April222012
Official Site - Beer Advocate
From the makers of such quality brews as Genesee Cream Ale - usually cheaper than PBR - comes Honey Brown Lager. The name was a bit deceptive when I saw it on the shelf - it’s not really a brown lager, though clearly it would like you to think so. I didn’t really expect much, since the brewer was nowhere easily discernible. I didn’t expect it would be a one-off from a macrobrew necessarily, but it would appear that’s what I got. Not to prejudge, though - let’s see how it does, shall we?
The pour, true to its name, is a nice honey-ish amber with pleasant enough off-white head, quickly settling into the glass. The aroma is mostly sweet malts and other, more hearty grains. Grains that would go well with honey - think Honey Nut Cheerios - but no discernible honey aromas as yet. As I moved on to taste, I found that its a touch heavier in the mouth than most American macro-lagers, though not a great deal more so. It’s honey-esque enough, and nice enough on the front, though it never really comes together and the finish is pretty well off. On the whole, I’d pick this over most Light versions of the Big Boys’ American Lagers, and it was worth a taste, but maybe just one draught and not a whole pack.
April212012
Official Site - Beer Advocate
I first heard of Schlafly (which is damnably hard to spell, by the by) while visiting a friend in St. Louis. I quickly got the impression that the brewery is very much A Thing to the locals. I don’t know if I got to try anything too out-of-the-way while there - probably just a standard Lager or Amber - but I do like my coffee. I find that it’s hard to balance with the beers it usually finds its way in to, so let’s see how my friend’s hometown hero manages.
Pours a thick, coffee-ish near-black brown with not even a finger of dark copper head. Dark, French-roasted coffee is the main aroma, followed by sweet malts. The first sip has an acidic tang which is more reminiscent of lighter coffees. The carbonation is higher than I’d expect, hitting a good deal at the top of my mouth. The flavors don’t stay on the tongue long, and don’t really remind me much of oatmeal nor coffee - though I suppose each was present as an aftertaste as I clicked my tongue. On the whole, I don’t think this brew is for me. It could be just because it had sat on shelves too long - I picked the six-pack up for under $4 as part of a seasonal clearance sale - but the metallic tang is just too present in the front of the taste for me to get over. I noticed that it was less present the more I sipped rather than slurped the stout, but present nonetheless in either case.
April202012
Official Site - Beer Advocate
I’m starting to repeat a good many of my breweries these days. New Belgium, most famously the makers of Fat Tire, were the first beer I reviewed: their 1554 Black Ale. It’s one of the very few breweries I’ve actually been to, and their tasting room in Fort Collins, Colorado is very much worth a visit. I’ve been seeing this spring seasonal around a good bit, and for some reason, have some disdain for it - maybe it’s trying too hard, maybe it’s just a bit omnipresent, I don’t know. It seems like they’re trying to make a splash with the introduction of this new brew, so what the hell, let’s give it a whirl.
The pour leaves a half-inch of dense, off-white foam. There’s a very pungent aroma, almost botanical - both of sweet, typical floral scents and the more meaty scents you might get from some blooms. Hops are very apparent in the taste, hitting right up front. While there was some hint of peach and lemon in the flavor, as I went back looking for them, they seemed to show up mainly in the aroma. On the whole, I’d say it was a good spring seasonal, but not so noteworthy that I’d go out of my way to find it again. The fruit notes have me itching for my favorite summer seasonal, 21st Ammendment’s Hell or High Watermelon.
April192012
Official Site - Beer Advocate
As I mentioned when I reviewed Winter Hook, Red Hook is a brewery that seems pretty solid to me, though I haven’t tried very many of their beers. I’m always a fan of brown ales, though I tend to shy away from the Nut Browns. In any event, gotta try something new, and this one shows promise, so here goes!
This ale pours a surprisingly-transparent (especially when compared to my last brown ale) medium brown with half a finger of nice white head, quickly settling. The aroma is light in the extreme, reminding me of nothing so much as a darker commercial lager. As I take my first sip, the first thing I notice is that is that the ale has a bit of a bite to it; the second is that the body is rather light, even thin. As it warmed, it got more of a caramel and malty character, but the taste never really came together for me. As much as I love my brown ales, and as much as I would really like to love Red Hook, I’d have to say give this one a miss.
April102012
Official Site - Beer Advocate
Brouwerij Van Steenberge is hands-down my favorite Belgian brewer. (Bear in mind, I’ve been holding off on trying many Trappist ales until my palate is somewhat better educated.) When I discovered their Gulden Draak - which I imagine I’ll be reviewing in the near future - my love of craft beer went to another level. I had assumed that Piraat was the Dubbel version of Gulden Draak’s Trippel, and it’s clear that many stylistic choices are likely rooted in the tried-and-true flagship. However, I was surprised to find that this was categorized as an American IPA, especially as I didn’t recall much hop presence upon a previous tasting.
Piraat pours a deep, hazy gold with quite a bit of white head. A great number of bubbles lined the sides of my glass, letting me expect quite a highly carbonated brew. Signature Flemmish sours gave the aroma that peculiar funk, but on the whole there was an extremely light aroma - no hops to be noticed. As I moved ahead to tasting the ale, there was a light sour pucker on the front, with hops gradually settling in without reaching the point where they really “bite.” The mouthfeel is very light, even airy. The beer hits mainly on the tip of the tongue and is lightly effervescent, tickling the roof of my mouth. Above all, I’d say this beer is extremely easy drinking; when I was finished, I was sad that I had only picked up the one. Well worth a try!
April92012
Official Site - Beer Advocate
I suppose I should thank Dogfish Head for somewhat self-consciously leading the craft beer charge for all these years. They make some great beers and they’ve got a lot of goodwill from me, even though I’ve not tried many of their offerings. I try to make it a point to go to their tavern outside of DC each year while I’m in the area. I suppose the main reason I haven’t tried a great many of their beers is because their ingredient choices are sometimes off-putting to me, and this coming from a guy who has ordered pizza with conch and figs. Nonetheless, apart from their odd ingredients and sometimes gimmicky brews, I’m expecting great things here - according to Beer Advocate, this is a world-class brew in my favorite style, so let’s dig in.
The pour is a near-black brown with an finger of tan, rich foamy head. Very pleasant aroma with biscuty malts - which really make a brown ale for me - featuring prominently. Overall, there are many enchanting grain aromas in the nose - perhaps there’s some rye in there? Earthy, tangy coffee notes take the lead upon tasting, followed with a strong and continued presence of roasted malts. This brew had a substantial hoppiness for a brown ale, but the bitterness is balanced and rounded out very nicely with citrus flavors. The body is medium to light, and normally I wouldn’t really find that substantial enough for a brown this dark, but I think there’s enough complexity in the flavors that I’m happy to let it wash over the tongue a bit. On the whole, this is a great brown ale, though maybe not something I’d personally reach for first - the coffee and hops get a little too much for me as I go along.
March232012
Official Site - Beer Advocate
I’ve got to support my hometown breweries, so of course I have to review Legend Brown. As I said when reviewing their Maibock, “Their brown ale was one of the first craft brews I had that propelled me to finding so many others, so I feel I am too kind to their brews, perhaps as a show of my gratitude.” That probably still holds true, but I think consensus is that Legend’s Brown is well worth a try, so I should only be overselling what really is a quality product.
It pours a nice, dark earthy brown with great head retention - I couldn’t help but sample a bit to get that toasty, biscuity malt flavor that’s so prominent in the aroma. The best part about this beer is its well-rounded flavor profile - beyond the hearty maltiness which I’ve mentioned, molasses notes smooth it, caramel notes brighten it, and a just-enough-hops finish gives it a perfectly refreshing finish. I suppose the only thing I might be wanting to try for comparison would be a heavier-bodied or higher-carbonated version of this same beer, both are on the mid-to-light side. On the other hand, perhaps I only wish it would linger more because this is a beer which leaves you wanting another taste, and as far as I’m concerned, that’s a brewer’s job done right.
To follow up my first unequivocal pass, I’ll have to give this beer my whole-hearted seal of approval. I don’t think I could say it’s the very best brown ale, and I don’t think I could even say it has any real distinctive character. It is, however, a very solid Brown - a great place to benchmark the style from, in my book. If any non-local readers were willing to trade local brews, feel free to contact me and we’ll figure something out. It’ll be worth your while.
March222012
Official Site - Beer Advocate
Newcastle Brown, I hope we can agree, is dirty water. Their Werewolf wasn’t bad; it seemed like it might be the concentrate they dilute to make the no-bodied flagship. Nothing really drew me to sample this one save that the grocery had a light selection this particular day, but desperate times and all, so I did what needs must.
Several fingers of creamy foam appear while pouring this golden-tan pale ale. Hoppy bitter notes and malts are foremost in the rather light aroma. True to its Newcastle Brown roots, the body is very light, with an unbalanced hoppy flavor and very little else, perhaps some malts and citrus on the finish. Looking at the reviews on Beer Advocate, it seems like there’s no good agreement on what flavors are coming through on this brew - perhaps it varies by the batch or it doesn’t travel well. Personally, I would make this my first unequivocal “don’t bother,” if my memory serves.
March212012
Official Site - Beer Advocate
I suppose it would be fair to say that I’m a fan of Thomas Creek’s, despite having never been there nor knowing a great deal about the brewery. I’ve even considering ordering some merchandise, sight-unseen, and if you know me you’ll know a good 90+% of my shirts are thrift store finds, not brands I actually support. I’m not sure why - certainly, the 70’s-retro styling suckered me in to some extent. In general, though, I just think they offer some well-rounded beers with enough personality to stand out from the pack - I’m surprised that I don’t see them around more, but if Beer Advocate is any indication, mine is not a widely-held opinion.
The pour is a deep coffee brown-black with a modest, light-tan head which settled quickly, leaving no lace on the glass. Rich malts are very much at the forefront of the aroma with fruity notes - figs, perhaps - complementing them. This lager hits the mouth with a good, full body and a pleasant, sharp bite, most likely from the carbonation. The bready, malty flavors feature prominently, and on the whole, it has a nice syrupy feel to it, like a Van Steenberge brew. This was one of the first doppelbocks I tried, and perhaps that colors my perception of where it sits in its style, but I quite enjoy it - I’m not sure why the Beer Advocate crowd seem to disagree so strongly.
2AM
Official Site - Beer Advocate
Another Virginia brewery emerges in local distribution! This is turning into a banner year for local brewing in my book. Devil’s Backbone is located just on the ridgeline of the Appalachians, very near the ski resort of Wintergreen. If I’m not mistaken, the name comes from a landmark on the Appalachian Trail, and the brewery has already made been building a strong reputation with its draught offerings which have been popping up in town recently. Very few have reviewed this lager yet, so consider yourself scooped, blagosphere tumblotron blogodrome!
The lager poured a nice deep coppery-amber, the carbonation rushing to form a finger of off-white head which settled rather quickly and cleanly. The aroma is almost too light to be detected - all I got was a hint of malt and caramel. My first sip brings to mind white whine, though without the dryness or fruity crispness. The beer quickly washes over the tongue while a the carbonation - a bit higher than most I try - tickles the roof of the mouth. Flavors would be hard to define, but a sweet, almost fruity maltiness is the first thing that hits. Apples and caramel are also present, but only again as hints. A dash of hoppy bitterness hits the back of the mouth, but it is so light that I almost missed it in the effervescence. All in all, there’s no other way to describe this lager as “easy-drinking.”
I’d be interested to taste it alongside Boston Lager or Negra Modelo - both of which, I was surprised to find, are classified as Vienna Lagers - but I imagine it would compare favorably. It was lighter than I prefer, and earlier bottles (and perhaps a draught) I had sampled had more prominent sour, citrusy flavors - perhaps if I had let it warm, it would’ve been more to my liking. In any case, I’m still glad to have another solid brewery in Virginia, and though I may not love this offering, it’s a solid offering in its style.
