Salzburger Stiegl Lager Pils

Served into A glass from A green, 11.2 Fl.oz bottle.  $2.50 at the House of 1000 Beers.

Stiegl Pils is A German Pilsener coming in at 4.90% ABV.
Brewed by Stieglbrauerei zu Salzburg GmbH
Austria

Look: Poured A pale, golden, yellow color.  Was glowing like the sun in my glass. Completely clear and very clean. Almost no head formed even with a fairly aggressive pour. Active carbonation flowing through the brew. This beer resembles the look of apple cider.

Smell: Some honey malt, light toasted biscuits. A bit of skunkyness escapes into the air. I am really hoping that the skunkyness does not carry over into the flavor. I also picked up just A bit of some earthy hoppyness and some mineral hints from the water.

Taste: I am surprised at how chocolaty the malt tastes for such A light beer.  I definitely pick the malt up at the front. I also get some honey, biscuits, A little butter, and some light roasted coffee.  The mineral in the water really hits afterwards and  becomes A bit earthy.  The middle to end picks up the bitterness from the earthy hops and finishes quite dry and bitter. Hops attribute a nice earthy, slightly piney bite.  I did pick up the smallest amount of skunkyness that left as the beer sat.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied. A little slick.  The beer slides down like just about any other Euro-lager. The beer does have some biting carbonation that stings the under part of the tongue.

Overall: A fine example of Euro-lagers. Nothing too special but also nothing that will turn anyone away. I did find it to be borderline boring and i'm not sure if I have A reason to ever get this one again.

Stiegl gets A 3.8/5.

One of the better Euro-lagers, nothing special though.

Abita Christmas Ale

Consumed from the bottle into A Sam Adams special glass. Purchased for $2.50 at the House of 1000 Beers in New Kensington, PA.

The Abita page about the beer can be found HERE.

Abita Christmas Ale is A seasonal brew. (Winter)

An American Brown Ale coming in at 5.50%ABV.
Brewed by Abita Brewing Co.
Louisiana .

Look: Very nice orange/brown/ruby-amber color.  The beer poured A thick 2 finger tan, off-red head. Semi-cloudy/clear.  The beer wasn't murky but it also wasn't easy to see through either. Abita Christmas Ale left some decent lacing around the glass as I consumed it. 

Smell: From the start, I get pine.  It smelled as if I had walked into A store that sold nothing but Christmas trees.  The real ones...not the plastic ones. I also picked up some very faint, lightly toasted malt.  Maybe even some faint spices hiding in and around somewhere. A bit lacking and uninspiring. 

Taste: Well. The first sip was very disappointing. I picked up almost nothing.  Some pine from the hops and maybe some light nutmeg and biscuit...but not much of those even. Maybe the beer is too cold?  After letting it warm up for A good half an hour or more, I decided to give it another go. This time A bit more flavor showed up, but not too much. Picked up some more nuttiness that blended nicely with the pineyness from the hops. Some honey and toasted malt. A little baker's chocolate, and some spices that I was unable to identify because of how faint they tasted.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied. Low carbonation...Which I like in these kind of beers.  I don't need A lot of carbonation ruining the flavor by numbing my tongue. The beer was just A bit chewy. Definitely came across as creamy.  It was able to coat my tongue and mouth just A little bit.

Overall: I'm pretty disappointed with this Christmas Ale. Especially compared to other ones. It's A bit piney and A little spicy but it just falls short of what I had expected.  Maybe I was hoping for too much?

Abita Christmas Ale gets A 3.5/5 from me.

Not bad, not great, A little better than middle of the road. 

Aecht Schlenkerla Helles Lagerbier

Brewed by Brauerei Heller-Trum / Schlenkerla
Germany

The Schlenkerla Helles Lagerbier is A Munich Helles lager coming in at 4.30%ABV.
1pint 9oz.

I consumed this $6 bottle in A Sam Adams special glass at the House of 1000 Beers.

“Schlenkerla Helles” is brewed with fine Bavarian aroma hops from the area around the city of Nürnberg. It's lagered in century old caves underneath the historic Schlenkerla brewery and maltings. Schlenkerla Helles is boiled in the same copper kettles and bottom fermented by the same yeast as the historic Schlenkerla Smokebeer. Its subtle smokiness without using smoke malt makes “Helles Schlenkerla Lager” a unique representative of the classic lager beer style “Bavarian Helles”.  


You can view more info about the line of beers and the brewery at the WEBSITE.

Look: Pale, murky, hazy, golden-yellow color. Strong, active carbonation forces it's way up to the top of the glass forming A finger and a half of foamy off-white head. I noticed A lot of particles floating around in the beer and stuck in suspension.  A bit thick and syrupy. Looking good so far.  

Smell: Right off the bad I'm hit with the strong smell of smoked cheeses. It's very pungent and predominant. For people who are not use to beers with smokey aromas and flavors, this will sure be a surprise. Heck, for someone not familiar with this lager beer...this will be A surprise. Under the smoked cheese aroma, I picked up some cooked bacon, smoke extract, cigar smoke, and some toasted malt.  A tad bit of fruitiness and honey was also in it somewhere underneath the smokiness. As for the hops, barely any in the smell.  What I got was A tad bit of pineyness and maybe some floral leafyness.

Taste: Following the nose to the dot.  The beer begins very smokey. I can't say I was caught off guard or anything, because I was not.  I was prepared and anticipating it.  It may have been more smokey though than I had originally imagined.  Not A bad thing at all though.  I picked up some smoked cheeses such as gouda and the like. Some light hints of burning cigars, and some honey.  The toasty malts sneak in just A bit to give you A bit of wheat bread and biscuit.  Some vanilla lingering around about mid drink.  The finish slides off right into the hop pool.  You're hit with A nice, smooth bitterness that tingles the tongue, some fruitiness, and some leafy hop that finishes the beer nice and dry.

Mouthfeel: A little chewy, prickly and very drying.  After every sip I found my mouth extremely dry and craving another drink.  The beer was A bit on the heavy/thick side. Nothing too crazy though for the style.  The carbonation was just enough to enhance the flavors and not ruin the beer by burning your tongue to ashes.

Overall: I think this is a magnificent beer and has easily pushed some other beers out of the top tier of my favorites.

Aecht Schlenkerla Helles Lagerbier gets A 4.5/5 from me.  

A great beer that I think more people should really get out and find. 

Fuller's Nitro E.S.B.

I was visiting The House of 1000 Beers yesterday evening and finally stumbled upon A wonderful gem of a beer.  Well...I guess it's not "finally."  I've stumbled on many fine brews at this establishment.  If you are in the Pittsburgh area and interested in the place, you can go HERE and visit the site. ,k

Fuller's ESB was on a nitro tap. Served in A Redhook pint glass.

Fuller's ESB is brewed by Fuller Smith & Turner PLC. In the United Kingdom (England.)
5.90% ABV
The style is Extra Special / Strong Bitter (ESB)

Fuller's ESB is brewed with Pale Ale and Crystal malts and from Challenger, Goldings, Northdown, and Target hops.

Look: Fuller's ESB is a very rich, deep amber color.  I love drinking beer on nitro because you actually have to wait to taste it.  It's like a challenge to see how long you can go as the beer settles into A very creamy, rich, tan-white head.   The beers leaves plenty of lacing.  It barely wants to leave the glass.

Smell: The first thing I'm picking up the some earthiness from the hops. Some weedy, grassyness as well. After that, I can really smell the sweet, toasted malt used in this brew. Very delightful and tame.

Taste: Cooked fruit. Some melon and strawberry. Starts off a bit sweet and finishes nice and semi-dry with some really nice hop bitterness thrown in. The hops provide an earthy, tea-like flavor that just floats across the tongue and tingles the back of the mouth and throat. Very well balanced and easy drinking.  I am in love with this.

Mouthfeel: Fairly chewy and smooth.  Just enough of a tingle to notice it on the tongue, and then it slides right down your throat without any fight at all.  Magnificent.

Overall: This is easily my new favorite beer. Fuller's really have this locked down.  I fell in love with it from first sight and first sip.

Fuller's ESB gets A 5/5 from me.
I can't wait to stock up on some bottles of this.  Every bar in the U.S. needs to carry this on nitro draft.

Modelo Especial

Modelo Especial.
4.40% ABV.
Brewed by Grupo Modelo S.A. de C.V.
Mexico

Gold foil wrap...this is fancy as all hell.  I will not be putting any limes in this one. Not A fan of putting fruit in my beer. If it can't stand alone, it can't stand at all. Am I right? Am I right?

Look: A clear bottle...why? Why could this not be in A brown bottle, or at the least in A green bottle. Like most Mexi-lagers, this one follows suit. The beer pours A very light golden color. Nothing to special about it. It looks like most others. Perhaps A bit more dark.  A thick, off white head forms with an aggressive pour and quickly dies out. Some carbonation trickles upward from the bottom of the glass. The beer does leave a bit of decent lacing around the glass though. Not that this creates A special beer or anything.

Smell:  By the grace of whomever, this beer does not smell skunky.  It does smell A bit cheap though.  Some stale malt is about all I'm getting.  It smells very sweet.  I'm not really A fan of overly sweet lagers, so hopefully this doesn't follow into the taste.  After sitting A bit I was able to pick up just the faintest trace of hops.  I have no idea what variety of hops they use in this brew.

Taste: Here we go. The beers sloshes into my mouth and goes right down my throat without any problems. A tad sweet on the mouth. Some toasted malt and A touch of honey up front, followed by A bit of bitterness to balance. A bit of earthy hopping thrown in as well. Nothing is really too discernible.  Very unoffensive. At least, I was not offended. An easy drinker.  I also am picking up some metallic aftertaste.  Not really against that though, It could have ended A cloyingly sweet. The beer finishes semi-dry and even A bit sticky. A simple lager that you could down easily on A hot day. I guess that is the aim of these brews.

Mouthfeel: Smooth. Easy to drink. Moderate carbonation. Surprisingly doesn't burn my mouth or throat. I don't really like it when the beer feels like I'm swallowing tons of little needles with every gulp.

Overall: This really isn't bad. It's actually one of the better Mexican lagers I have had. It's leaps and bounds ahead of Corona in my opinion.  I would get this again. I would like to try it from the can some time in the future.  It is A bit pricey though.  I paid $28 for A case of it at my local distributor.

Modelo Especial gets A 3.5/5 from me.
 It's not amazing but it's also not disgustingly awful. A middle of the road brew for people tired of the Corona.

Egervin Egri Bikavér Bulls Blood 2008

Finally. The time has come for me to do my very first wine review.  My fingers type with glee and jubilation at the thought of scattering this over the millions of feeds that exist on the internet. Oh, what A fantastic idea.

Egervin Egri Bikavér Bulls Blood vintage 2008. A Hungarian red wine. Kadarka varietal. Produced by Egervin Borgazdaság Rt.

(If you would like to learn more about the Egri Bikavér style of wine from Hungary, visit THIS.)

Look: A deep, dark red. I guess that is why they call this "blood." It is as murky and dark as the richest blood any living creature could produce. Pitch-dark puddle of red liquid fills the glass.  I'm sure I could compose A poem just around the look of this wine... I don't have the time though.  I'll leave it to the "experts."

Smell: Very oaky. I'm really amazed at how woody this smells. Some hints of vanilla and over-ripe strawberries sneak in there under the wood.

Taste: The soft acidity of this wine really just glazes your tongue. Sort of like if you poured cough syrup in your mouth and swished it about a bit. Except, this tastes much better. The first taste you get is the smokiness of the grapes used, followed by A strong woody flavor.  Some soft floral tannins   peak through and dance across the palate. Underlying hints of vanilla and peppercorns are present. Just a bit of tartness and some soft alcohol hits the back of the throat. Delicious.

Mouthfeel: A full bodied wine. Velvet smooth with some soft acidity. Does not burn the tongue or throat. A very harmonic composition to say the least.

Overall: I absolutely love this wine. It has easily become one of my favorites.  I would recommend that everyone who is A wine drinker give this one A try. At $8.99 A bottle, you can't go wrong.

Egervin Egri Bikavér Bulls Blood 2008 gets A 5/5. 

Kirin Free

The nice folks at Kirin USA sent me two bottles of this for me to sample.  Kirin Free is A 0.0% beer.

A Japanese non-alcohol beer brewed by Kirin Brewing Company.

Info from the website says that the beer is 60 calories.
Protein: .1-.3g

This is my first non-alcohol beer and I was a little worried to say the least.

Off the bat, the bottles are great. They are thick, sturdy, brown, and big.  They are 12oz but the weight of the bottle is nice.  I'll be making beer glasses out of these for sure.

Look: So here we go.  The beer poured from the bottle into my schooner glass, poured an odd orange color with no head formation.  The beer glows like the sun.  Plenty of carbonation can be seen streaming up from the bottom of the glass. 

Smell:  Sticking my nose into the glass, what I detected caused me to immediately jump back from the glass. A very odd, sour smell.  Sort of reminds me of grape kool aid...

I also picked up some crackers form the malt, some fried egg, and even A bit of pizza dough. Not what I was expecting.

Taste:  After the shock of the smell settled, I gathered up the courage to actually taste this.  Thankfully, It was not as bad.   What first hits your mouth is like a cherry or grape soda flavor. I'm still not completely decided on which flavor of soda it is. It has the tang of cherry but almost the taste of a cheaper grape soda.  What follows is a sour, pizza dough flavor.  I assume this would be from the malt.  I didn't detect any honey, or toasted wheat, caramel, or even any hops for that matter.  I have come to the conclusion that the hops are in there just to hold that pizza dough back a bit.  The aftertaste finishes a bit dry and a tad sour.  I'm not really liking this at  all...

Mouthfeel: Very light and watery of course.  Some stinging carbonation on the tongue and even the back of the throat.

Overall: This has it's place. I'm not going to knock it around too much since Non-alcohol brews aren't my thing at all. This was my first and hopefully my last.
Kirin Free is not beer.  It is a malt beverage but absolutely not beer.  Don't mistake it for that.  I could see this coming in handy if you are pregnant, an AA member, or someone who wants to take a drink on the road with them, that sort of tastes like beer but really isn't beer.

I'll give Kirin Free A 1.5/5 in the NA brews category.

Beer Mail #2 Kirin FREE

Today I received two bottles of Kirin FREE Non-Alcohol Malt Beverage via UPS from Kirin Brewery of America LLC.

Normally A Non-Alcohol beer would definitely not be my thing, but you know what? I will give this one a fair go in the name of science. 

New Holland The Poet

I'm reviewing this one for International Stout Day.  It was given to me by a friend during a night of drinking.  My apologies for the poor picture quality. I used my phone for the photo since I did not have my camera on hand at the time.

New Holland The Poet

The Poet by New Holland Brewing Company is out of Michigan, USA. The Poet is an Oatmeal Stout coming in at 5.20% abv. 

I poured the stout from the bottle into my trusted Newcastle Brown Ale Schooner glass.

Look: The body is almost a pitch black with a bit of some ruby red showing through when light hits it.  Murky, unclear...sort of reminds me a bit of coffee.  The head poured about 2 inches with a bit of retention. It stuck around for a bit but as I let it sit to warm a little, the head said it's good byes and deflated down to about a half an inch. The little bit of head that was left managed to stick around until the end of the party.

Smell: Ah...toasted wood, some grilling charcoal, and a bit of spicy cedar. The malt breaks through and gives off the scent of some sweet toffee, burnt coffee and bitter, baker's chocolate.  The smell is very inviting. I wonder if they make car scents like this?

Taste: Up front you get drawn in with some sweetness from the malts. A bit of caramel and toffee. Some underlying chocolate donut-like sweetness. Some smokiness kicks in from the oats that adds a bit of a smoked bacon flavor. Does anyone else get that from oatmeal stouts? Smoked bacon...Anyways.  The sweetness then drops off into a bit of a biting bitterness. Sort of caught me off guard. Some bitter coffee and pomegranate, grapefruit twang bursting through to even the drink out very well. I will say this though, the flavors are a bit muted and not as robust as I would like from this style.

Mouthfeel: Very crisp and refreshing, yet, it is still a full bodied brew.  They got this one down.  The carbonation is very muted, yet this brew just slides down like it's nothing.

Overall I'll have to say that this is a very good offering of the Oatmeal Stout genre of beer.  New Holland knows how to brew A good oatmeal stout, kudos to them. 

I'll give New Holland Oatmeal Stout A 4/5     

Why not A 5?  Well Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout has always been my favorite. I don't have a review up for this but I'll have to work on it. The flavors were a bit muted and not that robust or in your face. Which some people will like and some people will still like, but want more of.  Don't get me wrong, it's a very good beer...I just felt like I wanted a bit more from the flavor area.  I would still recommend this beer to anyone who loves stouts or even someone who was just trying to get into the style.

I hope everyone had a great Stout Day and enjoyed many stouts they loved or even discovered new ones.

Coors Light

http://www.coorslight.com

It's not very often that I partake in the consumption of light beers.  Usually, the only time I do is at festivities and events where there is no other choice.

I was a little low on beer budget money this week so I decided to just go the cheap route and pick something up to quench my thirst.  I guess you could say that I was bummin' it.  Anyways, what did  I think...Well, not too much.

Consumed in a pilsner glass straight from A 40oz bottle. December 21, 2011 expiration date. "Super cold."

Coors Light is 4.2% abv and is brewed by Coors Brewing Company in Colorado, USA.

Look - Very pale. Light yellow color...reminiscent of a well hydrated piss. What else is to expect from a light beer?  Poured about 2 inches worth of head that was bubbly like soap and dissipated rapidly. I'd say it lasted under a minute or two. Honestly, I didn't pay much attention to it because I figured it wasn't worth noting too much.  A lot of carbonation bubbled up like a thick fountain of suds.  Some of the most carbonation I have ever seen.

Smell - As hard as I may have tried, I was unable to really detect too much of anything in this beer. The little that i did pick up was a bunch of adjuncty corn and just a tad bit of an off putting, metallic smell.  I'm not too sure where the metallic smell is coming from. Definitely has to be from the brewing process. I didn't pick up any barley malt or hops at all.  Definitely disappointing but you know what?  I won't give it a hard time because of the kind of beer it is. It's meant to be unoffensive and the smell definitely did not offend me one bit.

Taste/Mouthfeel: Like I said earlier, it's not offensive at all. Very easy drinking, easy going. What I did get was a toss up of some fresh corn, a bit of husk and a very light tinge of some old hops.  Actually, it tastes like bananas.  Does anyone else get that from Coors Light or is it just me?  Some definite banana funk going on there.  The mouthfeel is very prickly, no doubt from the carbonation. Very smooth, as most types of this beer tend to be.  Nothing offensive. Very easy to drink.  Could definitely quench your thirst on a hot day if you weren't looking to drink complete water and was looking for something that had a bit of a beer taste to it.

You know...over all, it's not disgusting.  Would I seek it out? Not particularly, no.  I did today though.    I paid $3 USD for a 40oz bottle of this and I can't really say that I regret it.

Coors Light...you get a 1.5/5 in the American Adjunct Light Lager category. Kudos...

**I have two other 40oz beers to review as well. Look forward to having those up in the next few days.

Dogfish Head 90 Minute Imperial IPA

You can check out the web page for this brew HERE.

Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA is an American Double/Imperial IPA.  Served in a 12oz bottle into a mug.  Comes in at 9% with 90 IBU.

"90 Minute IPA was our first continually-hopped beer, which is a method of hopping that allows for a pungent, but not crushing hop flavor. Since introducing the world to the continual-hopping method with our 90 Minute IPA, we've since released a continually-hopped 60 Minute IPA, 120 Minute IPA and even a 75 Minute IPA (a cask-conditioned blend of 60 & 90 Minute IPAs).: "

As you can see from the quote from the website...This brew is all about the hops. I guess there other 2 are as well but this is the one I picked up.  So how does it fare for this guy?  Time to find out.

Look: The beer poured a very dark, hazy, golden, amber color.  Very beautiful glow radiating through out the glass. For some reason I was only able to get about a half an inch of a fluffy, off white head.  Subtle carbonation bubbles up from the bottom of the glass.  Not as sprity as some other "IPA's" i've had in the past, but truthfully...I prefer it this way.   90 Minute IPA left some pretty decent lacing in my glass as I quenched my thirst.  

Smell: Some toasted malts right up front, in your nose.  A little bit of light caramel and a heaping load of toffee. I'm also picking up something a bit sweeter...perhaps some donuts? Yeah, donuts. Also wafting from the glass is a blast of some fresh, sliced grapefruit and some dry orange peel. No doubt from the hops.  The smell isn't as strong as I would expect from all the hop bragging, but we'll see when it comes to taste.

Taste/Feel: Very moderate body.  A little more watery than I had expected but it actually fits with the taste quite well.  It actually is a little sticky in the mouth.  It just doesn't slide down, it is sort of like you are drinking some goo that nickelodeon use to dump on people. What was that stuff called? Ahhh...I can't remember now for the life of me. Anyways. I picked up some hints of toasted malt that came across as some light caramel and toffee. Just as I picked up in the nose when testing the smell. Vanilla.  Yes, I am picking up some vanilla...not cheap, fake vanilla but real vanilla bean. 

Now on to the bitterness, which this beer, surprisingly doesn't overwhelm you with. I was really hoping for a more bitter beer but this one did not deliver as bitter of a bite as I could have hoped.  It seems like these IIPA beers are always letting me down when it comes to bitterness. Oh well...maybe it's just me? Perhaps I set my BU hopes to high? I dont know. The hop flavors I picked up were reminiscent of grapefruit, that is the prime flavor that sticks around for most of the end of the beer. A little bit of lemon rind sneaks in just to splash your tongue with a bit of lemony bitterness that drops off into a semi dry finish with almost no sign of alcohol to be found anywhere in this 9% beer.

Overall it's a pretty good showing for an IIPA.  After finishing this beer quite quickly I did end up with a bit of a buzz from the 9%.  Maybe it was because I hadn't eaten anything all day too. 

This is a pretty good beer and I would recommend it to anyone who is into IPA's and stronger beers. However it does come at a bit of a price.

I give Dogfish Head 90 Minute Imperial IPA 3.8/5.  I just couldn't give it a 4 because the lack of bitterness let me down a bit.

Greene King Abbot Ale

Abbot Ale - Perfect Real Ale

Another review of a beer that makes it way to me from across the pond. I've provided a link to the beer website, as usual, just underneath the photo.

Greene King Abbot Ale was purchased at House of A Thousand Beers in New Kensington, PA. It came in a 4 pack of pint cans that are 5%abv. It is an English Pale Ale.

Abbot Ale is brewed by Greene King/Morland Brewery in the United Kingdom.

I am very found of canned English Ales. I have a thing for Boddington's and Tetley's. So I was enamored when I saw this Abbot Ale sitting on the shelf.

Look: Greene King Abbot Ale poured a murky, dark, orange, caramel, to amber color. Even holding this up to light proved it not clear. Definitely some particles floating around in suspension that prevent me from seeing threw the beer. The head was nice, thick, and creamy. A light tan color at that. It did fade rather quickly after erupting to about 2 inches.

Smell: After jamming my nose into the glass and just about drowning myself...I came up with the following: Sweet toffee, toasted nuts, some warm caramel, a slight hint of some spicy pine, and some woodiness dragging at the end with a bit of a lemon pledge. Not too shabby at all, If I do say so.

Taste/Feel: Ok, the all important taste. Well, it's definitely a tad bitter. Not overly much so though. Your average bud light, coors, light, miller lite, etc...drinker most likely won't be able to appreciate this, but hey...you never know, right? I tasted some toffee and roasted vanilla. Coming in the middle was a bit of grapefruit bittering from the hops and some black tea leafs that I will also attribute to the hopping. Seems the hops are more complex and hidden than the malt. All of the flavors seem to be on a different level that you must explore to uncover them all. Like a maze. I like it!

After the beer warmed as I was drinking it, I noticed some orange candy taste that started to come through.

The mouthfeel was moderate and just about completely flat. Very drinkable no doubt.

Well, like I said earlier; I really do enjoy these canned ales. Maybe it's not your thing, and some people may say it tastes like chewer's spit, but it sure is my thing. I'll give Greene King Abbot Ale a 4/5

Charmsoju

I'm going to switch it up a bit this time and review a different form of drink.  This one coming all the way from South Korea.  Soju. What is Soju you ask?  Well, Soju is a distilled alcoholic beverage traditionally produced from rice.  

I picked this up at my local liquor store for about $4. Comes in a 375mL green bottle.  A clear alcohol. Coming in at 19.7% abv

Look: Soju doesn't have anything special to the look. It is very clear and that's it. Just clear.

Smell: Mostly alcohol with a bit of a sweetness and a little bit of a lemony tartness.  There is citric acid and sugar added to this drink, according to the label.

Taste: This tastes almost like vodka.  It is more sweet and the alcohol flavor is a bit subdued due to the sugar but the taste is almost there.  This kind of reminds me of Sake just with more alcohol and water.  Quite crisp and very clean.  This would mix very will with many juices.  Ah! What an idea. I need to try this with some cranberry juice...or maybe pineapple?

Overall I will definitely be purchasing this again. I've had it before and there is no reason to quit.  I really do enjoy it on a hot day or even a cold day.  It's crisp, clean, and not overpowering.  Sweet and just a bit tart with a decent alcohol kick in the back.  All I have to do now is try mixing it with a few juices maybe...I guess that goes against tradition though.

I give Charmsoju a 4/5  in the Soju department. Mainly because I have not had any other Soju.

Newcastle Summer Ale

I received a sampler six pack of this from Heineken USA about 3 weeks ago and finally have gotten around to reviewing it.

Newcastle Summer Ale is an English Bitter. Coming in at 4.40% abv.

Ahhh...An Ale made specifically for summer consumption. One would imagine it being light and refreshing. Not too over powering and ready for the masses.

What do you think of when it comes to Summer? The beach, mowing the lawn, carnivals...? You can't really leave beer out of that equation either. Beer is definitely a summer staple in much of the western world. So leave it to some breweries to capitalize on the summer

fervor and make an attempt at some sort of Summer themed beer.

Newcastle is not the first brewery to make a "summer" beer and i'm sure they will not be the last either.

What did I think about it? Put your shades on, your swimming trousers, and get ready to ride a wave of summer bliss...

First of all, why is this in a brown bottle and not a clear one like the Brown Ale? Well I asked this question to customer service and was never answered. I was led around the question and instead of an answer was given the history of the Brown Ale. Bollocks I tells ya, bollocks!

I consumed this Ale on 9/13/2011 on a fairly warm day. It was clear and 79 degrees F. I guess Summer is fading but was still an enjoyable day to say the least.

Look: Newcastle Summer Ale pours a light amber, golden color. The bubbles leftover from carbonation danced to the top of the glass, doing the tango to create a thick, whispy, white head that stood about an inch and a half, and lasted for well over a minute. The beer itself does advertise itself fairly well and looks very appealing on a hot, summer's day.

Smell: Time to stick the ol' nose in the glass and take a whiff. Hmm...quite peculiar to say the least. I get apples and raisins. Very fruity. Even some pear in there too, maybe mango? Not sure I have smelled a beer like this before. Definitely a bit odd...not bad though.

I also picked up some sweet caramel no doubt from the malt, and some bitter grapefruit doused in a bit of wet hay. It's actually fairly appealing, odd...but appealing.

Taste: Down the throat it goes. This Summer Ale is actually moderately bitter. Tea like hops and some sour grape flavors float across the palate. I'm also picking up a bit of a buttery flavor. I am assuming this is from the yeast? It's a bit off putting but truthfully, as I drink more, it grows on me and I begin to actually enjoy it. About mid drink, some smoked malt and caramel begin to round out the beer. The aftertaste leaves a bit of a sticky caramel flavor that just about clashes with a grassy, slightly bitter flavor. Oh, and more butter.

Overall, the more I drink of this the more I actually enjoy it. Would I get it again? Yes, I can say I would. It's not anything exceptional and it's definitely not a great Ale. It's a good beer though if you really aren't looking for anything complicated and want something to drink on a hot day that isn't complete swill. It's light, a bit hoppy, and a Summer Ale. If you are into that thing, great. If not, also great.

Newcastle Summer Ale gets a 3/5

Stroh's

I've consumed Stroh's in the past and have always considered it my go to beer along with Pabst and Schlitz (which I sadly can not obtain at my local distributor any longer) when I am low on money. I would like to mention that being low on money for me seems to be a recurring theme.

I paid $4.75 for a 6 pack of these guys at River Road Six Packs in Vandergrift, PA.

Stroh's is an American adjunct lager, 4.60% ABV. I consumed these from the can into a standard beer mug.

Appearance: The beer pours a very light, straw like, golden color. Just about the color of a decently hydrated urination. Stroh's produced a 2 finger, bubbly head that actually stuck around a bit longer than most AALs. Active carbonation bubbled it's way furiously to the top, supporting the bone white head.

Smell: Pretty standard for this style of beer. Mostly corny and adjuncty with a little bit of a light hint of lemons and grass. Like I said, not too much different than a Budweiser, Pabst, or Coors.

Taste/Mouthfeel: This is where Stroh's sets itself a part from the standard fair a bit. The

first taste you get is a slight citrus, lemon, grassy hop twang that turns into a bit of a

bitterness. The malt then shows it's face with a bit of a honey sweetness that finishes off with a little more hoppyness that turns into a bit of a grassy aftertaste. The beer is moderately

carbonated, not too little and not too much. Of course the beer is watery as well...what else would you expect?

Overall for the price, I really enjoy this beer on a hot, sweaty summer day. Where I buy my beer it usually ends up being a few dollars cheaper than PBR or Blatz which are a few of my other standard fridge keepers. Nothing too special, definitely a step up from Budweiser or Coors in my opinion but it's definitely no Stout or IPA.

I'll give Stroh's a 3.5/5 just for what it is and nothing else.

Beer mail #1 Newcastle Summer Ale

The fine folks at Heineken USA sent me a 6 pack of the Newcastle Summer Ale so that I could try it, at no expense to me. They even put it on over night shipping. The pack arrived without damage, neatly boxed, and ready for consumption in just a day.

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale

I've had my share of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale bottles before and it has grown easily to be one of my all time favorite beers.

I absolutely love the bottle save for a few things. We will start with those. The bottle doesn't really give any background information about the beer or any statistics, or anything. It does however state:

"Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is a completely natural ale. There are no additives; only the finest malted barley, whole hops, brewers yeast, and crystal-clear water. The fine layer of yeast in each bottle is a result of the traditional bottle-conditioning process that produces carbonation naturally."

It's obvious from this and the website that Sierra Nevada puts great pride in the brews they produce. They should rightfully so.

I consumed the pale ale from a tulip glass out of a 24 Fl.oz bottle. I picked the bottle up at my local Giant Eagle for around $3.49 The beer comes in at 5.9% abv and 37 IBUs.

Look: Light amber, golden hue. The ale pours a medium 1 and a half finger length head. Very small bubbles begin bubbling to the top. Not too many though actually. I only observed around 10 or so bubbles a minute. This ale leaves behind a lot of beautiful, sticky lacing on the sides of the glass.

Smell: Very citrus like hops. A bit floral with

some big pine notes as well. Some sweet malt shows its presence. Sort of like a light honey or caramel smell, maybe some light brown sugar in there too.

Taste: Very nicely hopped. I'm a huge hop head like I have said before and this beer really hits the spot. Fairly moderate pineyness offsets just a bit of a floral twang. Some caramel and honey sweetness slides across the tongue just before you swallow which leads to another piney note from the hops. Very balanced beer.

Mouthfeel: Mildly carbonated. The label says that it's bottle conditioned so that means that the carbonation is naturally produced by the yeast that is left in the bottles. Medium body to the ale that seems to fit in perfectly with the other attributes. The beer finishes off a bit on the dry side, but in my opinion, this is just how a pale ale should be.

Overall: This is a fantastic beer. Easily one of my favorites. However, this is by no means a hopsplosion, or a hop bomb. If you are looking for something much bitter or stronger, this isn't the ale for you. I however really enjoy this ale and how well balanced it is. I'll give Sierra Nevada Pale Ale a 4/5.

Cheers!

Unearthly Imperial India Pale Ale

Southern Tier Unearthly IIPA

Everyone knows that I am a hop head. I'm not sure if you all have figured this out or assumed this by now, but I am completely head-over-heels for any beer that is just hopped out of this world.

I saw this beer, it was calling my name from the shelf at a local Giant Eagle store. I grabbed this bottle and hoisted it above my head like a treasure I discovered, except the gold inside was hops...or so I believed.

The beer is described as being "an uninhibited infusion of hops & oak" As I later found out, it's not what I was expecting, much to my chagrin.

Look: The beer poured a very rich, golden, amber color with a very subtle, dirty white head that didn't inflate to any great heights, and didn't stick around for the party.

Smell: Very fruity. The smell really excited me. The hops were right there, all up in my face. It sort of reminded me of strawberry jelly, or some sort of strawberry cake or candy. A bit of alcohol sneaks in after the sweet malt and fruity hoppy scent. The beer is 11% so the alcohol was knocking at the door at the last whiff.

Taste: Intensely sweet caramel-like taste with a moderate sour, soapy hop flavor. A bit of alcohol creeps up over the smoothly sweet malts, just enough to remind you are drinking a fairly modest alcoholic beverage. You know what though? It's not as hopped as I initially expected it to be. It did let me down a bit because of that. I love hop bombs and was expecting this to be one since it is an IIPA, however my hopes let me down a bit.

Mouthfeel: A little too thick feeling for an IIPA I believe. The beer is nicely carbonated though, just enough for what I feel it should be. Unearthly is also a bit sticky and slick. I take in fact that it comes from the hops. I do like the mouthfeel.

Well overall, the beer is a pretty good offering from Southern Tier. I am a bit disappointed that it failed me a bit in the hops area, but perhaps that was my own preconceived hops that it was going to bomb my taste buds with hops.

I'll give this beer a 3.5/5.

I mean, I must apologize though, it's just not what I wanted. I would recommend this beer for someone who is looking for something a bit sweeter, but to any hop heads out there like me, don't bother picking this one up. I don't think this one will be in my fridge again.

Labatt Blue

**Actually did a video review for this. It's still in the editing stage. I'll keep everyone posted.**

I'm sure this is a beer most people have so I won't spend too much time on it. It was a hot day and I was just looking for something light, smooth, and corny... Just kidding about the corny part, but that's what I ended up getting.

Labatt Blue

I've had this beer before. From can and I've also had it on draft from my local sports bar. I decided to pick up a 1 pint can at Mel's Pizzeria in Kittanning, PA. Grabbed this one for $1. Hey, it might be cheap swill...but it's cheap. Right? Can I get an "AMEN!" up in here?

Like I said earlier, I don't have any great stories to tell about this one or much to even talk about. It's a cheap, simple, macro lager. So this will be a cheap, simple, macro review.

Appearance: The swill poured a very light golden color. Large bubbles quickly scampered to

the top of the glass to escape the corn hell. Unlucky for them, they didn't really have anywhere to go. The head however, was not too bad, maybe it was just my pour...? It was about a finger and a half thick and looked like a sponge from the side. The head was a completely pale white color. That is a bit depressing, eh?

Aroma: Well...what I did get was corn. What I didn't get was character. That basically describes it. Seriously. It's corn water. At least it smelled just like corn water.

Taste: I'm not quite sure how I can say this without offending too many folks...It's boring. I know Labatt Blue has a huge following on college campuses and in hockey circles but you know what? I'm not afraid to say it. This beer is BORING. The outright taste, just like the smell, is corn. Corn Corn Corn CORN CORN CORN. "How many times do I have to read that word in this loser's review?" You may be thinking. Well, a lot. Seeing as corn is most likely the predominate ingredient in this besides water, it's a hell of a task to try to overcome the corn. It's no Busch though...

There is a bit of sweetness and just the slightest bit of a leafy, hay like hops in there, somewhere. Good luck finding any of it.

Mouthfeel: Highly carbonated. Very watery. It works.

Over all, this is a beer I would drink again over a few other cheaper macro brews. Although, I can honestly say I would never keep this stocked in my fridge regardless of the situation. For what it is however, i'll go ahead and give this a 1.5/5. I just couldn't give this anything higher.

You could do worse. I guess...

Your Magesty, Coco

Took this picture of my darling Coco at about 2AM this morning. She's a beaut is she not?

Redhook ESB

Redhook

Tonight's brew is an ESB from Redhook.

"Brewed in the style of a traditional British ESB (Extra Special Bitter), we’ve been making ESB continuously since 1987, and it’s now the benchmark for the Amber beer category. Despite having “bitter” in its name, Redhook ESB is really not that bitter at all. This brew is all about the balance of caramel malt sweetness completed by spicy, citrusy hops."

I picked this brew up from Franklin Village Distributor in Kittanning, PA. I paid about $27 for a 24 pack of bottles. Not too bad. Especially for the quality of the nectar contained within the bottles.

The logo that Redhook uses is really quite amazing, I think. The mountain stretching up to the sky with the words; "Redhook" in between. Really something I can get behind, you know? Anyways, let's discuss the brew a bit.

Redhook Extra Special Bitter

Redhook ESB is 5.8% ABV

Coming in at 28 IBUS

13.75 degrees plato for an original gravity

Brewed since 1987

Has won Gold awards at the 2008 & 2009 at the ABA and ABF

The bottle that Redhook ESB comes in is

actually quite intriguing. As you can see, they

are not the normal bottles that most people will be accustomed too. They are a tad short and stubby with a very short neck. The cap is

not a twist off so you will need something to

open it with other than your hands...unless you're some sort of tough guy or something.

Since this was my first try of anything from Redhook, I had to completely clear my mind so that I could make an honest, wholesome review and also clear my palate so that I had no odd, off, or misplaced flavors floating around in there.

Upon popping the cap off I noticed a bit of

smoke billow out from the bottle. It was not

too much, definitely have seen far more. However, it's not about the smoke, it's about the beer. I poured the contents of these stubby bottles into my 16 oz English pint glass. The

beautiful golden, amber body quickly filled my glass leading to about a half an inch worth of head that did not stick around for all that long. A bit disappointing on the head section. I let the beer sit for a few seconds to watch the

medium sized bubbles quickly make a dash for the top of the glass. Plenty of stragglers where left clinging to the side of my glass throughout my consumption of this beer.

At first smell I didn't really get too much of anything. A lot of people may be expecting this

to be a super hopped up brew, but it really isn't. Being called an ESB or Extra Special Bitter does not actually mean this beer is that bitter. My fiance does think it's bitter, but she is not a hop head in the least bit. An almost sweet, honey like smell made itself present. It seems that was the strongest scent I get from the beer. Some toasty malts and a bit of grassy hops try to sneak in, but they are easily powerbombed to the mat by the honey scent.

The beer actually starts off quite malty in taste. The honey-ness of the bees is back for a second round as well. I'm not sure why but I just can't shake the honey sweet taste that this beer has. It reminds of honey grahams, the cereal (at least I think that's what it's called.)

Anyways, the honey like malts are very present but they lead into a very nice, and smooth lemon rind hop bite. Not too bitter. If you are a huge hop head and expecting something extreme, this is not the beer for you. Everything in this beer works together perfectly and is balanced just right. No one aspect overpowers the other. The carbonation is very tight and even tingles the tongue a bit. The beer is very smooth, the only downfall is that it really is just a bit watery. I wish the mouth feel could have worked out just a little better (or should I say bitter) but I guess it fits the style well.

Over all this is definitely not a beer I would turn down and I can truthfully say that it is now one of my favorites. As for being a good or great representation of the ESB style...I can't really say for sure. The only other English bitters I have had are Boddington's and Tetley's Ale. I found those both to be pretty enjoyable as do I with Redhook ESB.

I give Redhook ESB a resounding 4/5 . OBTAIN RIGHT THIS VERY INSTANT