pale ale

New Blog Blue Moon Summer Honey Ale

In this blog, Blue Moon Summer Honey Wheat Ale is going to be featured.  I told myself that I would never do a mass-produced beer.  Blue Moon is still kind of looked at as a craft beer still, which is kind of sad.  Blue Moon was launched in 1995.  It was created by Keith Villa, which was a brewer at Sandlot Brewery.  This brewery was own by Molson Coors which is now Miller Coors.  This Summer ale was launched in 2011, which was original called Honey Moon in 2006.  Let us get into this beer.

This is a clear yellow color without a head.  It has a constant bubbles in the beer. It has a slight honey smell. There is a ton of honey taste but no wheat taste in the beer.  It is a drinkable beer.

Here is a description from the beer bottle:

A refreshing wheat ale crafted with clover honey for a hint of sweetness and a touch of orange peel for subtle citrus notes.

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

Ahhh…Summer Honey Wheat at Last.
When we first opened our doors in 1995, our summer seasonal was one of the first beers we brewed. Back then, we called it Honey Blonde Ale, and it was a favorite of baseball fans coming to a game during the heat of the Colorado summer. It took an extended summer break in 1999, reappearing in 2006 in time to win a Gold Medal at the Great American Beer Festival® under the name Honeymoon Summer Ale and then again in 2010 as Blue Moon® Summer Honey Wheat.
The beer with more name changes than a professional athlete, today Blue Moon® Summer Honey Wheat is crafted with Colorado clover honey and orange peel for a refreshing taste that makes the most of sun-soaked days.
Gold Medal at the Great American Beer Festival®—Blue Moon® Summer Honey Wheat, Specialty Honey Beer Category.

Available in 12-oz. bottles, 6-pack, 12-pack, Draft

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.bluemoonbrewingcompany.com

Twitter:  no twitter address

In closing, I am not a fan of wheat ales and pretty much all mas-produced beers.  This beer is pretty bad.  I am only tasting a ton of honey and no wheat notes.  It is very drinkable that I will agree with.  There is better beers in the market that will give you same beer tasting notes.  All this beer is for the beginner in the craft beer world.  Once they explore this new beer world to them.  I know for a fact they will never go back as much as these beer companies think they will with their television ads.  I am not shocked that I did not like this beer.  I would say to pass on this beer.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser

New Blog Roscoe’s Hop House Belgian White

In this blog, we are going to get into another beer from Roscoe’s Hop House, which is called Belgian White.  Please, go back and read for the small and lack of information on this brewery in my blog on their Pale Ale.  Let us get into the beer.

This beer is a Belgian Style White. Why is it clear?  It is clear golden color without a head. It has a heavy coriander smell to the beer. This beer taste like Blue Moon and has that American Belgian Style White Ale taste on it. This beer could fool a lot of beer drinkers because it looks like a pilsner in the glass.

Here is a descripation from the beer bottle:

Harkening back to old world brewing styles, Roscoe’s Hop House uses the highest quality malts and hops to bring forth highly complex flavors of citrus, coriander and subtle spice.  With a nod to the past, this nicely balanced unfiltered ale has a uniquely crisp taste and exceptionally smooth finish.

Here is a list of awards that this beer won from their website (www.roscoeshophouse.com):

Roscoe’s Hop House Belgian White

88 Points/ Silver Medal “Highly Recommended” – BTI,

World Beer Championship 2012

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.roscoeshophouse.com

Twitter:  no twitter address

In closing, the problem I have with this beer is simple.  It does not look like a Belgian White Ale.  They claim that is unfiltered but it is very clear and looks like a pilsner.  If you are at a party, this beer could fool a few beer drinkers.  It has the taste and smell of a Belgian White Ale.  I am not a fan of an of these beer styles, which are whites, wheat, and hefweizen.  I have tryed several of these beers I have to say this one is not that good.  The only thing this beer has going for it.  It is at a very low price then the rest of the craft beers in the store.  I would not make a special trip to hunt this beer down.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser

New Blog Roscoe’s Hop House Craft Pale Ale

While shopping at Meijer, I came across these four craft beers in their beer aisle.  There are several grocery and drug stores that are doing their name brand craft beer.  I believe this is the Meijer Brand Name Craft beer.  After doing some research, I have discovered that is not the case.  This is a real brewery from New York.  There is not a lot of information on this brewery but they are from Rochester, New York.  This brewery is own by the Genesee Brewing Company.  Let us get into the beer.

It has a nice copper color with no head. There is really no smell to this beer. The taste of this American Pale Ale is a sweet carbonation with a slight citrus malty in it. It is loss between an English Pale Ale and West Coast Pale Ale.  It is drinkable but without a lot of flavor to the body of the beer.

Here is a description from the beer bottle:

Harkening back to old world brewing styles, Roscoe’s Hop House uses the highest quality malts and hops to bring forth this smooth, bright-flavored Pale Ale.  With a nod to the past, this nicely balanced, true ale is brewed using traditional brewing methods for a unique flavor profile.  The password to our best kept secret is found inside the bottle.

Here is a some awards that they won with this beer on their website (www.roscoeshophouse.com):

Roscoe’s Hop House Pale Ale

Gold Medal – Monde Selection, 2011

Silver Medal / 86 Points “Highly Recommended”- BTI,

World Beer Championship 2011

86 Points – Wine Enthusiast, June 2010

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.roscoeshophouse.com

Twitter:  no twitter account

In closing, I am pretty stun on pretty good this Pale Ale.  I am not saying this is a staple of Pale Ales but for the price you are paying for this beer.  It is kind of worth it and is a great value.  The only problem for us in Chicago, it is only available at Meijer stores.  It has a good hop and malt balances.  I really enjoy drinking this beer and I might have to add it to my regular lineup of beers.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser

New Blog Sixpoint Resin

In this blog, Sixpoint Resin is going to be the feature beer.  Sixpoint Brewery is from Brooklyn, New York City which was founded in 2004.  They brew several different beer styles and put a twist on them.  I have blogged on this brewery several times.  I believe the only beer that I am not a really big fan of their Rightlous Ale.   I need to retry that beer again.  I am not a big fan of Rye Ales.  Asides that I really enjoyed the rest of their line up and it includes this beer.  Let us get into this beer.

Sixpoint Resin is an Imperial India Pale Ale.  It has a nice copper color with a little white head in the beer. It has a heavy citrus to piney smell to it. The taste is a sweet carbonation citrus with the dry hop aftertaste.  It is very drinkable for the style of beer.

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

Resin

Whatever flames upon the night. Man’s own resinous heart has fed.  A beer that celebrates the extraction of hop resin for a concentrated yet balanced brew. View the story of the Resin below.
Here is a video on their website (www.sixpoint.com):

Sixpoint Resin

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.sixpoint.com

Twitter:  @sixpoint

In closing, I am a huge hop head and this lives up to the hop muscle that I am looking in an Imperial India Pale Ale.  I love the overall beer taste.  It has a nice malty backbone which is important with these Imperial and Double IPAs.  There is not too many craft breweries that has done this right to their beers.  Some breweries can not even get their normal India Pale Ale right.  I love how it is drinkable with a serious big punch of 9.1%.  This is my go to Imperial IPA and it is pretty much always in my refrigerate.  Go find this beer and I will be disappointed if you do not fall in love with it.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser

New Blog Birra Del Borgo Extra Re Ale

In this blog, we are going to get into a beer from Italy.  It is an American India Pale Ale from Birra Del Borgo Extra Re Ale.  There is no information on this brewery just ratings from Ratebeer and Beeradvocate.  Then I finally realize to look at the bottle and I found a website of the brewery.  The brewery was founded in 2005 so it is a young brewery.  They brew several different beer styles.  It is a wide range of beer styles.  Let us get into their India Pale Ale.

Re Ale has a ton of carbonation so please pour it slowly in the glass.  It has a deep amber color with a nice white head. The smell is of orange and some citrus in the beer. The taste is very unique for being import beer plus an India Pale Ale.  It has a nice sweet carbonation circus with a nice dry hop finish. This is a very drinkable India Pale Ale from Italy.  Yes it is from Italy.

Here is a description from the beer bottle:

Ingredients: water, barley, malt, EXTRA hop, yeast.  Unpasteurized, unfiltered, bottled-conditioned.  Serve at 53 to 57 F.  Natural yeast sediments on the bottom.

Here is a description from their website (www.birradelborgo.it):

Extra-hopped version of Reale

A derivative of our regular ReAle, the hops are varied especially in quantity: a huge amount is added in a different technique. All the hops are added during the last 10 minutes of the boil, using 3 times more than regular ReAle. The result is an explosion of perfumes, in a range from citrusy to resiny (pine resin and incense). The mouth feel is dry, with immediate bitterness, then it finishes with a beautiful, persistent tangerine note.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.birradelborgo.it

Twitter:  @BirraDelBorgo

In closing, just want to thank my friend that share this bottle with me, I am really stun this came from Italy and it being good.  I do not think I have to say what you think when you think of Italy? It is wine, wine and more wine.  I love the complex taste that I get from this India Pale Ale.  I love the funky to spicy taste and then the run on the hop taste.  This is not a cheap beer.  I believe my friend pay $80.00 for a case of 12  11.2oz bottles.  I would go and hunt this beer down.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser

New Blog Innis & Gunn Original Oak Aged Beer

Starting a new tap, we are going to sample out another barrel age beer.  This time around it is Innis & Gunn Original Oak Aged Beer.  This brewery was started in 2003.  There is really nothing more on this brewery.  This beer is aged in a barrel for thirty days.  Let us get int othe beers.

When pour in the glass, the beer is a nice copper color with a kind of head.  It has that import smell. It has a malty earthy taste to it. It is very smooth for being a full body beer. It is very drinkable.  The more the beer drinker is drinking this beer. He or she will start to experience a little vanilla and oak taste from the beer.

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

This is our flagship beer, the one whose discovery led to the formation of the company back in 2003. Since then we’ve won a string of awards for Original, most recently a third consecutive Modern Monde Selection gold award.
Like the world’s great wine and whisky makers we strive for depth of flavour, complexity and mellowness in every beer we produce. Innis & Gunn Original typifies this approach.
Its lengthy 77-day maturation imparts flavours of toffee, vanilla and oak that perfectly complement the beer’s backbone of luscious malt and fruity hop notes.
The oak helps to give Innis & Gunn Original its appealing colour and also mellow the alcohol character, so although the beer is 6.6%, it’s very smooth and easy to drink.

Here is a descriation from the beer bottle:

To make Innis & Gunn we hand-select barrels which are packed with the most delicious oak flavors.  Over many weeks our unique maturation slowly unlocks these flavors from deep inside the oake grain, the beer growing in character with every hour that passes.  Only when it has matured to perfection do we bottle and release it.  The result is a refreshing honey-hued beer with aromas of vanilla and toffee, and a malty, lightly oaked finish.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.innisandgunn.com

Twitter:  @innisandgunnuk

Closing out the tab, just like the Kentucky Barrel Aged Ale, this beer is not a stout but an ale.  I really love this beer but the price turns me off a little bit.  I understand the price point because it is an import beer and the process it goes through.  There is a ton of flavor going on in this beer.  To me, what makes this beer so special, it is the complex tasting that is being experience.  Your mind is telling you that you are tasting this but then your taste tells you something in the beer.  It is drinkable and exetremely fun to drink.  Thanks to my friend for sharing this beer with me!  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser

New Blog Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale

Starting a new blog, we are going towards the south of the United States to take a look at Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale.  The Alltech’s Lexington Brewing Company has been in business since 2000.  A doctor that was doing beer brewing as a hobby wanted to do something he loves doing and that is making beer.  That is really how this brewery was born.  Let us get into the beer!

Kentucky Ale is put into some fresh drain bourbon barrel and is aged to make this beer called Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale.  This beer is a nice amber color with a constant white head to it.  The smell is a nice earthly wood.  As far as the taste, it has an oak, vanilla to heavy bourbon going on in it.  It is very drinkable and dangerous for the ABV being 8.2%

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

Award winning Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale®is a unique sipping beer with the distinctive nose of a well-crafted bourbon.  Our Kentucky Ale is aged for up to 6 weeks in freshly decanted bourbon barrels from some of Kentucky’s finest distilleries.

Subtle yet familiar flavors of vanilla and oak are imparted to this special ale as it rests in the charred barrels.  Pleasantly smooth and robust, Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale may also be served as an aperitif or after dinner drink.

Here is a video from their website (www.kentuckyale.com) and Youtube (www.youtube.com):

Kentucky Ale

Here is their website and twitter addreses:

Website:  www.kentuckyale.com

Twitter:  @kentuckyale

Closing the tab, let me say this once and I know the brewery will love to hear this from me.  We, Chicago, gave birth to Goose Island Bourdon County Stout and when we hear Barrel Age Beers, we think it is going to be a stout.  This beer is NOT a stout.  Before the beer is put into the barrel, it is a their normal Kentucky ale, which is between an English Pale Ale and Irish Red Ale.  I really like this beer.  I am a huge fan of barrel age beers and this gives me a little something different then a porter or stout in a barrel.  You can taste more of the bourdon in this beer then a stout that is aged in it.  Stout over takes all the taste from the bourdon barrel.  This beer is very drinkable and I can drink this beer anytime of the year.  I can see a new trend in the craft beer world and I am proud to say this brewery has started.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser

New Blog Widmer Brothers Citra Blonde Summer Brew

In this blog, we need to travel west to visit one of the original craft breweries here in the states.  The brewery and brew is Widmer Brothers Citra Blonde Summer Brew.  I wrote earlier post on Widmer Brothers Russia Imperial Raspberry Stout and there is a nice belief history on that blog.  If you have not read it, please, go back and read it.  If you have, we will now move on to this Summer Beer.  Let us do this beer.

Widmer Brothers Citra Blonde Summer Brew is their Summer Seasonal from this brewery.  This beer is a very bright golden clear in color with no head.  It has a slight citrus smell to it.  It has a very light in body with a slight lemon carbonation taste. The aftertaste is very light. This is a very sessionable and refreshing beer for the summer.

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

Citra hops lend their name to this interpretation of a golden ale. But that’s not all they bring to the party. Their striking citrus aroma and thirst-quenching flavor are the perfect pairing for soft malt notes. Together they create a beer that’s full in flavor and uniquely refreshing.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.widmerbrothers.com

Twitter:  @widmer_brothers

In closing, I am not a fan of many summer seasonal but this one is not bad.  However, I know myself, I know I will get very bored with this beer pretty quick.  This is just me and it might not be the case for you.  This is a very drinkable and refreshing beer and perfect for the hot summer days.  This brewery has taken classic beer style and put their twist on it.  I just feel this beer is missing something to me.  It is still a good beer and I could see myself enjoying it the rest of this summer.   Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser

New Blog Lake Placid Craft Brewing Hefeweizen

In this blog, we are going to get into the second beer that I received from my Beer of the Month.  This brew is called Lake Placid Craft Brewing Hefeweizen Wheat Ale.  If you read my earlier blog on their Barkeater Amber Ale, you know a little bit of this brewery.  Let us get into this all year-long beer.

This beer ia a nice cloudy golden color with a little constant head to it.  You can smell lemon to citrus in the beer. The taste is a little citrus and a lot of banana clove in it. This beer is very drinkable and stays true to the German Beer Style.

Here is a description from the beer bottle:

Lake Placid Hefeweizen is brewed with German wheat and barley as well as authentic German yeast, resulting in tasty esters, a touch of clove spiciness, and a cloudy, golden appearance.  It’s a perfect complement to sunny, summer days and cool, Adirondack nights.  Here’s to summer!

Here is a description from their website (www.ubuale.com), which I believe this is the right beer:

5.0% ABV

High Peaks Hefewiezen is a German Style Wheat Beer. It is yellow/pale orange in color and is cloudy in appearance. It is a very unique beer that is fermented with an ale yeast from Weihenstephan, Germany (pronounced Vine-Schte-fawn). Hefewiezen (pronounced Hefay-vite-zen) actually means “wheat beer with yeast”, which is why we do not clarify this beer. The thick cloudiness is actually the yeast suspended in the beer. The yeast contributes a unique flavor with a strong banana and clove character.  It has a very spicy aroma with hints of banana and clove in the aroma as well. It is brewed with 50% malted wheat, in place of malted barley, and hopped with noble hop varieties originating in Germany. It is not a bitter beer style, therefore letting the wheat flavors and yeast flavors dominate.  Traditionally, this beer is often served with a lemon in it, however, we do not recommend it. This beer will be on tap throughout the summer until roughly mid September.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.ubuale.com

Twitter:  @ubuman

In closing, just like their Barkeater Amber ale, this beer style is not my flavorite out in the market.  I HATE this beer style along with whites, and wheat ales.  I realize that “hate” is a very strong word to use but that is how I feel about this classic beer styles.  If you read any of my blogs, I am very honest about the beers but I will tell you if it is a good beer or not.  Plus, just because I say the beer is not good that does not mean you will not like it.  With that all said, this beer is pretty good but I canot see myself drinking this in my regular lineup.  They did a very good job keeping it to true to the German Beer Style with a little twist.  With the huge growth of Wheat Ale, I believe this beer should be doing very good right now. I know the ones in my market, which is Chicago, are doing very well.  I have to say this brew has to be one of the best one in the Craft Beer market.  Good job on this brew!  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser

New Blog Chouffe Houblon Chouffe Tripel IPA

In this blog, we are going to take a look at another brew from the Chouffe Brewery.  The beer is called Houblon Chouffe Tripel India Pale Ale.  If you read my earlier blog on their La Chouffe then you know a little bit about this brewery from Belgium, let us get into the beer.

This beer is a bright golden with a slight cloudly along with a nice constant white head to it.  A heavy citrus smell is kicking along with some species too. As far as the taste of this awesome Belgium, the beer drinker will taste a very sweet carbonation citrus upper cut in your face along with a nice hop finish that lingers afterwards for a bit after the beer drinking experience.  It is very drinkable for being a highend Tripel IPA.

Here is a descripation from the bottle:

On its journey across the globe the little Chouffe wander through beautiful hopfields.  The overwhelming aroma of these little hop flowers such as Tomahawk, Amarillo and Saaz mesmerized him.

Back at home in the Ardennes, he crafted a new recipe combining this heady array of hops with the depth and body of his favorite style “Tripel”.  Thus, our little Chouffe’s new inspiration Houblon Chouffe Dobbelen IPA Tripel was born.

Here is a descripation from their website (www.achouffe.be):

Description :

The HOUBLON CHOUFFE was brewed for the first time in 2006.  It is an ‘Indian Pale ale’ type of beer, with a harmonious balance between a marked bitterness (three types of hops are used to make it) and a pleasant fruitiness.  The HOUBLON CHOUFFE is unfiltered, and re-fermented in the bottle as well as in the keg.

Packaging :

330 ml bottle

750ml bottle

20 litre keg

Alcohol  :

9% alc./vol.

Original extract :

18 °Plato

Serving temperature :

4 to 10°C (bottle)

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.achouffe.be

Twitter:  @chouffeusa

In closing,  this is my favorite beer from this brewery.  I love how you get the nice hoppy taste but still get the funky Belgian taste.  I know I have yelled at craft breweries for saying their beers are Belgian Style IPAs.  I do feel the same way towards this brewery, however, they put the word “Tripel” and they put more depth on the hops to make it a little different then the old classic beer style.  The craft beers that said Belgian India Pale Ale are really Tripels that I have had in the market.  Please chellenge me on this beer style, I really want to back off this issue.  Asides that, I really love this beer for many reasons.  It is well balance, drinkable, and a nice spicy kick to the beer.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it! \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter: @djweiser