Elysian Loser Pale Ale & Epic Armageddon IPA

1. Elysian Loser Pale Ale

Obviously one look at the label of this beer shows that this beer is selling itself with marketing. It definitely caught my eye in the aisle. Why Loser? The beer is a celebration of over 20 years of music from Elysian Brewing Company's affiliation with Sub Pop Records in Seattle. Moreso than the name of the beer, I enjoyed the tagline above it: "Corporate Beer Still Sucks." Because it certainly does. This beer is better than corporate beer. It's a basic pale ale style, but it does use Sorachi Ace hops which contribute some nice flavor. It's a medium-range beer in terms of intensity - at 7% ABV, it's not exactly a light session beer, but it does have some bold hop flavors with a crisp, malty finish. This beer is not a loser.

Overall Rating: B+

2. Epic Armageddon IPA

Epic is such an epic word that there are two breweries named Epic. Not to be confused with the American Epic Brewing Company out of Salt Lake City, UT, this beer comes from the kiwis in New Zealand. I want to party with these guys. They seem to be all about the hops and have a good sense of humor. For instance, this beer is 6.66% ABV, "the number of the yeast." They also have a beer called Hop Zombie that I need to get my hands on. Anyway, this beer is made with a delicious amount of hops and is just an overall great example of the popular IPA style. This is something I would definitely buy again and I'm eager to try more from these New Zealanders.

Overall Rating: What the hell, A+

Mikkeller Chipotle Porter & Stone Belgo Anise Russian Imperial Stout

1. Mikkeller Chipotle Porter

I'm not the guy that orders the atomic wings at the bar, not necessarily because I can't handle the heat, but I just find that it kills the taste. Knowing that subtlety isn't exactly in Mikkeller's vocabulary, and having my tongue set on fire by other beers that use peppers, I figured this beer would burn my taste buds and kill the flavor. Fortunately, I was wrong. The balance of this beer is fantastic, with the chipotle lending a smokiness without overpowering the beer. This would be a great beer to have with some chili, but could be paired with plenty of other food. If you've ever had one of those chocolate bars with chili spice, this beer is like a more delicious liquid form of that. If you're a bigger fan of the spice, I definitely recommend letting this beer come to room temp.

Overall Rating: A

2. Stone Belgo Anise Russian Imperial Stout

Stone's Imperial Russian Stout is amazing. Deep, dark, bitter chocolate with a smooth, silky mouthfeel. Stone basically got a little bored of pushing out this staple beer along with their barleywine and decided to start an experimental "Odd Year" series, making a variation of these beers for every odd year starting in 2011. Thus, the anise. If unfamiliar with anise, it has a strong licorice flavor. Think of sambuca or absinthe, which is what I thought of when drinking this beer. It tasted like the Russian Imperial Stout with a shot of absinthe in it. I admit that using anise in a beer, especially a very dark beer, is unique and I admire the effort. However, it was a tad too strong for me in this beer. Whether the combination would work with a more subtle anise flavor...I'm not sure. Perhaps the beer will balance out after aging it for a few years. That said, it still has a lot of the characteristics of the original Imperial Russian Stout, so it's definitely still drinkable.

Overall Rating: B-