Beer Score at the New Berkeley Bowl

Wow.  There. Are. So. Many. Cool. Things. Here.

Seriously, the new Berkeley bowl is a great new supermarket.  They have, in my opinion, a better beer selection that Whole Foods, and are a lot less corporate.

They also have Doppio Zero Flour, which is something I have never seen in the US.

I picked up some AWESOME beer today, some of which are very new to me.

Dogfish Brewery 90 Minute IPA 9% ABV - From a brewery in Delaware, this beer is amazing.  I had it for the first time last week and I was blown away.  It has a deep, malty flavor perfectly balanced by the hops.  It carries that 9% alcohol really well, maybe TOO well, but it is definitely an intense experience.  One bottle of this could do many people in.  However, it is an amazing example of a craft beer that just drinks really well.  The 90 minutes refers to the length of time that the hops are boiled with the wort, and they have a 60 and a 120 as well.  Really an amazing beer.

Chatoe Rogue 1st Growth Dirtoir Black Lager 6.3% ABV - This is from Rogue Brewery in Oregon, and contains only hops and barley that they grew on their own property.  It is a smoky, nutty and super smooth lager that I would definitely buy again, but I believe that this may be a limited release.

Mikkeler Jackie Brown 6.0% ABV - A Belgian Brown Ale from a micro-brewery in Belgium.  Haven't tasted it, but according to Beer Advocate reviews it is a typical Belgian brown, but nuttier and drier than most.

Allagash Black 7.5% ABV - From one of my favorite American breweries, this Maine based craft brewer always makes good beer.  This one I have only had once, but from memory it had a nice coffee, toasty nature that make it a nice winter warmer.

HaandBryggerit Norwegian Wood Smoked Ale 7.5% ABV - Never had a beer from Norway, so I picked this one up. Apparently the is the native style of beer in Norway, one that every farm used to be required to make.  Yes, required by law.  I want to move to Norway!!  Since it is a smoked ale, with the malt having been smoked prior to mashing, I am expecting a bacon taste, but we shall see.  It also has juniper added to the boil.

Pinkus Brewery Jubilate Munich Style Dunkel 5.5% ABV - I have had this beer a few times, and it is a great representation of this style, nutty, dark and goes down really easy.  Rarely disappointed by this brewery.