#13: Shadow Pictures (Amager Bryghus)

Name: Shadow Pictures / Skyggebilleder

Brewery: Amager Bryghus

Style: Double India Pale Ale, 8%

I'm a kid at heart, and that includes getting excited and giggly about shadow puppets (even though I kinda suck at them). The name is what got me with this beer, but the label is pretty cool, too.
I couldn't decide for a while what to rate this one. It's definitely good. It's a bit sweet, with hoppy bitterness and some citrusy notes. I kept asking myself what I would change for the taste to be ideal. I couldn't come up with anything, but it was lacking something. Maybe it just comes down to a matter of personal preferences. I think the really standout beers are ones with a distinctive, memorable taste. This one might just be too balanced for me. So if you like your beers really well balanced, try this one! But hey, try it anyway. It's darn tasty. And make some shadow puppets for me while you're at it.

Label: 3.5/5

Beer: 4/5

#12: Brown Ale (Brygghuset Finn)

Name: Brown Ale

Brewery: Brygghuset Finn

Style: American Brown Ale, 4.9%

This isn't the prettiest bottle I've ever seen, but I thought the ultra-simple, straightforward, resource-saving label looked professional and its minimalism stands out on the shelves among regular labels. So, why not try it?

Because apparently I should stick to fancy labels, that's why. This beer was not impressive. It didn't even seem finished. It had the bitterness of a grapefruit rind without much flavor. Ick. Not what I look for in a brown, or really any beer. Moving on...

Label: 3/5

Beer: 2/5

#11: Midas Touch (Dogfish Head)

Name: Midas Touch

Brewery: Dogfish Head Craft Brewery

Style: Spiced Beer, 9%

How could I resist a beer named after such a fable? Will such a unique brew be a blessing or a curse?

When I opened it and smelled it, I got a bit worried. I think it smells kinda weird. Thankfully, the taste is better than the smell. The white muscat grapes are very dominant, and I also pick up the honey quite a bit. It's quite good, and very interesting, but not my thing. I feel like this is a beer for wine drinkers.

Label: 3.5/5

Beer: 3.5/5

#10: Pride (Amager Bryghus)

Name: Pride (from The Sinner Series)

Brewery: Amager Bryghus

Style: Imperial Stout, 10%

I've been ogling the bottles in Amager's Sinner Series for a while, and I will probably end up blogging all of them. They are named after the seven deadly sins, and their labels are all pretty cool.

Copenhagen Pride is going on right now, so I figured this one would be a good one to start with, even though the beer is about a different kind of pride. *wink*

I had it just below room temperature, and it was very good. The only thing that would raise my opinion of it would be an extra taste in there to set it apart from others in my memory. It's the poster boy for imperial stouts, though. Very good.

Label: 3.5/5

Beer: 4/5

#9: DIPA (Electric Nurse)

Name: DIPA

Brewery: Electric Nurse

Style: Double India Pale Ale, 8%

At first when I saw this beer, I thought Electric Nurse was the name of the beer, but it turned out to be the brewery. ( -10 points to the beer, +10 points to the brewery) I thought a double IPA named Electric Nurse, with those mischievous-looking label ladies, was sure to be a hoppy, crisp, awesome drinking experience.
The smell made me "mmmm". The taste was good, although not the freshest. It's a solid double IPA, but nothing really stands out about it. I'll definitely drink it again and again if it's made available, but I won't seek it out.

Label: 3/5

Beer: 3.5/5

#8: Neapolitan Milk Stout (Saugatuck Brewing Company)

Name: Neapolitan Milk Stout

Brewery: Saugatuck Brewing Company

Style: Milk Stout, 6%

I saw this bottle at Ølbutikken and I loved its cute retro style. It made me want to listen to oldies and have a milkshake. I at least had to get some Neapolitan ice cream to enjoy with it.

At first, this stout smells a bit burnt, so I was a little worried. But when I tried it, I was pleasantly surprised with the taste. The Neapolitan flavors—chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry—are all delicately there. Also, just like I'd hoped, having the ice cream with it enhanced the experience. Since it is less heavy than my usual stouts, eating more than a couple bites of ice cream before a sip of beer does make the beer get a bit lost in my mouth, but I discovered that having two sips of beer for each bite of ice cream was just about perfect. If I get another bottle, I'm totally making a beer float with it.

Label: 3.5/5

Beer: 4/5

#7: Abraxas - Barrel Aged (Perennial Artisan Ales)

Name: Abraxas (Aged in rye barrels.)

Brewery: Perennial Artisan Ales

Style: American Imperial Stout, 11.2%

Evocative of ancient Mayan or Incan design, this label makes me expect a complex, spicy, chocolatey brew. I want liquid hedonism—that sinfully decadent taste and mouthfeel that rewards you just for being alive.

This has that potential. I think if I had tried it after it had aged more, that may have made it better. It was still really good—definitely complex and spicy. The cacao nibs and vanilla didn't come through enough for me though. If it was just a touch sweeter and thicker, it would have been perfect.

Label: 4/5

Beer: 4/5