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BC Review

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The Expert Panel

The Beer Connoisseur® review was conducted as a round table single blind review by our panel of expert judges. Four to six judges reviewed 8-14 beers per session and submitted their individual scores and notes. The scores were averaged into a single score and notes compiled and summarized for publishing in magazine issues 1-14. These reviews have been republished here in this online format.

The names and biographies of the contributing judges were publsihed with each magazine issue and are listed below.

Charlie Gow - Founding Beer Review Coordinator ​(1960 - 2014)
Tim Artz
Tom Cannon
Phil Farrell
Pete Garofalo
Rick Garvin
Lee Anthony Hitchins
Owen Ogletree

My reviews

Judges Rating:
78
Appearance:
6 / 6
Aroma:
19 / 24
Flavor:
30 / 40
Mouthfeel:
7 / 10
Overall Impression:
16 / 20

Alan Pugsley’s Shipyard Brewing, a Portland mainstay since he first fired up his brewhouse in 1994, produces a broad range of distinctive Ringwood yeast based beers for a fan base long since expanded beyond Maine. One of the limited production Pugsley’s Signature Series brews, Imperial Porter... Read More

Vanilla Porter

Vanilla Porter
Judges Rating:
77
Appearance:
6 / 6
Aroma:
18 / 24
Flavor:
30 / 40
Mouthfeel:
7 / 10
Overall Impression:
16 / 20

From opening day in 1990, Breckenridge Brewery has expanded from a single pub in picturesque Breckenridge, Colo., to a regional concern distributing a broad repertoire of uncommon brews. Vanilla Porter is just such a beer, with boat loads of perfumed Tahitian vanilla and luscious English toffee... Read More

The Immortal IPA

Judges Rating:
93
Appearance:
6 / 6
Aroma:
23 / 24
Flavor:
36 / 40
Mouthfeel:
10 / 10
Overall Impression:
18 / 20

A straight-up, solid interpretation of the style that hails from the hop-drenched environs of Seattle, the Immortal’s pedigree is impeccable. Dick Cantwell’s Elysian Brewing has been pumping out epic beers since they first fired the kettles in 1995 and now has a worldwide cult following.... Read More

Hitachino Nest Dai Dai

Hitachino Nest Dai Dai
Judges Rating:
85

Gulden Draak

Gulden Draak
Judges Rating:
92
Appearance:
6 / 6
Aroma:
22 / 24
Flavor:
37 / 40
Mouthfeel:
8 / 10
Overall Impression:
19 / 20

Boasting a whopping 10.5 percent ABV, Gulden Draak is a seriously hefty brew. Bottle conditioned after using wine yeast for the secondary fermentation, Gulden Draak’s aromas are dominated with notes of caramel, milk chocolate, black currants and alcohol. Rick picked out whiffs of “dark toffee... Read More

Judges Rating:
95
Appearance:
5 / 6
Aroma:
24 / 24
Flavor:
39 / 40
Mouthfeel:
9 / 10
Overall Impression:
18 / 20

Weighing in at a respectable 11 percent ABV, Cigar City’s Marshal Zhukov’s Imperial Stout is a beer to be treated with respect. Situated in Tampa, Fla., the brewery is a relative newcomer but has quickly established itself as a brewing force to be reckoned with. Marshal Zhukov’s displays the... Read More

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