HopDevil Ale

Brewery: Victory Brewing Company
Location: Pennsylvania
Serving: Draft/Growler
Style: American IPA
ABV: 6.7%

I have read plenty of good things about Victory beers, the only problem being they weren't available in Indiana or Kentucky. Well they are finally getting distribution in Indiana and Sportstime picked up a few kegs. I stopped by and grabbed a growler of the HopDevil to try out.
It poured a caramel colour with a beige head that clung to the sides as I drank it. Much to my surprise I could actually smell some sweet maltiness, the aroma wasn't completely dominated by the hops. That malt also comes through in the taste. Nice toasted bread compliments the dominant citrus hop flavor. It finishes up with a crisp clean bite. I'm not used to this much malt in an IPA and I was pleasantly surprised.


Rating: A

Dragon's Milk

Brewery: New Holland Brewing Company
Location: Holland, MI
Serving: Draft/Imperial Pint
Style: English Strong Ale
ABV: 8.5%

I feel like a giddy school girl whenever I see this on the draft board at Sportstime. I know I'm in for a treat. I was served a glass as black as night with a light brown thin head. When held up to the sunlight coming through the window it is a not black but a deep brown colour. This Ale is aged in oak barrels and that comes through in the nose. Oak, chocolate, and vanilla all hit when I took my first whiff. The taste is sublime like a good bourbon. Vanilla with dark chocolate give this a rich creaminess. It has a nice sweet bitter twang to finish things off. This one's in my top 5.


Rating: A+

Dry-Hopped Red

Brewery: Rogue Ales Brewery
Location: Oregon
Serving: Draft/Imperial Pint
Style: American Amber
ABV: 5.1%

Yet another trip to Prost yields another Rouge ale to try. This time I went with the dry-hopped red. It had a dark reddish brown colour and a decent sized white head. I'm going to call the aroma of this one "hop bread". Lots of hops hit you first with some orange pine-sol, but then some malty bread comes in. It has a pleasant sweet caramel flavor that quickly gets taken over by the hops. The finish is all hop bitterness. This is a pretty interesting example of a red, a category I tend to find pretty average.

Rating: B-

Export IPA

Brewery: Schlafly
Location: St. Louis, MO
Serving: Imperial Pint
Style: IPA
ABV: 8%

With Schlafly in town promoting a new IPA, there was no other choice given Schlafly's track record of taste. The typical burnt amber color. An unusually frothy head resembling a pilsner which lead to a lacey delight. An immediate bite with hops coming out strong with a flowery finish. What made the evening was, every pint purchased got your name in the hat for a "prize". First drawing my friend Tom won, 2nd drawing I won, 3rd drawing Tom's friend won....all at the same table...3 drawings in a row....ill take it. Regardless I was again impressed by Schlafly.

Rating: B+

Brutal Bitter

Brewery: Rogue Ales Brewery
Location: Newport, OR
Serving: Draft/Imperial Pint
Style: Imperial ESB
ABV: 6.5%

There were several new brews on the board at Prost and it was hard to choose one to try after the Scotty Karate. Donnie started off with one of these and after sampling it I couldn't pass up a pint of my own. The pint was a really nice looking orange/red with a small white head that disappeared quickly. The smell reminded me of an IPA aroma but turned way down. The taste was not what I expected with an Ale calling itself "Brutal Bitter". There was definitely a hoppy flavor with a bit of citrus but not even close to overpowering. It strikes a very nice balance with the malts. I am a big fan of English bitters. It's nice to be able to set down and enjoy a beer that doesn't wear you out. The offering from Rogue was a great twist on that. I feel like I could have sat down and had quite a few rounds without getting blitzed.


Rating: B+

Scotty Karate Scotch Ale

Brewery: Dark Horse Brewing Co.
Location: Marshall, MI
Serving: Draft/Imperial Pint
Style: Scottish Ale
ABV: 9.75%

Hill was working at Prost on Friday so we decided to visit and enjoy a pint or two. I settled into the comfy leather couch and ordered up a Scotty Karate. I had tried this during Gravity Head and loved it so I was excited for the second go-round. It was a dark brown colour and when held up to the light I could not see through it. A sweet bread/fruit aroma initially hit my nose but as I drank the alcohol smell became more prominent. The taste is heavenly. This ale has a very good mouthfeel. Malt flavor is strong but balanced with a very lovely sweet nutty finish and just a dash of the alcohol to warm you up. Dark Horse succeeds yet again.


Rating: A

Dortmunder Gold

Brewery: Great Lakes Brewing Company
Location: Ohio
Serving: Bottle
Style: Dortmunder
ABV: 5.8%

I tend to pick out new beers to try based on their packaging. Shallow maybe, but I'll reach for attractive design 9 times out of 10. This is the reason I've never had any Great Lakes beers. The packaging just looks cheap to me. After reading nothing but positive things about the brewery I decided to put aside my bias and give them a shot. The Dortmunder poured a deep golden yellow that was crystal clear with a nice medium white head that stuck around for quite a while. It had a very sweet smell with a touch of citrus. The taste was malt malt malt. A nice sweet bread flavor with some hop bitterness made it smooth and balanced. Worked perfect to wash down my Chinese food. Overall a great beer, which I guess goes to show that looks aren't everything. I'm definitely going to check out some of their other offerings soon.


Rating: A

Budweiser

Brewery: Anheuser-Busch Inc.
Location: Missouri
Serving: Draft
Style: American Macro Lager
ABV: 5%

Ahh the dog days of summer. Nothing like 90 degree weather and a baseball game to put you in the mood for "the king of beers". I half-expected an American flag to pop out of my ass, but I digress. $1 beer night at the stadium led me to a beer I normally avoid like the plague. It's so easy to bash Bud that I'm not going to waste my time. My plastic cup presented me a thick white head that led to a clear yellow beer. It smelled of corn but it went down easy enough and did it's job. I'd much rather drink a Pabst or High Life if I'm going with this style but beggars can't be choosers.


Rating: C-

Bud Light

Brewery: Anheuser-Busch Inc.
Location: St Louis, MO
Serving: Solo Pints
Style: American Light Macro Lager
ABV: 4.2%

Not much to talk about on this one, $1 beers at the ballpark doesn't leave many options though. As usual "2 at a time" seems to be the norm...after about the first oh minute they're warm and worse than ever. I managed to stomach more than enough to enjoy the very very slow paced game and call it a night.

Rating: D-

Dos Equis Amber

Brewery: Cervecería Cuauhtémoc Montezuma
Location: Mexico
Serving: Draft
Style: Vienna Lager
ABV: 4.7%

I am incapable of sitting down to a dinner of Mexican food without washing it down with a cerveza. It's always an added bonus when the establishment has this on draft. My brownish red pint arrived in an extra thick glass I had never seen before. This was one heavy pint. It had a faint (but nice) sweet malty aroma and no head. A crisp and refreshing taste that has a slight sweetness, a bit of malt, and just a touch of bitterness. Perfect for washing down my Vegetarian B combo.


Rating: B