Shiner Dortmunder Spring Ale

I will say it again........I love the Spoetzl Brewery.  Great work again on this one.  It is there spring seasonal.  I don't know if it is a new creation because I don't remember seeing it last spring.

This spring seasonal is a little different than the other ones that I have sampled lately and in the past.  I would almost call this the "light" version of the spring seasonals.  It is not as earthy or floral as others.  It still packs a good punch with a 5.5% ABV.

Spring seasonal or not...... this is a really good beer.  One that you could drink all day long.  I would drink this all year long, if Shiner would produce it for me/us all year.  Guess I need to stock up!

New Belgium Dig Pale Ale

The Dig Pale Ale is the New Belgium spring seasonal.  I really don't recall seeing this beer before. 

This brew definitely has the New Belgium taste to it.  By that I mean it has that New Belgium hoppiness.  The name "Dig" is very appropriate.  It kind of tasted like it was dug out of the ground or mowed.  This beer tasted a little "grassy" to me.  A little too earthy for my taste.  I almost needed some water to cleanse the palate after each drink.

If you are a die hard New Belgium drinker, then you might like this one.  I didn't hate it, but I will not buy it again.  Glad I tried it though.

Boulevard Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale

Another Boulevard Smokestack Series beer.  Another beer that my neighbor hooked me up with!  These Boulevard beers come in four packs.....just in case you are on the lookout for them.

Thinking back, I realized that I have had this beer before.  It was at a local restaurant, and it was on tap.  I really didn't know if I liked it then........it was a little hoppy.    Thank goodness I gave it a second (and third) chance.  I REALLY like this beer!  It is not as hoppy as I remember.  I know that it has its own classification, but if I had to describe or classify it......It would be a struggle.  I love the carbonation.  I really love the 8% ABV.  It is a light, easy drinkin ale that finishes easy and crisp.

Just try it and see what you think!  All I know is that I was upset when I ran out of this beer.

Boulevard Dark Truth Stout

I love the Boulevard Brew Co.!  So, of course I was going to try their Smokestack Series.  This task was made easier by my up and coming beer sampling neighbor.......... who actually hooked me up with this beer.

This beer is not for the light hearted.  It is dark.  It is heavy.  It is high in alcohol (9.7%)
The "dark truth" is that you better like different beers if you are going to try this one!

Bottom line is that I actually liked this beer.  The kicker is that I liked it as a meal more than a beverage.  On the label it mentions chocolate malts and smokey finish.  It delivers as advertised.  SIP and enjoy.......and then move on to something lighter.....unless you are really hungry.

Samuel Adam's Whitewater IPA‏--JT's Review

Man, I have been on a tough run with some of my beer sampling. I try to be objective and bring you, the loyal Brian's Beer Guide followers, the good with the bad. Shawn brought over a Sam Adam's sampler pack, which overall was good. The Whitewater IPA was not.

I'm usually a Sam Adam's guy. However, I don't like IPA's. If you like IPA's, this might be for you. To me it was really fruity and then had a ton of brewing spices. The finish was a very bitter hoppy flavor mixed with apricot(see Pyramid Apricot review). It was not good.

They can keep this one in Boston for my two cents.

Ayinger Celebrator Doppelbock

I have my neighbor to thank for hooking me up with this beer.  He knows my love for the bock.  He is the one who routinely hooks me up with the Paulaner Double Bock, which is my favorite double bock..........so far.

First, of course, we have to talk about the bottle.  Very cool label and you get a little a little plastic toy, ornament...or whatever it is.  My daughter likes playing with it. 

The beer was very solid.  The 6.7% ABV was just about right, even though I would not have complained if it had a touch more.  The only thing I would say the beer needed was just a little more sweetness.

Overall, very nice beer!!  I will no doubt drink it again.

Pyramid Apricot Ale‏--JT's Review

Ok, I am not really all that proud of what I'd did here, but I tried a fruit flavored beer. This is an apricot unfiltered wheat ale. I like apricots and I like wheat beers. However, I now know that I don't like them together at all.

Pyramid Brewing Company is located in four different cities. Seattle, Berkeley, Portland, Sacramento, and Walnut Creek, California. They have been brewing since 1984. This may speak to my beer tastes, but their Apricot Ale won a gold medal in 2008 at the Great American Beer Festival.

On to the beer ( I was trying to avoid this topic): Not good at all. It tasted like a Zima with apricots in it. It was way over carbonated and way over "apricoted."

I know. I know. I have learned my lesson. No more fruit beer for me.

Snow Cap Ale

This will probably be my last review of a Winter Seasonal........unless I run into a great deal at the beer store.   The Snow Cap Winter Warmer comes from the Pryramid Brewing Company.  One of my buddies hooked me up with this beer, and I am so glad that he did!

I don't see a lot of Pyramid beer in my neck of the woods so I really didn't know what to expect.  The label on this bottle really sells the winter aspect.  Also on the label you will notice that this beer has an ABV of  7% (which is one of the highest of my winter tastings.)  That is what makes this a "Winter Warmer." 

I didn't know if I was going to like this brew after my first few sips.  It was rather hoppy.  But, it grew on me drink after drink.  Maybe it was the high alcohol content........who cares....this beer is money!!  I really enjoyed the robust flavors and the warming effect.  One of the best winter ales I had all season.  I will definitely remember this one for next season!  I don't ever look forward to winter, but at least this beer will act as a sort of silver lining.

Breakenridge Vanilla Porter‏--JT's Review

Let me start out this review by saying that this beer was fabulous! It is the perfect dessert beer. It was very thick and heavy, but it tasted great. I felt like I was eating chocolate cake. The words used on the bottle were "Remarkable and Partakable"(if that's a real word?)

This is a beer that is meant to be enjoyed slowly, and as thick as it is, there really isn't much other way to drink it. It has a great chocolate flavor that is followed by a vanilla finish. You couldn't put momma's chocolate cake in a bottle and make it taste any better.

I have already been to get more of these. I hope you like them as much as I do.

Birra Moretti Lager‏--JT's Review

Birra Moretti is an Italian import(as if you couldn't get that from the name).

I really liked this beer a lot! To be short and sweet, it was just a really good lager. It had a solid lager flavor, but it wasn't to much at all. It was light, but flavorful and very smooth.

This is a beer that I will buy again soon. At 4.6% ABV, it is one that you can enjoy all day.

Old Stock Ale 2011



photo courtesy of http://www.dailybeerreview.com/2011/12/old-stock-ale-2011.html

 I actually drank this beer a while ago.  I really don't know why I have waited so long to review it.  Maybe I am trying to put the experience behind me. 

Let me say that I have tried and liked (and reviewed) several beers from the North Coast Brewing Company.  I really wanted to like this beer with its 12.5% ABV! This is the strongest beer I have ever tasted.  I wish that was a good thing.

To say that this is a "sipping beer" is an understatement.  In fact, it was hard to finish.  I actually gave several people some samples of this beer and they didn't finish it.  It was humorous to watch their faces as they tried it. 

I don't know if this is whiskey flavored beer or beer flavored whisky!!  I thought about mixing it with Coke.  If you like that warming feeling you get with whiskey.......then this beer might be for you.  I like whiskey.....but this beer is not for me.  I am just glad that this beer comes in four packs.  Hey, I might not be man enough to drink this beer.  I am OK with that.

Stone Levitation Ale‏--JT's Review

Levitation Ale was really interesting to me. I usually don't like ale's, but this one was ok.

It is brewed in North County, San Diego, and won a gold medal at the 2007 Great American Beer Festival.

When poured in a glass, it is really dark. The flavor was extremely malty initially, and then moved towards a strong hoppy finish. It had a strong taste of alcohol. It surprised me to find that it only had an ABV of 4.4%.

Levitation Ale was not bad. The thing is for me, that there are too many awesome beers out there to waste my time with "not bad".

Pilsner Urquell‏--JT's Review

I found this one on the build your own six pack isle at Macadoodle's. I wasn't sure what to expect, but it turned out to be really good.

Pilsner Urquell is brewed in Plzen, Czechoslovakia. It was a nice golden lager very similar in consistency to that of a Budweiser. It had a sweet malty flavor that had a sharp finish. The hops almost seemed to be too much, but then it added a caramel flavor that made it really full and good.

This was a drink all day kind of beer. I was pleasantly surprised at how good it was. I'll buy this one again soon.

Bud Light Platinum--JT's Review

I walked into the grocery store the other day and ran into this beer for the first time. I couldn't pass it up!

I can't tell you that is revolutionary, but I will tell you that I loved it. I have heard some people say that it tastes like Bud Light with a shot of vodka in it. I can kinda see that, but if that's your take, I feel like you are missing the point.

It is 6% ABV light beer. It tastes to me as if they have brewed it with some lighter, more dry malts to add the extra alcohol. I find it to be an excellent effort in brewing. I love Bud Light, but to me this is the "Big Boy" version of an already outstanding light beer.

I think it is a must try! If you like light beer taste with an extra kick, you will love his beer!

Outblack Belgian Ale‏--JT's Review

Outblack is brewed by De Struise Brouwers in Woestren-Vleteren, Belgium. It has an ABV of 10%. I warn you, don't like it too much, because it was $7.00 a bottle. Shawn and I split one the other night if or no other reason to say we had.

To call this beer dark and heavy would be an understatement. We basically had to hit the bottom of the bottle to get it to all come out. With that said, it was really tasty. It had a rich full flavor of malts and a relatively quiet finish. For a beer with such a high ABV, it didn't have the usual dry alcohol taste.

I can't say that I will drink it again because of the price, but I'm glad I have tried it.