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.