#19: Double Hop Monster IPA (Greene King)

Name: Double Hop Monster IPA

Brewery: Greene King Brewery

Style: Double IPA, 7.2%

This bottle caught my eye months ago, and I finally got to have one. Can't resist a dragon with gold wings! It's a simple label—a bit cartoony, but charming. Personally, I would love if this had some chili in it so you could feel like you were breathing fire like a dragon, but I'm not the one brewing this beer.

The label says that it is "late hopped for maximum aroma and a refreshingly bitter finish", and I'd say with that they deliver what they promise. Unfortunately this bottle wasn't the freshest, but I can imagine this would be excellent if it had been. That said, this beer didn't blow me away; the dragon merely hiccupped some sparks and smoke, a shadow of what it could be. I wouldn't buy another bottle, but if I found it fresh on tap somewhere I would definitely give it another try.

Label: 4/5

Beer: 3.5/5

#18: Janis Porter (Naparbier)

Name: Janis Porter

Brewery: Naparbier

Style: Porter, 6.2%

Just like 60s fashion, this groovy-looking brew is past its prime. If you find this somewhere, keep that in mind. Even though it's old, there are nice chocolatey notes, and it tastes more boozy than I was expecting. I also generally like a thicker mouthfeel and less carbonation in my dark brews.

I don't have much to say about this one other than I wish it hadn't been cellared quite as long, but it's still plenty drinkable in my opinion.

Label: 3.5/5

Beer: 3/5

#17: Oktoberpretzel (Mikkeller)

Name: Oktoberpretzel

Brewery: Mikkeller

Style: Oktoberfest, 5.8%

The first beer I ever liked was an Oktoberfest. It tasted like bread and it was an eye-opening breakthrough for me; I didn't know beverages could taste like that! When I saw Mikkeller start advertising their new Oktoberpretzel, I was excited. I was hoping for something yeasty and with a nice malty sweetness. The label reminded me of when my after school German class made pretzels.
I got to try it at the Mikkeller & Friends Bottle Shop, and I'm sad to say I was a bit disappointed. It wasn't bad, but it certainly didn't have any of the bready taste I was hoping for with a beer named after a German soft pretzel. Since that first Oktoberfest beer that left such an impression, I've had a couple others and they have tasted pretty boring to me. This wasn't much of an exception. It did taste a little salty, which was interesting and I guess that's where the pretzel part is supposed to come in. Without the bready flavor that I was hoping for, the saltiness seemed a bit misplaced. Oh well. Happy Oktoberfest anyway, everyone! Prost!

Label: 3.5/5

Beer:3/5

#16: Nekron (Bryggeriet Djævlebryg)

Name: Nekron

Brewery: Bryggeriet Djævlebryg

Style: Stout, 8.5%

I got to try this at a tasting at Nørrebro Bryghus among quite a few others. Most of the other bottles didn't catch my eye, but with Halloween on my brain so much lately, this one definitely did. It's a simple design, but you gotta admit there's some badassery there. The brewery name translates to "devil's brewery" with "damn good beer" written underneath it, and apparently they donate some of the proceeds from their beer sales to the Danish Atheist Society.

So what does sin taste like? My first impression was chocolate and steak. Sounds pretty accurate, if you consider decadence to be one of the perks of siding with the devil. After a couple more sips, the smooth smokiness took over the more delicate flavors, but it was still a devilishly good drinking experience.

Label: 3.5/5

Beer: 4/5

#15: Ancient Nipponia (Kiuchi Brewery)

Name: Hitachino Nest Ancient Nipponia

Brewery: Kiuchi Brewery

Style: Imperial Pilsner, 6.5%

I'd had a couple beers by this brewery before, and they were good, especially for being from Japan. With the cute Hitochino Nest owl and the fancy gold lettering (and, fine, the intriguing ingredients), I was expecting something really unique and awesome.

Unique: yes! Awesome: kinda. This is one beer that I went back and forth on with each sip. I could tell that it's not a bad beer, but I wasn't too crazy about the flavor. It grew on me, and the people I was drinking with really liked it. I say, try it. It's not going to taste like anything you've had before, and it's certainly not foul. I'd like to try it again sometime.

Label: 3.5/5

Beer: 3.5/5

#14: Moose Islay (Nómada Brewing Co.)

Name: Moose Islay

Brewery: Nómada Brewing Co.

Style: Russian Imperial Stout, 12%

A cat in a moose costume? I mean, come on now. This is actually the label that inspired the conversation that resulted in this blog's existence. It's like they made this label just to get me personally to buy it. And hey, it worked! I was surprised to see later that this is actually one of the highest rated Spanish beers on Untappd. Bonus!
Excited to try it, I didn't let it sit out of the fridge to warm up long enough at first. It smelled like soy sauce and tasted bitter and metallic. I thought my hopes had been dashed. However, after it warmed up a bit, some berry notes came out and it was much more palatable. Still not the best Russian imperial stout I've had, but I think if I was really craving one it would do the trick as long as it wasn't served too cold.

Label: 4/5

Beer: 3.5/5

#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

#6: Nielsbohrium (Cigar City Brewing)

Name: Nielsbohrium

Brewery: Cigar City Brewing

Style: American Imperial Stout, 10%

Ooo, science. When I heard that this beer existed, I wanted it no matter what the label looked like and no matter what kind of beer it was. I'm a sucker for science. When I went to Mikkeller & Friends to pick up this bad boy, I was very happy with the label. It stirred my inner steampunk and I couldn't wait to pop the bottle open at Niels Bohr's grave and toast to him and science. When the time finally came, the taste did not disappoint! It was perfectly balanced, had a great mouthfeel, and a divine nose. And you know how that beer became so amazing? SCIENCE.

Label: 5/5

Beer: 5/5

#5: It's Alive! - Lychee (Mikkeller)

Name: It's Alive! (Brewed with lychee and aged in white wine barrels.)

Brewery: Mikkeller

Style: Sour Ale, 8%

A poster at Mikkeller & Friends caught my eye. Is this someone drowning in pink champagne? What? It wasn't until I went up to it that I saw that it was actually a poster size version of a beer label. Then I saw the word "lychee" and I was sold. I had to have this beer. They had it in the bottle shop, and it was this cute little ladylike bottle, looking very much like champagne.

I was a little disappointed with it, but only because I was expecting it to be absolutely heavenly. I wanted a lot more lychee; I only picked up on it (and the white wine with it) for a fleeting moment before the aftertaste set in. It was a good beer, but it could be so much better.

Label: 4/5

Beer: 3.5/5

#4: Voodoo Doughnut - Pretzel Raspberry & Chocolate Ale (Rogue Ales)

Name: Voodoo Doughnut - Pretzel Raspberry & Chocolate Ale

Brewery: Rogue Ales

Style: American Brown Ale, 5.4%

This is a collaboration between Rogue and Voodoo Doughnuts, an awesome groundbreaking doughnut shop in Portland, OR. They've done three beers together, and they're all in these bright pink bottles (because Voodoo doughnuts come in pink boxes) with the Voodoo doll doughnut on them. It certainly catches the eye, whether you're familiar with the doughnut chain or not.

I'd heard mixed reviews of the first Voodoo beer (maple bacon), so I didn't have my hopes too high for this one, but the description sounded good. By itself, the beer is kinda boring. Not bad, but not the deliciousness I would hope for with the taste combination of pretzel and chocolate and raspberries. However, pair this beer with a donut and it really brings out the flavors! Maybe it was a work of mad brilliance after all.

Label: 3.5/5

Beer: 3.5/5

#3: Cat Porter (Bryggeriet Refsvindinge)

Name: Cat Porter

Brewery: Bryggeriet Refsvindinge

Style: Porter, 7.4%

OH MY GOD I LOVE CATS. So yes, if I see a beer with a cat on the label, chances are I'm gonna try it.

This was a lot smokier than I usually want in a porter, but it was a good beer. I think I'd just really have to be in the mood for it to fully appreciate it.

Label: 3.5/5

Beer: 3.5/5

#2: Motherland (Hopworks Urban Brewery)

Name: Motherland

Brewery: Hopworks Urban Brewery (HUB)

Style: Russian Imperial Stout, 9.6%

What was I just saying about liking things that look like stereotypical Commie Russia propaganda?

I had high hopes for this one because I loved the label, and I love stouts, and I knew I could usually trust HUB to make a good beer. This one, however, was nothing special. I wouldn't quite say it was as boring as a communist's closet, but I wasn't impressed. It's a stout that doesn't stand out. It'll do the trick if you're craving a strong dark brew and this is the best one available, but this would never be the one I crave specifically.

Label: 4/5

Beer: 3.5/5

#1: Rise-Up Red (Hopworks Urban Brewery)

Name: Rise-Up Red

Brewery: Hopworks Urban Brewery (HUB)

Style: American Red Ale, 5.8%

I have an affinity for things with a stereotypical Commie Russia propaganda style. I've bought comic books, novels, breath mints, soda, and home decor (among other things) just because they had that kind of design. Beer is no exception.

Rise-Up Red is one of my favorite red ales. It goes down easy but still has a lot of flavor. It's full-bodied and hoppy and a tiny bit earthy.

Label: 4/5

Beer: 4/5