Sunday, October 30, 2011

Shiner Black Lager

Shiner Black Lager appears black to the naked eye, but a closer look exposes mahogany corners. A slim rim remains on top after a nougat colored head drops down. The color of the head indicates roasted barley was used in the brewing process (also germane to the style).

Smells roasty & malt forward. Yeasty, wet bread, fruity. A touch of spicy hops in the nose.

Hop bitters, burnt brown sugar, smoke & charcoal in the taste. Metallic notes.

Medium bodied. Washes away nicely with a gentle lingering of the smoky flavor. A little watery as it warms up. Still, damn drinkable.

Notes: Shiner continues to impress me when dealing with their catalog outside of the flagship bock.

Arbitrary Grade (out of 100): 83

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Why Brand, You Know, Light Should Not Encourage Glassware

Customers who bought a 30-pk of Bud Light received a complimentary Steelers/Bud Light pint glass up until a few days ago at the store I'm employed at. What a hit! In fact, one regular came in last night and upon being told that the store was out of glasses he adjusted, "Oh, well, back to Coors Light then; Coors Light 30-pk."

Now, I'm not afraid to say it: if it has to be a macro domestic light beer, I choose Coors Light over Miller Lite, which tries to be something it's not, and certainly over Bud Light, which is just a crappier take on Miller Lite that blatantly holds on to cultural distinctions as a way of targeting a loyal market (read hunters and the "get'r done" crowd). But one thing remains true in regards to light, or more specifically, diet beer: it doesn't smell very appealing.

In fact it smells just shy of awful (and some examples hit the mark). I for one don't even bother to pour diet beer into a glass, and neither should you. I find it easier to throw down yellow fizz straight from the container it came in. Finishing 12 ozs of what is essentially an aggregate of light malts, genetically modified corn, rice, a dash of hops extract and forced carbonation is like finishing something equally as bad and difficult.

Which brings me to my point: why brand, you know, light should not encourage drinking from the glass via handing over complimentary glassware to loyal customers. If they're lucky (customers and a bad beer company's employees), Coca Cola or iced tea will be the only refreshments finding their way into the complimentary pint glasses granted to customers over the last few weeks at my place of partial employment. If not, those loyal Bud Light imbibers might finally wake up and smell the...beer, and that just might be bad news for InBev.

Friday, October 14, 2011

Breckenridge Oatmeal Stout

Breckenridge is Guntown Beer's "Brewery of the Month" for Oct 2011. As a perk, one can assemble a 6-pk of the brewery's beers and get a glass with the brewery's name on it (or in this case, Breckenridge's Vanilla Porter logo).

Breckenridge's Oatmeal Stout is definitely my favorite offering by the brewery from Colorado. The darkest brown or the lightest black; you decide. That's how it looks with a dark nougat head that sticks to the glass with generosity.

In the nose: roasted barley, chocolate malts, the fruitiness of an ale. Feels creamy with some rough edges and a favorable bite in the back end. Tastes like it smells with the addition of charcoal as a lingering, yet acceptable aftertaste. Damn drinkable.

Arbitrary Grade (out of 100): 87

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Samuel Smith's Nut Brown Ale

My first introduction to this legendary beer appears glassy, mahogany brown. A fluffy, thick nougat colored head sits atop.

The nose is rewarded with deep notes of caramel, friendly whiffs of diacetyl, maraschino cherries and the spiciness of a fruit cake. The blurb on the back of the bottle reminded me of the notion of aromatic hops which are definitely there upon revisit.

Taste: creamy, sweet maltiness up front. Wild yeast flavors (product of the open fermentation), caramel malts and a touch of booze.

Full-bodied with the slightest amount of bittering hops. Balanced as expected from an English brewery (with the malts winning overall) and I'd be remiss to not mention that Samuel Smith's has yet to let me down.

New Feature: AG (Arbitrary Grade, out of 100): 93

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Molson Canadian Lager

I work with a guy who considers this beer his favorite. While Molson Canadian Lager might not be the world's tastiest brew, it does have notable qualities and I don't mind drinking it.

Appears golden yellow with active carbonation and a fluffy egg white head. Smells like a North American pilsner (light malts and soapy, floral hops).

Taste is mild with just a touch of sweetness, bittering hops and a surprisingly creamy body.

MCL sets itself apart from most U.S. macro adjuncts/pale lagers and Canada's Labatt Blue shouldn't even be mentioned in the same sentence (edit...edit...). Still, not as good as Narragansett's interpretation of the style.