Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Victory Whirlwind Witbier - This beer is a winner



This is an interesting beer. Although the name of the beer is not exotic, you really should give this beer a try. Brewed by Victory Brewing Company ( http://www.victorybeer.com/ ), this beer is very enjoyable. The website gives some information about the beer, including ingredients. The ABV for Whirlwind Witbier is 5.0%. The beer has a nice sweet fruit smell. When pouring this beer, you will notice the head quickly disappears. The color is light yellow. My first impression is that of a light, sweet fruit taste, with citrus and spice. The carbonation is light, making this a very smooth beer. This beer is not complex, but that does not take anything away from it. The flavors come together in a very good way. Other witbiers should take note, this is how a witbier should taste. Would I buy and drink a few of these? Oh yeah. Victory Whirlwind Witbier is good summertime beer. I grade this beer an A-.

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Delirium Tremons- Pink Elephants Rule!




Back to one of my favorite beers, Delirium Tremons. I discovered this beer at a beer appreciation class that was held over 1 year ago. I was wary of big beers, but I soon discovered what a great tasting beer this was. The Brouwerij Huyghe Brewery in Belgium produces this excellent beer. The brewery website, http://www.delirium.be/, gives interesting information about the brewery & beer (it is made from 3 different yeasts, who would have thought. It is also fun to play with the pink elephants, check out the website). On to the beer tasting!



To begin with, this beer has a slight sweet fruit smell with a stronger odor of citrus. The color is a golden color, with a nice white head. The carbonation is medium. This a light tasting beer. Although the ABV is 8.5%, the sweet flavor covers up most of the alcohol taste. Delirium Tremons is a beer that is smooth, and very easy to drink. You can easily sit down and drink a few bottles. If you have not tried Delirium Tremons, try one now, right now, I mean it. Go get yourself a bottle of this excellent beer and see for yourself. You too will be loving the pink elephants as well. You also score extra points if you notice the coaster under the beer.

Monday, October 26, 2009

Jockamo IPA by Abita - Having fun on the bayou








Checking the website, http://www.abita.com/, there is a fair amount of information about this beer. You find out how the beer was named, and it also suggests food and cheese that go well with the beer. As the label goes, it is an interesting one. This beer is 6.5% ABV. The beer does have a slight fruit smell along with hops. The color of the beer is copper. The small head when poured is near white. The carbonation is medium. Jockamo has a very slight roasted taste along with a small amount of alcohol taste. I do pick up the extra hops flavor brought about by dry hopping. Other than the hops, I am not tasting anything that makes this beer complex. It does have a smooth mouthfeel. Would I say this is a great beer? Probably not. Would I say it is a bad beer? No. Jockamo is a typical IPA. I wouldn't mind drinking one as a single. Would I buy a six pack? No. I grade this beer a C. Here's to ya!

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Tilburgs Dutch Brown Ale - Hello my Dutch friend


Tilburgs Dutch Brown Ale is a brown ale, brewed in the Netherlands. Talk about not judging a beer by its label, this label is very strange to say the least (The label character comes from artwork by the artist Bosch). You can find out more information about this beer at http://www.tdba.nl/.


This is a top fermenting beer. The ABV is 5.00%. When opened, this beer has a sweet, very slight roasted smell. The head is very light brown in color. The carbonation is low, making this beer easy to drink. It has a sweet taste of toffee / carmel with a very slight roasted taste. The after taste is unique, difficult to describe, but good. I wish I had found this beer while I was in Holland a few years ago. I would definitely recommend this beer and would buy it again. I grade this beer an A.

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Blue Moon Harvest Moon Pumpkin Ale - Tis the Season Part Two


Let me begin by saying that Blue Moon is not my favorite wit beer. I will drink it when I can't get anything better to drink in a bar or restaurant. At a party, a friend brought a six pack of Harvest Moon Pumpkin Ale. What the heck, I gave it a try. This beer has an ABV of 5.6%. It has a smell that reminds me of Blue Moon Wit Beer. It also has a slight dark fruit smell. There is not a pumpkin smell. The taste is that of a darker Blue Moon Wit Beer. It also has a medium harsh taste. The carbonation is medium. It has a somewhat bitter taste, along with a slight metallic taste. Sometimes I get a weird after taste, but not after every drink. I do not detect any pumpkin flavor at all. (Where is the pumpkin?) This is not a complex beer, and not one I would highly recommend. I grade this beer a C. Boo!

New Belgium 1554 Enlightened Black Ale - A Fine Beer



  • New Belgium is a great brewery, producing one of my favorites, Mothership Wit. For some reason I have avoided their 1554 beer for some time. How can a beer with the name "1554" be any good? I was judging the beer by the label. I tried this beer by accident while out with friends. Others ordered this beer and they gave me a sample. Wow! This is a good beer. To begin with, this beer has a nice tan head. There is not alot of smell from this beer. I even asked others, and they couldn't detect even a medium smell. This is a very dark looking beer, which might put some beer drinkers off. The taste is one of sweet light chocolate, with carmel / toffee thrown in for good measure. A very slight smoked flavor is also detectable. Carbonation in this beer is low, making it a smooth beverage. I am now kicking myself for not trying it sooner. I grade this beer A.

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Buffalo Bills Pumpkin Ale - Tis the Season


Buffalo Bills Brewery makes this pumpkin ale, brewed in Hayward, California. The brewery website (http://www.buffalobillsbrewery.com/) has a small amount of information about the beers made. The website states this beer can be described as "pumpkin pie in a bottle". Lets open the bottle and find out. When opened this beer has a slight sweet fruit smell. The beer pours an orange / rust color. There is a small head on this pumpkin ale. The ABV is 5.20%. Carbonation in this beer is low. The taste is that of an average ale, nothing to write home about. A smooth beer with little spice or complexity. Hey, where is the pumpkin pie in a bottle? According to the website the brewery uses nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves and baked and roasted pumpkin. Maybe they should bump up the amount of ingredients used, because I am not tasting much of these spices. I rate this beer as a C. Happy early Halloween.

Sunday, October 11, 2009

Maudite by Unibroue - A fantastic beer!


Let me first state that this is one of my most favorite beers. I discovered it by accident about one year ago. The brewery website (http://www.unibroue.com/) has a wealth of information about their brewing process. It will even give you suggestions for food pairings for each beer. Enough of the small talk, lets get to the beer.




The ABV for this beer is a big 8.00%. Do not let that scare you, there is only a hint of alcohol in the taste. The head pours a nice thick tan head. The subtle smell of clove and spices with a hint of fruit is only a precursor of the great taste to follow. The mouthfeel is smooth and light with medium carbonation. This beer has a wonderful toffee & carmel flavor, along with the spices and a slight sweet malt taste. Although Maudite is a complex beer, it is not overly complex; a perfect mix of the right ingredients for an exceptional beer.




Even though I enjoy this beer greatly, I am looking foreward to trying Unibroues Ephemere White Ale beer. I will be on the look out for it and hopefully reviewing it soon.




Cheers!

Sea Dog Apricot Wheat Beer - Better than other Apricot Beers



According to their website (http://www.seadogbrewery.com/), the Sea Dog Brewery opened in 1993 in Camden, Maine. There is some general information about the brewery on the website, but only a sentence or two about the beer itself. The beer is 4.6 % ABV (alcohol by volume). The first thing you will notice is the HUGE apricot smell when the bottle is opened. The head is small and white. Alot of fruit beers have a medium fruit smell, but when it comes to taste I have found the flavor of the fruit is so subtle, you hardly taste it. Rest assured you can taste the apricot in this beer. And its not the cheap syrup extract flavoring either. In their favor, Sea Dog's fruit flavor is better than most other fruit beers I have tried. The mouthfeel (the sensation created by food or drink in the mouth) is very light. The carbonation is medium and it has a light, sweet, dry finish to it. I wish there was more to say about this beer, but its a pretty simple fruit beer. Nothing complex to it at all. If you like wheat beer with fruit, you will probably grade this beer as a B-. I give this beer a grade of C+. Its better than other fruit beers in the same category, but not great. If you like fruit beers, try one. Would I buy a six pack? No.

The Beer Messenger has arrived!

Welcome to the wonderful world of beer! I have spent years searching for great beers, traveling the United States and Europe. Working for a large U.S. beer distributor and later as a bartender, I have stocked beer on shelves in markets, served beer to thirsty customers, and searched eastern European bars for that perfect cold beverage we call beer. I have also made my own beer at home for the last two years, chasing the perfect beer. There have been good, bad and ugly beers over the years. Have you ever spent money on a six pack that turned out awful tasting? I hope to remedy that situation. Hopefully these beer reviews will spare you from spending your good money on the bad beers and inspire you to try new and good ones. So try a new beer, you may be surprised and make it your favorite brew.

Cheers!