Augistiner Lager (Iron City Brewing Co)

Poured into my fat 20 oz weizen glass from Leinkenkugel's. Brew is a golden amber color with a cream colored head on top. Smells wet. A near-Oktoberfest aroma. Brown sugar on toasted wheat bread. Sweet malty smell spreads thin, but matches the taste. Attenuated with a balancing amount of bittering units. A mallty, honey-like sweetness in the taste. A touch of alcohol in the finish as it drys on the buds. I appreciate the head for sticking around.

Some people around my way like to compare this brew to Yuengling's Traditional Lager. While they've got a point, Iron City's Augistiner is more tepid and reserved. Still, a highly drinkable brew.

Because I work at a distributor, I paid around ten bucks for a case, but any customer can walk in and walk out with a case of IC's Augistiner for roughly $13, and that is not at all a bad thing.

Lion Brewery's (Sri Lanka) Lion Stout

Black as expected with brown floaties (such a poor choice of words, I know) that tell me this brew is left unfiltered. A creamy, tan head sits atop and looks delicious. Remarkable lacing does its thing from the pour.

Smells rich with dark roasted malts, bitter chocolate, coffee beans and alcohol. Dried prunes & figs (smell is outstanding).

Taste embodies characteristics in the smell with a smoky, burnt contour; so rich. Warmth from the alcohol (8.8% ABV). Oily hops brighten the taste & lighten up the taste buds. I welcome the creamy, heavy body. The flavors allow an otherwise mild swiss cheese to expose its better attributes. I can't get enough of the smoky, burnt aspect to this brew. It even washes down smoothly.

If someone can think of a negative remark in regards to this stout's quality, I'm all ears, but I certainly won't be jotting anything down. Simply outstanding.

Miller Lite

No freshness date on can. All I know is that my brother brought a few cans over back in early December 2010, and considering how fast this stuff moves, I'm guessing it's only 3-4 months old now.

Hay to yellow color pours out into my weizen pilsner glass. Head sits atop for nearly a minute but slims down into a thin off-white rim. Tons of carbonation bubbles. Looks very light (who would have guessed?).

Smells of wet grass, malts, hops; faint aromas, but the pilsner smell is there.

Taste is pretty mild. A slight bitterness from the hops (did you know it's triple-hopped?) and some of the usual dry malts one can expect from a "pilsner." Finishes dry with a little bit of that cardboard aftertaste from cheaper pale lagers which I don't like. Too attenuated. Comes off as a brew that's better when imbibed in the its original container (I also know from experience).

As light as baby steps in the mouth. If this was genuinely triple-hopped it would taste better. Muted flavors.

My brother and father must get something about this brew that I just don't gather. Gotta love family, though. It's the rest of the population that's got me mouthing, "what the...?" Still, to its credit, it's at least a few points better on-tap.

Dogfish Head's Palo Santo Marron

Notes from 1/29/2011

My wife compiled a six pack of different brews for my birthday and included this curious and mysterious brew.

Dark brown in appearance, nearly black. Dark nougat head. Aroma similar to Cabernet Sauvignon, not that I'm a wine expert. Fruity. Cocoa nibs. Pealed apples (green). Woodsy aromas remind me of olive oil. Fierce alcohol & acidity presenting itself in the midst of a nuance of smell variables. Sticky like jam hands (smell still).

Man, oh, man! Alcohol up front (taste). Very warming. That it's aged on wood is clearly evident. Wife calls it "salty" (reluctantly tried it). The alcohol is upfront like I said, but warming as opposed to offensive & aggressive. Washes down smoothly. Nearly a wine, but with the body of a beer. Woodsy notes linger like reverberating chords.

Sip, sip, sip slowly. Any reasonable palate will only permit a savoring of this brew, not a fast, hasty finish. I find it hard to distinguish between the hops & alcohol in this brew as it carries so much depth, but they're both playing their part undoubtedly. Mouthfeel is warm like wine, but offers a broader body with far more discernible death.

Other than slowly sipping this for a cool 45-60 minutes, it almost has zero drinkability. The high alcohol content (12%) renders this brew an "only one" endeavor.