Win bought tickets for a Mets game in early July, so I went down to NY to go to the game and see Win, Dave, and David. I got into town Friday afternoon, and we took the subway to Park Slope, and had dinner at a German restaurant whose name escapes me. I had two new beers there with dinner.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Stieglbrauerei zu Salzburg
Alcohol: 4.90%
Serving: Tap
Style: German Pilsener, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 3.5 | Smell: 4.0| Taste: 3.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.0
Overall: 3.65
This beer pours a clear, straw-golden color, and is topped by a white head that fads to a ring, but is fed by streams of bubbles. The aroma is a bit richer than a lot of other Pilseners. It's grassy and has a bit more of a pronounced malt character that other examples of the style.
A mild, malty sweetness upfront moves into a dry, crisp finish with grassy hops, which leave a nice lingering bittereness. This beer is crisp, and clean with good carbonation.
I thought that this was a pretty tasty Pils.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Keegan Ales
Alcohol: 5.50%
Serving: Tap
Style: American IPA, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 3.5 | Taste: 4.0 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.0
Overall: 3.9
This IPA pours a very lightly hazed amber. It's topped by a thick, off-white head that leaves good lace. The aroma is malty with notes of caramel, slight roast, and chocolate, which is very odd for an IPA. The hops are mild and resiny with hints of citrus.
Caramel malts upfront move into a dry grassy, and citric hop finish. This beer is medium-modied with moderate carbonation.
Despite the interesting combination of aromas this was a nice, bitter IPA with good malts to back up the hops.
After dinner we went across the street to a great beer bar and small plates establishment called Beer Table, which had a phenomenal beer list, great snack plates, and a knowledgeable server.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Birrificio Del Ducato
Alcohol: 8.00%
Serving: Tap
Style: Belgian Dark Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.5 | Smell: 3.5 | Taste: 4.0 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.5
Overall: 4.05
Chimera pours a cloudy red color, and it topped by a creamy, off-white head. It looks very nice. The aroma is mild with notes of cherry, and a mild acidity, which made it seem like it might be a milder Flanders Red.
It starts off malty and moves into a light, cherry fruitiness in the center. The finish has a pulpy fruit character, notes of chocolate, and a mild bitterness. This beer is medium-bodied, moderately carbonated, and dry.
This beer reminded my of a mild Flanders Red that was more balanced and less tart.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij De Dochter van de Korenaar
Alcohol: 5.50%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Belgian Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 3.5 | Smell: 3.5 | Taste: 3.5 | Mouthfeel: 3.0 | Drinkability: 3.5
Overall: 3.45
This beer pours a hazy golden color. It's topped by a white head that quickly fades to a ring, and eventually disappears altogether. The aroma has typical esters thrown off by Belgian yeast: bananas and citrus. There's also a bit of graininess, and an odd, hard to place aroma.
Grassy malts move into a fruity, banana sweetness in the center. The finish has a grassy bitterness. This beer feels a bit watery.
The flavors here were good, but it lacked pep.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij De Molen
Alcohol: 9.20%
Serving: Bottle
Style: American Double IPA, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 4.0 | Taste: 4.0 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.0
Overall: 4.0
This is Double IPA from a Dutch brewery... interesting. It pours a hazy caramel color, and is topped by a white head that fades to a film. The aroma is malty with overripe banana, buttery notes, and some nuttiness. There's a strong peppery alcoholic whiff, and notes of resiny hops.
Sweet caramel and bready malts upfront move into a center that's sweetened by flavors of overripe fruit. The finish has peppery alcoholic heat, and a resiny, citric hop character, that imparts a moderate bitterness. Full-bodied and moderately carbonated with a smooth finish.
Though not quite an American DIPA this was definitely an enjoyable beer.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij 't Brouwkot
Alcohol: 6.50%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Saison / Farmhouse Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.5 | Smell: 3.5 | Taste: 4.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.5
Overall: 4.25
Netebuk pours a hazy golden color, and is topped by a half-inch, bright white head that fades to a film. This is a very attractive beer. The aromas are subdued, but there are notes of lemon, citrus, and grass.
Grassy notes upfront quickly give way to sweet fruity flavors of bright citrus. The finish is crisp with a mild bitterness. This beer is medium-bodied with refreshing and vigorous carbonation.
I though this was a crisp and refreshing saison.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Hof Ten Dormaal
Alcohol: 8.00%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Saison / Farmhouse Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 5.0 | Smell: 4.0 | Taste: 4.0 | Mouthfeel: 3.5 | Drinkability: 4.0
Overall: 4.15
Hof Ten Dormaal's Blond pours a cloudy golden, and is topped by a tall, white head that fades away very slowly. The aroma has a sourdough breadiness, notes of banana, and hay.
Upfront there's a clean but quite sweet maltiness that yields to a banana and citric fruitiness in the center, and moves into a yeasty finish with only hints of bitterness. This beer is light-bodied and highly carbonated.
Pretty aggressive for a saison, but quite tasty.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Birrificio Montegioco
Alcohol: 8.50%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 4.5 | Taste: 4.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.5 | Drinkability: 4.0
Overall: 4.35
My notes started to get shorter here. This beer pours a hazed red color. The head is thin, and is made up of large, thin bubbles. The aroma is acidic with notes of sour cherries, and woody notes.
There are flavors of cherries, dark fruit, and woody notes. The sourness is there, but as an undertone. The finish has a mild bitterness. This beer is dry and crisp with low carbonation.
Despite not being as sour as I normally like I thought that this beer was a good balance between a puckering Flanders Red and a milder beer.
After leaving Beer Table we went to a bar called The Gate, where we had a couple more drinks.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Lagunitas Brewing Company
Alcohol: 7.83%
Serving: Tap
Style: American Strong Ale
WTF pours a clear brown color, and is topped by an off-white head that is thick and fluffy. The aroma is a nice mix of citric hops and caramel and molasses malts.
This beer starts malty with a mix of roasted and caramel notes. It mellows towards the center before moving into a resiny, grassy hop bitterness. It's medum-bodied and moderately carbonated.
It's a bit strong, but makes a good sipper.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Speakeasy Ales & Lagers
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Tap
Style: English Pale Mild Ale, BJCP Style Guide
This beer pours a clear, copper color, and is topped by a quickly fading beige head. The aroma has notes of grapefruit hops and mild malts.
It's sweet upfront, moving into a citric hop finish. It's sort of one-note. There are citric hops, but not a lot of malt baking, which for me makes the mild.
We had this, among other beers at the Beer Garden in Queens after the game.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Královský Pivovar Krušovice
Alcohol: 3.80%
Serving: Tap
Style: Schwarzbier, BJCP Style Guide
I thought that I'd had this one before, so I didn't take notes. I remember enjoying it, and that's about all I remember about it.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Stieglbrauerei zu Salzburg
Alcohol: 4.90%
Serving: Tap
Style: German Pilsener, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 3.5 | Smell: 4.0| Taste: 3.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.0
Overall: 3.65
This beer pours a clear, straw-golden color, and is topped by a white head that fads to a ring, but is fed by streams of bubbles. The aroma is a bit richer than a lot of other Pilseners. It's grassy and has a bit more of a pronounced malt character that other examples of the style.
A mild, malty sweetness upfront moves into a dry, crisp finish with grassy hops, which leave a nice lingering bittereness. This beer is crisp, and clean with good carbonation.
I thought that this was a pretty tasty Pils.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Keegan Ales
Alcohol: 5.50%
Serving: Tap
Style: American IPA, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 3.5 | Taste: 4.0 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.0
Overall: 3.9
This IPA pours a very lightly hazed amber. It's topped by a thick, off-white head that leaves good lace. The aroma is malty with notes of caramel, slight roast, and chocolate, which is very odd for an IPA. The hops are mild and resiny with hints of citrus.
Caramel malts upfront move into a dry grassy, and citric hop finish. This beer is medium-modied with moderate carbonation.
Despite the interesting combination of aromas this was a nice, bitter IPA with good malts to back up the hops.
After dinner we went across the street to a great beer bar and small plates establishment called Beer Table, which had a phenomenal beer list, great snack plates, and a knowledgeable server.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Birrificio Del Ducato
Alcohol: 8.00%
Serving: Tap
Style: Belgian Dark Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.5 | Smell: 3.5 | Taste: 4.0 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.5
Overall: 4.05
Chimera pours a cloudy red color, and it topped by a creamy, off-white head. It looks very nice. The aroma is mild with notes of cherry, and a mild acidity, which made it seem like it might be a milder Flanders Red.
It starts off malty and moves into a light, cherry fruitiness in the center. The finish has a pulpy fruit character, notes of chocolate, and a mild bitterness. This beer is medium-bodied, moderately carbonated, and dry.
This beer reminded my of a mild Flanders Red that was more balanced and less tart.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij De Dochter van de Korenaar
Alcohol: 5.50%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Belgian Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 3.5 | Smell: 3.5 | Taste: 3.5 | Mouthfeel: 3.0 | Drinkability: 3.5
Overall: 3.45
This beer pours a hazy golden color. It's topped by a white head that quickly fades to a ring, and eventually disappears altogether. The aroma has typical esters thrown off by Belgian yeast: bananas and citrus. There's also a bit of graininess, and an odd, hard to place aroma.
Grassy malts move into a fruity, banana sweetness in the center. The finish has a grassy bitterness. This beer feels a bit watery.
The flavors here were good, but it lacked pep.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij De Molen
Alcohol: 9.20%
Serving: Bottle
Style: American Double IPA, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 4.0 | Taste: 4.0 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.0
Overall: 4.0
This is Double IPA from a Dutch brewery... interesting. It pours a hazy caramel color, and is topped by a white head that fades to a film. The aroma is malty with overripe banana, buttery notes, and some nuttiness. There's a strong peppery alcoholic whiff, and notes of resiny hops.
Sweet caramel and bready malts upfront move into a center that's sweetened by flavors of overripe fruit. The finish has peppery alcoholic heat, and a resiny, citric hop character, that imparts a moderate bitterness. Full-bodied and moderately carbonated with a smooth finish.
Though not quite an American DIPA this was definitely an enjoyable beer.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij 't Brouwkot
Alcohol: 6.50%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Saison / Farmhouse Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.5 | Smell: 3.5 | Taste: 4.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.5
Overall: 4.25
Netebuk pours a hazy golden color, and is topped by a half-inch, bright white head that fades to a film. This is a very attractive beer. The aromas are subdued, but there are notes of lemon, citrus, and grass.
Grassy notes upfront quickly give way to sweet fruity flavors of bright citrus. The finish is crisp with a mild bitterness. This beer is medium-bodied with refreshing and vigorous carbonation.
I though this was a crisp and refreshing saison.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Hof Ten Dormaal
Alcohol: 8.00%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Saison / Farmhouse Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 5.0 | Smell: 4.0 | Taste: 4.0 | Mouthfeel: 3.5 | Drinkability: 4.0
Overall: 4.15
Hof Ten Dormaal's Blond pours a cloudy golden, and is topped by a tall, white head that fades away very slowly. The aroma has a sourdough breadiness, notes of banana, and hay.
Upfront there's a clean but quite sweet maltiness that yields to a banana and citric fruitiness in the center, and moves into a yeasty finish with only hints of bitterness. This beer is light-bodied and highly carbonated.
Pretty aggressive for a saison, but quite tasty.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Birrificio Montegioco
Alcohol: 8.50%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 4.5 | Taste: 4.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.5 | Drinkability: 4.0
Overall: 4.35
My notes started to get shorter here. This beer pours a hazed red color. The head is thin, and is made up of large, thin bubbles. The aroma is acidic with notes of sour cherries, and woody notes.
There are flavors of cherries, dark fruit, and woody notes. The sourness is there, but as an undertone. The finish has a mild bitterness. This beer is dry and crisp with low carbonation.
Despite not being as sour as I normally like I thought that this beer was a good balance between a puckering Flanders Red and a milder beer.
After leaving Beer Table we went to a bar called The Gate, where we had a couple more drinks.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Lagunitas Brewing Company
Alcohol: 7.83%
Serving: Tap
Style: American Strong Ale
WTF pours a clear brown color, and is topped by an off-white head that is thick and fluffy. The aroma is a nice mix of citric hops and caramel and molasses malts.
This beer starts malty with a mix of roasted and caramel notes. It mellows towards the center before moving into a resiny, grassy hop bitterness. It's medum-bodied and moderately carbonated.
It's a bit strong, but makes a good sipper.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Speakeasy Ales & Lagers
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Tap
Style: English Pale Mild Ale, BJCP Style Guide
This beer pours a clear, copper color, and is topped by a quickly fading beige head. The aroma has notes of grapefruit hops and mild malts.
It's sweet upfront, moving into a citric hop finish. It's sort of one-note. There are citric hops, but not a lot of malt baking, which for me makes the mild.
We had this, among other beers at the Beer Garden in Queens after the game.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Královský Pivovar Krušovice
Alcohol: 3.80%
Serving: Tap
Style: Schwarzbier, BJCP Style Guide
I thought that I'd had this one before, so I didn't take notes. I remember enjoying it, and that's about all I remember about it.
Labels: American Double IPA, American IPA, American Strong Ale, Belgian Dark Ale, Belgian Pale Ale, English Pale Mild Ale, German Pilsener, Saison, Schwarzbier
We had our annual, lab camping trip in New Hampshire from the 1st of September to the 3rd. On the 2nd we hiked the Brook-Liberty trail loop to the summit of Mount Chocorua. Rather than cook for ourselves after hiking, we ended up driving into North Conway for dinner. Jenny suggested Moat Mountain, a restaurant/brewery nearby. We split some appetizers, and I had meatloaf for dinner. It came with green beans, squash and mashed potatoes, all very tasty. Rather than choosing one beer I had the six-beer sampler.
1073. Hoffman Weiss
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Moat Mountain Smoke House & Brewing Co.
Alcohol:5.70%
Serving: Tap
Style: Hefe Weizen, BJCP Style Guide
Hoffman Weiss pours a cloudy, straw color. It has a nice weiss aroma: cloves, banana and bubble gum with a slight sharpness. Initial malts are neutral and grainy, and move into a citric sharpness with a good banana flavor. There's a nice crispness from the wheat. I though this was a good hefeweizen. I placed it at #3 out of 6 beers in the sampler.
1074. Golden Dog Pilsner
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Moat Mountain Smoke House & Brewing Co.
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Tap
Style: German Pilsener, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a clear, golden, straw color. The aroma is mild, but there's a bit of peppery spicy, and some grassy notes. Crisp carbonation upfront moves into a mild fruitiness in the center, which when combined with a mild, peppery spice, is reminiscent of blueberries. The finish has a mild, hop bitterness. Decent, there's a bit of flavor, but not a ton. #4 out of 6.
1075. Czech Pilsner
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Moat Mountain Smoke House & Brewing Co.
Alcohol: 4.90%
Serving: Tap
Style: Czech Pilsener, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a clear, straw, golden color. The aroma is exceedingly mild, you really have to try for it: hints of citrus, and grassy hops. The start to this one is mild, there's some pepperiness in the center and a mild bitterness in the finish. This was too light, and didn't have much flavor. It tasted better after I accidentally dropped a chuck of melted jack cheese and onion in it. This was #5 of 6.
1076. Iron Mike Pale Ale
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Moat Mountain Smoke House & Brewing Co.
Alcohol: 5.60%
Serving: Tap
Style: American Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a clear copper color. There's a very nice, hoppy aroma with notes of citrus and apricot. A caramel sweetness greets the palate, followed by a fruity maltiness and a leafy bitterness in the finish with a nice lingering taste. I thought this was a very nice APA, definitely my favorite of the sampler, #1/6.
1077. Opa's Oktoberfest
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Moat Mountain Smoke House & Brewing Co.
Alcohol: 7.0%
Serving: Tap
Style: Märzen / Oktoberfest, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a clear, reddish brown. The aroma is malty with notes of caramel and toffee. There's a strong malty start to the beer. It's predominantly a caramel sweetness, but there are also hints of chocolate. The finish has a mild, but nice, bitterness. There's also a rough chalkiness in the finish. I liked this one. #2/6.
1078. Bear Peak Brown
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Moat Mountain Smoke House & Brewing Co.
Alcohol: 5.50%
Serving: Tap
Style: English Brown Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a clear brown color. There's a mild roastiness, and slight fruitiness in the aroma. Unfortunately the taste doesn't match up with the aroma. There's almost no flavor until the finish where there's a mild roasty flavor and slight fruitiness. Watery, bland not good at all. Easily #6/6.
1073. Hoffman Weiss
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Moat Mountain Smoke House & Brewing Co.
Alcohol:5.70%
Serving: Tap
Style: Hefe Weizen, BJCP Style Guide
Hoffman Weiss pours a cloudy, straw color. It has a nice weiss aroma: cloves, banana and bubble gum with a slight sharpness. Initial malts are neutral and grainy, and move into a citric sharpness with a good banana flavor. There's a nice crispness from the wheat. I though this was a good hefeweizen. I placed it at #3 out of 6 beers in the sampler.
1074. Golden Dog Pilsner
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Moat Mountain Smoke House & Brewing Co.
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Tap
Style: German Pilsener, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a clear, golden, straw color. The aroma is mild, but there's a bit of peppery spicy, and some grassy notes. Crisp carbonation upfront moves into a mild fruitiness in the center, which when combined with a mild, peppery spice, is reminiscent of blueberries. The finish has a mild, hop bitterness. Decent, there's a bit of flavor, but not a ton. #4 out of 6.
1075. Czech Pilsner
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Moat Mountain Smoke House & Brewing Co.
Alcohol: 4.90%
Serving: Tap
Style: Czech Pilsener, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a clear, straw, golden color. The aroma is exceedingly mild, you really have to try for it: hints of citrus, and grassy hops. The start to this one is mild, there's some pepperiness in the center and a mild bitterness in the finish. This was too light, and didn't have much flavor. It tasted better after I accidentally dropped a chuck of melted jack cheese and onion in it. This was #5 of 6.
1076. Iron Mike Pale Ale
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Moat Mountain Smoke House & Brewing Co.
Alcohol: 5.60%
Serving: Tap
Style: American Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a clear copper color. There's a very nice, hoppy aroma with notes of citrus and apricot. A caramel sweetness greets the palate, followed by a fruity maltiness and a leafy bitterness in the finish with a nice lingering taste. I thought this was a very nice APA, definitely my favorite of the sampler, #1/6.
1077. Opa's Oktoberfest
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Moat Mountain Smoke House & Brewing Co.
Alcohol: 7.0%
Serving: Tap
Style: Märzen / Oktoberfest, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a clear, reddish brown. The aroma is malty with notes of caramel and toffee. There's a strong malty start to the beer. It's predominantly a caramel sweetness, but there are also hints of chocolate. The finish has a mild, but nice, bitterness. There's also a rough chalkiness in the finish. I liked this one. #2/6.
1078. Bear Peak Brown
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Moat Mountain Smoke House & Brewing Co.
Alcohol: 5.50%
Serving: Tap
Style: English Brown Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a clear brown color. There's a mild roastiness, and slight fruitiness in the aroma. Unfortunately the taste doesn't match up with the aroma. There's almost no flavor until the finish where there's a mild roasty flavor and slight fruitiness. Watery, bland not good at all. Easily #6/6.
Labels: American Pale Ale, Czech Pilsener, German Pilsener, Hefe Weizen
1012. Efes Pilsener
A friend was grilling at his place the last weekend in April. Elçin, a post-doc in my lab, brought a six-pack of Efes, a Pilsener brewed in Turkey.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Anadolu Efes Brewery
Alcohol: 5.00%
Serving: Bottle
Style: German Pilsener, BJCP Style Guide
I drank this beer directly from the bottle, and the notes are from memory. The beer wasn't the best Pils I've had, but it was decent. The beer was pleasingly malty with a nice leafy hoppiness, and pleasing crispness in the finish.
A friend was grilling at his place the last weekend in April. Elçin, a post-doc in my lab, brought a six-pack of Efes, a Pilsener brewed in Turkey.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Anadolu Efes Brewery
Alcohol: 5.00%
Serving: Bottle
Style: German Pilsener, BJCP Style Guide
I drank this beer directly from the bottle, and the notes are from memory. The beer wasn't the best Pils I've had, but it was decent. The beer was pleasingly malty with a nice leafy hoppiness, and pleasing crispness in the finish.
Labels: German Pilsener
Jadyn and I went to Cambridge Brewing Company on Sunday afternoon (March 22nd) for drinks after a quick stop in lab. They had two new beers on tap, both with Beatles themed names. I had to give both a try.
993. Golden Slumbers
From the website:
Brewery: Cambridge Brewing Company
Alcohol: 5.50%
Serving: Tap
Style: German Pilsener, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 3.5 | Taste: 4.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.5 | Drinkability: 4.5
Overall: 4.2
I normally don't seek out pilsners, because it seems like most that I try are substandard, flavorless affairs. They're easy to drink because they're lacking in flavor. I'm rarely disappointed by the CBC so I wanted to give theirs a try.
Golden Slumbers, like its name, pours a lightly cloudy, golden color. It's topped by a compact, bright white head that fades to a persistent film leaving patches of lace. Like most pils, the aroma is fairly subtle with grassy and herbal hop notes, as well as a bit of peppery hops.
Clean, malt flavors upfront, with only a mild sweetness running throughout the beer. Peppery and herbal flavors appear in the center with an accompanying hop bitterness in the finish. Clean, simple, but flavorful. Light-bodied and vigorously carbonated with a crisp, mildly dry finish.
This is what I like in a pils, a nice amount of flavor with a nice hop presence in the finish.
994. Sgt. Pepper
From the website:
Brewery: Cambridge Brewing Company
Alcohol: 6.00%
Serving: Tap
Style: Saison / Farmhouse Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 4.0 | Taste: 3.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 3.0
Overall: 3.7
Pours a cloudy, golden amber. Topped by a white head that thins to film and leaves a bit of lace. The white pepper is the strongest component of the aroma, but there are also notes of caramel and a hint of Belgian yeast fruitiness.
Sweet malts upfront with a bit of caramel and banana fruitiness in the center. The finish is very peppery with a good amount of accompanying heat. Good but a bit peppery for my taste. Medium-bodied, vigorous carbonation and a lingering, warming spice.
An interesting, flavorful beer, but the spiciness is a bit much.
993. Golden Slumbers
From the website:
Our first lager beer in nearly eight years, our pils was brewed pilsner, Vienna, and Melanoidin malts and a touch of flaked rice to assist in providing dryness to the palate but rich malt flavors up front. Hops were a traditional combination of Czech Saaz and German Hallertauer and Tettnanger. Pure lager yeast from the Augustiner Brewery in Munich was employed, and temperatures were kept cold to accentuate malt and hop character. Lagering (or cold-aging) took place at 32*F for over one month, and this beer is presented to you in its beautiful golden, unfiltered state. Clean in the nose with floral and herbal hop notes, the palate is a hop-forward experience with cereal and malt flavors, a hint of sweetness, and a very crisp, clean finish.Beer Stats:
Brewery: Cambridge Brewing Company
Alcohol: 5.50%
Serving: Tap
Style: German Pilsener, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 3.5 | Taste: 4.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.5 | Drinkability: 4.5
Overall: 4.2
I normally don't seek out pilsners, because it seems like most that I try are substandard, flavorless affairs. They're easy to drink because they're lacking in flavor. I'm rarely disappointed by the CBC so I wanted to give theirs a try.
Golden Slumbers, like its name, pours a lightly cloudy, golden color. It's topped by a compact, bright white head that fades to a persistent film leaving patches of lace. Like most pils, the aroma is fairly subtle with grassy and herbal hop notes, as well as a bit of peppery hops.
Clean, malt flavors upfront, with only a mild sweetness running throughout the beer. Peppery and herbal flavors appear in the center with an accompanying hop bitterness in the finish. Clean, simple, but flavorful. Light-bodied and vigorously carbonated with a crisp, mildly dry finish.
This is what I like in a pils, a nice amount of flavor with a nice hop presence in the finish.
994. Sgt. Pepper
From the website:
Beer Stats:It was twenty years ago today…
Well, almost twenty years ago today, as we present to you the first of three special Anniversary Beers in celebration of our upcoming Twentieth Anniversary!It was April Fool’s Day, 1989, when Phil “Brewdaddy” Bannatyne first opened the doors to what would become one of the preeminent breweries in the country. Of course, true to the spirit of the day, it would be another month before the first house-made beers would be available on draft.
Sgt. Pepper has been brewed with Pilsner, CaraVienne, and Rye malts, plus Magnum and Spalter hops. But the driving force behind this beer is the contribution from whole peppercorns! Black, Green, White, and Pink Peppercorns were added to the brewkettle, and they provide a noticeable fresh, herbal spiciness to the nose and through the palate. Pink pepper provides a high, floral character mostly as an aromatic, and Green pepper offers an herbal freshness with slight heat. White pepper contributes a subtle earthiness, and Black pepper engages the palate in a lingering, tingling warmth. All combine to accentuate the complexities of our Belgian yeast, and are balanced by crisp malt character with a hint of sweetness.
Brewery: Cambridge Brewing Company
Alcohol: 6.00%
Serving: Tap
Style: Saison / Farmhouse Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 4.0 | Taste: 3.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 3.0
Overall: 3.7
Pours a cloudy, golden amber. Topped by a white head that thins to film and leaves a bit of lace. The white pepper is the strongest component of the aroma, but there are also notes of caramel and a hint of Belgian yeast fruitiness.
Sweet malts upfront with a bit of caramel and banana fruitiness in the center. The finish is very peppery with a good amount of accompanying heat. Good but a bit peppery for my taste. Medium-bodied, vigorous carbonation and a lingering, warming spice.
An interesting, flavorful beer, but the spiciness is a bit much.
Labels: Cambridge Brewing Company, German Pilsener, Saison
After leaving Burp Castle, we went to The Belgian Room for more beer. I had my first real lambic here, a Cantillon Lou Pepe Kriek, back in 2006. So I was looking forward to another trip.
847. Lectio Divina
We started by sharing a 750 mL (I believe) of a Belgian Strong Pale Ale from a brewery in Florida that I'd never heard of.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Saint Somewhere Brewing Company
Alcohol: 8.00%
Serving: Bottle, 750 mL
Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 3.5 | Smell: 4.0 | Taste: 4.0 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 3.5
Overall: 3.85
Pours a cloudy amber. Topped by a thick, beige head that fades to a patchy ring. The aroma is fruity wit notes of grape, citrus and berry. There's also a light peppery note.
Toasty upfront, builds to a sweet, berry fruitiness. The finish is a light peppery spice. Highly carbonated, medium-bodied, dry.
Tasty, not terribly complex, but I'd definitely try more beer from this brewery.
848. Strubbe Super Pils
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Strubbe
Alcohol: 5.00%
Serving: Tap
Style: German Pilsener, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 3.5 | Taste: 3.5 | Mouthfeel: 2.0 | Drinkability: 3.0
Overall: 3.4
Pours a clear golden. Topped by a thick, white head that fades to a film, leaving nice lace. The aroma is crisp and grainy with notes of citrus and pepper.
Sweet upfront with a light, fruity citrus quality. Moves through to a finish with banana and citrus. A very faint bitterness in the finish. Medium-bodied with ridiculously low carbonation. I think upping the carbonation would really help this one a lot.
849. Saison Deluxe
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Southampton Publick House
Alcohol: 7.40%
Serving: Bottle, 750 mL
Style: Saison, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 5.0 | Smell: 3.5 | Taste: 4.0 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 3.5
Overall: 4.05
Pours a cloudy, orange-golden. Topped by a thick, egg-white head that fades to a film leaving thick layers of lace. The aroma is predominantly bananas, yeast and pepper.
Fruity upfront: bananas and citrus. The finish is peppery with a light bitterness. There's a nice balance between sweet and spicy. High carbonation, medium-bodied.
847. Lectio Divina
We started by sharing a 750 mL (I believe) of a Belgian Strong Pale Ale from a brewery in Florida that I'd never heard of.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Saint Somewhere Brewing Company
Alcohol: 8.00%
Serving: Bottle, 750 mL
Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 3.5 | Smell: 4.0 | Taste: 4.0 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 3.5
Overall: 3.85
Pours a cloudy amber. Topped by a thick, beige head that fades to a patchy ring. The aroma is fruity wit notes of grape, citrus and berry. There's also a light peppery note.
Toasty upfront, builds to a sweet, berry fruitiness. The finish is a light peppery spice. Highly carbonated, medium-bodied, dry.
Tasty, not terribly complex, but I'd definitely try more beer from this brewery.
848. Strubbe Super Pils
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Strubbe
Alcohol: 5.00%
Serving: Tap
Style: German Pilsener, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 3.5 | Taste: 3.5 | Mouthfeel: 2.0 | Drinkability: 3.0
Overall: 3.4
Pours a clear golden. Topped by a thick, white head that fades to a film, leaving nice lace. The aroma is crisp and grainy with notes of citrus and pepper.
Sweet upfront with a light, fruity citrus quality. Moves through to a finish with banana and citrus. A very faint bitterness in the finish. Medium-bodied with ridiculously low carbonation. I think upping the carbonation would really help this one a lot.
849. Saison Deluxe
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Southampton Publick House
Alcohol: 7.40%
Serving: Bottle, 750 mL
Style: Saison, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 5.0 | Smell: 3.5 | Taste: 4.0 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 3.5
Overall: 4.05
Pours a cloudy, orange-golden. Topped by a thick, egg-white head that fades to a film leaving thick layers of lace. The aroma is predominantly bananas, yeast and pepper.
Fruity upfront: bananas and citrus. The finish is peppery with a light bitterness. There's a nice balance between sweet and spicy. High carbonation, medium-bodied.
Labels: Belgian Strong Pale Ale, German Pilsener
834-842. New York: Radegast Hall & Biergarten
Published by Unknown on Friday, July 25, 2008 at 9:32 AM.
Win wanted to go to a couple Mets home games this year since it's their last season at Shea Stadium. Win arrived in New York on Thursday and I took the bus down from Boston on Saturday June 21st.
I met Win and David at our hotel, and then we went to a nearby diner so I could grab lunch. They had previously eaten at the always delicious Kitchenette. After eating we went to Central Park and watched the end of a baseball game, and afterwards David set off to find entertainment. He returned with a wiffle ball and bat, which entertained us for awhile. Our next destination was a beer garden in Williamsburg, but before heading to Brooklyn we stopped by a stationary store for a pack of cards and David's impulse buy of multi-colored pipe cleaners.
We went to Radegast Hall & Biergarten, which was across the street from The Levee, a bar we had been to for David's bachelor party last summer. I got the impression that this place opened fairly recently, but I might be mistaken. The bar consists of two, long, single-story buildings that sit side by side. From the street Radegast Hall is on the left, and the Biergarten is on the right. The hall is large with various tables and booths for seating. There's also a large spectacle shaped bar towards the back right of the establishment with a service window that looks out onto the biergarten. The floors, tables and booths were all wooden, with a worn character, thought the bar was smooth and new. The Biergarten is a long, brick structure that's semi-enclosed. There are retractable awnings over openings the length of the ceiling and the windows at the front were open. Long benches were located at either side of the building creating a single aisle down the center. There are some good pictures on the website that give you a feel for the place.
We grabbed the end of a table in the biergarten and decided on our first round. There were twelve taps and about two or three times as many bottles. All of the taps were dedicated to German beers, except two for Czech beers, one Austrian beer, and a single Belgian Witbier. The bottles were half German/Czech/Austrian, half Belgian. The draft beers were available both in pints, liters and pitchers.
We spent a few hours here, and first got a snack of bratwurst and sauerkraut. The brats were nice, and the kraut was tasty, though a tad sweet. When we determined that we'd be staying for awhile longer we ordered dinner. Win had the hanger steak, David had the braised rabbit and I had the veal schnitzel. The bits of the rabbit and steak that I had were tasty, and I was quite happy with my choice. Though when isn't schnitzel delicious?
The pipe cleaners that David bought were instantly popular. Our waitress took one for a bracelet, and later another waitress did the same. Various tablemates took a few, and people were stopping by our table fairly regularly to make things.
Most of these are lagers, which I have limited experience with as far as rating goes, so some of my descriptions may be off.
834. Gaffel Kölsch
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Privatbrauerei Gaffel Becker & Co.
Alcohol: 4.80%
Serving: Tap
Style: Kölsch, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 3.5 | Taste: 4.0 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.5
Overall: 3.95
Pours a clear golden with a white head that fades to a film. The aroma is light, there's a bit of pepper and a grassy, leafy aroma, presumably from hops.
Clean and crisp overall, generous carbonation pulls the flavors along on the palate. There's a slightly sweet, but mostly neutral malt undercurrent running through the beer. There's a bit of pepper and a husky graininess in the finish that melds with a light bitterness and a hint of citrus. Crisp, and slightly dry.
Very drinkable, flavorful without being overpowering. Refreshing.
835. Brou Czech Dark
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Nova Paka Brewery
Alcohol: 5.00%
Serving: Tap
Style: Munich Dunkel Lager, BJCP Style Guide
There are two BrouCzech Darks on BA, but I think they're the same beer. So I'm putting this one into the main entry.
Appearance: 3.5 | Smell: 3.5 | Taste: 2.5 | Mouthfeel: 3.5 | Drinkability: 3.5
Overall: 3.1
Garnet brown in color with a beige head that thins to a patchy film. The aroma is peppery with fruity malts that are accentuated on swirling.
Sweet malts upfront, fruitiness appears in the center with a peppery finish and a light bitterness. The aftertaste is a bit off. Light-bodied and thin feeling with high carbonation.
A tad sweet, but still fairly drinkable.
836. Gösser
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Braueri Göss
Alcohol: 5.20%
Serving: Tap
Style: Euro Pale Lager, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.5 | Smell: 2.5 | Taste: 3.5 | Mouthfeel: 3.5 | Drinkability: 3.5
Overall: 3.5
Pours a clear golden. Topped by a fluffy, bright white head that fades to a film leaving trails of lace. The aroma is light. There's a hint of graininess and perhaps a bit of peppery yeast.
Malty sweetness throughout. Light citric character with some pepperiness and a light grassy finish that hints at bitterness. Light-bodied, moderate carbonation and a dry finish.
Drinkable, but it falls a bit flat overall. Perhaps a bit more carbonation would help brighten things up.
837. Gose
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Gasthaus & Gosebrauerei Bayerischer Bahnhof
Alcohol: 4.60%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Gose
Appearance: 3.5 | Smell: 4.5 | Taste: 4.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.0
Overall: 4.2
Pours a lightly hazed golden. The fluffy, white head fades to an asymmetric film. The aroma is quite strong. There's almost an acidic fruitiness in the aroma, but it balances towards sweeteness. Notes of citrus, honey and coriander. Smells absolutely delicious.
The taste is mild overall, but still complex and flavorful. There's a sharp citric character that gives a nice tartness, but doesn't overpower. Sweet, but not cloying malts and some neutral graininess throughout. The finish is a bit salty. Light-bodied with moderate carbonation. There's a bit of a bite to this beer.
This is my first experience with Gose, and I have to say that I'm a big fan. Very flavorful and a bit of a departure from other beers.
838. Uerige Sticke
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Uerige Obergärige Hausbrauerei
Alcohol: 6.00%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Altbier, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 3.0 | Smell: 4.0 | Taste: 4.0 | Mouthfeel: 3.5 | Drinkability: 3.5
Overall: 3.7
Pours a cloudy, particulate brown. The beige head is thin and quickly fades to nothing. The aroma is rich and malty. There are notes of caramel, toffee and dark fruit. Swirling brings out a sharp character.
Sweet malts are definitely the focus of the beer, but they aren't too sweet. There's a boozy character upfront that mixes with the caramel and toffee flavors. There's an alcoholic spice and a moderate bitterness in the finish.
A bit sweet overall, but very flavorful.
839. Berliner Style Weisse
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Gasthaus & Gosebrauerei Bayerischer Bahnhof
Alcohol: 3.00%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Berliner Weissbier, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 3.5 | Smell: 3.5 | Taste: 3.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.5
Overall: 3.65
Pours an extremely pale, straw color. The white head fades to nothing. The aroma is light. There are some banana and orange notes, as well as a light acidity.
Tart upfront, but this fades through to the finish. There's a light graininess and only a hint of bitterness in the finish. Light-bodied, low carbonation and a hint of dryness.
Tasty and very refreshing. I would have liked a little bit more sourness, but that's just me.
840. Urbock 23°
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brewery Castle Eggenberg
Alcohol: 9.60%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Doppelbock, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 3.5 | Smell: 3.0 | Taste: 3.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 3.5
Overall: 3.45
Pours a hazed, golden copper. Topped by a thin white head that fades to a wispy film. The aroma is sharp, but light. There almost seems to be a medicinal undercurrent.
Very malt forward, lots of sweet caramel. Hints of citrus. Moves into a heavy, alcoholic spice that interacts with a pronounced dry finish. Medium-bodied with moderately high carbonation.
Spicy, strong and a little sweet, but overall decent.
841. König Pilsener
Beer Stats:
Brewery: König-Brauerei
Alcohol: 4.90%
Serving: Bottle
Style: German Pilsener, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a clear golden. Topped by a white head that fades to nothing. The aroma is grainy and grassy.
Lightly sweet. WIth a graininess throughout. There's a nice grassy bitterness in the finish. Light-bodied, high carbonation, crisp.
842. Ettaler Kloster Edelhell
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Klosterbrauerei Ettal
Alcohol: 5.00%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Munich Helles Lager, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a nice golden with a light haze. The white head fades to nothing. The aroma is grainy with a light sweetness.
Sweet malts, but the sweetness is unobtrusive. Very tasty. A bit of pepper and a mild bitterness. Light-bodied and highly carbonated.
I met Win and David at our hotel, and then we went to a nearby diner so I could grab lunch. They had previously eaten at the always delicious Kitchenette. After eating we went to Central Park and watched the end of a baseball game, and afterwards David set off to find entertainment. He returned with a wiffle ball and bat, which entertained us for awhile. Our next destination was a beer garden in Williamsburg, but before heading to Brooklyn we stopped by a stationary store for a pack of cards and David's impulse buy of multi-colored pipe cleaners.
We went to Radegast Hall & Biergarten, which was across the street from The Levee, a bar we had been to for David's bachelor party last summer. I got the impression that this place opened fairly recently, but I might be mistaken. The bar consists of two, long, single-story buildings that sit side by side. From the street Radegast Hall is on the left, and the Biergarten is on the right. The hall is large with various tables and booths for seating. There's also a large spectacle shaped bar towards the back right of the establishment with a service window that looks out onto the biergarten. The floors, tables and booths were all wooden, with a worn character, thought the bar was smooth and new. The Biergarten is a long, brick structure that's semi-enclosed. There are retractable awnings over openings the length of the ceiling and the windows at the front were open. Long benches were located at either side of the building creating a single aisle down the center. There are some good pictures on the website that give you a feel for the place.
We grabbed the end of a table in the biergarten and decided on our first round. There were twelve taps and about two or three times as many bottles. All of the taps were dedicated to German beers, except two for Czech beers, one Austrian beer, and a single Belgian Witbier. The bottles were half German/Czech/Austrian, half Belgian. The draft beers were available both in pints, liters and pitchers.
We spent a few hours here, and first got a snack of bratwurst and sauerkraut. The brats were nice, and the kraut was tasty, though a tad sweet. When we determined that we'd be staying for awhile longer we ordered dinner. Win had the hanger steak, David had the braised rabbit and I had the veal schnitzel. The bits of the rabbit and steak that I had were tasty, and I was quite happy with my choice. Though when isn't schnitzel delicious?
The pipe cleaners that David bought were instantly popular. Our waitress took one for a bracelet, and later another waitress did the same. Various tablemates took a few, and people were stopping by our table fairly regularly to make things.
Most of these are lagers, which I have limited experience with as far as rating goes, so some of my descriptions may be off.
834. Gaffel Kölsch
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Privatbrauerei Gaffel Becker & Co.
Alcohol: 4.80%
Serving: Tap
Style: Kölsch, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 3.5 | Taste: 4.0 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.5
Overall: 3.95
Pours a clear golden with a white head that fades to a film. The aroma is light, there's a bit of pepper and a grassy, leafy aroma, presumably from hops.
Clean and crisp overall, generous carbonation pulls the flavors along on the palate. There's a slightly sweet, but mostly neutral malt undercurrent running through the beer. There's a bit of pepper and a husky graininess in the finish that melds with a light bitterness and a hint of citrus. Crisp, and slightly dry.
Very drinkable, flavorful without being overpowering. Refreshing.
835. Brou Czech Dark
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Nova Paka Brewery
Alcohol: 5.00%
Serving: Tap
Style: Munich Dunkel Lager, BJCP Style Guide
There are two BrouCzech Darks on BA, but I think they're the same beer. So I'm putting this one into the main entry.
Appearance: 3.5 | Smell: 3.5 | Taste: 2.5 | Mouthfeel: 3.5 | Drinkability: 3.5
Overall: 3.1
Garnet brown in color with a beige head that thins to a patchy film. The aroma is peppery with fruity malts that are accentuated on swirling.
Sweet malts upfront, fruitiness appears in the center with a peppery finish and a light bitterness. The aftertaste is a bit off. Light-bodied and thin feeling with high carbonation.
A tad sweet, but still fairly drinkable.
836. Gösser
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Braueri Göss
Alcohol: 5.20%
Serving: Tap
Style: Euro Pale Lager, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.5 | Smell: 2.5 | Taste: 3.5 | Mouthfeel: 3.5 | Drinkability: 3.5
Overall: 3.5
Pours a clear golden. Topped by a fluffy, bright white head that fades to a film leaving trails of lace. The aroma is light. There's a hint of graininess and perhaps a bit of peppery yeast.
Malty sweetness throughout. Light citric character with some pepperiness and a light grassy finish that hints at bitterness. Light-bodied, moderate carbonation and a dry finish.
Drinkable, but it falls a bit flat overall. Perhaps a bit more carbonation would help brighten things up.
837. Gose
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Gasthaus & Gosebrauerei Bayerischer Bahnhof
Alcohol: 4.60%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Gose
Appearance: 3.5 | Smell: 4.5 | Taste: 4.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.0
Overall: 4.2
Pours a lightly hazed golden. The fluffy, white head fades to an asymmetric film. The aroma is quite strong. There's almost an acidic fruitiness in the aroma, but it balances towards sweeteness. Notes of citrus, honey and coriander. Smells absolutely delicious.
The taste is mild overall, but still complex and flavorful. There's a sharp citric character that gives a nice tartness, but doesn't overpower. Sweet, but not cloying malts and some neutral graininess throughout. The finish is a bit salty. Light-bodied with moderate carbonation. There's a bit of a bite to this beer.
This is my first experience with Gose, and I have to say that I'm a big fan. Very flavorful and a bit of a departure from other beers.
838. Uerige Sticke
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Uerige Obergärige Hausbrauerei
Alcohol: 6.00%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Altbier, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 3.0 | Smell: 4.0 | Taste: 4.0 | Mouthfeel: 3.5 | Drinkability: 3.5
Overall: 3.7
Pours a cloudy, particulate brown. The beige head is thin and quickly fades to nothing. The aroma is rich and malty. There are notes of caramel, toffee and dark fruit. Swirling brings out a sharp character.
Sweet malts are definitely the focus of the beer, but they aren't too sweet. There's a boozy character upfront that mixes with the caramel and toffee flavors. There's an alcoholic spice and a moderate bitterness in the finish.
A bit sweet overall, but very flavorful.
839. Berliner Style Weisse
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Gasthaus & Gosebrauerei Bayerischer Bahnhof
Alcohol: 3.00%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Berliner Weissbier, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 3.5 | Smell: 3.5 | Taste: 3.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.5
Overall: 3.65
Pours an extremely pale, straw color. The white head fades to nothing. The aroma is light. There are some banana and orange notes, as well as a light acidity.
Tart upfront, but this fades through to the finish. There's a light graininess and only a hint of bitterness in the finish. Light-bodied, low carbonation and a hint of dryness.
Tasty and very refreshing. I would have liked a little bit more sourness, but that's just me.
840. Urbock 23°
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brewery Castle Eggenberg
Alcohol: 9.60%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Doppelbock, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 3.5 | Smell: 3.0 | Taste: 3.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 3.5
Overall: 3.45
Pours a hazed, golden copper. Topped by a thin white head that fades to a wispy film. The aroma is sharp, but light. There almost seems to be a medicinal undercurrent.
Very malt forward, lots of sweet caramel. Hints of citrus. Moves into a heavy, alcoholic spice that interacts with a pronounced dry finish. Medium-bodied with moderately high carbonation.
Spicy, strong and a little sweet, but overall decent.
841. König Pilsener
Beer Stats:
Brewery: König-Brauerei
Alcohol: 4.90%
Serving: Bottle
Style: German Pilsener, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a clear golden. Topped by a white head that fades to nothing. The aroma is grainy and grassy.
Lightly sweet. WIth a graininess throughout. There's a nice grassy bitterness in the finish. Light-bodied, high carbonation, crisp.
842. Ettaler Kloster Edelhell
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Klosterbrauerei Ettal
Alcohol: 5.00%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Munich Helles Lager, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a nice golden with a light haze. The white head fades to nothing. The aroma is grainy with a light sweetness.
Sweet malts, but the sweetness is unobtrusive. Very tasty. A bit of pepper and a mild bitterness. Light-bodied and highly carbonated.
Labels: Altbier, Berliner Weissbier, Doppelbock, Euro Pale Lager, German Pilsener, Gose, Kölsch, Munich Dunkel Lager, Munich Helles Lager
After a couple of beers at McSorley's David and I went to d.b.a. for a few rounds. We sat at a table outside in back of the bar. It was a nice sunny day and it was nice to be outside.
815. Gavroche
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brasserie De Saint-Sylvestre
Alcohol: 8.50%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Bière de Garde, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 3.5 | Smell: 3.5 | Taste: 4.0 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.0
Overall: 3.8
Pours a hazy, reddish copper, topped by a frothy, beige head. The aroma is fairly light. There's a bit of an acidic bite with a grassy hop aroma.
Pretty balanced. There's a light bready sweetness with some toasty elements. There's a light acidic tartness in the finish with a bit of hop bitterness. Light-bodied with vigorous carbonation and a husky dryness.
Balanced, subdued and drinkable.
816. Hooky Bitter
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Hook Norton Brewery
Alcohol: 3.60%
Serving: Tap
Style: English Bitter, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 4.0 | Taste: 3.5 | Mouthfeel: 3.5 | Drinkability: 4.0
Overall: 3.75
Pours a lightly hazed copper. Topped by a sparse, sudsy head that fades to a ring. There's a nice malty caramel aroma with some citric notes. Swirling brings out some more fruity aromas and some herbal hops.
There's a neutral maltiness upfront and a light caramel sweetness. Some tart, green-apple fruitiness appears mid-palate and the finish is citric with very little bitterness. Medium-bodied, low carbonation.
Definitely a session beer, feels light and isn't too carbonated.
817. Organic Ur Pils
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brauerei Pinkus Mueller
Alcohol: 5.20%
Serving: Bottle
Style: German Pilsener, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 4.0 | Taste: 4.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.5
Overall: 4.25
Pours a lightly hazed, straw golden. Topped by a thin white film of a head. The aroma is grainy and lightly hoppy with a nice yeastiness. There's a floral quality as well.
Sweet initially, but gives way to a nice grainy maltiness. There's a light sweetness throughout that gives way to a nice graininess and a grassy, herbal hop bite. Medium to light-bodied, smooth with a bit of a sticky character.
Very drinkable, an awesome German Pils.
818. Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Weizen
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brauerei Heller-Trum
Alcohol: 5.20%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Rauchbier, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 3.5 | Taste: 3.5 | Mouthfeel: 3.5 | Drinkability: 2.5
Overall: 3.5
Pours a cloudy, amber color. Topped by a beige film of a head. There may be a light fruitiness peaking out from underneath the overpowering smokiness.
Smoke, smoke, smoke that moves into a fruity sweetness. Medium-bodied with moderate carbonation.
I like smoky beers, and this one certainly delivers, but it's a way too smoky to do anything other than sample.
815. Gavroche
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brasserie De Saint-Sylvestre
Alcohol: 8.50%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Bière de Garde, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 3.5 | Smell: 3.5 | Taste: 4.0 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.0
Overall: 3.8
Pours a hazy, reddish copper, topped by a frothy, beige head. The aroma is fairly light. There's a bit of an acidic bite with a grassy hop aroma.
Pretty balanced. There's a light bready sweetness with some toasty elements. There's a light acidic tartness in the finish with a bit of hop bitterness. Light-bodied with vigorous carbonation and a husky dryness.
Balanced, subdued and drinkable.
816. Hooky Bitter
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Hook Norton Brewery
Alcohol: 3.60%
Serving: Tap
Style: English Bitter, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 4.0 | Taste: 3.5 | Mouthfeel: 3.5 | Drinkability: 4.0
Overall: 3.75
Pours a lightly hazed copper. Topped by a sparse, sudsy head that fades to a ring. There's a nice malty caramel aroma with some citric notes. Swirling brings out some more fruity aromas and some herbal hops.
There's a neutral maltiness upfront and a light caramel sweetness. Some tart, green-apple fruitiness appears mid-palate and the finish is citric with very little bitterness. Medium-bodied, low carbonation.
Definitely a session beer, feels light and isn't too carbonated.
817. Organic Ur Pils
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brauerei Pinkus Mueller
Alcohol: 5.20%
Serving: Bottle
Style: German Pilsener, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 4.0 | Taste: 4.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.5
Overall: 4.25
Pours a lightly hazed, straw golden. Topped by a thin white film of a head. The aroma is grainy and lightly hoppy with a nice yeastiness. There's a floral quality as well.
Sweet initially, but gives way to a nice grainy maltiness. There's a light sweetness throughout that gives way to a nice graininess and a grassy, herbal hop bite. Medium to light-bodied, smooth with a bit of a sticky character.
Very drinkable, an awesome German Pils.
818. Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Weizen
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brauerei Heller-Trum
Alcohol: 5.20%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Rauchbier, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 3.5 | Taste: 3.5 | Mouthfeel: 3.5 | Drinkability: 2.5
Overall: 3.5
Pours a cloudy, amber color. Topped by a beige film of a head. There may be a light fruitiness peaking out from underneath the overpowering smokiness.
Smoke, smoke, smoke that moves into a fruity sweetness. Medium-bodied with moderate carbonation.
I like smoky beers, and this one certainly delivers, but it's a way too smoky to do anything other than sample.
Labels: Bière de Garde, Brasserie De Saint-Sylvestre, Brauerei Pinkus Mueller, English Bitter, German Pilsener, Hook Norton Brewery
693. Dinkel Acker Cd-Pils
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Dinkelacker-Schwabenbraeu
Alcohol: 4.90%
Serving: Bottle, 12 oz.
Style: German Pilsener, BJCP Style Guide
I had a bottle of this at a house warming party for some of Jadyn's labmates. I drank this from the bottle, and since it's been a while since I drank it I don't remember much. I remember it being pleasantly hoppy, and pretty refreshing.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Dinkelacker-Schwabenbraeu
Alcohol: 4.90%
Serving: Bottle, 12 oz.
Style: German Pilsener, BJCP Style Guide
I had a bottle of this at a house warming party for some of Jadyn's labmates. I drank this from the bottle, and since it's been a while since I drank it I don't remember much. I remember it being pleasantly hoppy, and pretty refreshing.
Labels: Dinkelacker-Schwabenbraeu, German Pilsener
I went to Texas in early July for Brent's wedding. I had some new, mostly Texas, beers in Waco and Houston.
The night I arrived in Waco I went to Cricket's for a few beers with Dave and Win. I had a couple of new Rahr beers as well as some old Liveoak and Real Ale favorites. I was surprised to see a few copies of the Beer Advocate magazine at Cricket's.
685. Rahr Stormcloud IPA
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Rahr & Sons Brewing Company
Alcohol: 6.00%
Serving: Tap
Style: American IPA, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a lightly hazy copper. Topped by a foamy, beige head that thins to a film.
Smell (3.5): Herbal and grassy hops, with undertones of toasty malts.
Taste (4.0): Toasty, lightly sweet malts upfront, moving into a citric, herbal and grassy hop bitterness.
Mouthfeel (3.5): Moderate carbonation, medium-bodied, a little oily.
Drinkability (4.0): Nicely balanced, not too sweet.
Overall (3.85): A nice IPA.
686. Rahr Buffalo Butt
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Rahr & Sons Brewing Company
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Tap
Style: American Amber/Red Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: Pours a hazy amber. The beige head thins to a ring.
Smell: Buttery diacetyl dominates. There's an underlying fruitiness that's hard to pin down.
Taste: Sweet and tart upfront that quickly moves into a strong, smooth, buttery flavor.
Mouthfeel: Low to moderate carbonation. Light to bedium-bodied. Smooth.
Drinkability: Too buttery.
Overall: I've refrained from rating this one because it seems spoiled.
Dave and I stayed at Ward's place in Houston for Brent's wedding. We got there on Friday night and had a beer or two at Ward's place before going out for dinner at Goode Company BBQ.
687. San Miguel Dark Lager
Beer Stats:
Brewery: San Miguel Corporation
Alcohol: 5.00%
Serving: Bottle, 12 oz.
Style: Euro Dark Lager, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.5): Pours a clear brown-red. The fluffy, beige head retains well leaving patchy lace.
Smell (4.0): Very malty: caramel, dark fruit, with a light neutral graininess.
Taste (3.0): Sweet, bready maltiness upfront. Center is some date-like dark fruit notes with a hint of spiciness. The finish is mildly roasty with a faint bitterness. Flavorful, but too sweet. There's also a metallic character.
Mouthfeel (3.5): Low carbonation, medium-bodied, smooth.
Drinkability (3.5): Flavorful, but a bit too sweet.
Overall (3.6)
After excellent BBQ, we went to Hans Bierhaus and had a few drinks. The bartender was also mixing a tasty combination of Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA and Blackberry Mead.
688. Saint Arnold Summer Pils
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Saint Arnold Brewing Company
Alcohol: 4.90%
Serving: Tap
Style: German Pilsener, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a clear golden. Topped by a fluffy, white head that fades to a thin film, leaving patchy lace.
Smell (3.0): Very clean, some light tart aromas with light grassiness.
Taste (3.5): Bready, sweet malts upfront. Moves through a lightly tart center to a grassy bitterness in the finish.
Mouthfeel (3.5): Light-bodied, crisp, low carbonation.
Drinkability (4.5): Refreshing and light. This was perfect for the humid Houston evening.
Overall (3.6)
689. Saint Arnold Elissa IPA
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Saint Arnold Brewing Company
Alcohol: 6.60%
Serving: Tap
Style: American IPA, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (3.5): Pours a clear, dark copper. A thickish, beige head thins to a film, leaving sheets of lace.
Smell (3.0): Sweet caramel, toasty malts, light resiny hops.
Taste (3.5): Toasty malts, caramel sweetness. Moves into a grassy, resiny bitterness, which remains to the finish. There's an odd residual sweetness.
Mouthfeel (3.5): Thick and full-bodied with low carbonation.
Drinkability (3.5): Not bad, but not that great.
Overall (3.4)
The night I arrived in Waco I went to Cricket's for a few beers with Dave and Win. I had a couple of new Rahr beers as well as some old Liveoak and Real Ale favorites. I was surprised to see a few copies of the Beer Advocate magazine at Cricket's.
685. Rahr Stormcloud IPA
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Rahr & Sons Brewing Company
Alcohol: 6.00%
Serving: Tap
Style: American IPA, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a lightly hazy copper. Topped by a foamy, beige head that thins to a film.
Smell (3.5): Herbal and grassy hops, with undertones of toasty malts.
Taste (4.0): Toasty, lightly sweet malts upfront, moving into a citric, herbal and grassy hop bitterness.
Mouthfeel (3.5): Moderate carbonation, medium-bodied, a little oily.
Drinkability (4.0): Nicely balanced, not too sweet.
Overall (3.85): A nice IPA.
686. Rahr Buffalo Butt
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Rahr & Sons Brewing Company
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Tap
Style: American Amber/Red Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: Pours a hazy amber. The beige head thins to a ring.
Smell: Buttery diacetyl dominates. There's an underlying fruitiness that's hard to pin down.
Taste: Sweet and tart upfront that quickly moves into a strong, smooth, buttery flavor.
Mouthfeel: Low to moderate carbonation. Light to bedium-bodied. Smooth.
Drinkability: Too buttery.
Overall: I've refrained from rating this one because it seems spoiled.
Dave and I stayed at Ward's place in Houston for Brent's wedding. We got there on Friday night and had a beer or two at Ward's place before going out for dinner at Goode Company BBQ.
687. San Miguel Dark Lager
Beer Stats:
Brewery: San Miguel Corporation
Alcohol: 5.00%
Serving: Bottle, 12 oz.
Style: Euro Dark Lager, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.5): Pours a clear brown-red. The fluffy, beige head retains well leaving patchy lace.
Smell (4.0): Very malty: caramel, dark fruit, with a light neutral graininess.
Taste (3.0): Sweet, bready maltiness upfront. Center is some date-like dark fruit notes with a hint of spiciness. The finish is mildly roasty with a faint bitterness. Flavorful, but too sweet. There's also a metallic character.
Mouthfeel (3.5): Low carbonation, medium-bodied, smooth.
Drinkability (3.5): Flavorful, but a bit too sweet.
Overall (3.6)
After excellent BBQ, we went to Hans Bierhaus and had a few drinks. The bartender was also mixing a tasty combination of Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA and Blackberry Mead.
688. Saint Arnold Summer Pils
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Saint Arnold Brewing Company
Alcohol: 4.90%
Serving: Tap
Style: German Pilsener, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a clear golden. Topped by a fluffy, white head that fades to a thin film, leaving patchy lace.
Smell (3.0): Very clean, some light tart aromas with light grassiness.
Taste (3.5): Bready, sweet malts upfront. Moves through a lightly tart center to a grassy bitterness in the finish.
Mouthfeel (3.5): Light-bodied, crisp, low carbonation.
Drinkability (4.5): Refreshing and light. This was perfect for the humid Houston evening.
Overall (3.6)
689. Saint Arnold Elissa IPA
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Saint Arnold Brewing Company
Alcohol: 6.60%
Serving: Tap
Style: American IPA, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (3.5): Pours a clear, dark copper. A thickish, beige head thins to a film, leaving sheets of lace.
Smell (3.0): Sweet caramel, toasty malts, light resiny hops.
Taste (3.5): Toasty malts, caramel sweetness. Moves into a grassy, resiny bitterness, which remains to the finish. There's an odd residual sweetness.
Mouthfeel (3.5): Thick and full-bodied with low carbonation.
Drinkability (3.5): Not bad, but not that great.
Overall (3.4)
Labels: American Amber/Red Ale, American IPA, Euro Dark Lager, German Pilsener, Rahr and Sons Brewing Company, Saint Arnold, San Miguel
655. 60 Winks Ale
I had dinner with Jadyn at the apartment of one of her classmates. I had a Circus Boy and then had a bottle of 60 Winks. I drank this out of the bottle, and didn't take notes, but this is what I remember.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Magic Hat Brewing Company
Alcohol: 5.80%
Serving: Bottle, 12 oz.
Style: German Pilsener, BJCP Style Guide
The aroma seemed pretty light (out of the bottle so I didn't really get a good sense) but there were grainy malt aromas as well as some light hop aromas. The flavors were grainy and hoppy. There's a light sweetness through the center followed by a grassy hop bitterness. I'll refrain from making a judgment, but I would have like a little more hoppiness.
I had dinner with Jadyn at the apartment of one of her classmates. I had a Circus Boy and then had a bottle of 60 Winks. I drank this out of the bottle, and didn't take notes, but this is what I remember.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Magic Hat Brewing Company
Alcohol: 5.80%
Serving: Bottle, 12 oz.
Style: German Pilsener, BJCP Style Guide
The aroma seemed pretty light (out of the bottle so I didn't really get a good sense) but there were grainy malt aromas as well as some light hop aromas. The flavors were grainy and hoppy. There's a light sweetness through the center followed by a grassy hop bitterness. I'll refrain from making a judgment, but I would have like a little more hoppiness.
Labels: German Pilsener, Magic Hat Brewing Company
386. Victory Prima Pils
I purchased a six-pack of this last night at Downtown Wine & Spirits. I let it cool down in the fridge and served it in my NERAX pint glass.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Victory Brewing Company
Alcohol: 5.30%
Serving: 12 oz.
Style: German Pilsener, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a crystal clear golden with a fluffy white headthat thins to a persistent layer leaving patchy lace.
Smell (3.5): Aromas of resiny hops and slightly sweet grainy malts.
Taste (3.5): Sweet toasty malt flavors followed by a nice strong balancing bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Mild carbonation, smooth and light bodied.
Drinkability (4.5): Flavorful, balanced and pleasingly bitter.
Overall (3.75): I'm not a huge fan of the style, but Prima Pils has a nice balancing bitterness that I like.
I purchased a six-pack of this last night at Downtown Wine & Spirits. I let it cool down in the fridge and served it in my NERAX pint glass.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Victory Brewing Company
Alcohol: 5.30%
Serving: 12 oz.
Style: German Pilsener, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a crystal clear golden with a fluffy white headthat thins to a persistent layer leaving patchy lace.
Smell (3.5): Aromas of resiny hops and slightly sweet grainy malts.
Taste (3.5): Sweet toasty malt flavors followed by a nice strong balancing bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Mild carbonation, smooth and light bodied.
Drinkability (4.5): Flavorful, balanced and pleasingly bitter.
Overall (3.75): I'm not a huge fan of the style, but Prima Pils has a nice balancing bitterness that I like.
Labels: German Pilsener, Reviews, Victory Brewing Company
I went down to New York for David's birthday and a long weekend. I saw friends, had some new beers and did a little home-brewing. All in all a good weekend.
Friday
On Friday night David, Dave and I went bar hopping in the East Village. Dave was at Lotus Lounge when I got into town, so after a brief layover at The Bear to drop off my bags David and I set off to meet him.
369. B.B. Bürgerbräu
I sampled this on tap at the Lotus Lounge in New York City. It was served in a standard pint glass.
Appearance (3.5): Pours a lightly hazy golden with a thin white head.
Smell (3.5): Light hops with toffee and caramel malt aromas.
Taste (2.5): Sweet and toasty malts. Hop flavors are light and the beer lacks any real bitterness.
Mouthfeel (2.0): Light carbonation, light-bodied and watery.
Drinkability (3.0): Light and easy to drink, but there aren't really any great flavors to make you want to drink it.
Overall (2.9): Simple and lacking in flavor and depth in the palate.
370. Sixpoint Sweet Action
I sampled this on tap at the Lotus Lounge in New York City. It was served in a standard pint glass. Dave and David gave me comments on this one.
Appearance (4.5): Hazy orange-amber with a thin creamy white head that leaves nice lace.
Dave: Pretty Sexy
David: Copper and cloudy
Smell (4.5): Sweet and peppery, with fruitiness and citric hops.
Dave: Berry.
David: Beer & boisenberry.
Taste (3.5): Mild malts upfront, with a peppery finish with citric hops. Nicely balanced in the finish. bu the malts could be more pronounced upfront.
Dave: I can't do taste. Closer to sweet scintilating saltiness (peppery).
David: Colorado Grolsch. A draft beer taste with flavor and body.
Mouthfeel (3.0): Light-bodied, slightly oily and a little watery.
Dave: Carbonation a bit much. Leaves harsh taste of void.
David: Dry mouth, overly carbonated.
Drinkability (4.5): Easy to drink with a nice refreshing hoppiness.
Dave: Mine's already gone so it must get a 5.
David: I could drink it but I don't want to.
Overall (3.95): Very drinkable, the only thing holding this beer back is the lack of malt character upfront.
371. Radeberger Pilsner
I sampled this on tap at the Lotus Lounge in New York City. It was served in a standard pint glass.
Appearance (4.0): Pours a clear golden with a fluffy white head that thins to a persistent layer.
Smell (2.0): There's a sweet smell and that's about it.
Taste (2.5): Slight sweetness upfront with a decent hoppy finish.
Mouthfeel (3.0): Tingly carbonation and clean mouthfeel.
Drinkability (3.0): Light and easy to drink.
Overall (2.8): Drinkable, but not a lot of flavor that makes you want to drink it.
Next we headed out to look for a place to eat. We ended going to an Italian restaurant whose name I don't remember. I had the ricotta and spinach ravioli tossed in olive oil and sage, which was quite nice. We finished up our meals with port: Dow's 10 Year Tawny for Dave and I, and Dow's for David.
Pictures of us enjoying port:
David
Dave
Dave
Me
Next we headed to Happy Ending where we had Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. Before we left we had the candle priviledges revoked at our table, surprisingly not my fault.
After a trip out to a bar in Brooklyn we ended up back in the East Village around 3 AM. We were wandering around looking for a bar when I spotted a place called The Belgian Room. We started off with a round of De Dolle Oerbiers, found a table and started playing poker with cards we'd borrowed from the bartender.
372. Cantillon Lou Pepe Kriek - 2001
We split a 750 mL bottle of this at the Belgian Room. It was served in Cantillon wine glasses.
Appearance: Hazy dark-red. The only evidence of a head are thin wispy patches of bubbles.
Smell: Nose of cherries, a light funkiness and an acidic sour smell. Very lambic.
Taste: Sweet and sour notes of cherries up front. An intense sourness takes hold in the center and maintains its dominance through the finish.
Mouthfeel: Mildly carbonated, with a very dry finish.
Drinkability: This is something to drink slowly and savor.
Overall: This is a very nice cherry lambic.
373. Bink Blonde
I sampled this from a 12 (or maybe 11.2 oz) bottle at The Belgian Room, it was served in a Leffe Class.
Appearance: Pours a cloudy golden with a thin white head.
Smell: Sweet and peppery with some fruity notes that may have been banana.
Taste: Sweet upfront with peppery notes, fruit (again bananas?) and a surprising hop profile for the style.
Mouthfeel: Moderate carbonation, smooth with a lightly dry finish.
Drinkability: A little tough to tell this late in the night, but the hoppiness was pleasant.
Saturday
Saturday Dave, David, Bennett and I went for a late brunch at Kitchenette in Morningside Heights. We walked around Central Park for awhile then saw Art School Confidential in Times Square. David, Bennett and I then headed to Megan's house in Pelham. We had pizza at the always excellent Johnny's. David, Bennett and I then played pool and poker and had a few beers: Harpoon Summer Beer, Sam Adams Summer Ale and Guinness Extra Stout.
Sunday
Sunday was David's birthday party. Megan had purchased a beginner homebrew kit for his birthday. The kit was an extract stout recipe with a small batch of milled grain, a package of extract syrup, and some Perle hop pellets. I had several Sam Adams Summer Ales as well as one new beer.
374. Sam Adams Cherry Wheat
I poured half a bottle into a half-pint weisse glass.
Appearance (3.5): Pours a slightly-hazy copper with a white foamy head that thins to a persitent layer. Large bubbles stream from the bottom of the glass.
Smell (2.0): Very strong and overpowering candy-like cherry aromas.
Taste (2.5): Light cherry flavor upfront, that fades into an American-style-wheat-beer flavor in the finish. The cherry flavor is present throughout and while not overpowering is a little cough-syrupy. The finish is grainy with little bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Light to moderate carbonation, smooth with a lightly dry finish.
Drinkability (3.5): Refreshing aside from the slight cough syrup flavor.
Overall (2.85): This isn't a great fruit beer. The cherry comes off candy-like and overpowering in the smell, and a bit cough-syrupy in the finish.
Friday
On Friday night David, Dave and I went bar hopping in the East Village. Dave was at Lotus Lounge when I got into town, so after a brief layover at The Bear to drop off my bags David and I set off to meet him.
369. B.B. Bürgerbräu
I sampled this on tap at the Lotus Lounge in New York City. It was served in a standard pint glass.
Appearance (3.5): Pours a lightly hazy golden with a thin white head.
Smell (3.5): Light hops with toffee and caramel malt aromas.
Taste (2.5): Sweet and toasty malts. Hop flavors are light and the beer lacks any real bitterness.
Mouthfeel (2.0): Light carbonation, light-bodied and watery.
Drinkability (3.0): Light and easy to drink, but there aren't really any great flavors to make you want to drink it.
Overall (2.9): Simple and lacking in flavor and depth in the palate.
370. Sixpoint Sweet Action
I sampled this on tap at the Lotus Lounge in New York City. It was served in a standard pint glass. Dave and David gave me comments on this one.
Appearance (4.5): Hazy orange-amber with a thin creamy white head that leaves nice lace.
Dave: Pretty Sexy
David: Copper and cloudy
Smell (4.5): Sweet and peppery, with fruitiness and citric hops.
Dave: Berry.
David: Beer & boisenberry.
Taste (3.5): Mild malts upfront, with a peppery finish with citric hops. Nicely balanced in the finish. bu the malts could be more pronounced upfront.
Dave: I can't do taste. Closer to sweet scintilating saltiness (peppery).
David: Colorado Grolsch. A draft beer taste with flavor and body.
Mouthfeel (3.0): Light-bodied, slightly oily and a little watery.
Dave: Carbonation a bit much. Leaves harsh taste of void.
David: Dry mouth, overly carbonated.
Drinkability (4.5): Easy to drink with a nice refreshing hoppiness.
Dave: Mine's already gone so it must get a 5.
David: I could drink it but I don't want to.
Overall (3.95): Very drinkable, the only thing holding this beer back is the lack of malt character upfront.
371. Radeberger Pilsner
I sampled this on tap at the Lotus Lounge in New York City. It was served in a standard pint glass.
Appearance (4.0): Pours a clear golden with a fluffy white head that thins to a persistent layer.
Smell (2.0): There's a sweet smell and that's about it.
Taste (2.5): Slight sweetness upfront with a decent hoppy finish.
Mouthfeel (3.0): Tingly carbonation and clean mouthfeel.
Drinkability (3.0): Light and easy to drink.
Overall (2.8): Drinkable, but not a lot of flavor that makes you want to drink it.
Next we headed out to look for a place to eat. We ended going to an Italian restaurant whose name I don't remember. I had the ricotta and spinach ravioli tossed in olive oil and sage, which was quite nice. We finished up our meals with port: Dow's 10 Year Tawny for Dave and I, and Dow's for David.
Pictures of us enjoying port:
David
Dave
Dave
Me
Next we headed to Happy Ending where we had Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. Before we left we had the candle priviledges revoked at our table, surprisingly not my fault.
After a trip out to a bar in Brooklyn we ended up back in the East Village around 3 AM. We were wandering around looking for a bar when I spotted a place called The Belgian Room. We started off with a round of De Dolle Oerbiers, found a table and started playing poker with cards we'd borrowed from the bartender.
372. Cantillon Lou Pepe Kriek - 2001
We split a 750 mL bottle of this at the Belgian Room. It was served in Cantillon wine glasses.
Appearance: Hazy dark-red. The only evidence of a head are thin wispy patches of bubbles.
Smell: Nose of cherries, a light funkiness and an acidic sour smell. Very lambic.
Taste: Sweet and sour notes of cherries up front. An intense sourness takes hold in the center and maintains its dominance through the finish.
Mouthfeel: Mildly carbonated, with a very dry finish.
Drinkability: This is something to drink slowly and savor.
Overall: This is a very nice cherry lambic.
373. Bink Blonde
I sampled this from a 12 (or maybe 11.2 oz) bottle at The Belgian Room, it was served in a Leffe Class.
Appearance: Pours a cloudy golden with a thin white head.
Smell: Sweet and peppery with some fruity notes that may have been banana.
Taste: Sweet upfront with peppery notes, fruit (again bananas?) and a surprising hop profile for the style.
Mouthfeel: Moderate carbonation, smooth with a lightly dry finish.
Drinkability: A little tough to tell this late in the night, but the hoppiness was pleasant.
Saturday
Saturday Dave, David, Bennett and I went for a late brunch at Kitchenette in Morningside Heights. We walked around Central Park for awhile then saw Art School Confidential in Times Square. David, Bennett and I then headed to Megan's house in Pelham. We had pizza at the always excellent Johnny's. David, Bennett and I then played pool and poker and had a few beers: Harpoon Summer Beer, Sam Adams Summer Ale and Guinness Extra Stout.
Sunday
Sunday was David's birthday party. Megan had purchased a beginner homebrew kit for his birthday. The kit was an extract stout recipe with a small batch of milled grain, a package of extract syrup, and some Perle hop pellets. I had several Sam Adams Summer Ales as well as one new beer.
374. Sam Adams Cherry Wheat
I poured half a bottle into a half-pint weisse glass.
Appearance (3.5): Pours a slightly-hazy copper with a white foamy head that thins to a persitent layer. Large bubbles stream from the bottom of the glass.
Smell (2.0): Very strong and overpowering candy-like cherry aromas.
Taste (2.5): Light cherry flavor upfront, that fades into an American-style-wheat-beer flavor in the finish. The cherry flavor is present throughout and while not overpowering is a little cough-syrupy. The finish is grainy with little bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Light to moderate carbonation, smooth with a lightly dry finish.
Drinkability (3.5): Refreshing aside from the slight cough syrup flavor.
Overall (2.85): This isn't a great fruit beer. The cherry comes off candy-like and overpowering in the smell, and a bit cough-syrupy in the finish.
Labels: American Blonde Ale, Belgian Pale Ale, Brasserie Cantillon, Czech Pilsener, Fruit Lambic, Fruit/Vegatable Beer, German Pilsener, Lambic, NYC, Reviews, Sixpoint Craft Ales, Sour Beer, Travel
325-326. New York City: Beer at Bars, Saturday
Published by Unknown on Monday, February 06, 2006 at 9:25 PM.
After the tour at the Brooklyn Brewery we went out to play pool and have another drink before dinner. After dinner we headed to the Lower East Side for some bar hopping.
325. Brooklyn Pennant Ale '55
I had this beer on tap at the Brooklyn Ale House in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. It was served in an Imperial Pint glass. This is an American Pale Ale, which is a variant of the British style Pale Ales.
Appearance: This beer pours a clear amber, with a thick white head and diminishes to a thin layer. There is light lacing and not much carbonation.
Smell: The aroma contains bready malt notes, and light hop florals.
Taste: Sweet bready malts are evident at the front of the palate. Overall there is a fair amount of hop bitterness here. The finish is clean with light bitterness.
Mouthfeel: Light bodied with mild carbonation.
Drinkability: This is really easy to drink. The sweetness of the malts is balanced nicely against the bitterness of the hops.
Overall: This isn't a spectacular brew, it's a good example of the style, but one of its strengths is its simplicity. I could easily drink a six-pack or more.
326. Brooklyn Pilsner
After dinner we headed to the Lower East Side for some bar hopping. We stopped at Barra Mundi, where this was served in a Brooklyn Brewery pint glass. This is a German Pilsener, not one of my favorite styles.
Appearance: Poured a clear pale gold with little head.
Smell: Aromas were light overall, with sweetness and floral hops.
Taste: I found this beer overly simple, though I'm not a huge fan of the style. There was light malt sweetness and hop bitterness.
Mouthfeel: Smooth, crisp and light bodied.
Drinkability: Smooth, light and easy to drink.
Overall: I wasn't a huge fan of the style, so perhaps I can't objectively rate the quality. I tend to prefer the more complex flavors of ales to lagers.
Other Drinks:
We went to quite a few bars after Barra Mundi. We mostly stuck to drinks in the gin family (G&Ts and Gimlets), though we had a PBR or two. We started drinking at 2:30 PM, and finished at around 3:00 AM. Overall not a bad day of drinking. I'm going to the Beer Advocate Extreme Beer Fest this weekend so that should net another entry with 10 or so new beers.
325. Brooklyn Pennant Ale '55
I had this beer on tap at the Brooklyn Ale House in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. It was served in an Imperial Pint glass. This is an American Pale Ale, which is a variant of the British style Pale Ales.
Appearance: This beer pours a clear amber, with a thick white head and diminishes to a thin layer. There is light lacing and not much carbonation.
Smell: The aroma contains bready malt notes, and light hop florals.
Taste: Sweet bready malts are evident at the front of the palate. Overall there is a fair amount of hop bitterness here. The finish is clean with light bitterness.
Mouthfeel: Light bodied with mild carbonation.
Drinkability: This is really easy to drink. The sweetness of the malts is balanced nicely against the bitterness of the hops.
Overall: This isn't a spectacular brew, it's a good example of the style, but one of its strengths is its simplicity. I could easily drink a six-pack or more.
326. Brooklyn Pilsner
After dinner we headed to the Lower East Side for some bar hopping. We stopped at Barra Mundi, where this was served in a Brooklyn Brewery pint glass. This is a German Pilsener, not one of my favorite styles.
Appearance: Poured a clear pale gold with little head.
Smell: Aromas were light overall, with sweetness and floral hops.
Taste: I found this beer overly simple, though I'm not a huge fan of the style. There was light malt sweetness and hop bitterness.
Mouthfeel: Smooth, crisp and light bodied.
Drinkability: Smooth, light and easy to drink.
Overall: I wasn't a huge fan of the style, so perhaps I can't objectively rate the quality. I tend to prefer the more complex flavors of ales to lagers.
Other Drinks:
We went to quite a few bars after Barra Mundi. We mostly stuck to drinks in the gin family (G&Ts and Gimlets), though we had a PBR or two. We started drinking at 2:30 PM, and finished at around 3:00 AM. Overall not a bad day of drinking. I'm going to the Beer Advocate Extreme Beer Fest this weekend so that should net another entry with 10 or so new beers.
Labels: American Pale Ale, Brooklyn Brewery, German Pilsener, NYC, Reviews, Travel
