Started out with a Great Lakes Wright Pils.  Now to the good stuff.

Heavy Seas Plank II.  This is a dopplebock at 8.5% a.b.v. aged on Poplar and Eucalyptus wood planks.  I let the beer warm to 53 degrees before pouring and we'll see how the flavor profile changes as it warms.  The initial review is all based on first impressions.

Appearance:  Pours a deep dark mahogany color that's nearly black.  A light off white head fizzes quickly with only a couple of fingers even after an aggressive pour and disappears damn near immediately.  It is gone.

Aroma:  There is some initial aroma of wood but the dominant aroma here is sweet.  In the background there are some licorice notes and maybe some dark chocolate.  Typically in dopplebocks, you'll find some roasted aromas as well but I didn't get much of that in this brew.

Taste:  It is dead on with the aroma.  I mean it's exactly what you'd expect.  Wood character up front.  Bitter chocolate asserts itself more in the flavor profile than in the aroma.  There's still little roasted character.  Somewhat surprisingly for a dopplebock, there's a bit of hops at the end.

Mouthfeel:  Most dopplebocks are heavy and finish really sweet.  This is fairly heavy but it finishes somewhat dry.  Interesting.  Carbonation is pretty much absent.

Overall:  I like this beer.  Nothing in the beer dominates.  Some dopplebocks are too sweet while others seem afraid of accentuating the malt.  This isn't afraid of the malt but the wood and the subtle hops keep it from being overly sweet.  I'm not usually a big fan of Heavy Seas offerings but this is very good.

Mmmmmm.  The Old Rasputin is a damn good beer.  Good luck in the 5K.

And celebrating tonight with Green Flash Double Stout Black ale. Almost 9% abv, Very black, average carbonation, light head. It is reminiscent of black IPA's, with a grapefruit brulee note in the middle I like. It's hoppy, and a little yeasty, and I would say not dry nor sweet, with great body.  All in all a great finish to the day!

John

A tale of two beers (well, three) this evening.

I started with a Great Lakes Wright Pils which I have had on several occasions.  Great summer beer and a nice way to start the night.  Then, I had a Kentucky Bourbon Stout.  I expected Bourbon.  I should have read the label.  This beer is brewed with a ton of coffee and I hate coffee.  I've had some beers that had notes of coffee and that's OK but this one was loaded.  I didn't get any bourbon and I barely tasted any beer.  I tasted coffee.  Did I mention that I hate coffee?  I rarely dump beers but I dumped this.  Posted in my local beer group that I now had 3 to give away.  A friend of mine who likes coffee claimed it.

After that less than stellar experience, I grabbed a Dogfish Head Burton Baton out of the fridge and patiently let it warm to 52 degrees before pouring.  Oh my.  This is a 50/50 mix of English Old Ale aged for a month on oak staves and Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA.  Technically, this is classified as a Double IPA.  On the nose, it's all that.  Mostly hops with a bit of sweetness and just a touch of breadiness in the background.  The flavor profile is hoppy as you'd expect but there is a shocking amount of sweetness in the end.  I was not prepared for that.  Then, the alcohol at 10% a.b.v. pops in for a chat.  The oak is there but you really have to look for it.  It is very much a background flavor.  Every sip is a bit different which is exactly what a great beer should be.  Happiness.

Not-so-fancy review of a new favorite. AleWerks Tavern Ale

AleWerks is a small craft brewery located in Williamsburg, VA. I have had a few of their "werks" but this one really grabbed me. I have to admit that it was draughts of the Tavern Ale enjoyed at a couple of venues in Williamsburg that got me hooked, and altough I stocked up with a few 6 packs wile we were down there, the bottles are good, but not living up to the draught delight.

This is a classic Brown Ale. Think of Newcastle but more chocolate than nut flavor. Little head on the pour. Although the first taste is like biting into a dark chocolate bar, it backs off in subsequent sips, and becomes an easier drink as you go.

Here's the thing, from draught, it was a completely different beer. It had the burn of a barleywine and was much lighter than the bottle. It was much easier to drink to the belly. From the bottle, it was deeper, heavier and starts to take on a stout character. The malt tastes deep and very roasted.

I still love it, and I'm glad I stocked up, but from the bottle it's more of a one-and-done. From the tap it was a refresing treat.

LTH, do you write your reviews on Beer Advocate?

 

Occasionally I do but the reality is that just about every beer has hundreds of reviews and I doubt one more will make any difference.  I'm much more interested in posting them for folks in know in running forums or on facebook to stimulate discussion.  I learn about some great new beers that way.

Well, thanks for posting them here.

You post reviews on beeradvocate ?

Somehow that strikes me as barley legal....