midwest craft beers

New Beer Blog Tallgrass IPA

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In this beer blog, we are going to take a look at one of my one of my favorite brewery that is not in the Chicago market.  The beer is Tallgrass India Pale Ale.  If you read my earlier blog post on their 8-Bit Pale Ale, you know about this brewery.  If you did not, please, read that beer post on their flagship beer.  Let us get into this beer.

The color is light cooper with a hint of amber with a semi white head on the beer.  The smell is earthly. The taste is earthy with a dry piney aftertaste.  It is pretty drinkable beer.

Here is a description from their beer can:

Bombastically Hopped.  Surprisingly Malty.  Pour a Pint…..

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

IPA (ABV 6.3%, 60 IBU)

Our third beer, Tallgrass IPA, is an India Pale Ale that is rich, complex, and flavorful. We are proud to be the first brewery here in the Great Plains to have the first brewed, cans, and draft IPA out on the market!

Tallgrass IPA originally came to life as a creation during Jeff’s early homebrewing days (batch Numero Uno), and it was consumed in short order by his friends who came over to cook out and help with the next batch. After some modifications over the years (because nobody’s rookie homebrew batch tastes all that great, but your friends will tell you it does) the recipe was dialed in to become what is now Tallgrass IPA. We love this beer and think you will too!

What is with the name “India Pale Ale”? Well, India Pale Ales have a history that reaches way back to the days of the British Empire and the need for good and proper British beer for the soldiers in India. It just so happens that hops not only taste and smell great, they also have natural preservative properties that help keep beer fresher. Obviously, there was no way to keep beer cool on the long voyage around Cape Horn from England to India, so the intellectual forebearers of modern microbiology (genius brewers of course!) figured that if some hops were good for storage then heaps of hops would be great!

With this technique, these hero brewers and their hops kept the beer good and the soldiers of the empire inebriated, even in the furthest corners of the globe. Even more, the hoppiness of the IPA preserved not only the beer itself, but the great taste it created has preserved the style as one of the most popular beer styles in the world in the 21st century. If those brewers weren’t knighted by the empire back then, they should have been!

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.tallgrassbeer.com

Twitter:  @tallgrassbeer

Closing out, so far all the beers that I had from this brewery.  I have loved to death.  I love their packaging to the liquid.  This India Pale Ale is great but I do believe this beer is not an American India Pale Ale.  It has more a feel of English style IPA and with the description from their website, I believe they are embracing it.  Most American IPA are very hoppy and this beer is not.  That is why I am basing my facts on that.  I am not a brewer.  If they believe it is American IPA, it is American IPA.  This is my thought pattern.  I highly recommend this beer and I love this beer.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser

New Beer Blog Bell’s Winter White Ale

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In this winter beer blog, we are going to get into another beer from Michigan brewery known as Bell’s.  The beer is their winter seasonal which is called Bell’s Winter White Ale.  If you read my earlier blog on their Pale Ale, you know the history of this brewery.  If you have not, please, read the first part of that beer post.  Let us get into the beer.

This Winter White Ale from Bell’s is part of the 12 Beers of Christmas at Countryside. It has a hazel straw like color without a head on this winter seasonal.  There is a yeasty to wheaty smell with a little corridor smell to it.  The taste is yeasty and species with a dry slight lemon aftertaste. It is pretty drinkable for the beer style.

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

Taking its cues from Belgian-style white ales, Bell’s Winter White Ale offers a lighter yet abundantly flavorful alternative to the traditional heavy winter warmers. Fermented with a Belgian ale yeast, this blend of barley & wheat malts yields a mixture of clove and fruity aromas, all without the use of any spices. Deliberately brewed to retain a cloudy appearance, Bell’s Winter White Ale is a beer for embracing winter.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.bellsbeer.com

Twitter:  @bellsbrewery

Closing, I do not know why craft breweries put out White, Wheat, etc in the middle of the winter.  It is different then the rest of the craft breweries.  I am not saying this is a bad brew.  I am not a fan of it but they did a great job on it.  I always see this beer in my market in the middle of the summer.  The distributor does a really bad job with this brewery’s beer.  This brewery will sell more of this liquid in the spring and summer.  I recommend this beer, if you are a fan of white, wheats, and hefeweizen.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser

New Beer Blog Great Lakes Christmas Ale

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In this winter beer blog, we are going to get into another beer from this program at Countryside beer.  The brew that will be featured is Great Lakes Christmas Ale.  Great Lakes Brewery was founded in 1988 by Patrick and Daniel Conway in Cleveland, Ohio.  Great Lakes Brewery brews several different beer styles.   Let us get into the beer.

It has a nice clear copper color without a head on the beer. The smell is a cinnamon, nutmeg, and candy canes. The taste is a sweet carbonation cinnamon overload. This beer is like drinking a candy cane in a liquid form. There is a little cinnamon aftertaste. It is really not drinkable but it is on the borderline.

Here is a description from the beer bottle:

Our full-bodied, spirited ale is as festive as the season. Its copper color and flavorful taste are a combination of cinnamon, ginger and honey, so we ask that you “savor the flavor, responsibly ”

This beer is traditionally brewed from all natural ingredients: barley, hops, yeast, and water. No chemicals or preservatives are used.

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

A holiday ale brewed with honey and spiced with fresh ginger and cinnamon.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.greatlakesbrewing.com

Twitter:  @glbc_cleveland

In closing, this beer is one I will have one and I need to move onto another beer.  This does not mean this is a bad beer.  It is way too sweet to have one or more to me.  This beer is perfect for holiday desserts.  I did enjoy drinking and I try to have a few during every winter season.  If you like winter beers with ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg, I recommend you trying this beer.  I have a feeling you will enjoy this beer.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Merry Christmas and Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser

New Beer Blog Short’s Brew Pandemonium Pale Ale

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When in Michigan for Thanksgiving, we are going to sample out another beer from Short’s Brew Pandemonium Pale Ale.  If you read my earlier blog on their India Pale Ale, you know something on this brewery.  If you have not, please read the first part of that beer blog.  Let us get into the beer.

This beer has a clear color with a white head on it.  There is a slight citrus smell to it.  It is very fate to the beer.  The taste is a carbonation citrus with a slight dry bitter aftertaste. It is pretty drinkable beer.

Here is a description from the beer bottle:

Behold the Bitter Hysteria

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

Pandemonium Pale Ale

This coppered colored American pale ale lends its hue to hearty two row malts and hand selected specialty grains. Hop additions balance the wort, resulting in a tasty union of flavors and earthy aromas. Behold the bitter hysteria!

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.shortsbrewing.com

Twitter:  @shortsbrewing

Closing out the beer tab, this pale ale is pretty good but it is not one of my favorite from this brewery.  If I cannot find their India Pale Ale, this one is around.  I will be drinking this pale ale.  I will throw this beer in the mix once in a while but I cannot get it in Chicago.  When I come back to Michigan, I will be drinking it.  If I get it all the time, it will be on my radar once in a blue moon.  If you do not like IPA’s, you will enjoy this beer.  If you like Pale Ale, you will like this beer.  If you like beer, you better try.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it! \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser

New Beer Blog Short’s Brew Soft Parade

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When in Michigan for Thanksgiving, Short’s Brew Soft Parade is the brewery and beer that will be featured in this blog post.  If you read my earlier blog on their India Pale Ale, you know the short history on this young brewery.  If you have not, please read the first part of that beer post.  Let us get into the beer.

It has a light amber color that is not clear with a nice white head on the beer.  The smell is all the fruit that the brewery put in during fermenting. There is some raspberry to blackberry smell to this fruit beer. The taste is sweet carbonation fruit with a raspberry to blackberry aftertaste. The strawberry and blueberry are in the taste but in the background. This is not a drinkable beer.

Here is a description from the beer bottle:

High Gravity Ale fermented with blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries.

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

The Soft Parade

This gourmet specialty is engineered of toasted rye flakes and two-row malted barley. Loaded with pureed strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries, we refer to this fermented potion as a fruit infused rye ale. The result is a refreshing fruit delicacy that’s easy to drink, appealing to look at, and finishes dry.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.shortsbrewing.com

Twitter:  @shortsbrewing

In the end, I am not a huge fan of fruit beers.  I am not a fan of many of the Belgian beers.  This is a pretty good beer but it is not my favorite beer I had from this brewery.  I have to say I did enjoy drinking this beer.  It reminds me of summer.  I love the name and I wonder if it was named after the classic The Doors song.  There is a question for Joe Shorts.  If you pour this beer out and did not let me see the bottle, I would have thought this came from Belgian Brewery.  For the beer style, Short’s Brew made an excite fruit beer.  If you are a fan of fruit beers, you will like this beer.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiseer

Email:  djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser

New Beer Blog Short’s Brew Bellaire Brown A Classic American Brown Ale

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When in Michigan for Thanksgiving, we are going to sample out another beer from Short’s Brew.  The beer is called Bellaire Brown A Classic American Brown Ale.  If you read my earlier post on their India Pale Ale, you know the history of this young brewery.  If you have not, please read the first part of that post.  Let us get into the beer.

This American Brown Ale has a nice light brown color. It has a nice sweet malty smell to the beer.  The taste is a sweet carbonation malty with a dry aftertaste. It is kind of drinkable beer.

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

Bellaire Brown

A full flavored brown ale that derives sweet caramel and toasted qualities from four different kinds of malt and specialty grains. Select hop varieties add enticing aroma to the nose and create a dry finish. This ale is so dark and rich, it’s hardly classifiable as brown, but is certainly considered a delicious masterpiece.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.shortsbrewing.com

Twitter:  @shortsbrewing

Closing, just like the other beers, I have review.  I really enjoy this beer too.  This beer I would put in my line up like their India Pale Ale.  Since I live in Chicago, I will have to enjoy this beer when I come back to Michigan.  I love the smoothest to nice malty taste.  I love the aftertaste and how easy this beer goes down your throat.  This beer was very shocking good.  This is one of the best American Brown Ale from a Michigan Craft Brewery.  I highly recommend this beer.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser

New Beer Blog Short’s Brew Pontius Road Pilsner

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When in Michigan for Thanksgiving, we are going to get into another beer from Short’s Brew Company.   The beer is called Pontius Road Pilsner.  If you read my earlier blog on their India Pale Ale, you know the short history on this young brewery from Michigan.  If you have not, please read the first part of that beer post.  Let us get into the beer.

The beer is a clear straw to bright yellow color with a constant bubbles.  It has a ton of carbonation with a big white head on the beer.  There is no smell to the beer.  The taste is a sweet carbonation with a nice hoppy to it. There is a little bitter aftertaste. It is pretty drinkable beer.

Here is a description from the beer bottle:

Quality lies just off the beaten path.

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

Pontius Road Pilsner

A true American style Pilsner where the malted barley, when blended with flaked maize (corn), produce a deliciously distinct flavor. It is light in body and color, with a surprisingly full flavor that gives way to crisp refreshment. Handfuls of hops provide pleasant aromatics and a wonderful dry finish.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  http://www.shortsbrewing.com

Twitter:  @shortsbrewing

Ending, I love craft pilsner but this one was a little different then the rest.  It reminds me of a fresher version of Stella.  I am not saying that this beer is a bad beer but it is not my style in the pilsner.  This beer is well made and designed to the classic style.  I did enjoy it but it is not one of my favorite beer from this brewery.  I can see people who will enjoy this beer.  It has a nice balance and easy to drink this beer.  I recommend people trying this beer.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it! \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser

New Beer Blog Short’s Brew Huma Lupa Licous India Pale Ale

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While in Michigan for Thanksgiving, I was able to pick up some local beers that I have never tried.  There is going to be six beer posted on the Short’s Brew Company.  The first beer is called Huma Lupa Licous India Pale Ale, which is their flagship beer.  Short’s Brew was founded in 2004 by Joe Short in Bellaire, Michigan.  They brew several different beer styles with unique packaging on their beer bottles and six-pack holders.  Let us get into the beer.

This IPA has a clear copper without a head on the beer.  The smell is a little grapefruit to some mango. The taste is a carbonation citrus with a little bit of pineapple. There is really no aftertaste. It is a little drinkable but to me, it is drinkable.

Here is a little description from the beer bottle:

A complex malt and hop theme park on your mouth.

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

Huma Lupa Licious

This gem is honored with the name of the hop plant, Humulus lupulus, and is Short’s best selling India Pale Ale. It has such an abundant amount of hops that it sensually provides a punch to the palate. The numerous hop varieties used in its creation render a delicious bitter taste and enticing citrus aroma. The hearty malt bill melds with the hops to create a perfect balance.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  http://www.shortsbrewing.com

Twitter:  @shortsbrewing

Still in Michigan, I was really excited to try out these beers when I had a co-worker told me about this brewery.  I have to thank my sister for picking up the beers.  I really love the hop that they use in this beer.  It gives off a nice aroma and tasting profile that you do not get from most hops.  It is nicely balance with just the right malty backbone.  I wish I could get this in Chicago but this will be a nice beer to enjoy when I am back home seeing family and friends.  If you are a hop head like myself, you will need to try this beer down the road.  This is a great beer.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser

New Beer Blog Lake Louie Coon Rock Cream Ale

When in Milwaukee, this beer I had at a restaurant near our hotel and my phone was dead.  I had some notes just sitting by my computer for a few weeks while I was trying to caught up on my posts.  I am sorry to the brewery and my readers that it is taking me this long to put this post up.  Lake Louie Brewing was founded in 1999 by Tom Porter.  Lake Louie brought land in the city of Arena, Wisconsin from Tom’s Uncle Louie, which is where they came up with the name of the brewery.  In January 2012, they signed an agreement to see their beers being sold throughout the state of Wisconsin.  Let us get into the beer.

Lake Louie Coon Rock Cream Ale has a clear golden color without a head on the beer.  The smell is a little different.  It has a smell of fresh air or no smell at all.  I am from Chicago so that could be the Wisconsin area.  LOL!  It has a weird taste that I could not figure out but has a crisp hoppy finish.  It has a sweet carbonation almost like a pilsner.  It is extremely drinkable beer.

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

A Pre-Prohibition Cream Ale, using flaked corn for a very creamy and full-bodied beer.  Lightly hopped with traditional varieties that would have been grown in Wisconsin a hundred years ago.  The ultimate “Lawn Mower beer.”  ABV 5.7%  IBU 16

Closing, this is a really good beer and this beer tells me anything about the rest of their beers.  I believe the rest of their beers are really good too.  I will be making another trip up to Wisconsin in the winter and I will be looking up their other beers.  This beer is so true to the Wisconsin beers as a Lawn Mower Beer.  It is a beer you can drink all day.  This is a very good beer and I highly recommend this beer to any mass-produced beer or a craft beer drinker looking for a great session beer.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill Weiser

Email:  djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser

New Beer Blog Central Waters Satin Solstice Imperial Stout

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In this beer blog, we are going to sample some Central Satin Solstice Imperial Stout.  If you read my earlier blog on their Imperial India Pale Ale, you know the history of this small great brewery.  If you have not, please read the first part of that beer post.  Let us get into this awesome imperial stout.

It has a black color without a head on the beer. The smell is a chocolate, toffee to some coffee to the beer. The taste is between chocolate to slight coffee notes. This beer is very drinkable and dangerous because of the ABV.

Here is a description from the beer bottle:

The smooth creamy stout and a cracking fireplace are the perfect answer to a wintery evening in Wisconsin.  The rich coffee flavor compliments the “warm fuzzy feeling” you get from the abundant alcohol.  Enjoy in moderation.

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

SATIN SOLSTICE IMPERIAL STOUT
 This smooth, creamy stout and a crackling fireplace are the perfect answer to a wintery evening in Wisconsin. Enjoy in moderation.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  http://www.centralwaters.com

Twitter: @CWBrewing

Closing out, this is one of my favorite imperial stouts on the market.  It comes at a really good price for a six-pack bottles at $9.99 at most stores.  It is at the same price as the rest of their everyday beers.  It is even more a value to everyone asides the brewery.  Most breweries charge more their imperial  stout.  I love how easy this stout is to drink with the nice chocolate, with a little coffee and toffee.  This is an awesome stout and I highly recommend this beer.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email;  djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser