They have two potential six beer samplers - the Light Flight and the Night Flight:
Light Flight
1) Ulao Wit
2) Flaming Damsel
3) Downtown Lites
4) Solomon Juneau
5) Pullchain Pail Ale
6) Dunkel-Weizen
Night Flight
1) Downtown Lites
2) Flaming Damsel
3) Pullchain Pail Ale
4) Louie's Demise
5) Blockhead Brown
6) Sheepshead Stout
They also allow you to add a seventh sample for an extra dollar from any of their draft beers. This was nor the extent of their beers available, but I had come with the intention of sampling. I chose the night flight (promising myself to return for the Light Flight) and after it arrived, I decided to add a Pressing 78 Porter. Amanda ordered their Bloody Mary and received a chaser of the Solomon Juneau. The menu had a 1-4 hopiness scale (1 - Hint O' Hop, 4 - Lots O' Hop). And they gave the following descriptions:
Louie's Demise 4.8%
Medium bodied amber ale with hints of caramel and roasted malt.
Hop scale: 3
Pullchain Pail Ale 5.0%
Smooth, hoppy ale with citrus spice notes. 43 BUs.
Hop scale: 4
Flaming Damsel 4.8%
A copper hued Vienna Style lager with a rich malt flavor.
Hop scale: 2
Solomon Juneau Ale 5.0%
A crisp hoppy golden ale with a fresh citrus aroma.
Hop scale: 3
Downtown Lites 4.5%
Refreshingly balanced honey ale.
Hop scale: 1
Sheepshead Stout 6.0%
Classic Oatmeal stout, teaming wit rich coffee and chocolate flavors. Nitrogen tapped.
Hop scale: 2
Pressing 78 Porter 5.6%
A rich mahogany ale with warm malt flavors and hints of raisins.
Hop scale: 3
Blockhead Brown Ale 5.3%
A light bodied aenglish pub brown ale with milk chocolate, caramel and his hit flavors
Hop scale: 2
My preferences were as follows (#1 being my favorite):
#1 - Pressing 78 Porter
#2 - Sheepshead Stout
#3 - Pullchain Pail Ale
#4 - Blockhead Brown
#5 - Flaming Damsel
#6 - Solomon Juneau Ale
#7 - Downtown Lites
#8 - Louie's Demise
Now don't misunderstand - just because their flagship brew (Louie's Demise) is at the bottom of my list, I am not saying I don't like it. I am quite happy to say that I liked every beer I tried and am comfortable calling each of them a good beer.
I also tried to rate each beer independently on a scale of one to ten. One being unimpressive and ten being Great.
Downtown Lites: 8
Flaming Damsel: 5-6
Pullchain Pale Ale: 4
Louie's Demise: 6
Blockhead Brown: 7
Sheepshead Stout: 5
Pressing 78 Porter: 7-8
Solomon Juneau Ale: 6
Now don't get confused by my choosing the Sheepshead Stout as my second favorite, but only rating it as a 5 out of ten.
With my favorites list I asked myself, "Of these beers in front of me, which is most likely to get ordered and drunk in multiples during one visit (or sitting if I get a six pack)?"
With the rating, I asked myself, "When I am in the mood to drink this style of beer, how likely am I to choose it over another brewer's?"
To continue using the Sheepshead Stout as an example, I would gladly grab a seat at the bar and drink 2-3 pints of it. But if I were to pick up a Stout from the store, I may be more likely to get a Guiness, Beamish, or Murphy's.
Hmm. Now I want to do a side-by-side stout tasting to see if it's true.
