Review

St Peters Sorgham Beer

St Peters Sorgham Beer

St Peters Sorgham Beer

Picked up this strange brew from the municipal liquor store because it was wheat and barley free. The pilsner style lager is made from Sorghum and is brewed and bottled by St. Peter’s Brewery, Suffolk, United Kingdom.

The beer poured out with a thin head and a slightly cloudy golden orange color. There is some decent carbonation, but not much of a head to the brew.

The brew has a citrus aroma from the Amarillo hops, so I almost immediately salivate with the thought of another great beer with full hop flavor.

I had a few mouthfuls and I have to say i was a little surprised with how little “pop” the beer has. The flavors are mild, tangy and little to no bitter. The brew drinks as if it is a flat pilsner. There is a lingering taste that is good, but just can’t get over how flat the beer is.

The brew is not something I found as satisfying as what was promised on the label.

rating onrating onrating offrating offrating off I give this brew a 2 out of 5 stars.
Wanting to trying some different beers, I thought reviewing beer would be a great experience to share with friends and family. I scoured the internet for some "best practice" for reviewing a beer and even looked at some reviews of beers I have tried in the past. In time, I learned two important facts about beer review. 1: Most beer reviews have the same 4-5 categories: Appearance, Smell, Taste, Feel/Texture, and Overall experience. 2: There are a lot of haughty beer reviewers online. All reviews are genuine and every effort is made to have a cool beer, a clean glass and cleansed palate.

Newton’s Folly Granny Smith Draft Cider

Newtons Folly Granny Smith Draft Cider

Newtons Folly Granny Smith Draft Cider

The last in the batch from Trader Joe’s this cider was all that I have left in the home. It is just another flavor of the other Newton’s Folly Authentic Draft Cider I reviewed earlier.

The bottle was opened and soon poured into a nice clean glass. There was no head, but a nice steady stream of carbonation along certain sides of the glass. The clear brew has just a slight greenish gold color to it.

A slow inhale through the nose picks up sweet apple and a hint of alcohol much like a wine. This cider is much sweeter smelling then I remember the last.

A few sips and it seems to be an effervescent sweet and then tart flavor that ends with an alcohol flavor that reminds me of a wine. I actually enjoy the bubbly sweetness mixed with the strong sour.

The cider tingles in the mouth, but is much tamer when swallowed.

Overall this is a much better flavor then the previous cider I tasted from Newton’s Folly. It still has a wine finish, but the hard tart flavor after the initial sweet is good. The only thing missing is more apple flavor.

rating onrating onrating onrating offrating off I give this brew a 3 out of 5 stars.
Wanting to trying some different beers, I thought reviewing beer would be a great experience to share with friends and family. I scoured the internet for some "best practice" for reviewing a beer and even looked at some reviews of beers I have tried in the past. In time, I learned two important facts about beer review. 1: Most beer reviews have the same 4-5 categories: Appearance, Smell, Taste, Feel/Texture, and Overall experience. 2: There are a lot of haughty beer reviewers online. All reviews are genuine and every effort is made to have a cool beer, a clean glass and cleansed palate.

Hinterland Luna Coffee Stout

Hinterland Luna Coffee Stout

Hinterland Luna Coffee Stout

In the mood for both some coffee and some beer at just after 2:00 pm today, it was decided to try the bottle of Hinterland Luna Coffee Stout that was sitting in the garage.

The big pint bottle was brewed and bottled in Green Bay, Wisconsin the ale is labeled as a “malt beverage with coffee added”. The large frosted mug was taken from the freezer and the bottle cap was removed. The malt beverage was likely still to cold to pour, being out in the frozen garage. There was little head on this stout that I attribute to the cold more then anything else. It poured dark and thick with no head unfortunately (most likely no fault of its own).

Deciding to let the brew warm a little to room temperature only lasted a few minutes after sniffing the contents a few times. The stout had little fragrance (again probably because it was still cold), but there was a distinct sweet syrupy note that would waft through the nostrils at times.

The glass is thick and as black as any stout I have ever seen in a clear glass. There doesn’t appear to be much carbonation, but it is difficult to notice if this is regular or if it is the result of a cold black beer being poured into a frozen mug.

A few sips and swish around the palate and some very rich flavors form. The ale is cold and smooth. The first flavor to appear is just sweet, like a drop of maple syrup. Not as sweet as the smell suggests, but sweet none the less. As the drink rolls back over the tongue, the coffee flavor become more prominent. It is a bold roasted coffee flavor that borders on burnt. Then the bitter which lingers. It is a combination of bitter that is a cross between bitter coffee and bitter hops.

Overall the brew has some great flavors, but it really is nothing that makes it stand out significantly from any other stout. It might be interesting to try in a black and tan (which I think I am going to do with the 6-8 ounces I have left).

rating onrating onrating onrating halfrating off I give this brew a 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Hinterland Luna Coffee Stout with Mr. Beer home brewed Pale Ale

Hinterland Luna Coffee Stout with Mr. Beer home brewed Pale Ale

A side note about the Black and Tan. The Stout was mixed with some home made pale ale and it was pretty good. The mixture was sweet, but others that tried it thought it was too bitter. The bitterness was lost on me.

Wanting to trying some different beers, I thought reviewing beer would be a great experience to share with friends and family. I scoured the internet for some "best practice" for reviewing a beer and even looked at some reviews of beers I have tried in the past. In time, I learned two important facts about beer review. 1: Most beer reviews have the same 4-5 categories: Appearance, Smell, Taste, Feel/Texture, and Overall experience. 2: There are a lot of haughty beer reviewers online. All reviews are genuine and every effort is made to have a cool beer, a clean glass and cleansed palate.

Sprecher Black IPA

A little honesty before this post. Sprecher Brewing is a brewery that I am familiar with. In the late spring of 2010, during a baseball trip to Milwaukee, my buddies and I spent a few hours at the Sprecher Brewery in Glendale, WI.

Black IPA by Sprecher Brewery

Black IPA by Sprecher Brewery

Sprecher Brewery is probably most famous for their Root Beer and various other soda’s, but their origins are as a beer brewery. It wasn’t until the owner of the brewery began to feel sorry for all of the children that were tagging along for the brewery tours that he decided to brew some root beer to keep them pacified during the tour. Several years later, soda would be the main product out of Sprecher and there delicious beers would not see the wide distribution that the soda has seen.

Having tasted several of the beers while on the tour of the brewery, it was decided that the Black IPA was not one that was remembered from that spring in 2010. Picking up a 22 oz bottle at the local spirit shop, it has been sitting in the cool garage for the last week waiting for a clean palate and good hearty thirst.

The brew pours out black, darker then the darkest coffee with a rich and creamy brown head. The carbonation is about perfect and the head sticks to the sides of the glass like a sticky candy.

The brew has a rich bouquet of hops that you need to inhale in softly or else you miss it. The citrusy aroma of the hops are mixed with a small pinch of pine or evergreen, give a feeling that you will be drinking a young green citrus.

The beer has a bold tart and bitter flavor. The tangy and bitter send the taste buds into over drive. The citrus hits the sides of the tongue and as you swallow the bitters take over leaving a strong bitter flavor well after the drink is done. This is not an IPA for those who do not like a strong hop flavor.

The beer is smooth and the carbonation provides a little tickle as it process down the gullet.

Overall this is not a beer for the light beer drinker. It has rich and daring flavors that might be overpowering to even to those that enjoy a good IPA. It has fantastic aromas, rich flavors and rich short history.

The best treat is that I have the I got 6oz more then a pint, so I get to go for round two when I am done writing this!

rating onrating onrating onrating onrating half I give this brew a 4.5 out of 5 stars.
Wanting to trying some different beers, I thought reviewing beer would be a great experience to share with friends and family. I scoured the internet for some "best practice" for reviewing a beer and even looked at some reviews of beers I have tried in the past. In time, I learned two important facts about beer review. 1: Most beer reviews have the same 4-5 categories: Appearance, Smell, Taste, Feel/Texture, and Overall experience. 2: There are a lot of haughty beer reviewers online. All reviews are genuine and every effort is made to have a cool beer, a clean glass and cleansed palate.

Hinterland Maple Bock

Hinterland Maple Bock

Hinterland Maple Bock

From Einbeck, Germany to Green Bay, WI, USA the Bock beer tradition continues. Grabbed a few pints from the local liquor store and one of them was a Hinerland Maple Bock brewed by Green Bay Brewing Co. Green Bay, WI.

This particular bock states that it is brewed with Maple Syrup. It is not clear if the syrup is from Wisconsin, but one can only hope it is. After separating the cap from the bottle, the beer is poured into the frosty mug. The bock is a cloudy dark chocolate with a thin tan head.

The bock has a distinct maple syrup smell with wisps of floral and alcohol. The fragrances are fantastic for such a dark beer.

The beer has a creamy texture that is thick and smooth. After sipping the bock a few times it was easy to sense the sweet maple syrup. There is a light citrus tingle from the hops, but it almost goes unnoticed. The beer has a sweetness to it, but it is subtle enough to be enjoyable. It is hard to distinguish the other flavors. There is a tangy after taste, but it is not really bitter.

Overall this was a good bock that isn’t unique in flavor, but has flavors that all combined make a unique beer.

rating onrating onrating onrating offrating off I give this brew a 3 out of 5 stars.
Wanting to trying some different beers, I thought reviewing beer would be a great experience to share with friends and family. I scoured the internet for some "best practice" for reviewing a beer and even looked at some reviews of beers I have tried in the past. In time, I learned two important facts about beer review. 1: Most beer reviews have the same 4-5 categories: Appearance, Smell, Taste, Feel/Texture, and Overall experience. 2: There are a lot of haughty beer reviewers online. All reviews are genuine and every effort is made to have a cool beer, a clean glass and cleansed palate.

Newton’s Folly Authentic Draft Cider

Newton's Folly Authentic Draft Cider

Newton's Folly Authentic Draft Cider

One of two draft ciders that I picked up from Trader Joe’s, Newton’s Folly is brewed by Vermont Hard Cider Company in Middlebury, VT.

The label is generic and there is no description of the draft on the label.

Grabbing a frozen mug and bottle of cider, it was quickly poured and provided a clear bubbly foreground to the frosty mug. The cider was golden red and effervescent while I took the time to snap a photo.

The cider smelled like… cider. To describe it would be to describe an apple wine. Nothing special about the aroma with this brew other then it was pleasant.

Few ciders have passed these lips in 40 years. The draft was sweet with a little tart and had it been dry it would have reminded me very much of a wine I made a few years back.

Overall there was nothing memorable about this cider and it was nothing more then pleasant.

rating onrating onrating halfrating offrating off I give this brew a 2.5 out of 5 stars.
Wanting to trying some different beers, I thought reviewing beer would be a great experience to share with friends and family. I scoured the internet for some "best practice" for reviewing a beer and even looked at some reviews of beers I have tried in the past. In time, I learned two important facts about beer review. 1: Most beer reviews have the same 4-5 categories: Appearance, Smell, Taste, Feel/Texture, and Overall experience. 2: There are a lot of haughty beer reviewers online. All reviews are genuine and every effort is made to have a cool beer, a clean glass and cleansed palate.

Jumping Cow Amber Ale

Jumping Cow Amber Ale, Steinhaus Brewing Co

Jumping Cow Amber Ale, Steinhaus Brewing Co

Beer four from Trader Joe’s comes to us in the form of Jumping Cow Amber Ale from Steinhaus Brewing Co. which is again a front for the actual brewery Firestone Walker Brewing of Paso Robles, CA.

The labels description for this ale is boring, stating simply that the ale is

Brewed from the finest malted barley, hops, yeast and water.

If only the description was as exciting as the label.

The ale pours nice and clear with a dark reddish hue and a thick creamy tan head. This beer has some carbonation and the head sticks around long after pouring.

The aromas are hard to gather, especially since the wife finds the need to make toast moments after the bottle top was removed. It may not sound as good as it smells, but it has the aroma of a musty barley. It is a faint sweetish smell that seems to disappear soon after initial contact with the nasal cavity.

The first few sips are hard to describe. The ale is smooth and not much kick given the dark color and good carbonation. It takes several draws from the glass to finally decide that this brew has three distinct stages when you drink it. Upon meeting the taste buds, the beer has a full flavor that can be describe as a lightly roasted barley. Then as you swallow, the beer seems creamy and sweetens. Finally you are left with a slight tingle from the hops with just a hint of bitterness that only seems to last a moment or two.

Overall the beer has a lot of positive features and a unique flavor. You couple that with the great head that sticks to the glass and you might be tempted to lick the head off the inside of the glass.

rating onrating onrating onrating halfrating off I give this brew a 3.5 out of 5 stars.
Wanting to trying some different beers, I thought reviewing beer would be a great experience to share with friends and family. I scoured the internet for some "best practice" for reviewing a beer and even looked at some reviews of beers I have tried in the past. In time, I learned two important facts about beer review. 1: Most beer reviews have the same 4-5 categories: Appearance, Smell, Taste, Feel/Texture, and Overall experience. 2: There are a lot of haughty beer reviewers online. All reviews are genuine and every effort is made to have a cool beer, a clean glass and cleansed palate.

Two Hearted Ale

Two Hearted Ale, Bell's Brewery

Two Hearted Ale, Bell's Brewery

The third beer to come from Trader Joe’s, Two Hearted Ale is brewed and bottled by Bell’s Brewery Inc Comstock, MI. The description of this ale on the label says it is

An India Pale Ale style well suited for adventourus trips to the Upper Peninsula. American malts and enormous hop additions give this beer a crisp finish and an icredibly floral hop aroma.

This beer pours out well, with a nice bubbly head. The ale is clear and golden and the head is light with large frothy bubbles. The head is not as thick as most craft beers, but compared to other Trader Joe beers sampled the carbonation seems about right.

A light sniff picks up the distinct aromas of the hops. The ale smells like citrus with a bit of tea leaf. It is apparent from the first sip that this IPA is going to be nice and hoppy.

The first sips and the beer unloads its flavors of citrus and bitter hops. A big fan of IPA’s this ale does not disappoint. The flavors tingle on the tongue and gullet. The bitterness lingers well after the drink is gone, but is a light bitter that is a welcome flavor.

Overall this is probably the best beer of the three reviewed so far. This could be a result of a bias towards IPA’s but it is a great tasting brew that delivers exactly what the label promises plus a bit more.

rating onrating onrating onrating onrating off I give this brew a 4 out of 5 stars.
Wanting to trying some different beers, I thought reviewing beer would be a great experience to share with friends and family. I scoured the internet for some "best practice" for reviewing a beer and even looked at some reviews of beers I have tried in the past. In time, I learned two important facts about beer review. 1: Most beer reviews have the same 4-5 categories: Appearance, Smell, Taste, Feel/Texture, and Overall experience. 2: There are a lot of haughty beer reviewers online. All reviews are genuine and every effort is made to have a cool beer, a clean glass and cleansed palate.

Stockyard Oatmeal Stout

glass of Stockyard Oatmeal Stout

glass of Stockyard Oatmeal Stout

Another JosephsBrau Brewing Company A.K.A. Gordon Biersch Brewery, San Diego, CA brew.

The stout is described on the label as

A deliciously creamy stout in the Irish tradition- with its rich, tan head intact, this deep and dark-colored beer has the aroma and flavors of chocolate, roasted oats and coffee- allderived from the specialty malts used in the brewing process

The stout pours coffee black with slight carbonation and scanty a tan head. The brew has a weak aroma, but what little scent that comes through is good. It is a light fragrance of dark roast with quasi chocolate and coffee tones. This beer has far less scent then what it visually looks like it should possess.

Upon drawing a little from the glass, I tried swishing it through my mouth. It was delicious! The brew was heavy, sweet, carmel and foamy. After a few more draws, I found it went down smooth like a cream and left a part candied chocolate and dark roast coffee flavor that was sweet and bitter at the same time.

I enjoyed this beer, but was unable to taste the roasted oatmeal. It was a nice mix of creamy chocolate and dark roast.

rating onrating onrating onrating onrating off I give this brew a 4 out of 5 stars.
Wanting to trying some different beers, I thought reviewing beer would be a great experience to share with friends and family. I scoured the internet for some "best practice" for reviewing a beer and even looked at some reviews of beers I have tried in the past. In time, I learned two important facts about beer review. 1: Most beer reviews have the same 4-5 categories: Appearance, Smell, Taste, Feel/Texture, and Overall experience. 2: There are a lot of haughty beer reviewers online. All reviews are genuine and every effort is made to have a cool beer, a clean glass and cleansed palate.

Distinctive Dark Ale Black Toad

I picked up several different bottles of beer at Trader Joe’s the other day and decided to start my beer review with a dark ale. I reached into the fridge and grabbed the 12 ounce Distinctive Dark Ale Black Toad.

distinctive dark ale Black Toad

bottle of dark ale Black Toad beer

A little research found that the brewer labeled on the bottle (Josephs Brau Brewing Company) is a bit of a misnomer. The beer is actually brewed under contract for Trader Joes by Gordon Biersch Brewery in San Diego, CA.

After letting the beer settle for a while on the table I popped the cap off and the retrieved a frosty glass from the freezer. The beer may have been a little bit to old as I could not detect much aroma from the bottle. I poured the beer into the frosty mug and noticed right away it had a deep roasted color with very little head.

I let the beer settle for a bit longer and tried to get a sense of the colors and of what aroma’s it had. The ale is described on the label as having a deep chestnut color and nutty flavor.

The ale was indeed had a deep roasted color with little carbonation.

distinctive dark ale Black Toad

glass of distinctive dark ale Black Toad beer

After trying to get a sense of the aroma several times, I decided to go with a description of sweet. Being such a dark brew with a description of “deep” I expected some strong aroma, but was presented with a faint sweet smell similar to a light maple syrup.

The taste of the beer was pleasant. The ale had sweet flavors of roasted nuts and no lingering after taste. The beer was smooth and slightly flat with a very good mild taste.

Overall I enjoyed the beer. Being it was a dark ale, I expected some very bold aroma and flavors to go with the bold color, but in the end the brew was sweet and mild.

rating onrating onrating onrating halfrating off I give this brew a 3.5 out of 5 stars.
Wanting to trying some different beers, I thought reviewing beer would be a great experience to share with friends and family. I scoured the internet for some "best practice" for reviewing a beer and even looked at some reviews of beers I have tried in the past. In time, I learned two important facts about beer review. 1: Most beer reviews have the same 4-5 categories: Appearance, Smell, Taste, Feel/Texture, and Overall experience. 2: There are a lot of haughty beer reviewers online. All reviews are genuine and every effort is made to have a cool beer, a clean glass and cleansed palate.
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