Forgotten what it's like.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Weihenstephaner Original Premium
Rating: positive
Excellent lager. Golden color, highly carbonated, light and refreshing taste. 5.1% alcohol is a little on the strong side for a summer/barbecue beer, but it's head and shoulders above the typical American macrobrews that try to reproduce exactly this style of beer.
These German lagers are, to me, what things like Budweiser and Miller should have ended up like if they had cared. There's nothing strong nor offensive, in fact what sets them apart is the distinct lack gross metallic flavors and subsequent horrid aftertaste. If Inbev (owners of bud brand) mass-marketed something this good at the same price as Bud, people would be insane not to switch.
Origin: Germany (Bavaria)
Excellent lager. Golden color, highly carbonated, light and refreshing taste. 5.1% alcohol is a little on the strong side for a summer/barbecue beer, but it's head and shoulders above the typical American macrobrews that try to reproduce exactly this style of beer.
These German lagers are, to me, what things like Budweiser and Miller should have ended up like if they had cared. There's nothing strong nor offensive, in fact what sets them apart is the distinct lack gross metallic flavors and subsequent horrid aftertaste. If Inbev (owners of bud brand) mass-marketed something this good at the same price as Bud, people would be insane not to switch.
Origin: Germany (Bavaria)
Augistinerbrau Munchen Edelstoff exportbier
Rating: positive
A slightly heavier, more alcoholic (5.6%) version of the "vollbier" from the same brewery. Similar characteristics, being light in color and highly carbonated. It has a little stronger flavor.
Name means, roughly, "*good stuff". Though my friend claimed this too was generally unavailable outside Munich, the "exportbier" label suggests that it is shipped outside of Germany, but maybe just not in large quantities. I certainly can't find it in California.
Origin: Germany (Bavaria)
*
Google Translate says of the word "edel":
adjective:
noble
precious
fine
gallant
thoroughbred
gentle
aristocratic
regal
generous
adverb:
nobly
gallantly
generously
A slightly heavier, more alcoholic (5.6%) version of the "vollbier" from the same brewery. Similar characteristics, being light in color and highly carbonated. It has a little stronger flavor.
Name means, roughly, "*good stuff". Though my friend claimed this too was generally unavailable outside Munich, the "exportbier" label suggests that it is shipped outside of Germany, but maybe just not in large quantities. I certainly can't find it in California.
Origin: Germany (Bavaria)
*
Google Translate says of the word "edel":
adjective:
noble
precious
fine
gallant
thoroughbred
gentle
aristocratic
regal
generous
adverb:
nobly
gallantly
generously
Augistinerbrau Munchen Lagerbier Hell (helles vollbier)
Rating: positive
Good example of a light-colored German lager. It's very pale yellow in color, highly carbonated, light flavor. Surprisingly high (to me) alcohol content for this kind of beer at 5.2%.
Name means "pale lager beer (pale full beer)". I'm not sure what the significance of the full part is. Apparently generally unavailable anywhere outside of Munich, this was brought over in a suitcase by a German friend.
Origin: Germany (Bavaria)
Good example of a light-colored German lager. It's very pale yellow in color, highly carbonated, light flavor. Surprisingly high (to me) alcohol content for this kind of beer at 5.2%.
Name means "pale lager beer (pale full beer)". I'm not sure what the significance of the full part is. Apparently generally unavailable anywhere outside of Munich, this was brought over in a suitcase by a German friend.
Origin: Germany (Bavaria)
Friday, November 27, 2009
Ayinger Altbairisch Dunkel
Rating: positive
"Authentic Bavarian Dark Lager"
This is good, but unimpressive compared to Reutberger and Kostritzer. Worth trying.
Origin: Germany (Bavaria)
"Authentic Bavarian Dark Lager"
This is good, but unimpressive compared to Reutberger and Kostritzer. Worth trying.
Origin: Germany (Bavaria)
Weihenstephaner Korbinian Doppelbock
Rating: positive
"Dunkles starkbier", dark strong beer, the label states. No joke. This is black in the glass, feels heavy to drink and at 7.4% ABV is about twice as strong as a watery American macrobrew. Not my favorite, but pretty damn good. This is also about $3 a bottle where I live, just over half the price of Reutberger or Kostritzer.
Weihenstephaner is the brand of what is now the state beer college of Bavaria, and claims to be the world's oldest brewery (seit 1040). They know what they're doing.
Origin: Germany (Bavaria)
"Dunkles starkbier", dark strong beer, the label states. No joke. This is black in the glass, feels heavy to drink and at 7.4% ABV is about twice as strong as a watery American macrobrew. Not my favorite, but pretty damn good. This is also about $3 a bottle where I live, just over half the price of Reutberger or Kostritzer.
Weihenstephaner is the brand of what is now the state beer college of Bavaria, and claims to be the world's oldest brewery (seit 1040). They know what they're doing.
Origin: Germany (Bavaria)
Reutberger Kloster-Beer Export Dunkel
Rating: positive
Maybe my favorite dunkel lager, even slightly better than the Kostritzer. Black, crisp, highly carbonated. Great for washing down greasy food.
Origin: Germany (Bavaria)
Maybe my favorite dunkel lager, even slightly better than the Kostritzer. Black, crisp, highly carbonated. Great for washing down greasy food.
Origin: Germany (Bavaria)
Kostritzer Schwarzbier
Rating: positive
Excellent example of the style. Pitch black in the glass, but light and bubbly taste like a lager. Crisp and refreshing, slightly more flavorful than typical pale pilsners and lagers (as most dunkels I've tried have been). It's available on tap at at least one German restaurant in San Francisco, Suppenkuch, and in bottles at another in Sunnyvale, Hardy's Bavaria. Goes very well with German food.
The brewery provides their own style of beer glass for it, which is tall, thin, painted with the coat of arms. I'm usually not a sucker for presentation, but drinking this beer out of the brewery-sanctioned glass is kind of cool.
Origin: Germany (Thuringia)
Excellent example of the style. Pitch black in the glass, but light and bubbly taste like a lager. Crisp and refreshing, slightly more flavorful than typical pale pilsners and lagers (as most dunkels I've tried have been). It's available on tap at at least one German restaurant in San Francisco, Suppenkuch, and in bottles at another in Sunnyvale, Hardy's Bavaria. Goes very well with German food.
The brewery provides their own style of beer glass for it, which is tall, thin, painted with the coat of arms. I'm usually not a sucker for presentation, but drinking this beer out of the brewery-sanctioned glass is kind of cool.
Origin: Germany (Thuringia)
Allagash Dubbel Reserve
Rating: positive
Dark brown in color, lots of foamy head, typical Belgian hint of sourness, but nowhere near as sour as some (such as the Saison Dupont). Smooth and enjoyable.
Origin: USA (Maine)
Dark brown in color, lots of foamy head, typical Belgian hint of sourness, but nowhere near as sour as some (such as the Saison Dupont). Smooth and enjoyable.
Origin: USA (Maine)
Samuel Smith Imperial Stout
Rating: neutral
Dark and bubbly. Main complaints are bitterness and oily mouth feel.
Origin: England
Dark and bubbly. Main complaints are bitterness and oily mouth feel.
Origin: England
Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout
Rating: neutral
Imperial stouts are not a style I typically enjoy, so this review is probably biased. Too bitter, somehow oily in texture. Dark and highly carbonated. 9% ABV, but if you just want to get buzzed there are far cheaper and more enjoyable ways of doing it. It's still drinkable, but barely.
Origin: USA (California)
Imperial stouts are not a style I typically enjoy, so this review is probably biased. Too bitter, somehow oily in texture. Dark and highly carbonated. 9% ABV, but if you just want to get buzzed there are far cheaper and more enjoyable ways of doing it. It's still drinkable, but barely.
Origin: USA (California)
St. Peters Cream Stout
Rating: neutral
I'm not sure what I thought a cream stout was going to be, maybe Irish dry stouts have shaped my opinion too heavily. I did not enjoy this. It's dark in the glass, fairly carbonated, and disappointingly has none of the coffee, chocolate, vanilla, carmel, or other mild flavors I was hoping for, and that many other stouts have. This was not as good as, say, Guinness extra stout, while being roughly the same style in my opinion.
Origin: England
I'm not sure what I thought a cream stout was going to be, maybe Irish dry stouts have shaped my opinion too heavily. I did not enjoy this. It's dark in the glass, fairly carbonated, and disappointingly has none of the coffee, chocolate, vanilla, carmel, or other mild flavors I was hoping for, and that many other stouts have. This was not as good as, say, Guinness extra stout, while being roughly the same style in my opinion.
Origin: England
Allagash Curieux
Rating: positive
I first heard of Allagash when their brewmaster flew to Mountain View explicitly to give a talk on brewing Belgian ales to gmail SRE and friends here at Google, the result of them having met by chance somewhere... I got only a taste of each kind, but was impressed with the work that goes into their aged beers.
The Curieux is aged in used Jim Beam bourbon barrels, and it picks up vanilla and other pleasant flavors from the oak. It's so thick it's almost soupy, it's 11% alcohol by volume, and it's got a strong smell that indeed reminds me of bourbon whiskey. Each bottle comes with pedigree information, etc Definitely not to be consumed hastily, this is a sipping beer.
Origin: USA (Maine)
I first heard of Allagash when their brewmaster flew to Mountain View explicitly to give a talk on brewing Belgian ales to gmail SRE and friends here at Google, the result of them having met by chance somewhere... I got only a taste of each kind, but was impressed with the work that goes into their aged beers.
The Curieux is aged in used Jim Beam bourbon barrels, and it picks up vanilla and other pleasant flavors from the oak. It's so thick it's almost soupy, it's 11% alcohol by volume, and it's got a strong smell that indeed reminds me of bourbon whiskey. Each bottle comes with pedigree information, etc Definitely not to be consumed hastily, this is a sipping beer.
Origin: USA (Maine)
Trader Joe's 2008 Vintage Ale
Rating: positive
This is a Belgian-style dubbel, made for them by Unibroue in Quebec. Rich brown color, cloudy, lots of foamy head. Nice scent and complex aftertaste, all good. I actually like this much better than any of the beers Unibroue markets here themselves. Pleasantly surprised by how inexpensive this is compared to most corked-bottle Belgians.
Origin: Canada (Quebec)
This is a Belgian-style dubbel, made for them by Unibroue in Quebec. Rich brown color, cloudy, lots of foamy head. Nice scent and complex aftertaste, all good. I actually like this much better than any of the beers Unibroue markets here themselves. Pleasantly surprised by how inexpensive this is compared to most corked-bottle Belgians.
Origin: Canada (Quebec)
Rogue Hazelnut Brown Nectar
Rating: positive
Possibly the best brown ale I've ever had, better than Samuel Smiths, even. Light brown in the glass, smooth texture and flavor. Definitely will buy again.
Origin: USA (Oregon)
Possibly the best brown ale I've ever had, better than Samuel Smiths, even. Light brown in the glass, smooth texture and flavor. Definitely will buy again.
Origin: USA (Oregon)
Saison Dupont
Rating: positive
Cloudy, sourdough-like taste, pale golden color. Heavy and filling, but far from heavy as far as Belgians go. All the other Belgians I've tried are Flemish (Dutch), but this is from a brewery in the francophone part of the country. Claims to be a farmhouse style ale. Bought several times, would recommend.
Origin: Belgium
Cloudy, sourdough-like taste, pale golden color. Heavy and filling, but far from heavy as far as Belgians go. All the other Belgians I've tried are Flemish (Dutch), but this is from a brewery in the francophone part of the country. Claims to be a farmhouse style ale. Bought several times, would recommend.
Origin: Belgium
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Ommegang chocolate indulgence
Rating: negative
This claimed to be a belgian-style chocolate stout. I was curious but dubious, as this describes two very different styles of beer. The result was severe disappointment. It's neither a good belgian, nor a good stout, nor even a good beer on its own merit. I actually considered not finishing my glass.
Like the Youngs, this uses both chocolate malt AND actual chocolate. It's a waste of both.
Origin: USA (new york)
This claimed to be a belgian-style chocolate stout. I was curious but dubious, as this describes two very different styles of beer. The result was severe disappointment. It's neither a good belgian, nor a good stout, nor even a good beer on its own merit. I actually considered not finishing my glass.
Like the Youngs, this uses both chocolate malt AND actual chocolate. It's a waste of both.
Origin: USA (new york)
Young's double chocolate stout
Rating: positive
Excellent dry stout, nitrogen widget in the can actually makes this one better in the can than the bottle. Like other nitrogen dry stouts (guinness, murphys) it has the cascading foam effect when poured in a glass. Feel is extremely smooth and thick, taste is slightly sweet and smoky with an actually noticeable aftertaste of chocolate. Possibly my favorite beer.
Drinking it cold doesn't just lessen the intensity of the flavor like with most beers. It actually changes it to taste less like beer and more like chocolate. Try it at several temperatures to find the perfect one.
Origin: England
Excellent dry stout, nitrogen widget in the can actually makes this one better in the can than the bottle. Like other nitrogen dry stouts (guinness, murphys) it has the cascading foam effect when poured in a glass. Feel is extremely smooth and thick, taste is slightly sweet and smoky with an actually noticeable aftertaste of chocolate. Possibly my favorite beer.
Drinking it cold doesn't just lessen the intensity of the flavor like with most beers. It actually changes it to taste less like beer and more like chocolate. Try it at several temperatures to find the perfect one.
Origin: England
Samuel Smith nut brown ale
Rating: positive
Smooth, again not too bubbly, dark brown in the glass. Always a favorite.
Origin: England
Smooth, again not too bubbly, dark brown in the glass. Always a favorite.
Origin: England
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Samuel Smith the celebrated oatmeal stout
Rating: positive
Origin: England
It's a dark, smooth -tasting oatmeal stout. One of the better examples of the style. Not too bubbly, not overly sweet. I enjoy it most served cool but not ice cold, to better appreciate the flavor.
Origin: England
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