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Nelson has been judging and rating beers (over 20,000) for 30 years and is always interested in trying beers he hasn’t had before. A homebrewer for 40 years, Nelson has brewed all 154 sub-styles from the BJCP 2021 guidelines, along with historical and extinct beers, to learn more about the beer styles and the thought process of the brewers behind them. He is active in judging, entering, and running beer competitions and is a BJCP National Judge as well as a BJCP Mead Judge and BJCP Cider Judge.
In evaluating this beer, I was only told that it was a “flavored Cream Ale.” This helps by identifying the perceived flavors and aromas and being able to compare them to what the brewer intended.
The malt is a background canvas of slightly grainy but indistinct breadiness. The initial... Read More
Kiwi Double IPA by Lawson's Finest Liquids was evaluated under the BJCP 2015 guidelines as a Double IPA (style 22A). This beer pours a hazy deep gold with a big head of small- and medium-sized white bubbles, which slowly fades to a thin disk, leaving some nice Belgian lacing on the glass. There... Read More
Down with the Thickness by Pontoon Brewing was evaluated as a BJCP 2015 30A Spice/Herb/Vegetable beer with the base style of 16A Sweet Stout and with added hazelnut, cacao nibs, vanilla and lactose.
Pouring an opaque very deep brown, this beer is topped with a large dark tan head of... Read More
This beer pours a brilliant, deep gold color with a large, cream-colored head of tiny bubbles that persists the whole time. The initial aroma is piney, with malt notes that are like toasty bread crusts. A mild ginger aroma and slight notes of garlic (probably a hop characteristic), along with... Read More
Cotton Candy by Garage Brewing Co. is a crossover of styles with the base beer evaluated as as a Weissbier, Style 10A per the 2021 BJCP Style Guidelines. However, this beer was flavored with sugars and possibly fruit, so it ended up tasting more like a fruity pastry hefeweizen.
The beer... Read More
This beer pours a slightly hazy deep gold with a large ivory head of fine bubbles. The head sticks around for a while, and leaves a bit of lacing on the sides of the glass. Initially, the aroma is tropical with notes of mango and strawberry, with a supporting malt backbone that is bready with a... Read More
