Last couple of weeks in Beer - January 12th - 21st

Hey all, welcome back to our regular programming, had a short break over Xmas but now it's business as usual. To start off, I bought a few new beers!

Moon Dog & Rogue, Sierra Nevada, Brooklyn, Doctor's Orders and Mikkeller. Heaven

Pretty excited for all of the above, the Narwhal and Hand & Seal have gone into my cellar to age a bit, while the other 4 are now waiting in my fridge for someone to crack them open... Can't wait.

I also got a couple of other beers last week, including 2 huge double IPAs, one from the boys at Moon Dog, and one Air-freighted directly from the US to Aus so it'd still be fresh. Reviews of both forthcoming below, as well as a couple of nice dark beers I've had to try and get through this freezing, rainy summer.

To start off, we'll go with the Jammy, fruity IPA from Moon Dog, Marmajuke Double IPA:

I feel like "Marmaduke" normally has a D... But that's none of my business

Aroma is sweet and kinda jammy, real orange aroma comes through. On the palate it's similar, with a sweet orange layer over the top of a base that tastes very similar to Jukebox Hero, Moon Dog's regular IPA. In this case, the orange really adds to the beer, contrasting the piney and herbaceous hop notes and creating a really tasty double IPA! The sweetness also helps to hide the alcohol, there's no way you'd pick this as 8.4%

Overall: 4.5/5

Next up, we have one of the most absurdly pricy beers I've ever bought, although I think it almost might have been worth it... Introducing Stone's Enjoy By 02.14.15 (14th of Feb for people who use proper date formats) IPA.

I have until the 2nd of Smarch to drink it, awesome!

As soon as the bottle is open, and even more son once it's in the glass, this beer smells hugely of pine resin with a hint of grapefruit. 
Flavour wise it's a big, bold Double IPA, the pine and grapefruit notes come through as strongly as in the aroma, with a big dry hop bitterness coming through at the end to balance it all.
A really fantastic example of a double IPA, possible the best I've ever had. If we're going to be getting more beers like this express airfreight from the US l'll be a very happy man!

Overall: 5/5

Now onto the dark beers, we'll start off with an old favourite of mine that I've finally decided to review, then onto a beer that's spent the better part of the last 12 months in my cellar, waiting, always waiting.

So first up, we have Founders Brewing Breakfast Stout - Double Chocolate, Coffee and Oatmeal Stout:

Apparently this label has been banned in parts of America for having a child on it... 

Pours from the bottle a opaque, pitch black. Aroma is super roasty with notes of black malt, coffee and chocolate all melding together. Body is extremely thick, almost chewable. Flavour is a real bittersweet blend of the roasty, tannic coffee and malt notes contrasting the sweetness from the chocolate and oats. 
Fantastic stout with some great sweet notes, worth picking up for any lover of dark beers!

Overall: 4.5/5

Finally, we have a bottle of moderately aged Brooklyn Black Ops. Hidden in the depths of my cellar for a year, I had to pull it out to make space for some new arrivals and decided a freezing cold summer weekend was as good a time as any.

This beer doesn't actually exist. You never saw it.

In the glass, a black-brown colour with ample brown head. Aroma is far more savoury that the above breakfast stout, roasty dark malt mixed with an oaky vanilla and maybe even slight leather.
Body is silky smooth, more savoury than sweet, a little more leather mixed with bourbony vanilla and oak all on top of a bittersweet black malt backbone make for a tantalizingly complex stout!

Overall: 5/5

Thanks for reading everyone! Ill be back again soon, having tried a few more bottles from the wonderful collection of beer that is my fridge.