Ballantine XXX Ale

Alright ladies and Gentlemen, here we go again. I was originally going to explain the history of Ballantine, but it's far too long and complicated a story. Instead, i'll just give you a link to a site that goes very in depth on it's history. HERE

I've had my go at some pretty cheap swill. I consider this a cheap beer, however I do not consider it to be swill. I bought this one at Myrna's Beer Outlet in Tarentum, PA for $19.99 + tax.

Ballantine XXX Ale comes in green bottles. Yeah, yeah, I know...green bottles. They aren't known for keeping beer in it's tip top shape, but oh well. The date stamped on the bottle is May 09, 2011. Only about 2 months old. Not

shabby. Falstaff Brewing stamped on the label.

Twisting the bottle cap off reveals a decent

amount of smoke. There's a fellow I watch, who does reviews, on Youtube; Joe D. He's real into smoke and would be most proud of the pyre that develops from inside the bottle. I will be consuming this from a tulip glass.

Appearance - Pours a very deep, golden color. The best way I could describe it is cut,

wet hay. Plenty of bubbly carbonation

working it's way to the top of the brew. Not too much of a head to speak of. I didn't really pour it that aggressively though since I was drinking it from a tulip glass and doubted that a large head would fit without exploding over and flooding my kitchen in sticky suds... What I did get was about a fingers worth of white, fluffy suds that floated on top like a boat in calm waters. Didn't stick around for all that long. Gone and lonely in about a minute flat.

Aroma - Fairly sweet nose at first. After taking a few more whiffs I was getting a little bit of a light malt and some subdued hops in the background. I really wish that the hops scent was more brave than it is. I'm not too keen on the sweet scent that this brew gives off.

Taste/Mouthefeel - Here is where this $20 brew becomes not just a cheap beer, but a

pretty well done, cheap beer. First glug reveals some pretty good hop bitterness right up front that follows into a light malt middle. After you get through the middle you get this odd medicinal taste that only sticks around for a short second. But, this medicinal sweetness is a bit off putting for me, not enough for me to dislike this brew, but I just can't get over that taste... I'm not even sure what it is. Corn? The beer starts off a bit sweet with some pretty good hops and finishes with a tad of hop bitterness.

The beer contains far more hops than any of your standard macro lagers or "retro" beers. The only one that even comes close is Schlitz, but that's a tale for another time.

The beer is fairly watery, which is a bit of a downfall. I would have liked it to be a bit more sturdy but I won't complain all too much. Carbonation is really vamped up and a bit in your face. Not enough that it burns the back of your throat or esophagus out, but your tongue has a bit of a boxing match in store.

Over all, you know what this really makes me think? This is your grandfather's beer. This is what he use to drink back in the 50's and 60's, while smoking a hearty cigar. I would hardly consider this a good American Ale or Ale showing, but you know what for $20 I will

definitely start keeping this beer on rotation in my fridge. This has easily become my new, favorite, "cheap" beer.

For it's price and style, plus it's pronounced hop flavor and bitterness, i'll give Ballantine XXX Ale a 4/5.

*Forgot to mention that the caps come with nifty, little puzzles on the underside. Rad.

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