A little town called Shiner Pt. 3

Rounding out the Shiner Family Reunion pack are the Shiner Blonde, Hefeweizen and a newcomer, the Prickly Pear Lager. I have had the Blonde and Hefeweizen before, but will be trying the seasonal Prickly Pear for the first time. I will start with the familiar ones.

First for the Blonde.

Appearance: Beer is a clear pale yellow or straw color. As you can tell from the picture, it is highly carbonated, like all the Shiner beers I have had so far. No head at all with this one, and patchy lacing.

Smell: Nothing stands out aroma wise. The best way I can describe it is smelling just like Miller Lite. An fyi, Miller Lite is my least favorite of any macro beer. If I must have a light macro beer, like Harry Caray used to say, "I'm a cub fan and a bud man."

Taste/Mouthfeel: As would be expected, this beer has a bubbly mouthfeel and is very light. Taste is just like the run of the mill macro beer mentioned above. Very thin and watery tasting with a dry dull finish. It is however, easy drinking due to the wateriness.

Overall: Not one that I would seek out again. I did offer some to Margaret and she said that she liked it. If this is any indication, Bud Light is her favorite go to beer. Shiner also makes a "light" version of this blonde. I made the mistake of getting some. I don't know how they made it lighter, but apparently to make it lighter, they added something that gave it an off putting smoky flavor. Not a fan of the light or the leaded version above.

I have since had a Nola Blonde and compared it to the Shiner version. The Nola beer had a much more complex flavor. The hops gave it a depth of flavor including some sweetness, that is lacking in the Shiner blonde. For a blonde fan, the Nola version would be a better bet.


Next, the Hefeweizen.

Appearance: Beer poured a cloudy, chalky looking yellow color. It looked just like the powdered drink Tang, from my youth. Beer was highly carbonated with a very thin white head. It did have some patchy lacing.

Smell: The main aroma I got from this one was one of yeast, like white bread.

Taste/Mouthfeel: Due to the high level of carbonation, beer had a medium, but bubbly mouthfeel. A citrusy flavor of primarily lemon with some orange was noted. Some mild citrus flavor lingered on the tongue.

Overall: Not a homerun, but this beer was pretty good. I liked the mild citrus notes and the fact that it was not very heavy, which helps out on hot summer days. Makes sense that a brewery in TX would have beers that are more on the refreshing side.

Last, but not least, on to the Prickly Pear Lager.

Appearance: Beer pours a dark golden clear amber color. This beer had the best head of any of the Shiner beers tasted, and had some good lacing present. As usual with these I have tried, it was very carbonated.

Smell: Lots of floral notes and aromas with this beer. Also had the smell of a grape flavored candy.

Taste/Mouthfeel: A broken record on the mouthfeel, but due to carbonation it was bubbly and light. Like the smell, the beer tasted like grape flavored candy. It had a sweet dry finish.

Overall: I am usually not a fan of fruit flavored beers. This one is similar in taste to Abita Brewery's Purple Haze, which I have never enjoyed. However this one differs in giving some tartness and a dry finish that gives the sweet candy like flavor some balance. It also had the best head and lacing of any of the Shiner beers I tried.

So now for a recap of the 6 Shiner beers that make up the Family Reunion 6 pack.

1. Shiner Bock - although it is their signature and iconic beer, I would give a thumbs down on it.
2. Shiner Blonde - too light and not very distinctive flavor. This would be my least favorite of the 6.
3. Shiner Hefeweizen - kind of a middle of the road grade. Far from my least favorite, but not likely to seek out over something I have not tried yet.
4. Shiner Prickly Pear - a pleasant surprise and nice addition to the family. As far as fruity beers go, this one is worth a try. 
5. Shiner Kosmos Reserve - I am glad to see I still enjoy this one. Nice complexity of flavor from a lager. My 2nd favorite of the bunch. 
6. Shiner Bohemian Black Lager - this one has been a go to beer for me for a couple of years. Nice malty flavor without being too heavy. My favorite from this brewery. 

So overall this brewery was 3 for 6. Unfortunately, two of the three I like are only part of this family reunion pack. These guys are not stupid and they know what they are doing. Thanks to Pop for doing the legwork and picking up this pack of beers for me. 

Cheers!

Best Irish gastropub ever

Margaret, the girls and I went to New Orleans this weekend to see some family. My family all still live in the New Orleans area, and her cousin lives there also. An added bonus this weekend included visits from Margaret's Aunts Carla and Bonnie.

Like any good foodie Margaret has a list of restaurants that she wants to try in town. Since I am now a beerie, I will check out the beer menu before deciding on where to dine. Due more to the beer than the cuisine, we dined at a place called the Irish House on St. Charles Avenue.

This place has a very impressive beer menu. Even better was the fact that their staff knew the beer I requested and brought me a couple of beauties from the Nola brewery. One I will review is the Hurricane Saison.

Th Hurricane is the first saison type beer that I have had. Beer advocate describes a saison as a sturdy farmhouse ale usually brewed in winter for summer consumption. It is a complex style noted for a fruity aroma and flavor.

Appearance: Beer has a dark golden almost orange color and is clear. Lots of bubbly carbonation with this beer. One finger of white head with good staying power. Patchy lacing was noticed while drinking.

Smell: Very floral aroma noted with this beer. Hops give this beer a sweet perfume like smell.

Taste/Moufeel: Sweet floral and fruity favors are present with this beer. The hops leave a sweet lingering flavor on the tongue. Carbonation gives this beer a bubbly but medium mouthfeel.

Overall: I really liked this beer. It has a very distinctive flavor with sweetness from the hops, but without the bitter finish that I would expect from a hoppy beer. It paired well with the fish and chips I ordered. I figured it was fitting to have some proper London pub food when the summer Olympics are in the UK.

For the first try with this kind of beer and first beer I have tried from the Nola brewery, i was very impressed with both. I am going to search out more of these kinds of beers. The night was made even better by spending it with good food, good beer, and good friends who happen to be family. For those who are not in on the title joke, whenever Margaret and I get together with her cousin Philip, whatever we are doing gets dubbed the best (insert thing or event) ever. Even though it is meant as an exaggeration, it usually does not disappoint, and it didn't.

Lastly, on a food note, the chef and owner of the Irish House, Matt Murphy will be appearing on the Food Network show Chopped on July 31. For those in the New Orleans area there will be a viewing party at the restaurant that night.

For more information on the Nola brewery, please see http://www.nolabrewing.com/

For more information on the Irish House, please see http://www.theirishhouseneworleans.com/


Cheers!

Too good not to share

This humorous cartoon is courtesy of the Shmaltz Brewing Company. 

http://www.shmaltzbrewing.com/


Cheers!

A little town called Shiner Pt. 2

Now that I have introduced the Spoetzel brewery and taken a taste of their signature beer, the Shiner Bock, it is now time to move on to the other 5 beers in the Family Reunion pack. Next up are my two favorites of the bunch, based on past experience, the Bohemian Black Lager and the Kosmos Reserve Lager.

First for the Black Lager.

Appearance: Beer pours a black cola color, with some dark brown tint when held up to the light. Very little tan head quickly disappears. There is some good carbonation, but it is sneaky. It did not appear to have much at the start, but I noticed more part of the way through. There is some good lacing present.

Smell: Took a little while for me to distinguish the aroma. When it warmed up a little, a burnt coffee smell was noticeable.

Taste/Mouthfeel: Carbonation gave the beer a bubbly, yet full mouthfeel. Taste is of roasted malt and some chocolate and burnt coffee. I also noted some smokiness. The beer finished with some lingering bitterness, however not overwhelming.

Overall: Prior to starting to review the 6 different beers of the Family Reunion pack, this was my favorite one. I am glad to see that I still feel that way. This beer has some of the things I like about dark beers, with the burnt coffee notes and malt flavor, without the heaviness of other dark beers.

Now for the Kosmos Reserve lager. I originally had this one as part of the family reunion pack a couple of years ago. It is named after the founder of the brewery, Kosmos Spoetzel. I was very disappointed to find that it only came in the family reunion pack. Pop confirmed that is still the case when he did the brewery tour earlier this month.

Appearance: Beer has a clear golden almost orange color when poured. It was highly carbonated, but no head to speak of. It did produce some average lacing.

Smell: At the start, noted a floral scent with some yeast and bready notes. As it warmed up, the fruity aroma of the hops became more present.

Taste/Mouthfeel: This one was like two different beers from start to finish. Initially noted the bubbly light mouthfeel with a crisp taste, but no real discernible characteristics. I did note some slight bitterness and dryness, but they were not long lasting. However as it warmed up, the fruity sweetness from the hops became more apparent.

Overall: As I thought I might, I enjoyed this beer. It is billed as a Pale American Lager, but due to the hop content, it is more complex than a typical lager. It was also probably the best example of a beer that's flavors changed throughout drinking that I have come across so far. It was very drinkable and suitable for the hot summer days going on now.

So far, so good. Of the three Shiner beers I have tried, I would recommend two of them. Three more to go to complete the journey.

Cheers!

A little town called Shiner Pt. 1

A couple of weeks ago, Margaret's grandparents went to visit some family in San Antonio, TX. On their way they stayed a weekend here with us. Pop, Margaret's grandfather mentioned that they were going to tour the Spoetzel brewery in Shiner and asked if he could bring me something back for my research. I mentioned that they have a particular favorite beer of mine that is only available in the specialty "family reunion" six pack. The beer is a lager called Kosmos Reserve, named after the founder of the brewery.

Being a military man, Pop gladly accepted the mission and completed it with flying colors, bringing me two 12 bottle family reunion packs. The beers included are:

1. Bock
2. Kosmos Reserve
3. Hefeweizen
4. Blonde
5. Prickly Pear Lager (Seasonal)
6. Bohemian Black Lager

Also pictured is the wooden nickel that is the currency used for the beer served on the brewery tour. 

I am pretty familiar with all the beers in the pack with the exception of the Prickly Pear seasonal one. Not sure how I feel about a cactus infused beer. The Black lager and the Kosmos reserve are among my go too beers. Unfortunately the Kosmos Reserve requires a purchase of the other beers. 

Over the next week or so, I will review the beers included. 

For a start, I took a shot with what I believe is the first microbrew I ever had years ago. Being in Louisiana, the flagship Shiner beer, the Bock was typically available in bars in the New Orleans area. It was a nice change of pace from the usual stuff that was on tap. In Louisiana, it has become synonymous with the brewery. I even heard someone recently refer to other beers from the brewery as Shiner Bocks, like Kleenex with tissues or Xerox with copies. 

Appearance: Beer was amber colored which turned to a ruby red when held up to the light. It had decent carbonation, but a very quickly dissipating tan head. Very little lacing was noted.

Smell: The main aroma I got from this beer was a yeasty one, like bread. 

Taste/Mouthfeel: Beer had a bubbly mouthfeel. Some malt flavor was noted. The most noticeable characteristic of the taste was the dry finish. It really dried my mouth out and left me parched. Like the smell, yeasty bread flavor was noted. 

Overall: This beer is not one that I will likely seek out again. It was a novelty when it was among the first readily available microbrews in New Orleans years ago, but in my opinion, it is far from even the best this brewery has to offer. However, I do look forward to trying the other 5 beers in the series. 

Cheers!

Beer + friends = good times

I am sure this equation is not news to anyone. I can remember when I was a kid and watching some cowboys on tv sitting around a campfire drinking some Milwaukee's Best (we lovingly referred to it as "the beast") and saying, "It don't get any better than this." Although I don't completely agree, it is hard to beat spending time with good friends drinking good beer. In case you were wondering, Milwaukee's Best would not qualify as good beer.

This weekend we traveled to New Orleans for the 8 and under regional swim meet. Both our girls swim on the Crawfish Aquatics team. We have a great group of friends and really enjoy the time together.

These meets are two days and that means two nights of hanging out in the hotel lobby with our friends and our old friend beer. As usual, I came prepared with a selection from my inventory. This included some selections from the Spoetzel Brewery in Shiner, TX, the Shmaltz Brewery in San Francisco and the Sierra Nevada brewery in California. Also represented was a small Colorado brewery that makes some beer called "the silver bullet." Maybe you have heard of it. That one is for you Mandy.

Unfortunately the only beer picture I got was of the Sierra Nevada Porter.

No full review this time. I did however notice the porter had a creamy chocolate taste with a nice tan head. I will have to pick up another and put some more notes on this one. I very much liked the taste I had. Try not to pay attention to the dork holding the iPad in the picture. Apparently I am not smart enough to know not to take a picture in front of a window. 

Although we did not accomplish our team goal, we had to settle for 2nd place, a good time was had by all. As usual, it was enhanced by some good beers. 

Whether it is the silver bullet, the beast or something else you like, go out and share some with friends. 

For information on the breweries mentioned, please see their websites. 

http://www.shiner.com/

http://www.shmaltzbrewing.com/

http://www.sierranevada.com/

Cheers!

The dog days of summer

With it being nearly the surface of the sun hot here in Louisiana these days, with humidity near 1,000%, my usual strategy of drinking darker beers is not a winning one. Therefore I figured it was time to try some beers on the lighter side. Not light beers per se, but ones that are more appropriate for the season. I have two such beers to review. First is the Sierra Nevada Summerfest Lager and second is the Harpoon UFO (Un-filtered offering) Hefeweizen.

Sierra Nevada brewery of Chico, CA is one of the most recognizable brands in craft beer. Even non-beer drinkers have undoubtedly seen their label and their most popular beer, their Pale Ale. Their Summerfest Lager is a seasonal beer that I picked up as part of a mix and match six pack from my local Fresh Market store. I knew I had to try this one when my priest, Father Tom, who frequents the blog, asked me last Sunday if I had tried the Summerfest. Pure coincidence that I happened to have one in the fridge at the time.

Appearance: Beer poured a clear pale to golden yellow color and was highly carbonated. It had a thin white head. Not much lacing noted on the glass.

Smell: Nothing stood out from an aroma standpoint. Being a summer beer, I had pegged it to have some wheat and therefore citrus notes, but it did not.

Taste/Mouthfeel: No wheat taste as noted above. The best way I can describe it is being like a Heineken, but without the bite. I have also described Stella Artois this way. The beer had a light mouthfeel, as would be expected.

Overall: This one was appropriate for the season, but unremarkable. It was very drinkable, which is very important when the mercury reaches 100 here in south LA. For more information about this beer, please see http://www.sierranevada.com/beers/summerfest.html


The second beer , UFO Hefeweizen, was also part of a mix and match six pack, but from the World Market. For the uninitiated, a Hefeweizen is a beer that is brewed with a large portion of wheat in addition to the barley. Hefeweizen is the name in German for unfiltered wheat beers. Commonly available wheat beers include Blue Moon and Hoegarden. They are usually garnished with an orange slice to accent their typical citrus flavors.

Appearance: Cloudy golden color with nice carbonation. Beer poured a thin white head that dissipated rapidly. No real lacing was noted.

Smell: Not much in the way of wheat or yeast smell. The aroma was most like a pilsner.

Taste/Mouthfeel: This beer had more bite than the Summerfest, but did not have any citrus hoppy notes to speak of. It was not bitter, but not as smooth as the previous beer. It did have a light mouthfeel.

Overall: This one was kind of a disappointment. I had an idea of getting some wheat and citrus flavor with this one, but nothing there. Kind of watered down. It was however drinkable and light enough for summer. If I were to recommend a wheat beer from what I have tried so far, it would be the Great Northern Wheatfish. For more information on the UFO Hefeweizen, please see http://www.ufohefeweizen.com/

Although it is still hot here, I am not sweating it. Lots more seasonable beers to try. If they don't work, there is always fall and winter.

Cheers!

I don't want to go off on a rant here...

When I was a kid growing up in New Orleans, one of the local TV stations would end their newscast with an editorial. It was always given by an old, fat guy with a white beard named Phil Johnson. He would talk for a couple of minutes about whatever topic was topical and provide his opinion about it. I figured that he must have been important if the station let him say whatever he wanted about the topic. Only did I learn later that opinions are like a certain body part and that everyone has them and they all stink. However that will not deter me from providing my opinion on something.

Sorry to borrow an old line from Dennis Miller, but one of my frustrations as a beer fan is the lack of knowledge of people who serve beer at local establishments. Not so much lack of knowledge of beer in general, but lack of knowledge of their own menus. Sorry to sound like the old guy complaining all the time, but it gets old. Two examples that I have experienced recently with the same group of friends:

Earlier this week, I went to dinner with some friends, coincidentally, two guys that inspired me to start the blog. We went to a local sports bar that you may have heard of. Its name rhymes with Muffalo Rild Rings. I arrived before the others did and took a look at the beer menu. I was pleased to see that they had a section of the menu dedicated to craft beer. I did not find any on draft that I had not tried, but decided to have a local one, the LA 31 Boucanee. When I requested it from the waiter, you would have thought I was speaking German based on the look on his face. He appeared to have never heard of it, even though it was clearly printed on the menu. He walked over to someone who knew more about the menu and informed me that they did not have it anymore. I wonder if they ever did.

I then decided to wait for the others to arrive to try again with a selection. Looking at the bottled beer listing, there was a hefeweizen that I had not tried before and asked the waiter for it. This time, I think I must have spoken in Kling-on. He had clearly not heard of it and when I showed it to him on the menu he gave an excuse that the menu is company wide and they did not have this beer. Conceding defeat I ordered a beer that they did have.

I wish I could say this was the first time a situation like this has happened to me. Of course you probably know that is not the case. A couple years ago, a new establishment opened in a trendy neighborhood in my town. The place called the Tap Room billed itself as a beer lover's paradise. Needless to say, I was pretty excited. The first couple of times I went I was impressed. Their menu was lengthy with dozens of hard to find beers on tap or in bottles.

As time went on, the mission of this place seemed to change. Their menu shrunk and they more focused on selling the Buds, Coors and Millers of the world. I get it. Likely there are not many beer dorks like myself coming in to try the unique beers, so they sell the domestic lagers and pilsners to people just looking to get a buzz on. I don't begrudge them making a profit, however if you bill yourself as a place to get hard to find beers, you should have them.

A month ago I went to the Tap Room with the same buddies from the previous story and was very disappointed to see what has become of this place. Their menu was smaller, but still had several beers I had not tried before, or so I thought. I ordered 3 different beers on their menu and was told that they no longer carried any of them. The frustrated bartender eventually suggested that I disregard the menu and look at the cooler to see what they have. Why should I have to do this? How hard is it to update your menu? My beef is more that their menu did not reflect what they had. If I had never seen the name of a beer I was interested in, I would not have had my hopes up.

I have never worked in or owned a bar or restaurant, but it does not seem to be difficult to update a menu, or train your staff on what is or is not available.  I just don't get it.

Needless to say, I will be trying to find other places to continue with this hobby.

The preceding reflects the thoughts and opinions of the blogger only.

Cheers!

And I just thought I liked the taste

Not only does beer taste great, it provides some surprising health benefits. http://news.menshealth.com/the-best-heart-healthy-beverage/2011/11/18/


http://shine.yahoo.com/healthy-living/5-surprising-health-benefits-of-beer-2394102.html

http://www.myhealthnewsdaily.com/1924-beer-heart-health-benefits.html

http://www.forbes.com/2008/03/14/beer-drink-health-forbeslife-cx_avd_0317health.html

http://health.yahoo.net/experts/dayinhealth/10-surprising-health-benefits-beer/

Not only did it save the world, it can save your life.


Cheers!

One month down

Google says that I have already been blogging for a month. In that month, I have tried and/or reviewed over new 15 beers. Not all of them were blog worthy With that in mind, I figured it would be a good time to put together a top 5 beers of the month (June-July). Is it too early to do a best of?

In reverse order, the top 5 are as follows:

5. Wheatfish Wheat Lager - Great Northern Brewery, Whitefish, MT

• One of the beers Margaret brought home from her trip to MT. Refreshing wheat beer with a lemony taste. Cloudy appearance with a nice head and lacing. Very drinkable summer beer, which is most similar to Blue Moon. 

4. Stone Smoked Porter - Stone Brewing Company, Escondido, CA

• A gift from a friend who is a home brewer, this dark beer had the best head and lacing of any that I tried this month. It is billed as a smokey Porter, however it was not the smokiest beer of the month (LA 31 Boucanee). Smoother and milder flavor than 2 other Porters that I reviewed this month. Very drinkable beer that went well with smoked meat.

3. Santo - St. Arnold Brewery, Houston, TX

• A beer I originally tried at a BBQ place in New Orleans and was able to procure through a work friend who had gone to Houston for the weekend. Unfortunately not available here in Lafayette. Dark beer with burnt coffee roasted malt notes. Very smooth and drinkable. 

2. Snow Ghost Winter Lager - Great Northern Brewery, Whitefish, MT

• The best of the beers that Margaret brought home from Montana. Dark reddish brown lager with nice carbonation and lacing. Although it is called a lager, it tasted more like a porter with some chocolate flavor. Really a nice surprise.

And the winner is...

1. Dogfish Head Indian Brown Ale - Dogfish Head Brewery, Milton, Delaware

• This one was a complete gift from my work friend who brought back some beers from Houston. See #3 on the list. Dark brown beer with a lasting tan head with nice lacing. Lots of caramel, chocolate and roasted malt flavor throughout. No bitterness noted and was very drinkable. Unfortunately, this beer will take some logistics in order to obtain. I will bring some back when I make my next Houston pilgrimage. I now look forward to trying some of the other offerings from this brewery. If they are like this one, I know I will like them. 

It is hard to believe that I have been doing this for a month. I really enjoy trying new beers and trying to describe what I like or do not like about them. I have learned a tremendous amount in just a few weeks. I appreciate all the feedback I have received, either through comments or offline discussions. I do appreciate those who have read the blog and indulged me in this hobby. 

In the past month, I have had over 900 page views (and before you ask, those do not include my own), from the US, Europe, Russia, Asia and Central America. I look forward to bringing you more info on beers in the upcoming months. Thanks for the support. 

Cheers!

Two of my favorite things

Besides beer, another of my favorite pastimes is films. Not just any movies, but specifically documentary films. I have always found true life to be way more entertaining and educational than fiction. I usually watch documentaries about sports or history. I want to feel smarter after watching them. Not sure I am always successful.

Imagine my surprise a couple of weeks ago when I stumbled upon a documentary about beer on Netflix. Two of my favorite things. Kind of like having the Harlem Globetrotters guest star on a Scooby Doo cartoon when I was a kid.

The specific documentary is titled How Beer Saved the World. It originally aired on the Discovery Channel. It is only 43 minutes long and worth the watch if you are a beer fan, or care about history at all. http://vimeo.com/23278902.

I hope you find it as enlightening as I did.


Cheers!

Porter House Pt. 2

On the heels of the last two Porters that I had being less than I was expecting, as promised I said I would get back on the horse. I did not know that it would be so soon. This evening, we had some family friends over for dinner. The friends have children on the same swim team with our girls and we have gotten to know them pretty well and very much enjoy their company. Even better for me, they like beer and the father is a home brewer. This will be the subject of a future post, I am sure.

Unfortunately due to his work, he was not able to come this time, however he did provide a fantastic gift of some hand selected beers. Having a blog about beer certainly has its rewards. The one that I sampled this evening was very appropriate for the smoked ribs that I made. It is the Stone Smoked Porter.

Appearance: Beer pours a black color with some red tint when held to the light. Three fingers of lasting tan head was a nice surprise. The last two porters I had were very disappointing from a head perspective. Light carbonation, however terrific lacing present. Seemed to linger for a long time.

Smell: Smokey aroma with toasted malt. Not as smokey as the LA 31 Boucanee that I reviewed in the past. I would have thought it to be more pronounced since smokey is in the name. Some chocolate aromas also.

Taste/Mouthfeel: Toasted malt flavor with a slight hoppy bite. Much milder than the Rogue Mocha Porter in terms of lingering bite. Did not last long, which I prefer. Some smokiness noted, but again, not tremendous. Beer has a heavier but creamy mouthfeel.

Overall: Finally a porter that had a nice appearance with head and lacing that was drinkable. Much better than the 2 from the last post. It did pair well with smoked ribs. For more information on this beer, please see http://www.stonebrew.com/porter/.

Was this beer really better than the last two or was it just the company and good times that enhanced the taste? I struggle with this sometimes. I have thought I particularly liked a beer in a certain situation, only to find out that it was the mood I was in that made me like it. This one seems to be a definite step up from the last two and having good friends over only served to clinch the win.

Cheers!

Porter House

Since my favorite kinds of beers are on the dark side, I am a fan of porter beers. Porters are like Stouts (think Guinness) but thinner and lighter. Therefore they are easier to drink than the aforementioned stouts. Since this is one of my favorite kinds of beers, I thought it would be good to sample two of this style and review them. I picked up both the Anchor Porter from Anchor Brewing of San Francisco (home of the Anchor Steam) and the Rogue Mocha Porter from the Rogue Ales brewery of Newport, Oregon at my local World Market store.

A note about World Market, they do provide the "create your own 6 pack" option, however it is more costly than the same feature at my local Fresh Market store. Although the World Market had a much better selection of beers to choose from. The sacrifices I make for research.

The first Porter up is the Anchor Porter from Anchor Brewery.

Appearance: The beer has a dark cola color with disappointing carbonation. I don't know if somehow I got a flat bottle, but the minimal carbonation lead to a very weak, quickly dissipating, tan head. In spite of this, the beer had some nice lacing.

Smell: The smell of burnt coffee, some chocolate and the slightest hint of cinnamon that I noticed closer to the end of the glass as it warmed up.

Taste/Mouthfeel: Like the smell, noticeable burnt coffee flavor with roasted malt and some chocolate. A slight lingering bitterness on the tongue was noted. Mouthfeel was heavier, but not stout heavy.

Overall: I will give this one an incomplete. I liked the taste, but I am convinced that I must have gotten a bad bottle due to the lack of head on this one. Porters typically yield a nice tan head, but this one did not. All in all, I liked it enough to give this one another chance.

For more information about this beer, please see http://www.anchorbrewing.com/beer/anchor_porter. Note the difference in appearance on the website compared to the above picture. I was gipped.

Now on to the other porter, the Rogue Mocha Porter from Rogue Ales of Newport, OR.

Appearance: Beer pours a dark brown/black color. From the bottle, a super thin, almost non-existent tan head quickly disappeared. Lacing was not very pronounced.

Smell: Main aroma is roasted malt, with some chocolate scent.

Taste/Mouthfeel: Roasted malt flavor with some burnt coffee. Hoppy bitterness that lingered on the tongue. Much more bitter than the Anchor Porter. Beer had minimal carbonation and a medium mouthfeel.

Overall: I don't know if it is something about getting the beer from World Market, but this one seemed flat also. No carbonation or head was present. The Rogue had much more of a hoppy bite than the Anchor Porter. It was not as smooth or easy to drink. I may give this one a try on tap somewhere, but not likely to get again in a bottle.

For more info on this beer, please see http://www.rogue.com/beers/mocha-porter.php.

Unfortunately I don't think I would give a big thumbs up to either of these beers. Maybe I just got 2 bad bottles, but neither of these seemed to live up to what I was expecting from other reviews or the brewery websites.

Luckily I am not discouraged enough to stop trying to find the good ones.

Cheers!

Good night Montana

I have finally gotten around to sampling the rest of the Great Northern Brewery beers that Margaret brought home from her trip. Not all in one night mind you. These include the Snow Ghost Winter Lager, the Bucking Horse Pilsner and the Wheatfish Wheat Lager (the brewery is in Whitefish, MT) pun intended.

Unfortunately, some of the beers that Margaret tried were not available in bottles. Including the Good Medicine Imperial Spring Ale pictured here.

I will have to go to the Big Sky country in order to try them. On to the reviews of what they do bottle.

First up is the Snow Ghost Winter Lager.

Appearance: Dark reddish brown appearance. Takes on a ruby red color in the light. Nice carbonation builds a solid tan head. The lacing is pronounced. I even thought it was worthy of another picture to show the effect.

Smell: Chocolate malt aroma. Smell like a porter, which is a darker beer.

Taste/Mouthfeel: Chocolate malt flavor. Slight hoppy bitterness, but not lingering like an IPA. Heavier mouthfeel with carbonation noted on the tongue. Taste similar to a chocolate porter. Did not taste like a typical lager.

Overall: This is the best of the entire 6 pack that Margaret brought back. This really hits the sweet spot for me with a dark beer that has taste of a porter, but not as heavy. Although it is described as the perfect beer to warm up with after a day of skiing, I had it on an overcast and slightly cooler summer afternoon and it fit perfectly. I only wish the entire 6 pack was this, as I gave the other one I had to Margaret's grandfather who was visiting the house. 

Next on the list was the Bucking Horse Pilsner, pictured below.

Appearance: Clear Yellow to golden color that was highly carbonated. No discernible head to speak of.

Smell: Much like the Black Star lager I discussed from this brewery perviously, the smell was too much like a pilsner that we all have had before, Miller Lite.

Taste/Mouthfeel: Unfortunately, much like the scent, the taste was too much like the domestic macro brew pilsners that are consumed across America every day. Nothing remarkable or unique about this beer's taste.

Overall: You can probably guess how I feel about this one from the description. A disappointment that another of this brewery's beers is just like the Buds and Millers of the world. If I want something that tastes like this, I will get a Miller Lite, lucky for me, I don't think I will.

Rounding out the beers from the Great Northern Brewery is the Wheatfish Wheat Lager.

Appearance: Beer has a cloudy pale yellow, almost lemonade color. It is highly carbonated, but with a small white head. Decent lacing was present as well.

Smell: This was perhaps the first beer where I think I really had a good idea of how to describe the smell. I immediately caught a floral aroma with some lemon as well.

Taste/Mouthfeel: Like the scent, the beer has a definite lemony taste. The mouthfeel was light and refreshing.

Overall: This one was a surprise and I did like it. This one would be nice for a hot summer day as it is refreshing and has a citrus taste. It is most similar to a Blue Moon for anyone wanting to make a comparison to a readily available beer.

Now that I have finished the Great Northern beers, I would call them a mild success, with 3 winners and 2 losers of the 5 kinds that I tried. One thing that is a definite winner is the landscapes and scenery that surround the brewery. For a guy born and raised in a city below sea level, the pictures that Margaret brought home were really breathtaking. I will leave you with some more shots from the trip.

Cheers!

Happy Birthday! How sweet it is...

Today is my wife Margaret's birthday. What better present could I give her than to let her review a beer on the blog? Ok, I realize that would be a lame present for her, so I did get her something else. However, I did seek her input on one of the Great Northern Brewery beers that she brought home and drank.

Over the past couple of years, she has become a fan of fruit infused beers, such as Abita Brewery and Heiner Brau's strawberry offerings. I, on the other hand like my beers to taste like beer. Much like the fruits that are used, the beers have a limited seasonal run. By the time Margaret realized how much she liked them last year, they were off the shelves. 

In order to remedy this situation this year, for a 2 month period, anytime we saw it when we went out, we picked up a six pack of it. We now have a fridge full of strawberry beers and some warm ones on the counter. In case of nuclear disaster, Abita Strawberry will be the only beer served in our fallout bomb shelter. 

While in Montana, she tried the below pictured beer, the Wild Huckleberry wheat lager.

So what did she(we) think about it?

Appearance: The beer has a very clear pale yellow color. The picture makes it look more golden, however it is more pale, like a lemonade color. It is highly carbonated with a quickly receding white head.

Smell: The first aroma that hit me was the scent of a white wine. Using the berries in the beer must have had a similar grape affect like wine.

Taste/Mouthfeel: Light mouthfeel and taste. Beer had a very sweet berry finish. Since I had never had huckleberries before, the taste was almost artificial, like a very sweet berry breakfast cereal.

Overall: We both liked the beer (I had about 3 sips). It was more palatable to me than the fruit beers that I have had in the past. I would not want this everyday, but it was a nice summer diversion. It was a winner for Margaret as well.

Happy Birthday Margaret!

Cheers!

The case for canned beer

I will admit that I have a bias about can beer. Now that some craft brewers are putting their beers in cans, I may need to rethink my ways. Below is a link to some discussion about the can debate. Sounds like it is time I give them a shot.

http://eatocracy.cnn.com/2012/07/06/berrong-on-beer-you-say-you-want-a-canvolution/?hpt=hp_bn11

Locally, Abita Brewery has canned three of their most popular beers, Amber, Purple Haze and Jockamo IPA. Time for some research.

Cheers!

Dogfish Head Indian Brown Ale

I have complained more than once about the inability to get some regional craft beers in my area. Therefore, I rely on the kindness of friends in obtaining hard to find beers that are out of my area. So is the case with the Dogfish Head brewery, located in Delaware.

As luck would have it, one of my pals at work had picked up a 6 pack of the Dogfish Head Indian Brown Ale while he was in Houston for a weekend, and was gracious enough to let me have one. I never look a gift beer in the mouth, thanks Jonathan. This one was truly a gift, and one I enjoyed a lot.

Now that I have given away what I think about it, here is the review.

Appearance: The beer has a dark brown color with a tan head that stays throughout. The carbonation is noted, however the bubbles are small. Cloudy appearance with very nice lacing.

Smell: Aromas of roasted malt and caramel. 

Taste/Mouthfeel: Tastes of roasted malt and dark chocolate and caramel were noted. The beer bills itself as a "well hopped" beer, however it did not have the bitterness that I associate with heavily hopped beers. It did have a heavier mouthfeel, but not as heavy as a stout. Similar taste to Abita Turbodog, for you Louisiana beer fans. 

Overall: I had been saving this one for a week or so and I was glad I did. Very drinkable beer and one that is right up my alley. Nice dark beer color and feel, without being too heavy. Only regret is that I wish I had more than one. I will make a point to pick up some when I am in a place that has it next. 

http://www.dogfish.com/brews-spirits/the-brews/year-round-brews/indian-brown-ale.htm

Cheers!

Almost all I got was this lousy T-shirt

Since my bachelor week is now over, with half of the family back home, the girls are still with their Nana on their way back from Florida, I thought it would be nice to show some of the things Margaret did on her trip to what she says was Montana. I am pretty sure it was Canada, and I think I can prove it. 

Margaret spent last week visiting her best friend, Darcy, who lives in Whitefish, Montana. She had a fabulous time enjoying the terrific weather, and beautiful landscapes. 

However, the highlight of her trip for me was the fact that Whitefish has its own craft brewery, the Great Northern Brewery. On the second day of the trip Margaret texted me several pictures of the good times and beers they were having there. This is called the Good Medicine Imperial Spring Ale. 

I will admit, I was quite jealous of the good times and good beers that they were having without me. But since Margaret is supportive of my hobby, she brought a 6 pack of assorted beers from the Great Northern home, along with this snazzy blue T-shirt that I am modeling along with a SnowGhost Winter Lager. Special thanks for Darcy's beer transportation engineering that kept all 6 in tact through 3 flights home. 

Since I now have several new beers to report on, I figured I would take a shot with the brewery's flagship beer, the Black Star Double Hopped Lager, pictured below. 

Appearance: The beer has a dark golden clear appearance. It is highly carbonated, with a white head that provides some lacing.

Smell: The aroma, for lack of a better term, smells like most lagers. It reminded me a lot of Bud Light, unfortunately. Even our resident BL expert, Margaret agreed with me.

Taste/Mouthfeel: Taste is very light and smooth, much like a light beer.

Overall: This beer reminded me way too much of the domestic light beers such as Bud or Miller light. On a hot day, it would work the less filling part of the tastes great/less filling battle for you fans of beer commercials. Not exactly my cup of tea or mug of beer as it were. I am hoping that the others will be more to my liking.

On a side note, the shirt is very comfortable and so far is the best thing to come from the trip.

http://www.greatnorthernbrewing.com/our_beers.php

Cheers!

Happy Birthday America! Celebrate with a beer

Below is a link to an article that one of my buddies showed me regarding 10 places to get great craft beers in America. Yet another reason to be proud to be an American. Thanks Mike.

http://travel.yahoo.com/ideas/10-best-vacation-cities-for-beer-lovers.html;_ylt=AiTfWCdovitmbYtR0BORf27c6cB_;_ylu=X3oDMTIwdTJiZW01BG1pdAN0cmF2ZWwgSWRlYXMgQXJ0aWNsZSBib2R5BHBvcwM1BHNlYwNNZWRpYUFydGljbGVCb2R5QXNzZW1ibHk-;_ylg=X3oDMTNkaWlibjZiBGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDMDkxYWZkOGEtOWI1ZC0zNTY4LWE5NGQtNTg1NmI3ZTI1NjQ5BHBzdGNhdAN0cmF2ZWxpZGVhc3x0cmF2ZWxhcnRpY2xlcwRwdANzdG9yeXBhZ2U-;_ylv=3?page=1

Cheers!

Beer city

Since my wife and daughters were both on separate vacations this week, I was living the bachelor life. This has meant more time for "blog research." As much fun as drinking beers for blog material can be, doing that in solitude is not as enjoyable as sharing the experience with others. Getting others opinions on the beers I like is a fundamental part of being a beer fan for me. After all, even on my own page, mine is not the only opinion that matters.

In order to consult another beer fan and alleviate my weekend boredom, I spent the weekend at my brother, Phil's house. In order to repay him for his and his family's hospitality, I brought a selection of beers that I had on hand at home. These included:

St. Arnold Santo http://www.saintarnold.com/beers/santo.html
St. Arnold Spring Bock http://www.saintarnold.com/beers/bock.html
LA 31 Biere Noire http://bayoutechebrewing.com/our-beers/biere-noire/
LA 31 Boucanee http://bayoutechebrewing.com/our-beers/boucanee/
Fuller's ESB http://www.fullers.co.uk/rte.asp?id=48
Sam Adams Summer Ale http://www.samueladams.com/enjoy-our-beer/beer-detail.aspx?id=8f502ab9-ac04-4799-a24e-ad4144ff5a27
Shiner Blonde Light (hold the chuckles please) http://www.shiner.com/main.php
He'brew Genesis Ale http://www.shmaltzbrewing.com/HEBREW/genesis_messiah.html
Yeungling Black & Tan http://www.yuengling.com/our_beer/
Anchor Steam http://www.anchorbrewing.com/beer/anchor_steam

Being that Phil is not only my brother, but my identical twin, it would make sense that we would have similar taste in beer. He agreed with me that the Santo was the best of the bunch. We also agreed that the Shiner light was the bottom of the list. Where we disagreed was on the LA 31 beers. I preferred the Boucanee to the Biere Noire. Phil's face after the first sip of Boucanee gave away his thought of it. The smokiness was too much for him. I rather liked it. He did like the Biere Noire better. I could not get past the lingering hoppy flavor.

The weekend was more about sharing new beers than opinions about taste. Good times were had by all. We even constructed a beer city, as one of my nephews called it, with the "dead soldiers." It even came equipped with its own superhero. I am glad to report that beer city is safe.

Cheers!

LA 31 Biere Noire

As promised, even in the hot summer weather, I have another dark beer to review. This one is even darker than the St. Arnold Santo discussed previously. It is also the 2nd offering from the Bayou Teche Brewery, LA 31 Biere Noire.

Since I was pleased with the first of the LA 31 beers I have tried, the Boucanee, I decided to pick up a 6 pack of the Biere Noire at Rouse's market. For a supermarket, they have a very impressive beer selection.

Appearance: The beer is the color of cola and is highly carbonated. When poured into a glass, there was minimal head to speak of. It also had a relatively clear appearance, unlike some cloudy dark beers, like Guinness.

Smell: I really noticed the roasted malt aroma from this beer. It has a very earthy quality to the smell.

Taste/Mouthfeel: Hoppy bite that lingered. More of an IPA taste from what is a dark beer.

Overall: I had higher hopes for this beer from LA 31 as it is more of what I typically like as a style. I don't think I will make this one a regular in my rotation. I prefer the Boucanee to this offering from Bayou Teche.

I bet some of you guys were thinking that I would only put reviews out for beers that I like, or that I like everything I drink. No such luck.

For more information about this beer, please see: http://bayoutechebrewing.com/our-beers/biere-noire/


Cheers!