HOME Tuppers' Tastings
We started appreciating beer, rather than just drinking it, in the early 1970's. In 1979 we started taking notes on every beer we could find. These notes formed the basis of our input in the creation of Tuppers' Hop Pocket Ale and Pils. We continue to taste and take notes on as many different beers as we can find. Below are a few of the ones we've tasted lately. We don't have space or time to post a full version of our notes here. Besides even we have trouble wading through extensive on-line descriptions. So we've tried to capture something of the beer in about a dozen words. Look for more detail in the "beer of the week" section.
If you can get us a beer you don't think we've tried and would like to help us expand our list, email us (there's a link on our home page) with the name of the beer. We're deeply grateful to all our friends who have helped us over the years. email us
Current Count: 15,085 as of May 13, 2007. Posted below are beers we tasted over the winter.
A note on ratings: The taste of beer is subjective. If we didn't like different beers, the big breweries would only have to brew one beer and we'd all drink it. So it really doesn't matter what Ellie and I think about the beer, but what you think about the beer. Also, we take into account the style and intent of the beer. A stunningly sour Belgian Lambic might get a high rating while a Hefeweizen with the same sourness would certainly not. A Honey Blond done really well could get a ▲▲ even though we'd leave it on the shelf every time in favor of a ▲ West Coast IPA. In any case, however, "truly exceptional beers" are worth the effort to try.
▼ = We didn't like it.
◄► = You might like it.
▲ = We liked it.
▲▲ = We really liked it!
▲▲▲ = Truly exceptional beer. One of the very best we've had this year.
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Posted on September 26 |
Style |
quick notes |
rating |
| Anderson Valley Winter Solstice Seasonal Ale 2006 | winter seasonal | cherry fruit, herbal, some chocolate and tons of vanilla as it drinks | ▲ |
| Short's Brew Mystery Stout | imperial oatmeal stout | lots of cocoa. Liquor-y and interestingly complex, but $20/btl?? | ▲ |
| Outer Banks Wright Witty | wit | something of an adventure-- I thought it was fun, Ellie, extreme | ◄► |
| Outer Banks Copper Penny Ale | pale ale | Interesting cross-Atlantic PA; Irish yeast may accent the caramel | ▲▲ |
| Outer Banks McSawyers' Wee Heavy | wee heavy scotch ale | plenty of complex malts suggest herbs, dangerously drinkable | ▲▲ |
| Outer Banks Sledgehammer 06 | bw | Brilliant red color, hugely complex, sweet and spicy, alchy | ▲ |
| Ridgeway Criminally Bad Elf | bw | Smooth buttery malt with emerging caramel and late back hops | ▲▲ |
| Allagash Interlude 2006 | special ale | Wood and dried fruit lambic. Stays complex. Possibly unique. | ▲▲▲ |
| Allagash Odyssey October 2006 | special ale | very complex. Some vanilla is well integrated. woody clean roast. | ▲▲▲▲ |
| General Lafayette Pacific Pale Ale Cask | USPA | UK Pale with American hopping. Herbal, floral and still UK casky | ▲▲ |
| General Lafayette "Canseco" Pale Ale | USPA | Decent, but undistinguished PA; their cask Pacific towers above it | ▲ |
| General Lafayette Winterfest | winter ale | "German inspired"-- maybe a sourdough rye alt. bready roast | ▲ |
| General Lafayette The Loch Ness Monster (draft) | wee heavy scotch ale | Deeply fruity. Blackberry and chocolate notes. somewhat vinous | ▲ |
| General Lafayette The Loch Ness Monster (cask) | wee heavy scotch ale | More creamy but less clean than draft; soft pastel flavors. complex | ▲▲ |
| Crabby Larry's | gold ale | Lots of unfermented sugars. I'd be happy to make it at home. | ◄► |
| Crabby Larry's Winter Lager | amber lager | Caramel malt and sl sugary, nice toasty aftertaste | ◄► |
| Crabby Larry's American Amber Ale | amber ale | Biscuit y sweet with some evident unfermented sugars | ◄► |
| Crabby Larry's India Pale Ale | IPA | Mild malt with a decent and consistent sl oily hop. | ◄► |
| Crabby Larry's Irish Stout | Irish dry stout | A pretty good Guinness knock-off if less dark. toasty and roasty. | ▲ |
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Posted on May 13th |
Style |
quick notes |
rating |
| Cantillon Saint Lamvinus | lambic (old lambic?) | sharp, sour, tart, urine. Deep wood acid and fruit. Yum-- really. | ▲▲▲ |
| Browar Belgia Cobra Extra Smooth Krait Beer | lager | metallic Euro-lager. Some sugary grain-malt and some hops | ◄► |
| Ch'ti / Castelain Triple | biere de garde | Less delicate than most, but the Intense fruity sweetness is clean. | ▲ |
| Aktien Brauerei Kaufbeuren Kaufbeurer Taenzelfestbier | fest | maybe old. Sweet pale malt. Trouble in the morning. | ◄► |
| De Glazen Toren Jan de Lichte | wit | Clean fruit, mild spices, complex and dry | ▲▲ |
| Boelens Bieken | spicd blond honey ale | fruit and hop, but the honey drives the bus when all are on board | ▲ |
| DeGlazen Toren Ondineke | belgian blond | yeast, sugar, hops and v pale malt all speak in this crowd | ▲▲▲ |
| Smuttynose Wheat Wine Ale (big beer series) | hybrid | Scotch-like round woody malt with just a touch of smoke. Big & easy. | ▲▲ |
| Birrificio Montegioco Quarta Runa Volpesca | spiced ale | Bubble gummy. Not bad but not as serious as the $20 price tag. | ◄► |
| Sint Pieters Brouwerij Zinne Bir Blonde Ale | belgian blond | Fruity. Lots of candy and a good deal of hops. Drinks nicely. | ▲ |
| Het Anker Gouden Carolus Ambrio 1471 | amber strong | candy-fruity amber malt with underlying hops. Clean and flavorful | ▲▲ |
| Sint Pieters Brouwerij Zinne Bir Xmas | dark ale | Funkier and with more complex sugars than a porter; similar feel | ▲▲ |
| Left Hand Oak Aged Anniversary Beer- bottle conditioned | russian imperial stout | Full bodied complex and smooth. Huge aroma, big nutty roasts | ▲▲ |
| Anchor Christmas 2006 (MCHNYOSA) | spiced ale | Huge spices and very complex. Some chicory and spruce under it | ▲▲▲ |
| Hop Back Pickled Santa | spiced ale | toasty with relatively subtle spices. Clean dry brown ale roast. | ▲▲▲ |
| Le Baladin Noel | seasonal | red wine fruity and full bodied some cherry. Edgy as it warms | ▲ |
| Issaquah Brewery (Rogue) Menage a Frog | tripel | vaguely to style, but heavy handed. Tangerine syrup. Alchy hoof. | ◄► |
| St. Feuillien Cuvee de Noel (1125-- right) | special Belgian Ale | subtle with some depth. hides 9% too well-- I'd like more oomph | ▲ |
| D'Achouffe N'Ice Chouffe 2006 Limited Edition | belgian spiced ale | Soft flavors-- roast and herbal well controlled. nicely moorish | ▲▲ |
| Rogue Dry Hopped St. Rogue Red Ale | red ale | Piney & sl fusil start, a building roast and late chocolate help smooth | ▲ |
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Posted on May 4th |
Style |
quick notes |
rating |
| Capitol City Postal Belgian Golden Ale | belgian gold | Hefe-ish lemony start, then chalky with a long dry finish | ▲ |
| Rock Bottom Trouble 2006 (10th anniversary Ale) | belgian strg pale ale | Mild tropical fruit, punch-like and way to easy to drink for an 8.4% | ▲▲ |
| Capitol City (Shirlington) Tripel/Doubel | hybred - tripel, dbl IPA | Orange zest with leafy hop herbal flavors. Enormously complex | ▲▲▲ |
| Franklin's Barley Wrecked Sleigh | IPA | Very hoppy with a bit of toastiness in the malt. Hint of tobacco late | ▲ |
| Franklin's Barley Wine 2006 | IPA2 | Big sweet and hoppy with a long finish. 2 months makes it clean | ▲▲ |
| Johanssons Who Knows | spiced weizen bock | soft fruit and gentle fruit, a hint of ginger. A sleeper at 9.5% | ◄► |
| Capitol City Baltimore Uncle Kevin's Winter Ale | brown ale | lots of roast with a distinctively dry mocha brownie finish | ▲▲ |
| Starr Hill (et al) The Gift 2007 Mocha Porter | mocha porter | Some dark sugars with clean mocha underneath. Very professional | ▲▲ |
| Dogfish Head Fort | strong fruit ale, rasp. | Raspberries have the gentleness of real fruit. Nice consistency. | ▲▲ |
| Rogue Seahorse Pale Ale | USPA | Caramel and toasty malts, slow hop balance, fruity aftertaste | ▲ |
| Birrificio Montegioco Demon Hunter La Cacciatrice | strong ale | chewy fruits . some sl nutty malts. pleasantly complex fruity roast | ▲ |
| Birrificio Montegioco ? | strong ale | Even frutier than the Demon Hunter, dark caramel with late bitter | ▲▲ |
| Lagunitas Cappunnino Stout Ale - Ltd Release | coffee stout | clean roasts, mild soft coffee and a creamy feel. nice dark malts | ▲▲ |
| Magic Hat Roxy Rolles | amber ale | big roasts then a hop blast. Roast reasserts as burned cookies. | ▲ |
| Frederick Blue Ridge Snowball's Chance 06 Winter Ale | brown ale | Honest brown ale. Creamy malt and a bit of fruit. Toasty. | ▲ |
| Old Dominion Dominion Winter Brew 06 | French Christmas Ale | some soft malt before the vanilla beans take over | ◄► |
| Rogue Santa's Private Reserve Ale | dark ale | creamy and big. Lots of hops for a dark-- Centennial and Chinook | ▲▲ |
| Franklin's Anarchy Ale Dec 06 | USPA | Lots of fruit-- apples and grapefruit. Sweet for Noll. Interesting. | ▲▲ |
| Rogue Monk Madness Ale | belgian style ale | complex ride of roast malts and herbal hops before bakers choc. | ▲▲▲ |
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Posted on April 29th |
Style |
quick notes |
rating |
| Bavik - Petrus | blond belg ale | Big flavorful blond. Sl sugar taste, but crisp clean and dry. Nice. | ▲▲ |
| North Coast Cru d'Or Organic Belgian Style Ale | belgian brown | Big beer flavors early-- malty. Cleaner as it drinks. | ▲ |
| Brasserie des Rocs Triple Imperiale | dark strong ale | Hugely complex start with a clean dry roasty fruit as it drinks | ▲▲ |
| Bavik - Petrus Dubbel Bruin Ale | brown ale - belgian | Clean. Sl chocolate honeysuckle floral quality (hops?) Intriguing. | ▲▲ |
| Southern Tier Big Red Imperial Red Ale | strong red ale | gentle swt clean malt and a ton of hops. Imp IPA with extra roast. | ▲▲▲ |
| Pizza Port SB Low Tide (Tomme Arthur) | FHA fresh hop ale | Light but flavorful fresh hop ale. Mild sweet, grapefruit cascades | ▲▲ |
| Sierra Nevada ESP - Extra Special Ale | wet hop ale | Fruity. Dextrose sweetness. Hops but sl watery. Easy gulping. | ▲ |
| Sierra Nevada Fresh Hop 2005 | fresh hop ale | Still good hops after a year. Sweet malt and a long bitter. complex | ▲▲▲▲ |
| Nodding Head Wet Hop Ale 2006 | wet hop ale | pine that edges toward acetone. Not subtle, plenty of hops. | ▲ |
| Rogue Hop Heaven 2006 | wet hop ale | slowly slides from metallic to sweet. Ellie found it hot. | ▲▲ |
| Pizza Port Carlsbad Spring Tide | wet hop ale | sharp hops - dried leaves. Sweeter, slightly fruity finish. | ▲ |
| Russian River Hop Time Harvest 2006 | wet hop ale | restrained for Russian River, but masterfully understated. | ▲▲ |
| Pizza Port SC Rip Tide | wet hop ale | chewy and woody hops; very dry aftertaste. good ending balance | ▲▲ |
| Old Dominion Wet Hop Ale | wet hop ale | points for effort, but too much diacetyl to allow the hops to shine | ◄► |
| Port Brewing High Tide | wet hop ale | Piney, winey, sl citrussy. Some complexity, more intensity. | ▲ |
| Rock Bottom Ballston Ballston Brown AKA It's a Wonderful Life | spiced ale -- uk brown | fruity, toasty, nutmeg spiciness. Lively and fruity for a brown ale. | ▲ |
| Red Brick Station Winter Solstice 2006 | spiced ale | Clean malt. Complex. Brown sugar with a touch of coffee bitter. | ▲▲ |
| Victory Hop Wallop 2006 | IPA2 | Big hops. Melon and menthol before a long lasting bitter. sl citrus | ▲▲ |
| Shenandoah Pumpkinhead | pumpkn- spiced ale | deeper than most; soft pumpkin; clean, refreshing for a 7.1%er | ▲ |
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Posted on April 21st |
Style |
quick notes |
rating |
| Short's Brew The Curl upon Jer's Request | imp pils | Tripelish pils. Very dry. Challenging, but flavorful. | ▲ |
| Edenton Surrender Monkey | farmhouse ale | rough edges, but one of the most interesting US farmhouse ales | ▲▲▲ |
| Smuttynose Farmhouse Ale | Saison | A touch of fruity sweetish "funk", but little complexity. Sl oxidized. | ◄► |
| 3 Fonteinen Schaerbeekse Kriek | kriek lambic oak | Deeply woody, dry, very complex. Astringent. Horsey. Yummy. | ▲▲▲ |
| Old Dominion Imperial Elixir | imp pils | mild for style with a touch of apple, but a clean lingering bitter | ▲▲ |
| Old Dominion ESB 2007 | ESB | Fruity with lots of caramel and some nutty malts. | ▲ |