Mike Loves Beer -

Lion Stout

September 25, 2009

Name – Lion Stout
Country – Sri Lanka
Type – Stout

Appearance – Pours an opaque black color with a big light brown head.

Smell – Dark chocolate scents with some roasted malts and coffee notes.

Taste – Wonderful blend of bitter chocolate and the roasted malts. One not overpowering the other.

The first time I ever heard of Lion Stout was Bob the Brit’s review over at my fellow beer blogger’s site, The Brew Club. The bottle comes with an endorsement from the late Beer Hunter himself Michael Jackson, not that one. It was the first time noticing it in the store so I had to go for it. It is a wonderfully made beer from a country you really don’t think of as making good beer. It is a good balance of the roasted malts and the chocolate characteristics. While I don’t think it is my favorite stout of all time it is definitely in the top 5 and maybe even top 3.

Overall Grade – A

Mikkeller Cascade Single Hop IPA

September 23, 2009

/ Beer Review /

4 Comments

Name – Mikkeller Cascade Single Hop IPA
Country – Denmark
Type – American IPA

Appearance – Poured a hazy copper color with a big white head that left a lot of lacing on the glass.

Smell – Citrus hops hit you right in the face. Grapefruit, orange, pineapple.

Taste – Pretty much all citrus hops like the smell. Not much in the way of a malt backing for those looking for one.

While I wouldn’t say it’s a hop bomb it is pretty much all hops but I’m not complaining. I really enjoyed this new one. We just recently got Mikkeller down here and figured I’d start with an IPA. I know some complain about the over use of cascade hops but I love them. I love the big grapefruit hop flavor they give. So rightfully I got a kick out of this one. Not as big as some other ones with the same type of hops but definitely enjoyable for someone that loves hops like I do.

Overall Grade – A

Pumpkinhead Ale

September 22, 2009

/ Beer Review /

3 Comments

Name – Pumpkinhead Ale
Country – United States
Type – Pumpkin Ale

Appearance – Pours a clear orange color with a small white head that is gone very quickly.

Smell – Sweet malt smells with a some hints of cinnamon and nutmeg. Slight pumpkin smell.

Taste – The first and immediate thing that hits me is ginger bread. Sweet with some backing spices to it. Not a whole lot in the way of pumpkin.

After I wrote my review I decided to see what others thought of this and was completely surprised by how bad the reviews were for it. Many think it is not a true pumpkin beer as it may not use real pumpkin in it. While maybe they are right I find this the best pumpkin beer I have ever had. I enjoyed the ginger bread taste in it that I have never seen in any other beer.

Overall Grade – B+