January 2010
30 posts
6 tags
Samuel Adams Noble Pils
Name: Samuel Adams Noble Pils Brewer: Samuel Adams (Boston Beer Co.), Boston, Mass. By the numbers: 161 calories per 12 oz.; 5.2 percent alcohol by volume. Notes: Seasonal beers are interesting, in that if you really like them, you’ve only got a few months to drink your fill before they’re gone. That’s the case for me with Samuel Adams Winter Lager, my favorite beer. And it didn’t help that...
Jan 31st
2 notes
3 tags
Bud Select 55
Name: Budweiser Select 55 Brewer: Anheuser-Busch, St. Louis, Mo. By the numbers: 55 calories (no kidding), 2.4 percent alcohol by volume Notes: Yes, I bought this, and yes, it was terrible. I’m on what some people call “a diet,” so when I was at Meijer last week I saw a 6-pack for $5.49 and thought it made sense in the context of a beer blog that will eventually require me to drink every beer...
Jan 30th
3 tags
Winter's Bourbon Cask Ale
Name: Winter’s Bourbon Cask Ale Brewer: Anheuser-Busch InBev, St. Louis, Mo. By the numbers: Unknown calories; 6 percent alcohol by volume Notes: This is another beer I tried when I was first looking for something with a little more flavor than a Bud Light. It’s a winter warmer-style seasonal that is brewed under the Michelob family by A-B InBev. The first time I tried it was from...
Jan 30th
2 tags
Red Lager
Name: Leinenkugel’s Red Lager Brewer: Leinenkugel’s, Chippewa Falls, Wis. By the numbers: 166 calories; 4.9 percent alcohol by volume. Notes: A delicious lager, pours a beautiful bright amber color. Interestingly, it comes in a Leine’s variety 12-pack that also features the Classic Amber brew – yet this is much better. The hops are sort of muted, but the barley malts produce a certain...
Jan 28th
6 tags
Blue Moon
Name: Blue Moon Brewer: Blue Moon Brewing Co. (Molson Coors), Golden, Colo. By the numbers: 171 calories per 12 oz.; 5.4 percent alcohol by volume. Notes: Blue Moon is an unfiltered, Belgian-style wheat ale or witbier. It was created in 1995 at the Sandlot Brewery at Coors Field, home of the Colorado Rockies. I first tried this beer on a family vacation to the Lake of the Ozarks in 2004, when...
Jan 27th
5 tags
Moose Drool
Name: Moose Drool Brown Ale Brewer: Big Sky Brewing Co., Missoula, Montana By the numbers: 175 calories per 12 oz.; 5.6 percent alcohol by volume Notes: I got this beer in a “Montana Mixer” 12-pack at the local Friar Tuck’s. Honestly, I think I picked it up because I liked the graphics and was tempted (?) by beers named Moose Drool, Trout Slayer, Scape Goat and Big Sky IPA....
Jan 26th
3 tags
Gosser
Name: Gosser Brewer: Goss brewery, Leoben, central Austria. By the numbers: 5.2 alcohol by volume; calories and IBU unknown. Notes: This pale-yellow Austrian lager wasn’t a great brew, in my humble opinion. The aroma from a 12-ounce bottle was of faint floral hops, but not much else. The taste, however, was the skunkiest I’ve had in 2010 and not something I’d want to repeat. (It was recently...
Jan 26th
3 tags
Bitter End Pale Ale
Name: The Bitter End Pale Ale Brewer: Two Brothers Brewing Co., Warrenville, Ill. By the numbers: 5.2 percent alcohol by volume; 30 IBU (International Bittering Unit) Notes: After my dance with Mojo India Pale Ale earlier this week, this Bitter End Pale Ale tasted relatively mild, with a fruity finish that’s almost apple-y. There’s still a very noticeable hoppy aroma and taste, but nothing...
Jan 24th
2 tags
Mojo India Pale Ale
Name: Mojo India Pale Ale Brewer: Boulder Beer Company, Boulder, Colo. By the numbers: Unknown calorie count; 7.2 percent alcohol by volume on the label, though the brewer’s Web site say it’s really 6.8 percent. Either way, it’s definitely the booziest beer I’ve had in 2010. Notes: Holy cow, that’s hoppy! This crisp IPA from what’s billed as “Colorado’s First Microbrewery” (est. 1979) is not...
Jan 22nd
5 tags
Leinenkugel's Sunset Wheat
Name: Sunset Wheat Brewer: Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Co., Chippewa Falls, Wis. By the numbers: 165 calories per 12 oz. / 4.9 percent alcohol by volume Notes: This is one of my favorite beers, especially in the summer. I tried this first after getting hooked on Blue Moon, mostly because it was cheaper. But the citrus flavor of this light wheat beer makes it taste like Blue Moon after I’d...
Jan 21st
1 note
2 tags
Creamy Dark
Name: Creamy Dark Brewer: Leinenkugel’s, Chippewa Falls, Wis. By the numbers: 170 calories; 4.9 percent alcohol by volume. Notes: This dark-brown lager is my least favorite in the Leine’s 12-bottle “Explorer Pack.” The roasted malt style produces a burnt malt aftertaste – and that’s not a good thing. Good thing it’s fairly weak. The head came off thick, and a light brown color, which looks...
Jan 20th
2 tags
Tire Bite Golden Ale
Name: Tire Bite Golden Ale Brewer: Flying Dog Brewery, Denver, Colo. (HQ in Maryland.) By the numbers: Around 150 calories; 5 percent alcohol by volume. Notes: A smooth light ale with almost a sweet taste, which lasts awhile after a sip. This would fall into the lawnmower beer category, i.e. perfect for drinking while mowing the lawn on a hot summer day. (I don’t mow my apartment complex’s...
Jan 19th
3 tags
Stella Artois
Name: Stella Artois Brewer: Anheuser-Busch InBev; brewed in Belgium By the numbers: 154 calories; 5 percent alcohol by volume. Notes: A delicious, classy yet refreshing lager, with a very tempting aroma straight off the tap. This brew was imbibed at Maggie Miley’s in uptown Normal on a work outing, and the bartender gave me the courtesy of a Stella-specific chalice. They say it makes a...
Jan 17th
5 tags
Samuel Adams Winter Lager
Name: Samuel Adams Winter Lager Brewer: Samuel Adams (Boston Beer Co.), Boston, Mass. By the numbers: 200 calories per 12 oz. / 5.8 percent alcohol by volume Notes: By now, readers are probably saying “wow, this guy drinks a lot of Samuel Adams.” Well, that’s true. It’s what’s in my fridge, so that’s what I drink. In my previous entry, I wrote about Coastal...
Jan 16th
4 tags
Samuel Adams Coastal Wheat
Name: Samuel Adams Coastal Wheat Brewer: Samuel Adams (Boston Beer Co.), Boston, Mass. By the numbers: 167 calories per 12 oz. / 5.3 percent alcohol by volume Notes: I’ve mentioned before that I’m a pretty big fan of most Samuel Adams beers. There used to be one exception - Cranberry Lambic from the Winter Collection. I’ve got a half a case of Cranberry Lambics in the garage...
Jan 15th
2 tags
Amber Bock
Name: Amber Bock Brewer: Michelob Brewing Co., St. Louis, Mo. By the numbers: 166 calories, 5.2 percent alcohol by volume. Notes: This Anheuser-Busch dark lager is a Denham-Freimann favorite. It’s got the big three: 1) Its nutty, roasted aroma is fantastic, though some say bocks should have a more powerful smell. 2) I think its “hint of caramel malt sweetness,” as advertised on the label is...
Jan 14th
5 tags
Asahi Super Dry
Name: Asahi Super Dry Brewer: Asahi Brewing Co., Tokyo, Japan (although this particular bottle was contract-brewed by Molson Canada in Toronto). By the numbers: 149 calories per 12 oz.; 4.9 percent alcohol by volume. Notes: This Japanese Rice Lager was first brewed by Asahi in 1987 when “dry” beers became all the rage, according to Asahi. It’s the top-selling Japanese beer....
Jan 13th
1 note
3 tags
Leinenkugel's 1888 Bock
Name: Leinenkugel’s 1888 Bock Brewer: Leinenkugel’s, Chippewa Falls, Wis. By the numbers: 194 calories, 5.1 percent alcohol by volume. Notes: This dark, dark brown bock was the “featured brew” in my Leinenkugel’s 12-beer Explorer Pack, bought at the local Jewel-Osco. It was the least hoppiest beer I’ve had so far in 2010, defined more by a smooth, toasted malt flavor further muted by...
Jan 12th
5 tags
Kickapoo Creek Holiday Nut Brown
Name: Kickapoo Creek Holiday Nut Brown Brewer: Kickapoo Creek Brewing Co., Downs, Ill. By the numbers: About 160 calories per 12 oz.; 5 percent alcohol by volume Notes: This is the fourth beer brewed in my own kitchen by Ryan and me. It might be the best one yet, which means we might be getting better. (Although it was preceded by an absolute failure, so we still have a ways to go). We came...
Jan 11th
5 tags
Samuel Adams Holiday Porter
Name: Samuel Adams Holiday Porter Brewer: Samuel Adams (Boston Beer Co.), Boston, Mass. By the numbers: 211 calories per 12 oz.; 5.8 percent alcohol by volume. Notes: This is about as dark as a regularly-purchased Samuel Adams beer gets. (Cream Stout is close, and Scotch Ale is more bitter, but this is a heavy beer). I really like the malty flavor. It wraps around your tongue and stays there,...
Jan 10th
4 tags
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
Name: Sierra Nevada Pale Ale Brewer: Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., Chico, Calif. By the numbers: 175 calories per 12 oz. (Speaking of, you can find calories for most beers here); Alcohol by volume: 5.6 percent Notes: Like Ryan’s assessment of Smithwick’s, this beer is not nearly as flavorful as I remember it from the first time I tried it. I guess my palate has broadened...
Jan 9th
3 tags
Murphy's Stout
Name: Murphy’s Irish Stout Brewer: Murphy’s Brewery, County Cork, Ireland By the numbers: 150 calories; 4 percent alcohol by volume. Notes: Just like a Guinness, but with a little less bite and a prettier foam head. Thanks, nitrogen, you’re the best. I had my first Murphy’s back when I was 19 years old and me, my dad and Grandma Pat traveled to Ireland for spring break. Perhaps my biggest...
Jan 8th
Land Shark Lager
Name: Land Shark Brewer: Margaritaville Brewing Co., Jacksonville, Fla. By the numbers: 150 calories, 4.7 percent alcohol by volume. Notes: A Florida favorite. Tastes like a sweetened Corona, and looks like one too. Nice white head till about halfway thru a 12oz bottle, which has slick, clear labeling. It’s an American-style “island” lager, so it’s very clean looking. ...
Jan 7th
Coors Original
Name: The Banquet Beer Brewer: Coors Brewing Co., Golden, Colo. By the numbers: 148 calories, 5 percent alcohol by volume. Notes: It’s tough to differentiate between the popular American beers in any kind of savvy dialect, but here’s my best try: Coors Original is a less thirst-quenching, heartier version of Coors Light, which still stands as my go-to favorite beer in a jam. It...
Jan 6th
3 tags
Smithwick's
Name: Smithwick’s Brewer: Smithwick’s, Kilkenny, Ireland. By the numbers: 150 calories; 4.5 percent alcohol by volume. Notes: This dark red ale isn’t nearly as potent on the taste scale as I remember from my first tasting in college. At that point in my life, the only beer I’d ever had was MGD and Coors Light. My Irish-Iranian best friend, Marcus, and I went to an English pub in Santa...
Jan 6th
1 note
3 tags
Samuel Adams Old Fezziwig Ale
Name: Samuel Adams Old Fezziwig Ale Brewer: Samuel Adams (Boston Beer Co.), Boston, Mass. By the numbers: 210 calories/12 oz.; 5.9 percent alcohol by volume Notes: This beer is only available in the winter and then only available as part of the Samuel Adams Winter Collection mix packs, along with Holiday Porter, Cranberry Lambic, Winter Lager, Boston Lager and (this year) Coastal Wheat....
Jan 5th
2 tags
Jan 4th
2 notes
4 tags
Heineken
Name: Heineken Brewer: Heineken, Amsterdam, Holland By the numbers: 150 calories; 5 percent alcohol by volume. Try with: A Krups BeerTender, a kitchen countertop tap system that keeps a 1.32-gallon keg at the perfect chilled temp (around 40 degrees Fahrenheit) for up to a month. The Beer Gal got me one of these for Christmas last year, and it is the benchmark against which all future...
Jan 3rd
2 tags
Goose Island Honker's Ale
Name: Goose Island Honker’s Ale Brewer: Goose Island, Chicago By the numbers: 4.2 percent alcohol by volume; around 154 calories/12 oz. Notes: Imbibed on New Year’s (before and after midnight, so I’m counting it) at the Kurzeja’s house in Chicago. Very freakin hoppy. Sort of what I imagine it’d taste like if I just ripped a handful of hops off a vine and started...
Jan 2nd
3 tags
Leinie's Classic Amber
Name: Leinenkugel’s Classic Amber Brewer: Leinenkugel’s, Chippewa Falls, Wis. Alcohol content: 4.9 percent by volume When imbibed: After a rousing game of “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare” with nine complete strangers. Notes: Beautiful light red color makes this all-malt brew my favorite of the Leinie’s family. And because it’s in the lager family, fans of standard American light beer will find...
Jan 1st