S.O.S. (Save Our Shore)

What's better than drinking beer with proceeds going to a good cause?  Not much.

S.O.S.  or Save Our Shore according to the bottle "is a message in a bottle...a distress signal for the troubled waters of our Gulf Coast. For every bottle sold Abita will donate 75¢ to the rescue and restoration of the environment, industry and individuals fighting to survive this disastrous oil spill."

I picked this beer up solely because of what it said on the bottle, and it was relatively cheap.   So even if I didn't like it, not a waste of money any way you look at it.  ABV seems, in my opinion, rather high for the classification they give this brew, which is a Weizen Pils.  Although experts seem to put it in the German Pilsener style, which is what I will rate it as.

A:  First of all, love the look of the bottle, and that is actually something I do take into consideration when I'm rating the appearance.  I take into account the overall presentation of a beer.  Cap, bottle, and actual look of the beer are all things I look at.
Clear bright goldenrod/honey hue.  1 to 2 finger thick fluffly head which disipated at a moderate speed.   The head leaves a nice blanket on top of the beer and also leaves sticky foamy lacing on the glass that dries into place.  Looks like a great beer.

S:   Fresh cut grass scent is present up front which is followed by a grainy malt sweetness.  On the finish of the scent is what seems to be some lemon citrus combined with spicy hops.  Rather simple scent, but I wasn't expecting anything complex.   Pretty average straightforward.  

T:  Piney and grassy sweetness is the initial taste found.   It's followed up with some grainy malt notes.   I was actually surprised that pine was going to be the dominating taste in this beer.   It's not bad, just unexpected for me.  Also the finish is slight lemon zest and herbal hops.  The front of the taste is rather unbalanced, but by the finish it's smooth.

M: Medium leveled carbonation with light to medium body, and a crisp, mouth-watering finish.

D:  The drinkability is quite good, and the relatively high  especially with a 7% ABVthat fails to show itsel.   It's always good when the brewer masks the alcohol as excellent as Abita has done with this one.

Grade:  One thumb up.  Not a wower, but a solid beer.

Here's another picture of the bottle, which I really can't say enough about.

Two Hearted Ale

I've pretty excited to try Two Hearted Ale, I've heard some great things about it.  I've also heard Bell's Brewery doesn't make a bad beer, and based on my experience with Oberon, I won't argue that.   This being said, never have I been more turned off by a label on a beer before.   Maybe that's why it's been sitting in my fridge for about 2 months now.   Two Hearted Ale weighs in at a 7.1% ABV.   This is an India Pale Ale which I'm still getting accustomed to, so I hope I can review it fairly.

A: A hazy golden, bordering on amber color.  Fluffly off-white head and a decent amount of bubbles.  A quick swirl reveals that the beer leaves a large amount of lacing on the sides of the glass.

S:  Right off the bat a huge amount of floral hops blended with citrus hops are present in the scent.  Smells like a pot of fresh cut flowers.  As far as the citrus goes, definitely weighs high on the side of grapefruit with some slight lemon zest and mango.   There's also some faint malt scent that can be picked up.  The scent pretty much dares you to drink the beer.  Definitely one of the most intoxicating scents I've ever experienced in a beer.  I really can't get enough of the way this beer smells.

T:  Very well balanced for an IPA.  I hate the IPAs that are just overwhelming with a pine taste.   The best way to describe the hoppy presence is, aggressive but not overpowering. Citrus hops dominate the front of this beer.  A sweet soft grapefruit and mango taste is heavily present which gives away to a lemon/pine/malt finish.  Very tasty, yet not a beer I want to pound.  It's so tasty, I just want to enjoy it.

M:   Medium bodied, with medium to high carbonation.  Very crisp and refreshing.

D:  This is a solid beer.   It's not something I would want to drink all night due to all the different flavors present, but it's one fantastic brew.

Grade:  Two thumbs up.   Get your hands on Two Hearted Ale if you can.


So far Bells is 2 for 2.

Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale

Celebration Ale is a special ale for the holidays.  Featuring the first hops of the growing season, this pioneering IPA is full of complex flavors and aromas from the generous use of whole cone American hops.   At least, that's what it says on the bottle.   I'm not really a huge fan of IPA's, or really much of a fan at all.  So this beer is going to put my palate to the test.  Although I do like citrus style IPA's and I cheated before I made the purchase, Celebration Ale has a citrus base.  Due to it's above average ABV (6.8%) I'm going to dismiss this as a session beer before I even pour it/smell it/taste it etc..  This beer is a gold medal winner and yadda yadda.  Ya know?  The usual.

A:  Dark ruby, almost copper-like color.  Most likely best described as caramel colored.   Nice frothy head and the lacing is out of this world.  All over the glass.

S:  Tons of citrus hop in the smell, but not to the point where it is too much. There's also a piney scent that lingers as well as some bready malts.  Maybe a hint of caramel or my mind is playing tricks on me.  Beautiful smelling beer.

T:  At first, I get a very sweet citrus flavor, immediately followed by pine and bitter hops.  The bitter taste does disappear rather quickly and leave with a caramel/bready taste.  The end of the beer though finishes with bitterness coming back. The most distinct hop used it's definitely cascade (which give off the bitter citrusy taste).

M: Medium bodied with medium carbonation.  A rich and smooth beer.

D:  Very drinkable. You can put this beer down quickly and want to grab a few more.  At close to 7% ABV I didn't think pre-taste that I would feel this way.   

Grade:  It's a shame that such a well rounded beer is a seasonal one.  This is one of the beers you could enjoy all year around.   Definitely a solid two thumb up brew.   I wish I had bought more than just one.

Hövels Original Bitterbier

The beauty about living 5 minutes from Disney World and working there, is the beauty of the World Showcase at EPCOT.   So many different choices in terms of food, wine, and beer.   Walking around the other day I got a taste for a beer while walking by Germany.   Just like that I was able to get a beer from across the world.  Due to the brewery being actually from Germany, I do not have much info about this beer besides it's 5.5% ABV and an Altbier, which was exciting for me because I had never had one before so I really wasn't sure what to expect.

A: Golden brown in color. Extremely creamy head, good head retention and great lacing.

S:  Earthy hops and malts are dominating on this beer in my opinion.  There's also some slight grainy scent to be picked up.

T:  Much of the same scents are also found in the taste except in a bit different fashion.   Grainy, metallic character is present up front which gives away earthy hops.  A full malty/caramel flavor dominates the middle and finish of this beer.

M: Medium bodied and a medium carbonation.   Rather smooth beer.

D:  Wasn't difficult to drink although I think this beer would be much better paired with a meal rather than drank sessionally.

Grade:  One thumb up beer.   Wouldn't kill to have it again, although I wouldn't avoid it at all costs.

Session Lager

Easy drinking, but never at the expense of character is the tag line for Session Lager.   Obviously with the name and the tag line they are pushing the fa ct that anyone can drink this beer and drink a lot of it.   Without even tasting or smelling this beer I can tell you it's going to be very similar to your average American Adjunct Lager.  Although it is actually classified as an American Pale Lager.

A little boring info from the website.

Original Session, with the bright red label, is a classic all-malt pre-Prohibition style lager that reminds us of what American lagers used to taste like. It's flavorful, refreshing, and has a touch of that import-style taste. (Which, once upon a time, you didn't have to buy an "import" to get.) Oh, and it comes in a stubby, 11-oz bottle like your grandpa used to buy. So after your next session (surf, jam, gab, whatever), crack open a Session and drink to the good old new days.

Named World's Best Premium Lager at the World Beer Awards and winner of a slew of other shiny trophies, Session has truly earned itself a place at the bar. Not to mention the barbeque.
ABV: 5.1% IBU: 18

With all of their talk, I can't wait to try this beer.  It seems like it's going to be the easiest beer to drink, ever.
As I've already referenced, it comes in a small 11oz bottle.  Reminds me of Red Stripe.  Hopefully this is more stomach-able. 
Hold the phones, it's a twister also.  Albeit a difficult twister.  Yikes.

A - Looks like your everyday adjunct lager with absolutely no head at all.  Also no lacing to speak of. Body is very pale straw and crystal clear with no bubbles at all.   It looks like colored water.  It does surprisingly leave lacing on the glass during consumption somehow.

S - Lots of grain up front with the initial smell.  A small dose of hops is present.  Not much going on here.

T - A small hop bite up front that is fruity and earthy,  followed by a very grainy malt taste. It's pretty simple and straightforward.  Very minimal aftertaste.  Although it's not complex at all, I feel myself wanting more of the taste instantly.

M -Full enough to not be watery, but not a heavy beer by any standards.  Light to medium bodied, and it sways towards the light side of things.   Heavier carbonation than I originally thought it would be which allowed it to have a lively characteristic.

D -  I don't know if I'm just buying into the hype of the name, but the drinkability is high.  It's highly refreshing and thirst quenching.  Totally living up to the name.  Session Lager is a session beer.

Grade - One thumb up.  It's not a great beer, but it's certainly not bad.   After seeing the beer and smelling it I feared the worst.   It bounced back with a decent taste which after all, is the most important thing.  I was pleasantly surprised.   I'd have Session Lager again.

Also here's a bonus picture.  It's the bottom of the cap.   Pretty sweet.

Schöfferhofer Hefeweizen

This is the last of the beers left to review that I had at the 2010 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival.  Sorry for the delay on it, but I actually forgot to review it.   I'm not sure how, but it got put off the side and I just now found my notes for it.  Sorry for a total lack of information on this one also.  EPCOT didn't have too much information on it at all and if they did, I don't remember anything they said about it.   I can't find out too much about it on their website either, I'm not exactly fluent in German.  The information I can offer though is that it's a hefeweizen (obviously) and it's 5% ABV.

A: , Extremely golden color.  Haven't seen any beers as bright as this one.   Murky and cloudy with little to no head.

S: The smell is of light banana, some clove, and some slight spice.

T:  Flavors of banana, bubble gum and wheat along with some hints of clove are about all you find in this brew.

M: It feels light to medium bodied with high carbonation.  Rather smooth though.

D: Thirst quenching and refreshing, as are most hefes in my opinion.

Grade -It's a one thumb up beer, I wouldn't kill someone to get my hands on it again, but I'm glad I tried it and would have it again.

Heineken Lager

Heineken is brewed by 40 breweries in 39 countries around the world. 250 million litres of Heineken are produced every year.   Numbers don't lie, right?  Heineken went wrong right from the start with the green bottle.  I have no clue why brewers use green bottles when they are trying to produce a quality beer.   The clearer the bottle, the skunkier the beer will be, which is why it's recommended you drink it as cold as possible.   The warmer a skunky beer gets, the worse it's going to taste.   Drink Heineken cold.. and quick.   Sounds easy enough, right guys?  Although that aside, I really do like their labeling.  I also like the Heineken cap.  Well, let's cut the banter and get to the reviewing.

A - A bright straw straw color, with a spongy looking 2 finger head.  Leaves behind thin lacing on the glass throughout consumption.

S - The beer smells awful.  There's no way around it.   The skunkiness is pungent and harsh.  Although once you get past the initial whiff you can smell faint malts and wet grass.   Slight hops are present also.

T - If you actually give the taste a legitimate honest shot, it's not awful.  I've had much worse beers.  I'm not calling it "good" but it's not as horrible as some people rush to say.    The initial taste is grassy and metallic.  There are some grains present but there's also a bit of a skunky taste.  I'm not a huge fan of the skunky aftertaste that sits on your tongue and in your mouth long after drinking.

M - Light bodied with a high bubbly carbonation.  It's crisp.

D -  It is what it is.  A relatively drinkable beer.   It's light and refreshing, especially on a hot day.

Grade -  This video sums up how I feel about Heineken very well.   ... and also how I feel about Pabst Blue Ribbon

- - One thumb down.   I wouldn't be drinking this unless it was free, but I wouldn't avoid it at all costs.   If someone is buying, I'll drink it.   I'd never actually buy Heineken myself because there's always better beer available no matter where you are.  But for some reason my Dad loves Heineken whenever he goes on vacation and decided to leave me a twelve pack after visiting.   Thanks Dad...

Labatt Blue

Another trip into the world of American Adjunct Lagers brings us a Buffalo, NY staple, Labatt Blue.   I'll admit I'm not a huge Blue/Blue Light fan for whatever reason.   I'd drink it if it was there, but I never really went out of my way.   Well, I've been down in Orlando for about 4 months now and I have jumped at the opportunity to once again try Blue.   Labatt pushes Blue Light far more and far harder than Blue, and I actually think I may be more partial to Blue which is why I'm doing this review.  Although I'll eventually get around to reviewing the Light variation also.   The only difference between the US version of Blue and the Canadian version is the ABV.   4.7% and 5% respectively.

A:  There's nothing special about the way this beer looks.   It's clear yellow, and there's absolutely no head nor lacing.   Very very little carbonation is present.   It pretty much looks like colored water.

S: Blue has a good smell for an adjunct lager.   It's got slight hop presence and a little bit of corn.   There's also a hint of apple mixed in there.  

T:   Corn and a heavy metallic taste up front.  A bit of sour apple on the finish.  It's a pretty straight forward simple taste.  Extremely average.

M:  Light bodied with slight carbonation to give it some substance so it doesn't feel like water.   Smooth finish.

D:  Blue is a good beer to sit around and drink and drink and drink and drink if that's your thing.  It's easily drinkable and the taste isn't awful.

Grade: One thumb down.   I don't hate Blue, but let's get serious here.   It's not a "good" beer.   It's cheap and easily accessible, especially back in Buffalo.   That's it's savior.   I'm not saying I wouldn't ever drink it.  It's the easy safe choice if you can't decide what to get.   It just won't ever wow you.   It's a good beer to drink if you just want to drink a beer.

Samuel Adams Winter Lager

Generally Sam Adams brews are very hit or miss for me.   Some people love every single thing Sam Adams produces, but not me.   I'm very opinionated when it comes to them.   I wrote off Winter Lager before I even tried it simply because I generally don't enjoy dark warming "winter" beers.    I saw the commercial and saw that it was described with citrus and cinnamon which intrigued me.   I thought cinnamon in a beer would be pretty interesting and I love citrus, so I figured why not take a shot on this beer.   My roommate and I were out and about at Downtown Disney and we were talking beer.  He too was interested in trying this brew.   We were finally able to find it after searching for about 30 minutes.   Here's a picture of it, sorry for a poor shot.



A -  Dark amber, almost brown color.  Off-White creamy head that dissipates rather quickly leaving watery lacing on the glass.

S - A faint sweet caramel malt with a little bit of cinnamon.  Not much of a true scent really present with this one.

T - Caramel and spicy up front which gives way to a dominate earthy hop taste.  There's also cinnamon and ginger present towards the finish of the beer, but the true finish has a citrus flavor which becomes more noticeable as the beer begins to warm up.

M -   Light to medium bodied with slight carbonation.

D -  Pretty drinkable beer with only a 5.6% ABV.   Although it does have a nice flavor, and the ABV isn't high.   Due to the complexity of the flavor, I couldn't see myself drinking more than 2-3 of these in a sitting before I became sick of it.

Grade - Two thumbs up.   This is a good beer.    I have a hard time saying that consistently when it comes to Sam Adams, but this is definitely a good beer.  The downside is it's seasonal from November to January.   If you want it, don't hesitate.  Hurry.

Purple Haze

Any beer with a reference to Jimmy Hendrix is a winner in my book. I'm going to turn on Hendrix as I'm writing this review just for an added blast of nerdiness. This is actually a beer I had bought right before I left Buffalo and I didn't get an opportunity to taste and review it before I had to leave for Orlando. I was disappointed and hadn't seen it down here, so naturally when I saw it on tap at the Food & Wine festival I felt the need to get it. Purple Haze is had a relatively low ABV, barely over 4%. Officially it's listed as 4.2%. Just based on that information, it should be thought of as a highly probably session brew.




A - Cloudy.. no wait HAZY (ha..ha..) yellow color. Small head but with tons of lacing.

S - This beer is listed as a raspberry wheat beer, so huge shocker here that it reeks of raspberries. With first smell, it's raspberries. On second smell, it's raspberries. Need I continue? There's a bit of malt and wheat somewhere hidden in between the raspberry sandwich.

T - Based on the smell I was thinking it would be an overwhelming raspberry taste similar to how Sam Adams Cherry Wheat is when it comes to the cherry taste. Surprisingly, the front of the beer is sweet and malty. But.. shortly after that it gives way to a raspberry taste that absolutely dominates your palate. It's a pleasant raspberry taste though that fulls up your mouth and lingers on your tongue in the aftertaste.

M - Light bodied with medium to high carbonation. Despite the raspberry aftertaste, it's actually a smooth finish.

D - It's a very drinkable beer. If my girlfriend who hates beer thought that, "it's not bad" that should tell you a thing or two. It goes down very easy and it's definitely a beer I would like to have, and enjoy again.

Grade - Two thumbs up. I could kick myself in the ass for not having this beer before I left Buffalo. I can't wait to have it again.

Drifter Pale Ale

I normally don't like pale ales and I try to stay away from them because I fear the "normal" pine hop bite they have. I guess, to be honest, the only reason I grabbed this beer was because I have Widmer Hefeweizen stashed away in my fridge right now. It was a friendly sounding beer because the name was familiar. That's pretty much about it. Drifter Pale Ale sits in at a 5.7% ABV with 32 IBUs. The Widmer Brothers Brewing Company calls Drifter Pale Ale truly an original. Due to it being brewed with generous amounts of Summit hops, a variety known for their intense citrus flavors and aromas, Drifter has a taste unique to the Pale Ale category. True to style, the bittering hops are perceptible enough to give the beer a crisp, clean, quenching finish, yet also soft enough to keep the beer smooth and balanced.




A - Pours an orange-amber color with a frothy white cap. There was pretty good head retention throughout the tasting with decent lacing from a nice ring and cloud that stayed on the top of the beer.

S - Huge aroma of hoppiness and light caramel malts with traces of some pine.

T - A different taste based on the scent. Surpising. Citrus hops are present in the taste which I didn't find at all in the scent, even after I was tasting the beer. The finish is made up totally of bready and caramel malts. It's a great tasting beer, very flavorful, something I wasn't expecting at all.

M - Low bodied and slightly thin. Low carbonation also. Interesting how there's barely any aftertaste, it just rolls right off the tongue.

D - It's refreshing and sessionable. It's crisp and smooth to drink. Although it's a pale ale, it really has no true bitterness substance to it.


Grade - Two thumbs up! I'm not really sure it deserves the pale ale title, but it is what it is I guess. It's not a true pale ale, but a great beer regardless of what it is. I'd definitely recommend this beer to others. It's just a shame it's all the way across the country from me in Oregon.

Key West Sunset Ale

I hadn't had a beer from the local Florida Beer Company up until this point, so when I saw that they were being represented with this beer at EPCOT's Food & Wine Festival, I jumped all over the opportunity. I wasn't really expecting anything spectacular besides your average local beer. Sunset Ale is classified as an American Amber Ale with a tropical twist. Florida Beer Company brews it with pale and caramel malts. They also blend it with hops to create a crisp satisfying taste. FBC describes the beer as "more dark than light" and "more malty than hoppy." I can't find the ABV anywhere, so I have no idea the %.




A - Reddish amber in color, Key West Sunset Ale is easy to see through, as it lacks any type of cloudiness. A small white head and ring form upon pour but dissipate rather quickly and leave no trace.

S - Upon first smell you get a good whiff of citrus and caramel malts. After deciphering the scent more there's a slight presence of grainy malt hidden.

T - The taste actually follows the scent pretty well. The first response to the taste is grapefruit which gives way quickly to what seem like out of place caramel malts. The finish is full of floral hops and grain. In my opinion it's a truly odd pairing of tastes, but it's not bad. (I didn't say it was great either.) It's just unique.

M - Low to medium bodied with low to medium carbonation. It's got a smooth texture to it. Easy on the palate.

D - It's a drinkable beer, definitely. Seems like a good beer to be out on a hot day, which is when I was able to taste this. It's not something I'd want very often. Heck, it's not a bad beer but I'll probably never have it again. It's not extremely appealing to me.

Grade - One Thumb Down.. I guess it's a bit unfair of me to label this as a one thumb down beer, but based on me not wanting to drink it again, albeit it's not a bad beer, it has to have some type of negative grade.

Samuel Adams Cream Stout

I normally stay away from stouts.  Heck, I stay away from dark beers in general.  I have no idea what persuaded me to try this beer.  Maybe it was the cream title that was attached to it, who knows?  Sam Adams says, "The cappuccino of beers. Roasty, smooth and sweet.  Samuel Adams® Cream Stout is a true cream stout, balancing body and sweetness, with the natural spiciness of grain and hand selected English hops. Our brewers use generous portions of roasted chocolate and caramel malts as well as roasted unmalted barley to impart a fullness of body, a roasty malt character and rich, creamy head. Its dark, mahogany color makes it almost as easy on the eyes as it is on the palate."   It's totally something under normal circumstances that is complete turn off to me.  Even when the girl poured it, I laughed.  I had no clue what I was getting myself into.



A -  It was like looking into the night sky.  Black like water in the Gulf of Mexico.  Frothy and fluffy tan head with tons of lacing.  Based on first look, it seems like a BIG beer that is going to be very filling.   I was shocked it find out this was only 4.9% ABV based on the look. 

S - Roasted coffee is the dominant scent in this brew.  There's also hints of chocolate and caramel stuffed in here as well.

T - A chocolatey coffee taste hits the tongue on first taste.  It's a pretty bold taste, but what surprised me is the sweet vanilla finish which I was a huge fan of.   The sweet vanilla in the finish also gives way to a sweet milky taste.

M - Full bodied and creamy.   Very little carbonation if any at all.

D -   If you like the taste, it's a very easy beer to drink.  Goes down without a fight.  Due to the full taste and feel of the beer, I'm not sure you could drink a whole bunch of these.  It's more of a dessert.  One or two of these and you'll be full and satisfied.

Grade -  I'll give it a thumb up.   I don't know if this is a ridiculously good stout or if my palate is finally accepting dark beers.     I'm just glad I went away from the ordinary and actually tried this beer.  I was rewarded nicely.

Leffe Blonde

Let's get this straight.   I've pretty much disliked every Pale Ale I've ever had.   I didn't even realize Leffe Blonde was a pale ale until I looked up a little information about it a few minutes ago.   The website says the following,  "Abbey of Leffe blonde beer is a highly fermented beer to be savoured. The ingredients are light malt, corn, water, hops and yeast, which give it a bright golden colour with dazzling reflections. The alcohol content is 6.6 %, the ideal serving temperature 5° to 6 °C. As a bottled beer, it is to be savoured with pleasure, as a draft beer it is thirst quenching. The taste is full, sweet and fruity (with a hint of bitter orange), and the after-taste is powerful and surprising."   Maybe I've had an incorrect understanding of what a pale ale is, but I've always thought a pale ale had the sharp pine tasting hops.   Maybe this is different due to it being a belgian pale ale.   Well, onto the review to find out if I liked it or not..




A -  I'm not sure why, but I've always thought Leffe was a witbier.   I was wrong obviously, and boy was I shocked when the girl poured it and it was a golden amber color.   It had a nice fluffy finger head that stuck around for a minute or two.   The beer was "sticky" as it had some great lacing on the cup as I was drinking it.

S -  It started off with a sweet scent which surprised me due to it having a darker color than what I was expecting.   The sweet scent gave away quickly to a spicy, pepper-like scent which was much more of what I was expecting.

T - Tastes different from the smell definitely.  There's an initial clove taste on the tongue.   Afterwards it's followed up with some grapefruit and banana.  The finish is spicy with a slight hop bitterness.

M -  Light bodied with high carbonation.   It's really bubbly upon first taste but the finish is more smooth.

D - Light flavored but complex at the same time.   The ABV is hidden quite well which makes it a pretty drinkable beer.  I'd definitely drink it again.

Grade - Two thumbs up.  I hate pale ales for the most part, and can't believe that I stomached this one, let alone enjoyed it thoroughly.

Radeberger Pilsner

As most of you already know I'm doing an internship with Walt Disney World right now which has drastically cut into my beer reviewing lately.  I just don't get the time to sit down for an hour, enjoy a beer and then give my thoughts.    Yesterday though, I got the opportunity to attend Disney's Food & Wine festival at EPCOT which also has quite a bit of beer.   I had the mindset going in that I wanted to try a handful or two of different beers so I could treat you guys to multiple reviews as an apology.  I succeeded.   The next few reviews will all be from beers that I had yesterday.  Some were better than others.

Radeberger Pilsner

I neglicted to get a picture of the Radeberger Pilsner so I'll just include a stock photo of it.  I aplogize.

Radeberger Pilsner is a German Pilsner, brewed by Radeberger Exportbierbrauerei (yeah a complete mouthful), and it has a 4.8% ABV.   Radeberger suggests that it's ingredients are pale malt, aromatic anad bitter hops, with soft water and yeast.    Radeberger really stresses that they are state of the art when it comes to their beer and put a lot of time and effort into making quality "perfect" beers, with their pilsner being no exception.


A -  Pours a clear yellow color similar to corn.  A one finger soapy style head that dissipates rather quickly and leaves minimal lacing.

S - Bready malts with sugary citrus.   There's also a hint of yeast and some bitter hops.

T - Bitter front that gives way to sweet citrus and sweet malts.   The finish is dry and grainy.

M -  Light bodied beer with medium carbonation, which is ideally how a pilsner should be.

D -  It's an average tasting beer, but when you combine that with it being light bodied and a <5% ABV it leaves it pretty drinkable.  I'd find it more desirable if it didn't have a grainy finish/aftertaste.

Grade -  One thumb up.   It wasn't a good/great beer.   It was okay.   The only thing I didn't like about the beer was the finish taste of the beer.

Genesee Cream Ale

I had a lot of fun when I pulled a review out of left field and went macro and reviewed Pabst Blue Ribbon. I've been waiting awhile to follow it up with another macro from the same level. In Buffalo, I always looked at Genesee Cream ale and snickered and would walk by. That was until I found out that Genesee Cream Ale was in Orlando, for some odd reason. I figured I just HAD to pick up a 12 pack because of this. Perfect opportunity to do another beer review of a adjunct lager. Despite it being a Cream Ale, it's definitely an adjunct lager. But who am I to tell Genesee they are wrong?

A little history on the "award winning classic."

In the old days, there were ales and there were lagers. Ales were flavorful. Lagers were smooth. And never the twain did meet.

Until Genesee Cream Ale. And then the twain met head on to form an American Original with the flavor of an ale and the smoothness of a lager.
Cream Ale is unique. Then. Now. Always.

* We skillfully warm-ferment Genesee Cream Ale with our own signature top-fermenting yeast.
* During the aging process, every batch of Cream Ale is krausened to achieve an uncommonly smooth character.
* The process results in Cream Ale’s remarkably creamy white head and a body that is far more distinguished than standard American lagers.

5.2 ABV which seems slightly high for your standard macro. No complains by me, I normally find the better tasting beers to hover around the 5.5 ABV area.




A - Standard straw colored macro looking beer here. Very minimal lacing, and what lacing there is, dissipates rather quickly. Very minimal head on the pour that also dissipates quickly. I wasn't really expecting anything different, so I can't say I'm disappointed.

S - Not a very strong scent is present here. Adjunct corn and some malty sweetness pretty much sums it up.

T - Slighly metallic grainy flavor. Slight hop bitterness mixed with adjunct corn flavors. Finish is dry, zesty and clean.

M - Low to medium bodied. Closer to medium than to low. Carbonation is present, but it seems "right." Seems like just enough, not overdone.

D - Very drinkable beer, as most adjunct lagers are.

Grade - One thumb up. It's good for what it is. Genesee Cream Ale is very similar to Pabst Blue Ribbon in my opinion. Both beers are poked fun at, but if you compare them to the standard BMCs, they are clearly better, and even cheaper.

Wittekerke

It should be no secret by now how much I love witbiers.   Time for another witbier review. 

Wittekerke is a beer I read about when I first started getting into beer, and more specifically wits.  I looked for it in Buffalo and I was disappointed that I wasn't able to find it.   I came across it down here in Orlando and I decided, just based on hearing it was a good beer, that I would check it out.

I can't read their website because the brewery is based in Belgium..  yeah..

Just a little background info on the beer ...
WIT-style: A true WIT beer must be made of at least 25 % wheat malt in combination with barley malt. Belgian WIT beers are naturally cloudy since they are unfiltered.

WITTEKERKE charms you with its own character, smooth taste and a unique delicious aroma. A very pleasant drink, light in alcohol with a crisp and refreshing flavor. WITTEKERKE is always served cold, but in taking your time to enjoy it, you will find more flowery and spring flavors towards the end of your glass. Although the hoppy bitterness is an underlying taste, it is never dominant. Perfect white head.

WITTEKERKE is a fictitious name for a typical Flemish town, like we find hundreds of villages in Flanders with a name ending on KERKE (church) or KAPELLE (chapel). WITTE means white in English, thus the translation of the name is WHITE CHURCH. The Bavik brewery has since a long time brewed its own authentic WIT beer under the "Bavik Wit" label, but the brewery chose to change the name in cooperation with the producers of the Belgian sit-com "WITTEKERKE", airing twice a week in prime-time on the Belgian TV channels. The actors drink WITTEKERKE during the show.

WITTEKERKE is now the best selling WIT beer in Belgium off-premise, and was voted several years in a row the best Belgian WIT beer by Belgian beer connoisseurs.

FOOD COMBINATIONS: this refreshing light beer is mostly consumed with snacks at receptions and parties, or just as an excellent thirst quencher any time of the day. WITTEKERKE is the right choice with a very spicy Carpachio, with white fish, scallops or a fresh salad. An omelet dish will also make a good combination. Cheers.

It's also a 5% ABV

I'll be sampling it out of a can.   Let's get to it.

A - Very light opaque yellow colored.  I had a non existent head although I have read reviews that have reported a 2 finger head.   Too each his own, maybe it has something to do with me pouring out of a can.

S - Really isn't much of a scent to this beer.   Some mild grain, that is about it.   Not pleasant, but not a turn off.  It's just... there.  The more I smell it the more I smell some faint spices also.

T - Similar to how it smells.  It's a real soft, mild taste.  It's lacking a real punch, although it's not bad.   Some very light sour grain.    Also faint citrus taste is present.  On the finish there is some metallic bitterness but not enough to really make any kind of impact in the taste.   It might even be a bit of a stretch to say it has any real metallic taste.   I'm very disappointed on the taste of this beer because I was hoping for so much more.   It just seems to be weak and lacking all over.

M - Very light bodied with medium carbonation.   Very similar to your standard macro beer.

D - Very easy to drink a bunch of them based on how smooth it is.   But with a lack of taste, it really doesn't leave me wanting more.

Grade:  One thumb down.  Not a bad beer, but it wasn't something that I would jump at to drink again.

Bell's Oberon Ale

I'm not sure If I've ever been more excited to try a beer before.  I have been waiting literally nearly a year to try this beer.  Since they don't sell it in Western New York I thought I would be waiting damn near forever.  I recently have moved down to Orlando Florida, more specifically Lake Buena Vista.  Yes, that's where Disney World is.  I'm working for Disney World right now.  But, to my surprise I was walking about a local grocery store earlier and saw it!  I saw Bells Oberon Ale, and I damn near almost broke the bottles because I was so quick to throw the 6 pack in the cart.  I felt like a little kid on Christmas morning getting that toy I've waited for, for so long.
Bell's Brewery lists Oberon Ale as an American wheat ale brewed with Saaz hops. Spicy and fruity, Oberon is the color and scent of a sunny afternoon.  Should be an easy going beer with a modest 5.8% ABV.

Time to try the beer, and I'm praying I'm not disappointed because my expectations are absolutely through the roof.

A:  Hazy golden body topped with a whispy white minuscule head. 

S:  Floral and citrus hops mixed with bread malts.  Not very much to write about with appearance or scent.  Very straightforward.

T:  Tangy wheat with a small bit of vanilla on the front. Some fruity spices and light herbal hop flavor in the middle. The finish is bread malts with some coriander.

M:  Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.

D:  I put the beer down in about 10-15 seconds.  Once I got my first taste, I couldn't stop drinking it.  Nectar of the gods sums this up perfectly.  Mix the PERFECT taste with a decent ABV and you have a session brew.

Grade:  A+ | Two Thumbs Up | 100  - - - Go get this beer however you can.

Red Brick Blonde

*Note the beer is actually lighter colored than this picture shows.
I've never had a beer from Red Brick before, nor have I ever had a blonde ale. So this is totally going to be something new for me. To tell you the truth, I don't even know what to expect from a blonde ale. Based on a little bit of research Red Brick is from Georgia and they generally put out slightly above average beers, and more importantly the blonde ale is considered one of their best beers. I'm excited to try it.

According to the Red Brick website which can be found here.

Red Brick Blonde is an American-style blonde or golden ale with a light body and a fresh malt flavor. Mild hops and a clean finish make Red Brick Blonde a great introductory beer for American lager dirnkers interested in exploring craft brewering. Pale gold in color, our crisp, well balanced Red Brick Blonde is an ideal thirst-quencher during the hot weather months and an excellent companion for game day snacks.

Kudos to the website for being pretty cool and also having Smashing Pumpkins playing.

I'll be the judge of the beer though, since that's what actually matters.

A - Clear golden yellow with a nice pure white head that clings to the side of the glass nicely. Based on the head, the beer has a thick look to it. Definitely not a watery head, it's got some substance to it.

S - Surprisingly it has a very grainy smell to it, with some faint lemon hops. I can't quite put my finger on it, but it also smells kind of musky, like wet grass.

T - Grassy hops dominate the taste. Something I definitely didn't expect at all. Normally I don't like hoppy beers, but this has a good taste to go along with the hops. I thought it would have a lemon taste to it based on the scent, but it doesn't which kind of disappointed me. Pretty dry finish on this beer. To sum it up, grainy with a grassy hop taste that gives away to a dry finish that lacks any real aftertaste. It comes and goes quickly.

M - Low to medium bodied with also low carbonation. Pretty light and refreshing beer.

D - I don't have a huge problem with the flavor and this beer goes down very easy. It's definitely got a very nice drinkability based on taste, and pair that with a rather low ABV (5.2) and you have yourself a pretty good sessionable beer.

Grade - Two Thumbs up for this beer. No real complaints from me. I wish it had a little more complex taste to it. Something tells me most blonde ales don't taste like this though, so I'll have to try a different one soon.


Thanks to my friend Amos for this beer. 

Orange Blossom Cream Ale

I've never even heard of this beer, nor of the brewery which is Buffalo Bill's Brewery.  I'm not sure why I even purchased this beer, but sometimes the best things in life happen unexpectedly.

After doing a little research, it has a very average score on BeerAdvocate, a C+, which has already lowered my expectations.  Although it's labeled as a Cream Ale, it's officially listed as a Fruit / Vegetable beer which is a little weird.  I'm guessing it's really heavy on citrus aroma and taste.  It's also a beer best consumed during the winter months.  I guess I'm failing all over with this one already.

Based on the simplicity of the bottle, I figured this was a pretty low-key brewery which is why I've never heard of it.  Turns out, they are from California which probably attributes to them being rather unknown in the Western New York area.
I wish I could tell you a little about their brewery, but their website won't load past the splash screen for me.  Maybe someone else will have a little better luck.

Buffalo Bill's Brewery

On to the review.

A - The color of the beer isn't a huge shocker.  Orange tinted straw colored.  Poured a very small head that was gone in absolutely no time.   All that is left are some bubbles rising to the top.  This beer kind of looks like a watered down orange juice.

S -  Very strong orange peel and almost ginger-like scent coming from the beer mixed with some bitter hops.  I don't find the scent to be rather pleasant even though I really enjoy oranges.

T -  Very surprising taste, sort of.  Obviously it's got a strong base of orange.  Very full orange taste that practically dominates the beer.  Almost tastes how it looks, like orange juice.  There's also an adjunct grain taste present, which I don't dislike paired with this beer.  It actually flows together nicely.  The finish is full of sweet floral hops.

M -  Very light bodied, comparable to something like Coors Light.    Despite the amount of bubbles at the beginning it has a very low carbonated taste.

D -  I have a hard time believing this is a "winter" beer.  I totally see this is a summer beer because it's highly refreshing, and due to it being slightly watery and only a 5.2% ABV it's very drinkable.

Grade - I'd give this beer two thumbs up.  I guess this reinforces the whole, "You can't judge a book by it's cover....and smell." line.  The appearance and smell did absolutely nothing, so I was set up for a big let down.  The taste was good!  The awesome part is, I grabbed this from consumers out of their broken case rack, and paid only $1.29.  Can't beat that.
Overall though, this beer is pretty much orange juice for grown-ups.

Blue Moon Grand Cru

This was a beer that was released in limited quantities in December of 2009 to help celebrate the blue moon that was going to occur that month.
In Belgium, a Grand Cru is typically a rich, bold beer brewed to celebrate the holiday season or another special event. Following the traditional Belgian style, Blue Moon Grand Cru -- inspired by Blue Moon Belgian White -- is brewed with small-batch care, while providing a unique twist on the classic Grand Cru.

An artfully crafted, full-bodied 8.2 percent ABV beer, Blue Moon Grand Cru has rich, creamy notes, with subtle hints of orange peel and coriander, and delivers a warm, spicy finish.

I'm expecting it to taste just like regular Blue Moon with a bite of alcohol to it.

A - Very cloudy and pale yellow color. Lots of junk floating around in the beer. Very high visible carbonation. Left a fairly large head in my Duvel glass, but the glass is prone to doing that with nearly every beer.

S - Strong orange rind smell mixed with slight alcohol. I was hoping for a bit more complex scent, but orange and alcohol sums this up pretty much.

T - Orange peel notes are the first taste to hit, but they fade away very quickly because the actual taste of orange is pretty underwhelming. Coriander and bitter hops follow the orange which gives way to a warming alcohol sensation which is a little offputting for me. It's a clean finish that leaves barely any aftertaste. The orange taste gets a little more bitter and sour the more you drink.

M - Based on the high amount of bubbles, I thought it would have a bit more of a carbonated taste than it did. It was medium bodied and moderately carbonated. Pretty smooth mouthfeel.

D - Based on the taste alone it's drinkability isn't as high as you'd think because I feel the taste alone is poor. Mix that in with the high alcohol and you don't have a very good drinkability.

Final Grade: Two Thumbs Down

I probably won't finish this bomber, and the sad part about it is, I have another one. I got this beer for $5 BOGO.

River Horse Double Wit

Had this beer hanging around in my fridge since around Christmas time. With me leaving for Florida in a couple weeks, I figured it would be a good time to get to the last couple beers that are hanging around in the back. No clue why I've held off on this beer for so long, because I truly do love witbiers. Let's hope it makes me sorry for waiting so long.

I'm guessing they call it "double wit" because it's stronger than the normal witbier. Normal witbier's are around 5%, this one is 7%. Not too bad, but I'm expecting just a slight bite of alcohol from it, which would be okay with me.

Their website looks like it's currently under construction, so I can't find any information about this beer at all, and they don't say anything on the bottle except for "belgian style ale, ale brewed w/ spices."

Well, since I don't have any background information at all, let's get to it.

A: This beer is much lighter than the picture shows, just an FYI. Golden hazy yellow, with a slight head that dissipates fairly quickly. It was actually gone before I was even able to type to this point. You can see quite a bit of bubbles rising to the surface through the pretty cloudy beer.

S: Strong lemon scent, which makes me think the taste might be slightly sour. Pretty much dominates the smell of the beer. There's also a bit of wheat and coriander in the background, but they seem rather faint to me.

T: Lots of lemon up front in the taste, as expected. I'm not a HUGE fan of the taste of lemons, but actually this doesn't bother me too much. It's not sour at all, and actually rather sweet. Along with the lemon, you get spicy notes, which fade into a dry wheat aftertaste. It's not a big taste, but I'm definitely left wanting a little bit more. Maybe I had a different expectation of the taste. I'm definitely let down. Again, it's not a bad taste, but it's just not a large enough variety on the taste.

M: The carbonation is very high. Prickly on the tongue and all the way down, although I'm sure a little bit of that is the alcohol. Light to medium bodied.

D: It's alright. Seems like the more I drink of the beer, the more I start to taste the lemon, and the alcohol. Doesn't seem to be mixed all that well, and it's kind of a turn off the way the lemon and alcohol tastes are overwhelming me. I definitely couldn't see myself drinking more than one of these in a sitting.

Rating: I'd give this beer a one thumb down. It's not a beer a would recommend to someone, yet it's not terrible enough to drain pour.

Pabst Blue Ribbon

I felt it would be fun to do a review of this type.  I've never had PBR and I've heard mixed reviews about it for years. People love it, people hate it. Regardless, it's in the high 70s right now, I just got out of work, took a shower, and I'm sitting here sweating. Perfect time for a refreshing beer.
So.. here we are.. American Adjunct Lagers. Some of the finest beers in existence are of this type (HAR HAR) - - Budweiser, Miller High Life, Coors, Corona, Blue, Busch, classic.. tasty beers. Am I right? Pabst should be right up there on this pristine list of American staples.
I'm actually excited to try this beer, and I'm going to try to write a serious review on it.

A: Was actually surprised by the amount of head that accumulated on the pour. 10 seconds later though, as expected, it's all pretty much gone. Rather soapy looking head though. I'm shocked how see-through this beer really is. Pretty much looks like carbonated colored water. The color though is a very light yellow. Very light lacing left behind.

S: A lot of people say PBR reeks of an awful offensive skunky sour smell (I think those are just people trying to knock it.) I don't smell that at all. In fact I don't smell much at all... maybe some hops with a slight bread smell. That's about it.

T: Hoppy bitterness in the front. More hoppy than I thought based on the lack of a smell. The bitter hoppy front gives away to a dry almost wheat-like finish. Not a bad taste at all. Based on some horror stories I was expecting something a lot different. I'm not going to sit here and say it has this huge amazing flavor. It really doesn't. But if you take it for what it's worth and for what it is.. it's actually a pretty good flavor. So if you rate this against a Russian Imperial Stout, Hefeweizen, Tripel, etc.. you'll obviously be disappointed and say it sucks. If you put it against your average American Adjunct Lager, you definitely can't be disappointed with the taste.

M: Very light bodied. It's crisp and refreshing. Everything you could want out of this kind of beer.

D: On a nice warm day, you can get caught up drinking one after another. High drinkability mixed with low alcohol leaves you wanting more.



Grade: I can't find any real flaws with PBR. Obviously it wouldn't be my first choice, but I could definitely see myself having a few of these stocked in the fridge at all times when I just want a quick beer to drink. It's cheap.. (I think I paid $6 for 12pk) and it's decent. Can't really ask for more, can you? I mean for a beer that is so dirt cheap to buy, it's a quality deal. I would take PBR over BMCs any day, no questions asked.

I'm sure most of you guys have had PBR so I would love to get some feed back and some reviews possibly.

My grade.. and take it with a grain of salt.. I'm not telling you to rush out and start pounding PBR because it's such a high quality beer (although I'm sure most of you have had those experiences with it).. my grade is two thumbs up.

Julius Echter Hefe-Weissbier

Was at Wegmans a few weeks ago picking up a 4 pack of Ommegang Hennepin and for no reason this beer caught my attention. 500ML bomber. I liked the simplicity and attractiveness of the bottle and it was nicely priced. I think it was $2.99. I may be wrong though. I figured, what the hell, why not. Finally getting around to trying a new beer and writing a review.
Hopefully when I ship out and head down to Orlando (If you notice the mouse bottle opener that's where I'm working.) in another month and a half, I will have a lot of down time when I'm not working to sit around and review some beer.

Anyway, this seems like a really typical Hefeweizen. 4.9% ABV and it's German. You'd think you can't go wrong, let's hope so.

A: Cloudy pale golden color. Large thick creamy head that dissipates rather quickly. Also you can see bubbles inside. Nice lacing on the glass.

S: Fruity for the most part. You can smell clove, banana, and a little bit of spice. Pretty standard hefeweizen thus far based on my experience.

T: Spicy in front.. with a taste of clove mixed with pepper. Followed by a dull bread flavor. I'm not making this up. It seriously tastes like bubblegum on the finish. It's unique. I've never really had a bubblegum style taste in a beer. I think I like the way this all mashes together. I'd rather have a spice beginning and a sweet finish than the other way around.

M: Medium bodied although it seems to water out at the end. Nicely carbonated, you can feel a lot of bubbles on the tongue.

D: Pretty drinkable beer. After I finish up this current bottle, I'm sure I could have another. Low alcohol mixed with a great flavor leaves you with a very drinkable beer.

Grade: I wouldn't give it two thumbs up but I would definitely tell you to go give it a chance if you ever see it. You'll enjoy it.
One Thumb Up

Ommegang Hennepin (Farmhouse Saison)

I've never had a Saison/Farmhouse Ale before, which is what BeerAdvocate.com lists this beer at. So I'm excited to try it.
BeerAdvocate.com lists this style as:
Saisons are sturdy farmhouse ale that was traditionally brewed in the winter, to be consumed throughout the summer months. Not so long ago it was close to being an endangered style, but over recent years there's been a massive revival; especially in the US.

This is a very complex style; many are very fruity in the aroma and flavor. Look for earthy yeast tones, mild to moderate tartness. Lots of spice and with a medium bitterness. They tend to be semi-dry with many only having touch of sweetness.
--
It's listed as the best example of the style.
I've only had one other beer from Ommegang before, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was their Witte.
A bit higher ABV (7.7%) in comparison to what I normally have., but lately I've been drinking much higher ABV beers than I normally would.

Side note - I totally forgot until I looked at the cap but Ommegang is located in Cooperstown NY. If I ever go to the Baseball Hall of Fame (which will definitely happen someday), I think a trip here would be totally necessary.

A - Very bright golden color. I'm using the Duvel Tulip Glass, and I don't know if this is directly related to the glass itself, but theres a single file stream of bubbles in the middle of the glass just rising continuously. Pretty neat looking. Pretty cloudy with a large frothy, white head. Very sticky lacing is left on the side of the glass if I give a little swirl.

S - I've never had a Saison before so I wasn't really sure what I was getting into, but the smell was totally not what I expected. Almost smells like a Witbier. There's lots of similar characteristics. It's heavy on coriander and lemon. The smoothness of clove is present. It's also a little spicy and if I'm correctly identifying it, it almost smells like ginger is in there.

T - With the initial taste it was very sweet in the front and very dry bready taste on the back end. Based on the smell, I would have to say the taste is a lot spicier than I anticipated, although that's not a bad thing. It's a good spicy taste. Spices and citrus definitely dominate the overall taste of the beer though. Honestly, it almost has this sour taste to it.. like a green apple sour taste. I definitely like it. That taste seems to be hanging around in the aftertaste.

M - Good carbonation on the tongue, yet so extremely crisp and refreshing at the same time. Light bodied.

D - I type pretty fast to give you an idea of things... and while typing this review I've killed off the entire beer except for a mouthful without really realizing it. I can't get enough of this beer. Very high drinkability obviously... well until the near 8% ABV sneaks up on me. Cheers.


Verdict - It's a good beer. Hands down. I was a little skeptical going into it, which is why I think it got buried in my fridge for 2 months. I'm pretty mad at myself for not having it much sooner. This is solid beer, and I wouldn't hesitate to pick up another couple bottles. (Even if I like a beer, I normally will say.. ahhh probably wouldn't go buy it again because it simply didn't just blow me away) Well, this beer blew me away. Two very big thumbs up.

Duvel

This is my first belgian strong ale, so this could be interesting, and I hope I like this because it was pretty expensive.

A little background info on Duvel -

To commemorate the end of World War I, the Moortgats named their main beer Victory Ale. But during the 1920s, an avid drinker described the beer as "nen echten duvel" (a real devil in Brabantian) - perhaps in reference to its formidable alcohol content (8.5% ABV) - and the name of the beer was changed to Duvel. It has become the brewery's flagship beer.[3] Considered by many the definitive version of the Belgian Strong Golden Ale style, Duvel is brewed with Pilsner malt and white sugar, and hopped with Saaz hops and Styrian Goldings, the yeast still stems from the original culture of Scottish yeast bought by Albert Moortgat during a prospection-tour in the U.K. just after WWI.

The bottle I have is the 750ML corked bottle. I'm hoping for a good pop from the cork, don't ask me why.

I know you have to pour it unhurriedly so I hope I do it correctly. This is just supposed to be a beautiful beer all around.


A - Can you say gunshot sounding when the cork is popped? Holy crap that was loud. I poured it unhurried just like they suggest. The beer is pale yellow. The bubbles are rising.. and never-ending. Pretty cool to watch this upside down waterfall. The head is gigantic. 3-4 fingers, and fluffy as a pillow. Lace is just stuck all over the glass. This is probably the best looking beer I have ever seen.

S - Powerful yeasty aroma with a slap in the face of hops and citrus. That's the best way for me to describe it. More specifically it smells like lemon, not orange. Has a flower like smell to it. It's nice.

T - The taste is like no beer I have ever tasted before. It's actually going to be kind of hard to describe. It's actually a little spicy, almost kind of peppery. Once you get past to that it hits you with the citrus. Coriander and lemon. The hop smell is barely traceable in the taste, in my opinion. It's got a real dry smooth finish to it, and the aftertaste is barely noticeable. The alcohol isn't disgustingly high, but at 8.5%, I figured I'd get at least a taste of it. I'm glad I'm not. I like it much better this way.

M -Very crisp, and super carbonated. It's almost like a champagne on the tongue, it's so bubbly. Like I said before, the finish is pretty dry, smooth, and refreshing all at the same time. All that complicated stuff aside, surprisingly, it's light bodied which brings me to the next category of drinkability.

D - Due to it being low bodied and just amazing, makes this an ideal drinkable beer. It's so drinkable that I would say it's borderline dangerous because of the alcohol level. I'd definitely advise to try to take it easy, although you can definitely get caught up drinking a few of these. I'm going to be guilty of finishing this entire bomber much quicker than I had planned. I'm going to cut this review short now so I can get to finishing the beer!

Duvel.. plain and simple. Worth every penny. Don't let the price tag fool you.
This beer is two thumbs up. No doubt. If I were a deformed freak, three thumbs up.

Victory Prima Pila

There's a lot of hype with this beer. It's considered one of the best Pilseners in the world.
This is going to be my third beer by Victory, the other two (Whirlwind Witbier and Sunrise Weiss) were just downright mouthwatering beers so I have high expectations with this one. I'm convinced Victory doesn't make a bad beer.

A - Slightly hazy, pale golden color. About a 1" fluffy pillowy (if thats a word) head. Bubbles rising like crazy. Looks really carbonated. Lacing is wonderful and just sticks around forever. It's about 5 minutes after my first couple sips and it is just stuck to the glass. Hasn't even slid down an inch.

S - Very fragrant. As soon as I poured it I was hit with a lot of citrus. (Grapefruit and Lemon) Also some honey.

T - Grassy malt is the first taste. Leans a bit more in the sweet department rather than bitter in my opinion. The flavor from the hops actually has way more bite than you would think from the smell. Definitely didn't think it would taste this way at all. Really hoppy for a Pilsener. After the original hops taste begins to subside I found myself left with a lemon taste. A lingering grain taste sticks around for a decent amount of time after a taste.

M -Medium-bodied. In my experiences with pilseners this seems to be a bit more bodied. Very well carbonated but not to the point it's bad.

D - Very refreshing, and crisp. I'm going to cut this review short so I can finish this beer now.

Two Thumbs Up! Yet another solid beer from Victory

The Bruery Orchard White

Appearance: First impression.. HOLY BUBBLES! Tons of bubbles in this thing. Looks like a reverse waterfall. Golden yellow color. Huge head. 3+ fingers. It recedes rather slowly (and that's too quick of a term to use) and leaves minimal lacing. Very creamy head.

Smell: Floral aroma is predominant. Very very soft flowers. Almost like a spring garden. Bready smell is in the background of the beer. Also a little bit of citrus. Nothing too out of the ordinary.

Taste: Pretty standard for a witbier. There's a taste in it that I can't exactly put my finger on. It must be the lavender taste that they advertise on the bottle. But like I said, it's a pretty standard witbier taste. You have the corianderand yeast of course... The lavender taste really does dominate it though. It's not well balanced, although I do like the flavor it gives off.

Mouthfeel: Very well carbonated. Almost too the point where there is too much carbonation... but not to the point it's a turn off. Maybe just slightly overdone. Medium to Light body. Probably leans towards the light side... has that watery style almost. I would like it a little more if it were a bit creamier and more full.

Drinkability: It's not a bad beer at all. I paid about $10 for a 750ML bottle of this though, but I'm not so sure if it's worth that. There are many other Witbiers I can get a six pack of for $6-$8 and be much more happy. With that being said, it is a pretty drinkable beer, as most witbiers are. It's just rather expensive for the amount you get.

Overall: I liked it. It would be a one thumb up beer based on my rating system. I probably wouldn't buy it again though. It didn't blow me away. It's an average witbier with a new twist.. the lavender which did make for something interesting, that's for sure.

Long Trail Brewmaster Series Winter White

The only other beer I've had from Long Trail was their Belgian White, and although I love the style, I remember not being a HUGE fan of it, so hopefully this well be much better.
At 7.2% ABV I'm expecting this to have a little bit more of a bite in comparison to the average witbier since they are normally around 5%. I have a nice big bottle of this so I hope it's enjoyable. The bottle is pretty plain, but I love it. Nice soft colors, so I'm hoping that transfers right to the taste.

I bought this back in late December and I think it was just a limited release considering I can't find any more info on Long Trail's website about it. Let's just cut to the chase and enjoy a beer.

A - Very clear see through gold color. Bubbly with a 2 inch frothy head that dissipates rather quickly. No lacing is stuck on the glass at all.

S - This beer absolutely reeks of orange and coriander. Also there is a hint of wheat to go along with an overall pretty sweet smell.

T - With a beer smelling that much like orange and coriander, it has to have a hint of them in the taste. This is very front loaded with both. Almost has a similar orange taste like straight orange juice. The orange/coriander taste is followed up with almost a dry oatmeal taste. Right and after the oat taste the beer suddenly gets a warm sensation which can be attributed to the alcohol, which does go away rather quickly and leaves you with an almost pepper-like finish.

M - The beer looks big and tastes big, but based on the higher ABV, this isn't a light beer at all. It has big carbonation also and although it looks and is smooth like your average witbier it's not.

D - If I enjoyed the overall taste a little bit more it would have a much higher drinkability despite the higher than average alcohol content. It's got an overall good mouthfeel and the taste isn't too bad, I just am not crazy about it because of the peppery finish/after taste. I can definitely see why some people could be big fans of this beer. I guess I'm just used to the normal light refreshing witbier.

Although it's not a bad beer, I think I have to give it one thumb down. Stay away unless you think this a beer you would love.

Unibroue La Fin Du Monde

I've had two other beers from this great Canadian brewery, Unibroue. Both of those beers, Blanche de Chambly and Ephmere (Apple) I have enjoyed. The first more than the second. I hope the trend of great beers continues with this one.
La Fin Du Monde is a higher alcohol beer. It's a tripel that measures in at 9% ABV. The other Tripel I had was Golden Monkey by Victory, which I thought was a pretty good beer, but probably not something I'd want again and again. It was nice to try, but it probably ends there. Hopefully this can be a little bit of a different experience for me although the higher alcohol does scare me a bit.

A - Hazy golden orange. Fluffly head that dissipates rather quickly to about a 1/8" of foam. Can see all kinds of stuff floating around the beer. It looks very similar to a standard hefeweizen.

S - Kind of smells like chalk and flowers. A little bit of citrus hint to it also. Slight alcohol scent also.

T - Sweet. Very sweet. It's a very balanced beer. Fruit mixed with wheat, with some light hops. Coming from a guy that doesn't like the bite of alcohol, I didn't taste it at all which is very surprising based the ABV level. I don't taste a hint of the alcohol at all, which I love.

M - Medium carbonated and medium bodied. Starts off with a hard and crisp feel but smooths out rather quickly.

D - I feel that is has a very high drinkability which is bad because the alcohol will definitely sneak up on you and crush you. Could easily put this beer down in a few minutes, although I would recommend not too.

An overall pretty enjoyable beer. Even though I like the taste of it, it's not really my style of beer, so I probably wouldn't rush out to ever have it again which leaves me to only give up a thumb up.

Good beer though. Definitely one of the better beers I have had. I just don't like the idea of such a high ABV.

Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier

Regarded as one of the best Hefeweizen in the world (according to Beer Advocate - - Close to 1400 reviews and holds an A rating.)Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier is brewed in Germany by Brauerei Weihenstephan. They are also known for such great beers as... well.. a whole bunch of beers with long German names I can't pronounce. This beer holds a 5.4% ABV so I'm not expecting too much of a bite by it.

This is my first beer review in awhile... and like always.. I'm expecting big things from the beer.
I probably should be using a Weizen glass for this beer but I don't own one (someone donate me one). I'll use a standard pint glass instead. (But in honor of St. Patrick's Day, a Smithwicks one.)


A - Pretty unrelated to the actual appearance to the beer, but I really like how the bottle looks and I like the cap also. It'll make a nice addition to my collection. Hazy golden orange color. Huge creamy 3 finger head. Bubbles are cascading up heavily so this beer should have some high carbonation. Head dissipated rather quickly and left no lacing at all.

S - The smell is powerful with citrus. Orange to be a bit more specific. Coriander is also present in the smell. I also smell hints of banana and spice. Kind of a bready smell. A really nice smell, minus the spice which I'm not huge on.

T - Mmmm, Banana and citrus dominate the taste. Hardly any of that spice I smelled actually made it's way to the tastebuds which I'm happy about. The sweet banana/citrus taste goes away very quickly and leaves a bitter taste in the back although that goes away as quickly as the sweet taste. Little to no aftertaste is left behind which is no problem to much, just makes me want more.

M - I felt it would be a little bit more carbonated than it was due to all the bubbles. Don't get me wrong this is a highly carbonated beer, but I thought it would be to the point where it was almost like a Pepsi or something. Medium-bodied which I wasn't expecting due to the minimal lacing/head. I figured this beer would be almost watery.

D - Very drinkable beer. More of a summer beer than anything. Still great at any time of year though. Definitely would recommend this to friends.

Two thumbs up! Try this beer guys!

Oh.. and here is the cap I was talking about.

Sierra Nevada Kellerweis Hefeweizen

A - Straw golden yellow color. Fluffly inch head. Quickly dissipates to a small white ring around the top of the beer.

S - The smell was actually a bit of a turn off to me. The smell was really just, ehh. Kind of a wet rotting leaf smell, mixed with banana. Seriously, the best way I can describe it is during autumn when it rains and all the leaves on the ground just get soaked and damp. Yeah.. that's the smell.

T - Thank god the taste is a hell of a lot better than the smell or I'd have trouble stomaching this one. (It's rare in my experience that it actually happens like this too.) Banana and clove dominate the taste. You can taste a hint or lemon, or my mind could just be playing tricks on me. I would have prefered to have a stronger banana taste, (even though it dominates the taste it doesn't really smack you in the face like you'd want) It's more of a dull banana taste, although not the least bit bad.

M - A very thin almost watery style too it. Very crisp though.

D - I won't even beat around the bush and say yeah.. pretty good session beer. YOU CAN POUND THESE. I could sit here and drink these all day long.. if they didn't have alcohol in them that is.
But definitely very very drinkable. I'm convinced that even a beer drinker wouldn't taste this beer and spit it out and say disgusting. It's that good.

One of my favorite beers.

Two Thumbs Up!

Unibroue Ephemere

My second beer from Unibroue. The first being Blanche de Chambly, which is one of my absolute favorite beers... so yeah this beer definitely has a standard to hold up to.

It's a fruit and vegetable beer. Pretty normal when it comes to ABV. 5.5%

A little bit of background info from the Unibroue website -
ÉPHÉMÈRE (apple)
(eff-eh-mehr)

White ale brewed with apple must

Redolent of ripe Granny Smith apples, this
unique white ale pleases the palate with a
delicate balance of fruit and spice notes and
just a hint of sweetness.

Éphémère apple satisfies with each sip and
refreshes in all seasons, especially when
paired with an artisan cheddar cheese, pork
tenderloin served with apple chutney or Vidalia
onion soup.

We developed the Éphémère (Ephemeral)
series to feature a seasonal fruit in a
refreshing, lightly spiced white ale.

The label depicts a fairy, an ephemeral spirit
associated with fruits picked at the peak of
ripeness during each harvest season.
Éphémère apple flavor is brewed with apple
must, which consists of the freshly-pressed
juice from apples.

Enjoy this beer 'alfresco' while dining in the
afternoon sun, relaxing at a family gathering or
at a picnic in the back yard.

Winner of 3 Gold Medals from the Beverage
Testing Institute since 2002


Let's try it!!

A - Nice yellow color. Pretty cloudy with a lot of bubbles surfacing. Had about a 1/2 inch head that dissipated pretty quickly and left nothing but a small outline around the glass.

S - This beer absolutely reeks of apples. As soon as I opened it, I felt that I was in an apple orchard. Green apples to be more specific. Also maybe a little citrus in there and some bread. But tons and tons of apples. Maybe that is why there is a big apple on the bottle?

T - I thought that based on the smell the apple would be way more present. It's really lacking in that powerful apple taste I was expecting. More surprising the apple taste is way at the end of the taste. I feel that there is more grain than apple to the taste. It's a little sweet, but it doesn't bother me, I'm sure there some people out there that would absolutely hate it. I don't though. Also seems like there is a bigger trace of coriander in there, than apple.

M - Very very light mouthfeel. Very juice-water-like but with carbonation.

D - Pretty drinkable beer in my opinion. Finishes without much aftertaste which makes it easy to drink. Goes down really easy too with the lower alcohol level.

Not a great beer, but it's not bad. Pretty average.

It just a one thumb up. Probably won't drink this again, but I wouldn't avoid having it if it were free.

Victory Golden Monkey

My fourth beer from Victory. So far I have pretty much convinced myself that Victory doesn't make a bad beer. I'm stretching awfully far out of my comfort zone with Golden Monkey.
Well, saying awfully might actually be a stretch in itself... Golden Monkey is a tripel, and I have never had one before so I'm really not sure what I am in store for.
Here is a quick run down on a tripel per www.beeradvocate.com

-The name "Tripel" actually stems from part of the brewing process, in which brewers use up to three times the amount of malt than a standard Trappist "Simple." Traditionally, Tripels are bright yellow to gold in color, which is a shade or two darker than the average Pilsener. Head should be big, dense and creamy. Aroma and flavor runs along complex, spicy phenolic, powdery yeast, fruity/estery with a sweet finish. Sweetness comes from both the pale malts and the higher alcohol. Bitterness is up there for a beer with such a light body for its strength, but at times is barely perceived amongst the even balance of malts and hops. The lighter body comes from the use of Belgian candy sugar (up to 25% sucrose), which not only lightens the body, but also adds complex alcoholic aromas and flavors. Small amounts of spices are sometimes added as well.
Tripels are actually notoriously alcoholic, yet the best crafted ones hide this character quite evil-like and deceivingly, making them sipping beers.

I looked around on Victory's website a bit and pulled up some stats on this brew.
It holds a Silver Medal in the International Beer Competition in '04 and also holds a Bronze Medal in the Australian International Beer Awards in '08.

Victory has this to say about the beer -

Strong and sensual, this golden, Belgian-style ale glows with goodness. The richness of German malts and Belgian yeast are tempered by a sparkling approach and overall light body. Considerable depth of character with abundant herbal, fruity notes make this one to savor.

COMPOSITION
Malts: 2 row German malt
Hops: European whole flowers
Yeast: imported, of Belgian origin
Alcohol by volume: 9.5%

I'm a little nervous because I feel with the way I have hyped up Victory that I HAVE to like this beer.

A - First of all, yes that head is as fluffly as it looks in the picture. Unbelievable. It's about 5 minutes after pour and it's still that big too. The lacing is just stuck all over the glass. Wow. As you can see it's a nice golden color. Maybe that's why they named it Golden Monkey and not Brown Monkey. Looks like your typical Witbier in my opinion but with a fluffier head.

S - Disappointed might be a bad way to say this, but when I saw 9.5 ABV I was expecting this beer to reek of alcohol upon opening. It didn't. Not even the slightest hint of alcohol. I'm hoping the taste duplicates that. Can't really put my finger on the smell that good. Smells a little like pears and apples. Also it smells like it will have a sour bitter taste.

T - Oddly enough, it tastes like it smells. It has a really smooth taste to start with and then it gets a little tart and hoppy. Definitely a hint of alcohol front loaded on the taste but the hoppiness contrasts well with it and it's a little hard to notice. The alcohol definitely warms up the mouth/throat/stomach but it doesn't feel like it's going to burn a hole anywhere. After the alcohol goes away there is a pretty pleasant grassy taste along with hints of the pear/apple. I wouldn't say the taste blows me away, but I was expecting it to disappoint me and be terrible.

M - Very smooth and very bubbly in the mouth.. no other way to really describe it.

D - Dare I say that even though this beer is 9.5% ABV it's shockingly drinkable. Seems like this compared with the smoothness overall of the beer could cause problems. It could easily creep up on you if you don't have self control and sip it. After all, a beer this high should be sipped.


I really want to give this beer two thumbs up, I really do. But because it's not really my style and didn't blow me away and want me begging for more, one thumb up will do.

It's a pretty good beer. I'd imagine it's probably better than the average tripel.

But I do applaud the fact that I don't want to drain pour an almost 10% ABV beer.

Brooklyn "Brooklyner" Weisse

My first beer from Brooklyn Brewery. Brooklyn Brewery is a "good" brewery. They don't have any really amazing beers, but they have a lot of beers are are "good." So as far as Brooklyn goes, their beers are average to good. C's to B's in terms of letter grades.
Because of this I'm going into this beer (as I do most of my beers) with higher expectations especially because this is only my fouuth Hefeweizen, and I enjoyed the first three... with one being one of my top 5 beers.
Victory Sunrise Weiss
Flying Dog In-Heat Wheat
Sierra Nevada Kellerweis Hefeweizen

Let's go.


A - Orange/Amberish color. I'd compare it to the color of rust on a car. Let's hope it doesn't taste like rust, although, I've never tasted rust before... it just can't be good and we will leave it at that. The head was a nice quarter to half inch head, but I'm not sure because it dissipated so quickly and left no trail of lacing. The head went away so quickly it's like someone pulled a magic trick in front of my eyes.. I'm not even sure if one was there to begin with. (Okay you get my point)

S - Some people say this is the most citrusy beer they have ever smelled. Yeah, I don't get the same feeling. Sure theres some citrus in there, but it doesn't dominate the smell by no means. Lemon for sure, with some spice. Theres also so banana. I don't really feel anything special from the smell.

T - So far neither the appearance or scent really did anything for me. Hopefully the taste can be a lot better than I'm starting to feel like it's going to be. *Long pause* Little bit of hop bitterness I must say. Some orange and banana. Little spicy. Definitely didn't expect this at all. (Not that it's necessarily bad, it just caught me off guard.) I was expecting something a little bit more sweet. I feel like the finish of the beer is really missing something. I'm not sure what it is, but I really feel like I was just waiting for a taste of something else and I never got it. I guess you could say it falls a little flat. No aftertaste at all. I keep forgetting what it tastes like until I get another mouthful.

M - Carbonation is crisp. The beer feels really light. It's just odd how the taste drops off so quickly. I'm not a huge fan of that.

D - Very drinkable beer. Goes down very easy, and they leave you wanting more with the way you can't savor the taste. Could easily have a couple of these.

I'm not saying this is a bad beer, it's just far from a good beer in my opinion. The taste isn't bad really, it just leaves me wanting so much more.

I think this beer is probably right in line with most of the other beers from this brewery.

I'd give it one thumb up.

I wouldn't turn this beer down if someone offered it to me, but I don't think I'd rush out to buy it again. It may seem like I tore it apart in my review but when I imput all my values on BeerAdvocate it spit me out a letter grade of B-, which I can agree with. A little above average, but not by much.