The Light on Beer

Stoudt's Gold

2012-02-05T16:15:00.000-08:00

Yeah, first off, that's the brewery name, Stoudt's. Sounds like I'm talking about stouts, but it's spelled different and I'm not. When I try selling Stoudt's at the beer store I always have to explain that I'm talking about the brewery in Adamstown, PA and not the style of brew usually associated with Guinness. Such is beer life...

Stoudt's Gold. The name says it all in appearance. Poured into a Stella Artois chalice glass, the egg white head slides down to a steady rim. Fairly translucent body. Both floral and fruity hops up front. Clean light grains in the middle; biscuity. A bit of booze. Bright notes in the nose.

The Nutty/roasted malts melody is both tasty and non-lingering. Flash of bittering hops is well received. Spicy/peppery hops flavor is very subtle, but a nice touch.

This brew is an excellent example of a light style of beer, not to be confused with America's incessant deference to diet beer. Flavor, character, aroma and ceaseless drinkability is exemplified by this one! Top notch.

Pilsner Urquell

2012-01-27T14:10:00.000-08:00

First off, this is one of my favorite "everyday" kind of brews. I can hardly think of a thing to complain about when I have it on-tap, and love places that have it available in that form (Union Grill in downtown Washington, PA comes to mind). This happens to be out the bottle, poured into a Stella Artois chalice glass.

Pilsner Urquell has a tarnished gold look, tawny, with a fluffy white head that says bye after a few minutes, but maintains an appetizing rim. Mostly clear and moderately carbonated. Lacing sticks to the glass in a sporadic sort of way.

Bready-yeast in the nose. Floral. Mild sourness; soft sauerkraut notes.

Bready (again) in taste with a prickly dryness and a yeasty flavor. Washes away nicely with a thrash of hops bitterness to hold it together. Not a watery mouthfeel. Clean, yet satisfying and astringent enough to keep things interesting. At 4.4%, this is a widely available session brew for the Czech pilsner aficionado.

As always, out the bottle and in the glass is better than just simply out the bottle. Doesn't beer have an aroma worth experiencing, too?

Two Misconceptions & What to do About Them

2012-01-13T20:18:00.000-08:00

Encountering folks of various levels of beer experience comes with the territory on weekends for me, where I spend my time working at a beer distributor with a solid selection of imports, macros, regionals and micros. I enjoy recommending good beer (I recently sold a friendly couple on a Stoudt's variety pack, which is excellent, and a case just so happens to be sitting in my own kitchen) and have no problem advising customers on small beer related dilemmas (the cheaper the beer, the more bottles matter and glasses are rendered unnecessary).

There are a few of our customers of micros and the like that, as to be expected, know what they're looking for and know what they're talking about. And there are many more, usually macro drinkers, who act as if. They tend to hint at branching out with a different beer, but more often than not settle for an ordinary "go-to." They buy the cheap stuff and, to the chagrin of all employees, bother asking on the way out, "How much for the Chimay?" Everyone present, including the customer, knows that that case of Chimay Red will never make it to his car.

And then there's the kind of guy who comes in and says he's looking for a "light ale." He likes "light ales." You know, like Yuengling's Lord Chesterfield Ale...He doesn't like "dark ales like pilsners." Which brings me to the two big misconceptions about beer in the American mainstream.

One, and I say this without snobbery: an ale is not synonymous with a lighter and lower alcohol beer, and a lager is not synonymous with a larger, robust beer. If one is really interested in beer, these are very basic facts, and among the most important to know.

The way I prefer to break it down is as follows: all beer is either an ale or lager (the type or class, though class may have a negative connotation), and from there are styles within the type (a stout is one style of ale, a pilsner is one style of lager). Why are there two types? Yeast strains and fermentation temperatures (ale yeasts go to work at room temperature and lager yeasts work in colder temperatures). Ales can be imbibed literally 3-4 weeks after they are brewed. The best lagers take about 2-3 months, though macros, in some cases, cut corners and push their lagers on the shelf in a shorter period.

The second misconception: some seem to mistake bitterness for darkness. This is simply a symptom of unestablished palates and/or drinking from the bottle or can. On more than one occasion I've had friends or family say they had found a beer I recommended to be too dark for their tastes, even though the beer I recommended was a golden colored pilsner, a style in which dark malts are traditionally absent. In actuality, they were talking about the hoppy character of the brew.

A little light reading of reputable beer literature with a good local beer in an appropriate glass by one's side will do the trick for folks who've begun to show interest in what I consider to be the greatest beverage on earth, but feel they've got a few questions yet to be answered. After all, it worked for me and continues to do so. Enjoy your beer.

New Belgium Brewing Co's Snow Day Winter Ale

2012-01-05T11:56:00.000-08:00

A gift from a friend, Snow Day pours a very dark brown and mahogany-shaded bottom. A glorious beige head up top; both fluffy and sticky.

The smell is lively, fruity and hoppy. Beautiful citrusy hops; sweeter than they are bitter. Caramel malts sit just below the hops, inviting me in.

There is a stout-like roastiness to the taste immediately up front. Hop bitterness in the middle. Clean on the back end, making the taste multidimensional and the beer altogether very approachable. Odd wet malts. This beer would seem watery if not for the roasted malts and unabashed bitterness and note: peppery hop flavor. Let it warm up a bit and the malt end breathes.

Glad I tried this. I'll gladly do so again.

Notes: While I enjoyed this beer, I'm a bit ambivalent about my overall impression. It's kind of watery, but I found myself quaffing this with continued interest. It's bitter, but malty flavors seem almost non-existent. It's certainly worth a try. Who knows? You might find yourself wondering, and drinking, and wondering some more...

Stoudts Pils

2011-12-25T16:18:00.000-08:00

Notes from Christmas Eve 2011

Hay-golden body with a slim, but reliable white head, which splashes upon the glass and pulls back at a gentle speed. Glad to see it's not over-carbonated.

Clean in the nose with sweet, but subtle grape notes, grains, yeast and pistachios.

Not at all shy in taste, with bittering hops up front, hop flavor in the middle--akin to a premium European pale lager, but more robust--and a roasty nuttiness in the back end. Yeast flavors kick in after the overall taste and feel of the brew is established upon the tastebuds.

Finishes slightly sweet, tart and clean. I wish I could see this on-tap or at the very least in bottles at bars around my area. Great beer.

Rogue, Yellow Snow IPA

2011-12-20T16:16:00.000-08:00

Among other info, the label on the bottle (22 oz) indicates 70 IBUs.

Appears amber with a touch of orange. Nearly opaque for the color. I admit I had a spill-over when pouring this lively brew. A fluffy, egg white head sits happily up top with lacing spots stuck to the glass.

Smell is herbal. Citrus hops as it warms. Aroma indicates the drinker is dealing with a serious beer (heat...be cautious). Creamy up front with a bitter, lingering finish. Sweet grapefruit shows up intermittently, finding its place in the middle and then disappearing, swept away with the wave of bittering hops.

The take away from this beer or the standout is definitely its remarkably cream feel. While certainly bitter (a quality that lingers), this brew satisfies; multidimensional in terms of its feel.

Victory Moonglow Weizen Bock

2011-12-19T17:14:00.000-08:00

My second weizenbock to my knowledge (first was from Penn Brewing Co this past summer. see here for review).

Moonglow is a beautiful, modestly effervescent brown brew with an orange-ish glow at the bottom and hints of red hues throughout. A lot of yeast in suspension. A soapy light beige head sits atop and plans on going nowhere.

Smell is so pronounced: pineapple & tropical fruits, booze, under-ripe banana. Floral. Treated wood. Much going on.

The taste is exceedingly bright up front and then turns down to toasty notes, wood and booze. Alcohol lingers while accompanied by moderately aggressive phenols. I sense hop flavors in the middle pushing their way through, but they're hard to really discern amidst the myriad of things going on with this brew.

Bottom line, it's a spicy, yeasty, fruity and lively beer with a little bit of heat and a mildly dry finish. Well played. I'll continue sipping & enjoying this one.

95% if I was grading.

Goose Island's Mild Winter

2011-12-18T13:30:00.000-08:00

Bottled on date: 10/17/11

Appearance is mahogany brown with a slim light-nougat head.

Nutty and toasted in the nose. Corn chips. Mild sweetness (fruitiness). Phenolic yeast.

Taste: more toasty notes. Bittering hops work wonderfully, delivering the brew the whole way through. Near burnt caramel. Hop resin. Faint gingery spice.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Well balanced. Brings out a little spicy heat as it warms (presumably the rye as noted on the bottle).

Great Lakes Nosferatu (Autumn Seasonal)

2011-11-29T16:16:00.000-08:00

There are a few beers I keep missing out on that are autumn seasonals. Twice now I've failed to buy Sierra Nevada's Tumbler, the brewery's autumn brown ale. Well, I sort of made up for my mistake by picking up Great Lakes Brewing Co's autumn red ale, Nosferatu, the last time I saw it at my go-to bottle shop say 3-4 weeks ago. I figured if I didn't pick it up then, it wouldn't be there next visit (I guess I'm learning). Not only do I love the name, but I especially love the robustness of the brew.

Nosferatu smells amazing even from the bottle. Fruity hops (berries) & rich caramel malts.

Poured into my Breckenridge Vanilla Porter nonic pint glass, the brew is an appealing reddish-brown. A sticky nougat head sits up top.

The smell is intensely malty; candy-like; caramel and fruit roll-up. Cold milk chocolate; herbal hops. A great aroma.

Taste is prickly; a bit boozy up front (alcohol lingers). Brown and/or chocolate malts show up in the middle. Dark notes start to linger with the alcohol (a welcome addition). This brew doesn't shy from bittering hops or fruity hops flavors.

Remarkably creamy for a beer that grows bitter toward the end; well rounded.

Notes: a big feature to this robust beer is its lingering qualities, which leads me to suggest Great Lakes should continue to release this in the fall, but push it through the winter season due to its warming effect.

Sly Fox Oktoberfest Lager

2011-11-15T14:34:00.000-08:00

12 oz can with some digits and a date (presumably the "best before") printed near the bottom of the can: 1/9/12.

Dark-orange-amber looking beer that's highly carbonated and fairly translucent. Head disappeared quick.

Floral in the nose. Peppery yeast. Bread, butter, stale apple juice & dry caramel.

Tastes yeasty with light malts and caramel malts for sweetness. Bittering hops right in the middle. Finishes with a fruity and bitter astringency that hangs on and lingers.

Notable spicy hop flavor shows itself as well as the brew warms up. A touch boozy. A decent oktoberfest.

Goose Island Harvest Ale

2011-11-12T18:37:00.000-08:00

Amber-orange in appearance with a moderate sized, light-beige colored head. Translucent.

Fruity and hoppy in the nose. Nutty. Notes of cold melon, grapefruit & caramel as it warms. Subtle, but enjoyable in the aroma section.

Bitter, but not too aggressive. Sweetness pulls forward to balance the hops. A touch of caramel malts builds body.

Feels like a pale ale with a maltier backbone. Medium-bodied with a prickly contour.

Notes: Goose Island's Harvest Ale proves not all fall seasonals are sprinkled with pantry spices.

Franziskaner Dunkel Weissbier

2011-11-06T10:33:00.000-08:00

(16.9 oz pint bottle)
Reddish-brown in appearance with a beautiful semi-sticky white head up top. The usual wheat nose w/ cloves, yeast, spiciness & fruitiness. Warm, with a bit of alcohol. Lemons, cinnamon & buttered brown bread.

Prickly up front with a wash-away finish (fairly clean). Bready notes linger with spicy yeast joining in. Peppery; acidic at times.

A fantastic beer to imbibe!

Shiner Black Lager

2011-10-30T19:07:00.000-07:00

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

Why Brand, You Know, Light Should Not Encourage Glassware

2011-10-23T17:54:00.000-07:00

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.

Breckenridge Oatmeal Stout

2011-10-14T20:03:00.000-07:00

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

Samuel Smith's Nut Brown Ale

2011-10-11T16:05:00.000-07:00

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

Molson Canadian Lager

2011-10-06T14:31:00.000-07:00

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.

Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale

2011-09-24T17:36:00.000-07:00

Appears brown with bright amber hues. Mild pumpkin spices in the nose (ginger); pumpkin puree.

Hoppy up top with slighty aggressive spice notes underneath.

Medium bodied. Mouthfeel is well balanced with bitter qualities, wet avenues & a lingering finish.

Abita's Satsuma, Seasonal Harvest Wit

2011-08-25T16:29:00.000-07:00

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

2011-08-11T15:36:00.000-07:00

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

2011-08-08T17:55:00.000-07:00

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

2011-08-03T18:21:00.000-07:00

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.

Samuel Smith's Taddy Porter

2011-07-25T17:06:00.000-07:00

I've been putting this brew off for far too long, but enjoyed myself in the process, imbibing dozens of other great beers (and some sub-par ones along the way). I'm letting it sit out a little (it's been 10 mins). Like many of the English styles, a traditional porter is best served at around 50-55 degrees F.

I'm staring at a 550 ml bottle that I bought at my local mammoth grocery store for $3.99 out the door. The neck is wrapped in fancy gold foil. The bottle is fancy as well with the brewery name embossed above the stomach, say the chest of the bottle. It's been 20 minutes. This beer is calling me...

Almost pitch black with translucent mahogany-brown shades near the bottom. A cola-beige head sits atop, fluffy and incredible. Smells of deeply rich malts, dark chocolate, prunes, figs, burnt brown sugar, moist raw cane sugar, and butter (baby). LATE ADDITION UPDATE: as it warms, a friendly boozy note.

Taste is so approachable it makes me want to ask every bartender in town to serve this on-tap. Who am I kidding? Back to reality (and oh my am I enjoying it)...bittering hops afloat a hefty dark malt bill. Creamy, but more than enough hops to shake things up; I'd say the ideal amount.

The body is medium to heavy or somewhere between an early Roy Jones, Jr. and a Larry Holmes in his prime (my pops will like that one, that is if he reads this blog).

I'm relishing the fact that I've still got another 8 ozs or so left to enjoy. I need time alone with this one. Cheers!

Notes: this one is reminiscent of Guinness Extra Stout, and that is certainly a good thing.

Show Some Respect...Drink From the Glass

2011-07-21T19:03:00.000-07:00

One of the most difficult things for a normal person to do is to point out proper etiquette (or the lack thereof), especially when it comes to beer. Reason being: it makes the "pupil" feel like a total slouch, and it makes the "teacher" look and sound like a condescending "know-it-all." Maybe that's why the world-wide-web created blogs: so people can learn without suffering through awkward confrontations and mild feelings of worthlessness.

It wasn't that long ago now that I routinely drank from the bottle. I did so at restaurants (and still do if my server is ultra-unresponsive to simple requests), bars, you name it. And to be totally honest, you'd be hard pressed to find me bugging the host of a big pool party for a glass to pour my beer in, especially when I've shown up empty handed. There's a time and a place to be picky and finicky, and a big party isn't one of them.

On the other hand, a friend's house, your in-laws...go for it. Pour the frickin' beer in a glass (unless of course it's yellow, fizzy and light...chances are it probably doesn't smell very appealing).

Some folks just don't gather what all the fuss is about. Are you one of them? Well, if so, let me break it down in Lehman's terms for you. When you have some wine at your in-laws over Thanksgiving dinner, needless to say, you drink from a wine glass, not the bottle, correct? Do you sip on bourbon from the mouth of a fifth, or are you rational enough to pour a few ozs into a proper glass (Google brought up the overture glass, but I don't typically drink hard liquor so otherwise I wouldn't have a clue)?

Assuming you answered "glass" to both questions above, why is it so hard to apply the same logic when it comes to a good brew? The only answer I can come up with that makes sense is this: the general public doesn't respect beer enough, yet. Yeah, we're getting there, but we've got a long way to go. Most beer drinkers still drink the same beer on a regular basis. Most beer drinkers term any beer that's golden-yellow a pilsner. Some of that vast majority thinks Rolling Rock is a pale ale simply because it says "extra pale" on the label (as if their lager isn't pale, which may actually be news to them since their drink-from-the-bottle habit knocks seeing the beer out of the equation). Get where I'm going with this? America is home to an ignorant majority when it comes to beer. That's not me being a snob, that's just plain fact.

Show some respect...drink from the glass (at least do it for me. I'm not drinking one tonight).

Why a full glass is paired with a full bottle I'll never know...

Witbiers and Cow Piss

2011-07-14T16:19:00.000-07:00

I can still remember when I first had Blue Moon. Or at least I think I can. If I recall correctly, I was visiting relatives in Queens, NY with my brother and a few of our friends. Our cousin Carla took us to Bell Blvd, a quieter yet still happening area just ten minutes from our aunt's house. We could hop to a few different bars without having to drive or fight our way through big crowds.

There she was. A glowing sign that said "Blue Moon." Also on tap, eh? Probably the best beer I had yet. Then there was Sam Adams Boston Lager, although I didn't truly understand it's brilliance at first sip, or even first pint. That's another story.

From what I've gathered about my generation, Blue Moon was a branch-out beer for a lot of people . It's still decent to me today, but I've grown beyond it. As usual, it's better on-tap than out the bottle (note: Coors has started canning Blue Moon but I've yet to try it. I don't mean to complain, but they've hardly offered a price incentive).

Despite my distant relationship with Blue Moon nowadays, I'm reminded of a funny story involving my father and my insistence that he "give it a try." My Blue Moon craze was fresh at the time. I must have had a six-pack of the stuff in the fridge, and I think it was a Saturday afternoon.

"Want to try a Blue Moon, Dad?" I asked invitingly. "No, thanks," my dad politely replied. "You sure? It's good stuff. It's a wheat beer," I urged further as if that was going to change the mind of a man who hadn't switched up the brand of beer in the fridge since before I started noticing the poison stickers on potentially toxic household items. To my surprise, "Okay, just a little." So I poured 3-4 ozs of a cloudy amber-orange Blue Moon in a 6 oz juice glass for my old man.

"Tastes like cow piss."

I still like yuh Blue Moon, even if you're a bit of a farce.

Drinking: Long Trail Belgian White. A cloudy golden-yellow face with a pleasant orange peel aroma. The wheat pushes a nice dryness to the beer while the hops add to the feel and flavor. Citrusy, yet not over the top. Belgian yeast adding that trademark spiciness. Tasty and refreshing. Certainly a solid offering from Long Trail.

Stoney's Gold Crown Premium Beer

2011-07-09T18:45:00.000-07:00

I found this brew on the Stoney's website (http://www.stoneysbeer.com/), and after discovering that it's been the center of zero attention on the world wide web, I decided to request it at the beer distributor I work for. My guess is it's only available in a few areas, likely in six-pack shops in and around Smithton, PA.

First off, the Stoney's website image of this brew is deceptive. I don't see the near-copper golden body pouring out of my 16 oz can. It appears plain gold with a little tarnished yellow.

Extremely mild in smell. Wet malts and grassy hops.

Palatable for sure, but notably bland. Hops to balance, if that's possible. There's barely any maltiness to speak of, so I guess this brew is relatively hoppy.

On the lighter side, but fuller than say a Coors Light. Also, it's probably more enjoyable out the can than in the glass. However, that's not to say it wouldn't be better on-tap. Just my assumption.

Note: had I not received an employee discount, a flat of 24 16 oz cans would have cost me about $15.

Uh huh, that's a good one.

A Beer That's Not Really a Beer: Shiner Ruby Redbird

2011-07-02T18:40:00.000-07:00

Okay, so it's a fruit beer, and fruit beer's really don't taste like traditional beers with a solid malt bill.

Shiner Ruby Redbird is kind of like a ginger ale, but with alcohol. I'm talking about a serious ginger ale, not the mass produced "natural flavors" ginger ale.

In my light it looks amber-orange. The head left in a hurry. It smells of ginger up front with the sweet bitterness of grapefruit in the shadows. Again, it tastes and feels like a ginger ale. My guess is there is not one cultivar of hops listed in the ingredients for this recipe, but I haven't seen the blackbook of the brewmaster. Call it a hop-free beer if you can stand to imagine such a blasphemous concoction.

Refreshing? Yes. Satisfying? Sure. Does it stand a chance when I've got a choice between it and Bell's Amber Ale or another favorite of mine, Sierra Nevada's Torpedo? No. That being said, nice try.

I like you Shiner Ruby Redbird, but I don't love you.

Poperings hommel ale

2011-05-30T10:52:00.000-07:00

Notes from 5/17/11

330 ml/11.2 fl oz bottle poured into goblet-like wine glass.

Appears cloudy blonde-gold with a creamy white head. Some visible carbonation, but a fairly opaque body.

Spicy esters of belgian yeast, ripe bananas and pineapple juice shoot forward in the nose. A woodsy aroma coupled with a warm alcoholic presence sits faintly in the backend. A nutty caramel aroma delivers as it warms up.

A bold graininess hits the palate first, followed by yeasty notes and a creamy, yet prickly hop finish. Citrusy hop oils linger a bit before prefacing a nut-dry finish.

Fruity ale characteristics in the feel of this brew. Delicate at first glance with a fiercer second opinion. Hops aid in creating a creamy body. Medium bodied on the lighter side.

Beer Styles, Not Flavors

2011-05-22T12:43:00.000-07:00

Am I a beer snob for adamantly asserting that beer variations, particularly when dealing with beer brands, should not be referred to as "flavors?"

No, I think not. I'm just a fella who likes real beer and thinks the variance label that is "flavor" belongs to the malternative, juice beer stuff that's way overpriced.

Beer on the other hand is probably the most diverse beverage on the face of the earth. With literally dozens of styles to choose from, beginning with whether or not it's an ale or a lager you're going to be imbibing (...maybe another column I'll vent on the public misconception related to ales and lagers), beer is far more complex and therefore should be more highly regarded when advertised/promoted than say...soda pop.

With a few exceptions, most microbrew beers are not a simple concoction of a bland canned pilsner and a [you fill it in] flavoring extract. No, all one needs to do is leave that up to the big domestics who are currently deluding the public with faux microbreweries and brands. That being the case, why promote real micro products like they're sitting on a shelf next to a case of Capri Sun?

By using an adult word like "style" instead of the kid friendly noun that is "flavor," you--advertising distributors--are speaking to the right market (people 21 and over), avoiding frustrating the women (and some men) that thought [you fill it in] was going to taste like juice beer and, most importantly, helping to enlighten the many people still out there that think of beer in the most simple, barely nuanced way: light, heavy, dark.

And on that note, I could really go for a munich dunkel lager right now.

By my estimation this gentleman is likely drinking an Irish dry stout (an Irish ale like Guinness Draught)

Penn Brewing's Weizenbock

2011-05-08T16:01:00.000-07:00

Notes from 5/1/2011 -

22 oz bottle with no freshness date.

Appears opaque brown with a creamy, nougat colored rim. Yeasty in the nose. Spicy & aromatic. Dry wheat tones help balance out the overall aroma. Lively spices with alcohol clearing a path.

Feels creamy up front with enough hops in the finish. Malty sweet; over-riped bananas. Yeasty flavors dry on the tongue. A little bit of the alcohol shows. Medium mouth-feel on the delicate side. Enjoyed this one.

Buffalo Bill's Alimony Ale (IPA)

2011-04-26T07:04:00.000-07:00

12 oz bottle poured into an Imperial Nonic slash Weizen glass of sorts with a Leinenkugel logo.

Tarnished gold, amber-orange body. Swampy head w/ a thin egg white rim. Cloudy in appearance. Fruity & floral in the nose w/ pineapple coming to mind. Heat from the alcohol. A bit of a bready aroma; buttery. Sweet caramel in the back end.

A malty-bitter jab to the tastebuds. Alcohol is obvious, but not overbearing. An IPA on the maltier side.

Medium to heavy bodied brew w/ a slick feel. A night capper.

Duquesne Pilsener Beer

2011-04-15T16:54:00.000-07:00

Golden appearance--almost transparent--with a decent rim. Steady carbonation bubbles rise to the top.

A dry sweetness in the nose; hay-like; grains & floral hops. Fairly mild.

Taste is attenuated with a syrupy body. Hops are a little reserved, but do provide for a lot of the flavor.

Medium-bodied with discernible attenuation.

Notes: A good-for-the-price kind of beer, plus some. A poor man's pilsner. Duquesne Pilsener Beer comes off like Pittsburgh Brewing Company's Augustiner (Vienna Lager) without the brown sugar, sweet amber flavor. Incidentally, I think the two brews are brewed by the same brewery or at the same location.

Bitburger Premium Beer

2011-04-12T17:39:00.000-07:00

1 PINT 0.9 FL OZ can poured into a nonic pint glass. Yellow-gold in appearance with a frothy egg-white head that slims down to a simple rim. Cloudy in the glass.

Smells of grapes, yeast & furnished wood.

Hops carry the brew, hiding what would otherwise be obvious attenuation. Fruity element comes through from inside the hoppy shell. Yeasty in the finish.

An average medium body with a fairly agreeable mouthfeel makes this brew pretty drinkable. It could certainly serve as a gateway selection toward hoppier beers. Buy a can and pour it in a glass.

Notes: $1.79 for a good beer in a can slightly larger than a pint makes Derek highly satisfied.

North Coast Brewing's Old Rasputin (Russian Imperial Stout)

2011-03-13T18:02:00.000-07:00

Black as night with a tan head. Inky black blots drip on the head as I pour every last drop out of the bottle. Head thins out fairly quickly. Regardless, head retention is there.

Smells amazing: candy-sweet hops (I think it's hiding something from me...), roasted malts, charcoal (can someone say "Prime Rib?"). Sweet fruits remind me of how much I love Ales over Lagers (this is not a fruit beer!). Meaty and savory; full flavored.

Head first in the fire pit with the first sip from the glass. Abundantly burnt, but in a good way. Slick hops help balance the dryness of this brew. Lingering qualities. Certainly a sipper, but I can't help but throw it down. Pitch blackness infiltrates the tan head as it rides up the rim of the glass. Alcohol shows itself like a toned down liquor (9% ABV). Bitter hops blend with the burnt flavors to offer up a serious Stout.

A great brew to enjoy. Cheers!

Yuengling Black & Tan

2011-03-13T17:24:00.000-07:00

Out of the can: pitch black with dark brown edges. Nougat colored head slims down, but keeps its composure.

Smells malty; brown sugar; homemade icing on an overdone cake; notably hoppy.

Taste: toasted sweetness on a thin bed of charcoal. Well attenuated while sustaining a respectable body. Hops catch up as it warms and I start quaffing. Like Yuengling Bock, this brew's body turns watery as it warms and is shaken to pull out aromas. I'm starting to think this may be an inevitable characteristic of blended and packaged Black & Tans.

Notes: Yuengling makes good use of its less stellar, Premium brew, as the tan, matched up with their, better than decent, Porter (actually a lager) beer. I really enjoy this on-tap (in some respects it reminds me of Sierra Nevada Stout), and I have no complaints about it being poured into a glass from a Tall Boy can (pint).

Miller High Life Light

2011-03-10T17:15:00.000-08:00

Out of the can pours a tarnished yellow-golden hue. Soft white head sits atop for a minute or two, ultimately settling down to an oddly messy, thin, splattered head. Notably carbonated.

Smells as expected. Faint example of sweet malts; Pilsner-esque; near-muted, but rounded grassiness. Very mild.

Tastes of slight oxidation with a tangy metallic character. Thin, but rounded out with sweet malts (again, faint), and balanced with just a touch of hops. Predominately wet; hardly dry at all until the finish. Apparent adjuncts like rice and/or corn utilized in the wort/brewing process. Corn husk starts to build up in the aftertaste, but nothing too bad.

Not as thin as some light beers, and that I like. Suggestions of a syrupy body, but enough hops to counteract the entrance to that avenue.

A worthy change-up brew for the light-beer-inclined; the folks that refuse to step away from the American Adjunct Lager style.

Gennesee Light (Genny Light)

2011-03-08T17:10:00.000-08:00

Yellow in appearance like carbonated water mixed with yellow food coloring for the purpose of staining eggs around Easter. Head doesn't stick around for long, but a slim rim does. Well carbonated.

Icy-grass aroma with mild pilsner-like qualities. Some hops surfing in the distance. Dry in the nose for the most part.

Pleasant taste. Clean and inoffensive. Enough bite to make it a beer, but still balanced with the modest tasting, pale malt character.

Hard to ask for more balance out of this little guy. It doesn't rush to conclusions as it delivers a subtle progression of bitterness, moisture, and finally, an agreeable, slow-dry cleansing. I'm interested in finding this on-tap just to see what it's made of in my favorite format.

Notes: While I find Genny Light to be a quality light beer, I'm still not a fan of the style. A once-in-the-while for me, at best. If anything, it's much better than the Big 3 (Bud Light, Miller Lite & Coors Light).

21st Amendment's Bitter American (Pale Ale)

2011-03-07T16:52:00.000-08:00

4 sentences for a 4.4% ABV pale ale from 21st Amendment Brewery...

Slightly hazy amber-orange appearance, with a slim, but sustained, head.
Cinnamon-butter and pineapple found happily in the nose.
Carried by dry hops in the taste, with a near-balancing amount of toasty malts.
Feels and finishes dry; exceptionally approachable and impressive.

...One of the best session beers I've had yet.

Notes: Came in a can; poured into a fat weizen glass.

Great Divide's Hibernation Ale (bottled 2007 - imbibed 1-16-2011)

2011-03-07T14:50:00.000-08:00

Notes from 1-16-2011 (Bottled 2007)

From the bottle it smells of milk chocolate with dark notes. Poured into czech pilsner glass, the brew is dark brown and kind of scary. Very little head. Hardly any at all; slim rim. Tons of sediment in suspension.

Tastes like I'll survive to see tomorrow. Chocolate-y with warming alcohol in the back. They didn't shy from the use of hops; definitely counteracts the sweetness from the discerned use of chocolate malts. Again, so much sediment in suspension; quite the thing to see. This brew is likely a hoppy, cold cocoa.

Hefty body to this one. The alcohol really starts to come out when the temperature begins to rise past the 40 degrees mark.

Mouthfeel transcends into a more syrupy condition. Alcohol, hops and chocolate malts start to bring out a smoky, burnt malts taste. As tasty as last year, at least I remember it that way.

Yuengling Bock

2011-03-01T18:33:00.000-08:00

Mahogany-brown in appearance with a light-gray head on top that slims down to a thin yet respectable rim with a misty surface. Smells of wet malts and strange hoppy aromas. Floral with citrus notes (lemon and lime). Alcohol shows itself in the nose as well. Swirled the beer for more head and caught a whiff of a well-herbed beef stroganoff with mushrooms. Call me crazy.

Taste is muddled at first sip. Dry, bitter, and a bit muted. Fairly hoppy. Attenuation, just a smidgen; I'm not complaining. Alcohol flavor pulls itself up from below the stage. Faint caramel notes.

Mouthfeel...drink cold for best results. I'm drinking another to take another look, and a cold Yuengling Bock feels a lot better than one that's warming up after 20-30 mins. Pretty close to their Black & Tan in that respect.

Not bad; a little messy. Similar to Penn Brewery's St. Nikolaus Bock, but not as good.

SIDE NOTE: I've heard whispers that Yuengling Bock is merely another Black & Tan style of beer; this time a mixture of Yuengling Traditional Lager with Yuengling Porter or the Black & Tan. In my opinion, Yuengling would do better to create an authentic Bock. Still, if your Yuengling fan (and I'm one), not a bad seasonal change-up from the year-rounds.

Augistiner Lager (Iron City Brewing Co)

2011-02-15T17:11:00.000-08:00

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

2011-02-05T19:18:00.000-08:00

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

2011-02-04T17:01:00.000-08:00

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

2011-02-03T17:06:00.000-08:00

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.

North Coast Brewing Co's Old #38 Stout

2011-01-22T19:01:00.000-08:00

The only thing that tends to be up in the air in terms of a Stout's appearance is the head. In this case, a beige to sandy brown. Head is definitely sticking around on this one.

Smell is deeply rich. Chocolate cake on ice, chocolate milk, thick brown bread, enough hops to bring it to a splendid balance.

Taste is roasted to burnt up front. Smoky. A touch of bitterness from the hops. Amazing how they pulled off such a milk chocolately, friendly smell while pushing harsher qualities through on the taste. Mucho props. It's part of what makes this beer so delicious.

Enough bite, but a tad bit thin. That in mind, a little dangerous because it's exceptionally drinkable. My only suggestion would be for the brewmaster to add a little more to the body. Other than that, a solid, in some aspects, outstanding stout.

Sierra Nevada's 30th Anniversary - Fritz and Ken's Ale (Imperial Stout)

2011-01-06T18:12:00.000-08:00

Aged in my fridge for 10 months, beginning in March 2010; imbibed last night, January 5, 2011.

Posthumous reflection:

Appearance - black body with an immense, fluffy light beige head. Inky. The body falls back through the head after sipping, rendering a chocolate colored trail.

Smell - Dark, deep roasted malts; citrus hops in the back.

Taste - Deep roasted malts; charcoal; alcohol taste is quite reserved.

Mouthfeel - Thick and aggressive.

Drinkability - Loved the brew and would definitely drink a bunch of it, but considering the brew sits at over 9% ABV, I'd have to take it easy.

Cabin Fever Brown Ale

2010-12-30T17:18:00.000-08:00

Cabin Fever Brown Ale from New Holland Brewing Co. Tried a sample of this at a local bar a few winters ago from the tap. My unsophisticated palate at the time drew hints of asphalt from the flavor. Let's hope I was just a young aficionado.

Smells like a smokey porter. Looks like one, too. Deep roasted barley; near charred. Fully roasted aroma. Sweet hop flowers describe the contour, making this one serve up an exceptional treat to the nose.

Oily-charred malts in the taste. Like it smells, but darker. Pretty reserved in the hops category when compared to the dark malts. Dry as the label claims, with a tamer finish. Very little astringency, but the alcohol is beginning to show face. That being said, it only stands at 6% ABV.

A solid, as expected body to this brew. Somewhere past medium, but not quite as thick as a stout. Crosses over into the realms of a porter. The malts-to-hops ratio, with the malts as the victor, renders this a highly drinkable option, and, for sure, I could see myself drinking a few of these while my wife imbibes hot cocoa in a cabin in the woods surrounded by the stark cold of winter. Cheers!

Dundee Festive Ale

2010-12-04T07:47:00.000-08:00

A: Brown/dark copper, creamy off-white head

S: Malty/sweet. Caramel, spices (cinnamon)

T: A slew of spices; tasting cinnamon & orange peel. Caramel in the back end. Hops dominate the spices.

MF: Light-medium bodied.

D: Pretty drinkable. Flavor is a little reserved and flat, despite the tasting credit I gave the brew above. A good brew nonetheless.

Peak Organic Brewing Co - Fall Summit Ale

2010-11-12T18:34:00.000-08:00

The brew is a dark copper-brown. Silky lacing and a slim, but constant, head. Moderate carbonation level.

Smells of tropical jelly bean hops. Very sweet and attractive. Butterscotch and faint maple in the tail end.

Tastes close to how it smells. Hop bitterness, hop flavor, and malt sweetness form an excellent balance. Warming. Finishes without a lingering aftertaste. Oriented toward the hops, but not overbearing. On the thinner side, but the hop content extends the body in a misleading, yet agreeable, way. Sort of stretches it like a silky syrup.

Very hoppy, but brown enough to balance out the overreaching nature of hop oriented brews. Notably drinkable, not to mention, organic!

Penn Brewery Oktoberfest

2010-11-09T17:26:00.000-08:00

Before I get into this beer, I need to get something off my chest: Christmas beers show up in stores far too early.

The beer store I work for got several cases of Samuel Adams Winter Lager 2-3 weeks ago and people are still coming in looking for Sam Adams Octoberfest. From what I can tell, a lot of people are still thirsty for Octoberfest, but Winter Warmers and the like are already in.

I even feel that the autumn brews didn't have enough time to shine. The bottle shop I buy from only had Sierra Nevada's Tumber (Brown Ale) for a week or two and I never saw it again, except for a few cases in the store I work weekends at, but I only wanted to try a few bottles. I guess I'll buy it the first time I see it when next year's batch rolls through.

Enough ranting...on to the brew!

Penn Brewery Oktoberfest, as part of the brewery's Gourmet Selection (variety-pack). Slightly hazy appearance marked by an amber-copper brown color. Head slims to a nice rim with leftovers on top.

Grassy hops in the nose up front, with a sweet honey and malt backbone. Candy caramel w/ sweet brown bread.

First sip--since I took the bottle out of the fridge twenty minutes ago--is marked by a hoppy-graininess that is hard to describe. Alcohol in the taste. Toasted barley? Toasted brown bread? Definitely some caramel. Hoppy up front with a medium body. Sweeter in the finish with a bit of a syrupy feel on the tongue.

I like it, although I'm having trouble describing its characteristics. A good Oktoberfest that doesn't ask you to think about it too much, while remaining interesting enough to imbibe. I can see myself drinking this in the cold.

As for the other beers that one is encouraged to drink in the cold (read: Winter Warmers), give me a few weeks. I'm not ready yet.

Stegmaier Oktoberfest

2010-10-18T16:37:00.000-07:00

Stegmaier Oktoberfest pours a vibrant copper to amber color. A white head sits atop and gradually recedes to a healthy rim.

A notable dose of butterscotch, caramel, and alcohol in the nose. Hops pull through to sharpen the tones, as well as a mild graininess as the brew warms up.

In taste, it's hoppy up front, with a sweet/malty middle and finish. Caramel and butterscotch/diacetyl. Some alcohol definitely comes out in the finish.

Feels medium bodied, slightly syrupy, and active from the hops & alcohol. Moderate carbonation in my opinion.

Not a bad Oktoberfest by any means. It took me a few tries over the past month, but after a summer full of pilsners and lighter styles, I'm just now starting to dig the marzens this season...

Beck's Oktoberfest

2010-10-16T17:59:00.000-07:00

Appearance: Dark amber/copper. Solid head retention. Deep enough to avoid the label of being transparent.

Smell: Sweet malts and caramel. Toasty.

Taste: Hoppy all around. Hops drive the taste, with a notable malt backbone to pull it all in. The malts add to the flavor in a more pronounced fashion than they add to the body. Still, medium bodied. Some caramel in the taste, but very reserved.

Drinkability: I'm very impressed by this beer. It's so accessible, I had to pick up a single at $1.75. Beck's Oktoberfest redeemed my faith in the style. Whether at a festival or hanging with friends, I could drink this all day or all night. Try it for yourself.

Founders Dirty Bastard

2010-10-11T17:41:00.000-07:00

Appearance is cloudy, with an array of hues that make the beer look delicious and inviting. A fluffy nougat head on top. A dark brown to mahogany glow to the bottom of the glass. The smell is unbelievable. Sweet fruits to a chocolatey, malty backbone. Taste's earthy. Not quite what I was expecting. A lot of hoppy bitterness. Hot alcohol. Malt and grains somewhere in the mix. Definitely a sipper. As it warms up it tastes more and more like bourbon or a brown liquor. Have a good night...

Hook & Ladder Backdraft Brown Ale

2010-10-02T18:08:00.000-07:00

Appearance: Deep, dark brown; almost black. Creamy off-white head recedes to a modest, but worthy remainder.

Smell: Caramel; very malty. Smells like I could chew it. Hints toward milk chocolate.

Taste: Malty, but attenuated. Enough hops to add bitterness & balance the brew. Some alcohol also shows up to tango with the hops.

Mouthfeel: Wet & not interfered with by the body the smell suggests. Medium-heavy body. Pardon my redundancy: attenuated. Mild astringency from the alcohol or hops? Got me.

Drinkability: Wish I could walk into any bar & find this on tap. I'd drink several pints & sleep like a baby.

Great Lakes Oktoberfest, 2010

2010-09-12T17:41:00.000-07:00

Out of appreciation for Great Lakes' "For freshest taste, please enjoy by:" marking on the back end of the label, here you go: 9/24/10 - About 11 days before the freshness expiration. I'm not drinking this late, though, seeing as how we are less than a month away from October. On to the review...

A copper-amber appearance with a fluffy white head and good retention.

Smells of syrupy sweet malts & caramel, plus a little alcohol and apple cider in the nose.

Tastes of caramel & honey. Very malty. Sticky. Thinner than I expected. A decent amount of alcohol drys on the tongue. A good level of hops comes through as well.

I could drink a few, but still a little heavy on the alcohol taste.

Derailed Black Cherry Ale

2010-09-06T17:42:00.000-07:00

Erie Brewing Co either impresses me or lets me down. There are a few of their beers that I really like, and I few others I don't really care for, but I always give them a shot when I see a brew of theirs that I haven't had yet. That being said, it's time to move on and review Erie Brewing Co's Derailed Black Cherry Ale.

The brew pours a hazy amber brown from what I can tell; let's just say I don't have the pleasure of natural light right now. There also seems to be a faded grayish-red hue toward the corners of the glass (2-D perspective). A silky, multi-layered rim collects itself after a few minutes.

The smell is delicious, albeit it is probably derived from some sort of cherry extract. Canned cherries; that's all I can gather from the smell.

The taste is a little bit of husk up front, with a sweet cherry finish. Muted malts and a pseudo oxidation taste at first, but the cherry sweetness soon washes that away. Still, I'm left with a syrupy tongue more akin to a few maibocks I've run into in the past than a cream ale.

Not a bad brew, but not one I would drink a lot of.

Peroni Nastro Azzurro

2010-08-23T18:18:00.000-07:00

Poured into my czech pilsner glass, Peroni is a yellow-golden brew with lively carbonation bubbles, and a slim head that recedes to a very modest rim.

The smell of a pilsner is very upfront, with sharp, grassy tones, coupled with toasted notes of barley & hops.

The taste is very mild. Comparable to a friendlier Moosehead Lager. Hardly any astringency to mention. A clean body, a touch of hops, and a reserved degree of malts. Actually a bit on the sweet side.

Carbonation is a little much in this brew. Veering toward pop territory, but not terrible.

Certainly a solid beer. Definitely sessionable, but that's all. If you are in the mood for a night cap, I recommend you grab a different beer from the fridge, but I can't say that it would be a bad idea to keep this one around. It just might go well with pizza.

Bitburger Premium Pils

2010-08-22T17:47:00.000-07:00

On the back label reads what I assume to be the "bottled on" date: 29 04 10 (4/29/10)

Pours a yellow golden, almost murky, hue. Slim, fluffy white head recedes to a thin rim with left over head tracings in the middle.

Smells grassy, skunky, w/ sharp floral hops.

Tastes like its aroma, but with the addition of ripe white grapes. A bit of astringency at the the tail end, encouraging one to drink more to quench their never ending thirst.

A good bite up front w/ a wet finish. I could certainly imbibe more than a few. A good pilsner.

George Killian's Irish Red

2010-08-16T18:12:00.000-07:00

As far as I can remember, this marks only the second time that I've had George Killian's Irish Red. My first experience happened to be around the time I hadn't yet discovered the beautiful complexity of beer, so I'm going to drink this one with optimism.

Well, the predominate hue is nice. Amber brown to mahogany. A beige head shows its weakness, and over the course of less than a minute, dwindles down to a sorry nothingness. Evidence of what once was a head lays pitifully on the top, like a shattered continent on a map of the globe. A thin rim tries to keep it together, and remind me that this is a beer in my glass.

The smell is toasted. Burnt brown sugar, malts, & sweet caramel. Doughy & full-bodied in the nose.

The taste is malty & toasted, with a dry, corn kernel-like finish. A mild hint of butter. Dryness trumps the attenuation, hiding what I tend to complain about.

Medium-bodied, but missing a considerable depth of character. Still, one of the better beers offered by Coors.

Saranac Pale Pale Ale

2010-08-14T09:18:00.000-07:00

Appearance: Pseudo cloudy, light amber gold.
Smell: Malty/bready undertones w/ hardly a scent of finishing hops in the nose. As it warms up, floral notes begin to play lightly.
Taste: Malty, with flat bittering hops. Toasty hints; muffled.
Mouthfeel: Mild bitterness, light-medium body; noticeably attenuated.
Drinkability: Easy to drink, but lacking in depth & character.

Asahi

2010-08-08T15:35:00.000-07:00

Appears golden, with a hint of light brown. Nice lacing & a white head that turns to a misty layer up top.

Smells sweet, malty, with mild grainy notes. Tastes dry, clean, & malty. Remarkably clean. Hops pull through to balance the malty first impression. Astringency from the hops.

Great light-medium body. Smooth, slightly grainy finish. Went well with mixed vegetables dressed with a kung pao & peanuts sauce. Much better than most macro American Lagers.

Duquesne Pilsner

2010-08-08T15:23:00.000-07:00

In a Czech pilsner glass sits a golden body with a slim white head that descends into a mere rim. It smells of grains; sharp grape in the nose. A scent of sweet white wine.

Dry to the tongue. Husky, yet notably clean. Astringency in the back end, but nothing to fuss about. Nutty; mild corn kernel taste in the finish.

Light-medium in body; friendly on the tongue, but just enough bite to satisfy the buds.

Not a bad brew at all. Considering the excessive hype leading up to & since its recent release, a better beer than I anticipated. P.S. That is not me below.

Warsteiner Premium Verum

2010-08-06T19:21:00.000-07:00

From the bottle it smells exactly like what I was hoping for: a grassy pilsner. Poured into a Czech pilsner glass, Premium Verum shows a yellow gold body; transparent. Very active lacing. In the nose it is toasted & hoppy.

The taste is unique. Wet upfront, active in the middle, with a slightly acidic, dry finish. It washes away so cleanly, leaving behind only a trace of its best characteristics: fresh hops, quality malt tones. A well-shaped body. Not too thin, not at all heavy. Crisp. So well balanced. Extremely drinkable, while remaining exceptionally satisfying.

Hacker-Pschorr Weisse Dark

2010-08-02T18:28:00.000-07:00

I picked this bottle up for a very reasonable price, somewhere around $1.75. From looking at the bottom of the bottle (after the pour), the brew appears to have been bottle conditioned. The brew shines a cloudy amber-brown. A pretty white head slims down to a silky rim environment. It smells of yeast, wheat bread, and banana, but the aromas are toasted to a pleasant degree.

A lot of acidity comes out first with the initial sip. Muted fruit, and a buttery finish. Yeasty on the tongue. Thin in the flavor category. Noticeable attenuation. Medium-bodied. Somewhat bland & a little disappointing. I've also discovered a "Produced On" indicator on the bottom-right corner of the label: 10/08. Tell me that's a mistake...

Southampton Altbier

2010-08-01T18:16:00.000-07:00

According to the label, a "Dusseldorf-Style Brown Ale," Southampton Altbier pours a heavily carbonated, partially transparent brown. The nose gets a toasty malt treat. An aggregate of figs, burnt raisin-bread, semi-sweet milk chocolate & brown sugar.

A toasty, coffee-like experience in the taste. A dash of fruit fits the style. Mild to the mouth, and a touch of acidity. Light-medium body; noticeably attenuated. Very drinkable. I wouldn't mind having one of these brews with breakfast. My only complaint is the complete lack of head retention. Overall, I approve.

IC Light: What a Delight?

2010-07-30T17:00:00.000-07:00

Out of a bottle, I've thought for a year or so now that this beer isn't half bad. But being the beer aficionado that I am, I have to judge it properly, and pour from the bottle into my Czech pilsner glass to allow its true character to come out, instead of letting it hide behind a perception veil that so many beers have managed to wrangle & exploit through intense marketing of poor beer etiquette. What I'm trying to say is: pour all beer in a glass.

The brew is yellow-gold. Like yellow liquid water coloring. The half-inch head that I was able to get out of the bottle quickly disappeared and left me with a sad rim. A steady flow of carbonation bubbles is rising to the top, but not at an intense pace.

Corn husk in the nose. Very dry grains. A mildly sweet undertone. Not one note of finishing hops. Could it be single-hopped? I am catching a scent of hop aroma, but it is so faint I can only imagine it is a remnant of the hops tossed in for the full boil (bittering hops).

Grainy, dry, hay-like flavor in the taste. A good level of bittering hops. Light & thin in the mouth. Dry to the tongue. Very lackluster in the malts section. I know this a light beer, but a touch of character wouldn't hurt this brew at all. Not a lot of flavor, so I'd say it has kept to style.

Pretty easy to drink, but I always counter that factor--which is evidently so important to the average beer drinker--with what is, in my opinion, more important: whether or not I actually want to drink it.

Dundee India Pale Ale

2010-07-29T18:45:00.000-07:00

Pours a golden-honey look, pretty clear, still a tiny bit cloudy.

The nose greets a malty-sweet undertone, coupled with a faint presence of hops resin. A little disappointed in the nose category. Hardly any finishing hops are discerned. Smells a lot like a Maibock.

They went straight to the playbook for the taste. Cascade hops, pretty bitter, with a fair amount of astringency in the finish. The body is too thin for the level of bitterness. The brew even feels bitter and unfriendly.

Certainly not a gateway IPA. Luckily I know better, but be sure to keep this out of mind when trying to pull a friend into appreciating IPAs.

On a positive note, not a terrible brew, just not very good.

Yuengling Traditional Lager

2010-07-27T18:36:00.000-07:00

I'm going to get this out the way and start off by saying that this beer changed my feelings on the taste of beer long before I tasted Blue Moon or Sam Adams Boston Lager. I can still remember being wary of its ability to hinder my judgment more than other widely accessible offerings, despite it having an ABV of less than 4.5%. It's truly a classic beer, and worth imbibing happily when spending a night at a bar as it is easy to find. On to the review:

Yuengling Traditional Lager, which refers to itself as an Amber Lager, really holds true to the color. It's head starts out fairly strong, transcending into a low-medium rim. A deep nose pulls out a sweet, malty, syrupy smell, balanced with more dry, grainy notes, and a hint of wet grass & autumn leaves, consequently pulling away from a bock-like aroma. Can't ignore the floral & spicy esters.

The taste offers a mild grainy shell, a brown sugar style, sweeter center, and a drier finish. Teasing hints of salted butter & vanilla extract. A mild feel, very little astringency in the finish, & a clean, yet grainy-dry, aftertaste.

A solid session beer for even the budget-conscious, and one that comes through with a lot more character than the rest.

Samuel Adams Black Lager

2010-07-25T17:57:00.000-07:00

My recent pseudo-complaint about Sam Adams pricing in southwestern PA will not stop me from buying a single now and again. I've been closing in on this brew for a while now: Black Lager (a Schwarzbier).

An almost pitch black body pours into my nonic pint glass. In the light, there are traces of dark copper lying at the bottom. In the nose there are plenty of roasted coffee & dark chocolate notes. Caramel; brown sugar. For fellow homebrewers, I'm also smelling a freshly opened can of malt extract.

The taste is dark roasted, but matched up with an agreeable hops presence. The hops complement the roasted character, while adding in an extra punch, winning the challenge in the end. Brown sugar & caramel pulling through too, in the manner of an American Brown Ale.

As it warms up, the presence of alcohol starts to show itself. Embrace it. This is a tasty brew. Is it too much to ask for this one to be available on tap in the winter around here?

Moosehead Lager

2010-07-24T19:15:00.000-07:00

Poured into my Czech pilsner glass, Mooshead Lager looks heavily carbonated with a golden-straw body. Smells grassy-hoppy, much like a European Pale Lager. Traditional malts for a classic American Pale. A pale, roasted character hits the nose ever so slightly.

Tastes dry, grassy, & earthy, but clean nonetheless. A very mild feel to the brew. It offers a clean & inoffensive finish or aftertaste. While it doesn't force me to scream in utter praise, there's not much to complain about. Moosehead Lager is a very balanced traditional American Pale Lager.

Dundee Kolsch Style Ale

2010-07-22T17:33:00.000-07:00

From the makers of Genesee beer, Dundee Kolsch from a variety pack (you may be familiar with Dundee Honey Brown).

A golden, light amber color. Smells sweet & sour, ester spice & a bit of phenolic aroma. A hint of liquor (whiskey/bourbon). Honey and sourdough bread (malty). Tastes a little sweet; syrupy. A little grainy; leafy. An easily noticeable presence of alcohol. Almost astringent. Feels crisp, with a semi-dry aftertaste. A hefty amount of carbonation.

Overall, a decent beer, but I'm guessing it's not entirely sessionable due to the discerned high level of alcohol (probably around 5.5-6%). At least worth trying out.

Sam Adams: Overpriced?

2010-07-19T18:55:00.001-07:00

Let me state first that I'm a big fan of Boston Beer Co's Sam Adams brews. Its flagship, Boston Lager, was one of the first craft beers I ever experienced. I credit the brewery as one of the few breweries that truly got me into beer.

But it has come to my mind that Boston Beer Co is pretty big at this point, granted, not as big as the Big 3, but it is the largest American-owned brewery. In my region, southwestern PA, a case for any of the premium Sam Adams brews run around $30-32/case out the door.

Anyone that has taken a college economics course has heard the term, "economies of scale." With the lessons taught by our knowledgeable economics professors in mind, couldn't one argue that it is about time that Sam Adams removes itself from the price class of smaller micros like Sierra Nevada & Great Lakes and fit itself appropriately in the price class of an imported light beer like Amstel Light (around $25-27/case)?

Sierra Nevada Porter

2010-07-12T17:29:00.000-07:00

Sierra Nevada Porter pours a damn near black beer. I see shadows of dark mahogany running down the bottom half of my nonic pint glass.

I've never smelled a porter quite like this. It smells of cascade hops, rendering citrusy tones. But, something is different about the smell. It's not exactly IPA'ish, despite the discerned presence of the cascade variety. Here it goes...

My god what a mild taste. So soft, like Smithick's, yet a burnt toast/to dark roasted coffee shows itself in the aftertaste. The taste from the aforementioned hops finds its way to the quarters of ones taste buds as well.

I can't even say anything more. I want to go and enjoy this one. It just might be the greatest beer I've ever had. Sierra Nevada's Porter definitely prides itself in balance. There, that's it. Cheers!

Schell's Maifest

2010-06-18T17:54:00.000-07:00

This beer pours a pretty honey-golden hue, with a fizzy (but healthy) head and the lacing to match. Smells of sweet caramel & a touch of butterscotch. Tastes of caramel, honey, butterscotch, cane sugar, balanced with a quality hops profile. Slightly syrupy.

Schell's Maifest feels medium-sized with an effortless bite and tingle. It goes down nicely and leaves the mouth feeling almost as if it just experienced a butterscotch sunday, but still shy of that cloying characteristic. A lot of malty-goodness in this brew; can't forget to point that out. I'm certain I could sit at a bar and savor 4-5 pints of this one. Cheers!

Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald (Porter Ale)

2010-06-10T17:43:00.000-07:00

This beer is as black as a stout, and smells of rich, rich coffee, brewed with dark cocoa. On top sits a delicious looking, fluffy beige head. I haven't even tasted it yet (not my first, but it's been a while).

The taste is dark & burnt, like pile driving your face into a fire pit flooded by last night's rain. The lacing is clinging.

The feel of this brew is silky and creamy, but in the manner that melted dark chocolate is silky and creamy.

This delicious specimen of brew master passion & effort has besieged my brain with thoughts of a heavy breakfast, filled to the brim with eggs, potatoes, bacon & sausage, and followed by a delicious chocolate pastry for an after-breakfast dessert.

Great Lakes is certainly one of my most adored breweries, period.

Pete's Wicked Ale

2010-06-10T17:05:00.000-07:00

Appearance is pseudo mahogany brown. Very little head, but I may have gotten an out-dated bottle.

Smell is malty & reveals a bit of caramel/brown sugar aromas. A touch of alcohol comes through towards the end.

Taste offers a hint of caramel and brown sugar and an agreeable bite from the hops. A buttery presence may be due to the English tradition.

Mouthfeel is pleasant. A medium body comes to mind.

A worthy beer, but not exactly top notch - however, I'd imagine this would be far better on tap (as most beers tend to be). Regardless, it's a very drinkable brew. I can see myself sitting at a bar drinking 5-6 pints of this stuff with no problem. It's kind of like the Yuengling of brown ale's.

Steigmaier Pale Ale & IPA

2010-06-09T17:16:00.000-07:00

Stegmaier Pale Ale:

This Pale Ale pours a golden, lager-looking body, albeit coupled with an extremely fluffy-white head. It smells of tangerine zest, with a floral element, and a hint of a soapy/chalky character.

The taste is, of course, hoppy, with the hops tasting pretty dry, and sort of to the point. The orange zest in the smell does come out a little in the taste, striking with a hint of citrusy flavors from the hops. The taste is ultimately mildly dry with a moderate astringency, so balanced for the purpose of imbibing several sessions.

If you are a fan of Pale Ale's that offer a somewhat dry, less pretentious or showy version of the style, this one might be for you.

Stegmaier India Pale Ale:

Stegmaier IPA pours a beautiful amber body with an egg white head.

It smells of hops, cascade being one variety I found distinguishable, and unsurprisingly so.

The brew carries a big bite, several steps up from the junior Pale Ale, appropriately. The hoppy-kick is paired with a nice malt level, just enough to balance the beer out.

I can't say much more or offer any more analysis than that. It's a solid IPA.

Personally, I like the Steigmaier IPA over the the Pale Ale, but that's just me. Feel free and try them both.

Samuel Smith's Imperial Stout

2010-06-04T20:56:00.000-07:00

Picked up a 550 ml bottle of this stuff at Giant Eagle (just started selling beer). That's roughly 1.5 beers at the 12 oz portion, which cost me $3.99. A legendary brewery's offering from England found its way into a supermarket in Pennsylvania. Translation: I'm not complaining.

The beer is black, unsurprisingly. An outstanding beige head with beautiful, fluffy lacing hangs out in my nonic pint glass.

Samuel Smith's Imperial Stout smells of alcohol, tart fruit (indistinguishable, but I know it's present) with biscuity notes; even cookie dough.

The taste/mouthfeel is soft & delicate, but dark & toasty. One of the attributes that I find so incredible about stouts is their ability to carry a high number of IBU's (International Bittering Units) without the senses realizing it. I'm guessing there are 70-80 IBU's in this brew, but the dark quality of the style hides the quantity, rendering it at about half that estimate to ones sense of taste.

The beer is very buttery (diacetyl), but the more negative aspect of that byproduct doesn't seem to make it to the front. I have no qualms with its position in the beer. As far as I'm concerned, it knows where it stands, and doesn't get in the way like it tends to in certain English Pale Ales.

This one I certainly recommend. Sooner or later I'll get to the Nut Brown Ale...

MillerCoors Owns Leinenkugel

2010-05-27T07:27:00.001-07:00

So I went to a distributor last evening for a 30-pack of Genesee Cream Ale (I'm going on a cheap binge to drive me toward splurging on something delicious), and there were Miller girls offering tastings. I immediately was offered a tasting outside of the cooler by the Miller girls and I asked what they had. "Miller Chill, MGD 64, and Sunset Wheat." I said that I had all of those except for MGD 64, but that I wasn't interested in MGD 64 because it is too light. I then went to pay for my 30 pack. The lady at the counter said to get another case because the one I brought up was ripped. I did, and as I walked out of the cooler for the second time it struck me. I asked one of the girls, "Does Miller own Leinenkugel now?" She responded "Yes, it's a Miller product."

!!!! How long has this been a fact? It makes me wonder now about whether or not back in 2006--when I first had Sunset Wheat and first had anything from Leinenkugel--the brewery was self standing. All in all, I wanted to vomit right there on the tasting table.

I don't want to give the wrong idea - I'm not just out to boycott anything put out by Miller - I'm not that insane. I just don't want to see more and more of good to great craft breweries get bought out by the BMC vacuum. I want to see real competition on the market. I don't want to see brands that one giant corporation owns competing amongst each other. I'm a competitionist, not a capitalist. That's all I'm saying...

Stoudt's Fat Dog Imperial Oatmeal Stout

2010-05-15T19:27:00.000-07:00

This brew is black as night with a brownish-beige nougat head. Good lacing.

Offers a milk stout smell: strawberries, oatmeal, brown sugar & toasted raisin bread. I love it!

The taste is outstanding! Alcohol presence much like a heavy winter warmer. Toasted malts and, as a result, indistinguishable hops. A sweet-bitter finish. The alcohol makes it hard to distinguish much more, but there are sweet qualities very similar to an english style barleywine.

A good bite in the feel. A little bit of acidity; a tiny bit of aggression. Can't complain! This is a Class-A oatmeal stout - my first Imperial.

Guiness Draught

2010-05-15T19:00:00.000-07:00

I poured the bottle into a nonic pint glass, appropriately.

Looks black with the typical nougat head.

Smells like a mild stout: coffee, roasted malts, far, far away.

Tastes like it's been intentionally watered down to make a MGD 64 drinker feel like they are branching out.

It literally feels like a glass of water.

This is a truly disappointing stout. I watched the "Historic Pubs of Dublin" PBS special today (again) and was inspired to have a good stout or a Guinness. A sad, sad, night.

Schlitz

2010-05-13T19:05:00.000-07:00

Up until about a week ago, I never thought I'd be drinking this beer, let alone reviewing it.

It has a yellow-golden look with a short head, but enough lacing to keep me happy.

It smells of hops and a little bit of sweet corn. Don't let the latter element to the description of the smell fool you; it's actually pretty pleasant.

It has a nice hoppy bite to it, and an extremely clean finish. It tastes like its macro counterparts, only Schlitz is cleaner and better overall.

This is by far the best macro American Adjunct Lager available, and at around $12 bucks a case, one simply cannot go wrong.

The Duck-Rabbit Milk Stout

2010-05-09T19:11:00.000-07:00

I almost had an accident. No, not that kind of accident. This beer drilled its way to the top of my glass before I could say "oh, shit!" and forced me to swallow up some of the nice soda-beige head that was willing to barrel out of the glass if I didn't do something about it.

The brew is black as night, save a few dark brown mahogany spots down below when I hold the glass in front of my lamp. It smells sweet: blackberries, brown sugar, concord grapes, maybe even some brown raisins. As it warms up I smell some coffee mixed in with the rest of the aromas.

The taste is far more gritty. Black malts, spent coffee. Still, this being a milk stout, it's gritty on a sugar high. Almost makes my mouth pucker.

The mouthfeel is very appealing; a sweet kiss, and a citric quality follows through like I sucked a lime.

I found this brew to be a pretty tasty milk stout from The Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery.

Arcadia IPA

2010-05-05T19:27:00.000-07:00

I've never before had an IPA that smelled quite like this...sour apple (much like a cider), brown sugar, and a faint note of toffee, far, far away.

The taste is fairly malty, suggesting that this is the kind of IPA that pushes for malt flavors, rather than an all out blast of hops. No doubt, the hops are definitely there as there is a lot of bitterness to this brew. Clean grains match up to the IBU's, culminating into a very balanced taste.

The color is honey-amber, coupled with a quality off-white head. A nice level of lacing acts as if it is stitched to the body of the beer. An excellent medium body, and an extremely clean finish makes this a highly enjoyable beer for me.

Southern Tier's IPA

2010-05-04T17:27:00.000-07:00

I bought a single of this brew for $1.73, generally the average price I head to for one bottle of beer.

From the 12 oz bottle it smells of amarillo/cascade hops. Poured into a nonic pint glass, the brew looks light-amber, desperately trying to show an orange hue, or maybe my lighting is fooling me. The brew is pretty clear; crisp. A grimy, spotty white head (hues, not quality). Healthy 1/4 inch head or a little less. Stormy lacing.

Smells of citrus, amarillo/cascade hops, grapefruit. Tastes of fresh grapefruit, carrying a bitter-sweet malt-hops ratio, alcohol, & a flavorless corn cob. Feels soft, with a creamy/minced grain quality, and a medium body in well enough shape to throw it down with you several times over. A clean finish overall, coupled with the hops resin that comes with the territory. A brew worth buying.

Penn Brewery's Penn Weizen

2010-04-30T20:34:00.000-07:00

Poured a 12 oz bottle into an imperial pint glass.

An old label. Nowadays look for a woman carrying bundles of wheat/grain.

A glowing amber look. Decent lacing, not a lot of head.

Awesome smell of banana muffins. Yeasty.

Delicious taste - a good amount of wheat, a lot of sweet bananas. Clove.

A very nice medium body. A solid mouthfeel.

Definitely one of Penn Brewery's best.

Church Brew Works - Pious Monk Dunkel

2010-04-29T18:46:00.000-07:00

12 oz bottle poured into nonic pint glass.

Very pretty dark amber brown. Silky lacing.

Smells of malty caramel & brown sugar. Grainy alcohol & brown bread.

A medium body with alcohol & hops taking the lead, then caramel & brown sugar coming through to the palate.

A very calm mouthfeel; hardly one thing to complain about. Enough bite to make it a beer, enough tenderness to make it a wife.

Pretty much a solid, all around brew. There's nothing I dislike about it. Highly drinkable, and from me, highly recommended.

CRAFT BEER CONSUMER PROTECTION ACTION ALERT:
Live in or around the Pittsburgh area? Check out the Church Brew Works Brewpub in Lawrenceville, PA, or look for their beer next time you visit your local distributor/six-pack shop.

Samuel Adams' Summer Ale

2010-04-28T17:59:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty sure I had this on tap last summer at the Capstone Grill in Canonsburg, PA, and I wasn't really into it then. I figured I'd give it another shot, and be certain that I've actually tried the brew.

I poured a 12 oz bottle into my nonic pint glass.

The appearance is disappointing. Overly carbonated, weak head, spotty lacing, and a yellow-amber look.

The smell is a little better. Pretty refreshing, very zesty, grassy, with a touch of wet dog.

The taste is sub-par. Oily/soapy hop character (reminiscent of Victory's Prima Pils), cardboard, lemon zest. A good light-medium body, nonetheless.

The mouthfeel is quality. Active, but not angry and obnoxious.

Personally, buying a single of Samuel Adams' Summer Ale to try it out is fine (I paid about $1.67), but I' m not going near a case.

Bell's Two Hearted Ale

2010-04-26T18:27:00.000-07:00

This beer tends to receive a lot of general compliments online, so I decided to finally give it a try.

It shows a pretty amber glow, with a solid white top.

Smells of sweet citrus fruits on ice (frozen pineapple & grapefruit), floral hops, a hint of bready character, possibly a pound cake in the far distance.

Taste is very astringent, with the hops pushing the max on bitterness. The taste is extraneous and surprisingly unrelated to the expectations derived from the welcoming smell. Warming notes from the alcohol, and a teasing amount of the citrus flavors from the smell that I expected to find more pronounced in the taste.

The mouthfeel offers a silky tingle, and the finish concludes with a lingering grainy aftertaste.

Not at all what I was expecting. I was hoping the citrus and/or floral character from hops traditionally tossed in an American IPA would show in this brew. The bittering character was, in my opinion, too dry and lacked a friendlier compliment. But, if you are into American IPA's that pack a bitter punch and leave the flower giving for anniversary celebrations, this one just might be what you are looking for.

If Bar Crawlers Drank Better Beer

2010-04-19T20:19:00.000-07:00

The bar crawl has become the thing to do in today's American binge-beer culture. Chances are, if you haven't partaken in the all night activity yourself, you know someone who has.

Early on in my beer drinking lifestyle (not that long ago), my friends and I would do the "South Side Crawl" in the South Side of Pittsburgh, PA. We'd hit up half of a dozen bars in one night, walking, of course. It was a great way to freshen the view while imbibing bland light beer after bland light beer, and it certainly was an expression of our excitement from being able to be served alcohol like an adult finally.

Nowadays, a few friends still stick to the routine, but I've grown out of it for more than one reason. First being, I'm a married man. Not only do I have no interest in going to several bars in one night, intoxicating myself to the point that I shouldn't drive, but a married man has no business acting like a bachelor, and behaving like a fool with no attachments. Secondly, I don't drink light beer. Light beer is the key to bar crawls.

Light beer is the key to bar crawls for two reasons. One: light beer allows one to drink excessively all night, so walking to bar after bar to limited selection bar after limited selection bar isn't a problem. Secondly, and this really points to why bar crawls are so "fun": light beer is boring, and as a result, people that drink light beer tend to not enjoy staying in one place all night.

Light beer drinkers don't much like conservation either, unless it involves texting someone on their cell phone, discussing sports, or something else that is on a big-screen TV while at a bar (for the time being...). But after hanging around with someone in the same bar, even when a sports game is on (and that is pretty much always), after a little while the instinct for conversation rears its ugly head and the awkwardness of social obligation forces the light beer drinker to suggest, "Hey, how about we go to the next bar?"

This is where the craft beer drinker should step in and say, "Actually, I was kind of thinking I'd try that curious beer on tap that is flanked by Miller Lite & Budweiser. I heard it's a witbier. Want to give it a shot?" From that angle, as long as the crawler bit the bait, the possibilities for social interaction and--one can only hope--better beer drinking are pretty intriguing. Wouldn't you agree?

Wolaver's Organic Brown Ale

2010-04-17T19:46:00.000-07:00

I poured a 12-oz bottle into a Czech Pilsner glass.

The brew is a nice brown mahogany with a lacy walnut-colored head.

The smell is deep, offering an immediate malty character, aggregated with lots of caramel & brown sugar, while the scent of alcohol sits way in the back.

Toasted malt, caramel, brown sugar, alcohol, all the qualities in the smell are found in the taste, but the alcohol comes through a bit stronger.

The feel & finish is slightly grainy, with noticeable bitterness from what I can only assume is the presence of hops, though the overall character is hard to discern.

Overall, I really enjoy this beer from Wolaver's in Middlebury, Vermont. It has a moderate body, a healthy malt presence, and enough bittering units to more than satisfy the intrigued beer drinker.

A Tripel: Weyerbacher's Merry Monks' Ale

2010-04-13T17:01:00.000-07:00

I've seen Weyerbacher brews prior to picking this one up. In fact, I've used their empty 4-packs to carry out a variety of singles on more than one occasion. Late last week, I finally decided to give them a shot.

I went with their brew, Merry monks' Ale (about $2.04 a single). It sits at 9.3% ABV.

A nice yellow-golden look with a healthy head and fairly decent lacing that falls back in the pool after a few seconds. I smell an enormous amount of yeast, some alcohol, and ripe banana.

The taste is yeasty; definitely alcohol chords coming through due to the high content, and easily some fresh bananas.

A nice medium body, with a bitter mouth feel that surprisingly isn't too over the top. For 9.3% ABV, Weyerbacher has pulled it off by offering up a great tasting brew--which reminds me of Franziskaner's Weissbier (but much stronger)--that at least matches, if not out does, the high level of alcohol.

Bell's Oberon Ale

2010-04-10T20:02:00.000-07:00

12 oz bottle poured into nonic pint glass.

Appearance: Almost solid gold with a number of tiny, grayish-black floaties near the bottom. Quality lacing & refreshingly appealing head.

Smell: Faint oranges on top of toasted wheat bread.

Taste: A nice balance of wheat grains, slightly oily hops, & citrus chords. Grainy-hop presence is a bit astringent. Finishes with a lingering quality that fades out just in time.

Mouthfeel: Bitter up front with a silky lathering on the roof & tongue.

Drinkability: Medium body with a lighter taste. I definitely could enjoy more than a few.

Penn Brewery's Kaiser Pils

2010-04-01T18:27:00.000-07:00

A few notes on Penn Brewery's Kaiser Pils:

I bought a case in California, PA for $28.59 before tax.

Drank some homemade elderberry wine in celebration of my grandfather-in-law's 91st birthday before I tasted this brew, which unfortunately threw off my taste buds.

I didn't much care for it last night, so I opened up a bottle today to give it another chance and let it breathe in a nonic pint glass. The result was in the positive direction.

There's no freshness date on the bottle, so who knows if the age of the brew is effecting the quality. The head has disappeared, 3/4's of the way in.

The look is yellow-golden; typical pilsner. The taste offers very oily, bitter hops. The smell is a little grassy, pretty refreshing, with a hint of barley.

Medium body, decent mouthfeel, but personally a brew I'll drink less of. I prefer Penn Dark, Penn Gold, & Penn Pilsner over Kaiser Pils from the brewery in the north side of Pittsburgh, PA.

Brew Free or Die IPA

2010-03-25T19:14:00.000-07:00

This is a brew from 21st Amendment Brewery in San Francisco, California. They are one of the craft breweries that I know of (alongside Oskar Blues) that distributes their beer in cans.

The beer offers an amber color; shadow fingers on the other side of the glass, so, it's close to opaque, but not quite.

The bittering units are incredible. Their presence was one of the first things I noticed, so I decided to look on the can for the possibility that their quantity would be mentioned. The can lists 70 IBU's! From what I've heard, that's about 7 times the amount found in a light beer.

The lacing and head retention is quite impressive. I'm 3/4's of the way into this brew and I've still got a half inch of head hanging around. It's happy, and is showing no signing of giving in.

The smell is profound. I closed my eyes and racked my brain trying to pin point the ingredients. The smell reminds me of the hybrid juices my grandmother used to keep in the fridge. Pineapple & grapefruit is coming out to the delight of anyone around.

The taste is extremely bitter, with a malty character following the initial notes. This IPA definitely has a uniqueness about it. The brewer certainly made a point of bringing out hops & malts to create a more complex set of abrasive contents. Cheers!

Buffalo Bill's Orange Blossom Cream Ale

2010-03-22T18:55:00.000-07:00

12 oz bottle poured into nonic pint glass.

This beer first let me down once I poured what looked like a golden lager, instead of the amber-orange hue I was expecting. But, that aside, I thought that if it tasted good, I could get over my expectation and appreciate the brew still.

The smell isn't bad, but it's a little over the top, personally, and a slightly on the artificial side, regardless of whether artificial flavors were used or not.

The head retention and lacing is probably the most honorable mention in respect to this brew.

As a result of the taste, which I can only describe as two beverages that have been thrown together without offering a thought into the direction of balance, with one of the beverages being a skunky frat beer & the other being a cheap orange soft drink, this beer doesn't hold a lot of weight in the area of drinkability. Still, I respect the attempt from Buffalo Bill's.

FURTHERMORE:
If my suggestions were to matter, here are a few that I think could improve on this brew:
I got too much of an 'Orange Slice' taste and smell from this brew. I think a little more body, a little less carbonation, would not only improve on the taste and feel, but also might cut back on the overwhelming smell of oranges.

Guinness Extra Stout for St. Patrick's Day

2010-03-17T18:12:00.000-07:00

I'm normally not one for tradition, but I picked up a 24 oz bottle of Guinness Extra Stout today in honor of St. Patrick's Day.

Guinness Extra Stout is not the Guinness usually seen at bars all over the U.S. The stuff myself and everyone else is used to seeing is Guinness Draught, and from what I've read, the Extra Stout is a lighter brew.

I've also read that the Extra Stout is what used to be Guinness' porter up until the end of the 18th century. According to Todd Alstrom of BeerAdvocate.com, "This is the real Guinness, in my opinion. Known and labeled as their "Original," and actually, originally, their Porter product during the 1700's (becoming their Stout in 1799). An exceptional Stout! The 60/40 nitro-injected stuff you get at the pub today is fairly new to this world (1961) -- it hardly stands up to this brew."

I haven't had a Guinness Draft in a few years, but I can definitely remember enough about its quality to recognize the body difference between the Draught & the Extra Stout. This brew really does look and taste more like a porter. There's an unmistakable bitterness that reminds me of Yuengling Porter, but I think Guinness' Extra Stout has a remarkably cleaner finish.

Happy St Patrick's Day!

Leinenkugel's Sunset Wheat and Hazed & Confused Dry Hopped Ale

2010-02-25T19:00:00.000-08:00

A few more enjoyed at Lagerheads in Coal Center, PA.

Leinenkugel's Sunset Wheat:

I first bought this brew with a friend about 4 summers ago. We bought a case for around 13 dollars! Started drinking about 1-2 in the afternoon and convinced ourselves that we had better go back out and get another case. At the time I was living with my parents, and my father was not happy with our foolish second trip. As a result, a huge fight broke out between myself and my parents, and my buddy started mowing the grass to repair his standing with my folks. Kind of funny to look back on, but definitely an important experience in regards to learning about responsibility. Oh, and I emitted blueberry-infused gas from the behind for the next 12-14 hours. On to the beer...

12 oz bottle poured into frozen 9-10 oz mug, little by little. Cloudy wheat beer, contains plentiful traces of mashing. Golden-Amber color. Fizzy lacing!

Leinenkugel's Sunset Wheat tastes like early morning blueberry muffins on a little hoppy trip. Can't really taste the wheat. It definitely doesn't have the evident wheat content like that which is found in Bell's Winter White Ale.

The brew is very refreshing, any time of the year. Today happens to be a sunny day towards the end of winter, and the brew really counters the temperature outside.

Sunset Wheat smells like an unpeeled orange or a vegetable crisper (in the fridge) stuffed with fresh fruits. Snowflake foam! Pleasantly stable feel to the brew with an unquestionably medium body.

Hazed & Infused Dry Hopped Ale (Boulder, CO)

Solid-brown look, malty-brown taste on over drive. A little hops come through to offer a bitter note. Dark chocolate taste with raisins. A bock-like view from the top of the pond. A very nice carbonation-lacing relationship, pretty active.

Hazed & Infused Dry Hopped Ale has a very balanced taste for a roasted malt, somewhat hoppy take on this style of beer. It stands as one of the few I could have several of.

Sly Fox Pikeland Pils

2010-02-18T18:42:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately I have a sizable Anthropology exam to continue studying for tonight, so I'll keep this one brief (I couldn't help but have a beer, and I really wanted to review this one):

Tastes like a European Pale Lager, similiar in taste to Pilsner Urquell, but far less robust in body and IBU's than the classic from the Czech Republic.

Pikeland Pils smells of cloves, wheat, and yeast. One might also suggest that corn was brewed in the wort, but I'm giving Sly Fox the benefit of the doubt and guessing it's just yeast. Looks like Miller Lite, Bud Light, or Coors Lite, but with better ingredients as evidenced by the quality foam/head retention.

The brew definitely has a slightly sour taste, but the hops balance it all out. Pikeland Pils is very sessionable. My one and only complaint would be the yeasty-corn smell that kind of gets to me after a few good sips. Other than that, I'm fine. Final word: Pikeland Pils definitely stands as effort enough to interest me in trying another from the brewery from Royersford, Pennsylvania.

Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Barleywine Style Ale

2010-02-15T20:15:00.000-08:00

I've finally gone ahead and picked up a single of Sierra Nevada's Bigfoot Barleywine Style Ale, a curious brew I first noticed in six packs a year or two ago.

Sierra Nevada's brews almost always have an unmistakable hops smell. The only brew from this outstanding brewery that doesn't have the smell, to my knowledge, would be the recently released Glissade, a pretty distinct bock that is light in color and pilsner-style sharp in hop character.

This barleywine style ale is up there with Sierra Nevada's Estate, a tasty beverage a friend and I had the pleasure of enjoying several weeks ago while sharing a 24 oz bottle.

Not that I'm an expert, but I was thinking loudly, "Cascade!" when I got my first whiff and taste of Bigfoot. Turns out I was right, partly. Cascade hops are at work with Centennial and Chinook, all engaging in a variety of quality tactics. Just check the Sierra Nevada website to find out more.

The foam is always a half-inch thick, and the lacing is hefty. In fact, the lacing actually drys up on the glass. It gives you a good idea of how bitter the hops actually are in this brew. The color is amber-red, and the smell is outstanding.

Gosh this stuff is delicious!