Day 348 Drink: Great Divide Smoked Baltic Porter

Great Divide Brewing is one of the places I look forward to visiting when I am in Denver for the Great American Beer Festival. They host an annual bash on the afternoon before the Thursday evening GABF kickoff session. It is the place to reconnect with old friends and get introduced to some industry luminaries. They also pour a great lineup of house beers.

Great Divide Smoked Baltic Porter pours a rich dark color with a huge head. The brewery uses German malts and hops, including the addition of Bamberg smoked malt. The 6.2 percent alcohol by volume beer has a mild smoke aroma. The flavor has a coating malt base and a nice mellow smoke overtone that is more roasted than heavy. A nicely built beer.

Day 318 Drink: Devils Backbone Danzig Baltic Porter

Devils Backbone Brewing is located in Nelson County, Va., along the Blue Ridge Mountains. Founded in 2008, the brewery was selected as Small Brewpub Champion Brewery at the 2010 World Beer Cup. A pretty impressive accomplishment for a brewpub in operation for less than two years.

Devils Backbone Danzig Baltic Porter won the gold medal at the 2010 World Beer Cup and a silver medal at the 2009 Great American Beer Festival. The beer is a dark brown color with a thin tan head. The aroma is very rich, with dark fruits, roasted grains and some molasses. The flavor has dark chocolate, a slight touch of vanilla, balancing hop bitterness and a great long lasting finish.

Day 282 Drink: Fullsteam Hogwash Hickory Smoked Porter

Fullsteam Brewery is a Durham, N.C. beer maker inspired by the agricultural and culinary traditions of the South. The brewery says it wants to produce distinctly Southern beer using local goods such as heirloom grains and Southern botanicals. This means making beer with sweet potatoes, corn grits, summer basil, scuppernong grapes, persimmon, paw paw and rhubarb.

And while the young brewery says it still has a ways to go, the vision is to craft a year-round, sustainable, scalable and distinctly Southern beer brewed with 100 percent local ingredients.

At the World Beer Festival in Durham tonight I had the chance to sample several of the brewery's beers. They are first class and suggest that Fullsteam will be one of the beers to try from the southeast in years to come.

Fullsteam Hogwash Hickory Smoked Porter is a amber brown color with a rocky tan head. The beer has a very inviting smoky nose. The flavor has a nice malt base that delivers a wonderful smoked bacon flavor. The brewery house-smoked malted barley over hickory to achieve an interesting twist on a smoked porter. This brew would stand up nicely to anything coming out of Bamberg or to other domestic smoked brews.

Day 249 Drink: Baltika 6

The Baltika brand was launched in 1992, following the privatisation of the state-owned Baltika Brewery in St Petersburg. The collapse of communism brought with it plans to market beyond the former Soviet Union, so brands like Admiralteiskoye and Zhigulevskoye took a back seat to the Baltika brand and its simple system of numbered beers.

Baltika 6 is a porter the company launched in 1994. It pours a jet black color with a thin, but steady tan head. The beer has a roasted nose and the flavor continues this theme. Hints of chocolate and a bit of toffee. The 7 percent alcohol by volume is felt in a slightly fruity finish to the beer.

Day 235 Drink: Brown's Whiskey Barrel Aged Porter

Brown’s Brewing Co. is located in Troy, N.Y. The company brews more than 25 different styles during the year. Brown's took over a fire-damaged building in 1993 and opened a brewpub two years later along the Troy waterfront. The company has plans for a production brewery in a converted 19th century mill in Hoosick, N.Y.

Brown's Whiskey Barrel Aged Porter starts as a classic English porter and then spends two months in a Bourbon barrel. The 5.75 alcohol by volume brew uses two row pale, caramel and chocolate hops. The beer pours a warm brown color with a thick tan head. The ale has a sweet edge with some roasted malts upfront and a finish that brings home the whiskey barrel aging. Not overdone and comfortably smooth.

Day 195 Drink: Founders Porter

Founders Brewing has only been on the scene since 1997, but it has built a solid reputation among craft beer fans. The brewery recently announced a $6 million expansion that will allow it to produce 50 percent more beer. The company's products are now available in 16 states and will likely expand its trading area.

Founders Porter is a 6.5 percent alcohol by volume brown black porter with a thick tan head. The malt dominates the aroma with chocolate and caramel notes. The beer comes in at 45 IBU, which helps to balance the malt. The beer is creamy and has a great mouthfeel. Rich and inviting.

Day 155 Drink: Ram Total Disorder Porter

The Ram is a family-owned restaurant business that traces its roots back to 1971. The company has brewpub locations in Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Indiana and Illinois. Plus they operate the Big Horn Brewing Co. I had the chance to stop in the Rosemont, Ill., Ram tonight.

Ram Total Disorder Porter has a glowing brown color with a moderate head. There is a good roasted aroma that has a slightly sweet side. The flavor is full, but not heavy. Good roasted edges, a slight hint of cocoa and solid malt character. A round, well built porter.

Day 71 Drink: Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald Porter

Great Lakes Brewing was founded in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1988 by brothers Patrick and Daniel Conway. It was the first microbrewery in Ohio and has won more awards over the years than most Midwestern brewers.

Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald is a 5.8 percent alcohol by volume brew named for the Great Lakes freighter that sank in 1975, costing a crew of 29 their lives. The brew is a reddish brown color with a thin tan head. There is a rich roasted coffee nose. The flavor is smooth, with a good roasted malt base. The flavor lingers nicely.

Day 65 Drink: Bell's Porter

Bell's Brewery started its life as Kalamazoo Brewing Company. Larry Bell released his first brew in 1985 working in a rented space in a former plumbing supply store. The brewery is now a giant among craft brewers in the Midwest.

Bell's Porter has a nice roasted nose and pours a brown black liquid with a firm tan head. The beer is not heavy, but has plenty of flavor. The roasted flavor turns sweet with a nice caramelized malty note. A hint of coffee. The hops just come up at the end to dry things out just a touch. A porter worth asking for at your favorite beer bar.

Day 52 Drink: Alaskan Smoked Porter

In the current issue of DRAFT magazine there is a Trek article I wrote about a visit to Bamberg, Germany, the recognized international beer capital of "rauchbier" or smoke beer. But in the U.S., if you are looking for smoke you will want to head to Juneau, Alaska.

Smoking barley is a different process than roasting barley. Roasted barley is what gives stouts and porters a dark color. Roasting barley, which is similar to roasting coffee beans, is done with indirect heat at higher temperatures.

Geoff Larson, co-founder of Alaskan Brewing in Juneau, Alaska, says the company’s Alaskan Smoked Porter was happenstance resulting from some research into the early days of brewing in Alaska and the fact a salmon smokehouse was located right across the street.

“We’d share fish and beer,” said Larson. “We had a big advantage in working with a professional colleague in the area of smoke. Sandro Lane had a computer controlled smokehouse that gave us repeatability.” The type of wood used – in the case of Alaskan it is alder – has a direct impact on the beer’s final flavor profile. He notes that brewers 300 to 400 years ago “had a constant battle with smoke” and that writings from those times make negative references to beers that were too smoky.

Alaskan Brewing made its first smoke beer in 1987. Eventually, Alaskan Brewing bought the smokehouse and uses it each fall to smoke barley for Alaskan Smoked Porter, which has won more medals than any other beer in the history of the Great American Beer Festival.

“It’s all about balance. Smoked malt makes up only a portion of the grist. You don’t want too much smoke and you don’t want too little. You want to balance the smoke and the beer character,” Larson says.

Alaskan Smoked Porter pours a dark brown with amber edges and a tan head. This 6.5 percent alcohol by volume beer offers a whiff of smoke in the nose. The flavor has a good overall level of sweet smoke, with hints of dark chocolate and roasted malt.

Day 34 Drink: Nils Oscar Rokporter

Nils Oscar Brewery is based in Nykoping, Sweden. Originally founded in Stockholm in 1996, the brewery is named after a Swede who traveled to America several times, returning to Sweden and establishing a farm. The company also operates a distillery and grows its own grains.

Nils Oscar Rokporter is a 5.9 percent alcohol by volume smoked porter that pours a brown amber color. Well balanced with a sweet smoky flavor and a good level bitterness in the finish from Fuggles and Amarillo hops.

Day 31 Drink: Meantime Coffee Porter

Meantime Brewery was founded in 2000 in London. Brewmaster Alastair Hook is recognized for his creativity and was named Brewer of the Year in 2008 by the British Guild of Beer Writers.

Working with Union Coffee Roasters, the brewery uses fairtrade Araba Bourbon beans from Rwanda’s Abuhuzamugambi Bakawa Cooperative in brewing its 6 percent alcohol by volume Meantime Coffee Porter.

Meantime Coffee Porter is infused at the fermentation stage. The brew pours with a very slight head and there is a whiff of cocoa in the aroma. The beer opens with a sweet malty note that is balanced by a dark coffee bitterness.

Day 25 Drink: Long Trail Imperial Porter

Long Trail Brewing is located in Bridgewater Corners, Vt. The brewery, founded in 1989, is recognized for its environmental stewardship, having received the Vermont Governor's Award for Environmental Excellence. The brewery makes a number of different styles, primarily traditional English and German ales.

The brewery is named for Vermont's famed "Long Trail," a 272-mile hiking path that runs the length of the state. The brewery's brands are distributed primarily in New England.

Long Trail Imperial Porter on draught pours with a thick chunky tan head and a rich malty aroma. The brew is 8.3 percent alcohol by volume and is a blend of six malts and four hops. The flavor starts with caramelized malt and hints of dark chocolate with a smooth, dry roasted base.

Pub Crawl in Dublin

When I arrived in Ireland last Sunday I had a day to fill before the opening reception of the Livestrong Global Cancer Summit, so I decided to meet up with John Duffy, who writes The Beer Nut blog and is a fellow contributor to the upcoming book "1001 Beers to Try Before You Die" due out in the Spring 2010. John was good enough to take me on a pub crawl of some of his favorite spots in Dublin.

Our first stop was the Bull & Castle, located across the street from Christchurch Cathedral. Two fine beers at this stop were a cask conditioned O'Hara's Stout that was rich and Whitewater Brewery's Clotworthy Dobbin, a Belfast porter with a very nice caramel note.

We headed to the Porterhouse, a multiple location Dublin microbrewery founded in 1996. I founded the Wrasslers XXXX Full Stout at the Temple Bar location to be a rich classic dry stout. I then had an Oyster Stout to wash down an order of fish and chips. It was thick and creamy with hints of coffee. Later during my time in Dublin I made a stop at Porterhouse Central and enjoyed a rich Chocolate Truffle Stout that gave an immediate hit of 70 percent pure cocoa. Also the Porterhouse Plain Porter looks like a stout at first, but it gives off an amber glow. It has a rich roasted quality. This is a seriously good brewpub that should be on your itinerary if you are lucky to get to Dublin.

At our next stop, the Palace, we had a Franciscan Well Rebel Red, which was one of the better Irish reds I can recall having. Since we were in Ireland, I would kind of expect it to be a great example of the beer style. This Cork brewery did not disappoint.

Over a pint of Galway Hooker Pale Ale John tried to explain to me some of the rules of Gaelic football. I understood some of the rules, but frankly was lost on others. I was amazed that these skilled and fearless players don't get paid for getting smacked around on the weekend. There is certainly enough money flowing through this game between the full stadiums, television rights and jersey sales to pay the players handsomely. The scoring system, 3 points for a ball kicked into the goal and one point for one kicked through the uprights was easy to understand, but the way it is displayed on television is designed to confuse foreigners. The pale ale was fairly straight forward. No flaws, but compared to what you can get from dozens of U.S. micros, nothing outstanding. This brewery is about to expand and I'm sure it will add some interesting brews to its line up.

We hit Messrs. Maguire after a brisk walk and I had a half pint of the Plain. I was kind of amazed that the bar was pretty empty on a Sunday afternoon with both Gaelic football and soccer matches available on television. The beer was good and this place is worth a stop.

I enjoyed having John guide me to some of the better spots in Dublin on my first day. I went back to the Bull & Castle later that night for dinner and found the Guinness stew to be very tasty.

While attending the Livestrong Summit, a dinner one night took place at the Guinness Brewery. The Stout was obviously fresh and it was great to be able to enjoy one at the source. I also tried tastes two ales and a cider at the event, but the Guinness was my favorite, delivering a rich, smooth and roasty flavor.

Tuesday Tasting: Great Beers in the Pacific Northwest

Tuesday Tasting is a regular feature of Lyke2Drink that explores some of the best beers, wines and spirits on the market. This week we taste some fine beers during a recent visit to the Beaver State.

In Portland, with approximately 30 breweries and a gaggle of great beer bars, it feels as if beer is a cultural obligation. You could travel far and wide to try to find a city where beer in its many forms is taken as seriously by as many people. France can have its wine as long as they leave ale to the residents of Portland.

I had the chance to explore Portland a bit during a recent trip to the city for the Oregon Brewers Festival. I was in town with my friend Barron Boyd and we were committed to staffing the Pints for Prostates booth at the OBF. We also decided it was as good a time as any to each develop painful knee issues (both to our left knees, go figure) which slowed us down and found us using up some evening sampling hours at our hotel with ice bags and Motrin. We did manage to limp our way to get a few samples and the beer was worth the painful journey.

In addition to sampling beer at the OBF, we had the chance to hit some great locations around Portland: the Rogue Distillery and Brewery, Horse Brass Pub, Rock Bottom Brewery, Lucky Labrador Brewpub, Henry's 12th Street Tavern, Deschutes Brewpub and McCormick & Schmick's Pilsner Room. Even so, we did not even make an appropriate dent in what Portland has to offer beer enthusiasts. We did get a good cross section of very nice beers, thanks in large part to the OBF.

The Oregon Brewers Festival celebrated its 22nd anniversary. It is held at the Tom McCall Waterfront Park along the Willamette River. Admission to the festival is free, but you pay $5 for a plastic tasting mug and either $1 for a tasting sample or $4 for a full mug of beer. The crowd was moderate and mellow on Thursday, grew larger on Friday, huge on Saturday, before shrinking to a small gathering on Sunday. Overall the event is well run, offering 80 different beers -- one each from mainly northwest brewers, live music and food.

The following beers were tasted over a five day period at the event, unless otherwise noted.

Alaskan White Ale: With temperatures in the 90s this slightly cloudy Belgian witbier-style was the perfect answer. A touch of sweetness in the aroma, with a hint of citrus and spice in the overall flavor. When they ran out of this beer on Sunday, they started pouring Alaskan Smoked Porter. That's a sign of a great festival.

Bayern Brewing Dragon Breath Dark Heff: This Montana beer has a very nice balance of hops and malt sweetness. Just a hint of fruitiness in the finish.

Bear Republic Crazy Ivan: More than a slight hint at an altbier, but different. Copper color and some spicy clove notes also make you think of a Belgian country ale, but this is brewed in California wine country.

Bison Organic Chocolate Stout: From California, this is a dark brown ale with a rich roasty grain quality. The cocoa powder that is added to the mash is clearly present. Nice substantial stout that is not too thick.

Boundary Bay Amarillo Double Dry: If you love hops, this Washington brew should be on your list. Full hop aroma and a flavor that is a complex floral and herbal blast. I was amazed to hear it was just 45 IBUs, but it shows the brewer's skill in adding Amarillo hops four times during the brewing process.

Chuckanut Dortmunder: Golden colored beer with a clean crack of hops in the initial flavor. The malt quickly balances things out, leaving a refreshing aftertaste in this Washington brew.

Laht Neppur Naddy's Brown Nut: Good overall example from Washington of what a nut brown ale can be. Nice malty flavor with a hint of roasted grain.

McMenamins Hot for Teacher IPA: This Oregon brew had a slight amber orange color. Full hop aroma and a long lasting pleasing bitterness. Just a passing note of pine at the finish.

Ninkasi Radiant Summer Ale: A bright and flavorful brew from Oregon. Golden amber color with plenty of hops that emerge and control the direction of the beer and give it a mix of floral and spice notes.

Oakshire Overcast Espresso Stout: What can you say about a beer that knocks you down, but keeps you up. This Oregon beer has plenty of coffee aroma from cold-pressed organic coffee, which also comes through in abundance in the flavor profile. Extremely rich.

Port Townsend Hop Diggidy IPA: A pretty straightforward golden IPA. This 70 IBU beer features three hop varieties and is dry hopped twice. Did I mention you can taste the hops in this one?

Rock Bottom Eat a Bale o' Hops IPA: The name says it all for this Oregon ale. Rated at 80 IBUs it's said that the brewer decided to use a surplus of hops on hand because of the weak economy to bulk up this beer. Herbal hop nose and layered hop delivery with each taste.

Track Town Ales 200 Meter: At 90 IBUs this Oregon ale is actually lighter and more aromatic than you might expect. Golden orange in color, this is very drinkable on a summer day.

Deschutes Obsidian Stout: Amazing draught at the company's downtown Portland brewpub. Rich roast coffee notes. The big head worked for several minutes before settling, churning up roasted grain aromas and flavor along the way.

Rogue Mocha Porter: Poured from a firkin at Rogue this was a real treat. Pours black with a thin tan head. Plenty of roasted grains, with hints of cocoa and coffee.

Deschutes Back Butte XXI Porter: This 11 percent alcohol by volume beauty was served up perfectly at the Horse Brass pub. Large amounts of cocoa and coffee that finishes with more than a hint of whiskey from the barrel aging. A world class beer.

Pliny the Elder Double IPA: Also enjoyed at the Horse Brass, this has a huge big hop aroma and a flavor that while hoppy is not overly bitter.

Stone 13th Anniversary Imperial Red Ale: Also sampled at the Horse Brass, a burnt umber color with a fresh cut pine nose. The beer delivers some very satisfying malty notes and direct hop flavors from double dry hopping.

Hales Mongoose IPA: Enjoying this Seattle cask conditioned ale at the Horse Brass was like being transported to a pub in the English countryside. Floral hop nose, nice smooth flavor that lingers.

Amnesia Desolation IPA: This brew accompanied a cheese burger at Henry's 12th Street. Copper colored with a thin head. It gave off a herbal nose with a citrus and slightly hoppy bitterness.

Lucky Labrador Alt: Enjoyed at the brewery, this copper colored beer had an off white collar of foam. Nice level of malty sweetness with balancing hops.

Cascade Lip Smacker: This German-style gose had a hazy gold color and a clean crisp wheat flavor profile. It was one of the beers at the Oregon Brewers Guild Brewers Dinner on Wednesday night.

BridgePort Hop Czar Imperial IPA: This triple hopped beer was also enjoyed at the Oregon Brewers Guild event. There is a good level of malt in the background, but the beer is a hop delivery system. A good example of Portland brewers' love affair with hops.

Tuesday Tasting: Six Great Beers of Wisconsin

Tuesday Tasting is a regular feature of Lyke2Drink that explores some of the best beers, wines and spirits on the market. This week we taste some fine beers from the Dairy State.

Milwaukee has long been considered America's brewing capital. Watering holes like the Sugar Maple, Centrall Cafe and Water Street Brewery certainly create the image of a place where people love their beer. I recently had the opportunity to visit the city and enjoy a few beers.

The first thing to know about beer from Wisconsin is that there is more to the story than just Milwaukee. Small towns and cities like New Glarus, Dallas and Amherst hold up their end of the beer bargain. There is a wealth of interesting beers from both a style and creativity point of view. Beer focused taverns and retailers usually have a solid selection of Midwestern craft brews, but my focus on the visit was to sample as much of Wisconsin as possible. I was glad that I did.

Central Waters Mud Puppy Porter: The brew from Amherst, Wisc., pours a dark chocolate color with a rocky tan head. Healthy amounts of roasted malt with a slight hop bitterness for balance. Smooth and refreshing.

Furthermore Knot Stock Pale Ale: What do you say about a beer that was inspired by an oddly flavored Italian cookie. This amber gold beer pours with a thick off-white head. There is an immediate cracked peppercorn nose. An American pale ale, it delivers a coating mouth feel with a hefty amount of hop bitterness. The pepper opens more as the beer warms. Brewer Aran Madden got the idea for the beer while working at a Pittsburgh brewpub after tasting a black pepper cookie from the Enrico Biscotti Co.

New Glarus Raspberry Tart: I have enjoyed the bottle version of this beer several times and brought a few back to North Carolina for my wife, but this was the first time I had ever had the draught version. Wow, this great beer was even greater. Glowing red color with a pink head and an enticing fruit aroma. Tons of fresh raspberry flavor. Sweet, sour and packed with flavor. You won't drink this as a session beer, but you would be foolish to pass it up if you see it on tap.

Oscar's Chocolate Oatmeal Stout: From Sand Creek Brewing in Black River Falls, Wisc., this 4.5 percent alcohol by volume is rich and silky. It pours an very dark brown, with slight reddish hints around the edge. Solid head that lasts. Nice mocha notes in flavor bed with a good amount of roasted grain.

Sprecher Dopple Bock: This Milwaukee brew was poured from a large format cobalt blue bottle and had a big beer oaky flavor profile. Dark amber color, thin head with hints of dark skin fruit and a touch of unexpected sourness.

Viking Big Swede Swedish-Style Imperial Stout: This brew from Dallas, Wisc., pours thick black, producing a tan head. There is a roasted grain and oaky aroma. Deep dark chocolate notes with hints of dark berries, molasses, coffee and even a little Irish cream. A big beer that evolves over the course of a glass.

Tuesday Tasting: 18 Beers from the Cellar

Tuesday Tasting is a regular feature of Lyke2Drink that explores some of the best beers, wines and spirits on the market. This week we join a group of guys in pulling some great beers from the back of our refrigerator for a friendly tasting.

A few weeks back a group of beer fans gathered at the Grapevine in Fort Mill, S.C., with a simple set of guidelines. Bring two interesting beers (bomber-size bottles or larger)to share that you have either been storing for awhile or are extremely hard to find in the Charlotte, N.C., area. People reached pretty deep into their collections and everyone agreed it was one of the best non-festival collections of beer they had ever enjoyed.

Here are the tasting notes for the evening in the order the beers were consumed:

Troegs Troegenator: This Pennsylvania doppelbock is 8.2 percent alcohol by volume. Thin head and amber brown color. Nice caramelized malt flavor. Slight tang of fruit in the finish.

Dogfish Head Theobroma: This 9.0 percent alcohol by volume ale is brewed with honey, cocoa nibs, cocoa powder, ancho chile and ground annatto. It was created based on analysis of residue in pottery found in Honduras. There was a nice chocolate nose to this beer. Chocolate and honey base flavor, but balanced by the chili heat in a long aftertaste.

Rogue Captain Sig's Northwestern Ale: Nice firm head from this 6.2 percent alcohol by volume beer. Upfront hop nose. Strong hop character with a subtle hint of pine.

Three Floyds Alpha King: Glowing amber color and floral herbal nose. Hops surround your taste buds with this beer. Dry citrus peels and grapefruit in the finish.

Stone Double Bastard 2005: Starts with a firm head that slowly dissipates. Raisin nose. Good hop base that fades to fig, pineapple and pine notes.

Dogfish Head 120 Minute Imperial IPA: A 21 percent alcohol by volume heavyweight, the first nose on this beer is a little like spray paint. Tarnished bronze color. Maple syrup is forward, rich and round beer. Hops fight the way through and a balancing act dances across your tongue.

Three Floyds Dreadnaught Ale: Golden color and a thin head open the experience with this 9.5 percent alcohol by volume beer. Grapefruit nose and a clean, crisp hop bitterness.

Flying Dog Gonzo Imperial Porter: Chocolate colored head and dark reddish brown color. Slight maple nose in this 9.2 percent alcohol by volume beer. Nice chocolate notes and strong flavor.

Pugsley's Signature Series Shipyard Imperial Porter: Creamy tan head and almost toffee-like nose. Bittersweet chocolate flavor in background and nice malt notes. A bit thinner than expected.

Avery Samael's Oak Aged Ale 2007: This 14.9 percent alcohol by volume beer has a red color and a very thin head. Oak and malty nose. Wonderful figs, raisins and malt come through in the flavor.

Upstream Oak Aged Ebenezer: This ale was brewed in August 2007. Dark brown color, thick head and sweet nose. Sour burnt chocolate taste.

Deschutes 2009 Reserve Mirror Mirror Oak Aged Barleywine: Nice firm head and red color. Slight bubblegum nose and a nice malty flavor, touch of fruitiness with good woody notes showing through.

Firestone 11th Anniversary Ale 2007: Reddish brown color and brown bread nose. Sweet, enticing flavor with rounded malt, cinnamon, fudge and dates.

Bell's Expedition Stout 2007: Thick head with a black purple color. Roasty goodness from the start. Rich and thick brew that has a touch of espresso in the finish.

Stone Russian Imperial Stout 2004: Malt house nose with a touch of chocolate. Dark black color. Rich flavor of chocolate, mocha and dark skin berries.

Rogue Imperial Stout 2006: Thick, chocolate colored head. Bitter notes up front that rolls forward with a thick mocha flavor. Hint of roasted malt.

Founders KBS: This "Kentucky Breakfast Stout" is 11.2 percent alcohol by volume and has a used coffee grounds aroma. There is a ton a cereal notes, coffee, vanilla and wood.

Three Floyds Dark Lord Russian Imperial Stout 2008: The head leaves this beer pretty quickly. It is a thick black color with red around the edges. Amazing combinations of flavors. Molasses, cocoa, malt and dark berries. Chewy, coating and long lasting.

Tuesday Tasting: Bending Some Beer Rules

Tuesday Tasting is a regular feature of Lyke2Drink that explores some of the best beers, wines and spirits on the market. This week we sample some beers that break a few rules.

I'll admit that I've been tasting some different beers during the last few weeks and neglecting my responsibility to report the finds. Different? Yes, in more than a few ways. For the most part these are beers that make you stop and think. Maybe not beer the way your Dad would think of beer. Perhaps different in a good way, sometimes not. Different in a memorable way and I still have a few in my fridge waiting their turn.

Foothills Sexual Chocolate: A couple of weeks back at the Flying Saucer in Charlotte they tapped kegs of this North Carolina giant 9.75 alcohol by volume Imperial Stout from 2008 and 2009. This is an impressive beer. Rich, full bodied flavor really only starts to tell the story. In this case I was more than a bit surprised by the side by side vintages. The 2008 was rich and creamy, with a very nice cocoa bitterness. The 2009 was a solid beer, if just slightly thin when compared to the '08. It leaned a bit more towards coffee and toffee notes. I would gladly order either of these beers.

Hophound Amber Wheat: This beer under the Michelob brand is a seasonal that pours a slighly cloudy amber color. It has some standard wheat aromas, but is on the sweet side thanks to a malt kick and 5.3 percent alcohol by volume. I did not think it delivered on the promise of the "Hophound" name, but it is not a bad effort from the Anheuser-Busch InBev brewers.

Orlando Blackwater Porter: I made a stop at this organic brewery that oddly enough is located in a very industrial section of town near downtown Orlando. This was a dark brown brew with a small, sturdy head. Nice subtle roasted coffee notes and an overall smooth flavor. Not extremely complex, but does every beer have to be complex?

Southampton Publick House IPA: This Long Island beer is a bit of a throw back for me to the time when IPAs had some balance and were not so chock full of hops that one or two could destroy your taste buds. In fact, up against another IPA this one almost had a sweet edge, suggesting a nice malt balance.

Sierra Nevada 2009 ESB: Labeled as the brewery's "Early Spring Beer" seasonal, this brew is perfect for the first warm days of the year. Nice crisp hop flavor. Overall light and refreshing.

North Coast LeMerle Saison: This Belgian style farmhouse ale is one of the more interesting beers I've tasted so far in 2009. Nice straw gold color, with an inviting floral aroma. The taste lets you chase it around your mouth, never quite pausing in one place for very long. There is a good hop base to the beer, but the influence of the yeast shapes this beer into something special. The brew weighs in at 7.9 percent alcohol by volume.

Surly Bender & Surly Coffee Bender: In the space of just a few hours in Chicago I was introduced to Surly Bender, an oatmeal brown ale with nicely formed coffee and cocoa notes in a smooth package. Then I ran into the seasonal Surly Coffee Bender, which comes at you with a full bodied coffee flavor that delivers all of the java you really need. If you find yourself in the upper Midwest trading area for Surly, grab one of their beers.

Southern Tier Oak Aged Cuvee II American Oak Impressions: I did not realize what I was in for when I cracked open this brew. The first aroma is a nice vanilla note, but the flavor is a straight on taste bud crunching hit of raw oak. If you want to know what barrel age beers can be on an extreme level, this is a good place to start. At 11 percent alcohol by volume, these folks are not holding much back.

Tuesday Tasting: Smuttynose Brewing

Tuesday Tasting is a regular feature of Lyke2Drink that explores some of the best beers, wines and spirits on the market. This week we sample some New Hampshire ale at a spot in South Carolina.

Smuttynose Brewing has long been a favorite of mine going back to the days that I would find myself in the Portsmouth area on rare business trips to New England. It is easy to miss the fact that New Hampshire has a chunk of Atlantic coast, wedged between Boston and the land of lobster otherwise know as Maine. Portsmouth is an easy stop along the highway. Portsmouth Brewing, the first brewpub in the state, is a sister company to Smuttynose. The pub a welcoming place on cold, icy winter evenings.

The Grapevine in Baxter Village, a relatively new development in Fort Mill, S.C., hosted a tasting of six Smuttynose beers this evening. Dave & Melanie Sills run the place, which has a nice selection of wines and beers for on-premise and off-premise consumption.

The six Smuttynose ales featured included:

Shoals Pale Ale: This copper colored beer is fairly light and accessible by American pale ale standards. Hits of fruit and mellow hop notes.

Finestkind IPA: You get a good amount of direct hops in this beer. Nice aroma, slight haze to the golden color. Not a big IPA for major head, but a well built beer.

Robust Porter: Nice dark ale with ample amounts of malt. The coffee character hits in the nose and continues in the flavor profile. Nice cocoa finish.

Scotch Ale: This 8.2 percent alcohol by volume beer drinks very smoothly. There is a nice background peat character to the beer.

Really Old Brown Dog Ale: This beer has a slightly red hue and a fruity nose. It drinks much stronger than the stated 7 percent alcohol by volume. The flavor characteristics suggest aging in wine casks. Something to ponder on a cold evening.

Finestkind IPA Cask Ale: This brew came fresh from a firkin tapped at the end of the event. The beer gave off a lovely flowery hop aroma, but was very smooth and mellow. Classic English real ale qualities. Light and smooth.

Tuesday Tasting: A Six Pack of Delectable Darks

Tuesday Tasting is a regular feature of Lyke2Drink that explores some of the best beers, wines and spirits on the market. This week we sample six rich and complex dark beers.

It snowed in Charlotte last night. Not the kind of snow I grew up with in Upstate New York, although some areas around the city claim they received 4 to 5 inches. (Hint: If you can still see the tops of blades of grass on your lawn, you did not get five inches of snow. It's what we used to call a dusting.) However, Charlotte has had some cold days during the last two weeks and when a cold snap hits I think in terms of dark beer. And when I say dark, I mean dark. Check the ambers and the brown ales at the door. I want to hold the glass near a 100 watt bulb and only see a slight glow around the edges of the glass.

After enjoying these beers during the last four days I'd gladly accept them as the six beers to be stranded with on an arctic ice flow.

Bell's Kalamazoo Stout: These folks know how to make beer and are especially adept at stout. The Kalamazoo version is almost a black purple color. They use brewer's licorice in this stout, which starts off with a decent head that thins out a bit. The flavor is firm with roasted grain and a sweetness that does not linger.

Shiner Bohemian Black Lager: This pours jet black with a nice foamy head. Not overly heavy, this beer has just a touch of smoky roundness that leaves you asking for more.

Moylan's Dragoons Dry Irish Stout: This 5 percent alcohol by volume stout makes you think of Dublin, even though it is brewed in California. Right out of the bottle the head was creamy and stayed throughout. Classic Irish flavor profile.

Steelhead Scotch Style Porter: OK, Mad River Brewing has really come up with something with this beer. There is a nice level of sweetness in the 6 percent alcohol by volume package, along with a peat smoke character. The flavor combinations throws a few curve balls for you palate, which is exactly what you need on occasion.

Stoudts Fat Dog Imperial Oatmeal Stout: This pours with a nice thick tan head. Dates and sweet raisin flavors flow forward, followed by touches of roasted coffee in the background. One of the best stouts I've had recently from a northeast brewery.

Pike Entire XXXXX Extra Stout: This beer is 10.73 original gravity, 60 IBUs and 9.5 percent alcohol. Those are the statistics. They tell you nothing. You have to taste a beer like this. This stout is a blend of three beers, one aged in Bourbon oak. The stout shows a hint of the whiskey, a touch of pine and biscuit malt. This is one of those limited edition beers that you feel lucky to find. Very nice.