Chimay Speciale Cent Cinquante

Chimay, Belgium is home to one of the most famous abbey breweries in the world in the Scourmont Abbey which produces the Chimay line of beers. Being their 150th anniversary they released Speciale Cent Cinquante in commemoration, and they have lived up to their legacy in every way.

Firstly, this will grab hold of your nostrils right when you pop the cork. There are cloves, light fruity banana smells, pepper and other spices as well, but definitely strong malts. Once poured it's a golden coloration with fine white laced head.

The taste is what really sets it apart though. There is some bitterness but it's mostly banana flavors, and some fresh green fruits. Apples, and some floral flavors complement the others really well making for a complex and interesting drink. There is a good dryness to this tripel balancing the sweet malts that lead. The 10% abv is deceiving once you've poured a glass and get a taste. You'll want to keep drinking and tasting Cent Cinquante, but will definitely feel in once you finish the bottle.

A classic Belgian tripel that could be lost in the long line of tripels that have hit the market, Cent Cinquante stands out from the others in all the right ways. If only it could be Chimay's 150th every year.

Style: Tripel

Rating: 90

Newcastle Summer Ale

Newcastle's summer seasonal isn't quite the same as many American craft breweries' seasonals. As an English bitter beer, it's less fruity and "summery", but that doesn't mean it's not a good summer seasonal. The color is a dark golden yellow, darker than the bright yellow star on the label. The aroma is malty, with a very subtle hint of citrus. There is almost no hop aroma at all on this one.

The taste is what you would expect from an English style beer, a slight bitterness up front, nuttiness coming through in the middle, and a tiny bit of hops at the end to keep it alive. The main thing that separates Newcastle Summer Ale as a seasonal is that along with the nuttiness there is a bit of lemon and other citrus flavors that makes it a pleasant experience during the warmest months. Overall, it is pretty similar to the classic Newcastle Brown Ale, but is lighter and has a great citrus flavor added. The only thing I can say is disappointing about this beer is discovering that it is not brewed in Newcastle anymore, but instead at the Heineken owned Caledonian Brewery in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Style: English Bitter

Overall: 86

Summer Squeeze

Bridgeport Summer Squeeze is a summer seasonal that incorporates yuzu fruit and lemongrass, making it a light, refreshing beer that is perfect for its season. It is golden like the sun, with a thick, white, cloud-like foam on top. The smell is wonderful, with the lemongrass coming out strongly along with some other citrus hints. There are some sweet and sour smells that accompany the citrus as well, which makes for a nice, complex aroma.

The taste is just as satisfying as the aroma, with the lemon and other citrus flavors leading the way. It's much like a beery-lemonade, but it doesn't taste like a cheap beer mixed with lemonade like some other summer brews. There's just enough hops to make sure it's refreshing and not too malty, but I believe Summer Squeeze still leans toward malts. The sourness of the yuzu fruit doesn't come out too much in the flavor, but that's okay as the sweet lemon and grains make it extremely refreshing and something that I look forward to all year.

Style: American Blonde Ale

Rating: 88/100

Peroni Nastro Azzurro

 An Italian staple beer, Nastro Azzurro is a solid Euro pale lager. It's a really pale, straw color and looks watered down in the glass. The aroma is light and balanced between malts and hop smells, with hints of grass and some green apple.

The taste is just as delicate as the aroma. It's more malty than many other similar beers, but the hops come out at the end of your drink. There are also some light, green fruit flavors that are just barely detectable. Overall, it's so crisp and refreshing that it's really hard to turn this down, and I imagine it's even better on its home court in Italy with the Mediterranean weather. There is a danger of skunking with the green bottle, as is so common in European lagers. It's one of my favorite Euro pale lagers, and you won't regret ordering one of these the next time you're out.

Style: Euro Pale Lager

Rating: 84/100

Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout

 This one is a well done oatmeal stout from Anderson Valley Brewing Company in California. It pours the dark black that is expected from an oatmeal stout, with a thick, sticky head that looks great. Barney Flats smells wonderful, with its oatmeal, chocolate, coffee, and malt aroma. It's sure to smell like something you'll want to dive into.

The taste is maybe a little bit more bitter than I was expecting, but that's not necessarily a bad thing and is still balanced well by the sweeter chocolate flavors. It's definitely got all the cocoa and oatmeal flavor that would be wanted too. It's a thicker beer but isn't heavy and is creamy like a stout should be. Overall, Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout is a very good oatmeal stout, and I would recommend it to everyone to try and is probably my favorite from Anderson Valley so far. The only downside is that it isn't quite as good as several other oatmeal stouts I've tried, but I would never turn this one down in the future!

Style: Oatmeal Stout

Rating: 84/100

Bohemia

Cinco de Mayo Beer #5

Bohemia looks great in a glass with it's pale golden color and big, white foamy head. The smells are mostly of corn and malts like other Mexican beers, but this one is a little bit stronger and there seems to be more hop smell coming out which is nice for a change.

This beer isn't the normal American adjunct lager like most of the Mexican beers I've tried. There's a perfect amount of hops in it to give it a little more going on than most from the country. There's a good balancing with malts in here too so it's not too close to a pale ale, and there are even some citrus flavors in it which are strong enough to not require the addition of a lime! It's a great, lighter beer to drink that isn't too watery. I'll be honest, I was shocked when I first drank this beer because I assumed it would be similar to other Mexican beers I've had, but was pleased to be proven wrong. This has definitely challenged for a place as my favorite Mexican beer.

Style: German Pilsener

Rating: 85/100

Carta Blanca

Cinco de Mayo Beer #4

There's almost no head with this beer, but the color is a brilliant, gold straw color in the glass. It smells mostly of grains and corn again, but doesn't even have a little hop smell coming through and overall the entire smell is pretty weak.

The taste is what you might expect from a Mexican lager, it's extremely light and watery, with mostly malt and corn flavors but there are enough hops that keep it from becoming too dull. It doesn't taste flat which is great and makes it a lot nicer to drink. Overall, there isn't a lot of exciting things going on with this beer but it's not a bad beer either. It's well-adjusted in all the important ways and would be a good choice if you're looking for an alternative beer that's not going to turn you off.

Style: American Adjunct Lager

Rating: 79/100