Meg and Tom

We try beers

[megandtomtrybeers]

Victory Golden Monkey

(We needed a corkscrew to open this one. Worth it.)

Appearance: Golden, cloudy, with a creamy head

Aroma: Fruity, fresh, playful, wheaty, yeasty, lively, overall a very complex nose

Taste: Floral almost? Rose, upon consideration. A burst when it hits your tongue, but then mellows out. A good dessert beer.

Does the Label Lie? Claims: An ale brewed with spices There are no real claims, and it certainly is a spicy ale, so no, the label does not lie.

Does Mom Like It? "Yeah. Yeah, it's good. Yeah, it's very good."

Other Notes: 9.5% alc. Somewhat difficult to open. This beer was recommended to us via an anonymous submission to our ask box (which we were very excited to receive, so thanks)!

Would We Buy It Again? Yes

Overall: Meg: **** Tom: ***(Ratings out of 5)

Notes from Meg: I don't think it came through in the review, but I LOVED this beer. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it because I tend to prefer stouts and porters, but this was really amazing. Dad (Tom) and I differed in our ratings because I loved how sweet it was and he "is not an ale drinker by temperament."

[megandtomtrybeers]

Sam Smith Taddy Porter (Old Brewery Tadcaster)

Appearance: Head stands up nicely, very dark Flashlight Test: 9/10

Aroma: Fresh and inviting, bubbly

Taste: Light and bubbly, dances on the tongue, straight forward and refreshing

Does the Label Lie? Claims: Tangy No, the label does not lie.

Does Mom Like It? "Not bad" it's not bitter

Other Notes: Best name so far, favorite beer so far (recommended to others).

Overall: **** 1/5 (Ratings out of 5)

[megandtomtrybeers]

Stone Smoked Porter

Appearance: Very dark, opaque, hints of red Flashlight Test: 9/10

Aroma: Strong hoppy scent, earthy, coffee tones, smokey

Taste: Bitter, smokey, flavor that sticks on your tongue, lingering full mouth

Does the Label Lie? Claims: You need to enjoy it with other flavors like cheesecake or barbequed meats The label does not lie, we can see how this would be more enjoyable with other flavors to balance it out.

Other Notes: 5.9% alc.

Would You Buy It Again? Meg and Tom: Yes (to give it a fair shot with other flavors as the label recommends).

Overall: Meg: *** Tom: *** 1/2 (Ratings out of 5)

[megandtomtrybeers]

Samuel Adams Winter Lager

Appearance: Clear, light amber, no carbonation

Aroma: Slightly hoppy, citrus, but I (Meg) am literally sticking my nose in it to get a whiff. Meg: unimpressed. Dad: not unimpressed.

Taste: Spicy, citrus, tangy, hard to pull out individual spices (cinnamon, ginger, orange peels according to the label)

Does the Label Lie? Claims: A lager brewed with spices No, the label does not lie. Sam Adams delivers a lager brewed with spices, just as promised.

Other Notes: We are drinking this two months past the freshness date on the bottle, so it deserves another go around.

Does Mom Like It? It's okay.

Would You Buy It Again? Meg: No Tom: Yes

Overall: *** 1/2 (Ratings out of 5)

[megandtomtrybeers]

Atwater Brewery Vanilla Java Porter

Appearance:  Somewhat opaque with a solid brown color Flashlight Test: 5/10

Aroma: Very strong, chocolate, hints of coffee, favorite smell so far

Taste: Not as strong as the aroma, little to no body, fades quickly

Does the Label Lie? Claims: Vanilla and coffee flavors Yes, the label lies. The promised flavors all come through the nose, not the pallet.

Does Mom Like It? Yes

Overall: *** 1/2 (Ratings out of 5)

Notes from Meg: During this tasting, we added a new category so that Mom could join in on the fun. As a dedicated wine-lover, she doesn't have any interest in fully committing to our tastings, but she's down to try a sip or two here and there. Will Mom like it? Can you find a beer that tastes like wine?

[megandtomtrybeers]

Wolaver's Oatmeal Stout

Appearance: Totally opaque; black Flashlight Test: 9/10

Aroma: Subtle roasted aroma, nothing unexpected

Taste: Bitter twinge, coffee, tanic and leathery, dry pallet

Does the Label Lie? Claims: Rich and creamy Yes, and no. The beer is rich, but not quite creamy

Other Notes: USDA Organic

Overall: *** 1/2 (Ratings out of 5)

Notes from Meg: We added a few new categories with this beer, so let me explain them. The "Flashlight Test" in the Appearance rating is administered by holding a bright light up to our glasses and seeing how much light penetrates through the darkness of the stout. We have come to reserve this test only for the darkest of stouts and porters that we encounter, but that may change in the future. We rate it on a scale of 1 being totally transparent, and 10 being totally opaque, with little to no light escaping. We also added the "Does the Label Lie?" category because we felt that while the beer was good, it didn't quiet stand up to the claims it made on the bottle.

[megandtomtrybeers]

Three Philosphers' Belgian Ale

Appearance: Medium amber, mostly clear, slightly carbonated

Aroma: Fruity

Taste: Fruity with cherry overtones, citrus, refreshing

Other Notes: 9.7%

Overall: **** (Ratings out of 5)

[megandtomtrybeers]

Breckenridge Vanilla Porter

Appearance: Clear, slightly cloudy, dark amber

Aroma: Hardly any

Taste: Promise unfulfilled

Other Comments: Better on draft, 4.7% alc.

Overall:  ** 1/2 (Ratings out of 5)

Notes from Meg:

This was the first beer we tried when we decided to actually do the whole "rating thing" properly. As you'll see, the more beer's we've tried, the more in-depth our observations have become, opening up new categories and more comparisons to be made. We will return to this porter eventually and give it a better review, but for now all we can say is that it is much, much better on draft.