I am a man of simple Beer.

Went to Duck Island last night and had a couple beers: Schooner Exact- Brown Ale, and Iron Horse- Rodeo Pale Ale. The brown ale was pretty decent. Lagunitas, although I hate to say this, should take a leaf out of the book of schooner Exact regarding Brown Ales. It wasn't to sweet, yet it provided that comfortable feeling we look for in a brown. They hopped it with something a tad spicy. I'm not a big brown fan but I give the schooner a definite 8 out of ten. Now the rodeo pale ale is my kind of beer. Again Iron Horse created a magnificent brew. Incredibly smooth, this was one of the best session beers I've had in a while. They hopped it with the standard Pac NW cascade and maybe amarillo (I haven't checked). Very Aromatic, very citrusy this thing left nothing to clog the palette. The next time y'all are out beer tasting and want that last beer but don't want any surprises that make you not want to finish the pint, grab the Iron Horse and you will drive (or be driven) home a satisfied man.

Maredsous 8: Dubbel

This beer cost me 3 cents and a tv. In order to pay for this beer, my financially strapped, withered, post-collegiate soul had to sell a tv to Pawn X-Change on Lake City way. There I was, prying 5 bucks from the girl behind the x-change counter while the couple to my right received two hundred bucks for a handful of jewelry and the dude on my left, with crusty eyes because he mistook a bong for a cup of coffee this morning, sold his 29 years worth of video games for a minor fortune. The girl behind the counter, feeling munificent, handed me my cash and I promptly headed 4 doors down to the beer store...

Dubbels as I've come to learn, are a belgian style of brown beer with a high alcohol content, this one being no exception.

The color was a deep mahogany, reminiscent of a well aged brown leather wallet and the head poured a good, two fingers with a delicate froth that lasted through the end of the beer.

As I stuck my nose into the glass, I wasn't struck with a strong aroma. On this particular Dubbel it was fairly soft with a hint of raisin which followed through into the palette. The raisins are accompanied by dark fruits and roasted chocolate tones.

The trophy of Maredsous is its body. A fantastic balance between syrup and water, a good two percent milk that washes away and leaves a hint of flavor and a cerevisaphile saying, "what was that?... I need more."

Review of Goose Island 'Matilda,' Belgian style ale

Got this one from one of our distributors down here, this is a Belgian-style pale ale.

Pours a slightly hazy, orange-amber with a frothy, off-white head that dissipated quickly.

The smell is a sweet, honey, with a junipery, clovey spiciness with some phenols coming through. Also an apparent lemon, citrus character

The subtle hoppiness shines through in the taste to balance out the sweet flavors. There is also a slightly sour note of fermented fruit (apple, peach?) that shows up in the long finish. There is a hard crispness from citrus but overall a oily, velvety smooth body.