Durango Brewing Company Wheat Beer

At least this beer’s name is shorter than the last one, jeez.

SO, my sister (HI LAURA!) signed me up for a Craft Beer of The Month club, where I get four craft beers every month delivered to my door. Pretty darn cool. I get four new beers a month and I don’t even have to make a Bevmo trip! (Bevmo Bevmo) So if I’m drinking em, I’m blogging em! Here we go!

The Verdict:

Well it certainly smells like wheat. That’s good. Too bad it doesn’t taste much like wheat. That’s bad. It doesn’t taste like much, actually, it’s a little weak. At least what flavor it has sticks around for a while on my tongue. I’ve found most wheat beers are a little too sweet, but this one wasn’t. Not terribly sweet, but not terribly complex either……..Yeah, not much to it.

What Have We Learned?

Just cuz it’s craft beer doesn’t mean its good. Too bad our first craft beer isn’t a new favorite. I guess this falls under the category of “drinkable” but I don’t know. I like my beer to have a little more….substance. It doesn’t have to be new and different to impress me, but it does have to taste good. Or at least taste. Oh well, good thing I got four different beers in the pack!

-Dex

Rahr & Sons Brewing Ass Kisser Porter Pounder Smoked Porter (Whew!)

AAAAAAAAANNNNNND We’re back! …….again.

Sorry to be gone for so long, sometimes life gets in the way of life. It’s time to continue the quest to drink ALL the beers!

This one caught my eye because it had a purple donkey on it. I was in the mood for a porter so I put it in the cart, brought it home, and promptly forgot I had it. Derp. Now, however, I have drank (drunk? drinken? dranken?) it and can decisively say…..

The Verdict:

Not bad. The bouquet (yeah, I’m starting this new session with a fancy new vocabulary, wanna fight about it?) is dark roastiness with a strong chocolate undertone. The flavor is initially bitter with some strong coffee but that fades and makes room for the chocolate and…..root beer? Yeah, that’s definitely a sarsaparilla kinda thing going on……..Cool. Later in the glass, some of the bitterness fades, or maybe that was just the oddly specific 8.03% alcohol finally kicking in. But the sarsaparilla flavor remains.

What Have We Learned?

Root beer? In real beer? That’s just crazy enough to work……I’ve learned I need to start making alcoholic root beer……awesome. Also this porter wasn’t as intense and “in your face” as most I’ve encountered, but there was still alot going on, flavor-wise. All in all, a very enjoyable beer.

Alright, now that life is starting to calm down, kinda, sorta, maybe I can make this a regular thing again. Still, probably not going to be every day, but by golly, I’ll try.

I take that back. The “by golly”. Seriously, who says that?

-Dex

Lindemans Peche Lambic

Aaaaaand we’re back! Sorry about the hiatus, I know you missed me terribly……Right? Quit making cricket sounds, I get it.

So it’s time to try the third of the Lambics! This one is….peche. which according to my research (and memory of high school French) can mean peach, fishing or…….sin. Depends on accent and context I guess. Going to go out on a limb and assume its the first one. Seriously, if there is fish in this bottle I’m going to be pissed.

The Verdict:

Well, no fish. off to a good start. Instead, I’m greeted with a delicious peach smell and color. Is peach a color? I know it’s a princess…….but I digress. Even with all that peachy smell I can still smell the yeast, telling me that this is still an alcoholic beverage, not just juice. The flavor is great, a ton of peach, with a subtle apple hint. I can taste the alcohol a bit, but it doesn’t bother me. Heck, it’s one of the reasons I’m drinking the thing! It’s pretty sweet, but some acid came out toward the end for some good balance.

What Have We Learned?

Man I’m really liking the lambics! They have fantastic flavor of the flavor they’re supposed to, and they have have a complementing flavor or two as well. I’m gonna have to hunt down the flavors I haven’t had yet. Also, I’m going to have to get into the world of ciders……sweet.

So I may be back, but I can’t guarantee I’ll be posting every day again. I’ll try, but I’m nearing the end of my culinary school term. Which means things are getting hectic. I graduate on September 23rd though (hopefully)! Wish me luck!

-Dex

Technical Difficulties….Please Stand By.

Sorry guys, life’s been kinda hectic lately and the blog has had to go on the back burner for a bit. I’ll be back though, I promise!

Saranac Helles Lager

April bought a 10 pack of craft beers a while ago, and has been pawning the ones she she doesn’t like off on me sharing them graciously with me. I had an IPA from her a while ago, but didn’t blog it (too bad). But I’m doing this one! Woohoo! Party! Radical dude! Huh? Oh, right, back to work.

The Verdict:

The color is nice, a light golden, like waves of wheat wafting in the wind. Holy Guinness, I love alliteration! Very nice aroma, it’s citrus and malt and a hint of hops. Good smell. Too bad it’s not as flavorful as it smells. A little bit of grain with with the lemon barely making its way back. Kinda light, very refreshing and, kinda….light. Light.

What Have We Learned?

When I lamented to April on how light the flavor was, she responded with, “Well, it’s a lager”. Where is it written that lager have to be light in flavor to the point of almost tasteless?  I’ve had some very flavorful lagers before, to the point that having a flavorless one is downright disappointing. I do enjoy lagers, but not this one.

Coming up, you’ve heard of different kinds of hops. If you haven’t, yes there’s more than one. What do they do? Let’s find out?

-Dex

Spanish Peaks Brewing Honey Raspberry Ale

When April’s dad went to Oregon for a woodcarving class, he brought back a couple of beers for me. This is one of them. The other is the Ninkasi in the fridge I mentioned earlier. If you’re going to go anywhere for beer, Oregon is definitely the place! Thanks Allan! Er….Mr. (Insert my girlfriends last name here)….sir.

The Verdict:

Wow, nice color. Got a tinge of red to it. Very nice. I can smell some raspberry, but its not overwhelming. I can at least smell the beer too. The mouthfeel is thick but the flavor is light. The raspberry is there, but there definitely isn’t in your face with it. It also has a hint of sweetness at the end, but it’s not a sweet beer. It’s got a little bit of something, but not too much. A littl light on the beer side of things, but otherwise, a nice balance.

What Have We Learned?

Well, well, well, not a bad first taste coming back from the break. Also, I wonder if this raspberry flavored beer thing is going to become big. I kind of hope not. Kinda girly for my tastes. If I want fruit in my beer that badly, I’ll have a cider. That’s what they’re there for. Or a fruity malt beverage, if I also want a hangover.

On a related note! This is my 50th beer! YAY! I’m kinda surprised I’ve gone this long, considering how distracted I get. But here’s hoping for 50 more! At least. Congratulations and presents may be sent to beerdaily@gmail.com

-Dex

Kona Brewing Longboard Lager

One of the other culinary school students told me about this beer when he learned about my blog. He’ll probably never read this (Hi Robbie!), but I saw the beer in a restaurant and decided to give it a shot, seeing he said it was the best lager he’s ever had. He’s from Hawaii though, so hes probably just biased…we shall see.

The Verdict:

I get the pint glass of golden elixir, and stick my nose in for a whiff. Some grain and a little bit of lemon. Off to a good start. The flavor is very malty, with the slightest hint of lemon. Nice and smooth. I love refreshing summer beers like this on a hot day like that. It wasn’t heavy, but it was full flavored.

What Have We Learned?

Well this wasn’t my number one favorite lager ever, but I’d have to say it’s in the top three. Definitely not bad. I can see why its Kona’s flagship beer. Yet another beer to bring a 6-pack of to a BBQ. Will keep everyone cool and quench thirst, but won’t kill your palate so the food is still good. And when I’M grilling, it’s GOOD.

Backlog is done! Tasting can resume! Huzzah!

-Dex

Unibroue Terrible

No, I’m not judging it already, that’s seriously it’s name. Which doesn’t bode well for how it will taste. Then again the last beer I tried from them was called “The End of The World”, and I’m still here, so I guess that’s just their thing. Another BIG bottle of VERY high alcohol beer (10.5%). Good thing I’ve got April to help me with this one.

The Verdict:

Wow. OK, this IS a bottle of beer, right? Because it smells like wine. Ok, there’s enough malt in the smell to make me think it’s not just wine. The flavor is, dare I say….nice! Malty, a little dry, a little acidic (kinda winey), and a little bit of chocolate too. Wasn’t expecting the chocolate, but it was a welcome addition. Almost tasted like a dry Chardonnay poured into a pint of Smithwicks. In all the good ways. I couldn’t really taste the alcohol, but I certainly felt it when I was done, as evidenced by the fact that my notes are….quite hard to read at the end.

What Have We Learned?

Well we’re 1 for 2 on Unibroue beers. This was WAY better than Le Fin du Monde. Looks like the next beer by them that I’ll have to try is Trois Pistoles. You know what, I bet that it’s……::Googles::…Yup, 9% ABV. Crazy Canadians are trying to kill me….but I continue to sacrifice for my craft. If I don’t post after I taste that, you know what to do. Wait for me to get off my lazy ass and post again. Blame Canada.

-Dex

Ninkasi Believer Double Red Ale

When I went to the Hop N’ Barley beer fest, I tried a Ninkasi beer, and it was pretty good. Don’t really remember which one it was (I had quite a few that day), but I remember it wasn’t this one. Or another one that’s currently sitting in my fridge. So that much we know. Now let’s find out if there’s a red out there I like!

The Verdict:

Well, it’s definitely red. I’ll give it that. Malt aromas abound. Along with…hops? Not typical for the reds I’ve tried. Wow, it really comes out in the flavor as well. As the initial hop flavor fades, some malt and a little apple pop in to say hi. Hard to get over that initial hops shot though. Tastes more like a pale ale, or really more like an IPA, than a red. Not a fantastic IPA either. Not what I was expecting at all. I like it less the more of it I drink.

What Have We Learned?

That either Ninkasi has a loose definition of a red, or I do. Obviously, my experience of reds is not huge, but that didn’t taste anything like any red I’ve ever had. Soon, I’ll tackle the other Ninkasi beer in my fridge, and we shall see if it tastes anything like what it says on the label. More reports as events warrant. Over and out.

-Dex

Bellhaven Scottish Ale

Another Bevmo trip, another beer grabbed exactly at random.Hey why not, I’ve found a couple good beers that way so far! A Scottish ale. Hm, why not. They’re close to both the Irish and the English, who have proven that they know what they’re doing…most of the time.

The Verdict:

Well, were off the a good start. I like the color, and the smell. Well, I liked the smell after the original smell faded. The original smell was……feet? Whatever it was, it wasn’t good. However, it was soon replaced with grain and malt. Cool. Much better than feet, or whatever that was. The flavor is grain malt and alcohol, but in a strange combination. I can’t put my finger on it, but I don’t really like it. It’s not undrinkable, but I won’t be getting it again.

What Have We Learned?

Well I’m going to have to hunt down another Scottish ale, because there’s no way that all Scottish ales aren’t good. In fact, I will search diligently until I find one. The blog demands it. Such is my burden. Such is my….wait, that’s not a burden! That’s freakin’ awesome! I love my life. Not this beer however. So yeah. We learned that. Yay!

-Dex