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February 27, 2005

Newcastle Brown Ale

Name: New Castle Brown Ale
Brewed In/Type: Newcastle upon Tyne, England / Brown Ale
Bought at/Price Woodman's / $11.39 12 pack
Dennis: I've seen the ads on the back of the onion for a while, but this is my first time trying this beer. I have to say I'm very pleased with the result, and glad we got a 12pack. This is what I'd call an English version of a brown ale. Very malty, no hop's at all and low carbonation. Over all goes down very smooth with a light body and subtle sweet taste that is plesant. The only drawbacks are watery body, low alcohol (4.7%) and price, but if you get a chance and want a light plesant beer try this for sure.
Jen: This beer presents itself with a nice sweet malty flavor with no hint of hops in it whatsoever. It is hard to put a hand on the sweet of it; almost nutty or buttery. I wouldn't say that it bland, but more of a pleasantly plain. It is sweet and bubbly, easy to drink and good. A good filler beer.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

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February 25, 2005

Capital: Winter Skal

Name: Capital: Winter Skal
Brewed In/Type: Middleton, WI / Lager-esque
Bought at/Price Woodman's / $5.69 6 pack
Dennis: There isn't really any aroma to this beer, but the taste is very musty/malty. As Jen put it, it's tastes old. Not finely aged kinda old, but grampa's old playboys sitting in the basement old. That being said, it kinda grew on my by the time we were done reviewing. I definatly has flavor, and even some subte hops floating around in the aftertaste. If someone hands it to you give it a shot, but I probably won't buy it again.
Jen: This is not a good start for Capital Brewery. I find the taste to have this weird "twing" to it. It has flavors of caramel malts, but it ends with an odd aftertaste. Something that I haven't been able to "learn" to appreciate. There is something about it that I strongly dislike.
Rating: 3 out of 5

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February 23, 2005

Pilsner Urquell

Name: Pilsner Urquell
Brewed In/Type: Plzen, Czech / Pilsner
Bought at/Price Costco / $20.99 24 pack (plus $5 mail in rebate)
Dennis: I must admit, while I like a good pilsner I'm not the best at tasting them. They all kinda blend together with their light bodies, skunky aroma's and grassy hop taste. That being said, I have to say this beer goes down very easily in my opinion. There's a kind of funky grazzy hop aroma that actually is what I call skunky. The taste of the beer is very sharp and crisp at first and fizzes away leaving a dull bitterness. Over all, it's a decent beer if you like pilsner, and the price was certainly right for a european macro brew.
Jen: This just seems like another European Pils. It isn't bad, but it doesn't offer too much in the way of flavor. It has an odd smell to it (almost bad) and the hops are of a different breed (saaz) and taste different than those used in American IPAs. It is light bodied and quite fizzy. It is fairly easy to drink, and goes down okay. It me it is a generic pilsner, especially if you have ever had any on tap in Europe.
Rating: 3.0 out of 5

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February 21, 2005

JW Dundee: Amber Lager

Name: JW Dundee: Amber Lager
Brewed In/Type: Rochester, NY / Lager
Bought at/Price Woodman's / $15.99 24 variety pack
Dennis: Cheap good beer...the holy grail of man. This has a strange yeasty, sweet, malty scent to it with almost no hops. The body of it is of course suitably light, with a very smooth honeylike sweet malty taste. Goes down very easy with light aftertaste of sweetness. Over all for the price, you'll hardly find a better brew.
Jen: This brew has a huge amount of malts in it. It is semi-sweet and fairly easy to drink. It ends with nice mild hops, but no bitterness like many hoppy brews. It has a light body and decent carbonation. Easy to drink, but I wouldn't "run out and buy it right away" but given a good deal, I wouldn't pass it by.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

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February 19, 2005

Samuel Adams: Black Lager

Name: Samuel Adams: Black Lager
Brewed In/Type: Boston, MA / Lager
Bought at/Price Woodman's / $5.49 Mix Pack (6)
Dennis: I was really hoping for something a little bit more hearty out of this beer. The weak body can be attributed to the fact that it's a lager and now a stout, but over all I wasn't to impressed. In fact it tasted just like a slightly better version of Mackeson Triple Stout to me. Deep roasty flavors, with thin body, and almost zero hop taste. Not a bad beer, but I wouldn't go out of my way to track it down again.
Jen: This isn't one of Sam's top brews. It isn't bad, but not at the top of the list. It has a nice medium body with tastes of roasted bittersweet chocolate and caramel malts. It does have a nice mildly spicy hoppy end with little to no aftertaste. Not bad and I definitely wouldn't turn it away, but I wouldn't purposely buy it again.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

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February 17, 2005

Bass

Name: Bass
Brewed In/Type: England / Pale Ale
Bought at/Price Woodman's / $10.49 12 pack
Dennis: In my fragile little mind there is one true purpose for Bass Pale Ale, and that is to mate with a fresh can of Guinness to form a black and tan. As a stand alone, this is a crisp beer with a slight bitterness and a unique subtle european hoppy finish. Over all recommened as a beer that you can't go wrong with really.
Jen: A really decent English pale ale. It has slight hoppy flavors to it with mild undertones of honey and malts. We traditionally use this in our Black & Tans , so it is slightly odd to drink alone. It is pretty decent, easy to drink, but I recommend you try a black n tan when you can!
Rating: 4 out of 5

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February 15, 2005

New Holland: Mad Hatter

Name: New Holland: Mad Hatter
Brewed In/Type: Holland, MI/ India Pale Ale
Bought at/Price Woodman's / $6.99 6pack
Dennis: This IPA strikes me as a little light on the hops, and heavy on the bitter. Coming in at 5.8% honestly this just doesn't strike me as a true IPA. It's more of an english bitter with hops added afterwards. If your not a big hop fan then this is your kinda IPA. Personally, I like this, but would rather get the Redhook IPA, but I would never turn down this beer if offered it :)
Jen: This IPA isn't quite as good as others that we have it. This one offers piny, grapefruit hops with floral undertones. It is slightly bitter and lacks body. It is dry with very little malt to it. I really wouldn't put this at the top of my list of IPA's (more like the bottom). I wouldn't turn it away and I would buy it again (if it was the last IPA on the shelf).
Rating: 3.25 out of 5

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February 13, 2005

Delirium Nocturnum

Name: Delirium Nocturnum
Brewed In/Type: Melle, Belgium / Belgium Ale (go figure eh?)
Bought at/Price Woodman's / $6.99 1 pint, 9.4 oz.
Dennis: This is unlike anything I've had before. Very sweet smell to it almost like apple juice with an undertone of wheat. The taste reminds me a wheaty almost lambic beer. Slightly bitter at first, the strong fizzines soon washes that taste away leaving you with little aftertaste. Certainly an experience.
Jen: Definitely different than anything I have yet to taste. It has a distinct taste that I can't quite put my finger on. Undertones of fruits and bready. It has a prominent tastes of yeast in it. Almost of a sour/sweet cherry. Give this a try for something different and "fancy"!
Rating: 3.75 out of 5

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February 11, 2005

Michelob

Name: Michelob
Brewed In/Type: St. Louis, MO / Lager (or generic American BEER)
Bought at/Price Costco Seasonal Variety pack (18 bottles) / $16.59
Dennis: This is beer. It's best quality is it's cold and refreshing. Beyond that this is nothing special. It pretty much tastes like Michelob Golden Draft but in a bottle. That's either good for the Light or not...i'm really not sure. This is American Macro brew at it's best/worse. Nothing special here, don't bother. Pick up some JW Dundee or Killian's.
Jen: This "beer" is just that, beer. It offers a very light blend of malts and hops. Am I able to differentiate them out of this plain ole plain ole? Not really. It is carbonated, it has a light body and an ABV. It is beer, simple as that.
Rating: 2.25 out of 5

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February 09, 2005

JW Dundee: Pale Ale

Name: JW Dundee: Pale Ale
Brewed In/Type: Rochester, NY / Ale
Bought at/Price Woodman's / $15.99 24 variety pack
Dennis: I was pleasantly surprised at this brew. It has a mildly hoppy aroma, and a "long" crisp/fizzy bitterness to it that I didn't expect. Bluntly put it's not top shelf, but for what it is it's good. This is a quite decent cheap pale ale. Not too hoppy at all, and slightly bitter. For the price, it's a fair trade.
Jen: A decent cheap beer. It smells of hops and has a bite to it which consists of pine and mild citrus. It is light in body and leaves almost a dry sensation in you mouth. It has little to no aftertaste and is easy to drink. It is good for something cheap, but I would rather have their Honey Brown.
Rating: 3.25 out of 5

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February 07, 2005

Anderson Vally: IPA

Name:Anderson Valley IPA
Brewed In/Type: Mendocino, CA / India Pale Ale
Bought at/Price Binny's / $8.99 6 pack
Dennis: This is the first beer we've had from the Anderson Vally brewng company, and I have to say that if this is indicative of their brews, it won't be the last. This IPA has a strong hoppy delicious smell to it, which isn't everything. But the actual taste is what proves this is a great IPA, comes on soft with a strong hoppy finish that leave a wonderful lingering bitterness that slowly fades. Simply put this is a great IPA, highly recommended to try.
Jen: Wow! I really love this IPA. It is at the top of my list for them. The hops are nice evenly balanced with a mild malt undertones. It has a definite bite to it, but it doesn't linger in your mouth for too long, which I definitely enjoy. It has a lighter body than some other brews, which lets more of the natural flavors shine through. If you are an IPA lover, go get this one to try right away!
Rating: 4 out of 5

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February 05, 2005

Mackeson Triple Stout

Name: Mackeson Triple Stout
Brewed In/Type: Cincinnati, OH / Stout
Bought at/Price Woodman's / $9.49 12 pack
Dennis: For the price of this beer I had hoped that we had tripped across the Holy Grail of beer; cheap and good. Unfortunately this beer was not very good in my opinion. It has a very nice smelling roasty semi sweet chocolate head, but it's body comes across as watered down and over sweetened. Almost like a milk stout, but not as high a caliber as I'd expect. For the price you can't really go wrong, but it's low alcohol content (3.7%) and watery/chocolatly taste will wear on you by the time your done.
Jen: I was very disappointed in this stout, and I am a stout lover by nature. It smells of a roasty "baking" chocolate. But it is not backed up by any great flavors. It is light in body (too light for a stout) and has diluted flavors of roasted chocolate malts. Not all that it could be and, even though it is cheap, I would rather drink MGD light.
Rating: 2.75 out of 5

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February 03, 2005

Michelob: Pale Ale

Name: Michelob: Pale Ale
Brewed In/Type: St. Louis, MO / Pale Ale
Bought at/Price Costco Seasonal Variety pack (18 bottles) / $16.59
Dennis: Actually, this is probably one of the more drinkable of the Michelob lineup. You can actually taste some hops in this if you concentrate on it. The smell is lightly malty and hoppy, but the taste is, as expected, watered down but slightly bitter. If someone gives it to you drink away, but I wouldn't go out of my way to purchase this.
Jen: Mild hops, mild barley malts. It isn't too bad, but I think that I will pass on purchasing this again. The flavors, IMO, are too mild. There is nothing bold about this brew. Out of the variety pack, this is the best, but still not better than many others out there.
Rating: 2.75 out of 5

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February 02, 2005

Left Hand: Milk Stout

Name: Left Hand: Milk Stout
Brewed In/Type: Longmount, CO/Stout
Bought at/Price Woodman's / $7.69 6pack
Dennis: At first this stout has an interesting but rich flavor. It takes a little bit but you soon realize why they call it milk stout. It has a sort of creamy, chocolate milk flavor. Not like milk chocolate mik, but more like yoohoo chocolate milk. The body is lighter than you'd expect but there is a mellow richness to the malts they used. If you crave a light cream stout than this beer is your choice.
Jen: This stout has a definite strong taste. It starts out almost creamy coffee flavored and ends with a milky cocoa toasty taste. It has a nice burnt flavor to it. For a stout it has a lighter body and a nice fizziness to it. I wouldn't say that it has anything special to it, but it does offer more flavors than a regular stout...
Rating: 3.75 out of 5

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