dj weiser

New Blog Samuel Adams Octoberfest Lager

In this fall beer blog, we are going to sample another beer from Samuel Adams and the beer is their Fall Seasonal Samuel Adams Octoberfest Lager. If you read my earlier blog, you know something about this brewery. If you did not, please, go back and read the first part of that blog. Samuel Adams is pretty well known and you might have known them before this beer blog. Let us get into the beer.

Samuel Adams Octoberfest is their Fall Seasonal and is available in six pack, twelve pack, fall sampler pack. It has amber color without a head on the beer. It has a sweet malty smell to the beer. The taste of this Octoberfest Lager is a malt beer drinkers heaven. It has a sweet malty aftertaste. It is kind of a drinkable beer.

Here is a descration from the beer bottle:

In 1810, munich celebrated the wedding of their Crown Prince with a special beer. After 16 days the party ended, but the tradition continues. Our version of the calssic Oktoberfest lager blends 5 roasted malts for a rich, hearty flavor that’s perfect of the season, or whatever you’re celebrating. Jim Koch

Here is a descriation from their website (www.samueladams.com):

Brewed with five varieties of malted barley for a big, rich flavor.

The first thing you notice when pouring a glass of this seasonal beer is the color. Samuel Adams® Octoberfest has a rich, deep reddish amber hue which itself is reflective of the season. Samuel Adams Octoberfest masterfully blends together five roasts of malt to create a delicious harmony of sweet flavors including caramel and toffee. The malt is complimented by the elegant bitterness imparted by the Bavarian Noble hops. Samuel Adams Octoberfest provides a wonderful transition from the lighter beers of summer to the heartier brews of winter.

The märzen style gets its name from the month in which it was traditionally brewed. Before refrigeration March was the last month that beers could be put down for the lagering, or cold storage process. The beers would age during the summer months and be enjoyed around the time of the fall harvest.

This beer style became a staple beer of the annual Oktoberfest celebration in Munich. The first celebration was originally held in 1810 to celebrate the marriage of the Crown Prince of Bavaria. The village green on which it was first held is now a huge fairground known as the Theresienwiese, after the royal bride. The Oktoberfest tradition has become a world renowned celebration of beer, running for sixteen heady days every autumn in Munich, Germany.

Samuel Adams Octoberfest pays homage to the Bavarian tradition by using generous portions of five varieties of malted barley to create a rich, toffee sweetness that is the signature flavor of this popular style.

Flavor: Smooth with a deep malt complexity. Lightly hopped for a smooth sweet finish.

Color: Deep red amber, 20 SRM Original Gravity: 13.6° Plato

Alcohol by Vol/Wt: 5.3%ABV – 4.1%ABW

Calories/12 oz.: 187

IBUs: 15

Malt Varieties: Samuel Adams two-row pale malt blend, Munich-10, and Caramel 60

Hop Varieties: Tettnang Tettnanger and Hallertau Mittelfrueh Noble hops

Yeast Strain: Samuel Adams lager yeast

Availability: Seasonal (August – October)

First Brewed: 1989

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website: www.samueladams.com

Twitter: @sameuladamsbeer

Closing, at one time, this was one of the best Octoberfest. Over time other breweries started to brew their verision and I just feel this beer did not change. It just not as good as I once thought it was. It is a malty beer drinker heaven but there are better ones. However, I try to have one Samuel Adams Octoberfest when it is season, it is still a pretty drinkable beer. Go get some! Drink it! Enjoy it! Metal it! \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email: djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter: @djweiser

New Blog Samuel Adams Hazel Brown

In this fall beer blog, we are going to sample out Samuel Adams Fall Sampler pack. The first beer up to sample is their Samuel Adams Hazel Brown. If you read my earlier blog on Samuel Adams brews, you know about this brewery. If not, please, go back and read the first part of it. Samuel Adams is pretty well-known so you might know about them before these blogs. Let us get into the beer.

Hazel Brown is part of their Fall Sampler Pack. It has a brown color without a head on the beer. The smell is between a hazelnut and brown sugar. It has a medium body with a caramel to sweet hazelnut taste. The aftertaste is of slight bitter to dry to this american brown ale. It is not really a drinkable beer but I could see some beer drinkers trying to do that with this beer.

Here is a description from the beer bottle:

This flavorful dark brown ale has a distinct hazelnut aroma and taste. Slightly sweet caramel and toffee malt notes accentuate the pleasant roasted hazelnut character. This medium-bodied brew finishes smooth with an underlying spiciness from the hops. Cheers! Jim Koch

Here is a description from their website (www.samueladams.com):

In honor of the fall hazelnut harvest, we brewed this flavorful nut brown ale. Its distinct hazelnut aroma and taste are accentuated by slightly sweet caramel and toffee malt notes. Medium in body, it finishes smooth with an underlying spiciness from the hops making it a great choice for fall.

While nut brown ales do not have a particularly long history, brown ales have been around in England since the late 17th century. This style became rare at the start of the 19th century as brewers began using pale malts as the base for their beers in place of more expensive brown malts. The resurgence of this style began at the end of that century and by the 1920s, brown ales were fairly common again.

For the base of Samuel Adams® Hazel Brown, we decided to brew in the Northern English Brown Ale style, which is slightly more robust than Mild and Southern English Brown Ales (higher ABV and bitterness level).

For this beer, we wanted to brew something that would be appealing and satisfying during the fall when the days become crisp and cooler. Brown ale, while a good beer any time of year, seemed like a great fit for this. We used malts that would contribute a rich, dark brown color, roasted notes, and a slightly sweet flavor profile, including caramel and toffee notes.

While the brown ale was tasty by itself, but we wanted to do more with it so decided to add a nut character. Hazelnut was the nut of choice due to its distinct, pleasant flavor and aroma. After adjusting the base beer slightly, we were able to create the best balance of malt and hazelnut characters.

Flavor: Caramel and toffee notes with a slightly sweet maltiness & roasted hazelnut flavor

Color: Rich brown, 28 SRM

Original Gravity: 13° Plato

Alcohol: 5.2%ABV – 4.0%ABW

Calories 12/ oz.: 174

IBUs: 20

Malt Varieties: Samuel Adams two-row pale malt blend, Caramel 60, Dingeman’s biscuit, Paul’s roasted barley

Hop Varieties: Hallertau Mittelfrueh Noble hops, East Kent Goldings

Yeast Strain: Samuel Adams ale yeast

First Brewed: 2012

Availability: Limited Release in the Harvest Collection Variety Pack

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website: www.samueladams.com

Twitter: @samueladamsbeer

In the end, I love a good brown ale but this one comes up a little short. Let me expalain why this brown ale might be a pass but I say to try this beer to make your judgement. It has a nice smell or aroma from the beer and it comes off with a ton of promise. The taste of the beer has its malty to hazelnut but then it comes off a little water down It has hard to expalining it. I believe they either rush this beer or did not put a ton of thought behind the making of this beer. It is really a huge let down for me but I know a few people that like this beer and you could be one of them. Go get some! Drink it! Enjoy it! Metal it! \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email: djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter: @djweiser

New Blog Two Brothers Outlaw India Pale Ale

Starting a new beer blog, this is the first beer from Two Brothers Brewery that I am blogging about and the beer is Outlaw IPA. Two Brothers was founded in 1996 in Warrenville, IL by Jim and Jason Ebel. They brew several different beer styles and some of them they do a twist to some of the classic beer styles. Let us get into the beer.

This beer has a copper color without a head on it. The smell is of earthly to piney. The taste of this IPA is earthly to piney with dry hoppy aftertaste. It is not really a drinkable beer.

Here is a descripation from the beer can:

As bold as the name suggests but as friendly as the masked man, comes our first world of cans. This IPA is full of citrus and pine hop character and aroma. The hop flavors play off the pleasant malt complexity like a good sidekick. Giddy-up. 60 IBU 6.3% ALC/VOL

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website: www.twobrosbrew.com

Twitter: @twobrothersbeer

In closing, one of many new breweries being opened in Chicago area and this is one of the newer ones. Two Brothers are growing at a rapid rate and I believe it is taking away from quality of the beer. When I moved to Chicago, I was excited to try all the breweries at that time in 2005. Two Brothers was on that list and I loved their beers back then. I just feel their beers have loss something. It could be passion or rushing the beers through the brewing process to keep up with demand. Outlaw IPA does not have enough malty backbone to my taste buds as a hop head. It is all bitterest and that does not make this hop head happy. It kills the hop taste for me. This beer is a huge let down and I love my craft beer in a can. This beer is selling pretty good and I believe it is because it is local brew. General Chicago Craft Beer Drinkers’ pallets are still growing and I hope these local beer companies realize and step up to make some good beer. I am not saying this the worse India Pale Ale. I believe it is average India Pale Ale and this brewery could do better. Just believe, I say this before. It does not mean you might not like this beer. Please, go get some! Drink it! Enjoy it! Metal it! \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email: djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter: @djweiser

New Blog Lagunitas Pils Czech Style

In this blog, Lagunitas Pils Czech Style Pilsner is the beer that is going to be sampled and featured. If you read my earlier blog on their Fusion 8, you are know a little something about this brewery. If you did not read that blog, please, go back and read the first part of that beer. Let us get into the beer.

This Pils has a golden color with a little white head on the beer. It has that fresh air smell in the woods by a waterfall. The taste of this German style Pils is a sweet slightly malty carbonation to little hop aftertaste. It has a nice dry crisp finish. It is drinkable.

Here is a description from the beer bottle:

Like Adam and Eve, Isaac and Ishmael, Mao and Confuscious, Good and Evil, Day and Night, Hittites and Visigoths, John and Lorena, or Groucho and Moe, Ales and Lagers are as different as can be. Still, we must love each for who they are, separately but equally, with liberty, and justice, for all. Cheers!

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website: www.lagunitas.com

Twitter: There is no twitter address.

Closing out this blog, this is one of my favorite pilsner. It has a ton of favor and I am really starting to dig into this brewery a little bit more. I forgot how good their beers compared to the rest of the beers in the market. This beer has a nice balance between the malt and the hops but keeping the classic beer style in mind. This is an excellent beer and I recommend you trying this beer. Go get some! Drink it! Enjoy it! Metal it! \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email: djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter: djweiser

New Blog Lagunitas India Pale Ale

New beer tab, Lagunitas India Pale Ale is the feature beer in this new beer blog. It is part of their everyday six-pack beer. If you read my earlier blog on their Fusion 8, you are pretty up to speed on this brewery. If you have not read it, please, go back to read the first part of it. Let us get into the beer.

It has a dark golden color to copper color with a constant white head. It has a citrus smell to this IPA. The taste has a sweet slightly carbonation to citrus taste with nice citrus to piney aftertaste. It is drinkable for being a West Coast India Pale Ale.

Here is a description from the beer bottle:

Thanks for choosing to spend the next few minutes with the special homicidally hoppy ale. Saavor the moment as the raging hop character engages the Imperial Qualities of the Malt Foundation in mortal combat on the battlefield of your palate!

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website: www.lagunitas.com

Twitter: there is no twitter address

Closing out the beer tab, this beer is a really awesome beer. To me, this India Pale Ale is a dessert for IPAs. It is very well balance and has a nice malty backbone. It is drinkable and I cannot wait for their brewpub to open here in Chicago. This brewery makes several great brews and puts their own twist on it. Their beers are worth the value that you pay at the Beer Stores. You can not say that about all the beers that are in the market. If you are a hop head or looking for a good India Pale Ale, you need to find this beer and try it out. Go get some! Drink it! Enjoy it! Metal it! \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email: djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter: @djweiser

New Blog Sixpoint Brownstone

In this blog, Sixpoint Brownstone will be featured in this latest edition. If you read my earlier blog on Sixpoint beers, you are pretty up to speed on this brewery. If you have not, please, go back and read the first part of that blog. Let us get into the beer.

Sixpoint Brownstone has a brown color with a heavy carbonation to the beer. It has a sweet malty smell to the beer. The brown ale has a sweet malty taste with a nice malty aftertaste. It is extremely drinkable for being a dark beer. Most general beer drinkers see a dark beer and believe it is not drinkable. In some cases, some dark beers can be drinkable more then their golden to white looking beers.

Here is description from the beer can:

…..and coming out of the brownstone house to the gray sidewalk, the watered street, one side of the buildings rises with the sun like a glistening field of wheat. Brownstone is our bedrock; the first fortress of Sixpoint. Mahogany malt and balanced bitterness is our home.

Here is a descripition from their website (www.sixpoint.com):

…and coming out of the brownstone house to the gray sidewalk, the watered street, one side of the buildings rises with the sun like a glistening field of wheat.

Brownstone is our bedrock; the first fortress of Sixpoint. This mahogany-hued brew has elements of roasted barley and a hop-forward profile.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website: www.sixpoint.com

Twitter: @sixpoint

Closing out the blog, I really enjoy drinking beers from Sixpoint Brewery. I am glad that they are in Chicago market. I love how this brewery takes a classic beer style and put their twist on it. It gives the craft beer drinker a new drinking experience. To me, this is one of the best brown ales on the market. My two favorite brown ales are this one from Sixpoint and Brooklyn. The thing is that they are two different twist on the same beer style. I would think it would be nice if Sixpoint, Bronx Brewery, and Brooklyn Brewery should do a beer together. It should be called New York Gangster Take Me Down Ale. I do not know. I am thinking out loud in words on this blog. Sixpoint did a great job on their new can beer, which is Brownstone. Go get some! Drink it! Enjoy it! Metal it! \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email: djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter: @djweiser

New Blog Brooklyn Summer

In this blog, we are going to get into the last summer seasonal and one of my favorite of this season, which is very rare. The beer is Brooklyn Summer. If you read my earlier blog on their Brooklyn Brown, you know a little something on this brewery. I try this in their can and bottle. I was wondering if there was a different from the can and the bottle. There was a little differences between the packaging. The first thing is the carbonation from the can to the bottle was different. Let us sample them out.

Brooklyn Summer Can

It is a clear golden color with a constant white head. There is a heavy carbonation to this beer. It has a very sweet smell. It is a light in body with a sweet light very malty taste without an aftertaste. It is easy to drink for the very hot Summer days.

Brooklyn Summer Bottles

Just like the can, it has the same golden color without a head on the beer. In the bottle, it has less carbonation. It has a very sweet malty smell. The beer has a sweet carbonation malty taste without an aftertaste. It is extremely drinkable beer.

Here is the description from the bottle and can:

Brooklyn Summer Ale is a summer refresher with a difference. The difference comes from the malt-100% British two-row barley, prized for superior taste. Our Summer Ale is gold in color, with a soft bready flavor, snappy clean bitterness and bright hop aroma, and will taste best before the date indicated. For information about special events and tours at our New York City facility, check brooklynbrewery.com, or write The Brooklyn Brewery, 79 North 11th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11249

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website: www.brooklynbrewery.com

Twitter: @brooklynbrewery

In the end, this light in body beer with its refreshing taste brings that old school feel to the beer drinker. It is different then all the rest of the other Craft Summer Brews out there. American Craft Breweries do American style lager or some wheat and that is not my mug of beer. I still want something with some flavor to it. This brew from Brooklyn brings me exactly what I am looking for in a summer seasonal. This is a great beer and I am sad to see this season ending. If you can still find it, go get some! Drink it! Enjoy it! Metal it! \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email: djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter: @djweiser

New Blog Brooklyn Brewery Lager

The feature beer in this lastest edition is Brooklyn Lager. If you read my earlier blogs on this brewery, you are pretty much up to date on Brooklyn Brewery. If you have not, please, go back and read the first part of the Brooklyn Brown post to get to know this great New York City brewery. Let us get into beer.

Brooklyn Lager is part of their everyday lineup of beers and is their flagship beer. It has copper to almost amber color with a constant white head on the beer. It has a heavy malty smell to the beer. This lager has a taste of a sweet malty and crisp malty finish to it. It is extremely drinkable.

Here is a description from the beer bottle:

Amber gold, with a malty body and a floral hop character, Brooklyn Lager is a revival of Brooklyn’s pre-Prohibition all malt lagers. This is the brewery’s first and best-selling brand. Brooklyn Lager is brewed only with malted barley, hops, water, and yeast, and will taste best before the freshness date indicated. Please write us or visit the brewery Saturdays noon to 5pm, at #1 Brewers Row. 79th North 11th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11211, or our website at www.brooklynbrewery.com.

Here is a description from their website (www.brooklynbrewery.com):

In the late 1800’s Brooklyn was one of the largest brewing centers in the country, home to more than 45 breweries. Lager beer in the “Vienna” style was one of the local favorites. It is amber-gold in color and displays a firm malt center supported by a refreshing bitterness and floral hop aroma. Caramel malts show in the finish. The aromatic qualities of the beer are enhanced by “dry-hopping”, the centuries-old practice of steeping the beer with fresh hops as it undergoes a long, cold maturation. The result is a wonderfully flavorful beer, smooth, refreshing and very versatile with food. Dry-hopping is largely a British technique, which we’ve used in a Viennese-style beer to create an American original.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website: www.brooklynbrewery.com

Twitter: @brooklynbrewery

Ending the beer tab, I will be honest about this beer. I was not a fan of this beer at first but over the years it has grown on me. I believe my taste buds are changing again. This lager is what an American Lager should be not what the mass produced beer companies are putting out there. I am not saying they are bad lagers and beers. For me personally, I enjoy more of a malty taste. This is a great beer with a ton of flavor and a nice hop touch to it. If you enjoy lagers, I would give this beer a shoot and let me know what you think about this Brooklyn Lager. Go get some! Drink it! Enjoy it! Metal it! \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email: djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter: @djweiser

New Blog Tallgrass Brewing 8-Bit Pale Ale

In this blog, we are going to get into the Tallgrass Brewing 8-Bit Pale Ale. Tallgrass Brewing was founded in 2006 by Jeff Gill in Manhattan, Kansas. They brew several different beer styles and they are only available in draft and cans. They are available in the Midwest, Mississippi, and Minnesota. The history of this young brewery is very little but I found this information all on their website (www.tallgrassbeer.com). They are not in the Chicago area and I wish they would come to Illinois. I had a friend being me a four pack back for me to try it and blog about it.

8-Bit Pale Ale has yellow cloudy look to the beer with a constant white head. The carbonation is pretty high on this beer so pour it slowly in the beer glass. To me, the beer has that funky Belgian yeast smell to it, which I do not believe they use Belgian yeast. The beer drinker will smell spices with some earthy to it. As far as the taste of this beer has an earthy taste with a nice sweet aftertaste. It has that feel of Belgian Pale Ale to this beer. It is an extremely drinkable beer with nice old school video game graphics on the 16oz can.

Here is a description from their website (www.tallgrassbeer.com):

8-Bit

Hop-Rocketed Pale Ale

(ABV 5.2%)

Just like those classic video games we all grew up with, 8-Bit Pale Ale is spectacularly simple at first glance yet remarkably fun and complex when you get into it. Our Hop Rocket infuses the character of Australian grown Galaxy Hops into an American Pale Ale, giving a unique tropical, almost melon aroma in a classic American style.

IBU: 40

Malts: 2 Row, Victory, Vienna & Munich

Hops: Magnum, Centennial, Cascade & Galaxy

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website: www.tallgrassbeer.com

Twitter: @tallgrassbeer

In the end, Tallgrass Brewing did a great job using Galaxy Hops. I love the graphics on the can and the name of the beer. Being a beer fan and video gamer, this is my beer of choice while playing the video games and it will be in my regular beer line up. I had a friend of mine that watches G4TV saw this beer on one of their shows. She forward it over to me and that is when I started doing some research the brewery and beer to find out where I can pick up this beer. I had another friend visiting family in Kansas so I asked her to pick up some beer for me. I really love the body and favor this beer kicks out. It is your standard American Pale Ale but it has a huge Belgian Pale Ale feel to it. It has a nice balance from the malts and hops to give a nice punch and full favor. 8-Bit Pale Ale is drinkable and I believe it will make every beer drinker love this beer. Hey Chicago, we are not that far from Wisconsin. Go get some! Drink it! Enjoy it! Metal it! \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email: djweiser13@comcast.net

New Blog Geary’s Hampshire Special Ale

Starting new tab, Geary’s Hampshire Special Ale, which is an American Strong Ale, is going to be feature in this beer blog. I have wrote about their Pale Ale in one of my earlier blog. If you read that blog, you are pretty much up to speed on this brewery. If you have not, please go back and read that first part of that blog post. Let us get into the beer.

This American Strong Ale has a clear blood red color without a head. It has a amber like color to it. The smell is sweet carmel malty to it. The taste is sweet carbonation malty carmel with a dry sweet malty that last a while in the beer drinker. It is extremely drinkable and dangerous for the beer drinker.

Here is a descripation from their website (www.gearybrewing.com):

Hampshire Ale

Once Maine’s legendary seasonal specialty, Hampshire is now available year round. Hampshire has a huge toasted malt flavor balanced by assertive hoppiness. The finish is long and lingering with the malt and hop notes blending with alcohol warmth. Original gravity – 1070; alcohol by volume – 7%; two row English malts (pale, crystal and chocolate); Cascade, Mt. Hood and East Kent Golding hops.
Availability: Year round

Original gravity: 1070

Ingredients: Two row English Malt (pale, crystal and chocolate); Cascade, Mt Hood and East Kent Golding hops.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website: www.gearybrewing.com

Twitter: @gearybrewing

Closing, I am glad to see this brewery in the Chicago market again. I will be drinking and blogging on this brewery a little bit more. This beer is full of flavor and comes with a huge value for the price you will be paying at the beer store. I love the heavy malty and sweetness. Plus, it does not taste like 7% ABV beer that is pretty dangerlous to the beer drinker. This is an awesome beer and very well made. Go get some! Drink it! Enjoy it! Metal it! \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email: djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter: @djweiser

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