Victory: Summer Love

Brewery: Victory (Downingtown, PA)

ABV: 5.2%

Type: Blonde Ale

Taste: Very hoppy, bitter and harsh.

Overall: A very hoppy brew with the soap like aftertaste.

Rating: 1/10

Devils Backbone: Schwartz Bier

Brewery: Devil's Backbone (Rosetown, Virginia)

ABV: 4.9%

Type: Black Lager

Aroma: Faint, almost non-existant.

Taste: Lots of carbonation with a lighter roasted flavor.

Overall: Immediately calls to mind a watered Guinness, not one of DB's finer brews.

Rating: 4/10

Ommegang: Three Philosophers

Brewery: Ommegang (Cooperstown, New York)

ABV: 9.7%

Type: Quadrupel

Aroma: Sweet and roasted

Taste: Dark with lots of malt and roasted flavors.

Overall: Great to relax and sip, an outstanding evening beer

Rating: 8/10

(Photo from: http://www.ommegang.com/#!beer_three)

Peak Organic: Summer Session Ale

Brewery: Shipyard (Portland, Maine)

ABV: 5%

Type: Wheat Ale

Taste: Very hoppy and bitter.

Overall: This all the bitterness of an IPA with none of the redeeming qualities. I could not finish this.

Rating: 1/10

(Photo from: http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/peak-organic-summer-session-ale/124029/)

Verhaeghe: Duchesse De Bourgogne

Some of you may have seen my previous posts regarding my quest for sour belgian ales. I found this one at a dinner theater a week ago and was both overjoyed and upset at the discovery. Overjoyed at the discovery of everything I was looking for in beer and upset that I could only get it at a dinner theater. A week later while wandering a wine shop, a crashing sound caught my attention. As I jumped back to avoid the wine bottle one of the clerks had knocked over I caught sight of this in the back of a shelf. My near death experience came to a happy ending as I now have a regular source of this amazing beer.

Brewery: Verhaughe (Vichte, Belgium)

ABV: 6.2%

Type: Flanders Oud Bruin

Aroma: Cherry and vinegar

Taste: Strong cherry flavors with a tangy vinegar undertone.

Overall: An outstanding sour belgian ale. The second fermentation gives it the perfect blend of sour and tang.

Rating: 10/10

Hitachino Nest: Real Ginger Brew

I will happily admit that I will try anything with the word ginger in it. Candied ginger, ginger chews, ginger ale, and the list goes on. I have yet to meet a ginger I didn't like. So when I heard about this ginger brew I knew I had to try it. Happily the local Wegmans keeps it in stock, and now we drink.

Brewery: Kiuchi Brewery (Naka, Japan)

ABV: 7%

Type: Spiced Ale

Aroma: Caramel and ginger

Taste: Sweet and roasted with strong ginger flavors.

Overall: An adult ginger ale, very smooth with strong malt and ginger flavors.

Rating: 8/10

Flying Dog: Woody Creek

I will admit to a certain bias for the Flying Dog brewery. A tour of their brewery in Fredrick, Maryland marked the beginning of my interest in the incredible variety the world of beer has to offer. It doesn't hurt that this breweries motto is "Good Beer, No Shit," and over half of their line up has sexual innuendoes for names (my favorite is the Oyster Stout that proudly bears the name "Pearl Necklace"). With qualifications like that, how could their beer be anything other than fantastic.

Brewery: Flying Dog (Fredrick, MD)

ABV: 4.7%

Type: Belgian White

Aroma: Very Light

Taste: Very light and smooth, strong orange flavor and coriander flavors

Overall: Very light and smooth, a perfect hot weather ale.

Rating: 8/10

Breckenridge: SummerBright Ale

Brewery: Breckenridge (Denver, CO)

ABV: 4.5%

Type: Wheat Ale

Aroma: Very Light

Taste: Light with orange and coriander flavors, slightly overly bitter on the back end.

Overall: A decent, but not exceptional ale.

Rating: 4/10

(Photo from: http://www.breckbrew.com/brews/summerbright-ale)

Het Sas: Paulus

In my continuing hunt for sour beers I discovered this brew at the Church Key in DC. Along with an amazing selection of brews they offer two sour belgians for your drinking pleasure.

Brewery: Het Sas (Beozinge, Belgium)

ABV: 5%

Type: Flanders Oud Bruin

Taste: A little harsh, but with excellent sour cherry flavors

Overall: A very nice sour beer, with great cherry flavors

Rating: 8/10

(Photo from: https://untappd.com/brewery/2442)

Port City: Tartan Ale

Brewery: Port City (Alexandria, VA)

ABV: 5.5%

Type: Scottish Ale

Aroma: Lots of roasted overtones

Taste: Surprisingly light and sweet

Overall: Lighter than most scottish ales and surprisingly sweet. This beer is simple but tasty.

Rating: 5/10

(Photo from: http://www.portcitybrewing.com/beer/tartan/)