The Beer Traveller

Disclaimer: Okay let’s face it, we all like different things; one man’s shit may be another’s liquid gold & vice versa!  If you’re offended by my comments…chill out, have a beer, & get over it.  Just cause I don’t like it doesn’t mean it’s a bad beer or you’re a bad brewer.

Ratings:  Pretty basic…

- Undrinkable = send the shit back

- Drinkable = drink if bought by someone else

- Likable = Mmmm, Yummy

- Exceptional = Seek & Destroy

Ale Asylum - Madison, WI

• Ambergeddon Amber: good amber; Likable
• Big Slick Stout: great stout, but uneventful; Likable
• Contorter Porter: Palatable Porter; Exceptional
• Gold Digger Blonde: too watery; Drinkable
• Happy Ending Belgian Abbey: sweet Belgian; Exceptional
• Hatha-Weizen: nice German wheat w/ distinct banana flavor; Likable
• Hopalicious Pale Ale: think IPA; Likable
• Madtown Nutbrown: mad maltiness; Exceptional
• Sticky McDoogle Scotch Ale: Sweet scotch ale; Likable

Angry Hanks - Billings, MT

• Anger Management Belgian Wheat (summer seasonal): Sex in a glass; Exceptional
• Blond Ale: Mild, house beer; Drinkable
• Dog Slobber Brown Ale: Good balance w/ great malt flavor; Likable
• Bohemian Lager (seasonal): easy drinking w/ a citrus hint; Likable
• English Pale Ale: bad after taste; Drinkable
• Head Trauma IPA: toned down IPA w/ perfect amount of hops; Likable
• Streetfight Red Ale: slight malt flavor that quickly diminishes; Drinkable
• Smoked Porter (seasonal): little light on the smoke; lil’ sweet but very; Likable

Barley John’s - New Brighton, MN

• Dark Knight: 13.5% barley wine; smells & tastes like hard liquor; snockered just smelling it; Drinkable
• Old Eight Porter: perfect porter, perfectly balanced chocolate & roasted flavors; Exceptional
• Wild Brunette: brewed w/ MN wild rice, but this ain’t no Budweiser; Likable

Bayern Brewing - Missoula, MT

• Amber: Ok; Drinkable
• Dancing Trout: German Wheat Ale; great flavor; good boat beer; Exceptional
• Dragons Breath Dark Hefeweizen: My 1st dark Hef; Likable
• Pilsener: Pilsner w/ built-in German quality; typical German aftertaste; Likable
• Pilsener (unfilitered): Cloudy version of the above, big deal; Likable
• Schwarzbier: German Black Lager; Likable
• St. Wilbur Weizen: Good wheat, cannot compare this Bavarian Hef to an American Hef (i.e. Widmer); 2 completely different animals; Likable

Big Sky Brewing - Missoula, MT

• IPA: Good IPA; Likable
• Moose Drool: Great Brown; Likable
• Scape Goat Pale Ale: Good, but no real flavor sticks out; Likable
• Summer Honey (summer seasonal): Boring @ 1st, but than a faint hint of honey comes out; perfect summer brew; Likable
• Trout Slayer: Wheat based ale; very mild w/o tasting H2O’d down; Likable

Bozeman Brewing Company - Bozeman, MT

• Amber: Another amber (yuk); Drinkable
• Belgian Style Wit Bier: Like Blue Moon, but 1,000x better; mild orange flavor; Exceptional
• The Great One Double Red Ale: Redundant red w/ absolute alcohol; Likable
• Hefeweizen: half-assed hef; Drinkable
• Hopzone IPA: In Palette Awesome; honey barley used to sweeten the high hop content; Exceptional
• Hylander Scotch Ale: scorched ale?  Malevolent malt flavor; Undrinkable
• Pinhead Pilsner: Just ok, a lil’ tart; Drinkable
• Plum Street Porter: pleasant porter while not being too sweet; Likable
  

Coeur d’Alene Brewing Co. - Coeur d’Alene, ID

• Barley Wine (brewer’s whim): never guess the amt of alcohol or that it’s a Barley Wine; one of the highest AV Barley’s I’ve had…but would never know it; Likable
• Centennial Pale Ale: I’m starting to have a new fondness for Pale Ales, compliments of this one; Likable
• Hot Foot IPL (Idaho Pale Lager): Great Flavor; Likable
• Golden Ale: Mild; “no big deal” as my father says; Drinkable
• Honeymoon Wheat: Flavorful wheat, but a lil’ weak for my taste; Likable
• Huckleberry Ale: Obvious berry as it nears the nose; ok @ 1st, but bitter after; Drinkable
• Lakeside British Ale: I agree (w/ the head brewer) that this is their best beer; amazing flavor; Exceptional
• Pullman Porter: Makes up for their stout; great porter; Exceptional
• Rockford Bay IPA: mild flavor IPA w/ subdued hoppiness; Likable
• Scottish Ale: Magnificent malty flavor; Exceptional
• Strawberry Hefeweizen (summer seasonal): One of the better fruit beers I’ve had; definite strawberry flavor w/o being overpowering; still couldn’t do a pint; Drinkable
• Vanilla Bourbon Stout: Brewed w/ bourbon flavored Madagascar vanilla; too much, stout flavor overpowered by the other stuff; Drinkable
• mix (50/50 strawberry/reg hef): popular concoction of patrons; good idea, but still too fruity for my taste; Drinkable

Crow Peak Brewery - Spearfish, SD

• Bridal Veil Brown: nothing I’d be marrying, maybe one night stand; Drinkable
• 11th Hour IPA: nice hop finish; Likable
• Lookout Lager: luscious liquid; Likable
• Pile O’ Dirt Porter: more like pile o’ shit porter, tasted burnt; Drinkable

Dells Brewery - Wisconsin Dells, WI…see Moosejaw Pizza

Elysian Brewing Company - Tanglewood Seattle, WA

• Avatar Jasmine IPA (seasonal): Think Jasmine…& lots of it;  A sample is more than enough, but props for its uniqueness; Drinkable
• Cyclops Barley Wine “Old One Eye” (specialty): Mild w/ obvious Barley flavor; Likable
• Daedalus Irish Stout (specialty): milder than the Dragonstooth; smooth & creamy; think American Guinness; could drink all day & night; Exceptional
• Dragonstooth Stout: Sweet & succulent; Exceptional
• Elysian Fields Pale Ale: smooth & mild w/ the typical Pale bite; probably the best pale I’ve had; Likable
• Elysian Fields Pale Ale (cask): taste H2O’d down & flat; for once worse than the non-cask; Drinkable
• Foster Child Australian Lager (specialty): better than Fosters, but not as good as Coopers; Likable
• Golden Fleece (specialty): Flavorless; H2O’d down Coors Light; great boat beer; Drinkable
• Perseus Porter: Very smooth & rich; Exceptional
• Saison Elysée (seasonal): Light, refreshing, & flavorful; Likable
• Saison Poirre (specialty): Hard to place, very complex; floral hints @ 1st, but than ???; seasoned w/ 3 different kinds of peppercorns; Likable
• The Immortal IPA: mild IPA w/ slight citrus hints; Likable
• The Wise ESB: Drinkable
• Titania (specialty): American wheat ale; served lemonless; Great Wheat; Likable
• Yuzu’s Belgian-Style Golden Ale (specialty): this was their feature beer, but I found it flat; Wheat in the front & Belgian in the rear; Drinkable
• Zephyrus Pilsner: Beter than the average pilsner, but still a pilsner; Drinkable

Firehouse Brewing Co. - Rapid City, SD

• Brown Cow Ale: rather bland w/ a slight hint of malt; Drinkable
• Eagle Pale Ale: poorly crafted pale; Drinkable
• Firestorm Ale: rich malt flavor; Likable
• Prodigy Porter (specialty): nitro; more like high school drop-out porter; Drinkable
• Smoke Jumper Stout: off flavor; tart instead of smooth & creamy; Drinkable
• Wilderness Wheat: very H2O’d down w/ slight hint of citrus; Drinkable

Goose Island Beer Company - Chicago, IL

• 312 Urban Wheat Ale: crisp; Likable
• Ellie’s Celebration Red Ale (brewer’s choice): off flavor; Drinkable
• Hefeweizen (brewer’s choice): 1st sip was off, but it gradually got better; Likable
• Honker’s Ale: mild w/ zero after-taste, just disappears; Likable
• India Pale Ale: hoppy to floral as sample went on; Likable
• Liquid Inspiration Ale (brewers choice): great oatmeal, but tweaked after-taste; Melissa said combo of Dayquil & NesQuick; Likable
• Matilda (reserve specialty): too sweet for a Belgian; Drinkable
• Nut Brown Ale: kinda nutty; Likable
• Pere Jacques (reserve specialty): beautiful Belgian; Melissa’s worst; Exceptional
• Summertime Kolsch Bier (brewer’s choice): Drinkable

Granite City Food & Brewery - Sioux Falls, SD

• Broad Axe Stout: a lil’ 2 complex for a stout; Likable
• Brother Benedicts Bock: Mouth watering maltiness; Exceptional
• Duke of Wellington IPA: King like hoppiness w/o being a dictator; Likable
• Northern Lights Lager: Domestic dung; think Budweiser; Drinkable
• Two Pull (50/50 mix of Bock/Lager): Why ruin a good thing, stick w/ the Bock; Drinkable
• Waggs Wheat (specialty): Nice wheat w/ slight Belgian twang; Likable

Lone Peak Brewery - Big Sky, MT

• Buck Snort Porter: very smooth & savory; Exceptional
• Headplant Pale Ale: uneventful pale ale, but not bad; Likable
• Hellroaring ESB: too bitter; smorgasbord of everything but the kitchen sink; Drinkable
• Hippy Highway Oatmeal Stout: Good stout but not as rich as the Porter; Likable
• Lone Peak IPA: okay IPA; rich hop flavor w/ little bite; Likable
• Nordic Blonde: decent blonde w/ a bitter bite; Likable
• Offseason (launched 4/14/seasonal): 9 different hops used; brewer’s favorite; 2 strong, I’ve had weaker barley wines; Drinkable
• Steep ‘N Deep Winter Ale (seasonal): winter heartiness w/o the winter foliage flavor; Likable
• Wit’s End Belgian White: Served w/ blond orange; drank after the porter & stout so everything got screwed up; Drinkable.

Mac & Jacks - Redmond, WA

• African Amber: Dry hopped amber w/ quite a bite; Likable
• Blackcat Porter: Very sweet mild porter; Exceptional
• I.P.A: Likable
• Serengetti Wheat: bland & watered down; Drinkable

Madison River Brewing Company - Belgrade, MT

• Black Ghost Oatmeal Stout: No surprises here, just a quality stout; Likable
• Copper John Scotch Ale: Mazing maltiness; Likable
• Hopjuice IPA: All business; just straight up hops; Likable
• Hopper Pale Ale: Hooray for this Pale; very floral w/ a bitter hop hint; Exceptional
• Irresistible Amber Ale: Amber w/ authority; 2 tart; Drinkable
• Salmon Fly Honey Rye: Flows like the name; Likable
• Woolly Bugger Wit: I am Belgium, here me roar; very strong Belgium flavor; Drinkable
• Yellow Humpy Hefeweizen: Frumpy foul; came across lil’ skunky & too creamy; Undrinkable

Northern Lights Brewing Company - Spokane, WA

• Amber: weak & watery w/a slight sweetness; Drinkable
• Blueberry Creme: Too much going on, overly sweet & fruity; possible option for non beer drinkers (wife?); Undrinkable
• Chocolate Dunkle: Creamy ale w/ German roots; chocolate comes about after 2nd sip; Drinkable
• Bulldog Creme Ale: Description was ‘flavorful version of original American beer style’…completely accurate! I was worried it’d be another crappy US Pilsner, but it’s got a whole lot more flavor; Likable
• Crystal Bitter: Complex, but not overly so; Likable
• India Pale Ale: Wow, holy hop humper; everything an IPA should be; Exceptional
• Pale Ale: full flavored w/o the bite; Likable
• Stellar Stout: Definite roasted aroma (almost burnt), but the taste is spectacular; Exceptional
• Summer Wheat (summer seasonal): weak wheat on 1st taste, but nice lingering lemon comes through & rounds it out; Likable
• Mix (50/50 Blueberry/Chocolate): Popular concoction that betters the blueberry, but still too overpowering; Drinkable

The Pike Brewing Company - Seattle, WA

• IPA: mild tasting IPA. Likable
• Kilt Lifter: Scotch style ruby ale; unique flavor due to peated scotch whiskey malt; nice malty flavor; Exceptional
• Monk’s Uncle Triple Ale (spring seasonal): smooth & mild like a lot of American Belgiums; Belgium taste w/o the bite; Drinkable
  
• Naughty Nellie: golden ale; mild w/ a slight bite after the initial taste; Drinkable
• Old Bawdy Barley Wine 2006: a 10% AV that’s easy drinking = trouble; Exceptional
• Pale Ale: Drinkable
• Tandem: double ale; Likable
• Weisse: unfiltered wheat; due to my time in Portland, everything gets compared to Widmer & this doesn’t quite stack-up; on the upside, they served it lemonless; Likable
• XXXXX Stout: Drank @ Jazz Alley; Exceptional
  

Redhook Ale Brewery - Woodinville, WA

• Blackhook Porter: their oldest brew; tasted H2O’d down compared to the cask version; Likable
• Blackhook Porter (cask): taste every flavor as if they were seperate, much tastier than the garden variety; Exceptional
• Blonde Ale: mild & flavorless; tasted like left over beer from beer pong; Drinkable
• English Mount (blueline=pub only): Very mild but w/ lots of flavor; perfect for a sunny day on the boat; Likable
• ESB Original: although this is their flagship product, I found it forgettable; Drinkable
• ESB Original (nitro): sweeter than the original but still H2O’d down; Drinkable
• Long Hammer IPA: Likable
• Long Hammer IPA (nitro): again sweeter than the regular, even a step-up, but still; Likable
• Sunrye (summer seasonal): think H2O; Drinkable
• Triplett Belgium Tripel (blueline/special release): distinct taste of a Belgium w/ a lot less bite/kick; Likable
  

Rock Bottom Brewery - Bellevue, WA

• American Dream IPA (seasonal): smoother & less bite than the regular Hop Bomb; Exceptional
• Big Batch Wheat: American wheat; Drinkable
• Black Lager Shorts Beer (seasonal): German dark; watered down 1st taste but than a savory sweetness; Likable
• Humpback Pale Ale: Likable
• Hop Bomb IPA: Likable
• Liquid Sun: European style pilsner; perfect for Pabst drinkers & a day in the boat; Drinkable
• Lumberjack Red: malty; Drinkable
• Nisqually Nut Brown: malty; Drinkable

Rocky Coulee Brewing Brewing Co. - Odessa, WA

• Copper Ale: (tried @ Rolling Thunder Salon) Had slight vinegar taste, but may have something to do w/ low turnover; Drinkable