Hey there, everyone! If you follow my Instagram, you'll know that I recently stocked up on wide array of brews to drink while Michelle and I were away on vacation. Well, we were gone for the better part of last week and I managed to drink every single beer I brought into the cabin with me (and a growler from Devil's Kettle). In total, I consumed twelve (!) brews I have not discussed previously on the blog. I want to take a brief moment to rectify that now.

As you'll note, I said brief above. And that's what this post'll be. Brief. Purrl won't be in it. I won't go into details about the breweries. There'll be no memory sharing. I'll post a picture of each beer, a link to the brewery that crafted it, and the thoughts I recorded while drinking it, all in the order they were consumed. Short and sweet.

Beer #1: Devil's Kettle Brewing's Oktoberbreast - 6% ABV


This is a festbier of which I ordered a growler full. My remarks read: "Malty, yeasty, sweet with just a tinge of roastiness." It was a great beer that got better as I worked my way through the growler.

Beer #2: Bell's Brewery's Special Double Cream Stout - 6.1% ABV


This is a stout that was incredibly smooth. My remarks read: "Slight sour tinge to the chocolate. Deep, rich, chocolatey flavor. Very full, very good." If you don't mind that slight sourness, you'll find a great, creamy stout.

Beer #3: Schlafly Beer's Double Bean Blonde - 6.3% ABV


I had had this beer before, on tap, but never done a full  review! It's a blonde ale brewed with coffee. My remarks read: "Smells like coffee beans. A nice blonde ale with a crisp coffee-y, chocolatey bite. It's better on tap, though." I like this beer a lot, but get it poured at a bar if you can.

Beer #4: Evil Twin Brewing's No Hero - 7% ABV


No Hero's an oatmeal stout that is incredibly rich. My remarks read: "Strong chocolatey aroma. Subdued chocolatey taste with coffee notes. Very full and hearty." This is something I'll definitely be picking up again.

Beer #5: DuClaw Brewing Company's Devil's Milk - 10% ABV


Here we have a barley wine, which (I've found) is a style that put off a lot of people. Not me! My remarks read: "Smells somewhat peppery. Really, really, really boozy. Does smell like a barely wine. It tastes very boozy. Very, very rich and dark." This was the strongest brew I had on my trip, and, boy, did it feel like it.

Beer #6: North High Brewing Company's Milk Stout - 5.3% ABV


This was a great, sweet milk stout. My remarks read: "Smells sweet--like milk chocolate. Big, rich roasty flavor. Not necessarily coffee-y or chocolatey, but very hearty and creamy. On second thought, I'm getting a lot of chocolate from this beer." The chocolate-ness of the stout crept up on me.

Beer #7: Warped Wing Brewing Company's 10 Ton Oatmeal Stout - 7% ABV


This is another brew I'd had on tap before. Never from a can. It's also new-to-the-blog. My remarks read: "Smells roasty, with just a faint hint of chocolate and not much coffee. Taste: Deep and rich. Very coffee-y; not much chocolate here. I am getting the nutty finish they talk about on the can." Nuttiness in an oatmeal stout is something that I had never considered prior to trying this beer. I wonder: Is this a quality found in many oatmeal stouts, or just 10 Ton?

Beer #8: Rivertowne Brewing's Headless Wylie - 8% ABV


My friend has been telling me about this pumpkin brew for months. He says it's creamy, more akin to pumpkin pie than other pumpkin ales, and that there's no trace of the high ABV in the beer. My remarks read: "Doesn't smell boozy at all--it smells more nutmeg-y and pumpkin-y. I also tastes more nutmeg than pumpkin. It's a really good pumpkin pie taste, but it's slightly more like a cookie than a pie. Zero hint of the 8% ABV. Very, very well done." This is something I'll certainly be consuming more frequently.

Beer #9: 21st Amendment Brewery's Marooned on Hog's Island - 7.9% ABV


This was my oddball beer for the trip: a stout brewed with oyster shells. My remarks read: "Marooned on Hog's Island? More like marooned at Lake Hope, am I right [Lake Hope is where we were staying on our trip]? I am getting the oyster shells from the aroma. But it's not bad--it adds a layer of authenicity and a layer of uniqueness, individuality, to the beer. Flavor-wise, it's very dark and roasty with a lot of chocolate notes. But there is some sea salt in the stout that amps it up to the next level." I was 100% relieved when I discovered that this wasn't a seafood-flavored beer.

Beer #10: Braxton Brewing Company's Blown Gasket - 7.5% ABV


Braxton's porter hit the shelves just before our trip and I was excited I could take some with me. My remarks read: "Very deep, roasty coffee aroma. Very boozy. It's chocolatey, but there's more coffee in it than chocolate." I loved this beer. Michelle did not.

Beer #11: Arbor Brewing Company's Violin Monster - 9.5% ABV


This is another beer I'd had before. I've never been into dark ales but Violin Monster's a fun, spooky brew. My remarks read: "Smells like a brown ale with some nutty, fruity bouquets mixed in. Flavor-wise, it has a very fruity taste--think a Belgian triple or maybe a barley wine. However, it's not as boozy as either of those styles."

Beer #12: Buffalo Bill's Brewery's America's Original Pumpkin Ale - 6% ABV


Michelle had seen this beer on shelves since September and regularly requested that I try it. I was saving it for a special occasion: our late-October vacation. My remarks read: "Doesn't have much of a pumpkin-y aroma. It's smells more like your run-of-the-mill brown ale. But there is a heart bite of pumpkin in the flavor. It doesn't taste very vegetable-y, it's more of a sweet pumpkin flavor. There's not much nutmeg, though it definitely has a good, sturdy brown ale base. On afterthought, it tastes a little watery. And, in the aftertaste, there's just a hint of cream cheese." I won't lie to you. I am not a fan of this beer.

And that's it! Thanks for reading and I'll see you soon (hopefully tomorrow) with a regular post.