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March 31, 2005

Sam Adams: Boston Ale

Name: Sam Adams: Boston Ale
Brewed In/Type: Boston, MA / American Pale Ale
Bought at/Price Woodman's / $5.49 6 pack
Dennis: This is a decent beer. Kind of a fruity/yeasty aroma to it, that gives a hint of whats to come. The body is slightly "chewy" or in other words has some density to it, but nothing I'd call thick. The taste is pleasent with the malt coming to the front and a very slight hint of english (noble I think) hops in the background. A little bit of bitterness and sweetness finishes it off. Over all a solid beer for casual drinking.
Jen: I find this to be more drinkable than the Lager. It has a more pronounced flavor that combines sweet malts and herbal hops. It has a certain smoothnesss to it that is accompanied by a well balanced carbonation. The after taste does linger for a bit that has a bite to it.
Rating: 4.25 out of 5

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March 29, 2005

Three Floyd's: Dreadnaught IPA

Name: Three Floyd's: Dreadnaught IPA
Brewed In/Type: Muster, IN
Bought at/Price Binny's / $9.99 bomber
Dennis: I have been searching for this beer for a long time. Ever since I saw it's coveted spot as the #1 rated beer in IL on ratebeer.com. As a hop lover I can say this, you will not be let down by this beer. The dry hopping is very aggressive, but the taste is down right amazing. For a 9% alcohol content you certainly don't taste it, and once again three floyds mix of hops makes for an amazing flavor/scent. Certainly this isn't just your normal "throw cascade hops in until it's strong" beer, there's some special blend going on in the back ground. Over all expensive, but amazingly smooth for the taste. If you get the chance, you must try it.
Jen: Definitely another great brew from 3Floyds. This beer is very hoppy, but doesn't have too much bitterness to it. It ends with a sharp bite, but the aftertaste seems to disappear in a few seconds, only making you want to drink another swig. The alcohol content is masked by the delicious flavors of citrus and floral hops and mild maltness. If it weren't for the price, we would regularly have this on hand.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

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March 27, 2005

Allagash: Grand Cru

Name: Allagash: Grand Cru Batch #5
Brewed In/Type: Portland, ME / Ale
Bought at/Price Binny's / $6.99 1pint 9.4 oz
Dennis: This is not a typical beer, it's more of work of craftsmanship than anything. The smell of this beer is subtle with only a hint of what lies beneath. Taste wise this is most certainly a winter beer, with deep spices and hints of orange, clover and even some apricot this is quite an impressive belgian ale. There is a slight bit of alcohol bite, but over all it goes down sharp and crisp.
Jen: Being from Maine, I would be bias towards this brew, but I really don't need to be. An excellent brew that encompasses the great flavors of a winter brew. It has great citrusy flavors that is accompanied by mild malts. It has a spicyness to it that is of clover, cinnamon and nutmeg. This is definitely a go out and get it beer, if you can. Yum Yum!!!!!
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

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March 25, 2005

Grolsh: Blonde

Name: Grolsch Blonde Lager
Brewed In/Type: Holland / Lager
Bought at/Price Woodman's / $6.49 6 pack
Dennis: When we first saw this we both were very excited to try it. Sadly our expectations have been let down, even for a light beer. Between the price and taste I can't find any reason in the world why I'd purchase this again. Both Grolsch and Grolsch Amber Ale are quality brews, but this is a waste of good bottles.
Jen: Quite plain IMO. It has almost no scent at all and is very light in color. It has a sweet malty flavor with little to no hop taste to it. It is barely one step up from Budweiser. It tastes almost watered down. I will not be wasting my (our) $$ on this again. It almost gives Grolsch a bad name!
Rating: 2 out of 5

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March 23, 2005

Smirnoff: Watermelon

Name: Smirnoff Twisted V: Watermelon
"Brewed In"/Type: Plainfield, IL / malt beverage
Bought at/Price Woodman's / $5.99 6 pack
Dennis: I picked this out as a joke while at woodman's. Personally I hate these types of drinks because usually they make me sick to my stomache. When I was younger, I loved...LOVED the Mr. Melon candy's made by Ferrara Pan. I used to buy the $.10 boxes of them at "wintergarden" after I could beg my mother for money. Sometimes I'd get like a whole dollar and could get some Garbage Patch Kid stickers as well and a licorice rope. Um, yeah....uh back to this "malt beverage". It tastes like chemically artificial watermelon....nothing like a real one. Other than that it's a gimmic. If you can drink a 6 pack of this without vomiting, then something is wrong with you.
Jen: This is a watermelon jolly rancher in a bottle. It doesn't taste like anything else. It is not bad. Get it for your g-friend if she doesn't like beer. Heck, if someone showed up at my doorstep with only this in their hands for Monday Night Football, I would let them in (mostly because I would already have plenty of beer in the fridge.
Rating: 2.25 out of 5

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March 21, 2005

How to make a Black and Tan

This is a quick and dirty poor man's guide to making a black and tan using Guinness and Bass Pale Ale. I nkow it isn't a beer review, but it's always handy to know. There are of course official ways to do it, that include this fine pouring spoon from Guinness themselves. While I'm sure it works brilliantly, a normal household spoon or equivilent will do just as well. So basically you just gather everything together shown below:
First open the Bass (or whatever...you can use just about anything including Harp). Simply open the bottle and fill your beer glass to the 1/2 point (generally this uses 3/4 of the bottle....good excuse to polish it off).

Now this is where the only trick is at. All you do is hold the spoon upside down and pour over the curved back of it. If you click on the picture below you'll actually see an animted gif of what this looks like:

As the gif shows make sure you use caution as the pouring of Guinness attracts natural preditors :)
Just remember to take your time when pouring, don't go to fast, and you'll end up having your self one impressive looking drink.

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March 19, 2005

Goose Island: Kilgubbin Red Ale

Name: Goose Island: Kilgubbin Red Ale
Brewed In/Type: Chicago, IL / Red Ale
Bought at/Price Costco / $19.99 for 24 pack
Dennis: Probably one of your best bet's this side of Guinness for an affordable good irish style brew. There is a real nice slight hint of rye, and a deep pleasent maltyness to this. And even a slight hint of hops in the after taste. It come across a little light for my tastes, but considering the price this is sure to be a sure crowd pleaser for just about anyone.
Jen: Another brew that we purchased in honor of St Pat's day. To me, this one is slightly better than the Smithwick's. This red ale offers a nice mildly sweet malt flavor to start with, a slightly spicey and bubbly body and a short presence of hops at the end. All in all, it is an evenly flavored beer that goes down easily. Not bad, but I wouldn't go out of my to buy it again, but it is a good gimmick for any Irish party!
Rating: 3.25 out of 5

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March 17, 2005

Smithwick's

Name: Smithwick's
Brewed In/Type: Ireland / Ale
Bought at/Price Woodman's / $6.99 6pack
Dennis: I hate to say this about something from Guinness, but I am very dissapointed in this beer. I feel like they marketed this only to capitalize on the St. Patrick's day market. This is a very light beer with a very slight hop bite to it. Over all not a bad beer, but for 2 dollars more I could have got a 12 pack of Killian's Red (made by coors). I just don't think the price was right, especially when a 6 pack of Guinness extra stout cost less (good stuff).
Jen: I was slightly disappointed with this brew. It starts off with a mild flavor of malts and ends with a mild aftertaste. However, it is over carbonated. It goes down easy and smooth, but for the $ we will pass on this next time. We bought it for St Patrick's day due to it being an imported Irish ale. Next time I drink this, I hope that it will be on tap in Ireland.
Rating: 3 out of 5

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March 15, 2005

Icehouse

Name: Icehouse
Brewed In/Type: Milwaukee, WI / beer
Bought at/Price Local Gas station / $5.99 12 pack
Dennis: Actually Icehouse is an old favorite of mine from back in the day, when I was first starting to drink beer. That being said, there isn't much here in terms of skill, craftsmanship or taste. It's cheap macro brewed american beer, but it has it's place in the universe. The best part about this was it's price. I mean you can't beat that deal with a stick. Actually, I'm surprised it's 5.5% alcohol, which makes the deal sweeter. Not to bad, goes down easy, won't offend most people.
Jen: If it weren't for the value, I wouldn't have been "snobbish" and just walked pass this. Overall, this is just like any other American macro-brew. What is does have going for it is a higher ABV than most macros and is slightly more flavorful. Slightly better than flavored water
Rating: 3 out of 5 (only because of the value)

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March 13, 2005

Heineken

Name: Heineken
Brewed In/Type: Holland / Lager
Bought at/Price Woodman's / $10.79 12 pack
Dennis: I like this beer alot. Perhaps after drinking so much american beer my tastes have been seeking variety, but to me this is a very good beer. I would describe it as a European macro brew. Lots of noble hop smell, and very light crisp body. Goes down smooth and is enjoyable.
Jen: To me this is just a plain ole import. It does offer more flavor than American Macrobrews. It has a nice light to medium body with a mild malt and hop flavor to it. I goes down with great ease and is quite smooth. I definitely would prefer this over a few other "generic" imports.
Rating: 3.75 out of 5

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March 11, 2005

Summit: Hefe Weizen

Name: Summit: Hefe Weizen
Brewed In/Type: St. Paul, MN / Hefeweizen
Bought at/Price Woodman's / $5.79 6 pack
Dennis: While not being a big Hefeweizen fan I have to say that this is a very decent brew. Light aroma that is typical wheat beer, this beer has a very nice clovery banana taste with a slightly bitter aftertaste. Just a little bit to much carbonation is the only negative thing, also the alcohol content is a little low (4.20 %) but that only demonstrates the flavor. Price wise this is a very good beer.
Jen: A good choice for a wheat brew. It may be light in scent, but there is a definite presence of spice. It has a taste of banana and cloves. It is slightly bitter for a hefeweizen. It does represent weizen in a positive way. Smooth, light but flavorful and easy to drink.
Rating: 3.75 out of 5

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March 09, 2005

Sea Dog: Old East India

Name: Sea Dog: Old East India
Brewed In/Type: Portland, ME / India Pale Ale
Bought at/Price Trader Joe's / $4.99 6 pack
Dennis: I always enjoy the Sea Dog brewery, good price an good beer make for a happy Dennis. This is not your typical IPA, theres is almost no bitterness to it at all. The alcohol content isn't that bad, so it's not that, but here's an almost yeasty fruitiness to this that might be because it's an old east india pale ale. Certainly not what you'll expect, but worth your taste if you get a chance. Good beer, and I look forward to trying more from Sea Dog Brewery.
Jen: This brew starts off with a light scent of hops. It is a much more mild IPA than other American brews; this is more similar to an English IPA where it starts off rather sweet and malty. Even though this tastes lighter, it still offers a strong ABV (6.2%). I do enjoy this because it is different and not quite as bitter as many hoppy brews.
Rating: 4 out of 5

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March 07, 2005

Old Rasputin

Name: Old Rasputin
Brewed In/Type: Ft Bragg, CA / Russian Imperial Stout
Bought at/Price Trader Joe's / $6.49 4 pack
Dennis: This is a very strong stout, clocking in at 9% abv (as most decent stouts would). The nice thing about this is it isn't masked by heavy sweetness. There's a rich chocolate maltiness to it, but there's a slight twang of bitterness underneath that really shines through in the aftertaste. Over all I'd have to say very impressive and not like other stouts.
Jen: A really nice decent malty stout. It has flavors of bittersweet chocolate and nuts. It has a nice roasty taste to it with an ending of mild (very mild) hops. This one seems to be set apart from the imperial stouts that I have tried. Very smooth and easy to drink.
Rating: 4 out of 5

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March 05, 2005

3 Floyd's: Pride and Joy

Name: 3 Floyd's: Pride and Joy
Brewed In/Type: Munster, IN / Pale Ale
Bought at/Price Binny's / $8.99 6 pack
Dennis: So far all the Three Floyd brews have really inpressed. Characterized by a piney/hoppy undertone this is always a hop lover's dream. Pride and Joy is brewed on top of a milder base than Alpha King Pale Ale. Very smooth body, with a slight followup bitterness and an evergreenish hoppy scent. Overall a bit expensive (especially when the brewery is an hour and a half away), but worth trying in my opinion at least once.
Jen: This is another hit brew from Three Floyds. It starts off mild with very light maltiness. It then offers a nice citric hoppiness with slight lemongrass undertones. It has a light body and very little carbonation. It is definitely an easily drank brew and goes down smooth.
Rating: 4.25 out of 5

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March 03, 2005

Victory: Old Horizontal

Name: Victory: Old Horizontal
Brewed In/Type: Downington, PA
Bought at/Price Binny's / $11.99 6 pack
Dennis: Wow. Really...wow, some top shelf stuff here. Sure it's expensive, and 10.5% barleywine isn't for everyone, but if you like the strong stuff you have to try this. Where this beer really shines is it doesn't hide the flavors behind sweet sugars, this blends them all together in a wonderfully mustly, malty hoppiness that is just so tasty. Honestly this is the only barleywine I've ever tasted the hops through. I highly, highly recommend this if you get the chance.
Jen: I generally dislike barleywine brews, that being said, this is pretty decent. It is not sicky sweet like many of them are. Don't get me wrong, it is sweet, but not overwhelmingly. I think the reason is because of the hops in it. It gives off a nice soft floral hop scent. It is a good brew (probably my favorite of victory). Worth the $$ for a splurge once in a while!
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

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March 01, 2005

Goose Island: 312 Urban Wheat

Name: Goose Island: 312 Urban Wheat
Brewed In/Type: Chicago, IL / wheat
Bought at/Price Woodman's / $10.99 12 pack
Dennis: I've actually been waiting for this beer to come out commercially for a few month's now, since a heads up from a friend of ours (Tim). Over all I'd have to say this is one my favorite wheats. Light to almost non existant aroma, this comes across as a very mellow pleasant easy to drink beer. The body is very thin, with a little to much carbonation for my taste with a slight bitter twinge before the slight spice/grassy body hits. Over all if your not a big fan of strong wheats, this will go down very smoothly.
Jen: This comes across as a lemony/bananay beer. It has slight undertones of malts that is slightly hidden by the wheat flavor. This brew is light in body and very fizzy. I really enjoy a nice bold wheat and this one almost seems to be lacking anything to make it stand out. Tastes like a light summer brew.
Rating: 3.25 out of 5

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