Broadening Our Horizons XXXIV

We're just in from the local beer emporium where we picked up a couple o' sixers to get us through the weekend.  Like this:

What you see is a good ideer from that lil ol' brewery in Shiner, Texas... which is a sixer of six different beers from Spoetzl, two of which... the Kosmos Reserve and the Brewer's Pride... will be new to me once I get around to drinking 'em.  Variety packs from breweries ain't exactly a new thang, but ya usually see 'em in 12-packs, not sixers.  And those 12-packs almost always have two bottles of sumthin' you don't like so I usually give 'em a pass.  But a sixer?  Yeah, I like that ideer... coz if I don't like one of the beers it ain't no biggie.  Are ya listenin', Sammy Adams?

But that said, our broadening exercise today is Alimony Ale, a name which intrigued me seein' as how Mother's Day is fast approaching (you know: pay this mother, pay that mother, yadda, yadda, not the least o' whom is the Mom of the adult boys, who gets a sizable chunk of my USAF retirement every month.  But we digress.).  And it's an IPA, of which there are very few of those I've met that I didn't like.  One of the Bros... Jason, specifically... likes it:

Presentation: 12oz brown. Turn of the century cartoon of a small man, big mouth character holding a sign. On the sign it states, "The Bitterest BREW in America."

Appearance: Very dark with ruby edges and a nice looking thin lace that retains.

Smell: Big and malty with caramel and rum notes.

Taste: Extremely smooth, rich malt sweetness that transforms into a roasted grain dryness becoming almost tart. Hop leaf flavours finish at the end, mixing well with the complexity of malt afters.

Notes: Not the bitterest brew, but, very malty and complex. The malts definitely reign in this brew. Very unique and enjoyable.

He gives the beer a B+ and I'm in agreement.  The beer is plenty bitter enough, though.  And now it's time to take this show out to the verandah where we can actually enjoy Alimony.  And a cigar.