Doggie
Style Classic Pale Ale
tasted 12/31/02
Pours an amber/red hue, with good carbonation. Hoppy nose. Cascade hops in the nose. Hops are the dominant player here, but a good caramel malt flavor (with perhaps of bit of chocolate malt?) makes this a very satisfying brew. A beer for hopheads, but with enough malt to not offend those who are not completely into hops. Very well-made ale from this Colorado microbrewery. Not sure what a six-pack goes for, but about $1.30 for single 12-ounce bottle.
Beerline
Barleywine
tasted 12/21/02
An amber color barleywine that pours with little head. Aroma of vanilla combined with more earthy smells, perhaps suede? Low carbonation, but that doesn't bother me in this style, because this stuff is almost as strong as wine -- hence the name. The vanilla in aroma makes itself known on the tastebuds, too. There's a rich malt flavor with strong caramel flavors. A bit of an alcoholic bite towards the finish which is long and full of caramel. This beer drinks like liquid creme brulee.
World
Wide Stout
tasted 12/13/02
This isn't stout. It's not even beer. Or is it? Technically speaking World Wide Stout from the Dogfish Head brewery in Maryland, is really a beer, but it looks and tastes like port. It's made from barley malt that is mashed, and therefore, it can be called beer. This beer's qualities resemble strong wine -- it pours still, it shows "legs" when swirled in the glass, and it almost tastes like late vintage port. It certainly is in the price range of port at $6.99 for 12-ounce bottle. The only quality that indicates that this beer may be a stout is the color (a dark brown) and the persistence of a chocolate flavor. Much more complexity abounds in this ale of astronomical alcohol (23.5 percent by volume) including various fruits such as raisins, plums and figs. You can't taste hops, but they've got to be there, especially in a beer of this strength! With so much alcohol, this drink can't help but be sweet, almost too sweet, but that's how port wine can taste...uh, wait this is beer. It's hard to keep track of what you're drinking when you're having a World Wide Stout, but it certainly is memorable, and tasty, and warming, and....good night.
Samuel
Adams Vienna Style
tasted 11/28/02
I picked up my Sam Adams Holiday Classics (as I always do around Thanksgiving and Christmas) and found the usual suspects like Old Fezziwig and Cranberry Lambic, (that only show up in the sampler) but I also found Sam Adams Vienna Style. A new Sam Adams beer! I have to say I approached it with some caution, some of the previous new releases have been disappointing and I've noticed that Jim Koch is getting rid of some of my favorite beers such as the Honey Porter and Scotch Ale. I'm happy to report that Sam Adams Vienna did not disappoint. It was a very smooth lager beer with the emphasis on fresh toasted malt flavors. Just the right amount of hops give this beer a subtle dryness in the finish. A very good example of this style that reminds me a bit of a Berghoff Original, only with a bit more body, and with more malt flavor. We'll have to see if it makes it's debut in a six pack.
A cloudy amber colored weiss. Pours with a loose head that drops quickly to nothing. Low carbonation for a wheat. Aroma of lemons. Starts quite sweet with lemon, finishes with sweet malt flavors. Quite tart. Don't need to add lemon to this wheat beer! I would prefer a nuttier flavor. Too sweet for my tastes, although I think this would be a good breakfast beer, if you're into that sort of thing.
Capital
Octoberfest
tasted 11/20/02
This is a light brown Octoberfest-style lager. Light caramel malt aroma is echoed in the flavor of this beer. A medium bodied beer with a caramel flavor that is balanced by a bit of hops and dryness. Not too sweet. A bit carbonic. Nice dry finish. One of the better domestic Octoberfest beers that I've tasted.
Capital
Brown Ale
tasted 11/20/02
If you're looking for a cheaper alternative to Newcastle Brown Ale this is it. Light to medium bodied with a good caramel and chocolate malt character. A bit light on the hops, but that's okay for this style, and I like this beer nonetheless. You should find this cheaper than Newcastle and when you buy it you should find it to be fresher and more flavorful.
Wow! What a fresh beer! Excellent example of a Marzen with a bit of hop zing. Amber color. Nice floral hop aroma. Smooth malt flavors mingle with hops in the background. Sweet elements of malt fade in and out. The whole works fnishes with a slight bit of hops, then a sweet finish. Nicely carbonated. A very excellent "Fest" beer!
Hook
Norton Best Bitter
tasted 11/18/02
This is an English ale imported by the Capital Brewery in Middleton, Wisc., that I picked up this past weekend. Good luck in finding this one, as it is only available in England and in Wisconsin. I will review it anway, because the brewery intends on expanding its distribution, and it might show up in your market soon. This ale comes in a 16.9-ounce brown bottle. It is not bottle-conditioned, but fined at the brewery, so it is clear. I poured this one into my Imperial pint glass and it produced a small head of quickly dissipating bubbles. This may seem like a bad thing, but it is a bit expected in an English ale, as these brewers tend put little carbonation in their beer. This is an extreme case. After about 15 minutes, the beer seems completely flat, but it's not. The low carbonation might encourage someone to drink this one fast. That's not a problem, though, as the alcohol content of Best Bitter is 3.5 percent by volume. At first sip I'm struck by a vegetal hop nose. This is not appealing. The taste of the beer was much better. A bit dry, with a good light caramel malt flavor. It starts sweet and then it hits with bitter hops and a peppery dash of carbonation all the way to the end. An easy drinking British beer. I'd like to have it cask-conditioned!
This is a lager beer made to resemble lagers produced in America circa 1900, hence the name. This beer is straw colored and has a neutral aroma. Okay, there is a hint of malt and corn in the aroma, but just a hint. A medium-light and smooth body, with a flavor that starts a bit sweet, then get more balanced, before finishing just a bit dry. A thirst quencher, for sure, but a damn fine one!
Capital
Special
Pilsner
tasted 11/16/02
Light golden colored pilsner. Pours with a white fluffy head, nice lacework as the head dissipates to a nice ring of foam. Fairly neutral aroma with a hint of spicy hop. Starts a bit sweet, then hops kick in until the finish. A medium bodied pilsner that goes a bit light on the hops, but definitely gives the hops enough of an edge.
Capital
Bavarian Lager
tasted 11/16/02
Golden lager that pours with a last head and nice lacework. Malt in the nose. You can tell this is an all malt beer. A good medium bodied lager beer that is a bit sweeter than the brewery's Special Pilsner.
This beer is true to its name and amber in color. Pours with a nice head that drops to ring of foam. It seems that Capital isn't very fond of hops or malt for aroma. This beer is medium-bodied and a bit bold in both malt and hops. A beefier beer compared to the 1900, Pilsner and Bavarian lagers.
Capital
Munich Dark
tasted 11/16/02
This lager seems to be in the style of a German Schwarzbier -- meaning "black beer." It is very dark brown, almost black. Hints of dark malt are present in the aroma. Perhaps dark chocolate? What these aromas suggest is followed through upon tasting this beer. A sweeter dark beer in a lighter bodied package than most sweet stouts. Cleaner tasting, too, as this beer is a bottom-fermented lager.
Capital
Dark Dopplebock
tasted 11/16/02
A light brown color. Almost wine-like aroma of chocolate and fruits including plum and perhaps fig? This beer has very smooth flavors with almost port-like notes in a dry finish. Yes, a dry finish in a dopplebock -- a welcome surprise. Like a fine wine, this beer exerts its strength quietly, and very beautifully. A first-rate dopplebock!
Anchor
Porter
tasted 11/2/02,
at home
This is a medium-bodied dark beer from Anchor Brewing Company which expresses a great deal of chocolate malt character. A tasty deep black porter (as opposed to brown), with a nice cocoa flavor and aroma, this beer is a bit different than most of its style. Upon the first sip the hops seem buried in the malt, but are a bit more evident in the finish.
Edmund
Fitzgerald Porter
tasted 10/26/02,
at the Map Room
I've been searching for this Great Lakes Brewing Company beer for several years. Of course, it showed up at the Map Room, with two other Great Lakes beers, the Dortmunder and Burning River Pale Ale. This porter was everything that I had hoped it would be, with nice chocolate malt flavor, a bit of roastiness and hops. Not as hoppy as a Sierra Nevada Porter, but almost as tasty. A medium-bodied porter that was robust, but not too heavy. Very solid drinkable ale.
Burning
River Pale Ale
tasted 10/26/02,
at the Map Room
Another beer from Great Lakes Brewing that meets my expectations. A solid, hoppy, medium-bodied American-style pale ale, a la SNPA, but with a little more malt character. A very fresh pint with a medium to light hop nose and good Cascade hop flavor. Finishes cleanly bitter.
Great
Lakes Brewing Dortmunder
tasted 10/26/02,
at the Map Room
Tasted just a sample of this beer. Neutral aroma, good clean maltiness with hops that are balance, if not just a little bit muted by the malt character. Finishes malty and a bit dry. Makes me think of a cleaner tasting Berghoff Original. Very much to style and a Gold Medal winner at the Great American Beer Festival. An excellent substitute (upgrade!) from a standard American pilsner. Standard American lager drinkers: be brave and try this beer, you'll probably like it!
Payton
Pilsner
tasted 10/10/02
Payton Pilsner is a golden colored lager beer from a brewpub that bears the name of one of the greatest professional football players, Walter Payton. The brewpub is part of America's Roundhouse complex in Aurora, Ill. It's been awhile since I visited Walter Payton's brewpub and I'm glad to see that the pilsner is becoming more widely available in bottles. Payton's Pilsner is an excellent example of an American twist on a European pilsner beer. With a gentle hop nose, spicy hops and smooth malt flavor in the middle and a spicy finish, this beer is one the best local pilsners I've tasted. What makes it somewhat peculiar, is the slightly fruity flavor that is more reminiscent of what one would find in an ale, or top fermented beer. It's not off-putting, but adds a bit to the beers character, sort of making it standout in the crowd. Some might consider this characteristic out of style and rate this beer lower, but it suits me just fine.
"Copper like an autumn leaf, but tastes much better."
This is part of the description for Pyramid Ales' Broken Rake amber ale. I agree that it does taste better than an autumn leaf. The is an ale that is big on caramel malt flavors and a little low on the hops -- at least by West Coast standards -- and my own. Fairly big bodied, this very caramel tasting brew is fermented to a finish of 6.4 percent alcohol which is fairly big for a standard amber ale. There seems to be a bit of a sour twang with this bottle. Unfortunately, I only bought one bottle, so I can't compare it to another at the moment. I would say that much like the rake, this beer is broken. I expect better from Pyramid.
Samuel
Smith's Nut Brown Ale
tasted 10/14/02
This is the first in a series of reviews as I revisit the ales of Samuel Smith's Tadcaster brewery. This brewery is noted for its unique fermentation in 'Yorkshire squares' made of limestone. Surely this type of open fermentation in such containers has some affect on the beer's character. I believe it does add an earthiness to this Nut Brown ale and helps make it almost wine-like. To experience the more wine-like sensastions of this ale, one must make certain that it is served at 50 degrees F. or warmer. As this beer warms up it exudes more flavor and aroma. At room temperature, a wine-like mineral tinged aroma presents itself. Of course the malt flavors are nutty, mildly of hazelnuts, but mostly of caramel sweetness, balanced by English hops. The finish is somewhat dry which adds to the perception that one is drinking wine instead of beer. I've had this ale with a salad of mixed greens and walnuts with honey vinaigrette and it was an outstanding pairing!
I haven't been able to find the American Pale Ale made by Pyramid: it is a very good pale ale reminiscent of Sierra Nevada. I decided to pick up Pyramid's IPA instead, knowing that I won't be let down by this excellent Oregon microbrewery. I like this IPA because it has has a big hop aroma with lots of up front hoppiness. The flavor is that of honey with citric notes. The beer finishes clean and balanced. This IPA has a firm body with a soft mouthfeel. Nice carbonation. Could be a bit drier and less hoppy in the finish. That's just how I like'em. Definitely a beer for 'hopheads.'
Rogue
Shakespeare Stout
tasted 10/10/02
Wow. I haven't had this one in quite awhile and it's just as good as I remember; if not better. Deep black. An aroma of dark chocolate and cocoa. The first sip reflects the aroma with a bit of an oily character and a wallop of dry hop bitterness. Not very big-bodied in the malt department, but nice and bitter. Dark chocolate flavors persist through the entire tasting of this beer. Think chocolate flavors mixed with bitter hops. (I know it sounds strange, but it works.) It's a better combination than you might think. There is a reason Rogue Shakespeare Stout is considered a world class beer. According to the bottle, this beer has orignal gravity of 1.061 or 15 degrees plato and a hopping rate of 69 IBUs. Tasted from a 22-oz. bottle at $3.99.
Allagash
Grand Cru
tasted 9/25/02
This is ruby colored. Aroma of spices; mostly orange. The label says brewed with spices. I can't pick out which spices in the aroma. Upon tasting I notice candy sugar, sweet orange peel, perhaps some cardamom. God knows what else. The gravity on this beer seems fairly standard, but the brewery's web site says that this beer is 7.2 percent alcohol by volume, with an original gravity of 1.078, (for you brewers out there.) A very enjoyable beer, but not necessarily one that I could drink often. It's a bit out of balance: too sweet and fruity for me, but is otherwise perilously drinkable. Definitely a good beer to try in cooler weather.
Any beer drinker familiar with Michael Jackson's Beer Hunter videos -- the ones produced for the Discovery channel -- will recognize these beers. They are featured in the video about the beers of Belgium and the Netherlands, the brewer is an eccentric fellow, identified as a musician and philosopher. The brewery is the called the 'Brouwerij T'ij' which means 'of the egg', which I believe is a reference to a nearby river. This also explains the appearance of an ostrich on the label. Natte is a beer that appears to be in the style of a Trappist dubbel. It is deep brown in color with a rustic aroma of malt, sugar and fruit, perhaps plums. The flavor of this ale echoes the aroma -- more fruit flavors and a lot of candy sugar and deep caramel malt flavors. A soft mouthfeel, not too carbonic, and dangerously easy to quaff. The strength is notable at about 7 percent by volume. A very rich ale with some beguiling flavors and aromas. Recommended for anyone who likes darker beer or Belgian-style ales.
Any beer drinker familiar with Michael Jackson's Beer Hunter videos -- the ones produced for the Discovery channel -- will recognize these beers. They are featured in the video about the beers of Belgium and the Netherlands, the brewer is an eccentric fellow, identified as a musician and philosopher. Zatte beer is inspired by the Belgian sub-category of beer know as Tripel. This particular example gives off some odd flavors and aromas. I tend to notice the aroma of mint, while my wife Carol says this beer reminds of the aroma of dead snails she used to collect at the beach on summer vacation. A rather odd combination of smells. The beer tastes like a triple, there is candy sugar, there is "nobel" hops such as Saaz or Hallertauer. There is a fairly heavy body and mouthfeel to this beer, but it is not so much to be off-putting. Overall a bit a beguiling brew, but also quite pleasant, if you accept its odd flavors and aromas.
Salvation indeed! This strong Belgian-style golden ale from the Avery Brewing Co. of Colorado leaves a huge impression of hops and candy sugar. Hops are in the aroma and last entirely through the first sip from start to finish. The finish is spicy, as opposed to dry, with the strength of the brew also making an impression. Very light rum flavors are detected somewhere in the middle, but the bulk of what I notice is hops, candy sugar and the strength of the brew.
Light golden color. Slighlty flowery aroma of hops. Rather balanced between the malt and hops, yet dry. Herbal hops dominate the palate with a nice crisp finish. Excellent pilsner. Try it!
Rogue
Buckwheat Ale
tasted 6/2/02
Slight bit of haziness in this golden ale. Wonderful aroma of buckwheat and Northwest {American) hops. Nice toasted malt flavors. A light bodied but flavorful beer. Nice dry, hops. The addition of buckwheat is very unique and makes for phenonemonal taste. Carol thinks this beer smells like Grandma's house. (In a good way.)
A good example of a dark lager beer made by Huber Brewing Company. Just a hint of dark caramel malt graces this version of Berghoff with a smoothness and roundness that I prefer over the classic Berghoff lager. A light tawny character is present on the finish with the just the right amount of malt and hops. Any more malt may push the beer into bock territory and any more hops would overcome the subtle character of the beer. A very good introduction into dark lagers.
Rogue
XS I2PA (Imperial Pale Ale)
tasted 8/12/02
It seems like a lot of microbrewers are trying to make their own version of the emergin Imperial Pale Ale or Imperial India Pale Ale style. This beer by Rogue, came on the scene far before the recent trend to brew extra strong, extra hoppy ales. According to the bottle, Rogue's Imperial Pale Ale was first brewed in 1998 as part of Rogue XS line of beers. One of characteristics of this beer that make it stand out compared to beers like Dogfish Head's 90 minute IPA is that the Rogue beer is not as strong. The hopping rate, at 74 IBUs (International Bittering Units) is also not as high as some other beers in this emerging style. It is still a very hoppy brew, as hoppiness is a general term that has to do with the relationship of the amount of malt and original gravity to the amount of hops in the beer. Although not as strong as some "Imperial" beers, the Rogue has plenty of hoppiness, which I suspect has a lot to do with dry hopping after primary fermentation as opposed to adding hops to the kettle.
Rogue
Old Crustacean Barleywine
tasted 8/12/02
One of Rogue's XS series of beers. A very big, hoppy barleywine similar to Sierra Nevada's Bigfoot Barleywine, but with not a little more balanced. I've had two- and three-year-old bottles of this beer and the one difference I can recall from this much fresher bottle is a wine-like character with less spicy hops. Plenty of bitterness, but not as much hops. More rounded I suppose with less carbonation, too. The fresh bottle, bottled earlier this year, has very bright hops. Lots of caramel and roasted malt giving the beer a reddish color. A light carbonation, but enough to leave a ring of bubbles. Between the strong malt flavors, huge hops and price ($2.99 for 12-ounce bottle) Rogue Old Crustacean is definitely a sippin' beer.
Neuzeller
Kloster Brau Bath Bier
tasted 8/9/02
Bath beer. Sounds like something Marco-frau would like (and she did like it.) This black lager(?) beer from what used to be East Germany is actually rather mystical -- if a beer can be such a thing -- with a silky texture, a hint of smoke and lots of dark malt flavors. As the beer warms up Jaegermeister-like spices of black liqeur are detected making this beer even more interesting. A very excellent beer. The label makes the rather ridiculous suggestion of taking a bath in the beer (hence the name) as the monks at the brewery do. I think the botanicals present in the beer, a hint of black licorice, maye even anise, could make for an interesting bath. However, at $8.50 a bottle, I decided not to purchase enough to fill my tub. Odd directions on how to take a bath with this beer can be found at the Neuzeller Klosterbraurei web site.
Why is mainstream
Mexican beer so much better than its American counterpart? That is the
question that comes to mind as I sample a bottle of Modelo Especial, from
the biggest brewery in Mexico. This is the less interesting brother of
Negro Modelo, a dark lager that is an excellent companion to a molé
sauce, and my favorite Mexican beer. It's lighter brother is almost just
as good. It is a golden colored lager beer with just a hint of dryness
and what seems like a touch light caramel or crystal malt. (Perhaps I'm
wrong on this, but I swear I taste it, and the beer is a bit darker than
other Mexican lagers I've tasted.) At the very least, this beer is very
good at washing down some chile rellenos.
Anchor
Summer beer
tasted 8/5/02
This is a new offering from Anchor Brewing Co., the venerable American craft brewer that at least in part is credited with fueling the microbrew movement in the 1980s. This newest product is just as finely crafted as the brewery's flagship product, Anchor Steam, the classic beer that founder Fritz Maytag saved in the 1970s. Anchor Brewing Summer Beer is a very crisp wheat ale with wonderful smooth character. This beer pours with a wonderful head that the label says is derived from the addition of wheat. Not too hoppy, but rather well balanced, and a bit dry. A light bodied beer, but one that still has a wonderful soft mouthfeel, this summer beer is one of the finest I've tasted.
Thanks, Jim!
Sierra
Nevada Brown Ale
tasted 7/20/02
at Mike's American Ale House (on tap)
I got the tip to check out Mike's American Ale House, a new beer bar on the north side of Chicago, in part because of this beer. I was not disappointed, with either the beer, or the place. This beer was pretty much what we expected, and hoped for, a hoppy interpretation of a brown ale. Wonderful chocolate malt aroma. A nice body and mouthfeel, but not too beefy. Proof that brown ale isn't always a sweet tasting beer like Newcastle or Pete's Wicked Ale. If you're looking for a bit sturdier and hoppier brown ale, but one that is still rather quaffable, here it is!
Two
Brothers Domaine DuPage French Country Ale
tasted
7/15/02
I picked up this growler of tap beer while shopping for ingredients for my next batch of home brewed beer. Two Brothers Brewing Co., in Warrenville, Ill., also runs a shop which sells homebrew ingredients. I get pretty much all of my stuff from them and when I get the chance, I like to pick up a growler of their brew. This batch is particular tasty brew called French Country Ale. An amber colored ale with a wonderful aroma of fresh malt, this beer is the brewers' attempt at what I would categorize as a Biere de Garde, typically malty, full-bodied beer brewed in the countryside of France closest to the border with Belgium. Historically, it has been a beer that is brewed in small farmhouse breweries in the winter for summer consumption. The name "Biere de Garde" means "Beer to Keep" in French. It can be a refreshing, yet fortifying style of beer, and this example certainly fits. This example of this ale has a lighter body than some of that tried and seems a bit drier. The yeast seems to provide the right environment for the malt flavors of this beer to shine. It is at first sweet then a bit dry, and then a bit sweet with again with an honeyish flavor, yet it manages to have a long somewhat dry finish. I'm also going to guess that Belgian Aromatic malt is used in this beer to enhance the malty aroma. There are some nice malt flavors in this beer (perhaps biscuit malt), which I think is one of the malt flavors that bolster the overall impression of Biere de Garde. The subtle tartness of the effect of the yeast provides further enjoyment of this beer and accentuates the dry character.
New
Belgium Trippel
tasted 7/14/02
(bottled)
This beer is from a celebrated microbrewery in Fort Collins, Colorado. It is one of a handful of breweries in America that produce Belgian-style beers. New Belgium Trippel is a very tasty, solidly built beer. There is a nice golden color, a candy sugar aroma, with more candy sugar flavor, and a healthy dose of Saaz hops that balances out the sweet flavors of this ale. The only fault I can find with New Belgium Trippel is that the yeast used seems a bit too clean, lacking some of the esters found in traditional Belgian Trappist beers. I didn't get any of the yeast sediment at the bottom onf the bottle in my glass, which may contributed more complex flavors. It is otherwise a very tasty example of the style with a lot of interplay between the malt and hops. There's a nice candy sugar kick to boot. The brewery certainly spends a lot of money on aesthetics. The bottle is unique with a wonderful detailed artwork. The bottle itself is shaped like bottles typically found at Trappist breweries in Belgium. It is otherwise a good American interpretation of the style and I would happy to try the other beers the New Belgium produces which have received international recoginition.
New
Belgium Abbey
tasted 7/13/02
(bottled)
This is a good
beer brewed in the style of Trappist double, which is typically brown,
and full of raisiny malt and sugar, with a decent kick. This particular
version lacks the complexity of the true Trappist product, but it is made
in Colorado, and not Belgium. There are wonderful malt characteristics
in this beer, dark caramel malt and a smooth body. Not too overpowering
for the style. A very drinkable beer for the style, this is not a fault,
as this beer is very tasty. A very clean version of this kind of beer,
at least at first blush, but a little more character comes out as it warms
up. Make sure and get dose of yeast in the glass for a more earthy character.
Very well built!
Liberty
Ale
tasted 7/12/02
(bottled)
The grand daddy
of American extra hoppy ales. When fresh this beer has hugely green hops.
It is lighter than a lot of others considered India Pale Ales, but I like
that. I appreciate how the brewer is able to balance the hops such a light
colored ale. The hops are in the aroma and follow through to this finish.
There's a very smooth hop character is this beer. Sometimes extra hoppy
beers can have a rough hop character that seems a bit over the top. Originally
brewed as Christmas beer for the Anchor Brewing Company, this ale is now
a year round product. By virtue of its smooth body and extraordinary hops,
and of course its length of production, this ale is a classic.
Bell's
Sparkling Ale
tasted 7/3/02
at the Eccentric Café
The first beer review of July is an American made beer. (After all it is American Beer Month.) Brewed by Kalamazoo Brewing Co., in Kalamazoo, Mich., Bell's beer is certainly one of the best brands in the Midwest (if not THE best.) We stopped by the brewery last weekend to pay a visit to the Eccentric Cafe, a brewpub that is adjacent to the brewery, and found some very tasty products. The first that I'm sampling is called Bell's Sparkling Ale. My preconception of this beer was that it was a sparkling ale similar to that of Cooper's from Australia -- light bodied, effervescent, etc. Instead I found a beer that was not that at all, as the chalkboard in the Eccentric Cafe described the beer as a Belgian-style beer similar to a Triple! I was pleasantly surprised and ordered a snifter of the brew. Bell's Sparkling Ale first exhibits an aroma of candy sugar and noble hops. It is a golden, almost amber beer that pours with a firm head. The body is soft and not overly carbonated. The first flavors tasted are that of malt and candy sugar with just enough hops to keep the beer from being too sweet. This brew finishes just slightly sweet. Lacks the complex esters and more subtle flavors of a true Belgian Triple, but I still like this beer It's strength (according to the brewery it's 9 percent alc. by vol.) is evident. Good luck trying to find this one. You may have to travel to the brewery, but it's worth the trip! A six-pack sold for $12 or $1.75 a 12-oz. bottle at the brewery.
Swale's
Indian Summer Pale Ale
tasted 6/16/02
at
Mac's American
Golden in appearance, nice head, good carbonation for a handpull. A slight aroma of toasted malt. I taste the flavor of honey, but I wonder if the flavor is coming from the malt, and not from honey itself. There's a nice gentle hoppiness in this beer. Perhaps Kent Goldings? Sometimes the hops taste more like woody tastingFuggles. Maybe there's both. Very smooth and refreshing on handpump.
Hacker-Pschorr
Weiss
.5-liter bottle;
tasted 5/29/02
An old friend of a weiss beer I used to drink more often. I got on a bent with German weiss (wheat) beers a few years ago. I still have two tall weiss beer glasses, but don't use them very often. That might change. Ryan left this Hacker-Pschorr Weiss in my fridge and it's quite good. Rather smooth for a weiss bier, but plenty of carbonation and a voluminous head. Nice soft body, with citric notes and just touch of bread-like yeastiness. Very slightly dry. An excellent choice for a German wheat beer.
Spotted
Cow
12-ounce bottle;
tasted 5/27/02
Very light, almost straw colored ale, which is as crisp and refreshing as the Northwoods. (Oh, wait, that's Leinenkugel's saying.) This beer is made in the small Swiss village of New Glarus, Wisc., and is one of my choices for a refreshing summer ale. A low carbonation and lightly fruity ale yeast makes this beer very drinkable. The brewers' describe it as a "farmhouse ale" flaked barley and "a little hint of corn." It is bottle conditioned, so make sure and keep it cool, for the freshest tasting beer. Brewed by the New Glarus Brewing Co. and availble in six-packs and on draft throughout the Midwest. The brewery is worth a visit if you're close to southern Wisconsin.
An outstanding Wit beer from the Two Brothers Brewing Co., in Warrenville, Ill. These guys replicate this Belgian style of spiced wheat beer very well. I'm not exaclty sure what makes this beer so tasty, but I think has to do with the right combination of spices. I can detect coriander up front and in the middle with a bit of the lemon zest flavor of grains of paradise in the finish. There is also a slight bit of tartness in this beer no doubt contributed by the yeast. Otherwise, this beer has a nice wheat malt flavor with just a hint of a toasted character. Very drinkable, thirst quenching, excellent summer beer! Look for the six-pack with sides cut out and a nice label with a Monarch butterfly (only in the Chicago area.)
Pete's
Wicked Ale
tasted 4/29/02
Ah, Pete's Wicked
Ale...a beer with remarkable flavor that I first sipped many years ago
in college. A beer that challenged my tastebuds with its dark malts and
bitter hops...
What happened?
The last time I tried Pete's Wicked Ale it seemed to have lost some of
its character. That was a couple years ago. So I see Pete's on sale at
my local beer shop and I say to myself, "Why don't I give an old friend
another shot."
Boy was I disappointed.
(Again.) It's not that the beer tastes bad. It's not offensive. It's sweet
and smooth. There's a good flavor of caramel malt and..and, well, not much
else really. They've reduced the bitterness (which should be criminal)
and according to the Pete's Wicked web site, the brewer "eliminated the
chocolate malt." These are the two things that made Pete's intereseting
to me all those years ago. They are now pretty much gone. Pete's Wicked
Ale has 19 units of bitterness. Most of the beers I brew have 30 to 50
units of bitterness. I guess I've outgrown Pete's Wicked Ale. This actually
happened a while ago -- but not only did I change -- Pete's changed, too.
The changes to this beer have made it more drinkable -- I could certainly
drink a lot of this stuff -- but it's not the quantity of beer that interests
me these days so much as the quality and character. Without the hops and
the chocolate malt it's just not "Wicked" anymore! They should change the
name to Pete's "Wimpy" Ale, but I guess that sort of truth in advertising
doesn't sell as much beer.
Victory
Prima Pils
tasted 4/19/02,
at the Hopleaf (draft)
Excellent, hoppy golden pilsner that is new to the Chicago market. Big, green hop aroma with spicy hops in the taste. Fairly full-bodied malt backs up the hops. Nice and clean. Better than the Goose Pils (see below) I had the other day. Brewed in Pennsylvania.
Victory
Hop Devil
tasted 4/19/02,
at the Hopleaf (bottled)
I'd heard about this beer and had to try it. Very tasty, hoppy ale in the style of an India Pale Ale. Doesn't have the huge hoppiness as some other India Pale Ales I've tried -- such as Goose Island and Three Floyds -- but very tasty. A very nice smooth hoppiness, sort of like a Pyramid. Very drinkable, but hoppy, beer.
Summit
Extra Pale Ale
12-oz. bottle;
tasted 4/16/02
I was sure that I had posted a review of this microbrewed ale from St. Paul, Minn., but I guess I hadn't -- so here goes. First of all, this beer is everything but "extra pale." (At least in terms of color.) The extra must refer to extra flavor, because there is a lot of nice malt flavor to go with the Horizon, Fuggle and Cascade hops. This beer is of an average strength of 5 percent alcohol by volume and has 40 units of bitterness. What does that all mean? It's an ale that is fairly full-bodied for the style with a lot of malt and hop flavor. Although you can taste the hop flavor, there is not much actual hop bitterness, which sort makes this beer stand out. It finishes starts with hops and ends with hops, but is not that dry or bitter, I guess because there's too much caramel malt that gets in the way.
Sprecher
Maibock
16-oz. bottle;
tasted 4/14/02
A traditional German May (Mai) beer. Golden colored (blonde) bock-style beer from Milwaukee's best lager-producing brewery. Comes in a 4-pack of pints for around 5 bucks. Pours nice and golden with a compact head that settles, slowly, into a small ring of foam. A light hop aroma and hop flavor shocks you upon first taste of this beer -- traditionally bocks don't have much, if any hop aroma or flavor -- but I don't mind it in this bock! The components of a good bock beer such as a firm and full-bodied malt flavor are present, but with a nice toasted character and a good late addition of "dry hops" -- meaning hops added after the beer is made during the lagering process. Excellent blond bock. Only available in Wisconsin and parts of Illinois.
Goose
Island Pils
12-oz. bottle;
tasted 4/8/02
A new product from Goose Island of Chicago that seems to replace the hole left by the defunct Baderbrau brand. A golden lager with a very tiny bit of a hop aroma blended with the smell of fresh white bread. I would expect a little more hop aroma in a beer called a Pils. Very soft, sweet malt is the first noticeable flavor, followed by a bit of hops in the middle and a sweet finish of toasted malt. Not a very robust pilsner beer; this is definitely brewed as a more accessible product. What this beer lacks most is hops. This beer doesn't have the body, hoppiness or complexity of most of the exalted European pilsners, but is well ahead of the pack of most American mainstream lagers.
Midas
Touch
tasted at home,
3/31/02
This is an exotic beer from the Dogfish Head Craft Brewery that claims to be based on an ancient recipe that included barley, honey and grapes. Other ingredients (as listed on the large 25-ounce bottle) include saffron, usually used employed Middle Eastern and Indian cooking. Each of these ingredients brings its own flavor to this beer. It is a deep golden beer, with a nice, smooth carbonation. What is first noticed in the aroma of this beer is the unusual un-beery aroma of white grapes. What is first tasted is sweet malt and honey, then very unusual spice of the saffron and then a sweet finish laced with honey. This is by far one of the most unusual beers I've tasted. I didn't think I would like it -- I thought it would be too sweet, especially knowing that this beer lacks a bitter component, namely hops -- but I liked it. Midas Touch is not too strong, and stands on its own pretty well, but it would probably go well with dessert (cheese caked perhaps?), too. I have to say that Dogfish Head gave an appropriate name to this beer as it is definitely liquid gold.
Frankenheimer
Alt
tasted 3/23/02,
at Resi's Bierstube, 2034
W. Irving Park Road, Chicago, IL
This is a wonderful brown ale from Dusseldorf, Germany. This particular style of ale, called Alt, has is roots in Dusseldorf and scarcely shows up elsewhere -- although Resi's had two different brands of alt bier on tap. (The other brand was Kutscher Alt, which I've had before, and thought was sort of light for the style.) The Frankenheimer, however, does not disappoint. A medium-brown color with large rocky head, this beer's aroma is of hops and roasted malts. At the first sip I noticed a nice gentle flavor of roasted malt, backed up by a nice bitterness. Pleasant yeast esters that give the beer a sort "cellared" old world flavor add to the depth and complexity of this beer. Very smooth and perilously drinkable. More tawny flavors show themselves as the beer gets warmer, but the dry character balances this nicely, making this beer a nice "session" beer. A good price of $3.75 a half-liter (a special of the day) made the beer even more enjoyable.
UPDATE: (As of 3/31/02) This beer may be available in bottles in your area! I spotted a six-pack for $6.79 at a store in Woodridge.
Old
Jubilation
tasted at home
(bottled), January 2002
Can't remember exactly when I had this beer, but I'm pretty sure it was in January. I've been busy taking computer classes and haven't had much time to post beer reviews. The notes I found on this beer describe it as a reddish-brown color, with a quickly dissipating head. The flavors a combination of nutty malt flavors and a bit of bitterness. I remember the body of this beer being a bit thin for the style. The bitterness is probably this beer's most redeeming character.
Samuel
Adams Weiss
tasted
at home, 2/16/02
There was time, several years ago, when I would anticipate every new Sam Adams offering. This was, like I said, some years ago when this sort of thing happened quite frequently. I can remember trying the Honey Porter, Old Fezziwig, Cherry Wheat and Cream Stout for the first time. Well, just like the old days, Jim Koch (the head brewer of Sam Adams) has released a new beer. It's a weiss beer and a pretty decent one at that. The use of the name "weiss" seems to suggest that this beer is supposed to be true to the German wheat beers that are unfiltered and often cloudy with lots tartness and a bit of banana and clove-like flavors. Sam Adams Weiss does pour cloudy and I noticed a yeast sediment in the bottle which I swirled to release the yeast and dump into my glass. This is the proper thing to do with a German wheat beer. This is because the yeast is what adds a lot of the flavor to the beer. In this case, there is d\definitely a hint of banana, but not much clove in the aroma. Tasting the beer I notice a lemon-tinged dryness. There is just a hint of a soapiness. I say this could be residue in my glass, but I cleaned by glass thoroughly using baking soda. There is good malt flavor and a fairly firm body for wheat beer. The carbonation is robust with a lingering head, as is the case with most Sam Adams beers. The mouthfeel is nice and smooth, instead of carbonic, which is a bit out of style -- but I don't mind. I have a feeling this weiss would taste good with the addition of a lemon wedge -- something that isn't historically German -- but often added to yeasted wheat beers. The finish of this wheat beer is sweet, not dry like some German wheats, and I think I would like this beer more with a drier finish.
Weltenburger
Kloster Asam-Bock
tasted
by Ryan (bottled), 2/8/02
The
Asam-Bock is a dark-brown, rich and malty brew from "the oldest Monastery
Brewery in the world." The origins of this beer from Kelheim Germany(according
to the label) date from 1050 AD. The brew's initial impression left
no doubt to it's strength as an authentic double bock. The nose alone
told me that this was definitely a stronger bock. I'm not sure of
the alcohol content of the beer, but I would hazard a guess that it's around
7-8% alcohol by volume. The first taste gave me an impression of a strong,
toffee malt feel. As I finished the beer, I felt very satisfied with a
pleasant lingering sweetness on the tongue. Very sweet, and produced
with great care for the style. This beautiful lager has a unique, phenolic
taste that delivers more satisfaction that many bock beers that I've tasted
over the years. I would recommend this beer to any aficionado of the style.
(Ed.
note -- Double Bock is one of the few styles of beer still produced my
monks. Only a handful of these monastery or "kloster" breweries
exist
in the world. They are found in Germany and Belgium.)
Ein Prosit!
Brown
Fox Session Ale
updated
(bottled), 2/1/02
It's time for me to update some reviews of the beers from this little brewery outside Chicago. This beer is a brown ale that was previously known as Two Brothers Best Brown. A redesign of packaging included changing some of the beers' names at this small brewery that distributes its products around the Chicagoland area. This is where I get a lot of my home brewing ingredients, as the brewery also has a brew shop. The Brown Fox is a good low-strength (session) beer that is similar to Newcaste Brown Ale from the UK. The Brown Fox is probably a little lighter in alcohol and has a touch more hop flavor especially when tasted fresh.
Ebel
Weiss
updated
(bottled), 1/22/02
A play on words thought up by this beer's creators the Ebel brothers at Two Brothers Brewing Company. I regard this beer as one of this brewery's best products. Everything you want in a Bavarian weiss beer, except that it is from a Chicago suburb and not Munich. This just makes the product fresher and more lively. Seek it on tap. This wheat beer expresses a good amount of the Banana and clove yeast flavors known in German wheat beers found in Bavaria. It is unfiltered and very tasty.
Heavy
Handed IPA
updated
(bottled), 1/22/02
A seasonal product from Two Brothers that is a rival to other beers in the India Pale Ale style such as Goose Island IPA and Three Floyd's Alpha King. Outstanding fresh hop character that almost gets you seeing hops in your glass. Lighter in color than some IPAs. Most notable for its oustanding fresh hop character. I know for a fact that lots and do mean LOTS of fresh whole dry hops were added to this beer. Unfortunately it is only available in the fall and winter in small batches, so it very had to find.
Prairie
Path Ale
updated
(bottled), 1/22/02
A good golden ale with a mellow hop character that seems to come from noble hops like Saaz. Fairly clean except for some esters that seem to come through as the beer warms up. A very nice refreshing hop character and clean taste cause this ale to almost come across like a lager. A good summer beer. The label says that is brewed in a Belgian-style, but it's hard to discern what about this beer makes it Belgian. Perhaps the malts?
Northwind
Imperial Stout
updated
(bottled), 1/22/02
Not quite as strong as some Imperial Stouts, at 7 percent alcohol by vol.,,but still a very tasty stout. The most dominant malt flavor is that of chocolate malt. This stout isn't very roasty and tends toward being sweet. It is relatively big bodied, but not huge. Worth seeking out to support the local brewery even though better stouts can be had for the same price. The Two Brothers brewery is an outstanding brewery, but some of the beers seem overpriced, this is one of them.
Oranjeboom
tasted
at home (bottled), 1/22/02
When I first started this web site I was planning on writing about beers that were native to my part of the country, which I've loosely defined as the Great Lakes region, but since that beginning I have branched out significantly. As I've been building up the web site I decided to make this page a place for reviews of the beers I drink on a day to day basis. I wish I could say I only drink beers from my home state and neighboring states, but I'm just not that disciplined. There is too much other interesting beer out there and too much beer history to limit myself to products from one small part of the world. So, here I am writing about Oranjeboom, what seems like a Euro working class Dutch lager with a funny name. This is a good mid-week beer because, a) it is fairly cheap at $5.76 for a six-pack of pint cans, and b) it's a pretty basic lager that's not going add a lot of calories compared to say, a barleywine or stout. Oranjeboom is described on the can as being a Premium Lager. I would say this is correct. It is probably just a bit fuller in body than a Heineken. It is very smooth and clean, with maybe just a touch of fruitiness from the yeast. It tends towards being sweet instead of dry. It somewhat dry in the middle but finishes sweet. A European working class beer, perhaps?
North
Coast 2001 Old Stock Ale 2001
tasted
at home (bottled) 1/11/02
This beer from North Coast Brewing Co, of California, is a huge barleywine that asserts itself with very big malt flavors. After cracking open a 12-ounce bottle of this beer and pouring into a wide-mouthed glass (see above) I was greeted with a wonderful aroma of malt with a bit of hops in the background. That is pretty much how this beer drinks, too, mostly malt and not a lot of hops. I would expect more hops from a California beer, such those that are blasted at you in Big Foot Barleywine-Style ale from Sierra Nevada, but I can forgive North Coast for this because they already brew some wonderfully hoppy beers. This beer could also use some more yeast flavors -- some additional esters could make this beer more interesting -- such as the case with stronger Begian beers such as a favorite of mine known in the U.S. as Scaldis. The alcohol content in this barleywine is sky high at 11 percent. So, if you find this beer, be careful! Overall, it is a strong ale with a lack of hops eclipsed by a malty alcoholic kick, making for a fairly pleasant experience. It is very strong, so I could see the flavors changing after a couple years. It's just that strong.
Two
Brothers Bare Tree (Barleywine-style Weiss)
tasted
at home (bottled) 1/11/02
I have to admit that I was a bit skeptical about whether I would like this beer. I like wheat beers, but I just wasn't sure what to expect out of a "barleywine strength" wheat beer. I have to say that after tasting this beer -- from Two Brothers Brewing Co. of Warrenville, Ill., -- that I'm very impressed. The attractive label depicts the jagged branches of a bare tree set upon an almost purple background. The back of the label describes the beer as a barleywine strength wheat beer fermented with two different yeast strains: a traditional German wheat and a Scottish Ale yeast. I think this trait -- the use of the two strains -- is what gives this beer it's special character. There is almost an oakiness to this beer, but there is no indication that the beer is aged in oak. The German yeast strain provides some flavors that are bit different than the traditional German wheat beers. I don't know if the blending of the two yeast strains create this flavor profile or not, but the result is a beer that has some of clove-like esters and phenols that are found in some Belgian beers. Bare Tree Weiss Wine seemed to be unfiltered, which could add some additional character, and is probably makes this a good beer to keep in the cellar. The wheat is the predominant malt flavor with the hops adding dryness and a touch of spice. The beer is otherwise very clean tasting. I would guess the alcohol content to be somewhere between 9 and 11 percent because the original gravity is 25 degrees plato. Bare Tree comes in a champagne bottle with a foil covered cap. I bought it at the brewery for $8.99, but it is available throughout the Chicagoland area.
Rogue
Yellow Snow
tasted
at home (bottled) 1/4/02
Golden. Aroma of hops and something else. The bottle says juniper berries are in this beer. Perhaps they are in the aroma? Wonderful hop flavors. According to the bottle, this beer has Styrian Golding and Amarillo hops, which give off a wonderful aroma and flavor. I think the juniper berries might add to the dryness of this beer. A wonderful fresh ale. I'm not sure why it's called Yellow Snow, perhaps because of the color, as this beer tastes much better than yellow snow.
Dogfish
Head 90-minute IPA
bottled, tasted 1/2/02 by Ryan
For my first official beer tasting of the New Year, I pulled a 25 oz. corked bottled of an I.P.A. from my cooler and proceeded to experience a blissful product from the Dogfish Head brewery located in Lewes, Delaware. The first thing that I noticed about the bottle is the uniquely designed label. Basically, it features an elderly, strangely-bespectled madman trying to hammer a rather large nail through his right nostril. I perused the rest of the label and noticed that it is classified as a "90 minute" IPA, of 9% alcohol by volume. As the label attests, this ale features "a single, constant 90 minute hop addition of Cascade, Columbus, and Chinook hops. It's balanced by a ridiculous amount of English two-row barley." Then they "dry-hop it in every tank." This hefty brew contains 90 IBU's, and as I consumed this, I feel as though I got every one of those IBU's on my palette. The first thing I noticed during the pour is the wonderful bronze colour, and the great head that filled my glass. As this beer has obviously been properly cared for in transit from the brewery to my beer shop, the pour was flawless and wonderful. As I put my nose to the top of the glass, I was overwhelmed by the hop aroma. I thought, "yep, this is gonna be a special beer." I was right on target with that assumption. The first thing that my tongue picked up, as I began to sip this heavyweight, was the great flowered bitterness of the intense hopping. As the brew began to slide down the back of my tongue, the great and biscuit-y English barley made its presence very well known. And so, as I surfed around my favorite websites through the evening, I found a new friend to help me along the way. But, what I had forgotten about the beer, is that it is an ale of a high alcohol content (9%). I only noticed this when I began to respond to my holiday emails, and I had to hit the "back space" to correct several spelling mistakes. I thought, "Whew, what hath God wrought in Delaware as of late!?" If tasting this beer is any indication of the year to come for me, it will be a heady, intense year indeed. I'm grateful to the brewing gods for this gem from the East Coast. I encourage ale connoisseurs to seek out the 90 minute IPA. If you live in Chicago, Sam's Wine Warehouse off North and Clybourn Ave.'s will be happy to provide you with bottles of this outstanding ale. Happy hunting and Happy New Year.
Use the links below to access more reviews.
Bars and Pubs | Brewpubs | Breweries | Belgian Beer Send comments and suggestions
to: marc@marcobrau.com
Homebrew 101 | Suds Stories | Tasting Room | What's New