Beer Review: Shiner Ruby Redbird

Shiner just seems to have this thing about putting stuff in their beers. But unlike that horrific Smokehouse ale, this one, even with the grapefruit, wasn't too bad. That being said, I wouldn't drink it again, or recommend it for someone who wasn't an experimenter.

Sam Adams Summer Styles is Here!

The newest version of the seasonal offerings from Sam Adams is here. 2011 Summer Styles has Sam Adams Boston Lager, Sam Adams Light and of course Sam Adams Summer Ale. Favorite Latitude 48 IPA is also making a return visit. New this year is East-West Kölsch and Rustic Saison. Reviews will be forthcoming. Another limited edition is the Latitude 48 12 pack, featuring 6 different versions of the hoppy brew, one with the 5 hop varieties and one each of the individual hop types. That one might work better as a group tasting; I haven't decided if I want to invest in it yet. Check out the links below to explanations of "Saison" and "Kölsch". 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saison

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C3%B6lsch_(beer)

Beer Review: Blue Moon Spring Blonde Wheat Ale

Pale gold in color, medium head, very light. Not very 'wheaty', in fact, not much to set it apart at all. I can't find anything overtly wrong with it, but it just doesn't speak to me. (That's right...my beers talk to me now. )

Beer Review: Longshot Contest Winner - Friar Hop

Jim at Empyrean told me that describing a beer as having a "butterscotch" flavor is a bad thing, but that's how I perceive the distinctive flavor that accompanies Belgian ales. I don't know, I'd appreciate some feedback from you beer fans out there! Anyway, this baby poured a big head, light coppery in color with what I taste as butterscotch (on further reflection and some careful analysis, maybe it's more of a banana bubblegum!) screaming Belgian Witbier. Apparently it's 9% ABV, but it doesn't feel like it; very smooth, very tasty. What I'm not getting is an overt hops in the mix. I'm relieved to see that two out of three of the Longshots were to my taste.

Beer Review: Odell India Pale Ale

Had a pint at dinner tonight with a BLT sandwich. Obviously Ii didn't pout it myself, so I didn't get the big head that I like when I pour at home. Grapefruity color, strong hop aroma, lots of lacing as I drank it down. Plenty of malt character for an IPA, but it doesn't stint on the hops. Smooth, despite the high hop factor with grapefruit notes and high drinkability.

Beer Review: Longshot Winner Honey B's Lavender Ale

Okay, I like lavender in my incense, but I'm not sure that I want any in my beer. In general I'm not in favor of weird flavorings in my beer, even fruit, so I was kind of biased against it before I even started drinking it, but I always give the Longshots a chance. And like I always tell beer novices: approach new styles with an open mind, it's not supposed to taste like all of the other stuff that you've tried before.

So I opened my mind, careful to set up the safety net so that my brains would not fall out, and tried again, trying to ignore the fact that I know that it has lavender in it.

It appears to be filtered, pours a golden hue with a shade of bronze; weak head that nonetheless leaves lacing on the glass as I drink it down.  It's a summer ale in my opinion, and would probably go well with spicy food, buffalo wings or barbecue. The flavoring gives it a musky aftertaste, that isn't unpleasant, but is definitely unfamiliar. I might try some spicy food with the second bottle just to see if my instincts are correct.

Beer Review: Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Barleywine Style Ale

Pours a coppery golden hue, fluffy head like some beige cumulus clouds, hoppy aroma right out of the bottle. Pretty sweet, with some alcohol heat (hey, that rhymes!) - overtones of caramel and toffee, some piney citrus from the hops. More like a double IPA than a barleywine, but whose counting?

Beer Review: Longshot Contest Winner - Blackened Hops

Created by Rooney Kibzey of Illinois, Blackened Hops was one of the winners of last year's Sam Adams "Longshot" Home Brewing Contest. the pour is black, with almost no light making it through and a medium head reminiscent of a milkshake. But unlike a lot of darker beers, BH was very hoppy, with the aroma evident as soon as I popped the top. There's an unusual mixture of coffee, malt, pine, citrus and maybe some caramel. Out of the ordinary, but not for the faint of heart

Odell Red Ale

This isn't strictly an Irish red, but it's close enough for me! Super hoppy...that was my first thought after my initial taste of Odell's Red Ale. The color is a coppery hue, albeit no measurable head. But back to the hops, you can smell the hops as you swirl the beer around the glass. Very distinctive citrus notes: grapefruit especially, some orange and lemon too. The 6.5% ABV adds a nice zip to the proceedings, but doesn't in any way detract from spicy, hearty taste. Hop fans of the world! Unite