Beer Tasting and Board Games

Some friends and I had quite an extensive beer tasting last night with some board games toward the end. Here's what we tasted:

1) Dogfish Head Craft Brewery Namaste - not the first time I've had this tasty witbier, super balanced and subtle spices make this an excellent brew for all seasons. 4.8% ABV. More here.
2) Black Isle Brewery Organic Oatmeal Stout - Straight from Scotland, this is filled with cocoa notes, bitter roastiness and earthy dark molasses, medium bodied, it has a milky sweetness and malts of oats and cereal with good legs. 7% ABV. More here (this beer is not listed but you can check out their brewery site).
3) Cider Creek Hard Cider Saison Reserve - From NY, sweet but semi-dry with apple peel, pear, applesauce, cinnamon and champagny yeast notes, med body and very drinkable, the alcohol is not apparent at all. 6.9% ABV. More here.
4) Abita Brewing Company & Birrifico Del Ducato Two Boots (Saison/Farmhouse Ale) - a collaboration between Abita and Birrifico Del Ducato from Italy, it has an anise/root beer nose, with clove, over ripe banana, black pepper notes, tart, oily, dry, touch hazy straw colored, almost salty, has a nice white head with a full mouthfeel, overall an interested brew.6.2% ABV. More here.
5) Brouwerij Huyghe Delerium Tremens - a Belgian Strong Light Ale or Belgian Golden/Blonde Ale, probably the former because of the ABV, it has bubble gum, mushy banana, pudding, salt, nose of armpit sweat if you wiff it right, a medium full body with an excellent white head, complex and tastes like a tripel but is slightly tart. 8.5% ABV. More here.
6) Guinness Blonde American Lager - had a brief taste of this before so it was interesting to get a better draught, it has an astringent bitterness, tropical hop nose from the mosaic, earthy, grainy and corn with a golden color. 5% ABV. More here.
7) Troegs Brewing Company DreamWeaver Wheat - nose is really nice, bubble gummy, peppery, tad clove that's quite burnt, sweet banana, red fruit of some sort, it tastes tart and grainy wheat, a tad bitter, pours golden. Says it's unfiltered but it's fairly clear. 4.8% ABV. More here.
8) Breckenridge Brewery Oatmeal Stout - lots of coffee and roastiness, dark and bitter, very dark cocoa notes hidden away with oats underlying. 4.95% ABV. More here.
9) Anderson Valley Brewing Company Brother David's Triple Abby Style Ale - dry, musty, citrus of peach or apricot, earthy hops, white wine, honey, slightly tart/saltiness, pours crystal clear golden/yellow with decent slow dripping legs. 10% ABV. More here.

Board Games:
My friend Sean and I played two games, first Railroad Tycoon (I have the original, not Railways of the World) and Takenoko. Railroad Tycoon started out with me on the east coast and Sean gathering track around Chicago. I managed to grab the early lead and an 8 point gain from laying track from Richmond to Atlanta helped. I decided to go for the long run from New York to Kansas City to get 20 points but just missed it by running out of turns. Sean quickly closed the gap toward the end of the game and it looked like he was going to take honors because of his railroad baron secret objective card (plus I didn't achieve mine) but I managed to eek out a victory by a 4 point margin.
Next, Takenoko, Sean started out grabbing points from objective cards pretty easily. I managed to sort of keep up because I hit some big numbered cards and even came close to getting my ninth objective card and winning the Emperor 2 point bonus but Sean ended the game. My last turn I needed a good weather die roll and got it and ended up getting a 7 point gain on my last turn with the only card I had in hand I could possibly achieve and that was enough to win me the game by 3 points again!

Overall my favorite beer of the night was: Cider Creek Hard CIder Saison Reserve, super drinkable I would quaff that one again anytime.