Samuel Adams Chocolate Bock

Today I finally give you my review of a beer I bought at least 4 months ago and finally opened over 2 weeks ago, the Samuel Adams Chocolate Bock. Sadly, I am again writing a review based more on my notes that my memory of the beer but, fear not, after this review I'll be completly up-to-date and only bringing you freshly sampled fare.

I had been saving this beer for a special occasion and the day my girlfriend and I moved into our new place seemed special enough to merit enjoying this $15 bottle of limited edition chocolatey goodness.

The Samuel Adams folks categorize this as one of their 'extreme beers' and it only comes out every two years (so I heard, I couldn't comfirm this). I won't bore you with the details of this beer, you can read them for yourself at www.samueladams.com, but just know that this beer is brewed with real, rare, cocoa nibs from a reknown Swiss chocolatier.

I picked this one up at my local Publix supermarket but it is a hard beer to find and rather pricey as far as 22 oz bottles go, although it is cool looking with the pewter lable. It's a keeper for sure.

This special brew pours a thick, near-black color that shows some red around the edges when held up to the light. The head is khaki colored and creamy, about a finger and a half's worth.

It smells malty - but wait, there's also some cocoa and some hops mixed in there as well. It's kind of stouty and inviting to say the least.

The taste is much like the smell, malts joined with chocolate and a touch of coffee, a slight bitter, grainy, expresso quality, with a taste and texture reminiscent of powdery cacao. On the back-end comes a hint of hops and the taste of cocoa nibs. Oh so tasty.

The beer is thinner than expected, considering the color, and amazingly easy to drink. It is complex, well-made, and truely special. I enjoyed it immensely and plan on picking up another bottle whenever I find one.

Remember that this is not an everyday beer, and not for those who don't like either dark beers or chocolate to begin with. So keeping that in mind, I call this a GLASS FULL brew as far as special beers go. If you're a stout lover or a chocolate lover, or both, I suggest you pick this one up whenever you come across it. Trust me, its worth the 15 bucks. Cheers!

And yes, I shared it with my girlfriend, a fellow beer lover and Samuel Adams supporter. She didn't like it as much as I did but she agreed it was quality stuff.

Beer of the Day Review - Flying Dog Classic Pale Ale

Today I bring you last Thursday's Beer of the Day, a beer I knew nothing about and had never before considered buying, Flying Dog Brewery's Doggy Style Classic Pale Ale.


See, what happened was that I was at my local supermarket with the intention of picking up a 6-pack of the Sierra Nevada Wheat Beer, which was on sale, but as I was reaching for the Sierra I saw the 6-pack of Flying Dog and noticed the Hunter Thompson quote on the packaging. I immediately let go of the Sierra and grabbed the Flying Dog. Any beer with a Hunter Thompsoon quote on it is a beer I have to try. Click on the above picture to see if for yourself.


For those that don't know, Hunter S. Thompson was the famed gonzo journalist who garnered infamy in the late 60's and 70's with his drug fueled writings and misadventures through the American landscape. He was brilliantly, and accurately, portrayed by Johnny Depp in the movie Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and also had couple of hillarious appearances on Conan O'Brien before he passed.


As it turns out, the Flying Dog Brewery's founder was a friend and neighbor of Thompson, so the quote on the packaging, which reads: "Good people drink good beer", is not just a cheap marketing ploy. Of course, there is more to that story and a few more nutty quotes which you can read for yourself on their site, http://www.flyingdogales.com/.

Now, enough of that, on to the beer.

This sucker pours a dark copper color, just a shade or two lighter than the Red Seal previously reviewed. Its a nice color but it makes me wonder how they can get away with calling this a Classic Pale Ale when it's that dark. It gives good head when poured but quickly receedes to a thin film and leaves very scant lacing.

When you smell this beer you get the malt first, then a good dose of hops come through. It it a balanced and welcoming, if not subdued, nose with a touch of fruit (citrusmango) and an ever so slight hint of buttery biscuit. It has a clean smell in an almost lager-like way.

As is typical of American pales, this is a hoppy beer. Not super-hoppy but definitely more hop presence that the English Pale Ales one would believe this 'Classic" ale is patterened after. The piney-citrus hops hit you right away, then you notice the subtle but solid malt backbone. The carbonation is good and the finish is crisp with a miniscule touch of hop resin on the tongue.

This is an American Pale Ale all the way, and a good one at that. But after tasting Red Seal Ale two days earlier, and seeing how similar these beers are, I can't help but think of all the things this beer isn't. It's tasty and crisp and refreshing but this Dog is no Seal. It's good but not great. So with that said I call this a Glass 1/2 FULL beer. Definately worth trying out just for the crazy artwork on the bottle but if I had to recommend only one it would be the Red Seal. Your opinion may differ, though, so let me know what you think, remember feedback is always welcome. Cheers!

The Beer of the Day

Beer of the Day Review - Red Seal Ale

I'd like to say Hello to all my readers from my new home. I recently moved and I've been without internet access until just last night. While internet-less over the last week I still managed to send out a couple of Beers of the Day, so now that I'm back online it is now time to post the reviews for those beers. I hope you enjoy.

Last Tuesday's Beer of the Day was Ruedrich's Red Seal Ale, from the North Coast Brewing Company in Fort Bragg, Kalifornia. The are the same folks who make Old Rasputin, one of my favorite Russian Imperial Stouts. Their website is www.northcoastbrewing.com and, in case your wondering, Ruedrich is the name of their master brewer, not the seal. Also, Beeradvocate.com gives this brew a B+ out almost 700 reviews (which is pretty damn good).

This beer is the color of a dirty penny, almost rusty, and it gives a finger or so of head which receedes rather quickly but leaves a nice 1/8" layer on the surface. It doesn't leave the best lacing but it does leave something for you to remember it by.

The smell of this beer is incredible and incredibly inviting. It is the perfect marriage of malt and hops, caramel and piney-citrus spiraling together out of the glass. Also, for an ale, it smells very crisp and clean.

Once you taste it you quickly get hit with piney, floral hops up front, immediately followed by solid malt undercurrent, which becomes more noticable as the beer warms. It finishes clean and hoppy with a mild touch of hop resin on the tongue that quickly fades. There is an almost non-exsistant aftertaste that, even though short-lived, manages to be half hop and half malt.

This is a crisp and hoppy beer, much like the Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, only maltier. It is just about perfectly carbonated and incredibly easy to drink.

This is not an über complex beer. It is a simple but very well made and very well balanced beer. It is probably the most well balanced everyday drinking ale I have come across so far and it is quality stuff for sure. Like the label says: Water, malted barley, hops, yeast & thats all. No BS there.

Red Seal is tasty, balanced, refreshing, inviting and easy to drink. It is, like most west coast ales, a hoppy beer, so if you can live with that then you need to try this beer. A GLASS FULL all the way and another winner from North Coast Brewing. Cheers!

The Beer of the Day

Lagunitas Maximus IPA Review

Today I bring to you the Maximus India Pale Ale, from the Lagunitas Brewing Company in California. It is categorized as an Imperial IPA, or Double IPA (DIPA), and is available, at least in my neck of the woods, only in these 22 oz bottles.

I picked up this bad boy at my local ABC Fine Wine & Spirits after a very hot and steamy day at work last week. I have grown fond of IPA's as thirst quenchers, and I must say that this one did an admirable job.

It pours a dark orange-amber with great, white, creamy head. The lacing it leaves is scant but the head pops right back up after a good swirl. It looks good in my big ass mug, thats for sure.

The nose is very malty with a good dose of hoppy citrus, but it is under the malt, although not by much. It sure has alot more caramel notes than expected. Or maybe I was just expecting a hop bomb and the sheer presence of malt threw me for a loop... There's a certain equilibrium to the smells coming from this beer.

Once you taste this beer you realize how balanced it is. Malt vs. hops in a never-ending battle. You get piney citrus hop in front of a solid caramel malt middle, followed by a hoppy, oily, resin finish. The 7.5% abv is so well hidden that I had to conciously look for it to find it. Even the little aftertaste there is is a seesaw of hops and malt.

This beer is a well made and amazingly balanced overload of hops and malt. The flavors dance on your tongue on the way down. It is strong but very easy drinking and, because of all that, quite possibly one of the most interesting beers I have ever had. It is a treat for sure and I highly recommend it. A solid Glass 1/2 FULL if not more. See for yourselves and enjoy. Cheers!

The Real Kings of American Beer - Sierra Nevada & Samuel Adams

Samuel Adams Boston Lager & Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.

These are the two most common and commercially available craft beers made in this country. Without them the craft beer movement wouldn't be where it is today and, because of that success, these two beers are available at almost every supermarket in the country.

Because they are so well known and widely available I have no intention of reviewing either of these beers. Even though I respect and love them both, I do have my preference, therefore, to be fair, I'm doing this not as a review, but an analyisis of the real Kings of American beer.

We start with the Sierra. I won't bother writing any background on this beer as you can clearly read it on the packaging:

-click image to enlarge-

This unfiltered ale pours a hazy golden color and gives about a finger's worth of white creamy head. Several streams of carbonation are visible rising from the bottom of the glass and it does leave behind some lovely lacing.

Many say that this is the beer (or at least one of the main ones) that started the trend of heavy hop usage in American brewing and it's easy to see why. The second you put your nose to the glass the hops hit you. Don't get me wrong, they are nowhere near as strong as in an IPA, but right away you can smell they piney, citrusy, grapefruity hop aroma, with a hint of caramel malt underneath. Although well hopped, it is a well balanced brew.

Upon tasting it you get a sharp but pleasant hop bite upfront (pine & citrus), some mild malt across the middle and a finish of hop oil bitterness that clings to the tongue. Very nice and almost perfectly carbonated.

This is a crisp ale that is easy to drink and refreshing as hell. I can completely understand why is has become so popular and It is one of my all time favorites. It is easily sessioned at 5.6% abv but it is not for people who don't like the taste of hops...

Sierra Nevada makes a lot of wonderfull beers. This is their flagship. Check it out and enjoy. Cheers!

Now on to that perennial classic, the Boston Lager.

The flagship beer of the Boston Brewing Company, Boston Lager has become a favorite the world over. It is so popular and so easily available that when all else fails, I know I can always just order a Sam Adams.

Again, I'll spare myself the trouble of writing some background on this beer and just let you read it off of the packaging:

-click image to enlarge-

This lager pours an almost copperish, reddish-amber color and easily gives a finger or two of creamy head. It smells very lager-ish, very clean with some floral & citrus hops and a touch of subdued malt.

On the way down you notice that it is smooth and well carbonated, with some nice hops upfront, reinforced by a solid malt backbone. The flavors are a bit subdued, as is normal for a lager, but it is still hoppier than most. In my opinion, that is what gives this beer its flavor and makes it a winner, all the while keeping a balance that make it incredibly drinkable and a great session beer. The 4.7% abv helps a lot too.

It is crisp, refreshing and has no aftertaste to speak of. It also leaves some great lacing on my Samuel Adams glass.

All in all, this is a wonderful beer and truely one of the best this country has to offer. I stay a huge fan of Samuel Adams and think that Boston Lager, and maybe a Samuel Adams Variety Pack, is a great way for the uninitiated to get into the world of craft beers. Pick some up for yourself and enjoy. Cheers!

Leinenkugel's Classic Amber Review

My first experience with a Leinenkugel's beer was not a good one. My significant other and I had a very bad experience with Leinenkugel's Sunset Wheat at the Pines Ale House earlier this year (flowers and fruit loops, thanks Atari!), so I was a bit leary when I saw this Classic Amber at my local Winn/Dixie supermarket. But, I figured, how bad can they mess up an amber lager? Besides, it was on sale. I wouldn't have bought it otherwise.

At first I thought Leinenkugel's was European. Turns out it's from Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. Still, I have a strong feeling that this beer is not very popular among Packers fans.

It pours a light, clear, orange-amber color which was a bit dissapointing. There isn't much of a nose on this beer but what smell it does give off is a typical clean lager smell. There is some subtle malt and some subtle hop and that's about it.

The taste is similar - nothing screams out at you, or even speaks in a loud voice. It just kind of says, "Hi, I'm a beer. Drink me." So I did. It is very smooth and very refreshing but the wow factor is nil. Subtle malt and subtle hop in a crisp yet bland beer. That 100% malted barley and those 4 kinds of hops mentioned on the packaging are nowhere to be found. The head is good though, it receedes but it doesn't die, but it leaves no lacing to speak of.

This is a boring beer. It's better than your standard adjunct lager by far but it is too weak and plain to be called an amber anything. It's easy to drink and it is in no way offensive so I'm calling this a Glass 1/2 EMPTY. Dont bother, there are so many better beers out there. Cheers!

Crappy Beer Alert - Foster's Premium Ale

Foster's, Austrailian for urine. Don't believe the hype, the regular Foster's lager with the blue label is a crappy beer. It is intensely marketed in the States and is sold for premium, imported beer prices but, the truth is, Austrailians have better taste. I learned that the hard way many years ago and I tell whoever will listen to stay away.

Now, enter Foster's Premium Ale. It's an ale, it's supposedly premium and it comes in a green can. Hmmm... Since I saw a favorable review online I decided to pick up a can and see for myself if this 'new' Foster's was really anything special. Negative, ghostrider.

I popped open the big 25.4 oz 'oil can' and poured myself a glass. I also spilled quite a bit on my table. Spillage seems to be a common problem with these big ol' cans. Regardless, the beer pours a light orange-amber color and gives a fingers worth of big, bubbly head that quickly recedes and leaves not much of a trace.

It smells much like a bitter with some caramel malt and some lemony, soapy hop. There is also a hint of dried fruit in there plus a little something metallic.

Tastewise, the malts come through but are quickly chased out by the hops, which bring a bitter floral bite straight through to the bitter finish. All along there is a slight metallic taste in there as well.

This beer has a light-to-medium mouthfeel but it is way too crisp and over-carbonated for an ale. It's easy to drink but the taste just isn't right.

Here's what it says on the side of the can:

Ale with caramel color added. Brewed and packaged under the supervision of Fosters Austrailia LTD by Oil Can Breweries, Albany, GA and Fort Worth, TX

So, it's not really Austrailian and they had to add coloring to make it look right. That's 2 strikes. The fact that it just doesn't taste good is strike number 3. This is just another Foster's in a big gimmick can and it's a GLASS EMPTY beer all the way. I should have known.