1/27/16: B. Nektar's The Dude's Rug

I'm excited for this review. I've been excited ever since I went to one of my local beer/cider suppliers to pick out my next brew. I like hard cider. I like spiced chai tea. This cider is billed as having both. Therefore, thanks to the transitive property of equality,  I should like it (that's how that works, right?).

Now, before I get into the post proper, please let me take a moment to say that I did not go into the last few brews I've discussed blindly--I'd had them before. I had not run through them with the fine-tooth comb that is the John Likes Beer treatment. But, more or less, I knew what I was getting. The Dude's Rug, I am pleased to announce, is a completely new experience for me. What you're about to read is my 100% first impression (look forward to similar firsts with the next handful of posts I have lined up).

1/21/16: DuClaw Brewing Company's Sweet Baby Jesus!

Before, oh, say summer of last year I had never heard of DuClaw Brewing Company. It was only when I started seeing articles about how Sweet Baby Jesus! was being pulled from grocery store shelves for its "controversial" name. And, even then, all I really knew was the name of that specific beer, not the company producing it.

It wasn't until I visited my family just before the holidays that I actually tried the stuff. My dad, who is much more financially stable than I am ever likely to be, saw the chocolate peanut butter porter and, not sweating the price too much, decided to go ahead and purchase a sixer. The lucky thing here is that he decided to share some with me (and even gave me a few bottles to take home). I've had my final bottle queued up for review for quite some time. Although I have my initial impression of the beer, I'm excited for the opportunity to sit back and give it the proper John Likes Beer review treatment.

1/14/16: MadTree Company's Rubus Cacao

Oh, boy. Here we go again. Another MadTree post? Yes. A thousand times yes.

I heard about Rubus Cacao around this time last year and thought: "A chocolate raspberry beer? No thanks." What a difference a year makes! When I saw the brewery's release schedule for this year, and discovered that they were canning the stout for the first time ever, I became unreasonably excited and made plans to attend the beer's release.

While they didn't have the stout on tap at the release, I did purchase a separate can (along with my to-go six-pack) to enjoy there. Apart from the rush of flavor, I didn't get much from it because of the sheer business of the taproom (so busy, in fact, that they sold out of Rubus cans). I'm looking forward to what I get from it from the quiet comfort of my beer-reviewing futon.

1/10/16: Blake's Hard Cider Company's Wayward Winter

I had Wayward Winter once, a year ago, at a craft brewing festival somewhere along the coast of Lake Michigan. I was there for a weekend visiting family and taking a short vacation from work. My mom and dad thought that checking out the festival would be fun--it was. Trying new beer is always a blast. However, a lot of the beer was pretty average. There were a few cider companies there too, and the majority of these were fairly average, as well.

I did find a single, brightly shining light, though: Armada's Blake's Hard Cider Company. I only had enough tickets left to snag one of their styles. I chose Wayward Winter; I had seen people carrying around glass of a mysterious red liquid and as soon as I discovered it was offered by Blake's, I had to have it. I was not disappointed. I discovered a sourness with a distinctly maple quality. 

Later, I learned that Blake's was distributing cans of their ciders--but only in Michigan. I was bummed that Wayward Winter was a seasonal brew, but happy grab a six-pack of their cider whenever I was in the state. When I saw on their Facebook that Wayward Winter was once again available, I begged my parents to grab me a bottle when they went up to visit my mom's relatives. Much to my surprise, they gifted me six twenty-two-ounce bottles of the stuff for Christmas (my dad said they bought all that the store had!). Is it as good as I remember?

1/1/16 MadTree Brewing Company's Thundersnow

I drink a lot of MadTree. If you'll recall, I am a huge fan of the brewery. Maybe this is because I live in such close proximity to their taproom (it's less than a five minute drive from my apartment). Or, more likely, it's because MadTree brews such damn good beers.

The furry, white blob the left of the can is my cat Háma.

As such, when I learned that MadTree had a winter seasonal on the market, I jumped at the chance to have some. And I did--I went to their headquarters and had a pint of it on nitro. Now I have a can of it open before me. I know it won't be as creamy as it was on tap (due to the lack of nitrogen in the can). But, does it still hold up?