Old Court Ale - 16 Mile Brewing Company

    Old Court Ale is an American Pale Ale created by 16 Mile Brewing company which is located in Georgetown, Delaware. According to the bottle, this APA is named after the old courthouse of Sussex County. While the brewery says nothing about it, the beer makes my mind wander to thoughts of colonial Americans brewing early forms of American craft beer. Maybe 16 Mile was looking to create a beer similar to that which our country's founders enjoyed.

    Old Court ale pours a copper color with a tiny head which quickly dissipates and leaves no trace on the glass.

    There is hardly any smell at all to the ale. There is a bit of sweet caramel and roasted malt scent, but not much at all. There is also what seems to be a somewhat...rotten...smell to the ale which is not pleasant and would completely turn me off from this ale if it were any stronger.

    The APA is medium bodied with a low carbonation level. The beer feels more creamy than watery, surprisingly. The ale has an alcohol content of 6.1% ABV.

How many people have sat in that
court room wishing that they had one of these?

 Old Court Ale's flavors are all very light. The ale's first noticeable flavors are sweet, grainy malt flavors. The ale then shows its bitterness with a bit of fruity hops flavor. Once the bitterness mellows out, there is an almost nutty, roasted flavor to the beer which is quite nice. There is no hint of rottenness in the ale's flavor, unlike the smell, for which I am very thankful.

    If you read my blog occasionally, you know that I have a penchant for making up stories, or thinking too far into beer's names. Old Court Ale has once again started up my mind in directions that its creators' never intended. Imagine for a moment, if you will, the Sussex County court house, and everyone inside that court room enjoying a pint as they suffer through the proceedings. Suddenly, you have witnesses and the accused who are more than willing to tell you the truth, as well as every single thing about their life as they sink into their glass. Granted, it would be poor form to allow sentencing of criminals while under the influence, but you never know what punishments might be handed out. I can bet that they would be amusing, such as "eat this bug!" or "do a back flip off of the stand!"

    Silliness aside, Old Court Ale is a very lightly flavored American Pale Ale which focuses more on roasted malt flavors than hops. The ale is pretty easy drinking but doesn't strike me as anything special.

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Guinness Extra Stout - Guinness Ltd.

    Guinness Extra Stout is an Irish Stout brewed by Guinness Ltd. located in Dublin, Ireland. Most of the Guinness beers that we get here in the states are actually brewed and bottled in New Brunswick, Canada, this bottle included. This is the original Guinness which has been brewed since 1759. Since gaining popularity worldwide, Guinness has become a macrobrewery as opposed to its smaller beginnings. While I'm sure that the beer has lost something in the transition to large-scale production, the beer is still many people's standard for an Irish Stout.

    Guinness Extra Stout pours a dark black color through which very little light is able to pass. Upon pouring, the beer presents a massive, thick head which persists for a long time and leaves lots of lacing on the glass. The Stout has an alcohol content of 6% ABV.

    The beer smells mainly of roasted malts and coffee. The scent is much lighter than I would have expected.

A glass from the actual brewery in Dublin!

    The Stout actually feels somewhat thinner than I expected from the thick, foamy head. The beer is medium bodied with a mid-level of carbonation. The Stout is very creamy.

    Guinness Extra Stout tastes much like it smells. Roasted malts and dark coffee flavors predominate with a slight bitterness afterward. The flavors are actually much lighter than you might expect from something that calls itself "Extra Stout". The flavor is very smooth and easily drinkable, perhaps a change made to the brew once it hit mass production in order to please a wider range of customers.

    Since today is Saint Patrick's Day, I have to wonder about Saint Patrick's miracle. Granted, we all know the Irish stereotype, and I won't get into that here, but imagine if some crazy guy who has had a few of these Extra Stouts comes chasing you around with a stick. I honestly don't blame those snakes, I would have booked it off the island as well. I wouldn't even care if I wasn't a water snake, I would learn to swim to get away from that man bonking my friends on the head with his stick. I'm not at all saying that the driving of the snakes from Ireland was any less of a miracle, just that maybe, just maybe, Guinness Extra Stout had a hand in helping things along!

    Guinness Extra Stout is a traditional Irish Stout which has gone through changes throughout the years to accommodate the tastes of a world market. Unlike most marcobrews, Guinness remains decently flavored and has avoided being watered-down. I would encourage anyone who is a fan of this beer to try some different Stouts on the market to see what else they may enjoy!

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Purple Haze - Abita Brewing Co.

    Purple Haze is a Fruit Beer brewed by Abita Brewing Co. which is located in Abita Springs, Louisiana. Purple Haze starts out as a Wheat Beer but has raspberry puree added to the mix once the beer has been through the filtering stage. The beer has an alcohol content of 4.2% ABV, which tells me that the fruit was, indeed, added after fermentation. This beer was graciously donated to Amulets and Ale by Emily Hohman.

    The Fruit Beer pours a hazy red-orange color with a strange thin, bubbly head which quickly dissipates. It is obvious by the sheer number of bubbles which cling to the glass that this will be a highly carbonated beer.

    Shockingly, the raspberry wheat beer smells like raspberries! There is also a slight sour smell to the beer. The scent of wheat lies slightly hidden underneath the fruitiness.

    Purple Haze is light bodied with a high level of carbonation. The beer is very crisp and refreshing.

'Scuse me, while I drink this beer!

    Abita's Fruit Beer's flavor is majorly fruit forward. There is only a small amount of wheat flavor beneath the fruit, though it becomes more pronounced as the beer warms. No hops flavor is present. Surprisingly, Purple Haze is not a super-sweet beer, and instead has more of a dry finish than I would have expected.

    I'm pretty sure that Jimi Hendrix didn't write Purple Haze about this beer, though it very well fits into the song's lyrics. Have too many of these and I could totally see you saying "Purple Haze all in my brain" and "actin' funny but I don't know why"! Have WAY too many, and you might even say the misheard lyrics of "'scuse me, while I kiss this guy!"

    A lot of beer fans hate Fruit Beers. Personally, I really don't have a problem with them as long as they are well crafted. I feel as though Purple Haze is a bit too light on the hops and malt flavors to be an incredibly good Fruit Beer, but it is still surprisingly refreshing. I really think that the brew could be improved with the addition of more wheat flavor.

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Griffin's Bow - Boston Beer Company

    Griffin's Bow Oaked Blonde Barleywine Ale is Samuel Adams's take on a classic Barleywine. Brewed by Boston Beer Company (Boston, Massachusetts), this ale differs from regular Barleywines by being aged on oak as well as having more hops in the mix than one might usually see in the style. This is the final 22oz bomber that was included in the "Small Batch Collection" I received for Christmas.

    Griffin's Bow pours a bright golden-orange color with a huge frothy head on top which leaves lots of lacing on the glass. The ale is quite clear.

    The Barleywine smells slightly sweet and much more hoppy than I would have expected. There are some fruity notes to the smell such as pineapple and grapefruit. There is also a slight scent of alcohol which reminds me of dark red wine.

    The ale is medium-thick bodied and has an almost syrupy feel to it. There is a very mild level of carbonation in the ale. A slight alcohol warmth can be felt when the ale is held in the mouth. The Barleywine has a high alcohol content (around 10% ABV) which is common to the style.

Ten pints for Giffin's Bow!

    Griffin's Bow is sweet, but not overly so. Much more bitter hops flavor is present than in most Barleywines which I have tasted. The hops aren't overpowering, however, and add a nice counter-balance to the normally extreme sweet presented by Barleywines. The oak that the beer is aged on definitely lends a bit of its flavor to the brew, but it is quite subdued. There is a huge amount of malt sweetness as well as a bit of honey flavor to the ale.

    I often joke about Sam Adams making beer which is somewhat in-between craft and macrobrews. The "Small Batch Collection" really isn't much different, though Griffin's Bow seems to be the most legitimate take on an ale that Samuel Adams has created so far. I am a huge fan of Barleywines, and I am a huge hophead. Therefore, I must admit that I am quite a fan of this beer.

    With its sweetness and bitter hops balance, as well as its slight oak character, Griffin's Bow Oaked Blonde Barleywine Ale is a very enjoyable take on the classic Barleywine. While I wouldn't recommend that this be the first Barleywine that someone would try, I definitely recommend that fans of the style give this ale a chance.

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Guinness Draught - Guinness Ltd.

    Guinness Draught is an Irish Stout brewed by Guinness Ltd. which is located in Dublin, Ireland. The bottle encourages drinkers to "enjoy straight from the bottle" as the Draught line is meant to be as good from the bottle as if you had it poured at a pub.

    The Irish Stout pours a dark black with a large khaki head. There are a large number of noticeable bubbles which cling to the glass after pouring.

    Guinness Draught barely has any smell at all. What aroma there is smells of light malts.

    The "Stout" is actually very thin-bodied, and almost watery. There is a lot of carbonation in the beer, though it feels quite smooth.

    Unfortunately, the flavor in Guinness Draught is almost as non-existent as the aroma. The only flavor that can be perceived is a light roasted malt flavor. While Stouts usually have an alcohol content on the higher end of normal beers, this draught contains only 4.2% ABV. Higher alcohol contents usually signify greater amounts of malts used during fermentation, so this low alcohol content could easily be taken as a sign of a lack of flavor.

    I am extremely disappointed in the lack of flavor in this beer. I have had Guinness Stout before and know that it has much more flavor than this version of the beer does. I have no idea why Guinness would allow this beer to be sold with their name on it. The only reason I can think of for it to be named Guinness Draught would be that there is such a drought of flavor in the beer.

    With bottles of the Guinness Stout and Extra Stout being extremely common, I can't see why anyone would purchase this beer. I almost feel as though this was brewed for people who don't enjoy beer in order for them to have a type of the famous Guinness Stout which they too can enjoy.

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