Taste: 8 Finish: 6 Visual: 3 Aroma: 5
Total: 22
Thanks, Reg, for introducing me to this blonde ale.
It has a wonderful aroma of yeast and bread. A touch of lemon. It's a deep golden with a moderate creamy head. But unlike most belgians, it is not bottle conditioned so it clear instead of cloudy. For this style that's not a good thing.
The flavor is very similar to the aroma. Lots of yeast and bread up until the finish. In the mid the lemon starts to enter along with some floral notes. The finish kicks up the tartness and a bit of hop bitterness. And throughout it all is the malt sweetness. It has a very thick mouth feel. In the exhale is a bit of alcohol.
A very solid brew. Not the best. And a few points off for being filtered instead of bottle conditioned. But it's got all the right components. Perhaps the alcohol finish could be cleaned up a bit. More lemon and tartness would be good. Oh, and I drank one with ham and potatoes. It was a great compliment to the dish. It was strong enough to contrast the saltiness of the ham and blended well with the starchy potatoes.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Spaten Premium: 22
Taste: 7 Finish: 7 Visual: 5 Aroma: 3
Total: 22
My last stop in Germany for Pils/Helles for a while. So far, nothing approaches Pilsner Urquell.
Visually, Spaten looks A+. Nice creamy moderate head. Perfect golden color. Unfortunately, the aroma is faint and some mild sourness is present.
Luckily, there is no sourness in taste. It has a nice soft mouth feel. It starts and finishes a bit sweet. A touch of honey. A little bit of bite of lemon. And at the end is just a bit of hops in the breath. And throughout it's crisp and clean.
Pretty good. A solid Helles. It could use a bit more honey or lemon. But otherwise definitely something worth grabbing when you're looking for something refreshing, a bit sweet, and refreshing.
Total: 22
My last stop in Germany for Pils/Helles for a while. So far, nothing approaches Pilsner Urquell.
Visually, Spaten looks A+. Nice creamy moderate head. Perfect golden color. Unfortunately, the aroma is faint and some mild sourness is present.
Luckily, there is no sourness in taste. It has a nice soft mouth feel. It starts and finishes a bit sweet. A touch of honey. A little bit of bite of lemon. And at the end is just a bit of hops in the breath. And throughout it's crisp and clean.
Pretty good. A solid Helles. It could use a bit more honey or lemon. But otherwise definitely something worth grabbing when you're looking for something refreshing, a bit sweet, and refreshing.
Paulaner Original Munich: 17
Taste: 4 Finish: 6 Visual: 5 Aroma: 2
Total: 17
It has a very faint aroma barely of malt. Visually for a pilsner it pours very well. A nice creamy head which dissipates quickly with a light golden color.
It a bit sharp on the tongue at first. No real flavor peeks through until the end. A very mild hop bitterness creeps in at the end and lingers slightly. An undertone of lemon. I get very little malt which a Helles lager should have.
I'm disappointed. If you want a very clean beer with just a hint of lemon and hops, this is decent. It certainly could be drunk in quantity like two bottles after mowing the lawn. Otherwise I'd steer clear. It's just too pedestrian.
Total: 17
It has a very faint aroma barely of malt. Visually for a pilsner it pours very well. A nice creamy head which dissipates quickly with a light golden color.
It a bit sharp on the tongue at first. No real flavor peeks through until the end. A very mild hop bitterness creeps in at the end and lingers slightly. An undertone of lemon. I get very little malt which a Helles lager should have.
I'm disappointed. If you want a very clean beer with just a hint of lemon and hops, this is decent. It certainly could be drunk in quantity like two bottles after mowing the lawn. Otherwise I'd steer clear. It's just too pedestrian.
Friday, March 21, 2008
Becks: 13
Taste: 4 Finish: 3 Visual: 4 Aroma: 2
Total: 13
Perhaps Beck's is the beer that made you aware of German beer. You knew it was better than Bud but was it actually a good pilsner?
It has a nice golden color with a full head. It dissipates quickly. The aroma is faint but of mild malt.
It's a bit fizzy on the tongue. There is a hint of malt sweetness underneath it. In the back a bit more "flavor" kicks in. Maybe a very slight honey. It goes down the throat and then it's pretty much gone. A very tiny bit of hop bitterness sits on the tongue, but again it's a bit metallic showing the lack of freshness.
It's really hard to get a good German Pilsner here that hasn't skunked a bit or been boiled to oblivion. Beck's is no exception. But it can be done as shown by Pislner Urquell (well, Chech at least). Even so, this is the Bud of German beers. Avoid.
Total: 13
Perhaps Beck's is the beer that made you aware of German beer. You knew it was better than Bud but was it actually a good pilsner?
It has a nice golden color with a full head. It dissipates quickly. The aroma is faint but of mild malt.
It's a bit fizzy on the tongue. There is a hint of malt sweetness underneath it. In the back a bit more "flavor" kicks in. Maybe a very slight honey. It goes down the throat and then it's pretty much gone. A very tiny bit of hop bitterness sits on the tongue, but again it's a bit metallic showing the lack of freshness.
It's really hard to get a good German Pilsner here that hasn't skunked a bit or been boiled to oblivion. Beck's is no exception. But it can be done as shown by Pislner Urquell (well, Chech at least). Even so, this is the Bud of German beers. Avoid.
Warsteiner: 16
Taste: 5 Finish: 4 Visual: 3 Aroma: 4
Total: 16
It has the right golden color and pours with a full head. Unfortunately the head is very brittle. It has a pleasant light malt aroma.
The sweetness of the malt persists from start to finish. It's a nice malt flavor. It little bit of sharpness is present as well. At the finish there is a bit of a metallic taste which I wasn't expecting. But it does finish cleanly with just a hint of hop bitterness.
It's a decent pilsner. Nothing special. The odd metallic taste is probably a sign of slight spoilage so the brew isn't as fresh as it should be. But even without that it's average offering from Germany.
Total: 16
It has the right golden color and pours with a full head. Unfortunately the head is very brittle. It has a pleasant light malt aroma.
The sweetness of the malt persists from start to finish. It's a nice malt flavor. It little bit of sharpness is present as well. At the finish there is a bit of a metallic taste which I wasn't expecting. But it does finish cleanly with just a hint of hop bitterness.
It's a decent pilsner. Nothing special. The odd metallic taste is probably a sign of slight spoilage so the brew isn't as fresh as it should be. But even without that it's average offering from Germany.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Beamish Irish Stout: 19
Taste: 5 Finish: 6 Visual: 5 Aroma: 3
Total: 19
It pours black as night. With the nitrous widget, it pours frothy and creamy. The aroma has a hint of chocolate and malt. But it's slight.
It has a very thin flavor throughout. If front is a bit of cream and a bit of bite of bitter chocolate. It stays thin over the middle of the tongue. The finish has a mild chocolate and coffee flavor. But, it's very very mild.
You could either love this brew as it's a stout, has a bit of flavor, but you could drink a pint in about 3 seconds and the have another. If you're looking for a stout with some bite or to make a big impression, this certainly isn't it.
Total: 19
It pours black as night. With the nitrous widget, it pours frothy and creamy. The aroma has a hint of chocolate and malt. But it's slight.
It has a very thin flavor throughout. If front is a bit of cream and a bit of bite of bitter chocolate. It stays thin over the middle of the tongue. The finish has a mild chocolate and coffee flavor. But, it's very very mild.
You could either love this brew as it's a stout, has a bit of flavor, but you could drink a pint in about 3 seconds and the have another. If you're looking for a stout with some bite or to make a big impression, this certainly isn't it.
Friday, March 14, 2008
Wexford Irish Cream Ale: 11
Taste: 2 Finish: 2 Visual: 5 Aroma: 2
Total: 11
To kick of St. Patty's day I decided to have a Wexford Irish Cream Ale. I've never had a cream ale before so I was interested.
Visually it's beautiful. It has a CO2 widget in it so it pours full of foam. It swirls and ebbs nicely through the glass. Once it settles down in a minute it has a very nice amber color. Unfortunately, it smells like a Budweiser.
The taste at first is a nice light cream. It washes down very nicely. But upon subsequent sips, the flavor begins to break down. After the 3rd sip it really tastes like a frothed fat free milk. It even leaves that skim milk coating on the tongue.
Sorry Wexford, a big miss for Ireland.
Total: 11
To kick of St. Patty's day I decided to have a Wexford Irish Cream Ale. I've never had a cream ale before so I was interested.
Visually it's beautiful. It has a CO2 widget in it so it pours full of foam. It swirls and ebbs nicely through the glass. Once it settles down in a minute it has a very nice amber color. Unfortunately, it smells like a Budweiser.
The taste at first is a nice light cream. It washes down very nicely. But upon subsequent sips, the flavor begins to break down. After the 3rd sip it really tastes like a frothed fat free milk. It even leaves that skim milk coating on the tongue.
Sorry Wexford, a big miss for Ireland.
Friday, March 7, 2008
Slyfox Saison: 23
Taste: 8 Finish: 8 Visual: 3 Aroma: 4
Total: 23
Slyfox is definitely building their reputation in the Philadelphia area. As I've said before, they're Rt. 113 IPA is fantastic. I've recently become addicted to Saison's so I'm hopeful this fits the bill.
It has a nice yeasty, bready aroma. It has a huge head. It's a highly carbonated brew. The color is a nice yellow with an orange tinge.
Up front and through the middle is a sharp sour flavor. In the back of the throat I pick up on lemons. But throughout it is a very round mouth feel. On the exhale the bread and yeast come back which help mellow the whole thing out. A very slight hop bitterness lingers on the tongue. But moreso is that bready lemon flavor.
Overall I think Slyfox scores on this one. It's not a fantastic brew, but it certainly is very good. It would be great on a hot summer day to snacks of bread, cheese, and olives.
Total: 23
Slyfox is definitely building their reputation in the Philadelphia area. As I've said before, they're Rt. 113 IPA is fantastic. I've recently become addicted to Saison's so I'm hopeful this fits the bill.
It has a nice yeasty, bready aroma. It has a huge head. It's a highly carbonated brew. The color is a nice yellow with an orange tinge.
Up front and through the middle is a sharp sour flavor. In the back of the throat I pick up on lemons. But throughout it is a very round mouth feel. On the exhale the bread and yeast come back which help mellow the whole thing out. A very slight hop bitterness lingers on the tongue. But moreso is that bready lemon flavor.
Overall I think Slyfox scores on this one. It's not a fantastic brew, but it certainly is very good. It would be great on a hot summer day to snacks of bread, cheese, and olives.
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