Grapefruit Saison - Pipeworks Brewing Company

    Grapefruit Saison is a Saison brewed with grapefruit by Pipeworks Brewing Company in Chicago, Illinois. This particular beer has only been produced once, so it may be difficult to find at this point.

    Grapefruit Saison pours a hazy gold color with an ample, foamy white head. The foam leaves some slight lacing as the beer is enjoyed.

    This fruit Saison's aroma is where it's at. Huge, juicy grapefruit scents make my mouth water in anticipation of tasting the brew. Other citrus scents are present as well, though nothing as striking as the grapefruit aroma. In addition to the fruit scents, the beer features a good bit of Saison yeast scents such as clove and other spices.

    The beer is medium bodied and sports a medium level of carbonation which gives it a nice mouthfeel while effervescing the brew's wonderful fruit aromas. The Saison finishes dry on the palette. Grapefruit Saison comes in at an alcohol content of 7% ABV.

Who said good beers don't grow on trees?

    I have to admit that I'm a bit disappointed in the level of grapefruit flavor in the beer. After the wonderful aroma, I would have expected much more than the subtle hint of grapefruit juice. The grapefruit flavor is still nice and goes well with the slight sweet, bready flavors of the Saison. The yeast also lends a bit of spice to the ale as well as some fruitiness that complements the ale's citrus flavors nicely.

    Pipework's Grapefruit Saison definitely has a lot of good Saison flavors in it, I just find myself wishing that grapefruit had been more the star of the show. Without the grapefruit flavors coming out more fully, this brew seems to me to be simply a decent Saison with a little bit of disappointment mixed in.

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Sour Monkey - Victory Brewing Company

    Sour Monkey, brewed by Victory Brewing Company in Downington, Pennsylvania, is a transformation of their Golden Monkey Tripel. Classified as an American Wild Ale, Sour Monkey uses multiple yeast strains, including non-standard strains such as Brettanomyces, to achieve its sour profile. What results is a fruity, tart beer that is enjoyable to the last sip. Add in that each 22oz. bomber comes in at around $10 USD and you have a Sour Ale worth buying time and time again.

    Sour Monkey pours a golden, straw color with a 1", slightly off-white head. The beer's head retention seems low as the bubbles quickly dissipate, though a ring of white forms a light lacing down the glass.

    The Wild Ale smells sweet with a slight tart acidity. Fruity notes of peach and lemon are present in the aroma, alongside a slight hint of Brett. There is also a slight, yeasty spiciness to the beer's aroma; unsurprisingly similar to that of a Belgian Tripel.

Victory employs only the finest taste testers for their brews!

    Sour Monkey features a low to medium level of carbonation alongside a medium body which together give the ale a somewhat creamy mouthfeel. The ale's acidity causes a slight pucker, though nothing too intense. An alcohol content of 9.5% ABV completes the ale's mouthfeel with just the slightest bit of warmth; though none lingers after the beer is swallowed.

    Sour Monkey lives up to its name, though the ale isn't too sour. A pleasant lactic acid tartness accompanies fruit flavors of apples, peaches, and strong lemon flavors. Sweet malt notes balance the Wild Ale's acidic tang alongside a slight spice flavor which rounds things out.

    This ale was recommended by a local craft brew store, and I'm extremely glad it was. With just enough sour and sweet flavors, this American Wild Ale is extremely drinkable and enjoyable. While many Wild and Sour ales come with a hefty price-tag, Sour Monkey is extremely reasonable at its current price. Pick some up next time you see it, especially if you've never tasted a Wild or Sour Ale!

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Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch - Playstation 3

    Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch is a Japanese style Role Playing Game developed by Level-5. The game was released in two different versions; one for the Nintendo DS, and one for the Playstation 3. The DS version of the game was released in 2010 and was available only in Japan, while the PS3 version of the game was released internationally in 2013. Easily, the most notable aspect of the game is that Studio Ghibli (known for movies such as My Neighor Totoro, Spirited Away, and  Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind) worked on the game's animation as well as its soundtrack, creating a one of a kind gaming experience.

Radiolaria - Off Color/Jester King

    Radiolaria is an American Wild Ale which was brewed as a collaboration by Off Color Brewing in Chicago, Illinois and Jester King Brewery which is located in Austin, Texas. While the beer was brewed in Chicago, Jester King provided Off Color with a sample of wild yeast collected from Texas. Off Color combined this yeast with their own mix of wild yeast from Chicago and pitched it into wort based on their Apex Predator Saison for a truly unique, one-time-only brew.

    Radiolaria pours a hazy, straw color with a short, white head of foam which doesn't hang around long. The bubbles fade quickly and don't leave much lacing at all.

    The Wild Ale's aroma is surprisingly subtle. There a definite tartness to the scent, as well as scents of fruit and spices. A slight, hay-like scent gives the brew and interesting, earthy aroma alongside light, sweet malt scents. I really expected the ale's scent to knock me over with huge yeast aromas, but I'm pleasantly surprised by the beer's complex subtlety.

All the yeast are invited to this party!

    Radiolaria is light bodied with a light to medium level of carbonation. The body and carbonation levels complement each other quite nicely. There is a mild tartness to the ale, and a light, 4.5% ABV alcohol content.

    Similarly to the ale's aroma, Radiolaria's flavor is surprisingly mild. Funky, spicy, and fruity yeast notes dominate the flavor, though even these flavors are much weaker than I had expected. I'm especially surprised by how little sourness is present in the ale's flavor. Lightly sweet malt flavors are balanced with mild hop bitterness. The beer is very clean tasting overall, but also very mildly flavored.

    I find that I was somewhat disappointed in Radiolaria. Admittedly, this disappointment is likely due to my uninformed expectations of what this beer would taste like. I went into this tasting expecting a Sour Ale and instead found that Radiolaria is a mild, yet interesting Wild Ale. I think the concept of combining wild yeasts from multiple areas of the country is ingenious, but I wish the yeast flavors (all the flavors actually) would have been a bit more pronounced. Radiolaria is by no means a bad Wild Ale, it just didn't live up to my expectations. This was a one-time brew as far as I know, but if you find one somewhere feel free to leave your own comments!

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Hardcore Chimera - Finch's Beer Co.

    Hardcore Chimera is a Double India Pale Ale brewed by Finch's Beer Co. which is located in Chicago, Illinois. Hardcore Chimera has become Finch's biggest seller as the US's thirst for Double IPAs seems to be never-ending.

    Hardcore Chimera pours a somewhat-hazy bronze/orange color. Very little head forms after pouring, though what foam there is forms a resilient ring around the glass, leaving a good bit of lacing.

    Finch's Double IPA features aromas of citrusy hops as well as some tropical scents such as mango and passion fruit. The beer's malts lend a grainy scent to the mix as well.

    The beer is medium bodied with a carbonation level that is on the high end of medium. There is a slightly oily mouthfeel to the ale which likely contributes to its smoothness. An alcohol content of 9% ABV makes this one beer you're going to want to sip, though the text printed on the bottom of my can suggested I shotgun it by the date printed. I suppose shotgunning the beer is the only real way of drinking such a hardcore brew.

This chimera is so hardcore it makes up 3/5ths of its own metal band.

     Hardcore Chimera definitely hits your tongue with some major hops flavor. Citrus and tropical flavors mix with hoppy bitterness. There isn't a huge amount of malt flavor in the beer, just a bit of caramel behind all the hops. Surprisingly though, the bitterness is well balanced even without much malt flavor coming through. In fact, the beer tastes slightly sweet thanks to the fruit flavors imparted by the hops. I detect only the slightest amount of alcohol taste, which isn't surprising with such a high ABV.

    While the chimera is relatively well known as a mythical beast, it's cousin the Hardcore Chimera has somehow avoided the limelight. Hardcore Chimeras' unfamiliarity is likely due to the low numbers of the creatures that were living in the mythical ages. This particular beast suffered low population numbers due to a relatively high risk of death by hardcore stunts. It was well known that these beasts would take on any dare, no matter how hardcore. Ancient texts mention these creatures jumping chariots through flaming rings, stealing underwear from Cyclops's clotheslines, and even base-jumping from Mount Olympus without a parachute. It's nice to see that this under-recognized creature has been remembered and honored by Finch's Beer Co.

    If you're looking for a strong Double IPA that's not too bitter and drinks relatively smoothy, Hardcore Chimera is worth a try. I feel that the beer was intentionally crafted around the 9% ABV, and as such, misses out on featuring new flavors in lieu of balancing flavors to keep its booziness from being tasted. The beer is still quite enjoyable, and it's easy to see why Finch's has been selling so much of the brew lately!

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Bastion - Xbox Live Arcade

    Xbox Live Arcade has changed the way many people see video games. Previously, games needed to be huge creations backed by a giant budget and hyped up to no end to be successful. Art and creative expression often took a backseat to what would make companies the most money. Xbox Live Arcade's flexible pricing and digital delivery has allowed developers to focus on creativity and narrative rather than shiny effects and hype. Bastion is a perfect example of what developers can do when they aren't shackled by the usual business aspects of releasing a game.

Beast Bitter - Middle Ages Brewing Co., Ltd.

    Beast Bitter is an Extra Special Bitter (ESB) brewed by Middle Ages Brewing Co., Ltd. in Syracuse, New York. As you can tell from the picture, I apparently got a bad bottle (likely over-carbonated). When I opened and poured the beer it was all foam! As a result, I only get a little over half of the bottle to enjoy. The taste seems to be fine though, so I decided to continue on with the review.

    Beast Bitter pours a rusty orange color with a head that leaves lots of lacing, though I'm not sure if this is normal since I had a suds explosion.

    The beer smells of sweet caramel malts with a bit of an English Ale twist. The beer's hops shine through with a slight citrus twang. The hops also give the beer a slight metallic scent.

    The ESB is medium bodied, and mine has a low to medium level of carbonation. I suspect that the beer originally had a medium level of carbonation, before the bubbles all exploded out into my glass. This beast doesn't have much of a bite at 5.3% ABV.

Up for a game of Dungeons & Flagons?

    Beast Bitter is surprisingly hoppy for an ESB. Citrusy notes hit the palate first, followed by hoppy bitterness. The bitterness is quickly quelled by caramel and toasty malts, making the beer an interesting drinking experience. In my opinion, a good ESB shows some real bitterness, but also has a strong, sweet malt backbone to keep the bitterness from becoming all you taste. What results is a series of flavors in every drink. Beast bitter is a bit more watery than I would like, however. It would have been nice to see a fuller-flavored ale with these characteristics.

    While I can't really say that Beast Bitter is a monster of an ESB, it's still worth trying if you would like to experience an Extra Special Bitter brewed in the style of an English ESB. I'm pretty sad that I got a bad bottle, but at least I got a chance to try this one, even it was half-a-glass.

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Alan Wake's American Nightmare - Xbox 360 Arcade

    Alan Wake is back, this time in Xbox Live Arcade and PC formats only. Developed by Remedy and published by Microsoft Studios, 2012's Alan Wake's American Nightmare picks up approximately where the downloadable content packs for the original Alan Wake game left off. Fans of the first game clamored for more after finishing the first entry in the series, so does the Live Arcade game do the original justice?

Star Ocean: The Last Hope - Xbox 360

    It's the year 2097. Human kind survives on Earth only by living underground after destroying their own planet in nuclear war. Research into space travel becomes humanity's only hope of survival. Humanities' eyes turn to the skies in the hope of finding a new, habitable planet on which to start over. Star Ocean: The Last Hope is actually a prequel to the entire Star Ocean series which saw its start back in 1996. The fourth game to release in the series, The Last Hope hit shelves in 2009 for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. Developed by Tri-Ace and published by Square-Enix, The Last Hope is a Japanese Role Playing Game with a Sci-Fi setting which is a bit different for the genre. But does the game stand up against other RPGs on the system?

Festivity Ale - Goose Island Beer Co.

    Festivity Ale is Goose Island's Winter release Brown Ale, and wouldn't you know it, the only bottle I had left has a wonky label.. Goose Island (Chicago, IL) releases a Brown Ale every year to celebrate the holidays. Each year they slightly alter the recipe for a new, unique brew each year. This year, Goose Island chose to highlight some of the sweet, dark fruit flavors that specialty malts can lend to ales. I can only hope this holiday brew brings joy to my mouth!

    Festivity Ale is a surprisingly clear, light brown color with a very thin head at pouring. There is very little retention to the head, though a thin ring of bubbles hugs the glass long after the foam has dissipated.

    The Brown Ale smells unsurprisingly malty, with sweet toffee and caramel aromas. There is an almost sour, fruity smell to the ale that I've usually only smelled in strong Belgian style ales. There isn't really any hops scent to the brew.
 
    Festivity has a nice smoothness to it, though there is a bit of a watery character to the ale. The brew is medium bodied and has a medium carbonation level which gives the beer a nice tingle on the tongue. Though the dark-fruit smells usually warn me that I'm about to drink a super-strong ale, Festivity Ale has an ABV of 7.7%; still not a weak brew, but not the 9-10% I would expect.

Ugly Sweatervests are the next big Christmas thing

    The Brown Ale tastes slightly roasty, though it avoids the bitterness that can sometimes come with roasted malts. Sweet toffee and caramel malts make up a portion of the beer's flavor with the remainder featuring dark, candied fruit flavors such as dates, raisins, and even a little bit of apple. I even taste a bit of brown sugar in the beer's flavor. The brew's hops add a subtle, grassy earthiness to the mix, grounding the sweet flavors.

    Since I was little I've been amused by flavors and how they can change depending on what you expect when putting something up to your mouth. I first discovered this when taking a sip of milk from a cup as a child, only to spit it out when it tasted extremely disgusting. As it turns out, there was iced tea in my cup, not milk. Once I realized that it was iced tea, the tea tasted fine. It was just the fact that I was expecting milk that changed my perception of what I was tasting. This beer is no different. I started drinking the first couple of beers in this six-pack not knowing that there were supposed to be fruit flavors in the brew. When I didn't know what I was looking for and expecting typical roasty Brown Ale flavors, I was disgusted by Festivity's fruity malt flavors. I actually opened one of these and refused to drink it, handing it off to someone else . After doing some research into the beer, the flavors suddenly make sense to my tongue.

    Even after knowing what to expect, I still find the dark fruit flavors to be confusing in a beer that is also somewhat watery. The beer's body tells my mouth that it should be easy-drinking, while the extreme flavors make me want to sip the beer slowly to avoid becoming overwhelmed by the flavors. Overall this brew comes off as too confusing to easily enjoy, though interesting in that it seems as though Goose Island pumped a good bit of flavor into a mass-produced, watery beer.

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Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood - Xbox 360

    Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood is the third game in the historically based Action and Stealth game series. Released in 2010 on Xbox 360, Playstation 3, PC, and Mac OS X, Brotherhood picks right up where Assassin's Creed II left off, and adds some new features to the already improved gameplay of the second game.

Unsessionable - Revolution Brewing Company

    Unsessionable is an Imperial (or Double) India Pale Ale brewed by Revolution Brewing Company in Chicago, Illinois. With 6 hop varieties and a high alcohol content, this beer nearly lives up to its name. You're going to want to make your best effort to challenge its name once you taste the brew, however.

    Unsessionable pours a golden-bronze color with a decent head topping it. This foam shows remarkable retention, and leaves a good amount of lacing once it does finally fade.

    The hop aromas in this one are undeniable. Scents such as tropical fruits, lemon, pine, and grassy notes meld together seamlessly, and represent the huge range of scents thats hops can lend to a brew. Sweet caramel malt scents lure you in to the first taste, even if the hoppy aromas might have made you hesitant to dive in.

     Unsessionable is extremely smooth, with a slight alcohol warmth that is pleasant on the tongue. The IIPA is medium bodied with a similar level of carbonation that effervesces the many hops scents and flavors. The alcohol content of 10% ABV is really the only reason you wouldn't want to session drink this beer!

He tried to session it, he failed.

    With the incredibly hoppy scent of this beer the super sweet taste you get at first sip can be a bit of a surprise. There's definitely the expected hops bitterness, but the malt backbone really keeps the astringency at bay. Hops flavors of juicy fruit, lemon, pine, candied orange peel, and more delight the mouth as the smooth beer is enjoyed. For a brew with so much going on, Unsessionale never gets overcomplicated on the tongue and strikes an amazing balance that is incredibly pleasant.

    This is the first specialty brew that Revolution has canned. Normally, one must visit their brewpub or taproom at their brewery to get a taste of their specialty ales, so I was extremely excited at the precedent of this one being canned. I can only hope that Revolution continues the trend, and releases some more amazing beers for distribution across the country!

    Imperial India Pale Ales can be intimidating due to their massive hops content. Personally, I find that IIPAs are actually much sweeter than IPAs, and are easier to drink as well. The high alcohol content of Unsessionable is part of what makes it great, though it will definitely shut down anyone trying to finish more than a couple cans in one sitting. If you see this golden can in your local store, by all means, pick it up! I cannot put into words how impressed I am with this beer!

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