Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Delirium Noel - Pink Elephants Anyone?




Delirium Noel comes from the great Huyghe Brewery. I am a big fan of their Delirium Tremens beer. So how does their Christmas beer compare? Delirium Noel comes in at a whopping 10% ABV. The head for this beer is small. The beer pours a dark brown color. The aroma is of malt and dark fruit. Taste wise I can pick out the slightly roasted malt flavor, along with dark fruits. The carbonation level is medium. Altogether it is a nice tasting beer, but coming from a great brewery it is a bit of a disappointment. I would expect better from this brewery. Each drink I took I thought to myself, "This could be better". Not that it is a bad beer at all. If you enjoy lightly roasted, high alcohol, Belgian style ale, then this beer is a good choice. I would share it with a friend. I would also buy it occasionally. I grade this beer a B.




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Sunday, January 17, 2010

Sierra Nevada - Kellerweis Hefeweizen




Let me start by stating I am NOT a big fan of Sierra Nevada. I HAVE tried several times to appreciate the beers made by this brewery. Even my wife, who knows very little about beer, asked why I was trying Kellerweis Hefeweizen. It's simple, you have to sample the beer if you are going to write about it. I tried my best to grade it no matter who the brewed this beer. Let me share my notes about this beer. The odor is that of malt with citrus. Okay, not a bad start. The color is a hazy brown and pours with a small head. The mouthfeel is light. And now the problems begin. I do not detect alot of flavors in this beer. I picked out the malt and the citrus, but thats about it. And even these flavors do not stand out. Kellerweis Hefeweizen came across as a very average beer. Hey Sierra Nevada, do something with this beer. Go somewhere with the flavor. Give me a reason to buy this beer. Make an effort. Maybe I had an off bottle, but if this is it, I wouldn't recommend it. This beer is not bad, it just doesn't stand out in the slightest. I grade this beer a C.




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Blanche De Chambly - Oh Unibroue


Wow. I didn't realize this was a Unibroue beer until after the fact. I am a big fan of Unibroue. First off, the aroma is of sweet malt, with spices. The head is small. The mouthfeel is light. Blanche De Chambly has a malt taste, slightly bitter, with your typical witbier flavors. Blanche De Chambly is well balanced. I can't really fault this beer in many categories, although since its made by Unibroue, I wish it were a slight bit better. Since this brewery makes great beers, you would expect all Unibroue beers to be excellent. Blanche De Chambly is not a great beer, but it is good. I would buy a 4 pack. And I would share it with others. All said, Blanche De Chambly is a nice beer. Try one for yourself. I grade this beer a B.
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Thursday, January 14, 2010

Wells Banana Bread Beer


Tried this beer out on a lark. When I purchased this beer, there was no price on the shelf. At the counter the clerk couldn't find it in the computer, so it was FREE! Score. There is not alot of information about this beer on the brewery website http://www.wellsandyoungs.co.uk/. To start, this beer really does smell of banana bread. Good start. There is not alot of head on this beer. The color is golden. The nice thing about this beer is that it does not have that extract banana bread flavoring taste. The flavor is exactly what the label says "banana bread". I give the brewery points for that. There is a taste of clove in it as well. The mouthfeel though is medium. With this flavor, I would imagine that the mouthfeel would have been better if it were lighter. Also, if it were a creamier it would have been better. There is also an after taste that is a bit odd and out of place. The idea for this beer is a good one, I just wished it was brewed better. It is not a bad beer, but not a great one either. I would buy this beer as a single just to try it out, but wouldn't buy a four pack. I grade this beer a C+.