Koningshoeven Trappist Quadrupel Ale @ Old Oak Tap

This Dutch beer is about what you would expect a "Quadrupel Ale" to taste like. It's dark and malty, with that acidic bite that true strong ales have. This 10% ABV ale is a sipping beer, and it took me about 40 minutes to leisurely finish a small draft pour, but it was tasty all the way down. It's a quality representative of the genre, if nothing stellar. Still, it encourages me to seek out more from this trappist brewery.

8/10

Ayinger Brau-Weiss

Beeradvocate gives this an A- and I think, for once, that's too low. This is a hefe-weizen, but special, in that it has way more complexity of flavors. Ayinger says this "top-fermented flowery-yeast character [has] an unmistakable, distinct banana aroma"  which I don't taste at all, but there is a definite richness and boldness that you don't often find in weiss beers, especially ones blandly calling themselves generic "hefe-weizens". There should be a giant gold asterisk attached to this Ayinger proclaiming "whether you love or hate weiss beers, this will satisfy you, as it somehow redefines the category." I can attest that it pairs swimmingly with bavarian style pretzels. Lucky for me, I'll be in Munich in just over a week, where I plan to take the Ayinger factory tour. I'll likely pee myself with excitement if they're pouring factory-fresh Brau-Weiss in an authentic Bavarian bier garden. Oooh the anticipation!

10/10

Witkap Pater Abbey Single Ale @ Old Oak Tap

This is a Belgian Pale Ale, but looks more like a Witbeer, which was what I thought I was getting when I ordered it since I mistakenly read "Witkap" to be "Witbeer". Turns out I was wrong, but it doesn't look or taste like a IPA (or "BPA" or whatever). Still, though, it's not refreshing like a wheat beer and is rather bland by IPA standards (and relatively weak weak with a 6% ABV). There was a slight metallic after taste that was off-putting. Beer Advocate gives it a B+, which seems a little high. This is a decent spring BBQ beer at best. Old Oak Tap continues to impress, however, at least in terms of its decor. It's food is going downhill, however, as both my girlfriend and the lady at the next table had to send their meals back for being disgusting. My tuna burger was ultra salty, though perfectly cooked. I'll give it another shot, but I'll wait until it's warm enough to drink from their extensive beer list out on the huge patio.

5.5/10

Oskar Blue's Gordon Double IPA

Hard to believe that the same people who make Dale's Pale Ale and Old Chub also put this out. Better known as the micro brewery that cans everything, Oskar Blues just happens to make one fantastic IPA. The Gordon Double is fragrant, hoppy, but avoids the bitterness and putrid aftertaste that commonly plagues high ABV IPAs. If there is a nit to pick with this beer, it is that while it does everything well, it does not excel in any great fashion. I could drink this all day and be very happy (and shitfaced), but I'd just as easily graze onwards down a menu and sample something else. 

ABV 8.70% / ABW 6.96% IBU: 85

6.5/10

Weyerbacher Simcoe Double IPA

After downing several large drafts of Miller Lite at Miller Park in Wisconsin (in which my beloved Cubs lost and Aramis Ramirez separated his shoulder), my friend and I gladly ventured over to a bar neither one of us had visited: the Sugar Maple. Being one of the very few smoke-free bars in Milwaukee was a plus, and having one of the better beer-oriented menus on tap didn't hurt either. Unfortunately, my inaugural order, this Weyerbacher Simcoe Double IPA, was very unpleasant. Bitter and sour, with an unpleasant copper-like odor, it was an effort just to finish the glass. The bartender raved about this beer, calling it his second favorite beer of all time (don't recall what was #1 in his book). We wisely ignored his advice on round #2. Here's what the brewer had to say, and some other data:

9.0% ABV. Brewed using 100% Simcoe Hops, a west coast hop variety created in 2000. It is a full-flavored ale with hints of pineapple and citrus upfront, a good malt backbone in the middle, and a clean finish that doesn't linger too long.

It may not "linger too long", thankfully, but the memory of its crappiness sure does. 

2/10

Great Lakes Brewing Co. Burning River

Burning River Pale Ale

An assertively hopped American Pale Ale with citrusy and piney Cascade hops.

ABV: 6.0%

ABW: 4.8%

IBU: 45

This is an American-style Pale Ale, and is quite tasty. Not too hoppy (despite what their website says, above), but not mellow either. It's smooth and I agree with the citrus flavor, but I tasted no "piney hops". In all though, it's a great beer, and I'm sure to drink a lot more of it.

Rating: 8/10

Capital Brewery Wisconsin Amber

At my "local beer" party this past weekend, I sampled many (many) different beers, but I was only sober enough to take a single picture - and it was of this swill.  

I suppose it's amber in color, but it tastes like a pilsner - a bad pilsner.  I've never tasted this before, nor any Capital Brewery beer, but from what I've been told, they're not considered too elite. I agree with that assessment.

Rating: 4/10