Thursday, September 30, 2010
Denver Pale Ale
Bright & balanced, it promises, and it delivers. Nicely balanced malty middle and hoppy finish. Not overwhelming in either part, but good all around. Although I normally pour my beers into a glass, I drank this one from the bottle at our picnic, and therefore didn't get to see the color.
Oktoberfest
This is one of the tastier traditional German-style lagers I've had. Really good beer. Nice color. A better-than-average product from Left Hand.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
duganA
A bomber on a Tuesday? Now we're getting wild. Seriously, this is a really good beer, if you like hops, as I do. According to its label, it strives to do what St. Lupulin does, tease out the essence of hoppy flavor via its distilled oil, but it doesn't succeed quite as well. While it's easy to get strong hops in a beer with bitterness, it's a lot harder to get the kind of flavor that St. Lupulin does with remarkably little bitter aftertaste. That doesn't mean duganA is not a great beer. Still highly recommended.
Sam Adams Octoberfest
In contrast to a couple of other Eastern Breweries I have mentioned, Sam Adams generally provides a consistently good product. This is no exception, a really tasty amber lager. If Shipyard and Sarnac represent the competition, no wonder Sam Adams was able to get the lion's share of the beer market in the East.
Octoberfest Lager
Kind of gross--I almost didn't finish this one. Sarnac, like Shipyard, made a really good pumpkin beer. Is that all these Eastern Breweries can make, or does my taste just not mesh with them for some reason?
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Hoptober
Not bad. Not as hoppy as one would expect, but pleasantly so. If I were a real connoisseur, I'd start learning the names of the different strains of hops, because it's getting pretty normal for brewers to put them on the bottle.
Shipyard IPA
Blech--this is another disgusting Shipyard product with a really horrid aftertaste that just doesn't go away. Apparently, they only know how to make pumpkin beers.
Colorado Native Lager
Pretty nasty. Everyone I know who's tried this has had the same opinion, so it's not really recommended. And guess what, it's actually a MillerCoors product, trying to masquerade as a craft beer, or actually is a craft beer, financed and managed by the megacorp. I didn't know that until now, but I think it explains a lot about the beer.
Hop Rod Rye
This was just an awesome beer. Totally delicious. A strong, full flavor, but not overwhelmingly bitter. Probably one of my top ten beers at this point--renews my faith in rye beers. Kind of strong (8% abv), but you don't taste the alcohol at all, just the delicious hops and rye. Not too pricey, and it's pretty, to boot.
Pumpkinhead
Another really good pumpkin beer, probably the best of the three I've tried--Highly recommended. And really a delightful surprise after the terrible Export Ale
Pumpkin Ale
This is more like it--a really tasty beer, not too squashy, a little spicy, but still mostly a tasty ale.
St. Bridget's Porter
A pretty good porter. Middle-of-the-road beer for Great Divide. One of St. Bridget's miracles, apparently, was turning her bathwater into beer. When Tracy heard the story, she said, I can believe she turned her bathwater into something, but I don't think it's beer.
Pumpkin Lager
Being as how it's getting on toward autumn, there were a number of seasonal beers out last time I went to the liquor store, and having gotten a recommendation for a pumpkin beer, I decided to try a few different ones. This one was disgusting. You pretty much have to keep at it to take the edge of the squashy taste, and any time you stop it comes back.
Imperial Russian Stout
This is another really strong beer--over 10% abv. Not very tasty, and makes me think that I just don't like beers with this level of alcohol--they don't taste like beers, more like hard liquor, which isn't what I want when I drink a beer.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
State Pen Porter
A great porter. I took this with me on a bike ride / barbecue and truly enjoyed it. Maybe I'm not a porter-hater after all. I'm going to have to try some more and make a decision.
Summerbright
As the summer is winding down, I'm trying to catch all the summer seasonals before they disappear. I really do like some of the beers Breckenridge produces. This one, though, is just OK.
The Sixth Glass
Boulevard. I had looked forward to trying this other year-round product of Boulevard's Smokestack Series after getting entranced by its awesome allusion. After receiving a couple of recommendations, I decided to save it for a day I was really pissed off at work. The day I went to buy it, though, my local store was sold out and I had to put it off.
I don't think it was worth the wait. You can really taste the alcohol in this beer, something I don't generally enjoy in a beer. I like to taste the beer and have the alcohol be an added bonus. If I want to drink hard liquor, I'll drink hard liquor. That said, it gets better as you go, so maybe it'd be ideal as a second beer, once your taste buds have already loosened themselves up.
I don't think it was worth the wait. You can really taste the alcohol in this beer, something I don't generally enjoy in a beer. I like to taste the beer and have the alcohol be an added bonus. If I want to drink hard liquor, I'll drink hard liquor. That said, it gets better as you go, so maybe it'd be ideal as a second beer, once your taste buds have already loosened themselves up.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Birra Moretti La Rossa
Heineken. A pretty reasonable beer. I'd probably pick it over Peroni if I'm in a ristorante with only themed beer choices.
Sofie
Goose Island. This was my second saison. Not quite as tasty as the first, but it grew on me after a couple of sips to become an enjoyable beer. I haven't quite become a real fan of the form, but I wouldn't steer clear of it. I enjoyed this beer on August 31, 2010.
7 Seas Double IPA
Dry Dock Most of you will not get the pleasure of enjoying this delicious, unfiltered double IPA. Dry Dock is a tiny microbrewer, more properly a brew pub, that has recently begun bottling some of its product. Not quite as small as the Shmaltz Smallest Brewery in the World, it is still producing very tiny quantities, which is a shame because this one, at least, is a knockout. Truly, it is one of my favorite beers, and probably the first unfiltered IPA I have had the pleasure of enjoying. I always enjoy an unfiltered beer. Unfiltered beers look and taste muddy, gruff, and extra-yeasty. This is fairly light in color for a double IPA, but its taste is by no means light. Highly recommended. I enjoyed this beer on August 30, 2010.
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Dam Straight Lager
Dam Brewery. The Dam Brewery reportedly has a great winter brew, which is probably why so many skiers rave about it. Visiting in the summer, I tried this variety, and found it to be just okay, maybe a little bland.
Arrogant Bastard
Stone. This is a very good ale, exactly the right tastiness for its reputation. If it were any better, it'd have to be called, "Justifiably Smug Ale," and that doesn't sound nearly as good. Yes, this is a good beer. But it doesn't sit head and shoulders above its competition. It is, however, a great beer to slug from a bomber while cooking over a roaring campfire.
Twisted Thistle IPA
Belhaven. This is my first imported IPA, and I dunno whether the Brits just have a very different sense of the form (of course they're right, just like with English), or mine was off because it was definitely stanky.
Green Lakes Organic Ale
Deschutes. Some people never learn, huh? I just keep going back to the well. But in this case, I'm rewarded, because I really enjoyed this one. And it's not only organic, but salmon-safe as well!
Friday, September 10, 2010
Samurai
Great Divide. I had thought they could do no wrong--and I'm not just saying it because they're local. Claymore, Titan, and Hoss were great beers, but this Samurai was bland as all get-out.
Baker Street Brown
Blech. It's hard for me to find a beer I don't want to finish, but I left a third of this one behind.
Black Butte Porter
Deschutes. I have heard from its fans that this is one of the best porters around, but I just didn't like it. Either I just don't like porters or, as I guessed before, the brewmasters at Deschutes and I just don't mesh.
Drop Top
Widmer Brothers. An okay entry from this brewery. Not nearly as tasty as their IPAs, this is a smooth refreshing amber ale.
Inversion IPA
Deschutes. A disappointing IPA, continuing a long string of less-than-stellar entries from Deschutes. I guess my taste just doesn't match with that of their brewmasters.
Prima Pils
Victory. Now this is how to do a pilsner so that it's more traditional and less tasty, imo. Probably the worst beer I have had from this brewery.
Mermaid Island
Shmaltz. A rye pilsner? Now that's the way to do it right. I'm not generally a huge pilsner fan, but this one is delicious. At this point, I'm beginning to think Shmaltz can do no wrong with its Coney Island lagers.
Boulevard Pale Ale
Boulevard--I'd thought this beer (which was my regular favorite when living in Lawrence) would fade, but it remains a tasty example of the form.
Sword Swallower
Shmaltz. Malty-hoppy balance. They're both strong, but neither is overwhelming, and the combination is surprisingly smooth. Truly a fantastic beer. With this beer, Shmaltz overcame my initial reluctance (inspired by He'Brew) to become one of my favorite breweries.
Albino Python
Shmaltz. This is a delicious beer. Truly a delightful blend of spices, not too strong, but very smooth.
Mañana Cerveza Oscura
Del Norte--A really good amber lager. Super tasty and a great accompaniment to pork skins!
Dundee Stout
Dundee--A remarkably light-tasting stout. For as dark as it is, the taste is incredibly airy.
Lucky 13
Lagunitas. I took a bomber of this with me to a poker game, thinking it might improve my odds, but it was not at all lucky for me. Tasty, though.
Molson
Molson-Coors. When you look at a big brewery these days, the contrast is sad. Little breweries are all about their beer and, to some extent, their shtick, but something like this is all about their "Brands." They don't even have a tab to look at their beers--the beer is secondary to the brand and brand identity, and they're more concerned with impressing their investors than reaching beer drinkers.
St. Pauli Girl
St.Pauli Germany's Funtime Beer. They promote the girl as much as the beer and encourage you to download and share the poster, so here it is:
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Hop Wallop
Victory. A very hoppy beer, but doesn't feel out of control. Surprisingly tasty, but very strong flavor.
Maximus
Lagunitas An OK beer, but after the St. Lupulin, the hops felt out of control. I don't mind a lot of hops and a lot of bitterness, but sometimes, as in this beer, they feel out of control and they overwhelm the overall taste.
St. Lupulin
Odell. This is currently one of my favorite beers. I love the way it seems like the essence of the hops has been squeezed out, purified, and delivered as pure, summery flavor without overwhelming bitterness.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Claymore Scotch Ale
Great Divide Brewing Company. A delightful brew--my first introduction to this style and this brewery: a perfect synergy. This beer has wonderful color and taste, and lead me to rhapsodic study of its delightful properties. This beer was when I truly became excited about the possible delights that lay in store for me during the rest of this year.
Tank 7
Boulevard Brewing Company My first saison. Delicious. Good spice, but not overwhelming. Still one of my favorites.
300 Beer Year
That's right: this year, from April 15, 2010 to April 14, 2011, I'm planning on drinking 300 different beers.
Eventually, this post will talk more about where this came from and what I hope to gain from it, but for now, this is just a place holder. After this comes the list of beers in chronological order (although not necessarily with their actual dates).
Eventually, this post will talk more about where this came from and what I hope to gain from it, but for now, this is just a place holder. After this comes the list of beers in chronological order (although not necessarily with their actual dates).
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