New Holland Dragon's Milk Reserve with Toasted Chilies

Today, I have New Holland Dragon's Milk Reserve with Toasted Chilies in my glass.  Years ago I used to say Michigan was my favorite beer state.  After all, they had Founders, Bells, Dark Horse, and New Holland.  I hadn't had bad beer from Michigan.  Later, some of these breweries began to disappoint me.  I didn't care for Dragon's Milk as much the third time compared to the first.  It seemed a little boring in a by-the-numbers sort of way:  not bad, but not especially interesting or good either.  But now I've heard a lot of buzz about the Reserve bottlings so I had to hunt one down.

Smaug's Breath, as the Chili de Arbol bottling is affectionately known, doesn't disappoint.  The chili peppers add a toasty heat and smoke counterpart to the sweetness lent by the bourbon barrel aging.  For an 11% ABV beer, this one is deceptively smooth, even after less than a month and a half of aging.  If I had a complaint about Smaug's Breath, it would be that the mouthfeel comes off a bit thin in points.  Perhaps a little aging will help to fill this out, but I was impatient.  I should mention that this is one of four in a series, though unfortunately I wasn't able to find the other three.  In short, maybe New Holland is a little better than I've regarded them recently and it's time to give standard issue Dragon's Milk another shot.  Keep your eye open for the Dragon's Milk Reserve bottlings, if you can find them!

Bell's Best Brown Ale

Today I have Bell's Best Brown Ale in my glass.  This one tastes like fall to me.  The lightly roasted malt is akin to the toasty leaves falling from the trees, the hops add crunching texture (like more leaves) ringing in like the last vestiges of summer, it feels like a step between the lighter beers so perfect for hot summer days and the heavy stouts that make winter a little more bearable.  Eminently quaff-able, I would never call any brown ale "my favorite beer," but at the same time there is absolutely nothing wrong with this beer.  It's simple, it's straightforward, and it's good.

Oscar Blues Death by Coconut

Today I have Death by Coconut from Oscar Blues in my glass.  And it is good.  Not sure I'd buy more if I could find it, but glad I bough a $3 single can.  Massive coconut nose with a little chocolate in the background.  A little thin and dry on the tongue, but nice well rounded choco-coconut mouthfeel on the finish, though I suppose the thin and dry nature is fitting to the Irish Porter style.  Pleasantly sweet, but not overly sweet.  I wonder how this would taste at a slightly higher ABV, say 8%. If you're a fan of coconut you should do yourself a favor and look for this one!

Surly Coffee Bender

Today I have Coffee Bender from Surly in my glass.  And I think it's good, if a bit overrated.  Probably more overrated than Surly Overrated.  I've been hearing good things about this one for awhile, and while it's not bad, I'm also not overly impressed.  It has a decent amount of flavor for a 5.1% ABV beer, but that qualifier is necessary.  The coffee in this beer is probably most evident in the pleasantly rich nose, though there are some pleasant notes on the tongue as well, and the finish is surprisingly long and full.  Okay, this is one of the more impressive overrated beers that I've had.  If it was half as expensive and hyped I would probably call it a great beer, as is it nearly lives up to its reputation.

Lagunitas Born Yesterday

Today I have Born Yesterday from Lagunitas in my glass.  And holy moly, I believe we have a winner.  Oh yeah, I guess Wet Hop Week isn't over yet.  This one has a powerful aroma of sweet sweet tropical fruit that hit me in the nose and made me happy.  The label mentions that it's rich with Mosaic, Amarillo, and Equinox hops that are fresher than fresh (picked on October 26th!!!)  There was a Herculean effort made on the part of the dedicated men and women of Lagunitas to get this beer to me ASAP for this review, so I hope it satisfies them as much as the beer is satisfying me.  I do have to admit though, the body is a little thin for my taste.  Very crisp, though, Fresh and sweetly fruity with a notable dose of Mosaic funk.  Have I mentioned how fresh this is?  Have I?

Sierra Nevada Harvest (4 of 5)

Today I have Sierra Nevada Harvest in my glass.  Just when I thought Wet Hop Week was over, this one pulled me back in.  This is the Fourth beer in a series of Five Wet Hop IPAs that Sierra Nevada is releasing this year.  I was pleased by the previous two I've had in the series (must have missed one), so I figured I couldn't go wrong with this.  For my tastes, this one is more good than it is great, but totally worth paying $5 for the 24 oz bomber.  These hops are pretty funky:  I'm getting some weird herbal notes, green tea, rose hips, a bit of funk and bitterness, grapefruit rind, and some other stuff I'm not able to pick out.  Price for quality, I'd say this is easily one of the best beers in Wet Hop Week, or as Sierra Nevada likes to call it, Wet Hop Year.

Sixpoint Sensi 2015

Today in my glass, I have Sensi from Sixpoint.  Wow, that is a huge departure from Surly's Wet and Founders Harvest (see posts from October 19th and 21st).  It's hard to say at first whether it's better or not, but it's certainly different.  There's definitely some good flavor here, it seems a little more toasted compared to the Surly and Founders, but I think it makes for a fuller beer on the palate, though the finish is admittedly incredibly short.  Perhaps I prefer the Amarillo and Cascade hops that went into this one, it's hard to say for sure.  This is by far the cheapest wet hopped ale I've had this week, and also arguably my favorite.  Give it a try, for sure.