Abita's Satsuma, Seasonal Harvest Wit

Brought an Abita Brewing Co Party-Pack to a friend's house last night, and out of the three brews I hadn't had yet, this was the most impressive to me.

Pours a cloudy straw-yellow body with a spotty, white head. Carbonation bubbles rising to the top.

Smells of spicy yeast, cloves and nothing out of the ordinary for the style. Faintly boozy.

A prickly wheat dryness in the feel at first, but a bit watery later on. Light-bodied. Grains and a mild hint of lemon zest in the taste. Hop oils seem to battle it out with the hop bitters.

Notes: I feel like I should have served this to myself at a colder temperature, say 45 degrees F(it's probably around 50 degrees F). However, this brew is very enjoyable, and perfect for summer months. I wouldn't mind seeing it come winter.

Pairing: Penn Pilsner & Steelhead Trout

Paired my last Penn Pilsner (from a six-pack) with a filet of steelhead trout, spiced rice and beans (gifted leftovers) and stale bread. I pan-fried the trout and poured the beer in a Czech pilsner glass like a pro. As tasty as the meal was, let's focus on the brew.

Penn Pilsner looks golden-copper with a frothy, thin white head. Carbonation bubbles rising to the top.

Smells of light, golden malts. Some floral notes from hops. An underlying sweetness, but very balanced.

Dry flashes, a malted body, and a prickly finish. A dash of caramel malts sweetens the delivery and follows through to the finish.

Some days this hits the spot and other days, not so much. Today happens to be a good one. Sessionable at what, 4% ABV? Have mercy.


I miss this label.

Stevens Point Brewery's Burly Brown

A six-pack of various brews from the wife for our 2nd anniversary and I pull out Stevens Point's Burly Brown first. Labeled as an American brown ale, the brew pours dark brown with mahogany-red spots towards the bottom.

Slightly transparent for a dark brown beer; noticeably carbonated. Slim head, but a nice rim grips the edges.

Smells of caramel with traces of diacetyl; buttery. A smidget of booziness in the nose as it warms up. Tastes brown! Attenuated, but for the purpose of rendering this brew sessionable. Hops to balance. Give this one a try. On tap anyone?

Thanks, Bay.

Bad Monkey Chimp Chiller Ale

About 4 years ago in a bar my girlfriend (now my wife) and I frequented often, the bartender offered a new beer from the cooler. If my recollection serves me correctly, it was humorously called Butt Monkey. The brew with the ridiculous name was made in the state of Pennsylvania so I was inclined to give it a go. Long story short, it tasted pretty much like your average adjunct lager, but maybe a tad bit more interesting.

Maybe the brewery realized that no one was interested in drinking a beer that didn't even have enough respect for itself to bear a name that avoided references to one's back end. Seeing the brew for the first time since that night four years ago just a few weeks prior to this writing at the distributor I work at on weekends, the brewery has evidently gone the safer route with the name of Bad Monkey.

It appears tarnished gold with a head that disappeared in less than a minute's time. It smells like an eviscerated pilsner: wet malts, mild grassy hops and nothing more.

In the mouth it unenthusiastically delivers a slightly tangy hops note upfront with an extremely mild malt bill. The presence of caramel malts is just barely in the room. A glimse of the fruity ale characteristic comes through in the feel and finish (probably the best feature to this beer).

Somewhere I heard or read that Bad Monkey is in the area of 6% ABV, but the grains required to make that a positive attribute clearly did not make the cut. What I mean to say is, this a concoction that's had 100% fermentables added to the recipe to both thin out the final product and raise the alcohol content.


Proof that I wasn't crazy when recalling the "Butt Monkey" story.