January 2011
8 posts
4 tags
Jewbelation 14
Name: Jewbelation 14
Brewer: Shmaltz Brewing Co., Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
By the numbers: About 420 calories per 12 oz.; 14 percent alcohol by volume
Notes: This is an intense brew that pushes the limits of what a beer can be. It’s really more like a barley wine than a beer and is really too intense to drink in more than small quantities. Is it good? Well, that depends on your definition...
December 2010
34 posts
2 tags
Beck's Premier Light
Name: Beck’s Premier Light
Brewer: Brauerei Beck & Co., Bremen, Germany
By the numbers: 2.3 percent alcohol by volume; 64 calories
Notes: What an odd duck, in both flavor and intentions. This is a very respectable low-calorie version of the original Beck’s, of which I’ve had two other variations earlier in this Year in Beer. Premier Light has got that classic hop dryness of the flagship...
3 tags
Shiner Hefeweizen
Name: Shiner Hefeweizen
Brewer: Spoetzl Brewery, Shiner, Texas
By the numbers: 5.4 percent alcohol by volume; about 162 calories; 17 IBU
Notes: This wheat beer wasn’t surprising, but wasn’t bad either. It poured a pale, cloudy gold with a pretty head – what you’d expect. The taste is a little spicier than I anticipated, powered by the citrus from the orange peels with which this Hefeweizen is...
5 tags
Hoss Rye Lager
Name: Hoss
Brewer: Great Divide Brewing Co., Denver, Colo.
By the numbers: About 185 calories per 12 oz.; 6.2 percent alcohol
Notes: I’ve got a decent respect for Great Divide. They turn out some pretty good versions of your standard beer styles, and they’re not afraid to try something a little different either. A good example of that is their Samurai Rice Ale, which Ryan tried...
4 tags
Rogue American Amber Ale
Name: Rogue American Amber Ale
Brewer: Rogue Ales, Newport, Ore.
By the numbers: About 170 calories per 12 oz.; 5.6 percent alcohol by volume
Notes: Rogue is one of the breweries that gives Oregon a mystique when it comes to craft brewing. While Rogue does produce solids beers in many styles, I haven’t really found them to be the standout they seem to be. It’s probably because...
5 tags
Mild Winter
Name: Mild Winter
Brewer: Goose Island Beer Co., Chicago
By the numbers: About 170 calories per 12 oz.; 5.6 percent alcohol by volume
Notes: This rye ale confirms that Goose Island is Illinois’ master crafter. This one straddles the line between winter warmer (a little light on the alcohol for that) and a nice brown ale. It pours an opaque toffee color with a decent head. The aroma is...
4 tags
Pilsner Urquell
Name: Pilsner Urquell
Brewer: Plzensky Prazdroj (SABMiller), Plzen, Czech Republic
By the numbers: 4.4 percent alcohol by volume; about 132 calories.
Notes: An oldie but goodie. First, the substance: This deep-golden lager carries a European Saaz hop bite, but isn’t dry. Its Bohemian and Moravian barley base produces a slight honey-nut flavor that’s also a nice touch....
5 tags
Out of Bounds Stout
Name: Out of Bounds Stout
Brewer: Avery Brewing Co., Boulder, Colo.
By the numbers: About 190 calories per 12 oz; 6.3 percent alcohol by volume
Notes: Surprisingly, I think this might be the first Avery beer I’ve had this year. It’s hard to remember after 180+ beers. And Tumblr’s archive search isn’t that great. Ryan had their Redpoint Ale, which has since been...
3 tags
Shiner Blonde
Name: Shiner Blonde
Brewer: Spoetzl Brewery, Shiner, Texas
By the numbers: 4.4 percent alcohol by volume; 142 calories; 13 IBU
Notes: Maybe we should rename “The Year in Beer” to “The Year in Shiner Beer.” We’ve had so much of it. This golden lager ain’t bad either. The Bohemian brew has a friendly, smooth sweetness to it that is reminiscent of Red Stripe. It’s built on a pale malt and cereal...
Hoegaarden
Name: Hoegaarden
Brewer: Brouwerij van Hoegaarden, Belgium
By the numbers: About 140 calories per 12 oz.; 4.9 percent alcohol by volume
Notes: This is the palest beer I’ve ever seen. It’s a pale, pale yellow, the color of a sweet sparkling white wine. Hoegaarden has some interesting history. The town in Belgium was well-known for hundreds of years for its witbier, but the last...
6 tags
Cranberry Special Ale
Name: Cranberry Special Ale
Brewery: The Sand Creek Brewing Co., Black River Falls, Wis.
By the numbers: About 15 calories per 12 oz.; 5 percent alcohol by volume
Notes: I’m running out of time to find a fruit beer that tastes like a beer and not bubbly fruit juice. Well, this one didn’t do it either. At least this cranberry beer wasn’t terrible, like Samuel Adams...
3 tags
Kosmos Reserve
Name: Kosmos Reserve
Brewer: Spoetzl Brewery, Shiner, Texas
By the numbers: Unknown alcohol content and calories.
Notes: This, I’d say, is the best Shiner brew I’ve had to date. Yet it’s not killer. It comes off as a classically crisp American pale ale. It’s dry-hopped, but your nose can barely tell. It’s a bit grassy, and its malt base is visited by a little bit of honey on the tongue. Not bad,...
5 tags
Dixie Jazz
Name: Dixie Jazz
Brewer: Dixie Brewing Co., New Orleans (Contract-brewed by Joseph Huber Brewing Co., Monroe, Wis.)
By the numbers: 92 calories per 12 oz.; 4.13 percent alcohol by volume
Notes: You may recall from my earlier review of the very good Blackened Voodoo, that Dixie is a beer without a home. The brewery, located in New Orleans, was damaged in 2005 by Hurricane Katrina and the brand...
3 tags
Old-Time Alt
Name: Old-Time Alt
Brewer: Spoetzl Brewery, Shiner, Texas
By the numbers: Unknown alcohol content and calories.
Notes: We’ve knocked back at least four other Shiner brews this YIB, and they’ve all either come up short or been simply average. This continues that, um, tradition. This one pours kinda pretty – a deep, creamy-looking brown-red that’s classic alt. But I wouldn’t exactly call this...
4 tags
Star Island Single
Name: Star Island Single
Brewer: Smuttynose Brewing Company, Portsmouth, N.H.
By the numbers: About 150 calories per 12 oz.; 5.1 alcohol by volume
Notes: This is the second Smuttynose beer of the year after Ryan’s take on Old Brown Dog Ale earlier this week. Ryan found that one to be kind of so-so, and I guess I’d say the same about the Belgian Pale Ale. It was a pretty...
3 tags
Bell's Lager
Name: Bell’s Lager Beer
Brewer: Bell’s Brewery, Inc., Kalamazoo, Mich.
By the numbers: About 150 calories per 12 oz.; 5 percent alcohol by volume
Notes: The label calls this the “Lager of the Lakes”, what with Kalamazoo being situated in Michigan, which wraps its identity up in the Great Lakes. This is another in what seems like a series of well-balanced, easy-drinkers...
3 tags
Sky High Rye
Name: Sky High Rye
Brewer: Arcadia Brewing Co., Battle Creek, Mich.
By the numbers: 6 percent alcohol by volume; 180 calories; 55 IBU
Notes: Now that’s more like it. Rye pale ale is a style I can get used to. It’s my first of the year, and it packed quite a citrus-spice punch, almost to the point of giving me heart burn. Its heavy bitterness is totally West Coast hops, and combined with the rye...
5 tags
Winter Skål
Name: Winter Skål
Brewer: Capital Brewery, Middleton, Wis.
By the numbers: About 165 calories per 12 oz.; 5.5 percent alcohol by volume
Notes: This very drinkable bock-style lager comes off pretty smooth. Capital doesn’t opt for extreme warmth (read high alcohol content) or spices in its winter brew, just a solid turn on a classic German beer style. I made a comment recently that if I...
4 tags
Pinstripe
Name: Pinstripe Red Ale
Brewer: Ska Brewing Co., Durango, Calif.
By the numbers: About 155 calories per 12 oz.; 5.15 percent alcohol by volume
Notes: This is my fourth beer from Ska this year, and probably my second favorite, after Ten Pin Porter! This easy-drinking red ale is Ska’s flagship brew and it’s easy to see why. This is one of the most-balanced beers I’ve had. As...
3 tags
Old Brown Dog Ale
Name: Old Brown Dog Ale
Brewer: Smuttynose Brewing Co., Portsmouth, N.H.
By the numbers: 6.5 percent alcohol by volume; about 190 calories; 15 IBU
Notes: This slick-looking American brown ale wasn’t anything to write home about. Its grain base was pale, Munich, Crystal and Chocolate, with the first in that lineup setting the scene. That, combined with the mild citrus Cascade hops, produces an...
2 tags
Southern Tier Porter
Name: Southern Tier Porter
Brewer: Southern Tier Brewing Co., Lakewood, N.Y.
By the numbers: 5.8 percent alcohol by volume; about 175 calories.
Notes: Geez, what a dark beer. It poured almost purple, and about as translucent as a tarp. That matched up well with the roasted coffee and espresso five-malt flavor, which was a little too burnt for me. Therese liked it quite a bit too, noting “it would...
5 tags
Celis Grand Cru
Name: Celis Grand Cru
Brewer: Michigan Brewing Co., Webberville, Mich.
By the numbers: About 240 calories per 12 oz.; 8 percent alcohol by volume
Notes: This is a very interesting beer, both in terms of taste and ingredients. A Belgian Strong Ale that is crisp like a Pilsner lager, it’s made with Pilsen malt, Saaz and Willamette hops and orange zest and spices. This clear pale ale pours...
Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout
Name: Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout
Brewer: North Coast Brewing Co., Fort Bragg, Calif.
By the numbers: About 270 calories per 12 oz.; 9 percent alcohol by volume; 90 IBUs
Notes: This is a complex and full-flavored stout. North Coast claims it’s in the style that English brewers made to send to the Russian court of Catherine the Great. What that has to do with Rasputin, an adviser...
1 tag
Never Summer Ale
Name: Never Summer Ale
Brewer: Boulder Beer Co., Boulder, Colo.
By the numbers: 5.9 percent alcohol by volume; 170-plus calories.
Notes: This one’s got some bite. In contrast with Blue Moon’s sweetly smooth winter offering, Boulder’s is a bitter yet malty walk toward the 4 p.m. sunsets of the dead season. It pours a deep, deep red, with a nice foamy head that is quite appetizing. Its dark caramel...
5 tags
Holiday Spice Lager
Name: Holiday Spice Lager Beer
Brewer: Lakefront Brewery, Inc., Milwaukee, Wis.
By the numbers: About 320 calories per 12 oz.; 11 percent alcohol by volume
Notes: This beer from Lakefront takes the title, so far, for the booziest beer I’ve had this year. And while that alcohol cuts through the full body of this winter warmer, it doesn’t dominate the taste. Lakefront makes sure of...
4 tags
33 Export
Name: 33 Export
Brewer: VBL Tien Gang Ltd., Vietnam
By the numbers: About 140 calories per 12 oz.; 4.8 percent alcohol by volume
Notes: My general take on most “exports” is that they’re not that great. Basically, what you’re getting is the equivalent of Budweiser from whatever country is doing the exporting. It’s the lowest common denominator of their beer. Or...
Samuel Adams White Ale
Name: Samuel Adams White Ale
Brewer: Boston Beer Co., Boston, Mass.
By the numbers: 5.3 percent alcohol by volume; 166 calories
Notes: Another beer from Mike’s fridge, another winner. This Sam offering draws most of its character from its fruits and spices, notably a mild orange and a strong coriander. The Hallertau Mittelfrueh Noble hops are strong, though, making this one almost a pale ale...
Samurai Rice Ale
Name: Samurai Rice Ale
Brewer: Great Divide Brewing Co., Denver, Colo.
By the numbers: 5.1 percent alcohol by volume; about 150 calories.
Notes: Wow, what a thin beer. This uber-light offering from Great Divide carried a bit of fruity tartness, on top of what could otherwise be described as a blonde ale. I gotta give them credit for aiming for the rice base, not just stumbling across it to save a...
5 tags
Boulevard Unfiltered Wheat
Name: Unfiltered Wheat
Brewer: Boulevard Brewing Co., Kansas City, Mo.
By the numbers: About 130 calories per 12 oz.; 4.4 percent alcohol by volume
Notes: Boulevard says this has become the most popular craft beer in the Midwest. To quote Forrest Gump: “Now, I don’t know about all that…” Honestly, I’ve seen it on tap here or there and in bottles, but around here...
Sierra Nevada Porter
Name: Sierra Nevada Porter
Brewer: Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., Chico, Calif.
By the numbers: About 180 calories per 12 oz.; 5.6 percent alcohol by volume
Notes: There’s really nothing special about this porter. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a solid take on the classic porter style. Medium body, smooth taste, roasted barley. It hits all the right notes. I just wasn’t wowed by...
Winter Abbey Ale
Name: Winter Abbey Ale
Brewer: Blue Moon Brewing Co. (Molson Coors), Golden, Colo.
By the numbers: 5.6 percent alcohol by volume; about 168 calories.
Notes: This one’s a winner and my favorite Blue Moon offering. It’s pours a delicious-looking deep red, like a Sam Adams Irish Red. It has a sweet roasted toffee and caramel aroma and flavor that I really dug. With a little bit of wheat in the...
Sawtooth Ale
Name: Sawtooth Ale
Brewer: Left Hand Brewing Company, Longmont, Colo.
By the numbers: About 160 calories per 12 oz.; 5.3 percent alcohol by volume
Notes: This Extra Special Bitter (ESB) is Left Hand’s flagship beer and a pretty solid one at that. Left Hand refers to this as “two guitars, bass and drums” meaning it’s a solid go-to as an everyday beer. My go-to is still...
5 tags
London Porter
Name: London Porter
Brewer: Arcadia Brewing Company, Battle Creek, Mich.
By the numbers: About 215 calories per 12 oz.; 7.2 percent alcohol by volume
Notes: This one assaulted my taste buds at first with a strong smoky flavor that I wasn’t expecting. But I warmed up to it. Arcadia uses beechwood smoked barley, one of seven varieties of malt in this full-bodied porter. Once you get past...
5 tags
Huber Bock
Name: Huber Bock
Brewer: Joseph Huber Brewing Co. (now Minhas Craft Brewery), Monroe, Wis.
By the numbers: About 160 calories per 12 oz.; 5.4 percent alcohol by volume
Notes: The Joseph Huber Brewing company was founded in 1845 and would be the oldest brewery in the Midwest, as the label on Huber Bock says, if it wasn’t defunct. This is another brewer, in this case Minhas, that is...