Sprecher Brewmaster's Premium Reserve Dopple Bock Aged In Oak Bourbon Barrels

Brewer - Sprecher
Alcohol By Volume (ABV) - 9.0% (1L bottle)

At first glance:
Golden wax sealed hinge capped bottle with a great olden-timey feeling label. Hand numbered in gold marker #9246.

At first nose:
Huge presence of bourbon with a great chocolate whiff. Really worth huffing.

At first taste:
Malty, chocolatey with a bourbony linger - almost mocha-like.

Atertaste:
The malt and bourbon really stick around on my tongue, but then again - this is a liter bottle and I haven't really stopped drinking. Things are getting fuzzy.
Upon further inspection: It's heavy with the 9.0%, but drinkable in viscosity as it's not too thick.

Other Notes:
Aged this bottle about a year, think it added a bit of mocha flavor to it.

Nøgne Ø Dobbel IPA

(Could not find a decent photo of the bottle, but it's a simple one with the collaboration logo above)

Brewer - Guest brewed at Nøgne Ø by Toshi Ishii (from Yo-Ho Brewing) - Grimstad, Norway
Style - Imperial/ Double IPA
Alcohol By Volume (ABV) - 8.5% (500ml bottle)

At first glance:
Awesome logo, intriguing story - I just had to have it. The $12 price tag meant nothing.

At first nose:
Fruity scent; pear and citrus - with a good bit of caramel. Really nice on the nose.

At first taste:
The caramel really shows in the flavor, with a piney tone and fruity accents.

Aftertaste:
Most of what sticks around is a malty pine flavor, right on the back of my tongue.

Upon further inspection:
I have said it before, I like my IPAs hoppy, and as for my Double IPAs - I expect more. This was very good, really really good, but I still would like to see more of that hop-bite.

Other Notes:
Went rather well with my steak dinner (pan fried to rare in bacon grease).

Drake's 1500 Pale Ala

Brewer - Drake's - San Leandro, CA
Style - American Pale Ale
Alcohol By Volume (ABV) - 5.2% (12oz bottle)

At first glance:
"A Pint A Day Keeps Scurvy Away" Sounds like something I needed to check out, so I did. Dark bottle, couldn't gauge the color.

At first nose:
Hoppy, sweet & aromatic. Upon my pour, it showcased a beautiful medium-darkness orangey-red pale ale hue.

At first taste:
It did say it'd be smooth on the bottle, and at 5.2%, I should've known it would be light. The flavor is still good, but not as robust as I would've liked.

Aftertaste:
My tongue is happy, with just a small but of sweetness. Just what to expect from a very light pale ale.

Upon further inspection:
Nothing special. I don't think I'd buy this again, but it was worth the try. Drake's says that since this style was so well recepted, that they continued with the "special recipe" (my bottle was from their first run of the 1500 series, now they have a different label). I guess people wanted something softer, not me.

Other Notes:
Not about the brew: Sorry this has been the first post in far, far too long. I must get back into this with more effort.

Samuel Smith Winter Welcome Ale 2009-2010

Brewer - Samuel Smith Winter Welcome Ale 2009-2010
Style - English Ale/Winter Warmer
Alcohol By Volume (ABV) - 6.0% (1pt 2.7oz bottle)

At first glance:
After deciding to cellar my Stone Old Guardian Barley Wine, I went on a search for a new beer for the night. After going to 4 different liquor stores near my house I finally found a one with something other than your standard beer fare. The label caught my eye so this one it was. I got it home and poured it in a pint glass to take a look at it. It was a nice bright copper color with a light tan, very clingy head.

At first nose:
I don't have the greatest sense of smell so this is my weak point in reviewing, though this one did have a nice light sweet smell to it.

At first taste:
It had a nice hop bitterness, but nothing to strong or overpowering. I also picked up on subtle toasted nut flavor. It's a bit heavy, but does fit the Winter Welcome moniker quite nicely.

Aftertaste:
The aftertaste is sharp and lingers on for a while. It kind of keeps you from drinking too fast, which is nice.

Upon further inspection:
All in all it was a pretty good beer that would be great on a cold night. It's a beer I would definitely drink again, being a new one comes out every year, if it were readily available, but I don't think I would seek it out.

Other Notes:
The liquor stores in my area are horrible. I should just stick to going to Stuffed Sandwich.

Aktienbraueri Kaufbeuren Jubiläums Pils 1907

Brewer - Aktienbraueri Kaufbeuren - Kaufbeuren, Bavaria, Germany
Style - Pilsner
Alcohol By Volume (ABV) - 4.9% (1pt .9oz bottle)

At first glance:
The second beer of the day at Stuffed Sandwich. After finishing my meal I asked Marlene for something on the light side to wash it all down with, and here is what I got. Its your classic German pilsner, not unlike a Budweiser, a style of beer which is known for its crisp and clean taste. Again not having a glass it was drank from the bottle so I'm guessing the color and head were of a very light golden hue.

At first nose:
It had a nice slight floral nose to it, a vast contrast to that of the porter. I didn't pick up on much else.

At first taste:
Wow, this beer is crisp and clean. It is almost tasteless but in the best way possible. Its exactly what I was looking for to wash down my heavy meal of french dip and porter.

Aftertaste:
There isn't one. It leaves the mouth feeling refreshed and clean, but wanting another drink.

Upon further inspection:
Not much. This is the kind of beer you would want to drink on a nice hot day to get refreshed. Though a bit low on the ABV index, it goes down so smooth you may find yourself quickly buzzed if you can get yourself a hold of a 12-pack.

Other Notes:
I think this may be my go to beer at the end of a Stuffed Sandwich visit. It was well worth it and the perfect recommendation from Marlene to wash everything down with.

Once again, check out Stuffed Sandwich, I guarantee you'll love it.

D. Carnegie & Co. Argang 2004 Stark Porter

Brewer - D. Carnegie & Co. - Stockholm, Sweeden
Style - Baltic Porter
Alcohol By Volume (ABV) - 5.5% (1pt .9oz bottle)

At first glance:
Here's the story; this was another trip to Stuffed Sandwich (the #9 place to drink a beer in the US, as according to BeerAdvocate.com), as Chris said before, we could do and whole article just on the place, hell most of my reviews are going to come from here. Anyway, this beer is the beer that inspired this weblog, so please forgive anything I leave out as I didn't really have a structure to go by. So back to the beer, after ordering a delicious french dip, I asked Sam for a nice porter and this is what he gave me.

At first nose:
It had a smokey nose to it with hints of coffee and maybe chocolate. A nice complement to the sandwich.

At first taste:
I didn't bring a glass, which I need to remind myself to do from now on, so I drank it straight from the bottle. It was strong, a little bitter with a solid coffee taste. It's a little more of a coffee note than i like, but it did go down rather smoothly.

Aftertaste:
With as strong as the nose and taste was it had a surprisingly light aftertaste of coffee and a little chocolate, a very good complement to the sandwich.

Upon further inspection:
A bit on the pricey side, but well worth it. Next time though, I'm bringing a glass so I can see the color and the head instead of drinking straight out of the bottle.

Other Notes:
I googled what "Argang 2004," turns out "argang" is Sweedish for "vintage." Not bad for a six year old beer. I know that the picture is of a '97, but its the best one i could find online.

Check out Stuffed Sandwich, I guarantee you'll love it.

Moosbacher Weissbier

Brewer - Moosebacher - Bavaria, Germany
Style - Wheat Beer/Weissbier
Alcohol By Volume (ABV) - 5.0% (1pt .9oz bottle)

At first glance:
Here's the story; this was my first visit to Stuffed Sandwich (the #9 place to drink a beer in the US, as according to BeerAdvocate.com). I could probably just do a separate write-up on that place, easily. Ok, I will. Well, when I stepped in, I ordered my food (Whole Pastrami, Pickles and cup of Cheeseburger Soup) then talked to Marlene about what I wanted to drink. They have over 700 beers to choose from, so I asked for something to go with my food. She recommended a wheat beer, and I said I want something that I've never seen before. So it begins...

At first nose:
This wheat beer had a great sweet scent to it, almost reminded me of an apple cider. I couldn't pull my nose out of it, but had to have that first taste. Let's get to that.

At first taste:
After my pour, I had to sit tight, through lots of head. I nosed it a bit more and finally got my first taste. It was well worth the wait. If there is one word for Moosbacher Weissbier, it would be "smooth", this beer is smooth as can be, so generously smooth, it went down like water (though, not in the taste department, of course).

Aftertaste:
Light, unobtrusive, lends well to a meal. I can even see a brew like this going well with dessert, as it doesn't interfere with what you eat.

Upon further inspection:
This wheat beer feels lighter than a lot of the domestic wheat brews, that makes me surprised that Moosbacher also provides a light version of this beer. Serve this bottle cold, with an equally cold glass, still this will be enjoyable getting towards room temperature.

Other Notes:
It has a generous amount of rich, dark sediment at the bottom of the glass. That'll let you know you'd picked a worthy brew.

Check out Stuffed Sandwich, I guarantee you'll love it.