Samuel Smith's Taddy Porter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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)

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

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

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)

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

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).