Oakes (33770) reviewed Cherry Quadzilla from Church Brew Works 18 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6
Hazy golden-amber colour. Fruity nose - cherry skins - with light malt and alcohol. Spritzy carbonation fails to sufficiently cut through the syrupy body. Light cherry pie accents. Finishes slightly cloying then with an alcoholic dryness. Not particularly well-structured nor compelling.
cheap (9607) reviewed Schwarzbier from Church Brew Works 18 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 3 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 6.5
Tea froth head. Looks like rootbeer. Very little aroma, weird leathery dark beer flavors appear initially on the palate. Rather unique and interesting to the tongue. Savory to an extent. Mild farmy flavors evolve. Seems to have an oatmeal character about it. Decent carbonation and I like that. Finish is also uniquely leathery and such. No real bitterness an the finish.
cheap (9607) reviewed O'Casey's Irish Stout from Church Brew Works 18 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 4 | Flavor - 4 | Texture - 2 | Overall - 4
Creamy head, almost like chocolate mousse. Very dark, almost black for the most part. Not much aroma, it just comes across clean nosed. On the palate, it’s pretty much flat, like most Irish jig stouts. Very nice lacing on the glass, makes me want to peak behind. Mildly roasty and ropey on the tongue. Above average dry stout. Surprisingly not as bitter as other DS I’ve had. Has a finish like stale bark beer, but in a good way. Can’t get used to beer without carbonation.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 4 | Flavor - 3 | Texture - 2 | Overall - 2
On cask at the CBW. Compared to most barley wines (and the discription here) this stuff is dark. Has a taste that leaves your palate and throat warm. Flat alky laced beer. Fruit soaked in alky flavors. Very rude and over the top, like any good barley wine. Long lasting alky flavors and bitterness on the finish. Not one of my favorite styles, yet on style.
cheap (9607) reviewed Absolution Ale from Church Brew Works 18 years ago
Appearance - 4 | Aroma - 4 | Flavor - 4 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 4
New batch for 2008. Slightly darker than the ubiquitous pale yellow american ale but just as clear. Has a Pittsburgh dirt attitude about it. Hoppy yet not excessive. Ale-ish int the most basic sense. Copper aroma. Oily medium hop medicinal finish.
cheap (9607) reviewed Breakfast Stout from Church Brew Works 18 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 4 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 6
Big and black. Choco mousse head that fades rapidly. Slight coffee aroma. Coffee flavors from the start. Stronger than I like for a breakfast stout but I must say, as far as flavor goes, it is somewhat on par with Founder’s! This is surprising because I think founders is much higher alky content so it goes without saying that this beer comes across stronger than the 5% listed here. Not real bitter but enough to let you know it’s beer. Bitter linger but not over the top.
cheap (9607) reviewed Thunderhop IPA from Church Brew Works 18 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 4 | Flavor - 3 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 2.5
Perfect example of an over the top hopped ale. Darker than most. Rank bitter and excessive hop preservative effects. If you like IPA, DIPA, or IIPA; gotta try this. Not quite as 8% as the listing would indicate. Has a numbing effect on the olfactory and palate. Bitter, chewed on grapefruit rind, excessively long finish. Common for this rude style.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 4 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 3.5
Had the pleasure of sampling this at the 1/27/2008 Pittsburgh ratebeer.com gathering and festival upstairs, Sharp Edge Creekhouse. It will be a long time, if ever I am invited again and I see a spread of bottles like I did there - ever again. I am not good enough for the beers that were that we sampled! For example, how about this beer; 120 smoked schilling from zebracakes, you are the woman! Good refreshing typical Church Brew aroma. Hazy orangish brown color. More brown that orange I think. Barely any carbonation, but it is there. Strongish smoked flavors that are not over the top, but could use some manners. Woody rasty wood and smoke attributes. Overall, perhaps more than my lager loven taste buds care for, but I was really glad to have had a chance to taste this rare local beer. Thanks Joyce!
cheap (9607) reviewed Cherry Quadzilla from Church Brew Works 18 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 4 | Flavor - 3 | Texture - 2 | Overall - 3
Had the pleasure of sampling this at the 1/27/2008 Pittsburgh ratebeer.com gathering upstairs, Sharp Edge Creekhouse. It will be a long time, if ever, I see a spread of bottles like I did there - ever again. I am not good enough for the beers that were that we sampled! For example, how about this beer; Church Brew Works Cherry Quadzilla. Very little cherry aroma, but it is there. Pinkish ale light brown in appearance. Barely any carbonation, as with most high alky brews. Way too strong for my lager loving taste buds. Strong enough that I cannot really appreciate the cherry. Not as enjoyable as St. Bernardus Abt 12 or Omegang 3-p’s. But a little more on par with Avery The Reverend or Weyer’s Quad.
cheap (9607) reviewed Dortmunder Export from Church Brew Works 18 years ago
Appearance - 4 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 4 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 5
Barely any aroma but if you try hard I think I smell a little bit of candy sweetness in there. Clear and just slightly more gold than the ubiquitous pale yellow american beer, leaning on the orange side. It has a tea froth head. Barely any carbonation but it has just enough tingle to let you know it’s not flat. At first palate commencement there is a cotton candy sweetness about it. But that evolves into a slightly more bitter taste bud impact. Each sip is a metamorphis from friendly to medium bitter. Finish leaves a medium hop bitter linger that hangs for a while almost like a pale ale. Overall, not bad for a lager. Has enough personality to let you know you are drinking beer, but not over the top bitterness.