Newcastle Brown Ale: 23

Taste: 7 Finish: 8 Visual: 4 Aroma: 4
Total: 23

It's time to go head to head with two giants in the English brown ales, Newcastle vs. Samuel Smith (28). Sam should win this being a slightly more upscale beer, but Newcastle is no slouch either. Let the best beer win.

It's a beautiful dark brown with a thin head. There is a mild malt sweetness aroma. It is an appetizing beer.

It has a nice mild bite at the front. Then a sweet light chocolate middle. And then velvet covered hops at the end. I can't really explain it or identify a specific flavor. Definitely a mild chocolate. A hint of nut. It's a sweet beer. And a very unique aftertaste. The whole experience is extremely smooth. I think I could drink this for about a week straight before tiring of it. I actually agree with the label in saying this is a full flavored beer that is easy to drink.

But, in the end, Samuel Smith Nut Brown Ale wins 28 to 23. The X factor is that Newcastle is much less expensive making a better choice for buying a case vs. buying a 4 pack. So, for an everyday beer, go for Newcastle. But, the next round will be against Brooklyn Brown Ale. Stay tuned.

Black Bush: 26

Taste: 8 Finish: 10 Color: 4 Aroma: 4
Total: 26

Black Bush is a Bushmills creation. It is a blended Irish whiskey which is aged in Sherry casks. I took notice of it watching Good Morning America (of all things) during St. Patty's Day. The master distiller was their guest and said Black Bush was his favorite whiskey. Let's see.

The color is a nice pale amber. It has a sweet, earthy aroma. Taking a sip, the first thing you notice is how smooth it is. There is a bit of malty sweetness. It has a very mild earthy, pete mossy under tone. And then it finishes very cleanly. This is super smooth with just a nice balance of that earthy Irish whiskey flavor. A seasoned whiskey drinker could drink this like water. But, it's super smoothness is also a slight weakness. It could use a bit more flavor. It's like someone took an A+ whiskey and put a bit too much water in it. Otherwise, this is a top tier Irish Whiskey that has no harshness or rough edges.

Bitburger Beer: 25

Visual: 4 Aroma: 4 Taste: 8 Finish: 9
Total: 25

Germany takes its beer very seriously. Typically, they are extremely loyal to their regional brew. It's kind of like sports teams. You stand by your brand which is brewed 2 towns over. The giants in Germany would include Bitburger, Warsteiner, Becks, and others. My brother was stationed in the Air Force near the Bitburger brewery. He brought some home once which was fantastic. Luckily, the Bitburger you buy in NJ is pretty much the same as Germany. It's not watered down and definitely not spoiled or skunked. So, let's give it a roll to see what the Germans know.

It's that classic pale golden color you expect from a pilsner style German beer. Crystal clear. The head is thin. The aroma is clean. Just a hint of hops. Very appealing.

It's important to remember that most American beers are modeled after this style of beer. It's an extremely light taste. A mild acidic stab at the tip of the tongue. A smooth middle. A hint of citrus. At the end is a bit of hops but then the surprise. The sweetness of the malt hits at the end of the beer. It lays like a smear of butter on the tongue. And finally the exhale. What is that flavor that is so prevalent in German and Nordic beer? Must be their type of hops in the region.

So, for a super clean pilsner, this is a great beer. Great for watching a game. Great during a hot day. It's definitely not a meal type beer unless you want your beer to not interfere with your meals flavors. It's a beer you could drink all day and it would never wear on you or let you down. So, hats off to Germany for a top tier pilsner to quench my thirst.

Stone Ruination IPA: 22

Visual: 3 Aroma: 5 Taste: 7 Finish: 7
Total: 22

Okay, the bottle is awesome. I had to pick it up. a 20 ounce bottle with a stone gargoyle leering at you. And with a name like Ruination, I had to give it a try. This is one of those extremely overhopped IPAs. It registers over 120 IBUs. Their slogan is "A liquid poem to the glory of the hop!" Let's see.

First, is an amber/brown color which is a bit cloudy. It has a huge hoppy aroma.

There is a hint of sweetness at first. Maybe a slight honey in the middle. Then a very nice dry finish. Hops. A very nice hop aftertaste. It's strong but not overpowering. Also, no hint of medicine that I'm finding in extremely hopped beers. This has a very nice blend. The hops linger nicely without wearing you down. I'm very pleased with this beer. But given last week's vastly superior Sly Fox Rt 113, I can't truly recommend it.

Molson Canadian: 10

Visual: 2 Aroma: 2 Taste: 3: Finish: 3
Total: 10

Hey, Canada is known to love it's beer. Molson is the king of Canadian beer (or so they say). Molson has been brewing beer for over 220 years! They must be getting something right, right?

The color is a very light golden yellow. It has a very faint hop aroma. Nothing appetizing about it. Taking a sip, it is very mild. Then something like soap, then a wimpy aftertaste. Maybe a hint of hops in the end. Wow, that's one terrible beer. The good news is it doesn't smell skunky, isn't orange, and doesn't have a spoiled garbage taste. But, that's about all the good I can write about Molson Canadian.

Sly Fox Rt. 113 IPA: 26

Visual: 5 Aroma: 3 Taste: 9 Finish: 9
Total: 26

Brewed in Royersford, PA, I thought it would be good to try a local IPA. Reading the label and the site, this is a super hopped IPA registering 113 IBUs. I really hoping it has some flavor and character besides just hops. Let's find out.

The color is amazing. Amber/copper. Beautiful head. There is just a whiff of sweetness.

The front of the beer is a very nice malty sweetness. A real nice taste. There is a nice medium tang in the middle of the tongue. A bit sharp and acidic. And then a nice kick of hops at the end. You get a nice hoppy "ahh" with the exhale. A bit lingers on the tongue. But, nothing overpowering. It has more heft to it than a Sam Adams but doesn't have the insanity and medicinal taste of the last beer, Left Hand Warrior IPA. The comparison between the two would be, Slyfox knows how to hop a beer to retain flavor, while Left Hand just knows how to ruin it.

Yes, I'm left with a nice dry and bitter aftertaste in my mouth. That's exactly what I want with an IPA. If you told me this was 113 IBU I would say you're lying. This is due to a very nice craft beer doing it right. Retaining character and flavor while still providing an extreme overhopping. Nice balance.

I would have liked one more dimension to it. A bit of smokiness. Or nut. Or something. So, it's a 2 dimensional beer. 3 would have made it perfect.

Left Hand Warrior IPA: 9

Visual: 4 Aroma: 3 Taste: 2 Finish: 0
Total: 9

I've been to Boulder, Colorado many times. One of their revered local breweries is Left Hand Brewing Company. I've had a few of their beers over the years and have enjoyed them very much. I was very happy to see they are now shipping their beers across the country in 20 oz. bottles. Since it's been many years since my last visit, has Left Hand continued it's quality? The label says please keep refrigerated. Did they ship it refrigerated and now it's sitting warm on my liquor store's shelf? Did shipping this halfway across the country spoil its taste?

Warrior IPA is only brewed once per year using local hops. Checking their web site I get a bit worried that the IPA is not listed at all.

It's a deep amber color, slightly cloudy. The head is full but a bit brittle. It has a very nice sweet malt aroma.

Wow, there is bit malt sweetness, but that is quickly overtaken by lots of hops. A ton of hops. It finishes with hops and then it lingers, well, maybe forever. It's so hoppy that it has a bit of a medicinal aftertaste. Given the warnings of keep refrigerated, and then it's not on their website, I don't detect any spoilage or skunkiness to the beer. So, I have to assume it's supposed to taste this way.

This thing is strong, bold, and heavy. It's been 3 minutes and I can still taste it. I'm not a big "add tons of hops just for fun" beer. This thing has no character. No flavor but hops. No undertones. No complexity. I'll finish it but I'm afraid my fond memories of Left Hand have been ruined. Definitely pass on this beer.

Young's Special London Ale: 20

Visual: 5 Aroma: 3 Taste: 7 Finish: 5
Total: 20

I've seen Young's for many years but never tried it. What intrigued me was that this beer is bottle conditioned. It states to pour slowly to leave the sediment in the bottle. Let's give it a go!

Pouring extra carefully I was surprised that it had such a nice head on it. I was expecting something a bit more flat. It has a very nice amber, slightly brownish color to it. With the pour there was no sediment in it. It has a faint malty sweet aroma to it.

It has a slightly sweet start. Slight malt. A bit acidic. And then a long hoppiness down the throat. and then, bang! a lot of hops on the finish. And it lingers. And it stays on the tongue. And every breath exhaled has hops on it. This beer hold you. It also has an alcohol content of 6.4%. It's kind of like a British bar fight. Scrappy. Full of vim and vigor. And keeps punching you in the face until dawn. This is an extreme hopped beer which is becoming very popular these days.

Overall I would say it's a bit too extreme. I really like the taste. I don't like the very long term aftertaste. It's a bit much for me.

Paulaner Hefe-Weizen: 23

Visual: 5 Aroma: 3 Taste: 7 Finish: 8
Total: 23

Paulaner is a classic German brew dating back to 1634. It was started by monks. Paulaner makes several brews that are all excellent. I decided to try their Hefe-Weizen Natural Wheat beer first.

It pours with a very thick and high head. The beer is a cloudy light gold and amber. It has a very mild aroma, slightly sweet.

It has a very light upfront taste. Slightly sweet. A bit of lemon and citrus. I've seen this mostly served with a slice of lemon. It doesn't need it. But some find it lightens it up a bit and "cleans" up the flavor a bit. Your choice but I like it neat. It finally finishes with a nice creamy, yeast, bread flavor. It leaves a very slight sweet aftertaste on the tongue. This is a hot summer's day after mowing the lawn beer. You could probably down 2 or 3 after that! It is very refreshing. It's more of a subtle beer. But it certainly is a quality beer.

Overall I would say it's an excellent mass produced beer. There are certainly better craft beers out there. But considering Paulaner could be considered the equivalent to Bud in America, then the Germans definitely got the better deal.

Samuel Smith Pure Brewed Lager: 14

Visual: 3 Aroma: 2 Taste: 4 Finish: 5
Total: 14

I decided to go back to Samuel Smith to see if they could recreate their magic with Pure Brewed Lager. Given it's characteristics and flavor, I would say it's a pilsner. But that's not identified anywhere on the bottle or on the website.

The color is a pale golden with a moderate foamy head. It looks like a typical American-style pilsner. It has a very faint aroma of hops. Overall it's totally unimpressive.

Shockingly it is a very fizzy beer in the mouth. It is a very fresh taste. And, I mean fresh in a bad way. Kind of like it needed another few days fermenting. Next is a bright, acidic taste. Finally a very small amount of hops at the end. I couldn't discern any actual flavor. It finishes cleanly with very little aftertaste. In a blind taste test you could probably mistake this for Coors but with a bit more flavor. Seriously, there is nothing to this beer which is extremely shocking given Samuel Smith makes the vastly superb Nut Brown Ale. On a hot day, stick with Coors and pass on Pure Brewed Lager.

St. Peter's Cream Stout: 27

Visual: 5 Aroma: 5 Taste: 8 Finish: 9
Total: 27

St. Peter's is a new small, craft brewery Suffolk, England. It was started in 1996. What caught my eye and made me buy it was the bottle. The bottle is beautiful. It's roughly a pint and flat more like a flask. It makes you want to find out what's inside. First the pour. The beer is black. I held it up to the light. Nothing. The head was a bit thin but creamy. I think this is by design as they say they make their brews with less carbonation for a smoother finish. A quick whiff and it smells very sweet and maybe a hint of toasted sesame seeds. Actually, more like Asian sesame oil. Very intriguing.

It has a nice acidic tang at the front. A sweetness of malt washes over the tongue followed by a mild hoppiness and some nut undertones. Then it turns to cream and dark chocolate. Finally a silky finish with just a touch of hop and chocolate aftertaste. I'm not a big stout drinker, let alone cream stouts, but this is very very good. I haven't drank Mackenson's in a long time but this is probably a step above that. The downside is the price. I paid $4 for a pint at the store. So, you're basically paying bar prices for home beer. Ouch. Otherwise, a top notch cream stout.

Jim Beam Black: 21

Taste: 7 Finish: 8 Color: 3 Aroma: 3
Total: 21

Jim Beam White has always been a middling and harsh whiskey. So, when I saw Jim Beam Black at the same price point as Jack, I figured I'd give it a try. Black has been aged an extra year and the proof has been raised from 80 to 86. It certainly made a difference!

The color is a golden amber. Could use a bit more depth but still nice. Aroma is musky with a whiff of alcohol. Nice but nothing special. Upon first sip, that's when it hits you. This stuff is full of flavor. Bold. Powerful. Certainly not refined. This is not a hint of fruit and a dash of spice type of flavor. This is big earth and wood. So, next I think, boy this is good but with this much punch up front it's going to burn going down. Wrong! Smoooth! I was shocked. A nice warm trail down the throat. So, if you're looking for a sippin' by the fire eating cheese kind of whiskey, this ain't it. But, if you're looking for a bold "saloon" type of whiskey that won't leave you gasping for air, then Black is your man.