Two Brothers Atom Smasher (7/10)

Two Brothers Artisan Brewing is located in Warrenville, Illinois, which is west of Chicago.  I'm a fan of their Domaine DuPage French Country Ale but hadn't had any of their other brews.

Atom Smasher is an oak-aged Oktoberfest style lager.

It pours a bright gold that's slightly brown or amber, with a white head that doesn't last long and leaves behind a few spots of lacing.

The aroma is primarily roasted grain and bread.

The flavor starts with a very slightly hoppy balance, then turns a little sweet and malty with some roasted malt present. The finish is malty and mildly bitter.  It's a nice enough example of the Oktoberfest style but doesn't strike me as outstanding in any particular way.  Then again, I'm not that big a fan of the style.

Beer Advocate gives Atom Smasher an 83 or "good" rating.  RateBeer is tougher on it, giving the beer only 53 overall.  My rating is a 7 out of 10, somewhere in between those two ratings.  I like it well enough, but I don't love it.

Atom Smasher is sold in bottles and kegs.  I've seen other Two Brothers beers at most retailers around town, including The Andersons General Store and others.  Since this is a seasonal, you probably won't be seeing it until the fall.  I tasted this particular glass at The Daily Growler when it was on tap during Fall 2015.

Lefebvre Floreffe Tripel (8/10)

Most craft beer fans have a few favorite beer styles and several favorite beers.  For me, the Belgian style Tripel is one of my favorite styles.  I'll usually try any tripel I encounter, wondering if it is better than one of my favorites.

When the Rare Beer Club's web site offered beers from all of its various clubs, I noticed the availability of Brasserie Lefebvre's Floreffe Tripel.  Naturally, I ordered some.

Floreffe pours an amber color that's nearly brown, making it a bit dark for a traditional tripel.  It has a huge beige head comprised of bubbles of all sizes from tiny to surprisingly large.  It's also quite bright and clear, which is a little uncommon in the tripels I've seen.  The texture of the foam is a lot like whipped cream once it settles a bit.  It leaves behind wide rings of lacing on the glass.

The aroma is yeasty, bready, and mildly fruity.  I get a hint of lemony citrus, too.  Maybe a hint of minerals.  That's about all.  Others might pick out more in the aroma.

The flavor starts out balanced slightly toward hops, especially when it's colder.  After that initial burst of hops there is a burst of sweet caramel malt, honey, citrus, and a definite warming note from the 8% alcohol in it.  The finish is citrusy and mildly bitter.

Beer Advocate gives Floreffe Tripel an 85 or "very good' rating.  RateBeer gives it an 88 overall.  It's not my favorite tripel, but it's certainly better than many I've had.  With a bit of aging to tone the bitterness down a bit, it might be even better.  As is, I'm giving it an 8 out of 10.  It's a good tripel, very drinkable, but not as complex as Unibroue's La Fin Du Monde or as delicious as Tripel Karmeliet.

As far as I know, this beer isn't sold here in Ohio.  I was able to obtain it mail order via the Rare Beer Club web site.  It may still be in stock when you read this.

Pigskin Brewing Saison Du Victory (8/10)

Gahanna's Pigskin Brewing Company marries football with beer in a way that feels slightly upscale without being snooty.  Their Saison Du Victory is a Belgian farmhouse ale.

The beer pours a bright gold with amber hues, and a thick white head that dissipates slowly.

The aroma is fruity and spicy without the "funk" often found in Saisons.  This makes it seem more polished and drinkable than many of its counterparts from other breweries.

The flavor starts malty with a hint of roasted malt.  A mild swell of hops bitterness, Saison fruitiness, and spice appears after this. The finish is mildly bitter and hints at the presence of citrus peel.  Overall, a really nice and easy to drink Saison.

This beer hasn't made it to Beer Advocate as of this writing.  Rate Beer only has three ratings, which average around 67 out of 100.  Interestingly the three reviewers all state that the beer has banana, clove, and funk in the flavor.  I didn't experience that in the one I had.  I like it more than many Saisons I've had (but less than others) so I'm rating it 8 out of 10.

When it's available, you can find it at Pigskin's Gahanna taproom.  You may also find it at other craft beer venues around town as a rotating draft.

Rhinegeist Ink (7/10)

Cincinnati's Rhinegeist Brewery produces a number of popular beers.  Ink is their Imperial Stout is one of their "Rarity" line that sees limited production and distribution.  I found it on tap at the Whole Foods in Dublin a few months ago and ordered a glass.

As its name implies, Ink pours black with a thin tan head that doesn't last long.

The aroma is sweet, malty, and chocolatey.

The flavor matches the aroma well.  It starts malty and slightly boozy, then becomes mildly chocolatey and sweet with a hint of coffee-like bitterness.  The finish is bitter but no excessively so.

The beer doesn't have enough reviews yet on Beer Advocate to get an official rating, but the ones listed there currently average approximately an 81/100.  RateBeer, on the other hand, gives the beer a 94 overall.  I like it, but I can't say that I really love it.  The sweetness and chocolate work for me, but the bitterness doesn't. I'm giving it a 7 out of 10.

Because this is a limited edition sort of beer, I can't tell you where you might find it apart from the Rhinegeist brewery in Cincinnati.  The glass pictured above came from Whole Foods in Dublin back in August or September 2015.

Zauber Brewing Co. Empire Strikes Bock (8/10)

Grandview's Zauber Brewing Company is one of the local breweries I visit regularly.  They produce a number of nice house brews and periodically come up with something new and interesting like this Empire Strikes Bock.

Star Wars fans will recognize this as a reference to the movie "The Empire Strikes Back" and the beer's deep dark color would certainly bring Darth Vader's iconic mask and costume to mind.  The beige head lasts a while and leaves behind rings of lacing on the glass.

The aroma is malty, with coffee, chocolate, and hops all playing into it.

The flavor mimics the aroma, starting out malty and mildly hoppy, and finishing with some coffee-like bitterness.  The beer's 9% alcohol content is well hidden, and it would be easy enough to drink a few of these.

I'm rating the beer an 8 out of 10. I couldn't find any ratings on Beer Advocate or RateBeer for this one, so you'll just have to trust me that it's a really nice dark bock beer.

As you can probably guess from the photo, shot on the patio at Zauber's taproom, this was a limited edition beer I had during the warmer months of 2015.  Since it was a good one, I suspect that the good folks at Zauber will bring it back at some point.  Check their web site, or better yet, visit their taproom yourself to find out.