Flying Dog Classic Pale Ale

The first thing that caught my eye about this beer was the label and the artistic talents of Ralph Steadman who also illustrated covers for many novels. I know I'm a sucker for thoughtful labels so I had to see what this beer tasted like. I pretty much took a gamble and bought the sixer hoping it would be average at least. This beer is pretty good, deep in color, a good weight that doesn't taste watered down. It's a good tasting ale without being too heavy on the alcohol and easy to drink more than one in a single sitting.

Budweiser American Ale

It took me a while to track one of these down, a single one that I could purchase without buying six at once. I did not have high hopes for this beer so I tried it with an open mind. I can't say it's an awful beer, because there are plenty of other ales that just don't quite do it, this is one of them. This Bud's attempt at ale crafting fell short because it lacked flavor, and the beer itself was thin and watered down. I gather this is one of those beers with a brand people trust to get into darker beers and perhaps seek out other ales after this. Bud regular and Bud Light are not awful for domestics and price, but this ale would need to be priced the same to reach people.

Coney Island Lager

Having been to Coney Island only a handful of times in my life, despite being a native New Yorker, I can say that place hasn't changed much. The beach is still dirty, the rides and the food booths aren't very savory, in either order you experience them. Nonetheless, I have fond memories of the place, being five years old with a plastic pail and child-sized shovel, I was scooping sand in those family photos. The first sip of this beer, I tasted a bit of sweetness, almost like apple cider, but that quickly went away on the second sip, it became a full flavored beer. This one is very easy to drink and the artwork on the label is pretty bad ass.

Southern Tier Tripel Belgian Style Ale

This Belgian Style Ale came as part of the Sampler Pack, I can't say much about it, it didn't taste too hoppy nor tart. To be honest, where this beer stands is between just all right to almost good. Don't let the label fool you, it's not the usual Belgian style with lots of carbonation, this one is easy on the foam.

Southern Tier Phin & Matt's Extraordinary Ale

Pardon my poor pouring, it was not supposed to come out like this. I picked up a Southern Tier sampler pack containing three of their brews. I like variety packs because it's fun to try a few of one brewery's offerings in a shot. This one poured out practically golden in color and I was worried that I'd be in for a beer that was too tart for my liking. I was pretty surprised that despite the strong flavor of hops, the taste was pretty refreshing and mild. I really liked this one and would definitely get it again.

Red MacGregor Ruby Ale

The bottle, the label, the whole package called out to me when I saw it. I had to try this ruby ale and to my surprise, it was a really good full bodied ale. I could tell by the color that it was a heavy on the alcohol ale but it did not taste bitter or rotten. I could probably say this is one of the better tasting darker ales I have tasted. The label says they have been brewing it up 5000 years strong and I'm pretty sure it'll keep going.

Urthel Hop-It Blond Ale

I'm not really a fan of white ales because I find them too tart for my liking but I got suckered in by the smiley old man on the label. This ale was pretty good for its type, it had the right amount of carbonation and the flavor was definitely there, there was a lot of ale in this tiny little bottle. It didn't have a gritty aftertaste like Blue Moon and overall was pretty easy to drink. I do recommend this for anyone who likes an ale with a lot of flavor and prefers the tarty kick in their drinks.

St. Peter's Cream Stout

After trying one St. Peter's brew, I had to go ahead and try another. I'm a stout fan so I immediately gravitated towards this. Maybe I got a skunked bottle, but this was absolutely terrible in bitterness, dull flavor and being barely carbonated. I can equate this to a black cup of Starbucks coffee, room temperature and sitting around for an hour. Needless to say, I couldn't stomach the whole thing to acquire any taste for it and ended up pouring it down the drain. I haven't given up on St. Peter's in general since I liked the English Ale so much.

Heineken

I never finished this painting, but this is one of my favorite beers because I can get it anywhere and there is a guarantee it will taste exactly the way it should. This is the king of easily available beers to go with almost any type of food. Sadly, I don't see the dark variety anywhere near my neighborhood.

St. Peter's English Ale

I never had a St. Peter's brew before so I did not know what to expect. This was one really good in being lightly carbonated and tasted very crisp. I can say this is probably one of the best ales for summer, it was very refreshing and tasted sweeter than most ales. It's a shame I can't get this very easily and they're not exactly cheap either. The next time I see these I'm picking up a few to hold.

Samuel Smith's Imperial Stout

Samuel Smith brews originated from England and probably still uses the original label. I chose the Imperial Stout because I'm a general fan of stouts. This one was bitter, burnt, barely carbonated and it took half a glass to acquire somewhat of a taste for it. There's quite a bit of alcohol in this one which makes it not too easy to drink. It's unlikely I'll buy another one of these just based on taste.

Blue Point Oktoberfest

This is a mild session styled beer from Long Island. There's not much flavor in this but sometimes that's a good thing to go with a burger. This one is lightly carbonated and tastes as clear as it looks. I'd gather this as a good gateway beer towards more flavorful brews.

Black Sheep Riggwelter Yorkshire Ale

I've never heard of Yorkshire Ale but I picked this up thinking it would be just be a darker ale. Little did I know it would be so bitter and hard to drink that I couldn't finish the whole thing. Sometimes, it's hard to judge a beer by the first few sips, but half a glass later, I still couldn't get past the burnt and bitter taste to enjoy it. I'm guessing this is an acquired taste, but I could not see myself trying to acquire the taste for it.

Post Road Pumpkin Ale

I couldn't let October slip by without pumpkin ale. Post Road Pumpkin Ale is just awesome in every way, there's definite hints of spices but not overbearing, lightly carbonated, and very easy to drink. This is probably one of the most pleasant tasting ales I've had in a while.

Wailing Wench Ale

I saw this bottle and knew I had to try it just for the name. The woman's face on the label doesn't look like she's wailing just yet, but I'm sure once you get her started she won't stop. The beer itself is a darker ale without a lot of carbonation and is very drinkable. It's heavy on the alcohol but isn't too thick or bitter. Overall, it's a good dark ale that doesn't taste burnt even though the wacky name might be off-putting to some people.

Belhaven Scottish Ale

I saw the words "Ale" and "Draught" together so I had to see what widgeted ale would taste like. The Belhaven Brewery is an ancient landmark producing classic brews. Belhaven Scottish Ale is pretty sharp with a deep aged taste, I can tell it's an acquired taste. This is one of those beers that you nurse within a time limit and don't drink more than one of. I stashed a quad pack of these and slowly drank them, and I have to say this makes spicy food taste absolutely terrible.

Lucky Lager

About a month ago, I was at the beer section of a local store and found a bottle literally laughing at me. This is a familiar icon to me, so I had to pick it up to see what I was getting for $5. Besides the interesting Buddha bottle, there was a whole lot of nothing but a regular lager. It did not taste special but definitely did not taste cheap either. It's a shame it doesn't come in a six pack form, because it would be pretty cool to say, "I just picked up a six pack of Buddhas."

Brooklyn Lager Oktoberfest

The best part of Fall is the seasonal beer selection, besides the colorful foliage stuff. I like Brooklyn Lager a lot because it's a local beer around my way that happens to taste great. This one is one of my seasonal favorites that I try to pick up at least a sixer to hold through the season.

Lagunitas India Pale Ale

This is a nice crisp IPA, a session styled beer without being too bitter or tart. The color is about right as well, not too dark and just light enough in weight to drink more than one in a sitting. Lagunitas is not heavily carbonated so it's pretty smooth on the way down, this is something I would definitely buy again.

Rogue Shakespear Stout

This is my first Rogue branded beer and I was drawn to it by its label. The real reason it made it to the checkout line with me is the part that says "Stout". I'm a fan of stouts and though many variations of it can be quite bitter and maybe even unbearable, there are some definite gems to be found. This one is no different, it's heavy in alcohol and more on the bitter side, but does taste pretty good. The nice things about these beers is they're for sipping and not so much gulping, and there's plenty in the tall bottle to share.

Murphy's Stout

I'm not a globetrotter, so Murphy's is new to me since it's not imported commonly like Guinness. Nothing bad to say about it, it's very consistent to Guinness in weight, texture and taste. Since it costs more being an uncommon import, it's cheaper to stick with the regular Guinness.

Black Boss Porter

I found this a mile from my neighborhood, a Polish brew, deep dark and heavy in alcohol. This is probably the first random beer I picked up that after a few sips, I had to pour it down the drain. The one I picked up was pretty flat, barely carbonated, heavy on the bitter and sour at once with an obvious hint of probably rotten.

Hitachino Nest Beer XH

I picked this up at a Japanese grocery store for about $5. This is a sharp one, definitely has the sour and sweet all mixed into one. It's not something I would go and buy more of, but it gives a good idea of what "aged" means in Japanese. This is definitely different than the generic Kirin or Sapporo stuff sold in local markets.

Ready to Roll

There's not going to be much text involved here, just photos and commentary of the beers I'm able to find along the East Coast. I've got a love for all types of beer but mostly stouts and lagers. I'm trying to dip into India Pale Ales at the moment. All right, less typing, more sampling!