12 oz single. The label suggests that this beer is a cross between a Scotch Ale and a Porter. I'm not sure what that means, but in the final analysis the beer drinks largely like an American Porter to me. "American" in the manner that the hops are higher than the original English version, and the beer has a less creamy texture and finishes drier. No Scotch Ale character for me. Dark brown pour with a few reddish highlights. Head is good and leaves some decent lace. Nose has some malts but is...
Notes on beers brewed by
Middle Ages Brewing Co., Ltd.
Dragonslayer
22 oz bottle that I purchased in a Wegman's in Binghamton, NY, USA. Pour is exactly what one would expect; oily black body, with a thin, mocha film on the surface of the beer. The alcohol in the nose seems a little strong and it has me a bit concerned for the tastes. In reality it doesn't manifest itself quite as aggressively as the aroma would suggest, but it is still a prominent feature. At first I didn't think that this was going to be a very hoppy stout, but as the glass and bottle...
Wizard’s Winter Ale
12 oz single. Murky. mid-brown/orange pour that creates some head but not much lace. Nose offers a malty fruit base that adds a little bitterness that is reminiscent of grapefruit, but to be honest it's not a grapefruit taste that one normally associates with a high hop profile. Similar things happen in the taste, where the slightly bitter grapefruit sits on the fruity end of the spectrum rather than the hop end of the scale. As the paragraphs above would suggest, the beer is really quite...
ImPaled Ale
12 oz single thanks to Rob. Light , golden orange body with an initially, big rocky head that leaves some nice sticky lace. Slight haze/cloudiness. Nose and tastes are typically English in terms of the biscuity malts and the relatively restrained hop profile. I think that this is a slightly older bottle, so it may be that these attributes are a function of some time, and earlier on this beer was more "American" in its feel. Light metal in the finish, but this adds to the clean feel associated...
Swallow Wit
12 oz single from my brother-in-law - cheers Rob. Not sure about this from the get-go. Is this a filtered Wit? Seems odd to say the least. The beer is golden with a small head but almost has zero cloudiness in the glass. Makes me feel odd, a bit like the disconnect between the appearance and taste that one finds in the American-style India Black Ales. Smell offers some light lemon and that peculiar sinus clearing carbonation that can sometimes exist in a beer. Lemon notes are less prominent in...
Syracuse Pale Ale
12 oz single. I've always liked Middle Ages but they pulled out of GA a long time ago (at least I don't see their beer any longer in these parts), this bottle came from my brother-in-law in upstate NY - cheers Rob. Slightly hazed, orange gold body with a soapy looking, one finger head. Head is light and frothy in appearance. Lace is minimal. Carbonation seems a little low. Tastes are fairly straightforward grains with a hint of bitterness in the back end. Light soapy tastes compliment the...
Druid Fluid
I've had this a few times before, just now getting around to reviewing it. Purchased as a single 12 oz bottle from Tower on Buford, Atlanta, GA, USA. I suspect that this bottle is fairly old, but it's difficult to tell (no dates as far as I can see) - more of that later. Pour is a dirty, mid-brown, murky body that is not that attractive. Looks like a Dubbel - I don't like the color or the body appearance at all. Head is very small but still good considering the ABV. No lace to speak of. Strong...
Grail Ale
Purchased as a 12oz single from Michael's, Marietta, GA, USA. I have a sneaking suspicion that this is quite an old bottle (I've seen a few sixers on the shelves for a LONG time, and now Michael's suddenly selling singles!) Dark amber pour in the Sam Adams new style glass, with a small ivory/yellowish head and some small, but impressive lace. Initial tastes are rich, malty but also have a strong hint of liquor. A creamy, sherry, maderia like taste - VERY nice. Lots of tasty layers of malt run...
Tripel Crown
$6.99, Michael's Beer and Wine, Marietta, GA, USA. Not sure about the age of this 4 pack, but at the same time this should be OK for some time. Quite what this is, or indeed is supposed to be, I'm not at all sure. The label says "British Style Ale", and it is classified here as a Tripel. I'm not at all sure where those two boundaries meet, in fact, I don't think that they do at all! Golden viscous pour with a poorly retained head and no lace. Fair enough, at >10% ABV I was not expecting...
Wailing Wench
Dark mahogany pour, with a splendid looking rocky head. Some sticky lace. This is a rich, thick and substantial beer that reminded me much more of a Barleywine than the DIPA. Loads of rich hops greet the nose, with that classic grapefruit, citrus sourness, but also with oodles of complex malts. This drank really heavily and it punched every bit of its 9.00 ABV. Mouthfeel was oily and syrupy like a Barleywine. I think I may have been deceived by the beer since I drank a really light, but hoppy...