Archive for the 'Stoudt’s' category
Stoudt’s Fest
With Oktoberfest over, let’s get some Oktoberfest reviews posted. Though not in Germany, I was fortunate enough to have a few Oktoberfest beers here in Boston over the festival’s 16 days. The highlight of the beers I had during that time was a gravity poured Schneider Wiesen Edel-Weisse from a faux-wooden barrel (‘faux’ because the barrel’s wooden exterior actually contained a metal keg) into a ceramic mug. Though it was not a traditional Oktoberfest beer, it definitely was a fun little beer experience. Enough rambling, lets start the beer reviews.
I’ll start American with Stoudt’s Fest. The beer, poured into a glass mug, had a large off-white head . The head, which sat atop a clear copper body, was kept alive by steady streams of tiny bubbles found throughout the beer’s body. After a few minutes the head receded to a thin, yet full, covering. The nose seemed pretty straight forward with bread, grains and fading hints of noble hop spice. Much expected, due to the predominant bread and grain aromas, the taste of cereal grains and white bread crust engulfed my mouth. Nothing strong or overpowering in either. The finish had a light bitterness, which gave the beer a slight harshness. Overtime hints of lemon joined this bitterness.
A good beer with nothing major to complain about or to make it stick out for that matter. At 4.5 abv, a good sessionable beer choice.
Stoudt’s “Heifer-in-Wheat” Hefeweizen
We all know I’m a sucker for Stoudt’s lately. So, needless to say, I was excited to see Stoudt’s summer seasonal wheat beer hit shelves. It doesn’t get much better on a summer day than a good ol’ Bavarian hefe. I can’t wait to see what Stoudt’s has done with the genre.
This brew pours a hazy white golden color with substantial residual debris and a dense, pillowy white head. In the nose, there’s a gigantic sweet yeast note along with some light hints of citrus and banana – a huge aroma for a wheat beer, and quite rich. In the mouth, this contains the typical Bavarian hefe flavors in spades. There is an initial yeasty sweetness on the tongue that enriches itself with banana richness and clove spiciness around the center of the mouth, balancing itself with some light lemon sourness. Down the back of the tongue, we catch some richer light malt flavors, ending with an aftertaste that is primarily banana and yeast. All in all, a delicious beer, and richer than many of the genre. In addition, the mouthfeel is silky, the beer coating the tongue and sides of the mouth, leaving you with tons of flavor even after the beer is long gone. This surely isn’t an ‘imperial’ in alcohol content, but I’d be willing to give it that label on flavor alone. This is delicious, refreshing, and as blatantly flavorful as the biggest of this genre.
Stoudt’s Winter Ale
So, here’s another Stoudt’s beer I picked up. You’ve seen a few favorable reviews on here for these guys lately. That’s because they seem to make some pretty good beers. This is probably gonna be another one.
The winter ale pours a very dark brown color, actually looking more like a stout than any winter ale. The head on this is dense and fairly thick, with a deep caramel color. Though the head does dissipate a bit over time, it maintains a rather lush thickness over the surface of the beer. In the nose, I’m getting mostly light caramel and nut aromas – it’s quite rich, with a light sweetness to it, and very delectable. In the mouth, this is big and rich, as expected. The early flavors are of nutty sweetness and toffee, merging into a thicker taste of dark malt, and finally becoming a bit more rootsy and bitter, with some peanut and toffee essences towards the back of the mouth. That peanut-y bitterness tends to predominate around the back of the throat and into the aftertaste, sticking around for ages. Meanwhile, the malt seems to stick around through the mouth, due to the thicker consistency of the brew. Overall, it’s a tasty winter ale. It tends more towards the rich and malty and less to the holiday spiciness, which isn’t bad. Honestly, I usually go for the spicier, but I’m kinda liking this one right now. As the appearance suggests, there are some definite stout characteristics to this, but it comes together a bit lighter and more accessible than a stout, which is a welcome attribute after a season of way-too-many dark beers.
Stoudt’s Triple
Now, don’t get confused. If you’re looking under the “Stoudt’s” category right now, then you’re seeing reviews for both a Stoudt’s Triple and a Stoudt’s Abbey Tripel. Apparently, these are 2 different beers. Furthermore, I reviewed the Abbey Tripel so long ago that I’m practically drinking with 2 different tongues. So, while these reviews won’t give you a legit contrast of those 2 varieties of Stoudt tripel, you can at least rest assured that I’m reviewing 2 different beers for you…
The triple pours a lovely golden hue, lightish in color that attains a light ruby tint towards the center, or ‘heart’, of the beer. The head is very thin and stark white, never becoming too big or hearty. In the nose, the beer has some hints of spice and a bit of citrus, though the primary aromas are of carbonation and a flat grainy scent. I won’t say this is the best-smelling tripel I’ve had, but it isn’t too shabby. In the mouth, I’m finding this beer very pleasurable. The initial sensation is sharp and sweet, offering a light carbonation burn on the tongue. The beer continues to sizzle down the tongue, with an increasing blast of candi sugar sweetness, coupled with some tangy spice and some lemon zest citrus. The mouthfeel of this is a bit syrupy – this is nice in its effect to coat the tongue, but may make it second string once it gets a bit warmer. To be honest with you guys, I’m a sucker for a tripel, and it’s likely my favor variety these days. So, the fact that I haven’t had a tripel in weeks may be contributing to my enjoyment of this. That being said, I think this is phenomenal – it’s not the best tripel I’ve had, but you’ll be hard pressed to find one any better in a small bottle. Thus far, Stoudt’s has provided nothing but exceptional beers to my face, and they’re making me into quite the fan…
Stoudt’s Double IPA
We in NC are just now getting some consistent distribution from the folks at Stoudt’s. This is a welcome addition to the selection on shelves down here, as I’ve heard a ton of good things about the brewer, but I haven’t yet had occasion to taste many of their wares. The only downside I can thus far find is that this stuff is priced a bit exorbitantly at $13.50/6-pack for the larger varieties such as the IIPA. This fact may keep me from buying a ton of Stoudt’s stuff, but it at least won’t stop me from giving it all a try…
The double IPA pours a delicious medium golden color that is super clear and obviously filtered. Initially, there is a slight off-white head to the beer, but this quickly subsides, leaving only a couple of small islands of foam floating on the beer’s surface. In the nose, this beer is both sweet and bitter in heavy doses. The sweetness is rich and dark, bringing to mind hints of molasses and a bit of cane sugar. The bitterness is lightly floral and heavily bitter, but doesn’t come across as overwhelming due to the big balancing power of the sweetness. The mouthfeel of the brew is rich and syrupy and does a good job of coating the mouth and leaving tons of flavor all over the mouth in the aftertaste. I would place the quality of this brew up there alongside the 90-minute IPA from Dogfish Head, although this seems to have a heavier dose of sweetness, a bit less fresh hop, and a bit more richness. Overall, it’s a great beer, and one worth trying out. Again, it’s a high-dollar brew, but the taste represents that price well.
Stoudt’s Weizen
Okay, guys. I’m in Florida right now on business and I picked up a six-pack of this Stoudt’s Weizen because I’ve been craving good Hefeweizens. So, this is going to be a short review, ‘caues I gotsta hit the bed.
So, the Stoudt’s pours a hazy golden color with tons of debris. The aroma is sweet and yeasty with a light hint of citrus. In the mouth, this beer is quite delicious. It has a lot of the traditional flavor of a Bavarian Hefeweizen, including a nice yeast sweetness, the smooth wheat flavor that is characteristic of the style, and just a light citrus hint (that could be increased by tossing a lemon wedge into the beer). Through the mouth, this beer doesn’t change a lot, although it does exhibit a burst of spice at the back of the mouth that only leaves your mouth watering for more. All in all, I’d love to have more of this beer. It’s an excellent interpretation of the Bavarian version of this beer – maybe as good as I’ve had from a US brewer. This will be extremely refreshing on a hot summer day, but I’d be just as happy to taste this any time of year
Stoudt’s Abbey Triple
This abbey tripel is exceptionally cloudy and has a brownish-orange hue. The aroma is typical – spicy and floral and altogether pleasing. The taste of this triple is quite nice, but a bit too tart for my taste. It contains the fruity tones and intense spiciness of a good tripel, but it also has an interesting tartness towards the back of the mouth that takes you by surprise. Not bad, and a taste that many might prefer due to the complexity that it lends to the beer. However, I prefer a more consistent sweetness in my triples, so I wouldn’t rank this terribly high for the variety.
