Archive for the 'Bavik' category
Bavik Pilsner
First this month from the Beer of the Month Club is the Bavik Pilsner. Now, I gotta tell you, I’m skeptical of any pilsner not from the Czech Republic. I gotta also tell you that I realize how ridiculous this is – it’s like being skeptical of any IPA not from England (you may have noticed that my favorite IPAs are American). So, anyway, it’s something I’m working on – I can’t always be drinking Pilsner Urquell – gotta branch out sometime. Hopefully the Bavik will help.
The pour of this beer is, as expected, a light golden color with no debris whatsoever. The aroma is very malty with just a light bit of hop creeping out. In the mouth, the initial sensation is of a sweet light flavor on the tip of the tongue. This creeps to the middle of the mouth where a rather noticeable hop bite comes into play. The hoppiness increases steadily until the beer gets to the back of the mouth, where it generally hangs out for a while in the aftertaste. This also has a fair amount of the characteristic Pilsner malt to it. It’s overall a very crisp, clean beer, and hits me well on this hot summer’s eve. When compared to the Czech varieties I like, I would say that this is a bit fuller and carries a bit more hop, but it isn’t a terribly rich or full hop – rather, it is present, but light and flitting. And there is still quite a bit of that typical Pilsner flavor to pull us through. So, all things said, it’s a good experience. I like this Belgian pilsner, albeit for slightly different reasons. Overall this is a fabulous beer for a sunny day.
Wittekerke Wheat Beer
Attention all beach goers – I’ve found your new favorite beach beer! First off, we all understand that wheat beers are the quintessential summer beer (okay, well at least I find this to be true). Secondly, you are probably aware that many beaches outlaw glass – this, therefore, outlaws the majority of good beers that come in glass bottles. Finally, we’ve all had that experience where a pesky beer gets too warm to be enjoyable in the sweltering sun (usually just happens with a domestic lager – those things are terrible warm). So, let’s summarize – the perfect beach beer needs to be wheat-based, canned, and in small enough portions to be drunk before warm.
Congratulations! I just found it!
This tasty treat is a delicious Belgian wheat ale that comes kindly packaged in 11.2 ounce cans of cool, tasty goodness. Now, it does also come in bottles – but, if you know where to look, you’ll find these cans, as well. For the sake of this review, I’ve poured this into a glass. However, I can tell you from experience that it also drinks well directly out of the can.
This pours a lovely light golden color that is very cloudy and has a slight but lasting head. The aroma of this is, honestly, nothing to write home about. It’s a little musty, slightly cardboard like, with just a hint of citrus. However, all this aroma nonsense is suprisingly made up for in the taste. This stuff tastes crisp and refreshing and delicious. The initial taste is quite biting on the tongue with a complementary citrus flavor. As this works its way through the mouth, it develops a light sweetness with hints of lemon juice and touch of orange. There also exists a soft malty flavor that evens everything out. Throughout the mouth, the beer maintains a light burn and a mild sourness that makes this very thirst quenching. So, it’s an interesting combination of sweet and sour and fruity and malt, but it all comes across very light and clean and leaves just a slighty residual flavor of citrus. All things said, I’m a huge fan of this beer. It isn’t the best wheat beer I’ve had, but it is very good. Also, as I’ve mentioned, it comes in cans, which I’m very happy about. And, by the way, did I mention that I only paid $5.99 for this 6-pack? I mean, it ain’t as cheap as PBR, but that’s a mighty fine deal for a quality brew.
