Exile Brewing, Des Moines, IA

BA imp. Stout, IPA, Brown, Coffee stout, Milk Stout

Jesus on a Forklift, BA Imperial Rye Stout, okay the nose is almost straight alcohol but the taste is good. 

Tres leches Milk Stout, 5.5%, very smooth, brewed with tres leches cakes and Whole vanilla beans.   Very very smooth. 

Exile IPA, 100% Mandarina-Bavarian hops. Very drinkable, nice nose, 6.8% abv,

Sir Moch-A-Lot Mocha Stout, 7.1% abv, good Mocha Stout, could drink a lot of this.  

Beatnik Sour, kettle sour the wort with house-cultured lactobacillus and pediococcus yeasts, puckers your palate. 

Gigi, Dark Lager, noble hops and dark chocolate malt bitterness, balanced with the sweetness of caramel and Munich malts. 

Court Avenue Brewing, Des Moines, IA

IPA, Porters, Stout, Coconut Porter

Joe Schmo, coffee,
E e
Belgium White Malty. Beer.

Honest Lawyer IPA, citrus,  67 Ibu, honest ipa
Pointer Brown, caramel chocolate notes, Glacier & Cascade hops. Smooth beer.

Blackhawk Stout, oatmeal stout, good dark stout, coffee notes, dark chocolate note, dark side to the flavor, I like this one not a Guinness. 

18th Amendment, rye pale ale, smooth, 5% abv,

Mooncat, porter, with toasted coconut. Smooth porter, not heavy. 

Mountain Porter, dark malts, Raisins, different finish from the Mooncat, good drink.

Third Base Brewing, 9 beers on tap

Bees Knees Honey ale, honey ale seems like they put honey in the ale after Brewing. 
Red Rocket Amber, darker version of a pale ale.
Flying Aces Pale ale, tad more bitter, similar to an IPA, no citrus flavor, orange peel versus orange in the taste.  
Black Cobra Oatmeal Stout, was stout, nothing to shout about, have had better.  Okay, not outstanding. 
Bear Down Brown, brown ale, similar to oatmeal stout. 

All beers okay but not outstanding. 

Iowa Brewing Co.

Table Beer, English bitter, light, refreshing,

McNutt Brown, toasty coffee, flavors. 

OJA Baltic Porter, good porter flavor, smooth, nice flavor.  

Lion Bridge Brewing, beers,

Porter, IPA, Dark Mild, Brown Porter,

The Disaster at Meux, Porter, 5.8%. On nitro, smooth, chocolate, coffee. 
The Disaster at Meux, CO2, more flavor with he co2.  Fran and Ann like this better than the nitro version.  

Workers Compensation, Dark Mild, biscuit, toffee and chocolate flavors meld together. 

Yard Sale American IPA, very good citrus nose, clean citrus taste on the back side.  Very drinkable ipa. 

Maple Disaster, Brown Porter with coffee.  Wohhhh coffee nose, barrel aged in Cedar Ridge single malt barrels and refermented with dark maple syrup.   Slightly sweet from the maple syrup. 

Ron likes the Workers Comp and Fran Yard Sale.

Big Grove Brewery, 5 beers on tap

Flemish Red (sour), Russian Imperial Stout, good. 

Reunion Brewery, multiple beers,

Electric Banshee, American Stout, roasted and chocolate malts, Simcoe hops, slightly different finish still good
El Gigante Rojo, American Red Ale, English base malts W/ Belgium caramel malt, oats and wheat. 

Reunion IPA, their standard ipa, nice clean finish. Good citrus flavor, nice finish. 

Tank Puncher IPA. 7.3% abv, citrus nose, good citrus back taste.  Very drinkable.  

Backpocket Brewing 12 beers on tap

Raygun, Cane Blade, wake up, Exaggerator, Ziegengott,
Raygun galaxy And topaz hopped ipa
Cane Blade double ipa- Columbus, centennial & simcoe hops 82 Ibu.
Wake Up Iowa, Coffee Stout, chocolate finish on the back side.  6% and 30 ibu
Exaggerator, Doppel Bock, 7.8% abv, Ann gets fruit notes at the end, not "fruity".
Ziegengott, Triplebock, very good beer.
13.7% abv, Ron and Ann say it has a sweet taste, like a barley wine.  Not one I would order

Iowa City Brewery Gorilla Glue baltic Porter

Baltic Porter, toffee and chocolate flavors

Iowa City Brewlab, Black Squirrel Ale

Black IPA or Black Ale, experimental variety. 

Iowa City Session X Columbus, pale ale

American Pale Ale. Uses Columbus Hops throughout the process, 5.5% abv, 32 Ibu, grapefruit nose. 

Kalona Brewing, BBL aged, Dubbel Night Vision

Belgium Dubbel barrel aged bourbon and rye barrel, blended.

Kalona Brewing, You be You, Imperial Stout

Imperial Stout, very good stout, molasses and hops taste on he back side. 

Kalona Brewing, Start up Stout,

Coffee Stout, good taste, nice coffee flavor. 

Kalona Brewing, Sucha Much, IPA

IPA, 7.1%abv no bitterness, very mellow for an IPA

Iowa brewery trip today

Anyone been to Kalona Brewing, Iowa City?

Pulpit Rock Brewing, Heavy Lifter Lager

Lager , okay

Pulpit Rock, Saftiq, IPA

American IPA, No nose, mosaic, since, Citra hops, off citrus taste

Pulpit Rock Brewing, B. T. O. Bockman Turner Overdrive

Bock, German, so so.  Probably not one I would order. 

Pulpit Rock Brewing, Pour Over, robust coffee Porter

Coffee Porter, coffee nose, good dark porter color, robust taste,

Toppling Goliath Light Speed

Seasonal Pale ale, two hops Millennium, Falconers, hops,

Toppling Goliath pseudoSue double dry hopped

Pale ale, Citra hops only double dry hopped, very very smooth.

Toppling Goliath, Hopsmack, double ipa,

Double IPA, dry hopped, citrus nose, very hoppy, hop explosion in your mouth. 

Toppling Goliath, twisted galaxy, Double ipa

Double IPA, with Galaxy hops, wintergreen hint, citrus nose, really good beer, taste lingers on the back of your tongue. 

Toppling Goliath, King Sue Double ipa

Double IPA, 100 Ibu, all Citra hops, overwhelming flavor, lingers on the tongue,

Topplng Goliath, Term Oil 4-D 2-a BA stout,

BA coffee stout, huge bourbon nose, 12% abv, really reminiscent of Founders CBS.  really tasty.  Only at the Brewery, no Growlers. 

Toppling Goliath Rover Truck

Oatmeal Stout, roasted barley, toasted almonds, dark malts, hints of dry chocolate.  drinkable and pleasant. 

Toppling Goliath, Thresher, american pale wheat ale

American Pale Wheat ale, 5.25% abv, 50  Ibu, no wheat taste. IPA citrus nose. 

Toppling Goliath Pompeii IPA

Single hop mosaic IPA, mango and pineapple, taste.  The mosaic hop adds interest to the taste. 

Toppling Goliath Golden Nugget

Ipa, Golden promise malt and Nugget hops, good citrus taste.

Toppling Goliath pseudo sue pale ale

Pale ale, citrus hop, nice aroma, grapefruit, smooth, good taste, definite order.

Toppling Goliath Dorothy New World Lager

Lager same old same old

Iowa Brew House Des Moines, IA

First stop on the trip and tasted the following:
Exile Brewing, Sir Much a Lot, coffee stout, good beer
Fox Brewing, Frantic Fox Coffee stout, similar to first one
Kalona Brewing, UBU BA stout, really good bourbon barrel aged stout, very drinkable, would order anywhere on tap. 
Lion Brewing, Disaster porter, medium ranking.  Would not necessarily order. 

SmokesGiving brews tasted

We tried several new brews provided by one of our favorite people, Jamie brought tidings from afar:
1.  Toppling Goliath, Rover Truck, Oatmeal Stout, Loved the comment, Live beer, please refrigerate on the 16 ounce can.  Very mellow and drinkable stout, very very good stout.   On line, shows 5.7% and 35 IBU, like the 35 IBU, not bitter.   Everyone here liked this one.
2.  Toppling Goliath, PseudoSue, pale ale, description tells of mango, using the Citra hop.   5.8%, 50 IBU, not bitter, very citrus and a drinkable beer.  Would order and buy any time we can find it.  
3.  Topling Goliath, Tsunami, pale ale, difference here is the slight mandarin orange last, still light and refreshing, 5.0%, 31 IBU, no bitter after taste, again all enjoyed this one.  Really good beer.
4.  Exile Brewery, Ruthie, gold lager, 5.2%, very refreshing, drinkable, and not overpowering.   Would order if on tap.
5.  Exile Brewery, Sir-Moch-A-Lot, Mocha Stout, chocolate in light notes, more than the TG above, 7.1%, reminders of some of the stouts we had in MI on our last trip.  Good, beer for all of us stout drinkers.  

The Mitten Grand Rapids

Country Strong IPA, 7%, 58 ibu, simcoe and centennial hops, nice aroma, not too bitter
Caught Lookin Coconut Porter, 5.2%, robust porter made with shredded coconut and chocolate malt, I taste coconut in the middle of my tongue.
Rain Delay Dark Ale, 5.9%, 38 ibu, duh,
Relief Session IPA, 4.5%, 45 ibu, strong citrus hop aroma, nice nose, citrus aroma, an IPA.
Ned and George Oatmeal Stout, 5.5%, 27 ibu, flaked oats, servcd on nitro, soso stout, nice nose.
Label UP, American brown ale, made

Hudsonville Pike 51 Brewing

Fancy and Dumb, 6.1%, 17 IBU, tart farmhouse ale, fermented in wine barrels with honey, Malts: Pilsner, wheat, flaked oat, pale,
Hops: super saaz, chinook, amarillo, Mosaic

Sofa King, rye ipa, 6.1%, 60ibu, Malts, pale, munich, rye

Three Floyd's Brewing, Indiana

La Noche Se Mueve, coffee ipa, awakens the sound of thunder,  7%, 94 Ibu, no nose, coffee taste, generous coffee taste, nice IPA, hoppy aroma per Ann,

Wigsplitter, oatmeal stout, brewed with freshly ground espresso, 7.7%, abv, oatmeal on steroids, good stout flavor, light coffee, not overpowering, really drinkable. 

Arctic Panzer Wolf,. Massive IPA, 9.0%, 100 Abu. Citrus nose, very citrus taste, 100 Abu does not give it justice, Ann days it is intended on the tip of her tongue, very drinkable.

Zombie Dust, intensely hopped, pale ale. 6.2%, 50 Abu, good flavor, ipa nose per Fran, good beer.

Alpha King,. American pale ale, 6.66%, 69 IBU,. Similar to Zombie but a touch more bitter, Fran says good nose, very drinkable beer,

Cultivate Brewing

Navigate, IPA, 6.4% citrus, tropical, flavorful, aromatic, crisp dry finish, no nose to speak of, light finish,

Climb, Belgium strong ale, 8.5%, notes of ripe plum, caramel sweetness, and a peppery finish, did not get the he pepper. Fran and Ann got peaches. 

Explore, coconut stout 7.0%, bitter Choco, rich saltiness, midbody sweetness, and a nutty finish. Good nose of chocolate, smooth finish, drinkable. 

Crate, Brown, 5.7%, deeper toasted malt, plays well with citrus and pine aromas, smooth not exceptional,

Silver Harbor Brewing Co., St. Joseph, MI

One More Week, Double Indian Red Ale, 8.6%, supposed to be hoppy and bitter, it is bitter, good taste though.

Party Barge, session IPA, 4.9%.,two body and four bitter, good flavor, virus nose. Very drinkable. 

BBA Bride Order Male, 11.1%, barrel aged, six months,  Russian imperial Stout, Heaven Hill Bourbon barrels, complex blend of 8 malts, bourbon nose. Good drinkable beer. 

Hops Sweat and Tears. IPA, 6.8%, Since and Warrior hops, citrus and piney. Two body four bitterness, good citrus nose, fresh taste and finish, good IPA. 

Sun Rise Breakfast Stout, ,6.3%, oatmeal stout. Uses Ferris Coffee Kona beans, chocolate and coffee undertones, coffee nose, smooth coffee taste, not bitter, very good, would buy this one. 

The Livery Microbrewery

Comfortably Plum, 9%, sour dark lager with plum, plum nose, sour taste, puckerer.

BBA Love Pump, bourbon barrel aged Russian  imperial Stout, 14%, slight whiskey nose, slight taste, not overpowering, Fran says has alcohol nose, 
Vanilla taste, good beer

Polar Vortex, Maibock, 10.2%, slight fruity nose, slight bitter, good flavor, tasty,

11th Anniversary, Belgian Golden strong with coffee, 11.5%, Ann gets no coffee, coffee nose, not a typical Belgium beer, no coffee taste.

Bangtail, Double IPA, 8.6%, ipa fruity nose, good bitter, good taste, nice finish, good citrus hops, straight forward ipa,

Good information from the bartender, very friendly, great start for Friday.  Only eight more in the immediate area.  

White Flame Brewing, Hudsonville, MI

Many various brews with exciting names, Sugar, Sex, Magik, Pale Otter Porter,

We are trying five although Sex is a Barrel Aged Black Rye with Chipoltle peppers.

Red Shoes, is a pale ale, 5.2%, 35 ibu, with habanero peppers, a little heat in the nose, some on the tongue, a specialty beer.  variant of a pale ale.

Magik, barrel aged double IPA, 10%, has the liquor taste from the barrel, okay.   Whiskey/bourbon taste.

Doomsday, imperial stout with coffee, 11%, coffee nose, heavy coffee taste, good stout.

Black Sheep, black ipa, 8%, 85 ibu,  big rich flavor, bitterness of an IPA, dark color, rich flavor, okay for a black ipa.

Pale Otter Porter, 5%, 43 ibu, rich robust porter, smooth porter, very good, drinkable.  

Sex, Barrel aged black rye w/chipotle peppers, 7 %, whikey nose, the pepper sneaks up on you.  the whiskey does have a little power.

Hudsonville Pike 51 Brewing, Co

Fancy and Dumb, 6.1%, 17 ibu, fermented in wine barrels with honey.  Pilsner, Wheat, Flaked Oat, Pale, malts
Hops: Super Saaz, Chinook, Amarillo, Mosaic
Not that sour, no pucker for me.  

Sofa King, Rye IPA, 6.1%, 60 ibu, Pale, Munich, Rye, Pilot dark malts
Hops, only Mosaic,  not on my list of rye ipas to order or drink.

Sabotage, Milt Stout with Rowster Ethiopian coffee, 7.6%, 27 ibu,
Malts:  Pale, Munich, Mild Malt, Melanoidan, Chocolate, Roast Barley, Crystal Rye, Lactose,
Hops:  only Hallertauer,  nice coffee nose, good flavor. would order this stout if on tap in KS/MO.

Dutch Girl Brewery

Trees, Double IPA, 8.0%, 75 ibu, not really there for an ipa.  not really there with the citrus we have come to like for an IPA.

Chester's Copper Pot, Harvest Ale, 7.6 %, 50 ibu, not as good as Barn Brewers, a little bit of he wet hops from Michigan.

Dirty Boots, Imperial Milk Stout, 8.6%, 50 ibu, tastes strong, like they talk about, seven types of grains, milk sugar (lactose)

Barrel Aged Dirty Boots imperial milk stout, aged 120 days in a bourbon barrel.   8.6%, 50 ibus, bourbon on the nose.   you taste the booze on the back side.

beers that the locals drink.  

Old Boys Brewhouse, Silver Lake, MI

Old Boys Brown, 5.5%, 25 ibu, combo of caramel, victory and chocolate malts, to give it a toasted, nutty flavor, brown ale,

Kennel King, Imperial ipa, hops, hops, and more hops, Michigan grown cascade and chinook hops along with warrior, jarrylo, and columbus added during the kettle boil, and even more are dry hopped,hops are a little overpowering, maybe too much.,  9.2%, 100 ibu.  the 100 ibu does not give a bitter taste to the beer.   

Dogtail, exclusive Michigan grown hops for this IPA, 6.4%, 60 ibus, no citrus nose, no citrus taste, it needs some citrus to be an IPA for me.   

Leviathan Stout, 8.8%, 4 hour long boil, has kettle caramelization, hints of coffee, rasisins, toffee, choco, with a dose of english and us hops for some bittterness.  

Odd Side Ales

Odd side Ales,

Spiced Stout rum barrel aged, imperial stout, with smoked black peppercorns.  10% abv, rum gives it the liquor touch in the nose and at the back of the throat, nice beer.

Mayan Mocha Stout, stout with coffee, habanero, nutmeg, cinnamon, 6.5%, nose is the nutmeg and cinnamon, heat sneaks up on you.   Cinnamon and nutmeg prevalent.   as good or better than the one we had in St. Louis.

Baltic porter, 7%, robust porter, fall season, amber porter, slight fruity taste, not robust.

Chocolate Koffie Stout, 6.5%, Stout brewed with coffee and chocolate, chocolate nose, a little  bitter on back end, slight coffee taste, good stout

Bean Flicker, blonde ale with coffee added, 4.5%, good nose, cannot discern smell but not bad, slight coffee taste, not bad.  Served on CO2.

Bean Flicker, on nitro, seems a little flat

Citra Pale Ale, Pale ale done exclusively with citra hops. nice citrus nose,

Grand Armory Brewing, Grand Haven, MI

Return of the Black Ale, brewed with cascade hops, 6%, 15 ibu.   mellow, nothing special.

Copper Country Harvest Ale, Wet hopped with Michigan Copper Hops, 6.3%, 30 ibu, taste the hops but do not taste beer.   different beer, light, not overpowering, brand new hops straight from the farm.

E.S.B. Extra Special Bitter hopped with East Kent Golding and Fuggle hops, 6%, different taste and it lingers on the back of the tongue.   Leaves a tingle on the  back side of my tongue.  

Crop Duster IPA, smooth medium bodied IPA, all Citra hopped american IPA, 7.3%, 61 ibu, citrus nose, citrus taste but a little different citrus taste.  

Buzzuka Milk Stout, roasted stout featuring chocolate malt, roasted barley and lactose, 5%, 25 ibu, dark roast, dark taste, smooth.  

Nutter Your Business Stout, Buzzuka with peanut butter.   5%, 25 ibu.   you get the peanut butter nose, and taste.   Ron says itt makes the Buzzuka better with the nut taste.  

Our Brewing Co, Holland, MI

Sasquatch on Coffee, 10%, 30 ibu, double milk stout, nice coffee nose, nice coffee taste, smooth, would order anywhere,

Samba IPA< 7 % 75 ibu, nice nose, nice finish, citrusy, smooth in the mouth even witth the 75 ibu.

Coconut Porter, 6 %, 36 ibu, dark color, dry, taste the coconut, not overpowering.   coconut lasts for a while after you are done.  very good.

Foreign Market, English Pale ale, with fenugreek (tasted maple sysrup or celery salt), 6.8%, 20 ibu, Fran smells the maple syrup, I smell the maple syrup, i get the celery salt at the back of the tongue.  Very good beer, slightly different than others.  

Amarillo Grandpa D's Lager, 5%, 20 ibu, amarillo hops, wet hopped at the end of the brewing to get less of the bitter from the hops.   Just a lager, low alcohol, its a better version of a Bud or Miller.  

I Saw Red, cherry cream ale, 5.2%, 20 ibu, cherry nose, like a cherry lollipop to me, maybe a tart cherry lollipop (Ann),  Fran says cherry cider, Ron possibly sees it as cherry cough syrup, not that medicinal to me.  

Saugatuck Brewing

Oval Beach Blonde, 5.0%, ABV, 10 IBU, light ale, subtle malt, hop flavors, and well balanced body.  light ale, no bite, per the 10 IBU, easy drink,

Five Quarter Porter, 5.7%, 47 IBU, robust rich porter, thick black body, complex malt profile, heavy roasted toasted coffee flavor, subtle hints of chocolate, intense aroma, good nose, nice tasted malt taste, good porter

Neapolitan Milk Stout, 6.0%, 37 IBU, creamy milk stout waith all the brilliant flavors of chocolate, vanilla and strawberry, call it a unique beer, strawberry nose, chocolate hint, vanilla slight taste on the back of the tongue,

Backyard IPA, 4.5%, 445 IBU, hop forward session IPA, tropical fruits and citrus aroma and taste, nice nose before tasting, good bitter flavor, enjoyable for a session IPA.

Singapore IPA, 7.0%, 72 IBU, well balanced IPA, sharp bitte of bitter, followed by a brisk and powerful citrus burst and smooth finish.  nose is not there, bitter bite is there, not as citrusy as the backyard IPA,

The Haig IPA, Double IPA, 76 IBU, 7.2% ABV, continually hopped IPA with citrus and floral aroma,  light copper in color and biscuity malt profile.  

One Well Brewing, Kalamazoo, MI

xalapa, blonde ale brewed with no-spice jalapenos that profice all of the nose and flavor of a Jalapeno, but without the heat.   definitely has the heat of a jalapeno, what do they mean no heat.  

One Well Brewing

Professor's Nutter Butter, Peanut Butter Ale, 5.3%, sessionable ale brewed to impart the sweet aroma and flavor of peanut butter.  

One Well Brewing

Root Beer Float Stout, 6.4%, slight sweetness from the Root beer, has sassafras, sarsaparilla and vanilla, creamy mouthfeel,.

One Well Brewing, Kalamazoo, MI

Sweet Water Sweet, Imperial Porter, 7.1%brewed with donut holes, coffee, smooth taste, good beer.

Tibbs Brewing

Ben Jonesin' coffee chocolate porter on nitro, smooth, Ann likes this one better on nitro than co2.  

Tibbs Brewery

Ben Jonesin' chocolate toffee porter, smooth, very drinkable,

Tibbs Brewery

Celery Wheat, 4.9%, American wheat ale, smooth,

Tibbs Brewing

Pumped up Pumpkin, 9.7%, sweet like eating pumpkin pie. 

Tibbs Brewing,

Fresh One, black ipa, 7.3%, nice finish, clean,

Tibbs Brewing

Hell Jen Belgium, 10.2%, triple,

Gonzos Big Dogg Brewing

Yummy Hoppy IPA, 8.5%. Double IPA, good taste,

Gonzos Big Dog Brewing

Chocolate One Porter, chocolate hints, you get a little bitter taste,

Gonzos Big Dog Brewing

Vanilla Porter, 7.0%, chocolate porter, hint of vanilla, vanilla nose, good balance, Ann and Fran yummy

Ruperts Brew House

Peanut Butter Porter, 6%, just a hint of the peanut butter, not strong, porter is good, but not excellent.  

High PA, 7.0%, nose is off a little, normal IPA. No citrus nose, interesting to know what hops they are using.  

XXX High PA, 11% not good being a triple IPA, the nose is a little stonger but the same as the High PA, still not a beer I would order or purchase a six pack.  

Multigrain Mutt, 5.3%, pale ale with oats and rye, the oats must smooth out the rye because it is not very ryey taste.

Raw Dog, Harvest Ale, fresh picked hops added to the brew.  not as good as the harvest at Barn Brewers.

Arcadia Ales, Kalamazoo, MI

Mango Surprise, IPA, brewed with mango, dry and sweet, tropical fruit flavors, bright juicy hops, 6.7 % abv average with the Mango.

Sky Cheetah, 7.6%, farmhouse ale, fruity nose, neutral taste, some bitter on the back of the tongue.

Battle kriek, sour ale brewed with 4 barrel aged beers, 7.4%, American wild ale, 1200 pounds of Michigan cherries.  sour nose, blended beers to get the final result.

Hop Mouth, 8.1%, double IPA, resinous, citrus and piney hop flavor, with rich toasty, sweet caramel notes.   Piney nose, a little bitter on the tongue.  Refreshing on the tongue.

Shipwreck Porter, 12.0% barrel aged porter, second use bourbon  barrels, aged one year.   bourbon nose, good finish.   caramel taste by fran.

Something Else, 7.5%, cloves on the nose, spicy, sour beer, kettle soured, add yogurt to the kettle to sour the beer.

Arcadia Ales, Kalamazoo, MI

Mango Surprise, IPA, brewed with mango, dry and sweet, tropical fruit flavors, bright juicy hops, 6.7 % abv average with the Mango.

Sky Cheetah, 7.6%, farmhouse ale, fruity nose, neutral taste, some bitter on the back of the tongue.

Battle kriek, sour ale brewed with 4 barrel aged beers, 7.4%, American wild ale, 1200 pounds of Michigan cherries.  sour nose, blended beers to get the final result.

Hop Mouth, 8.1%, double IPA, resinous, citrus and piney hop flavor, with rich toasty, sweet caramel notes.   Piney nose, a little bitter on the tongue.  Refreshing on the tongue.

Shipwreck Porter, 12.0% barrel aged porter, second use bourbon  barrels, aged one year.   bourbon nose, good finish.   caramel taste by fran.

Something Else, 7.5%, cloves on the nose, spicy, sour beer, kettle soured, add yogurt to the kettle to sour the beer.  

Bell's Brewery Eccentric Cafe, Kalamazoo

Smoked Stout, 6.0%, wood smoke and dark chocolate malt notes.   nose is smoky, like smoking ribs smell on our clothes, smoke taste in the mouth, good beer.  

Kalamazoo Stout, 6%, roasty coffee and dark chocolate notes.   good stout, dark chocolate

Uberon, strong brewed Oberon, wheat ale, bourbon barrel aged, 9.7%  ABV, bourbon nose, with some sweet in the back on the nose, whiskey taste on the back of the tongue.   It comes out very seldom, released on  10/9/16.  We were here at the right time to taste Uberon.  

Oracle IPA, 10%, strong, bitter, high abu not bad, not good.

Razzberry Wild One, sour beer, Ann, Fran like this one.   definitely a sour beer.  

Olde Peninsual brewing

Magnum IPA, 7.0%, west coast IPA brewed with 100% Magnum hops, and dry hopped with 100% amarillo hops, slight citrus taste, definite IPA taste, fresh taste,  Not overpowering.  

Coffee stout, aged in hickory, Ann says tastes earthy, Fran states very nice, nose is of wood smell, good taste,

Pumpkin ale, pumpkin spices, cloves and other spices,

Peanut Butter stout Chocula, 5.25%, bittersweet dark chocolate and coffee, hints of coffee and then add in peanut butter.   rich stout backdrop.   peanut butter cup. with dark chocolate, very smooth and drinkable.   Enjoyed this one.  

Hot Pepper infused tap, aging the Peanut Butter Stout Chocolate with ghost peppers.   All the way on the back of the tongue.   Front of the tongue it is the same as the Stout Chocula but with a kick at the end.   Going back for a ten ounce mug of this one to share.  

 brewmaster is Dan, gave us good information about where to go next.
bartender was Marie and did a great job.  

Latitude 42 Brewing Co

Alpha Cat, colloraboration with Hop Cat Kalamazoo, just opened, Imperial IPA,9.9% ABV, Nice nose, hoppy, possibly over a 100.

Island Fever, coconut milk stout, taste the coconut, smooth on nitro,

Stage Fright, dry stout,  6%, citrus nose per Ann, sweet on the center of the tongue, good beer

Power Line porter,5.5%, abv, not overpowering good finish, good color, Heather, bar tender, stated this one has won the most awards, but n ot the  best seller.

  October Fest, German Style Marzen, 4,7%, not much nose, has a effervescent feel on the tongue.

Party at the Moontower, double IPA, 8.4%, good fruity nose, nice IPA taste, not overly bitter. for me a good drinkable beer.  

elk brewing, grand rapids, mi

double whammy ipa, over 100 bvi, 9 %  common double ipa
dankalicious, IPA, over 100 bvi, 7.6%

Brewery Vivant, Grand Rapids, MI

Triomphe, 6.5%,  Belgian Style IPA, a Belgium beer, not necessarily what I would order.

Maelstrom, stout, 5.25%, rich stout, easy to drink per the brewer.  good drink, nice finish, I would order.  Nice nose also.  

Angelina, 8.3% abv, sour beer, a little more than tart lemonade.  nose gives you a sour note.  Ann really likes this one.   This one won an award recently.  Ron and Fran also liked this one better than the Stone Fruit.  

Stone Fruit sour, 5.7%, not too sour for me.  I could drink this if given to me.   Fran, Ann and Ron like this one but not as good as the Angelina.  

the Mitten, Grand Rapids, MI

Coconut Porter, coconut after taste, fruity w/o sweet
Rain Delay, Limited release, Dark ale
Relief Session, crystal hops, IPA
Ned & George stout, oatmeal, nitro,
Label Up, pecan maple finish
Country Strong, IPA
Blackberry Hard Cider, sour type  beer.  

Creston Brewery, Grand Rapids

GRale, 4.9%, tropical hops, smooth body, righteous bitterness, (per brewer). nice finish, refreshing, it is a smooth drinker,

Michigan Noble, 6.69% wet hopped, crystal hops, fresh multigrain, herbaceous, WM Hopyards, nice touch in the mouth,

BatmanStarwars 5.05%, dark chocolate, grapefruit, okay,

Quimby, 5.78%, dark chocolate, creamy body, clean finish, nice dark beer,

Perrin Pub Comstock Park, MI

Unfinished Business, 132.1%, 35 IBU, Japanese Emporers Stout, small cache of small  batch bourbon out of Washington, aged in barrels to depart a caramel, ripe tobacco, and a soothing boozy finish.   very good stout, with the bourbon finish.  Virgin bourbon  barrels, first run of beer after the bourbon has aged.

98 Problems IPA, 6.5%, 60 ibu, west coast hops, floral and citrus notes, nice finish, not too bitter,   good IPA<

Papa Don's Porter,5.8%, 32 ibu, black  color, malt forward brew, with generous chocolate notes, smooth creamy mouth feel.  not very bitter, could have a fuller  body,

Amber Saison Sour, fresh oak   barrels, aged over a year, added a handfull of fresh apple pressing, and fermentecd with wild yeast that completely covered the apples.  Each barrel soured and delivered its own flavor.   6%, very good sour beer.  even I like it.

Greyline Brewing

Harvest ale, Hopyards of Kent. 6.8%,  local hops, fresh, different nose , okay

Greyline Brewing

Lost City, double IPA, 9.2%, nice nose, citrus, very tasty, good ipa

Greyline Brewery

Shakey Knees, coffee stout, 7.7%, strong coffee, not bitter or over powering

Harmony Brewing, Grand Rapids

Red Wattle, Flanders Style Ale, Rustic sour ale, first in their sour series, yes it is sour.  Fran, Ann and Ron like it.  6.4%

Harmony Brewing, Grand Rapids

Tamworth, sour Golden ale aged in Mead barrels, the sourest of their sours, 8.1%, sour note, drinkable. 

Harmony Brewing Grand Rapids

Daydream Believer, full bodied coffee stout, 6.4%, 48 Ibu, uses 5 pounds of coffee, Rowsters Columbian.  A little bitter from the coffee. 

Harmony Brewing, Grand Rapids

Black Squirrel, peat smoked Porter, 5.6%, 47 Ibu, roasty smoky and hold, smells like peat smoked Scotch,

Harmony Brewing Grand Rapids

Albius, vanilla Porter with Madagascar vanilla beans, 5.6%, bourbon vanilla beans. Brown sugar, smells sweet, vanilla after taste, very light, not a heavy porter.

New Holland Brewing

Dragons Milk, cask pour, no co2, 11%, different taste,