Madtown Brew
Well-Known Member
So for the past 3-4 weeks, Friday has been the day where I go to the best beer store in my area and pick out some stuff that I've never tried before. I usually try to get something local, something from a different part of the US, and something imported from across the pond. The point is to expand my palate and get a better sense of particular styles before I attempt to brew them.
Seeing as I'm drinking all of this wonderful brew from around the world, I figured it would be nice to give a bit of a review for each brew, so that others who haven't tried it might be able to decide if it's something they'd like (before dropping $10 on a sixpack).
I invite all of the other members to join me for friday night tastings. Your beer doesn't have to be anything special or expensive either. After all, there is an a$$ ton of great craft beer out there that doesn't get distributed very far. So, I'm sure every area has at least something that's worthwhile to sample and comment on that might help another when looking for a new beer to try.
So, go out, get something new, drink it, then let us know how it was here.
***Disclaimer: I'm not an expert or judge. I've only done 12 homebrew batches, but I've been drinking good craft beer since before I was legal. When all my friends were buying Natural Ice, I was going for the local craft beer (I thank my dad for that). Everything I write is just my own impression of that particular bottle of beer at that particular moment. Many factors combine to make up the aroma, flavor, mouthfeel, and overall impression of a beer. Taste preferences are a purely personal thing, so something which I or someone else says sux, may be the best beer in the world for you. All this thread is supposed to be is a sort of compendium of the HBT user's comments on particular commercial beers.
Now that I've rambled on a bit, let's get down to business.
On my list for tonight are:
Hacker-Pschorr "weisse dark" (Dunkelweizen) brewed in Munich, Germany
Impressions:
I've had plenty of Hacker-Pschorr, but never the dunkel. It has a nice wheat aroma, nothing really different than their regular weisbeir. Strong, creamy, slightly brown head when poured. Not very sweet, in fact it's dryer than I expected. There's a little bit of roastiness to the finish, along with a fairly strong wheat flavor (I like to call this flavor "wheat twang," as it somewhat reminds me of a subtle extract twang - not really sour, but crisp... and wheat-y).
Overall, a great wheat beer. I definately prefer this to their weizen. I have to admit though, I expected a dunkel to be maltier and more filling. I was under the impression that a dunkel was like having a meal to a german. TBH, I could drink 5 or 6 of these and still be up for a burger or steak.
Newbie connoisseur rating: 13/20
Would drink again: maybe
Rogue "Dead Guy Ale" - Brewed by Oregon Brewing Co., Newport OR
Impressions: Color is pale, very slightly orange/amber - maybe a 6-8 SRM. Not too strong of a head, but fairly white and rocky when poured. It has a noticeable hop aroma, but nothing like an american IPA. Also a "dirty" ale aroma - just that slightly sweet, fermented ale smell that some ales have, I don't know how to describe it really. The flavor of this beer is complex. Not bitter at all but I can definately taste hops. It's got some fruitness in the middle of your tongue. In the aftertaste I get some woody characteristics, it's really nice. I've never really sampled oak/wood aged beers but this may be one here. Hopefully someone who knows for sure will comfirm/deny.
Newbie connoisseur rating: 16/20
Would drink again: yes
Up next is the local brew:
Lake Louie "Brother Tim's Tripel Belgian" - Lake Louie Brewing, Arena WI
Impressions: Pale, golden in color. Not too much of a head, but it's pure white. I can definately smell alcohol in this one, along with a fruity characteristic that is similar to other tripels that I've had thusfar. My first impressions when tasting this is that it's dry, and it's alcoholic. Maybe it's because it's the final brew in tonights tasting, but I'm not picking up much more than that. Upon further examination drunk: ) I get some pink grapefruit-y flavors as it passes over the front/middle of my tongue. It's subtle, and as soon as the beer get's to the back of your mouth it's overwhelmed by the alcohol. It's almost like a candy flavor, sweetart-esque.
Newbie connoisseur rating: 14/20 (compared to the few other tripels I've had so far). For the other local Sconnies out there, I'd say it's slightly better than Ale Asylums' tripel, but not as good as the imported belgians.
Would drink again: probably not, unless I'm at the brewery (too expensive for a local belgian style).
*All ratings are based on a 20 pt system - otherwise there'd be tooo many 5's and 6's.
That's all for this week, folks. Now post your own reviews!
(sorry about the size of the pics. They don't need to be so big, but I'm too lazy to resize right now)
Seeing as I'm drinking all of this wonderful brew from around the world, I figured it would be nice to give a bit of a review for each brew, so that others who haven't tried it might be able to decide if it's something they'd like (before dropping $10 on a sixpack).
I invite all of the other members to join me for friday night tastings. Your beer doesn't have to be anything special or expensive either. After all, there is an a$$ ton of great craft beer out there that doesn't get distributed very far. So, I'm sure every area has at least something that's worthwhile to sample and comment on that might help another when looking for a new beer to try.
So, go out, get something new, drink it, then let us know how it was here.
***Disclaimer: I'm not an expert or judge. I've only done 12 homebrew batches, but I've been drinking good craft beer since before I was legal. When all my friends were buying Natural Ice, I was going for the local craft beer (I thank my dad for that). Everything I write is just my own impression of that particular bottle of beer at that particular moment. Many factors combine to make up the aroma, flavor, mouthfeel, and overall impression of a beer. Taste preferences are a purely personal thing, so something which I or someone else says sux, may be the best beer in the world for you. All this thread is supposed to be is a sort of compendium of the HBT user's comments on particular commercial beers.
Now that I've rambled on a bit, let's get down to business.
On my list for tonight are:
Hacker-Pschorr "weisse dark" (Dunkelweizen) brewed in Munich, Germany
Impressions:
I've had plenty of Hacker-Pschorr, but never the dunkel. It has a nice wheat aroma, nothing really different than their regular weisbeir. Strong, creamy, slightly brown head when poured. Not very sweet, in fact it's dryer than I expected. There's a little bit of roastiness to the finish, along with a fairly strong wheat flavor (I like to call this flavor "wheat twang," as it somewhat reminds me of a subtle extract twang - not really sour, but crisp... and wheat-y).
Overall, a great wheat beer. I definately prefer this to their weizen. I have to admit though, I expected a dunkel to be maltier and more filling. I was under the impression that a dunkel was like having a meal to a german. TBH, I could drink 5 or 6 of these and still be up for a burger or steak.
Newbie connoisseur rating: 13/20
Would drink again: maybe
Rogue "Dead Guy Ale" - Brewed by Oregon Brewing Co., Newport OR
Impressions: Color is pale, very slightly orange/amber - maybe a 6-8 SRM. Not too strong of a head, but fairly white and rocky when poured. It has a noticeable hop aroma, but nothing like an american IPA. Also a "dirty" ale aroma - just that slightly sweet, fermented ale smell that some ales have, I don't know how to describe it really. The flavor of this beer is complex. Not bitter at all but I can definately taste hops. It's got some fruitness in the middle of your tongue. In the aftertaste I get some woody characteristics, it's really nice. I've never really sampled oak/wood aged beers but this may be one here. Hopefully someone who knows for sure will comfirm/deny.
Newbie connoisseur rating: 16/20
Would drink again: yes
Up next is the local brew:
Lake Louie "Brother Tim's Tripel Belgian" - Lake Louie Brewing, Arena WI
Impressions: Pale, golden in color. Not too much of a head, but it's pure white. I can definately smell alcohol in this one, along with a fruity characteristic that is similar to other tripels that I've had thusfar. My first impressions when tasting this is that it's dry, and it's alcoholic. Maybe it's because it's the final brew in tonights tasting, but I'm not picking up much more than that. Upon further examination drunk: ) I get some pink grapefruit-y flavors as it passes over the front/middle of my tongue. It's subtle, and as soon as the beer get's to the back of your mouth it's overwhelmed by the alcohol. It's almost like a candy flavor, sweetart-esque.
Newbie connoisseur rating: 14/20 (compared to the few other tripels I've had so far). For the other local Sconnies out there, I'd say it's slightly better than Ale Asylums' tripel, but not as good as the imported belgians.
Would drink again: probably not, unless I'm at the brewery (too expensive for a local belgian style).
*All ratings are based on a 20 pt system - otherwise there'd be tooo many 5's and 6's.
That's all for this week, folks. Now post your own reviews!
(sorry about the size of the pics. They don't need to be so big, but I'm too lazy to resize right now)