Gallagher's Brewing Company Walnut Street Stout

This was the second beer I homebrewed back towards the end of January. There were a few samplings throughout the early spring that didn't taste too well so I figured I'd let it sit for a little more and taste it then. Well, there's barely a difference. This is a very disapointing attempt at a stout on my part. To start, it has no head. It pours with a very slight head which quickly fades away within 5 seconds. The smell is all crappy malt with a slight hint of the sweet brown sugar I brewed it with. The taste is all malt with no hops (even though I dry hopped) and a slight taste of sweetness and coffee. It finishes with nothing though leaveing much to be desired. Overall, this beer sucks and I hope to unload it on whoever comes by my apartment so I don't have to drink anymore. It was a big step back from my successful first home brew (Pilsner) and leaves the Gallagher Brewing Co. in need of a really good third brew. Will it happen? Only time will tell.

Victory Storm King Stout

Just had this one out of a 12oz bottle at Texas-Arizona in Hoboken. On a side note, you have to try that place out if you're a beer lover. They now have 100s of beers in bottles and a ton of taps - great selection. Victory usually brews a solid beer and this one wasn't bad. I was expecting one of those chocolatey coffee stouts, but it actually had a very minimal taste of chocolate or anything sweet in it. The head was really nice (as you can see from the picture) and the smell was mostly roasted malt. It had a nice expresso taste to start and then finished very bitter due to it being 9.1 percent alcohol which is pretty high for a stout. You could definitely taste the alcohol in the aftertaste. It was definitely more hoppy than I expected and that part of it I really liked. At first sip I really loved the bittery finish, but by the end it started to become a little much (although it also didn't help that I had to chug the last third or so to make my train). Overall, its a well made stout with some good expresso flavor and lots of hops, but I wouldn't recommend it if you're looking for a sweeter chocolatey stout.

Peak Organic IPA

Wow! This is a really surprisingly good IPA. The smell is entirely citrus, unlike any other IPA I've had. The citrus is also very big in the taste as are the delicious hops which really make this beer. I'm not usually a fan of organic beers, but this one is really really good, especially in the summer with its citrusy goodness.

Yards Brewing Company Love Stout

Drinking this one on tap at Steakhouse 85 in New Brunswick after a round of golf at the Rutgers Golf Course. This is the first Yards beer that I've had after hearing some great things about the Philadelphia brewery and I'm pretty impressed. Love Stout had a nice thick foamy head on it that is staying there while I drink it. It has a chocolately coffee taste and is really smooth. Not bitter at all which is surprising for a stout. I think the sweet taste covers up the bitterness and gives a nice aftertaste. This is a great stout that I highly recommend and I look forward to trying more Yards beers. Drink up, its Saturday!

Guinness @ The Downtown

The band - Daddy Pop is good (not as good as Daddy NoBux though), but the Guinness is an epic disaster. Of course its served in a nice Guinness tulip glass, but the bartender took no time to prepare it for me. He threw the tap handle down and said screw it I'm busy. Well, the beer tastes like a screw it brew. Its got too much head and its wayyyy too bitter, and I love bitter beers. Downtown, you fail!!!!!

Guinness @ Dublin House

Its the second installment of the search for the perfect pint and we find ourselves in Red Bank, NJ at the Dublin House. I am actually at the outdoor bar called The Temple and the beers are flowing. As for the Guinness, the bartender poured it to the harp on a tilt before sitting it down for over a minute and topping it off. Great pour. As you can tell, the beer looks amazing, strong but not overbearing head sitting on top of that cooly dark goodness. The taste is just as delightful as the pour, bitter yet smooth and easy to drink. This is really close to a perfect pint and, although I'm sad to say it, knocks Tierneys off the top spot. A great pour, taste and my elbow was way high. Congrats Dublin House, you're currently in the lead.

Stone IPA

At the request of former Seton Hall Prep classmate Joe Scala, I picked up a 22oz bottle of Stone IPA. I poured it into a pint glass (as seen above) and right away was struck by its beautiful orangey color. On top of that it also has a very pleasing aroma of delicious hops and a slight citrus. As for the taste, its not crazily hoppy like most of my favorite IPAs, but it has enough hops to satisfy my hopheaded need and is smooth enough to have more than one. Its a great summer IPA because its not too heavy and overly hoppy, but it still has a nice kick to it. Overall, its very balanced IPA that's easy to drink, but doesn't blow you away.