Here goes:
BUSTER NUT BROWN.Outside of a cheeky name, this simply isn't all that good of a beer. Now, it's not that there is something that tastes bad, or off about the beer, it's just a watered down version of the style, in my opinion. There's a nice, dark, brown sugar/molasses, and toasted sweetness to it, and a noticeable nutiness, but it's just too thin. I want a beer that relies on its sweetness to be thick enough to coat the tongue with the malt, and this has a dry, clean, crisp finish which just isn't what I think I want in a a brown ale. Those are good aspects to other beers, but that's why I drink those beers. When I want a good brown, I want something a bit fuller, a bit heavier and sweet, and a bit chewier....if that makes any sense. Now, like I said, nothing really tastes bad here, there just isn't enough of that "taste". It leaves you wanting quite a bit. Annoying, if you ask me. ANNOYING.
Half assed-verdict: 5/10.
TEN PIN PORTER.
All in all a solid porter. The porter seems to be a dying style, and something that too many breweries and drinkers don't really worry about any more. I'm not sure if it's because nobody likes the style all that much, or that most breweries brew porters that are just so close to their milk stouts or regular stouts that they (brewers and drinkers) say "screw it" and not worry about making one. We'll talk about the differences between porters and stouts some other time. Either way, this is a solid porter. I like porters to be sweet (caramel sweet), a touch of roast, and just a hint of hop bitterness in the finish. This has that, maybe a touch too sweet. It's a got a good chewy-ness to the malt, which I like, and while drinkable, is a nice, filling beer. If you like porters, this ain't too bad.
Half-assed verdict: 6.5/10
PINSTRIPE RED ALE.Dang good red ale. Not quite to the level of North Coast's Red Seal Ale, (at least in my opinion) it's a really solid red. I'm not looking for a red ale to blow me away with any sort of flavor, or have something really stand out by itself, I'm just looking for a well balanced ale. I want a good chewy-malt-sweet presence, and a good clean, bitter finish. A nice balance with a noticeable, firm presence on the tongue (thus, the "chewy" comment). This gets pretty close. I paired it with some of my super bad ass homemade buffalo wings, and it was perfect. There is enough malt to sit heavy on the tongue, sort of coating it, but it finishes with just enough clean bitterness to get you ready for your next wing. It's never too sweet and never too bitter. It might even fair to say that it's just a good pale ale, whatever you want to call it. If you want a solid session beer, something to throw back with burgers or wings while watching the game, this isn't a bad choice.
Half-assed verdict: 7/10
STEEL TOE MILK STOUT.Decent, not great stout. Now, I guess I should call it a decent "milk stout", because that's a bit different than a normal stout. Milk stouts are supposed to be a touch sweeter, and this one is good, in that there is still some good roast there, but it's possibly a touch too sweet for me. It's got a good look to it, and a good consistency, but the finish has this grainy aspect.....not in the sense of barley or hops, but grainy like grains of sugar. It's a bit of a weird sensation that I usually don't pick up on. It's pretty much the only part of the beer that puts me off as it's not bad up til that point. Of course I say all this and I realize that this is my subjective taste. It's not bad, really, nothing really makes you do a funny face thing, it's just that the finish is a bit sugary sweet for my taste.....but I can't lie, it's not like it's over the top. It is a decent milk stout, maybe just a step below, say the Left Hand Milk Stout. I'm curious to give this a shot on tap, that might help.
Half-assed review: 6/10
ESB SPECIAL ALE.
Not a bad ESB. ESBs, I think are becoming like porters. They kind of meander over into pale ale territory so much that people forget about them as being their own thing. That's fine, as I guess the label doesn't matter if it's a good brew. This was weird as the first 1/3 of the can (yes it's in a can, more on that later......and don't worry I poured it into a glass) was all bitter, and nothing else, kind of unpleasant. So I didn't pay attention to it for about 10 minutes. I came back and the beer changed quite a bit and the malt did it's job. The bitterness is still king (ESB = Extra Special Bitter), but it's malt friend provided a touch of backup. Yes, I'm going to use the word "chewy" again, in that that's what it did. I like the "chewy adjective, and if you have a problem....screw off. The malt gave it a good touch of balance, but still allowing the hops to do it's thing. The hops are more of a dry, floral variety. There's not a huge smack of grapefruit and pine on the lips, and instead they're a touch more flowery and just a bit leafy/grassy. They really are more of a bittering agent in this brew. This would be a really good session beer. We'll get to the can thing a bit on the way down.
Half-assed verdict: 6.5/10
DECADENT IMPERIAL IPA.Not sure what to think of this beer. When you think "Imperial IPA", you think that you are going to be Karate Kid-ed in the face with hops. That just isn't the case. There may be a ton of hops in this beer but it's so malted that you don't really notice them to level you think you would. Now, they are certainly there, mind you, but they really aren't the star of the show. This confuses me, as they (Ska, that is) are throwing around the whole "IPA" label. Many other beer nerds I've talked to agree with me almost instantaneously in that this beer is a huge malt bomb, that happens to be a bit hopped up. So yes, it is very sweet. Almost too sweet. But, I will say this, once I get over the fact that I should be less worried about what this beer is labeled as, and focus on whether or not I like it, I kind of enjoy the brew. I prefer malt over hops, so after this guy warms up a touch, and you get through the first half of the glass and realize it isn't a hop bomb....it's not all that bad. It's certainly sweet and malt heavy, but there is still enough hop presence (duh) that it doesn't kill you. You just can't come in thinking you're in for a huge hop-kick to the head, cuz it won't happen. It's a good smooth maltiness, slightly syrupy at times, but it doesn't have a cavity-inducing sweetness to it. There's s touch of spice involved that helps out the balance as well. So, if you can get over what this beer is labeled, and just drink it, I think you can enjoy it.
Half-assed verdict: 7/10
MODUS HOPERANDI IPA.
I guess I'm lame, but I think that's a cool as shit name for a beer. Further more, this is an above average IPA. About the whole "it being in a can" thing, well, you're going to have to deal with it. Just like I want beer wussies to realize that dark beer doesn't = bad beer....beer nerds/snobs need to realize that the can is a good vessel for a beer. (read here, a can may actually keep the product fresher). This brew, and the ESB, as far as I know, come only in cans. And yes, I've had it out of a can as well and it tastes mighty fan, no weird metallic flavors at all. Alright, all that being said, this is a good IPA. It doesn't back off from being afraid of being too bitter, but it does do a nice job of staying balanced, and slightly fruity-sweet. There is a good mixture of sweetness from a good malt backbone, and a nice kick of grapefruit up front. The bitterness in the end is the amount of bitterness you want and expect from an IPA. It's there, it's certainly bitter, but the bitterness doesn't hang on too long, and while it's bigger than the malt, it doesn't kick the malt's ass. This is a good thing. It's a nice IPA to drink, in my opinion. A really great version of the style.
Half-assed review: 7.5/10