Night Tripper Imperial Stout

This one is from the New Holland Brewing Company from Holland, Michigan. You know, that annoying place your parents take you when you're 12? The place with the windmills that haven't been painted in 24 years? The place that has wasp nests in the holes of its mini golf courses? You know the place. Well here's a beer from the town you hope never to return, until you have 12 year olds of your own.
On to the beer. Night Tripper is brewed for Fat Tuesday and is darker than your blackout on last year's Ash Wednesday Eve. I put it up to a lamp and the light rays couldn't penetrate the beer. It also smells like teriyaki sauce. At first, it taste a little burnt and maybe even cigarette-like but it leaves a nice aftertaste, like that of coffee. I enjoy this beer, but I can't say that I love it.

Taste: 3.0
Head: 2.0
Refreshment: 2.0
Status: 4.0
Price: $$$
Total Score: 3.0

Samichlaus Bier

Samichlaus is an Austrian beer that is only brewed one day out of the year; St. Nicholas Day. It is then fermented in a barrel for 10 months. It's also the most expensive beer on the menu at Palmer Place in LaGrange. Sounds like the making of the world's best beer. Nope. I've never had a beer that I've liked less than this one. It has a very high alcohol content for beer and certainly tastes like it, although mint is the predominant flavor. I would not recommend this beer to anyone, especially for its price. Ignore the slogan "The World's Most Extraordinary Beer" because this one isn't worth your time.

Taste: 1.0
Head: 2.0
Refreshment: 2.0
Status: 5
Price: $$$$
Total Score: 1.5

Tucher Bajuvator Dopplebock

This was an unexpected purchase for me. I ordered it because I liked the name, but it actually turned out to be a great beer. It's a dark reddish-brown beer from Germany. It is malty and slightly bitter (you can taste the alcohol a bit in this one). It has a thick head that quickly disappears. It comes in a cool pint sized bottle plus, you sound like a connoisseur when ordering it. This one was a little pricey, but very much worth it. It lasted me through my whole dinner.

Taste: 4.0
Head: 3.0
Refreshment: 3.5
Status: 4.5
Price: $$$
Total Score: 4.0

Beamish Irish Stout

I'd like to start this blog with my new favorite beer. Beamish has replaced Guinness, which held the position for a long time. This is a stout from Ireland (obviously, it's in the name) with hints of coffee and chocolate. It has an extremely thick head and comes in a badass can (nitro-widget included). It also has a very pleasant aftertaste. I HIGHLY recommend this to coffee lovers, Guinness drinkers, and those who want an affordable beer that will last them a while. Plus, this beer is DARK!

Taste: 4.5
Head: 5.0
Refreshment: 2.0
Status: 3.5
Price: $$
Total Score: 4.5

The Rating System

I'm not entirely sure how this rating system will work out, but I would like rate the following:
Taste, Head, Refreshment, Status (how cool is it to order this beer), Price, and then give a Total Score. I'm going to weigh Taste and Status the most and scores will be out of 5 (except Price, which will have $'s, ranging from $ to $$$$).

Welcome to the Alco-log

As you may or may not have guessed, Alco-log refers to Alcohol Blog. In this blog, I will review new drinks as I try them. I will mostly stick to beer (because that's what I prefer) but I will include any other drink that particularly strikes me. I will do my best to include a picture, the place where I got the drink, and the price (if I can remember it), and a multifaceted review. I will also try to abstain from writing about some of the more common drinks (e.g. Miller Lite). I hope that by writing this blog, I can introduce you to new drinks and share my penchant for good beer.

Allow me introduce myself, as well. My name is Marc and I'm a 21 year old Senior at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. I love music, movies, coffee, and good beer. Although, I mainly drink Keystone Light for financial reasons, I enjoy sampling the beer list when I go to restaurants. I realize that I'm by no means a beer expert and that I've only (legally) been able to drink for about 2 months, but I feel that I have an agreeable opinion when it comes to beer preference. If you're curious, try out my recommendations and hopefully you can trust my opinion when it comes to ordering new drinks.

Thank you and I hope to see you again,
Marc