Price: $8.99 for a six pack
Brewery: The Boston Beer Company, Boston, MA
Style: Lager
ABV: NA but I would say 5-6%
Color: Tan, light red, almost copper, crystal clear.
Aroma: Pronounced hop aroma, citrus, hint of caramel
Body: Light, thin.
Stomach Aspect: Light.
Head: Off white color, with tightly grouped bubbles, thick and dense. Poured to a 1/4" but lasted about two minutes before dissolving, was thick and creamy.
Head Retention: Good, the brew leaves a nice ring from the previous drink.
Taste: spiciness at the back of the tongue from the hops, and good hop aroma at the back of the tongue. Mid tongue has a slight and quick hint of caramel, while the brew presents no flavor profile at the front of the tongue.
Conclusion: The color of the brew is very appealing, as is the aroma. The head pours nicely and does linger a little while. The head is very thick and creamy, which gives the brew a "oh yeah" aspect. However, the flavor profile is a little lacking. At the front of the tongue the brew has no flavor profile. Nothing. The middle of the tongue the brew gives you a slight hint of caramel flavor, then presents a nice "grainy" profile, just before the hop flavor and spiciness arrive. Swallowing the brew and there is no mistaking the hop presence of this brew. It is perfectly balanced with the malt to give it a nice, but standing hop aspect. The brew finishes on the malty side (which is kinda cool for the Lager. Most Lager's have crisp, clean finishes) and gives you a little tease for the next drink. This is the flagship brew for the Boston Brewing Company, and I can see why. There is very little wrong with the brew, but in the same breath there is very little that stands out about the beer. This is a good beer and I could drink it till the cows came home and left again. It has enough of a flavor profile and attitude to keep me coming back for more. But, the minute I have a beer with more flavor, and profile, I'm leaving this one. See my point?
Public Aspect: Bring this to any public event (or even order one in public) and you may have to defend it from your friends. Not because it is that good, but because it's better than anything that Coors, Bud, and Miller produce. You really can't go wrong with this beer, and by drinking the beer it simply says "I don't buy into canoe water."
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Beer Review: Pipeline Porter
Price: $8.99 for a six pack
Brewery: Kona Brewing Company, Kona, HI
Style: Ale, Porter
ABV: NA
Color: Black
Aroma: Chocolate, roasted coffee, roasted barley, slight hint of citrus
Body: Medium
Stomach Aspect: Medium.
Head: Tan, loose, tiny bubbles, poured ok but faded very fast.
Head Retention: none, this is a big letdown from this beer.
Taste: Strong coffee flavor on the front and back of the tongue, hint of chocolate grains as is a small presence of Roasted Barley, all around mid-tongue. Good hop flavor at the back of the tongue, nice malty finish.
Conclusion: This brew has been around the local Portland brewing scene for about two years now, maybe a little longer. The aroma of the brew is very refreshing with it's hint of Chocolate grains, and strong coffee presence. Looking at the brew and there is no mistaken this for anything but a Porter. Tasting the brew and your tongue comes alive immediately. The initial flavor of Chocolate malt is very nice, when you move the brew to the mid tongue you get a very prominent flavor of Roasted Barley. But the "kicker" is when you get the brew near the back of your tongue and the Kona Coffee flavor comes to life. It is very pronounced in this brew which is nice because sometimes a brewery will kick out a Coffee Porter and it's like they phoned it in when they added the coffee. This brew boldly states is made with coffee, so take it or leave it. When I was buying Porters and Stouts years ago before I started brewing this is the beer that opened my eyes when it came to dark beers. The Deshcutes brews (Black Butte & Obsidian Stout) were all I was drinking, then this little flavor nugget came around and I now make this my backup when I have to buy beer. It's that smooth. It has a good medium body, a nice "chewy" aspect, and wonderful malty finish. Overall, this is a good beer, but it's still not as good as the Captured by Porches, Un-dead Porter. Now, while this brew is good in a bottle, you have to experience it on tap (with C02) to truly get the flavor profile, and creaminess of the beer. The only place I've found it on tap was at a Pizza Hut between Aloha & Hillsboro, Oregon. On a side note, with any coffee style beers, the longer they age, the more prominent the coffee flavor becomes. So if you buy a six pack of this and don't get to it, say, in three-four months after purchase, don't worry.
Public Aspect: This brew is very smooth, and has all the aspects that all dark beer drinkers like. The brew is so good, that maybe people who normally covet the lighter beers may even stray to the darker side for some chocolate coffee porter. However, as with most dark beer it's going to be hit or miss when it comes to introducing a dark beer to a non-dark beer crowd.
Brewery: Kona Brewing Company, Kona, HI
Style: Ale, Porter
ABV: NA
Color: Black
Aroma: Chocolate, roasted coffee, roasted barley, slight hint of citrus
Body: Medium
Stomach Aspect: Medium.
Head: Tan, loose, tiny bubbles, poured ok but faded very fast.
Head Retention: none, this is a big letdown from this beer.
Taste: Strong coffee flavor on the front and back of the tongue, hint of chocolate grains as is a small presence of Roasted Barley, all around mid-tongue. Good hop flavor at the back of the tongue, nice malty finish.
Conclusion: This brew has been around the local Portland brewing scene for about two years now, maybe a little longer. The aroma of the brew is very refreshing with it's hint of Chocolate grains, and strong coffee presence. Looking at the brew and there is no mistaken this for anything but a Porter. Tasting the brew and your tongue comes alive immediately. The initial flavor of Chocolate malt is very nice, when you move the brew to the mid tongue you get a very prominent flavor of Roasted Barley. But the "kicker" is when you get the brew near the back of your tongue and the Kona Coffee flavor comes to life. It is very pronounced in this brew which is nice because sometimes a brewery will kick out a Coffee Porter and it's like they phoned it in when they added the coffee. This brew boldly states is made with coffee, so take it or leave it. When I was buying Porters and Stouts years ago before I started brewing this is the beer that opened my eyes when it came to dark beers. The Deshcutes brews (Black Butte & Obsidian Stout) were all I was drinking, then this little flavor nugget came around and I now make this my backup when I have to buy beer. It's that smooth. It has a good medium body, a nice "chewy" aspect, and wonderful malty finish. Overall, this is a good beer, but it's still not as good as the Captured by Porches, Un-dead Porter. Now, while this brew is good in a bottle, you have to experience it on tap (with C02) to truly get the flavor profile, and creaminess of the beer. The only place I've found it on tap was at a Pizza Hut between Aloha & Hillsboro, Oregon. On a side note, with any coffee style beers, the longer they age, the more prominent the coffee flavor becomes. So if you buy a six pack of this and don't get to it, say, in three-four months after purchase, don't worry.
Public Aspect: This brew is very smooth, and has all the aspects that all dark beer drinkers like. The brew is so good, that maybe people who normally covet the lighter beers may even stray to the darker side for some chocolate coffee porter. However, as with most dark beer it's going to be hit or miss when it comes to introducing a dark beer to a non-dark beer crowd.
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Beer Review: Hefeweizen
Price: $7.99 for a six pack
Brewery: Widmer Brothers Brewing, Portland, Or
Style: Ale, Hefeweizen
ABV: Bottle doesn't list, but I would say around 5%
Color: Yellow to a light gold, cloudy
Aroma: Citrus, grassy, with a hint of clove
Body: Light medium.
Stomach Aspect: Medium.
Head: Poured wonderful to 1/4". Thick, dense bubbles give it a sense of being, color is a nice white.
Head Retention: Not bad it does leave a little trace from the previous pull.
Taste: sweet, grass/wheat flavor, slight hops with a creamy, malty finish that leaves a slight coating on the tongue.
Conclusion: Pouring the brew the fresh aroma of grass is prominent, the color is very nice, even though it's a bit cloudy. The head pours to a wonderful thick, creamy, dense coating, almost like a layer of whipped cream sitting atop the brew. The body is a light medium aspect. It's not a light thin body, but it's not a medium density body either. The brew doesn't leave a big footprint in the stomach aspect, which can be expected from a light colored brew. The taste is one that is unique to the Hefeweizen style brews. It has a nice sweetness, with a hint of grassy, hay flavor which goes nice with the bitterness of hops that is present at the back of the tongue. There is even a nice hint of citrus and spice when the brew crosses the mid-tongue range. The finish is a nice malty finish that leaves a little coating on the tongue. Overall this isn't a bad beer, but it's not a good beer either. It's the typical style from the Widmer Brothers, just middle of the road, ho-hum style of brew. It is refreshing, it is very easy to drink, it does taste good, but it doesn't make you go crazy for another pint. It is forgettable as are several of the Widmer Brother brews. Some people to like to drink this brew with a slice of lemon (and I've had it that way) because it adds a little tartness to counter act the natural sweetness of the Hefeweizen.
Public Aspect: This style of beer has been around a long time in the Northwest (and Germany) and usually people either like the Hef's, or they don't. Bring a Hefenweizen to a group gathering that isn't into the wheat beers and you're going to have a lot of left over beer. But, bring this to a group of people who like the wheat beers and you can't keep the coolers stocked. The beer has all the right aspects for the Northwest style beer drinker (light color, light medium body, good aroma, easy drinking).
Brewery: Widmer Brothers Brewing, Portland, Or
Style: Ale, Hefeweizen
ABV: Bottle doesn't list, but I would say around 5%
Color: Yellow to a light gold, cloudy
Aroma: Citrus, grassy, with a hint of clove
Body: Light medium.
Stomach Aspect: Medium.
Head: Poured wonderful to 1/4". Thick, dense bubbles give it a sense of being, color is a nice white.
Head Retention: Not bad it does leave a little trace from the previous pull.
Taste: sweet, grass/wheat flavor, slight hops with a creamy, malty finish that leaves a slight coating on the tongue.
Conclusion: Pouring the brew the fresh aroma of grass is prominent, the color is very nice, even though it's a bit cloudy. The head pours to a wonderful thick, creamy, dense coating, almost like a layer of whipped cream sitting atop the brew. The body is a light medium aspect. It's not a light thin body, but it's not a medium density body either. The brew doesn't leave a big footprint in the stomach aspect, which can be expected from a light colored brew. The taste is one that is unique to the Hefeweizen style brews. It has a nice sweetness, with a hint of grassy, hay flavor which goes nice with the bitterness of hops that is present at the back of the tongue. There is even a nice hint of citrus and spice when the brew crosses the mid-tongue range. The finish is a nice malty finish that leaves a little coating on the tongue. Overall this isn't a bad beer, but it's not a good beer either. It's the typical style from the Widmer Brothers, just middle of the road, ho-hum style of brew. It is refreshing, it is very easy to drink, it does taste good, but it doesn't make you go crazy for another pint. It is forgettable as are several of the Widmer Brother brews. Some people to like to drink this brew with a slice of lemon (and I've had it that way) because it adds a little tartness to counter act the natural sweetness of the Hefeweizen.
Public Aspect: This style of beer has been around a long time in the Northwest (and Germany) and usually people either like the Hef's, or they don't. Bring a Hefenweizen to a group gathering that isn't into the wheat beers and you're going to have a lot of left over beer. But, bring this to a group of people who like the wheat beers and you can't keep the coolers stocked. The beer has all the right aspects for the Northwest style beer drinker (light color, light medium body, good aroma, easy drinking).
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Beer Review: Drifter Pale Ale
Price: $7.99 for a six pack
Brewery: Widmer Brothers Brewing, Portland, Or
Style: Ale, Pale Ale
ABV: 5.7%
Color: Amber, with a hint of red
Aroma: light, fruity with a hint of citrus, hoppy
Body: Light, thin.
Stomach Aspect: none, pretty light bodied beer which means you can drink it and eat at the same time.
Head: poured to a 1/8", then dissolved within one minute. But after a few pulls of the brew the head returns to a nice coating.
Head Retention: not good. The beer doesn't leave any rings from the previous pull.
Taste: Mild, slight hint of Orange, strong hops at the end, crisp finish.
Conclusion: The Widmer Brothers Brewing has been in Portland beer scene since 1984. It's one of the oldest breweries in Portland. With that said, the beer color and aroma are very enticing. Pouring the beer the first response is what a wonderful color, then the light, citrus aroma tickles your nose. Tasting the beer is a nice refreshing instant "perk up" from the initial citrus flavor. The beer loses flavor across the mid-tongue, but quickly picks up at the end of the tongue, just before swallowing. Swallowing the brew gives you a wonderful, but not over aggressive hop finish, that is crisp, clean and to the point. However, the beer lacks oomph. It lacks the "what a good beer" aspect, the aspect of "hey try this." It's forgettable.
Public Aspect: Bring this to an event, or have one at a pub and don't be surprised if someone asks for a taste. The color and aroma will attract the curious, and the mild flavor, with light body will keep some people coming back for another. You can't go wrong if your looking for a new Pale Ale to try, or if this is the only thing offered to you, it's not a bad beer, it's a forgettable beer.
Brewery: Widmer Brothers Brewing, Portland, Or
Style: Ale, Pale Ale
ABV: 5.7%
Color: Amber, with a hint of red
Aroma: light, fruity with a hint of citrus, hoppy
Body: Light, thin.
Stomach Aspect: none, pretty light bodied beer which means you can drink it and eat at the same time.
Head: poured to a 1/8", then dissolved within one minute. But after a few pulls of the brew the head returns to a nice coating.
Head Retention: not good. The beer doesn't leave any rings from the previous pull.
Taste: Mild, slight hint of Orange, strong hops at the end, crisp finish.
Conclusion: The Widmer Brothers Brewing has been in Portland beer scene since 1984. It's one of the oldest breweries in Portland. With that said, the beer color and aroma are very enticing. Pouring the beer the first response is what a wonderful color, then the light, citrus aroma tickles your nose. Tasting the beer is a nice refreshing instant "perk up" from the initial citrus flavor. The beer loses flavor across the mid-tongue, but quickly picks up at the end of the tongue, just before swallowing. Swallowing the brew gives you a wonderful, but not over aggressive hop finish, that is crisp, clean and to the point. However, the beer lacks oomph. It lacks the "what a good beer" aspect, the aspect of "hey try this." It's forgettable.
Public Aspect: Bring this to an event, or have one at a pub and don't be surprised if someone asks for a taste. The color and aroma will attract the curious, and the mild flavor, with light body will keep some people coming back for another. You can't go wrong if your looking for a new Pale Ale to try, or if this is the only thing offered to you, it's not a bad beer, it's a forgettable beer.
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Beer Review: Obsidian Stout
Price: $8.99 for a six pack
Brewery: Deschutes Brewery, Bend, Oregon
Style: Ale, Stout
ABV: 6.4%
Color: Opaque, black
Aroma: Roasted grains,slight hops, slightly burnt,
Body: On the higher side of medium.
Stomach Aspect: Full
Head: dark tan/brown, pours nicely to about 1/4 inch thick with tightly grouped bubbles. Faded within 30 seconds of being poured.
Head Retention: slight retention, the brew does leave a faint trace from the last pull.
Taste: Subtle hints of chocolate grains, strong presence of Roasted Barley, strong, lingering bitterness from Black Patent Grain, mild hops, slight malty finish.
Conclusion: I have been drinking this brew when it first hit the market about 14 years ago. Back then I didn't know what a Stout was, or how it was suppose to taste. Over the years (before I started brewing & reviewing beer) I would drink this brew every chance I got, and it became my favorite beer. The color is pretty and very enticing, the aroma is faint, but pungent (yes pungent), but with as slight citrus aroma from the hops. Taking a drink of this brew and you get a slight touch of chocolate grain flavor, and at mid tongue you get a nice flavor of roasted barley, but then the brew turns to into something odd. The bitter, pungent aspect of the beer hits the back part of your tongue and your almost get the feeling you're sucking on a Sour Patch Kid. Some people like to call this "bite", I beg to differ. If they would cut back the Black Patent (which the grain is used for dark color, not flavor) I think this brew would improve. Be as it may, the bitterness is so strong that it over powers the faint taste of hops just before you swallow. Just when you think your done with the bitterness, and have enjoyed the last of it, it sticks to your tongue. Almost like a coating of bitter, burnt toaster crumbs. The coating is so strong that it stays on the tongue for almost 3 minutes after you have swallowed, not good. I have tasted, reviewed and brewed award winning Stouts. This is not one of them, nor does it come close. It's not a bad beer, but it's not a good beer. Don't get me wrong, if you can handle the bitterness, and the full body aspect of this Stout then by all means drink it. However, if you can't, don't spend your money, there are better Stouts out there.
Public Aspect: None. I mean people shy away from the darker style brews like they do the plague. This beer will not only scare them away with the color, but once they've had a taste that bitterness will be sure to make them run for something less pungent. If you like the flavor profile of a Stout (especially this one) then you should not have any problem keeping this too yourself. I've gone to BBQ's with a six pack of this stuff as my drink for the night, and I've drank all six with out a single offer from someone asking to try it. That's how scary this brew is, but not scary in a good way.
Brewery: Deschutes Brewery, Bend, Oregon
Style: Ale, Stout
ABV: 6.4%
Color: Opaque, black
Aroma: Roasted grains,slight hops, slightly burnt,
Body: On the higher side of medium.
Stomach Aspect: Full
Head: dark tan/brown, pours nicely to about 1/4 inch thick with tightly grouped bubbles. Faded within 30 seconds of being poured.
Head Retention: slight retention, the brew does leave a faint trace from the last pull.
Taste: Subtle hints of chocolate grains, strong presence of Roasted Barley, strong, lingering bitterness from Black Patent Grain, mild hops, slight malty finish.
Conclusion: I have been drinking this brew when it first hit the market about 14 years ago. Back then I didn't know what a Stout was, or how it was suppose to taste. Over the years (before I started brewing & reviewing beer) I would drink this brew every chance I got, and it became my favorite beer. The color is pretty and very enticing, the aroma is faint, but pungent (yes pungent), but with as slight citrus aroma from the hops. Taking a drink of this brew and you get a slight touch of chocolate grain flavor, and at mid tongue you get a nice flavor of roasted barley, but then the brew turns to into something odd. The bitter, pungent aspect of the beer hits the back part of your tongue and your almost get the feeling you're sucking on a Sour Patch Kid. Some people like to call this "bite", I beg to differ. If they would cut back the Black Patent (which the grain is used for dark color, not flavor) I think this brew would improve. Be as it may, the bitterness is so strong that it over powers the faint taste of hops just before you swallow. Just when you think your done with the bitterness, and have enjoyed the last of it, it sticks to your tongue. Almost like a coating of bitter, burnt toaster crumbs. The coating is so strong that it stays on the tongue for almost 3 minutes after you have swallowed, not good. I have tasted, reviewed and brewed award winning Stouts. This is not one of them, nor does it come close. It's not a bad beer, but it's not a good beer. Don't get me wrong, if you can handle the bitterness, and the full body aspect of this Stout then by all means drink it. However, if you can't, don't spend your money, there are better Stouts out there.
Public Aspect: None. I mean people shy away from the darker style brews like they do the plague. This beer will not only scare them away with the color, but once they've had a taste that bitterness will be sure to make them run for something less pungent. If you like the flavor profile of a Stout (especially this one) then you should not have any problem keeping this too yourself. I've gone to BBQ's with a six pack of this stuff as my drink for the night, and I've drank all six with out a single offer from someone asking to try it. That's how scary this brew is, but not scary in a good way.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Beer Review: Honey Brown Lager
Price: $5.99 for a six pack
Brewery: Dundee Brewing Company, Rochester, NY
Style: Lager
ABV: NA, but by tasting I would say 4-4.5%
Color: clear, light brown almost a dark gold.
Aroma: Sweet/honey aroma, good presence of hops,slight aroma of hay
Body: light
Stomach Aspect: light
Head: Poured good, but dissolved to absolutely nothing within 5 seconds.
Head Retention: none, zip, zilch
Taste: hints of caramel, slight hint of roasted grains, honey, clove, and little hops
Conclusion: When first seeing the brew it's color and clarity are almost a put-off. The aroma is very pleasant, it does have a slight smell of Hay/grass. Taking a drink of the beer and the nice refreshing aspect of caramel and Honey are very present. Moving the brew throughout your mouth you get several quick hits of roasted grains, hay, and honey. But when you swallow the brew you get a nice flavor of hops, and some clove (which I wonder if this is from the honey), and the beer finishes quick, clean, and crisp. The beer has a very very light body, but the flavor doesn't suffer from the light body. The head of the beer is quite a let down, but overall the brew is not a bad Honey beer. Now, it's not a mead (which is an all Honey alcohol drink), this is a beer brewed with Honey as part of the recipe. To be honest, this is by far the best Honey additive beer I've tasted. I've had some where the Honey over powers the beer profile, and vice-versa, but this brewery got it right. Funny thing is I picked this six pack up at Grocery Outlet, which doesn't carry quality beer. I would say someone did their job by having this brew on the order list.
Public Aspect: hard to say with this beer. The flavor won't offend too many people, it's quite a refreshing beer. The beer should be accepted by the masses at a public event because the color and stomach aspect are too offsetting. Serve this brew to your guests and they shouldn't be offended.
Brewery: Dundee Brewing Company, Rochester, NY
Style: Lager
ABV: NA, but by tasting I would say 4-4.5%
Color: clear, light brown almost a dark gold.
Aroma: Sweet/honey aroma, good presence of hops,slight aroma of hay
Body: light
Stomach Aspect: light
Head: Poured good, but dissolved to absolutely nothing within 5 seconds.
Head Retention: none, zip, zilch
Taste: hints of caramel, slight hint of roasted grains, honey, clove, and little hops
Conclusion: When first seeing the brew it's color and clarity are almost a put-off. The aroma is very pleasant, it does have a slight smell of Hay/grass. Taking a drink of the beer and the nice refreshing aspect of caramel and Honey are very present. Moving the brew throughout your mouth you get several quick hits of roasted grains, hay, and honey. But when you swallow the brew you get a nice flavor of hops, and some clove (which I wonder if this is from the honey), and the beer finishes quick, clean, and crisp. The beer has a very very light body, but the flavor doesn't suffer from the light body. The head of the beer is quite a let down, but overall the brew is not a bad Honey beer. Now, it's not a mead (which is an all Honey alcohol drink), this is a beer brewed with Honey as part of the recipe. To be honest, this is by far the best Honey additive beer I've tasted. I've had some where the Honey over powers the beer profile, and vice-versa, but this brewery got it right. Funny thing is I picked this six pack up at Grocery Outlet, which doesn't carry quality beer. I would say someone did their job by having this brew on the order list.
Public Aspect: hard to say with this beer. The flavor won't offend too many people, it's quite a refreshing beer. The beer should be accepted by the masses at a public event because the color and stomach aspect are too offsetting. Serve this brew to your guests and they shouldn't be offended.
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