Marc Bona, cleveland.com
9 beers to sip in November (photos)
CLEVELAND, Ohio – We tried nine beers in November, gravitating more to a range of Stouts and India Pale Ales. We stayed under 9 percent alcohol this month. Note: Our review column focuses on out-of-region beers. We show the color of the beer and its label, and everything we sip should be available on retail shelves in Northeast Ohio. Post your thoughts on any of these you have liked or don't prefer. Cheers!
Marc Bona, cleveland.com
Skull Splitter
Orkney Brewery, Scotland, Scotch Ale, 8.5% alcohol
A lot of caramel hits you and stays on the palate along with pleasing burnt-sugar notes. It starts sweet, finishes dry and bitter, and has a long finish. Slightly alcoholic tasting but the mouthfeel is not heavy.
Marc Bona, cleveland.com
Juicy Brut
Short's Brewing Co., Elk Rapids, Michigan; Brut India Pale Ale, 4.20% alcohol
Definitely no citrus here - it's predominantly grassy, with piney notes and a bit resinous. If that's your thing, have at it. I expected more dryness from this style - one I like but one which brewery types tell me has seen its moment in the sun. Moderate hop bitterness.
Marc Bona, cleveland.com
Ellison Tiramisu Stout
Ellison Brewery + Spirits, East Lansing, Michigan; Coffee Stout, 8% alcohol
Milk chocolate seeps in without the sweetness, some mocha notes, not alcoholic tasting, and a slight burnt taste on the finish. Coffee comes out more on the finish but is fairly faint in this brew. In the same ballpark as the Modern Times Black House.
Marc Bona, cleveland.com
Super Duper Jelly
Ellicottville Brewing Co., Ellicottville, New York; Cream Ale, 6% alcohol
This Strawberry Cream Ale tastes like a cream soda without the sugary feel. It's fairly light, and surprisingly not overly sweet. The ale is a collaboration with South Dayton (New York) Super Market. Intriguing and drinkable.
Marc Bona, cleveland.com
Modern Times Black House
Modern Times Beer, San Diego and Portland; Coffee Stout, 5.8% alcohol
The Stout - made with 75% Ethiopian and 25% Sumatran beans - has a moderate coffee flavor. It's there, but not hitting you over the head with its flavor. No tremendous sweetness, and there's good hop bitterness. In the same ballpark as the Ellison Tiramisu Stout.
Marc Bona, cleveland.com
Juicy Contradiction
Odd Side Ales, Grand Haven, Michigan; India Pale Ale, 7.5% alcohol
Citrus tires to emerge here, though pine takes over. The hop bitterness is the latecomer to the party, coming out on the finish. The brewery bills this as a mashup between a New England-style IPA and a Brut IPA. It's made with Mosaic, Simcoe and Columbus hops. The taste belies the alcohol content.
Marc Bona, cleveland.com
Rogue Rouge
Rogue Ales, Newport, Oregon; Brut India Pale Ale, 7.5% alcohol
This ale - brewed with Oregon-made Pinot Noir grapes - has a serious dryness, especially on the finish. Not sweet but has an intriguing, almost slight orange-soda-like taste mid-palate. The Brut style seems to take well to the Pinot Noir juice here. The brewery was founded in 1988, the same year as Great Lakes Brewing Co.
Marc Bona, cleveland.com
Pecan Pie Porter
Clown Shoes Beer, Boston and Windsor, Vermont; Spiced Porter, 8% alcohol
We detected way more chocolate than pecan-pie flavors. The chocolate hits early and then again on the finish. Some sweetness is followed by a slight nutty flavor that precedes dryness on the tail end.
Strongman Coffee Milk Stout
Hi-Wire Brewing Co., Asheville, North Carolina; Milk Stout, 5.3% alcohol
This seasonal Stout - made with First Gold and Willamette hops - is delicious. Roastiness is there, but it's not a liquid version of a piece of burnt toast screeching the roof of your mouth. Coffee is clean-tasting and dominant. Good mouthfeel, good carbonation, nicely done. Coffee's intensity can vary in ales, but it's usually front and center like this one.
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