Samuel Adams Cream Stout

Well, it's getting cooler (finally) outside, so I guess we are rolling into "stout" season.  That means good for the taste buds..........bad for the pursuit of the flat belly. 

I haven't always been a fan of this type of beer, but I guess my taste has matured........unfortunately, so has everything else.  I am also finding myself trying and enjoying more and more Sam Adams beers.  This cream stout just added to that list.

When I first saw this beer in the cooler at the local beer store I really had no desire to try it.  Just the name "Cream Stout" is a little intimidating/frightening.  I am glad I bought a six pack of it. 

It is a typical "chocolate" stout with all the malts and flavors you expect.  However, it wasn't as thick as I expected.  Don't get me wrong, I couldn't sit down and drink all six, but two or three would be no problem......even with food.  It had just the right amount of sweetness with no overpowering aftertaste.  I will definitely be purchasing more in the upcoming months.  Samuel Adams is beginning to win me over.

Rahr's Blonde Lager‏--JT's Review

Rahr's Blonde Lager is brewed by Rahr's and Son's Brewery in Ft. Worth, Texas. This one another one of the treasures that I found on my trip to Dallas. It is fantastic! I plan to visit the brewery the next time I'm in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area.

They call this a pale gold lager. I drank the first few out of a bottle, and would not have thought it was pale in any way. After pouring one in the glass, I realized they were right. The flavor is full of great malts, with a sweet finish that has a light hint of hops. This was an extremely smooth beer. At first I thought it might be a little sweet for my tastes, but at the end of the 6-pack I wished I had more.

I did discover one problem with this beer. After emailing back and forth with the brewery, I realized that Texas is the only place it can be bought right now. I really hope that the Razorbacks do better than the Cotton Bowl, but if for some reason they slip, I will be making a pregame trip to Rahr and Son's Brewery.

Franconia Lager‏--JT's Review

I made a trip to Dallas this weekend that yielded some solid new local beer selections. The first of which is Franconia Lager. It is brewed in McKinney, Texas. I drank a pint of it at a local bar Saturday.
 
The Franconia was very tasty. It didn't have a strong taste of hops, which was a major plus to me. There was a strong over tone of malts that ended very smoothly. It was very sweet in the aftertaste. By the end of the glass, it was almost a little too much.
 
I did really like this beer. I think it would serve as a great desert beer. It would certainly go well with food, especially red meat. The next time your around Big D, look for it.

Sam Adams Longshot Blackened Hops‏--JTs Review

photo courtesy of http://www.dailybeerreview.com/2011/04/longshot-blackened-hops.html

Another of the Longshot brews... I liked it ok. It grew on me as I drank it. Rodney Kibzey from Illinois is the creator of the Blackened Hops for the Longshot contest.

Here is my take on this beer. First of all, it is 7.0% adv, so nice work Rodney. It will come as no surprise to you that it is very HOPPY. It is almost black when you pour it in a glass, but it smells pretty good. As hoppy as it is, there is a nice taste of malts, and a note of coffee(I'm a big coffee drinker too). There is some bitterness in the aftertaste, but it turns out to be smooth.

Not a bad beer in my opinion. This isn't a tailgater, but for a few cold ones after work, it is pretty solid!

Longshot Honey B's Lavender Ale‏--JT's Review

photo courtesy of http://www.dailybeerreview.com/2011/04/longshot-honey-bs-lavender-ale.html

The next of the Sam Adams sampler provided by my neighbor was my favorite. It is also a part of the Sam Adam's longshot home brew contest. Honey B's Lavender Ale was brewed by a Sam Adams employee named Caitlin Declerco from California.

I really like this beer a lot. It was crisp and smooth. The initial taste is sweet from the lavender. As the hops start to sharpen it up, it is followed by a sweet honey aftertaste. It works well.

I hope that Sam Adams chooses to mass produce this beer. It was really good and I will buy it again.

Guinness Black Lager

My next door neighbor was actually the one who first told me about Guinness Black Lager.  He saw the commercial for the beer and eventually bought a six pack of it.  He was kind enough to put a couple of them in my beer fridge.  Since then, I too have seen the commercial for the beer.

I am a fan of Guinness Stout, so I figured I would like this brew as well........I was right.  It is a cold brewed, lighter version of the original.  Even though it is lighter it still has all the flavor you need and expect from Guinness. 

If you were looking for a comparison to another beer.........I would compare it to something like the Abita Turbo Dog.  If someone hasn't tried Guinness Stout because of some sort of fear of the "heaviness," then this might be an option for them to try first.  This could be their Guinness "training wheels."

Sawtooth Ale‏--JT's Review

If you have read any of my reviews, you know I am pretty picky about the Ale's that I like. The jury is still out on the Sawtooth.

It is brewed in Colorado at the Left Hand Brewing Company. It is considered a bitter ale and has a 5.3% ABV.

At first taste, I thought it was ok. By the time I finished the bottle, I was having second thoughts.

The beer has a strong flavor of malts, which I like, but toward the end there is a bitter hoppy flavor that I'm not sold on. I didn't hate the beer, but it wasn't my favorite. If I were to drink it again, it would be with a meal that I didn't want to eat. That way it would be the highlight of my dinner. Good luck.

Diamond Bear Pale Ale

Being from the great state of Arkansas, I really want to like the beers from Little Rock's Diamond Bear Brewery.  I have only had a small sampling of their beers, but I have to say the jury is still out.  I actually had this pale ale from the tap at a pizza joint. 

Pale ales aren't my favorite, so I might not have tried this one with an "open mind" so to speak.  Let me say that this was not a great experience.  I don't know if it was the malts or hops or what.  All I know is that I felt like I was making a sour face after every gulp.  I'm not an experienced enough pale ale drinker to know how it compares to others.  Maybe I should to some more comparing.  Maybe some of you guys can comment on this beer and help me out.  I wish it was better.

Longshot Friar Hop Ale‏--JT's Review



photo courtesy of http://www.dailybeerreview.com/2011/04/longshot-friar-hop-ale.html

 Once again, my neighbor came through with a great sampler pack. This time it was a variety of beer from the Samuel Adams American Homebrew Contest.

Friar Hop Ale was brewed by Richard Roper from Georgia. I was really impressed by this guy's work. The beer was pretty good, but the fact that he came up with this very original recipe was what impressed me the most.

The beer itself was a dark bronze color. It was a little bit fruity sweet on the front end followed by the bitterness that you knew the hops would bring. There was a hint of brewing spices, but they weren't too strong at all.

This was an interesting beer. I'm really glad I tried it!

Harp Premium Lager‏--JT's Review

From the brewers of Guinness, and brewed in Dundalk, Ireland. I can't believe I have never had a Harp Lager? I can guarantee that I will have more now that I have tried it!

When I think of Guinness, my first thought is very heavy. However, Harp is actually a more pale lager. It is light in color, and has a little bit of a sweet taste with a sharp finish. The overall taste is very smooth and not challenging.

This is the kind of beer that you can have several of without being overwhelmed.
I liked it a lot and will buy it again soon.

Samuel Adams Octoberfest

So, I haven't sampled as many of the Octoberfest brews as my boy JT.  To be honest, I am not as big of fan of them as JT.  And that is tough for me to admit considering my German heritage.  I am not proud of my taste buds.  Anyway, having said that, this Sam Adams version is one of the better ones that I have tried.  I sampled the Shinerbock Octoberfest a week earlier, and in my opinion, the Sam Adams version is better.  It was a little more "easy drinkin" without the lingering bite.  I don't know how many more Octoberfest beers I will consume (probably will leave it to JT).  Think I might venture towards some pumpkin ales!!

Sapporo Light--JT's Review

We have all had Sapporo at the local sushi bar or Shogun restaurant. I have always liked it fine, but I never felt like I could drink more than a couple of them. Usually what happened is that I got full from the Sapporo, and then I got into the Saki. That never ended well...
 
Now, through another six pack builder, I have found that there is a Sapporo Light. It is really good. It has that same Sapporo twang, but it is a little more subtle. It is pretty light and smooth, but still retains enough flavor to be good. I find it to be a nice change.
 
If you like Sapporo, but you also enjoy light beer, this is a winner. I would say Sapporo Light is to Sapporo as Corona Light is to Corona. Enjoy!

Presidente‏--JT's Review

Known as the beer of the Dominican Republic. Presidente beer has been being brewed and sold In D.R. Since 1929. I first had it in St. Thomas when my wife and I were on a cruise several years ago. I really liked it a lot, and it was cheap down there. I ran into a six pack the other day that one of my friends brought back from Tennessee . I could not have been more excited!

Presidente has a really nice smooth taste. You can tell that it is a Latin import because of the slight twang, but it isn't too much at all. I really like it a lot.

There are 14 states and Washington D.C., that sell it in the U.S. They are basically all East of Arkansas except for Louisiana. I have sent an email to the Cerveceria Nacional Dominicana Brewery requesting for it to be opened up for sale in Arkansas. I'll let you know if they respond.

Boulevard Bob's 47 Oktoberfest‏--JT's Review

Once again, my neighbor put me on to a winner! Boulevard always makes good beer, but for some reason I have not run into their version of Oktoberfest. I'm glad I did. It was very good.

My first question was why Bob's 47 in the name. What I found out was, that it is a tribute to Bob Werkowitch who was a master brewer and graduated from the US Brewer's Academy in 1947. I'm still a little unclear of the connection, but there you have it.

On to the taste. Bob's 47 was a little stronger than some of the Oktoberfests that I have tried latley, but in a good way. There is a strong taste of toasty malts, followed by what I thought was a pretty strong hoppy bitterness. There is also a nice undertone of caramel. It had a nice dark amber color when I poured it into the glass, and was as tasty as it looked.

Everyone knows that I really like Oktoberfest beers. This was no exception. Another winner from Boulevard!

Sierra Nevada Tumbler Autumn Brown Ale‏--JT's Review

photo courtesy of http://www.dailybeerreview.com/2010/08/tumbler-2010-autumn-brown-ale.html

Doesn't that sound like a great beer??? The label makes you feel all nice and ready for Fall, and the name just sounds tasty and smooth.

None of that is the case! I don't know why I keep doing this to myself? I don't like Sierra Nevada beer. No matter how they package it, and no matter what they claim, it is not for me.

The Tumbler Autumn Ale was a combination of far too many brewing spices, a dry alcohol flavor, finishing with a bad bitter after taste.

Not good to me at all!!!