Archive for the 'Beer of the Month Club' category
Grieskirchner Weiss
The folks at the Beer of the Month Club have been kind enough to keep us in beer every month here at SevenPack central, despite the fact that we’ve been pretty lousy about reviewing them lately due to business, redundancy, etc. Nevertheless, I feel compelled this month to report on a particular selection they tossed in the mix. It’s somewhat rare for us to get a beer these days that we haven’t addressed previously, due to the distribution channels here in NC. Furthermore, it’s pretty rare for me to run across a Weissbier that I haven’t tried – I’m pretty wild about the genre and try to gobble them up whenever I find new ones. This brew, however, manages to fit both of those categories of unreviewed and never tried, so here we go!
First of all, I should frame this review by saying that it is being written from the balcony here in downtown Durham on a 75 degree evening as the sun sets across the skyline – undeniably a great place and time to enjoy a weissbier, and it will likely skew my review towards the positive.
This brew pours a hazy golden, dulled by beaucoup white yeasty debris agitated to life from the bottom of the bottle. The head is rocky and white, and the beer smells of sweet yeast and grain, aligned with the German varieties (though this actually comes from Austria). In the mouth, I’m actually taken by the lack of sweetness in the beer. Not to say it isn’t yeasty and sweet and refreshing, but it doesn’t jump out with the big banana and esther flavors that so often accompany a weiss. Instead, this is subdued, with a hint of sour citrus and some soft grainy flavors. The mouthfeel is pillowy and coats the tongue, leaving a rather resilient aftertaste. What this amounts to is a rich and balanced beer that is exceedingly refreshing and goes down much faster than you want it to. At 5.1% abv, this probably isn’t meant to be a session beer, but you’ll have a hard time keeping it from becoming one once you start on that six pack. A great brew, indeed, and just what I was looking for on this warm southern night…
Diamond Bear “Presidential” IPA
Last, but not least, we come to the IPA of this month’s Beer of the Month Club shipment. This one pours a rather dark golden color with plenty of dense debris and a thick off-white head that just doesn’t quit and sticks to the sides of the glass all the way down. In the nose, there are mostly hints of grapefruit bite, giving this a rather nice citrus freshness. In the mouth, this is an interesting beer. There is a substantial hop bite on the tip of the tongue, but this quickly merges to a citrus sweetness – again of the grapefruit variety. On through the mouth is where things get funky. I can’t quite explain the taste, but it varies between hints of bitter citrusy hop, butter, and caramel. I know this sounds odd, but it’s really quite pleasing – the flavor at once is sharp and biting while being rich and decadent. These flavors linger around the mouth, eventually finishing with an aftertaste that, I think, is a bitter variety of caramel. Unique, indeed, and perhaps that’s what makes it ‘presidential’, though we’ve seen at the recent beer summit that our president might just have more mundane tastes in beer. At any rate, I’m finding this an enjoyable drink, and the first truly unique IPA I’ve had in a while…
Licher Pilsner
Next up from our Beer of the Month Club stash is a good ol’ summer standby, a pilsner. This one, like many of the German varieties, is named after the town in which it is made, Lich.
This beer pours a lovely crisp golden color with lots of effervescence and a thin white head. The aroma of this is fresh and grainy, as we expect from a good pilsner. There is also a good amount of sugary sweetness on the aroma that we might *not* necessarily expect from a Pilsner. In the mouth, however, this is a pilsner by the books. It is crisp, grainy, and has a rather large malt profile. The hop presence isn’t especially great here, but the addition of the sharp grainy characteristics mostly makes up for any lacking bite. The aftertaste is fresh and straw-flavored, and leaves you anxious for the next drink. At the end of the day, this is a German pilsner. Most of them taste rather similar, and they’re almost all tasty. Slightly different than the eastern European varieties that are a bit sharper and less biscuity, but still very refreshing. I could drink these all summer – highly recommended.
Florida “Hurricane Reef” Pale Ale
2nd up this month from the Beer of the Month Club is another odd brewery. This one is the Florida Beer Company – not that odd, per se, but I’ve never heard of ‘em. Regardless, we got our hands on their pale ale, so we’ll see how they do with it.
This beer pours a medium clear golden color with lots of carbonation and a fairly persistent white head. The aroma is super malty, but with a light malt that is crisp and stark on the nose. In the mouth, this is a pretty typical pale ale. There is some light sweetness on the tip of the tongue, followed by some grainy straw-like flavors through the middle of the mouth, finally ending with a brief biscuity blast at the aftertaste that sticks around for some time. There is a light hop profile here, but the big contributor is the malt, and it evolves considerably through the mouth. In fact, this is a pretty decent pale ale. I could do with a bit more hop for my personal taste, but the fact that the malt is so flexible and takes on so many forms in this beer makes it a rather interesting beer. Definitely worth a try if you find this available…
Alley Kat Amber Ale
It feels like a while since we’ve reviewed any of the beers from our friends at the Beer of the Month Club. We’re a bit tardy this month due to a physical rift at SevenPack Central, but rest assured we’re getting to them. So, first up this month I’m trying the Alley Kat Amber Ale. Let me tell you that, first of all, I don’t like the brewery name – it makes me think of creepy old cat ladies. Second up, they call this the Alley Kat Amber, but it’s apparently a Brown Ale – I also don’t like that bit of misleading marketing. We’ll see about the taste…
This pours like a brown ale – it’s rather clear with a deep brown tint and a thin caramel head. The aroma of this is very nutty and buttery – rich and heavy and full of rich sweetness. In the mouth, this is an explosively flavorful brown ale. There are initially some sweet nutty flavors on the tongue – nothing too heavy. However, around the middle of the mouth, there is a big sweetbread malt flavor that comes into play, followed by some syrupy butter flavors that slide down the tongue with a huge amount of richness that make this downright dessert-like. It is certainly a brown ale, but the richness of the flavors is different than what I’m accustomed to. The mouthfeel is thick, and there is lots of this sweet richness with some hints of anise. All in all, it’s pretty tasty, really, but a little too much for my tastes. But, maybe I just dislike the name of the brewery *that* much…
Flying Dog “Kerberos” Tripel
Oops! We almost forgot about this offering from the Beer of the Month Club this month, simply because we drank them so fast! This is actually a beer we have reviewed previously, and I’ve simply appended that review below. It’s still delicious, and I love a tripel – so these disappeared quickly.
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I love a tripel, and I kinda like Flying Dog. Together, we may perhaps have a tasty brew. This one can be found in 4-packs around the way right now, and it MIGHT be a limited release – not sure. Regardless, I was glad to get my hand on a few of these.
This tripel pours a mildly hazy golden color with quite a lot of dense suspended debris and a light white head that eventually fizzes out to nothing. Throughout it all, though, there is a lot of carbonation here, with steady streams of tiny bubbles rising throughout the life of the beer. The aroma of this beer is very nice with tons of spice, lots of sharp candi sugar, and a ‘pungence’ that slightly burns the nose (in a good way). In the mouth, this is a pretty good tripel. All of the ingredients are here for a good tripel. There is a nice burn on the tip of the tongue, some powerful candi sugar flavors that stick all over the tongue, and a good amount of spice to keep the sweetness from being too cloying. The only downside of this beer is a tangy bitterness that strikes right on the front end of the aftertaste. I can’t really say that this twang ruins the beer – some may even say it adds to complexity – but, for me, it taints an otherwise smooth and simple tripel (which is sorta the way I like ‘em). So, overall, it’s a pretty good tripel. It’s a little more abrasive than I like, and it simply isn’t the best I’ve had. But, in this price range, I can’t say it’s a bad buy.
Herold Bohemian Black Lager
It’s no well-kept secret that I’m generally not a big fan of black lagers. I’m not sure what it is – maybe that they’re so dark yet so thin and wispy in texture. Regardless, I almost never reach for this variety of beer. However, the good folks at the Beer of the Month Club sent us a couple of these this month. It is also no well-kept secret that I don’t believe in wasting beer. So, I’m gonna drink it.
This black lager pours, surprise surprise, a dark black color with just a bit of brown around the edges of the glass. The head here used to be a deep caramel, though it admittedly disappeared rather quickly. In the nose, the aroma is rather sweet and nutty, exhibiting some earthy tones that are really rather pleasant. Then, there’s the taste. Again, I’m initially a bit turned off. Sure, it tastes good – nutty with a lightly cloying sweetness and an earthy bitterness that gives it some character. However, despite these fairly rich flavors, the beer itself flows through the mouth thin and light, heavy on flavor but washing quite clean. Don’t be fooled, though, as the aftertaste sticks around for a mighty long time. All in all, it’s a rich peanutty dark beer that has a great, big flavor. The texture is light and refreshing, and the aftertaste is bodacious. For me, this is a weird combination, and not my favorite, though they all be great attributes when standing on their own. For a fan of the genre, I’ll bet this would be a great beer. So, if that’s you, then seek it out!
Boulder Brewery “Flashback” 30th Anniversary Ale
Some months ago, I spent a couple of weeks in Boulder, CO. It was for work, sure, but I managed to take in a number of good breweries and brewpubs whilst there. Fortunately, during my 2nd week in the area, I realized that Boulder Brewing Company was literally across the street from my hotel. I proceeded to try the vast majority of beers they had on tap in the brewpub. Since then, I’ve enjoyed seeing some of their bottled options find their way onto NC shelves. This limited edition brew, the Flashback, is one of those. However, our friends at the Beer of the Month Club also sent us a couple of these. So, good news for me – that just means I have a 6-pack plus some in the fridge. Let’s see how it tastes…
The Flashback pours a medium brown color that appears filtered and is topped with a sticky caramel head that is quite persistent, floating in big rocky islands around the surface of the beer. The aroma of this brew is both remarkably hoppy and remarkably malty. There is a nice, bitter hop blast initially in the nose, but some super rich malt and caramel flavors leave this smelling quite rich. I’m very impressed with the flavor of this beer. Initially, there is a substantial hop burn on the tongue – much more than I’d expect from such a dark ale. The flavor is fairly floral, not very metallic, and medium on the bitter scale. However, that bitterness is quickly squelched by some great toffee flavors that ride the middle of the tongue – a contribution from a substantial malt profile. This richness coats the mouth all around, giving this a rather decadent mouthfeel. Towards the back of the mouth, though, we get another quick hop blast. This is a rich hoppiness that doesn’t kick out the malt, but rather just lives alongside it, floating up the nose and sticking around for many seconds after the beer is gone. All of this makes the beer fairly complex, in that it has at least 3 flavor profiles through the mouth. For a beer that comes in a six-pack, this is quite rich and decadent, and I’m really digging it. Despite all that, it’s still rather affordable. All in all, a great bargain, and highly recommended. And, oh yeah, if we’ve gotta give this a style, I’d say it falls in the India Brown Ale category…
John’s Grocery “Generations” White Ale
Last, but certainly not least, from Beer of the Month Club this month is the John’s Grocery White Ale, a special ale brewed by Millstream Brewing Company to celebrate some sort of anniversary. This is, by all accounts, the most season-suitable of the beers this month, though I thought this month’s selection was one of the best yet. So, let’s cash ‘em in with this final white ale…
The Generations ale pours a medium golden-whitish color with persistent islands of white head floating along the surface of the beer. The beer smells wispy and sweet, with some sugary tints in the nose that give it a very appealing, almost cotton candy sweetness. In the mouth, this is a spicy white ale. First on the tongue, this beer bites a bit with spicy goodness. However, the smooth wheat backbone quickly catches up, evening out any abrasiveness. On through the mouth, the flavors of coriander and citrus rear their heads, making this a veritable carnival of flavor. All in all, I’d consider this an exceptionally flavorful white ale, and a great drink. I had this after having a strong blonde ale and an IPA, beers that would normally flog the palate. However, it managed to hold its own even after that tastebud barrage. So, I can’t help but recommend this as a tasty option. Normally, these contract brews can come across a little lack-luster, but this is a great exception to the rule!
BrewDog “Rip Tide” Stout
Third up from Beer of the Month Club this week is another brew from BrewDog, the brewery that rocked my socks last night. This one is, in it’s full name, is the BrewDog Rip Tide Twisted Merciless Stout.
It pours a motor oil black with almost no head at all, even following a vigorous pour. In the nose, the aroma is syrupy sweet, displaying hints of maple and horehound. The first thing I notice about this brew is the light mouthfeel. With a ‘twisted merciless stout’, I expect something thick and velvety, but this it positively light with no more viscosity than a run-of-the-mill lager. The flavor here is very earthy and bitter. There is just a bit of sweetness, and it is reminiscent of ginseng and licorice. The predominant flavor, however, is of a rootsy bitterness. It is pungent, a bit abrasive, and unfortunately sticks around well into the aftertaste. In short, I’m not so into this beer. I think there is a niche for this beer, and I think there are people that would love it, but I’m not one of them. When I think of big, ballsy stouts, I think of thick mouthfeels, rich syrupy sweetness, and generally luxurious flavors. Earlier tonight, I tried the Founder’s Canadian Breakfast Stout, and it certainly embodied all of these characteristics. However, the BrewDog Stout reminds me more of a bitter black ale, which isn’t a genre I prefer. So, frankly, I wouldn’t drink this again – quite a downer after my blockbuster experience with the Hardcore IPA last night…
BrewDog Hardcore IPA
Next up this month from the Beer of the Month Club is the Brew Dog IPA. This is a brewery hailing from Scotland, a place that isn’t known for any especially good IPAs (in my opinion), despite having great beers in many other genres. The bottle art on this is great, though, and I like that they call this a “hardcore” IPA, so we’ll see what it has to offer…
This pours a hazy golden color that is just slightly clouded by debris, and topped with a super-thin white head. The aroma here is chock full of hop. The fun thing is that it isn’t the typical hop of an English IPA. Rather, it smells fresh and flowery, just like I like it. In the mouth, the first sensation is of rich, biscuity malt. However, that richness is quickly cut with a sharp hop bite. I actually really love the hop in this beer. This tastes so much like a west coast IPA in the hop respect. However, the richness of the malt and the big mouthfeel addresses a more typical UK style. The end result is a super-rich IPA that still tastes very fresh and even has a bit of citrus sweetness to it. Frankly, this is the best IPA I’ve had outside of US west coast IPAs in a long time. Granted, a lot of this is personal opinion. But, hey, it’s my blog, so I guess I’m entitled to that. I have no idea where you can buy this stuff in the States. However, if anyone knows, tell me so I can pick some up when I’m in the area! Stay tuned for a review of their Imperial Stout – after this brew, I can’t wait to see how they handle another genre…
Joseph James “Tahoe Blue” Nevada Pale Ale
Beer of the Month Club is at it again! This month they sent a lot of beer to be excited about – all good genres and breweries that we’ve never seen before here at SevenPack central. Time permitting, I’ll hope to review all 4 of this month’s offerings over the next few days.
The first this month is a pale ale that isn’t into the whole brevity thing – the Joseph James Brewing Company “Tahoe Blue” Nevada Pale Ale. This ale is brewed out of, you guessed it, Nevada. It pours an exceptionally dark and stormy dark golden that is borderline brown, full of dense debris and stirring up a fairly dense cream-colored head. In the nose, there is a definite sweetness to this that has a yeasty tone to it. It is fairly pungent, shows a decent malt profile, but doesn’t actually demonstrate much hop bite at all, which is a bit odd for a pale ale that looks this ballsy. In the mouth, this beer is musty and malty. The mouthfeel here is thick, owing to the dense appearance of the beer. There is a fairly light malt flavor that coats the tongue and, surprisingly, a good blast of hop that hits around the middle of the tongue and doesn’t stop until well into the aftertaste. The hop isn’t extremely floral, but doesn’t stick to the more metallic english hop flavor, either. Rather, it seems to be a decent hybrid of the two – fresh, but with a musty bitterness that plays well with the big mouthfeel of this beer. Overall, it’s a decent pale ale. Frankly, it doesn’t look that pretty, and I think I liked it a bit more before I ever saw it. But, be that as it is, it’s pretty tasty – an ugly stepchild with a surprisingly good personality, if you will…
St. Druon de Sebourg French Abbey Ale
I just finished writing up a review for this beer, and then decided to look at the Sevenpack site under Duyck. I should have done those two things in reverse order. Anyway, not to let a review go to waste, I posted my thoughts below Ben’s original thoughts from nearly two years ago. In summary, though I experienced some slightly different tastes, I believe Ben’s review is spot on.
Original Post by Ben 6-9-2007:
This, our 3rd instalment from the nice folks at Beer of the Month Club, is another offering from the French brewery, Brasserie de Duyck. As Matt so kindly elucidated yesterday, the French aren’t generally known for their quality beers. However, after living in France for about a year myself, I did find that there were a few gems hidden on the shelves. One of those gems was the Jenlain blonde that Matty review yesterday. Most of the others I have since forgotten the names of, although I remember a stork (or maybe it was a duck) being the mascot for another – if you remember what brewery that is, please let me know. But, back to the point – This particular beer is one that I never found during my time in France and one that, frankly, I’ve never heard of. However, I am a bit intrigued by the idea of a French Abbey Ale. Having tasted many abbey ales from France’s neighbour to the Northeast, I have a certain idea of what to expect. However, my impression of the French version is that, if their work with other styles is to be mimicked, then we can expect something a bit lighter and a bit subtler than what the Belgians have thus far given us.
The pour of this beer is the first indication that it’s very different from a typical Belgian abbey ale. It pours a remarkably clear and light golden color with a nearly non-existent head. The aroma smells grainy with a hint of lemon and a light sourness that is reminiscent of a french farmhouse variety, but lighter. Now, for the tasting. The first sensation this beer presents us with is a touch of citrus on the tip of the tongue. This citrus quickly moves into a flavor that is rife with light malts and a refreshingly sour flavor that is, again, reminiscent of a saison or farmhouse ale. Towards the back of the mouth, I recognize a unique yeast flavor that reminds me of what I expect from a German hefeweizen. To be sure, it’s an interesting amalgamation of flavors in a single beer. It’s quite subtle in its presentation, but it’s as though someone blended a blonde ale and a saison ale, and then fermented with yeast from the last batch of hefeweizen. What it all amounts to is a rather summery beer that is refreshing and thirst quenching, and leaves a solid aftertaste on the palate. In fact, I really enjoy this beer, despite some skepticism I felt from its initial light appearance. Well done, Duyck – I think I’ll have another…
Dave’s Update 6-13-2009:
When most people think about French ‘things’, they think the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, French bread. Not me. I think Téléfrançais. Téléfrançais was a french educational TV show, actually produced in Canada, shown to us back in elementary school to help us learn French. Along with its catchy theme song, it had the memorable (and some what creepy looking) character called Ananas, which was a talking pineapple (ananas is french for pineapple). Every so often I will remark in a grocery store “Un ananas!” to the befuddlement of people around me. Though every so often, I get the response “Où est un ananas?” and we start singing the Téléfrançais theme song together (that has never actually happened). Could this beer by French brewery Jenlain supplant those Téléfrançais memories and reign supreme over a French talking pineapple?
The beer poured a clear golden with a smooth white head into the tulip glass. Yeast and light-grain and hay notes were emanating from the beer. Not overly strong but pleasant and noticeable. In the mouth the beer runs quick and is light in presence. Compared to the beer’s nose, its taste is not what I was expecting. There is a light banana sweetness to start the beer off, with a slight carbonation tingle on the front of the tongue. In the middle the beer shows off a grassy-hay note with hints of grain and even some green grape, for good measure. The finish is strong yeast, mixed with wheat (reminds me of a wit beer) and the occasional kick of coriander.
Quite refreshing, and unique in flavor. Could be a nice change from the wit beer style during the summer months. Does it replace Ananas? Not so much, but I’ll admit that is a nearly impossible endeavor. Its a French talking pineapple!
Santa Fe Brewing “State Pen” Porter
So, I lied. I complained about the Beer of the Month Club earlier, and the fact that they sent dark beers in the middle of summer here in NC. But, then, I opened the porter they sent. I opened it with an air of, “Oh, I guess I’d better get this out of the way.” However, now that I’m drinking it, it’s very very tasty. So tasty, in fact, that I’m about to instantly open another. But, before I do that, here’s a bit about it.
The State Pen pours a very dark brown that seems almost black until you hold it to the light, where it reveals some brown around the edges of the glass. The head is dense and caramel-colored, forming a thin cake over the surface of the beer. The aroma of this is very full of coffee, with some sweet toffee hints that complement it very well. And, onto the taste. This is not an ‘in your face’ porter. Rather, it starts out rather calm and quenching. The mouthfeel is fairly thin, so it tends to skate through the mouth. However, about the time this beer hits the middle of the tongue, a mild malty sweetness begins to rise, coupled with some subtle (but apparent) hints of coffee. This flavor rises and falls as the beer flows towards the back of the mouth, briefly joined by some richer breadier flavor. Finally, the beer goes down the throat and leaves you with little more than some coffee on the tongue, akin to the aftertaste from a rich iced coffee. The beauty of this beer is that it isn’t so strong or overbearing – it’s a light porter, but very flavorful. It is fresh and quenching for the genre, but offers some great darker flavors. So, apologies to BOMC, this is actually a great summer porter – I certainly didn’t expect it.
Lion Imperial Pilsner
Third up this month, the Beer of the Month Club sent us another beer from Lion Brewery that I never knew existed. This one is an imperial pilsner – a beer with a lot of potential!
This pours a fairly clear golden, though it is apparent that there is some very fine debris, giving this a lightly cloudy appearance. There is also a decent head on this beer, flaring up a fluffy white before simmering down to a light coating. The aroma here is very rich and sweet, indicating that a ton of rich malts went into this. If the flavor is half as good as the scent, I’m in for a treat… In the mouth, this is certainly an imperial beer. The initial flavor is heavy on alcohol and very sweet. The sweetness is redolent of sweetbreads, starting rich and cloying on the front of the mouth and becoming richer and thicker as the beer flows down the tongue. Honestly, there isn’t much hop at all in this mixture, with the exception of a light bitterness that springs up right before the aftertaste. However, once that dwindles, we’re stuck with a very sweet aftertaste. The syrupy mouthfeel of this also ensures that the beer sticks around on the palate for ages, making the aftertaste last for quite some time. This is a mighty tasty beer, though the ‘imperial-ness’ of it all loses some of the subtleties of a good pilsner. Nevertheless, it’s enjoyable, and packs a punch at 8.8% abv.
Ed. Note – I can’t find a single picture of this beer label, so enjoy this picture of a kitten looking in the mirror.
