Pouring a beautiful, crystal-clear golden, this ale firmly holds a tall white stand of foam. The aroma highlights traditional spicy and herbal noble hops but with a slight hint of a citrus character. Light bready malt complements the hop aroma with an extremely clean fermentation that avoids... Read More
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Michael Heniff
Beer Judge
Mike brewed his first few homebrew batches in college in 1994 and began regularly brewing in 1997. Since then, he has brewed over 150 batches of beer, mead, and cider. He has won over 200 medals and numerous major awards in competitions across the country. His highest accomplishments include winning the Templeton Award (most points) of the Dixie Cup (one of the largest single-site homebrew competitions in the world) a record four times, Gulf Coast Homebrewer of the Year, and Lone Star Circuit Homebrewer of the Year. He has had his recipes brewed at commercial breweries seven times.
Mike particularly enjoys traveling to find new beers. He has made numerous travels abroad to find great beer, most frequently to Belgium and Germany. He has logged over 6800 beers in his tasting journal, including over 620 beers from Belgium alone. Mike has had brewing and beer travel articles published by Brew Your Own and Zymurgy magazines.
Mike is a current member of the Houston Foam Rangers Homebrew Club where he has held numerous officer positions. He was also the founding President of the Lone Star Circuit and a former long time officer. He currently ranks as a Grand Master III BJCP judge. He has judged in over 70 competitions across the United States, frequently serving on Best of Show panels.
My reviews
Appearance:
6 / 6
Aroma:
22 / 24
Flavor:
38 / 40
Mouthfeel:
9 / 10
Overall Impression:
18 / 20
Appearance:
6 / 6
Aroma:
20 / 24
Flavor:
36 / 40
Mouthfeel:
8 / 10
Overall Impression:
17 / 20
Sympathy Weight by Monday Night Brewing is a bourbon-barrel aged Wee Heavy and is being evaluated as a Specialty Wood-Aged Beer (category 33B from the 2015 BJCP Beer Style Guidelines). The Wee Heavy style is noted as being a rich, full, malty Scottish ale with strong, rich caramel malt flavors... Read More
Appearance:
6 / 6
Aroma:
22 / 24
Flavor:
37 / 40
Mouthfeel:
6 / 10
Overall Impression:
16 / 20
Two common issues with session IPAs are a lack of hop intensity or expressing a thin, watery body. I'm happy to report those two problems are not evident here! The aroma is prominently hoppy with qualities of tangerine, lychee and flowers. In the flavor, the malt provides just a hint of flavor... Read More
Appearance:
6 / 6
Aroma:
22 / 24
Flavor:
37 / 40
Mouthfeel:
9 / 10
Overall Impression:
18 / 20
Once Around the Sun by Thompson Island Brewing Co. is a bourbon barrel-aged Imperial Stout and is being evaluated as a Specialty Wood-Aged Beer (category 33B from the 2015 BJCP Beer Style Guidelines). Specialty Wood-Aged Beers are aged in spirit barrels and should have... Read More
Appearance:
6 / 6
Aroma:
21 / 24
Flavor:
37 / 40
Mouthfeel:
10 / 10
Overall Impression:
18 / 20
Synopsis Dark Sour Cherry by Area Two Experimental Brewing is a Sour Fruit Beer and is being evaluated as a Wild Specialty Beer (category 28C in the 2015 BJCP Beer Style Guidelines). Wild Specialty Beers are sour or funky beers with fruit or spices and are typically aged in wood. Dark Sour... Read More
Appearance:
6 / 6
Aroma:
18 / 24
Flavor:
34 / 40
Mouthfeel:
10 / 10
Overall Impression:
16 / 20
Self-described as a "Belgian Style Brown Ale," this beer unfortunately lacks many of the primary characteristics of Belgian ales -- especially fruity esters and peppery phenolics. The canned ale pours dark brown with a big tan head and excellent head retention. The aroma is moderately nutty with... Read More