Second Hill Brew Cellar

Surprisingly, the best version of Hydra I’ve had to date. Definitely pure fruit juice. Smells peachy. I can taste the strawberry. Then a pleasantly tart finish. Just yummy! 😋

Purchased at Half Time - Mamaroneck

Dark red wine color. Boozy, slight alcohol aroma. Tart, acidic raspberry flavor dominates. Wine tannins. Dark, ripe fruit. Peppery spice. But plenty of sweetness to balance all that off without being syrupy. Mouthwatering finish. Impressive.

Purchased at Schramm's Mead

Earned the 2022: International Year of Glass (Level 4) badge!

Earned the Hey Honey (Level 11) badge!

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Pale gold. Minimal head. Smells really sour. Really tart sour up front. Really well-balanced mixed sour. Mouthwatering, but not obviously fruity. Did I mention sour? Very good.

Purchased at Lizardville Beer Store & Whiskey Bar

Earned the 2022: International Year of Glass (Level 3) badge!

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Nice gold color. Lively off-white head. Smells a little funky with a honey sweetness and a hint of fruit (apricot, raspberry). Spicy bitter bite with white pepper and a hint of coriander. Malty, but not sweet. Dry finish.

Purchased at Lizardville Beer Store & Whiskey Bar

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WOW! The caramel aroma is amazing! Lasted to the very end of the glass. Interesting combination of strong, bitter coffee-ish Stout & sugar crystal sweetness that sneaks into the finish. May be an improvement on the base, but black coffee is not my thing.

Purchased at Circle A Food & Beverage

Earned the Wheel of Styles (Level 38) badge!

I bought this & brought it home @ 2 yrs old, then let it sit for another year. Held up well. Nice bourbon aroma to start. Dark brown w/ thin, persistent head. The bourbon & smoked malt flavors are more muted than other variants. More chocolate later. Dry.

Purchased at Freetail Brewing Co. Southtown Brewpub & Production Brewery

Earned the 2022: International Year of Glass badge!

What an incredible concept. Cocoa, cherry, plus a little chipotle fire, all tied together in Dragon’s Milk barrels. Ruby red. Rich dark cherry aroma. Sweet, with a lingering burn on the way down. Soft cocoa and smoky highlights. And a discounted price.

Purchased at Lizardville Beer Store & Whiskey Bar

Earned the International Axe Throwing Day (2022) sponsored by WATL badge!

Earned the Sky's the Limit (Level 87) badge!

Thick viscous pour. Opaque brown with a thick lingering tan head. Subtle whisky with a slightly savory aroma. Super creamy mouthfeel. Sweet and creamy flavor with beautifully subtle hints of whiskey, vanilla, cocoa, and sugar. Me likey.

Purchased at Lizardville Beer Store & Whiskey Bar

Earned the Beyond a Shadow of a Stout (Level 72) badge!

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“Vintage” Sale @ Lizardville! May be a bit past prime (COD 12/21/18). But it was only $3, so… deep gold, nice head, slight cinnamon aroma. Creamy, sweet, cinnamon flavor. Just like horchata. May have lost a little in 3 years. Got a little bit of sludge.

Purchased at Lizardville Beer Store & Whiskey Bar

Earned the Fields of Gold (Level 12) badge!

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Medium amber. Nice combination of lactic and acetic sour. Unfortunately, not much else. I don’t get any Nordic botanicals. Solid Wild Ale, but nothing special for me.

Purchased at Speciation Artisan Ales

Pineapple and cherry are out front in the aroma, with just a hint of ginger. Tart lactic sour up front, with nice fruit (pineapple and cherry) highlights. The ginger rounds it out with a touch of heat on the finish. Excellent.

Purchased at Speciation Artisan Ales

Second taste, this time with my son… I noticed the complex aromas much more. I smell the alcohol, raisins, cocoa, subtle wood tannins. Hotter in the mouth than I remember. Vinous, Congac, hints of dates, figs, plums. Wow!

Purchased at Simone's Beverage

Earned the Ales for ALS (2022) badge!

Dark brown with slight reddish hue. Mild bourbon barrel aroma with hints of malt and cocoa. Flavor is muted, but follows the aroma. Boozy cocoa bourbon bomb.

Purchased at Circle A Food & Beverage

Amber brown. Boozy, bourbon, malty aroma. Brown sugar, dates, and bourbon up front. Beautifully developed charred oak barrel flavor mid-palate. Malty sweetness lingers for days. Wow! Just impeccably well done.

Purchased at Circle A Food & Beverage

Earned the Sky's the Limit (Level 86) badge!

Earned the 99 Bottles (Level 73) badge!

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Combination of deep amber and red. Very malty aroma with a fair amount of acetic sour. Tart. Nice combination of acetic sour, malty sweetness, and sour fruit. Excellent.

Purchased at Cleveland Brew Shop

Been wanting to try this for a long time. Finally did it. Light color (pale gold) and light flavor. Dry. Mild spice phenols with a hint of those Hefe-like Belgian yeast esters. Solid.

Purchased at Market District

Earned the Hopped Down (Level 75) badge!

Very brown aroma. Really tart up front, not exactly a fruity tartness. Quite a bit of acetic sour from mid-palate on. Tempered nicely by a solid malty sweetness and aging. Really good.

Purchased at Cleveland Brew Shop

Hershey’s chocolate syrup and vanilla extract. It’s a little boozy up front and a little bitter later on. I don’t get toffee, but it isn’t coffee either. Sort of a nutty bitterness. Not quite a pastry experience, but really enjoyable chocolate milk-like.

Earned the New Brew Thursday (Level 38) badge!

Earned the 2X (Level 67) badge!

Another Fish Fry leftover (Emily L.). Nice gold color. Really nice citrus aroma (lime). Malty, sweet, with a pleasant bitter finish that lingers nicely. Surprisingly good mass-market beer. Long Lviv Ukraine!

Purchased at St. Vladimir's Grand Hall

Earned the To Go Please (Level 98) badge!

Earned the Riding Steady (Level 69) badge!

Earned the Lager Jack (Level 20) badge!

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Obolon Light. Left over from Friday Fish Fry (thanks Emily L.). Straw colored. Lightly sweet malt and yeast aroma. Nice balance of sweet up front and mildly bitter on the finish. Definitely light. Pleasant for a Light Pale Lager.

Purchased at St. Vladimir's Grand Hall

Earned the Brewery Pioneer (Level 89) badge!

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