July 21st, 2008 beckel
I have always been curious about the many organic beers popping up as of late and Peak Organic out of Portland, Maine seems to be a prime example of the trend. I have heard some positive things about their beers, so when filling up a mixed six pack I thought I would try the two varieties the store had on hand. This pale ale pours a nice copper color with some red hues and a nice full head. The plentiful head fades rather rapidly. Smells of roasted and perhaps carmelized malts, more like an amber than a pale ale, very pungent. The flavor encompasses a lot of roasted malt and some bitterness in the aftertaste which makes the 5.05% ABV barely notable. Mouthfeel is rather light. As I drink more of this beer I continue to be surprised by its flavor, some more pale malts are detectable but the roasted malt flavor is most prevalent. Overall a very different beer than I was expecting based on its pale ale label but it is also not a bad beer. More of a roasted malty beer but I suppose it is rather pale. I think this is definitely a good beer but I’m not sure how often I would purchase it because of all of the other grand beers out there. If your into the organic concept and want to support a good cause, or just like a roasted malty pale (or amber) beer this one might catch your fancy. I am very curious to see what their amber tastes like now. Give it a shot and ride your bike.
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July 20th, 2008 beckel
I have heard nothing but praise about beer from Anchor Brewing so i figured it was high time I gave some a try. Liberty Ale is an American pale ale out of San Fransisco, California clockig in at a pleasant 6% ABV. First brewed in 1975 to celebrate the bicentennial of the famous ride by Paul Revere. This lovely light orange beer has some intense carbonation, careful when pouring. Head is strong but also has some small champaign like bubbles. Smell is nice, somewhat pale but sweet citrus is also present.Tastes Mostly of lightly sweet pale malt, but there is also some nice bitterness. The balance is very nice and the yeast definitely helps makes this a good flavorful beer. Mouthfeel is pretty light. This is a darn good pale ale, flavors range from sweet to bitter to even a bit sour and balance out amazingly. A grand choice on a warm day or if you just prefer less hops but like a good beer with quality ingredients. I will definitely be picking up more Anchor beers. Give it a shot and ride your bike.
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July 17th, 2008 beckel
Last night was the Surly event at Mackenzie commemorating their new Surly Brewing neon sign. On tap was some rare Surly Two, Coffee Bender and a firkin of cask aged CynicAle. I was very excited to try the Two and was certainly not disappointed. Aroma is of dark malts and a tad sweet. Tastes of sweet cranberries initially but after taste is of mildly dark malt. Deep dark color, quite black. Medium mouthfeel. I was a bit hesitant to buy this beer when they were selling the 750’s because I expected it to be overpowering on the cranberry note but I was pleasantly surprised by its subtle sweetness and grand balance. I am not particularly a fan of coffee but I believe any Surly beer deserves to be tried. When I got this beer I immediately noticed how strong the aroma was of coffee. Color is very dark and mouthfeel is meduim but surprisingly light. The flavor of this beer is that of an Bender infused with espresso, slightly malty. Quite good, but too heavy on the coffee flavor for my tastes. It was my buddies birthday so we only had about a half hour and I was only able to get a sip of the cask aged CynicAle before we left to Ichiban (mmm sake) but it was quite good. The color was a bit deeper and more orange than usual and the fermented fruit flavors were a good deal more notable. Good stuff, wish I could have had more. Get surly, drink Surly and ride your bike.
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July 16th, 2008 beckel
As I took this beer out of the fridge I noted how little mention of its brewery is present and that I knew nothing about it. If you look at the very bottom in small print it states: Blue Dawg Brewing, Baldwinsville, NY. With a little bit of research I learned this is actually a brew marketed as a craft beer by Anheuser-Busch (I should almost say InBev I suppose.) No wonder the shopkeep said this was a popular beer. Oh well, it looks like an interesting one so lets see how it goes. This beer produces a vast amount of pink head. Color is a deep magnificent raspberry. Aroma is of intense blueberry, somewhat artificial seeming but pungent of berries in general. Mouthfeel is very light. Flavor is strange, definately of blueberry but also a difficult to describe perhaps malty carbonated flavor that has a slight hint of alcohol. Considering that this beer is 8% ABV, part of the reason I was initially attracted to it, it is not heavily alcohol flavored. This beer is a rather simple lager, and definitely a blueberry beer but it is surprisingly satisfying. I can’t say I would regularly pickup this beer, because it’s just not what I’m looking for, but I would gladly drink many of these had I not bought just one in a mixed six pack. Though I don’t give a flying fuck about A-B and am only concerned about the InBev takeover because I feel our country is selling out all of its industry, I actually have to give A-B some credit on this one. Good investment. If you like fruity beer, particularly simple lagers, you will most likely love this beer. Otherwise if you just want a strong easy to drink and surprisingly good tasting fruit beer this is a very good choice. Give it a shot and ride your bike.
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July 15th, 2008 beckel
This is my first beer from Cold Spring Brewery out of Cold Spring, Minnesota who have been brewing since 1874. It was brought to my attention by the fine folk at Brew52.com. This beer is a bit different than most, their website states that it is 1/2 porter and 1/2 bock combined into one nice brown ale. Pours an interesting dark brown color with hints of rose when brought to light. The head on this beer is very minimal, under an inch and light in color. Aroma is interesting, traditional bock malt scents are predominate but it smells a tad bit like a porter. The flavor is even more strange than the scent, quite malty, almost sweet but more caramelized. The mix of these two beer styles gives a very different flavor, pretty decent, but a bit boring. Mouthfeel is medium. I’m glad I got only one of these beers in a mixed six pack, but I think after drinking a few in cooler weather this beer would potentially have a bit more to offer. If your a fan of malt or different brown ales this may suit your tastes. Give it a shot and ride your bike.
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July 15th, 2008 beckel
Another great beer with gorgeous art work by Ralph Steadman from the Flying Dog Brewery. Their Classic Pale Ale pours a nice amber hue that presents orange and red colors depending on the light. Head is proper and fades somewhat slowly bearing a slightly off white color, the crystal malt likely aids in this. Aroma is smooth sweet and hoppy. The flavor of this beer definately has some pale aspects but it is filled with a lovely hop flavor that is barely bitter at all because of the sweet malt present. The sweet aroma adds delightfully to its overall taste of slightly bitter hops and smooth finish. Mouthfeel is light. This is what I feel an American Pale Ale should be, full flavored and packing a reasonable 5.5% ABV. If you like a pale ale but are looking for something more creative this is a grand choice. Likely an ideal beer to cook with if you would like some beer flavor, but not too much bitterness. Anyone who likes beer should try this one, even if it may be one of Flying Dogs simpler style ales, it is none the less one of their best. Give it a shot and ride your bike.
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July 14th, 2008 beckel
Sierra Nevada is lucky to have an array of quality beers and good distribution throughout the United States. One that deserves a good amount of praise is from their limited selections: Big Foot a barleywine style Ale. This 2008 edition pours with a very impressive tan head. Color is a nice dark red almost slightly brown. Aroma is grand, bitterness is present as well as sweet roasted malt, light fermented fruits are lightly detectable. Mouthfeel is medium, not too heavy. Flavor is very intense. Coming in at 9.6% ABV the level of hop bitterness in this barleywine is no surprise, what is however is how nicely the sweet malt compliments the flavor. Definitely a strong beer but it has many sweet notes on the palate as well as including less sweet, almost burnt roasted malt flavors. This is a very good example of a properly balanced barleywine, if you like strong beers and intense complex flavors this one is definitely worth your time trying. Give it a shot and ride your bike.
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July 13th, 2008 beckel
Boulevard Brewing is an interesting and rather large, craft brewery out of Kansas City, Missouri. They make some decent beers so when I saw a few of their big bottles, called the smokestack series, I thought I should give one a try. The Double-Wide IPA pours a very nice roasted red color with a good amount of somewhat tan head that is rather light in body. Aroma is a decent mix of malt and hops, somewhat bitter and a tad bit of fermented fruit. Mouthfeel is pretty light and the flavor is very intense. Bitter hop flavors are all over, almost a little much. The malt flavor adds a hint of sweetness but is not able to balance the bitter. This beer is classified as an IPA, but with 8.5% ABV one may be inclined to categorize it as a imperial IPA. Over all this is a decent Imperial IPA, but i feel it has much more potential if they could manage to balance it a bit better. If your looking for a strong bitter beer that should be available around most of the Midwest this is a reasonable choice. Give it a shot and ride your bike.
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July 10th, 2008 beckel
This beer is not available in Minnesota, but my roommate delighted me when he returned from his cabin with a bottle of New Glarus Spotted Cow. This beer heading from Wisconsin is classified as a Cream Ale and is quite interesting. This cask conditioned secondary fermented ale has been enjoyed since before prohibition and has been enjoyed ever sense. Pours a light very yellow color that is quite transparent with very little head that fades rather slowly. Smells of pilsner malts, nicely sweet and sour at the same time. Mouthfeel is light and simple. Flavor is interesting, somewhat cirtus and carbonated though more is going on, you can almost taste the corn in this beer. A grand tribute to the Midwest. This beer reminds me a lot of a pilsner but it has a more complex flavor. Coming in at 4.8% ABV i would say this is a good session beer, though the professionals may disagree (looking for a lighter beer). This is a grand summer beer and would encourage anyone who ends up near Wisconsin to try it out. If you like simple beers that also have flavor this one is for you. Give it a shot and ride your bike.
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July 9th, 2008 beckel
I had the pleasure of attending the Southern Tier tasting at the Blue Nile last night and sampling a few of their beers, their coffee stout is delicious, I’d say even better than Summit’s Oatmeal Stout but thats not what this is about. So today I am drinking Southern Tier’s Big Red an Imperial red ale. As the name suggests this beer pours a lovely red color. Head is plentiful but not too massive and light white in color. Aroma is very nice, largely of sweet malt. Their website suggests pouring this beer in a sniffer to enjoy the scent, and I understand why. Flavor is good and amazingly unbitter for its 93 IBU. Hop flavor is definitely present, but the malt profile is so intense it can be hard to tell. With the sweet malt flavor of this beer few will guess its 9.5% ABV. Mouthfeel is medium and very smooth. Though I prefer a more hoppy beer this beer certainly gets my approval and I would definitely drink it again. Anyone who likes a strong amber or a malty imperial ale will really like this beer. Give it a shot and ride your bike.
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