milwaukee brewery

New Beer Blog Lagunitas Sucks Brown Shugga’ Substitute Ale

In this beer blog, we are going to get into a special release from Lagunitas Brewery. It is their Sucks Brown Shugga’ Substitute Ale. If you read my earlier beer blog posts on their beers, you know the history of this craft brewery. If you have not, please, read them to get to know this craft brewery. Let us get into this beer in quart bottle.

It has a clear bright golden copper color with a white constant head. The smell has a heavy citrus notes with a slight caramel notes. It is really fated. The taste has citrus to a slight creamy caramel notes. The aftertaste has crisp dry bitter finish that is pretty smooth. It is pretty drinkable beer.

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

Originally brewed in 2011 as a Brown Shugga’ substitute, due to construction-induced capacity issues. But we liked it so much it had to make a return trip.

AVAILABLE: LATE NOVEMBER thru JANUARY
ABV: 7.85%
Sold as: 6-Packs & Kegs (plus 32oz Quarts in select markets)
Net contents: Ounces and ounces of Malt, Hops, Yeast and water.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website: www.lagunitas.com

Twitter: @lagunitasbeer

Closing, I have always loved Lagunitas Sucks. I am always sad that this beer is only a seasonal. This Sucks is their Brown Shagga edition. Plus, I love that it comes out in 32oz or quart bottle. I am saving my bottle. When I visited the brewery in Chicago this last summer, they were selling these bottles and I wanted to take it home. The problem was that I flew out of Chicago. I love all nice caramel to citrus notes. They picked a nice selection of hops and build a well design malty backbone. I love this beer and I will have a few more bottles in the neat future. I highly recommend this beer. Go get some! Drink it! Enjoy it! Metal it! \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email: djweiser16@gmail.com

Twitter: @djweiser

Instagram: @djweiser13

New Beer Blog Short’s Autumn Ale (2014)

In this fall beer blog, we are going to get into the fall seasonal from Short’s Brewery. It is their Autumn Ale. If you read my earlier beer blog posts on their beers, you know the history of this Michigan craft brewery. If you have not, please, read them to get to know this craft brewery. Let us fall beer.

It has a slightly cloudy amber to bronze color with a semi white head. The aroma has a floral to nutty notes with some hazelnut. The taste has a slight carbonation malty with earthy hop bitter aftertaste. It is pretty drinkable beer.

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

Autumn Ale is a true-to-style London Extra Special Bitter (ESB). It has a medium body, amber color, and full flavor. This beer exhibits a wonderful balance of malty sweetness and floral hop bitterness. The result is an ideal bridge between malty and hoppy beer styles. Autumn Ale is a silver medal winner from the 2006 Great American Beer Festival.

6.5% ABV

45 IBU

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website: www.shortsbrewing.com

Twitter: @shortsbrewing

In the end, I did not like this beer. It just seems like it is missing something. I love my ESB’s. I love the old country-style of it. This one is true to the classic beer style. I do not know if maybe it threw me off because the flood of Oktoberfest and Pumpkin beers. This was the first beer I had for the day. So it was not like I was a few beers in and started to drink it. If it was a normal price craft beer but not higher than the rest, this beer would be worth the price. I recommend you trying it and this beer is better than most of the beers Short’s release in the market. Go get some! Drink it! Enjoy it! Metal it! \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email: djweiser16@gmail.com

Twitter: @djweiser

Instagram: @djweiser13

New Beer Blog Cheboygan Brewing Oktoberfest (2014)

In this fall beer blog, we are going to get into another Oktoberfest from Cheboygan Brewing. If you read my earlier beer blog posts on their beers, you know the history of this craft brewery. If you have not, please, read them to get to know this Michigan craft brewery. Let us get into this Oktoberfest Beer.

It has a nice clear light amber to dark copper color with a semi white head. The smell has a candy to sweet caramel notes. The taste has a sweet candy to caramel notes with a dry malty notes for the aftertaste. It is pretty drinkable beer.

Here is a desecration from their website (www.cheboyganbrewingcompany.com):

Gold Medal award winner at the 2012 Frankenmuth World Expo of Beer!

The beer, created by the brewery’s operation manager and brewmaster Tim Perry, who was inspired by the 1976 Späten Oktoberfest bier from Munich, Germany, is orange in hue with a pronounced malt presence. 6% ABV IBU 28. Available in the Fall. Available in six packs seasonally.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website: www.cheboyganbrewingcompany.com

Twitter: @CheboyganBrew

In the end, I have been really impressed with all the fall seasonals asides the Erdinger, Griffin Claw, Atwater Brewery, and Weihenstephaner. I have to say those were bad. I believe that is four out of fourteen fall beers. This brewery puts another good one on that list. I am so happy to have a great streak of fall beers this season. I love the candy to caramel notes from the malt. It is pretty sweet but yet has a nice malty dry finish. It will have you coming back and drink more and more of this beer. I highly recommend this beer. You can find this one in the Michigan market. Go get some! Drink it! Enjoy it! Metal it! \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email: djweiser16@gmail.com

Twitter: @djweiser

Instagram: @djweiser13

New Beer Blog Griffin Claw Screamin’ Pumpkin Ale (2014)

In this fall seasonal beer blog, we are going to get into another beer from Griffin Claw Brewery. I do not know why I keep coming back to this brewery. I know why for this beer because this is an old Michigan Brewery Company recipe. If you read my earlier beer blog posts on their beers, you know the history of this young craft brewery. If you have not, please, read them to get to know this Michigan craft brewery. Let us get into this pumpkin ale.

It has a light amber to dark color with a semi white head. The aroma has a heavy cinnamon and nutmeg notes. The taste has really no notes but slight sweet malt. The aftertaste is a heavy cinnamon and nutmeg notes. It is so not drinkable beer.

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

Our Screamin’ Pumkin Ale is like a slice of warm pie. Cinnamon, clove, sweet pumpkin, a little molasses. A couple sips in you’ll mistake the malty aftertaste for a crispy crust. The perfect beer to celebrate Halloween. Or Thanksgiving. Or Christmas, if there’s any left. From the time we brew it in July get it while it’s good.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website: www.griffinclawbrewingcompany.com

Twitter: @Griffinclaw

Closing, I was a pretty big fan of the Michigan Brewery Company Screaming Pumpkin Ale. I use to make trips back from Chicago to bring some back. Later years I stop because of being busy and then they went out of business. I was pretty excited to hear that a craft brewery brought the rights to the recipe. I do not know what they did with this recipe but it is not the same beer as I remember it. It has been a long time since I had it. Maybe my taste has changed over the years. I might have to retry it but I am hoping I do not get a bad batch. Who knows, maybe this first one was a bad batch. It was not really good. Go get some! Drink it! Enjoy it! Metal it! \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email: djweiser16@gmail.com

Twitter: @djweiser

Instagram: @djweiser13

New Beer Blog Samuel Adams Latitude 48 IPA Deconstructed (2014)

In this beer blog, we are going to get into my second Samuel Adams IPA sampler pack. If you read my earlier beer blog posts on this East Coast Craft Brewery, you know the history of this craft brewery. If you have not, please, read them to get to know this craft brewery. Let us get into these six different single hop IPA.

Latitude 48 IPA

This beer is one of their everyday six-pack bottles. It has your normal IPA amber to copper look to it with a white constant head. The taste of this IPA gives a nice hop taste with nice bitter ending. You can taste beer from the front of the pallet which gives off sweet to bitter tastes notes. The aftertaste is something I really do not like about this beer. It has a dry hoppy bitter finish. For what Samuel Adams is today, this is a well made beer. I hate to say it because I know it is a slap in the face to any brewmaster but this is a nice beginner IPA for people wanting to get into this great beer style. Overall a nice drinkable and easy drinking beer for the beer style. This IPA is better than their Rebel IPA.

East Kent Goldings IPA #1

It has a clear copper color with a white constant head on this English IPA. The smell has a heavy floral notes. The taste has a floral to earthy notes. The aftertaste is an earthy dry hop finish. It is pretty drinkable beer.

Here is a description from the beer bottle:

This single hop IPA is brewed using only East Kent Goldings. These classic English hops create a mellow bitterness with earthy, floral, and apricot notes that are balanced by a subtle malt sweetness.

Mosaic IPA #2

It has a clear copper color with a white constant head. The aroma has a pineapple to citrus notes. The taste has a pineapple to a slight smooth caramel notes. It is has nice bitter hop aftertaste. It is a pretty drinkable beer.

Here is a description from the beer bottle:

This single hop IPA is brewed using only Mosaic hops . These distinctive American hops contribute subtle fruit notes of pineapple and Mandarin orange along with hints of eucalyptus. These delicate notes are complemented by the sweetness of the malt.

Hallertau Mittelfrueh IPA #3

It has a clear copper color with a white constant head. The smell has hints of citrus to piney notes. The taste has a light carbonation to some notes of piney and citrus. The aftertaste is a dry hop finish. It is a pretty drinkable beer.

Here is a description from the beer bottle:

This single hop IPA is brewed using only Hallertau Mittelfrueh Noble hops from the Halletau region of Bavaria. These hops create a soft bitterness, along with delicate citrus and resinous pine notes that are balanced by a subtle malt sweetness and body.

Simcoe IPA #4

It has a clear copper color with a white constant head. The aroma has a heavy grapefruit notes. The taste profile is a heavy grapefruit notes with a dry crisp grapefruit dry hop finish. It does not hang around like #1 to #3. It is a pretty drinkable beer.

Here is a description from the beer bottle:

This single hop IPA is brewed using only Simcoe hops that bring a distinct punch of grapefruit character and piney notes. The subtle malt sweetness helps balance and round out the concentrated hop character.

#5 Zeus IPA

It has a clear copper color with a white constant head on this IPA. The smell has an earthy notes. The taste is an earthy to piney notes with a dry bitter hop aftertaste. It is kind of drinkable beer.

Here is a description from the beer bottle:

This single hop IPA is brewed using only American Zeus hops, which create an intense piney and resinous character. This brew leans strongly towards the hop character, but is balanced by the malts sweetness.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website: www.samueladams.com

Twitter: @SamuelAAdams

In the end, we are going to break this IPA sampler pack down. Being a huge Hophead, I am always looking to try new IPA’s in the market or retry old ones. I love when craft breweries take one IPA and mess around with it. I like to try different hops or malt with one recipe. Samuel Adams did that with Latitude 48 IPA, which is one of their everyday IPA six-pack and their best everyday IPA. I have had their newer IPA, which is Rebel IPA, and I am not a fan of it. It is not an American IPA. It is English IPA. I feel Rebel IPA is something that one of the mass-produced beer companies. Latitude 48 IPA is a nice gateway drug into craft beer and IPA world. They did a great job on some of these beers but there are a few in this pack that I could do without. I will give them credit for the effort on these brews. #1 is a pretty good English IPA but nothing close to Goose Island IPA and Brooklyn East India Pale Ale. The more that I start thinking about #1 is pretty good version of IPA than Brooklyn East India Pale Ale. I like this one. #2 has some nice tropical notes that the hops kick off in this brew. I love that in this beer. This is one of the best one in this pack. #3, I can do without this IPA. This was a bad mix with this hop. I just found Hallertau Mittelfrueh is a good hop with other hops. By itself, it is just not good. Maybe, it is this brewery. I just do not know. #4 is average but it is growing on me. I love this hop, which is Simcoe Hop. I am starting to think that the malty backbone in Latitude 48 is not mixing well with these other hops. This brew did grow on me. The last one #5 is really good along with the aftertaste. It keeps me coming back for some more. I normally get on any brewery about their aftertaste on IPA. I do not know why but this aftertaste makes me keep drinking more of this beer. The best beer #2 in this pack. The worse is #3. Overall, this is average IPA pack. They did an awesome job like three years ago. The last two years they did different IPA styles that I passed right by in the store. I give them credit for trying and make sure we still call Samuel Adams a craft brewery still. Go get some! Drink it! Enjoy it! Metal it! \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email: djweiser16@gmail.com

Twitter: @djweiser

Instagram: @djweiser13

New Beer Blog Finch’s Beer Company Sobek And Set Black IPA

In this beer blog, we are going to get into another beer from Finch’s Beer Company. It is their Sobek and Set Black IPA. If you read my earlier beer blog posts on their brewery tour, you know the history of this Midwest Craft Brewery. If you have not, please, read it to get to know this craft brewery from chicago. Let us get into this Black IPA.

It has a jet black color with a semi tan color head. The aroma has a chocolate to citrus notes. The taste has a heavy chocolate and citrus notes with a dry hop bitter finish. This is a kind of drinkable beer.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website: www.finchbeer.com

Twitter: @finchbeer

Closing, this is an awesome beer and it is one of my favorite Black IPA on the market. It is one of my everyday beers right now. I will have to check it up here soon so I do not get bored with it. There is a ton of complex notes on this beer. The depth of flavor notes is what makes this beer special. I love the hop notes and there is some nice chocolate notes that blends nicely with the hops. I love the packaging design and it is in a can. I love my beer in cans. I highly recommend this beer. Go get some! Drink it! Enjoy it! Metal it! \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email: djweiser16@gmail.com

Twitter: djweiser

Instagram: @djweiser13

New Beer Blog Goose Island Oktoberfest (2014)

In this fall beer blog, we are going to get into the 2014 version of Goose Island Oktoberfest. If you read my earlier beer blog posts on this Midwest craft brewery, you know the history of this 1980’s craft brewery. If you have not, please, read them to get to know this Chicago Orignal craft brewery. Let us get into this fall beer.

It has a dark clear copper color without a head. The aroma has a slight sweet malty notes. The taste has a sweet malty to slight but faded caramel notes. The aftertaste has a dry malty finish. It is pretty drinkable beer.

Here is a their website and twitter addresses:

Website: www.gooseisland.com

Twitter: @gooseisland

In the end, I have to say this year’s version is so much better than last years. I was not a fan of last year’s beer. It is night and day compare to these beers. I am pretty stun and impressed. The layer of depth has some notes of caramel notes. I did not really pick up too much of the toffee and apricot notes that is marked on the bottle. I am not too sure and I came up with these tasting notes before reading the bottle. I had a chance to try it on draft and it is pretty constant from bottle to keg. This is a great beer and I highly recommend it. Get it while it last if you are outside of the Chicago market. Go get some! Drink it! Enjoy it! Metal it! \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email: djweiser16@gmail.com

Twitter: @djweiser

Instagram: @djweiser13

New Beer Blog Great Lakes Brewing Oktoberfest (2014)

In this fall beer blog, we are going to get into this year’s Great Lakes Brewing Oktoberfest. If you read my earlier beer blog posts on their beers, you know the history of this Midwest Craft Brewery. If you have not, please, read them to get to know this Ohio craft brewery. Let us get into this fall beer.

It has a clear copper color with a white constant head. The aroma has a sweet malty to caramel notes. The taste has a depth of sweet malt, slight caramel, and nut notes. The aftertaste has a dry crisp malty finish. It is a pretty drinkable fall beer.

Here is a description from the beer bottle:

Our Oktoberfest is the noble brother of the Vienna lager…. As if wearing “lederhosen” and getting your “oompah” on didn’t make you noble enough. Oh, and enjoy this German lager in our energy effcient Beer Garden, complete with a retractable roof, straw bale wall and radiant heat fireplace and floor.

Cleveland’s celebration of Oktoberfest dates to the mid 1800s when German immigrants gathered at outdoor beer gardens like Haltnorth’s and Kindvater’s St Clair Gardens. Our amber lager with rich malt flavor and noble hops honors Cleveland’s diverse cultural heritage.

In keeping with the Bavarian Purity Law of 1516, 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):

An amber lager with rich malt flavor balanced by fragrant noble hops.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website: www.greatlakesbrewing.com

Twitter: @GLBC_Cleveland

Closing, it has been forever since I had a Great Lakes Oktoberfest. I was happy to get a bottle in my hand. I have to say I was not disappointed. So far, this year’s fall seasonals has not been disappointing asides New Belgian Brewery Tour De Fall. I am not going to get into it on this review. Just like Goose Island Oktoberfest, there is some nice depth of malty notes. I am getting some nice hints of sweet caramel notes. It is nice drinkable and easy to drink beer. It is true to the classic beer style and I will have a few more pints before the end of the season. I highly recommend this beer. Go get some! Drink it! Enjoy it! Metal it! \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email: djweiser16@gmail.com

Twitter: @djweiser

Instagram: @djweiser13

New Beer Blog Atwater Brewery In The Park

In this beer blog, we are going to talk about my visit at Atwater Brewery In The Park. I did not take tasting notes but I will talk about the food and kind of what I had to drink. I also will talk about my experience there. If you have read my earlier beer blog posts about their beers, you know the history of this Detroit craft brewery. If you have not, please, read them to get to know this craft brewery. Let us get into this dining and drinking experience.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website: www.atwaterbeer.com

Twitter: @atwaterbeer

Ending, I know there is other craft breweries using churches as their brewery. I know there is one in Pennsylvania. I have never been there. I would love to go. I will be the first to say that I am not a fan of this brewery but I wanted to check out this new brewpub in the Grosse Pointe, Michigan. I might not like the beer from the brewery but I like going to brewpubs. Sometimes, it might be the traveling that might be have an effect on the beer. The staff is super nice and helpful. The inside and outside area is very welcoming to their guests. They have two beer menus. One is beers that are brewed there and the other list is brewed at their main brewpub. I had two beers exclusive to the brewpub there. I had their Poorboy, which was a smoked porter, and Black IPA. I love these two beers and I was pretty impressive. I believe the main brewmasters need to look at some of these beers being made at this brewpub. The other two were Detroit Pale Ale and Bloktoberfest. I kind of like Bloktobeerfest. It is true to the beer style but I felt it was a little light for the style. Pale ale, I just felt it was a little weak on the hop and not strong malty backbone. I had two more that were not on any of these photos. I had GP IPA and Scherthing Cream Ale. These beers are part of the exclusive to Grosse Pointe brewery. The food came out. It was a German theme food menu. I love apps we order. It was a basket of Pretzels. They were awesome. There were different sizes with cheese and honey mustard, which were homemade there. There is a spicy mustard that was also made there. The main course was Turkey Burger with fries. I loved it. It was cooked just right and I love the spices. Overall, I had a great time and I will be back. I would love to try all the exclusive beers brewed there. I will be upfront and honest. I am not a fan of their everyday beers. There beers brewed there need to be packaged. Go get some! Drink it! Enjoy it! Metal it! \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email: djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter: @djweiser

Instagram: @djweiser13

New Beer Blog Short’s Brewery Strawberry Shortcake Ale (2014)

In this beer blog, we are going to get into a special release from Short’s Brewery. It is their Strawberry Shortcake Ale. If you read my earlier beer blog posts on their beers, you know the history of this craft brewery. If you have not read my earlier beer blog posts on their beers, please, read them to get to know this Michigan craft brewery. Let us get into this dessert beer.

It has a cloudy amber color without a head but there is a white head at first. The aroma has a heavy strawberry notes. The taste has a light body with strawberry notes with a crisp finish. It is pretty drinkable beer.

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

Strawberry Short’s Cake is a golden ale. The addition of strawberries and milk sugar transform this beer into a rose-colored nectar that has hints of cream and is pleasingly sweet. Biscuit flavors and aromas arise from the great amounts of Victory malt used in the brewing process.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website: www.shortsbrewing.com

Twitter: @shortsbrewing

Ending, these are the beers that give me hope that Short’s can be something special again. Most of their flagship beers I am really not a fan of them. I use to be a fan. I do not know if my taste bud changed or their beers changes. I know there are many craft beer drinkers like their beers. There is nothing wrong with it. This is my thought pattern of their beers. However, I love this beer, I do not put this beer as a fruit beer. I look at it as a dessert beer like their Key Lime Ale, which I did a review of it earlier. This beer reminds me of Fruli Strawberry Beer. I have done a review a few months ago. Both beer are great. I just feel Short’s focus on their special releases and not on their flagship beers. 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

Instagram: @djweiser13

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