After Josh revived us last week, I'm a few days late on the beer of the week, but it still counts. 2 weeks in a row for us now, 1 more and I'd have to call that a streak. Almost like we're actually going to keep it up. On to the beer:

Description: Grimm describes this as a "dessert Berliner", so you (like me) might have no idea what to expect here. Dessert and sour don't necessarily make sense together, but this beer really works. It's definitely sweet first, with a creamy body, like an oatmeal stout almost, and it finishes with a hint of sour. It's nothing like anything you've ever had before (if it is, let me know because I want to find it).

What you should know: I let a bunch of people try this one, and it was universally loved despite a wide range of beer preferences in the group. Grimm describes this as having a "cream soda finish", and I have to agree with that. 

Cons: There's a lot going on, so you probably can only have 1-2 of these. It's also fairly low alcohol. That's an unfortunate combination.

Recommendations: Just try it. It's a Brooklyn-based brewery, and they have a beer finder on their website.

In honor of resurrecting the beer of the week, I would like to take a moment to thank my co-founder, Peter.

During my recent sabbatical, Peter has managed to double our reviews (closing in on 1500).  If you scroll down, you'll notice the date that we hit 750. Do some 2nd grade math and you'll figure out that Peter drinks frequently. His commitment to review every beer in his grasp with no regard for his liver function is admirable. 

Thank you Peter.

Now to the beer.

Description: In honor of my recent move to Ithaca, I'll start us off with a local favorite and a beer on tap at my apartment. CascaZilla is a year round offering and you can taste why. The black malt takes the bitter edge off of the dry hops and makes for easy drinking. Served cold and fresh out of the kegorator and it's easy to find yourself 3+ beers deep in the blink of an eye. At 7%, that could be good or bad, depends on what kind of night you're looking to have. Since I'm studying accounting, it's fantastic.

What you should know: If you have ever been to Ithaca, you would know that it is Gorges. By that I mean, there are gorges everywhere . One of the gorges, which also happens to be a few blocks from my apartment, is called Cascadilla. Since the beer also has cascade hops, I guess the name was preordained. What the clever folks over at Ithaca Beer Co. failed to take into account was that a completely irrelevant beer blogger cannot pronounce Cascadilla, so he calls it Quesadilla. Ipso facto, I hereby motion to change the name to QuesaZilla. 

Cons: I don't really love black malt, but I guess that's a Josh problem. 

Recommendations: If you like ambers or brown ales and IPAs, this is a beer I definitely recommend. If not, there are a lot IPAs I'd go for before this guy. Sorry Ithaca Beer Co., I still love you guys.
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Description: This is an imperial stout. It's thick, and very strong, but you won't notice that part. The dominant flavors are coffee and chocolate, but there are also hints of caramel, creaminess, smokiness, and even a little bitterness to balance it out.

What you should know: My palate isn't refined enough to do this beer justice. A ton of complex flavors in there.

Cons: It's hard to find, and at 12% ABV, you can't drink too many of these and remember it. That's a shame, because you'll want to keep drinking them.

Recommendations: Find this, make sure you don't need to drive anywhere, and start drinking.

I bought this recently because this is the first time I've ever seen a 6-pack with 6 different beers in it. It started out pretty good with the Black Lager, and the Bock is obviously pretty good, but the other 4 were disappointing. Good work making a 6-pack with 6 different beers, but I wouldn't recommend this one. Maybe next year's version will be better.

I thought this was really cool, but I am a simple man. Bonus points for being the first can variety pack I've ever seen. I had a variety of opinions on the beers, mostly good, but hey, I drank them all in one day, so that is something.

This is just an outstanding label, and looks even cooler on the can. My personal favorite is the guy who I assume is the captain, with that giant gut hanging over and the sweater on top, just awesome.

Description: This was a fairly heavy beer, but it won't stop you from eating dinner. It has some great chocolate flavor, but you still get a hint of an IPA in there without it being very bitter. 

What you should know: I drank this at a beer festival, and it was the best one I had. It sparked a debate between beersuds contributors as to whether this was better, or Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout. A consensus was not reached. That is a very good sign for any beer. 

Cons: This is a super-limited beer. It is only available on tap, so it doesn't have a label, and I couldn't even find a reliable picture of it (even on Lagunitas' website). It's not like I'm snapping pictures at the beer festival of the piece of paper that says what it is.

Recommendations: If you're lucky enough find a bar that serves it, drink one. Just one, because it's 10.19%. Okay, maybe 2.

The NFL Playoffs are on, and I've got a 12 pack of various Harpoon IPA's. Things could get interesting. Here.

The beer is not that great, but if you need help putting it down just stare at the lobster that looks way too much like Mr. Krabs. Before you know it, the beer will be gone. My only question: can the lobster actually use the pitchfork, or will the claws break it in half?