Oaked Arrogant Bastard Ale‏--JT's Review

Ok, I am blaming this one on my neighbor Shawn. He brought this back from a trip to Missouri. This was the kind of ale that makes me not a big fan of ale's.

It was HOPPY, in a big way. The taste started out smooth enough, but it quickly transitioned into an array of hops. It made my nose run and my eyes water.

I have to say, that if you see a bottle of this in the store, pick it up and read the back. It will make you feel inadequate for not buying it, and ever worse if you do and don't like it.

Mustang Pawnee Pale Ale‏--JT's Review

For those of you that are regular readers of our blog, you know that I typically don't like pale ale's, but that I really like Mustang Brewing Company beer.

Usually what I dislike about IPA's or American Pale Ale's, is that they have a really hoppy finish. The Pawnee Pale Ale wasn't so much that way. It was pretty smooth and almost neutral. It wasn't my favorite of the Mustang beers, but I liked it ok.

I will say that I would drink a lot more Pale Ale's if they all tasted like this one. I give it a passing grade, and I'm sure I will drink it again.

Samuel Adam's Alpine Spring Lager‏--JT's Review

This is a new seasonal from Sam Adam's. It is classified as an unfiltered lager. I thought it was really good.

The flavor was citrusy and refreshing, but it also had that good lager taste . There was no doubt that it was a Sam Adam's brew by the finish.

I am a big fan of most of Sam Adam's beers. I think this was another winner. Shawn brought it over in another sampler pack. Hopefully they will come out with it in individual six packs soon.

Choc 1919 American Wheat‏--JT's Review

I am becoming more and more a fan of Choc Beer from Krebs, Oklahoma. I have said before that I like wheat beer, but not as much as Brian does. This one made a believer out of me. The only other wheat beer that I can remember like as much as this one was the Mustang Wheat that I reviewed earlier, that is also an Oklahoma beer.

1919 is an unfiltered wheat beer. It is a little hazy when poured in a glass. The beer is very smooth. No one ingredient jumps out at you too much as you are drinking it, but they all hit right on time! I really liked it a lot. This is a beer that could be enjoyed all day long.

Half Wit Wheat

This beer is from the Charleville Vineyard and Microbrewery in St. Genevieve, MO.  St. Genevieve is really not that far from me, and let me say, I will definitely make a trip up there as soon as I can.

I grabbed a six pack of this because it is brewed close to home, and because it is one of my favorite types of beers (wheat/wit).  What a great and refreshing beer.  This beer would be an unbelievable summer beer.  What sets this brew apart from the others (wheat/wit) has to be the prevalent orange.  It is recommended to be served with an orange slice.  I don't think it needs it.  The orange is not overwhelming to me, but it did make me feel as if I was drinking something healthy.  Beer and vitamin C.......who doesn't need that????   Another good thing about this beer is that it is "chick friendly."  My wife really liked this beer!!  (Which is rarely the case)

If you like this style of beer......and oranges.......and beer.....you must give this a shot.  It will be a constant in my beer fridge this summer.

Redhook Winter Hook‏--JT's Review

Odds are you have seen Redhook beer from Seattle, Washington, somewhere in your travels. The only one that I have ever had before their seasonal winter beer was their IPA, which as you might have guessed I didn't like. I have been on a bit of a winter seasonal kick, so I was pumped when Shawn brought some over.

I thought it was really good. It was a darker beer than I expected. It was very malty for a winter brew, and was loaded with good brewing spices. The malts and spices showed up several times(my wife thought it was because I was drinking in such large drinks) before a quick hoppy finish.

Their website says that this is the 27th year to produce this beer and that they change the recipe a little every year. It would be fine with me if they left it like it is.

New Glarus Spotted Cow Ale‏--JT's Review

One of my good friends in the neighborhood's father in law is from Wisconsin. He was down for Christmas, and was kind enough to bring some excellent Wisconsin brewed beer!

New Glarus Brewing Company is in New Glarus, Wisconsin, and was founded by Dan Carey in 1993. Before founding his brewery, Dan worked for Anheuser-Busch(no better place to train for brewing beer). He has won awards for Small and Midsized brewer of the year.

On to the beer: I really liked it a lot. Not usually being a big fan of ale's, I thought this one was really good. They allow the yeast to stay in the bottle, which makes it really cloudy, but they claim that it enhances all of the flavors. It was a smooth and fruity flavored beer. It was different than anything I have had before, but I liked it a lot. I hope Ross will be back soon!

Fischer Traditional Amber‏--JT's Review

Fischer beer is brewed in France, and is considered a Euro Dark Lager. I didn't know there was such a classification, and I doubt I would have classified this beer in it if I had known.
 
I like the beer a lot, but it just wasn't what I would call a dark lager. It was more like a brown ale. I saw the beer on the shelf at Macadoodle's sold as a single pint and 6 ounce bottle with a cork. 
 
The beer had a nice toasty malt flavor followed by a light hint of caramel. The hops were dry and smooth creating a nice easy finish. I thought it was good, but it did seem to be lacking something? The word I would use to describe the taste is "thin". I was surprised to find that it had a 6% ABV.
 
I'm sure I will give it another try, but for me it was just ok.

Diamond Bear Southern Blonde‏--JT's Review

I have said this before, and I will say it again. I really want to like Diamond Bear beer. I have a huge amount of civic pride about our state, and I really want to like beer brewed in our state capital. I emailed them a couple of months ago and asked which of their beers I should try if I am not so much into having so many hops that it singes my nose hair. They replied with the suggestion that their Southern Blonde was the answer. It was not.

I will give them this: the hops were not too strong. However, it tasted like they substituted good rich,black,topsoil dirt for the malts. Other than that, it was a damn fine beer. For me, I just couldn't get past the dirt flavor. Maybe there are people who appreciate the "earthy" flavor more than I do? If they are out there, they can have this one.

To my fellow Arkansan's at Diamond Bear: make a lager that tastes like a LAGER! Put your own stamp on it, but give it a traditional lager flavor. People that don't eat much dirt will like it!

In case you were wondering, this one wasn't for me.

Arcadia Big Dick's Olde Ale‏--JT's Review

This is a selection brought back from Springfield, Missouri, by my friend and loyal beer drinking buddy Shawn. Arcadia Ales are brewed in Battle Creek, Michigan. To be honest, I was more excited about drinking the beer because of its name than the potential flavor of a northern produced ale.

As much fun as we had trying to be witty about the name of the beer, it may not have been worth it. As most of you know, I am not into really hoppy ales, which is exactly what this was. It was hopped from start to finish, which, if that's what you are into, this is for you. It just wasn't for me. The hops were really dry and there was a strong alcohol taste. That was easily explained by the 9% ABV that is has.

Again, not for me, but if you are into hoppy ale's, this is defiantly for you.

Widmer Brothers BRRR Seasonal Ale‏--JT's Review

To my knowledge, this was the first Widmer Brothers beer I have ever had. They are a relatively young brewery, opening in 1984, in Portland, Oregon. If all of their beer is this good, I will be working through their beer list soon. This was an excellent winter seasonal!
 
My first drink surprised me a little bit. I am used to ale's having a hoppy taste for the finish. This one hits you with the hops immediately. Following the hops, you get a great assortment of malts. I tasted caramel and dark chocolate for sure, and there was something else that I can't put my finger on, but it was really good! The finish was easy and smooth.
 
I really liked this one a lot. I am going to look for Widmer Brothers beer in the future!

Mother's Winter Grind Coffee Stout‏--JT's Review

I am a huge fan of Mothers Brewing Company in Springfield, Missouri! I have yet to try one of their beers that I didn't really like a lot. Their winter seasonal did not disappoint at all.

When I poured it in a glass, the first thing that I noticed was that it is totally black. It might have been the darkest beer I have ever drank. It didn't taste nearly as heavy as it looked. It was very smooth and malty. The malts tasted roasted and had a flavor of caramel. There was a hint of wheat and, of course coffee. It smelled great, and it tasted even better!

I can't say that this was a "drink all day beer", but it was really good. I will drink many more of these during the cold days that are coming.

Point St. Benedict's Winter Ale‏--JT's Review

If you remember when we first started doing this blog, I reviewed a summer seasonal from Wisconsin, called Nude Beach, made by Stevens Point Brewery. I thought it was great! This review is for their seasonal winter ale. I liked it a lot as well.

Typically not the biggest fan of Ale's, I am learning to cope for the sake of drinking winter seasonals. This was one of the better winter ales that I have tried. I think the thing that I liked about it so much was that it had an excellent malt combination. The malts tasted roasted but also sweet like chocolate. It was pretty hoppy, but it finished smoothly and the hops didn't linger too much. The ABV was 6.2%, but what was surprising was that it has 213 calories per bottle. I knew some of these beers were a little higher in caloric content, but that seemed high to me.

All in all, this was one of my favorite winter seasonals. If you run into it, it is one worth trying.

Texas Sux Beer‏--JT's Review

Those of you who know me, know my love for the Arkansas Razorbacks. Naturally, buying Texas Sux beer was a no-brainer. The beer is brewed in Krebs, Oklahoma, by Big Stick Brewing Company. You might remember Krebs as the home of the Choc Brewery. I'm feeling a road trip for Brian and I to check out this little town with two awesome breweries!

The brewery is run by some guys that have kept their day jobs and share their passion for brewing beer and hating Texas on the side. Let me interject a common dislike for Longhorn Athletics, but not for the entire state of Texas. I do like the Dallas Cowboys, Nolan Ryan, and lots of the beer that they brew down there.

On to the beer.... Not a bad flavor, but very light for the dark color you get when you pour it in a glass. It only has a 3.2% ABV. It was really easy to drink, but it left me looking for more. It almost teased me that it was going to be really good, but it never delivered.

All in all, not bad, but it is a gimmick beer with a cool label. It is worth a try so you can say you have, but there are too many great beers to worry a great deal about this one.

Franziskaner Weissbier

I have actually had this beer before, on tap, at a local Irish bar/grill.  I decided to go ahead a buy a six pack of it at the beer store.  I am glad that I did.  It was as good as I remembered it.

As I have said before, I really like wheat/wit/hefe beers.  This import is brewed in Germany and has been for a long long time.  Of course, it is cloudy when you pour it and straw colored.  At first taste, you really notice the spices/yeast/coriander.  You also notice that it is very carbonated.  No big deal.......just be prepared to burp..........which is fun. 

I really enjoyed this beer.  It is easy drinking and has a solid ABV of 5%.  You also have to love the bottle cap and bottle.  Who doesn't like to see a monk lifting a big ole beer to his mouth?!

Choc Winter Baltic-style Porter‏--JT's Review (this is a little dated)

Back in August, I reviewed Choc's Pietro Piegari Amber Ale. I really liked it. I have been anxious to try more beer from The Choc Brewery. Yesterday I found some Choc Beer in a 2 for 2 dollar deal at Macadoodle's. Being Christmas time, I, of course grabbed the Winter Porter.


The label on the bottle is pretty cool, and made me feel in the holiday spirit. The beer poured very dark in the glass with an unusual amount of carbonation. Usually I am a fan of sipping Winter/Holiday Porters, but this one was not my favorite. I think they were going for the roasted malt affect, but they ended up tasting almost like burned malts. It seemed like with the amount of carbonation, the alcohol flavor was really dry. I was disappointed. I really wanted this one to be a keeper, but it wasn't for me.

I also grabbed the Choc 1919 American Wheat and will review it soon. I hope it is better than the Porter.

Founders Red Rye PA Ale‏--JT's Review

I have to admit that I was not excited about trying this beer. However, I was surprised at how much I liked it.

Founders Brewing Company is in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The label says "Hopped up and brewed with rye". I don't think I have ever drank a beer brewed with rye, but "hopped up" is usually a big turn off for me.

It was very bitter from the start, and had a strong tart flavor of grapefruit. It transitioned into some very rich malts that lead to the overwhelming hops. I think that the malts moving into the hops helped ease the bite of the hops. It turned out to be very good.

I couldn't drink these all day at a tailgate, but a few of them were very good. It was a different beer, but it was surprisingly good.

Brother Thelonious Belgium Style Abby Ale‏--JT's Review

From the North Coast Brewing Company in Fort Bragg, California, Brother Thelonious is a great Belgium Style Abby. It is from the. American Art Series. The web site classifies it as a "dark strong ale", which I feel is an understatement. It is 9.3% ABV, and it was thick. It was need to cut with a knife, chew it up to swallow thick. It was ok, but it was defiantly a sippin beer.

I actually liked the beer, and since I split it with Shawn, it only took me about 20 minutes to get through my half. The flavor was very full and malty, which I like, but it was very strong. The hops finished pretty strong, but the taste was sweet enough to compensate for them.

Brother Thelonious was good, but it was definitely one that I would only want to drink a couple at a time. If you see it, I would tell you to give it a try, but a six pack will go a long way.

Murphy's Red Ale

This is the first time that I have had a Murphy's Red Ale.  This is also the first time that I have reviewed a red ale.  My neighbor gave me several of these beers.  He had bought a six pack and didn't really care for them.

Now that I think of it, this might be the only other red ale that I have had since drinking Killian's (a lot) in college.  I am not really drawn to red ales.  This 5.0% ABV ale was not bad.  It had good carbonation and was light bodied.  It had adequate maltness with a little hoppy bite at the end that didn't last too long. 

I don't know if I could drink more than a couple of these in one sitting before I got tired of them.  And I probably wouldn't buy any more at the beer store.  However, I might sample another if I found myself at an Irish pub.

Lagunitas Little Sumpin' Sumpin' Ale‏--JT's Review

I have told you before that I am a sucker for marketing. Little Sumpin Ale's name alone is a great attention getter, and coupled with the label that has a scantily clad woman on it, and it became a no-brainer.

It is brewed in Petaluma, California by the Laguntias Brewing Company(pronounced lah-goo-KNEE-tuss). They have a pretty cool website. One of their slogans on there is "Life is uncertain. Don't Sip". I always find that to be good advice!

On to the beer. Not bad stuff at all. It was really smooth. The malts were very light and there was a bite from what seemed to be a wheat flavor. It finished with a strong taste of hops. Not usually my favorite thing, but it is working for them. It is a beer that you could drink on all day. I'm usually not a big ale guy, but I thought this one was good.

Paulaner Salvator Double Bock

As I have written before, I love bock beers.  So what's better than a bock????  A double bock, of course!!  And this double bock is a DAMN good beer.

I have had other Paulaner beers before(all of which I have liked), but this one takes the cake.  This brewery is very deep in tradition.  You can read the back story on a variety of web pages.  Basically, they are "old school" and do it the right way.  This Salvator Double Bock has been patented since 1896.  It was first brewed by the Paulaner monks in the monastery.  Let me tell you, they know how to do it!

This beer is a deep copper color with a kickin' 7.9% ABV.  This beer is not boring.  It is very sweet and rich.  There is a lot going on in this brew........on every drink.....which is good.  Can you drink many of these in one sitting?  Maybe!!!  I would surely try! 

This has to be one of my favorite double bocks so far.  It reminded my just a bit of the Chimay Blue that I reviewed.  Very interesting and very tasty.  If you like sweet and malty beers...........you have to sample this one.

JT's (favorite) Christmas Gift!!!!

My friend Jerri got that glass for me for Christmas. What a great gift! It holds 5 beers. Now I can have a great night and tell my wife with a straight face that I only had a couple.

Piraat Ale‏--JT's Review

This was one of the beers that my neighbor Shawn brought back from Springfield. All I can say about this one is WOW. I can't really say that it was a great tasting beer, but it will put some led in your pencil. It has an ABV of 10.5 %. A six pack of these will make for a short night for sure.

It is considered a Belgium IPA, and as you may know, I am not a big IPA guy. However, it does provide a significant bang for your buck. No matter how hard you try, you can't drink it fast as you almost have to chew it up to swallow it. It had a very predominate alcohol taste and finished very hoppy.

All in all, I'm glad I tried it just so I can say I have. Another bonus was that I had some extra Ibuprophen laying around that I needed to get rid of, and it provided the headache for the occasion. It you decide to brave it, good luck!