We have another beer from “The History of Beer in America” collection that my father gave me for Christmas. Tonight I’ll be doing the Tejas by MDII in Rochester, NY. I still have no definite information regarding this brewery. I know that one of the subsidiary breweries for Berghoff in Monroe, WI made the same beer under this name for Sam’s club in the past. But now we are in Rochester, NY and I’m not sure.

Against we have our standard 12 oz brown bottle. It has a tan label on it with a map of Texas on it. The name of the beer is prominent across the front of the label. There is a description on it of the beer, “ A fine bock beer with a creamy texture and malty body.

It has a nice dark amber coloring to it. It is clear that light passes through easily and you canÂ’t see any cloudiness at all in it. The head was a nice inch thick made of large bubbles that lasted for a while. It faded after 15 minute3s to a film on top of the beer. There is no lacing at all.

The scent was weak. A slightly sweet malt aroma mixed with a hint of roasted nuts. Nothing really stood out about the scent. Roasted malts with caramel tones made up the flavor. It was very simple and kind of weak. There really is not much taste to it at all. There is a week aftertaste that fades to nothing quickly.

The mouthfeel is very light. There is a slight creaminess you donÂ’t normally get with a light-bodied beer like this. ItÂ’s very easy to drink and goes down smoothly.

Tejas is a pretty generic beer. Nothing fancy, no frills and I really wouldnÂ’t go out of my way to grab one. However it is easy to drink and again would be a good meal beer, as the flavor wonÂ’t taint the taste of the food. IÂ’ll give it 3.5 out of 10.

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My father sponsored tonight’s beer review. For Christmas he bought me a case of beer labeled, “The History of Beer in America”. It came with a book and 8 different kinds of beers. When given a gift like that, it’s hard not to crack into it right away. After drinking the backlog of beer given to me by readers, I decided it was time to crack it open. The first one Berkshire Springs Stock Ale by MDII in Rochester, NY. I can’t find anything on them, so I think it’s a cover name for a larger brewery that seems to have made this beer for Sam’s Club.

The standard 12oz brown bottle once again makes it’s appearance. There is a maroon label with an oval logo on it. The name of the beer is on the top of the oval and the type cuts the oval in the middle. The bottom of the oval claims “Made from best malt & hops” There is a brief description of the beer in the middle.

The color is a clear golden yellow. It poured a finger width white head with large bubbles that faded quickly to a film and then nothing. There is no lacing on the side of the glass.

A very simple mix of hops and citrus is the first thing I noticed when smelling it. There is a hint of malts to it, but itÂ’s barely detectable. As you sip this beer you get a balanced mix of hops and malts. ItÂ’s not very complex, but a good taste. There is a slight bitterness that fades away quickly. After a couple of drinks you can get a hint of butterscotch on the tongue.

This is a medium bodied beer. It is pleasant and easy to drink.

This isnÂ’t the fanciest beer IÂ’ve ever drank and it definitely isnÂ’t the plainest. ItÂ’s a good drink and would probably go well with a sandwich or a pizza. IÂ’ll give it 4.5 out of 10.

Posted by: Contagion at 06:43 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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T1G of Drunken Wisdom brings this weekÂ’s review to you; he gave me this beer to review while he was home over the holidays. Let no one say he is anything but a generous man, and with a blog name Drunken Wisdom, you have to figure he knows a thing or two about beer. Tonight IÂ’m reviewing CaffreyÂ’s by the Thomas Caffrey Brewing Company.

Like a lot of beers from the UK, this came in a 16 oz nitro can. ItÂ’s mainly green with a gold ring at the top. There is a modern stylish Celtic knotwork symbol on the can with the signature of Thomas Caffrey in red under it. The name of the beer is on a black banner on the top third of the can. It was the color scheme that inspired me to drink it out of a Lambeau Field glass from CurlyÂ’s pub. DonÂ’t ask how I got the glass.

As is typical of nitro can beers, this one has a nice thick creamy white head. When itÂ’s poured into the glass the nitrogen bubbles put on a cascading effect that is rather impressive. The head leaves a thick creamy lacing on the glass that lasts as long as the head does. It is considered an Irish Red and has about the typical reddish-copper coloring to it. To be honest I was expecting a slightly more reddish hue to it, but it looks just like a proper beer should.

The smell is a very meek combination of sweet malts and floral hops. There is a slight fruity hint, but I am unable to make out what kind of fruit. It has a mild taste, mostly of malts. One really canÂ’t detect the hop taste at all. With almost no aftertaste, itÂ’s easy to see why someone would drink quite a few of these.

It is a full-bodied beer with a silky and smooth feel to it. It is much thicker than the looks lead you to believe.

I know T1G really likes this beer as was talking about it a lot while he was home. ItÂ’s not a bad beer, I could see ordering a couple dozen in a pub, especially if I was eating a meal. However, I really wasnÂ’t all that impressed. The weak taste left me wanting more of something else that had more flavor to it. It really could use some more hops to balance it out. Overall itÂ’s not a bad beer, but nothing I would go out of my way for. IÂ’m giving it a 4 out of 10.

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Bruce of Back to the Batcave sponsors this weekÂ’s beer. He gave it to me a while back, but since I was doing themed beers in December, I hadnÂ’t touched this one. Since it was one he wanted me to review, I saved it until now. Tonight I will be reviewing Mendocino Autumn Seasonal Oktoberfest by Mendocino Brewing Company.

The delivery package was the standard 12 oz brown bottle. The label has the name across the top with Oktoberfest in a decorative oval. The bottom of the label has a picture of the sun rising over a villa with a giant hawk sitting on top of it to one side. A limited edition lager logo is in the right lower corner. The neck label has a brief description of the beer on it.

It pours a dark amber/orange color. There is a clearness to it that lets light pass through it easily with out any sign of impurities. The thing white head that formed while pouring disappears quickly into nothing. Not even lacing is left on the side of the glass.

The smell is a mix of hops, toasted grains and caramel malts. ItÂ’s not something one would think of when smelling an Oktoberfest. Caramel malts and a good hop backbone combine to make the flavor. The taste is light and unassuming. What aftertaste there is goes away quickly.

This is a light bodied beer. It is a bit heavy on the carbonation side, yet it is still smooth to drink.

Overall this beer was more of an amber ale than an Oktoberfest. I prefer a bit more flavor to my beers, but this isnÂ’t bad. IÂ’d have no problem drinking another couple. Overall I give it a 4.5 out of 10.

Posted by: Contagion at 07:12 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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1 So.... Better than Newcastle then?? good!

Posted by: Richmond at January 10, 2008 05:50 PM (wg5Wh)

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I was originally going to review this beer last week, but I was so busy being anti-sober that I forgot to do my beer review. When I asked Ktreva if I should do it at 8:00 AM on Thursday she told me no. She lost 5 points off of her enabler card. TonightÂ’s beer is the last in the winter themed beers I was doing in December. Shadoglare of Refractional Darkness was kind enough to sponsor tonightÂ’s review by providing me with St. BenedictÂ’s Winter Ale By Stevens Point Brewery.

The delivery method was a 12oz brown bottle. The neck label has the breweryÂ’s logo on it. The main body label has a picture of a Monk (St. Benedict I assume) sitting in a monastery reading a book by candlelight. The name of the beer is on a blue banner across the middle of the picture.

The ale has a nice dark brown color with slight copper tones to it. It poured a quarter inch tan head made up of a mix of small to large bubbles that rapidly dissipated into a ring around the glass. There was very minimal lacing.

When held to the nose you get an aroma of cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and roasted malts. A hint of alcohol can also be detected. The taste is much like the smell. You have all the spices and malts that combine to give it slight biscuit undertone. There is enough alcohol in this beer that you can feel it warm on the way down.

This is a light bodied beer; there really isnÂ’t much to it.

This beer pleasantly surprised me. I was expecting something kind of awful, but it really turned out pleasant. I could see someone sitting next to a fire on a cold winterÂ’s evening drinking one of these. I give it a 5 out of 10.

Posted by: Contagion at 08:09 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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