Pours a nice, dark ruby-red color.
Subtle sweetness in the smell, but not much else.
Compared to most Christmas Ales I've had in the Pacific Northwest, it's a bit sweet and not as hoppy. However, it is well balanced with a very subtle oak-vanilla flavor at the end. A smidge of roastiness comes through, as well.
Honestly, probably the best winter beer I've had all season.
Most winter beers seem to miss the point by being a re-imagined, over-hoppy IPA. Goose Island has a beer I would say is full-bodied, hearty, and malty - exactly what you want for Christmas. This beer is testament that a big craft brewery can still make good beer. (It also shows why brewmasters should go to brewery school.)
Love that end flavor. It's great. Grab 2 pint bottles at your next trip to the grocery store...or Chicago.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Schneider and Brooklyner Hopfen Weisse (bottle)
This is a collaboration beer between Schneider Weissbier Brewery (Germany) and Brooklyn Brewery (NYC).
Pours a golden wheat color. You can't see through it at all, which is fine because it's a wheat beer.
Smells kind of sourish. For being a dry-hopped beer, I don't smell too much on the hop. Maybe just a little bit of a grassy-honey smell, almost.
First impressions: tastes like a homebrew. Not like that homebrew that a guy brewing for 10 years would make, but a homebrew that would come from your first kit that wasn't sanitized well. Maybe it was the yeast in it, but it has kind of a sour-off flavor, not reminiscent of a wheat beer.
However, as the yeast settles a bit and the beer warms up, the sourness and grassiness becomes less apparent. It becomes drinkable.
Does it have any of the clove, bready, spicy characters I would expect from a good wheat beer? NO.
Do the dry hops help the beer? Probably not. From what I've gathered, you shouldn't dry hop or make a hoppy wheat beer.
Schneider Weissbier, stick to your original recipe. And Garrett Oliver, stick to your original ales.
A disappointment for a collaboration beer. Get a 1/2 pint to try it.
(Disclaimer: this beer was drank in a bottle imported from Germany. It's been sitting in the fridge for a few weeks before opening.)
Pours a golden wheat color. You can't see through it at all, which is fine because it's a wheat beer.
Smells kind of sourish. For being a dry-hopped beer, I don't smell too much on the hop. Maybe just a little bit of a grassy-honey smell, almost.
First impressions: tastes like a homebrew. Not like that homebrew that a guy brewing for 10 years would make, but a homebrew that would come from your first kit that wasn't sanitized well. Maybe it was the yeast in it, but it has kind of a sour-off flavor, not reminiscent of a wheat beer.
However, as the yeast settles a bit and the beer warms up, the sourness and grassiness becomes less apparent. It becomes drinkable.
Does it have any of the clove, bready, spicy characters I would expect from a good wheat beer? NO.
Do the dry hops help the beer? Probably not. From what I've gathered, you shouldn't dry hop or make a hoppy wheat beer.
Schneider Weissbier, stick to your original recipe. And Garrett Oliver, stick to your original ales.
A disappointment for a collaboration beer. Get a 1/2 pint to try it.
(Disclaimer: this beer was drank in a bottle imported from Germany. It's been sitting in the fridge for a few weeks before opening.)
Friday, November 20, 2009
Firestone Walker Union Jack IPA (bottle)
This was awarded the #1 IPA of the Year at the 2009 Great American Beer Festival. Let's see how it tastes compared to a previous winner: Pliny the Elder.
Smells of Hops.
A nice, crystal-clear bronze color.
A lacey head.
That's some hops.
I don't know if I think this is the best IPA I've ever had. I understand this beer's supposed to have a lot of hops and, at 7.5 percent alcohol, it acheives its goal. However, the hop flavor isn't as pronounced as I would like. It has too clean of a start, not enough pine/lemon flavor. Then, there's a big hop bitterness at the end.
When it warms up, it gets more malty. This helps cut the bitterness at the end.
By any means, it's not a bad beer. But, I wouldn't say it's the best IPA. Compared to something like Pliny, which I think has a great balance of hop flavor and bitterness, Union Jack doesn't come off as the most balanced.
Overall, a pint and 1/2.
Smells of Hops.
A nice, crystal-clear bronze color.
A lacey head.
That's some hops.
I don't know if I think this is the best IPA I've ever had. I understand this beer's supposed to have a lot of hops and, at 7.5 percent alcohol, it acheives its goal. However, the hop flavor isn't as pronounced as I would like. It has too clean of a start, not enough pine/lemon flavor. Then, there's a big hop bitterness at the end.
When it warms up, it gets more malty. This helps cut the bitterness at the end.
By any means, it's not a bad beer. But, I wouldn't say it's the best IPA. Compared to something like Pliny, which I think has a great balance of hop flavor and bitterness, Union Jack doesn't come off as the most balanced.
Overall, a pint and 1/2.
Monday, November 16, 2009
New Belgium 2 Below Ale (Bottle)
- Pours a brilliantly nice, golden color
- Great lacy head that never seems to disappear
- Has a subtle honey and spicy hop smell
I find myself continuing to take drink after drink.
Definitely worth a pitcher at a bar.
Friday, November 6, 2009
Leavenworth Alt (bottle)
Some initial thoughts:
When you drink it right out of the fridge, it's just a real easy-drinking, clean beer. It almost tastes like an Oktoberfest lager.
However, when it warms up a bit, you start to notice some kind-of-funky, cooked vegetable-type flavors. A little unpleasant. Sadly, this is when you're going to drink most of the beer - about 5-10 mins from the time it left the fridge.
Yet, when it hits about 15 mins in, a lot more breadiness and maltiness shows through. It becomes a drinkable beer. Not great, by any means of the imagination, but...drinkable.
Overall, it's a 1 pint beer. You won't be pissed that you bought it, but you won't be getting it again.
- Pours a really nice amber color.
- A little carbonation, but not a huge head.
- A little cloudy.
- Smell of honey and sweet malt
When you drink it right out of the fridge, it's just a real easy-drinking, clean beer. It almost tastes like an Oktoberfest lager.
However, when it warms up a bit, you start to notice some kind-of-funky, cooked vegetable-type flavors. A little unpleasant. Sadly, this is when you're going to drink most of the beer - about 5-10 mins from the time it left the fridge.
Yet, when it hits about 15 mins in, a lot more breadiness and maltiness shows through. It becomes a drinkable beer. Not great, by any means of the imagination, but...drinkable.
Overall, it's a 1 pint beer. You won't be pissed that you bought it, but you won't be getting it again.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
The Ram at University Village (Seattle)
This is weird. I feel like I'm the only person drinking a beer. I'm at a brewpub and surrounded by high schoolers.
I started with the sampler and here's my review:
Big Horn Blonde
The Blonde's a Blonde. If you're a Bud Light drinker, you're going to be a fan of the Blonde. That's what it's for and it's well made as that. As a craft beer drinker, you're not going to get much out of this beer. It's kind of...Canadian. (This one won awards...I don't agree with that.)
Big Horn Hefeweizen
It's trying to taste like a German-style, but it's watered down. It doesn't have the balls to taste like a real Hefeweizen. Not a great aftertaste, either. It's a disappointment, 'cause it smells like it could be real - it's got banana and clove - but, it's just not risky enough.
So far, I wouldn't write home about the first two. They're what you might expect at a chain microbrewery.
'71 Pale Ale
Both the Pale and the Hefe have a minerally...something. (All these beers have an unpleasant bitteringness to them.) The aftertaste is like you're licking a stone. There's a good "Mac and Jack's*" taste at the beginning of the Pale, but then... I recommend eating spicy food with this one as it masks the "stone" flavor. It's actually pretty good then - it has a good fruitiness. Eat it with The Ram's Buffalo Chicken Salad or some Thai food.
Big Red IPA
I'm a pretty big fan of their IPA, actually. Nice, fruity, citrus flavor. It's got a really nice hoppyness thoughout and it's real clean. It's bitter, but it ends clean. I like it. It's a good, easy-drinking IPA.
Buttface Amber
Smells like water. (Damn! It just went up my nose!) It's hard to know what an "Amber" style is, but it's not a bad one. It's biscuity with a dark caramel taste. It tastes like a lighter version of Fat Tire - in a good way. You can have more than one, unlike Fat Tire, which I think kills itself after 1 pint. A solid beer. I would definitely order a full pint.
Total Disorder Porter
That's not bad! It's actually pretty nice. Maybe a bit "licking of the stone," but it's not offensive. Great roastiness, sweetness, a little chocolate, very balanced. Good flavor, but not so overdone you wouldn't order a second one.
Overall
Nothing they make is bad. Everything is mediocre, but with a couple surprise hits. The Porter is the best.
The Sampler is $3.63. It's a ridiculous deal. The best sampler price I've ever seen. I'm not sure why they don't screw you over more. Maybe they messed up. Anyway, come get the sampler, 'cause it's a great deal.
*A popular Amber beer in the Seattle-area.
I started with the sampler and here's my review:
Big Horn Blonde
The Blonde's a Blonde. If you're a Bud Light drinker, you're going to be a fan of the Blonde. That's what it's for and it's well made as that. As a craft beer drinker, you're not going to get much out of this beer. It's kind of...Canadian. (This one won awards...I don't agree with that.)
Big Horn Hefeweizen
It's trying to taste like a German-style, but it's watered down. It doesn't have the balls to taste like a real Hefeweizen. Not a great aftertaste, either. It's a disappointment, 'cause it smells like it could be real - it's got banana and clove - but, it's just not risky enough.
So far, I wouldn't write home about the first two. They're what you might expect at a chain microbrewery.
'71 Pale Ale
Both the Pale and the Hefe have a minerally...something. (All these beers have an unpleasant bitteringness to them.) The aftertaste is like you're licking a stone. There's a good "Mac and Jack's*" taste at the beginning of the Pale, but then... I recommend eating spicy food with this one as it masks the "stone" flavor. It's actually pretty good then - it has a good fruitiness. Eat it with The Ram's Buffalo Chicken Salad or some Thai food.
Big Red IPA
I'm a pretty big fan of their IPA, actually. Nice, fruity, citrus flavor. It's got a really nice hoppyness thoughout and it's real clean. It's bitter, but it ends clean. I like it. It's a good, easy-drinking IPA.
Buttface Amber
Smells like water. (Damn! It just went up my nose!) It's hard to know what an "Amber" style is, but it's not a bad one. It's biscuity with a dark caramel taste. It tastes like a lighter version of Fat Tire - in a good way. You can have more than one, unlike Fat Tire, which I think kills itself after 1 pint. A solid beer. I would definitely order a full pint.
Total Disorder Porter
That's not bad! It's actually pretty nice. Maybe a bit "licking of the stone," but it's not offensive. Great roastiness, sweetness, a little chocolate, very balanced. Good flavor, but not so overdone you wouldn't order a second one.
Overall
Nothing they make is bad. Everything is mediocre, but with a couple surprise hits. The Porter is the best.
The Sampler is $3.63. It's a ridiculous deal. The best sampler price I've ever seen. I'm not sure why they don't screw you over more. Maybe they messed up. Anyway, come get the sampler, 'cause it's a great deal.
*A popular Amber beer in the Seattle-area.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Welcome to my blog
I'm starting this blog to share my thoughts on the great - and not so great - beers of the world. Stay tuned!
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