Dogfish Head Festina Pêche

Brewed By: Dogfish Head Brewery in Milton, Delaware

Purchased: 12oz bottle from a 4-pack from Binny's in Chicago, Illinois; 2012

Style/ABV: Berliner Weisse, 4.5%

Tonight I'm reviewing a beer that I quite like: Dogfish Head's Berliner Weisse-styled beer. As with a number of German beers, authentic Berliner Weisse beers can only be brewed in parts of Germany. So today's beer is a little bit of a twist on the style. But we'll get to that in a second. Dogfish Head is one of my favorite breweries, so let's give credit where credit is due:

Dogfish Head is a craft brewery based out of Milton, Delaware. The brewery was founded by Sam Calagione back in 1995.The brewery began as a brewpub (the first in Delaware) called Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats and was originally located in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. The initial brewing setup included three kegs and propane burners. They brewed 12-gallon batches of beer three times a day, five days a week. In 1996 the brewery began bottling their beer, and by 1999 they had distribution to around a dozen different states. In 2002 the company outgrew their Rehoboth location, and moved to Milton, Delaware. More info can be found HERE.

The Berliner Weisse style is one of those really unique styles of beer, so I want to spend some time talking about it. Since it is a German Wheat Beer, I went straight to the German Beer Institute. I've been referencing that website a lot, so I've now added them to my blog's sidebar. If you are interested in German beer, check out their website. Now, according to the German Beer Institute's Berliner Weisee page:

"Berliner Weisse is a sour, tart, fruity, highly effervescent, spritzy, and refreshing ale that holds only a fraction of a percent market share in Germany as a whole but is stll fairly popular in and around Berlin, especially on hot summer days. Berliner Weisse is relatively low in alcohol, only 2.5—2.7% by volume, and it is usually taken with a shot (a "Schuss") of raspberry syrup or woodruff-flavored syrup to cut the brew's tartness. By law, Berliner Weisse may be brewed only in the German capital, because, similar to the Kölsch ales of Cologne and the Trappist ales of Belgium, the name enjoys the legal protection of an appellation d'origine contrôllée."

The Berliner Weisee goes by a couple different names: "Ein Rotes" which means a red one, and "Ein Grünes" which means a green one, and "Mit Schuss" which means with a shot of sweet syrup. BeerAdvocate states that the style is typically served in a wide, bulbous stemmed glass (or a fucking bowl, no joke), and is ordered as "Berliner Weisse mit Schuss: Himbeere" or "Berliner Weisse mit Schuss: Waldmeister." According to BeerAdvocate, Himbeere is a raspberry (red) and Waldmeister is woodruff (green). 

The style is [traditionally] only brewed in Berlin, but dates back to the Middle Ages. The beer is made from 25% to 30% pale malted wheat and barley, and has a low ABV. It's sessionable, but that wasn't always the case. A couple centuries ago, the beer was brewed at any strength, and could be as strong as a Bockbier. The beer is fermented with both yeast and lactic-acid bacteria, and is somewhat related to the Belgian gueuze style. The bacterial strain used to ferment the Berliner Weisse is called Lactobacillus delbrückii. In modern day, Berliner Weisse comes exclusively in .33-liter bottles, and is not available on draft. Because of the beer's effervescent and foamy nature, the beer is supposed to be served in a wide bowl-shaped chalice. And since the style is incredibly tart, the style is almost never consumed straight. Usually the beer is mixed with either raspberry or woodruff syrup to cut down on the immense tartness.

According to Wikipedia, in the 19th century the Berliner Weisse was the most popular alcoholic drink in Berlin, and more than 700 breweries produced it. By the late 20th century, there were only two breweries left in Berlin producing this type of beer. The name Berliner Weisse is protected in Germany, so it can only be applied to beers brewed in Berlin. Hence, Dogfish Head's brew is a Berliner Weisse-styled beer.

And indeed, knowing the above information, and even reflecting on the BJCP style guidelines, the Festina Pêche seems to be a bit of a rogue interpretation of the style. If you go to Dogfish Head's Festina Pêche page, you can get all the goods on this beer. Dogfish Head describes this beer as a "neo-Berliner Weisse" fermented with peaches to 4.5% ABV. First off...that is wicked. This beer is fermented with real peaches. Second, this beer definitely pushes the average ABV for the style. Still, for us craft beer drinkers, 4.5% is very low in terms of ABV. Dogfish Head even gives some history on the beer, noting that there are only a few breweries left in Berlin making this style of beer, when at one point there were over 70 breweries (did they mean 700?) in Berlin alone making it. The beer is described as tart, or sour. Dogfish Head also mentions that the beer is typically fermented with ale yeast, and lactic cultures to produce its acidic/green-apple-like character.

What really separates Dogfish Head's Festina Pêche from traditional Berliner Weisse beers is the fact that this beer does not need the addition of syrup. Since the Festina Pêche is fermented with peaches, the yeast eats the peach sugars which results in natural peach aromas and flavors. This beer is a really unique twist on the style, and as typical with Dogfish Head, they are bringing a unique twist to beer. I'm excited to crack this beer open and do a review, so let's get to it.

Dogfish Head Festina Pêche

The beer pours a hazy, straw/yellow/pale color, almost looking a tad sickly there. If this was a Pale Lager, I'd be scared to drink it. The beer poured with 2-fingers of thick, white head. The head was made up of finely packed bubbles, but has quickly dissolved into a nice one-centimeter, hazy coating. The head that is hanging around looks like the stuff of a Lactobacillus-fermented beer. Brettanomyces anyone? This beer is incredibly effervescent, with a lot of tiny bubbles cascading upwards. And even in bright light, this is a hazy, semi-transparent, pale/yellow beer, with a funky coating of head. Lastly - and I apologize for my incredibly shitty photo - the bottle art on this is awesome. It's like a tropical Jamaican/African water-color-looking picture of a peach tree. Don't quote me on that though, I know absolutely nothing about art.

The aroma on this beer is awesomely fresh, with these giant peach notes. Amazingly, the peach notes you get from this beer smell like a real peach. I'm actually getting a ton of peach skin here, rather than the pulpy peach middle. Peach skin has that slightly sour/tart/bitter quality, and that is exactly what I'm smelling here. I do get some peach pulp, but it's really a clean refreshing peach-forward nose. I'm also getting a touch of hay and Brett funk. There's just a hint of underlying Brett; leather, hay, barnyard. And some sour/acidic aromas.

The taste on this is just a lovely wash of tart/sour peach goodness, followed by this incredibly smooth malt note of wheat/grain. This is super effervescent, but the carbonation cuts through the tartness and adds some nice mouthfeel. It also compliments the slightly dry and champagne-like back end. I'm tasting peaches; like real, fresh peaches. I'm getting that peach skin, and a less sweet and slightly sour pulpy peach note. Maybe a white peach? There is just a hint of hay in the mix, with some nice Brett-sour-funk. This is amazingly fresh, and has this genuine peach note that is divine. I'm also impressed that the head has held up...it's just a fine coating, but it is there. And there is some of that funky Brett-lacing I've seen with Jolly Pumpkin's beers. Goooood shit.

At 4.5% ABV, this beer is incredibly light in terms of mouthfeel. This is super-high in carbonation, and has a slightly dry finish. This is acidic and tart, but balanced nicely. I would say the complexity is high, and the palate depth is outstanding. This beer is a peachy, palate cleanser. Up front you get big tart notes and peach; this rolls into a big peachy middle with some nice play of sweeter peach and Brett-funk; the back end is lingering peach goodness, drying, and some nice wheat notes. 

Rating: Divine Brew

I gotta go with a decent Divine Brew rating on this thing. But it's the damnedest thing with this beer. The first bottle of this beer I had...I was really underwhelmed. I actually was kind of disappointed, because a 4-pack of this stuff is like 10 bucks. This is not a cheap beer by any means. But the second bottle grew on me, as I really began to appreciate the subtle peach notes. By the end of my third bottle, I was ready to praise Sam Calagione and his brewmaster. This is just an awesome beer. It's so light and refreshing, and I wish it was more readily available in 24-pack form because I would drink this all summer long. The fact is, the high price is probably justifiable...any beer brewed with real peaches and bacteria requires extra attention. And it's totally worth it. This is really good shit right here. I think I just found a new staple as far as summer beers go. If you can pick this beer up, do it. So until next time, don't drink and yeast infection.

Lagunitas Lucky 13.alt

Brewed By: Lagunitas Brewing Company in Petaluma, California

Purchased: 1 Pint, 6oz (22oz) bomber from Binny's in Chicago, IL; 2012

Style/ABV: American Strong Ale, 8.8%

Tonight I'm cracking open the Lucky 13.alt, a twist on the Lucky 13 Imperial Red Ale release from Lagunitas (pronounced: LAH-GOO-KNEE-TUS).

Lagunitas is a brewery I first experienced when I tried their controversially named "Kronik" (Lagunitas Censored) back in November 2010. The Lagunitas website has some cool info on the brewery and the beer, and can be found here. The brewery was founded in 1993 out in Lagunitas, California, and has since moved to Petaluma in California. It seems like Lagunitas is run by a bunch of deviant madmen geniuses, and the brewery appears to be a true grassroots movement, if you catch my drift.

I'm not finding a ton of info on today's beer. For example, my bottle states the beer clocks in at 8.8% ABV, and packs 60 IBUs. BeerAdvocate and Ratebeer have this at 77 IBUs and 8.9% ABV. The Lagunitas beer page says this thing clocks at 8.3% ABV. So what's the deal with the ABV? I'm going to trust the bottle...I do know this beer is a twist on the regular Lucky 13, which is an Imperial Red Ale. According to Lagunitas, this beer is "BIG on the Amarillo hops but lightened up on the malt side."

There is a "Virtual Tasting Video" on this beer...describing this beer as a Strong Pale Ale with a "tremendous hop presence." This beer uses specialty roasted malts (roasted malts that contribute roasted flavor, but do not give the beer a dark color), and Amarillo hops (which add citrus and fruity/flowery notes). I'm just gonna roll with the American Strong Ale thing, especially given the addition of the roasted malts. But we'll see if this thing drinks like an Imperial IPA... So with that said, let's pop this open and get on with the review.

Lagunitas Lucky 13.alt

The pour reveals an orange/golden/amber/pale looking Ale, with 2-fingers of IPA looking head. The head is whiter in bright light, but looks to be a bit off-white. There is very little carbonation noticeable in this mostly transparent beer. There is a slight murkiness to the beer...I can't tell if it's just a chill haze or if it's the beer. There are some nice legs on this beer, and lots of lacing as the head tugs on the glass. There's a sexy cauldron effect atop the beer as the head dissolves. 

Right away when I opened this I got hit with huge ass hop aromas, and this nose is dominated with hops. This mostly hoppy, with just a hint of bready spice. I'm getting orange, grapefruit, peach, kiwi, melon, tropical fruits, floral notes, and just a hint of sugary/candy esters. Maybe caramel?

Wow, this is HUGE. This has a full body, and huge palate depth. This beer just dominates your mouth. Aside from the huge hop notes, I'm getting some caramel, some sugary/candy esters, some honey, and big bready notes. This is definitely not an Imperial IPA, just based on the huge malty backbone. I'm tasting pungent citrus; orange, sweeter grapefruit, tangerines. I'm pulling out tropical fruit: mango, peach, and some apricots. There are huge malt notes, with sweet caramel/bread, and honey/candy. The whole thing finishes incredibly balanced, with a hint of dryness and bitterness. This definitely has some bitterness, but it's not an overwhelmingly bitter beer at all.

Bravo, Lagunitas. You genius madmen, you. This beer is super complex, has giant palate depth, has the perfect amount of moderate/supportive carbonation, and has a HUGE/full mouthfeel. And for a beer clocking in at 8.8% and around 60 IBUs? This shit is super balanced, and incredibly drinkable. This is one of the best beers I've had from Lagunitas. Up front you get sweet malts and hops; this rolls into big citrus/fruit hops; the back end is malty and hoppy, and so balanced. The finish leaves lingering bready and sweet malt notes, and that slightly drying hop finish. 

Rating: Divine Brew

I gotta go with a strong Divine Brew rating on this thing. The interplay of the malts with the hops on this thing is fantabulous. You get huge bready/caramel/honey/candy notes playing off these huge citrus and tropical fruit notes. The bitterness is perfect: drying, bitter, but not overwhelming. And the palate depth is HUGE. This beer just fills your mouth, like biting into a piece of bread. I would not hesitate to pick this beer. If you like Lagunitas, or if you enjoy extreme beers...seek this beer out immediately. So until next time, don't drink and rye.

Widmer Brothers Reserve Barrel Aged Brrrbon 2011

Brewed By: Widmer Brothers Brewing Company in Portland, Oregon

Purchased: Frosty 22oz Bomber purchased at Jewel in Chicago, IL; 2011

Style/ABV: American Strong Ale, 9.40%

 

In the spirit of summer, I'm saying fuck the status quo and drinking a Winter Warmer! Tonight's beer is a huge ass, barrel-aged, winter seasonal, Strong Ale. Clocking in at 40 IBUs and 9.4% ABV, I'm expecting something to make my palate happy. Summer? What's that. The "Barrel Aged BRRRBON '11" is brewed by the fine folks at the Widmer Brothers Brewing Company. I'm not a literary genius, but what's up with the name? "BRRRBON?" I'm guessing you are supposed to say it out loud, with a phonetic emphasis. So it sounds like, "BRRR-Bon," or "Brr-rrr-rrr, I'm cold, bon." They should call it "Shit will get you drunk-bon." I think it's more catchy.

Widmer Brothers Brewing Company is a brewery based out of Portland, Oregon. The brewery has humble roots, going back to 1979 when brothers Kurt and Rob Widmer began to homebrew beer they liked to drink for their family and friends. In 1984, Kurt and Rob quit their jobs, and built the Widmer Brewery in what is now the Pearl District of Northwest Portland. The brewery officially opened on April 2, 1984, and the brothers started brewing their Altbier and a Weizenbier. In 1986, a pub that was serving their beer asked the brewery to make a third beer; limited to just two fermenters, they decided to leave their Weizenbier unfiltered, and created the first American-Style Hefeweizen. Later that year, the brewery introduced their Festbier (a Bavarian Style Oktoberfest), and became the first U.S. brewery to offer a four-seasonal beer lineup. Since then, the brewery has continued to expand and has only added more accomplishments to their list. In 1988, the brewery (along with Bridgeport and Portland Brewing) launched the Oregon Brewer's Festival. In 1990, the brewery moved to its current location in North Portland, and in 1996, Widmer beers became available in bottles for the first time. You can read more about the company's history HERE: Click Me!

Lastly, according to Wikipedia, in November 2007, Reddhook Ale Brewery and Widmer Brothers merged, forming the Craft Brewers Alliance. Redhook previously distributed Widmer beers on the east coast; and Anheuser-Busch already held a minority stake in both companies. The Craft Brew Alliance is a distribution agreement with Anheuser-Busch InBev. At the moment, AB InBev owns 32.2% of the Craft Brew Alliance, and the Widmer Brothers own a combined 18%.

 

The Barrel Aged BRRRBON '11 is a seasonal (winter) ale aged in bourbon barrels. Yum. This beer is described as being a "smooth winter warmer and the first release as part of the Alchemy Project." This beer was hopped during the secondary fermentation, and then put into Kentucky Bourbon Barrels and aged for four months. After barrel aging, the beer was alowed to ferment again for final conditioning before release (so this is maybe bottle-conditioned?). Brewed with Alchemy, Simcoe (bitter, aromatic, that catty note), and Cascade (citrusy, flowery, spicy, pleasant) hops; 2-Row Pale, Caramel, Carapils, and Dark Chocolate malt; this beer packs 40 Ibus and 9.4% ABV. What are Alchemy hops? Part of the "Alchemy Project." Evidently, Alchemy hops refer to a blend of hops (I've heard that the blend includes Warrior and Millenium). I'm excited, so let's crack this open and see what's up.

Barrel Aged Brrrbon 2011

The bottle art is probably love-it or hate-it. I actually am digging the bottle art, and it has some wax words like the Stone Brewing bottles. My bottle has a date on it: August 12, 11. And the bottle clearly says: "Prost! To improve with age." "Prost" literally means "cheers" in German. If this is good...I may go see if I can retrieve a few more bottles of this stuff. Anyway, the beer pours a nice dark red/copper color, with hints of orange. You can see a lot of tiny bubbles rising upwards, and even in lower light this beer is transparent. There were about two fingers of thin/sickly off-white head that pretty quickly dissolved into a nice cauldron effect. At 9.4% ABV, and being barrel-aged, it's no surprise the head peaced out so quickly. In low light the head is kind of reddish...in bright light it picks up the hints of orange from the body of the beer. This is kind of an orange/amber/copper/red beer. Big alcohol legs on this one, and some retention as the head pulls on the glass.

 

The nose is leaning towards a one-dimensional bourbon/wood flavor, but maybe not. This beer is hopped pretty intensely, and I'm getting aromas of grapefruit and citrus in the nose. I'm pulling out oak, wood, that whiskey-vanilla or oak-vanilla note, hints of sweet malt aromas, and that grapefruit/citrus note.

The taste is also leaning towards big oak/wood/vanilla notes. This is actually very woody on the finish, and the wood plays off the hops for a drying finish. I'm also feeling some warmness creeping up, just after my second sip. At 9.4%, that's not terribly unexpected. I'm pulling out some interesting hop notes in here: spice, earthiness, grapefruit, tangerine. But they run into the big oka/wood notes from barrel-aging this thing. Compared to New Holland's Dragon's Milk, this is almost a light beer. The Caramel malt this is brewed with is typical for an IPA. This also uses some Pils malt, some Pale malt, and some Dark Chocolate malt. I'm not getting a whole lot of malt in here. I am getting a little spice though: a peppery note. And there are these weird candied notes probably playing off the vanilla notes and the hops.

At 9.4% ABV, this is surprisingly drinkable. This has softer carbonation, but is moderately carbonated. The finish is oaky and dry, and reminiscent of drinking bourbon. The mouthfeel is surprisingly thin: this is medium-light. For a Winter Warmer clocking in at 9.4%, I almost expect a little more in terms of mouthfeel. Palate depth is good, and complexity is moderate. Up front you get a wave of hops and bourbon/oak/barrel; the middle rolls into more oak, with hints of some spice (I'm not getting a hint of leather); the back end is woody, slightly bitter, slightly hoppy, and dry. Initially I got some warming, but not so much now.

 

Rating: Average 

 

I'm feeling a light Average  on this. Would I pick this up again? Maybe. I don't see what makes this a winter warmer, other than the towering ABV, and the slight hint of spice. The idea of barrel-aging an American Strong Ale is interesting, and there are moments where the hops play off the oak notes in an enjoyable way. But then the thinness of the body kicks in...and you're reminded that this is not quite the sipping beer you want on that cold winter night. I don't know, maybe I'm way off base here. I'd actually rather drink this beer with a cigar while grilling some food. I bet you could pair this beer nicely with some smokey barbeque; something gamey. Chicken wings. Yum. Given how cheap a bomber of this beer is, I will say it is worth checking out if only because the risk is so low. So until next time, don't drink and calculate risk and reward ratios.

Leinenkugels Summer Shandy

Brewed By: Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin 

Purchased: 12oz CAN (fuck yeah!) from a 12-pack bought at Jewel in IL; 2012

Style/ABV: Fruit Beer, 4.20% 

Continuing with the summer trend...tonight I'm reviewing a true summer beer. A summer shandy from the folks at Leinenkugels.

The Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company is an interesting company. First...the company is owened by MillerCoors LLC, which is owned by SABMiller. That makes this company a micro-macro brewery, kind of like Goose Island. As I understand it, Leinenkugel still brews ther own shit (or at least some of it). But every time you buy a Leinenkugel beer, proceeds go to Miller. In fact, recently, MillerCoors LLC announced their new craft beer company, "Tenth and Black Beer Co," which was named after the 10th Street Brewery in Milwaukee that brews Leinenkugel and Blue Moon beers.

I don't want to totally shaft Leinenkugel just because they are owned by SABMiller. There is a whole history of the brewery on their Heritage Page, and it's actually nicely done so I recommend checking it out. The brewery was founded in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, back in May 1867 by Jacob Leinenkugel and his business partner, John Miller (who, according to Wikipedia, sold his company shares in 1884). During prohibition, Leinenkugel brewed non-alcoholic "non-beer" called Leino. Unsurprisingly, the stuff wasn't popular, so the brewery started making and selling soda water instead. When prohibition ended, Leinenkugel was the largest bottler of soda water in the area. The brewery continued to expand, post-prohibition, and Leinenkugel expanded into Minnesota, Michigan, and Chicago. The brewery was purchased by the Miller Brewing Company in 1988. In 1995, the 10th Street Brewery was opened to help accommodate the growth and brew Leinenkugel beers.

Leinenkugel has two breweries: the original one in Chippewa Falls, and the 10th Street Brewery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. According to Wikipedia, 95% of the Leinenkugel's sales by volume are brewed in Chippewa Falls. The 10th Street Brewery brews the Leinenkugel's Auburn Ale, Berry Weiss, Creamy Dark, Hefeweizen, Honey Weiss and the Original pale lager.

If you check out the Summer Shandy page...you get some bare-bone info about this beer. The beer is described as a traditional take on the German radler. It is described as crisp, refreshing, and brewed with natural lemonade flavor. Clocking in at 13.5 IBUs, packing 130 calories per bottle, and punching 4.20% ABV...this is a mild beer. Brewed with Cluster hops, Pale and Wheat malt, this sort of sounds like a lighter beer. And that's exactly what a Shandy is. More specifically, a "German radler" is a Biermischgetränke ("beer-based mixed drinks") that consists of a 50:50 or 60:40 mixture of beer and sparkling lemon soda. So tonight's beer sounds about right. The can states that this is a Weiss beer brewed with honey and natural "lemonade flavor." With all that said, let's crack a can open and get on with this review.

Leinenkugels Summer Shandy

I'm actually really impressed by the pour (admittedly: I had low expectations, like a kid with an alcoholic dad waiting to play catch in the yard). This thing pours with 4 to 5 fingers of super foamy, cloudy, Hefeweizen-looking head. And the head is hanging around. In low-light, the beer has a super hazy, pale/yellow/lemonade/condensed juice/piss color. In bright light, this beer is a super hazy yellow color, with hints of orange coming off it. The head is super white, and as it is receding it is leaving some lacing. There is about a finger's worth of head sustaining, which is cool. I can't see the carbonation due to the haze, but this is soda and beer. Of course it's carbonated. I rarely give this beer glass treatment...but it doesn't look so bad in a glass.

As far as the aroma goes, there's not a lot to discuss here. I'm getting huge lemon, lemon soda, graininess, lemon drop candies, Lemon Heads, and sugary esters. You get a hint of adjunct in the nose as well: maybe corn?

The taste is like the nose. I'm getting lemon, grain, and a bit of an adjuncty note in the back. There's a hint of wheat in here as well. The lemon is nice, but maybe a touch subdued even. I'm getting lemon zest, fresh squeezed lemon, lemonade, 7up, sprite, lemon soda, and seltzer water.

This is super light with supportive, but moderate-high carbonation. At 4.20% ABV, this beer is drinkable, and refreshing like water on a hot summer day. You could seriously pound a 12-pack of this if you wanted to. Not that I advise that, wink, wink. Palate depth is okay, if not a touch watery. I wish there was more of that soda-lemon kick. But there's plenty of soda notes in here. Complexity is like broken dreams. Dad: why didn't you play catch with me? Why were you too busy drinking 12 Summer Shandys. Up front it's all like lemon and grain; the middle is phat lemon; and the back is lingering lemon with some adjuncty-malt notes. 

The dilemma: how the fuck do I rate this thing? This is basically soda beer, with some grain/malt notes. This shit is refreshing, and would make any hot day better. I actually like this a lot for what it is, so:

Rating: Average

This is a light Average for me. This drinks like soda with beer qualities, and that's how I would drink this beer. This is a beer meant to be consumed in the sun on a hot summer day. If you are looking for developed flavors, or a beer that can stand on its own, look somewhere else. What I think makes this beer worth checking out are the big lemon-soda notes, and the session-ability. You can drink 12 of these in an afternoon if you wanted to. And you'll feel like a champ doing it. This beer makes me wish I had a beach, or a pool. I'm going to go get my garden hose and pretend I'm not white trash. So until next time folks, don't drink and break the German beer purity laws.

Goose Island Summertime

Brewed By: Goose Island Beer Company (owned by AB InBev) in Chicago, Illinois

Purchased: Single, 12oz bottle, from a 6-pack bout at Jewel in IL; 2012

Style/ABV: Kölsch, 4.7%

In keeping with the summer theme (being that summer is knocking), I'm going to take a stab at reviewing the Goose Island Summertime. It's not officially summer yet, but it's hotter than Texas right now. We have two seasons in Chicago: Winter, and Summer. It's either really fucking hot, or really fucking cold. Even right now, it's like 90 during the day, and at night it dips into the 40s. How do you even dress for that?

I love the warm weather though. That's the other catch with Chicago. There are 3 months of summer, and 9 months of winter. Okay, sometimes it's more like 4 and 8 or 5 and 7. But you get the point. So who are these Goose Island folks? Do you really not know?

Goose Island is a Chicago-based brewery that began as a brewpub on Clybourn, which opened on May 1988. The actual brewery opened on 1995, and is located on the Southwest side of Chicago. The second brewpub, located in Wrigleyville by the Chicago Cubs, was opened in 1999. On March 28, 2011, Goose Island sold 58% of the brewery to Anheuser-Busch. The remaining 42% of the brewery is supposed to be acquired by A-B InBev in the future, and there has been much discussion about the brewery's takeover.

Tonight's beer, the Summertime, is a Kölsch. I did a whole write-up on Kölsch beers a couple days ago, so check out the review of the Sam Adams East-West Kölsch if you're curious about learning about the style. Basically, Kölsch is a traditional German Ale that has some mild hoppiness, very little bitterness, some fruity notes, and subdued maltiness.

If you roll over to the Goose Island Summertime page, you can get all the info you need about this beer. This is a German Style Kölsch, clocking in at 4.7% ABV and packing 20 IBUs. The beer is described as having a "sunshine" color, and described as having a lightly fruity aroma, with some slight fruity acidity. The beer features Mt. Hood (mild, pleasant, clean, slightly pungent) and Saaz (mild, pleasant, earthy, spicy) hops, and 2 Row and Wheat malts. This beer is a seasonal beer, available between March and August. With that said...let's get this beer crackin'.

Goose Island Summertime

The pour reveals a beer that you cannot even betray in low light. This thing has a yellow/gold color, an incredibly white head, and quite a bit of effervescence in the form of many small carbonation bubbles rising upwards. I poured 4-fingers of white, cloudy, but foamy head. As the head comes down, there is nice lacing on my glass, and about a finger's worth of head sticking around. When held to bright light, this is a super transparent, pale gold/yellow.

There's actually some nice aroma going on here, more so than the East-West Kölsch. I'm getting some hints of lemon, some apple/Pale Lager fruitiness, apple, pear, grass, lemongrass, and just a hint of malt (maybe wheat or grain?).

I'm more accustomed to drinking this beer out of the bottle, so this glass treatment is new. But there are some nice flavors in here. First off, this beer has a nice tartness, and subtle, almost wine-like dryness about it. You get some very subdued lemon, lemongrass, pear, and tartness; there is a hint of wheat/malt; the finish kind of implodes or sucks in on itself, leaving a slightly dry note, with a hint of grain or biscuit. Overall though, this is super light, crisp, and refreshing...but surprisingly, a lot different than a Pale Lager.

This is light-bodied, crisp, refreshing, and very drinkable at 4.7% ABV. This has a nice balance of hops and malts, with a bit of a malt implosion in the finish. There is moderate carbonation that supports the beer, and this has great palate depth and moderate complexity. Up front you get hops, grass, lemon; the middle is more hops with hints of wheat and malt; the back end is tart, dry, and some grain/biscuit implosion. The finish is nice.

 

Rating: Above-Average

 

I'm feeling a strong Above-Average on this. This is good stuff, especially as far as summer goes. This is light, has nice subtle notes of lemongrass and grainy/biscuit malt, and goes down real easy. This is the perfect beer to session, or drink on a hot day, or to drink with food. This beer is also relatively inexpensive, coming in at around 7 to 9 dollars for a sixer. I'd say that makes this beer a great candidate to beat out most macro Lagers. Goose Island says pair this with fish or salad...I bet this beer could stand up to chicken or pork as well. Overall, this was an enjoyable beer, and certainly something to consider grabbing if you need a "summer" beer. So until next time, don't drink and drive-by.

Lagunitas Imperial Red

Brewed By: Lagunitas Brewing Company in Petaluma, California

Purchased: 12oz bottle from a 6-pack from Binny's in Chicago, IL; 2012

Style/ABV: Imperial Red Ale, 7.8%

I don't think I've had an Imperial Red Ale before, and being that I really enjoy Lagunitas, I felt a strong obligation to check out this beer. So here we are. In case you don't know who Lagunitas are (Pronounced: "LAH-goo-KNEE-tuss"):

Lagunitas is a brewery I dabbled with when I hit up their controversially named "Kronik" (Lagunitas Censored) back in November 2010. The Lagunitas website has some cool info on the brewery and the beer, and can be found here. The brewery was founded in 1993 out in Lagunitas, California, and has since moved to Petaluma in California. It seems like Lagunitas is run by a bunch of deviant madmen geniuses, and the brewery appears to be a true grassroots movement, if you catch my drift.

This beer, the Imperial Red, is an interesting beast. According to the Lagunitas' website, this is a big spicy beer, with big hop notes, and lots of rich red malt. They state that this beer is a variation of their original, 1993, Lagunitas Red. This beer clocks in at 7.8% ABV...and here is where things get a bit confusing. The 6-pack states that this beer clocks in at 84.20 IBUs. However, the bottle clearly states that this beer clocks in at 54.20 IBUs. Obviously there was a misprint somewhere...so the question is: which one is it? I guess we will find out in the review...

Imperial Red is not a recognized BJCP style, so Ratebeer puts this beer into the American Strong Ale category, and BeerAdvocate went with their American Amber/Red Ale category. I'm guessing that neither really captures the essence of this beer, although I'm inclined to side more with the Strong Ale categorization...

Fortunately, if you consult the Brewers Association's 2012 Beer Style Guidelines, you can see that they have an "Imperial or Double Red Ale" category under North American beers. They describe the Imperial Red Ale as a style with bitterness around 55-85 IBUs, an ABV between 6.3% and 8.4%, and an Original Gravity of 1.080-1.100. The Lagunitas Red basically falls into this category. This style is described as having intense hop bitterness, flavor, and aroma. This style is balanced with complex alcohol flavors, fruity esters, and medium to high caramel malt character (it is an Imperial RED). Lastly, you can role over to the Home Brewing Wiki, and they list out the Great American Beer Festival/Brewers Association style guidelines that I just described above. Here is their link for the Imperial Red Ale.

Let's get a bottle poppin' and do this review. 

Lagunitas Imperial Red

Holy shit this is aromatic. Just cracking the bottle cap unleashed a flurry of tropical fruit notes and citrus. The beer pours with 3 to 4 fingers of thick, foamy, IPA-looking head. The head is off-white in low light, and in low light the beer has a dark red/copper body. When held to a bright light, this beer is reddish/orange/copper, with an off-white head that is tinted red/copper. The head retention is great, with one finger of head hanging around, and there is already nice lacing as the head pulls on the glass. The beer is transparent, with a moderate stream of small bubbles, and there are some alcohol legs as I let the beer move around the side of my glass.

The aroma on this beer is so fresh and so bright. I'm getting big tropical fruit notes, hints of citrus, hints of a slight pungent twang, big sugary caramel esters, and a big spice note. Tangerine, orange, grapefruit, kiwi, pineapple, a peppercorn or rye type spice that is a little more mild than straight up black pepper; maybe a slight grainy/bready spice. Really good stuff on the nose, and like I said: very fresh and bright.

Upon my first sip, I'm getting a lot of really nice hops, spice, and malt. I'm kind of inclined to say this is an 84.20 IBU beer? There is a reasonable amount of dry hop bite in here, in the form of nice grapefruit, with a hint of woodiness. And really nice alcohol warming with this beer. Each sip is bringing in some nice heat, and you get a nice alcohol balance in the mix. I'm getting grapefruit, tangerine, mango; a balance of sweet caramel malts; some nice woody and earthy dryness, and some really nice peppery/peppercorn spice. Incredibly earthy, hoppy, and sugary; but quite balanced. There is a slight pungent quality to the hops, and a definite drying out on the back end that is both woody and boozy. You definitely get alcohol in the mix, but it is balanced, and the dry alcohol warming on the back end is spectacular. 

This is a full-bodied beer, but the dryness and bitterness cuts through the full-bodied-ness. This beer is super sweet and sugary, as you might expect with an Imperial hop bomb. The carbonation is perfect, with medium carbonation that hits in the front and back, providing just the right amount of support for the beer. The palate depth is great, and the complexity is great. Up front is big citrus/tropical hops, and hints of sweet malt; this rolls into spices, hops, and burgeoning malts; the back end is big malt balance, followed by huge citrusy/woody hop drying, and alcohol warming. A beer that finishes this warm and dry beckons another sip...but this is a beer meant to be enjoyed. At 7.8% ABV, I found this very drinkable, but I would definitely drink this beer to enjoy it (versus sessioning it). 

Rating: Divine Brew

This is very enjoyable, and for that, I'm feeling a light Divine Brew rating. There is not a whole lot to rip on here; in fact, this beer is remarkably balanced, hoppy, spicy, malty, and drinkable. The nose was incredibly bright, and the beer managed to bring some nice complexity to the table. Basically: Hops and Malts, what is there to hate. It's the little stuff though, like the carbonation, or the nice balance of alcohol, and the wonderful dry/boozy finish. Those are the things that make a beer stand out. With that said, definitely check this beer out...and until next time, don't drink and perform brain surgery. 

Samuel Adams Cherry Wheat

Brewed By: Boston Beer Company in Boston, Massachusetts
Purchased: 12oz bottle from the Sam Adams Summer Styles, from Jewel-Osco in Chicago, IL; 2012
Style/ABV: Fruit Beer, 5.3%

So here we are...drinking the final beer from the 2012 Sam Adams' Summer Styles mix-pack. It seems appropriate to finish with the Cherry Wheat...a beer I've had many times, and a beer that is not beloved by all.
As always, a word on Sam Adams:

Samuel Adams was founded in 1984 by Jim Koch, and currently the Boston Beer Company is the largest American-owned beer company in the United States. Sam Adams is also the largest craft brewer in America, with over a million barrels of beer being produced annually. You can check out the Sam Adam's website for more info.

So...the Cherry Wheat. I've had this beer many times, and already know where I'm going to rate it. The question is: do I hate this beer like everyone else, or enjoy it? If you check out the Cherry Wheat profile page, you can find out all the goods about this beer. This is an American-style beer brewed with Michigan cherries, malted wheat, Noble hops, and a touch of honey. The malted wheat gives the beer a "cereal note," which I can vouch for. The beer is brewed by adding cherries to the mash, and then honey is added at the very end. Clocking in at 5.3% ABV, 176 calories per bottle, and 23 IBUs, this beer uses Hallertau Mittelfrueh Noble hops (citrusy, fresh), malted wheat, cherries, and honey. This thing sounds like a cherry Wheat Beer. Does it taste like one? On with the review!

Samuel Adams Cherry Wheat

In low light, the beer pours a hazy orange/straw color, with 4-fingers of foamy, bubbly, wheat-beer looking head. In lower-light, the head has a slight straw tint. Held to bright light, this is a yellow/straw-colored beer, with hints of orange. The head is super white, and even after dissolving quite a bit, there is still a nice layer of foam on my beer (along with some lacing). The beer is just ever so slightly hazy, and has moderate to high carbonation in the form of medium to large-sized rising bubbles.

The aroma is okay, with cherries, a creamy wheat note, big cereal notes, cherry cough syrup, artificial cherries, mild hop notes, a hint of honey sweetness, and a seriously dominant wheat/cereal note.

The taste is really creamy, smooth, and full of giant wheat/cereal notes. You get a lot of sweetness, including notes of caramel and honey. And there are big artificial cherry notes in here. It's hard to believe this is brewed with real cherry, as you get big syrupy cherry notes...less cough-syrup-like than in the nose, but still artificial. It's not an unpleasant cherry note, but it doesn't really taste like biting into a fresh cherry. There is maybe a hint of tart or tang cherry in the taste. Lots of wheat and cereal notes. Maybe a hint of mild UK hoppiness. 

The one thing this beer really has going for it is its mouthfeel. This beer is amazingly smooth, and super creamy. There is a great cream/cereal/wheat note that drives this beer. It's oddly enjoyable. With moderate but supportive carbonation, this beer is super smooth and super drinkable at 5.3% ABV, but still has a medium-full mouthfeel. There's just a slight thickness to the mouthfeel. Palate depth is good, complexity is low. Up front you get cherry, honey, and wheat; the middle is cherry and wheat/cereal; the back end is lingering cherry and wheat/cereal. 

Rating: Above-Average

 

What exactly is this beer? Well...it's a cherry beer. A cherry Wheat Beer. This beer knocks everything out of the park, except for the cherry. And that's why I have to go with a Light Above-Average. But I still like this beer a lot. This beer has an awesome creamy/cereal/wheat note that I just find myself drawn to. The cherries? Not as much, with their slightly artificial flavor. But I can overlook that, because sometimes I don't mind artificial cherries. This isn't a beer I lust after regularly. One sixer every year or two usually hits the spot. But when it hits, damn. And again...maybe I'm biased by the nostalgia, friends, and Bears games I've enjoyed while drinking this beer. With that said, check out the Sam Adams Summer Styles mixer. Overall, it was pretty successful this year. And until next time...don't drink and inhale. 

Left Hand Milk Stout Nitro

Brewed By: Left Hand Brewing Co. in Longmont, Colorado 

Purchased: 12oz bottle from a 6-pack bought at Binny's in Chicago, IL; 2012

Style/ABV: Sweet Stout, 6.0%

Tonight I'm checking out a beer I've had before...but this will be the first time I've tried Left Hand's Milk Stout on Nitro. If you're wondering what a Nitro beer is...think Guinness Draught. Or even better: watch this awesome video. Nitrogenation is the process of adding nitrogen to beer (Nitro beer still has some CO2 carbonation, to provide body to the beer). Nitrogen has smaller bubbles than regular carbonation, and is apparently less harsh. It also results in more stable carbonation, and a more stable/thick/sustaining head. Of course, natural carbonation results from the fermentation process (alcohol and CO2 are byproducts as the yeast digests the sugars from the wort). Additionally, brewers can add sugar to the fermented beer, and the yeast will then go to town on the sugar creating more carbonation. I'm not sure how much the brewer controls for CO2 Carbonation vs. Nitro carbonation, or if they control for it at all. 

At any rate, with all that boring science shit out of the way, let me just introduce Left Hand Brewing. First off, props to Left Hand Brewing's awesome website. I really like the Left Hand website, and think it is well-designed. The brewery was founded in 1993, and is based out of Longmont, Colorado. 

Left Hand's story began back in 1990 when co-founder, Dick Doore, received a small homebrewers kit as a gift from his brother. He became obsessed with homebrewing, and eventually wound up in Colorado in 1993, where he met with former college-friend, and fellow Left Hand co-founder, Eric Wallace. Together, they began to brew beer, and decided to start a brewery. In the September of 1993, the two Incorporated (INC.) as "Indian Peaks Brewing Company," and found a brewery location in a former meat packing plant next to the St. Vrain River in downtown Longmont. Due to some copyright issues with the name (Indian Peaks was being used by another brewery), the company changed their name to Left Hand, in honor of Chief Niwot, whose tribe was from the local area. The name Left Hand is from the southern Arapahoe word, "Niwot," which means "left hand." The brewery opened its doors for business on January 22, 1994. By 1998 the brewery merged with Tabernash Brewing from Denver, and started its own distribution business, Indian Peaks Distribution Company (during the next 10 years, Tabernash was phased out and the Distribution Company was sold). In 2012, Left Hand ranked in the Brewers Association's Top 50 Craft Brewers. The brewery has continued to expand, and continues to be very successful.

Today's beer is worthy of special mention, as it is (I believe) the first American Craft beer to come in a Nitro bottle. During the 2011 Great American Beer Festival, Left Hand debuted their Milk Stout Nitro bottle. The beer is available in Colorado, Chicago, Austin, Boston, Phonenix, Atlanta, Cleveland, and New York City. Like I said...I've had the non-Nitro version of this beer before, and I have tasting notes. So I'll lay those out in a second.

Real quick: what is a Milk Stout? If you roll over to the BJCP, you can get some idea what to expect for the style. Wikipedia actually gives a nice summary of the style.

"Milk stout (also called sweet stout or cream stout) is a stout containing lactose, a sugar derived from milk. Because lactose is unfermentable by beer yeast, it adds sweetness, body, and calories to the finished beer. Milk stout was claimed to be nutritious, and was given to nursing mothers, along with other stouts, such as Guinness. The classic surviving example of milk stout is Mackeson's, for which the original brewers claimed that "each pint contains the energising carbohydrates of 10 ounces of pure dairy milk". In the period just after the Second World War when rationing was in place, the British government required brewers to remove the word "milk" from labels and adverts, and any imagery associated with milk."

Ratebeer claims that early brewers told people that the milk sugar provided health benefits...but really, all the milk sugar does is add calories to your beer....which makes you fat. Thus, Left Hand's Milk Stout is a Sweet/Milk/Cream Stout, but is preferably just a "Sweet Stout." The term "Milk/Cream Stout" seems to have been redacted for the most part, presumably because there are really no health benefits from this style of beer. Finally, this is an English style of beer that first appeared in London back in the 1800s, and features the addition of lactose, milk, sugar, or sweeteners to the beer.

With all of that said...let's talk about the Left Hand Milk Stout. Like I said, I've had the non-Nitro version before, and enjoyed it so much that I rated it as a light to solid Above-Average. In my tasting notes I mention that this beer is creamy, has roasted and nutty notes, milk chocolate, cocoa, and hints of milk/cream. I'll keep that in mind moving forward. If you go to the Left Hand Milk Stout Nitro page, you can get some info on the Nitro version of this beer. Clocking in at 6.0% ABV and packing 25 IBUs, this beer is brewed with Magnum and US Goldings hops, and Pale, Crystal, Munich, and Chocolate malts, and Roast Barley, Flaked Oats, and Flaked Barley. It's kind of like a sweeter version of an Oatmeal Stout if you think about it.

How to pour...

Lastly...before moving onto the review. This beer requires a hard pour. In order to unleash that Nitro fury and get that kick-ass cascade effect, you need to tip that bottle completely upside down and let the beer pour out. If you fuck up the pour, you will not get to behold all that Nitro glory. Pour hard, and pour bold. The beer has controlled carbonation that will not overflow your glass.

You need to pour the fuck out of this thing, but the end result is awesome. The beer cascades from bottom up, just like Guinness. You can see that awesome brown carbonation turn into wonderful dark beer. The end result is 2 to 3 fingers worth of super thick, creamy, sexy head. The head is as thick as they come, with a nice bready/light tan/light khaki color. This beer appears to be black or dark brown, but it is probably more brown/ruby red, with clear hints of ruby red escaping from the side. The head is sustaining like a beast, but as it starts to creep down a bit, it is leaving A TON of thick lacing. Lastly, I just want to say: I love the bottle art on this beer. Seriously, this bottle is all class.

Mid-cascade. So sexy. This is beer porn.

The nose on this beer is nice. You get a lot of roast, hints of those oats and flaked barley; I'm pulling out some nice chocolate notes, some nice light coffee notes, and a hint of instant milk. The nose is roasty, and malty. It's also sweet, and it has that hint of lactose. There's also some nice chocolate/coffee flavors dancing around in here. Moving on to the taste....

This beer is SOFT and SMOOTH and CREAMY. The carbonation on this beer is so incredibly moderate, and fluffy...this beer is like drinking a Stout pillow. The smoothness is only enhanced by the centimeter-plus of thick, creamy head that is hanging around. And the lacing on the glass as you drink this beer is spectacular. Nitrogen beers have that slightly oxidized character, but in this case it is desirable. There is a lot of roast in this beer, especially towards the middle and back. The roast is more mild, and not burnt like you sometimes get in more aggressive variants of the Stout style. Up front you get cream, sweet/sugary malts, and some lactose; the middle is more smoothness, with hints of burgeoning malts; the back end is roast, oats, hints of coffee, and a twang of burnt/roasted coffee beans. There are waves of flavors coming and going as well, including hints towards chocolate and some flashes of dark fruits. I'm also picking up a hint of caramel/vanilla and nuttiness.

Left Hand Milk Stout Nitro

This is a medium-full to full-bodied beer, with medium carbonation and the smoothest mouthfeel I've had in a long time. I want to see Bells Special Double Cream Stout on Nitro...oh man. This beer has great palate depth, and moderate complexity. For 6.0% ABV, the drinkability is through the roof! The Nitro does seem to thin out the flavors a touch, but the payoff is huge in terms of smoothness. Front palate is smooth with some lactose; the middle is more lactose with oats and burgeoning roast; the back end is big roasted notes that play wonderfully. 
  
Rating: Divine Brew

I'm feeling a light to decent Divine Brew rating on this beer. I really like what this beer has to offer, and I'm impressed with the Nitro bottle. I think this is more than a novelty: I think this adds a layer of depth to a style of beer that I really enjoy when I am in the mood for it. For me, the Nitro bottle elevates the Left Hand Milk Stout from something I enjoy to something I really want to drink. And that's pretty awesome. If you can find this beer...check it out. And make sure to pour it HARD! So until next time, don't drink and milk a cow.


 

Samuel Adams Summer Ale

Brewed By: Boston Beer Company in Boston, Massachusetts
Purchased: 12oz bottle from the Sam Adams Summer Styles, from Jewel-Osco in Chicago, IL; 2012
Style/ABV: Wheat Ale, 5.3%

Tonight I'm drinking a beer I've had a million times. This beer is an obvious part of the Sam Adams' Summer Styles mix-pack, and has been around since 1995, making it one of the brewery's older brews. I'm referring to Sam Adam's Summer Ale, a crisp, refreshing, American Wheat Ale. Before we get started, let me give some props to Sam Adams:

Samuel Adams was founded in 1984 by Jim Koch, and currently the Boston Beer Company is the largest American-owned beer company in the United States. Sam Adams is also the largest craft brewer in America, with over a million barrels of beer being produced annually. You can check out the Sam Adam's website for more info.

The Summer Ale is an American Wheat Ale. This isn't a defined style by the BJCP, and a reminder that the BJCP needs to roll out new guidelines. But then, guidelines are only semi-useful. There's some good info on Wheat Ales from the Home Brew Talk wiki. The "American Wheat Beer" features similar flavors to German Weizens, but are often brewed with clean American ale yeasts instead of the Weizen yeast used in German brews. American Wheat Ales also tend to feature more hop flavors, and can have a greater variety of malts. Classic examples include the beer we are drinking tonight, Bell's Oberon, Pyramid Hefe-Weizen, Three Floyds' Gumballhead, and Goose Island's 312 Urban Wheat. 

If you check out Sam Adams' Summer Ale page, you can get some info on this beer. This is an American Wheat Ale, brewed for the summer. The beer uses malted wheat, lemon peel, and Grains of Paradise. Grains of Paradise are apparently a rare pepper from Africa that create a crisp taste, spicy flavor, and medium body. Clocking in at 5.3% ABV, 7 IBUs, and 166 calories per bottle, this beer also uses Hallertau Mittelfrueh Noble hops. The real star of this brew are the special ingredients, the Lemons and the Grains of Paradise. This beer was first brewed in 1995, and has been around forever. As I said, I've had this beer a million times. So let's pop one open and get on with the review.

Samuel Adams Summer Ale

The beer pours a hazy, straw color, with 2-fingers of reasonably thick, foamy, white head. There's that nice wheat beer thing going on where the beer is a little more gold/bronze as there is more body, and a bit more yellow/straw as you get to the edges of the beer. In bright light this is hazy, with moderate carbonation (YAY! A hazy beer! Good job, Sam Adams). There is a nice centimeter of white head sticking around, and there is some lacing...in bright light the beer is a wheat/straw/yellow color. Good looking stuff...or maybe I'm just biased because I really love this Petrus glass. Either way.

This beer smells good...fresh, crisp. You pick up on some citrus, and wheat, and some hints of fruit and malt. I'm picking out lemon zest and grass, a hint of wheat/grain, a hint of corriander and some spice, a bit of mango, and some hints of malt. Really light, and crisp.

The taste is all about the lemon zest, with a nice grain/wheat note driving through everything. I'm getting lemons, sweet fruits, wheat, hints of grainy malt, thick, meaty mango, and a note of honey that couples with the slightly thick body.

This is a medium-light beer. It's crisp, supported by good/medium carbonation, but has a slight thickness about the mouthfeel. You do get some notes of honey which add to that thickness. This has good palate depth and okay complexity. Up front is carbonation, honey, wheat, lemon; the middle is wheat, grain, lemon; the back is lingering grain and citrus. The finish is refreshing, maybe a touch astringent/grainy.

Rating: Above-Average

 

I'm feeling a Light Above-Average for this beer. I've always enjoyed this beer, and it accomplishes everything it sets out to accomplish. I know there are much better Wheat Ales out there...but I've been at one too many barbeques or summer events where this beer has made me happy. Call it nostalgia. But there's some good stuff going on with this beer...it has a nice rounded mouthfeel, with that slight thickness from the wheat, and those hints of honey. And that mouthfeel is balanced by some nice citrus notes. My only complaint is that there is a hint of astringency...but otherwise, this is a great beer to pair with any barbeque, or just to drink casually on a hot summer day. I would pick up a 6-pack of this. So until next time, don't drink and pilot.

Samuel Adams Noble Pils

Brewed By: Boston Beer Company in Boston, Massachusetts
Purchased: 12oz bottle from the Sam Adams Summer Styles, from Jewel-Osco in Chicago, IL; 2012
Style/ABV: Bohemian Pilsener, 4.9%

Continuing with the Sam Adams' 2012 Summer Styles mix-pack, tonight I'll be drinking their Noble Pils. Before we get started, let me give some props to Sam Adams:

Samuel Adams was founded in 1984 by Jim Koch, and currently the Boston Beer Company is the largest American-owned beer company in the United States. Sam Adams is also the largest craft brewer in America, with over a million barrels of beer being produced annually. You can check out the Sam Adam's website for more info.

Sam Adams gives plenty of information about the Noble Pils on the beer's profile page. The Noble Pils is a beer brewed with 5 Noble hops for a big hop character and fresh taste. The beer is described as deep gold, with citrus hop aromas, and big citrus, floral, and piney hop notes balanced by honeyed malts. Clocking in at 4.9% ABV and 34 IBUs, this beer packs around 170 calories per bottle. This beer uses Sam Adams' two-row pale malt and Czech pilsner malt, as well as Hallertau Mittelfrueh, Tettnang Tettnanger, Spalt Spalter, Saaz, and Hersbrucker Noble hops. Noble hops tend to be aromatic, a little more moderate or mild, slightly spicy, and earthy. 

If you roll over to the BJCP, you can get some idea of what to expect from a Bohemian Pilsener. They don't give much in the way of history though, just noting that this was a style first brewed in 1842. Fortunately, on the Noble Pils' profile page, Sam Adams gives a brief history of the style. They state that the Czech Republic has a lengthy history of brewing beer that dates back to the 12th century. In 1842, a brewer in the town of Plzen created a unique beer brewed with newly available pale malts, Czech Saaz hops, and bottom-fermenting lager yeat. The beer was a sharp contrast from the dark ales of the day, with a pale and clear color, and a refreshing profile. The beer became known as a pilsner from the name of the town where it was created. And that's pilsner history 101, I guess. At some point I'll expand upon that history...but right now, let's get on with the review. 

Samuel Adams Noble Pils

The beer pours with 3-fingers of white, thick head. The head dissolves into a nice thin coating, leaving some nice lacing on the glass. In low light this beer is a yellow/gold color, but when held to good lighting this is clearly a transparent, yellow/straw/pale beer. There is quite a bit of carbonation rising upwards in the form of small bubbles. My prognosis: effervescent.

The aroma on this is all hops...but not like "FUCK YOU! POW!" citrus hops that you get with an American Pale Ale or IPA. These are crisp, refreshing, earthy hops. I'm pulling out lemon, coriander, grass, a hint of spice (maybe black pepper?), earthy, spicy floral, and a hint of honey from the malts. There's maybe a twang of buttery-ness in the nose, but overall you get those huge (but mild) Noble hops.

The taste is a lovely follow-through, with really mild earthiness, slight spiciness, crisp, refreshing, and then a slightly grainy, buttery finish with hints of honey. I'm tasting hints of lemon peel, grass, hints of faded orange, some honey, slight buttery notes, and that pleasant mild bitterness you get from the Noble hops. 

This has moderate carbonation that supports the beer wonderfully. This is super drinkable at 4.9% ABV, and is very crisp and refreshing. Let's call this medium-light. This has great palate depth, great complexity, and a finish that is just a hint bitter, and just a hint dry, with some lingering notes of grain/butter. Up front you get carbonation, hops, a hint of black pepper; the middle is floral, spicy, and earthy hops; the finish is lingering hops with some grain and butter. Borat says, very nice.

Rating: Divine Brew

I'm feeling a light Divine Brew rating on this. I mean this is good stuff right here. Super hoppy, but very crisp, refreshing, mild, and pleasant. This is a great beer to session, and you could pair this beer with virtually any food. I'm thinking pizza, burgers, or even something like fish or chicken. This is one of Sam Adams better beers, and one of my favorites from them. I had this beer last year, and really enjoyed it, and I'm digging it this year. I'd definitely consider picking up a 6-pack of this stuff, and I hope Sam Adams keeps brewing their Noble Pils. With that said...this is a great addition to the 2012 Summer Styles. So until next time, don't drink and Czech.