restaurants

New Blog Redhook Brewery ESB

In this beer blog, we are going to try the flagship beer, which is ESB, from the Redhook Brewery.  If you read my earlier blog on their Longhammer IPA, you are pretty up to speed on this brewery.  Let us get into the beer.

Redhook Brewery ESB, which stands for Extra Special Bitter, is part of their everyday beer line up. It has a nice copper color without a head to it.  ESB has a sweet malty to Carmel smell to it. The taste is a sweet malty to camel with no aftertaste. This is a drinkable beer.

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

Brewed in the style of a traditional British ESB (Extra Special Bitter), we’ve been making ESB continuously since 1987, and it’s now the benchmark for the Amber beer category.  Despite having “bitter” in its name, Redhook ESB is really not that bitter at all.  This brew is all about the balance of caramel malt sweetness completed by spicy, citrusy hops.

Style………………….Amber
Abv…………………….5.8%
IBUs…………………..28.0 IBU
Original Gravity..13.75 degrees plato
Brewed Since………1987
Medals:
2008 North American Beer Awards Gold Medal Winner
2009 Great American Beer Festival Gold Medal Winner
Here is a website and twitter addresses:

Webiste:  www.redhook.com

Twitter:  @redhook_brewery

In closing, this beer is true to my heart because this is the first beer that put into the craft beer world.  This beer is has a nice drinkable and flavorful beer.    I suggest you try this beer and tell me what you think of it.  There is not too many breweries making an ESB and doing it correctly.  This beer is one of the correct ones in the market. Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser

New Blog Founders Cerise Cherry Fermented Ale

In this blog, we are going to check out another brewery from Michigan called Founders Brewing.  The beer we are going to talk about is their Cerise Cherry Fermented Ale.  This is one of their four pack seasonal beers.  Here is a little history on this brewery.  The brewery was founded in 1997.

Here is a little history straight from their website (www.foundersbrewing.com):

Mike Stevens and Dave Engbers both had steady jobs when they decided to chase their dreams and open a brewery–which meant writing a business plan, quitting their jobs, and taking out giant loans. They figured if you’re going to live life, you ought to live it hard, without regrets.

After some initial challenges, due to making well-balanced but unremarkable beers, we were on the verge of bankruptcy. It was at this point that the original Founders team decided to brew the kind of beer that got them excited about brewing in the first place: complex, in-your-face ales, with huge aromatics, bigger body, and tons of flavor.

The Founders Family, a group of passionate beer enthusiasts, has grown around this simple philosophy: “We don’t brew beer for the masses. Instead, our beers are crafted for a chosen few, a small cadre of renegades and rebels who enjoy a beer that pushes the limits of what is commonly accepted as taste. In short, we make beer for people like us.”

We at Founders Brewing Company have been lucky to evolve into one of the highest recognized breweries in the United States. Since 2011, Ratebeer.com has ranked us as the 2nd best brewery in the world (we were 4th best in 2010), and we have several beers listed in the top one hundred beers of the world on Beeradvocate.com. We were the winner of four medals at the 2010 World Beer Cup, two medals at the 2010 Great American Beer Festival, and one medal at the 2012 World Beer Cup.

We are proud to be doing what we are doing, and we give great thanks to our many customers and credit to our staff for whom we continually work to reinvent and provide world-class beers.

The website had a better explanation than what I could have ever wrote on this brewery.  I found that straight from their website.  Let us get into the brew that I checked out from this brewery.

Founders Cerise has a nice red cherry color without a head on it.  It has a nice fresh pick cherry smell to it.  This fruit beer has a sweet heavy cherry taste with a little carbonation to it. The aftertaste is a heavy cherry to it. It is drinkable beer.

Here is a description from their website about the beer (www.foundersbrewing.com):

You’ll have a soft spot for this one. Using only fresh Michigan tart cherries, this beauty tantalizes with intense flavors combined with a no-hesitation malt bill. Adding fresh cherries at five separate stages of fermentation achieves the ultimate balance between tartness and sweetness.

  • ABV: 6.5%
  • IBUs: 15
  • Availability: Jun – Aug

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.foundersbrewing.com

Twitter:  @foundersbrewing

In closing, I did not know how I would react to this beer.  I am not a huge fan of this beer style of fruit in beer.  I have tried several Belgian and Belgian Fruit Beer Style and they all pretty much came off the wrong to me.  Some were too sweet or not any fruit taste in them.  With all that said, I really like this beer.  It kind of remind me of Liefman’s Fruitesse but with just Cherry in it.  Liefmans has every berries you can think of in the world in it.  It is extremely drinkable and dangerous for an ABV 6.5%.  Go find this beer before the season is over.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser

New Blog Uinta Hop Notch IPA

In this blog, we are going to take a look at this brewery’s, who is Uinta Brewery, flagship beer called Unita Hop Notch IPA.  If you read my earlier blog on this brewery, you are pretty much up to speed on Uinta.  Let us get into this beer.

Hop Notch is one of their everyday beers and it is not organic unlike some of their other beers.  It has a nice light copper color with a constant white head on it.  It has a slight citrus but more earthly smell to this IPA.  Hop Notch has a slight sweet citrus but more earthly to piney taste to it with nice hop finish. It is drinkable for being a 7.3% ABV.

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

Description

Bold and refreshing, this IPA combines an abundance of hops with a smooth malt profile.

Story

A play on “Top Notch” with a hoppy twist..setting new trends for beer vocabulary, “this IPA is Hop Notch.”

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.uintabrewing.com

Twitter:  @uintabrewing

In closing, I really enjoyed this beer.  I love how it is drinkable and has a ton of flavor.  It might be have a nice hoppy to earthy taste but it has a nice malty backbone to balance everything in the beer.  This beer has a different twist on the west coast india pale ale style.  It is not a cookie cut west coast india pale ale.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser

New Blog Schlafly Pale Ale

In this blog, we are going to sample out the flagship beer, which is Pale Ale, from Schlafly Brewery.  Schlafly Brewery started to brew their beers in 1991 and was founded by Dan Kopman and Tom Schlafly.  Their goal was to brew some good beers in the downtown St Louis area.  They are now being distribute to nine other states asides their home state.  Some of these states are part of them like Illinois.  Schlafly Brewery is now brewing several different styles of beer and over 25 seasonal brews.  I know the last time I was down there when my sister lived there.  They were just getting into the 750ml bottle business.  This is a really good brewery and St Louis should be proud to have them in their backyard.  Let us get into my favorite beer from this brewery.

Schlafly Pale Ale has a beautiful copper color with a nice white head. It has a malty smell with a slight citrus to it.  The taste has a malty, honey, and Carmel with a slight dry aftertaste.  It is drinkable beer.

Here is a description from the beer bottle:

Schlafly Pale Ale is a rich, amber-colored, medium-bodied, Bristish-style ale with a smooth mild hop character.  Perfect for those hot summer days and nights as well as a cozy winter fire.

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

Our flagship Pale Ale is a smooth, balanced, copper-colored session beer with mildly spiced flavor and aroma from the East Kent Goldings hops. The bready, lightly caramel malt complements the hint of fruitiness contributed by the London Ale yeast, making it satisfying and authentic; the perfect flagship beer for Schlafly.

Sixteenth century brewers created amber beers by using a form of coal called coke to roast their grains. Coke burns hotter and more steadily than wood without imparting the foul odors from coal. It allowed brewers to produce caramel malts that were paler alternatives to the common brown porters. At about the same time, Flemish migrants introduced hops to English beers and soon this ale became the chosen style of England from the mid-16th century until the end of the 20th century. Today, brewers outside England have adopted the Pale Ale and made it one of the leading styles of the American craft beer movement.

ABV:   4.4%   |   IBU:   25

Appearance: Amber red, bright

Process: Classic English

Hops: East Kent Goldings, Northdown, Pilgrim (UK)

Malts: 2-row and caramel malted barley

Yeast: London Ale

OG: 11.2

SRM: 13.5

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.schlafly.com

Twitter:  @schlafly

In closing, this is not at the top of my list of beers to drink from Schlafly but it is right there.  Most flagship beers from breweries, I am not normally a fan of it.  This beer, I will drink when it is around my place or out and about in bars or restaurants.  If there is another Schlafly beer that I like and available there.  I will drink that one first over this one.  Please, do not take this the wrong way.  This is a well done up beer.  It has a ton of flavor and drinkable in any season.   I am really not a fan of the english style pale ale.  I will say this is better than most english style pale ales out in the market right now.  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 Brooklyn Brewery Pennant Ale ’55

In this blog, we are going to take look at another beer from the Brooklyn Brewery.  If you read my earlier blog, you know little about this brewery.  The beer that is going to be feature in this blog is Broolyn Brewery Pennant Ale ’55.  This beer is part of their everyday lineup of beers.  Just like the rest of their beers, Pennant Ale has classic European brewing style.  Let us get into the beer.

Pennant Ale has a dark deep amber color with a white head. It smells like pennies being cooked in a hot summer days.  This meaning is like a burn copper or like Carmel smell. It has a semi-light body with a slight honey to Carmel malt taste. It has a slight dry aftertaste but yet drinkable beer.

Here is a description from the beer bottle:

Pennant Ale is brewed from Scottish Maris Otter malt, which is justly prized for its toasty. biscuity flavor and the round smoothness it imparts.  Our house ale yeast brings out an appetizing fruitiess and ferments to a dry finish.  Pennant is best before the freshness date indicated.  For information write us at 79 North 11th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11211

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

As Brooklynites, we revere the memory of the 1955 World Champion Dodgers baseball team, so we had to name a beer in their honor. Brooklyn Pennant Ale is a honey-colored pale ale with a brisk malt palate and finely balanced hop character. Pennant is a traditional English-style pale ale. The pale ale style developed in the early 19th century, and was called “pale” because it appeared so in comparison to the darker ale styles of the day (East India Pale Ale was a stronger, paler, more bitter version of the style). Brooklyn Pennant Ale is brewed from Scottish Maris Otter malt, which is justly prized for its toasty, biscuity flavor and the round smoothness it imparts to beer. Our house ale yeast brings out an appetizing fruitiness and ferments to a dry finish. During 2005, Brooklyn Brewery will donate one dollar from every case of Pennant sold to the funding of the statue of Brooklyn Dodgers greats Jackie Robinson and Pee-Wee Reese planned for the Cyclones ballpark in Coney Island.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.brooklynbrewery.com

Twitter:  @brooklynbrewery

In the end, I really love this beer.  Brooklyn Brewery is a different pace to other Craft Breweries. This brewery is refreshing for any craft beer drinkers.  With all the over hopped beers and extreme beers in the market, it is very nice to have this craft brewery around in the market.  I do rotate this beer and their East India Pale Ale into my refrigerator with the rest of the craft beer I drink.  This is a good beer with a ton of flavor.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser

New Blog Schlafly Dry Hopped APA Ale

In this blog, we are going to get into one of my favorite breweries, who is Schlafly Brewery, from St Louis, MO.  I had a friend that traveled down and she asked me if I needed anything down there.  I asked her to pick up Schlafly Sampler Pack and four pack of Tallgrass 8-Bit Pale Ale.  Let us get into some of the history of this brewery.  Schlafly Brewery started to brew their beers in 1991 and was founded by Dan Kopman and Tom Schlafly.  Their goal was to brew some good beers in the downtown St Louis area.  They are now being distribute to nine other states asides their home state.  Some of these states are part of them like Illinois.  Schlafly Brewery is now brewing several different styles of beer and over 25 seasonal brews.  I know the last time I was down there when my sister lived there.  They were just getting into the 750ml bottle business.  This is a really good brewery and St Louis should be proud to have them in their backyard.  Let us get into my favorite beer from this brewery.

Schlafly Dry Hopped Ale APA Ale has a pretty dark golden with a constant head. It has a sexy citrus smell to the beer. It has a sweet carbonation citrus taste with next to nothing on the aftertaste. It is drinkable beer for a unique beer style.

Here is a description from the beer bottle:

Schlafly Dry Hopped APA is an American Pale Ale with a hearty dose of hop bitterness, flavor and aroma.  We add hops directly into the finished beer to boost the fresh, fruity flavor and aroma of American hops.

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

Our Dry Hopped American Pale Ale (APA) is charged with American hops to create a bold, aromatic ale. Assertive hop flavor joins the pine/citrus aroma characteristic of American hops to balance the full body provided by North American malts. After fermentation, the beer circulates through a bed of whole-cone Cascade and Chinook hops, boosting the distinctive hop aroma of this satisfying ale.

In the long view of the history of beer, American Pale Ale is a newcomer.  Based on English Pale Ale, American brewers adapted this style into something new.  Born out of the reverence English Pale Ales during the 1980’s American beer scene, APA is the bold, hoppier cousin of Pale Ale.  With an emphasis on American hops, APA is gaining popularity with breweries racing to make these ales with such great hop characters.

Appearance: Golden amber, slightly hazy

Process: Dry hopped with whole cone American hops; unfiltered

Hops: Cascade, Chinook (US)

Malts: 2-row and caramel malted barley

Yeast: American Ale

OG: 14.8

SRM: 10.6

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.schlafly.com

Twitter:  @schlafly

In closing, this is drinkable beer and this is closest thing to an India Pale Ale in their everyday line up.  They do make IPA but it is a seasonal that is out right now.  This brewery does not disappoint me at all.  Even with beer styles I do not like I just find my way liking their beers.  This beer is available in six packs and twelve packs bottles.  This is a well balance beer and they did a great job.  I highly recommend trying this beer if you love West Coast Pale Ales and India Pale Ales.  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 Amber Ale

While shopping at Meijer, this is the last beer from the Roscoe’s Hop House.  There is really no history but please go back to my earlier blog to get a little bit of their history.  The beer we are going to feature is their Amber Ale.  Let us get into the beer.

This Amber Ale has a dark copper color without a head to it.  A sweet malty smell is in the beer. The taste has a sweet malty in the beer.  It is drinkable beer but it is kind of water down 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 Amber 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 few awards this beer won from their website (www.roscoeshophouse.com):

Gold Medal “Exceptional” – World Beer Championship, 2009

88 Points “Highly Recommended” – Beverage Testing Institute 2011

86 Points/ Best Buy – Wine Enthusiast, March 2010

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.rosceoshophouse.com

Twitter:  there is no twitter account

In closing, I love trying new beers all the time.  It keeps me up to speed on what breweries are doing around the country or the world.  However, I did kind of enjoy their other beers, I normally do not this about any beer but this beer is really bad.  I am not going to sugar coat it and be really nice about it.  There is a little flavor but it is really water down.  It is drinkable because of that fact.  I will go and drink a Pabst or a Rolling Rock.  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser

New Blog 21st Amendment Brewery Hell Or High Watermelon Wheat Beer

In this blog, we are going to take a look at 21st Amendment Brewery’s summer seasonal, which is called Hell Or High Watermelon Wheat Beer.  If you read my earlier blog on this brewery, you know a little bit about this brewery.  Let us get into the beer.

It has a white light golden cloudy color without a head on the beer. Hell or High Watermelon Wheat Beer has a heavy watermelon smell to the beer. This wheat ale has a nice watermelon with a smooth wheat aftertaste to this beer. This beer is very drinkable beer and perfect beer for summer.

Here is a description from their website (www.21st-amendment.com):

Like Lady Liberty, we stand for independence and perseverance. In the pursuit of innovative beer, there is no obstacle too great. No journey too long. No fruit too gigantic. This American wheat beer is brewed with real watermelon, for a flavor that’s surprisingly crisp, dry and refreshing—summer in a can.

Hell or High Watermelon Wheat is our summer seasonal beer available from April through September in six pack cans and on draft. We start by brewing a classic American wheat beer, which undergoes a traditional secondary fermentation using fresh watermelon. A straw-colored, refreshing beer with a kiss of watermelon aroma and flavor.

Here is website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.21st-amendment.com

Twitter:  @21stamendment

In closing, I wish this brewery was in the Chicagoland area.  I am not a wheat beer fan at all but I really did enjoy this beer.  I was stun on how it smells and taste like watermelon.  I really want to know how they were able to pull that off without having the beer taste really bad.  This brewery has pushed the limits of brewing.  I am glad because the craft beer world needs a new influence to push for better beers.   It is drinkable and with a ton of flavor.  If you can find, go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser

New Blog Redhook Brewery Copperhook

In this beer blog, we are going to dig into another beer, which is Cooperhook from Redhook Brewery.  If you read my earlier blog on their Longhammer India Pale Ale, you are pretty much up to speed on the history of this brewery.  Let us get into this beer.

Redhook Brewery Copper Hook has a nice copper color with no head for their spring seasonal.  It has a nice malty smell in the beer. It has a nice sweet malty taste. It remains me of s’mores growing up around a camp fire in Michigan camp grounds.  This beer is perfect for spring because of how drinkablity.

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

Who needs precious metals, when you’ve got Copper?!   This copper-colored ale is a real crowd-pleaser.  Copperhook strikes the perfect balance of smooth, rich, malty flavor you’d expect from a craft brew with a lighter body and hop profile that makes it a perfect “session” beer when you’ve got a long day ahead of knocking back a few with your buddies.

Style………………….Copper Ale
 
Abv…………………….5.8%
 
IBUs…………………..21 IBU
 
Original Gravity..13.25 degrees plato
 
Brewed Since………2001

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.redhookbrewery.com

Twitter:  @redhook_brewery

In closing, just what I said in other blogs on this brewery’s beers, I truly love the drinkable aspect of their beers.  It has been a long time since I had a Redhook Copperhook.  I will say this beer did not disappoint me, however, Untappd is calling this beer a Red Ale or Amber Ale.  I really do not pay that description of this beer. If this is the case, I believe I just found myself my first Red or Amber Ale that I really enjoy drinking.  They call it on their website a Copper Ale.  I do not believe there is a beer style call that but it does decide it.  I am disappointed that I cannot find this beer in six-pack form just like their pilsner.  I will be picking up more their sampler packs.  Go get some!  Drink it! Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser

New Blog Redhook Brewery Pilsner

In this beer blog, we are going to sample another beer from the Redhook Brewery.  If you read my earlier blog, you know about this brewery.  I believe you know this brewery since it was one of the first of the modern era for Craft Breweries.  The beer we are going to feature in this blog is their Pilsner, which is one of their everyday beers.  Let us get into the beer.

Redhook Brewery Pilsner has a golden clear color without a head on it.  It has the normal malty smell of a pilsner. A sweet malty taste is what this Redhook brew is all about with a crisp dry aftertaste.  It is drinkable like all Redhook Brewery beers. The goal of Redhook Brewery is to make drinkable beers for beer drinkers to enjoy during any event.

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

Czech out Redhook’s newest brew.  Redhook Pilsner is crisp, golden lager that is modeled after those historic beers originally made in Plzeň, Czechoslovakia.  Redhook Pilsner’s maltiness is offset by amedium dose of Saaz hops and finishes with a clean, bright,thirst-quenching quality. A great “session” lager for when you’ve got a long day ahead of drinking.

Style………………….Pilsner
Abv…………………….5.3%
IBUs…………………..23 IBU
Original Gravity..12.3 degrees plato
Brewed Since………2010
Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.redhook.com

Twitter:  @redhook_brewery

In closing, I know I said this in my blog on their Longhammer India Pale Ale.  I really enjoy drinking their beers.  They are all very drinkable and that is the point of this brewery.  They have enough muscle or this beer they say it has a dark side to it.  This Pilsner has a ton of flavor and I know I will not get bored drinking this beer like most pilsner in the market.  I love my Frankenmuth Pilsner but Redhook Brewery Pilsner is a very close second place.  I really love their packages.  It gives this brewery that old school look going back before prohibition.  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