A backlog of beer reviews

[Guest Ranger_Man]

Shiner Summer Stock

 

Picked it up at Randall's as i know no other places to buy beer yet. Supposedly it is claiming to be a Kolsch beer.

 

Bottle: Top of the bottle has, "Shiner Summer Stock" in the middle of the top lable. Surrouding this is a description that goes as follows: "A blend of two noble european hops, Hallertau and Czech saaz, infuses a wonderful aroma and flavor into our Kolsch Bier. Shiner Summer Stock undergoes a unique fermentation and aging process to achieve its effervescence and clean, crisp taste. The result...ultimate summer refreshment. Cheers!" The bottom of the bottle has, "Shiner Summer Stock", incase we forgot, and a picture of what appears to be a furry rodent of some kind.

 

Pour: The beer pours out a light golden color with a thin bubbly head that dissapears quickly, leaving a nice lace around the glass. Looks like there is quite the abundance of carbonation. The aroma is reminiscent of lemon zest and honey.

 

Taste: Light, crisp and refreshing, in a good way. Starts out with a bread type taste, which morphs into a sour twang that cleans the pallate and is quite refreshing. The taste ends with a nice hop bitterness. The carbonation of the beer adds a nice texture.

 

Overall: Really, its not bad. Far better than the wheat beer i had last week. Very refreshing, without a whole lot of body does indeed make it a great summer beer. I do wish that it was more Kolsch like. As far as i am concerned, this beer is just too sweet to be considered a true Kolsch.

 

http://s90651370.onlinehome.us/summerstock.jpg

 

Abbey Belgian Style Ale

 

I picked this up as a 6 pack for $6.39 (iirc) at Central Market. This beer is done by New Belgium Brewing out of Fort Collins, CO. I have had some other offerings from New Belgium and enjoyed them. Abbey beers are definately up there on my list of highly enjoyable beers, so I am looking forward to this, and have some high expectations.

 

Bottle: The front shows a picture of a monk holding a beer, with purty vines around it. One side of the lable is the government warning, pfft, the hell do they know? However, the other side has a whole lot of text that reads as follows:

 

"Abbey is brewed in the style of a Belgian 'Double' ale. It is brown in color with a full body and a distinctive fruity aroma. Abbey is fermented with an authentic Belgian yeast strain and is refermented in the bottle to produce natural carbonation. A small amount of live yeast remains in the bottle giving the ale a freshness and fullness of character. This brew should be served cool (not cold) to best experience the rich aroma and complex flavors."

 

Pour: The beer pours out a dark maroon color with a nice, fine head that stays with the beer for the long run. The aroma is reminiscent of carmel apples that you would get at a fair. Also, the aroma has deep spice scents to it.

 

Taste: I must say that it is a pretty well done abbey double. The first taste actually has a hint of apple and/or orange in it. The taste is quite good. There is not a whole lot of carbonation in the beer, but what carbonation is present is very well done. The bubbles are very small and lend to a good texture. The last taste you get is of course the hops which, like the rest of the beer are very well done. The hop taste is just present enough to let you know its there, which is nice since it does not overpower the tastes that are still in the mouth.

 

Overall: I recommend this beer. The price is really good as far as Belgian ales are concerned. Even though it is not as good as most of the ales actually made in Belgium, it is still pretty darn good.

 

http://s90651370.onlinehome.us/nbabbey.jpg

 

Saint Arnold Oktoberfest

 

I picked this up at Randall's for around $6 for a six pack.

 

Bottle: "As Bishop of Metz, Saint Arnold spent his life warning of the dangers of drinking water and extolling the virtues of ale. During his funeral, his pallbearers stopped to slake their thirst, but refretfully there was just one mug of ale to share among them. Then a miracle came to pass... that one mug never ran dry, and all of the thirsty mourners in the entire gathering were satisfied.", says the top of the bottle. The bottom lable has a picture of the saint. I must say, the saint legend sure is cool.

 

Pour: Pours out with a head that dissapears before you can take a second picture because you messed up the first. Not even any lace is left to tell you that there once was something there. Thats weaksauce indeed. The color is that of maple syrup with little carbonation present in the glass.

 

Taste: The first taste is quite spicy, kind of like allspice. This is followed up by a carmel malty tinge that wipes the spiciness completely from your mouth. It reminds me of a good pumpkin pie, the only bad thing is that this isn't a pumpkin beer..... The last taste you get is the faint taste of hops, and water.

 

Overall: I must say that I am rather depressed with the performance of the beer. When I think of an Octoberfest beer I typically think of a big, hearty beer with lots of flavor and lots of alcohol served in a glass big enough that finishing one means that you will be on your ass. This beer just seems weak to me and I would recommend that you buy a different Octoberfest beer. Furthermore, I doubt the good ole bishop would approve either.

 

http://s90651370.onlinehome.us/sarnold.jpg

 

Fat Tire

 

Picked this 6 pack up at Randalls for 6ish dollars. Note: this is FAT tire, not FLAT tire like I thought it was. Now that i know the name I can only hope that the waitress at pluckers will stop looking at me funny when I order it. This beer is made by New Belgium Brewing Company, the same company that made the Abbey Style Ale I reviewed not too long ago.

 

Bottle: Brown bottle with a ring around the top that says, "New Belgium Brewing Co." The front of the lable has a picture of a bike, the brewing company name again, and where they are from (Fort Collins, Co, if you did not read the other review). The side of the bottle has the following text:

 

"Fat Tire Amber Ale's appeal is in its feat of balance: toast, biscuit like malt flavors coasting in equilibrium with hoppy freshness. Named in honor of Jeff's mountain bike trip from brewery to brewery through Belgium, Fat Tire is still crafted following the original home brew recipe that Jeff brainstormed on this cycling trop."

 

Serve at 7* C(45* F)

 

Pour: Well, they have the color right because the beer pours out as a light amber color with a half inch of head that slowly dissapears into a thin lace. The beer smells of malt, which is surprising to me since most beers only smell like hops. Medium carbonation is present in the glass.

 

Taste: Medium body with a crisp taste. The carbonation gives the beer a good punch that wakes up the tongue. The beer does taste roasty, as the description stated, but not burned like darker beers do. The beer finishes with a wee bit of hops that just accentuate the malt flavors. I like this final touch.

 

Overall: The beer is pretty light in body without a whole lot of flavors. I would recommend this beer for people who are looking to step up from light beers or are looking for a first foray into the world of beer. I am by no means a huge fan of amber ales, but for people that are, this is a good example of the style.

 

http://s90651370.onlinehome.us/fattire.jpg

 

Blue Paddle

 

This is another beer from New Belgium Brewing Co. As with the others, it was purchased at Randall's (slaughter and brodie to be precise) for about $6.50.

 

Bottle: Typical NBB bottle with a picture of boat with surprise, surprise, a blue paddle! The side of the bottle, as with the others, has information. It says, "Blue Paddle Pilsner Lager, crafted with malt-only brewing and noble hops, explores the boundaries where American lagers seldom journey. Reflective of Europe's finest Pilsners, Blue Paddle delivers a refreshing bitterness, vibrant finish, and a subtle but intricate depth of flavor. Unlike the old world examples, this landlocked Pilsner is only shipped within our small Western territory." Meh, we shall see.

 

Pour: Sure looks like a Pilsner. Light-medium carbonation with a small head that quickly fizzles to a fine lace that stays around for the rest of the remaining time the beer has left. The color is a very light, see through gold with a very strong smell of malt.

 

Taste: They can claim to explore boundaries that other American lagers seldom journey, but that doesn't mean they actually go there. As with many Pilsners, there is not much really to speak of for taste because you taste only two things: malt and hops. The malt in this beer seems unusually strong for a Pils, maybe thats what they mean by exploring boundaries. The bitterness of the hops is present, but i feel that it is poorly executed. Unlike it's European counterparts, this beer has bitterness that kind of sneaks up on you and slaps you in the face. The European counterparts deliver the hop bitterness more like a Bruce Lee punch to the head. That is what this beer is missing.

 

Overall: I will admit that the beer has more taste than other competing American Lagers but it still falls short of its grandiose claims of exceeding those silly boundaries. If you really want to try it i say go ahead, but for a dollar or so more you could have a 6 pack of Pilsner Urquell, which is much better and in my opinion, is worth the price.

 

http://s90651370.onlinehome.us/bluepaddle.jpg

 

been busy doing stuff and formatting beer reviews for 4 different boards wasn't on the top of my list of things to get done.

[MrMeanGreen]

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Thanks Aaron smile.gif

[Guest Ranger_Man]

Originally posted by Burst Knock:

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Thanks Aaron smile.gif

DIE IN A FIRE YOU NEWBIE!!

 

ps. hows this texas weather treatin ya?

[MrMeanGreen]

91* today. Been like that since I got here, with a few days reaching a heat index of 110*+

 

Back to Ohio shortly, though redface.gif

[Nitrousbird]

You should create your own beer review website. Clean up the grammar a bit to make it look more professional, and I bet you would get a number of viewers. Would also be a good way to keep full track of all the beer reviews you have done, and a good database for those wanting to try something new.

 

Something to think about at least.

[Guest Ranger_Man]

Originally posted by Nitrousbird:

You should create your own beer review website. Clean up the grammar a bit to make it look more professional, and I bet you would get a number of viewers. Would also be a good way to keep full track of all the beer reviews you have done, and a good database for those wanting to try something new.

 

Something to think about at least.

ive thought about it, but thinking about it and finding the time and motivation to do it are two seperet(sp) things.

[Guest stevil]

Originally posted by Nitrousbird:

You should create your own beer review website.

Or do beer reviews for a newspaper/magazine and get paid for it, at least free beer.