Brew Review

Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale 2010

2010-12-01T12:49:00.000-08:00

Is it weird that lagers are best in warm weather (they're cold brewed) and ales are best in cold weather (and they're warm brewed)?

Maybe a little weird?

OK, not really weird at all. But, funny.

It is funny.

Weird, funny, or otherwise, the winter seasonals are among us -it's time to start drinking! (And reviewing!)

To start, I thought I'd get the Brew Review Georgia holiday season rolling with a tried and true classic: Sierra Nevada's Celebration Ale.

First, I've got to say that this beer should be brewed year-round. It's basically a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale with a ramped up profile and a less aggressive hops flavor. There are no spices and no flavoring agents. The piny hops taste is huge and round and as the flavor dissipates it turns into a dry, roasted malty tingle (If that sounds strange, I swear it isn't. Just big and bold, without being aggressive or over-the-top). The alcohol percentage is a high 6.8%, but you'd never know it from the taste.

It pours a beautiful amber color with a lot of frothy head. It's also dry hopped, so the smell is intense.

All this talk of gigantic flavors and smells could lead one to think that Celebration Ale isn't drinkable, but that's definitely not the case. In fact, it's extremely drinkable: the six pack I bought was gone before I realized it. Whoops! I guess I'll just have to buy more!

Sierra Nevada's Celebration Ale is truly a one-off worthy beer that's also sessionable. I give it a 5/5. So, go celebrate! And drink up!

(And come back next week to see more seasonal reviews!)

Blonde or Brown?

2010-11-16T12:03:00.000-08:00

Do you like blondes or brunettes?

Me? I consider myself a brunette kinda guy, but my two favorite ladies, my girlfriend Erin and Scarlett Johansson, are both blonde. So I guess that makes me a blonde kinda guy.

But really, hair is hair. Who cares? Not me. One thing I do care about, though, is blonde and brown ale. Not hair, ALE. These two different styles of beer are very different, with lots of adherents on either side.

Personally, I like them both, but I like brown ales a good bit more. I like the warm, rich, malty taste of a brown ale as opposed the smooth, clean, simple taste of a blonde.

Either way, I've picked out two examples of both to review for your drinking pleasure. You can thank me later.

First up: Atlanta Brewing Company's Red Brick Blonde Ale.

ABC's Blonde Ale won a gold medal at the Great American Beer Festival back in 2007 in the Golden/Blonde Ale category. Pretty cool, huh? The AJC wrote a story about it, here, if you're interested.

The gold medal tells you that this beer is a perfect example of what a blonde ale should be. Only thing is, blonde ales are pretty simple. Here are the GABF's guidelines for a blonde/golden ale:

"Golden or blonde ales are straw to golden blonde in color. They have a crisp, dry palate, light to medium body and light malt sweetness. Low to medium hop floral aroma may be present but does not dominate. Bitterness is low to medium."

Sounds good, sure, but not good good. Not make you want to go out and buy a 6-pack good. Actually, to me, that sounds like the description of most big-box domestics from Bud, Miller, and Coors.

ABC's Blonde Ale isn't from Bud, Miller, or Coors, though, so you've got to give it points for that. As far as taste goes, it's exactly what the GABF says it should be. Nothing more, nothing less (though I did get a slight plastic taste in the aftertaste).

In my notes, I wrote "totally inoffensive" and "good beer for a non-drinker who wants to support craft beer".

So there.

I'm giving Atlanta Brewing Company's Red Brick Blonde Ale a 3/5. It's simple, but it's perfect for a session beer or for drinking with a burger or a pizza.

Next up, let's try Sierra Nevada's Tumbler Autumn Brown Ale.

Sierra Nevada makes the world's best Pale Ale, pretty much everybody agrees.

Their Brown Ale isn't as good.

When I think brown ale, I think of Newcastle. Smooth, sweet, light, but still robust, all of those great things that Newcastle is. Tumbler isn't NOT those things. It's just at once too much and not enough.

The too much part refers to a smokey, roasted malt flavor that appears out of nowhere at the end of a drink. To me, it tastes funny. And it doesn't fit.

The not enough part refers to the blandness of the standard brown ale flavors. The leafy, earthy flavors are present, but they're peripheral and not pronounced. That's why it's so strange that the big smokey, coal-fired flavor pops up so aggressively at the end. Other flavors are present, such as roasted malt, and chocolate, but they don't fill out the beer.

It's not a graceful beer. And that's exactly what a brown ale should be: graceful. And delicious. Graceful and delicious.

Normally, I'd prefer a brown ale to a blonde any day. But this time, I'll take the blonde. I'm noticing a pattern...

Anyway, it's a 2/5 for Sierra Nevada's Tumbler Autumn Brown Ale.

Fall time = pumpkin beer time!

2010-11-10T13:08:00.001-08:00

I love fall.

Always have.

My love probably started back when I was a kid: jumping in piles of leaves, trick-or-treating, and gearing up for the holidays is all pretty great stuff that happens exclusively between September and November.

I still love fall, too, even though I don't jump into too many piles of leaves or trick-or-treat anymore.

My love lives on now because of my fondness for... you guessed it! Pumpkin beer!

Tons of different breweries make pumpkin beers and, honestly, I've never had a bad one. A few have stood out to me, though.

This year, the best pumpkin beer I've had was Terrapin's Pumpkin Ale. Apparently most of the Southeast agreed with me: I wrote John Cochran, Founder and President of Terrapin, to find 6-packs in the Chattanooga area and he said they were sold out already!

TOTALLY sold out! Not just in GA/TN!

He comforted me though: they'll brew more next year!

Terrapin's version of the pumpkin ale was my favorite because it was so balanced. It was good beer first and good pumpkin beer second. The pumpkin flavor was infused 100% with the other standard ale flavors, something some flavored beers miss (I'm looking at you Sweetwater Blue!).

But, since I literally am not physically able to get any bottles to review, I'll write about some other solid examples of pumpkin-flavored brews: Brooklyn Brewery's Post Road Pumpkin Ale and Dogfish Head's Punkin Ale.

First off, let's look at Brooklyn's Post Road:

This is a fall-time classic. Pretty much any store that's not a gas station or a Wal-mart stocks Post Road from September-November.

As they should.

Post Road Pumpkin Ale tastes great, smells great, and drinks easy. All at once it's a great craft beer and a great session beer.

It starts out bright, fresh, and super crisp. It's floral, biscuity, and spicy right on the front of the tongue and it finishes just as strongly (but not TOO strongly). Cloves and pumpkin are the most obvious flavors, but cinnamon is there, too, backing up the others. The smell of the spices really ratchets up the taste, too, as does the dry, clean mouth feel.

As far as comparisons go, I found it similar to a Sam Adams Boston Ale. Minus the pumpkin part, of course. In my notes, I also wrote that it brings to mind a lighter IPA type taste. That's probably a comment on the floral characteristics more than the overall taste, though.

All things considered, this is a classic, standard-bearer pumpkin ale. I give Post Road Pumpkin Ale a 5/5.

OK, next let's tackle (pun originally unintended) Dogfish Head's Punkin Ale!

I love Dogfish Head. Founder Sam Calagione makes awesome beers. He's even got his own beer show on the Discovery Channel! (It's called Brew Masters and it's on Sunday nights at 10:00.)

They make a great spring seasonal (Aprihop) and a interesting (if not tasty) throwback beer (throw WAY back... like 3,000 years back!) called Midas Touch (it's brewed from a 2,700 year old recipe found in King Midas' tomb). Their Pale Ales are genre-definers, too.

Anyway, Dogfish Head's version of the pumpkin ale is bigger and heartier than Brooklyn's Post Road. It packs a 7% ABV percentage and has a much more robust, malty flavor. I get a grittier, earthy taste, too, with a rounder, less direct taste profile.

If you tend to like Brown Ales and maltier beers, then you'll probably love this one. Me, I like brown ales a lot, so naturally, I liked this beer a lot.

It doesn't quite measure up to the Post Road in a few areas, though: it isn't as pumpkiny (is that a word? Spellcheck doesn't think so. Alas.) as the Post Road, which detracts points. The aftertaste is also a little lackluster -it kind of sags, without hanging around for very long. These are minor gripes, though.

Ultimately, Dogfish Head's Punkin Ale is a delicious take on the pumpkin ale. It does fall short of Brooklyn's Post Road Pumpkin Ale, but that's not to say it isn't great. It's just different. I give it a 4/5.

Yuengling's Lord Chesterfield Ale

2010-10-14T12:24:00.000-07:00

Back in August, at the 16th Annual Southern Brewer's Festival in Chattanooga, TN, I battled the heat, the crowd, and the excessive pretzel necklaces in order to try some of the country's best beers. Normally, I try a few too many and end up forgetting all the different beers I tried. This time, though, in the interest of beer journalism (and the desire to avoid heat stroke), I kept it to a more reasonable four.

One of those beers came from a familiar name: Yuengling. But the beer, Lord Chesterfield Ale, was less familiar. In fact, I'd never heard of it (turns out they have Lord Chesterfield Societies up north... no kidding.)

Anyway, the beer was great. It was my favorite of the festival. I hadn't really thought much more about it until I came across a six-pack in a convienence store today. Surprised, I ponied up the $7.00 and bought some. Again, in the interest of beer journalism -I've got to keep you guys informed!

Right!?

Right.

Ok, first, the luster that Lord Chesterfield had at the festival has faded. The draft beer at the festival had a bold, round flavor, whereas this bottle was flatter and more one-diminsional.

Out of the bottle, it smells Dutch (think Grolsch or Heineken). Where those beers are bold and bright, Lord Chesterfield leaves a flat initial taste with a mild, dry carbonated sourness through the middle. It finishes clean and dry with some notes of bitter grain.

Let's personify the taste: Lord Chesterfield (he was a real guy -a British diplomat back in the 18th century, apparently) takes a carriage ride to the Netherlands to introduce a new plan to defeat the French or the Spanish or whomever. While there, he drinks a Grolsch, thinks 'I'd like a Pale Ale from back home', and takes an Alka-Seltzer (he had a headache?).

They didn't make Alka-Seltzer back then?

Well, IF THEY DID, then that's what Lord Chesterfield Ale would taste like.

I don't want to sound too negative though, I do think it would make a great session-drinker. It's light, crisp flavor keeps you coming back for more and doesn't bludgeon your taste buds with complexity. All things considered, I enjoyed my bottle of Lord Chesterfield Ale, but it was nothing special and it certainly didn't live up to the keg from the festival.

I give Yuengling's bottled Lord Chesterfield Ale a 2.5 out of 5 and the draft version a 4/5.

Brew News: Terrapin Hop Shortage Ale

2008-04-07T00:50:00.000-07:00

Hey pub-crawlers, great news. Terrapin's first Side Project beer, Hop Shortage Ale, is on the shelves of a few select package stores. The Hop Shortage Ale is a kind of middle finger to the worldwide hop shortage, with a healthy heaping of hops in every bottle.

Spike (Terrapin's brewmaster) only brewed one batch (I saw it in the fermenter when I took the tour, too! I watched my beer ferment...neat, huh?). This beer is also the first bottled Terrapin to come out of the new brewery in Athens. And actually, unless I'm mistaken, it's the first beer to be sold publicly, bottled or otherwise, ever brewed in Athens by Terrapin.

I bought two for myself (they're $7.00 for a 1 pint, 6 ounce bottle) and loved every single drop. It's a lot like the Rye Pale Ale, with a little more hop taste through the beer.

Sherlock's in Kennesaw had it as of April 4th and Total Wine in Kennesaw didn't on April 4th.

Brew Review: Great Divide St. Bridget's Porter

2008-03-31T12:59:00.000-07:00

Hey gang, how's things?

I'm doing great, thanks in part to the wonderful beer I'm reviewing today: Great Divide Brewery's St. Bridget's Porter. Porters aren't exactly popular beers...a lot of brewers don't brew them (for some reason), but I thank Great Divide for brewing this one. Porters have a bad reputation among some beer drinkers, I think, in part because they tend to be pretty heavy in the flavor and alcohol department. That's a valid gripe, but not for St. Bridget's.

Sure, it's thick and it's heavy, but in the best possible way. This beer is like a Cacao Reserve chocolate bar...silky, smooth, thick, slightly bitter...just plain good, really. The pour produces an abundance of frothy head that contrasts beautifully with the dark black of the beer. It smells like metallic chocolate and carbonation. The taste is also fairly carbonated (to help get you over the slight bitterness, I'm guessing) with a deep, rich, super-dry chocolate taste. Notes of coffee and fruit (which one, I'm not sure) round it out. If ever a good cold weather beer was brewed, this is it. It's warm and rich and the taste hangs around for a good hour after you're done.

I'm giving Great Divide's St. Bridget's Porter a 5/5. It's a great beer in a genre of brewing that is sometimes underappreciated.

Great Divide is another Colorado Brewery that surprised me, though I've always been intrigued by them. They brew a beer called Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout that I've been eying for years now. If St. Bridget's Porter is any indication, their other brews are worth checking out.

Brew Review: Left Hand Sawtooth Ale

2008-03-25T01:41:00.000-07:00

Alright guys, sorry about that last beer. My first negative review...it hurts, but it's true. Anyway, I'm moving on with my life. If it doesn't kill you it only makes you stronger, right?

All kidding aside, though, this week I'm reviewing Left Hand Brewing Company's Sawtooth Ale. This is Left Hand's flagship beer, but even so, it's my first time trying one (I love their Milk Stout, for the record).

Left Hand is based out of Longmont, Colorado (I'm usually a little guarded toward Colorado brewers. I'm not sure why, but I think I perceive them as perceiving themselves to be more "cool" or "hip" than they should). I mean, yea, they're cool...they make beer for a living. But they seem to flaunt it with crazy labels, weird names, and undrinkable weirdness.

Regardless of my feelings towards Colorado based breweries, I love this beer. Sawtooth is a good old standard ale. Nothing crazy here, just malts and hops, and balanced quite well, I'd add. It pours a hazy light copper color with a good amount of head. It smells like it has more punch than it actually does...kind of like an IPA. The taste, though, is classic ale -perfectly balanced with a slight lean toward the malty side, a nice wet mouthfeel, and awesome drinkability. Left Hand's website claims Sawtooth is a great session beer (meaning it's good for drinking more than a few of). I totally agree. I'd put this up there with Bass as far as smooth, crisp, all around balanced beer goes. I actually finished it a lot quicker than I had planned, if that means anything (I think it testifies to its greatness).

I'm giving Left Hand Brewing's Sawtooth Ale a 4.5/5. This is a great, balanced beer and is a perfect representation of what a good ale should be. It's not a 5/5 simply because I reserve 5/5's for more daring beers.

If you like the Sawtooth Ale you'll probably dig Bass, Terrapin's Rye Pale Ale, and or Atlanta Brewing Company's Red Brick Ale.

And again, be sure to check out Left Hand's website. It's really cool and has some of the neatest graphics I've ever seen.

Brew Review: Flying Dog Special Release: Wild Dog Weizenbock Ale

2008-03-23T21:26:00.000-07:00

What's going on guys? This week I had planned on reviewing a Flying Dog Special Release: Weizenbock Ale. After I popped the cork (yep, it had a cork) I smelled it...and, to be honest, the smell scared me. Kind of a weak wine smell, a little grapy. But, I pushed on, undaunted. After pouring the beer I smelled it again. Still funky. I took a drink, passed it around to my roommates, and settled on my opinion. It sucked. Maybe I just don't get this style or maybe I got a bad bottle, but either way, it wasn't good. It was flat, wine-like but without any of the redeeming qualities of wine, and kind of tasted like alka-seltzered plum juice. I couldn't finish the bottle (it was a 750 ml bottle).

Needless to say, I give the Flying Dog Special Release: Wild Dog Weizenbock Ale a 1/1.

I'll try another tomorrow. I'm thinking of a good old standard Ale. See ya'll next time.

Brew News: Repealing the Sunday Alcohol Sales Prohibition

2008-03-10T10:36:00.000-07:00

What's going on gentle readers? I've got some interesting Brew news today...

If you're like me and don't understand the "Blue" law, the weird law that makes Sunday alcohol sales illegal in Georgia, then you should go sign this petition to have it repealed. The law is about to be brought to a vote and if enough people voice their opposition, it may be overturned. Wouldn't that be something? Instead of stocking up on Saturday, running out early Sunday morning anyway, and hating your drunkard friends (and your drunkard self) for drinking the reserve supply, you can actually go to the store to buy more ON THE DAY YOU WANT IT! Novel idea, I know.

Here's an article about it in the AJC: http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/stories/2008/02/18/booze_0219.html?cxntnid=biz021908e

And here's the petition again: http://www.petitiononline.com/GASB138/petition.html

Tell all your friends! Let's end Prohibition again!

Brew Talk: Classics

2008-03-09T21:50:00.000-07:00

Hey guys, this week I want to talk about a few of my favorite beers. Even though I rarely drink them nowadays, a handful of beers still hold a special place in my beer-lover's heart.

Bass Pale Ale: Bass Pale Ale is a great beer. Period. Nothing fancy, nothing crazy, just classic high-quality beer. It doesn't even taste like a Pale Ale, really...more of a Brown Ale. But whether I want a drink or two at the bar or I'm in it for the long haul with a 12-pack, Bass is still my #1 pick. Manet painted it, Napoleon loved it, it was on the Titanic when it went down, and their red triangle logo was the first registered trademark in England...it's a classic.

Sam Adams Boston Ale: Boston Ale has always tasted similar to Bass for me. It's malty, smooth, and round. Sam Adams makes many, many fine brews, but this is easily my favorite. It's $1.00 cheaper than the other Sam beers too (I can't figure out why). If it was a buck more I'd still love it. When I interviewed the founders of Terrapin they said Jim Koch, the founder and president of the Boston Brewing Company (Sam Adams), is a big inspiration to smaller brewers everywhere. He sure knows how to brew a classic beer, as the Boston Ale proves.

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale: Sierra Nevada is generally regarded as one of the finest American breweries (along with Sam Adams and a few other, smaller companies). And it's with good reason. Their Pale Ale is crisp, heady, and super flavorful -after 12 bottles it still has kick. The Cascade Hops in the beer give it, and lots of imitators, its distinct bite, creating a true classic and almost single handily birthing the micro brew industry.

Newcastle Brown Ale: Last but definitely not least is another British standard, Newcastle. Newcastle has a special spot among what I consider good beer: whether you love beer, like it, tolerate it, or hate it, chances are Newcastle is going to be in your top 5 (maybe top 10 if you're more experienced). It's light, smooth, and somehow still really tasty. Flat out, this is a classic beer.

Brew Review: North Coast Brewery's Acme California India Pale Ale

2008-02-25T23:08:00.000-08:00

Welcome back guys! This week I'm reviewing North Coast Brewery's Acme California IPA.

Before I picked up this bottle, I'd never heard of Acme. I had heard of North Coast, though, as they brew Red Seal Ale, a great, great beer. Apparently Acme was an old San Francisco/Olympia, Washington brewery that started back in 1869. North Coast resurrected the brand and they now make a Pale Ale and an India Pale Ale under the Acme name.

But enough about that. Let's get to the beer. Let me start by saying IPA's are in general my favorite beers. It's hard to make a bad IPA in my opinion. This, however, is not only not bad, it's incredible. Honestly, I think this may be the 3rd best single bottle of beer I've ever had (#1=Milwaukee's Best Light at the LaFayette Golf Course in LaFayette, Georgia. I was on the clock. And underage. And #2=Sierra Nevada Pale Ale at my kitchen table at Milstead Village in Kennesaw, Georgia. That was just a flat-out good beer. I think Boston's "Let Me Take You Home Tonight" was on the radio too, which was nice (If I ever own a bar, I'll play that every night 10 minutes before closing time).

As far as taste goes, there's really nothing new here. It's just a straight-up delicious IPA. It's super, super dry. The finish is really round and, again, dry and crisp. It's lip smacking good. There's not really much else to say other than I give it a 5/5. Try one as soon as possible. Total Wine in Kennesaw sells them in singles and six-packs (they have Red Seal Ale there, too, if you want to check that out as well...I suggest it).

I found a lot of great Acme art too. Check out the link to see old Acme logos, ads, and steins. It's really neat stuff.

Brew News: Terrapin Brewery Open for Tours

2008-02-12T18:46:00.001-08:00

Got some brew news guys,

Terrapin opened up their brand new brewery yesterday in Athens. They're doing tours on Mondays and Thursdays from 5-7 plus the second Saturday of each month from 2-5. I went on the 2nd tour ever given yesterday, and I must say it was pretty cool. Getting to see where your favorite beer is made, who makes it, how it's brewed...it's neat. It makes the beer better too. They even had live music.

The facility is in Athens, Georgia at 256 Newton Bridge Rd. It's a fairly easy drive (and a decent ways from downtown) and well worth it. You can do the tour for free, but you only get a tiny medicine cup to sample their beers, or you can pay $7.00 for a free Terrapin glass and 6 tickets (each ticket gets six ounces of beer). They have Rye Pale Ale, Golden Ale, India Brown Ale, All-American Imperial Pilsner, and the just-out-of-the-brewery Rye Squared on draft.

Also, I was able to talk to the Marketing Director, Dustin Watts, and he said the India Brown Ale will start being bottled in the next few months (trust me, if you haven't had it...it's great). He told me that a new line called Side Project will be starting soon too, where single 50 barrel batchs of a special one time only brew will be made. The first one is called, ironically, Hop Shortage (there's a huge world-wide hop shortage). Be on the lookout.

Cheers!

Brew Review: Flying Dog Double Dog Double Pale Ale

2008-02-11T09:51:00.000-08:00

Alright guys, this week I'm reviewing Flying Dog Brewery's Double Dog Double Pale Ale (that's a mouth full). This monster of a beer has double the ingredients of a normal pale ale and double the alcohol content (10.5% ABV). With that said though, this is a really smooth beer. It's by no means a session beer, however...one made me a little light-headed.

In the interest of full disclosure, I'm not normally a big fan of Flying Dog fan. Whether its Roger Steadman's (the guy who did the art for Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas) crazy gonzo art on the bottles or their too-big-to-keep-up-with beer line, they've never struck me as a serious brewery. This beer, though not great, has convinced me to give them a second look.

Double Dog is a thick, hazy beer. It's almost neon yellow. Even though the smell is a little thin, it has a nice fresh, citrusy aroma. Add that to the bottle art (rabid dogs running amok) and everything about this brew screams over-the-top. It really isn't though. While it it is very potent and definitely not for the faint of heart, it is a genuinely tasty beer.

At first it has a piney, citrusy taste -very abrupt and bright, maybe even tangy. That flavor stays with the beer all the way over the palate, but calms down a little toward the middle and back. The pine notes strengthen after each swallow too, making Double Dog enjoyable from beginning to end, if not leaving it slightly unbalanced. It is a double pale ale after all. Balance probably shouldn't be expected. The aftertaste was dry and bright and probably account for the strong pine aftertaste. The dryness did leave me hanging though, so this was an unintentionaly quick drink (I had to quinch my thirst, guys).

Terrapin makes a great double pale ale too, Rye Squared. It should be coming out in the spring. Sweetwater also has a good India Pale Ale (not quite double) and Atlanta Brewing makes a good regular pale ale called Peachtree Pale Ale. If you like Double Dog you'd like these too (and vice versa).

So with all that considered, I'm giving Flying Dog Double Dog Pale Ale a 3.5/5. This beer is a great example of a "super-beer," but it falls short in creating a complex taste. The taste notes are wonderful, but pretty straight-foward and without variety. Given the nature of the beer though, it may be hard to expect the subtle notes that other Pale Ales achieve. I'd only suggest this to folks who enjoy Pale Ales already or people who lean towards more hoppy beers.

Brew Review: Samuel Adams Double Bock

2008-02-05T11:26:00.000-08:00

Hey guys,

Today I'm reviewing Sam Adams' Double Bock, a seasonal beer that the Boston Beer Company released this Winter. Until 2005 this beer wasn't able to be sold in Georgia because of its high alcohol content (8.8%); but now that it's here I can say, with only a hint of irony in my voice, "Thank you Georgia House Bill 645!"
(Before HB645 6% was the limit. It's now 15%!)

Seriously though, this is good beer. When I first started drinking beer my favorite brews were malty, sweet beers like Bass and Amberbock. I've since grown away from those beers, but Sam Adams Double Bock just made me remember why I loved malty beers in the first place.

The first thing you notice about this beer is the deep ruby color with very little head. It smells great too- like roses and weak whiskey. The first flavors to come across are warm, sweet, mild roasted malts. In the middle the flavors build up to show more of the cereal grain flavor and a smooth alcohol reminder that this beer is 8.8% ABV. It finishes smooth, with what I say (and my friends disagree) tastes like rose petals and velvet (if something can taste like velvet, that is). It left a pretty weak aftertaste, kind of dry and a little sugary. As I finished the beer I noticed it getting sweeter and sweeter, with less of the alcohol taste.

I'm giving Sam Adams Double Bock a 4.5/5. It's a great malt-heavy beer that gets everything right. I'm keeping it .5 short only because the sweetness would probably get old with a whole 6-pack. Still though, this is an excellent beer made by an excellent brewer.

Drink up!

Brew Review: Sweetwater Happy Ending

2008-01-27T18:48:00.000-08:00

For the first post on Brew Review I'm going to take a closer look at Sweetwater's new brew, an Imperial Stout called Happy Ending.

Before I get to the actual rating though, I'll explain what makes Happy Ending an "Imperial" Stout. The main thing is a higher alcohol content than is usual for a stout: A traditional stout like Guinness comes in at 6% alcohol by volume whereas Happy Ending is 9%. The extra alcohol adds tons of interesting flavor notes to the normally dry, almost light stout. The practice of adding extra alcohol to beer started when British merchant ships discovered that they could get a longer shelf life out of higher alcohol by volume beers- during long trips from Britain to British troops in India, Russia, or other countries, a longer shelf life was essential. So anytime you hear of an "Imperial" Pale Ale, an "Imperial" Pilsner, or in our case an Imperial Stout, you know it has a higher than normal ABV (and it probably tastes spicier, bigger, and more complex).

Happy Ending is, as I said earlier, an Imperial Stout and, true to the genre, its balanced nicely between spicy fruit/floral notes and robust chocolate roundness. The first tastes of Happy Ending are bright and floral but the flavor quickly shifts to a more smoky, robust flavor. Some people say its a chocolate taste, some say coffee; I myself tend to lean towards chocolate. Either way, it moves from the robust middle flavor to a flatter malt taste at the finish (despite what the name would have you believe!). For a high gravity beer (any beer over 7% ABV) its surprisingly drinkable.

Anybody who enjoys this beer may also enjoy Terrapin's India Brown Ale (which is only available on draft now, though Terrapin may be bottling it soon), Guinness Stout, or any Oatmeal Stout.

You can find Happy Ending at Total Wine in Kennesaw (any reputable package store will order it for you if you don't live around Kennesaw) for $1.79/bottle or $9.99/six-pack.

I'm giving Sweetwater Happy Ending a 4/5. Its a flat-out tasty beer that is complex and yet still very smooth. It smells great, has a deep, almost black brown color, and leaves a nice lingering taste after each drink. The only thing that keeps it from a being a 5 is that the end notes are a little flat and, in the interest of full disclosure, stouts aren't my favorite style to begin with.

Cheers!

First Post!

2008-01-14T00:50:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Brew Review!

My name is Matt Logan and I've started Brew Review as a beer-review site to help spread the word about beer and brewing. On the blog I'll be talking about good beer, bad beer, expensive beer, and cheap beer. I'll cover Georgia-brewed beer, domestic beers, internationally brewed beers, limited-release/seasonal beers, and everything in between. Even some beers that, in my opinion, shouldn't be considered beer.

Though plenty of bad beers are out there, a lot of awesome beers are being brewed these days. And beer isn't just beer anymore- a whole culture has developed around it. People, me included, spend $10 for a single bottle/glass of some brews. And a lot of them aren't worth it! But that's what it's about. It's about trying new things, being adventurous, and developing an understanding and appreciation of what good beer can really be. I see it as my job to help readers find those exceptional beers more easily and to give them a heads-up on beers that I don't like.

I am going to be reviewing beers from across the world here on Brew Review, but I want to do more than just that. I want to create a community where we interact, discuss, and drink together. I want Brew Review to be a place where I recommend beers, you try them, and you let me know what you think. I want it to be a place where you tell me what beers you enjoy and which ones I should try out (and review in the future). If I've already had it or you've already had the ones I suggest, let's talk about it! Hopefully, pretty soon we'll have ourselves a bona fide Internet pub, with some great brew-talk going on (with less smoke than a real pub, too).

I'll also put up all kinds of interesting beer-related stuff: stories (personal and otherwise), brew history, quotes from famous beer drinkers, interviews with brewers, local Atlanta-area events, and anything else related to beer and brewing.

Cheers!

(And if you don't drink, that's fine. Hopefully you're like me- for instance, I don't eat meat, but I can still enjoy hearing about a well-cooked, thoroughly-enjoyed steak.)