TonightÂ’s beer is one that I had been meaning to try for a while now, and just hadnÂ’t done it yet. IÂ’ve seen it around at various bars and restaurants, but there was always something else IÂ’d rather try. This time while I was at the store, I figured what the hell. LetÂ’s stick with an imported beer. I picked up a six-pack of Stella Artois by the Stella Artois Brewery in Belgium.

It comes in an 11.2 ounce green bottle that has a horn design molded into the base of the neck. The label is white with a gold border and the name of the beer on a red banner in the middle of it. The next label covers up over the bottle cap.

There is a nice clean yellow gold color to the beer. It is clear with absolutely no hint of impurity or haze to it. It pours a quarter inch white head that fades into a film on the top of the beer. There is minimal lacing on the side of the glass.

To the nose there is a pleasant scent of sweet malts with an earthy undertone. It has a nice pleasant aroma that is pleasing. The taste is a mix of subtle malts with mild hop notes. Nothing that is over powering, but definitely pleasant on the palate. There is a slight bitter after taste that fades.

It is a light bodied beer with an almost perfect amount of carbonation. It makes this a beer that is very easy to drink. I could see myself drinking one on a hot summer day or while watching a game.

I was pleasantly surprised by Stella Artois. It really is a good beer. I guess I figured that it would be a weak, unpleasant one. IÂ’m going to give this 5.5 out of 10.

Posted by: Contagion at 06:08 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Ktreva picked this weeks beer. She decided she wanted to do the grocery shopping this week instead of me, that meant she had to pick up a beer for me to review. After much deliberation she choose the Summertime German-style Kolsch Bier by Goose Island Beer Co.

Summertime comes in the standard 12 oz brown bottle. The label is brightly colored with the Goose Island logo and the name of the beer on the front. The background looks like a beach, and behind the logo I think itÂ’s suppose to look like sun rays shining out.

It is a pale gold/straw colored beer with orange highlights. ItÂ’s clear with no sign of any cloudiness or impurities. It poured an inch thick head with large bubbles. There is very minimal lacing on the side of the glass.

The aroma is very weak and hard to detect. ItÂ’s a fruity combination of citrus and grains. The taste of it is of dry malts with a grassy hop finish. There is a slight bitterness to it that gets stronger as the beer warms. It leaves an interesting aftertaste that does slowly fade away.

This is a light to medium bodied beer with a light carbonation. There is no bite to the tongue, but if drank quickly it does produce a gassy after effect.

Summertime is not a bad beer, but it really wouldnÂ’t be something I would go out of my way for either. To be honest I thought it was lacking in character. It seemed kind of weak, like something you would drink if you wanted to drink a beer, but didnÂ’t really want the full beer effect. IÂ’m going to give this a 3.5 out of 10.

Posted by: Contagion at 07:49 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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TonightÂ’s beer review is dedicated to my good buddy Shadoglare of Refractional Darkness. About a month ago we went to Old Chicago. While there he said that he hadnÂ’t found an Italian Beer that was worth drinking. When I was at the store looking for this week's pick, I saw Birra Moretti by the Heineken Italia S.P.A in Comun Nuovo, Italy. Hey, maybe I can find a good Italian Beer for my pal. So now IÂ’m on a missionÂ… oh and suggestions would be welcomed.

We have the standard 12 oz bottle; this one is cast with the name Moretti at the base of the neck. The label has an old world look to it with a guy sipping on a stein of beer. The name of the beer is under the picture.

This is a very pale yellow beer. ItÂ’s clear; light passes through it easily. There is not a hint of cloudiness to it. It poured a one-inch head that quickly fades into a film at the top. There is a very minimal lacing on the glass.

There is a week scent of barley malts and clean water to the beer. The combination of which reminds me of a cave spring, clean but kind of musty. ItÂ’s not unpleasant, but only because itÂ’s not very strong. The flavor is weak and watery. One can taste the malts, but barely anything else.

It is a thin, light bodied beer. There is a crisp smoothness to it that makes it very easy to drink. There is a slight bubbliness to it that helps enhance the experience with out making the drinker gassy.

Overall this is not a bad beer. ItÂ’s not something I would normally drink, as itÂ’s kind of pricey for what you get. However, if I was at an Italian restaurant or someone gave me one, I wouldnÂ’t pass it up. IÂ’m going to rate this 4 out of 10.

Posted by: Contagion at 07:56 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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TonightÂ’s beer is one IÂ’ve had before. In fact many of my friends will know what IÂ’m going to say about it just from the name. Tonight I review LeinenkugelÂ’s Sunset Wheat by the LeinenkugelÂ’s brewery in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. BTW folks if you are ever up there, itÂ’s well worth taking the tour of the brewery, the samples are great and if you play your cards right you can get thrown out too. But, uh, thatÂ’s a story for another time.

We have our standard 12 oz brown bottle. The neck and body label are rather quite busy. ItÂ’s blue with the name of the beer predominate across the front. There is a lot of information about the brewery and the brewery logo on it as well.

The Sunset Wheat is a pale yellow with just a hint of orange. ItÂ’s very cloudy. There is almost a graininess to the look. It poured a thin white head that quickly turned into a film on the top of the beer and finally just a ring along the edge of the glass. There was some lacing, but not a lot.

The first time I smelled this beer, I thought it smelled familiar. There was a mixture of Blueberries with citric accents. There is a subtle undertone of malted wheat. I couldnÂ’t quite place the scent, and then I tasted it. It had a strong orange and blueberry taste with a good wheat backbone. Again it tasted very familiar. After a while it finally came to me, people this beer tastes like beer flavored Fruity PebblesÂ… but not in a bad way. Most folks IÂ’ve talked to agree with my observation.

ItÂ’s a medium bodied beer. There is a strong carbonation to it that bites the tongue. There is a bit more carbonation to it then I generally like.

This is a sweeter beer then I normally like, but it does have a good flavor to it. This would be more of a desert style beer, one I would want to drink if I wanted something a little more sweet, but not too sweet. IÂ’m going to give this 5.5 out of 10.

Posted by: Contagion at 07:47 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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