Diamond Bear Two Term Double IPA

So I was really hesitant on buying this beer.  Luckily, I was able to purchase it through a "build your own" six pack.  So, if I didn't like it.........no big deal.  I obviously want to like every beer.  I really want to like all Diamond Bear brews because they are brewed in the great state of Arkansas (Little Rock).

I was hesitant for two reasons.  The first being that I am not a big fan of IPAs, much less Double IPAs.  Second, I have not really liked any of the beers from this brewery. 

This review will be short and sweet.  It tasted like a typical IPA.......hoppy and spicy.  What set it apart for me was the 8.5% ABV.  If I am going to drink an IPA, it better pack a punch like this one.  So far..........my favorite Diamond Bear selection.

Bell's Pale Ale‏ (JT's Review)

From my past reviews, you know I am neither a Bell's fan or a pale ale fan. However, Shawn hooked me up with this one some time back, and I just got around to drinking it last night. I have to admit that I was very pleasantly surprised.

I was beginning to wonder if the Comstock, Michigan brewery had a product that was any good? I liked the fact that it had a 5.2% ABV, which I think is solid for a pale ale. The write up on the label describes it as a blond ale. I found that to be an accurate assessment. The malts were light, but had a nice soft sweet flavor. It was lightly hopped in the finish. The after taste was smooth and didn't linger too long. It was somewhat heavily carbonated, but not too bad.

All in all, a very solid beer. I will buy this one again!

Mikkeller Yeast Series American Style Ale‏ (JT's Review)

Let me first say that this is a beer that I would have never bought if it was up to me. Not being a big fan of ale's and not being a big fan of paying $6.50 for a bottle of beer would have been enough to deter me. Shawn picked this beer up while he was in Springfield. As it turned out, I'm glad he did. It was different, but pretty good.

The malt flavors were light, but there were the right amount for this beer. Following the malts, there was a strong citrus flavor that led into a dry bitter hop/alcohol mix. The more I worked through the beer, the better it tasted.

Mikkeller is brewed in Belgium, and even though it is classified as an American Pale Ale, it is defiantly a Belgium. The ABV is a solid 8.0%, but for 6.50 a bottle, I don't think it is one I'll try again.

New Castle Brown Ale‏ (JT's Review)

As most of you know, we here at Brian's Beer Guide strive to try and review beers that are unique, or at least beers that you have seen and weren't sure if you should try or not. New Castle Brown Ale is a beer that most people have tried before. However, most have had out of a bottle. If you have not had it in the can, I suggest you try it.

My brother tried it in the can, and he loved it. He brought it over to my house and I liked it better in the can too. I think with dark beer, it is better in the can because the can doesn't allow sun light to disturb the flavor. It tasted much more flavorful and was far more smooth.

Typically, I like beer out of the bottle better, but if you get a chance to get it in the can, I think you will like it.

Wrasslers XXXX Full Stout‏ (JT's Review)

Man, this was a strong flavored beer. I liked it, but it was one that I wasn't up for round two with. Since it was $5 a bottle, I'm glad I didn't want to drink a bunch more of them.


Wrasslers is a full Irish Stout that is brewed by Porterhouse Brewing Company in Dublin, Ireland. The bottle looks pretty old school like one you might see in a movie from the 1970's it has an ABV of 5.7%.


The flavor was good, but it was almost overwhelming. There were a ton of malts, and a ton of hops. They seem to come at you all at once. There is a really dry overtone to it. The finish lingers until you take another sip, and when I say sip, I mean that's about as fast as you can drink it.


If you like stout's, it is worth a try, but for the price and the taste, I doubt I go down that road again.

UFO White

This beer comes from the Harpoon Brewery.  I don't think that I have had any Harpoon selections, but I would eventually like to try them all.

This is an unfiltered wheat....which I love.  It is a wit...........which I love.  This beer.......I did not love.  It wasn't bad, just not my favorite of its genre.

As you can see, there is an orange on the label.  I like a little orange in my wit beer.  Only problem is......I didn't really taste that much orange.  This is odd considering it plays a major role in the advertisement!  I wasn't really wanting an orange flavored beer, but give me something.

This beer was just "OK."  I would say that it was not worth the money.  I am glad that I tried it though.  Hopefully I will like the other Harpoon brews that I plan on sampling.

New Castle Limited Edition Founders Ale‏ (JT's Review)

My brother is a huge New Castle fan, and I have grown to like it a lot too. When I saw their limited edition founders ale, I was excited to try it even though ale's usually aren't my thing.

I thought it was ok, but my brother didn't finish his glass. In all fairness, he poured it around 9 pm, which is very close to his bed time. Anyway, the beer defiantly had the "New Castle stamp" on it. It had a nice malty start, and finished with a soft hoppy flavor. The hops weren't too much, which I liked about it. There just seemed to be something missing in the middle. The best way to put it was that it lacked the depth I was looking for.

I thought it was ok, but I don't think I will try it again. There is way too much good beer to settle for just ok.



My Review:  I really liked this beer!!  I agree a lot with JT's review.  There just wasn't a tremendous amount of uniqueness to this beer, but that is OK, unless you are looking for that.  I feel that this is a very solid beer that I could drink a lot of.........in one sitting..........or more.  I would have to have a little more coin in my pocket though to afford very much of it.

Billy's Chilies Beer‏ (JT's Review)



photo courtesy of  http://www.dailybeerreview.com/2011/06/billys-chilies.html

 If you see this beer and have any desire to try it, turn and run away as fast as you can. I like spicy foods and I love beer, so the combination of the two seemed to be a good idea. It was not.

Billy's Chilie's is brewed in Boulder, Colorado by the Twisted Pine Brewing Company. It has an ABV of 5% and is classified as a Chili Beer. Their website suggests pairing it with food, and more specifically with your eggs at breakfast. On occasion I enjoy a beer in the morning, but I can't think of a worse idea than drinking one of these to start my day.

The beer has 5 different kinds of peppers in its ingredients. It takes as if they filled the bottle with peppers and then poured a beer in to soak for a few weeks.

I can only tell you that my stomach has yet to recover from the drinking of 6 ounces of it(Shawn and I split it). If you care about your body, I strongly advise not putting Billy's Chilie's in it.

Samuel Adams Black Lager‏ (JT's Review)

Sam Adams made it happen with this one. I really like black lagers, and I think this is my favorite one.

It has a great malty flavor. At first the malts seem toasted and then they transition into a chocolate caramel flavor and then back to a toasted flavor. The hops are hardly noticeable, and it finishes very smoothly.

This was part of a Sam Adams sampler pack, but I hope they start selling it in 6 packs. It was really good.