Archive for June, 2006
Cottonwood American Wheat
Today I moved into Sevenpack headquarters and thought it necessary to stockpile my beverage collection. This was one of the more commonly found brews I picked up. It pours a golden, unfiltered, yellow and the smell resembles apple juice. It tastes a bit like the aroma but I also sense a hint of orange. Although this beer has an apparent “flavor” it lacks bite and quite frankly tastes watered-down. Any sensation this beer make evoke disappears before it reaches the back of the mouth. It isn’t terrible and I will finish the six-pack but I’ll reach for another brand next time I want a wheat-style beer.
Allagash Victoria Ale
This ale piqued the interest because it is apparently an “Ale brewed with grapes”. This strikes me as a little peculiar. I mean, we have wine. Then we have beer. Never the twain shall meet. But, here they are and, surprisingly, they play pretty well together. This beer pours a fairly light cloudy golden. The aroma gives you a slight citrus, almost like a wheat beer, along with a substantial touch of grape. In the mouth, the beer is hoppy and sweet, and the grape flavor doesn’t hit the mouth until right at the back, and then it sticks with you a bit in the aftertaste. I was worried that, upon opening this beer, I would pour out a purplish liquid reeking of grape kool-aid flavoring. On the contrary, I found a tasty beer with subtle hints of fruit sweetness that is quite pleasant. While this is still a novelty, it’s a novelty that could easily grow on a fella.
He’Brew “Bittersweet Lenny’s R.I.P.A.” Double IPA
This is the first brew I’ve tasted from the folks at He’Brew. Personally, I think the folks at He’Brew have a bad marketing gimmick. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for tributes to the Jewish peoples. But, it just comes across as a bad gimmick and it takes away from the beer. And, let me tell you, the beer is GOOD. This double IPA ranks right up there with the best I’ve had. It is made with Rye, which is an interesting twist. I’ve had some Rye beers from the folks at Terrapin, but I would dare say that this take is a better version than any I’ve yet had. The pour is absolutely beautiful – a deep ruby red with little head. The aroma is extremely hoppy, as one would expect. I believe a ton of malt is also used in this beer, judging from the heavy sweetness in the aroma. The taste is where things really shine, though. The initial taste is very hoppy, but there is no substantial burn. Rather, the malt comes in quickly to mediate the situation. However, there remains a strong bitter flavor and a smooth trip through the mouth. The addition of the Rye adds an interesting twang that sets this apart from traditional IIPAs. Overall, this is a real party in the mouth. And, at $4.99 for a big ol’ bottle, this is one that I bet I’ll re-visit again and again. Hell, I might go ahead and buy me a case or two to plan for Y3K.
Abita Strawberry Harvest Lager
To put it bluntly – the best part of this beer is the aroma. This lager is brewed with a heavy addition of Louisiana strawberries that add a tremendous amount to the great aroma of this beer, but a bit less to the eventual taste. This beer pours a traditional lager hue of light gold. As I said, the aroma is fantastic – very heavy with strawberries – so much so that you can’t really smell any beer characterstics whatsoever. The berry aroma is so strong that it literally hits you from the moment you pour the beer. The taste, while good, is more of a novelty. As is expected, there is a strong strawberry flavor to the beer – again, so much so that it ceases to taste like a beer. It seems that the cost of this berry flavor is the texture of the beer. While it starts off rather crisp, this beer settles to the back of the mouth with a slightly syrupy feel. This is, initially, not a bad thing. However, the intense sweetness eventually tends to wear on a brotha’ and I got tired of the sweetness. Furthermore, I notice that, as the beer warms, the pleasure of the flavor wanes heavily. You know how cold strawberries taste so much better than hot ones? Well, this beer is the same way. I WILL recommend this beer for those who are big fans of the strawberry flavor. However, I will also recommend that you enjoy it as a novelty and not a session beer, and I will recommend that you drink it while it’s cold.
Saranac Golden Pilsner
This is a light golden ale that was designed to delight the palate while lounging in the sun or working on any variety of household tasks. The flavor is tough to decipher but I detect a slight lemon peel taste on the top of the mouth. It also leaves a bitter taste as the “carbonation burn” travels to the stomach. It is a huge step up from the domestics I am accustomed to and a brew that I enjoy very much. If you are looking to upgrade from your usual grocery store brand I say give this beer a try.
Saranac Summer Ale
This is by far the best summer ale I have had thus far. The refreshing lemon flavors are quite apparent and fantastic, AND the usual watered-down taste is replaced with a slight hoppy & spiciness that gives this beer some character. These tastes don’t disappear as much as most in this category and for that I am grateful. This was yet another pleasant surprise included in the 12-pack and I can now say with the utmost confidence that this amalgum of brews is an affordable and absolute must purchase for anyone that enjoys the taste of alcoholic beverages.
Saranac Mountain Ale
This another of the brews found in the 12-pack fof Summer Ales…This is a fruit flavored beer but not a lambic style. It pours a deep golden color, much like a pale ale, and in my opinion tastes wonderful. If you like the SweetWater Blue you will almost certainly like this brew. The flavor of blueberry sits on top of the tongue while rasberry and a slight metallic aftertaste cling to the back of the throat. I think it’s very easy to drink, with moderate carbonation, and at 5.0% abv one could eventually get hammered if he/she didn’t pace him/herself. I really enjoy this style of beer and thus will highly recommend it; however, if you don’t like fruit-flavored beers I dare say you will be disappointed.
Dogfish Head “Golden Shower” Imperial Pilsner
Dogfish Head is, without a doubt, my favorite American brewery. They never disappoint with the beers they attempt, especially those that boast prodigious hop content. The Golden Shower is no exception. This is a limited release offering that I happened to pick up in Richmond, VA several weeks ago. When I purchased the beer, I was told that it was a bit young and could use some age. Well, I waited as long as I could stand and popped it open tonight. The pour is a slightly dark gold with a quickly disappearing white head. The aroma is primarily hoppy with maybe a tad of malt to it. The taste is also quite hoppy – so hoppy, in fact, that there is noticeable hop burn through the mouth mingled with a a pronounced sweetness. The sweetness is a bit much and lingers a bit longer than I would like, which is probably a function of the youth of the brew. With a few more months of age under its belt, I feel sure that it would mellow out to a better melange. Regardless, this is a great imperial pilsner with lots of the characteristic pilsner hops, a good amount of sweetness, and just enough of a malt base to settle the hops down. I would highly recommend this, if you can track one down.
Saranac Kolsch Ale
I am a big fan of this brewery and am rather pleased with this beer. It came as part of the Saranac 12-pack of Summer Ales that I happened upon while scouring the Harris Teeter beer aisle. The brewers categorize the Kolsch as a blonde ale that was created in honor of the beers created in Cologne, Germany for the past 1,000 years. It pours a pale, golden color with excessive effervescence. It doesn’t taste like most of the blondes I have had, rather, it reminds me of a pilsner with a touch of extra maltiness to create a sense of complexity. That doesn’t mean I don’t like it, actually I have enjoyed it quite a bit and wouldn’t mind drinking a sixer or 12-pack whilst cooking on the grill.
Arcobrau Dark Lager
This is a Germany dunkle-style lager and while it certainly isn’t the best I’ve had by any stretch of the imagination, it wasn’t the worst. It has a nice deep purple hue with little head and smells of berries. It has a slight metallic aftertaste and is light and refreshing with very little carbonation. For those who care, abv = 4.7%. All in all not bad but nothing to write home about.
Rogue “Dad’s Little Helper” Malt Liquor
This special Father’s Day offering from the Rogue Brewery is living proof that if you take even something as bad as a malt liquor and put it in able hands of one of America’s premium breweries. . . you still have malt liquor. This stuff smells, pours, and tastes like just about every other malt liquor on the shelf. The only truly redeeming quality of this beer is the fun bottle and the title “Dad’s Little Helper”. However, there is equally fun packaging on time-tested products such as Old English 8-ball, Schlitz, and especially King Cobra – all similarly flavored malt liquors. I would suggest buying this if you have the tastes of the homeless schizophrenic on the corner, but yet you need to put on the aire of a more refined palate for a special occasion. This would fit the bill nicely. However, keep in mind that for the same price you pay for this 22 oz. bottle, you could also have 160 oz. of King Cobra. Food for thought.
Gose Original Leipziger Bier – Spezialitat
This beer wins the most original and unique packaging award. The bottle looks very similar to a gourd. Mike, the owner of Brawley’s Beverage, told me this is literally one of the 1st German beers ever created and as such contains ingredients that were later prohibited by the Bavarian beer purity law. After doing some research I found that he was right, as he always is. http://www.germanbeerguide.co.uk /gose.html is an excellent resource if you are looking for more information…
It pours a pale yellow color, much like a white ale, but the tongue is not overrun with the taste of coriander. It reminds me more of a wheat due to the citrusy undertones (mostly lemon). Most of the flavor passes quickly through the mouth, almost nonexistent, and then explodes on the back of the throat. There I experienced the metallic and salty aftertaste this beer is known for as well as what I have termed the “carbonation burn.” It surprisingly low in alcohol content, 4.6% abv, given the HEFTY price tag it carries. I assume you are paying for the rarity of this beer and not the actual product because it doesn’t strike me as particularly exceptional (again, considering the price I paid). This beer is light and refreshing and I’m glad I drank it for the simple fact that I can say I did, but I doubt I will buy it again unless I am actually in the town of Leipzig.
Anchor Summer Beer
If there’s one season whose beers I love, it’s summertime. Summer generally brings a host of crisp, airy wheat beers. The summer beer from Anchor is no exception. This is an interesting beer, as it considers itself a wheat beer, but it is actually a hybrid, using about 50% of it’s malts from malted wheat. Altogether, this makes a rather tasty beer. The pour is of a typical pilsner, maybe – temperate golden with a malt white head. The taste is good, exhibiting tastes of sweet citrus, zesty lemon rind, mild hops, and a metallic hint. This beer leaves behind a more substantial aftertaste than I usually except from this genre – a slight metal that clings to the top back of the mouth. Nevertheless, this is quite crisp and rather quenching. I enjoy most Anchor beers, including this one. While it isn’t the best summer ale I’ve had, I’m altogether pleased.
Kulmbacher Eisbock
This German Eisbock is the 2nd Eisbock I have ever had, but claims to be “German’s Original”. The pour of this is very dark, but not very viscous. The aroma is fairly non-distinct. It actually has the smell of slightly metallic ice which, while interesting given the nature of this beer, is slightly unexpected. The taste of the beer is rather good – it is smooth and rather light. There is a lot of chocolate on the tongue and a slight malt sweetness. Down the throat, the malt seems to stick to the sides of the mouth and makes for an altogether pleasant brew. It seems like Eisbock is a very agreeable genre to me, and this beer only helps to cement that theory.
Bison Organic Gingerbread Ale
This is my third time having this beer and I’m surprised it hasn’t been reviewed yet. I must say I haven’t kept buying it because I like it but rather because it sounds appealing and I keep forgetting I’ve had it before. It is a holiday brew and given that it is June 13th you can tell it has been sitting in my beer fridge for quite some time. It pours a dark amber color and certainly smells of ginger. It is a decent brew but not great because I think you could create this same flavor if you poured a Guiness and sprinkled some ginger in it. In conclusion, this beer isn’t as appetizing as it sounds. If you chose not to buy it you aren’t missing out on much.
