2-4-T: Lost Abbey Witch's Wit & Flying Fish Exit 13

1. Lost Abbey Witch's Wit

It's with hesitation that I review this beer so I would like to throw out my apologies to the Wiccan community, who met the label of this beer with some frustration for its depiction of a witch being burned at the stake. The brewery did not mean to offend anyone but did apologize; I'm not sure if a label redesign was ever confirmed to be in the works. As a witbier, this is actually a summer seasonal so I think I found an oldie on the shelves which may explain the earthy notes I tasted in the beer. Other than that, this beer is more or less a textbook witbier: zesty, fruity, smooth and cloudy. Nothing overly impressive for my first taste from this interesting brewery, Lost Abbey, but I will definitely try some more beers from there, including the bottle of Angel's Share that I have in my "cellar."

Overall Rating: B

2. Flying Fish Exit 13

Exit 13 of the Jersey turnpike: can you picture a more beautiful setting as inspiration for a beer? This is the 6th in the Exit Series out of Flying Fish, which loosely bases a beer on each exit of the turnpike. The underlying story behind this beer involved the Port of Newark-Elizabeth Marine Terminal. It was through this port that the Belgian chocolate was brought in to make this chocolate stout. It's tough to go wrong with a chocolate stout in my mind. However, as I try more and more, the bar is set higher and I'm not looking for a high-ABV bomb but I do want some robust, dark, roasty flavor which this beer did not have. I also couldn't help but compare it to the other stout from the series, Exit 1 Oyster Stout, which was fantastic. That said, this was not a bad beer at all. It was very smooth for a 7.5% beer but just failed to wow me with its flavor. I'll continue to try every beer from this series though so I look forward to the next offering.

Overall Rating: B

2-4-T: Bavarian Barbarian Hammerin' Ale & Stone Lukcy Basartd

1. Bavarian Barbarian Hammerin' Ale

This is the first beer that I've had from the pretty awesomely named Bavarian Barbarian Brewing Co., located in Williamsport, PA. This brewery just recently came to my attention via Lew Bryson's book on PA Breweries, but I don't think I had seen it before so it was by coincidence that I saw it at the store recently, leading me to decide to try out a local beer. Apparently this is the brewery's first beer. Coming in a 22 oz. bomber, I had no idea what the style of beer was when I purchased it. It turns out that its an American amber ale (might be a good idea to put this on the label somewhere but obviously that didn't stop me). What did I like about it? It was light but definitely had that red ale type of flavor so it went down very easy. It's a sessionable beer at 4.5% ABV. I'm conflicted with the ABV level of beers. I hate the fact that so many beers are so strong that I can only drink 1 or 2 in a night, but at the same time, they have loads of flavor. Beers like this one can be consumed in multiples, but the flavor is kind of lacking. Either way, I'd like to try what else this brewery offers.

Overall Rating: B-

2. Stone Lukcy Basartd

It's not a typo. That's what the label says. In fact, the entire description on the back of the bottle is written in this style, keeping the correct first and last letter of the word and jumbling the letters inbetween. It tricks our eyes but you are still able to comprehend what is written. Leave it to Stone to market something like this. It's a one time release so grab one if you can - it celebrates 13 years of Stone Brewing and is a take on the popular Arrogant Bastard Ale. It blends the regular Arrogant Bastard, the Oaked AB and the Double AB, resulting in one hell of a bastard. This is not a beer to be taken lightly. The aroma is not overpowering but the taste kicks you in the face with some hoppy citrus taste with hints of oak and dark malts. It has a lot going on at 8.5% ABV and considering the strength and bold flavors AND the fact that this is a one time release, I'm guessing this would be a nice beer to throw in the cellar.

Overall Rating: B+

2-4-T: Rogue XS Imperial Younger's Special Bitter & Schneider-Brooklyner Hopfen Weiss

1. Rogue XS Imperial Younger's Special Bitter

Look at it, isn't it cute? Rogue has a small collection of 7 oz bottles, which I believe are the only "pony" bottles I've had since Rolling Rock in high school. I love the idea of breweries releasing their big beers in small bottles so I hope other breweries adapt this idea but doubt it'll happen. Sometimes, I'd rather taste 3 different big beers in small portions in one night rather than drinking one big bomber of beer. Anyway, this is a type of beer that's not common among American breweries; you'll see a lot of it in England. It's a malty beer with some faint fruitiness to it and a bitter finish. Very, very smooth and drinkable. In "Imperial" beers, a lot of times you'll get that burning alcohol taste and this beer does not have any trace of that. Yet another reason to love Rogue.

Overall Rating: B+

2. Schneider-Brooklyner Hopfen Weiss

Ahh, just rolls off the tongue. Why go to the bar and say, "I'll have a Bud" when you can say, "I'll have a Schneider-Brooklyner Hopfen Weiss"? This beer is a German (Schneider Weiss) and American (Brooklyn Brewery) collaboration, which was made two ways: the Brooklyner-Schneider uses American hops (Amarillo and Palisade) and this one, the Schneider-Brooklyner uses German hops (Hallertauer Saphir). I feel like this one comes out a bit more bitter than the American hop version with a bit of a citrus taste; the American hop version has a sweeter finish. I'd have to opt for the version with American hops, but if I were to judge in all fairness, I'd have to try this beer IN Germany. The American hop version is brewed in NY; this version is brewed in Germany. Travel (especially international) does not always bode well for beer. So...the logical next step is to start collecting money from my readers for a trip to Germany. Please mail me your checks. Thanks.

Overall Rating: B+

2-4-T: Sam Adams/Weihenstephan Infinium & Ommegang BPA

1. Sam Adams/Weihenstephan Infinium

I was pumped for this beer. I normally wouldn't get pumped for a Sam Adams beer because I rarely drink it, but I do respect the company. The reason I was pumped was that this beer was 2 years in the making and it was a collaboration brew with what is arguably the world's oldest brewery...and it had an interesting goal behind it. This brew was developed for beer drinkers as an alternative to champagne for New Year's, and so it is a brew with "champagne-like" taste. And so I got a bottle out of the only case I know that was sold in the area, the exclusivity of which further amplified my excitement. And what better way to celebrate the New Year than with a great beer? Well I'm not claiming that Infinium ruined 2011, but I expected a swan dive and I got a belly flop. Even if I did not know ahead of time that this beer was supposed to have a "champagne-like" taste, I would not have been big on it. The initial taste was nice: sweet, fruit with some nice carbonation and mouthfeel. But then an off-putting overwhelming bready sweetness took over that I did not enjoy. I struggled to find any champagne qualities in this, including the bubbles and dryness. Apparently this is the first of 3 collaboration brews between these breweries, so I'll approach the next 2 in a much more subdued, skeptical manner. Shame on you Jim Koch (The guy with the killer beard from the TV ads?...you're still cool).

Overall Rating: C-

2. Ommegang BPA

Later on during New Year's Eve, I opened this guy up. Ommegang is a brewery out of Cooperstown, NY that I've come to love as a go-to purchase when I want some Belgian taste but don't want to leave the country. The funny thing is that this beer doesn't even aim to taste like champagne and some people still might think it's a stretch but I thought this beer had more champagne qualities than the above disappointment: fruity characteristics, very carbonated and extremely dry. Point being...there are a lot of beers out there that have champagne like qualities, such as certain lambics like a gueuze. ANYWAY, the "BPA" stands for Belgian-style Pale Ale. Unlike its American brethren, the Belgian style of Pale Ale is not as bitter hoppy, but takes on more sweet overtones. This is only the second American version of this beer that I've had and maybe the 4th or 5th overall. I'm not sure that this beer tops Orval, but it comes close. I LOVED how dry it was...probably the most dry beer that I've ever had. Nice, slightly bitter balance with its fruity taste and great mouthfeel. Thanks Ommegang, you saved my New Year.

Overall Rating: A-