Michelob Beach Bum Blonde Ale

Why? Thats the question I have been asking myself since I bought this damned beer.


I bought this beer because when I saw it I was looking for something light and cheap. Plus, since I have been a fan of the new, revamped Michelob line, I figured how bad could this be. (Read more on my thought on the new Michelob line here)



Well, I cracked this 6'er open and learned that Bud is back to their old ways.


I had drank four over the last few days and saved two to drink and review. When that day came I decided to pour them both into my big-ass mug and have one good after work beer. Sadly, I bought this at the same time I had the previously reviewed Newcastle 12 pack, so I had a weeks worth of lackluster beer in my fridge. Oh well, live and learn.

This beer pours a very nice and very clear golden color. Blonde it sure is and it sure looks like a good summer beer. It pours with a big, fizzy head which quickly receedes but does leave some decent lacing.

It smells clean and very, very lager like. There is strong malt and subtle hop in the nose but I find it hard to beleive this is an ale. Now to taste it...

Yes, I have no doubt, this is a lager. This supposed ale was brewed with lager yeast because it tastes like a lager, clean and subdued.

Aside from that, even thought this is advertised as a malt-heavy beer, there are no strong flavors in it at all, not even malt. There is a weak malt presense and there is some hop in the finish but this is a weak, plain, and bland brew. It is thin, the finish is clean, it is decently carbonated and yes, sadly, it has drinkability.

Oddly enough, it seems just right because it looks exactly like the kind of beer the surfer dude on the label would drink. It is very inoffensive and quite refreshing, but this beer is too skimpy on flavor to be sold under Anheuser-Busch's craft line, much less to be called a summer seasonal. As a matter of fact, this had to be the most Budweisery beer I have tried yet from the revamped Michelob line.

Considering I haven't seen the other Michelob beers on the shelves that much anymore, it makes me wonder if A-B/InBev is giving up on their craft beer venture. This beer just does not compare to the other Michelob brews like the Dunkelweiss, Pale Ale, Irish Red, or even Shock Top. Not to mention, that the American Ale seems to be constantly on sale for $9.99 a 12 pack at both of the major supermarkets around here and the Michelob beers have become hard to find. I'll leave y'all to come to your own conclusions.

At the end of the day I call this lager mislabled as an ale a Glass 1/2 EMPTY. It is inoffensive, refreshing and easy to drink but is weak when it comes to flavor. Very weak. There are better summer beers out there. Buy one of those and enjoy. Cheers!

Beer of the Day Review - Rogue American Amber Ale

Howdy, folks. As promised, I'm back with a fresh beer and a fresh review. After being stuck drinking Newcastle and Beach Bum (that review is coming soon) for the last week or so, when I went to the store this afternoon I just had to pick up something good. Therefore, today I bring you a beer that was actually supposed to be my 4th of July beer until plans changed - Rogue's American Amber Ale.

I hold Rogue Brewery in very high esteem. They make one of my favorite beers, Dead Guy Ale. My review of the Dead Guy is here and you can read more about Rogue and their beers over at rogue.com. The short of it is that they are an American brewerey based in Oregon that makes high quality craft beers.

This is their take on an American Amber, a loosely defined style that focuses on a heavy, but not overpowering malt presence, hence the color. Of course, with most American brewers you can expect a bunch of hops to be thrown in there as well for good measure, as is the case here.

This award winning brew pours a reddish dark-copper color and will easily give you 2 fingers of head if you're not careful. The head is nice and fluffy and the retention is great. This will leave some serious lacing.

The smell is a nice mix of malt and hop, although the hops come out strong on top with the malt being underneath the piney-citrus hop bouquet. If you enjoy hops than this beer might be right up your alley.

Yep, this thing is hoppy. The floral hop comes through upfront. The malt is present from the beginning but it is subtle and subdued. Consider it a mild, yet solid backbone of toasted malt. The finish is clean and a bit malty on the way down with a good dose of hop oil resin on the tongue. Again, this is not for the hop haters, but what do you expect from a west-coast brewer?

It is not the most evenly balanced beer. It is hop heavy, which is surprising because of the color, but it sure is well crafted. It is thin and either carbonated just right or carbonated too much depending on your taste. I say just right. This brew goes down smooth and it's easy to knock down a few with the low 5.6% abv.

This is a winner for sure and a 5 star American beer. It is not an amazing beer and there are no subtle complexities or explosive flavors here but it is a solid beer that is extremely well crafted and a pleasure to drink. Much like Dead Guy Ale, this is a beer that can easily grow on you. Therefore, I dub this beer a solid GLASS FULL. Sometimes, overall quality really does speak for itself. Buy it, drink it, enjoy it and let me know how great it was. Cheers!

The Beer of the Day

Newcastle Brown Ale Review

Newcastle. More mainstream a beer than I usually tend to drink, much less review. But as common as this English ale is, I just had to put in my $0.02 for the sake of fairness. You see, I had this beer before on several occasions, but that was many years ago and I didn't like it much then. Now, with my wider knowledge of beer, my more refined palate, and my newly gained fondness of brown ales, I felt it was time to give it another try and reevaluate it.

The problem with that is that I'm leary of any beer in a clear bottle. Exposure to light, specially UV rays, can cause slight chemical changes in the beer, possibly affecting the taste and, more importantly, giving it that 'skunky' smell. That is the reason clear bottles are so uncommon. This may not be a big deal to most people (like Corona drinkers - Lime, anyone?) but my aim is to sample this beer at its best and I just can't trust a clear bottle that has been sitting in a cooler under bright lights for who knows how long.

Because of that, I had been putting off picking up some Newcastle for quite some time. That was until the other day when I saw the 12 packs on sale for $12.99 at my local supermarket. I actually had a different type of beer in mind for that day but I couldn't pass up the deal, considering that the 12 is a sealed box where the bottles are exposed to very little light, if any at all. The time had come.

So, after all these years I find myself once again with a Newcastle in my hand. Upon pouring it into my plain ol' pint glass I notice that this well known English brew is of a rusty brownish-reddish color and it gives a decent amount of fizzy head that receedes rather quickly into near-nothingness.

The smells aren't much to write home about. Tame malt and tame hops with maybe a touch of fruit in there somewhere. Overall a weak nose, clean and lager-like, which is never a good sign.

Things did not improve with the taste. All I got was watery (toasted?) malt, a dash of something almost nutty and a ghost hint of hops at the end. This is a brown ale, you're kidding right? For such a famed brew the flavors are all weak, bland and pedestrian. It's unoffensive and it's balanced but it's blah.

The mouthfeel is thin and crisp with a watered-down caramel aftertaste. It is easier to put down than an adjunct lager and highly drinkable if you're not interested in taste but if you want a tasty, flavorful beer than I'm sorry buddy, you're in the wrong place.

I hadn't bought Newcastle in years and after today I will not be buying it again. There are dozens of better English ales out there and hundreds of better brown ales out there. A glass 1/2 EMPTY teetering on completely empty. It's only saving grace is that it's unoffensive and easy to put down but it's still a complete disappointment for me. Your mileage may vary but proceed with caution and don't be afraid to let me know what you think of this one. Cheers!

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.