52 Weeks 52 Beers

I am a true lover of beer. I am going to try a new beer every week and write about it. I hope to find many new brews that I can add to my regular rotation, however through out the year there will be a few beers that I just cannot pass over. So, join me, as I travel the country, if not the world, as I expand my knowledge and love of good beer.

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Week 11: Thomas Hooker, Blond Ale,

Brewer : Tomas Hooker, Bloomfield, CT

Beer: Blond Ale

ABV: 4.6%

Week 11, and I have gone with a local Connecticut beer from Thomas Hooker out of Bloomfield. This is their offering of Blond Ale, and for something thats less the thirty minutes from my house Iv’e never had before. 

This light ale has a very light, golden color that is practically translucent in the light, it may be one of the clearest beers I’ve ever seen. It has a light, sweet aroma that has a slight malt, hop and floral smell to it. This beer has a bright crisp flavor with slight floral undertones, no taste of hops or malt. However, this beer does leave a slight aftertastes that tends to linger. 

Overall, I’d give this Blonde Ale a 7/10, but leaning to an 8, and I think I will have to give this brew a second chance in the future.

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Week 10: Troegs, Mad Elf Honey & Cherry Ale.

Brewer: Troegs Brewing CO., Hershey, PA

Beer: Mad Elf, Honey & Cherry Ale

ABV: 11%

This week is wife’s pick #2 and she chose Mad Elf Honey & Cherry Ale by Troegs out of the candy capital of America, Hershey, PA. I was very uneasy with this pick from my dear wife as wife’s pick #1 was a serious miss for me, however she redeemed herself this time.

Before you ask; Yes it’s a Christmas beer, yes we drank it after the holidays, and yes, bring it to every Christmas party you attend next year. As far as first impressions go this beer really had it running on all cylinders. It has a dark red color that is no doubt brought on by the cherries that are brewed with it. Let me reenforce that, its not an amber color like most red beers, but actually is red, which especially seen when held up to the light. The aroma is light, sweet and almost cider like that on this particular night was very enticing. 

When you drink the Mad Elf it becomes very easy to forget that your drinking beer as it is lightly sweet. It is not as sweet as cider but more then a typical beer.  You can taste the cherries as they come on late and leave a wonderful aftertaste in your mouth. Let me warn you, this stuff goes down easy and although its strong at 11% ABV you never taste the alcohol and my wife and I found our selves reaching for another, quickly.... and another. If you have teenagers in your house, hide this. Without question, this is a holiday party drink that everyone should try.

This week, I give the Mad Elf a 9/10 and I will be bringing with me to every Christmas party I go to this year.

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Week 9: Dogfish Head, Palo Santo Marron

Brewer: Dogfish Head, Milton, DE

Beer: Palo Santo Marron

ABV: 12.0%

This week I chose a pricy little 4 pack from one of the most successful craft brewers in the country, Dogfish Head. This is their Palo Santo Marron ale that is brewed in 10,000 gallon wooden barrels, something that has not been seen since the beginning of prohibition. 

I had some real high expectations from this beer, as I have been a fan of other brews from Dogfish Head. Unfortunately though, this ale did not live up to expectations. Initially it has a very strong malty aroma and is extremely dark brown, to the point if you drink it in a room that is not well lit you will swear its as black as a stout. On first taste the malt flavor is overwhelming and as it lingers on your tongue you can definitely taste vanilla and caramel. None of the flavors are unpleasant, however there is so much happening with this drink the flavors become muddled and leave an unpleasant aftertaste in your mouth.

Overall, I’ll give this beer a 6/10. I wouldn’t pass it up if there was nothing else available, but I won’t go out of my way to get it again. And, even though I didn’t care for this beer by Dogfish Head, they do tend to have great brews and will be trying something else different from them in the future. 

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Week 8: New Belgium, Fat Tire

Brewer: New Belgium, Asheville, NC

Beer: Fat Tire

ABV: 5.25%

This weeks selection is by far one of my favorite year round beers, Fat Tire by New Belgium brewers. All year long I pine for Octoberfest by Sam Adams, that was until the middle of 2016 when I came across this spectacular amber ale.

The initial aroma of Fat Tire is sweet, malty with a hint of caramel. It has a beautiful clear amber color, that personally I find incredibly inviting. This beer has a sweet, toasted, lightly hoppy flavor with a slight bitterness at the end that passes over the tongue and leaves a clean pallet with no aftertaste. 

Now, don’t get me wrong, Fat Tire, is not Octoberfest, as far as I am concerned, no beer is. However, if you are looking for something to get you through the 9-10 months Octoberfest is not available I highly recommend adding Fat Tire as one of your regular beers. 9/10.

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Week 7: Heavy Seas, Winter Storm, Imperial ESB.

Brewer: Heavy Seas, Baltimore, MD

Beer: Winter Storm

ABV: 7.5%

So, after a lengthy delay I finally received my second installment from my beer of the month club gift I got for Christmas. Of the four beers that were in the pack I decided to highlight the Heavy Seas Winter Storm Imperial ESB, and not because it was the only one I liked, but because it was the only one I got to drink 2 of as my wife finished off the rest. I had worked a bunch of nights and she was home and slowly drank them on me. 

So, the Heavy Seas Winter Storm is another seasonal brew, as noted in its name, that I really did enjoy. It has a light amber color, with a lightly hopped aroma that also has an earthy smell to it. Initially, this beer has a strong taste of alcohol that seems like it is going to be overwhelming, but there is a nice, slight hoppy bitterness that comes on at the end. Winter storm leaves a good malty flavor on the pallet that makes you want to go back for more.

Overall, I would give this beer an 8/10 and come next winter, I look forward to trying it again. My wife couldn’t stop talking about both of the Heavy Seas beers we received with this months selections, so I won’t be surprised to see something else by them pop up as beer of the week in the near future.

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Week 6: Otter Creek, Couch Surfer.

Brewer: Otter Creek, Middlebury, VT

Beer: Couch Surfer, Oatmeal Stout.

ABV: 5.4%

This weeks choice is a really nice oatmeal stout from Otter Creek out of Vermont. Earlier in my beer drinking days, I really did not like stouts, mostly because I thought they were all like Guinness, thick and overpowering. Yet, as I have gotten older and my tastes have matured, I have found that I like Guinness and have opened my self up to stouts again.

The Couch Surfer stout has a great malty aroma that is mixed with hints of chocolate and coffee. Now, I have never thought either of those things went well in a beer, but this time the mix of the two works very well together. Drinking this you can definitely taste the undertones of chocolate and coffee, as well as a great malt flavor that really ties it all together.  There is no aftertaste, no bitterness, just a smooth satisfying flavor.

I really liked this stout, enough so that I am looking forward to seeing what else Otter Creek has to offer. This week’s offering gets an 8.5/10 and I will be getting this again.

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Week 5: Elysian, Space Dust IPA

Brewer : Elysian Brewing Co., Seattle, WA.

Beer: Space Dust IPA

ABV: 8.2%.

This week I decided to make it Wife’s Pick. My wife is my drinking buddy that I have turned on to beer and she wanted to take part in my little project. So after some long deliberation she picked the one with the box she liked the best. So, that means I have either failed as a beer guide, or I just shouldn’t let her make these important decisions anymore. 

This is our first IPA here on 52 beers, and I know they are the in thing these days, and there are a few out there that I have found that I do like, this was not one of them. Initially, it has a bright golden color and a strong floral aroma that is very pleasing. I have to say, upon first look, I was excited to try this, but looks can be very deceiving. Although this IPA is not as hoppy as some the spice profile that Elysian uses is extremely overwhelming, and it does not mix with the strong alcohol content well at all. Space Dust is bitter and the taste lingers on the tongue for quite some time after finishing.

I know IPA’s are very popular, but they really just don’t do it for me. If you are an IPA fan that likes strong flavored, in hop filled, citrus flavored IPA’s then I highly suggest you give this a try. However, if you are like me, someone that likes more subtle flavors, without the bitter aftertaste, then steer clear of this. My wife gave this a 7/10 as she leans towards liking IPA’s more then me. My self though, I’m going with a 3.5/10. This is not something I will drink again. 

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Week 4: Kona, Pipeline Porter

Brewer: Kona Brewing Co., Kona, HI

Beer: Pipeline Porter

ABV: 5.3%

So, as is evident by this blog, I love beer. What is not so obvious is that I also love coffee( You really shouldn’t have beer for breakfast). So this week I chose the Pipeline Porter by Kona Brewing, which is made with Hawaiian Kona Coffee. I have had one or two coffee beers in the past and have never been impressed, this beer is no different.

The Kona Pipeline is dark like a porter should be and could be easily mistaken for a stout. It has a good coffee aroma that is mixed with that of a cheap American Lager. This porter has a strong coffee taste and is very similar to an unsweetened, black, cold brew coffee that is readily available in grocery stores these days. The coffee taste is definitely the dominant flavor as there is no taste of hops or alcohol. Actually, there is very little beer flavor at all. There is no aftertaste or any unpleasant lingering flavors at all for that matter. 

Overall the Kona Pipeline Porter is very mediocre. It is not something I would go out of my way to avoid, but it also won’t be my first choice if it is readily available to me. I rate this weeks choice a 6.5, and probably wont have it in my fridge again anytime soon.

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Week 3: Thimble Island, American Ale.

Brewer : Thimble Island, Branford, CT

Beer: American Ale

ABV: 5.0%

Here we are for week 3 and I chose a local Connecticut brew, Thimble Island’s American Ale. This is a beer I have looked at a lot over the last year or so, but this is the first time I have tried it. The beer market in Connecticut has been growing steadily over the last few years and we have some great brews to offer. Honestly, I could spend most of the year just trying stuff from my home state, but I really want to try beer from all over. 

The American Ale by Thimble Island is fantastic. It has a cloudy golden color that at first glance was not too appealing, but it has a light floral aroma without the hoppy smell of an IPA. This beer has a great smooth taste that is light on the pallet, without any of the bitterness or terrible aftertaste of traditional garbage lagers made by the big brewers.  The ABV is only 5% so there is no overwhelming alcohol flavor and unlike last weeks brew, it isn’t going to get you drunk real fast. This is something that would make a great summer beer to have while grilling burgers.

If you are looking for a nice smooth beer to sit around and relax with, I highly recommend the American Ale from Thimble Island. This is definitely something that will find its way into my regular rotation and I can’t wait to see what else Thimble Island has to offer and I am going to have to make time to get over and check out the brewery. 9/10.

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Week 2: Blue Point, Winter Ale.

Brewer : Blue Point, Patchogue, NY

Beer: Winter Ale

ABV: 7.7%

Week 2, beer 2. This week I decided to go with a seasonal brew as I chose Winter Ale by Blue Point Brewery. In the past I have not been a big fan of winter beers. Typically I had thought that they were like trying to drink a pine tree, some of them even had stuff floating in them. I thought they were really off putting and last winter I had steered clear of any seasonal beers. This year, I decided to try a few again, and damn, am I glad I did.

The Winter Ale by Blue Point has a great dark amber color, a strong smell, and rich flavor. This brew is very aromatic, and distinct in its aroma as it smells mildly of hops, wheat and strongly of alcohol, as it’s abv is higher then a typical beer at 7.7%. At first taste the alcohol in this winter ale is slightly overwhelming, but once you get past it there is a warm toasted flavor with a hoppy aftertaste that lingers slightly and it warms as it hits your stomach. 

As I mentioned, this beer has an abv of 7.7%, which I did not realize at first and finished my first bottle on an empty stomach and began to get a buzz quite a bit faster then I had expected. So, if your looking for a beer to get drunk on, faster then your regular brew, this is a good choice. But if your looking for a beer with a good, strong flavor, that warms the belly nicely, this is also a great choice.  For the second week in a row, I rate this beer as a 8/10 and definitely something I will get again next winter. 

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Week #2, Blue Point Winter Ale

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Week 1: Saranac, Black Forest, Black Beer.

Brewer: Saranac, Utica NY

Beer: Black Forest

ABV: 5.3%

All right, here we go. Week 1, beer 1. For my first selection I picked the Black Forest Beer by Saranac Brewery. This beer is one of 4 that I got last month as part of the beer of the month club my Mom and Sisters signed me up for, as a Christmas gift. Each month I will get 4 different beers, 3 of each and 2 different brewery’s. This is what was left from my December selection, so I decided to make it my first Beer of the Week.

On first impression Saranac was not kidding in calling this a black forest beer. It is very dark, but not nearly as dark or thick as a stout. Instead, when I poured it into a glass, the best way to describe this beer, is that it looked just like a glass of Coca-Cola. It did not have a strong beer aroma or smell very hoppy, and it tastes much like it smelled. Light on the pallet, very smooth, not at all bitter and just a hint of hops for an aftertaste that does not linger.

Overall I would rate this beer as an 8/10 with it’s nice refreshing taste and would make a good spring beer to have on one of those cool spring nights when you are just opening the grill up for the fist time.

It’s been a long time since I have done any real writing, so this is going to take some time and hopefully over the next few months I can get better with my descriptions and recommendations. So, join me next week for something new, and hopefully, equally delicious.

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