TLDR Beer Club

[Skjonne]

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...

[MrWookie]

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:





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.

[MrWookie]

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.

[MrWookie]

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:





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.

[milesdyson]

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?

[MrWookie]

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.

[Skjonne]

[ 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!

[SL__72]

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]

[MrWookie]

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.





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.





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.





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.





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.

[pryor15]

a beer i tried out on my recent fishing trip:



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.