Elora Grand Lager

Continuing on my Canadian vacation from mid March, Elora Grand Lager.

Brewed by Trafalgar Brewing Company
Ontario, Canada
Pale Lager
5%

Purchased from an LCBO in Scarborough.

(I have no idea why Blogger is doing this to my photos...)

"Dry-Hopped" and "Craft Brewed" Oh really...? We'll have to see about that.

Look: The Elora Grand Lager pours A very bright, golden color. It looks sort of like light orange juice.  The head barely existent, forms about a quarter of an inch of just pure foam. This does not look very appetizing at all.

Smell: A bit of bathroom cleaner. Seriously. It smells like lemon pledge. Maybe A bit of corn, faintest trace of some barley malt as well. The smell was pretty hard to pick up because of the solvent hints it gives off.  I really hope the taste does not follow.

Taste: Ok, here we go. The first thing I notice right up front is A hoppy twang. Not so much A good, quality hoppy twang. Maybe A cheaper, hop oil twang. It really hits you on the tongue. It's pretty sour and A bit solvent...like I imagine lemon pledge would be. After you dig your way through that, you can finally pick up A bit of sweetness that flickers throughout the middle but then gets buried again by that lemon twang.  I guess it's not awful. It could be really refreshing if I just got done mowing a couple acres worth of grass with push mower and needed to drink something to quench my dying thirst. Meh...

Mouthfeel:  The mouthfeel is pretty slick. Not really drying at all. Carbonation is pretty moderate with this one.

Overall: It's not too bad. I don't think I would really ever buy it again. It was pretty cheap and at least it was drinkable. I'd rate it higher than most Macro brews too but for me, it just doesn't hit the spot.

Elora Grand Lager gets A 2/5.

Sleeman Clear

I spent A few days in Toronto, Ontario, Canada last month. Specifically March 13-15. What did I do? Well, I drank beer. Lots of it actually.  Well I guess that's not all I did. I made A few great friends too. Yeah, that actually never happens. It did though, I swear... Anyways, over the next many posts I plan on reviewing all of the my libations.

Lets get started.

Sleeman Clear
Sleeman Brewing and Malting Company
Guelph, Ontario
"Light Lager"
4% ABV

Look: Right off the bat you can see the beer.  It comes in A clear bottle, it's impossible not to be able to. It's A very light, "corny" yellow color.  Poured almost no head at all. What did form was about an inch and A half of a rocky, bubbly head.  A sad looking beer.

Smell: Very grainy.  Before I even got close to it, I could smell fresh cut grains and heaps of corn.  Underlying all of that is A musty hint of some old apples and maybe some rusting metal.  I am not detecting anything too discernible except for maybe the corn and the metal.

Borrowed photo from Libres-Penseurs. I neglected to take A photo for some reason.

Taste: Yep, it's A light beer. The first taste I get is actually the non-existent taste. A crisp, watery, drink.  Some light hints of corn and sweet apple linger throughout the entirety. Maybe the faintest taste of some hops.  Surprisingly the beer wasn't skunked because of the clear bottle. I guess you need to actually have hops in the beer for it to skunk though. All in all, it doesn't taste bad, but it doesn't really taste like anything.  It sort of reminds me of Coors light with that hint of fruity banana or apple flavor.

Mouthfeel: Carbonation doesn't sting as much as I thought it may have for A beer like this.  Medium carbonation. Very smooth and easy to put down, especially on A hot day.

Overall:  It's not the worst thing in the world, but it's also not the best.  It's A light beer.  Primarily water.  I can't say that it didn't go down really good after walking around Toronto all day. I'll give it that.

Sleeman Clear gets A 2/5 from me.  I'd drink it again if the circumstance are right.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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!

Murphy's Irish Stout

Since this will be my first post I feel it be necessary to give a little background.

I am in no way "new" to the drinking world. I've had my encounters with plenty of swill and plenty of amazing beers, wines, and liquors of many variety. I've ventured high and I've ventured low. I've consumed Natural Light and I've consumed Dogfish Head. I must say this so that I am not immediately labeled a beer "snob." Although many will undoubtedly attempt to label me as such. I also feel it necessary to say that I do and have reviewed many beers over at Beeradvocate.com. I will continue to do so, only my reviews here will contain much more sustenance than they would over at BA...for obvious reasons.

I'm going to go ahead and do my first review on this blog, with Murphy's Irish Stout. I picked this brew up in a four pack of Draught(widget) cans from my local Giant Eagle store. These four cans ran about $7.89.

A hot, muggy summer it has been. I've been delighted recently due to the fact that we here in Western Pennsylvania have avoided most of the severe weather that has been plaguing the Midwest the last few months. We've had our days filled with rain and thunderstorms, but it has been utterly beautiful these last couple of weeks.

I decided that it was a good night to sit out on the porch, enjoy the warm weather and a bowl of Hot and Sour soup from a Chinese restaurant I dare not name, simply to keep their identity a secret and safeguard this wonderful institution.

Quickly uncapping the soup and grabbing a spoon, I gathered up my consumption materials, which included a napkin and my trusted British Pint glass. I sat down for what became a very enjoyable evening.

The beer, when cracked open(since it is a can) begins to surge. Immediately you notice the foam start to make itself known at the top of the can. I usually let them sit for a few seconds so that the nitrogen can do it's job in the can, before pouring it into my glass.

After the few second time limit I allot, I begin the pour. The beer pours a very nice, chocolaty brown color and begins to do the nitrogen-dance. This lasts for about 30 seconds at the most. For those familiar with Guinness draught and widget bottles, or the extra stout bottles, you will most certainly know what I am talking about.

The head is a very rich, creamy, and dark tan. Wonderful to say the least.

The smell carries a very sweet scent offset with a mild, chocolaty bitterness. If you let it sit and warm, rather than serve it straight up cold, you will notice that the smells become more pronounced...as will the flavor.

My first sip brought me into some sort of heaven. Very creamy and smooth. The only problem I found was that the mouth feel is a tad bit watery. The first taste that hits your palette is that of the dark malt. They come across very sweet but with enough of a chocolate bitterness to keep things together. There is an equal amount of herbal/grass coming from the hops in this brew as well. It is a very mild beer though to say the least. I'm not sure if it's just because it's in a nitrogen can , or what the deal is, but it seems to be a bit tamed down. Not as much as Guinness is however. I will probably garner plenty of heat for my last Guinness comment.

My overall thoughts on this beer are pretty decent. I like keeping things easy so I'm going to do a 0.0,0.5-5.0 scale. I give this one a 3.5/5