Dogfish Head is known for brewing beers of an outlandish and unexpected nature. Today, the brewery uses its brewpub in Rehoboth Beach to pilot experimental beers to ascertain if they might be successfully scaled and bottled for the wider good beer drinking consumer. Wet Hop American Summer is one such beer. Like many of its Dogfish brethren, Wet Hop American Summer is fascinating and esoteric because of its lineage. In many ways it is the modern American counterpart to Dogfish well-received Ancient Ales series of beers; beers that in some fashion seek to bring-to-light various lost ethos of brewing history. In the case of this beer, the connection runs North of Delaware to Newark, New Jersey, to a once proud brewery called Ballantine; specifically to Ballantine in the 1940s and 50s. It was during that time that the last bottles of a unique beer called Ballantine Burton Ale were bottled. Burton Ale is a old English strong ale style; for more on Burton ales read my review of Fuller's Past Master's XX Strong Ale. Ballantine's Burton Ale was never sold to the public. It was bottled prior to Christmas, and cases were given away as gifts to friends and employees of the brewery. The most fascinating aspect of the beer is that it was aged in giant oak barrels for upwards of 20 years before being bottled. Ballantine Burton Ale was heavily hopped. It is thought that Ballantine used a significant amount of its house produced hop oil extract for both bittering and preservation purposes. The beer was engineered to be robust enough for long-term cellaring, indeed a handful of bottles have survived into the 21st century and remain entirely drinkable. In the early summer of 2011 I contacted Dogfish Head to see if the they would be interested in opening two rare bottles of Ballatine Burton Ale that had come into my possession. Both bottles were from a batch of Burton brewed in 1946 and subsequently bottled in 1958 and 1960 respectively. Dogfish happily accepted my offer and we opened one bottle in the brewery lab to taste it and run various tests. The second bottle was sent to Siebel Institute for further testing. The beers were bottle conditioned, but we knew that the likelihood of any of the yeast still being alive was slim to none. Nevertheless, the beer still had plenty of secrets to reveal via testing. Dogfish was eventually able to locate the actual yeast Ballantine used to brew their beers at a private collection and the owner kindly grew-up enough of the yeast for them to brew with. And so we arrive at Wet Hop American Summer, a decidedly Dogfish-spin on a hoppy Ballantine ale. The beer was brewed with a massive amount of fresh Cascade hops, and perhaps thanks to the unique yeast source, it tastes unlike any fresh hop beer I've had before. The beer has an abundance of punchy citrus aroma and bite, but also has a soft fruity ester character more commonly associated with Belgian Pale ales. There is also an attractive wet suede or chamois leather smell to the beer. It's dank, but not in the same way a lot of fresh hop beers are, it's brighter. It is exciting to imagine what Dogfish might do next with the Ballantine yeast strain now that they have it on-hand. Personally, I love the idea of a strong beer brewed with the Ballantine yeast and left to mature in a couple of oak barrels for an extended period.

This double dry-hopped American IPA is one of two beers this Maine start-up have chosen to launch their brewery with; the other being Pamola Xtra Pale Ale. The beer has a strong quinine gin like direct bitterness upon initial taste, becoming increasingly leafy, dank and botanically bitter towards the finish. Baxter does not reveal specifically what hops they use in this beer, but it's clear that they are not shying away in terms of the amount they are using; especially when adding for bitterness. The American IPA category is arguably the most hotly contested in all of beer in 2011, with only truly exceptional examples making headlines. Stowaway IPA delivers upon the styles' promise of a well presented and dominant bitterness, but lacks some of the refinement and deeper balance and complexity of its many competitors. *This beer was provided by the producer for the specific purposes of review on Hoptopia.

Sip through swallow, this bright American pale ale delivers bucket-loads of unhindered yellow citrus bitterness. All manner of fresh lemon and spritzy grapefruit notes effervesce in the aroma and blossom on the palate. The nose actually reminds me a lot of a brilliant citrusy American pale ale called Daisy Cutter by Chicago brewery Half Acre; aromatic high praise indeed. May the abundant canning of flavorful but uncomplicated beers like this continue. *This beer was provided by the producer for the specific purposes of review on Hoptopia.

The chatter surrounding the bottle release of this beer was deafening. With so much hype and hysteria it can be hard to keep expectations in-check when tasting such a hard-fought beer; even for a seasoned and serious beer writer. I've tasted many vintages of Canadian Breakfast Stout's peers and I'm happy to go on the record as saying that it stacks up favorably with the best of them; in some instances betters them. Whether you like CBS will depend largely upon your like or dislike of beers that taste like heart-stopping dark chocolate and dairy laden desserts. CBS is a robust imperial stout brewed with various kinds of chocolate and coffee, before being conditioned in oak barrels used first to mature bourbon and then Michigan maple syrup. The resulting pour has the color of crude oil and the aroma of an ice cream sundae. The beer is not as viscous as Surly Darkness or Three Floyds Dark Lord, or as sweet; surprising given CBS' additions and maturation conditions. In many ways, CBS has a lot in common with Portsmouth's Kate the Great; being robust, rather than gloopy, and sweet, but not cloying. It also has similarities with Goose Island's Vanilla and Coffee Bourbon County Stout's; if you have tasted those. CBS triumphs as a beer that is as decadent as the labels ingredients suggest. The maple, the bourbon, the coffee and the chocolate are all present. There is also a strong nutty profile; peanut butter like. It's remarkable. There isn't another beer that I've tasted as of October, 2011, that tastes anything like it. I've stated categorically many times before that I don't believe in perfect as a concept; hence no, 100/100 ratings. CBS exceeded my expectations, and for any beer with as much buzz as this one, that is a phenomenal achievement. This expectational beer is worth chasing down; believe me. Founders and Michigan are right to celebrate and to be proud of this sensational creation. *This beer was provided by the producer for the specific purposes of review on Hoptopia.

This big and biscuity American brown ale was brewed to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Abita Brewing. It is a larger version of the brewery's well-known Turbodog brown ale and was matured on whole vanilla beans. Despite all of the pomp and circumstance, the beer is actually quite a restrained affair. The vanilla is respectfully present; more so in the flavor than the aroma, the alcohol is a tidy 7.0% abv., and the finished beer still tastes like an American brown ale; rather than something more shouty and style-defying. In a sense, Doubledog is the perfect summation of Abita's approach to brewing over the past 25 years. It is the product of a brewery that is targeted and careful when experimenting, and of a business that places a great emphasis upon delivering quaffable beers that do not tire the palate. *This beer was provided by the producer for the specific purposes of review on Hoptopia.

Harvest Pumpkin Ale was introduced in 2010 and is one of the dizzying number of beer styles that Samuel Adams routinely tries their hand at; it is also one of the best. Aromatically and on the palate, the beer eerily evokes the smell and taste of pumpkin pie; including the buttery crust. Despite that indulgent descriptor, the beer is not overly rich or robust, and lends itself to easily drinking a full pint of. Pumpkin beers now come in many shapes and styles. If you're in the mood for one with a lighter body and low bitterness, but one with the robust pumpkin pie flavor of some the heavier imperial examples on the market, this is a good choice. *This beer was provided by the producer for the specific purposes of review on Hoptopia. It is available in the Samuel Adams Harvest Collection Variety pack.

After two decades of brewing their award winning Irish red ale, Red Trolley, Karl Strauss decided to run with the recipe in an entirely different direction. The resulting beer is called Off The Rails, an experimental and extremely amped up version of Red Trolley. Or Red Trolley on steroids if you will. The press release for the beer describes it as an imperial red ale. On my tastebuds it has a lot more in common with an English barleywine than an imperial red. It is very sweet in both aroma and flavor. Aromatically the beer smells of sticky candied fruit and sugary jam. In the drink, chewy toffee, brown sugar and caramel flavors coat the palate. There is a thick strawberry jam like residual sweetness to the finish. There is certainly a lot happening in this robust and desserty beer, but it all fits and compliments. It's not scruffy or disjointed. If you're in the mood for a beer with a sweeter flavor. Something for after a fruity dessert course. Or maybe a beer for a chilly autumn night. This one is a winner. *This beer was provided by the producer for the specific purposes of review on Hoptopia.

Rye beers are an infinitely interesting breed of beer. Unlike most beer styles, rye beers are bound less by a set make up, taste, color or aroma, and more by what the peppery grain might bring to preexisting styles of beer. In the case of Boardwalk Black Rye, Karl Strauss decided to bring rye's spicy personality to bare on the black IPA style. Aroma wise, the beer has a smokey bonfire quality. Like burning Christmas trees. A potent roasted bitterness dominates the palate in the drink. Ash, anise and spicy cracked black pepper being the most noticeable flavors. This is a bitter beer for sure. Both in terms of hop derived bitterness and black charred malt bitterness. As with a lot of rye beers, it's a curious creation. And as with a lot of rye beers, your like of it will be determined more by your love of spice than your love of earthy hop flavor. *This beer was provided by the producer for the specific purposes of review on Hoptopia.

Stone, named this beer as a taunt to those in the Pacific Northwest that would lay claim to the black IPA style, as their own - the Cascadian dark ale. I think there's something a lot more interesting going on with this beer though. You see, myself and quite a few other well read beer drinkers and writers have viewed the black IPA or Cascadian dark ale with a skeptical eye. BJCP (Beer Judge Certification Program) judges will happily tell you that there exists no black IPA categorization. This is partly by design. By BJCP definition, the black IPA, can be described almost to the letter by their established definition of an American porter. Next there's the, now, little known fact that heavily hop bittered porters were being brewed in England in the nineteenth century. These often went by the name, India porter. Which is pretty self explanatory. Might then, the black IPA simply be a case of an industry reinventing the wheel to suit its own acclaim and marketing needs? Possibly. Enter Stone 15th Anniversary. An imperial strength "black IPA" so bitter and botanical, and yes, pitch black and roasty, as to be almost unrecognizable as a common garden IPA or an American porter - even a robust one. Blindfold anyone with a semblance of beer knowledge, and you would be unlikely to hear them describe this as a porter of any shade, shape or form. Neither would they suggest that it's simply an IPA. So what then is it? By modern measurements this beer clocks in at 100 IBU's (International Bitterness Units). That's basically has high as is reasonably measured. Add to that, the utterly savage roasted bitterness and you end up with a beer that might actually be the first bona fida black IPA. It's something so bizarre and new tasting as to be otherwise unrecognizable. So who is this beer for - besides, Stone devotees? Well that's hard to say. If you've tasted "black IPAs" before and enjoyed them, you might like this. But the bitterness will still likely shock your palate. Though it isn't palate wrecking like an overly hopped IPA. Flavor wise it strongly evokes Marmite, that spicy bitter black tar like substance, that people of my descent like to spread on buttered toast. Marmite is yeast extract for the uninitiated - originally a byproduct of the British brewing industry. Like Marmite, I get the sense that Stone 15th Anniversary will be an immediate love or hate invention. There isn't really much of a learning curve to a beer like this. It just is. It's just that oddly bitter, but not in a tastebud stomping way. So then, I end by posing these questions. Is this the first true black IPA? Has this style come of age by sheer will? *This beer was provided by the producer for the specific purposes of review on Hoptopia.

This is a recreation of a Burton ale, one originally brewed by Fuller Smith & Turner of Chiswick in London in 1891. If you are not familiar with the Burton style of beer, that's not a surprise. Burton ales are a long forgotten style of English strong ale that were popular in various guises through the 1960's when their popularity rapidly declined. A few examples of Burton beers do still exist in the U.K. today, or at least beers that quietly echo the Burton style. The most readily available is Fuller's own 1845, a beer first released in 1995 to celebrate the brewery's 150th anniversary. Another beer that uses a strong traditional Burton ale as a base is Greene King Old Suffolk. In that example, a young pale ale is blended with 2 year old oak aged Burton. The blending of Burton ales with lighter fresh beers was once common practice in English pubs. Both 1845 and Old Suffolk, while not Burtons as such, are intriguing glimpses into the style's past. Deep ruby to mahogany in color, Burton ales were appreciated for their noticeably bittersweet, even sticky, mouthfeel and warming strength. A handful of Burtons were brewed in the U.S. Most famously, Ballantine of New Jersey produced a strong Burton ale that was aged in large oak vats for upwards of 20 years before being bottled and gifted to friends and acquaintances of the brewery at Christmastime. I've been lucky enough to try a Ballantine Burton Ale brewed in 1946 and bottled in 1960. The beer was 8.6% abv. and around 60 IBU's. Despite being brewed 60 years ago it tasted much like the Burton ales described by British beer historians, and even still possessed a potent hop derived bitterness. The special edition Fuller's Paster Masters XX Strong Ale reviewed here was a pet project of beer historian Ron Pattinson, the author of the blog, Shut Up About Barclay Perkins. Ron has been instrumental in researching and bringing to light the history of the Burton ale. In brewing Past Masters XX Strong Ale, Fuller's went to great lengths to recreate the beer as it was originally brewed in 1891, even commissioning the growth and malting of a barley called Plumage Archer, which was no longer produced. Aromatically the nose is ablaze with sweet fruit cake notes. There is an undercurrent of peppery spice too. On the palate, brown sugar, pithy citrus bitterness and harvest fruits are the main profiles. The finish is a hair dry. The complexity of the deeply fruity malt foundation is the most exciting element of the beer. It has an uncommon and changeable depth. Besides the two cited examples by Fuller's and Greene King, Fuller's Past Masters XX Strong Ale is not immediately comparable to any other beer produced today. If Fuller's ever decides to produce this beer on more than a limited one-off basis, a case will definitely find its way to my beer cellar. The Fuller's Past Masters series are not available in the U.S. sadly.