TLDR Beer Club

[MaxxDaddy]

Way to add to my envy sharkk [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

I've actually had another beer since my last big rating post, but I didn't really feel like I could give it an accurate rating. The beer was Hair of the Dog Fred. It poured a dark golden color and smelled somewhat like berries and dark fruits. However, when I tasted it, I felt overwhelmed by hops. I couldn't detect any of the subtleties in it, which was disappointing. I'm glad though that I have another bottle waiting for whenever I think would be a good time to give it another try. Maybe my taste buds were off that day.

This weekend I think I'm going to try Hair of the Dog Adam. Hopefully I'll have a better experience.

[cardsharkk04]

Well its not like we have it that good in the midwest. We have FFF, Great Lakes, New Glarus, Goose Island, but not much from either the East or West coast.

[RunDownHouse]

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It was very smooth going down and easily the best wheat beer I've ever tasted.

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If you've heard me talk about wheat beers, you'll know the Weihenstephaner is my absolute favorite that's available in the US, and I despise most every American wheat beer. However, I was in St. Louis over Thanksgiving, visiting my folks who live on Lafayette Square. Also on Lafayette Square is a little brew pub called Square One (I think). Their beers were pretty good - the Hop Harvest IPA was nice and aggressive - but what impressed me most was their weizen. Very German in characteristic, with none of this American pussy-footing around. If you're in downtown StL, definitely stop by this brewpub. Food was good, as well.

[Spy Dog]

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I bought a sixer of Weihenstephaner hefe weissbier for $10 over at New Beer in NYC a few days ago. Originally they were for a friend of mine who loves wheat beers, but he left a few at my house, so I thought I'd take advantage. It poured a cloudy gold, as you might expect, with vigorous, frothy head. The first smell I caught was banana, one of my favorite smells. As it warmed up I smelled cloves and spices. Very promising. The taste backed up those aromas well. It was very smooth going down and easily the best wheat beer I've ever tasted. Well worth the price. [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]

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Their Dunkel is one of my 10 top favorite beers. Too bad I can't get it over here in Ireland.

[MrWookie]

You like the dunkel even better than the hefe? Huh. I'll have to pick up a bottle then.

[Spy Dog]

My wife and I recently took a 4-day weekend to Belgium to drink beer (yeah, she's cool). Anyway, we stopped at the ’t Brugs Beertje in Brugge. It's a small beer bar with hundreds of great Belgian stuff. Here are 2 beers we had:

1) Cantillion Rose de Gambrinus - This is a raspberry lambic beer that poured with little head. Aromas of raspberry and cherry hit me first. Super sour, it really made me pucker. Not your little sister's fruit beer as there is little sweetness. The sourness of the beer was balanced well with a fresh raspberry taste. This beer takes a little to get used to as it's untraditional in many ways. It's one of those beers that you need to be in a certain mood to enjoy. I was in one of those moods so I give it [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] and 1/2 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]. However, I would not recommend this beer to those who aren't into lambics, as it is very expensive when purchased in the US.

2) Rochefort 10 - Weighing in at 11.3%, this is a true heavy weight. Poured into the Rochefort glass a deep brown hue with a creamy tan head. I let this sit for about 10 minutes because it was served slightly too cold. Ooooh, the anticipation. Chocolate, raisins, molassess in the nose. It starts off with a complex richness of plums and chocolate. Full bodied, yet the 11.3% alcohol level is surprisingly hidden. As it warmed, I tasted toffee and felt a nice warmth to my belly. This beer is unbelievable. I'm not sure I've tasted anything better (although I do like the St Bernardus Abt 12 as much). I'm usually a tough grader, but this beer is perfect. [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]

Sidenote: The Belgians take great pride in their beer. Every beer I had while in Belgium was poured into the correct glass from the brewery.

[Spy Dog]

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You like the dunkel even better than the hefe? Huh. I'll have to pick up a bottle then.

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I like the Dunkel style beers better than a straight-up Hefe, so that skews my opinion towards the Dunkel. If you like Dunkels, you should love it. If you like Hefes and haven't tried a good Dunkel, you will probably really enjoy it.

[MrWookie]

The only dunkel I've had was from Julius Echter. I slightly preferred their hefe, but it was close. I'd be willing to give another one a go.

[JPinAZ]

If you find some, Three Floyd's Dreadnaught is excellent. Think Alpha King on steroids. More malt, more hops, more goodness.

As for a review (well, a mini review at least) I had a bottle of Trader Joe's Vintage Ale 2006 this past weekend. Evidently they've had these the past few years but I don't shop there enough. Brewed by Unibroue.

It's a Belgian dark ale at 9%/vol. Nice maltiness with a spice flavor (nutmeg is the only one that comes to mind ATM). I'm not sure how much of the spicyness is from the yeast and how much is from any spices that are added. At $5.00 for 750ml it's an excellent value. I'd give it 3.5[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] for the beer alone & an extra .5[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] for the price.

Here's a link to Beer Advocate's page on it.

http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/10707/33763

[absoludicrous]

Snowplow Milk Stout by Widmer Bros.



I wasn't going to do a review, but figure I have nothing better to do, and this beer deserves it.

Tonight we're trying the Snowplow Milk Stout from Widmer Brothers brewery out of Portland Oregon.

I'm a huge fan of Stouts, and Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout is by which all stouts are measured. Going into this beer I knew it probably wouldn't compare with the Sam Smith's. Nevertheless I was eager to give it a shot, hoping a West coast brewery other than Anderson Valley can pull off a good stout.

At $6.49 per six it's definitely a good price. Upon first taste I was pleasantly greeted by a nutty, warm, chocolaty taste. You know when you curl up under a blanket next to a crackling fire on a friged winter night? It tastes like that.

Like all stouts, it's a very wholesome, thick beer, with a lot of body. Perfect. As state earlier, the presence of chocolate, caramel, and roasted ingredients is noticeable. The flavors linger, and make this beer a well rounded one, with a long flavor spectrum. If that's hard to understand, basically, the flavor lasts, it doesn't die off after the initial taste of the head.

This isn't a beer you can drink fast, enjoy it, sip it, and let the flavors consume your palate.

If you're looking for a decent, flavor full, somewhat complex stout at a reasonable price, give it a shot. For sake of price this would be my go to stout. If my pockets are a little deeper, I'll spring for the Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout, or the Anderson Valley Oatmeal Stout, but for an American stout under $7.99, not much compares.

I do my ranking out of ten [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]'s and the Snowplow Milk Stout receives:

[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]/10