Young's Double Chocolate Stout

After falling in love with Brooklyn Chocolate Stout, I decided to scour the internet for similar beers. Low and behold, there was an overwhelming affinity for another Chocolate Stout. So there is this big internet buzz surrounding Young's Double Chocolate Stout (Thanks to Jay's Beer Review, and others) which made me visit 4 suppliers to find it.

I was surprised to discover that this was a nitro brew. The appearance was pitch black with a light tan head. There wasnt a dominate chocolate smell like I began to expect from this type of beer (Brooklyn and Rogue). I could smell a hint of roasted malts, a twinge of floral hops, and even less of chocolate.

The mouth feel was pure silk. There was this milk like consistency that went down smooth. This is one of those brews that would win over non beer drinkers and connoisseurs alike. The taste was equally as creamy with dark and roasted malts being the most dominant. the chocolate kicked in on the swallow along with a little of the hoppie bite for balance. This is an excellent brew.

Rating 4.5 out of 5.

Dogfish 90 min IPA

I will admit that I was a little intimidated by this beer initially. I tried a 120 a few months back and couldn't get past the 2nd sip. Im also a fan of the 60 but I always assumed that it was the peek of my hoppiness.I guess my pallet has changed over the past few months because the 90 min turned out to be perfectly hopped.

Sam Calagione at Dogfish has been known for pushing the envelope and 90 min IPA is no exception. Considered one of his flagship brews, 90 min is continuously hopped for 90 min straight (and here I thought that my 3 hop additions was too much for my home brew).

90 min's smell took me back to a time in my life when I lived outside. I felt like I was 16 again playing football with my friends at the neighborhood park. The aroma smells like fresh cut grass mixed with wildflowers and pine.
The appearance was a hazy caramel color with a bright white soapy head.
My first sip was dominated by the hops. It was strong enough to dominate your pallet yet not overbearing. As the beer sits, that warms a little, you start to get more of the malt flavors, and it becomes more balanced. Overall the beer has this amazing frash taste, as if it was just bottled yesterday (conditioned of course).

This would go great with fish, fresh veggies, or anything that would require being outdoors.