Though technically an InterBrew (now InBev) beer, it’s brewed by the Boston Beer Company in Cincinnati. It’s said that the recipe for Mackeson has been around since 1801, but that refers to the British version of the beer known simply as Mackeson’s Stout. The American version gets the XXX distinction because it’s so obscene, like you can see everything, including, oh wait. It’s called XXX because it’s got a 4.9% ABV as opposed to the 3.75% ABV of the UK edition.

For our rigorous testing purposes we procured a 12 oz bottle that was, as we said, 4.9% ABV. The beer temperature for the rating was 56.5 F and we used an British pint glass.

Our initial pour gave us a large 2 1/4″ rocky dark brown head that yielded a good amount of head lacing as it dissipated slowly. There was little to no carbonation and the color was an opaque black.

A few good whiffs gave us a nice arrangement of smells – chocolate, coffee, molasses, roasted malts, black licorice, cream and soy sauce. A few good tastes gave us a lot of the same with a little bit less and a little bit more: chocolate, coffee, roasted malts, earth, black licorice, cream and soy sauce.

Our initial flavor notes were a moderate sweet that stays constant into the finish but rounds out with a light bitter and light saltiness as well. The finish length is average, the mouthfeel is creamy and the tongue hit is in the front. There’s really no body lacing to speak of. On the patented malt to hop scale it comes in 3.5 clicks to the left of balanced on the malty side – one of the more malty beers we’ve done.

For our bottom line notes we get a yes to drinkable, repeatable, balance, harmony, memorable and buy again. Our only no is for wow factor (we’re just not as easily wowed as we once were).

It’s very similar to a milk stout, especially in mouthfeel. Some review sites actually classify it as a milk stout (some classify it as a sweet stout and some show a milk/sweet stout). Whatever it is it’s very smooth and nice. It’s got a strong sweetness to it though – stronger than a Young’s Double Chocolate Stout, and that may be off-putting to some of you who don’t like them super sweet. The sweetness really hangs around on this one.

The good news is it seems to be pretty readily available and relatively inexpensive – you can probably pick it up for less than $2 a bottle in a single. It’s a really good session beer if you like the sweet stuff and would go really well with some cheese and crackers. This one is definitely BeerFather approved.

The Double Black Stout has an interesting background. It was originally created in 1995, but Redhook stopped making it in 2000. As you know this was well before the craft beer movement, so you may say they were ahead of their time. Like when Apple introduced the Newton, a little before the market was really ready for tiny handheld computers. Either way, this beer is back for a limited time – early November 2008 through February 2009, or until it all gets consumed, which will probably happen very soon, as this is a fantastic beer.

Brewed by the Redhook Ale Brewery, we got a bomber (22 ounce) that has an MSRP of $4.99. The ABV comes in at a nice 7% and our starting beer temperature was 55.0 F. We served it up in an English pint glass and our bottle’s batch number was 08-0410.

Our initial pour gave us a large 2 1/4″ frothy light brown head that left a fair amount of lacing as it dissipated slowly. There was no noticeable carbonation. The color was an opaque black, but we think there may have been some possible ruby tones when you held it just so.

The aromas come in with chocolate, hay, roasted malts, milk and loads and loads of coffee. And not weak coffee, strong coffee. Like John Coffey. The tastes were very close to the aromas: chocolate, roasted malts, black licorice, milk, smoke and more coffee. A really obscene, fantastic amount of coffee.

The initial flavor notes are a moderate sweet and a light bitter that evolve in the finish to a heavy sweet and a heavy bitter. The flavor is very intense – we’d almost call it a bittersweet stout. The finish length is long and the mouthfeel is fantastic – thick, coating and creamy. The tongue hit covers the whole tongue with it’s bitter and sweet notes. There’s a fair amount of body lacing as your drink it and on The BeerFathers patented malt to hop scale it comes in with the rare 4 clicks to the left of balanced on the malty side circle. That is as malty as it gets folks and The BeerFathers love it.

For our bottom line notes we got all yeses – drinkable, repeatable (though we don’t think we could do another bomber), balance, harmony, memorable, wow factor and buy again.

We really feel like calling it a bittersweet stout is the best way to describe it. Picture what it would be like to combine a schwarzbier and a milk stout and you’ll have a pretty good clue what the Double Black Stout is like.

It’s not for the faint of heart and it’s definitely not for a craft beer newbie or a straight lager drinker. It is an absolute steal at $4.99 for the bomber. It is very intense and the flavor may shock you a bit. This was Father Beer Love’s first beer in 8 days as he was healing from surgery and weening off his meds. He called it awesome and trust us, that’s not a phrase he throws around a lot. Our recommendation? Buy it while it’s available and cellar a few of them – it may smooth out a bit as it ages and be even better.

We poured our 11.2 oz bottle into a snifter and got an initial beer temperature of 55 F. ABV comes in at 9.2%, which you’d expect for an ice bock (and may be a little on the low end for an ice bock). We got a small 3/4″ creamy light brown head on the pour that dissipated quickly and left virtually no head lacing in the process. We found a soft carbonation in the opaque, ruby brown body.

For our aromas we get lots of dark fruits and sweet malts – chocolate, roasted malts, alcohol, black currant, maple syrup, dark cherry, raisin, spices, vanilla and a nice dark rum. A great medley of nose candy. Our tastes were as scattered as the aromas – a touch of chocolate, moderate coffee, molasses, alcohol, dark cherry, raisin, oak, sherry, a hint of vanilla, dark rum and a slight resin and soy sauce to the finish. We almost wore out our sniffers and our taste buds trying to pull the complexity out of this one.

Our initial flavor notes were a heavy sweet and light bitter. The finish notes move to a more moderate sweet, moderate bitter and light saltiness. The finish length is about average, the mouthfeel is creamy, and the tongue hit is right in the middle of your tongue. There’s a fair amount of body lacing as you drink it. On our patented malt to hop scale it comes in 2 clicks to the left of balanced on the malty side, which is mid range for malts.

Our bottom line notes – yes to drinkable, yes to balance, yes to memorable and yes to buy again. No on repeatable (only if you want to take a nap where you’re standing), no on harmony and no on wow factor.

There’s really a lot to like here. Raisin definitely dominates this beer and it’s not bad at all. There’s an oak hit in between the initial taste and the finish that brings a nice woodiness to it. It’s not a Vay-ner-chuk style Oak Monster, but it’s definitely oak nonetheless (though to be honest I did make the oak monster face). Think more of a wine barrel than an bourbon barrel for that oak – it’s not the charred kind you get in bourbon.

This beer really hits its groove as it warms – that’s when you get some nice notes – the fruits really come out a bit more and you get some slight notes of sherry. I think you’ll want to treat it like a good port – sip it and enjoy it. It’s different than the EKU 28, but just as good in many different ways. The ABV comes in a little less, but there’s more complexity to it. This would be a great winter beer. Overall we highly recommend it.

For those who don’t know, the story of the India Pale Ale (IPA) is quite interesting. For starters as a category, IPAs are classified as a sparkling pale ale with a little bit more alcohol and hops than a typical Pale Ale. A Pale Ale is called that because it generally uses ale yeast and mostly pale malts. In the IPA the extra alcohol gives it a little kick and the extra hops give it a very distinctive bitterness – this bitterness is almost exclusively the defining characteristic of the style. British brewers invented the IPA in the 1700′s to solve the problem of keeping beer fresh on long sea voyages in hot climates, to places like India and Africa. These trips were torture on beer (and the crew no doubt) and beer tended to spoil, becoming sour and flat. You’ve got to remember that pasteurization wasn’t invented until the 1860′s and refrigeration wasn’t a viable option so alcohol and hops were all you had to fight spoiled beer (they prevent bacteria growth). With the invention of the IPA long travel and hot climates were no longer a problem and the British brewers could ship beer all the way to India and it would still be fresh, 6 months plus later.

Back to our beer, the Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA, which is classified as an Imperial or Double IPA. It’s called a 90 minute IPA because the boil time of the wort in which the hops are added (continuously, mind you) is 90 minutes. More boil time on the hops means more bitterness. They also make a 60 minute and 120 minute IPA following this same process that are less bitter and more bitter, respectively. It’s brewed in Milton, DE by the Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, and our 12 oz bottle comes in at 9% ABV and 90 IBUs. Our bottled on date was May 2, 2007. I don’t think we have to worry about this one going bad.

We poured it into a tulip glass and got a beer temperature of 52 F. The initial pour yielded an average 1 1/4″ white fizzy head that gave us a fair amount of lacing. It’s got a medium amount of carbonation and the body is fairly clear and a nice amber color. The initial pour gave us a number of aromas – mainly caramel, sherry, earth and spices and of course a lot of hop aromas – citrus, floral, grass, herb and pine.

The initial flavor is a moderate sweet and a heavy bitter and that stayed true through the finish. Hell, it’s an IPA, what did you expect? In addition to the aroma notes above we also picked up some honey later in the taste. It’s really a beautiful complex mixture of tastes. There was surprisingly no alcohol in the taste, but the alcohol does hit you – it’s very strong and potent. The taste became very nice as it warmed – it’s definitely a taste bud tickler. There’s really no “hop shock” to speak of and though it’s hoppy, the balance saves it. It edges just a little, but not too far, towards the hoppy side on the patented BeerFathers malt to hop scale. The finish duration is long, the mouthfeel is oily and there was a fair amount of body lacing.

Neither Father nor Son Beer Love are hopheads, but this is a great hop beer. It’s not necessarily repeatable, or rather you probably shouldn’t have another one though you may want it (high gravity, you see). It was, however, very drinkable, very memorable, had a great wow factor and we would definitely buy it again. We feel the main thing about it this beer is the balance. It’s just extremely balanced, especially considering how complex it is, and it becomes so wonderful as it warms into the 60s. We don’t have a lot of IPAs in our ratings to compare it to so we’ve given it a 7 as is. When we have other IPAs to compare it to we may come in and adjust the rating. For now you need to get this beer and try it. If you love hoppy beers (do you like Sam Adams?) then you’ll fall in love with this one. And even if you’re not a known hophead, there’s still something in here for you and you should be able to appreciate this for the wonderfully unique beer it is.

Great story behind it – it’s named after Samuel de Champlain’s (the founder of Quebec) boat – The Don de Dieu. Quebec came to be known as the land of the “somewhat of a great people” and the Don di Dieu is regarded as “somewhat of a great beer.” (Full story here from Unibroue’s site).

Don de Dieu, the beer, is a triple wheat ale (Belgian strong pale ale), refermented in the bottle on a yeast base (an “ale on lees” – referring to the yeast sediment). I got a 12 oz bottle sporting a 9% ABV.

I started with a golden pour with a decent 3/4″ fluffy white head that dissipated rather quickly. The smell is delicious – citrus, banana, yeast and pear – some great wheat beer aromas. It smells a lot like a good white wine, but not quite as potent – more subdued.

The taste featured some spices and a mixture of other flavors like sherry, wine, honey, molasses and some florals. The mouthfeel is strong and a little thick, very nice. The overall dominant flavor is lemon – it’s a bit like a hefe but with a bit more complexity. The aftertaste is smooth and refreshing – more fruits and a little hop sharpness.

Overall I’d compare it favorably with a Duvel. Well done and another great Unibroue brew.

Beer Temp. 42.8F – 6.1C. 6% ABV. Pours light amber with 1.5 inch off white head with large bubbles. Aroma light caramel with a hint of lemon. Medium to light caramel flavor with a tartness that yields to a mild bitterness of the hops at the finish. Very smooth finish. It has more character than my last Vienna style lager, which this looks like, but this is an ale and the Belgian yeast give it a nice tang that I would call lemony. There are four elements: caramel, sweet, tart and bitter, all subtle and balance perfectly together. This has real harmony. Mouthfeel is okay but not outstanding. It must be bottle conditioned as there is a cloudy charge at the bottom with a more predominant lemon aroma from the yeast. Now I see why some pour the charge into a shot glass at the end to enjoy. This style is called a farmhouse ale because it was brewed in farmhouses to give to the workers during the late summer harvest.

Repeatability, absolutely. If you can find it try it, you’ll be glad you did. Wish I could find it locally.

We tried it out in a snifter glass, as was recommended. The initial pour yielded an average size (1″) frothy white head that had some pretty good lacing as it dissipated quickly in the glass. The carbonation is quite lively and the body is a sparkling clear. The color is a bit unlike any other beer we’ve seen (surprising after 60+ reviews) – it ran the gamut between gold, amber and a light orange, with characteristics of each.

This is perhaps one of the best smelling beers we’ve done – it’s a candy-like, intoxicating smell that makes you wear out your sniffer trying to get continual whiffs. The aroma is fairly complex – predominantly citrus with a skew towards orange, plus biscuity malt, honey, floral, herbs, banana, peach and some spices.

The initial taste is moderately sweet and slighty acidic and mimics most of what we picked up in the aroma, but the peach smell is replaced with a note of pear. We also picked up some pepper, nutmeg and some apple – specifically granny smith apple, providing a nice slight tartness. We also detected notes of alcohol in the flavor.

The finish is average in duration and light to moderate in flavor with a hoppy edge, but it’s hops done right. It’s really got a good balance between hops and malts, though it skews ever-so-slightly towards the hops. The mouthfeel is a bit dry, but it’s a good mouthfeel and works really well for the beer. It laces incredibly well on the glass, one of the best we’ve seen. As for food, it might work well with light pastas with creamy sauces and chicken or fish that’s baked or broiled, but not fried. It’s definitely a light triple, but it really works. It’s got good repeatability, is very drinkable, is rather memorable and has a bit of a wow factor to it. Dad picked it up for $7.49 for the six pack and at that price it’s an absolute steal. As such we’re rating this one a best buy and you simply must get the six pack if you can find it.

Further details: 4.9% ABV, brewed by Hoegaadren Brewery. The bottle reads that it’s a naturally unfiltered cloudy Belgian white beer. It pours well with an average to large frothy white head (about 1″ to 1 1/4″) following the recommended pouring method (2/3 into the glass, swirl the bottle, remaining 1/3 on top to create the head and charge the beer). The head dissipates slowly and the carbonation is light to soft. The body has a deliciously cloudy (a bit murky) and unfiltered goodness to it, combined with a light yellow golden appearance.

The smell is wonderfully sweet – citrus – orange and lemon, and a slight floral aroma plus a touch of wheat. The flavor backs up the aroma, a mild sweetness with a great lemony taste with coriander and a hint of banana. The mouthfeel is watery and it’s quite thirst-quenching. The finish is about average in duration and also mildly sweet with a little hop bitterness to it. I want to say I picked up a slight bubble gum flavor to the finish as it warmed, but I wouldn’t swear to it in a court of law.

It’s very refreshing and super-easy to drink. It’s got a pretty good balance to it. It’s similar to a hefe, but slightly different in a good way. You could easily slam back a few of these and call it a good night, especially a summer night.

Overall it’s a strong contender. It has all the elements of a great one – highly repeatable, very drinkable, somewhat memorable. It’s along the same lines of the Jahrhundert – a bit like a radler in Germany, though not quite as sweet. It’s worth the six pack and I bet this would move up to an 8 if you could find it on tap.

An interesting side note: pouring a Guinness on tap is an art form in and of itself. We’ve all seen Guinness served in bars and if you’ve seen someone who actually knows how to pour Guinness correctly out of a tap, it’s a thing of beauty. Because the beer is run through a cooler to chill it to the required temperature, the nitrogen bubbles become agitated and as it pours it creates the creamy goodness that makes Guinness so famous. So pouring the “perfect pint” is a multi-step process that involves topping off the initial pour after it has settled for some time. Guinness says it takes 119.53 seconds to pour the perfect pint. There is a terrific photo essay at INtake, an Indianapolis nightlife guide, on pouring the perfect pint (additional reading can be found at Esquire). Bonus Video – Fergal Murray, the Guinness brewmaster, explains the perfect pour (click on the video to play it):

Back to the review. Dad notes: While I realize that Guinness is pretty much thought of as THE STOUT I must admit I’ve never been a big fan. Awhile back I was drinking a Guinness Extra Stout and noticed it was brewed in Canada. I thought maybe the real Guinness Draught brewed in Ireland would be better so I mentioned it to John. He said the cans he had were brewed in Ireland so on his next trip home for a wedding he brought 2 Guinness cans (along with 10 other beers for good measure). On the day we carved out a little time to test them I went to the liquor store to get a couple of Canadian made ones, and discovered that the pint cans and bottles of Guinness Draught here were also Irish. I then realized it’s only the Extra Stouts that are brewed in Canada. Dismayed but undaunted I grabbed 2 bottles of the Draught and headed home. So now we had four Guinness Draughts and we intended to drink them all under the guise of testing, not drinking but TESTING. 52.2 ounces of testing in the middle of the afternoon.

Test variables:
The cans are 14.9 oz, with a widget inside. The bottles are 11.2 oz, also with a widget inside. Though both widgets float in the bottle, the can widget is more of a round ball and the bottle widget is more a of a long plastic cylinder, called a “rocket widget.” The bottle actually recommends you drink it straight from the bottle, but that just seems so wrong we can’t bring ourselves to even fathom it. Besides, who can resist the sight of a beautiful glass of stout with that light brown head?

For our warmer beers the rest time was 26 minutes out of the fridge. The beer temperature of the can was 58 F and the bottle was 53 F. For our extra cold beers they spent the same amount of time in the freezer. The beer temperature of the can was 38 F and the bottle was 34 F. “Extra cold” isn’t a clearly defined number but these seemed to fit the mark (side note: after reviewing the Guinness web site after the test extra cold is supposed to be 38.3 F). We used 4 pilsner glasses.

Results:
All the pours are terrific. It’s a creamy, frothy pour that waves up from the bottom of the glass and settles into a rich deep cinnamon tan head that hangs around forever. The beer itself is a deep black color that complements the head very well. It’s a visual treat to watch the wave and see the cream work its way up to the top to create a luscious head.

The aroma is roasted malts, with some coffee undertones. Overall the beers are all thick, rich and creamy. We found that the flavor of the counter rested (warmer) beers was markedly better – better than the extra colds with more depth and complexity. The subtle taste of the coffee and chocolate with the bold anise or black licorice flavor really came through. There is also a terrific touch of sweetness as well. The mouthfeel is thick and creamy and it laces insanely well on the glass. It’s got a dry finish and has a smooth slightly coffee aftertaste.

The very cold stouts lost the marvelous subtleness of the rested ones and gave us only black licorice. We both found much to our surprise that the taste of the can was smoother than the bottle. Given a choice between a can and a bottle of the same thing we would always choose a bottle but this may give us cause to rethink that. Fortunately that is rarely the case, as we don’t like to do a lot of thinking when we are drinking.

Conclusion:
34-38 degrees is just too cold for a stout. 40-49 degrees might be better but we only had 4. In the 50′s is just so right for a stout. The can definitely wins out for smoothness. It also really does taste a lot like a draft beer on tap – they’ve done a good job with that. There is another test we must do – a bottle vs. a bottle poured into a glass.

Final Thoughts:
4 containers of Guinness, about 10 bucks. A father and son standing around swilling them on on a summer afternoon, absolutely priceless.

• Is brewed with a combination of pale, crystal and chocolate malts
• Is dry-hopped with the finest Williamete hops
• Is fermented using a unique German alt yeast
• Uses pristine Artesian water of Abita Springs
• Has a sweet chocolate-toffee like flavor
• Is cold-filtered and brewed in small batches

I would say just transcribing what’s on the bottle would stand as a review, but you know as well as I do that that’s not what The BeerFathers are about.

It pours a dark brown – almost black – with a good two finger head that fades slowly leaving a thin layer that remains on the surface throughout the entire drinking session. It’s a got a chocolate and coffee smell to it, with a hint of nuttiness – I’m serving mine in a pint glass and it’s a little harder to smell out of this than the tulip glass.

The initial taste is complex – it has a sharp nuttiness to it with the chocolate predominantly jumping out. It also has a coffee undertone and a slightly toast-like taste. The aftertaste has a bit of toffee to it. The mouthfeel is rich and bold – it coats the tongue well and has some solid carbonation to it.

The malts prevail in this and it may edge a little too malty. It has a sharpness to it that could be more balanced. However, it is still wonderful and is ideal for a strong meal – think red beans and rice with a good Andouille sausage, preferably from Mulate’s. Despite the maltiness it is easy to drink even in hot weather, which is surprising considering it’s a dark ale. Maybe that’s a result of the good water they put in it.

Personally I love it – it tastes a lot like home. Sentimental? Yes, but rightfully so. You won’t want to drink it every day, but you will want a 6 pack.

The Old Scratch is said to be brewed in a steam style tradition, which is fermented at medium temperatures to develop both ale and lager characteristics. The initial pour is good – I don’t think I’ve ever written that a beer has a bad pour because this is the last time a beer holds infinite promise and potential – you’ve not smelled it, you’ve not tasted it, it’s a blank palette and all blank palettes look really good. I did a fairly aggressive pour into a pint glass – it resulted in a decent head that dissipated somewhat quickly but not all the way. It left a ring around the top of the beer for the duration and a little lacing on the glass as we went along.

The color is a nice amber – I was outside drinking it so I was able to hold it up to the sun to see the orange and brown blend. The aroma is inviting – mostly caramel and a little malty. The taste is really quite good – caramel with some other sweetness – maybe some brown sugar and toffee or honey, along with some sweet fruit tones that I can’t quite place. It’s not terribly complex but it is very flavorful. The finish is nice with a bit of hoppiness to it. The mouthfeel is good – some carbonation resulting in a bit of tongue fizz.

It’s a pretty well balanced beer between the malts and hops, I’m assuming as a result of the steam style brewing process. It really hit the spot and I’d rate it better than a change of pace beer – it’s got good repeatability, especially if you’ve been “lagered out” as Dad likes to say. So far Flying Dog is 2 for 2.

Note: We’ve taken a few weeks off here at The BeerFathers, but we’re back and ready to do some more reviews. Mind you we didn’t stop drinking (good heavens no), we just got a little burned out on writing about every beer we drank and just wanted a few weeks to drink without having to have a pen in hand. Sharpening the saw so to speak. But we’re ready to get back into it now. Thanks for waiting.

It’s a tiny bottle – 8.5 oz at 11.7% ABV. The bottle itself is great – non-traditional with an exceptional label. It feels like a special beer before you even open it. They say packaging is the great differentiator and they are correct. Our bottle is a 2006, No. P 29211. This was a rare treat in that we got to do this review together as John was home on an emergency trip. We got it at the Cellar for $5.99 on May 31 so it’s a tad pricey. After reading up on this on Rate Beer we let it warm up a lot.

INITIAL POUR
John: The initial pour has absolutely no head and very little carbonation. Initially I said no carbonation but there is a hint of it.
Dad: Used a Poco Grande glass. Beer temp. 63 F., not much head.

COLOR
John: The color is orange/dark amber and fairly clear with some sediment.
Dad: The color is dark amber and clear.

AROMA
John: The smell is very distinctive. I get notes of alcohol, caramel, honey, toffee and believe it or not, tomato juice, almost like a V-8. There’s also a bit of a burnt smell to it.
Dad: The first aroma present was alcohol with caramel and honey.

TASTE
John: The taste is very complex – there’s an overall smokiness to it with butterscotch, caramel, toffee and molasses also vying for attention. The mouth feel is solid and heavy, almost syrupy and coats the tongue very well. Initially the taste is sweet but it get a little bitter to balance it out. The aftertaste is very smooth, a lot like drinking a good scotch. It hangs around for a while on the roof of the mouth. It is very warming.
Dad: First taste gave bittersweet caramel, butterscotch and burnt malts. It had an incredibly rich mouth feel almost like butter, on the roof of the mouth and center of the tongue. The sweet hit initially and the bitterness remains long afterward. There is a smokiness buried deep inside the complex flavors with maybe a touch of molasses.

END NOTES
John: I would call this a dessert beer. It’s actually well balanced and VERY unique and I will admit it’s more complex in retrospect than I initially thought on the first taste. I good solid 6 on it’s own, but the character brings it up to a 7.
Dad: This reminded me of the Black Sheep ale that I had a while back but on steroids. After finishing this I pulled a Red Stripe for it’s lightness and could taste it all the way through it. It’s almost like having another one although a much weaker version. Should have used a really cheap beer instead.

Initially pours golden and almost clear into a pint glass with a decent soft white head that hangs around for a few minutes, similar in color and appearance to an American pilsner (except for having a bit more head). The last pour, swirled in the bottle before making its way into the glass, produced the very cloudy unfiltered look you expected initially and added a touch of orange to the overall presentation. The yeast sediment and wheat proteins hide in the bottom but they’re there.

It has a very prominent yeast smell with some mild citrusy lemon and banana tones and sports a terrificly smooth taste – extremely clean. A terrific harmonious balance between hops and malts. You get a faint lemon and spicy clove/peppery edge that makes for a terrific hefeweizen. Also some banana flavors liven up the wheat. A good mouthfeel – it hangs around a little bit after the initial swallow and sits well. I tried this with no lemon wedge – as we all know you don’t fruit the beer.

It has a wonderfully smooth finish to it setting up the next sip almost immediately. This is the kind of beer you drink too fast but you don’t mind. A great beer to have with food – I tried with a hamburger and tater tots and it suited it just fine. Typical Ayinger quality – what can you say – they brew some of the finest and most consistent beers I’ve tried over the entire spectrum.

Believe it or not I actually like the Flying Dog In Heat Wheat Ale a little better in terms of a hefeweizen. The Ayinger has a bit of a banana touch to it that makes it my current number two. Also in terms of price the Flying Dog comes out well on top. Either one is highly drinkable and tremendously thirst-quenching.

I hereby propose the passing of legislation that makes mandatory the possession of an inventory of no less than 6 hefeweizens in your fridge at any given point in time between the months of April and October. All in favor?

It pours a deep cloudy and unfiltered amber brown color and sports a huge creamy light tan head – a sea of delicious foam – that lasts forever. Literally. The head may come down but it never goes away even after sitting there for 30 minutes. Of course it laces extremely well on the glass. This is the most impressive head on any beer I’ve tried to date.

It has very little carbonation and a strong aroma that is slightly sweet. It took me a while to place it, but the smell is bubble gum. This is the first beer I’ve tried where I’ve been able to pull that out. Other aromas are caramel, biscuit malt and a hint of honey.

The taste has a slightly sweet edge but a good balance to it. It is very smooth and you can’t taste the alcohol, which can sometimes be a problem in these higher gravity beers. You can taste the malts, bubble gum, caramel, honey and deep inside the taste you can pull out banana. It coats the tongue very well and hangs around a long time. It has a remarkable finish, slightly bitter hoppy, but very smooth. It also produces some remarkably pleasant burps.

Overall it’s a good brew and one worth trying. Will it make it into the rotation? That remains to be seen, but it will definitely get another visit.

It comes in an 11.2 oz bottle and is 11% ABV – one of the higher gravity beers I’ve tried. I was able to handle this one better – the last one (a trappist ale) almost put me to bed.

It has a solid pour with a lot of carbonation and a head that goes away quickly. The color is deep orange/amber – a similar color to other doppelbocks. The smell is not bad – clean and sweet with an aroma of roasted malts, honey, molasses and alcohol.

The taste has a strong bite to it – sweet and very malty with honey and molasses, and a touch of either toffee or caramel. No detectable hops. It coats the tongue very well and the alcohol warms it up. Not too thick but it definitely hangs around longer than most. It’s got a decently smooth finish – not a ton of aftertaste and definitely less aftertaste than you’d expect – not unlike a port I recently tried.

It’s like a stronger version of a Paulaner Salvator Double Bock, but not as complex. The alcohol does warm you up, but it may be overkill – it’s tough to see myself drinking two bottles of this, whereas I could with a Salvator. Definitely worth a try, though it probably won’t make it into the rotation.

* Update: Thanks to alert reader xencat for notifying us that the EKU 28 is not technically an Eisbock. Due to the way it’s produced, it’s technically a double bock (albeit a very strong double bock with more alcohol than double bock styles are normally credited with). Though the ABV is in the eisbock range, if you want to associate this at all with an eisbock you could probably get away with calling it an Eisbock-style beer because the resulting beer is very eisbock-like with many of the same characteristics you’d normally find in an eisbock. No matter what the style, EKU 28 is still one of the most potent lagers you’ll ever try!

Son Beer Love Review (March 21, 2007):

I’ve tried other oatmeal stouts and Young’s is by far my favorite. Not too bad for a beer from London! It has a tremendously rich taste – it’s a stick-to-your-ribs kind of beer. And as a stout it is a really nice change of pace from the other beers we’ve been trying.

It pours black with a creamy brownish tan head that lasts a long time and laces well. Holding it up to the light you realize it’s not quite black, but a dark dark red.

The aroma is biscuit, chocolate, nut and oats. Another tremendous smell. I’m really getting an appreciation for the smell of beer lately.

The taste is a slightly sweet and complex one – dark malts and roasted barley, chocolate, coffee, nut and oatmeal. The mouthfeel is superb – right in the middle – not too thick and not too thin. The finish is good and smooth – the bottle touts a distinctive finish reminiscent of toast and you do get that. You also pick up another hint of coffee and a slight touch of hops.

The beer is better the warmer it is – let it sit out of the fridge for 45 minutes or so to really warm up. Absolutely a good go-to beer when you need a change of pace or even when you don’t. It’s a good stand alone beer as well – no need to balance with food, just sit back and enjoy. I drank it right on the “Best Before” date of 21 Mar 07. Truly a top beer!

Father Beer Love Review (March 22, 2007):

I had one of these @ John’s the night before we flew to Munich and hadn’t been able to find it locally. I remember it favorably but didn’t review it. I gave it 25 min. out of the box to warm as it’s a .5L, what a civilized size.

Beer temp. 49.6F. Pours a dark ruby brown with a caramel colored head. Aroma is coffee and molasses. Flavor is distinctly stout but with an unusual smoothness. This is definitely a sweet stout which is right up my alley. The heavy malts really come through with deep caramel and molasses flavors predominating. Color cleared after settling and is a surprisingly beautiful ruby brown. Flavor lingers a while on the tongue but not overly long. It feels rich in the mouth and coats the whole mouth and tongue evenly. Head has been weak and thin, not clinging to the sides of the glass. Nice smoky rich flavor lasts all the way down the bottle. Not quite the complexity of flavors and aromas of my favorite Mackeson but is countered by its unusual smoothness.

A definite keeper. Maybe next time I’ll use a pub glass to give the head a better chance. Wish I could find it here.

It has a smooth taste, like most wheat beers. The bread theme continue to the taste, as do the roasted malts. There’s also a hint of caramel, but not much. Some fruit too – banana I want to say – maybe it’s banana bread. Sweet – very drinkable and satisfying – I’d even say thirst quenching. Different from a lot of beers – it feels light in the mouth – the kind of beer you could drink a lot of. Not a lot of aftertaste – a little fruity. The glass was finished very quickly. 5.3% ABV is manageable. I want another!