St Ambroise Oatmeal Stout

An oatmeal stout is a beer I know very little about. Stouts and Porters are somewhat new to me still, so the only assumption I've made is that it is a stout... made with oatmeal. Cole Phelps up in here. Dark beers aren't really my bag, I'm warming up to them slowly but often the prevalent coffee element loses me.

This beer pours a deathly jet black and leaves the bottle looking like BP's contribution to marine environment. This is going to be some heavy shit. This is a powerful beer. It tastes like someone filled a vat with blocks of chocolate, oatmeal, malt and coffee beans and took a flamethrower to it. Dark, roasted flavours across the board. The taste is huge, and even a small sip gives you a world to dissect.

I can see the appeal, I really can, but I'm just not there yet. Drinking one of these is like sitting down to a meal, I feel like I've just had a roast dinner. I doubt I will ever reach for one of these beers over a really good pale ale but they are an interesting experience nonetheless.

6.5/10

Brooklyn East India Pale Ale

I am definitely an East Coast kinda guy. Wu Tang, Big L, Gang Starr... it's a no contest. When it comes to American beers however, I have to pledge my allegiance to the sunny coast. California especially boasts some hugely impressive breweries. Brooklyn Brewery's lager was a solid beer, but to really test whether a brewery can reach such wuthering heaights you need to try an ale. An IPA is even better.

This IPA is rather transparent, lacking the enticing cloudyness of a good India Pale Ale. The colour is an orange/brown blend, with little head. The feel of the beer is quite mild, not watery as such but far from heavy. Flavourwise it is very straightforward, and as uncomplex as it's appearance. Caramel malts, and an explosion of hops.

Everything is there, but in a slightly unrefined manner. The heavy reliance on hops for flavouring, provide an enticing initial hit but then leave your mouth drier than a dead dingo's donga. The balance wavers at this point, and the beer ends up as lopsided as Tori Spelling's baps.

All in all though, it's a good beer. It's a raw and gritty version of an IPA and won't ever be a favourite, but it's enjoyable nonetheless.

7.5/10

Silly Saison

Just as I had finished blowing smoke up Belgium's ass for their string of diverse and delicious ales, I reached for this less than inspiring beverage. Silly Saison is a Belgian brew, but with a standard AHV as opposed to many of it's peers. This one is a brown ale.

Silly Saison pours a slightly murky amber colour, with a strangely patchy head. This is the first beer I've encountered that suffers from Alopecia. The feel of the beer is pretty light, and surprisingly watery. The taste is almost indecipherable. It's syrupy sweet, with malts and some strange fruit flavours. It almost tastes like something out of a soda fountain.

I can't describe it exactly, but midway through a strange potent taste emerges and dominates throughout the aftertaste. It is the definition of 'leave a bad taste in your mouth'. It's kind of like ultra sweet raisins juice. Yeah. It tastes more like medicine than beer. Not impressed.

3/10

St. Feuillien Blonde

Good luck pronouncing the name of this one. I'm not sure if I've seen so many vowels in the one place. I really need to go to Belgium at some point. Belgian/Trappist beers aren't actually my no.1 preference, but the sheer breadth of versatile beers they produce is absolutely mind boggling. They are one of the very few countries that mass produce quality beers on a wide scale.

Almost each and every one of these beers is a piece of art. This is a 7.5% Golden Ale, and I've drunk light beers that are harsher. While the beer pours an unassuming transparent fizzy yellow, the taste is something to behold. The feel is weighted but still smooth, almost in a 70's Elvis-like fashion. The concoction tastes of spiced citric fruits, infused with stinging carbonation and a bitter finish.

Definite summer beer, extremely easy to drink but still packing as significant a kick as Roberto Baggio's penalty shot. With a six pack of these out in the son you would be three sheets to the wind in no time. Not as good as the Tripel Karmeleit, but probably just agonisingly close to the Duvel. That is the most respectable last place I can imagine.

7.5

Murray's Icon 2IPA

Murray's have some creatively titled beers, but their 2IPA bears the boring moniker of 'Icon'. Luckily, they have made up for this by displaying two kangaroos vigorously rooting on the label. Big IPA's have grown on me the most since undertaking this noble quest, and I have a soft spot for Murray's beers so I was eagerly filled with anticipation to sample this ale.

The pour does look very unique, it's somewhat of a peach colour and extremely dense and murky. A generous frothy head floats above, making it look somewhat like a glass of swamp mud with toxic foam emanating from the surface. This is strangely appealing in a way, as this is not a Czech Pilsner, it's a 2IPA. Rarely are they for the feint of heart.

If you loaded buckets of hops and caramel into a bazooka, and then aimed it directly at your face, then it might come close to the sensation you get when drinking this beer. Bitter pine hops spear their way through a creamy caramel topping, all encased in a full body. Don't get it twisted, this is not for everyone. If your palette can handle the onslaught, and your brain can compute what the hell is going on, then this is a great 2IPA.

Definitely rate it. Very good beer. Murray's have a staggering range of beers, all with essentially unique attributes. I salute you Muzza.

8.5/10

Samuel Adams Oktoberfest

Given the general gist of German Beers, and what you normally get with something named 'Oktoberfest', I was surprised to see a murky amber/brown ale pour out of the bottle. The only thing I can think of, is that while it's sunny over in Germany it's cold and windy in the US? So this may be the type of beer the yanks are after when it's 'their' Oktoberfest.

Nevertheless, Sam Adam's Oktoberfest is a deep malted ale with flavours richer than a piece of chocolate mud cake, sitting upon a solid gold plate, resting on Warren Buffet's dining table. Never fear, it's very clean and drinkable despite this and still remains a sessionable beer. Rather than being drunk by a rabble outdoors, it's probably better suited to a leather recliner and some good conversation.

It's all starting to make sense in the end. The Americans do love to claim everything as their own, and in this instance I'll waive them through the gate because this is a decent beer. At the end of the day there are more yellow/golden beers on the market than brown, so this was a surprise that was welcome in this instance.

7/10

Kirin Ichiban

I am unsure as to what the difference between a Kirin and a Kirin Ichiban is, but this one comes in a stomping big bottle with a half dragon half horse looking beast proudly brandishing a giant flowing beard. It could very well be an album cover of a Japanese death metal band.

It seems to resemble a normal Kirin in execution to be honest. Very, clean and crisp, and highly refreshing. Predominant flavours of corn and rice and a slightly hopped finish. Beer geeks might shirk at it because it doesn't hit you like someone mashing the punch button with E.Honda, but it doesn't need to. Kirin make palette cleansing beers that are fantastic to drink with asian food of all varieties. You don't exactly want a Chocolate Porter with your Szechuan Beef or Pork Gyoza.

Mano a mano against IPAs and Trappist beers, no it isn't going to stand up. But in terms of bettering it's peers in a
niche of the mainstream market, you can't fault it. Given the evolution of my tastes throughout this challenge Kirin no longer impresses me like it used to, but it's still a very reliable beer that you can find at most bottle shops. So if you're ducking into a BYO restaurant, and they don't have that obscure brown ale you like, always keep Kirin in mind.

6.5/10