Westbrook Maple Bourbon Cake

Mexican Cake aged in BLiS maple syrup bourbon barrels

Final Rating: 4.7/5  

look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75

Poured from a 22oz bomber into a Westbrook tulip glass. Allowed to warm over an hour. 

Pours an opaque black body with a one finger dark brown head that reduces slowly to a ring of foam and leaves no lacing.

Aromas are sweet and inviting – vanilla-bourbon and milk chocolate, rich maple syrup, bittersweet cocoa. Habanero peppers in the background. 

On the tongue the habanero shows up MUCH more – in an incredibly balanced, sweet and spicy cocktail of rich fudge brownies drizzled with maple-bourbon frosting, melding perfectly a cinnamon-caramel-bittersweet chocolate follow through, lending way to more habanero and sweet maple on the finish. Light spicy burn on the finish but nothing overwhelming. I can taste every adjunct in this beer and they’re all perfectly balanced. 

Body is rich, mouthfeel is spot on, not too thick but perfectly silky and medium-low carbonation. 

This was one of the best beers I’ve had in 2019 thus far – it takes the base beer and adds a maple-bourbon dimension to add complexity without overtaking the base flavors. This one hits all the check boxes for a world class beers!

DeGarde Violet Premiere

A farmhouse ale aged in oak barrels with black and red raspberries.

Final Rating: 4.67/5  

look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

Pours a magnificent deep purple body with a beautiful pink frothy head that sticks around for a few minutes and leaves little retention.

On the nose, raspberry juice, tart berries, lightly funky, sweet tarts.

On the tongue it’s a nice medley of sweet and sour raspberries, raspberry juice, lightly tannic and funky, tons of berry flavors with light oak on the finish. Easy drinker, refreshing and delicious, medium carbonation.

One of the best raspberry sour beers I’ve had – very balanced and flavorful.

Hill Farmstead Works of Love : Tired Hands

A special Farmstead® ale with aromatic spicebush. Fermented and conditioned in our oak foudres, this was bottled in July of 2016 and allowed to evolve into a beautiful expression of our long friendship and shared vision.

Final Rating: 4.45/5 

look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 750mL bottle into a Hill Farmstead Bulb glass. Purchased at the brewery. 

Appearance: The first pour to the last pour differ drastically with this beer.. I’ve never seen a beer transform from crystal clear, straw yellow with zero head to a hazy golden with a small head. There must have been a ton of sediment in this bottle, and it must have settled quite well. Poured undisturbed, this could pass for bud light! The following review will be based on the hazy pour of this beer. 

Aromas are tart and full of farmhouse funk, oak, hay, acetic, citrus, champagne and green apple. 

On the tongue are funky, tart, fruity, yeasty notes with a subtle piney, spicy flavor in the background, which I’d assume is from the spicebush. Medium-light body, pretty dry with medium-low carbonation. 

Overall a unique, interesting, but tasty, complex, and refreshing beer. Glad I got a couple bottles.