Big Hugs

Half Acre Beer Company

American Imperial Stout

9.0 by scot

This is the 10 year anniversary edition. Can't believe I still have a bottle from the first release. Pours opaque. Huge, thick mocha foam covers. Recedes rather quickly but leaves sticky rings behind and throughout the drink. Aroma is subdued but complex. Coffee and espresso (more on the espresso side than that old fashioned coffee) is met with roast malt and chocolate. Hints of tobacco develop. Taste follows the nose: subdued. There are additional elements. Espresso and some coffee ar...read more

Overall Rating: 9.0 by 1 dude 100%

Grisettastone

American Solera

Saison

9.3 by scot

From 2018. Pours clear with an inch, plus, of pure white as snow foam. Average retention. Dishwasher washed glass didn't hold any lacing. Aroma is amazingly floral with lemon zest. Brett. Grass. Taste follows the nose. Lemon is big and throughout. Medium body with high carbonation. This is a great beer. The floral and lemon are big and throughout. Would definitely be an outstanding beer for the summer. Enjoy!...read more

Overall Rating: 9.3 by 1 dude 100%

Sosus

Toppling Goliath Brewing Company

American IPA

8.9 by scot

Canned on 12/07/18. Pours opaque. Huge helping of white foam that froths up as it recedes like a glacier. Thick lacing. Aroma is earthy, sweet, tropical fruit (pineapple) and good amounts of resin. Taste is more tropical fruit mixed with sweet. Earthiness fades while the resin come in late, dank. Bitterness that isn't overwhelming at first but does build. Mouthfeel could be a bit bigger for me as it is a touch thin. Medium carbonation. Solid beer. I would like a bit more mouthfeel for...read more

Overall Rating: 8.9 by 1 dude 100%

Double Bad Polaroid

Werk Force Brewing Company

American Amber Ale

8.6 by scot

From a can without a date but picked up three days at the brewery. Smells and taste fresh. Pours clear with almost an inch of light tan foam. Retention is average with the foam becoming creamy. Lacing is there from the get go: sticky yet wispy. Aroma is hop forward. Citrus (grapefruit and mellow lemon) and hints of a floral bouquet. Citrus rind. Toast, caramel and Taste is again hop forward but the malt backbone grabs hold a bit more. Grapefruit lingers in the finish creating a bitter...read more

Overall Rating: 8.6 by 1 dude 100%

Saison Blanc

The Lost Abbey

Saison

7.6 by scot

No date on bottle but I have had this beer 2-3 years in the basement cellar. Pours clear. Huge amount of large bubbled, white foam covers. Great staying power. Wispy, sticky lacing begins immediately. Looks solid in the glass. Aroma of caramel, toast, and honey: sweet. Undertones of brett that fight the sweetness but don't create the most inviting conviction. Taste fairs better but still a touch of strange: maybe I have never experienced before. Funk and sweet (caramel and honey, with t...read more

Overall Rating: 7.6 by 1 dude 0%

Touch of Haze

Destihl Brewery

American IPA

9.1 by scot

Gifted from a work friend of my wife's. Filled on November 15th. Pours cloudy with an inch of white foam that quickly recedes. Thin but sticky lacing leaves nice rings throughout. Aroma jumps out upon opening the can. Tropical, mango, pineapple and orange. Mild sweetness. Taste is hop centric but not a complex as the aroma. Orange is foremost with hints of pineapple. Soap. Medium body with light carbonation. Surprisingly dry on the lips but leaves a juiciness in the back of the throat...read more

Overall Rating: 9.1 by 1 dude 100%

Edmund Fitzgerald

Great Lakes Brewing Company

American Porter

8.4 by rich

Smells like an awesome breakfast sweetroll. Almond, cherry, and a hint of spice. Maybe the best aspect of this beer. Taste: Sweet, nutlike flavor, quickly turns to a light chalky dryness, with a sour, tree fruit soft finish. Overall, a flavorful and interesting beer. Basic brew is semi-sweet malt, balanced with charred bakers chocolate and light coffee. But there's more notes in this brew that make it both an original, and most tasty. Love this brew with the winds of November....read more

Overall Rating: 8.4 by 1 dude 100%

Moonfruit

Maplewood Brewery & Distillery

American Imperial IPA

7.9 by rich

L: Very hazy, dark golden straw. Thick white foam, that is fairly normal retention & lacing. S: More tree fruit than citrus, similar notes that alot of Chicago hazies have when Citra & Mosaic are involved. There's a touch of floral or herbal that I'm not in love with. But it's nice, nothing wrong here. T: Upfront stone fruit sweetness. Zero bitterness. Upper side of thick and full mouth feel. O: Solid well made beer, definite contender in the Chicago NEIPA crowd. I wish it was a tad l...read more

Overall Rating: 8.5 by 2 dudes 100%

Moonfruit

Maplewood Brewery & Distillery

American Imperial IPA

9.1 by scot

From a crowler with dated yesterday. Gifted from Owen whom was in town for work. Thank you! Pours opaque. Couple of fingers of slightly off-white foam covers. Retention is fantastic; great staying power. Sticky lacing begins immediately and coats the sides of the glass. Aroma is sensational. Tropical fruit with a hint of floral. Resin. Taste follows the nose but not quite to the same level. Mango, papaya and orange. Big mouthfeel, including creaminess. Low carbonation but there is e...read more

Overall Rating: 8.5 by 2 dudes 100%

Now & Then

Half Acre Beer Company

American Imperial IPA

8.8 by scot

Date on can 10/21/18. Fresh! Pours with a slight chill haze. An inch of snow white foam covers. Above average retention time. Thick, frothy remnants cover the entire time, creating sticky, sheeting lacing. Tropical fruits abound. Dank resin layers in front of hints of berries. Pine. Sweet but subtle. Dough. Taste is sweet throughout. Hops are inviting. Not as sharp as the aroma. Pine, resin and tropical fruits hit home. Sweetness and resin linger. Light in the mouth. Thin carbon...read more

Overall Rating: 8.8 by 1 dude 100%

pseudoSue

Toppling Goliath Brewing Company

American Pale Ale

9.5 by scot

Best by 01/26/19. My least favorite type of dating but at least it is dated. A cloudy and opaque pour. An inch of loosely packed white foam tops. Retention is average, leaving behind a slim covering that never retreats. Lacing is sticky. Aroma leaps out of the glass from the initial pour. Citra centric of mango, pineapple, and orange. Sweet bread maltiness. Orange tang. Taste brings on the tropical fruit bowl throughout. Touch of bitterness and resin/dankness near the finish. Sweet, ...read more

Overall Rating: 9.5 by 1 dude 100%

Cerveza Sin Frontera

Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project

Saison

9.2 by scot

From bottle dated December 2014. Red wax on top. Pours clear with an inch of off-white foam; large bubbles. Retention is below average but this style usually hang out a long time, leaving only a ring on the edges. Sporadic, juicy lacing that seeks level. Aroma is funky and sour. No much, if any malt profile. Light barnyard scents waft in late behind the sharp, fizzy sourness. As it warms wine barrel pops up, tinging the nostrils with larger and larger wine character. Lactic acid and fun...read more

Overall Rating: 9.2 by 1 dude 100%