New Belgium - 1554 / Mighty Arrow

New Belgium 1554- Dark Black lager ale, pours a rich dark smooth. Very malty with a coffee aroma. Back in 2005 when I first had this beer at the Mothership, I was not very fond of this or any dark ale. I can safely say this was my first darker beer brew that I ever tried. Verdict A-, one of my bench marks for when I try other dark ales. I tend to drink this slower and enjoy its taste of the coffee/chocolate and smokey aroma.

New Belgium - Mighty Arrow, I am still on the fence as far as Pale Ales rank, but New Belgium Mighty Arrow is very good, and this year in Chicago the 6 pack offering has been on the shelves at just about every store i've been to. Great Pale ale, good golden orange color, citrus notes and bit of hop. Verdict B+

New Belgium - Ranger IPA

2011 marks the the third year for Ranger IPA being sold in Chicago. I was not a fan of Ranger at first but now I love the hop taste. Grapfruit citrus notes, bold hoppy attack. Verdict: B+

New Belgium Frambozen and Victory Yakima Glory

New Belgium - Frambozen

I have only had two other Brown Ale's before trying Frambozen and it didn't help change my mind about the very stylized taste that Brown Ales offer. It had a good fruit raspberry aroma but I couldn't get over the initial Brown Ale vinegar  taste that it leaves after every sip. 

Victory Yakima Glory

The Victory Yakima Glory was a decent Darker Ale.  It was kinda of a good change to try this dark IPA style beer.  It has a dark amber color and pretty smooth.