Beer of the Week

The beer: Kludde

The brewery: Attaboy Beer, Frederick, Maryland

Description (from Untappd): "What is a Rustic Ale? Otherwise known as a Saison or a Farmhouse Ale, we have decided to call ours a Rustic Ale because it harkens back to an era when beers weren’t the product of a single lab grown yeast strain, but instead born of a complex mixed culture of yeast and bacteria. The result is a beer that has jammy stone fruit notes, fresh cut hay with our signature dry finish. Complex but drinkable!"

Would I buy it again? I liked this beer a lot more than the last Attaboy beer I reviewed, mostly because it wasn't incredibly tart. This was a solid beer, pleasantly fruity yet not incredibly juicy. It's the sort of beer you can just drink and not really think about. I'd buy it again.

And if you're curious, Kludde is apparently a malicious Belgian spirit goblin that roams the Flemish countryside.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Sky Castle

The brewery: Thick-N-Thin Brewing Company, Hagerstown, Maryland

Description (from Untappd): "White Ale brewed with Grains of Paradise and Lemon Peel for a light spice and earthy / floral undertones."

Would I buy it again? I don't think it's possible to get a lighter beer than this at a craft brewery. At least, a beer that you might actually want to drink. It's a solid beer and it has a pleasant floral taste to it, it's just much lighter than I was expecting, and I was hardly expecting a thick, heavy stout. Even so, I'd buy this again. Not as my first beer of the evening, but as a second or third, absolutely.

Beer of the Week

The beer: White Chocolate Ale

The brewery: Boulevard Brewing Company, Kansas City, Missouri

Description (from the website): "There has been a long-standing tradition at Boulevard of releasing a well-crafted, mostly romantic, beer ahead of Valentine's Day to be shared and enjoyed with loved ones. This year we are proud to present White Chocolate Ale made with coffee from our friends at Hammerhand Coffee located right here in Missouri. Taking a cue from previous releases we've lightened the body, and kissed the beer with white chocolate, coffee, and vanilla flavor, creating a smooth partner for cozy nights in, or to be paired with the most decadent desserts."

Would I buy it again? It may not be Valentine's Day, but this is still a solid beer for any day of the year. It's pleasantly chocolate-y with coffee undertones, with absolutely no bitterness. You usually see chocolate and coffee flavor in heavy stouts, not lighter ales, but they work well in this. I wouldn't say this is an easy beer to drink, but it's relatively light, and I like that. I would absolutely consider buying this again.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Koffee Kake

The brewery: Victory Brewing Company, Downington, Pennsylvania

Description (from the website): "Locally brewed. Locally baked. Locally loved. This very tasty collaboration between Victory Brewing Company and TastyKake takes the delicious flavors of TastyKake's Koffee Kake into a sweet ale with notes of pound cake and cinnamon."

Would I buy it again? The coffee cake flavoring is a lot more subtle than I was expecting. I'm not sure I would have figured that one out in a blind taste test. As a beer, it's fine and perfectly drinkable, but the relative lack of "pound cake and cinnamon" is disappointing. I probably would not buy this again.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Pool Hopping

The brewery: Flying Dog Brewery, Frederick, Maryland

Description (from the website): "Crafted to be enjoyed on the sunny deck of your choosing, this stripped-down summer ale offers a big juicy hop presence complimented by a moderate body and low bitterness. With tropical notes of mango and citrus, it pairs perfectly with a speedo, tan lines and doing a whole lotta of nothing."

Would I buy it again? I will say, this beer is certainly very easy to drink. A little too easy. That big juicy hop presence? Maybe if you've never had a beer before. I'm also not really getting the tropical flavors either. It's not terrible, just a bit bland and boring. I was hoping for something juicier and more exciting.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Mad Elf

Brewed by: Tröegs Independent Brewing, Hershey, Pennsylvania

Description (from the website): "The holidays at Tröegs start with our inner Mad Elf momentarily taking over the brew deck. So blame 'him' for this cheerful ruby red creation reminiscent of ripened cherries, raw honey and cocoa with notes of cinnamon, clove and allspice."

Would I buy it again?: We have a bit of a redemption story here. I got Mad Elf years ago and I thought it tasted like cough syrup. So I passed it up for quite a while, since I thought I didn't like it. But I finally came around to trying it again, and what do you know, I like it now. I doubt they changed the beer, so maybe my taste buds have changed. Either way, I'd buy this beer again. Just be aware, it's 11% alcohol, so it's got the strength of ten beers, plus two.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Crosslands Clover Honey Ale

Brewed by: Guinness Open Gate Brewery, Halethorpe, Maryland

Description (from the can): "Golden Ale featuring clover honey from Apex Bee Company, a local apiary. The delicate flavor of the honey is balanced with biscuity malt and tea-like hops."

Would I buy it again?: I absolutely would. It is an interesting combination of flavors, the breadiness and the honey, but it works surprisingly well. In my eyes, this is a Guinness sleeper beer, you wouldn't go there to get it and they're definitely not known for it, but it's really good, and I've already purchased it multiple times (well, twice, once at the brewery and once as a six pack).

Beer of the Week

The beer: Winter Warmer Ale

Brewed by: Guinness Open Gate Brewery, Baltimore, Maryland

Description (from the bottle): "Brewed with cinnamon, whole nutmeg, and vanilla, our winter warmer is reminiscent of the season. Baking spice on top of caramel encompassed by a solid malty base."

Would I buy it again?: Well, this beer was made for an extremely limited time in not a huge quantity, so I'm guessing that even if I did really want to buy it again, I wouldn't be able to. But I was a bit disappointed by it. There was a lot less spice flavor than I was expecting; it wasn't bad, just a bit underwhelming.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Bumble Berry Honey Blueberry Ale

Brewed by: Fat Head's Brewery, Middleburg Heights, Ohio

Description (from the website): "Brewed with fresh harvested spring honey and infused with fresh blueberries. A light, refreshing ale with a nice blueberry aroma, crackery malt flavors, a hint of sweetness and a refreshing blueberry finish."

Would I buy it again?: This falls into the general category of "not bad, but not great." It was definitely not as sweet as I was expecting, in fact, there were more notes of bitterness than sweetness. At least I think it was bitter, I'm not a taste expert. I also don't really like blueberries, so take this review with a grain of salt. If you do enjoy blueberries, your experience may vary. But for me, I wouldn't pay for another bottle of the stuff. Too bad, I was expecting more from a brewery called Fat Head's.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Lil' Crispy Crisp Ale

Brewed by: Clown Shoes Beer, Boston, Massachusetts

Description (from the website): "If your friends all jumped off a mountain, does that mean you’d do it? Yes, but please pack a parachute!  Light-bodied and refreshing, Lil’ Crispy is a welcoming Crisp Ale that is approachable as they come. With subtle malt sweetness and smooth overall flavor, we crafted this ale for easy drinking enjoyment."

Would I buy it again?: That would depend on the price. I liked this beer quite a bit, it had some real taste to it while still being very drinkable. But I paid something like $5 for it, and I'm sorry, but it's just not that good. A beer of this sort really should not cost that much.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Smoothie Dreams Ale

Brewed by: Captain Lawrence Brewing Company, Elmsford, New York

Description (from the website): "Brewed with raspberries, vanilla, and milk sugar, it’s sweet, tart, and super smooth. You’re going to love it!"

Would I buy it again?: Sorry Captain Lawrence, but I really did not love this. Raspberries ruin yet another beer for me, but even so, I doubt I would like this beer. It's just so weird, a smoothie beer. And it's unfiltered too, which I also thought was strange. I saw it and I had to get it, but I wouldn't get it again.

Beer of the Week

The beer: 8 Days A Week Blonde Ale

Brewed by: Southern Tier Brewing Company, Lakewood, New York

Description (from the website): The only way to describe this beer is Infinitely Drinkable. This is smooth liquid refreshment with a hint of Centennial hops for fruity notes and low bitterness for an easy finish. Available on draught and in 8 packs of 12oz cans, yep that’s right 8 cans, because when a beer is Infinitely Drinkable, six just isn’t enough!

Would I buy it again?: That's a tricky question. This really is an infinitely drinkable beer, it's pleasant in every single way. I liked it a lot. But in matters of drinkability, beers like this have to compete with Yuengling, and I'm just not sure I'd be willing to spend the premium for this when I can get Yuengling for less. Sure, that's a lager and this is an ale, so they are different in that way. And they do taste different, of course. I wouldn't say no to more of these, let's leave it at that.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Pahoehoe Coconut Ale

Brewed by: Two Brothers Brewing, Warrenville, Illinois

Description (from the can): "Sometimes life calls for a day to put your feet up on a chair, some music in the air, the sun on your face, and a beer in your hand. Pahoehoe Coconut Ale was created for those moments. A refreshing, drinkable beer with a twist. Pahoehoe features the uniquely sweet taste of coconut. Smooth and creamy with notes of coconut, vanilla, and a dry, crisp finish, it will be sure to make you go nuts for coconuts"

Would I buy it again?: No. I thought I'd like this a bit more than I did, I definitely recall enjoying the one coconut beer I've had before (Maui Brewing's Coconut Porter), but this wasn't so enjoyable. I think that beer was the exception, because I generally don't like coconut-flavored things very much. I think this was a well-made beer, and if you do like coconut, I'd recommend it on a warm summer evening.

Beer of the Week

The beer: White Russian Cream Ale

Brewed by: Jailbreak Brewing Company, Laurel, Maryland

Description (from the website): "Light in color yet full in flavor. An appropriate marriage of golden malts and perfectly roasted coffee from our friends at Ceremony Roasters. A hint of vanilla is added to recreate a White Russian worthy of The Dude’s respect. Jailbreak abides!"

Would I buy it again?: Yes, I think I would. I've never had a White Russian, so I can't vouch for how similar the taste of this beer is to its namesake, but I did like this beer. It wasn't heavy, but there was definitely plenty of taste. And it's even a local beer.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Night Owl Pumpkin Ale

Brewed by: Elysian Brewing Company, Seattle, Washington

Description (from the website): "A very drinkable pumpkin ale--brewed with pumpkin puree and juice, and spiced in conditioning with ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice. Both roasted and raw pumpkin seeds are in the mash, with pumpkin added to the mash and fermenter."

Would I buy it again?: Probably not. There was nothing wrong with it, but I'm just not a huge fan of pumpkin-flavored beer. But it's fall, so pumpkin beers are just a reality of life. It is very drinkable, and if you do like pumpkin, this is a good choice for you.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Hazelnut Brown Nectar

Brewed by: Rogue Ales, Newport, Oregon

Description (from the website): "From the hazelnut capital of the United States, this nutty twist on a European brown ale was originally crafted by Rogue Brewmaster John Maier's good friend and avid home-brewer, Chris Studach. Hazelnut Brown Nectar offers a hazelnut aroma with rich nutty flavor and a smooth malty finish."

Would I buy it again?: Probably not. This is one of those beers that didn't really distinguish itself one way or the other. I didn't dislike it, but I didn't love it. It was fine drinking it in the moment, but it was kind of forgettable. I liked the Honey Kolsch Rogue makes a lot more, so much so that for the first time, I followed through on my "Would I buy it again?" decision and bought it again.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Fresh Catch

Brewed by: Narragansett Brewing Company, Pawtucket, Rhode Island

Description (from the website): "Fresh Catch is a supremely refreshing blonde ale that's dry hopped with citra for a crisp grapefruit finish. Aromas of citrus and passion fruit are very evident, but mild on the palate. Brewed to be the perfect pairing with shellfish or whitefish."

Would I buy it again?: Yes, I think I would. I didn't pair it with any sort of seafood, but I still enjoyed this beer quite a bit.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Dead Rise Old Bay Summer Ale

Brewed by: Flying Dog Brewery, Frederick, Maryland

Description (from the website): "Dead Rise was brewed to highlight the indelible, bold character of OLD BAY with citrus hop notes and a crisp, tart finish. Pair it with tables piled high with shrimp, corn, and Maryland Blue Crab."

Would I buy it again?: Someone's gonna have to take away my Maryland license, because I did not really care for this at all. Old Bay has its place, but beer is not one of those places. However, seeing as Flying Dog is in Frederick, and I'm also in Frederick, I can't completely discount the notion of buying this beer again. It may happen. But it wouldn't be my first choice.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Single Digit Dubbel

Brewed by: Smuttynose Brewing Company, Hampton, New Hampshire

Description (from the website): "Smuttynose Single Digit Dubbel (formerly known as Winter Ale) is a full-bodied, amber beer brewed with a special Trappist ale yeast. Stylistically reminiscent of a Belgian Abbey Double, it features fruity aromas and flavor, balanced by spicy Sterling hops. Warming, mellow & pleasantly complex, Smuttynose Single Digit Dubbel is your perfect cold weather companion."

Would I buy it again?: Probably not. Sorry, this beer just didn't really grab me. It didn't really have much going on, I expected a bit more from a dubbel. Definitely not bad, just not enough to distinguish itself from other, better beers.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Hager-Weiss Hefeweizen

Brewed by: Antietam Brewery, Hagerstown, Maryland

Description (from the can): "Unfiltered and unfettered, this refreshing and complex wheat ale is brewed with 100% German ingredients which grace the palate with subtle hints of clove and bananas."

Would I buy it again?: Definitely. I had this particular beer on a unusually warm spring evening, and a wheat beer is perfect for warm, sunny days. Not to mention the proximity; it's always nice to support your local brewery.