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Lagunitas Brewing Company Brown Shugga' Ale - A Microbrew Review

Date: Sat, Feb 28, 2009



Lagunitas Brewing Company Brown Shugga' Ale


by Microbrew Review

This economy's been tough on all of us. Everyone's looking to save money and for the best deal possible. That holds true in today's world of the beer and microbrew enthusiast as well. Well imagine my surprise when I discovered a $1.00 a bottle selection in one of the beer coolers at my local Six 'n Save. I was like a kid in a candy shop. Given, the selection was fairly slim but I did spy a few good microbreweries to try and I picked up a bottle of Lagunitas Brewing Company's Brown Shugga' Ale in my mix a six tonight.

Freshly and nicely preserved from its cross-country track all the way from the brewery in Petaluma, California, this ale poured a cloudy fiery red almost soda pop orange into my glass with a creamy one finger head. Carbonation was good but the ale never completely cleared and remained somewhat foggy and hazy throughout the sampling.

Aroma was extremely malty with deadly strength levels of burning alcohol wafting up into my nostrils. This smelled like one potent microbrew and in drinking it, I would not be proven wrong.

This craft beer is sugary sweet alright, almost to a fault, but not quite. I like bitter IPA's and this is certainly not one but Brown Shugga' held my interest in that is was heavy and chewy enough to taste like a man's beer. Alot of malt and a bit of toffee and yes, just a touch of brown cane sugar in the flavor. Far off in the background was just a bit of that Christmas sugar cookie kind of flavor.

The beer was a real sticky mouthful but finished strong on the palate with a mild but unobtrusive sweet aftertaste. No hops at all here so if that's what you are looking for, you're not going to find it in Lagunitas Brewing Brown Shugga'.

One item I will also point out is the beer bottle label. It looks like it's printed on aged parchment. Plain and to the point. It's got an entertaining little quip in real small print that reads: "We believe this Special Ale is something unique. Feeding brown cane sugar to otherwise cultured brewery yeast is a'kin to feeding raw shark to your gerbil. It is unlikely to ever occur in nature without human intervention. And it looks weird besides. But is has happened, and now it's too late". Entertaining and a little quirky. I love reading the small print on these Lagunitas Brewing beer labels. These guys make great microbrews and craft beers and know how to have fun with it as well.

If you see any Lagunitas beer in your local ale shop or tavern, take a chance and try it out. I've yet to have any bad experience with Lagunitas Brewing Company offerings and their Brown Shugga' Sweet Release Ale is just another notch on my microbrew drinking gun. I loved this ale and I think there's a good chance you probably will too. Try it if you get a shot but be cautious as the alcohol by volume rating for Brown Shugga' is about 9.5% and is not for the meek beer drinker. Cheers!

Are you a beer lover? Did you enjoy reading this microbrew beer review? If you love beer and craft beers & microbrews in particular, you'll find many more craft beer reviews of both new and old microbrews and also fun microbrew and craft beer-related meanderings at the
===>Beer Blog Reviews
or =====>Microbrew and Craft Ales.

Enjoy, and always remember to drink responsibly!







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Green Flash Brewing Hop Head Beer Review

Date: Wed, Feb 18, 2009




Green Flash Brewing Hop Head Beer Review


by Microbrew Review

Tonight the wife wanted to go to bingo. Being a smart negotiator, I happily agreed to hang out at home with the kids while she went off to gamble, but only if she picked me up a few microbrews to sample and review. Okay, she'd have gone anyway whether I wanted her to or not, but she complied and I've got 4 new beers in the fridge to try out. The first I picked out was a microbrew from Green Flash Brewing Company called "Hop Head".

Hop Head is a Red India Pale Ale brewed by San Diego's famous microbrewery Green Flash Brewing. I've had at least one beer from Green Flash that I liked before so I was anxious to try Hop Head Red IPA to say the least.

Pouring the ale into my Dogfish Head pub glass, this beer poured a rich and thick looking ruby red. Very clear and fairly good level of carbonation with bubbles small yet somewhat plentiful.

Holy head !! The foamy head on this beer rose a good 3 1/2 fingers tall and stuck around a good 4-5 minutes before subsiding to a 1/4" head that never really disappeared throughout my sampling session.

The beer aroma was wonderfully strong and hoppy. Very piney with a background hint of sour fruit, not grapefruit but strangely more like a blueberry if you can believe that. Kinda odd but interesting.

Sipping the first few slugs, this microbrew is a mouthful. Thick, rich and hearty came to mind. Although it's a beer from California, I got the impression of this being a beer that could stand up to a tough, cold northeastern winter's night, kind of like a good thick beef stew. It was chewy like a meal but finished surprisingly crisp and clean with a fresh piney aftertaste leaving me want another sip quickly. So I went ahead and took another...and another. Mmmmmm. This is a good beer!

All the way down through the entire 12 ounces of ale, my glass was pasted with a thick spiderweb of foamy lace, very impressive in my opinion. It reminded me of that one beer commercial where you can see where the beer is and where it was and where it'll be next, like tree growth rings (only these were beer death rings as it was consumed).

Overall, I'm going to give Green Flash Brewing Hop Head Red India Pale Ale a 7.5 out of 10.00 possible stars as my rating. I have always enjoyed the IPA family of microbrews and craft beers and this ale did not disappoint me in the least. I'd love to have a chance someday to try this fresh on tap at the brewery itself as I imagine it would lend to an even representation of the beer.

If you live in California or out West anywhere, there's no reason you shouldn't at least try this beer offering from Green Flash and if you're anywhere else in the country and find this microbrew in your local bottleshop or on tap at the pub, give it a try and I can almost guarantee you won't be sorry.

Oh, by the way, Green Flash Hop Head clocks in at 6% alcohol by volume. Not too over the top and just reasonable enough to enjoy two or three of these IPA beauties responsibly and reasonably. This microbrew is worth it and I'll be picking it up again if I have the chance.

Are you a beer lover? Did you enjoy reading this microbrew beer review? If you love beer and craft beers & microbrews in particular, you'll find many more craft beer reviews of both new and old microbrews and also fun microbrew and craft beer-related meanderings at the
===>beer review blog
or =====>Craft Beer Reviews.

Enjoy, and always remember to drink responsibly!







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Weyerbacher Winter Ale Microbrew Review

Date: Sat, Jan 31, 2009




Weyerbacher Winter Ale Microbrew Review

I picked up another microbrew from one of my past Pennsylvania brewery favorites the Weyerbacher Brewing Company. This is a winter warmer called simply Winter Ale.
I've been fond of the Christmas ale and winter warmer styles of beer over the past several years and always look forward to this time of year.



Are you a beer lover? Did you enjoy reading this microbrew beer review? If you love beer and craft beers & microbrews in particular, you'll find many more craft beer reviews of both new and old microbrews and also fun microbrew and craft beer-related meanderings at the
===>beer review blog
or =====>Craft Beer Reviews.

Enjoy, and always remember to drink responsibly!











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Microbrew Review of Thirsty Dog Brewing 12 Dogs of Christmas Ale

Date: Mon, Dec 1, 2008



Microbrew Review of Thirsty Dog Brewing 12 Dogs of Christmas Ale


by Microbrew Review

As I mentioned the other day, from here on in for the next month or so I'm going to be sampling and focusing on microbrew and craft beer reviews of the Christmas Ale, Winter Warmer and winter-style ilk. Tonight's offering by Thirsty Dog Brewing Company falls perfectly in line with that theme, and I for one am glad that it does.

First of all, I dig the label on this 12 ounce chilled brown bottle. It's a little different but plain enough, cartoonish in a way but almost like an artist's rendering of what could have been a real actual photo of 12 dogs of all varieties decked out in their Christmas best on and around an old flatbed delivery pickup truck(I'm guessing an actual brewery-owned pickup used long ago for local beer deliveries...but I'm just guessing).

Here are the vital stats on this beer right from the label...
IBU's = 21.5
O.G. = 18.5 degrees Plato
8.3% alcohol by volume
12 fluid oz. bottle (355 mL)
Recommended best serving temp 43 - 49 degrees F.

Thirsty Dog Brewing 12 Dogs of Christmas Ale is a celebratory ale and pours into my pint glass as such. This ale pours fairly thick and rich and looks sticky as it cascades into my glass vessel. A crystal clear body boasts a beautiful ruby red/copper appearance graced with just enough carbonation activity to make it pretty. A creamy, butterscotch one finger head glazes the surface just for a few brief minutes and quickly subsides.

The aroma of this craft beer is of chocolately rich malt and very, very sweet. Figs and honey are present in the smell and those scents clog the nostrils along with that somewhat fiery alcoholic burn. A bit of clove hovers in the background but none of the cinnamon the bottle label proclaims.

Sipping down the first few swigs, I can't help but notice I may be drinking this beer just a bit too cold. While the label gives an actual ideal serving temp, I've not gone too technical with checking if this beer's got a fever yet but am guessing probably not, so I waited a while longer. It was just too cold to experience the full flavor.

So fifteen minutes go by and I try the Thirsty Dog Christmas Ale again. This time is better. Spilling the brew over my tongue, it's a little warmer and rich as heck. Sweet, sticky with some very nice nuances of that cinnamon (so boasted on the bottle label) but also with some creamy bakery flavors that go so nicely in beer this season of the year. Gingerbread and sugar cookies came to mind and a hint of cloves became more evident in the nose. While the alcohol was always present through sipping the entire glass, it was nothing more than a pleasant warming sensation and not the burn that was a bit more evident in the nose of this Christmas Ale.

One special point of note I'll make is that, while the beer had a reasonably respectable head of foam initially (that didn't last long), Thirsty Dog Brewing Company's 12 Dogs of Christmas Ale presented an intriguing set of legs down the side of my 16 ounce pint glass very reminiscent of a nice wine. Kind of unique and interesting and not something I often experience in my microbrew and craft beer reviews.

All in all, I really really like Thirsty Dog Brewing Company 12 Dogs of Christmas Ale. It's a well-put-together seasonal ale that, while not standing out as totally unique or extreme in any one area, it is an enjoyable and warming sipping style of beer that does bring to mind this wonderful Christmas season time of year. You could try this craft beer blindfolded in August and you'd definitely get the feeling that 12 Dogs of Christmas Ale is a winter/Christmastime style of beer.

I'll give Thirsty Dog Brewing Co 12 Dogs of Christmas Ale a 7.75 out of 10.00 points on my microbrew rating scale. It's definitely one I'd like to get my hands on a few more bottles of. With the 8.3% ABV though, don't get too carried away. Respect the beer and happy holidays!

P.S. Thirsty Dog Brewing Company cannot do too much wrong apparently. These folks from the Akron, Ohio-based microbrewery have never really disappointed me yet to date with their nicely crafted beers. I'm going to be on the lookout for more beers to try from Thirsty Dog Brewing and I recommend you should too if you see any of their ales locally. Cheers!

Are your a beer lover? Did you enjoy reading this microbrew beer review? If you love beer and craft beers & microbrews in particular, you'll find many more craft beer reviews of both new and old microbrews and also fun microbrew and craft beer-related meanderings at the
===>beer review blog
or =====>Craft Beer Reviews.

Enjoy, and always remember to drink responsibly!










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Christmas Ale by Breckenridge Brewery - My Microbrew Review

Date: Sun, Nov 23, 2008




Here I am on a lazy, cold and sunny late November afternoon. Thanksgiving is just a few days off and Christmas just around the bend. Snow is in the forecast this week. What a perfect day to imbibe in a bottle of Christmas Ale by Breckenridge Brewery.

Breckenridge Brewery is a Colorado brewery located in Denver. They've been around the block in the microbrewing arena, and I've been fortunate to sample a few of their craft beers even though I'm located way out here in Pennsylvania. I'm anxious to try the Breckenridge Christmas Ale however so I'm not going to waste any time in getting started with my microbrew review. Let's go, shall we?

First of all, the beer bottle label is festive for the Christmas season no doubt about that. Makes you want to grab the bottle right out of the sixpack shop cooler.

Pouring the beer into my unchilled glass, it pours a fairly dark ruby red in color with just a tinge of rusty copper on the edges. The head of the beer welled up to about a week one finger head and quickly dissipates to a mild glaze of tan cream on top.

The aroma of the beer is sticky and sweet with a punch of alcohol to boot. I detected a smoky dark coffee scent with some brown sugar presence, maybe a bit of raisins way there in the background. Smells pretty decent but nothing totally intriguing or complex in character.

Breckenridge Christmas Ale sips rather thin in the mouthful for as rich and sticky as it smells and appears. There's alot of alcohol in the mouth and alcoholic burn in the swallow. First impression in drinking this microbrew is that it's more of a brown ale than a winter warmer style. Although it is rather malty, there's a fair deal of hoppy bitterness that lies on the tongue and it finishes somewhat crisply. The mouthful was just a little too thin for my liking however.

Breckenridge Brewery's Christmas Ale is not a bad beer. It's respectable and looks good in a glass. It would look festive having a few bottles lined up in the fridge too given the label design. I've had better winter warmers though and there are many other microbrews and craft beers out there that better represent Christmas beers and Winter Warmers in particular. Given the 7.40% alcohol beer content for Christmas Ale, it does leave a warm feeling in the belly however.

If you've had alot of experience with winter warmer beers, you may not find Breckenridge Christmas Ale all that exciting. If you'd just like to try a craft beer for the Christmas season, this is a fair one to experiment with and share with a few friends around the Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner table this season. Breckenridge Brewing Christmas Ale gets a 5.75 out of 10.00 micro brew review points.

I've got quite a few more microbrews on my list of Christmas beer to sample before the holidays and I'll be posting again shortly, so stop back soon and thanks for reading this microbrew beer review!

--------------------------------------

Do you love beer? Did you enjoy reading this microbrew beer review? If you love beer and craft beers & microbrews in particular, you'll find many more craft beer reviews of both new and old microbrews and also fun microbrew and craft beer-related mish-mash at the
===>microbrew review blog
or =====>Craft Beer Reviews.

Enjoy, and always remember to drink responsibly!










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A Microbrew Review of Lancaster Brewing Company's Winter Warmer

Date: Sun, Nov 16, 2008



The holidays are just around the corner and for any microbrew and craft beer lover, this season is always met with excitement. I love Christmas beers and winter warmers. The winter beer season is officially upon us and I'll be reviewing microbrews of the wintertime ilk for the next several months.

Tonight, I reached in the fridge and pulled out Lancaster Brewing Company's Winter Warmer. Lancaster Brewing Company (an eastern Pennsylvania microbrewery) offers some great beers and I was looking forward to trying their Winter Warmer offering eagerly.

Pouring the beer into my unchilled beer glass, This beer pours a dark ruby, mahogany color with a mild creamy tan head only about a finger deep and quick to subside to a meer corona of froth on the outer walls of the glass. Nice color and virtually opaque with only the slightest hint of light passing through when held up to the kitchen fan light.

Classified as an Olde Ale, this beer's scent is warm and fuzzy, sweet and caramelly with a hint of spiciness in the nose. Toffy and scotch eminates from the surface with a butter cookie background.

First sip is smooth on the tongue with a sharper alcoholic bite in the swallow. Winter Warmer is a very sweet and sticky microbrew leaving a ring of lollipop stickiness around the lips. It's rich and malty and almost a meal in itself. A slight toffy presence can be detected. The beer became even more sweet and sticky as the beer warmed in my glass. There was no lacing on the glass whatsoever as the microbrew disappeared slowly. This one is definitely a slow sipping kind of craft beer.

Overall, I can definitely recommend Lancaster Brewing Company Winter Warmer for one of those upcoming cold winter's evenings around the fireplace. It's a holiday style craft beer that is worth a try and I will be sure to be picking up several more Winter Warmers before the holiday beer season is over.

One other recommendation is to drink this beer with respect. Lancaster Brewing's Winter Warmer is a bit dominant when it comes to the alcohol level. When it comes to alcohol content in beer, this winter ale boasts a hearty 8.9% alcohol by volume rating and having more than two in a sitting is probably going to invite trouble.

So there you have it. First holiday style beer for the Christmas season and Lancaster Brewing Company's Winter Warmer is a hit in my book. I'm giving it an 8.0 out of 10.00 beer rating points for my microbrew review. Get your hands on Winter Warmer if you have a chance this winter. I don't think you'll be disappointed.
--------------------------------------

Like beer? Did you enjoy reading this microbrew beer review? If you love beer and craft beers & microbrews in particular, you'll find many more craft beer reviews of both new and old microbrews and also fun microbrew and craft beer-related mish-mash at the
===>microbrew review blog
or =====>Craft Beer Reviews.

Enjoy, and always remember to drink responsibly!






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Schell Octoberfest Beer - A Microbrew Review

Date: Tue, Sep 30, 2008



I was digging around down in the fridge tonight and found a bottle of Schell's Octoberfest that I thought I'd try. Hadn't had a chance to sample this craft beer just yet so no time better than the present, that's what I always say when it comes to beer.

Popping the bottle cap on this chilled 12 ounce brown bottle, I poured the beer fairly roughly into my 10 ounce bar mug watching as the creamy off-white head billowed up in the glass to just about a one finger standing. It looked rich and thick and although the beer's head receded just a bit, it constantly glazed the surface of the brew even as I started sipping 5 minutes later.

The color of Schell's Octoberfest was a bright and sparkly light copper rust. Shimmered just a little when holding up to a light with carbonation respectably present and well distributed throughout the liquid. Aroma was sweet with just a smidgen of "sugar cookie" scent to it. Overall, not a real strong smelling marzen beer but that's okay. I'm here to drink it. Total mug presentation of Schell Octoberfest was pretty nice. Nothing turning me away at this point.

Sipping down the first few sips, my first impression was although it was standard Marzen Octoberfest sweet, it seemed a little bit thin for my taste. Watered down may be too strong of a description, but just not an overall rich mouthful in my opinion. It was slick and went down the throat very smoothly with very little carbonation feel in the mouth and on the tongue. A slightly sour aftertaste was distracting. But I'm going to drink the whole beer anyway, what the heck?

As the microbrew warmed at about halfway through the glass, the beer took on more and more of a thicker, richer feel to it. It tasted creamier and became a little more rounded in the finish. There are no hops here at all but that's great for an Octoberfest beer. I quickly finished the last half of the mug and thought I might try another before the month of October is out.

August Schell Brewing Company hails from New Ulm, Minnesota. The brewery has been around since 1860 and has the pleasure of claiming many of its beers to be award-winning throughout the years. Schell's Octoberfest, as one example, won the Silver Medal at the 1991 Great American Beer Festival. There's actually a really neat overview of the history of the brewery if you have a chance to check out their website at August Schell Brewing Company.

My bottom line beer review for Schell Octoberfest is that it is a very quaffable craft beer, especially for this time of year heading into the fall. This Octoberfest beer can be consumed quickly and easily with not a whole lot of complaints from me. At 5.5% alcohol by volume, it's not over the top and won't get you in too much trouble if you partake in 2 or 3 at a sitting. This would be a great Oktoberfest festival beer and I think even better if being pulled off the tap into one of those great big German Octoberfest bier steins. I'll give Schell's Octoberfest 7.25 out of 10.00 points for the beer style and it's one I'll personally be having again, probably fairly soon!
-------------------------

Like beer? Did you even slightly enjoy reading this microbrew beer review? If you love beer and craft beers & microbrews in particular, you'll find many more craft beer reviews of both new and old microbrews and also fun microbrew and craft beer-related mish-mash at the
===>micro brew reviews blog
or =====>Craft Beer Reviews.

Enjoy, and always remember to drink responsibly!






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Great Lakes Brewing Co Nosferatu Stock Ale - My Microbrew Review

Date: Fri, Sep 26, 2008




Great Lakes Brewing Co Nosferatu Stock Ale - My Microbrew Review

I just had to grab a couple bottles of Great Lakes Brewing Company's Nosferatu Stock Ale at my local six pack shop tonight. I couldn't resist. Friday night, late September, a chill in the air and Halloween just around the corner, Nosferatu really caught my eye. Great Lakes Brewing Co a Cleveland, Ohio brewery, has been known to produce some really great microbrews and craft beers and some really great bottle labels too (in my opinion anyway).

Nosferatu follows suit by featuring what almost seems like a still shot movie clip of the famous vampire himself. Striking, chilling and spooky, yet entertaining all at once. And with Halloween coming soon, this beer and its label image fits the bill.

Pouring the chilled 12 ounce bottle into my standard, unchilled glass 10 ounce beer mug, this beer forces a strong, billowy light almond head straight to the brink of the mug and almost right over the edge. Two fingers and looking quite handsome, this head is creamy as it gets and doesn't go anywhere anytime soon. It stuck around a good four or five minutes before never really disappearing altogether.

Beer aroma is strong an bitter. Slight licorice notes are blended nicely with the sticky sugar malt sweet smell but never really dominates. A hint of clove and raisins also came to mind. Not really strong in its scent, but interesting enough to make me want to take a sip and right quick!

First sip provides a very strong and somewhat surprisingly hoppy punch. Alcoholic tints bite and swirl from front of tongue to back, burning just a bit as it goes down. Bitter hop bit stays on the tip of my tongue well after swallowing the microbrew. I notice as the glass warms the alcoholic tones actually dim a bit and a richer velvety mouthful proclaims its presence.

Viewing the beer in my mug, I noticed immense lacing all the way down through the mug. Sticky, clinging webs of bubbles and froth clearly mark the status of this beers comsumption right straight through to bottom of the glass. If you take a sip every minute, you could tell exactly how much time you spent drinking the glass of beer just by counting the frothy rings.

This beer looks awesome too. The liquid is a vibrantly, strong mahogany/rust in the glass. Carbonation is good and healthy but not too vigourous. Nice, miniscule,lazy bubbles drift in spirals up and about feeding the foam at the top just enough to maintain a good foam breadth throughout.

Great Lakes Brewing Co Nosferatu is a very good craft beer. I'd almost venture to say it is great. It's definitely enjoyable throught the glass and actually improves as time goes by. Thick, rich and satisfying and a real for hopheads too if you're into the hoppier bitter beers. There's a nice malty backbone but it just helps to balance, not sweeten the beer.

I'd recommend Great Lakes Brewing's Nosferatu to anyone who's into craft beers of all types and into hoppy beers in particular. The label adds to the seasonal autumn feel to it an I'd love to be able to throw a Halloween party next month and feature a bushel barrel of iced down bottles of Nosferatu to all of my guests although the 8.0% alcohol content of beer would make the party rather interesting if everyone sampled more than two.

I'd give Great Lakes Nosferatu Stock Ale an 8.25 out of 10.00 points for my microbrew review rating. This is an excellent beer and one I think many folks will enjoy and look forward to fall after fall.


If you even remotely enjoyed reading this microbrew beer review and if you love craft beers in particular, you'll find more craft beer reviews of both new and old microbrews and also fun microbrew and craft beer-related info at the ===>
beer blog
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Summit Oktoberfest Marzen - A Microbrew Review

Date: Thu, Sep 18, 2008



It's not officially fall just yet. And October's a few weeks away. But hey, I'm already thinking about the Oktoberfest beers. And why shouldn't I be. I picked up a mixed sixpack of Octoberfest style beers tonight and Summit Brewing Co's Oktoberfest Marzen was the first to sample of the evening.

First off, Summit Brewing Company calls St. Paul, Minnesota its home. I'm not all that familiar with the microbrews from Summit so trying this one gave me a little sense of curiosity and intrigue.

Pouring the 12 ounce chilled brown bottle into my glass, I observed a respectable creamy eggshell head which topped a nice mahogany, rust colored liquid. Carbonation was quite lacking however, almost non-existent. Did I get my hands on a bad beer?
Holding the glass up to my nose didn't help. It smelled a bit like that all too familiar scent of when you've got yourself a skunked beer that just wasn't handled or stored correctly somewhere along the way. I was worried I'd wasted $2.00 on this one.

However, I was somewhat pleasantly surprised once I started drinking this microbrew. There was nice comforting caramel malty sweetness. Not cloying or profound, but more common and expected. Being that I thought this one might be spoiled originally, this was a pleasant surprise already. I was a winner already just in the fact this wasn't a drainpour beer. The mouthful was actually fairly thick and rich and only became more profound as the liquid warmed about halfway through the glass of beer. Nothing too off center here and there was a nice spiciness to this brew in the mouthful. No real hop presence at all however, not to worry though. This is an Oktoberfest. Alcohol presence did start to make itself known toward the latter part of the glass. The warmer the beer got, I could more and more feel that alcoholic burn.

While Summit Brewing Company's Oktoberfest was not the best beer I've ever tried, it was respectable. It was sweet, and very easy to drink. My bottle I'd originally thought was spoiled. So just finding out it was drinkable was a pleasant surprise that probably lent to a more favorable subconscious rating that would normally be the case. I'd felt like I got lucky I guess.

I'd recommend giving this Summit Oktoberfest beer a try if you see it in your neighborhood bottle shop or tavern, especially this time of year (just keeping in the spirit of the season). Summit Brewing Company's Oktoberfest Marzen was very drinkable and smooth. There is nothing challenging or out of the ordinary with this beer however. It just kind of blends in with all the other Oktoberfest offerings you can find out there this time of year. Nothing too bad, but nothing all that special either. Not memorable. It is smooth though, and very easy to drink. Despite the 7.7 Alcohol by Volume rating, it's one that doesn't kick you too much in the butt but you're by your second, you're probably going to be ready to move on to something else anyway.

I'm giving Summit Brewing Company's Oktoberfest Marzen a 6.00 out of 10.00 on my rating scale. I will add, that I'd like to try this fresh on draft at a local watering hole sometime. I think it just might make a significant difference in this microbrew's flavor and richness versus the traversed bottled version.

If you even remotely enjoyed reading this microbrew beer review and if you love craft beers in particular, you'll find more craft beer reviews of both new and old microbrews and also fun microbrew and craft beer-related info at the ===>
beer blog
or =====>Craft Beer Reviews.

Cheers, and please drink responsibly!








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Flying Dog Brewery Snake Dog IPA - A Microbrew Review

Date: Wed, Aug 13, 2008




I haven't seen alot of microbrews from Flying Dog Brewery around these parts here in Western Pennsylvania until just recently. In fact, my favorite craft beer bottle shop has started stocking three or four offerings lately from Flying Dog Brewery and I was excited to give Flying Dog's Snake Dog India Pale Ale a try, so I grabbed a bottle this evening.

Flying Dog Brewery started out in 1994 as a small Denver, Colorado based microbrewery that's since relocated all of it's beer brewing production to their Frederick, Maryland brewery (where they'd been brewing a good portion of their beer since purchasing the second brewery in 2006).

The Flying Dog Brewery bottle labels are famous for featuring the eclectic artwork of Ralph Steadman of Hunter S. Thompson Gonzo fame. This bottle of Snake Dog IPA literally jumped off the shelf at me with its eye catching labeling. I couldn't pass it up.

Cracking open the bottle and pouring the 12 ounces of chilled libation into my glass, the head of this beer was fantastically aggressive, billowing up into an overwhelming 2 finger eggshell white, fluffy head that stuck a good several minutes before begrudgingly dissipating to a more managable drinking level. Color was nice, shimmery and coppery with lazy bubbles of carbonation sauntering upwards to the surface.

The aroma wasn't quite as aggressive though. A little bitter and astringent with piney scents taking the front scene of the beer's smell. There's definitely hops in there and I'm going to get them!

First couple of sips boasted a deliciously crisp brew. As with most IPA's, this beer was bitter but not to a fault. It was nicely balanced with just enough malty sweetness at the swallow but that familiar bitter hops presence stayed with the aftertaste for a while. Flying Dog Brewery has produced a balanced beer with a good mouthful of flavor. I detected a mild hint of smokiness in the beer that nicely complimented it's royal hoppy bite. Snake Dog IPA has a distinctive liveliness to it, it's very zesty for lack of a better word. Not a lot of that often grapefruity flavor however, which I found to be a good thing.

The alcohol makes its presence known and becomes progressively noticeable in a burning sensation as the beer warmed in my glass. Checking the bottle label, I notice that this craft beer clocks in at a hefty 7.1 percent alcohol by volume which is approaching an imperial IPA level. It's not overbearing to the beer flavor however, but the ABV is something to bear in mind if you're sampling Snake Dog IPA and plan to partake in more than a couple servings. This microbrew will bite you if you're not careful!

All things being equal, I must say that I love Flying Dog Brewery Snake Dog IPA. Everything in this beer I thought went well altogether. The cool looking label artwork, the quirky story and themes behind the brewery itself and of course the well put together beer inside the cool bottle. While nothing stood out as incredibly shocking or groundbreaking with this beer's flavor, no characteristic took anything away from it's excellent India Pale Ale attributes.

Flying Dog Brewery Snake Dog IPA has definitely bit me and I'll be getting off the porch and running with the big dogs right back to the bottle shop for a few more of these before the day ends tomorrow. I'd recommend Flying Dog Snake Dog IPA to any microbrew lover especially if you favor the more hoppy Pale Ales and India Pale Ale style beers. Get some today!!

If you even remotely enjoyed reading this microbrew beer review and if you love craft beers in particular, you'll find more craft beer reviews of both new and old microbrews and also fun microbrew and craft beer-related info at my===>
beer blog
or =====>Craft Beer Reviews.

Cheers, and please drink responsibly!










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Pyramid Breweries Thunderhead IPA - A Microbrew Review

Date: Tue, Jul 29, 2008



Here's a real nice microbrew that's relaxing enough on the palate yet moderately challenging to the taste buds. I'm from way back east here in Pennsylvania but was lucky enough to snag myself a bottle of a longtime Washington state favorite microbrew from Pyramid Breweries. Pyramid was originally established in Washington way back in 1984 as a very small Seattle-based microbrewery.

Pyramid Brewery beers are not all that available here in the eastern part of the U.S. but I did notice a few other Pyramid offerings in the cooler on my beer hunt excursion tonight. I picked their Thunderhead IPA as my sampler for the evening out of the several Pyramid beers just because the name sounded cool, the label stood out and I typically like IPA's.

Pyramid Thunderhead did not disappoint either. I cracked and poured the 12 ounce bottle into my 10 ounce pub glass and was greeted with a fiery copper toned ale bursting in bubbly carbonation with a respectable 1 finger egg white frothy head that stuck for several minutes. The clarity was surprisingly clear, no haze and bubbles dancing eagerly.

This microbrew aroma offered much of the typical when it comes to an India Pale Ale. Fruity and pungent grapefruity citrus, just a mild hint of piney esters in the far distant background. Fresh and crisp came to mind from the scent. Nothing spectacular but nothing off or out of place.

First few sips gave off a super hop bomb impression. I've had quite a few IPA's in my time and like them very much but this beer was awesome. Very fresh flavor for being trucked across the country from the West Coast hoppy beer headquarters. The hoppy bitterness was surprisingly smooth and sweet at the finish of the swallow. There's some respectable malt backbone in there and a coating of piney oily aftertaste that left me sucking in my cheeks well after the swallow. A salty residue stood present acting almost as a chaser. This IPA makes you want to take another sip and fast.

Impressive doily-like lacing graced the beer mug walls and didn't go anywhere for the duration of the session almost like a skeleton of a beer long gone. Pyramid Thunderhead IPA was long gone before long.

This beer is very slick and easy drinking for how hoppy and bitter it is. I was surprised a little with how brewery fresh it tasted. The 6.7 percent alcohol by volume made itself noticeable but not so obtrusive as to distract or take anything away from the overall IPA experience.

I've had a lot of IPA's through the years. It's one of my favorite styles. While some might say this preference leads to biased reviews of IPA's, I think the opposite in that it makes me more discriminating as to what is or isn't a good India Pale Ale microbrew.

Pyramid Thunderhead IPA did surprise me with everything about it. I was wary at the start with the "twist-off" cap, but beyond that, this is one well built craft beer and an excellent IPA to boot. Fresh, smooth, well-balanced and representative of the style. The Washington, Oregon and West Coast microbreweries have a long standing history of producing some of the better bitterly hoppy beers and Pyramid Breweries Thunderhead IPA follows suit with some of the better that I've tried.

I'd recommend this microbrew and would personally pick up a sick pack if I could for a late summer event like a Labor Day picnic (when all your friends are drinking Coors Light). The only issue would be the higher than government issue 6.7% ABV that could get you in some trouble by beer number four or five. Watch it and enjoy Pyramid Thunderhead responsibly. I know I will! Cheers!!

If you found any enjoyment in reading this microbrew beer review and if you love craft beers in particular, you'll find more craft beer reviews of both new and old microbrews and also fun microbrew and craft beer-related info at===>
Microbrew Review Beer Blog
or =====>Best Craft Beer Reviews.

Cheers, and please drink responsibly!








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Lagunitas Brewery India Pale Ale - My Microbrew Review

Date: Tue, Jul 15, 2008




This cool looking small brown bottle with the plain aged parchment looking label caught my eye in the local six pack shop cooler this evening. What's the microbrew I'm referencing you ask? It's Lagunitas Brewery's very own special IPA (or India Pale Ale) offering that's on tap here at the house tonight.

As I mentioned, the label was cool because it was so plain (although it features a small depiction of the famous Lagunitas brewery spotted dog in the top right corner of the label. It was sort or reminiscent of one of those old Wild West "Wanted" posters.

For those of you who may not know, Lagunitas Brewing Company is a Petaluma, California-based microbrewery with a somewhat famous and storied history and a very cool and entertaining website (Lagunitas Brewery). Anyway, on to the beer at hand in in the plain, brown, cold 12 ounce bottle.

As I poured the microbrew into my 12 ounce pub glass, I took note of the awfully clear, clarity of this beer which is not out of the possibility for an IPA but in my experience somewhat rarer than most for such a chilled brew. Hues of robust burnt orange copper and bubbles bustling everywhere and mostly upwards greeted my eye blossoming into a wonderfully foamy eggshell marshmallow two finger head which stayed and lasted a good three minutes or so.

Dryed citrusy floral aroma wafted strongly off the top of the glass and surrounded my drinking vessel with a "come hither" hoppy scent. Already I'm liking what I see and smell.

The taste of Lagunitas Brewery's IPA does not disappoint, whether you are a huge fan of hops or just an adventurous microbrew and craft beer sampler alike. This beer is well put together.

The first sip went down very crisp with a pretty extreme dry hoppiness tang. Extreme but not offensive as I put it if that makes any sense. This is a beer that will not leave you guessing as to its style if you were drinking it blindfolded in some sort of blind microbrew taste test.

There's a citrus sense of grated grapefruit peels and clove in the the far background that contributes to the drinking enjoyment. As the beer warmed at about halfway through the twelve ounce mug, the swallow became stickier but still with a welling up of hoppy "kaaa-chow" at the end the crawls up the back of the roof of your mouth. The beer finished with a mild ripe peachy pine aftertaste that left me personally wanting another bottle. Unfortunately, that's not to be the case tonight unless I get the energy up (and the wife's purse change) to ride back down to the store to grab another bottle.

Overall, I'd give Lagunitas Brewery Company's India Pale Ale a 7.75 on my 1 to 10 microbrew and craft beer rating scale. I have no idea on what the alcohol by content is for this beer but there's no warming or burn effect that I could perceive during my beer session. I'd say you could have a few of these just about any time without getting too out of hand and the flavor and visual of this beer in your glass will be interesting enough to have you wanting to keep them coming. Not an out-of-the-bottle sipping beer.

If you're lucky enough to pick up California's own Lagunitas Brewery offerings any where in your neck of the woods in the continental US, I'd recommend picking up a bottle or two of the IPA whether you're an India Pale Ale fan or not, this beer's worth cracking the cap for.

If you found any enjoyment in reading this microbrew beer review and if you love craft beers in particular, you'll find more craft beer reviews of both new and old microbrews and also fun microbrew and craft beer-related info at Microbrew Review or Best Craft Beer Reviews. Click the links above and please let me know what you liked or hated and let me know any beers that you might like to see me review next time. Cheers and please drink responsibly!






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Weyerbacher Brewing Company Hops Infusion India Pale Ale - A Microbrew Blog Review

Date: Sat, Jun 28, 2008



I picked up Weyerbacher Brewing Company's Hops Infusion this evening along with several other nifty looking India Pale Ales since I guess I'm in a hoppy mood. What else could it be that I focused on this particular style of microbrew to review for the remainder of the weekend?

Weyerbacher Brewing Company is based in Easton, Pennsylvania and has provided me with quite a few favorable reviews of many of their craft beer products I'm happy to say. I'm hoping their Hops Infusion India Pale Ale doesn't let me down and continues a fine track record for producing some good to great microbrews.

Cracking the bottle cap of this chilled 12 ounce brown bottle of brew, I poured carefully into my unchilled 10 ounce glass beer mug to find a visual display of an almost mahogany, copper colored liquid, slightly hazy from the chill is my initial assumption.

The beer smells pretty good just waving my nose several times intently across the brim of my beer mug. Zesty, spicy and that oh-so familiar hoppy scent that leads me anxiously into the first of many sips of the microbrew. Tinges of mild floral aroma add some character to the beer's bouquet.

The very first sip is crisp and crunching with the hops. There's a very good punch of tip-of-tongue bitterness with lively enough carbonation to make this beer "jump" on my tongue. Swallow is full and rich with an unobtrusive coating of malty sweetness on the sides of my mouth filtering to the far back of my tongue. There's an expected presence of piney citrus abound, but the malt ingredient in this Pennsylvania craft beer is very well balanced for the IPA style.

It's definitely bitter from the hops, as you would commonly expect from any worth its salt, but very nicely balance and almost rich as silk from it's sweeter sidekick Mr. malt. I like it and I suspect many others might as well (if you're into hoppier beers and it's available in your neighborhood).

Weyerbacher Brewing Company continues to produce some of the better microbrews which I've been lucky enough to have the pleasure of sampling and reviewing. Hops Infusion follows suit and does nothing to tarnish that great microbrewing reputation. I'm not sure just how far west the Weyerbacher beer brand reaches in its marketing and distribution, but if you're in the mood for trying a new India Pale Ale, I'd recommend Weyerbacher Hops Infusion as a microbrew that will not set you into orbit, but will certainly make you want another one or two if you get the chance. It's a very good summer's evening back porch sitting with friends kind of IPA. Try it, you'll like it!

P.S. Weyerbacher Brewing Company Hops Infusion clocks in at 6.2% alcohol by volume according to the bottle label and website. Not over the top in ABV but enough to make you want to bear it in mind if you grab a six pack. Might be good to split with a friend if you plan to finish all six at an outing. One last note, the bottle beer label is a cool closeup photo-type image of a hop flower. Real nice and indicative of what you'll be getting inside the bottle.

If you found any enjoyment in reading this microbrew beer review and if you love craft beers in particular, you'll find more craft beer reviews of both new and old microbrews and also fun microbrew and craft beer-related info at Microbrew Review or Best Craft Beer Reviews. Click the links above and please let me know what you liked or hated and let me know any beers that you might like to see me review next time. Cheers and please drink responsibly!






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Clipper City Brewing Company Below Decks Barleywine Style Ale - A Microbrew Blog Review

Date: Sat, Jun 21, 2008



Clipper City Brewing Company has become pretty high up on my list of great microbreweries lately. This Baltimore, Maryland microbrewery has put out some great beers and a few of them I've been lucky enough to sample as of late. Clipper City's Below Decks Barleywine (a 2007 vintage offering from their Heavy Seas line of microbrews) is just the latest in a series I've had the chance to enjoy recently.

I poured the chilled 12 ounce brown bottle of Below Decks into an unchilled pint glass. Color is a spectacularly clear copper and ruby. Awesome presence of carbonation and effervescence makes itself known. There really was no foam or beer head to speak of in this craft beer (as the photo above proves). Aroma was mildly of sweet fig and molasses, but not a very strong scent at all.

Taste is great! This barleywine style ale is thick, rich, sweet and sticky. Roasted malt is everywhere with molasses flavors abound. It's slick on the palate and sticky on the cheeks with a zest and zing yet on the tip of my tongue at the swallow that lingers for what seems a minute or two. While this beer is of the thicker sweet variety, it still offer a bubbly life to it. It takes on a personality of its own. It's alive!

Alcohol burn is reasonable but not overwhelming strong or present even given the fact that this craft beer is clocking in a a powerful 10% alcohol by volume rating. There is a warming effect in the chest and stomach after the first few swallows. Very nice indeed. I believe this beer has had just enough of time to mellow just a tad taking a bit of the sting off the alcohol kick that might have been too dominant had it been in a fresher state of existence, say maybe when it rolled off the bottling line late last summer or early fall (hard to say its born on date since there is no indication on the bottle).

I've gone through a few barleywines in my years of sampling craft beers. There are several that have really stood out to me and have held a warm spot in my heart over time. Clipper City Brewing Company's Below Decks Barleywine Style Ale does not rank right in the top 2 or 3 overall, but comes in respectably as a second tier in my book. It's certainly well put together and very tasty indeed. It's a sipper and not something I'd down more than one or two in an evening, but it offers enough to keep it interesting along the 30-60 minutes it takes for me to imbibe a full twelve ounces.

I can't find anything glaringly wrong or off with Below Decks Barleywine Ale. It's not the ultimate barleywine I've tried, but it's nowhere near the worst either. This is worth the try if you enjoy the stronger barleywine style ales. Pick up a bottle or two if you see it somewhere in your local sixpack shop. I don't think you'll be disappointed at all. As with any strong ABV craft beer and barleywine ales in particular, it might be a good bet to keep a spare in the fridge for a year or two before trying it out again just to see how well this barleywine matures over time. I'll get Clipper City Brewing Company's Below Decks Barley Wine Style Ale a 7.75 out of 10.00 on my personal microbrew rating scale. You'll enjoy the beer and check out the entertaining bottle label as well.


If you found any enjoyment in reading this microbrew beer review and if you love craft beers in particular, you'll find more craft beer reviews of both new and old microbrews and also fun microbrew and craft beer-related info at Microbrew Review or Microbrew and Craft Beer Reviews. Click through on the links above and please let me know what you liked or didn't like and let me know any beers that you might like to see me review next time. Cheers!






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