New Belgium's Ben &Jerry's Salted Caramel Brownie Brown Ale (6/10)

New Belgium partnered with Ben and Jerry's to create this special release brown ale.  Proceeds from the beer benefit the climate-change organization POW (Protect Our Winters).

New Belgium's web site describes the beer by saying that it "scoops the lip-smacking fun of dessert from a bowl right into your pint glass.  Brewed with specialty ingredients and a healthy sweet tooth, this beer's chocolaty, salted-caramel, vanilla goodness is worth savoring to the last drop."  Now for my take on it.

The beer pours a dark brown, almost a porter-like or stout-like black, with a thick beige or tan head. Held up to a bright light source, the color's more a mahogany brown.

The aroma does bring to mind a pan of slightly burnt brownies, dark roasted malt, and maybe just a hint of coffee.  The aroma does seem to die down dramatically with the presence of the head, which lasts for a minute or so before retreating into the glass, leaving behind spotty bits of lacing that remind me of ink blots or the Batman logo.  (No really, on my glass it did.)

The flavor, to be perfectly honest, reminds me of a classic porter.  I get the bitterness and tannins I would associate with stouts and porters.  I get a hint of the salt mentioned in the name, and maybe some touch of burnt sugar.  Brownies and salted caramel?  No, I don't taste it.  Don't smell it either. There's a kind of earthy flavor to it also, which again reminds me more of a porter.

Maybe I had a bad bottle, I don't know. One review on Beer Advocate said it tasted like a brownie, loaded with fudge and chocolate.  I don't get that at all in mine.  Another said the taste is a blend of caramel and chocolate.  Again, not there in mine.  In fact, if you'd handed me a glass of this and called it "so and so's Porter" I wouldn't have questioned you.

Beer Advocate gives this an 81 or "good" rating.  Rate Beer gives it a 61 overall.  I think I'm going to side with Rate Beer on this one.  New Belgium makes some great beer.  Ben & Jerry's makes some great ice cream.  But this beer ... not a fan.  I'm glad I only bought one bottle to try.  I think any others would sit in the refrigerator forever.  I give it a 6 out of 10.  Better than the macro brews, but there are others I like better, including others from New Belgium.

I've seen this on sale at local Giant Eagle stores, as well as a number of other craft beer outlets.  If it's still on the market, you shouldn't have any trouble finding it - if you really want to.

New Belgium Long Table Farmhouse Ale (7/10)

I'm a fan of New Belgium Brewing since first trying their beer at the brewery in Fort Collins.  I was very happy when they entered Ohio, then sad that they didn't bring in my favorite beers.  Their Cascara Quad and Abbey ales were my favorite.  Since then both have made it to Ohio.

Long Table is New Belgium's farmhouse ale. 

It pours a hazy gold with a thick, whipped cream like white head that lasts an unusually long time.

The aroma is loaded with citrus and wheat malt, and what seems to be noble hops.

The flavor starts mildly hoppy, citrusy, and lightly malty. The hops bitterness is slightly dominant.

Beer Advocate rates the beer 85 or "very good".  Rate Beer gives it a 68 overall, which equates to my rating of 7 out of 10.  I like the beer but don't love it. I much prefer their Trippel, Abbey, or Cascara Quad.

The beer is 6.2% alcohol by volume and is rated at 20 IBUs.

It can be found at many central Ohio retailers.  I've seen it at Giant Eagle and others.

Long Trail Brewing Culmination Imperial Chocolate Porter (6/10)

Before finding Culmination on a local store shelf, I had only heard of Long Trail Brewing Co. of Vermont.  I looked up Culmination on Beer Advocate and saw that it got a 90 ("outstanding") rating there and a 96 from Rate Beer, so I bought it.

Culmination pours a dark black color with finger-thick tan head that doesn't last long, owing to the 9.3% alcohol content.

The aroma is strongly chocolatey, with a hint of coffee behind it.

The flavor starts surprisingly bitter and hoppy for a chocolate beer.  It's so bitter, in fact, that it took my by surprise.  I couldn't taste anything but hops and blackened malt for the first sip.  Chocolate only showed up in the aftertaste.  On subsequent sips, I found that the roasted grain and hops continued to dominate the flavor.  It lives up to that "Imperial" moniker.  The typical porter falls somewhere in the IBU range of 18 to 50.  At 54, this beer's hopped well beyond the typical porter.

The official Long Trail web page for Culmination says that "a malty sweetness is balanced with bitterness and a slight dryness from the alcoholic strength.  Look for notes of coffee, liquorice, mild chocolate and more subtle hints of fruit and spice."  As I continued to drink it, I did manage to get hints of chocolate and coffee, with instantaneous hints of that "malty sweetness".  There's a fair amount of burn to it as well.

Ultimately, I'm really disappointed with this one.  The label (which mentions cacao nibs) and the aroma (very chocolatey) gave me the expectation of a smooth, chocolatey, slightly-sweet beer.  The reality is that it's mostly dry, bitter, and barely chocolatey at all.  I'm giving it a 6 out of 10, which rates it above the macro brews, but only barely.

But that's just me, I guess.  Beer Advocate and Rate Beer loved it.  Then again, they often disagree with me on the more hoppy brews.  I don't care for them, but the reviewers there do.  Your mileage may vary depending on your taste.

I purchased this from Weiland's Gourmet Market.  It may also be available at The Hills Market (either location) according to Long Trail's web site.

Kulmbacher Eisbock (8/10)

The German Eisbock style was reportedly invented by accident when a brewer left a barrel of bock beer outside overnight.  When poured from this frozen barrel, much of the water had crystallized, effectively concentrating the flavor and alcohol content of the resulting beer.  Today, we're still making and drinking it.

Kulmbacher Eisbock pours a very dark brown, almost black color with a finger-thick beige head that doesn't last long - thanks to the generous alcohol content.

The aroma is sweet and malty, with some earthy, herbal like notes from the noble hops.

The flavor is a malt-lover's dream, and probably a hop head's nightmare.  Lots of sweet, intense malty goodness and minimal bitterness.  I get hints of caramel, raisin, and a definite warming note.

RateBeer gives it a 98 out of 100.  Beer Advocate gives it a 94 or "outstanding" rating.  I can't argue with them.  It's a great beer.  I give it an 8 out of 10.

I had this particular bottle at The Winking Lizard, but I've seen the beer on the shelves at several local stores, including The Anderson's General Store on Sawmill and, I believe, Kenny Road Market.