Mirror Pond Pale Ale
Ratebeer 3.46 92nd percentile
Beer Advocate B+

Taste +4

This is a go-to beer for a lot of people; I can understand why. The aroma says it all: glorious and hoppy with floral and citrus. This is well balanced with bready malts and a slight vegetable. The hops impart citrus, floral, banana and a cool menthol flavours.

Aftertaste +1

It was a wet finish with lingering bread malts and menthol. There was a slight herbal mouth coating.

Alcohol Content 0 5%

Value +1

This is unlike all other pale ales; it is the king. The flavour is above average but not overly challenging for the routine beer drinker.

Ingame Enhancement +1

I have this beer often and is always enjoyable. It goes will with everything.

Overall 7/10

A truly great pale ale. The bready malts are slightly shadowed by the sharp citrus and menthol hops

Phillips Blue Buck
Salt Spring Island Pale Ale
Deschutes Hop Trip

The nice man from Deschutes came and spoke to the local CAMRA group. He was nice and spoke very well, but most of us were there for the beer.

Taste +4

The nose was oddly faint, but the taste made up for it. It was very vineous with dark fruits. The mouthfeel was acidic and slightly astringent, but oddly smooth and silky. Alcohol prominence gave warmth and not a burn. There was a bit of earthy and herbal hops.

Aftertaste +2

The mouth puckering and slight astringency only made you crave more. The long lingering herbal hops and alcohol warmth only compounded the problem.

Alcohol ? +1

It was strong but I do not know how strong. The regular bottles are 6.7%

Value +1

Sigh, casks are great until you realize that this beer with never be the same again.

Ingame Enhancement +1

It doesn't get much better than this: good friends, good beer and free beer.

Overall 9/10

It only makes me want to try the bottled Jubelale

Things are not good in the basement. My trusty notebook where I keep my beer tasting notes is almost full. I also have a backlog of almost 40 beers not reviewed. There is an upcoming trip to Toronto which means more research and more notes. I plan to visit Bar Volo, Duggan's Brewery and the big LCBO at Summerhill. Sigh.. But I will do one plug for a cool product, 33 Beers Journal. It is a very handy journal to keep tract of all your beer tasting notes. My only complaint is the 'notes' section is too small. Now that I think about I should order a few more.

Hop Trip Deschutes

Ratebeer 3.63 96th percentile
Beer Advocate A-

Taste +3

There is no mistaking this nose for anything other than a fresh hop monster. The sweet hops are a mix of citrus and cotton candy. This aroma explodes from a tan/ruby body with a wafer thin head. The low carbonation does not distract your senses from enjoying the pale malts. The hops..the hops. They are fresh with sweet citrus, cotton candy and various light fruits. Oddly the mouthfeel is slightly watery. A little light roast flavour appeared as the beverage warmed up.

Aftertaste +1

The finish was clean and slightly sweet. The pale malts fades quickly to leave a mash of citrus hops.

Alcohol Content 0 5.5%

This is only slightly about session strength, but well above in flavour.

Value +1

This was a good beer, but not a good as Driftwood's Satori.

Ingame Enhancement +1

Again with the lag. This is still a Seattle hotel room beer. I actually leave for Seattle again in about a week. It is sad, or good, when most of the beers from the previous trip have not yet been written up.

Overall 6/10

This is a must from any fresh hop lover. The flavour was not monstrous, but clean, sweet and heavy on the citrus hops. Your malt profile was very restrained.

Driftwood Satori
Phillips Grow Hop
Sergeant's IPA

Black Butte Porter (Deschutes)

Ratebeer 3.65 93rd percentile
Beer Advocate A-

Taste +5

This is a porter through and through; you can tell by the nose. It is smoky with roasted grains; like burnt whole wheat toast with coffee spilled on it, yet a little sweet. Over the lips.. nice medium body and oddly creamy. The tastes of roasted coffee, toast, toffee spread everywhere. These flavours are not overpowering and have a backbone of roasted malt sweetness.

Aftertaste +2

There is a long lingering of palate cleansing, roasted grains and burnt sugar. It does not coat but slightly dries out the mouth.

Alcohol Content 0 5.2%

Value +1

This is one of the greatest porters I have ever tasted.

Ingame Enhancement +1

Tonight was an epic L4D night; I completely owned Shifty during a versus round. Not really, I was in Seattle watching TV in the hotel room. I though the beer's score needed the extra point

Overall 9/10

If you like porter, you will like this one. It is safe to say than anything made my Deschutes is a great beer.

Chocolate Cherry Porter and Playing the Field
Black Boss Porter
Gonzo Imperial Porter

Flavius: I have decided to read some self-help books.
Meterman: Do they have one big enough for you?
F: This book will help me find my inner potential.
M: What do you plan to use to find your inner potential? A microscope or the Hubble telescope?
F: I hope to explore my infinite possibilities for happiness and fulfillment.
M: This book must be called, "Find you inner needle in the hay stack of life."

Obsidian Stout (Deschutes Brewery USA)

Beer Advocate A-
Ratebeer 3.78 96th percentile

I am very biased on this review; this is perhaps the greatest beer I have ever tasted. Whenever I visit the States, I make it a top priority to drink and bring home several cases of this beer. That and caffeinated Mountain Dew.

Taste +5

It tastes like angels peeing on my tongue. There is the nose of vinegar, bitter chocolate, coffee and toffee. The first sip (note not a gulp) fills the mouth with roasted barley, malt and a pleasant bitterness. After the initial bitter sting leaves the more decadent flavours of dark chocolate and coffee drift around your mouth like Ken Block.

M: The correct quote is "angels crying on your tongue" golden shower boy. This stout is not too thick, which is very nice. Anyone can make a stout; but a good stout balances thickness, bitterness and roasted flavours well. This brew excells.

Aftertaste +2

Generous flavours of bitter chocolate and roast lingers for a long time. You can't wait to take your next sip.

Alcohol Content +1 6.4%

You can't taste it through the bitterness.

Value +1

I don't care how much this stuff costs; it is worth it. If I remember correctly, the price was on par with other craft brews. It comes in the standard 6-pack bottle style and can be found almost anywhere.

Ingame Enhancement +1

I waited 3 months to drink this beer; it called to me at night. A promise was made to share a bottle with an old friend. This person arrived on Christmas eve, so it was time to crack this one open. I think she was talking to me; I never noticed. My mind was savouring the beer.

Overall 10/10 BOOM HEADSHOT

If you ever catch sight of this beer, you owe it to yourself to try it. If you don't feel like trying a world class beer, then at least buy two 6-packs and bring them to me.