Elysian Brewing Company "Mens Room Red" Ale

4 out of 5 Hops



"Hola Bitch Hola!" is the familiar call from a local Seattle afternoon radio talk show called...The Mens Room. It don't get any classier from there. Our local rock station KISW talk show teamed up with Elysian Brewing in Seattle and created this fine red ale you see before you. This is a real decent session beer at 5.6% ABV and a 45 or so IBU. Aroma has a toasted barley note and a wee bit of piney/citrus hop from Chinook bittering and finishing Cascade hops. The taste is balanced and crisp with a medium bodied mouthfeel and a clean dry finish. I would classify this as akin to an Irish Red or a toasted colored Pale ale. Its less sweet than an amber, but more malty than a pale. I think it tastes great as a sit-down with friends brew. I don't get a lot of "remarkable"/"hidden" flavors, but it beats the Hell out of any lite lagers that are mindlessly consumed. Plus, proceeds from this bad boy go to charity; specifically veteran family ones. Bravo to Elysian, who is totally awesome, and the Mens Room, who are not bad for a talk show! Available in 22oz bottles and on tap around Seattle. As they would say, "Party in our tummy"

Guinness Foreign Extra Stout

4 out of 5 Hops


Extra is right, Arthur Guinness. This is one bad mamajama, and its a hefty 7.5% ABV. This stout is in your face out the gate with roasted barley and coffee aroma. The taste is initially malty and sweet, but soon turns to a dry, roasted bitterness going down. Looking at some clone recipes for this one I believe the roasted barley and Challenger hops combined comprise the bitterness instead of just hops in other beers. This one is not for everyone. The flavor is darker and bolder than the widget draught bottles or the on-tap beer. Its what I always imagined a Guinness would taste like when I saw it in a glass. The draught version is lighter and creamier with a chocolate hint versus coffee in the FES. This version only recently hit the shores of the US in September 2010. Long overdue, since it has been enjoyed in other parts of the world for many a year. Hopefully the market here supports this one. I like this and I highly recommend picking up a four pack if you like stouts since we don't know if it will stick around. Sláinte!

Widmer Brothers "Brrr" Winter Ales

4 out of 5 Hops

Brrr is another fine addition to NW Winter Beers this season from Widmer Brothers in Oregon. This a malty strong ale with unique hops and a slightly sweet tasting warmer. Aroma is caramel and pine with a hint of citrus. At first taste, this beer seemed very malty and sweet. After a few sips I began to taste the hops more. Widmer lists "Alchemy" hops as the bittering hop. Upon investigation, this is a proprietary blend of hops including Warrior and Millenium. This blend gives this beer a great independent and complex hop profile. Thumbs up for the Alchemy. The finish is slightly dry, with a clean, pleasant aftertaste. Alcohol level is enjoyable at 7.2%. Opinions run the gamut for classifying this beer as an American IPA, or Winter, or a version of a Red, but I say shuck the categories and pick this beer up ASAP for a holiday party in your mouth. Great job Kurt and Rob!

Browar Amber "Grand Imperial Porter"

3 out of 5 Hops





Unique Baltic Porter from Poland. I think this is my first Polish Beer. Its a dark brown with a sweet fruitlike smell. At first sniff, I thought it smelled like a flat Pepsi. Funny how we all have our own unique smell-abilities. The taste at first is sweet Port Wine with a slight hop bitterness at the finish. Mouthfeel is thin which seems odd for a Porter until you learn that this brew is bottom fermented according to the Brewery. A bottom fermenting beer is made with lager yeast. There is not much of a "lager" taste; much the way a New Belgium 1554 (also lager yeast) is not lager-y either. Maybe the dark and chocolate roast grains offset the taste. I like the dry, light aftertaste This beer is 8% and very drinkable; albeit unique to my palate. I cannot find the hop info for this one but I would guess they are mostly early boil since I don't detect much aroma.