

Taste: The taste is very similar to the aroma, yet even more so. The smoked peat is incredibly strong, dominating the beer. Very dry, with tobacco notes and the most subtle hint of sweetness. Some alcohol astringency. 3.0/5.0.

Mouthfeel: Medium body. It has a bit of a burn to it to the point that this feels like you're literally drinking scotch. Carbonation is not noticeable. 2.4/5.0.

Drinkability: Not very drinkable. A sipper for sure, and one that will most definitely turn off anyone that is not a fan of scotch whisky. The alcohol makes it's presence known in this one. If you are a fan of scotch and like a smoked character in your drinks, this may be right up your alley. 2.0/5.0.

Overall: 2.85/5.00 This might be too much of a good thing. The scotch character is so strong, that the beer doesn't stand a chance. On second thought, maybe I don't want to try this scotch. I will definitely be on the lookout for more versions of the Paradox, but this one I'm not a fan of.

Miscellaneous Reviews - Cleaning Out the Notebook, Pt. I

I've had way too many opportunities to review beer in the past week or so, and as such my little notebook/cell phone are overflowing with various reviews of various beers. So consider this a "clean-up" sort of post - I won't go into great details about the various beers or how I came about them, and instead just give the lowdown. So here goes.

Olde Richmond Batch #9 Red Ale, an American Red/Amber Ale, was reviewed on 06/24, brought by Dan to a Wednesday night tasting Proteus, Dan, and myself had at Chez Moi. This brewery brews only three beers is a separate line of three beers brewed by St. George (and I should have known that, since I went to the Virginia Beer Festival yesterday in Richmond and learned as much), and now they're down to two, at least for the time being, as apparently Magic Hat got a cease and desist order on the Batch #9 (for obvious reasons). So this beer's retired temporarily on hold, pending a name change.

Appearance: Clear, amber, bronze, with a fierce head. Solid retention. 3.5/5.0.

Aroma: Caramel malt, very bready, and some course, oily-smelling, flowery hops are fairly prominent. Nice. 3.5/5.0.

Taste: Malty, very sweet, slightly roasted, lots of grassy, vegetal hops. Some tart sourness around the edges. 3.5/5.0.

Mouthfeel: Very uneven, despite the medium body and good carbonation levels and profile. 2.5/5.0.

Drinkability: If you like red ales, this is a solid example. Low alcohol, not too sweet or cloying for the style, and lots of good hop flavors keep it interesting. 3.5/5.0.

Overall: 3.50/5.00 Not my style - I find amber ales generally too sweet for me - but this one was decent, drinkable, and loyal to the style guidelines. Shame it got forced off the market.

Proteus brought the Russian River Damnation to the party, my first Russian River beer. Apparently, it was purchased down at Once Upon a Vine in Richmond, not too far. Located in Santa Rosa, CA, it's very rare to see Russian River in this neck of the woods, so many thanks for this opportunity. A 7.0% Belgian strong pale ale (and winner of two silvers and one gold at the GABF in the last nine years), this beer's a year-round brew. Our batch was #12.

Appearance: Huge-floaty alert!! A gi-normous foamy, rocky head, great lacing, but, damn, tons of sediment. Very authentic looking. 4.5/5.0.

Aroma: Lots of good stuff. It's pretty mild, with good fruity esters - grape tannins, white wine-esque in many ways - and yeast notes dominating, coriander, cloves, some other spices, and good ol' fashioned funk. 3.5/5.0.

Taste: Very fruity, lots of juice flavors, with pear, white grape, and apples coming through. Mild hop spiciness, and those same good yeasty notes - funk, earthy spices, faint banana esters. Belgian with a fruity kick. 4.0/5.0.

Mouthfeel: Good finish, thin-to-medium bodied, and with enough carbonation but perhaps less than is typical for the style. Creamy and even. 3.0/5.0.

Drinkability: Alcohol is moderate and slightly noticeable, but everything else is solid and tasty. A gentle, easy-going beer. 3.5/5.0.

Overall: 3.85/5.00. Perhaps not as good as I was expecting, given the fantastic things I've heard about Russian River (two beers in the Top 10 on BA, seven in the Top 100), but that's an expectations problem, not a beer problem. This is a very drinkable Belgian PA, which is always a style I enjoy seeing domestic breweries pull off, and this one is pulled off well. If you see it, pick it up. If you see any Russian River, pick it up.

Dan also brought the Urthel Hibernus Quentum, De Leyerth Brouwerijen 9.00% abv tripel. The Urthel website's in Dutch, so if you can read it, go learn more about the beer here.

Appearance: A hazy orange gold, with a great Belgian-looking head, and slimy, sticky lacing. Spot on. 4.5/5.0.

Aroma: Belgian funk, lots of spicy phenols, and plenty of earthy, spicy hop notes. 4.0/5.0.

Taste: Very pronounced and strongly-flavored - lots of hops, light, fruity esters (which are very difficult to place), simple candy sugars or perhaps honey, and a few errant spices. Hops are actually very pungent and spicy, appropriate for the brewery, interesting for the style. 4.0/5.0.

Mouthfeel: Crisp, bright and effervescent, bold, but with a medium body. Works great with the "extra" hops in the taste. Warming, dry alcohol in the finish. 4.0/5.0.

Drinkability: Highly drinkable, despite the abv%. A very interesting take on the style, with plenty going on to keep you sipping. 4.0/5.0.

Overall: 4.10/5.00. A great beer, and not too many places to knock this one. It's both faithful to the style and unique in its own way. It's not quite a Westmalle, but it's a damn fine brew. Plus, the cartoony-looking dwarf-gnome man (pictured above) is humorous.

Cool Story

I don't know if Chris wants to mix politics and this blog at all, but it's very cool when a US Senate candidate and former Governor actually buys you your first beer on your 21st birthday.

And yes, I am totally jealous.