Samuel Adams has a commercial that showcases the sheer variety of offerings that they provide. I did not believe I would see a sour effort from Samuel Adams but they have provided one that hangs with some of the heavy weights in the style. The beer is available on draft and there were a number of different nights throughout the United States that allowed people to become familiar with this…
Guinness Blonde American Lager is a beer that completely redefines the company’s overall offerings. This beer is the antithesis of what the stout represents. Where the stout is a beer that is dark, velvety, and goes down like a blend of coffee and cocoa, the blonde is an effort that pours with a very light straw color. Where the stout has a nose that is sweet and sugary, the blonde…
The wheat beer / witbier style is one that is hard to do right. We have had a number of efforts masquerade as a witbier that for all intents and purposes were a lager, but Breckenridge has made an impressive showing here. The beer wit a very hazy yellow / gold coloration, possessing a nose that is strong with hints of citrus, malt, and floral elements. The citrus is also…
There are a number of contributions to the overall Oktoberfest zeitgeist that are little more than strongly-flavored lagers. It was surprising to me that we were able to find a tasty, fulfilling Oktoberfest-themed beer in SanTan’s current seasonal. The beer is 5.5% ABV, possesses a very reddish / orange coloration and a small amount of off-white to tannish head that keeps a steady lace down the glass. The beer has…
There have been a number of beers that have attempted to include different flavors into the mix (pizza, donuts, bacon), but have failed to make an alluring beer. Bergers Cookies is a Baltimore institution, and Full Tilt has utilized their cookies to create a beer that is eminently drinkable while having enough of a left-field approach to really elicit attention. The beer pours with a tannish head that creates lace…
Tour De Fall is a refreshing pale all that pours with a lingering white head and an amber/reddish coloration. The nose of Tour De Fall is sweet, sugary, and ends with the slightest hop notes. The initial sip of the Tour De Fall is refreshing and provides the same dichotomy between sweet and hops. I feel that this beer does something for everyone – it has a hop backbone for…
The beer pours with a steadfast, off-white head. The beer is a hazy yellow / brown and is quite bubbly and effervescent. The beer’s initial taste is slightly sweet and slightly hoppy, providing a nice bite that will warm imbibers up. Descender is a clean and crisp beer that provides a variety of elements with each subsequent sip, meaning that there is dryness that is followed by a sugared bite.…
Candi pours very light blonde with a white head that sits on top of the beer. The 9.5% ABV of the beer is hidden nicely through the inclusion of a considerable sweet element. What results with Candi is a very drinkable tripel that would be dangerous in large quantities. The burn that Candi does provide keeps each subsequent sip interesting. The beer’s bubble gum and fruit notes can be discerned…
The beer pours as black as night with a tannish head that takes some time to dissipate. The beer has a malty nose that obfuscates some of the nuances that are resent in the beer. The initial sip yields hints of coffee, chocolate, and a slight sweetness at the end of the sip. There is a little amount of a bready, malt element that can be discerned variously through the…
Green Head IPA pours with a very dark amber / orange coloration, and a small amount of long-lasting, persistent tannish head. There is a strong hop nose to the beer, while the initial sip yields a decent amount of bitterness and a sweetness at the end. The 7.2% ABV of the beer is hidden well with the bold flavors and thirst-quenching aspects of the beer. Strong grapefruit, pine, and citrus…
The beer pours a golden brown with an off-white head that sticks around for a decently long time. The beer has only a small noise of grass and light hop elements, a palette that expands considerably with the initial sip. The hops rise up in a nice crescendo, while there is a subtle sweetness that keeps the IPA from getting too bitter. The beer shifts and changes with each subsequent…
Patterson Pumpkin is the first pumpkin-focused beer that we have had the chance to review so far this year. The imperial aspect to this pumpkin ale allows the beer to have a proper bite to it instead of focusing on the sweetness of the pumpkin. The beer pours a darkish amber / orange with a thick, off-white head that is slow to dissipate.
Smuttynose released Bouncy House last year in a Short Batch series, and has shifted production of this session IPA / American pale ale over to a more consistent format. The beer pours with a golden brown. There is a small amount of off-white head that rapidly dissipates quickly. The effervescence of the beer creates a lighter profile on one’s palette, while hints of hop and juniper come forth with each…
Upslope has changed up the constellation of flavors that one would expect from an India Pale Ale (IPA) with their latest canned effort, the Thai Style White IPA. The beer pours with a head that lasts, with a body that is boldly yellow and slightly hazy / cloudy. The initial nose is a little bit sweet with hints of herbs.
Spinning Mule Robust Porter is the latest special release from Texas’s Cedar Creek Brewing. We sampled a sixteen ounce can. The beer pours incredibly dark (brownish-black), which poured with a persistent mocha / tan head. Definitely coffee and chocolate elements to Spinning Mule, an inclusion which gives the beer (and the porter style) a much-needed kick; there is a nice effervescence to this effort that helps establish the “robust”…
Cavatica Stout is a dark and malty effort from Oregon’s Fort George Brewery, tipping the scales at 8.8% ABV. The beer pours a dark brown / black color with a tannish head that sticks around. The alcohol burn of the beer moderates a sweetness that pushes through at points.
EOS Hefeweizen pours with a gold coloration and a thick head that settles slowly. The EOS Hefeweizen is the perfect spring beer, with a refreshing taste that expands upon a lager style with inviting hints of cloves, bananas, and hints of vanilla. Spiced notes occur at the periphery, giving the beer the complexity and legs that it needs to stay fun from beginning to end. The sweetness works well moderating…
Gruit is an eclectic effort that New Belgium has produced for their Lips of Faith series; the beer pours with a golden color and along-lasting, thick white head. The beer has a peppery and lemony flavor that provides imbibers with a different set of tastes with each subsequent sip. Gruit concludes with a slight hop bite and hints of malt. While the IBU level (3) is incredibly low, the inclusion…
The close-knit area in which Unity Vibration operates yields some amazing beers, and we were lucky enough to stop by during their hours to see where the magic goes down while drinking some of the most innovative beers that we have tasted. For those that suffer with celiac syndrome or have chosen a similarly-restrictive diet, Unity Vibration’s gluten-free efforts will be much appreciated. A large amount of black plastic containers…
Weizenbock beers are a different style than what many breweries are currently promoting, and I feel that Southern Tier really puts their best foot forward with their 7.5% entry, Goat Boy.