TLDR Beer Club

[MrWookie]

One, I'm inclined to trust BeerAdvocate. There are a lot of people there who make me look like a beer n00b in comparison. I'd suspect hell would be raised if they had something wrong. Two, I'm surprised your bottle says it's malt liquor. I actually bought myself a case of Franziskaner, and at least on the 12 oz bottles, it makes no such indication.

[stormstarter28]

[ QUOTE ]
One, I'm inclined to trust BeerAdvocate. There are a lot of people there who make me look like a beer n00b in comparison. I'd suspect hell would be raised if they had something wrong. Two, I'm surprised your bottle says it's malt liquor. I actually bought myself a case of Franziskaner, and at least on the 12 oz bottles, it makes no such indication.

[/ QUOTE ]

That's the thing, I trust Beeradvocate too...but on their beer terms page it says malt liquor is 8-9% ABV! So I'm really confused [img]/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img] Mine came in a 16.9 oz bottle, but I doubt that is related. I really want to get to the bottom of this.

EDIT: Beeradvocate claims malt liquor is a legal term for beer 7-8% ABV, which is illegal to sell in certain places due to its high alcohol content. So, yeah, I'm still confused.

[RunDownHouse]

storm,

"Malt liquor" is as much a legal definition as a beer term, probably more so, really. I'm pretty sure it varies by state, but any alcoholic beverage brewed with grain (not grapes) of x% ABV or higher has to be called "malt liquor," not "beer."

In your specific case, I'd be surprised if the hefe was much higher than 5%. That's about on par for the style.

[stormstarter28]

Alright beer club, help me pick my next pick 6. I've never tried any of these choices before, and I like pretty much all styles, so I need your recommendations. (I have a couple I know I'm going to try, but I wanna know what you guys would pick)

Here are the choices: La Fin Du Monde, Blanche De Chambly, Samuel Smith Imperial Stout, Samuel Smith Pale Ale, Rogue Mocha Porter, Ayinger Jahrhundert, Kostriker, Ohara's Irish Stout, Leffe Blonde, Grimbergen Double Ale, Franziskaner Hefe-Weisse Dunkel, Paulaner Hefeweizen, Left Hand Milk Stout

Anything I have to try/ should avoid?
Thanks for the input!

[MrWookie]

Leffe Blonde is outclassed by virtually everything on that list. Ayinger Jahrhundert is also, unless you're a huge pilsner fan and you don't really care for beer with strong flavors. I'd avoid them.

I haven't tried either of the Smith's, the Kostriker, Ohara's, Grimbergen, or the Left Hand.

La Fin Du Monde is one of my personal favorites. The rest are all pretty solid.

[Kneel B4 Zod]

I've been on a big Trappist kick since my trip to Belgium earlier in the summer. I've squirreled away a bunch of Westy's (12 and 10) as well as Rocheforts (10 and 8) and St. Bernadus (12) in the fridge.

but, I'm kind of quadrupled out. I need a new style(s) to keep me company in the fall. something a bit lighter, but I don't want to sacrifice too much flavor. any ideas?

[MaxxDaddy]

[ QUOTE ]
I've been on a big Trappist kick since my trip to Belgium earlier in the summer. I've squirreled away a bunch of Westy's (12 and 10) as well as Rocheforts (10 and 8) and St. Bernadus (12) in the fridge.

but, I'm kind of quadrupled out. I need a new style(s) to keep me company in the fall. something a bit lighter, but I don't want to sacrifice too much flavor. any ideas?

[/ QUOTE ]

It's certainly not as prevalent as quads, but weizenbocks may do the trick, assuming you like wheat beer. The few weizenbocks I've had are relatively easy-drinking, yet they are pretty complex, with your regular wheat sort of tastes, like cloves and coriander, but they also add some fruitiness and malty sweetness as well.

If you're feeling adventurous, get your hands on some Flemish Sour Ales, or even Lambics if you're willing to shell out the cash. Certainly much lighter, both on the taste buds and in alcohol, but the aromas and flavors they bring to the table aren't light by any means. Then there's the acidity, which will likely prevent you from having much more than a 750ml bottle. If you, or anyone else, want to take up this option, I suggest getting a bottle of Rodenbach or Rodenbach Grand Cru ($8-9, $10-11, respectively for 750 ml) or Verhaeghe Duchesse De Bourgogne ($9-10 for a 750). Haven't had the Verhaeghe, but the Rodenbachs are pretty good. The Grand Cru has been aged in oak barrels and it adds a bit of dry crispness to it, among other things. On the lambic side, one particular 750 that won't break the bank relative to others you could buy is Cantillon Vigneronne ($15 for a 750), which is made with muscat grapes. My girlfriend was a big fan of this one when we managed to find it on tap over at Monk's Cafe.

Hope this helps.

[MrWookie]

OK, I have a few small reviews tonight.

First up is Magic Hat's new Belgian White. This is apparently brand new, as it has only a handful of reviews over at Beer Advocate, and no one knows the ABV. They just got it in at my local bar, and I had to investigate. It pours a typically light gold color with a decent head. The flavor is a little disappointing, though. It's not particularly spicy or fruity. It mostly wheaty with a little sweetness. If Blue Moon is too sweet for you, you might try this one, but it doesn't rank highly among the whites I've tried. [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img][img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] and a half [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img].

Second is Stoudt's Triple [sic]. This is their tripel, obviously, weighing in at a typical (for the style) 9% ABV and running me $9.95 for a sixer on sale. Unfortunately, this beer disappointed me, too. It's also missing some of the fruit flavors I love in tripels, although it has some of the spice. It's fairly malty and sweet, but this doesn't rank highly in this category for me. [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img][img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img][img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img].

Finally, I have a new brew from Dogfish Head, their Festina Peche. I paid a whopping $3.19 for one 12 oz bottle of this, which I think is more than I pay for one of their 90 min IPAs. This beer has half the alcohol content of the 90 min IPA, too, 4.5%, on the low side. It's billed as a "malt beverage brewed with peach concentrate." It pours a very light gold color with a little head that dissipates quickly. The smell is light, mostly of a fruit that I wouldn't necessarily place as peach. The flavor is unlike anything I've had. It's quite sour, and the fruit flavor is right at the forefront, but again, I can't say that peach is the first thing that comes to mind. Well, maybe it bares a resemblance to peach flavored Jolly Ranchers, but I get more of a lemon flavor. It doesn't really taste like fresh peaches, that's for sure. There isn't much to go with the "peach" flavor, either. If you don't get off on that flavor, there's not much else for you. As expensive as this beer is, it definitely let me down. [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img][img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] and a half [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img].

[ThaSaltCracka]

hey fellow beer degens, my bro and I drove down to the Rogue Brewery in Newport today. They happened to be having a massive sale.

I picked up a case(6 64oz growlers) of American Amber for $20.
My bro got a case(6 64oz growlers) of Dead Guy for $27.

Ship it to TSC and TSB for the win.

[MrWookie]

It's been a while since I've done a full review here. I suppose that isn't all bad for me, since each review I post puts me further and further back on the index I promised. I've been working on that index, though, and it's given me an excuse to go back through some old reviews and spot some beers I haven't tried yet. Consequently, when I was out at Beers of the World yesterday, I spotted a bottle of Jolly Pumpkin's La Roja that MaxxDaddy enjoyed earlier. I picked up a 750 mL bottle for $9.35. It's a 7.2% beer that Beer Advocate classifies as a "wild ale." I guess they employ some degree of open fermentation, letting whatever happens to fall in and start fermenting go about its business, imparting the beer a unique flavor. I guess we'll have to see what this is like.



The name would suggest that this is a redder beer than it turned out being. It pours an opaque brown with a goodly amount of head.



The beer smells slightly of lemon and something kind of like grass. The thing in the flavor I notice first is that it's fairly sour. I haven't had beer that's sour like this before, so it catches my attention. I also get a nice sour apple flavor, lemon, and a little bit of woodiness in addition to the amber malt. There's a hint of sour cherry in the finish, too. Still, this isn't a particularly bold beer, more like various flavors hiding behind the sourness. I mostly agree with Maxx's rating, I'll give it [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].