Ktreva is really becoming an enabler with this whole beer-tasting thing. She again picked out tonightÂ’s brew oÂ’ samplinÂ’. This is becoming a weekly ritual. DonÂ’t get me wrong; I donÂ’t mind it at all. WhatÂ’s better than a beautiful woman bringing you beer? This week she picked out Robert he Bruce Scottish Style Ale by Three Floyds of Munster, IN. I believe this is the first Indiana beer IÂ’ve reviewed.

It comes in your standard 12 oz brown bottle. The label is yellow that has a cartoonish picture of what I suppose is Robert the Bruce. In the oval around the picture you have the name of the beer in the top half, and the name of the brewery in the bottom. It also has the tag line, “It’s not normal”. To be honest the smile on Robert in the picture is kind of scary and if I had to look at it all the time, I think I would get creeped out.

It has a nice dark brown color to it. Light barely paces through, and itÂ’s hard to tell if there is any cloudiness to it or not. There was a very thin tan head when poured. It quickly faded into a fine film on the top of the beer and a slight ring around the edge of the glass. There is some lacing, but not much.

The scent is of roasted caramel malts. There are other malts that act as subtle undertones, but nothing distinct. We also have a nice touch of wood smoke to the scent that really brings the smell dancing into the nose. There is a nice richly roasted caramel malt flavor to this beer. The malts are primarily what you taste. It has a nice hop accent to it. The after taste is slightly bitter, and fades quickly leaving you to want to drink more.

This is a nice medium bodied beer with a creamy feel to it. It coats the mouth and throat that is rather pleasant.

This is a very nice beer. It reminds me a lot of the Scotch Ale at Carlisle Brewery here in Rockford, only not as flavorful. I really found myself liking this one a lot. Considering itÂ’s 6.4% by volume IÂ’m surprised that it drinks as easily as it does. Overall I like this beer. IÂ’m giving this one 6.5 out of 10.

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Yesterday at the store, Ktreva joined me on my weekly trip to pick out a beer. Normally she doesnÂ’t come with, but after talking about how they had expanded their beer selection she wanted to see. Now my fine contaminants it should be a testimony to the expansion of the beer aisle when I say that even Ktreva was taken back by the new size and selection, almost doubled! Since she was with me, I let her pick out the beer. Well actually it was because she looked really good in her tight pants and I was really distracted. She suggested numerous beers, but she really was pushing tonightÂ’s beer on me. The name of it made her think I should try it. So because of darling Ktreva, I will be reviewing Sweaty Betty Blonde by Boulder Beer Company of Boulder, CO. (I just want to point out that the other six-pack she bought that day was Dirty Bastard. What a combination that is.) I donÂ’t know if she thought IÂ’d like it, or just really wanted me to have a Sweaty Betty in my mouth. As long as Betty makes me happy, itÂ’s all good.

We have our standard 12 oz Brown bottle. With a bright yellow label. There is an anime looking blue eyed, blonde haired girl on the front with the name of the beer in blue over it. There is a lot of information on the label about the beer, but the opening paragraph (yes paragraph) starts with, “Irresistible, flirtatious, aromatic, soft, supple, unavoidable, smooth, exuberant, glistening, wild, firm, rare, succulent, luscious, ripe, natural, glowing, curvaceous, magical, wheat… and the 5th release in our looking glass series of beers.” Well if they are describing a beer, I’m kind of worried. If they are describing a woman named Betty they know… ummm I’m not sure about the wheat part, but the rest has my attention.

It has a weak pour. There was almost no head and no lacing on the glass. What head there was faded really quickly leaving nothing at the top of the beer. Needless to say Betty doesnÂ’t give good head. (Sorry, there went my PG rating.) It is very pale yellow in color, and there is some cloudiness to it, which is typical of wheat beers.

The aroma is an overpowering combination of wheat and yeast. There are some spice undertones, but itÂ’s hard to discern what they are. Like the scent, the taste is mainly wheat and yeast. There is a citric accent to it, maybe lemon. Again itÂ’s hard to get past the wheat and yeast flavor.

This is a light bodied beer. There is a crispness to it that is pleasant. The carbonation was a bit strong, but not unpleasantly so. ItÂ’s also a little on the dry side.

This isnÂ’t a bad beer. Like most wheat beers they do tend to lack a little something. At least this wheat beer didnÂ’t make me think of cereal while I drank it. IÂ’m going to give this a 4.5 out of 10.

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Monday this week I stopped in a local grocery store on lunch just to look for a beer. They had greatly expanded their beer selection, I mean by almost double. I stood there in stunned awe for a good 10 minutes. As I looked at the 50 new beers I wanted to try, I’m not kidding, a brand stuck out, Great Lakes Brewing Company. Mainly because each of their beers are named for historical figures or events on the Great Lakes, such as Elliot Ness, the Voyagers, the burning river and the beer I choose, The Edmund Fitzgerald. The Fitz was a freighter that sank on Lake Superior November 10, 1975 with a loss of all 29 crew. It was later immortalized in Goron Lightfoot’s song “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.”

She comes in a standard brown 12 oz bottle. The label is black with a picture of the Edmund Fitzgerald sailing in a storm. The name of the brewing company takes the top of the label, with the name of the beer underneath the picture. There is a story on the side, “Named after the ship that frequently docked in Cleveland and sunk in Lake Superior in 1975, this porter combines a complex, roasty aroma with a bittersweet, chocolate-coffee taste. In keeping with the Vavarion purity law of 1516, this beer is traditionally brewed from all natural ingredients: Barley, hops, yeast and water. “ It also advises that it’s 5.8% alcohol by volume. (oh yeah!)

When poured into a glass, it almost looks like a stout. The color is rich and dark like black coffee. There is a slight red hue to it. It poured a quarter inch tan head that faded into a nice film. There was some lacing on the glass even after it was finished.

This porter had a very distinct aroma to it. A strong scent of chocolate and coffee mixed with the roasted malts and nuts. There was a slight floral hop scent as an accent. When I say this smelled like chocolate and coffee, I mean actual chocolate and coffee and not chocolate and coffee malts. There is a difference. The flavor was of coffee with a good malt backbone and hops for a nice bitterness. It really did taste like coffee flavored beer. Real rich and flavorful, excellent!

It had a nice light and creamy mouth feel to it. ItÂ’s not thick like a stout, but slightly thicker then your average porter. ItÂ’s very easy to drink. Just remember, this is a porter and not a stout. If you are in the wrong mindset youÂ’ll find yourself wanting a stout.

I really liked this beer. This is one I could see buying for a possible beer tasting coming up. Overall I give it 6.5 out of 10.

OH, btw, enjoy the song.

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Last week when Kteva picked out the beer, she bought a second by the same company, but a different style. This week IÂ’ll be reviewing Krusovice Cerne from the Czech Republic.

It also comes in a 1 pint .9 fluid oz brown bottle, with gold foil at the neck. The label black with the name of the beer in a red square. This time I can see the other writing on the label, unfortunately itÂ’s not in English so I have no idea what it says.

It has a nice dark garnet coloring to it. It appears to be clear, but itÂ’s dark enough that you canÂ’t see through to the other side of the glass. Light does pass through, but with some difficulty.

There is a nice scent that reminds me of aged firewood. ItÂ’s a combination of roasted nuts with chocolate and coffee malts. The smell is very tantalizing. The flavor is of roasted chocolate malts with a nice hop finish. ItÂ’s not too bitter, but enough to enhance the flavor. The aftertaste is pleasant and doesnÂ’t linger.

The body is thin and a bit watery. For as dark as it is, I would have though it would have been a bit thicker or at least leave a nice coating in the mouth. It is also a bit heavy on the carbonation.

The flavor and scent are nice, I could see myself drinking this on a cool spring evening or even late in the fall while sitting on the porch. ItÂ’s not too heavy, so it doesnÂ’t sit on the stomach. ItÂ’s a 5.5 out of 10.

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