AW's Beer Reviews

[AWMiller]

Since we know that beer goes good with so many types of foods (and by itself too!!!), I thought I'd start up a thread containing reviews of the beers that I've been sampling.

Also, rather than having a separate thread for each review, I'll just keep them all culminated here in one spot.


Enjoy! And chime in with your opinions/reviews and recommendations!!!

[AWMiller]

Brew: Weisse Dark

Brewed by: Hacker-Pschoor Bräu; Munchen, Germany

Style: Weizenbock

Glassware: Best served in weizen glass or mug.

Personal Notes: These German brews are steadily growing on me!  This brew sports a body that is a dark amber, slightly cloudy (maybe a bit murky?) but, moreover, like dark honey that has crystallized somewhat. Topped off with a thick, frothy, bubbly white head that stays with the bear all the way through!  Warm scents of apple (like a warm apple pie), sweet malt, clovers and bananas tease the nose as you bring it close.  This brew is soooooo smooth, thick (but not chewy!!) and creamy.  Slightly fruity (apple?  banana? but only so slight)... and malty (like a good malt from a fountain shop). There's a slight hint of bitter hops but it is so well blended in with the rest of the delicious flavors of this brew that it doesn't stand out.  What a very wonderful dark wheat German beer!!

[AWMiller]

Brew: Spaten Optimator

Brewed by: Spaten-Franziskaner-Bräu, Germany

Style: Dopplebock

Glassware: Best served in a pilsner glass or beer mug.  Although I don't mind mine in a goblet from time to time!!

Personal Notes:
What an awesome German dopplebock!!  Once poured I knew I was in for a treat when I gazed upon that deep, DEEP dark brown/near black delicious body!  Taste and smell are dazzled by a grand balance between malt and hops; not too bitter and not too sweet.  The body is good and thick; I like to tease folks by saying it's "thick but not too chewy!"  I think it's time to go back and enjoy a few more!

[AWMiller]

Brew: Rahr & Sons Buffalo Butt

Brewed by: Rahr & Sons Brewing Company; Ft. Worth, Texas, USA

Style: American Amber Lager / American Red Ale

Glassware: Best served in a pint or mug.

Personal Notes: A lovely dark maroon brew that sports a fairly hearty head, which dissipates a bit too quickly for my preference. Lively scents and flavors of caramel, malt, toast, and toffee; and a slight reminiscent hint of warm flaky biscuits (yeah... Hungry Jack style). Not too hoppy ... not too sweet.  Good carbonation makes for a light, refreshing mouth-feel.

It's an "ok" beer (not bad but not overly exciting) but it could be amped up some to represent Texas much better!! (How? I'm not sure.... will have to put more thought into that one!)  Most interesting about this beer, for me, was not in the taste but rather in the labeling!  It has an interesting 'story' which can be read on the label or on their website (click here for that 'story').

[AWMiller]

Brew: Xingu Black Beer

Brewed by: Cervejaria Sul Brasileira; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Style: schwarzbier

Glassware: Best served in a pilsner glass or a heavy mug (which is what I prefer!!)

Personal Notes: Black gold.... that was my first thought when I poured this brew.  Pleasant scents filled with sweet molasses, dark chocolate and slow-roasted malts. A hearty, foamy head stayed well for quite a while.  But the taste... ooooh how smooth it was... so smooth I had to keep telling myself that this was beer!  The taste was just a tad sweet but there was no detection of any bitterness at all!  The flavors of sweet molasses, chocolate and malts come through so teasingly well in this black beer.  One reviewer somewhere even said it "smells like cocoa krispies, tastes like heaven" ... yeah I can see where they would say that!!  This is definitely one full bodied, easy to drink black beer that you don't want to pass up when you can get it!!

[AWMiller]

Brew: Abbey Belgian Style Ale

Brewed by: New Belgium Brewing Company; Fort Collins, Colorado USA

Style: Dubbel

Glassware: Best served in a goblet.  (yeah I know the glass in the pic is a weizen glass! but that's how I was rolling that day!)

Personal Notes: It is hard to tell what I like most about this beer.  Is it the sweet aroma?  Is it the smooth full-bodied taste?  Whatever the case may be, this is one to have stocked up in your cellar!!  When poured, the beer boasts a sultry, dark mahogony brown and sports a thick frothy head that stays with the beer for quite a while.  The flavor is a meld of chocolate, smoky hops, hints of banana and possibly cinnamon. Definitely one to be enjoyed all throughout the year!

[AWMiller]

Brew: Mardi Gras Bock

Brewed by: Abita Brewing Co.; Abita Springs, Louisiana, USA

Style: Maibock / Helles Bock

Glassware: Best served in pilsner glass or beer mug.

Personal Notes: A good beer with a rich amber color and a somewhat nice thin foamy head.  Not too heavy so it's a good beer to be enjoyed readily throughout the day.  Scents and tastes of caramel and malt are noted but neither of which are too heavy or overbearing of the other; but there's a nice little bite of hops at the end that makes this a right-tasty beer!

[AWMiller]

Brew: Hobgoblin

Brewed by: Wychwood Brewery Company, Oxsfordshire, United Kingdom ... check out their wicked website!!!

Style: English Brown Ale

Glassware: Best served in pint glass (becker or tumbler) or a good ol' mug.

Personal Notes: The appearance is a dark amber / dark ruby red sporting a nice frothy head that lasts for the entire beer; with nice lacing throughout.  Scent and flavor reminiscent of toffee with just enough hops to finish it off nice and smooth. Definitely one of those all-day beers... one that you can enjoy all day! Oddly though... I found myself enjoy the beer after it warmed up just a tad!

[AWMiller]

Brew: Moose Drool Brown Ale

Brewed by: Big Sky Brewing Company; Missoula, Montana USA

Style: American brown ale

Glassware: Best served in a pint glass or mug.

Personal Notes: This one’s fast becoming one of my favorite go-to brown ales!! Sporting a thin creamy head (1 to 1.5 finger in thickness) and a deep brown mahogany color body. Hints of coffee and chocolate scented with notes of honey and warm butter! This is one fine smooth drinking beer. It’s fine by itself but a fine steak or fall-off-the-bone rack of ribs really compliments this brew very well! 



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[AWMiller]

Brew: Jack’s Pumpkin Spice Ale

Brewed by: Anheuser-Busch, Inc.; St. Louis, Missouri USA

Style: pumpkin ale

Glassware: Best served in a pint glass (or I like it in a goblet)

Personal Notes:

For something coming from Anheuser-Busch, this is not that bad of a beer.  When poured, there’s a slight foamy head atop a copper-colored body … here’s where I was hoping for a more hearty head of foam on this pumpkin ale.  The beer is full of spice and nutmeg with just a tad hint of pumpkin; and adorned with hints of aroma like pumpkin bread (or is some cases like a warm pumpkin pie right out of the oven).  It’s a very easy beer to drink and one to be enjoyed during the Fall.

[AWMiller]

Brew: New Belgium 1554 Enlightened Black Ale

Brewed by: New Belgium Brewing; Fort Collins, Colorado USA

Style: Belgian dark ale

Glassware: Best served in a snifter, tulip or over-sized wine glass.

Personal Notes:

Ok… I’m a believer now!  I’ve been trying several “black ales” and just haven’t found one that truly tempted my taste buds. That was until I enjoyed this 1554 Enlightened Black Ale by New Belgium brewing company in Fort Collins, Colorado. The beer is a lovely dark chocolaty brown with the scent of chocolate and dark roasted coffee and topped off with creamy tan-colored head that is not too thick nor is it too thin. Upon my first taste my taste buds went into total shock.  Did I really taste what I thought I tasted or was I just dreaming?  But the second taste confirmed it!  Flavors of strong coffee (much like espresso), chocolate and subtle hints of bitter malt.  One taste led to another and then there were none!

This is definitely one going into my Beer Hall of Fame!!

[AWMiller]

Brew: Session Premium Black Lager

Brewed by: Full Sail Brewing Co.; Hood River, Oregon, USA

Style: schwarzbier

Glassware: Best served in a pilsner glass (and I don’t mind it in a goblet cause that’s how I roll!)

Personal Notes: Well the black lager kick continues on!!  This Session black lager is such a delight!  It’s dark, but not black like a Guinness (which I still haven’t acquired the taste for…).  Forms a small mocha-colored head when poured; which tapers off a bit too soon for my likes.  The aroma of coffee and cooking chocolates fill the nose; neither of which are too heavy as one is drinking the beer.  This is a very mellow beer with just the right amount of ‘heaviness’ and can be enjoyed easily throughout the day.  Not too sweet and not too ‘hoppy’… just the way I prefer a good black lager. Definitely one being added to my black lager preferential list!!

[Jeb]

No Billy Beer ?

[AWMiller]

No Billy Beer ?

none as of yet.... 

[AWMiller]

Brew: Shiner Bohemian Black Ale

Brewed by: Spoetzl Brewery; Shiner, Texas USA

Style: schwarzbier

Glassware: Best served in a pilsner glass (or a goblet cause that’s how I like to roll!)

Personal Notes:

What an awesome black lager!  The more I try of this style, the more I’m starting to really love a hearty black lager.  When poured, it looks like “Texas Tea” with an incredible foamy head that lingers for the entire serving leaving pleasing lace rings on the glass.  What captured my senses was its deep, dark malt smell. It has an enjoyable flavor; having a nice crisp ‘hoppy’ bite but none of that bitterness normally associated with the black malt.  Don’t expect a porter or stout when having this beer!  Otherwise you’d think it was thinned out a tad.  But this is definitely one black lager to have on-hand and enjoy!

[AWMiller]

Brew: Shiner Old-Time Alt

Brewed by: Spoetzel Brewery; Shiner, Texas USA

Style: altbier

Glassware: Best served in a stange.

Personal Notes:  This beer was rather enjoyable.  I had read previous reviews of it on BeerAdvocate.com where other reviewers had not given it such a good rating.  But being the skeptic that I am, I just had to try it out for myself… and I’m rather glad I did!  When poured this beer sports a rich amber color with hints of orange.  It didn’t bolster up a large head, maybe an inch or so but the head stayed with the beer and provided for some nice lacing on the side of the glass.  One thing I really enjoyed was the beer’s toasted-malt aroma; but at times hints of caramel were also noticed.  The flavor of the beer is largely the toasted-malt flavor but again, tastes of caramel were detected.  There’s a nice lingering flavor and the beer is a very drinkable beer.  Would I stock up on it?  Probably not; but it’s not a bad one to have a few on hand!

[AWMiller]

Brew: Tommyknocker Butthead Doppelbock

Brewed by: Tommyknocker Brewery; Idaho Springs, Colorado USA

Style: doppelbock

Glassware: Best served in a pilsner glass or mug.

Personal Notes: Tommyknocker’s Butthead Doppelbock is a very outstanding brew in my humble opinion. Rich and VERY smooth and delightfully malty and not overfilled with all that taste of hops! When poured, your eyes will delight in the dark mahogany color with a hefty tan to light brown head that will cling to your mug leaving those wonderful ring-lines all the way down the glass. Your sense of smell will swoon filled with malts, various fruit, warm bread, and the like. Once that syrupy thick brew hits your tongue you will taste a meld of flavors but overall I compare it to warm bread fresh out of the oven! There is a slight bite of alcohol but it’s nothing at all in the way of conflicting with the fine taste of this brew. Definitely one of the best American doppelbocks I’ve ever tasted!

[AWMiller]

Brew: Spaten Oktoberfest Ur-Märzen

Brewed by: Spaten-Franziskaner-Bräu; Munich, Germany

Style: märzen/oktoberfest

Glassware: Best served in a pint glass or mug.

Personal Notes:

Of the Oktoberfest beers that I’ve sampled thus far, this Spaten is definitely right at the top of my favorites list!!! When I make it over to Germany, Munich and this brewery are definitely on my list of attractions to visit!!!  When poured this beer sports a hearty head that stays well with the beer all the way through.   Its deep ‘caramely’ brown body (much like a hearty cream soda from those old-fashioned soda fountains!) and caramel scent were just almost too much to bear while taking pics of the brew!  There’s a very well-balanced combination of caramel, hops and malt with this fine brew that sits well and proves to be a very easy drinkable beer.  An awesome beer to pair up with some delicious brats hot off the grill!!!

[AWMiller]

Brew: Franziskaner Weissbier

Brewed by: Spaten-Franziskaner-Bräu; Munich, Germany

Style: Hefeweizen

Glassware: Best served in a weizen glass.

Personal Notes: Pours a very hazy golden amber color with a substantial head … either wait a bit for it to go down or deal with the foamy mustache!  The aroma of this brew was amazing!!  It put off scents of bananas and cloves … and just a subtle hint of lemon-grass.  The taste is just amazing … like sweet banana-nut bread or bread pudding with warm cream sauce just poured on!  Nice, creamy, and an exceptional finish! Definitely an awesome companion with poultry and seafood dishes!!

[AWMiller]

Brew: Shiner Spring Ale Dortmunder

Brewed by: Spoetzl Brewery; Shiner, Texas USA

Style: Dortmunder

Glassware: Best served in a pilsner glass.

Personal Notes: Well this is my first ‘dortmunder’ to try out.  The body is a nice rich golden color with a pretty good level of carbonation going on.  As you can see it sports a tall, frothy head!  Light scents of grain, malts and just a slight hint of hops here and there.  Although I prefer ‘heavier’ beers, this one was a nice ‘light’ beer with subtle flavors of malt and grains and a tinge of spice from the hops at the end.  I’d probably keep a few of these on-hand to enjoy after a long day spent working the yard/garden; but definitely something I’d enjoy during the spring or summer seasons.