Sam Adams Mighty Oak Ale (4.5 toasts)

Want MOAR!  I had the Mighty Oak Ale from Samuel Adams and it is certainly tasty!  This is an everywoman's beer.  It's smooth, red, malty, and a little oaky, but not overwhelming.  My favorite part is the heavy dose of vanilla.  It's actually a lot like the Chicken Coop Scottish Ale I had recently.  *drool*  Seriously, this vanilla red ale rocks and it's such a great everyday beer.  It's not too light or too heavy.  It had just enough malt and is really smooth, so it goes with everything.  Buy this.  Is goot!

Cheers!

Sonoma Chicken Coop Beers (4 and 3 toasts)

Is this a Bay Area thing?  I personally love the Coop.  Good food, good beer, well run.  A little crowded though, as everyone else agrees with me.  I went there recently for a friend's birthday and tried two of their beers.

1.  Scottish Ale:  4 toasts.  This dark brown ale was very smooth and had notes of vanilla.  It was a lot lighter tasting than it looks, but it was very enjoyable.  I would get this again with just about any dish.

2.  Belgian XXXX:  3 toasts.  They had to serve this in a smaller glass because it had about 13% alcohol.  Just one of those (after the Scottish Ale, of course) put me into the "dancing on table tops" danger zone.  I would recommend taking it easy with these unless you want to wake up next to a complete stranger in Zimbabwe.  I don't think I would ever get one of these again, and a lot of people at my table agreed, but I could imagine that a certain population would really like this beer.  It's a dessert beer: intensely syrupy cider with notes of licorice and molasses.

Now I want their shrimp and avocado salad with a glass of the Scottish Ale.  Yum!
Cheers!

Boatswain Chocolate Stout (4 toasts)

The first thing I thought when I smelled it was, "Whoa, chocolate!  This is a good sign."  But then I tasted it and it tasted like bacon.  This is not necessarily a bad thing, but bacon beer is a little strange.  Upon further tasting, it didn't taste chocolaty at all.  In fact, there is more coffee than chocolate.  I almost want to put a little milk in it.  I am going to go out on a limb here and say that this is a breakfast beer!  I really want some eggs, pancakes, and bacon right now.

I think I'm getting the coffee vibe because it was brewed with real cocoa powder, which can taste rather like coffee (dark and acidic).  By the way, the whole bottle doesn't taste like bacon.  That was just my first impression.

Boatswain (pronounced bosun) is from a small brewery in Wisconsin.  I picked it up from Trader Joe's for $2.  I would drink this on its own or with a fatty meal (like breakfast or a beef stew).  But don't drink it expecting to find a Hershey's bar inside.  This is actually much better than Hershey's.

Cheers.

Sam Adams Whitewater IPA (3 toasts)

I promise to do something other than Sam Adams soon.  They were just such a darn good deal.

Disclaimer:  I hate IPAs.  They are too bitter and hoppy for me.  But I put my big girl panties on so that I could review this beer for you.  You're welcome.

So, the SA Whitewater IPA.  This is the working man's IPA.  Pretty smooth and nicely hopped.  It's a little sweet and woody.  If you want an easy drinking IPA, this is for you.  I wouldn't pick this beer up again because it is too bitter for me.  I even drank it warm to see if I could cut the bitterness a bit.  But no, it's still like chewing on pine needles.  If I did want to drink this again, I would want to be on a warm beach with an attractive man fanning me.  Besides this being a warm weather beer, who can complain about beer when you are on a beach with a hottie?

Jim Koch says, "This hazy brew combines the crisp character of a white ale wit the intense pine and citrus flacors of an India Pale Ale.  We took this unique combination to a new level wit the subtle addition of apricots, which provide a slight sweetness to balance the bitterness of the hops."

Cheers!

Sam Adams Alpine Spring (3 toasts)

I got the Brewer's Choice Sam Adams box recently (hey, SA is a good value, ok?).  I just popped open the Alpine Spring, "a bright citrusty unfiltered lager".  It is made with Tettnang hops from the Alps, pale malts, and honey malts.

Hm.  The verdict is out.  There is a lemony note at the back for sure.  And it does taste and feel unfiltered (Hefey).  It smells pretty good...fruity and floral.  I'm not 100% sure I like it because it's kind of like drinking lemonade beer, but I can see it being refreshing on a hot day.  Too bad it's in the 50s here.  Good thing I turned my thermostat to 80!  FIESTA!

I honestly can't make up my mind about this one.  Maybe I'll try it again in the summer and let you know.  For now, though, I'm just saying "meh".

Cheers!

Sam Adams Harvest Pumpkin Ale (4 toasts)

I just baked my Halloween pumpkins and I'm finally working my way through the last of the Sam Adams Harvest Collection.  It was pretty awesome...and I'm talking about both the pumpkin and the beer.

Aaahhhh...I'm glad I kept some of this beer.  It brings me right back to pumpkin pie season.  Seriously, this beer is like drinking the holidays.  It's super spicy.  It's kind of like someone took a Hefe and threw in some pumpkin pie spices.  I would throw in an orange slice if I had any other food in the house besides beer and pumpkins.  (But, let's be real here, what else do you really need?  Oh...besides the oranges.)

Speaking of those pumpkins, those gorgeous, tasty treats.  Just cut one in half, set it cut side down on an oven safe tray, and bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes (longer for a large pumpkin).  Turn it over, slather it with butter, bake it a few minutes longer, and enjoy.  I usually just eat mine right out of the pumpkin shell with butter, but sometimes I'll mix in pasta or other veggies.  They also do make an awesome container to roast a variety of fillings.  They are great because they last forever and they go great with beer.

Cheers!

Nero's Red Ale and Double Dark Malt Ale (3 toasts)

I got these at Trader Joe's for about $5 each and there's about two glasses of beer in each super cool bottle, so it's a fair deal.  The beer is just so-so though.  They are both Italian Craft Ales.  I have no idea what Italian beers are typically like, but I think I'll stick to the wine while I'm over there.

Let's start with the Apecchio Red Ale.  It was a light golden red and smelled like roasted nuts.  The flavor was interesting, roasted nuts and lemon, but not enough to keep me interested.  It wasn't too hoppy or too malty, so some might find this fairly well balanced, but it just lost my interest pretty quickly.

The second is the 1st Century Double Dark Malt Ale.  It's not dark at all.  In fact it's a light yellow-brown.  It doesn't have a noticeable smell, but my nose is shot, so you'll have to let me know if you smell anything.  The taste does live up to its name:  it is super malty.  But it's too sweet on the back of my palate and it kind of grosses me out.

Does anyone have an opinion on these or other Italian beers?

Cheers!