Awesome name.

Awesome packaging.

Awesome taste.

Yes - that's right folks, Troegenator is a trifecta of awesome.

Troegs Brewing Company is another brewery Sarah and I were introduced to at the beer tasting a month ago. They had many beers to sample, so we didn't get around to trying Troegenator that day (but noted that we would need to). Once we finally did, it did not disappoint.

It's a double bock, and just pure dark beer enjoyment. I find no fault at all in the taste.

For the ABV, I'd say it is a fair, but above average cost. I think this six pack was 10.99.

On taste - this is a 9 of 10 or better. I'm not sure if I've rated higher, so I'll need to drink more to determine if it sets the record. Go forth and find some Troegenator!

Mmm. I haven't tried a new trappist ale in a while. I spotted Koenings hoeven Quadruple Trappist Ale on the shelves last week and decided to give it a try. It is a delicious and potent brew from Holland.

Gaze at the beautiful beer below:

It's also fun to say - Koenings hoeven. I'm thinking - dutch metal band singing about this beer would be the best thing ever. KOENINGS HOEVEN!!! KOENINGS HOVEN!!! - If anyone ever incorporates that into a song - they will officially be my hero.

The bottle itself looks quite nice, and so it merits display as well:

Average on price for an import

Solid on taste. 8 / 10

If ever there was a staple beer - J.W. Dundee's Original Honey Brown Lager certainly qualifies. It is a very good taste, is affordable, and doesn't get old.

It was recently abbreviated to Dundee Original Honey Brown Lager - not much of an abbreviation - but also new packaging. My bottles are probably some of the last of the old packaging (which I preferred, but alas, the new bottles still taste great)

Dundee's is excellent on price. and a solid 8 of 10 on taste. Go try some :)

If 5 liters of beer in a mini keg isn't a beautiful picture, I don't know what is. Killian's Irish Red is one of the first beers I ever drank, and a mini keg only adds more enjoyment to an already good beer.

'Nuff said.

I only rate beers on my blog while I am drinking them - I last had a mini keg over a year ago, so I will not rate it here. Suffice it to say, if they are available i your area and have room in your fridge, give one a try :)

This isn't the first Dogfish Head beer I've tried, and I recall when I first tried one of their 60 or 90 minute IPAs every sip resulted in me saying "whoa" after every single sip due to the intense and surprising good flavor. This particular ale (Black & Blue) combines black raspberry and blueberry puree. It surprises you just for a split second with a sort of Blushing Monk deliciousness due to the black raspberries and then switches to the second fruitiness of the blueberries (also tasty). Like blushing monk, the fruitiness does a fairly good job of masking the 10% abv.

What I got was in a 25.6oz bottle. It's a bit pricey at 11.99, but the taste is the real deal. The packaging is also really catchy and is why I picked it off of the shelf originally. Over the last year or so, this has become one of my favorite celebratory/occasional beers.

Reasonable Price

9/10 on Taste

Another beer I got to try at the beer tasting was one from Haverhill Brewery. Another local, Massachusetts brewery. This beer is a belgian style white ale, dubbed their Whittier White.

It's a very light beer at ~4.2% ABV. It will be great in the summer time. I'm enjoying it immensely now, while it is still somewhat chilly weather. It's very easy to drink - it has plenty of taste, while still being light. I think it's competitive with Hoegaarden. Towards the end of the glass, a subtle aftertaste built up a bit and detracted from the overall flavor somewhat, but that is the only flaw I could find.

Affordable Price

Rating 8 / 10

One of the new beers I eagerly tried at the beer tasting last weekend was Leinenkugel's 1888 Bock. It is DELICIOUS.

Color wise it is a pleasant dark brown. It has a minimal, nice head to it. Low on the carbonation... smooth. Almost creamy. Minimal bitterness. A wholly satisfying taste.

This may turn out to be my new favorite from Leinenkugel's.

Leinenkugel's 1888 Bock gets a 9 out of 10

We went to a local beer tasting on Saturday, and were introduced to a lot of new beers.

One of them is a uniquely named beer from Holyoke, Massachusetts.

Enter Saint Botolph's Town, from the Pretty Things beer and ale project.

It's described on the bottle as a rustic dark ale. Mine had a sticker on it saying it was bottled February, 09 - the first batch, so this is a new beer.

On taste, it is dark and smooth. I quite like it. On aroma, it has a familiar scent but I can't place it. The label art is pretty cool, and is what drove the purchase since no one was manning the table that this beer was at.

We noticed another beer by Pretty Things, Jack D'or, which I am eager to try. I'll report back once I have.

For now, I'd give it a 7.5 to 8 on taste. Check it out if you live in the area.