Stoudts Pils

I've only had a few German Pilseners before and it was actually a beer straight from Germany, the other was Victory Prima Pils.   They were both great so I do have some high expectations from Stoudts Pils.  Stoudts describes it as delicately dry with a firm bitterness.   They believe that the crispbness of Saaz hops and a dry malt finish make it an excellent aperitif (whatever the hell that means.)
It's been voted #2 in blind tasting in The New York Times.  Also it was selected #3 by Men's Journal for Best Beers in America and has won 5 awards at the GABF (Great American Beer Festival.)   So the beer definitely has a good track record.   It has a session-like ABV which is 4.7% and an IBU of 40.

A:   Nice gold color with a billowing two finger head.   Tons of sticky lacing that clung to the beer all the way down the glass. 

S:  I feel it has a pretty unappealing scent.    A strong bitter scent mixed with pungent skunky grain.   Kind of a turn off for me personally.

T:  Very nice taste mixture of bitterness and malted grain.   The grain taste is semi sweet but doesn't last very long as a bitterness takes over and sticks around for a long aftertaste.

M:  Light bodied and medium carbonation.   It's crisp and refreshing.

O:  It's a pretty drinkable pilsener and the taste isn't bad.    Could drink quite a bit of it, but I'd rather drink Prima Pils.

Lagunitas Lucky 13

I'm going to do this my way. I'm not going to adhere to the rules and regulations of proper beer reviewing etiquette. I know that Mike has done it that way, but not I. I refuse. Mostly because I'm lazy. But also because I'm a rebel.

That being said, this review will come off as more of a story. Because drinking beer shouldn't be so clinical. It's an experience. Not something to be analyzed to the Nth degree...

I picked up Lagunitas Lucky 13 "Alt" from Shoppers Vineyard in Clifton, New Jersey. I had heard of this beer before, but not the "Alt" version. I was intrigued, and since the price was right at $4.59, I added it to my cart.

Lucky 13 is a red ale, so I made sure it was fairly cold prior to the initial pour. Like all craft beers, I didn't want to over-chill it and mask the taste. But I didn't know what to expect from this beer, so I erred on the side of caution. Can't hurt.

The pour was nice. Into a snifter I had just purchased, the red, amber beer emptied nicely, forming a thin head that barely lasted. Lacing? There was none.

I let it sit for a bit and smelled it for a few moments. Very fruity. I'd be lying if I knew exactly what I smelled. But "fruit" is the first thing that came to my mind. Apple maybe? Pear? Whatever it was, it was sweet.

And then there was the taste. Maltier than I expected. But smooth beyond belief. And absurdly easy drinking. For an 8.9% ABV I expected an ever-present alcohol burn, but there was none. Sure, I could taste the alcohol, but it didn't leave any lasting effects.

For $4.59 a bomber, that was arguably the best bang for my buck I've ever received. Just a solid beer top to bottom. Did it blow me away? No. Would I drink it again? Absolutely. And again? Oh sure.

Rating: 8.7 (out of ten)

A challenger appears!

Just call me a mercenary.

That's right. It's me, Sean B. Fitzgerald. *crickets*

Anyway, Mike and I decided to combine our blogging talents (or lack thereof) and do one duel-blog. We realized we both have an affinity for all things beer and we thought it just grand to review all types of beer on a regular basis. It takes a substantial burden off us personally when we don't have to constantly update this thing. We can't ALWAYS get lit up for YOU. You're so needy.

Oh yes, I forgot to introduce myself formally. My name is Sean Fitzgerald and I am an alcoh...I'm 23 years old and live in New York (on the border of New Jersey). I currently write for my own blog (Sean B. Fitzgerald) where I just spew nonsense about nothing. Mostly sports, pop culture, and my daily life. It's all very boring. I don't recommend it.

Early in my drinking life, I never really cared for craft beers. It was all Coors Light, Miller Light, Keystone Light, or Bud Light. Maybe once in a while I would squeeze in a Blue Moon or Sam Adams and I would think myself quite the beer "sommelier".

"Ever have a 'Blue Moon'?", I would say. "Uh, it's fantastic. Very fruity. You put an orange on the rim of the glass and it really gives it a kick."

I was an idiot. But I've come a long way since then. And I'm not adverse to trying anything. But I do have my favorites. Regardless of the time of the year, nothing can beat a hearty, malty Imperial Stout. And although many of you (I'm assuming) are not hop-heads, I am. The hop-ier, the better.

That all being said, I look forward to reviewing some beers for this fine blog. And I'm also in the works of producing a beer review vidcast that will premiere on YouTube. The specifics are still a little sketchy, but I will keep you posted. Cheers!

Great Lakes Burning River (Pale Ale)

I've been on kind of a Pale Ale kick lately. I'm not sure exactly why, but I've been extremely partial to them and enjoying nearly every single one. Great Lakes offers a great selection of brews and from what I had heard, their offering of a Pale Ale is no slouch. Great Lakes describes Burning River as an assertively hopped American Pale Ale with citrusy and piney Cascade hops. Subtle malt flavors balance the hop profile and provide a satisfying dry finish. The ABV is 6% and the IBU is 45.

A: Beer pours a deep copper/amber color with a one finger head with very good retention. Very sticky lacing is present on the glass.

S: Floral and citrus pretty much dominate the scent. The lemon/grapefruit scent is pretty dominant. Past the floral and citrus notes there is a little bit of malt sweetness to be discovered.

T: Sweet malts up front, which quickly give away to a bitterness of grapefruit and zesty lemon. The bitterness is very mild although lingers for a little while after each sip.

M: Medium bodied with medium carbonation. It's not as dry of a finish as I was expecting, but I won't complain about it.

O: It's a very good offering from what is considered a very good brewery. Is it the best pale ale that I have ever had? Of course not.. but it's not bad by any stretch. It's a very well balanced beer that I wouldn't reject if it were offered to me.

Grade: Two Thumbs Up and no doubt about it. No reason why you shouldn't try this beer!

Ommegang BPA

I've had two other beers from Ommegang;   Hennepin and Witte.   Both of these beers were absolutely delicious, so when I saw this beer on tap, naturally I couldn't resist.   If I have good beer after good beer from a brewery, I will stay pretty loyal to the brewery and go down their lineup.
Ommegang BPA is Ommegang's version of  a true Belgian style Pale Ale.  BPA comes brewed with 5 malts and 3 hops (Columbus, Celeia, and Cascade.)  The ABV for BPA isn't overly high, although it is above normal..   It weighs in at 6.2% so it's not ideal for a session brew, but the ABV isn't too high where you can't have a few of them.

A: Slightly hazy golden-orange color with a two finger head.   The head fades slowly down to about one finger and doesn't really recede past that.   Fairly sizable lacing is left on the glass while drinking.

S:  Spice and clove notes dominate the smell.   There are also tropical fruits and bubblegum scents present as well.  It's a very nice smelling beer.   They usually don't smell this good in my opinion.   After smelling it, I could not wait to taste it.

T:  The forefront of the taste is dominated by an initial spicy citrus flavor.   Also present is  bit of herbal hoppy bite in the middle and an earthy bitterness on the end.

M: This is a medium bodied beer with fairly lively carbonation.   I'd probably rate it as a medium to high carbonation.   A very crisp beer.  It's very drinkable.   I only had one of these but I could have definitely had a few more of them easily.  Great tasting beer and easy to drink it. 

O:  This beer impressed the hell out of me.   I wasn't really even looking to have a Pale Ale when I had it,  but Ommegang is a fantastic brewery from my experiences so I couldn't resist.   I would highly recommend this beer to anyone regardless of the style of beer they favor.   I'd give this beer a very confident two thumbs up.