Merry Beermas, Pt. 3

Hello all, and welcome back to the third night of Beermas. How long is this going to run? How many beers will I review this week? I have no idea, I'm making this up as I go. Anyway, tonight's selection is yet another from the Sam Adams Holiday sampler pack: The ever so flavorful Holiday Porter. A whiff off the bottle top gives the drinker a strong smell of caramel and Bavarian Hops (medium), which perfectly mirrors it's initial tastes. A bit of a dry finish accompanies the drink, leaving once again the "I want a bit more" feeling. @ 5.8% ABV, this isn't going to get you extremely drunk all on its own, but is a wee bit stronger than my average taster.

The head on this porter is probably one of the nicer things about it; that's something to note, as it's not often a defining feature. For a simply devine aroma, a sweet-to-bitter dryness, and a nice warming quality often present in much stronger beverages, this Samuel Adam's Christmas creation deserves as 9/10.

Until Tomorrow and Hoppy holidays,
Devo

Merry Beermas, pt. 2

Howdy folks! Welcome to night 2 of the Merry Beermas celebration. Tonight's Sam Adams' selection is known as the Chocolate Bock. With an aroma emphasizing chocolate and coffee beans, you would think this would be the perfect dessert accompaniment to any holiday meal. Well, it certainly goes down smooth, and the variety of tastes don't hurt much either. Popping the bottle, the drinker is treated to a light chocolate smell (such as the label suggests), with a hint of caramel. The initial taste is also Cocoa sweet, with a light coffee bean flavor to go with.

There's a finish that's a bit nutty here. It's overall not too bad, but I wish there were more emphasized flavors than what the Chocolate Bock has to work with. I'd say through all, it still deserves a 6.5/10.

See you all tomorrow, and hoppy holidays!

-Devo

Merry Beermas, pt. 1

Welcome back folks, and Happy Holidays from Younge's Beer Review. You may recall that Last week I tried the ever-so-delicious Samuel Adam's Winter Lager,  and gave it a rather glowing review. Well, since I liked it so much, I decided to try out a week's worth of the Boston Brewing Company's extensive holiday collection (You can pick up a sampler pack at your local Grocery store in most states, or liquor store if you are in CO, or another Blue Law state)

So what did I pick for the first taster of this most festive week? None other than the interestingly named Old Fezziwig Ale, a merry-looking beverage that ought to put you in the Christmas Spirit, if nothing else will.

@ 5.9% ABV, Fezziwig is a tad stronger than the average beer that I review, but that is hardly the highlight. Popping the cap treats the drinker to a nice mixture of Caramel and Cinnamon tones. Upon the first taste, a heavy bittersweet taste hits your lips, a bit like drinking a mild Ale that's had a bit of dark cocoa powder mixed in. Continuing on, I detected a medium presence of ginger root in the finish, and a low-to-medium amount of bitterness from hops. This one really hits the stomach though; I'll admit I had it after dinner, but this Ale goes down heavy. Not a bad thing, especially if you want a nice brew to warm up with on a cold evening. I'd recommend it for any holiday party, without a doubt.

Overall, Old Fezziwig gets a seasonably reasonable seal of approval, with an 8.5/10. Nothing much missing, but I like to see a beer go the extra mile for that 1.5 additional points.

Hoppy holidays,
Devo

Back for the Holidays pt. 1

Welcome back, everybody, to the first Christmas Holiday edition of Younge's Beer Review! Tonight, i'll be looking at the first of a list of Seasonal Craft Beers up until the New Years. More on that soon, but I need to get something out of the way first. I want to apologize for missing the last few weeks of the review. I cannot really give a good excuse, but I've been a cheap bastard, and wasn't buying any beer worth reviewing. In any case, I am sorry for making you wait, so I promise this week will be a good one.

Tonight, we start off with one of my favorite Winter Brews, Sam Adams Winter Lager. I've typically been a fan of most of the creations of the Boston Brewing Company since I first tried the original Boston Lager. It's a bit of a standard bearer in American German-style Lager's in my mind, and the Winter edition does not disappoint in relation.

 Crisp and a fruitful to the nose, and with a lightly hopped, foamy first taste, the Winter Lager starts off very refreshing. That gives way to a wheat and oatmeal malt finish, leaving that pleasant quality of wanting just a bit more. It truly is mouthwatering, even to think about. In addition, the fruit aroma extends into a hint of flavor, likely owing to orange peel added to the recipe. Sadly, the promised Cinnamon hints didn't surface for me, at least not  during my tasting. Overall, this American Seasonal has a happy combination of just about everything that I like in a German-Style Lager, with a nice set of additional spices to add a touch of festivity. If there were anything to be improved upon here, it would be to make the spices more pronounced; they are rather subtle, at least to my tastes. Finally, it deserves a good rating for having just about all it needs to make a quality beverage.

Score: 9/10

Until next week,
Happy Drinking, and Happy Holidays!

-Devo

Time at the Pub

Hi everybody! Welcome back to another smashing round of Younge's Beer Review! Today i'll be reviewing an imported Pub Ale that I found on a recent grocery trip: Bodington's Pub Ale. At around 5% ABV, this is a fairly standard English Pub Beer. It pours a nice golden yellow, with a (nitro!) foamy head, that cascades down for awesome effect (similar to Guinness). Bodington's has a very mild taste profile: Watery, a bit pale (light bitterness), and the creamy, minimally-carbonated feel make up most of what this beer is about.

There's a formula being followed here, and there isn't much deviation as a result. It's a bit disappointing to not see some adventurousness whenever possible, but Bodington's still deserves a recommendation for being good at what it does: serve as liquid bread and good overall pub fare. The verdict? 6.5/10

Until next time,
Happy Drinking!
-Devo

Happy Halloween!

Hi all! Welcome to this Halloween Edition of Younge's Beer review! In the spirit of the season, I've picked out a Pumpkin Ale, KBC Pumpin Ale, from Kennebunkport Brewing, to be exact. Right off the bottlecap, it has a nose full of spice. The first sips aren't too bad, either; it's rather like drinking a pumpkin pie (which tastes better than it sounds)

I'd like to post a picture, but for now it isn't working on Google's end (you get what you pay for). Instead, i'll try to get a link for you, like this: http://www.traderjoes.com/fearless-flyer/article.asp?article_id=209

Overall, i'd say the spices that you get (cloves, vanilla, hints of fruit) do the pumpkin beer well. It is a bit light on the taste, however. Since I had this one straight out of the bottle, I cant really say much about its head or color. Suffice it to say, it was a decent drink, and a nice way to celebrate this time of year (try it for dessert, after a heavy meal!)

Score: 6.5/10

Until next time, happy drinking!
-Devo

Favorite of the Pub

Hey again, everyone! It's been 5 days since the Import binge ended, but I'm still trying to get as much International Taste as I can. To that end, I will be sampling A Domestic craft Brew that does it's damnedest to imitate a traditional English Pale Ale. Firestone Walker's Firestone Double Barrel Ale, or DBA for short does quite well. One of the nicest things about it is a very distinctive nose present from the moment you crack the bottle. I caught the scents of a smoky, hazelnut nature, with a hint of vanilla, and immediately started looking forward to what the rest of the beer would offer...

Pictured: Taste, Bottled in California

Like a real English Pale Ale, DBA comes out mildly Hoppy. A nice 32 IBUs (Compare to the Hop-head Favorite Stone IPA @ 70+ IBUs) makes its finish just strong enough make it dry, but not so much that it loses a pleasantly refreshing quality. In addition, this beer has a nice creamy body, much like a few English Bitters that I've tried. The nutty tones that I mentioned in the nose are much lighter in the taste, but this isn't so bad. If I had to say anything negative about DBA, it's that the overall pleasant experience of drinking it diminishes somewhat (usually around your 2nd pint), but I can chalk that up partially to the effects of Alcohol on the human brain. Overall it is a solid beverage, and the perfect way to celebrate just about anything, English Style (Especially if you live in California). For its excellence, I'm giving Firestone DBA 9/10.

Until next time,

Happy Drinking!

-Devo

The Import Binge wraps up in Deutschland!

Hey, everyone, and welcome to the final night of the 10-day import binge! The final night is a stop over in Dortmund, Germany, with a namesake beverage creatively called DAB - Dortmunder. Right off the bat, it's clear that the style of brew is another of those light lager types. Typically, it seems a bit weak in the nose, and it's watery flavor doesn't lend much to the imagination. It isn't all bad, but after several of these cookie-cutter types over the last 10 days, i'm getting a bit tired of it. The taste isn't quite as sweet either. Overall, it isn't that bad, but nothing that hasn't been done before.

Score: 6.5/10
See you all next week!

-Devo

Import Binge, Day 9: The Netherlands!

Hello everybody! The import binge is almost wrapped up, and we have only one more to go after tonight. The last leg of the trek through international beerdom is Europe, and I've got a sweet little Lager called Hollande 1620. Apparently from Holland, it comes in a little green bottle. You wouldn't think it would diverge much from that tried and true EuroLager formula, and you'd be correct. It is a bit sweeter than the average, and more generally filling as well.

Overall, i'd say it beats the average, if by just a bit. Score for tonight: 7/10

Happy drinking, and until tomorrow!
-Devo

Day 8: Japan!

Hello everybody! Day 8 of the Import binge is tonight, and we're wrapping up Asia with an Iconic choice for Japan: Sapporo. Nice and light as is typical, this beer is usually a great start to some creative drinks at your local sushi bar, such as the infamous Sake Bomb. Nevertheless, it still satisfies on it's own, thanks to a rather safe and unadventurous formula.

Starting out, the nose on Sapporo is typically simple, but it comes off sweeter than usual. Tasting it confirms the first impression. Meant to be eaten with a light meal, there isn't much to distinguish it in taste. A limited cereal grainy taste is expected, of course, although I'm not terribly thrilled at the similarity to several other related beer styles. Overall, I'd say Sapporo is a safe beverage, and it does the formula rather well, even if I begrudge it for doing so.

Score: 7/10

See you tomorrow for part 9 - Europe!
-Devo

Import Binge, Day 7: Thailand!

Hi again everybody! Tonight will probably be quicker than unusual, but let's get into it anyways. The selection that I have for now is called Chang Beer, a product of Thailand.

This one is on the lighter side, as most of my selection has been thus far. Out of the bottle, it tastes...okay. Nothing special, but there is a nice flavor that is hard to define. It's very sweet, with perhaps the subtlest of sourness remaining in the finish. There aren't a lot of Hoppy tones working here, but that's fairly standard for an Asian Beverage. Overall, it is nice and satisfying, if not very adventurous.

Score: 6.5/10

Seeya tomorrow night!

-Devo

Day 6: Travelling in Tibet!

Welcome back everyone! Sorry it's such a late post, but getting all the way to Tibet from New Zealand really takes some time, and a lot out of you. I'll be short, sweet and to the point tonight. My selection today is none other than the (set up by the Chinese in 1988) Lhasa Beer Company's namesake product. Currently the only beer produced in Tibet, and also brewed at the highest altitude in the world, Lhasa own a lot of "firsts" and "onlys" in the beer universe. It is also quite good. I wasn't expecting much, to be honest, but there is a lot of subtle flavor going on here. The nose is unusual, and hard to place. It seems like a stronger malt variant smell than what you usually get in a Lager. But more intriguing is the taste.Lhasa hits the tongue with a tangy combination of carbonated overt malty-ness and a lightly determined bitter/sour tone. It really is quite unusual, and the finish proves it. A mouth-watering (literally) aftertaste that is nevertheless light enough not to be unpleasant. Overall, it is a nice little beverage that has far more surprises than anyone could reasonably expect. I might even have to rate this one higher than Imperial.

Score: 8.5/10

See you all tomorrow, as we continue to explore Asia!
-Devo

Import binge, day 5: New Zealand

Welcome back again everybody! Tonight marks th ehalfway point in the import binge reviews, and we're travelling from Latin America to New Zealand, for a light Lager called Steinlager.

Being another of those Green-bottled imports, any UV that hits this beer is likely to affect the taste. Personally I caught only a bit of that for this review, but it was enough to add some sourness to the finish that didn't really compliment the drink. It's presentation is nice, however, resulting in a thicker-than average foam head while not appearing bubbly at all in the body. It's really too bad, but again, there isn't much to taste here. Steinlager looks decent enough, but for all that show, the substance really falls flat. Deceptively carbonated is about the only discerning flavor, and even the mildest of malty tones seems to disappear. Terribly unfortunate, in any case, but it still isn't the worst beer i've ever tasted. I just hope the Kiwis have something else to drink on a regular basis.

Score: 3/10

See you all tomorrow night!

-Devo

Import binge, day 4: Argentina

Hi everybody! Welcome back to part 4 of the 10-day Import Binge. Today i'll be doing a rather quick review of the last of the Latin American selection of my sample pack. Quillmes, billed on the bottle as "Argentina's Favorite Beer" is another of the light-lager types that we've seen a lot from this part of the world. From the get go, this brew is easily one of the mildest i've had. In fact, it's so simple in taste and finish, it could almost pass for malt-flavored water. Don't get me wrong, it actually isn't a bad beverage, but there really isn't much here for those with discerning taste. I'd put it on par with the standard cheap American fare like Budweiser, which seems appropriate, since Quillmes is an Anhesuer-Busch product, as of 2006. All in all, a par for the course garden-variety lager. Perhaps comparing it to Bud is unfair. In reality, it does offer more to taste than that. But hey, it smells much better than it tastes, and that shouldn't really be a good thing.

Score: 4.5/10

See you all tomorrow!
-Devo

10-day import binge, part 3: Costa Rica

Hello again beer people! Tonight I continue the Latin America's in the Import Binge, with a stop in Bella Costa Rica. Imperial, the national Cerveza of the island nation will provide tonight's entertainment. Let's get into it!

Bolder, and a bit more flavorful than Mexico's offering, Imperial really shines in a few areas. First, its nose straight out of the bottle, is right in line with a quality German Lager. The finish also provides a nice settling kick. The best thing about this beer is the way it seems to taste better the more you drink it. Out of everything so far in the group, this is easily the best for sipping, or to wash down a hearty meal. Unfortunately, it doesn't offer much in bitterness, and the aroma doesn't go beyond that tried and true Lager smell. This isn't really a bad thing, however. Although it is rather light, for being the all-around best import so far, I give Imperial 8/10.

Until next time, Happy Drinking!
Devo  

10-day import Binge: part 2

...Aaand, we're back. Tonight, I am starting the Latin-American selection of beers, with the aptly-named Mexicali Cerveza. Truth be told, I expected this to taste like Corona, maybe different in the slightest way.

While it might smell roughly the same, this beer (actually a pilsner style!) has a whole different flavor profile. With a mild dryness and a (again) surprisingly filling feeling to go with it, Mexicali isn't all that bad. I'd say it is more creative than Moosehead in how it presents itself, but not by much. There doesn't appear to be anything intensely strong here (the carbonation and finish are both very light), yet this Cerveza is oddly satisfying. If anything, the cereal grains that went into it stand out the most. Decent, and over the expectation by far.

Score: 6.5/10

Seeya tomorrow!
-Devo

Announcing the 10-Day Import Binge!

Hi all! Welcome back to the review. Sorry for missing the latest week's review, but after tasting Budweiser, I made the call that the world would be better off not knowing exactly what was in it. In any case, I have received an unexpected gift: a ten pack of variety imports. Naturally, I must do the only thing that makes sense in this situation: Drink ALL the beer! From today until Thursday the 18th, I will do a short review, once a day, on each of the offerings from around the world. Cheers!




October 9th:
Moosehead Lager, New Brunswick, Canada

Since this one comes in a green bottle (although it doesn't have to be imported very far), it may be a little skunky, so note that little disclaimer. Being a typical Lager, I didn't expect too much exciting and defining features out of Moosehead. However, I was pleasantly surprised with the strength of its finish, and how filling it appears to be. The initial taster is pretty light regardless, just as is the beer's bubbly head. Not too much to define in particular flavor notes, but the skunky-sweet affectation actually adds something decent to it. Overall, not terrible, and on par with one of your inexpensive American offerings.

Score: 6/10

Seeya tomorrow!
-Devo

The Beggar's Banquet

Hi all,

This week marks the start of my stint of inexpensive beverages, for the beer drinker on a budget. As I am currently broke, this works out quite nicely, but i'll keep it to the review from here on out. Today I am reviewing my personal favorite budget beer, Coors Banquet. @ 5% ABV, Coors is a fairly standard American Lager. Twisting open the bottle (all Coors beers come with twist caps!) treats the drinker to a light, mealy aroma, the essence of the barley malt up through the bottleneck. It tastes much the same, little to no hop flavor, but a nice malt taste that turns into a hearty finish. It's like liquid bread really, and as beers go, Banquet is really the bread-and-butter of this category. Since it's a cheap beverage, you're not going to get too much special out of this one. But due to the consistency, cheap availability, and generally decent quality of brew, I'm giving Coors a passing grade on this review. Enjoy it with lunch, dinner, or watching the game. Beats anything with 'light' at the end of it.

Final Score:
6/10 - Drinkable

Until next time, Happy Drinking!
-Devo

Is it early for Oktoberfest?

Hi all! welcome back to another edition of Younge's Beer Review. First of all, I want to say sorry for missing last week. Secondly, and likely to explain why, I am currently between paychecks, so I will be going ahead with my pissbeer lesser-quality beverage reviews, starting next week. However, for now I have a nice German Lager up for this week. Warsteiner, the flagship brew of the Warstein Brewery in, wait for it, Warstein, Germany is a crisp and refreshing little number. Very light, even by most of the German beers I have tried, it nonetheless has it's surprises. First off, the pour, which results in a quickly-fading, frothy head. The smell of it reminds me of sourdough bread, appropriate because it seems to go quite well with meats, maybe a little cheese.

The taste matches the smell for the most part, deliciously doughy, with only the mildest of bitter flavors coming out in the finish. Again, like most of the German Lagers I have had, Warsteiner is lightly carbonated, making for an easy drinking meal-beverage. Really not filling at all, but just tasty enough to keep me interested. While there's nothing particularly creative about it, the beer takes a rather standard (but quality) formula, and does it justice. And at the end of the day, it's the taste that matters.

Final Score: 7/10

Happy Drinking, and see you all next week!

-Devo

Hi all, welcome back to this Friday edition of Younge's Beer review. I'm still recovering from something nasty that I picked up in Colorado, so today I'm going to stick to a Beer that is widely available, and not particularly special. I enjoy it for the most part, so it'll be interesting to see how I can describe its nuance and Flaws. I'm talking about the Kona Brewing Company's Longboard Island Lager. Out of the bottle, the beer doesn't really give much of a hint in it's nose, but my sense of smell is affected by whatever the hell I caught, so maybe I missed something. Pouring the Lager results in a clear honey-yellow with a nearly nonexistent foam head. The first taste is very mild, with not a lot of discerning flavors that I could pick out, apart from crisp carbonated taste (like soda water, but maltier), and a slightly bitter finish. Honestly, there isn't a ton of vibrant flavors in Kona's creation, so it is a bit difficult to give this one a favorable review. However, the crisp first impression holds up throughout drinking for a very refreshing dinner or dessert beverage; certainly worth a few points. Overall, the Lager isn't very creative or diverse, but it sticks to a reasonable craft-brew recipe, and is plenty drinkable for those who hate surprises.

Final Rating: 5/10 --- Drinkable

Cheers, and happy weekend!
-Devo

Smooth and Crisp

Okay, first off apologies for the late post this week. Travelling in Colorado,I picked up something awful that rendered me unable to consume Alcohol for fear of a painfully dehydrated death. OH the HORROR!!! Anyways, I'm better now, and all the more better because I have for you today one of my all time favorite local Micro-Brewed beverages  that Boulder, CO has to offer.Upslope Brewing Company's Craft Lager is a nice and crisp bit of work. At 4.8% ABV, it isn't strong enough to knock you down on it's own, making it a nice sipping lager. This is especially important, because there are A LOT of flavors packed into this little canned concoction. Upon pouring it, there is very little to prepare you for it's taste. Dark yellow, with a quickly receding head (which does settle nicely, however thin) and a nose that smells like Coors Light is really a misrepresentation of the Beer's true character. Where the Craft Lager really shines is in the explosion of flavor you get from the first sip. In a word: Nutty. VERY nutty, and all across the board. Almond primarily, with cashews, and perhaps a hint of walnut. A very nice surprise, given the beer's lackluster first appearance.

Apart from the VERY heavy presence of nuts, the typical buttery Lager finish is present, but works well in parallel here. I'm not an expert on food pairings, but I would recommend having something very carbohydrate heavy, like a soup and crackers, or toast. Overall, I'd say Upslope's creation deserves eight stars. Lacking in smell and appearance, but really, it's all about the taste. See you all next week, and Happy Drinking!

Final Score: 8/10

-Devo

Something new, from somewhere old

Hey folks! Since it's Monday evening, it is time for another edition of Younge's Beer review. Today I will be continuing my European fixation with a rather interesting looking selection from France, of all places. The Fischer Amber ale actually smelled almost musty when i first opened it, but that may be due to a long time on the shelf. After pouring, it gives off a mild but flavor-promising nose, typical of an Amber (my favorite style of beer). The head pours thick and bubbly, and subsides not too quickly, leaving a thin film in the center and a thicker bit on the side. The foam looks almost as if it is sticking to the side of the glass, while the clear amber/brass colored beverage underneath manages to stay lightly carbonated.

The first taste is surprisingly, a bit sour, with a lightly bitter malt finish. A sipping beer could probably make a good short definition for this beer. Despite the surprise, it isn't bad; just a bit light on the up-front taste. Seriously, the finish is what really defines this Amber, as it hits on a 2 second or so delay. The only real disappointment lies in the lack of a clearly defined up-front taste (it's a bit watery, really). Overall though, a full-of-surprises, not bad little import that seems to keep rather well. Oh, and it's 6% ABV, a tad above it's craft counterparts here in the states.

Final Rating: 7/10

Until next time, happy drinking!
-Devo

Back in action

Hey all,

First of all, sorry for the delay in posting. I've been moving, sending out interviews, and generally not drinking good beer for the better part of 3 weeks. Of course, that all changes tonight. I've got a special brew here from the folks at Heineken, the producers of Newcastle Brown Ale. This one is a special edition Red Ale called 'Werewolf'. It pours quite nicely, leaving a medium-sized head that stays frothy for some time. The look of it, other than the bloody-murky color that likely inspired its name, is very reminiscent of a Porter or Stout. When poured, the dominant smell is light caramel, with a hint of flowery and malty sweetness.

The flavors that come out are similar to the garden-variety Newcastle, but there are some nice differences. Unlike its brown cousin, Werewolf takes on a bittersweet, lightly copper finish, in conjunction with the normal Newcastle caramel flavor. Only 4.5% ABV and a pretty similar nature to the tamer original make it hard to give this beer top marks, but it does deserve some recognition for the nice recalculations in flavor. I'd  recommend picking a six pack up if you see it, as it is certainly better than a 'Silver Bullet'.

Overall Score: 7/10

Until next time...happy drinking
ARRROOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

Limited and Local

Hey all! Welcome to this weeks iteration of Younge's Beer Review. This time i'm going back to the Avery Brewing company to taste Karma, a limited release Belgian style Pale Ale from the Boulder Based Brewery.  Upon opening, the nose gives off a sweet and mild, almost plum-like fragrance that is just barely detectable. The honey colored beer pours out smoothly, leaving it's head to quickly settle, before disappearing entirely.

Karma's taste is surprisingly little like it's smell and appearance. A mildly malty primary taste and the slightest hint of bitter hops are present upon sipping, and only the hops remain in the finish (however slight). I may be overusing the term a bit here, but mild is really the best way to describe this beer. However, if you swish a bit of the beer around for a bit, some previously undetectable flavors start to come out, including the aforementioned plum taste. Overall very easy to drink, Karma does deliver in a typical range of a Belgian style beer. Although it could be a bit stronger, or have a lasting head, this limited creation by Avery Brewing Company is still a very drinkable, delicious concoction.

Final Score: 7.5/10

Until next time, keep your drinking responsible and awesome
-Devo

A new beer, a new Month

Hey all, welcome back for another installment of Younge's Beer review! Today i'll be talking about an interesting little brew that I picked up on a whim the other day: Sweetgrass American Pale Ale, from the Grand Teton Brewing Company. Located in Victor, Idaho, Grand Teton has crafted a wonderfully bittersweet APA, with a lot of taste and body. Upon pouring, the beer leaves a nice thick head, and the drinker is greeted with an overpowering hoppy smell. Despite this, the first taste of Sweetgrass, as its name implies, is actually sweet. The hops come into play almost immediately after, with the flavor immediately subsiding into a mild finish. The range of tastes this beer provides is quite impressive.

I know that I usually get the aesthetics out of the way first, but i'd like to elaborate on the color and head of the beer. The nice golden/amber color is reminiscent of an much stronger IPA. In addition, the thick head subsides (slowly) into a thin top that maintains for quite some time. In addition, Grand Teton provides some nice statistics on the neck of each of their bottles. Sweetgrass is 6% ALV, with 60 IBUs (international bittering unit, used to measure, you guessed it, bitterness). Altogether, it's a very solid bit of brewing, and the range of flavors is as enjoyable as it is surprising. And although it is a bit more bitter than I typically like beers, that alone is no reason to downgrade it. For an overall tasty beverage, i'm giving Sweetgrass one of my highest ratings yet.

Final Score: 9/10

 Good luck, and Happy drinking! 
-Devin

Cool Beer for Hot days

Hey all, I'm back again! Sorry for the delay in posting, but i've had a busy few weeks. This time, I'll be reviewing a more mass-produced Colorado beer, the Coors Brewing company's own Batch 19. Named after one of the original Coors recipe brews that was supposedly just rediscovered, Batch 19 is now being produced on a large scale alongside Coors' other flagship products. In a short amount of time, the Pre-prohibition style Lager has already proved quite popular. Upon opening and pouring, one is greeted with a nice light, slightly sweet aroma and a bubbly head that quickly dissolves into a very thin top. This lager settles surprisingly quickly, although that isn't an altogether bad thing. The first sip tastes a bit like caramel, with a finish leading into a mouth-watering cereal malt flavor. The overall experience is quite nice, and so is seeing a Lager of this quality coming out of a a Mega-brewing operation like MillerCoors.

Despite settling quickly, Batch 19 proves to just as carbonated as any quality beer I've had. Seriously, drink it too fast (and you may, given the addicting finish) and you'll be belching six ways from Sunday. Now, it's not perfect: the flavor could be a bit stronger, and i'd prefer the head to settle a bit slower, but overall this is a quality brew from a good company. For now this beer is only available in limited areas, but MillerCoors has plans to change that soon. In the meantime, if you can find it, I'd absolutely recommend Batch 19 for hot summer day drinking or as a lunch and dinner beverage.


Final Score: 8/10

 Good luck, and Happy drinking!
-Devin

A festival of Summer

And we're back. This time on the review, I'll be looking at a beer a bit more in keeping with the time of year. Summerfest, from Sierra Nevada Brewing is a nice crisp lager, perfect for warm summer nights, 4th of July BBQs, and just about anything. Upon opening the bottle, the drinker is greeted with a very mild and pleasant smell. The beer pours nicely, leaving a thick head on the top that fades quickly at first then slows, leaving a decent bit of foam as it comes to rest.

Tasting about as mild as it looks, Summerfest nonetheless has a nice finish that you'd come to expect from a high quality lager. Very refreshing, but a bit on the bland side. Of course, my opinion might be a bit biased by the knowledge of Sierra Nevada's tendency to utilize plenty of hops in their brews. Overall it's not bad, and the finish alone makes up for any other deficiencies. And of course, it is worth remembering that a Lager, particularly one brewed for the summertime is going to be quite a bit lighter. I'd recommend this beer with no reservations, providing you'll be enjoying it under the hot summer sun. I would grab some soon however, as it is only available as a seasonal offering. Happy Drinking!

-Devo

Final Verdict: 7.5/10

Kickoff (with a heavy bang)

Hey all! Welcome to my beer review blog. As an amateur beer taster, and being rather inexperienced in the formalities of such, I thought that I would take it upon myself to start up a review site for others who, like me, enjoy beer but want to learn a bit about what their drinking along the way. Let's start the adventure!


My first selection is a rather strong one, with taste as dark and evil as it's name suggests. Avery Brewing Company's Samael's Oak Aged Ale is one hell of a brew, at ~15% abv. When I picked this sucker up, I neglected to check the label, or even wonder why it's only sold in single 12oz. bottles. At $7.99, it seemed a bit over the top as well, but...let's just say I felt...tempted.

As one of the three "Demons of Ale" collection at Avery, this beer stays truer to the name than I could expect. Smelling strongly of plums and raisins, a very sweet flavor is expected. Upon the first taste, you get just that, along with a smoky, heady finish, which stays in your chest like liquor. The brew actually feels a bit like a brandy, with it's overly sweet tones and strong smell. Careful drinking this, 1/2 of the way in and it already makes you feel a bit hazy. Definitely a beer for sipping cautiously, and i'm not sure what kind of food would go well with it, if any at all. Given its price tag, alcohol content and strong flavors, this is certainly not a beer for an average drinker. Proceed with caution, but enjoy this unique hell-born concoction. Until next time, happy drinking!

-Devo