Taste: 8 Finish: 8 Visual: 4 Aroma: 4
Total: 24
Victory celebrates it's 10 years with a fantastic Alt brew. It's a style I hope to see more of.
It pours a medium brown color with a mild head. The aroma is of light chocolate and ripe fruit.
It has a good sweet flavor upfront. A bit of honey. Some red ripe fruit. In the mid the mild chocolate surfaces and then moves into moderate hops at the finish. At the very end is a bit of alcohol on the breath.
It's a nicely complex brew that sort of has the characteristics of a porter with the finish of a medium IPA. So sweet and chocolate upfront, but bitter hops to finish. Great.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Flying Dog In Heat Wheat: 22
Taste: 7 Finish: 7 Visual: 4 Aroma: 4
Total: 22
Well, I certainly like the label where it tells you not to put lemon in it. A good hefe doesn't need it. Visually it's a slightly cloudy and golden color. The aroma is of wheat and a bit of lemon.
Upfront through the middle is a nice but mild tartness of lemon with a hint of malt. It sweetens up a bit at the back with honey. It finishes with a bit of clove and some hops. The finish pulls all those flavors together and leaves the tongue sweet but clean.
A really good wheat beer. I would have liked a bit more lemon or orange. But otherwise solid.
Total: 22
Well, I certainly like the label where it tells you not to put lemon in it. A good hefe doesn't need it. Visually it's a slightly cloudy and golden color. The aroma is of wheat and a bit of lemon.
Upfront through the middle is a nice but mild tartness of lemon with a hint of malt. It sweetens up a bit at the back with honey. It finishes with a bit of clove and some hops. The finish pulls all those flavors together and leaves the tongue sweet but clean.
A really good wheat beer. I would have liked a bit more lemon or orange. But otherwise solid.
Monday, July 7, 2008
Duchesse De Bourgogne: 30
Taste: 10 Finish: 10 Visual: 5 Aroma: 5
Total: 30
I think this is my first perfect 30. The Duchesse is a red Belgian Ale. It is a dark ruby red with a bit of brown. The aroma is of sweet ripe red fruit.
It is sweet on the tip of the tongue. Again, lots of plums, grapes, and cherries but then raspberries and some tartness of pomegranate. It's rich and thick. There is a very light malt in the back. The very light fizz has a slight taste of alcohol but also more fruit. In the aftertaste is slight hops.
Okay, this tastes nothing like beer. It's more like a fantastic sparkling wine. It's heaven in a bottle. But it certainly shows that beer can taste nothing like what you expect.
Total: 30
I think this is my first perfect 30. The Duchesse is a red Belgian Ale. It is a dark ruby red with a bit of brown. The aroma is of sweet ripe red fruit.
It is sweet on the tip of the tongue. Again, lots of plums, grapes, and cherries but then raspberries and some tartness of pomegranate. It's rich and thick. There is a very light malt in the back. The very light fizz has a slight taste of alcohol but also more fruit. In the aftertaste is slight hops.
Okay, this tastes nothing like beer. It's more like a fantastic sparkling wine. It's heaven in a bottle. But it certainly shows that beer can taste nothing like what you expect.
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Miller High Life: 5
Taste: 1 Finish: 2 Visual: 1 Aroma: 1
Total: 5
I mean, this is the high life, right? Please, drink this out of a can. In a glass it's soapy and has a wonderful flavor of boiled rotten vegetables. In a can it retains its generic fizzy beer taste which isn't completely terrible. And, don't forget to drink it extremely cold unless the flavor get you.
Total: 5
I mean, this is the high life, right? Please, drink this out of a can. In a glass it's soapy and has a wonderful flavor of boiled rotten vegetables. In a can it retains its generic fizzy beer taste which isn't completely terrible. And, don't forget to drink it extremely cold unless the flavor get you.
Friday, July 4, 2008
North Coast Acme IPA: 24
Taste: 9 Finish: 9 Visual: 3 Aroma: 3
Total: 24
Another award winner from North Coast with this IPA pulling in multiple silver medals over the years in the World Beer Championships.
The color is an odd amber and the brew is cloudy. The head is full and creamy. It has a general malt aroma.
Wow, it has a great flavor. There is definitely some nice sweetness from the malt. Some floral undertones. A smidge of honey. And then bold hops pour through. Not overpowering but strong and thick. It finishes pretty well leaving a nice bitterness on the tongue without crushing it. A bit of the alcohol peeks through (6.5%). It's a perfect package of flavor and finish. Excellent.
Total: 24
Another award winner from North Coast with this IPA pulling in multiple silver medals over the years in the World Beer Championships.
The color is an odd amber and the brew is cloudy. The head is full and creamy. It has a general malt aroma.
Wow, it has a great flavor. There is definitely some nice sweetness from the malt. Some floral undertones. A smidge of honey. And then bold hops pour through. Not overpowering but strong and thick. It finishes pretty well leaving a nice bitterness on the tongue without crushing it. A bit of the alcohol peeks through (6.5%). It's a perfect package of flavor and finish. Excellent.
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Miller Genuine Draft: 7
Taste: 2 Finish: 3 Visual: 1 Aroma: 1
Total: 7
My question is, draft from where? I know when this came out years before the craft beer movement, the fact that the beer tasted like it was "on draft" was something special. The idea just doesn't hold up today but the beer lives on.
What can I say? It has a generic American "beer" flavor to it. Fizzy. A minor bite up front. Bland bitterness in the end. What I can say about MGD is it is smooth in that you could drink 50 of them without any build up of bad aftertastes. For some reason I prefer it right from the can than poured into a glass. It just gives it that special Americaness to it.
Total: 7
My question is, draft from where? I know when this came out years before the craft beer movement, the fact that the beer tasted like it was "on draft" was something special. The idea just doesn't hold up today but the beer lives on.
What can I say? It has a generic American "beer" flavor to it. Fizzy. A minor bite up front. Bland bitterness in the end. What I can say about MGD is it is smooth in that you could drink 50 of them without any build up of bad aftertastes. For some reason I prefer it right from the can than poured into a glass. It just gives it that special Americaness to it.
Honey Moon: 23
Taste: 7 Finish: 8 Visual: 4 Aroma: 4
Total: 23
From the makers of Blue Moon (well, Coors) comes an even more summery beer with Honey Moon. It's a wheat beer with honey and orange peel. As with Blue Moon, Honey Moon is a nice entry into honey brews. In fact it won the Gold at the American Beer Festival in the Honey Lager/Ale category.
Overall it's a pretty good beer. The honey is definitely pronounced. The sweetness hits you. The honey gives the brew a bit of thickness. And it coats the tongue nicely. It goes down cleanly and easily. There is a bit of orange peel but I'd like it if there were more. I hate to say it, but I would put an orange wedge in this to give it a bit more bite. Definitely worth a drink in the summer to quench a thirst or enjoy slowly.
Oddly, Blue Moon Brewing is owned by Coors but isn't mentioned anywhere on the label or even the website. And, it's imported from Canada to Colorado. So, you can even say your drinking an import.
Total: 23
From the makers of Blue Moon (well, Coors) comes an even more summery beer with Honey Moon. It's a wheat beer with honey and orange peel. As with Blue Moon, Honey Moon is a nice entry into honey brews. In fact it won the Gold at the American Beer Festival in the Honey Lager/Ale category.
Overall it's a pretty good beer. The honey is definitely pronounced. The sweetness hits you. The honey gives the brew a bit of thickness. And it coats the tongue nicely. It goes down cleanly and easily. There is a bit of orange peel but I'd like it if there were more. I hate to say it, but I would put an orange wedge in this to give it a bit more bite. Definitely worth a drink in the summer to quench a thirst or enjoy slowly.
Oddly, Blue Moon Brewing is owned by Coors but isn't mentioned anywhere on the label or even the website. And, it's imported from Canada to Colorado. So, you can even say your drinking an import.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Lancaster Hop Hog IPA: 16
Taste: 5 Finish: 5 Visual: 4 Aroma: 2
Total: 16
This beer is so totally wrong. With a name like Hop Hog IPA, I expect a big bold hop flavor with citrus and floral flavors. Wrong! This is an all malt, super malt brew. It smells like malt. It tastes like malt. The aftertaste is of malt. Now, normally that would be bad for the right type of brew. Change the name and I would probably like this. But it is not a hop hog, or hop dog, or hop anything else.
Total: 16
This beer is so totally wrong. With a name like Hop Hog IPA, I expect a big bold hop flavor with citrus and floral flavors. Wrong! This is an all malt, super malt brew. It smells like malt. It tastes like malt. The aftertaste is of malt. Now, normally that would be bad for the right type of brew. Change the name and I would probably like this. But it is not a hop hog, or hop dog, or hop anything else.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Blue Moon: 20
Taste: 6 Finish: 6 Visual: 4 Aroma: 4
Total: 20
Blue Moon is a nice entry level Wheat beer made by Coors. If you like this it can open up a whole new world of beers to you.
Visually it is cloudy as it should be. Decent creamy head. The color is a golden orange. The aroma is good of bread and oranges.
The flavor is light be there definitely are several highlights. First is citrus orange and lemon peel. Then the yeast kicks in. The combination lasts through the aftertaste. A hint of coriander. Overall pretty good.
An oddity is that the bottle recommends a slice of orange. Now, most places will serve wheat beers with a slice of orange in it. That's typically a "novice" thing to do and more traditionalist drink it straight. So, it's odd that the bottle recommends it. The orange (or lemon) will have accent the already present citrus flavors. But it does it at the expense of the breadiness. And that's another point. This beer has a yeast flavor. It should be more of baked bread. So, it's not quite as good as it should be. Finally, a really good wheat will have more spice undertone to it. Blue Moon is more generic.
For Coors, this is an A+. But, compared to some great German and European brews, this is definitely a cut below.
Total: 20
Blue Moon is a nice entry level Wheat beer made by Coors. If you like this it can open up a whole new world of beers to you.
Visually it is cloudy as it should be. Decent creamy head. The color is a golden orange. The aroma is good of bread and oranges.
The flavor is light be there definitely are several highlights. First is citrus orange and lemon peel. Then the yeast kicks in. The combination lasts through the aftertaste. A hint of coriander. Overall pretty good.
An oddity is that the bottle recommends a slice of orange. Now, most places will serve wheat beers with a slice of orange in it. That's typically a "novice" thing to do and more traditionalist drink it straight. So, it's odd that the bottle recommends it. The orange (or lemon) will have accent the already present citrus flavors. But it does it at the expense of the breadiness. And that's another point. This beer has a yeast flavor. It should be more of baked bread. So, it's not quite as good as it should be. Finally, a really good wheat will have more spice undertone to it. Blue Moon is more generic.
For Coors, this is an A+. But, compared to some great German and European brews, this is definitely a cut below.
Gentleman Jack: 25
Taste: 8 Finish: 9 Visual: 4 Aroma: 4
Total: 25
Gentleman Jack is a double charcoal filtered version of Jack Daniels. It retains all the same qualities and characteristics of regular Jack. It has the same caramel, tobacco, and earthy flavors and aromas. The main difference is the finish. Instead of that normal whiskey "aah" on the exhale, Gentleman Jack is pretty much completely smooth and no harshness in the finish. So, it's all the flavor but none of the boldness. Is it worth an extra 50%? Does it compete with higher end craft whiskeys? Pretty much yes. It is missing some of the more intricate flavors of more expensive brands such as vanilla, spice, or ripe fruit. But most of those brands are 100% more than Jack so this is a nice compromise.
Total: 25
Gentleman Jack is a double charcoal filtered version of Jack Daniels. It retains all the same qualities and characteristics of regular Jack. It has the same caramel, tobacco, and earthy flavors and aromas. The main difference is the finish. Instead of that normal whiskey "aah" on the exhale, Gentleman Jack is pretty much completely smooth and no harshness in the finish. So, it's all the flavor but none of the boldness. Is it worth an extra 50%? Does it compete with higher end craft whiskeys? Pretty much yes. It is missing some of the more intricate flavors of more expensive brands such as vanilla, spice, or ripe fruit. But most of those brands are 100% more than Jack so this is a nice compromise.
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