In the aftermath of Belgian Beer Fest, this week I decided to enjoy various American brews that derive from the British tradition of brewing. The beers I had were not clear-cut British ales but instead put a twist on traditions of India Pale Ale, stout and porter. British brews rely less on yeast and more on malt and hops to define their styles. American breweries have taken on these s customs and expanded the hops and the alcohol to make these beers much more interesting.First was Oskar Blues' Gubna. This was an imperial IPA that came all the way from Colorado. Oskar Blues is notable for being one of the few craft breweries that sells its drinks in a can. I poured this beer into a snifter from the can, and it unleashed an amber-hued body with a medium head. Upon sniffing, I was overwhelmed by a bomb of herbal hops that produced a slight buzz to the nose, a tribute to the high 9.5-percent alcohol by volume. The taste had a surprisingly prevalent syrupy sweet maltiness that finished with the massive amount of hops I got in the nose. All the while, there was this strong taste of alcohol in the background that made it a bit challenging to get more than a tiny sip. The feel was heavy but creamy. This was a tasty brew, but I could never have more than one in a sitting-it was very strong and sugary. I give Gubna an 8.5 out of 10.

Next was Oskar Blues' Ten Fiddy, an imperial stout named for its 10.50 percent alcohol. This beer poured out of the can pitch black with a dark-brown head. I don't think I've ever seen a beer this dark-most stouts have a bit of a red tint. This beer was just black. Upon sniffing, I got notes of chocolate, coffee and maybe a bit of alcohol. This beer tasted amazing; I got an explosion of sweet but roasted chocolate finishing with coffee. Most amazing was the fact that it had such high alcohol content, as the burn from the booze wasn't even detectable. I have never had a beer that strong that was also balanced to the point that it hid the alcohol. The mouthfeel was pretty heavy but not in an overpowering sense. The flavors in the beer made this insanely drinkable. I could have easily kept drinking this all night, which, given its alcohol content, is probably not a good thing. It tasted like drinking chocolate syrup without the risk of getting diabetes. I give Ten Fiddy a 9.5 out of 10.

Finally I had Pretty Things' November 15th, 1901 London, England KK. This beer was created by Massachusetts' own Pretty Things Beer and Ale Project, an up-and-coming business that is getting a lot of attention for its quality. This brew is a re-creation of English hoppy dark beer using a recipe created at the beginning of the 20th century. The beer poured out a dark brownish-black color with a dirty white head. The smell was of bitter hops and roasted barley; I would hesitate to say there was coffee or chocolate, as this beer was a lot less darkened than most porters or stouts. The taste started off with a wonderful blend of sweet maltiness, toastiness and herbal yet bitter hops. This was all very good, but sadly, a few moments after drinking, there came this cloying, astringent bitterness. It had a very off quality to it, and it took a while to dissipate, making drinking the beer very unpleasant. I appreciate what Pretty Things was going for here, as I understand they followed the recipe exactly as it was written a century ago, but the quality is just not passable. I give this beer a 6 out of 10.

That's it for this week. Stay tuned for my final article of the semester in 2 weeks, on Dogfish Head and Brewmasters, the Discovery Channel documentary about the brewery.