TLDR Beer Club

[absoludicrous]

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Abs,

Tonight, I tried Smithwick's for the first time. Color me unimpressed. Better than Newcastle? Sure. Best ale I've tasted? Not even close. It's a decent ale. The malt is darker in flavor, but it doesn't linger very long, and there's not much depth. I'd be happy drinking this at a bar with a limited beer selection in lieu of something that ends in "lite," but I won't be buying it for myself. I award this beer [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img][img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]. If you like this beer, I'd look into Alaskan Amber, Ithaca Cascazilla, or Brooklyn Brown instead. These aren't the same types of beer (none of them are even all that similar to one another), but they each exemplify different aspects of what Smithwick's is trying to have.

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Wookie,

Upon further review, it's good, it's better than Newcastle, but it's not the best. I'm a huge fan of Alaskan Amber, and it's my favorite amber ale thus far. At $8.49 per six, I don't think Smithwick's would be a go to beer...it's not bad though.

I forgot to mention, I have a problem with giving a beer too much credit the first time I taste it... [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[MaxxDaddy]

I've got three reviews today: Southampton Double White Ale, Stone Smoked Porter, and Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout.

First the Double White. Poured a nice golden color with an aggressive white head. Smelled like your typical wheat beer, but with some spices thrown in the mix. As soon as I had my first taste it reminded me of another brew people following this thread are probably familiar with: La Fin du Monde. On the Double White label, it says it was brewed with coriander and curacao orange. The finish was somewhat spicy and malty. Before entering the world of beer, I wasn't really familiar with coriander, but now I know the taste well. Overall, I'd say this is maybe a tad below Allagash White in terms of my top wheat beers and worthy of [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 Stone Smoked Porter. This was my first try at a "smoked" beer. Poured a nice dark black with a thin tan head. There was definitely a slight smokiness to the aroma, along with coffee and chocolate hints. The taste was very similar. Though there was smokiness, it wasn't really a dominant flavor, which I think was a good thing. Finished somewhat bitter and smoky. This is something I'd definitely try again, and at $3.99 for a 22 oz. bottle, how can you afford to pass it up? [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]

Last, but not least, is the 2006-2007 version of Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout.





It poured a nice jet black, so much so that you can see my reflection in the glass. I may have poured it too cold and the aroma was faint. Smelled like chocolate, coffee, and alcohol. Tasted like chocolate at first, then coffee and a hint of nuttiness. Finished chocolatey and alcoholic. The mouth feel was very nice, oily and slick. This was my first impy, so it was quite an experience. As it warmed up, the aroma was more pronounced, but toward the alcohol side. Some people seem to be of the opinion that sitting on this for a bit is best. I agree with that camp. See you next year Brooklyn BCS. I put this between the Southampton and the Stone, I'll give it 3.75 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]

[MrWookie]

Hey, there's nothing wrong with being too enthusiastic. I was a little too enthusiastic with the DFH pumpkin, myself.

I also have another review. I'm planning on reviewing some more mainstream beers, and this one will somewhat fit into that trend. The beer I tried (again) last night was Leffe, a Belgian golden ale. I picked it up in an 18 pack w/ 6 each of it, Hoegaarden, and Stella for about $20. Leffe was my first Belgian golden ale, and I remember liking it a great deal. I thought it'd be a good buy at that price.

Leffe pours with a whole lot of head. Even with very careful pouring it was hard to control. Sniffing and taking a sip, the first word that came into my mind was "hollow." This beer is a hollow representation of other Belgian golden ales I've been drinking and reviewing here. It has some mild spice, and some mild golden ale malt, but it's not nearly as rich or flavorful as what I've come to expect of this variety of beer. That said, it might be a decent one to try if someone is curious about Belgian beer but doesn't want something too weird (or expensive) for fear of not liking it. And for just a hair over a buck a beer, I can't say I think I overpaid. I'm going to award this beer [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img][img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]. It's quite drinkable, and the price was decent, but you can do much better with the Rare Vos or especially the LFDM.

[RunDownHouse]

I'll do a better review later, but first impressions are: Mich Porter: sub par, Mich Marzen: maybe ok, but I don't know the style well enough, Mich Weizen: surprisingly good.

The liquor store just got in DFH India Brown Ale - I mean, just, I actually pulled a sixer out of a stack of cases - and I'm wondering what to expect. I'm not really a big fan of brown ales.

[Aces McGee]

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Mich Porter: sub par, Mich Marzen: maybe ok, but I don't know the style well enough, Mich Weizen: surprisingly good.


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I'm pretty sure they don't make it any more, but have any of you ever had Michelob Honey Lager? Not that I've drank a ton of these types of beers in my lifetime, but it was far superior to Honey Brown, and one of my favorite beers, period.

-McGee

[MrWookie]

I'd give the DFH India Brown a go. It's both brown and hoppy. I really enjoyed it.

[Aces McGee]

Hey, so I'm going to try my hand at this beer review thing.

I grew up in Vermont, where there are a few really excellent microbreweries. Magic Hat is probably the most well known, but my favorite has always been Otter Creek, which makes an excellent "Copper Ale" (my first "legal" beer) and a very refreshing, if somewhat simple, summer ale called "'Otter Summer." Their "Vermont Lager" is pretty good, too.

Living as I do in Bethesda, Maryland (a suburb of Washington, D.C.), I rarely get an opportunity to have Otter Creek. When I walked into my local "gourmet" deli and saw a six-pack of their Stovepipe Porter sitting in the case, I jumped at the opportunity, despite the price tag ($10.29).

This beer is a bit darker in color than most porters, more black than brown. It's not dissimilar to the color of Diet Coke (without ice and therefore not diluted by water). It had very little head.

It has a strong flavor and aroma of coffee that I found pleasant even though I am not a coffee drinker. There is a bit of nuttiness on the finish.

The taste reminds me of several stouts that I have drank -- perhaps a touch hoppier -- but it comes without the "full" feeling I often get from drinking Guinness and its ilk.

I don't know enough about brewing beer to say for sure, but I've always felt that the water they use is superior, because I find their beers to be very refreshing. This is no exception, despite being a heavier beer.

I dig this one. I don't have a rating system, but it's among the group of beers I've been most impressed with (which include, for reference, brews like Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout and Young's Double Chocolate Stout).

-McGee

[absoludicrous]

How do you guys like Chimay?

I've tried the Blue, will try the Red, and the White. I plan on doing an analysis for each.

[MrWookie]

I've got a 4.5 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] review of Chimay blue in this thread. I haven't tried red or white.

[kidcolin]

Just want to say thanks to Max for encouraging me to try the Stone Smoked Porter. My only experience with Porter is Deschutes, which everyone really likes, but I only like it OK, wouldn't be my first choice. I'm really enjoying this Stone Smoked Porter right now. Delicious. The honey dijon kettle chips are interfering a little bit, but not too bad.

I'm going to look for some other smoked porters and put some reviews up when I get a chance. BevMo had some Alaskan Smoked Porter on display.