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