Anchor Liberty Ale

Style:American Pale Ale
Alc %:6.0
Brewery:Anchor Brewing
Country:CA, USA
Tap/Bottle?:bottle
Where/When:09
Cost:approx $2
Rating:9

Cloudy copper appearance with an nice fluffy head.
bit of sweet apricot on the nose.
ohhh i like this, a bit of sweet maltiness-the apricot is there but not to sharp
so, clean, fruity and malty.
This could be the pale ale i've been looking for, more citrusy than pine-y
really very drinkable and moreish. Fairly high alcohol level but i would totally have this for a session beer 100%.

Smuttynose IPA

Style:US IPA
Alc %:6.9
Brewery:Smuttynose Brewery
Country:USA
Tap/Bottle?:bottle, approx 750ml
Where/When:New York 09
Cost:$5.40
Rating:9


Super citrus up front- ruby/ blood red grapefruit- a little tart
with a sharp bitterness at the end
This a very nice IPA, highly recommended.

Dogfish Head 90 Minute Imperial IPA

Style:US Imperial IPA
Alc %:9
Brewery:Dogfish Head Brewing
Country:US
Tap/Bottle?:bottle
Where/When:New York 09
Cost:approx $2
Rating:9

Very little head.. all but goes
bit cloudy medium dark copper
medium strong nose of.... sweet, with a little spice
lovely creamy sweetness up front, juicy, fruity cordial in the nicest freshest way
this is hop oil done right- lovely bit of pine at the end that has a nice note of bitterness...
also a champagne-like thing going on too
another excellent Imperial IPA, strong in alcohol but deceiving-
maybe not a session beer but it would be hard to stop drinking this 1 all the same.
Well pleased that a well know brewery like this doesn't disappoint!!
9/10. Esquire magazine cals this "perhaps the best IPA in America" and I agree.

Victory Hop Wallop

Style:US IPA
Alc %:8.5
Brewery:Victory Brewing Co.
Country:USA
Tap/Bottle?:bottle
Where/When:New York 09
Cost:approx $2
Rating:9

Bubbly fluffy head, white and disappears
pours cloudy marmalade colour
light on the nose but.......
lovely citrus fruit up front that's followed by a strongly toasted malt flavour
lastly a nice bit of bitterness to finish off with
This is the best IPA I've had yet, it's an imperial, but it's the best bottled IPA I've tasted ever!
Hurrah!
9/10

Jamieson's The Beast IPA

Style:IPA
Alc %:7
Brewery:Jamieson's Brewery
Country:Australia
Tap/Bottle?:Tap
Where/When:The Local, 3/10/09
Cost:$11 for 575ml
Rating:9/10

Nice foamy white head
Orangey amber colour body
Fruity goodness on the nose
and their it is- that fruity lively taste of summer-
It's a little tart. Sweet and sour in one mouhful- blood orange but with a bitterness on the end that kinda lingers but doesn't distract.
The sweetness up front makes me want to keep on sipping at it.
I really like this tho the bitterness at the end is really surprising me- it's kinda cloying I must say, BUT I keep on going back to it for that initial taste of summer thing it has going on up front.
It's worthy as one of the best IPA in Australia and I'm sorely tempted to get a case for summer....The tart bitterness is really getting full on

Feral Hop Hog US IPA

Style:US IPA
Alc %:5.8
Brewery:Feral Brewing Co.
Country:Australia
Tap?:draught
Where/When:Darlo Taphouse
Cost:$9.70 for 575ml
Rating:9

Nice fluffy white head 1cm high.
Copper gold in colour.
Sweet citrus/tart, zingy and tangy that finishes quite bitter all over the tongue.
This is a very good full flavoured IPA, not over powering and very more-ish.
Very similar to The Red Oak 'American IPA' but that costs $14 from memory.

I haven't had this or seen it since but I do remember really liking it and thinking that it had 'the taste of summer' in a beer glass. So I'm dying to try this again to see if it meets my memory of it.

Duvel

Style:Belgian Strong Pale Ale
Alc %:8.5
Brewery:Brouwerij Duvel Moortgat NV
Country:Belgium
Tap?:Bottle
Where/When:@ home, 2009
Cost:$8 or $9, $21 for large bottle
Rating:9/10

This is one of the first quality beers (ales) that I was introduced to and fittingly it was in a cafe in Brussels in 1994 on my first trip to Europe. After this initial tasting I had a second go with Duvel but it was for a session and it didn't treat me kindly- hey it was a long time ago and they were free! Boy did I dribble alot of bullshit that nite! Which nicely leads me to my first review on this little blog:
I poured slowly and got a two fingered head.
A pale golden colour.
There is a light spiceyness at the tip of the tongue, it seems quite gassy (ah, high carbonation) too.
It's bitter and sweet.
I confess, I fell in love with this beer the first time I had it- I knew that I had experianced one of the best beers on the planet. It isn't a session ale but you can learn that the hard way.
An amazing beer that's been brewed since 1871.

OK, so that's my first review- plenty of room for improvement as I have plenty to learn but ya gotta start somewhere.

Emersons WeissBier

Style:Hefeweizen
Alc %:5
Brewery:Emersons Brewery
Country:New Zealand
Tap?:Bottle, 500ml
Where/When:Home, 2008
Cost:$6-9
Rating:9

This took ages to pour - it had been in the fridge lying down for a few weeks & I rolled the the bottle before pouring.

This is my favourite brewery - so I am biased.
It pours with a big head. The colour is a cloudy caramel gold - not transparent with millions of bubbles making their way north. The smell has a hint of clove. Their is a definite taste of banana but it's a little muted by the yeast. The sweetness is candy or bubblegum-ish.
It's a little champagne like in the mouth- but more syrupy.
Clean, light and effervescent.
I can't say I've had more tha one in a sitting - as one 500ml bottle makes me tiddly!
Wonderful drop!!