FURTHER BEER REVIEWAGE

So here are some more beer reviews. Pretty straight-forward, you know?

Jahva Imperial Coffee Stout - Southern Tier Brewing (NY)
VERDICT: Intense, stouty
Lately I've been going through something of a stout phase, so it's a good time for reviewing the offerings of Southern Tier, and up-and-coming NY brewery that has a pretty legit variety of interesting, varied stouts. Though both pack asskickingly high ABVs (this one at 11%), their Jahva Coffee Stout is at the opposite end of the spectrum from their Creme Brule (see previous review). It's not the darkest or heaviest beer I've had, but it's not messing around either. That isn't to say it's overwhelming, though — in fact, Jahva is surprisingly drinkable for as intense as it is, even if the coffee / milk stout expectations are misleading. The coffee flavor isn't lost, and there is a strong sweet initial taste, but the finish is bitter, like a very lightly sweetened cup of espresso. The flavor, mouthfeel and complexity are both almost over the top, but not quite. Southern Tier packs a lot into their brews, but they have a perfect sense of balance, and know when to stop too.

Coney Island Albino Python - Shmaltz Brewing Company (NY)
VERDICT: Toothpaste
Beers like this distinguish the good brewers from the bad, and Coney Island might already be dead to me. Some (Southern Tier and Dogfish) can pull of these experimental beers, while others seem to have brewmasters more concerned with bizarre novelty than actual flavor. Albino Python is a "spicy white lager", which intrigued me at first — a lager with witbier properties, maybe even a little hefe spiciness? I thought I was hooked, but they took this in an entirely different direction. Upon pouring, this beer shows promise, as it looks the part: a nice opaque-gold, though perhaps on the thin side. But the potential is squandered as soon as the first sip hits you. My drinking-partner and I both looked up and agreed: this beer tastes like toothpaste. Toothpaste. There's a lemony menthol flavor that would be bad enough if I were spitting it into the sink, but it has no place in my beer. This was out of the bottle, too, so I can't even attribute the taste to a bad pour or spoiled keg — although I guess I should give the benefit of the doubt and assume I got a bad batch. In all fairness, it wasn't so rich as to be undrinkable, and it was, in its own strange way, a "spicy white lager."

Young's Double Chocolate Stout - Wells & Young's (ENG)
VERDICT: Chocolatey
Young's Double Chocolate is certainly one of the better beers in the world that's available in a can. (However, I certainly recommend buying this in bottle-form, the taste is notably improved). Just slightly bitter, full-bodied, smooth and undeniably chocolatey, maybe even double chocolatey, this is an exceedingly well-crafted beer for those craving a tasty treat. Creamy, and sweeter as it warms. The finish is like the last bits of a Hershey's bar melting down your throat. There's just enough bite in the mouthfeel to remind you that this is an English stout.

Kaiser Kurbis Hefeweizen - Elysian Brewing Company (WA)
VERDICT: A respectable bastard beer
This was part of Elysian's pumpkin beer event. While they are a fine brewery with unique and accomplished beers, the pumpkinyness of their supposedly pumpkin variations is highly suspect. This was meant to be a pumpkin hefeweizen, an idea I have been fascinated with. When and if I ever attempt to brew my own beer, it's a style I'll likely attempt myself, as I've never seen it tried anywhere else. I'm not sure I can even count this as an attempt — there just wasn't any pumpkin to be found here. To be fair, it's a common concern in many supposedly pumpkin fall beers. As a hefeweizen, however, this was unique and interesting. There may have been pumpkin used in brewing it, because it does pack a zesty punch for a wheat beer — "zesty" is really probably the best word for this beer. It's heavier and has more bite than one expects from the style, with a spicy, hoppy finish. For a smoother, more daring hefeweizen, it was certainly worth a try, though it lacks the main accomplishments of the two styles its means to emulate.

Hansel And Gretel Ginger Pilsner - Elysian Brewing Company (WA)
VERDICT: ::shrug::
Another from the Elysian experimental-pumpkin series. One might wonder why I didn't include these in the pumpkin beer roundup, which was my original intention. While these were advertised to me as pumpkin beers, they simply lack pumpkin flavor so totally that I could not include them. Hansel and Gretel is meant to be a pumpkin ginger pilsner, a beer as strange and curious as it sounds. It basically doesn't go further than that — there's no epiphany or understanding when you first taste this, only more confusion. It's a bitter pilsner, moreso than anything else, and the key word here is probably "crisp." Any hops, ginger or negligible pumpkin only end up contributing to that crisp/bitter factor. Considering I found the flavor to be meh, this beer was surprisingly drinkable, but it quickly dries out the mouth. An interesting experience, but I would not return to this.

Saranac Caramel Porter - The Matt Brewing Company (NY)
VERDICT: Delicious
I was shocked at how well-executed Saranac Caramel is. I figured the "caramel" presence would either be so subtle as to go unnoticed, or else syrupy and candy-like gross. My expectations were low, and this porter blew them away.  Somehow, it works just right, but you definitely have to be a caramel fan to appreciate it — the flavor is plenty apparent.  I wouldn't call this beer "rich," but it's not bitter, and it isn't sweet.  I don't know how to describe it other than "pleasant and consistent," so maybe I'll settle with that.  The key to its success is that pleasant mouthfeel and crisp, smooth taste. This is incredibly drinkable for a porter, and I certainly wish sixpacks of it were available.  Also good to know: it goes quite well with cigars.