TLDR Beer Club

[MrWookie]

I've got some more porter reviews for tonight. First up is the Southern Tier Porter. I paid $1.85 for an undisclosed ABV beer.





The beer pours with very little head, in spite of an aggressive pour. It doesn't smell all that much, though, which is disappointing. On tasting it, I'm sorely disappointed. There's a little bit of coffee and the idea of hops, but the malt backing it all is just downright watery. This beer is a hollow shell of a porter. I'm going to give this beer just [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img][img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], and I really thought about going with 1.5. There's just not much behind this beer, and I definitely prefer the JW Dundee's.

Up second will be Sierra Nevada's Porter. I haven't reviewed enough of their products, and given that this is beer pretty much everyone can get, I should do more. I paid $1.89 for a 12 oz bottle, and you Californians will know where to shove that bottle if you chime in and tell me you regularly get sixers for $3.99.



Hmmm. Apparently I forgot to take a pic of this beer in the glass. Oh well. It's almost identical in appearance to the Southern Tier.

This beer again pours with very little head. This beer also pours with very little head. It smells more, though. The dominant smell is earthy, with a little bit of hops. The earthiness comes through in the flavor, too. The hops are quite mild. The coffee flavor is much weaker in this beer than most of the other porters, save the Southern Tier, I suppose. There isn't a whole lot backing this beer, either, unfortunately. At least there is a little bit of hops flavor to linger in my mouth a little longer. I still prefer the JW Dundee's, though. I'm going to award this beer [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img][img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] and a half [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img].

And finally, I'm going to give one last chance to the Anchor brewery with their porter before I decide that this is just a mediocre-to-bad brewery that charges too much for their beer. I paid $2.35 for a 12 oz of this one.





Again we have a practically headless beer. At least I can smell it without sticking my nose all the way in the glass, though. This beer smells quite a bit different. It smells syrupy, and without hops. Unsurprisingly, this is a sweet beer. It's not as sweet as some of the Belgians and the like, but it's way sweeter than the average porter. The hops are almost nonexistent, and the coffee flavor is not there much, either. Instead, we get some maple syrup, a little caramel, and a little chocolate on top of of the dark malt. To me, this beer reminds me less of a porter and more of a watered down imperial stout. I'd say I like this somewhere between the SN and the JW Dundee's, although it's not really a proper porter. It doesn't have the right hop character. I'm going to award it a tentative [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img][img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img][img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]. This would be a good beer for imperial stout lovers to drink when they aren't looking to get wasted on a single beer and want something a little milder, but if you're a porter lover looking for the next big thing, you're really better off with the JW Dundee's.

[JPinAZ]

Wookie,
Try some Deschutes Black Butte Porter. I've found it to be very good. Another one to try is Grant's Perfect Porter. It's been a while since I had it but I remember it being good. They use peated malt so it has a bit of a smokey thing going on.

Edit: Oh yeah, the Alaskan Smoked Porter for 2006 should be available. I haven't seen it (haven't really looked either) but I did see some of the 2005 at a local store recently.

[MrWookie]

I've had the Deschutes. It was one of my favorites, but I haven't had it in a long time. Unfortunately, BotW doesn't carry it. Otherwise, it would already have been reviewed here [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]. I haven't tried Grant's Perfect Porter before. I'm not 100%, but there's a decent chance I saw that one at BotW last time I was there and passed over it in favor of the porters that would be available to people all over the country. I won't skip it next time if it's there.

[MrWookie]

I have just one review for tonight. I'm already in the process of getting plastered on value spirits, so I don't have it in me to do more beer given that I have to work tomorrow. Tonight's review will be Red Hook's Winterhook. I paid $1.79 for a 12 oz of unknown ABV.





I was expecting another hoppy beer, but this pours somewhat on the light side, and it smells of cinnamon and nutmeg. Taking a sip, the spice doesn't come through as strongly as I would have liked. The hops are fairly mild, and the malt is on the lighter side. The spices are much more subdued than I expected based on the strong smell. This is a pretty decent beer, but it's nothing exceptional. I'm going to award it [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img][img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] and a half [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]. I think I like the Sam Adams Winter Lager just a hair more, but not enough to kick this down a half a [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]'s rating.

[MaxxDaddy]

Well, technically i had this beer on Tuesday, but who can resist alliteration? The beer in question is Victory Moonglow, their weizenbock offering.



Upon opening the bottle, I immediately caught a whiff of berries, bananas and yeastiness. It poured a dark amber color with minimal offwhite head. Had a pretty spicy taste with a hint of bananas. Very malty. As the beer warmed up, the aroma swayed toward the yeastiness, smelling like musty bread. It had a pretty smooth palate with lower than average carbonation. It had a nice finish, again leaning toward spices and yeast. The alcohol is very well hidden in this relatively strong brew (8.7% ABV). This beer changed quite a bit as it warmed up and I think I preferred it slightly colder. The huge change in aroma was something I have never experienced before. To clarify, the musty bread smell isn't quite as bad as you might think, but that's the only way I can describe it at the moment. This is definitely something for the cooler months, as it has a much fuller, stickier mouthfeel than Weihenstephaner. I really wish Moonglow had some more noticeable head and lacing though. All things considered, this is a very solid brew from Victory and they haven't let me down yet. In comparison to the only other weizenbock I've had, Samuel Adams Winter Lager, the aroma and flavors are much richer and I like the lower-than-average carbonation for this style. I'm sure glad I've got 5 more of these to go through. [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]

Next Wednesday I'll review what many people believe to be the king of weizenbocks: Schneider Aventinus.

[MrWookie]

Wow. That's some review. I'm sure I can get Victory beer at BotW, so I'll have to check this one out. How many [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]'s would you give Sam Adams Winter Lager? I wasn't even aware it was a Weizen Bock.

[MaxxDaddy]

I think I'd give the winter lager somewhere in the area of 2.5-3 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]s. It's certainly a beer I could drink regularly, but it doesn't have the complexity that Moonglow has.

[MrWookie]

Thanks for the info. I guess I wasn't familiar with Weizen Bocks before this, but it looks like something to try. I'll look for the Victory and the Schneider next time I'm shopping, because I think I could like this style a lot.

[JPinAZ]

Man, with the beers I suggest here & there I should really write a review or two. Wookie, if you can get Victory beers, get some of their Storm King. I'd rate it in the top 10% of the imperial stouts I've tried. Not that I've tried a lot of them, but it's mighty tasty. Now if they would only distribute in AZ...

[MrWookie]

I've had the Storm King. I didn't like it as much as the Yeti or the Old Rasputin.