Local Option Mourning Wood

Brewed By: Local Option Bierwerker in Chicago, Illinois  

Purchased: bought at Bottles & Cans in Chicago, IL; 2015 

Style/ABV: Amber Ale/Hybrid Ale/Barrel-Aged Ale/Coffee Beer, 7.3%

Reported IBUs: ?

Local Option Mourning Wood

You can't stop the Chicago beer train. It's coming at you 100mph like Amtrak. About Local Option:

Local Option is a restaurant/bar (known for their intense Creole food) that happens to also brew their own beer.

The Mourning Wood is an oak-aged coffee amber ale. This beer sits in fresh American oak, and Dark Matter's El Salvador San Jose pulp-natural coffee adds some coffee kick. This one looks like it has been through barrel-aged hell. The beer is a murky, orange color, with tight lacing and surprisingly good head retention despite the barrel/coffee treatment.

The aroma here is dark grains, sweet hazelnut, nutty coffee, toast, oak, and some nice dark fruits. I'm getting some dried berries and figs on the aroma, and I'm reminded of Autumn-style beers (namely the Two Brothers Atom Smasher). As this warms up, the coffee on the aroma starts to pop.

This beer gets appreciably better as it warms, so keep that in mind when you crack this. As I sip on this, I am getting lots of dried berries, serious kicks of Dark Matter coffee ala hazelnut and light roast, toast, and light grassy hops. The oak comes through as a mild character that plays with the Amber Ale base. Caramel, light brown sugar, tapioca, iced coffee, wood, coffee creamer...pretty complex.

This hides the 7.3% with ease, and drops appropriate carb levels. Palate depth is good with nice duration, and this has a fairly complex layering of flavors for an Amber Ale. The oak addition is a subtle touch, and the coffee comes through as a light roast or Java flavor. I find this to be an intriguing Amber Ale, and you can't beat the price. 

Rating: Above-Average (3.5/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Light Above-Average on this. This is not revolutionary or mind-blowing by any means, but it is a solid Amber Ale. Also, the Dark Matter coffee comes through strong, as advertised.  

Random Thought: Awww yeah beer. 

Against the Grain Kentucky Ryed Chiquen

Brewed By: Against the Grain Brewery (and Smokehouse) in Louisville, Kentucky   

Purchased: 750ml (1 pint 9.4oz) bottle bought at Friar Tuck in Urbana, IL; 2014 

Style/ABV: Rye Beer, 8.6%

Reported IBUs: 27.4

When life gives you lemons, buy that tarred and feathered beer...seriously, this bottle is obnoxious! I've seen waxed beers, I've seen foiled beers, but I haven't seen a beer that is tarred and feathered. About Against the Grain Brewing: 

The Against the Grain Brewery and Smokehouse is a brewery (and smokehouse) that was founded back in October 2011. The brewery is located in the southeast corner of Louisville Slugger Field at the corner of Jackson and Main Street, in Kentucky, and is run by four dudes who are cooler than you. For more information, check them out on Facebook or check out their website. 

Tonight's beer, the Kentucky Ryed Chiquen, is a "rye beer aged in rye whiskey barrels." The bottle reads: "Cluck Cluck. The Chiquen has come home to roost! You asked for anything but chicken...so here you go! An original rye amber ale recipe aged in rye whiskey barrels hatched right here in Kentucky! Kentucky Ryed Chiquen is malty and mellow, but has quite the barrel-aged bite." This one is described as an amber ale brewed with rye malt. And, of course, the rye whiskey barrels. This features Marris Otter malts, rye malts, caramel rye malts from Germany, and English Nugget and Kent Goldings hops. The barrel used here is a Redemption Rye barrel from Strong's Spirits. Let's see what we got...

Against the Grain Kentucky Ryed Chiquen

This pours into a really nice, two-tone, amber-orange body, with some nice rounded brown and orange tones. I got a couple of fingers of caramel-tinted head, and there is nice lacing and head retention at work here. This also appears to be appropriately carbonated. The feathered bottle wasn't too hard to work with either...no harder than wax, and less annoying than glued on wax.

On the aroma: a lot of funky sweetness. I'm getting the wood and barrel, which is reminiscent of oak...but I'm also getting a funky note that reminds me of Brett. I wonder if this was infected, intentional or otherwise. If this was infected, I doubt it will be to the beer's detriment...but we will see. I'm also getting a lot of nutty notes on the aroma, with some caramel, and some weird pineapple sweetness. Again...Brett? This smells big...let's see how it tastes. 

Yup...dat Brett infection. Again, the Brett actually works with the barrel and the whiskey, and provides some funky balance to the malt sweetness and gentle oak/wood notes I am getting in the back. It reminds me of something from the Prairie wheelhouse, with Brett notes that play off the oak and also drop some fruity hints. I'm getting pear, pineapple, caramel, oak, wood, nice gentle barrel, sweet toasted grains and coconut, and some hints of cane sugar. There are some complex shades of darker sugars in here, and lots of grain/coconut. The rye notes in here mostly come across with the grain and the barrel....I'm not really getting a ton of rye in here. In that regard, this beer fails to deliver. But it's still pretty damn tasty...

I'm really conflicted, because I think this is good and laid back...it actually reminds me of a nice Belgian Ale, or something like Orval...only with a tropical island vibe. This is medium-light bodied with good levels of carbonation. Things move along smoothly here, and you would never guess this is 8.6%. The Brett probably helped clean up some of the residual sweetness...notably absent here is the big rye spice, but you do get some rye barrel, and you do get some nice wood/oak/barrel notes. The whiskey in here is a faint afterthought, but that's not problem. This has good depth and complexity. Up front: caramel sweetness, some hops, pineapple, fruit, Brett; the mids roll into really nice grain, coconut, oak, caramel sugars, wood, barrel, faint rye, and some oak/Brett funk; the finish mellows out into really nice grain/coconut/wood/oak/Brett, with lingering caramel and whiskey sweetness...and then fade to dry. Just...really laid back and nice.

Rating: Above-Average (3.5/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Light Above-Average on this. I really like this, despite the fact that it doesn't quite deliver on its promise of rye. Okay...so maybe that's a deal breaker for other people. I'm an opportunistic beer drinker. I love the fact that this was infected by Brett. I think the Brett + Barrel + base beer here = winner winner, chicken dinner. That's where your chicken is. So whether this is an accidental success or not...it's a good beer. Fruity, malty sweet, and mild barrel/spirit character make this both palatable and easy going. I want this on my tropical island to pair with some mango salsa chicken, or my sweet barbecue ribs. I think this would go great with a nice pork dish. Maybe even spam. Yum.

Random Thought: I <3 ATG

Shitty Beer Tuesday #8: Miller Fortune

Brewed By: Miller Brewing Company (MillerCoors) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin 

Purchased: 24oz CAN bought at some random gas station in Urbana, IL; 2014 

Style/ABV: Malt Liquor, 6.9%

Reported IBUs: ?

24oz? 6.9%? Miller, are you trying to get me drunk?

Let me back up for a second. Tonight's beer is a tale of two identity crises. The first identity crisis is just a giant mix-up, and is important for understanding tonight's beer. 

It looks like your fortune is changing.

You see, back in January 2014 when MillerCoors announced Miller Fortune, they started talking about how this beer will compete with whiskey and bourbon. 

Brewmaster Manny Manuele was even careful enough to pour the beer into a rocks glass at a press release -- the same type of glass reserved for whiskey. And that's the same glass you see present in the commercials and advertisements for the Miller Fortune.

The Miller Fortune is described as having a more malty, complex flavor, hinting at bourbon.

Wait. What? 

Is this beer bourbon barrel-aged? Is it brewed with oak chips? Is there any whiskey or bourbon connection to this giant malt liquor beverage? 

#GlassWhalez, ISO

The Miller Fortune clocks in at 6.9%. The slight boost in alcohol that you see here is apparently to draw parallel to the high proof of bourbon and whiskey. The beer is also brewed with Cascade hops. But mysteriously absent are any oak or bourbon chips, or any bourbon flavoring. There is none of that here.

In fact, amidst all the hype about Miller's new bourbon-flavored beer after the Fortune was announced, MillerCoors released an official statement:

"Since that story ran, there have been several follow-up stories that inaccurately portray Miller Fortune as being a bourbon-flavored beer," media relations director Jonathan Stern wrote. "That is simply not true." [Source]

So...let's get this straight. Miller Fortune is a bourbon/whiskey-inspired malt liquor that is intended to compete with the bourbon and whiskey market, but it doesn't actually have any connection to bourbon or whiskey except that if you drink lots of it you will get wasted? Okay. I'm listening. Apparently MillerCoors wants me to get really drunk, and then to kill people.

Wait what? Kill people? I guess we should probably talk about the second identity crisis I mentioned. Can someone explain to me what is going on with scary mobster actors trying to sell me alcohol? This is what I'm talking about:

"HEY! Buy our fucking product or we will fucking kill you, and your family, and your dog."

I understand using hot women to sell me beer. I understand using famous black rappers that have put their 'fuck the police' attitude behind them to sell me beer. I even kind of understand using Sherpas to sell me the coldest and most refreshing beer in the world. 

But scary actors who portray scary mobsters? Really? Mark Strong might be a nice guy in real life, but Ray Liotta looks like he could come unhinged at any moment. You better hope there are no 2x4s laying around or he doesn't feel like compressing your skull with his bare hands, because he totally has that look like he could do that. Oh, and by the way, "buy our alcohol product!"

Who the fuck is this supposed to be marketed to?!!?!? Ray Liotta isn't a cool cat, he is fucking scary! 

Anyway...

Shitty Beer Tuesday #8: Miller Fortune

The Miller Fortune pours out into a deep orange, transparent body. It produces excessive amounts of rapidly forming head, to the tune of three-plus fingers. The head gives way to some spotty lacing, and the beer settles into an amber body in bright light. There's carbonation in here too. I don't think my fortune has changed just yet...

The Miller Fortune website is underwhelming, which is why I haven't mentioned it yet. The aroma on this beer is also kind of underwhelming, with cereal and corn malt sweetness present on the nose. I guess the aroma is kind of "amber," if you like to describe the smell of your malt liquor with colors. If you delve into the nose a little further it smells okay. I'm getting some light grassy hops, caramel malts, and some sweet, bread-like malts typical of a lighter Bock. It doesn't smell skunky or overly sweet.

The taste reminds me of malt liquors, and there's a weirdly cloying, sweet, off-putting thing on the finish. It starts out okay up front with big malt sweetness, bready malts, some biscuit, and a little hop balance. The middle is also okay, as the sweetness melds into some nice mild grassy hop notes. The back end is where everything goes to shit, like when the stripper brushes up on you during the lap dance and you end up with that snail trail. You get that blast of booze, fusel alcohol, and sickly gasoline sweetness. It's a really off-putting flavor, and it's reminiscent of terrible libations served in 40oz cans. 

I'm happy to report that this will get your drunk. If that's what you want, you could do worse than to buy this. I'm feeling some nice alcohol warming here. But how does this beer tie into spirits? I don't get it! It's like the Ray Liotta and Mark Strong advertising thing. How is this beer connected to spirits? It tastes like every other shitty malt liquor, only slightly better. It's light-bodied, easy-drinking, and spends quality time on your palate for better or worse. I'm not a sophisticated hobo so I won't talk about complexity. Needless to say, all the bready and hoppy goodness up front and in the middle is ruined in the finish. Bleh.

Rating: Below-Average (2.0/5.0 Untappd)

This is a Strong Below-Average. The only redeeming quality here is that this beer will get you drunk. It's not the worst malt liquor out there...not by a long shot. There's a refined element to this swill that elevates it over a lot of the horrible malt liquors available. But comparing malt liquors is like rating your poo: no one wins. Food pairings here include being homeless or wanting to get wasted. If Mark Strong reads this, hopefully he can nope the fuck out of future advertising deals. I'm sure a real bourbon/whiskey company would pay you to advertise, dude. Also, don't kill me. Please?

Random Thought: Craft beer has a huge bourbon connection. Look at all the bourbon barrel-aged beers available these days. The Miller Fortune is not only a bad beer, but it is poorly conceived in terms of its advertising and purpose. MillerCoors is way behind the eight-ball. These guys don't get it. And that's a shame, because I still enjoy the occasional Miller High Life. 

Even though this beer is hella cheap, I probably wouldn't buy it again. Maybe if it came in a 40...at 6.9%, I can do similar damage with a good tasting IPA. If I want to get wasted, the aforementioned 40s will do the trick. Take note, MillerCoors. 

New Glarus Snowshoe Ale

Brewed By: New Glarus Brewing Company in New Glarus, Wisconsin

Purchased: 12oz bottle from a 6-pack bought at Woodman's in Kenosha, WI; 2014 

Style/ABV: Amber Ale, 5.7% 

Reported IBUs: ?

Mmmm mmm love those trips across the border. About New Glarus:

New Glarus is the rare, gorgeous "Midwest" brewery, founded in 1993 by Deborah Carey, the first woman to found and operate a brewery in the United States. She raised the capital for the start-up as a gift to her husband, Dan Carey, who is New Glarus' brewmaster and co-owner. Dan Carey has a long history working in the brewing industry, including an apprenticeship at a brewery near Munich, Germany and a job as the Production Supervisor for Anheuser-Busch. The brewery began as an abandoned warehouse using old brewpub equipment. In 1997, Dan Carey purchased coper kettles from a brewery in Germany. In May 2006, New Glarus opened their new (current) facility on a hilltop in the village of New Glarus. The facility looks like a Bavarian village, and is gorgeous. The expansion has allowed the brewery to continue to increase their production, and expand their operations. For more information, check out their brewery page or Wikipedia. 

The Snowshoe Ale is a winter seasonal, brewed with a blend of American and German malts, and hops from Slovenia and the Great Pacific Northwest.

New Glarus Snowshoe Ale

Appearance: Matches the bottle. Seriously, we have a chicken and egg thing going on here. What came first, the beer's SRM or the bottle? I can only guess. Anyway, this one is dark brown/red, like an Amber, with a nice finger of caramel/amber head. The beer is transparent, and features a nice amount of mid-sized carbonation. It's a good looking beer.

The aroma is very malty, with Marzen and Vienna-esque malts popping on the nose. I'm getting Munich malts, toast, bread, rye, sweet sugary malts, caramel, and some grassy and floral hops. The hop note almost hints at something brighter and sweeter, like tropical fruits. I'm curious what "pacific northwest" hops were used in this. 

This is incredibly New Glarus, with a strong leaning towards the sweeter, German, caramel malts, toast, Munich sweetness, and Marzen-like goodness. I think this is an Ale, but fool me once. There's a lot of bready toast and dried berry sweetness in here, and any hints of "pacific northwest hops" are washed away in favor of more straight up grassy and floral hop notes. There's a kiss of hemp sweetness, but this is no West Coast bong rip. 

This beer is amazingly consistent like that one girl you dated who was super average and you had no real reason to break up with, but you did anyway because sometimes you want to try something more edgy. It's a good Winter Amber...consistent and smooth, but malty and warming, and yet drinkable. But the 5.7% is on the higher end for the New Glarus wheelhouse, at least for this style of beer. It's medium-bodied, well carbonated, has good duration, and is complex enough. It's an Amber. The front end is malty and toasty; the mids dial up more toast and caramel sweetness, with dried berries, caramel, and burgeoning hops; the back end hits some hop notes and features lingering malts.

Rating: Average (3.5/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Light Average on this. It's somewhere between "middle of the road" and "above average." I couldn't not recommend it based on how quaffable it is, but there's no mystery or intrigue here. Food pairings here are whatever. Anything light goes well with an Amber. Pizza, chicken, whatever. Not bad @ 7.99 a sixer or whatever I paid.

Random Thought: I do appreciate these simple beers, but I'd appreciate them more if I lived in Wisconsin.

Gnarly Oak Hazelnut Dark

Brewed By: Minhas Craft Brewery in Monroe, Wisconsin  

Purchased: 22oz bomber from an $8 dollar gift set bought at Walgreens in Chicago, IL; 2014 

Style/ABV: Amber Ale, 5.5%

Reported IBUs: 24

Hazelnuts? Yarrr. After last night's mediocre Minhas offering, I'm happy to crack open tonight's beer and put this one to bed. About Minhas: 

Minhas is the oldest continually operating brewery in the Midwest, and the second oldest brewery in the United States. As you can see from the brewery's history page, the brewery has been owned by many different people, and rebranded numerous times. The brewery began in 1845 as the Monroe Brewery when it was opened by Mr. Bissinger. In 1906, the brewery changed its name to the Blumer Brewing Company. And in 1947, the brewery was purchased by Joseph Huber and the brewery became known as the Joseph Huber Brewing Company. In 2005, the Minhas Family purchased the brewery, and in 2006 the brewery changed its name to the Minhas Craft Brewery. For more info, check out the brewery's website. 

The Hazelnut Dark is billed as an "Ale brewed with natural hazelnut flavor." The bottle says: "Hazelnut Dark is a reddish amber ale that has an impeccable balance between its carapils and caramel roasted malts and centennial hops. We add just a touch of hazelnut to give a rich nutty flavor and aroma." I can only hope the hazelnut flavoring added to this beer isn't artificial and crappy.

Gnarly Oak Hazelnut Dark

The Hazelnut Dark pours into an orange/amber body. The body seems mostly transparent, and some streams of small to mid-sized carbonation are visible. The beer kicked up three fingers of amber-tinted head, and that has dropped into a consistent pinky of head. There is lacing if you swirl the beer, and the beer is bright orange when held to a bright light.

The aroma here is actually a bit of a departure from the Winter Bock and Chocolate Stout. I'm getting big Carapils malts and cereal grains on the nose, malt sweetness and fruity molasses, coffee, and hazelnut. There's a slightly buttery quality to the hazelnut aroma...and I'm getting some Cream Ale vibes from this.

This tastes a lot like a moderately hoppy Brown/Amber Ale spiked with hazelnut. The hazelnut doesn't taste too artificial...but there's a slight burnt and butter thing going on in here. Otherwise, I'm getting lots of toast, bread, unprocessed Carapils (which are fucking delicious so whatever), pretty clean hop notes that are floral and spicy, and lots of hazelnut. The hazelnut has some nutty and coffee character. This is actually okay.

As is the trend...this one is medium-bodied and probably a bit too heavy for 5.5%. BUT, you can forgive it because of the bitterness and carbonation that balances things out. This isn't even that hoppy, but the toasted character and Carapils provide additional bitterness. It's drinkable. The palate depth is good, and the complexity is aight. Up front: sweet molasses, hazelnut, and then some toast; the mids hit floral/spicy hops, toast, Carapils, and the beer cleans up; the back features lingering hops, and this one finishes dry and clean. It's almost like they used analytics and shit to brew a beer that has some thought and balance. They probably used BeerSmith for this. 

Rating: Strong Average (3.5/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Average on this. I like this...I would buy this again if it came in a 6-pack or if I could find single bombers for three dollars. I can't overlook the slightly burnt/buttery aroma, but in terms of the taste, this is definitely the most balanced of the Gnarly Oak beers. This beer has some nuance and progression. There are things like sugars, malts, and then hops. And when you combine them the right way, you get things like a nice palate progression and balance. I dunno. Whatever. Don't care. Food pairings: American bar food, chicken satay, ribs, pulled pork, pork, anything with pine nuts, YARRR

Random Thought: And that concludes my little $8 Walgreens adventure. All-in-all, not a bad deal....I've spent more than $8 on a single 12oz bottle of beer.

Anchor BigLeaf Maple Autumn Red

Brewed By: Anchor Brewing Company in San Francisco, California  

Purchased: 12oz bottle from a 6-pack bought at Binny's in Illinois; 2013

Style/ABV: American Amber/Red, 6.0%

Reported IBUs: ?

How can anyone say "no" to Autumn/Fall beers? Fall beers have to be the best seasonal releases, coinciding with the changing leaves, crisp cooler weather, and football. Mother fucking football. That's all you need to know. And if you don't like football...well, you suck, or it sucks to be you. But we also have baseball in October, which is the best baseball, and hockey and basketball just around the corner. So yeah, Fall. About Anchor:

Anchor Brewing Company is "America's first craft brewery." The brewery can be traced back to the 1849 California gold rush, where German brewer Gottlieb Brekle arrived in San Francisco with his family. In 1871 Gottlieb purchased a beer-and-billiards saloon, and turned it into a brewery. In 1896, Ernst F. Baruth and his son-in-law, Otto Schinkel Jr. bought the brewery and named it Anchor. In 1906, Baruth passed away, and a fire and earthquake destroyed the brewery. In 1907, Otto Schinkel Jr. was run over by a car. The brewery was maintained by Joseph Kraus, August Meyer, and Henry Tietjen. During the 1950s and 1960s, the brewery went through hard economic times, and Anchor was shut down twice. In 1965, Fritz Maytag purchased Anchor saving it from bankruptcy. In 1971, Fritz began bottling Anchor Steam beer; and by 1975, Anchor had four beers, their Porter, Liberty Ale, Old Foghorn, and Barleywine Ale, and their annual Christmas Ale. In 1979, Anchor moved to its current location, on Mariposa Street, where the brewery currently resides today. Since then, Anchor continues to brew beer (and distill spirits), and remains one of America's most traditional breweries. Definitely check out the company's history page, HERE.

The BigLeaf Maple Autumn Red is obviously a Fall/Autumn seasonal. This beer is brewed with maple syrup, and is inspired by the California maple tree. In addition to the maple, caramel malts, and pale malts, this beer is also brewed with three additions of Nelson Sauvin hops in the brew kettle, and a blend of Nelson Sauvin, Citra, and Cascade for dry hopping. Punching in at a pleasant 6.0%, this beer is available between August and October.

Anchor BigLeaf Maple Autumn Red

I'm obviously doing this wrong, but the beer pours into a nice amber body, and kicks up three-plus fingers of super fluffy, soapy, off-white head. The head is sticky and is sustaining nicely, and takes on some amber/tan tones. In bright light, this beer looks exactly how an Amber Ale should look. The beer is transparent and filtered(?), and there's lazy carbonation. Head retention is sexy, and sticky lacing is coating my glass. 

The Nelson Sauvin hopping is apparent on the aroma, along with the big Cascade. I'm getting a lot of pine, grapefruit rind, and wet leaves on the aroma. But what's surprising is the huge blast of bready, maple syrup on the aroma. I'm getting bready/biscuit honey, maple syrup, and cake on the nose. The pine and bready maple syrup thing on the nose is fantastic.

Wow...this is really fantastic for a seemingly simple style of beer. The beer is refreshing and crisp, with lots of pine, earthy floral, earthy bitter, rye, rye spice, and big crushed wet leaves, iced tea, and hints of citrus. The whole hop package is wrapped in a layer of bready maple syrup. Like, legit maple syrup. The whole beer takes on a rustic, earthy edge...and it reminds you of being outside on an Autumn day.

The Nelson Sauvin hops play nice here, never imparting any serious passionfruit or grape. At 6.0% this beer is dense enough, but drinkable and crisp at the same time. The mouthfeel is medium, and palate depth and complexity are both alright for the style. You get lots of pine, rye spice, hints of citrus, wet leaves, and tea up front; that rolls into more pine, rye spice, wet leaves, and hints of maple; the back end is a coating of maple syrup, bready goodness, and a nice finish that is dry and pleasantly earthy/floral. Autumn in a glass.

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Light Above-Average on this. This is a really good, simple, Amber Ale. There's not much to this style of beer, but the addition of the Nelson Sauvin and Cascade impart some rye-like spice that adds a nice layer of complexity to this beer, and the addition of the maple syrup actually comes through in the taste. This beer is everything you want in an Autumn/Fall seasonal, and would be a great beer to sip on during a football game, or on a chilly October night while you watch some baseball. Ambers pair well with whatever, but I'd stick with food that doesn't have a ton of heat...anything starch + meat or bread + meat would work, and yeah. Good stuff.

Random Thought:  I'm so happy that Anchor continues to put their beer in 6-packs.

He'Brew Genesis Ale

Brewed By: Shmaltz Brewing Company in Brooklyn, New York  

Purchased: 12oz bottle from the 2012 Holiday Gift Pack bought at Binny's in IL; 2012 

Style/ABV: American Amber Ale, 5.6%...6.0%...???

Reported IBUs: ?

Continuing with the He'Brew 2012 Holiday Gift Pack...here is part two of tonight's festivities! About He'Brew:

He'Brew is part of the Shmaltz Brewing Company. The Shmaltz Brewing Company has two lines of beer: their He'Brew The Chosen Beer, and their Coney Island Craft Lagers. Shmaltz Brewing Company is a craft brewery based in San Francisco, California, founded by Jeremy Cowan in 1996. The company previously contract brewed most of their beer through the Mendocino Brewing Company, while operating a small brewery in Brooklyn, New York. After 16 years of having their beer contract brewed, the Shmaltz Brewing Company opened its own New York State microbrewery in Clifton Park, NY. The new location features a 50-barrel brewhouse, with 20,000 barrels of annual capacity, and began production April/May 2013, officially opening July 2013. The company is known for its innovative beer, eye-catching bottle artwork, and sense of humor. For more information, check out the Shmaltz website HERE. Don't be a schmuck!

Looking at the Genesis/Messiah page, you can see that the Messiah is a "dry hopped session ale." This one uses Specialty 2-Row, Munich, CaraMunich 40, Wheat, and Dark Crystal malts; this uses Warrior, Centennial, and Cascade hops...and is dry hopped with Centennial, Cascade, and Simcoe. 

He'Brew Genesis Ale 

In low light, this one pours an amber/orange color, with two fingers of hazy, off-white head. In bright light, this beer's body is bright orange, unfiltered and slightly murky, and you can see mid-sized carbonation bubbles ascending upwards. The head grabs some of those orange tones, and is leaving some nice sticky lacing. 

The aroma on this is solid, with bright candied citrus, caramel, fruit cake, orange cake, cake batter, pine sap, grass, very very faint catty hop, and some elusive fruits. 

This pretty much takes the aroma, and runs with it. I'm getting a lot of bready orange, tons of caramel, lots of sweet pine sap, grass, iced-tea, hints of lemon, hints of light catty hops, and some faint grain/biscuit/coconut. 

Pretty simple stuff here, but this is incredibly balanced and features a vibrant nose, and lots of subtle flavor. This has a light-bodied mouthfeel, with moderate to high carbonation supporting things. Palate depth is good for the style, and complexity is good for the style. It's a fucking Amber Ale, people. Also, phrasing. Orange and hops up front; sweetness; trailing hops...light, refreshing, great in a 6-pack+ format.

Rating: Above-Average (4/5 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Light Above-Average on this. There's not much to say here, but what I will say is this is remarkably drinkable, balanced, and full of flavor. For a lighter, Amber Ale, you could do much worse than this. In fact, I've had some pretty dull, boring, and crappy Amber Ales...and this is not that. This one doesn't really cheat the style either by stretching the ABV or IBUs or whatever. Not bad. Food pairings: anything except for maybe pasta and heavy meats. This would be a great beer to drink out of the bottle at a party.

Random Thought: It's weird when you only drink extreme beers for a couple of weeks, and go back to two beers that are a little bit more down to earth. I love a sessionable Brown Ale, and Amber Ales are great too. I feel like the He'Brew Genesis would go especially great with a barbecue...specifically, barbecued ribs. I think the sweetness in this beer would play off ribs wonderfully. But that's just me.

Yuengling Traditional Lager

Brewed By: Yuengling Brewery in Pottsville, Pennsylvania
Purchased: 12oz bottle from a 12-pack that was gifted to me; not sure where it was purchased (possibly Oh hi, Oh!); 2012
Style/ABV: Pale Lager, 4.4%, 4.9%? Who knows.

Reported IBUs: ?

WIKKKKKIIIIPPPPPEEEEEEDOOOOOO

A review of Yuengling Traditional Lager? Why? Because....it's Tuesday, and I was getting that itch. For...Shitty Beer Tuesday! Except, I don't know if it's fair to throw Yuengling Brewery into the ring. According to Wikpezza, Yuengling is tied with the Boston Beer Company as the largest American-owned brewery. Oh, and Yuengling is America's oldest brewery. According to Wiiiiipedia, it's pronounced "Ying-Ling. That's German for "young man," and not Chinese import for "shitty to average beer." Oh, and their logo is an Eagle. According to WIIIIIZZZZZZARRDPEDIA.

I usually do the history on the breweries, but Wiki-wiki-stylie has a pretty decent breakdown. But so does the Yuengling website. I guess the story starts with David G. Yuengling, who immigrated from Wurttenberg, Germany to live in the coal-mining town of Pottsville, Pennsylvania. In 1829, David decided to open the Eagle Brewery, only to see it burned down by a fire two years later. David decided to build a new brewery, and in 1873 the brewery changed its name to D.G. Yuengling & Son to commemorate the partnership between David and his son, Frederick. The next 20 years were a bit of a drag; in 1877 David Yuengling died, and in 1899 Frederick Yuengling died. The brewery was then passed on  to Frederick's son, Frank. During prohibition, the brewery survived by selling "near beer," or according to HARRRY UR A WIZZZZZARRRRD, low-alcohol beer. Following the passing of Frank D. Yuengling in 1963, the brewery was survived by Richard L. and F. Dohrman. In 1985, Richard L. Yuengling Jr. purchased the company and became the president, and during the 1990s and early 2000s, the brewery saw massive expansion. In 2010, Yuengling surpassed 2 million barrels. Yuengling continues to grow, and is one of America's most popular breweries. For more info, check out the Yuengling history page, or go to WIKIKIKIKIKI.

Yuengling makes a number of beers, but their flagship is definitely their Traditional Lager. The Yuengling website has this to say about their Traditional Lager: "famous for its rich amber color and medium-bodied flavor -- with roasted caramel malt for a subtle sweetness and a combination of cluster and cascade hops, this true original delivers a well-balanced taste with very distinct character." The paraphrased version is 'something something you can drink 12 in one night and piss excellence.' Let's glass this up.

Not Shitty Beer Tuesday??? #8: Yuengling Traditional Lager

Balla...I have no respect.

This beer, mad skills. The beer pours with 3-fingers of amber tinted head, and a transparent, filtered body that is copper/amber. When held to a bright light, the beer has a nice dark copper/amber color. There's some head hanging around, picking up 'dem copper tones, and leaving some respectable lacing. You can see the carbonation in the form of mid-sized bubbles. Eye of an eagle.

For a lighter Lager, this has a solid aroma profile. Would smell again. You get some bread/biscuit, cereal, and honey. This is mostly malt, but rounds out with some floral and earthy hop aromas. Maybe a dash of grass or lemon.

This is fairly crisp, refreshing  and drinkable. You do get some cereal graininess in the taste, along with a hint of bread/toast, and there is some nice grass/light lemon hop kick to clean things up. This has a bit of that "harshness" going on, like you would find in a English Ale with hard water. There's that touch of mineral/sulfur. 

Refreshing...drinkable...smooth and creamy, and supported by lively carbonation, this is a beer that beckons you to have more than one. Or maybe that's just the alcoholism talking. This is light-bodied, has decent complexity for the style, and has good palate depth. This sort of reminds me of a Kölsch or a Dortmunder. Up front is refreshing, cereal, grains; this rolls into hints of fruit, grassy hops; the finish is honey, lingering cereal, sweet malts. A touch dry? But refreshing.

WIKICHHHEEEEEEETTTTTTTAAAAAAHHHH

Rating: Above-Average

I'm feeling a Light Above-Average on this. This PROBABLY doesn't belong on Shitty Beer Tuesday, but I'm not a calender wizard. It's Tuesday!!! There's not a lot going on here, but there isn't a lot to complain about. This doesn't have any skunk, and you get some solid malt goodness and some solid hop balance. But you know that. I mean, why am I even reviewing this? Exactly. Food pairings: the bar, the food at the bar, the skank you pick up at the bar, the bouncer you punch at the b....wait, this isn't Stella. 

Random Thought: According to WIKICHHHEEEEEEETTTTTTTAAAAAAHHHH, Yuengling is the oldest brewery in America. DO YOU UNDERSTAND. THEY ARE AMERICA'S OLDEST BREWERY. THIS IS AN IMPORTANT PIECE OF INFORMATION. WIKIAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH.

Rogue Santa's Private Reserve Ale

Brewed By: Rogue Ales in Newport, Oregon  

Purchased: 650ml (1 pint, 6oz) bomber bought at Friar Tucks in Urbana, IL; 2012 

Style/ABV: Amber Ale/Red Ale, 6.0%

Reported IBUs: 65

Nothing says Christmas like a hoppy Amber Ale! Right!? Actually, if Sierra Nevada's Celebration Ale has taught us anything, it's that you can have a piney/hoppy beer that totally works for the winter season. But this is "Santa's Private Reserve." Do you think the fat man reaches for an Amber, or some sort of Quadrupel with candy canes melted in it? Actually, Rogue is hipster-douche-nozzle enough to probably attempt a candy cane Quad. On Rogue (and dasher, and dancer, and sweater beard):

Rogue has been around forever, and if their beer was more widely available, and not so damn expensive, I'd probably drink more of it. The brewery was founded in 1988 in Ashland, Oregon by Jack Joyce, Bob Woodell, Rob Strasser, and home brewer Jeff Schultz. Due to increasing space and distribution limitations, Jack Joyce went searching in Newport for a location for the new Rogue pub. It was at this time that he met Mohave Niem, founder of Mo's Clam Chowder. She offered Jack space to brew in her building, and in 1989 the Bay Front Brew Pub was built. Rogue's headquarters currently reside in Newport to this day. In May 1989, current head brewmaster, John Maier, joined Rogue after a brief sting brewing with Alask Brewing. John was a former Senior Technician with Hughes Aircraft Co, and a graduate of the Seibel Institute. To learn more about Rogue, check out their website HERE.

The bottle features the fat man himself, holding a mug and raising a fist. "White power! Ho Ho!" He means snow power...and the bottle says "snowflakes glisten." If you check out Rogue's Santa's Private Reserve page, you can get all the important information about this beer, except the ABV. I don't know why Rogue doesn't want me to know how drunk I'm going to get. Sure, they include all that fancy homebrewing shit, like 13 Plato. Speaking of, this beer is brewed with 10 Ingredients (9 according to the website). This beer uses Carastan, Crystal, and proprietary Rogue malts. This also uses Chinook hops, along with some proprietary Rogue hops. This beer is brewed with Rogue's proprietary Pacman Yeast, and "Free Range Coastal Water." This beer has won some awards, and is regarded as being pretty great. So let's put this in a glass and stuff it down my chimney. Ho ho ho!

Santa's Private Reserve Ale

This beer fucking hates me! Karma is evil! I talk a little crap about how Rogue are the hipsters of brewing, and I get a gusher. I popped the cap off and this beer gushed everywhere. The elusive, 6.0%, American Amber Ale gusher....fuck! I guess this is bottle conditioned. The beer pours a lovely dark red/orange/amber color, with two fingers of caramel/red-tinted head. When held to bright light, the beer is a hazy, orange-amber color, and about a finger's worth of caramel head is hanging around. There is some lacing, and a reasonable amount of carbonation in the form of tiny bubbles. This beer is hazy, yeasty, and liable to gush. 

The aroma on this beer is really nice. You get sweet caramel, and nice pine and grass hop notes. You get a hint of candy-citrus-sweetness, and there's some bread in the mix. There's some nice hop spice, which almost lends to a Cinnabun/cinnamon/French Toast thing. It's a brilliant marriage of winter-hops with nice malt sweetness.

Interestingly enough, I'm reminded of an ESB/Bitter type beer. This has "harsh" or hard bitterness that isn't overly bitter...but has a big impact. I get bread crust, caramel, toffee, pine/grass, floral, pale ale hoppy-ness, pretty prominent soapiness, and a hint of earthy hop spice. This is fairly attenuated, I think, which lends to a dry and thin-feeling finish.

There's a slight disconnect between the aroma and the taste. For 6.0%, this drinks pretty easily. There is noticeable bitterness, but it's a "hard," Pale Ale-bitterness. The beer finishes dry, and has a slight "thinness." Thus, I'm inclined to call this medium-light, with just okay palate depth, and low complexity. Up front is some bread, biscuit, and burgeoning pine; the middle rolls into biscuit, grass, pine; the back end is dry, soapy, earthy, hint of spice in the mix; finish is dry, lingering, soapy hops.

Rating: Average 

I'm feeling a Light Average on this. I'm not going to lie, this is disappointing for two reasons. One: if you put Santa on your bottle of beer, it better remind me of Christmas, and not an English Pale Ale. Two: the taste is a bit disconnected from the aroma. Having said that, this is a solid "Amber Ale / Red Ale." It's not bad, and there are hints of pine/spruce, spice, and even some french toast. It's alright. Food pairings: duck, beef roast, a burger, anything you'd pair with a Pale Ale. If you do pick this beer up, grab a 6-pack instead of the bomber. It works better in that format, in my opinion.

Random Thought: If you put Santa on the bottle, you come to play hard. The glass is fucking awesome, however. And while I love busting Rogue's balls, I actually enjoy a lot of what they brew. They are a good brewer, and their Mocha Porter is FANTASTIC.

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. 

New Belgium Fat Tire

Brewed By: New Belgium Brewing Company in Fort Collins, Colorado

Purchased: Single bottle (12oz) from New Belgium's Spring Sampler from Jewel-Osco in Chicago, Illinois; 2012

Style/ABV: American Amber Ale, 5.2%

Alright, tonight I'm wrapping up the New Belgium Spring Sampler. I've already reviewed Fat Tire for myself, so to keep this interesting I am going to re-review the beer right now, and compare my old notes and score with this current review. Before I talk about Fat Tire:

New Belgium is based out of Fort Collins, and opened in 1991 when founder Jeff Lebesch took his home-brewing into the commercial world. For reference, New Belgium is the thrid-largest craft brewery in the United States. You can read more about New Belgium if you check out their website.

Fat Tire is one of those classic beers that is available everywhere, and just about everyone has tried. The beer is up there with Guinness, Sam Adams, and Sierra Nevada's Pale Ale in terms of infamous craft beers. Fat Tire is a beer named after co-founder Kim Jordan's bike trip through Europe. The beer is described as balanced with toasty and biscuit-like malt flavors balanced with hoppy freshness. The beer uses Willamette (spicy, fruity, floral, earthy), Goldings (mild aromatics and bittering), and Target (English hop aroma) hops; and Pale, C-80, Munich, and Victory malts. Clocking in at 5.2% ABV, the beer has 18.5 IBUs and packs 155 calories per bottle. Let's dig in.

New Belgium Fat Tire

The pour reveals a brown-gold, copper/amber beer with 3-fingers of slightly off-white head. The head is made up of large bubbles that have a thin, dish soap quality. The head is slightly foamy. There is moderate carbonation, and this beer is super filtered and transparent. There is some lacing on my nonic pint.

The aroma on the Fat Tire is pleasant earthy and herbal hop notes; English hops. There are roasted malts, and hints of biscuit on the nose as well. I'm picking up a touch of stale biscuit, and maybe a hint of citrus.

The taste is about the same as the nose. Lots of mild hops, and a biscuit-like and grainy finish. There are hints of fruit from the hops up front, earthy, and herbal hop notes. Grain, biscuit, earth. There is a really hard flavor on the front of the palate: I can't tell if it is toffee or fruit, it reminds me of hard water.

This is light, non-assertive, well-carbonated, smooth, and super drinkable. This is a session beer, and a beer that you could use to convert someone to craft beer. The finish is refreshing and biscuit-like, and the beer reminds me very much of Spring. Palate depth is full, and complexity is moderate to low. You get smooth carbonation up front, with that hard note, biscuity malt, and pleasant English hops; this rolls into a grainy and biscuit-like middle, with English hop balance; the back end is trailing hops that opens up to that biscuity and refreshing finish. This feels good in the mouth, and is well-carbonated. There is also nice lacing on the glass.

Rating: Average

Score: 73%

 

So, I dug through my old review notes. Last time I drank this beer (some time in 2011) I gave it a 76%. I think that it is pretty fucking impressive that I only deviated by 3%. Even more impressive is that I rated it "Average" both times. I guess I am reliable.  

Fat Tire was one of the beers that popped my craft beer cherry. It was also one of the first craft beers I really enjoyed. I remember a turbulent journey to craft beer. My journey included Dogfish Head's 60 or 90 Minute IPA (I can't remember), Guinness, Old Rasputin, and Sierra Nevada's Pale Ale. I'll be honest, I thought most of those beers tasted like shit when I first had them. It takes time to adjust your palate to big hop flavors and big roasted and burnt malts. At any rate, Fat Tire was one of the first craft beers that I remember really enjoying. I drank the beer at a very memorable time too: it was on a beautiful warming Spring evening in Chicago during my Freshman year of college. I have very fond memories of Fat Tire, and I was a fan way before I became a craft beer geek. 

You cannot do wrong with Fat Tire. This is an incredibly balanced and refined beer. This beer is a simple pleasure: nice mild hops balanced by some lovely biscuity malts. The best part is that this beer is available everywhere (and in bomber form!) and it doesn't cost very much. If you are familiar with craft beer, you've probably had Fat Tire. If you are new to craft beer and happen to stumble upon this review, do yourself a favor: go check out Fat Tire. It is the perfect gateway beer.