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The tippling session started with the Unibroue Chambly Noire. This beer looked dark, but didn't taste it. I wasn't sure how to describe it and this left me feeling a little dubious about the whole tasting process. Fortunately, we switched to Coney Island Blockhead, and my words came back to me. The Blockhead was memorable, but slightly off-putting (kind of like a trip to an amusement park that goes slightly awry). This red lager had no head to speak of, a rich red copper colour, and a hard-blooming sweet alcoholic taste. While other tipplers tasted caramel, I was reminded more of brandy (particularly that weird sweet brandy used to fill Christmas chocolates. Everyone felt a little sick and dizzy after a small glass, as if we'd eaten too much cotton candy and rode the teacups.
In contrast, the Southern Tier Jah-va Imperial Coffee Stout seemed like an exercise in restraint (it probably wasn't). This opaque brew smelled like coffee and boasted sweet malts with a delicious chocolaty aftertaste. Despite the 11% alcohol content, it didn't taste boozy at all. Probably because the Blockhead had melted my taste buds.
At this point, Big Love declared himself “pushed to the malt edge,” so we switched to the crisp and piny Anderson Valley Hop Oten IPA. This golden-brown ale was hoppy, but the bitterness was well-balanced and not overwhelming. As it warmed, it became more bitter, but never lost its appealingly bracing qualities.
The North Coast Le Merle had a fluffy head scented with citrus. The beer was hazy golden-brown and highly carbonated. I could taste distinct notes of grapefruit. The aftertaste was quick-fading.
Now determined to throw Big Love over the hops edge, we tried the night's winner, Half Pints' humulus ludicrous. The bright gold IPA offered a clean, smooth hops taste that was astringent rather than bitter. The delicious finishing hops turned it into an unusually beguiling IPA that coaxes and caresses instead of just punching you in the face (at least, that's what my notes say).
Slightly worn out by all the bold beers we had tasted, we took a breather with a can of Red Racer Pumpkin. This inoffensive ale was perfumy with the smell of pumpkin (and possibly bubblegum). It tasted convincingly like pumpkin pie, with spicy hints of cinnamon and nutmeg.
Then, Tippler Ben pushed us back onto the stout train with Moylan's Imperial Stout. At this point my memory starts to get foggy, but I remember a dark smooth chocolate taste that gripped the tongue. The full-bodied flavour was bitter but luscious. Yum!
At this point, my notes break down. We had all over-tippled and some of us were starting to tipple over. We tried at least three beverages after this, but since I can no longer the type of pizza we ate beforehand, my reflections are probably inaccurate. Although the night started dubiously, I would quite be happy to try Half Pints humulus ludicrous, Moylan's Imperial Stout and the Anderson Valley Hop Oten IPA again.
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