The Beers I Drank Today: Big Red, Gemini, Single-Wide, Expedition

The Beer I Drank Today: Southern Tier Big Red

Style: Red Ale

Color: caramel

Head/Lacing: This is the foamiest head I've seen in a long time. It prompted my co-drinker to wonder aloud whether the head is important. He said that Germans put a lot of emphasis on the head. It does seem to be an aesthetic thing. The lacing was nice as well.

Aroma: fantastically hoppy, piny

Flavor: This beer was way hoppier than I expected. It reminded me of the Avery Red Point I had not too long ago, but with more hops. This beer was a pleasant surprise.

Context: I've had this beer in my stash for a while. I'm nowhere near six months, but I didn't want it to go bad before I tried it. Plus, we spent all day working on our plots in the new community garden our neighbors started this year. A beer is always deserved at the end of a day in the garden.

Would I recommend this beer to you? Surprisingly, yes. I really had no expectations for this beer, but I should have known better. Southern Tier is one of my favorite breweries.

The Beer I Drank Today: Southern Tier Gemini

Style: Imperial IPA

Color: copper orange

Head/Lacing: thick head, decent lacing

Aroma: What else? piny hops...but not as much as the beer above

Flavor: overwhelming amount of malt, some hoppy bitterness

Context: This was another beer that needed to be consumed from my stash. A friend was over who has just started brewing. I plan to start as soon as I order some ingredients. This beer provided some good talking points. It has been hyped enough that I've greatly anticipated this moment.

Would I recommend this beer to you? Yes, but don't expect anything special. I'd rather drink Unearthly or Hoppe - the two beers mixed to form Gemini.

The Beer I Drank Today: Boulevard Single-Wide IPA

Style: American IPA

Color: golden, hazy

Head/Lacing: thick, white head with some decent lacing

Aroma: citrus, grassy

Flavor: pine, grass, grapefruit - but not too overwhelming

Context: I kept hearing that Boulevard's attempt at an IPA was in COMO, but I wasn't seeing it. I realized that I had been walking right past it on the floor of Hyvee. This time I snagged a sixer. I am a hop-head and feel like I need to try every IPA under the sun, especially one made here in Misery.

Would I recommend this beer to you? Yes, but don't go expecting Hopslam or Ruination. It's a typically fine American IPA. I'd place it right between Schlafly's APA and O'Fallon's 5-Day IPA. That's pretty decent company to keep.

Also: Bells Expedition Stout - I've reviewed this before, but thought it was worth mentioning again. This beer is still great and I have one left.