Breckenridge Brewery - 72 Imperial [Small Batch Series - Chocolate Cream Stout] (12oz ---> Lefthand Pint Glass : 7.2 ABV : 11 IBU)
This beer was for some reason singled out at my local store and was the only one available on the shelf… There could be a few reasons as to why, but it seems they're usually placed there after having been available for a while, (over a year) or, what I assumed happened to this beer, one of the 4/6 pack became victim to a break and they had to be sold as individuals… If this happened to be a beer with some age on it, hopefully the 7.2 ABV helped it age gracefully…
The large car graphic wrapping around almost the entire bottle insists the "72 Imperial" is somewhat of a classic vehicle, and a small amount of research uncovered it is exactly that, a Chrysler to be more specific… To add a nice touch to the "72" theme, the '72 Imperial fittingly had a 7.2 liter V-8 engine as well… Also, since it's a chocolate cream stout brewed in Colorado, they chose to use Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory's "dark chocolate" in the brewing recipe…
It poured pretty light, but a decently aggressive pour helped form an inch and a half head composed of fairly large bubbles… The head receded somewhat quickly, but left behind a full ring of lacing about three quarters of an inch above the brews thin retentive cap… I held up the glass and the beer was pitch black, with the direct light behind it being completely shut out, as not a single ray of light made it through the glass… A gentle swirl and a sniff allowed for a solid amount of coffee aromas to arise, as well as a fair amount of chocolate to accompany it… Upon tasting the chocolate flavors come first, but they're extremely reserved, mingling amongst some sweet caramel notes, as well as traces of black cherry… On the mid-palate, the coffee flavors show themselves, but they're quickly overtaken by the chocolate elements, as well as some nice nuances of slightly roasted malts… The finish is again, more chocolate, amongst some more dark fruit elements, with hints of coffee showing up once again… The mouthfeel for this beer is extremely well executed, as it's velvety smooth and its medium body hosts the chocolate flavors quite nicely… The "cream" was not what I had expected it to be, especially since it's a part of the title, so I do fault it there… Not to say that it was non-existent by any means, it just fell quite short for me… Overall this was a nice brew, as I enjoyed all the chocolate it had to offer, and it was quite balanced, but it was somewhat of a one note song… Another great brew- Cheers!!
Great Lakes Brewing - Christmas Ale [Handcrafted Ale With Spices And Honey] (12oz ---> Two Brothers Standard Pint : 7.5% ABV : 30 IBU)
"Christmas" brews have never been a favorite of mine, but close sources have expressed to me that Great Lakes puts out an exceptional one, so I figured I oughta give it the ol' "College try!!" So, I picked up three 6-packs, a beer bong, got Mario Kart for my Nintendo 64 and called up three of my closest chums!! LET'S RAAAGE!! Alright, I'm not truly going to do that, but it doesn't sound like a horrible time in the slightest…
Around the neck of the bottle, it has the lyrics to a nice Yuletide hymn written on either side of the Great Lakes logo… "Oh Christmas beer, Oh Christmas beer, spiced with cinnamon, ginger, honey and yuletide cheer… Oh Christmas tree, Oh Christmas tree, recycle it to make nutrient-rich mulch for plant growth. (Okay, it doesn't really rhyme, but it's pretty important to us.)" Before even popping the top, the second half of that hymn makes me support this brewery on general principle… In a season fueled by American consumerism - FUCKING VOMET - It's incredibly refreshing to see them promoting responsible use of a tree someone cut down to dress up for a couple weeks before disposing of… My two cents - Get a fucking fake tree, no need to promote the deforestation of our beautiful planet any further… So thank you for the positive suggestion, Great Lakes!!
It poured smooth and light, with an inch and a half cream colored head forming atop a beautifully clear, copper colored brew… The head dissipated moderately slowly, and a decent retentive cap stayed atop the copper brew, but there was minimal lacing to be found in the aftermath… The aromas of cinnamon and honey were the first to arise after a hearty swirl, but it also had hints of roasted nuts, and some sweet caramel in there as well… Once I tasted it, tastes of the yeast and fresh baked bread were the first I got, accompanied by a honey sweetness… Midway, the ginger and cinnamon invite themselves in, but do it very sneakily and unpronounced, which are a good trait when dealing with spice beers, as they can overpower a beer with great ease… The finish is extremely mild, as all the flavors seem to quit developing, and only the honey and alcohol elements remain after the spices hit… The mouthfeel on the beer is a bit light, which makes for easy drinking but doesn't host the beer as amazingly as it could… Overall this beer lacks a certain indefatigability - Or in "Layman's Terms," it lacks some fuckin' balls!! Though not a horrible beer by any means, I can't see myself enjoying very many of these in a single setting, unless of course I pulled out the beer bong, as 7.5% is no slouch of a beer… Another great beer - Cheers!!
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