from the twisted minds of snm
This is in the variety pack I picked up a while ago, just got around to drinking & reviewing! Pours a clear medium dark amber with moderate head. A nice blend of roasty malt, balanced floral hop, hint of grain. Medium mouth feel. A drinkable beer with some substance.
A good solid 3 out of 4 oktober mokeys.
Glad to see something that is not yet another IPA. Seems IPAs are the latest in beer. This is not one. Pours opaque black with minimal head. The smoky aroma swirls through your nose carried on the wings of 10% ABV. That also gives it a lingering warmth and carries the dark roast notes throughout. The bitterness stays pretty even thoughout, dark chocolate and straight coffee lovers should enjoy this as the roast is what seems to be giving it most of this, not a strong hops bitter. It actually doesn’t have as heavy a mouthfeel as you might expect. If you try hard you can detect some of that Sierra Nevada hop peeking through, but in all this is a pretty darn good beer. Or maybe that’s the 10% alchy talking, my typing seems to be affected already! This is a sipping beer and as such maintains it’s goodness as it warms.
3.5 out of 4 stout monkeys.
I grabbed dinner at Olive Tree and ducked into the little market next door while waiting for my order. Lots of neat little Mediterranean stuff. Grabbed this “premium quality Hellenic beer” to try with dinner. Pours a slightly cloudy light yellow, small head. Not a strong aroma, “karakuchi” dry taste with a fairly strong initial bitter which quickly goes away. A clean beer. Just a hint of skunkyness snuck into the aroma near the end. Perhaps the light reaction happened that fast?! Time to switch from CFL to LEDs! BTW, “skunked” beer is a result of light on the shorter wavelength end reacting with and breaking down hops compounds into the same stuff that makes skunks stink. People are quite sensitive and it only takes a tiny amount.
Anyway, this beer was nice and clean but kinda non-descript. The skunk that crept in kinda bummed me out and made me give it a 2 out 4 Hellenic monkeys.
Grabbed a sixer of this years SA Oktoberfest. Pours a clear medium dark amber with medium head. A bit of the floral and bitterness of hops, but its not out there prominent. A nice medium roasty and very nice nutty finish. A medium thick mouthfeel without a whole lot of carbonation to lighten it.
A nice brew, an easy 3 out 4 oompha monkeys.
Picked 
up this ridiculously expensive beer at liquor collection a couple months ago and been saving it for my B-day. Cracked it open tonight to see what it’s about. Pours opaque black with barely any head. The moment I cracked open the cap the smokey casky aroma is detectable. It carries over into a smooth almost like bittersweet chocolate flavor and picks up some of the whiskey peat. Interestingly I find it to be pretty balanced and even on the bitterness, but then I’m a dark chocolate lover. Fairly thick mouthfeel. This is no “session” beer at 8% ABV, it’s one to be savored, but I find it surprisingly easy drinking if you are a fan of dark beers.
Worth the price of admission as a treat for my birthday, 4 out of 4 oily monkeys.
Final selection from their current variety pack, the Belgian Session pours a clear medium amber with a medium head. Floral and fruit aromas but not overpowering. Even bitterness that stays even throughout with a slight nuttiness in the finish. Medium mouthfeel that is lightened by crisp carbonation and astringency. And in keeping with the latest beer buzzword of being a “session” beer, it has a fairly low ABV in the 4% range. It does have considerably more complexity than a “session” water beer like Coors or the bit nicer “sessioner” Speights.
I’ll give this a 3 out 4 session monkeys.
In case you don’t know, today is this year’s unagi day. In Japan it’s a day when you’re supposed to eat unagi to fight the dog days of summer. Unagi is regarded as filled with nutrients to fill you with vigor and power, so to honor that tradition I made this unagi kabayaki don for dinner, and while I waited for the rice to cook, I went for a ride. Worked out just right as the new “smart” cooker takes almost an hour. OK, the asparagus with mayo isn’t very traditional, but hey, the mayo is Kewpie! I’m actually happy I got to do this as I was supposed to be at a restaurant first day tonight, but it got postponed. Everyone get your unagi on?
Another selection from their current Summer variety pack. Pours a cloudy light gold, light head. Citrus in the initial flavor and aroma, spice mid notes, hint of grain, medium mouth feel. Nice beer for those who like spiced Weiss, but is not as strong on the coriander as Hoegarten.
A solid 3 out 4 Weiss monkeys.
Current seasonal, pours a clear bright yellow with small head. Not very strong floral aromas, not a whole lot of aromas period. Barest hint of the honey, a little bit of grain. Light on the bitter, clean tasting, medium mouthfeel. Easy drinking and retains a beer character. While not outstanding, its a solid drinkable beer.
I’ll give it a 3 out 4 summer monkeys.
Another from the summer seasonal variety pack. Pours a bright cloudy gold, medium light head. Citrus aroma, a bit of spice. Balanced bitter and some grain notes. Medium mouth feel and crisp. Pretty easy drinking.
A decent 3 out 4 citrusy monkeys.