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June 29, 2005

Lost Coast: Indica

Name: Lost Coast: Indica
Brewed In/Type: Eureka, CA / IPA
Bought at/Price Woodman's / $7.69 6pack
Dennis: An excellant, if not expensive, IPA we tripped across recently while shopping. What this gets right is that is has agressive citrus/pine hop taste, strong defining bitterness (chinook hops?) and just a slight touch of dry hopping. Over all an excellant IPA. Smooth body and an agressive mouth feel makes this a very plesant experience. Up there with Alpha King Pale Ale and Anderson Vally IPA.
Jen: This IPA lightly smells of cirusy hops. And the taste is there to back it up. It does start out with very faint caramel malts, but that quickly disappears and here comes the hops. With having a moderately light body, the hops are quite noticeable and full of grapefruity goodness. Other than being slightly overcarbonated, this one is a definite try for IpA lovers.
Rating: 4 out of 5

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June 27, 2005

Sierra Nevada: Summerfest

Name: Sierra Nevada: Summerfest
Brewed In/Type: Chico, CA / Lager
Bought at/Price Woodman's / $6.79 6pack
Dennis: One thing about the beer really worried me, and that was the fact that it's a lager and not an ale. Of course I've realized that pretty much every beer that says summer in it is destined to be light, and probably european in style. This has a type of bastardized skunky head from whatever type of hops (saaz) they put in, more like the APA vs. IPA than a typical euro pils. The taste is pretty much what you'd expect with a slightly over carbonated twinge and bitterness that is still light and refreshing. I swear i'm not crazy but it reminds me of nectarines....ok, well maybe a little crazy. Over all it's made to be drank in the middle of a hot day so it's crisp, light and clean. Nothing amazing, but nothing offensive.
Jen: This beer seems to offer many different flavors (a few too many IMHO). It has the sweetness of grapfruit and the bitterness of hops. You also get a slight maltiness to it. It is earthy, it is grainy, it is hoppy, and it is almost feels overcarbonated. It leaves a dryness in your mouth after you have finished. In the end, not bad, but there are other summer brews out there that are better.
Rating: 3.25 out of 5

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June 25, 2005

Goose Island: Summertime

Name: Goose Island: Summertime
Brewed In/Type: Chicago, IL / Kolsch
Bought at/Price Costco / $20.49 24 pack
Dennis: Not much here really. This is a really good enjoyable light summer beer. I didn't really get much out of it for aroma, and the only real characteristic of it was a twinge of bitterness at the swallow. Not bad but nothing amazing. Certainly more enjoyable than a generic american macro brew on a hot summer day, but not something to kill yourself trying to find in my opinion.
Jen: This brew is crisp, light and hoppy. It isn't bad, but I wouldn't kill myself trying to find it when there is another summer ale that I prefer. This starts off slight sweet, but you are quickly overcome with the piney taste of the noble hops. It is accompanied with the very slightest tastes of malts. This is not what I consider a typical summer ale. but in the end it goes down easily.
Rating: 3.25 out of 5

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June 23, 2005

Point: Cascade Pale Ale

Name: Point: Cascade
Brewed In/Type: Steven's Point, WI / American Pale Ale
Bought at/Price Woodman's / $7.69 12 pack
Dennis: I have to say that at first I wasn't really expecting much from this beer. Based on the price alone I was leary of it's quality and taste. However, now after having this style, I have to say that for the money it's pretty damn good. It's a real light body beer with a definate cascade hop taste, and that's about it. Not to bad, tastes a little watered down, but certainly nothing bad. Overall, it's probably the cheapest and best beer I've had so far.
Jen: Dennis enjoys a lot more than I do. To me, this only tastes like hop flavored bubbly water. It really has a light body and seems to be a little over carbonated. It tastes like a fresh squeezed grapefruit. I wouldn't turn it away, but there better APA's out there.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

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June 21, 2005

Sea Dog: Porter w/ Hazelnut

Name: Sea Dog: Porter w/ Hazelnut
Brewed In/Type: Portland, ME / Porter
Bought at/Price Trader Joe's / $4.99
Dennis: In a word this beer is all about Hazelnut. The aroma, the taste, everything really is overpowered by this. If you like Hazelnut, or rich, light bodied porters with a semi-agressive taste and slight burnt toast hints you might like this. Over all this is a very agressively flavored brew that is best enjoyed in moderation.
Jen: I can't say what I think because I am allergic to Hazelnuts and that is one of the ingredients in this, and since I did't feel like making a trip to the ER, I'll pass.
Rating: 3.25 out of 5

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June 19, 2005

Bar Harbor: Ginger Mild Brew

Name: Bar Harbor: Ginger Mild Brew
Brewed In/Type: Bar Harbor, ME / Ale
Bought at/Price Maine Beer and Beverage, ME / $3.99 bomber
Dennis: Ginger ale this is not, as Jen said below this is what real ginger tastes like, but on a malty, brown aleish body. Subtle and not overpowering, the ginger taste doesn't come across as chemically or artificial.
Jen: I find this beer to be exactly what it says to be: a mild ginger brew. It has a light to medium body and goes down quite easily. Don't think that this is going to be sweet like ginger ale. It is much more like the "spiciness" of how ginger root smells. It also has an extremely mild malt flavor, but is also backed with a slight nut brown flavor. I like it because it is something different and stands out from other brews.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

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June 17, 2005

Dos Equis: Special Lager

Name: Dos Equis: Special Lager
Brewed In/Type: Mexico / Lager
Bought at/Price Costco / $19.49 24 pack
Dennis: There is nothing special about this, it's a cool crisp generic golden lager that goes down well but doesn't offer anything out of the ordinary from Miller, Bud, etc. The only thing special about it is you'll probably find it at a Chipotle near you. Maybe if Taco Bell offered it in a big gulp for $.99 extra...then I'd get excited.
Jen: *Yawn* Another boring Mexican Lager. Quite generic and mainstream macro. This probably is most popular in Cancun where there is a bunch of poor college students livin La Vida Loca. I'll pass next time and go for a better Mexican drink, tequila!
Rating: 2.25 out of 5

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June 15, 2005

Trader Joe's: Hofbrau Bock

Name: Trader Joe's: Hofbrau Bock
Brewed In/Type: San Jose, CA / Bock
Bought at/Price Trader Joe's / $5.49 6 pack
Dennis: This is the first Trader Joe's brand brew for us to try, and over all not a bad one. I got a slight metallic sent from the aroma of the bottle, perhaps it was just me, or the hops. The taste however is very malty...sweet and malty, but not to syrupy. Over all for the price and alcohol content (as Jen mentioned below) this is probably a best buy for malt lovers, and certainly worth a try.
Jen: This brew has a definite muskiness to it. It has a strong malt taste with a slight hop backing. It starts off with a sweetness to it and ends with just a small kick of bitterness. I wouldn't really put this is as a great bock, but with a 7% ABV, it is a good brew. It seems to not quite fit in with the other bocks I have tried, but I would drink this again.
Rating: 3.75 out of 5

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June 13, 2005

Avery: Out of Bounds

Name: Avery: Out of Bounds
Brewed In/Type: Boulder, CO / Stout
Bought at/Price Woodman's / $6.49 6pack
Dennis: This has a nice chalky, sweet, dark chocolate smell to it. The actual body comes off much less thick than you'd expect and leaves a lovely "burnt toastyness" behind. There's a bitterness left behind, presumably from the hops added that make this finish off nicely. Great beer if you love stouts and burnt toast.
Jen: This is another great brew from Avery. They seem to only be able to put out good shit. This stout has an aroma of mild malts and toasty goodness. It has a somewhat light to medium body with a definte dry taste. The barley represent themselves as very earthy and delicious. A nice slight bitter aftertaste that lingers just long enough. If you are a stout lover, you should most definitley give this one a shot.
Rating: 3.75 out of 5

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June 11, 2005

Dos Equis: Amber Lager

Name: Dos Equis: Amber Lager
Brewed In/Type: Mexico / Lager
Bought at/Price Costco / $19.49 24 pack
Dennis: Once again, light crappy macro brew that tries to make itself seem special. Nothing wrong with this beer, but nothing special. Great to wash down a taco or if your looking for a cheap light beer, but don't go out of your way to find it.
Jen: This one probably offers the best of the crappy macro Mexican brew. Tastes like something they would serve at Taco Bell, if beer was ever served there. It tastes watered down and a nice even blend of malts barley and hops (although I really can't taste any of them in it). Another boring brew.
Rating: 2.5 out of 5

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June 09, 2005

New Holland: Paleooza

Name: New Holland: Paleooza
Brewed In/Type: Holland, MI / Pale Ale
Bought at/Price Woodman's / $6.49 6pack
Dennis: The smell of this beer is very light and not much to write home about. Thankfully the taste is much better. The taste is very crisp and clean, with a very nice bitter cascade hop taste that really is refreshing. Not a heavy beer by any means but perfect for that warm summer day when you don't want something that will bog you down. Light, tasty, hoppy. Worth a try.
Jen: This beer presents itself with a very light smell. It has great flavors in it that resemble both floral and grapefruit hops. It has a light body and ends with almost a malty flavor. It does have the hop bitterness to it, but it is well paired with the malts. Crisp, clean and easy to drink. It goes goes down smoothly and ends quickly. A decent brew for the price!
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

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June 07, 2005

Blue Moon

Name: Blue Moon
Brewed In/Type: Denver, CO / White beer
Bought at/Price Woodman's / $10.49 12 pack
Dennis: What I really liked best about this brew is the fact that no where on the bottle does it say coors. That's right, this brew is made by the same people who gave you the silver bullet. Over all, I remember not liking this more in the past. Traditionally most white beers don't have any hops, so there will be none of that here. Most of the normal white beer tastes are here, but muted when compared to purer breeds. Over all not something I'd turn away, and probably a beer nobody would be offended with.
Jen: This beer taste of cloves and a mild cinnamon spice. It is light bodied and goes down fairly easily. It also has a nice citrus taste to it. It is slightly over carbonated and almost makes your mouth tingle. That being said, Coors makes this, so I wonder if they use the same base recipe and just toss in a few extra ingredients.
Rating: 3.25 out of 5

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June 05, 2005

Hacker-Pschorr: Weisse Dark

Name: Hacker-Pschorr: Weisse Dark
Brewed In/Type: Germany / Dark Wheat (weisse)
Bought at/Price Binny's / $6.99 6pack
Dennis: This is a little bit more malty than other wheat beers I've had, which is a pretty nice change of pace. Decent aroma is characteristically wheaty and so is the taste, it's just the extra deep maltiness and,as Jen said below, fizzy body that makes this slightly different. Worth drinking, and might be a good gateway beer to people getting into weisse's from stouts/bocks. Worth a drink, but don't go crazy trying to find it.
Jen: I always have enjoyed Hacker-Pschorr brews after my friend Gail introduced me to them. This one is very different than many other weisses. It starts with a distinct sweet malty-goodness to it. It has mild banana undertones to it also. It is just a tad too fizzy, but it doesn't directly affect the general good outcome of this beer. I definitely recommend this to Weiss brew lovers.
Rating: 3.75 out of 5

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June 03, 2005

Blu Creek: Blueberry Ale

Name: Blu Creek: Blueberry Ale
Brewed In/Type: Black River Falls, WI / Lager
Bought at/Price Binny's / $7.99 6pack
Dennis: "Violet...your turning violet, violet!" Remember that from the original Charlie and the Chocolate Factory? This is a blueberry beer....it tastes like blueberries...that being said it does taste like real blueberries and not like chemically and stuff. It says it's even made with real maine blueberries...which I guess is impressive to some. Basically if you want a blueberry beer (good lord...how many times have I said blueberry) that doesn't taste fake, then this is your man. Other than that, there's nothing here for you except a high price.
Jen: The only thing that this beer has going for it is that it doesn't taste chemically. Other than that, it tastes quite watered down with little to no "ale" taste to it. Quite boring in the end, but drinkable. The first sip is somewhat overwhelming and after that it tastes like someone squeezed blueberries into a san pelligrino.
Rating: 2.75 out of 5

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June 01, 2005

Avery: Hog Heaven

Name: Avery: Hog Heaven
Brewed In/Type: Boulder, CO / Barleywine
Bought at/Price Binny's / $4.99 bomber
Dennis: This is probably the maltiest barley wine I've ever had. Clocking in at 9.2% it does a respectable job of hiding the taste of the alcohol. Rather than sweeten the brew, they chose malts to compliment the high alcohol, which is better than over hopping, in my opinion. Malty, almost no hop smell/taste, and high in content. A very good brew in my opinion, and the value is certainly there. Great for fans of dopplebocks.
Jen: I don't particularly like barleywine style brews. This one isn't too bad (especially for the price). It presents itself with a hoppy yet sweet scent. It follows up with a medium body of sweet malt and ends with a punch of hops. The alcohol content is welled masked by the taste, but it is definitely present. A bargain, and possibly may be purchased again; a decent ale!
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

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