Bell’s Holspam, in the firkin, was exciting tonight at The Nook. Tina Anderson, from Bell’s Brewery, was in the house, too. Thanks for the shirt Tina.

The taste was very different from the bottled version. I would primarily say that the difference was in carbonation, which was much lower in the firkin. The lower carbonation highlighted the sweeter characteristics of the beer.

The hop profile in the firkin was very nice. I didn’t detect any differences between the firkin and bottled varieties, but I wouldn’t expect to have a difference.

I am looking forward to the keg tapping. I expect the keg to have a higher carbonation and be more similar to the bottles.

Bell’s Hopslam Ale is back for 2011.

The beer pours up with a very nice deep golden color. The head fades quickly to traces around the edge of the glass.

The aroma slaps you in the face with citrus and pine characteristics.

The flavor is full of citrus bitters with a very mellow hint in the background of malts.

You can without a doubt see why fans of this beer make plans every year for the release of it.

I am looking forward to tasting the draft and cask conditioned versions in the coming days.

Fuller’s ESB is a very nice special bitters beer.

The beer pours up with minimal head and the color is a golden burnt orange.

The aroma is malty with a little fruitiness and the ever present hops.

The flavor starts right away with the bitters on the tongue. The bitters are blended with the malty tastes throughout the flavor all the way to the finish.

Fuller’s ESB is a very good session beer on the bitter side of things.

Heavy Seas Loose Cannon has a fruity aroma that is all over the place. I can detect apricot and citrus in the aroma.

The color is a golden shade with a touch of red.

The flavors is a little sweet with hops walking all over your tongue. It has a pineapple taste that fills the mouth. The hops are very mellow for how much they fill the flavor especially given the label having “Hops3 IPA” on it.

I actually enjoy the beer, but many people will not be happy with the mellowness of the hops.

You need to watch this beer given it has a 7.25% ABV.

St-Ambroise Oatmeal Stout pours with little to no head. The colors are dark with a hint of red in the edge of the glass.

The aroma has a smoky malt to it.

The flavors are dry and mixed with coffee and chocolate malts.

I would recommend this beer for anyone look for a good stout.

Bar Harbor’s Cadillac Mountain Stout has a nice black color that shows no sign of letting light through the beer.

The aroma is filled with chocolate tones.

The head is minimal, but it is just right for this stout.

The flavors starts with a chocolate malt and rolls off the tongue with a crisp finish.

The body is very thin, which goes very well with this beer.

The ABV of 6.7 is nice. It could almost be a session beer.

Sinebrychoff’s Porter has a deep black color with a little foam.

There is a mocha aroma, which continues into the taste. It starts with chocolate flavors and finishes with bitters.

The body is middle of the road with a little bias towards heavy.

Fuller’s London Pride is a pale ale that is very crisp from the start through the finish.

The aroma is minimal, but what it has is bias to a hop aroma.

The flavors start with mild tartness coupled with malt on the front of the tongue. These flavors quickly fade and turn to hops. The hops flavors fill the back of the mouth adding to the aromas from earlier.

The color is around 15 on the SRM scale. I would call it a dark golden wheat.

This is a wonderful session beer with an ABV of 4.7%. Generally, I always have this beer in my refrigerator. Also, it is rated second highest with style.

O’Dempsey’s Inukshuk IPA is a very good IPA.

It has a very full hop flavor throughout the taste. The malt backbone is very hidden, but the hops are very well balanced.

My nose is off today, but in the past, the aroma is normally wonderful. There is a very nice citrus.

The beer is actually a very inexpensive beer for having an ABV of 7%. I got mine for $4 at a bar.

Great Divide Brewing’s Samurai is rice ale, as they call it, that is unfiltered.

The aroma is of a mild hop. The color is a very golden shade of yellow and I would put it at somewhere around 5 to 6 on the SRM scale.

The flavor has a mild sweetness throughout, which is complimented by a crispness that is from start to finish.

This is a very enjoyable beer. It would make a wonderful session beer or summer drink for those hot days. (Today, it is 64°F here.)