Sorry I haven’t done any updating on this thing myself lately, but I just gotta share the fact that one of my fave ales just hit the shores here in the States.  It’s called “Double Dragon Ale”, from the Felinfoel brewery in Wales, and I plan on getting a few cases for our first ever […]

“Would you like to taste Santa’s Butt?” I just asked my wife. Of course, I tasted Santa’s Butt before she did. Yes, sometimes I’m so juvenile that I make Beavis and Butthead look mature. Huh. Huh-huh.
Just like Bad Elf, this beer is brewed in the UK by Ridgeway Brewery, and imported by Shelton Brothers. […]

The Christmas season always tends to get me in a bad mood. Dealing with all the idiots in the stores and out on the streets just gets to me and makes me grumpy. I tend to be a bit of a scrooge and go around using my own combination of four-letter words as my personal […]

Bad Elf is brewed in the UK by the Ridgeway Brewery. This ale made the news in 2005 when the state of Connecticut tried to ban its sale because they claimed the label appealed to children. Luckily, we’re not quite that uptight here in Iowa, so I was able to get some of this for […]

The Barley Blog has announced a new brewery search site, BrewerySearch.com. It looks pretty cool. Not only can you search by location, but by beer styles, or even specific beer names. They’ve also set up a mobile version so you can access it from your cell phone or other web-enabled wireless device. This would be […]

This would be a really great beer if it were a Pale Ale. As an IPA, it lacks pop.Everything is muted, the nose, the hops, the malt. It’s not a bad beer, just not what I’m looking for in an IPA.

This NY brewed ale is the very definition of average. It pours light coppery color with a thin head that sticks around. The nose is nondescript. Maybe a little malt there but not a whole lot going on. It’s nicely balanced, with a light malty flavor offset by not very aggressive hopping. It’s a good […]

Kegerators.net is giving away a kegerator. All you have to do is write a short essay on how you would put the kegerator to good use. The contest is open until January 1. If anyone I know wins, you have to have me over for the inaugural use. Good luck!
Hat tip: Hail the Ale!

As I mentioned before, Arcadia Ales of Battle Creek, Michigan focuses on English style ales. This beer however is a wheat ale, which is definitely not indigenous to England. Still, they don’t do a bad job with it.
I thought this looked a bit dark for a wheat beer. It’s a cloudy amber color, but is […]

Dogfish Head is another one of those east coast breweries that can generally do no wrong. I’m not so sure about this beer. When I think of “brown ale” I’m expecting something along the lines of a Newcastle. This poured a deep, dark brown that was almost black. I actually went back to the bottle […]

My love for all thing Troegs is well known. Mad Elf Ale is their Christmas seasonal. It’s brewed with Belgian yeast, honey, and cherries. It’s also 11% alcohol. I know that because the proprietor of my local gourmet beer and wine shop warned me when I was buying the beer. When the shopkeeper warns you […]

Like everything Scottish, this ale is a dark reddish-brown. I’m not sure what that means, but it sounded funny in my head.
Anyway, it starts out with a somewhat sharp, licorice-like taste, then segues into sort of a buttery, malty flavor, and then finishes with a definite bitterness. It produces a nice warmth, that suggests […]

This one had been sitting in the back of the fridge for awhile, just biding its time until I got around to sampling it. The label says it’s made from a blend of malts and with Noble Spalt hops from Bavaria and Goldings from a single source in East Kent. Well goody.
One of the things […]

Now this is a much better example of a festbier. It pours a nice copper color with minimal head and lacing. The nose is richly malty and fruity. The start is dominated by the malts with a bit of a tangy finish. The hops are nicely balanced throughout. They make their presence known […]

I picked Blue Moon’s fall seasonal brew Harvest Moon Pumpkin Ale a few nights ago while remembering the fantastic Pumpkin Ale we enjoyed several years ago at Raccoon River Brew Pub. What says fall better than a delicious pumpkin ale?
I have to say I was greatly disappointed. It was a clear amber and tasted like […]