100 beers of 2010: 8/100 - Flying Dog Raging Bitch

Beer Style: Belgian IPA
ABV/IBU: 8.3%/60
Serving Style: Poured from the bottle into a Sam Adams sensory glass.

Appearance: Perfection. Pours completely clear with a thick pillowy head that sticks around for awhile. Great carbonation level along with a perfect deep copper color. Exactly what an IPA should look like. 5/5

Smell: Wow, it just leaps out of the glass. There is a decent amount of Belgian funk there, with a flowery herbal note (chamomile?), and slightly citric and flower hop aromas as well. 4/5

Taste: Orange citrus elements are matched equally with the flavors imparted by the Belgian yeast. There is a nice undercurrent of herbal, resinous hop flavors as well, and maybe some subtle tropical fruit elements. I detected a little alkalinity and there was a bit of dry tongue bite on the finish at times. It's not quite as perfect integration of flavors as I would have liked, but I feel that way about most Belgian IPAs as the flavors don't necessarily meld well. 3.5/5

Mouthfeel: Zippy up front with some carbonation bite. Good body -- thick, a bit chewy, supports the flavors nicely. 4.5/5

Drinkability: It hides the 8% well with a big juicy flavor profile and a dry, sharp finish. The alkalinity tired my tongue out after most of a bottle, however. I've never been a huge Flying Dog fan, but this is a solid beer for the style - it's just not a very good style, in my opinion. 3.5/5

Overall grade: B+

100 beers of 2010: 7/100 - Alpine Exponential Hoppiness

[Didn't take a photo for this, and can't find a decent one]
Beer Style: American Imperial ("Triple") IPA
ABV/IBU: 10.5%/Unknown
Serving Style: Poured from the bomber into a DFH chalice.

Another fine west coast beer I got via a trade.

Appearance: It pours fairly cloudy and opaque, with a brownish yellow color, and a small head that slips away. The carbonation isn't immediately evident, but there is a dense carbonation visible in the brew. Swirling the glass brings up quite a bit more carbonation, it looks like a whole new pour. The cloudiness isn't super nice, but as the beer warms in the bottle it pours more clearly.

Smell: Tropical fruits, candied apricot, lemon peel, maple, piney freshness, nice, fairly forward, and pretty different.

Taste: VERY different, and a bit odd initially. As I got accustomed to it, the beer slowly revealed itself. It's initially quite resinous, not quite solventy, but there is a sweet/spicy/zesty thing going on. The bitterness is amazingly controlled, with no tongue bite at all. There is a bit of mild alkalinity through the mid-palate, but it fades and gives way to a sweet finish. While still a bit chilled, there is a thinness on the edges that makes it not fully realized. LET THIS BEER WARM UP.

As it warms, the beer comes into its own, and gets solid. Some mild vanilla and oak flavors come out, and the finish gets warmer and boozier with some heat in the back of the mouth. It still has some odd, resinous tang, but it's more of a statement now, and one that speaks powerfully. The tropical fruits come out more with the warmth, as well, which I missed while it was cold. Fantastic.

Mouthfeel: Thick, creamy, chewy, and great. Perfect mouthfeel.

Drinkability: It took a bit of time for this beer to warm up to reach its peak - let it get warmer than you think it should! Once it warms up it integrates nicely and the flavors reach their peak. The controlled bitterness is unexpected and welcome, as so many huge IPAs let their alkaline flavors run free. Each sip reveals something new. A highly recommended big American IPA that takes some time to show its colors.

Overall grade: A

100 beers of 2010: 6/100 - Founders Double Trouble

Image used, without permission, from http://columbiabeerenthusiasts.ning.com/

Beer Style: American Double IPA
ABV/IBU: 9.4%/86
Serving Style: On draft in a standard pint glass.

Appearance: The pour was an absolutely crystal clear light copper ale with no head and nice levels of carbonation. A nice looking IPA that I want to dig into. 4/5

Smell: A huge floral honey hoppy sweetness jumped out of the glass. It's actually ridiculously close to Hop Slam, which was surprising -- I hadn't had Double Trouble for some time, but I didn't remember it smelling like this. As it warms a bit of soapiness emerges (somewhat like Pliny The Elder), along with a bit of pepperiness. 4.5/5

Taste: A big citrus bitterness hits your tongue, with a ton of grapefruit, a weird subtle mild sweet-tart cherry, and a futile attempt to balance things with any malt sweetness. It's fierce on the tongue, and the brew leaves it feeling overly dry and alkaline. Double Trouble is an example of why Hop Slam is as lauded as it is... this beer is just too sharp, too uncontrolled, and not sweet enough. 3.5/5

Mouthfeel: A nice chewy thickness that is great for the style. 4/5

Drinkability: Double Trouble is a beer you can drink as fast as you want, I suppose, but isn't a chugger. It's just far too harsh and strong, and a tongue bruiser. I love Founder's and want to like this more, but it's just a little extreme, even for the style. I think that they could dial down the IBUs a bit and bring in some more subtle maltiness and it would be equal to Hop Slam in many ways. 3/5

Overall grade: B+

100 beers of 2010: 5/100 - Bell's Third Coast Old Ale

Image used, without permission, from nuxx.net

Beer style: Old Ale
ABV/IBU: 10.2%/Unknown
Serving style: Poured from the bottle into a Dogfish Head chalice.

I'll note that this is one of my first attempts to be less subjective and instead review based on what I understand the style guidelines to be.

Appearance: A beauty! The color is deep and rich, with dark orange, cherry red, and apricot tones. The ale is fairly hazed, and there appear to be some dark particles in the glass, even though I attempted to leave any sediment in the bottle. The head is thin, but the carbonation level is very appealing. If it didn't have the sediment it would be nearly perfect. 4/5

Smell: Mild notes of sparkling cherries and rich malts appear with time, as it warms I picked up some dried fruit, almost portish aromas. Not sure if the aroma is too tame on this, but it fits the style. I wish the aromas rose out of the glass with a bit more vigor, but when you pick them up they are quite nice. 4/5

Taste: A complex brew, for sure. It's big, very big, with all sorts of chewy dried fruit flavors meandering across the tongue. The malts are rich and sweet, which add to the complexity. There is maybe a hint of chocolate behind the fruit. The finish is long, lingering, with a hint of pleasant bitterness and a smidge of oxidation, which is fine for an old ale. It's a fantastically integrated group of flavors, and it makes me wonder just how old this "old ale" actually is. I want to put a few years on this and see how phenomenal it can get. 4.5/5

Mouthfeel: Fantastic. It's huge and chewy, with a great level of carbonation to keep it lively on the tongue without adding any bite. Perfection for an Old Ale. 5/5

Drinkability: Again, I am forced to ask, what does "drinkability" indicate? Would you session a 10% Old Ale? No? Do I want to keep taking more whiffs and more sips, trying to get every nuance of this beer? Yes, yes I do. A phenomenal effort by Bell's, showing a deep knowledge and appreciation of the style. 4.5/5

Overall grade: A