Re: Review: Moinette Brune
 

D'oh, that's right. At least I remembered it was close to Chicago.

In any case Dreadnaught is a great beer.

Review: Lagunitas #10 Summer Ale
 

so usually im not too big a fan of what i think are light, belgian-ish ales (i do enjoy an occassional trippelbock though), but i haven't disliked any Lagunitas beer yet, so i decide to pick up a 22 oz. of this.

it's 6.6% abv i believe.

crisp malt flavor, pretty sweet, but well balanced with mild hop flavors. it's like a hoppier, sweeter belgian, but not... not really easy to classify as any one type of beer, but it was really a nice change of pace from IPAs, double IPAs, stouts and porters.

i give it a [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img][img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img][img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] and 3/4 out of 5, which is really good because i don't think i'll ever be able to give this style of beer a full 5.

http://beeradvocate.com/im/beers/5344.jpg

Re: Review: Lagunitas #10 Summer Ale
 

quick question, does anyone know if you can get dieu du ciel in the states? the spelling might be a bit wrong but that's the gist of the name, and it's brewed out of montreal.

Re: TLDR Beer Club
 

So today I drank Keystone Premium (red box) instead of Keystone Light (blue box) and I have to say it tasted phenomenal.

Re: TLDR Beer Club
 

snowden,

Check out Unibroue's site and see if its one of theirs.

Re: TLDR Beer Club
 

[ QUOTE ]
snowden,

Check out Unibroue's site and see if its one of theirs.

[/ QUOTE ]

seems like it would have to be... Don de Dieu?

Beer floats
 

http://www.chicagoreader.com/feature...urants/060721/


Inspired by this article, my friend treated a small gathering to our first beer floats.

The choices were Lindemans framboise or Lindemans peche. I opted for the framboise, mainly because I recently enjoyed a peche.

All were well pleased with their decadent summer treats. As stated by the author of the article, the framboise float was vibrant and refreshing.

Come wintertime, I'm certain we will give the Bell Expedition Stout float a try.

Re: TLDR Beer Club
 

Nope, dieu du ceil is a beer company in motreal and is not unibroue, it is also not don de dieu, although that is a pretty tasty beer, but not as good as the maudite, fin du monde, or trois pistoles. Unibroue makes some pretty awesome beer, although I would stay away from the ephemere cassis.

Re: TLDR Beer Club
 

I recently tried Leghumper Porter and I am floored. Excellent beer. It tasted like grape juice.

Re: TLDR Beer Club
 

I'm bumping this because I'm now your latest overlord. I believe my course of celebration will be obvious...

Re: TLDR Beer Club
 

http://www.deschutesbrewery.com/BrewPub/OnTap/26024.jpg

Deschutes Twilight Ale

Picked it up on a whim, and the 6 pack diasppeared pretty quickly. This is an APA. Pours a light straw color, as the description on the box indicates.

Nose consists of hops with a nice amount of citrus. Not much head, maybe about 1/4-1/2 inch. (EDIT: I've read other reviews where they indicated a bigger head. Maybe it's my glass since I broke my last pint).

Strong flavor of hops and malts, but not overwhelmingly so. It isn't trying to dominate you with the hops. Mixes well with the malts for a nice, subtle bitter flavor, but without the overkill of a strong IPA. Goes down pretty smooth. Nice hoppy bite at the end for a perfect kick.

For me, this is an ideal summer beer. Very refreshing. Perfect for enjoying a beer or four on a hot summer day. I give it [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img][img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img][img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img][img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] .

EDIT: And drinkability is through the roof. Doesn't beat up the palate, doesn't really weigh you down, and is only 5% ABV so you wont' get hammered too quickly.

Re: TLDR Beer Club
 

APA, so, something like Sierra Nevada's ubiquitous offering? How does it stack up?

Re: TLDR Beer Club
 

Ha.. I was going to post the comparison, but I like watching you be a stickler for it in this thread.

As we all know, Sierra Nevada's Pale Ale is the gold standard APA. I too find it quite enjoyable, but find it just a tad overrated. Comparatively, the Twilight and SN have similar textures, though I found the Twilight to be a little bit lighter.

Personally, I think the Twilight Ale has a bit more complexity to the taste, but not by much. The hop flavor is a little more subtle and its citrusy fruit blend adds just a little more flavor than SN's offering. This is what pushes it beyond the SN APA, IMO.

I haven't had a SN's APA in a while, but off of memory, I'd give it 3.5 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]'s.

Re: TLDR Beer Club
 

Heh, you caught me. I'm a sucker, and I like posting about beer more than politics [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]. Thanks though [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img].

Re: TLDR Beer Club
 

[ QUOTE ]
I believe my course of celebration will be obvious...

[/ QUOTE ]

http://beeradvocate.com/im/beers/1904.jpg

Awesome. When I was looking for Celebration Ale images I came across this.

Re: TLDR Beer Club
 

IMO, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale was the pioneer, but it is no longer the gold standard it originally was. I like every Sierra Nevada beer I've ever tasted, and some of them (especially the porter and Celebration) continue to stand up very well against their peers. But the APA category has evolved a bit over the past 25 years, and I don't think SNPA can hang with the best of the APAs anymore.

Don't get me wrong -- I still enjoy SNPA. Some friends of mine have a bar in their house with SNPA perenially on tap, and I'm always good for a pint or five there. I also like the fact that it's an "old reliable" that is often available at even the most beer-illiterate bars and restaurants.

But I do think SNPA has fallen into the second tier of APAs -- good, maybe even great, but not top shelf. I think Three Floyds Alpha King is the current standard bearer when it comes to APA.

Re: TLDR Beer Club
 

Whew! I just got back from spending way, way too much money at Beers of the World, and I must say, I'm going to have a whole lot to review in this thread. I plan to do a Tour de Ommegang, Tour de Unibroue, Tour de North Coast, and a Tour de Hefeweizen. I also found an oak aged Scotch ale that I'm really anxious to try, along with a couple other impulse buys. My only hope is that you folks out there can step up to the plate and try a few new things to go along with me over the next couple weeks. Who's with me?

Before I get to all those other things, though, I decided to pick up a bottle of Avery's Hog Heaven barley wine (at the recommendation of another lounger) to wrap up my Tour de Avery. For those of you who've been following my beer reviews, I've been staunchly underwhelmed with this brewery on the whole. Their Maharaja Imperial IPA was pretty solid, but I wasn't at all impressed with their quadrupel and their imperial stout, and their Grand Cru and their brown ale were mediocre. Now for their barley wine. I didn't have my hopes up, but considering that barley wines aren't all that different from imperial IPA's, I figured this would be something they'd be most likely to get right. I decided to have it with dinner tonight, some moderately spicy Thai food left over from last night. This beer ran me $6.39 for a 22 oz, so it wasn't all that expensive for this sort of beer. Here's a picture of the bottle:

http://img222.imageshack.us/img222/2...aven001jz1.jpg

Pouring it into a glass, it smelled great. I could smell the hops and maltiness quite strongly. Its head wasn't quite as large as some, but it was not overly flat. I poured it pretty aggressively to get the head I got. It smelled enough of fruitiness (citrus, mostly) that just before I finished it, I noticed a fruit fly had drowned itself. Oh well. I picked the little bugger out and was not going to let perfectly good beer go to waste. Here's a picture. As you can see, I also got a new goblet today [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/4...aven002ar9.jpg

Taking my first few tastes, though, it didn't taste as strong as I expected based on the smell. Is this evidence that a good goblet helps your olfactory? Maybe. Anyway, I could taste the hops and the familiar barley behind them, but neither was as potent as some. To it's credit, though, it wasn't a mega-bitter hop bomb like Sierra Nevada's barley wine. It was pretty easy to drink. However, it lacked some of the flavor of the Great Divide barley wine I reviewed not too long ago. This beer is a barley wine, and barley wines are good. However, it's not as good as some others, and I'd much rather drink Great Divide's offering. I give it [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]. I don't think this stacks up quite as well to it's peers as the Maharaja, but it's not nearly the disappointment that Avery's imperial stout or quadrupel were. It's not too bad for the price, but if I'm paying for premium beer, I'll generally spend a buck or two more for something I like better. All in all, I don't think Avery, as a brewery, really cuts the mustard. They've managed some decent offerings, but I've had better versions of just about everything they make. I don't plan on buying any more of their beer.

Re: TLDR Beer Club
 

So over the past week I've had a bunch of different belgian beers, so I thought I'd give some ratings on what are some decently common and decently respected belgian beers.

First was St Bernardus 12/abt
Pours dark red, almost purple with a medium off white head. Aroma is a bit yeasty, dark fruits, vanilla, some bread. Flavor is caramely, dark fruits, alcohol. Nice warmth to it. Very smooth, a bit velvty on the palate. Not as good as I was expecting, but still quite nice. Flavor and aroma could be bigger.

Overall 4.5/5



http://www.worldsbeer.com/newbottles...dus_abt_12.jpg

Next up were the Westmalle Abbey Dubbel/ Tripel

I thought the double was overall a solid amount better than the tripel, and that the tripel was a bit boring for me. I'm usually not a big fan of the breadiness associated with tripels, so if you're into tripels you may really like it. My notes on the beers were as follows

Dubbel
Pours dark brown with a slightly tan head. Aroma is chocalate, some caramel, dark fruits, brown sugar, yeast. Flavor is dark fruits, toffee, yeast, sourness. Finish if bitter and sour, decently short. Mouthfeel is a bit thin.

Overall 3.5/5
http://www.trappistwestmalle.be/images/dubbel.jpg

Tripel

Pours golden-orange with a medium white head that last the whole beer. Aroma is yeast, bit of sourness, bread, apples. Flavor is sourness with pears, apples, breadiness. The sourness doesn’t really combine well with the other flavors, especially the breadiness.

Overall 3/5

http://www.trappistwestmalle.be/images/tripel.jpg

Next up was a brew from ommegang, the rare vos. I thought it was really interesting, in many ways a cross between american and belgian styles. It had the yeastiness of most belgians and the candy sugar taste, but a nice hoppy back to it. My tasting notes were:

Amber color with a medium head. Aroma is belgian yeast, citric hops, fruit. Flavor is a bit of caramel malt with strong belgian yeast notes, bit of clove. Finish is dominated by citric hops. Very bitter for a belgian ale. Mouthfeel and finish are very nice.

Overall 4/5

https://secure5.worldaxxs.net/ssl.om...s_glass_th.jpg

Finally was the grandaddy of them all, Westvleteren 12. This is the one that has been ranked number one beer in the world the last few years by ratebeer and beeradvocate. Although the beer is ridiculously hyped due to the difficulty in finding it, I can say that it is jsut as good as people say it is.

Pours dark brown, almost black with a medium tan head that dissapated a bit quickly, but left a nice small head throughout the glass. Aroma is dark fruits, yeast, honey,raisins bit of floral notes. Flavor is strongly dark fruit, bit of coffee, raisins and honey, with some alcohol notes and and yeast and citrus in the finish. FInish is nice and long, mouthfeel is thick and very nice, almost velvety. Alcohol adds a nice warmth to the beer

Overall 5/5

http://www.mondobirra.org/download/westvleteren.jpg

Alesmith Yulesmith
 

i had tried the alesmith extra pale ale and was not very impressed. it was really too bland.

But, I have heard nothing but good things about the Alesmith brewery. So, I picked up a 22oz of Alesmith's Yulesmith, which is a "holiday ale" which they brew twice a year. The summer version is actually a double IPA and the winter version is an imperial red ale. I picked up the summer version - the double IPA.

I opened the bottle and put my nose to the top and smelled. Wow... hops. Potent, delicious smelling hops. I poured it into a pint glass somewhat gently and was rewarded with a nice 1/2", very dense/frothy head. I took another whiff of the beer, and the hop profile was intense. You can tell this has a kick. FWIW it's, I believe, 9% ABV.

So, I take the first sip. Mouthfeel is a little thicker than other IPAs/double IPAs I've had, it really coats your mouth and tongue. The flavor is, as expected, very hoppy at first. I'm no pro at determining which hops are which, but all I can say is that these ones are damn good. The flavor goes from intensely hoppy to strong hops, slight alcohol, and finally to a solid malt base and aftertaste. Very nice, very balanced. Not at all overpowering, just really really good.

This is the best IPA I've ever had. If you try this and don't like it, I don't know what to tell you. It was a bit pricey at $5.99 for the 22oz, but IMO it is well worth the price and I will not only buy this version again, I will be looking forward to its incarnation as the imperial red.

[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img][img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img][img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img][img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img].75

Re: Alesmith Yulesmith
 

I went hunting for Alesmith beers at BotW yesterday. Alas, they don't carry them [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

Re: Alesmith Yulesmith
 

I just finished the first 12oz of this beer. I'm going to drink the rest of it right now. It's so good, that sucks they don't carry it. It's a San Diego brewery - I'm probably going to make a weekend trip out of it sometime.

Re: Alesmith Yulesmith
 

I'm going to review one of my impulse buys from yesterday, the Allagash Musette, from Maine. This is advertised as a Scotch ale aged in oak. I've really enjoyed the Scotch ales I've tried. They're typically unhopped darker beers without much head and are slightly sweet. This beer weighs in at a hefty 10% ABV. Here's a picture of the bottle:

http://img101.imageshack.us/img101/4...gash001yi7.jpg

I paid a whopping $13 for a 750 mL. That's a pretty high standard for beer to live up to.

Here's a picture of it poured into my goblet.

http://img479.imageshack.us/img479/4...gash002ly9.jpg

It wasn't quite as dark as I was expecting. It didn't smell as strongly as some of the other beers I've been trying lately, but with the IPA's and barley wines, their smells are much stronger than most beer with the hops. Taking a sip, it's quite sweet and bubbly. The oak doesn't come through all that strongly. There are hints of apple and plum behind the malt. It has a long finish, no doubt aided by the sugar. It's somewhat reminiscent of the Ommegang 3 Philosophers, but a little less fruit and a little more beer. I'm going to give this beer [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]. It's very good, but I think it's too expensive for what you get. So far, my impression with oaked beer is that it's overrated. The aging just doesn't seem to do as much for beer as it does for wine, whiskey, or port, presumably because it's not aged for nearly as long. I'd probably pick up the 3 Philosophers instead of this if I'm looking for something sweet, a little friuty, strong, and blubbly, but still beer.

Re: Alesmith Yulesmith
 

Wookie,

That's not a... poker-themed... goblet, is it?

Re: Alesmith Yulesmith
 

Heh, I guess it does kinda look like a playing card from the back. No, it's not. The white thing you see is actually a white shield with a red fleur de lis in the middle and two stars on the sides above it. The writing says Tripel Karmeliet.

Re: Alesmith Yulesmith
 

[ QUOTE ]
I just finished the first 12oz of this beer. I'm going to drink the rest of it right now. It's so good, that sucks they don't carry it. It's a San Diego brewery - I'm probably going to make a weekend trip out of it sometime.

[/ QUOTE ]

Alesmith is one of the breweries that'll be at Stone's 10th Anniversary Celebration on September 9th. I'll be there for session "A", I'd recommend it over the afternoon one as some beers do run out.

Re: Alesmith Yulesmith
 

Belgian White Round Up!!!

I love this style of beer, it's great for summer drinking, and I just bought a whole bunch of them. I'm going to kick things off with Ommegang's Witte. I have come to expect good things from this brewery based on their Rare Vos, abbey ale, and 3 philosophers. I paid $9.89 for a 6 pack of 12 ouncers. It weighs in at a lighter 5.1% ABV. Here's a picture of the bottle.

http://img122.imageshack.us/img122/6...ites002ad4.jpg

And poured into my glass:

http://img386.imageshack.us/img386/7...ites001dr9.jpg

Taking a sniff, I smell some of the wheat and citrus, but not any of the cloves I've come to associate with this style of beer. On my first sip, this beer is quite a bit "sharper" than other Belgian whites I've had, like, say, Hogaarden or Sterken's. It does indeed lack the cloves. I think the sharpness is coming from some of the citrus flavors. It's kinda lemony, with a little bit of orange. I do taste the advertised coriander in the finish. All in all, I don't think I like this as much as Hogaarden, but it's a little better than the Sterken's. I don't so much dig the sharpness, and it doesn't have as much behind it. I give it [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img].

Next up is the Unibroue Blanche de Chambly. I picked up beers from this brewery on the recommendation of 2+2. I consumed a bottle of the La Fin du Monde and the Trois Pistoles late one night when I was already drunk, and while I remember them being great, I wasn't sober enough to write up a review. I paid $9.69 for a 4 pack, so it was markedly more expensive than the Witte. It packs 5% ABV. Here are the familiar picks of bottle and glass.

http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/6...ites004ak2.jpg

http://img122.imageshack.us/img122/4...ites003od3.jpg

This beer doesn't seem to have as much head as the Witte, and in fact, as I've gotten half way through, the head has almost completely dissipated. Smelling it, though, it smells much stronger than the Witte. I clearly smell orange and cloves, probably the two most defining flavors of this style of beer. Taking a sip, it has some of the same sharpness of the Witte, but just a hair less. The flavor, though, is much better. It has much more in the finish, notably orange, clove, and coriander. This is my favorite Belgian white so far. I give it [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]. I just wish it wasn't so pricey.

My last beer of this round up, as I'm reading the bottle now, actually isn't a Belgian white. It's a golden ale. Crap. I picked up North Coast's Pranqster thinking I'd use it for this round up. Oh well. I'll still write up a review. After noticing I got the wrong kind of beer, the next thing I saw on the bottle is that this beer is a hefty 7.6% ABV. For a non-imperial beer, that's pretty huge. I paid $7.95 for a 4 pack. Here are more pictures:

http://img122.imageshack.us/img122/3...ites005fl6.jpg

http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/3...ites006io2.jpg

This beer has even less head than the Unibroue, and it smells like a completely different beer. It smells like honey, with a little orange and apricot. It tastes like honey, too. This beer is quite sweet, moreso than I'd expect from a non-imperial beer. I also taste some orange and apricot, and there's a hint of some herbs in the finish that I can't quite make out. It's not quite as deep as the Unibroue, though. I do miss the feel of the head and the carbination, but it is pretty thick in my mouth, no doubt from sugar. There are some little brown bits floating around in this beer. I'm not sure what they are. I'm going to give this beer [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] and a half [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]. It's a good beer, but not quite as deep as some. It's honey and apricot flavors are distinct from most other golden ales; the combination of flavors is pretty unique. I think this is a fantastic beer for non-beer drinkers. It's sweetness and fruitiness are welcoming, and it doesn't have any bitterness. It's a little milder than the 3 Philosophers, and it's cheaper.

Re: Alesmith Yulesmith
 

Wookie,

Thanks for the Allagash review. There's a brewfest coming up in mid-September in Sac, and I was excited to see a brewer from the east-coast/my birthplace attending, even though I knew little of them.

Hopefully I'll be attending and a trip report will follow.

Re: Alesmith Yulesmith
 

I had actually posted this in OOT previously, but you guys seem to be constantly updating so I'll be checking this out more often. Here's a post I made there a while back.

Recently I've bought a couple of offerings from Victory (Prima Pils and Old Horizontal) and Rogue Chocolate Stout. The Prima Pils is a pilsener as you might expect, and it's a pretty good beer with plenty of hops and bitterness, but not to the point of being ridiculous. I'm not terribly familiar with the pilsener style and I'm more of a stout fan myself.

The Rogue Chocolate Stout was as good as it sounded. Came out essentially black with a nice caramel-colored head. It tasted like chocolate in my mouth, but on the way down it tasted more like bitter dark chocolate, just a great finish. I'd definitely have this again. Apparently they brew the beer with chocolate in there, I'm not sure if this is standard for all chocolate stouts (anyone know?).

Lastly, the Victory Old Horizontal is Victory's barleywine offering. At first I had no idea what the hell a barleywine was. Old Horizontal is 10.5% ABV and this particular batch was bottled in December 2004. It came out amber-red and smelled like plums caramel out of the bottle. Despite the high alcohol content, it sure doesn't taste that way. I found myself liking this beer more and more with every sip. By the end I was sad to see it all gone and I knew that having another one wouldn't be such a spectacular idea. Plus, I plan on cellaring some of these for a bit.

In summary, I think I'd give the Prima Pils a 3.7/5, Chocolate Stout 4.2/5, and the Old Horizontal a 4.4/5.

Re: Alesmith Yulesmith
 

I've tried the Prima Pils. As pilsners go, it's better than most, but pilster is, IMHO, just not a very good variety of beer. It's sorely lacking in flavor compared to Germain hefe's, Belgain whites, and darker beers. I'll have to try the Old Horizontal.

Re: Alesmith Yulesmith
 

[ QUOTE ]
The Rogue Chocolate Stout was as good as it sounded. Came out essentially black with a nice caramel-colored head. It tasted like chocolate in my mouth, but on the way down it tasted more like bitter dark chocolate, just a great finish. I'd definitely have this again. Apparently they brew the beer with chocolate in there, I'm not sure if this is standard for all chocolate stouts (anyone know?).


[/ QUOTE ]

The Rogue chocolate stout is sweeter and more chocolate-flavored than most. "Chocolate stout" originally referred to a stout brewed with chocolate malt - there was no chocolate involved. Rogue isn't the only brewery adding actual chocolate now, but you shouldn't necessarily expect others to taste similar to it. (They will still be sweeter than Murphy's/Guinness/etc.)

I've always liked Young's Double Chocolate Stout, which is generally not to hard to find in the 14.9oz (+widget ) cans. It's also sold in bottles but the cans are a better option.
http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/9...ocolatejc3.jpg

Black Mountain Brewery: \"Cave Creek Chili Beer\"
 

OMG what a great thread that I only just discovered. I'll follow this thread closely and contribute with some reviews myself. Currently I'm at 1,440 different beers for the three years, I've been a beer geek.

I havn't even read the hole thread yet, but for now I'll just review the worst beer I've ever had (only two weeks ago). My nine year old son wanted to take pictures of me drinking that "funny" beer. The pics turned out so great that no words is really needed to describe the beer.

All I have to say is that my lips still burned ten minutes later...

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...e/P7150076.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...e/P7150078.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...e/P7150079.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...e/P7150080.jpg

Re: Black Mountain Brewery: \"Cave Creek Chili Beer\"
 

Skjoone,

Best post in the thread, easily. You should have Stuey turn this sequence into an avatar.

As for me, I'm going through my supply of Ommegang, and it's come time to review their Hennepin ale. This is billed as being crisp and hoppy, so I'm curious what I'm getting myself into. Most of the Ommegang beers have been an adventure. I paid $7.99 for a four pack, so it's a fairly expensive beer. It is a fairly substantial 7.7% ABV. Here are the familiar pictures:

http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/900...epin001ye9.jpg

http://img54.imageshack.us/img54/653...epin002up8.jpg

It pours with more head than the Witte, and the head sticks around longer. Taking a sniff, it smells a lot like a really good pilsner, with a little Belgian extra behind it. And taking a sip, that's exactly how I'd describe it. This beer tastes exactly like I'd want a pilsner too. A little hoppy, fairly light, more grain flavor, but there's a very subtle kick behind it that's distinctly Belgian. It has just a hint of the character of the Witte in the finish. This is exactly the beer I'd give to a friend who only drank Bud and refused to drink dark beer, but who I wanted to get into drinking good beer. I did have to double check and see that this was 7.7% beer, because it doesn't taste that heavy at all. I think of this beer like a good Chardonnay. It's light, and there's some good subtlety to dig for in the flavor, but at the end of the day, there are other styles I like more. I give it [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]. I thought about only giving it 2.5 since this ins't really my favorite style of beer, but it does what it was made to do well. Bearing in mind how strong this beer is, a frat guy looking to get drunk could pick up a case of Bud, or he could pick up 3 four packs of the Hennepin, and the Hennepin would cost only slightly more and get him just about as drunk while tasting much better.

Re: Black Mountain Brewery: \"Cave Creek Chili Beer\"
 

In a flash of brilliant insight, I realized what Hennepin's relative/competition was: Stella Artois. That's what style of beer this is, and the Hennepin is definitely better: more grain flavor, a little more hop flavor, more alcohol, and a little bit of that extra lurking in the background. Stella lovers should definitely look into picking this up instead.

Re: Black Mountain Brewery: \"Cave Creek Chili Beer\"
 

OK, I've got one more. I really shouldn't shop at Beers of the World because it encourages me to buy and drink too much. Today's beer is the Hercules Double IPA from Great Divide. I've enjoyed every beer I've had from this brewery, and for a brewery putting out excellent examples of premium beer varieties, they're not as expensive compared to some. I paid $7.45 for a 22 oz of this. It packs 9.1% ABV, and here are the usual pictures:

http://img226.imageshack.us/img226/9...ules001pq6.jpg

http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/6...ules002hq8.jpg

Taking a whiff of this beer, it smells very strongly of hops, as expected. The hop character seems to be very much citrus, and it smells a little sweet. On my first sip though, it seems quite different. This beer is very dry and quite bitter. Even the citrus has a hard time fighting through the bitterness. I remember people complaining about the Dogfish Head 90 that it was too sweet. Well, this might be more up your alley, but I still don't think the hop flavor is as deep or complex. The grain flavor of the beer base doesn't come through as well, either. I give this beer [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]. I much preferred the Old Ruffian barley wine from this brewery, which was a little less bitter, and the citrus and flowery flavors of the hops and the malted barley flavors came through better. It was a little sweeter, too.

Re: Black Mountain Brewery: \"Cave Creek Chili Beer\"
 

just because i remember only seeing good things about this brewery, i looked up this beer on beeradvocate.

4.23/5 after 357 reviews. one of the highest rated double IPAs.

bad bottle or what?

Re: Black Mountain Brewery: \"Cave Creek Chili Beer\"
 

It didn't taste skunked or anything. I think it's just that it's not my style. I wouldn't be too surprised to hear someone give it 4/5, but I've liked both the Maharaja double IPA and the DFH 90 better. I think they use different kinds of hops, and the ones in this one I just don't like as much. Go out and try a bottle, because I'm curious if I'm way off base on this one.

Re: Black Mountain Brewery: \"Cave Creek Chili Beer\"
 

[ QUOTE ]
It didn't taste skunked or anything. I think it's just that it's not my style. I wouldn't be too surprised to hear someone give it 4/5, but I've liked both the Maharaja double IPA and the DFH 90 better. I think they use different kinds of hops, and the ones in this one I just don't like as much. Go out and try a bottle, because I'm curious if I'm way off base on this one.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm so with you on this one. I've tried the Hercules several times because the ratings I saw on-line did not coincide with what I thought.

Unlike the Old Ruffian and The Maharaja, the Hercules in my opinion doesn't have anything to balance out the hops. I find the Hercules a rather doll and one-sided beer and I really, really can't figure out what all the fuss is about. Maybe they rate the brewery rather than the beer?

On a side note and just to illustrate that the Hercules really lacks all the other things than hops, it's worth noticing than the Hercules "only" has an IBU of 85. Compare that to the 90 IBU for the Old Ruffian and the 114 IBU for the Maharaja!

Re: Black Mountain Brewery: \"Cave Creek Chili Beer\"
 

That is weird... I really loved that beer when I tried it. Definately more then their barleywine and I think I rated it higher then the DFH90 [img]/images/graemlins/blush.gif[/img]

Re: Black Mountain Brewery: \"Cave Creek Chili Beer\"
 

Skjoone,

I'm glad to know I've got someone who's with me on the Hercules. Your perception of it seems to exactly mirror mine.

All,

I've got a whole lot of reviews tonight. Fortunately for y'all, I typed these up when I was more sober. That said, tis':

Hefeweizen Night! Or, Wookie listens to RDH Night!

The only hefeweizen's I've had prior to just recently have been American ones. Most of them have been pretty insipid, without much in the way of malt, hops, or extras to give them the bold flavors I love in beer. RunDownHouse, however, has been pretty adament about his love for the variety, but only the original German versions. A few weeks ago at Beers of the World I saw they had a special on the Juilus Echter Bavarian hefeweizen, which I'll review first here, so I picked up a bottle to see what I thought. I was impressed, so I resolved to pick up a few more to see what else I could find in the style. For this review, I got another bottle of the Julius Echter, a Paulaner, a Weihenstephaner, and for an American version for comparison, Brooklyn's offering. Brooklyn beer I've found to be generally really solid, especially for the price. They're a little more than Sam Adams, but it's for the most part exactly what I'm looking for in an "everyday beer," that's just simple and good rather than something exotic (and expensive). First up, I'll review the Julius Echter, since that's the one I'm most familiar with, and it'll be the bar by which the others are judged.

This beer I picked up for just $1.96 for a 16 oz bottle. Considering I paid $1.85 for a single 12 oz of Brooklyn's Weiss (about $8 for a sixer, and BotW is on the expensive side), this is very cheap. Unfortunately, the bottle doesn't give me the ABV, but I'd expect it to be in the ballpark of 5%. Here are the usual pictures.

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I probably poured this a little aggressively, but it has a nice rich head. Taking a sniff, this beer obviously has more to it than almost all the other hefeweizens I've tried (Pyramid, some small brew pubs, others I forget). I smell a little apple and hint of coriander and clove. Taking a sip, I taste the wheat, a little bit of hoppiness. There's a little bit of banana, and the apple and spice come through in the finish. This isn't as bold as a Belgian white or golden ale, but considering that all this flavor comes just from the special yeast strains and not additives, I'm very impressed. This is a very solid beer, and it's an excellent buy for the price. I may very well pick up a case next time I'm shopping. I award this beer [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] and a half [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img].

Next up is the Paulaner. This is one RDH mentioned as a fairly ubiquitous offering and a good example for people to try. I paid $2.69, so it was a little more than even the regular price of the Echter. This one weighs in at 5.5% ABV.

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This doesn't have nearly as much head as the Echter, and it's a little darker in color. I'd say it doesn't smell quite as strong. I smell the apple, and a little banana, but not quite as much spice. Hmmm. Taking a sip, this has quite a different character. The banana comes through much more strongly, and the apple is just lingering in the background. The hop character is similar: just a hint. There isn't the same hint of spice, it's almost all banana in the finish. I think this beer is a little sweeter as well, giving it a slightly thicker feel. It finishes longer, but I don't think it's quite as complex. I'm going to award this beer [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], but it's partially personal preference, and partially cost. I could easily see someone liking the Paulaner better, but I'm going to give the nod to the Echter.

I'm going to review the Brooklyn Weisse Beer next. This beer claims to be brewed in the Bavarian style, but we'll see. I'm skeptical of American hefeweizens, but on the other hand, I'm hopeful for this brewery. This beer doesn't specify it's ABV.

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This beer has almost no head, which is somewhat disappointing. It's smell, though, gives me hope. It smells much more complex than most hefeweizens I've tried, but a little different from the German ones. I don't really smell the banana, but I smell a little apple and pear, and maybe, like, fig. There's a little spice in the smell, too. Taking a sip, I'm impressed. This has good wheat flavor with a hint of hops like the Bavarian ones I've tried. I taste a little apple, and I catch just a flash of cinnamon (of all things) sorta just as I swallow. There's clove hiding there, too. It doesn't finish quite as long as the Paulaner, but similar to the Echter. It has coriander in the finish like the Echter, too. I think this beer is a little drier than the other two. I find myself liking this beer more as I go through it. My first impression was 2.5, and then 3, and then 3.5, but I think I'm going to give this beer [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]. This beer isn't quite as bold as the other two, but someone who really enjoys mining for new flavors may really enjoy it the most. I could see someone liking any of these three the best; it just depends on what you're going for. The Paulaner is the boldest, but it's not as complex. The Brooklyn is a little more subtle, but the most complex. The Echter is just an extremely well balanced beer.

Last up is the Weihenstephaner, which RDH recommended as his favorite that is pretty widely available. I paid $3.19 for a 16 oz bottle, making it the most expensive of the hefeweizens I bought. This beer is 5.4% ABV.

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And we finish off with a nice heady beer. It has a great smell that I could detect even before sticking my nose in my goblet. Apple, pear, banana, clove, coriander, and just a hint of cinnamon. Smells great [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]. Oh, wow. I think we have a winner. This beer has a richer grain taste than the others, and a more complex finish. The friut doesn't come through quite as strongly as the Paulaner, but my tongue keeps digging for more like it did with the Brooklyn. It's hard to belive that this beer was only made with wheat, barley, yeast, hops, and water. This beer is pretty easily a [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] beer, a rating I never would have thought I would have given to a hefeweizen. Thanks, RDH, for turning me back on to this variety of beer.

Re: Black Mountain Brewery: \"Cave Creek Chili Beer\"
 

a beer i tried out on my recent fishing trip:

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I saw this in a wine and beer store and just had to try it. A 6-pack ran $7.99. It's a red ale, which is essentially what it tastes like. The lobster flavor is very slight, but it's there. Lobster Ale is a mid-level beer, to be sure, so it's nothing special, but you could do a lot worse. The deeper into the 6-pack you get, the better it is (and not just b/c you're drunker) as you get used to the taste of it.

I'm no beer expert, so my advice isn't all that trustworthy, but it's a beer that's worth trying.