Samuel Adams Variety 6'er pt. 3 of 3 - Black Lager

Hopefully, you've already watched parts 1 & 2 so I don't have to explain how the idea for these reviews came to be. If not, here are the links for parts 1 and 2, directly on Youtube:

Now we have the 3rd and final beer of the collection - Samuel Adams Black Lager.

Now, this review is based on notes I took about 6 weeks ago when I had the 3 Black Lagers. I was originally going to wait around and review them all at once but I couldn't help myself.

It pours an almost black color that shows brown around the edges when held up to the light. The smell holds some coffee and cocoa notes. There are also slight caramel notes and toasted malt.

My first impression upon tasting it was that it was a stout brewed with lager yeast. Roasted malt, coffee and chocolate hit you right away, backed up by a certain crispness provided by the yeast. You also get a light kiss of hops in the finish. Also, the malt presence becomes stronger as the beer warms, as is usually the case with malty brews. The mouthfeel is around a heavy-medium.

In my opinion, this beer could be a little more bitter but, all in all, it is another winner from the Samuel Adams Brewmasters line. A great choice when you're in a stouty mood. There aren't too many 'black' lagers out there, so with that in mind, I call this beer a GLASS FULL - dark, different and tasty. Cheers!

Rogue Morimoto Soba Ale at P.F. Chang's

I used to work at P.F. Chang's years ago. Earlier this year, they closed down my Chang's to remodel and enlarge it and I hadn't been back since it reopened. Last night marked my return.

It's nice to know the bartender. As we are all standing around up front, waiting for seats at the bar to become available, I have a look at the drinks menu. I see the usual suspects- adjunct lagers and Asian beers, and, what's this, Morimoto Soba?

A Rogue beer, a 22 oz bottle no less, at a mainstream, franchise Chinese restaurant? Before I have a chance to ask the bartender if this is what I think it is (it didn't say Rogue in the menu), one of my friends orders me one. Yup, low and behold, it is the same Rogue 22 oz bomber I had been reading about on Rogue's website only a few days earlier. Will wonders never cease.

So, thanks to this fortunate oddity of fate, I was able to sample another impressive Rogue beer. One I probably would have never bought myself, I might add. I won't review it from memory but I will say that it was a slightly hazy, light golden color and it didn't produce much head. The Soba (buckwheat) adds an interesting, yet hard to describe, taste to it. Smooth and slightly sweet, it is most noticeable in the finish.

The beer is light and thin, great to wash down lettuce wraps and crab wontons. The flavor the soba imparts on it may not be to everyones liking but it does make this ale an interesting change of pace and a memorable experience. It is, no question, a quality brew.

If your ever at your local P.F. Chang's, or neighborhood beer place, and you come across a soba beer, check it out. Who knows, you just might like it. Oh, and while your there may I suggest the Chengdu Spiced Lamb. Delicious. Thanks to Jen for the beer and to Luis for the picture. Cheers!

Mojo India Pale Ale

Mojo. This was one of the more interesting IPAs on my must-try list. The name and logo design stood out, much like the other beer from Boulder Beer Company - Hazed and Infused, which was next to it on the shelf. Considering it gets a B+ out fo 550 reviews on Beeradvocate, I decided to roll the dice. I'm glad I did.

Mojo pours a clear deep gold/light amber color and gives a good chubby finger of head. Since I'm not a huge fan of malty IPAs, seeing it pour that nice, light color was a very positive sign.

This brew has a great color and a great smell. Immediately, grapefruit and pine began to rise out of the glass with soft hints of malt underneath. The hop aroma was resiny and zesty.

The taste is much like the smell, except the hops don't hit as hard up front as expected. They do hit you right away, carried across by out-of-the-way malt. The finish is hoppy- bitter and resiny although hop oil doesn't linger very much in the aftertaste. Don't get me wrong, the aftertaste is minimal but it's there, those hops don't leave without saying goodbye.

The (relatively) mild flavor up front is a bit disappointing but it goes down smooth and the finish is very nice and hoppy. The mouthfeel is on the medium side of thin, the carbonation is just about right and the 7.2% abv is almost unnoticeable. This is a very good IPA

Very good, but not great, though. It reminds me a lot of the Stone IPA, just a little less complex, a little less complete. Still, Mojo is a wonderful IPA and a strong Glass 1/2 FULL. Check it out and let me know what you think. Cheers!

Beer of the Day - Wexford Irish Style Cream Ale (with video)

What's up everybody. I've been backed up again, editing my video reviews on a slow computer gives me less time to work on my written reviews, so today I bring you last Thursday's Beer of the Day.

This is Wexford Irish Style Creame Ale, a nitro-beer I picked up on a lark during my latest trip to Total Wine. It's from Greene King, the same folks who now own and brew Old Speckled Hen, and it's a 5% abv brew categorized as a Cream Ale on Beeradvocate.com with a B- overall out of 251 reviews.

Now, I love nitro-beers and I love Old Speckled Hen (nitro explained and beer reviewed here), so trying this beer was a must. Sadly, my normal reviewing process was disrupted so my review is based on my memory and my video, and won't be as comprehensive as I would like.

We start with the typical nitro-beer pour and the ensuing cascade. The creamy, foamy, frothy head that the nitrogen produces never fails to amaze. This one pours a lovely dark orange amber color, with the nitrogen produced fat finger of mousse like head.

As is typical of nitro-beers, the nose is relatively weak. Oddly, it smells a bit lager-ish, and there are hints of bread and malt in there as well.

Tasting it reveals a smooth, malty and slightly bready quality reminiscent of an English Pale. It is as creamy as expected and there is no metallic taste noted at all, unlike some other canned beers. Surprisingly, there are some hops in the finish, though mild they are certainly present. There is also an unmistakable pear taste in there. It's unexpected but not unwelcome.

This beer was a pleasure to drink but, admittedly, it is nothing out of this world. It is as smooth and creamy as advertised and it tastes good. Not great, though, just good, with no unwanted or offensive flavors to turn you off (unless you don't like pear). With that said, I call this beer a Glass 1/2 FULL, but not by much. A good beer to try out of curiosity or just the desire to have a cream ale, but not something to journey to the ends of the Earth for. Still, it's a must for nitro-beer fans, like myself. See for yourselves and let me know what y'all think. Cheers!

The Beer of the Day

Eye of the Hawk Review (with video)

I had been seeing Eye of the Hawk, along with other Mendocino beers on the shelf at my local ABC for some time now. Eventually, my curiosity got the best of me (with the help of Beeradvocate).

Eye of the Hawk is categorized as an American Strong Ale on Beeradvocate.com and gets a B out of 336 reviews, so far. Now, American Strong Ale is just a catch-all category for any high abv beer that doesn't fit into any other category so I wasn't sure what to expect from this beer. What I did know is that Mendocino Brewing Company is highly regarded. Check them out at mendobrew.com.

This 8% abv brew pours a dark dirty copper color and gives very little head. The little head it does produce recedes quickly and half way through the glass there is nary a trace of head left.

The nose is of malt with hints of dark fruit and hints of hops. It is inviting but the malt is the predominant smell. The hops are hard to pinpoint but they are there.

The taste is of malt, dark fruits and mild alcohol up front, with weak but present hops on the finish along with alcohol warmth. Caramel malt mixes with plum and alcohol heat, specially as the beer warms. You also get a touch of hop resin on the tongue in the aftertaste.

The mouthfeel is on the heavier side of medium but, even with the little head, the active carbonation keeps it crisp. The 8% abv is not very obvious as one would expect and the beer is very well-balanced overall. It is a pleasure to drink even for someone like me who isn't a huge fan of malty beers. There is enough going on with this beer to make it enjoyable regardless of the malt or the abv.

This is not a beer I want to drink on a regular basis, and I might not ever have it again. But I still respect it as a special, well-made beer and I hold it in high esteem. Malty and complex, with enough alcohol to make it dangerous in the wrong hands, Eye of the Hawk is a memorable American brew and a Glass 1/2 FULL leaning towards like 3/4. Find out for yourself if you come across it. Cheers!

Beck's Octoberfest

I just had to. Yes, it's a Beck's, yes, it's an Inbev owned, mass produced and over commercialized beer. But it was a new Beck's, a different Beck's, a darker Beck's. I had to try it. I never learn.

This thing pours a clear, dark copper, almost reddish color. The fizzy off-white head builds quickly and recedes quicker. The head, the green bottle and the smell are all typical Beck's.

The nose is that of a malty lager, which is what most Marzens, or Oktober Biers, are after all. There is a hint of caramel in there and a hint of hop.

The carbonation and the taste are very much like a regular Beck's, with the exception of the added malt. It is a bit thicker that a standard Beck's and a bit tastier too, but it's still a Beck's.

Even though this brew gets good reviews on Beeradvocate.com I have to say it is nothing special. It may be a good example of the Octoberfest style but I find it too much like the plain Beck's I used to drink back in the day. Again, there is nothing special here.

The only reason this even gets a weak Glass 1/2 FULL is because it is unoffensive, and because, by nature, Octoberfest beers are really nothing more that maltier, slightly spiced lagers. That's what this is and I'm sure there are better examples of the style out there. Have one of those instead. Cheers!

Beer of the Day - Titan IPA (with video)

Yes, another IPA.

I couldn't help myself. Beeradvocate.com calls it World Class and it was staring me in the face when I went to my local ABC. What the hell.

The Titan IPA is from the Great divide Brewing Company in Denver, Colorado. It's an American style IPA with a 6.8% abv. Check out Great Divides website at greatdivide.com.

This bad boy is the color of a really dirty penny, almost brownish. It gives a finger plus (when not damn-near frozen) of white foamy head, typical of most IPA's. The nose is all malt. There is some piney hop underneath but it's mostly malt and very inviting.

Tasting it gives you hop up front, quickly followed by a smooth and ever present malt middle. It is very well balanced to the point that the hops are clearly there but don't bite up front or linger in the finish. The finish is balanced, without too much resin or malt sticking around for long.

The mouthfeel is on the lighter side of medium and this beer is a pleasure to drink, even though I find it a touch too malty for my IPA taste. Still, it is balanced and tasty, and obviously made with care and quality. Great Divide is highly regarded for a reason.

So, even though I find this beer a bit too malty for my taste I still consider it a GLASS FULL. A rock solid IPA and good stuff all the way. Get some for yourself if you can. Cheers!

The Beer of the Day