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.

Posted by: Contagion at 06:43 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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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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Ktreva picked out this weeks beer. She found one that I had never seen before, in fact IÂ’m not even sure where she got it. The label isnÂ’t in English, and the alphabet it is in has letters the standard English alphabet doesnÂ’t have. As far as I can tell from the label the name of the beer is Krusovice Imperial and is from the Czech Republic.

It comes in a 1 pint .9 fluid oz brown bottle, with gold foil at the neck. The label is a golden color with the name of the beer in a red square. There is other writing on the label below the brand type, but the lettering is almost the same color as the label and can not be read.

It pours a crystal clear golden yellow with an orange tint. There is a decent white head, about three quarters of an inch that fades quickly. There is some lacing on the side of the glass, but it mainly disappears with in moments of appearing.

The sent is a mixture of grass, floral hops and various earth tones. It reminds me of smelling a beer while standing in a freshly plowed field. There is a nice malt flavoring blended with floral hops that makes the beer very palatable. There is a slight bitterness to it, and the true flavor of the beer starts to come forth as it warms.

This is a medium bodied beer. There is a decent level of carbonation that is pleasing to the tongue, but doesnÂ’t make it sit heavily.

Surprisingly this is not like most European lagers IÂ’ve had of late. It isnÂ’t a weak watery flavor with no body. It isnÂ’t something IÂ’d really want to drink a lot of on a hot summer day, but itÂ’s worth a try. IÂ’ll rate this 4.5 out of 10.

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After having some bloggers and friends make a suggestion, IÂ’ve been kicking around an idea. IÂ’m just curious that if I hosted a beer tasting, would any of you be interested in attending? IÂ’ve done quite a few reviews and I have my favorites. Some of them I would like to share. It would also be nice to get together with some of my readers for a good sit down visit. If everyone that attended brought a six pack or two of their favorite beers, we could sit back sample them and see which ones we like best. Or we could go to Old Chicago that has over 100 beers in house that way we donÂ’t have to bring anything with. But those are details we can work out later. If you are interested, please respond below by clicking yes or no.

Also this might be a good way to bring back the Blogcrawl. ItÂ’s been two years.

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I was gifted a six-pack of TennentÂ’s of Scotland last week. Since I was gifted it, I felt I was obligated to review it. Especially since it came from a readerÂ… one that never commentsÂ… BASTICH! So if you really want me to review a beer, give me a six-packÂ… hint hint hint. What? So IÂ’m an Alcowhore! Tonight I shall review TennentÂ’s of Scotland Lager by the Tennent Caledonian Breweries.

The lager comes in a green bottle 11.2 FL OZ, which means you need to keep it out of sunlight while storing or transporting or the beer will go bad. IT has an oval body label with the name of the beer in a black circle with two thistles on either side. There is a big red T in the middle. It claims to be “Scotland’s Finest Lager”.

There is a golden yellow color to the beer. It is clear with no hint of cloudiness and light passes through easily. It pours a nice thick white head that lasts for a while. It slowly dissipates into a film on the top of the beer and a ring around the edge of the glass. There is a nice lacing on the glass.

The aroma is very faint and hard to discern. If you try really hard you can get a whiff of sweet malts with a very week hop undertone. The combination almost gives it a good bread smell. The taste is week. Mainly one can taste malts. If there are any hops to the flavor, I couldnÂ’t find it. There is not a touch of bitterness to it. There is also almost no aftertaste. From my experience this is typical of the European lagers.

It is a light bodied beer. There is a crispness to it that is refreshing. The carbonation is a little on the heavy side and it does bite the tongue.

Overall this is a decent beer. Nothing IÂ’d go out of my way for. It is a hot day here, and itÂ’s rather enjoyable. ItÂ’s not so heavy that after one or two in the heat you just donÂ’t want to drink anymore. IÂ’d rate this about a 4.

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Earlier this week I picked up a six-pack of beer to review tonight, but IÂ’ll be saving that for next week. Monday while I was doing grocery shopping, something compelled me to check out the beer section. Yea, I knowÂ… Moth to a flame, etc. They have a beer selection that is rather lacking, and the last two times I was there they had nothing I really wanted to review. So IÂ’m not sure why I decided to check them out, especially when I had a six pack at home in the fridge. While walking down the aisle I saw a four pack that caught my eye; VooDoo Vator by the Atwater Block Brewery. ItÂ’s a high Gravity lager and is 9.5% alcohol by volume.

It comes in our normal 12 oz brown bottle. The label is dark purple with a picture of a skull wearing a hat with a white feather sticking out of it. In that “voodoo” script is the name of the beer.

There is a nice dark brown color to it. Light passes through with some difficulty and as far as I can tell it is pretty clear, but the darkness of the beer makes this hard to tell. It has a nice thick tan head that lasts for a while. As you drink, it leaves a nice lacing on the side of the glass.

You can smell a nice roasted malt sweetness to the beer with some wood accents. There is just a hint of alcohol to the scent. The flavor is a combination of roasted coffee, chocolate and Carmel malts. There is a slight hop bitterness to the finish. Surprisingly there is not a hint of alcohol to the flavor, especially with the ABV.

This really is a smooth beer. ItÂ’s very easy to drink. If it were just a tad thicker it would be a full-bodied beer. The carbonation level is a little on the heavy side.

I really enjoyed this beer. It has a great taste and a smooth finish. It was very pleasant for a High-Gravity lager. IÂ’m going to rate this a 6 out of 10.

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IÂ’m still on the quest for Shadoglare to find a great Italian Beer. This week at the store I found a sixer of Peroni Nastro Azzurro. That makes two different Italian beers IÂ’ve tried. So far IÂ’m pretty whelmed by the quality.

It has a green bottle with the name of the company cast into the glass. The label is white with the name of the company in large red letters and the name over the beer just underneath it. There are some blue banners with Italian writing on it. Really there is nothing all that special about the label.

This is another beer with a very pale gold/straw coloring to it. ItÂ’s clear; light passes easily through it with out any problems. It poured a white head, but it disappeared in less then 30 seconds leaving no lacing or film on the top of the beer.

The scent is very faint and hard to discern from other scents in the air. After concentrating you can make out a faint floral hops scent with a touch of malt and citrus. The flavor is week with a slight malt sweetness. There is a nice hop bitterness to the finish that leaves little to no aftertaste.

This is a light bodied beer. There is a strong carbonation at the beginning, but that fades quickly to almost nothing. There is almost no mouth feel to the beer and I liken it to drinking water.

To be honest this beer tasted like a knock off of a standard American lite beer. I know they say they have been around since 1846, but IÂ’d swear I taste a mix of Miller and Bud in this one. ItÂ’s not a bad hot day beer. While grilling tonight I enjoyed one. ItÂ’s a beer that you can drink if you donÂ’t want to be overwhelmed with flavor or your standard beer fillingness. Yea, thatÂ’s a word now! IÂ’m going to give this beer 3.5 out of 10.

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Since this weekend is Cinco de Mayo, I decided to go with an ethnic styled beer. No, itÂ’s not Mexican, every Mexican beer I found IÂ’ve tried and sucks. If any of you bring up Corona, just shut up now. Any beer you have to add fruit to it in order to make it drinkable is not a good beer. Please Corona is the Keystone Light of Mexican beer. Why do you think they pawn it off on us Americans? Nope, this weekÂ’s beer is Dirty Bastard Scotch Style Ale by Founders Brewery.

This beer came in a squat 12 ounce bottle The label had a plaid background with a white line drawing of a pissed off Highlander and the name of the beer on it. The neck label says, “Auch! Yeh’ve nary had such a bonnie taste of heav’n since pullin’ yer mouth off yer mammy’s teet. With more highland bitties, and flavours than yer grandmammy’s haggis, Dirty Bastard Ale ain’t fer the wee lads. And if it’s too strong fer yer silk-wearin’, poodle-walkin’ arse. Then it’s back to the lock with you, Nessy!” (That is EXACTLY how it is on the label. I think we may have found the official beer of Miasmatic Review.

When poured in the glass there is a nice thick tan head that very slowly dissipates. It leaves a nice lacing on the glass, and by the time you finish, there is still about an eighth inch head. The color is of a dark brown with ruby tints. ItÂ’s a clear beer, with no floating bits, but is thick enough that light has difficulty passing through.

The scent is a mix of sweet fruits and toasted malts. There is a toffee undertone, but a definite hint of Scotch that wafts to the nose. The scent is very pleasing. The taste is a glorious combination of beer and Scotch. There is a scotch like smoked peat flavor. You can almost taste a good oak charcoal to it. With a chocolate accent and touch of good roasted malts it brings a wonderful finish to the beer. The aftertaste is slightly bitter, but fades quickly.

Dirty Bastard Ale is a full-bodied beer. There is a nice creaminess to it. The carbonation is at a good level. ItÂ’s not biting on the tongue, but keeps the beer drinkable.

I thoroughly enjoyed this beer. Ktreva told me I should get it because she felt it fit my perfectly, Auch, back to the loch with you, Nessy! I found this to be a good combination beer. A mix of scotch and beer that is just too good to pass up. IÂ’m giving this beer a 7 out of 10.

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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.

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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.

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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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I made a mistake this week. It wasnÂ’t until late last night that I realized that I it was Wednesday. That meant I had a beer review to do. It was too late for my deadline yesterday, so IÂ’m doing it a day late. Hope no one is too upset, especially since I ended up not doing one last week. This is the last review for the month of March, which means the last Irish beer for a while, this week I did Harp Lager by the Guinness Brewing Company.

We have a standard 12 oz brown bottle with a front, back and neck label. The labels aren’t all that fancy, a cream oval on a dark blue background. It has the name of the beer and the picture of a harp on it. Along the bottom it tells you that it’s “From the brewers of Guinness.”

When poured into a standard pint glass, the beer itself has a nice golden to straw yellow coloring. ItÂ’s clear with no distortion or cloudiness at all. It formed a nice half-inch head that dissipated very slowly. As the head disappeared, it left a good, thick lacing on the side of the glass.

The smell was kind of week. There was a nice floral scent of hops with a touch of malts to it. There was a citrus undertone like that of lemon that helped enhance the hops and malts. The flavor was that of malted grains with just a touch of hop bitterness. The flavor wasnÂ’t very strong. IÂ’m even going to say it was a little on the week side.

This is a light bodied beer. There is a nice level of carbonation that makes it easy to drink. ItÂ’s very crisp and refreshing.

This is not a bad beer; IÂ’ve had it before and was never overly impressed with it. Since it is an import, IÂ’m not sure itÂ’s actually worth the price for the quality. IÂ’m going to give Harp 5 out of ten.

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To keep with this monthÂ’s theme of Irish inspired beers, IÂ’ve chosen one that actually comes from Ireland. ItÂ’s a beer that some have had the pleasure of trying, while others may not have heard of it. This week I review MurphyÂ’s Irish Stout by MurphyÂ’s Brewery.

Murphy’s Irish Stout comes in a 1 pint Nitro Can. “The ingenious floating Draughtflow system in the can enables you to enjoy the creamy head of draught style Murphy’s from a can.” I’m pretty sure this is very similar to, if not the same, as Guinness’ floating widget. The can is tan in color with a shield insignia over the name of the beer.

We have another beer that is a drink and a show. ItÂ’s a very thick beer and the nitro system infuses the beer with gas making a beautiful display of bubbles rising to form a thick tan head that lasts. It leaves a nice lacing on the side of the glass. The beer is black like coffee in color. Light doesnÂ’t really pass through the beer at all.

The tantalizing smell of dark roasted malts enhanced with a touch of cocoa and hint of coffee tickle the nose. The smell is light and not overpowering, itÂ’s an enhancing side to the main course that is the taste. Upon taking the first sip, the mouth is awakened with blend of flavors. Roasted barely malts dominates the taste with underlying flavors of coffee and chocolate malts. There is a touch of hopps to it that makes a good finish that isnÂ’t too bitter.

This is a nice medium to heavy bodied beer. There is a nice creamy texture to it that coats the mouth and throat. The nitrogen infusion from the can gives it a good “carbonation” that keeps the beer from being too heavy.

This happens to be a beer I truly love. I would rather drink this then Guinness any day. Unfortunately itÂ’s not as common as Guinness is. This beer is an 8.0 out of 10.

Posted by: Contagion at 06:32 PM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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May the luck of the Irish be upon ya! Since it is March and St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated in March, all the beers I review this month are going to be Irish. Well okay, some are going to be Irish influenced or as I like to call them, “I can’t believe it’s supposed to be Irish.” If there is one thing the Irish can do right, that’s make some damn good beer. If there is something American Beer companies can do… is pass of a piss poor imitation of Irish Beer as being “Irish”. I’m not saying these aren’t good beers, just that they really aren’t Irish. That brings us to this week’s Faux Irish beer, Kilgubbin Red Ale by Goose Island Brewery in Chicago, IL.

They really want you to believe this is an Irish inspired beer. The label has all kinds of Celtic knot work all over it. It even has the name of the beer on a red banner in the “old Irish” script right over three shamrocks. If they really wanted to do it right, they would have had a pint-sized bottle instead of your standard 12 oz brown bottle. Any beer drinker worth their hops knows that the Irish drink by the bloody pint.

Besides being 4 oz short when poured into a pint glass, there is a dark brownish red color to the beer. ItÂ’s darker in color, but light still passes through. There is no haziness to it at all. There is a nice quarter inch white head that slowly fades into a film on top of the beer. There is virtually no lacing on the side of the glass.

There is a good earthy scent of roasted malts, both of the barley and chocolate variety. The floral scent of hops can be detected as well as a nice citric accent. There is a nice malty sweetness with a burnt hop bitter finish to the beer. There is a touch of smokiness to it that enhances the flavor. To be honest, the flavor is a little on the week side. There is a mild aftertaste that isnÂ’t pleasant, but does make you want to drink more.

This is a thin beer, itÂ’s almost watery. It wants to have a creamy texture to it, but the body of the beer is just too thin. It is very easy to drink.

As faux Irish beers go, this is not bad. IÂ’ve had much better, but I wouldnÂ’t be upset if someone gave me a six-pack of this. IÂ’m going to give it a 4.5 out of 10.

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The New Holland brewing company is starting to become a favorite brewery of mine. So far I have not had a beer from them that I did not like, and this weekÂ’s beer is no exception. Tonight IÂ’m reviewing The Poet Oatmeal Stout.

We have our standard 12 oz brown bottle. The label has a picture of a Raven sitting on a branch in front of a full moon with the name of the beer in old script underneath it. There is also a story about the beer next to the picture. It is kind of lengthy so IÂ’m not going to repost the whole thing, but it basically says this beer can go with just about any occasion.

It has a nice dark brown, almost black, color to it. Light barely passes through. ItÂ’s almost like a really dark fresh coffee color. The head has a nice tan color to it. There is minimal lacing on the glass. After a while the head fades to a tan ring around the edge and a slight film on the top.

There is a nice earthy aroma to it. A mixture of roasted oats and malts with a touch of chocolate and hint of coffee tickle the nose. The scent isnÂ’t too strong, but strong enough to really enhance the experience. The flavor is of robust malts with chocolate and coffee accents. There is a touch of hops that adds just a touch of bitterness that really livens up the flavor.

This is a full-bodied beer. It has a creamy and smooth mouth feel to it. There is not a lot of carbonation to it.

This is probably going to be one of my favorites. I could see myself craving this beer and drinking it on a regular basis. Definitely, going to make my top 20 list. I give it 7 out of 10.

Posted by: Contagion at 08:33 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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It took me a long time to find a Pilsner to review when originally requested. Now IÂ’m finding them all over the place. This week IÂ’m reviewing the Special Pilsner by Capital Brewery from Middleton, Wisconsin. ThatÂ’s right for all my local readers, this is a brew made not far from home.

It comes in your standard 12 oz brown bottle. There is a red oval label with a picture of a capital rotunda. The name of the beer is above it in white lettering, and the name of the brewery below in black lettering on a white field. I could be mistaken, but I think the rotunda is the Wisconsin State Capital building in Madison. IÂ’m sure one of you Wisconsinites out there will correct me if IÂ’m wrong.

It pours a nice light yellow color. There is a vary feint cloudiness to it. One can still see clearly through the beer glass to whatever is on the other side. It pours a nice half-inch white head with good-sized bubbles. The head slowly disappears into a good white film on the tope of the beer. There is barely any lacing on the side of the glass.

The aroma is wonderfully inviting. ItÂ’s not overpowering in any way. This is what a good beer should smell like. There is a combination of grains and yeast that makes it almost smell like some kind of bread. There is a slight straw undertone to it. The initial taste is almost disappointing in that itÂ’s kind of weak. It has a mixture of malts with a slight hop spiciness to it with a hint of sweet grass. The aftertaste is barely noticeable.

This Pilsner is a thing, light bodied beer. ItÂ’s clean and has a good carbonation to it, nothing that is over powering, only enhancing. There is a dry finish to it.

I could actually see myself craving this beer. At first I wasnÂ’t sure about it, but after finishing the first beer I really wanted to have a second one. This is a good hot summer day beer. IÂ’m giving this beer a 6.5 out of 10.

Posted by: Contagion at 08:33 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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This weeks beer is Sundog Amber ale by the New Holland Brewing company of Michigan. Yea, I didnÂ’t know Michigan made beer either. Yes, that was a joke, feel free to laugh.

We have our standard 12 oz brown bottle with a orange and black label showing the sillouette of a dog in the setting sun. The label states, “Delicious beer delivered with painstaking consistency, that’s our philosophy. We’ll give you a while to drink it in.” Well, if you drink anything like I do, this beer won’t last a while.

There is a nice dark amber color with some red to it. When poured into a glass there is a good quarter inch white head with nice thick bubbles. The head is long lasting and leaves a good lacing on the side of the glass.

To the nose one gets an inviting scent of malts with a nice hop accent. There is a touch of pine to the scent that makes this beer appealing. It has a lightly toasted malt and spicy hop flavor to it. There is a bitterness to it, itÂ’s almost as bitter as an IPA. The bitterness isnÂ’t overpowering and has a nice tang on the tongue. There is a slightly bitter aftertaste to it that fades quickly.

This is a medium bodies beer with a slightly creamy mouth-feel to it. There is just the right amount of carbonation to really open up the flavor, but not overpower the beer.

IÂ’m going to give this a 6 out of 10.

Posted by: Contagion at 07:27 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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This weekÂ’s beer goes out to all of my readers with Celiac disease. I canÂ’t fathom what it would be like to not be able to eat or drink the wheat, rye and barley. So for you, I review this beer! A couple of weeks ago I was walking through the store when I saw a sixer of Redbridge by Anheuser-Busch on the shelves. What caught my attention was the display they had that stated the beer was made from Sorghum instead of Wheat or Barley and was completely gluten free. Folks IÂ’ll be honest, this beer worried me. I did not want to try to drink this. My only experience with Sorghum has been in a sweet syrup form used on biscuits. In the end I figured IÂ’d take one for the team.

The label on this 12 oz brown bottle has a picture of a red bridge on a maroon background. The name of the beer is on it, and it proudly states, “Beer Made From Sorghum. Made Without Wheat Or Barley”.

There is a nice clear amber color to the beer. Light passes cleanly through and there is no sign of fogginess or impurities. There was a half-inch head the quickly disappeared to a sparse layer of large bubble floating on the top. There was no lacing.

Folks, IÂ’m going to be honest in that itÂ’s hard to describe this beers scent and taste. I really have no references for it. The scent was strange; I couldnÂ’t place it so IÂ’m assuming its sorghum. There was the familiar hint of hops, but the main scent was unusual. It was a sweet fresh scent, like a crisp winter morning. It was pleasant. The taste was very thin and unobtrusive. There is an interesting sweetness that IÂ’ve never tasted in a beer before; again IÂ’m assuming this is the sorghum. There is a slight bitterness of the hops. When I say there is sweetness, itÂ’s not too sweet or overpowering. ItÂ’s very complimentary. However, it does remind me of many light beers on the market.

This is a light bodied beer. There was a heavy carbonation to it that had a slight bite to the tongue and would cause massive bubbles on the side of the glass.

My fine readers, IÂ’m finding it hard to rate this beer. Since it is such a specially made beer, itÂ’s hard to compare it to the other beers IÂ’ve reviewed. Yet at the same time, it has many of the same characteristics. IÂ’m going to give this beer a 3.5 out of 10. I wouldnÂ’t go out of my way to buy another six-pack of it, but IÂ’m not going to turn one down.

Posted by: Contagion at 08:04 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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