This one has actually been a couple weeks, as I have not drank much since the holidays.

Narrow Gauge Rocket Appliances

Imperial India Pale Ale

This is a hazy IPA from the Florissant, MO brewery making some of the better juicy IPAs in the St. Louis area. Rocket Appliances is tart, but not in a traditional IPA bitter style. It is also hazy, but not NE juicy as it is more grapefruit or passionfruit than OJ. It is also more hoppy on the nose than the tongue, typical of a double dry hopped beer. This one uses galaxy and mosaic for that. It is also sneaky at 8.1 percent ABV.

Rating: 4.25

Narrow Gauge Emperor Fallen Flag

American India Pale Ale

This one is not as hazy as the Rocket Appliances, drinking slightly more traditional and bitter. This one is double dry hopped with citra and mosaic, so I was expecting more of the citra juiciness but didn’t get it.

Rating: 4.0.

Toppling Goliath New World Lager

Lager

Toppling Goliath, out of Iowa, is known for their Pseudo Sue and King Sue IPAs. Those are two of my favorite easier-to-find beers now. I don’t typically buy lagers, but grabbed a four-pack of these just to see what their non-IPAs were like. And like a lager should be, nothing great, nothing wrong. This is a good one to give your friends who generally only drink macro and see if you can get them to experiment a little. Or a good football beer, which this was.

Rating: 3.5

Dogfish Head Campfire Amplifier

Milk Stout

I have already written about my love for Dogfish Head Brewing, out of Delaware. Campfire is a sweet milk stout brewed with graham crackers, cinnamon, marshmallows, cocoa powder and vanilla beans. This is one that would have probably been rated much higher just a few years ago. But since, I have been spoiled in this style of beer by the likes of Marshmallow Handjee Dark Lord, Bottle Logic Ghost Proton and son on. This obviously can’t match up to those whales. Still, for one that is pretty easy to find this year, it is a good beer for what it was designed for, sitting around a campfire with friends and enjoying good beer, conversation and (in my world) music. I even have a playlist that pairs well with this beer.

Rating: 3.75