Jim and I sat down for this review after a long afternoon digging up a hop garden in my backyard. What better way to celebrate future beer than with current beer…and then go play bags outside and drink more craft beer. Whooo!

Brewery Home: Milwaukee, WI

Serving Style: 1 liter swing top bottle

Beer Style: Russian Imperial Stout

Appearance: Opaque black body. Decently think, tan head that falls from a pillowy blossom back into the glass – Jim notes it looks strikingly like a Coke. Looks like a ‘legit’ imperial russian.

Aroma: Strong roasted malts with a 2 x 4 of oak. Light vanilla around the edges that blends into a light floral hop background. Most of the time the roast tells the hops to sit down and shut the #$%* up.

Taste: Velvety smooth mouthfeel and surprisingly sweet. Wow, very sweet and…thin!? Decent bittersweet chocolates, roasts finishing with a faint bourbon pucker and hop bitter. Disappointingly lean body. This is 11% ABV?! WOAH. The overall flavor has not packed the punch we were craving but we are amazed at the smoothness…too easy to gulp down. Alcohol is buried under cuddly roasts and mellow hops. Well rounded, but lacking that stout wallop we crave; Jim thinks it’s almost ‘wine-like’ in its thinness.

ABV: 11%!

Drink one or all?: 1 bottle will be plenty.

Cost: $13/bottle (can’t remember?)

Overall: Jim/Andy: 15/20

It’s finally here, Beertastic’s 100th review. Several weeks ago some of us made an insane, sleepless trip to Three Floyds in Munster, Indiana for Dark Lord Day. After a strenuous morning (oh, we had to have beer the entire time have pity for us!) we each picked several bottles and gleefully ran back home (in reality we were at that point a bunch of lurching zombies). It seemed the perfect beer to celebrate our 100th as well as Jim’s BDay and Cannon I-got-a-job-yay-day.

Brewery Home: Munster, Indiana

Serving Style: 2 glorious, wax-dipped 650ML bottles, 2009 vintage.

Beer Style: Russian Imperial Stout

Appearance: Blackness. Definitely two cups of rice (Metalocalypse reference, get with it). Viscous and truly ‘like motor oil’. Swirling it around in the glass leaves a brown layer clinging to the sides. Small, dark tan head; bubbles struggle to get to the surface, many get crushed mercilessly on the way. No lacing from the head, the blackness of the brew destroys all. Tom: “it’s blacker than the blackest black times infinity” (another Metalocalypse quote, and quite fitting really). This beer (and bottle, woah…) is incredibly metal. We are all geeking out while we thrash to Hot Cross on the stereo.

Aroma: Hold on tight, a hop hurricane is coming through. Very strong hoppy front that melts into an awesomely weird soy-sauce-milkshake-godly-vanilla tidal wave. Cannon gets sweet fruit (raisin) and brandy kicks too. Think dark fruits and dark roasts. On fire. In a deep dungeon. With Slayer turned up to 11.

Taste: Wow, that’s easily the greatest beer we’ve all suckled on so far. The collective room just had their minds blown. Many people are screaming with excitement and Hot Cross is blasting so here is a group stream of consciousness description of the dark flavor: “DELIVERS. warm wood…starts salty and ends sweet…excellent mouthfeel, smooth and almost creamy, coats the throat…it’s warming me from the inside…beer milkshake…aggressive hop front that morphs into warm (bourbon-y alcohol) roasts and finishes dark and wonderfully evil. Brian: “I wonder what tree this was fermented in.” Scott lays down the understatement of the night: “Wow. Now that’s a fucking beer.” Andy/Jim: “when you get this you get this incredibly euphoric feeling as it goes down your throat.” Some may say that this beer overly sweet, but regardless I think this is right up our collective alley.

ABV: 11.0%

Drink one or all?: One. Enjoy slowly.

Cost: $15/bottle + Golden Ticket + 36 hours of consciousness – some self-respect

Overall: 21/20.
There is a TON of hype around this one (ourselves included). We think this beer can deliver on most of it.

In this little lull, I’d like to point out a couple things on the horizon.

First, review number 100 is coming SOON. Like next week hopefully. It’s going to be DARK and BRUTAL. Be excited, because we all are.

Second, if you haven’t seen yet we (lead by me, but followed by all) are going to start homebrewing. I am calling the ‘brewery’ Breakdown, since making a new website and design is half of the fun. We will review the top batches here on Beertastic when they are worthy, but you should check out the homebrew blog for related entries, recipes and info. Go look now!

Third, we love suggestions and recommendations. Give us some damnit.

Right now is a super exciting time to be a beer lover living in Chicago. In the last few…months…several local breweries have sprung up and started pumping out (or will) excellent burr: Metropolitan, (the forthcoming) Revolution and Half Acre.
I’ve been following the last of the group pretty closely and was excited when they announced this American Chocolate Rye Stout in celebration of their new brewery. I had lots of great responses when I brought this baby to Dark Lord Day (that review is coming soon, we promise with many good stories) but little sense of mind to a comprehensive review. Luckily I grabbed two bottles!

Brewery Home: Chicago, IL

Serving Style: 22oz bomber into a frosty pint glass

Beer Style: American (Chocolate Rye) Stout

Appearance: Before we talk about the beer, I have to mention the bottle label is awesome. I only wish they would throw more stats on there like Goose does on their special releases. Anyway to the beer itself; dark, DARK brown, opaque. Pours with light head that maintains good lacing, tan in color. Looks lovely coming out of the bottle.

Aroma: Rich bouquet of chocolate, wonderfully roasted malts with a tail of spicy hops. The chocolate is on the dry side (think a dark, bittersweet chocolate) that mingles nicely with the roasted malts; I only get a hint of rye, but I’m not completely sure what I am looking for. As the bottle notes, this is ‘handsomely hopped’ for a stout, but it all works for me. Love it.

Taste: Dark and moody with the roasted malts and dry chocolate – reminds of bakers chocolate I eat from the cabinets I eat when Jenny isn’t looking – hitting first. The light carbonation (noted from my first pour) makes sense now, rounding out the big and boastful flavors. The rye is more apparent now then it was in the aroma, and it works well. Handsomely hopped indeed! The spicy and highly bitter hop finish attacks your tongue; again surprising for a stout but I love it. The hop bite eases as the beer warms and the entire character seems to sweeten slightly (that is if you even let it warm, glug glug glug).

ABV: 6.50%

Drink one or all?: One bomber will make you very happy.

Cost: $8/bomber? (cant remember)

Overall: 18/20 A big, bold beer that I think everyone here could enjoy.

I think that most of the dudes here at Beertastic are ale guys (and they are the easiest to homebrew fyi). We are big bad ass Americans and love our super hoppy brews or barrel aged motor oil. However, I thought it’s important to be a well rounded beer nerd and went for this classic – it’s been brewed since 1842 – bottom-fermented beer, famous for its use of smooth Saaz hops and unique (mineral) water source.

Brewery Home: Pilzen, Czech

Serving Style: Poured from pint can

Beer Style: Pilsner

Appearance: Cloudy golden yellow. Oh wait, little humid in here! After wiping the glass down it is a crispy clear amber. Brilliant. The head pours strong from the can but dies off fast. Still appears bubbly and delicious.

Aroma: Light fruity – more like estery if your a chemistry buff – notes with a dry, earthy/grainy finish. Hay is a good description, with a definite yeasty edge. Intriguing. No distinct hop notes as far as I can tell. As it warmed the yeast/malt aroma got much much stronger.

Taste: Ooooo this is a lager alright. Smooth and crisp, with good cooperation between flavor and carbonation (mouth feel). Dry and refreshing. Again it almost has a hay or grass in the middle of a sip, finishes dry and malty. Possibly a little citrus flavor in the initial bite (with some hop bite) but its very slight, the grains are the center of the party here. I feel like the hay-like smell clashes oddly with the taste on each sip – its not offensive but not quite my bag of tea. Is it too late to mention I’m an ale guy?

ABV: 4.40%

Drink one or all?: 1 can. It’s a standard and important in any beer-u-cation.

Cost: $1.50/pint can

Overall: 14/20. Good to try for yourself.

I was asked to bring beer to a good friends birthday party this weekend. I figured quantity (12′er) was better than quality for this rowdy crowd, so I picked up the cheapest decent brew I could find. This time, it was Newcastl which – surprisingly – has not yet been reviewed here. I welcome your response/views in the comments on this more well know beer.

Brewery Hometown: England

Style: English Brown Ale

Serving Style: Bottle poured in to pint glass

Appearance: Clear dark amber brown…copper is a good adjective. Small white head rises, even with a lively pour, and then collapses back into the brew. What lacing?

Aroma: Strong sweet/caramel malts right off the bat. Despite having this numerous times, it was malty-er than I remember. Molasses, brown sugar sweetness around the edges.

Taste: Sweet, lightly roasted malt flavor, hints of nutty flavor. On quick sips you can miss any hop bitterness entirely, instead getting a sweet, dark sugar profile. Seriously, where are the hops? Maybe I am just being a typical American hophead but I feel it’s seriously off-balance; I can feel my lips getting sticky and I only seem to notice at the bitter end (HA bitter end). The level of carbonation is low, giving it a smooth mouth feel (and explaining the light head). Too sweet to be a one-off or a session beer for my tastes.

Alcohol: 4.7%

Drink one or all?: 1… but better than most things in cans.

Cost: $14/12

Overall: 13/20 There are better things in your average grocery store, but if it’s really on sale…