Blue Moon Honey Moon Summer Ale

I picked this up to review because I just love Blue Moon more and more every time I try it. I wanted to like this beer, I really did…..but I just didn’t love it. Let me tell you about the brew. According to the bottle, this is an ale brewed with honey and orange peel. It also says it has the “fresh flavor of orange peel and real honey with pale malt and malted white wheat”. This beer was the winner of the Specialty Honey Lager or Ale at the Great American Beer Festival: 2006.  Here’s what I thought…

The Pour
This poured with a nice medium thickness head. It seemed quite pillowy and creamy. The beer looks quite carbonated, with plenty of bubbles rising quickly to the surface for a long period of time. The color matches the color of the honey in the beer. A rich golden honey color.

The Nose
Smells promising…something like a regular Blue Moon but with a touch of honey. Nice wheat and spice in the aroma.

The Taste
The first thing I noticed is that this is quite a carbonated brew. In fact, this may be the  beer’s downfall. The honey is noticeable and definitely present in the finish, but I didn’t notice any orange flavor, or really much of anything else. I think the overcarbonation just hid the flavor profiles. There should have been so much more to this beer, but there just wasn’t. The carbonation hid everything.

Overall
Overall, I thought this tasted more like Coors brewed it than the regular Blue Moon does. I was surprised when I first learned Coors brews Blue Moon because I think it’s a darn fine beer. This, however, is just an ordinary beer, brewed by a big beer brewery/factory with the tastes of the lowest common denominator in mind. No adventure or risk-taking in the brewing of this beer.

Recommended: Don’t waste your money on this
Price: $7.49 for a 6-pack
ABV: Unknown

Big River Grille Sweet Magnolia American Brown Ale

I’ve had this beer before, many times, but decided to enjoy it again and post a review of it. Big River Grille is a chain restaurant/brewery that began in Chattanooga, TN. Here is a little about them from their Web site:

Throughout the 19th century, the great riverboats of the Mississippi and Tennessee Rivers brought the freshest and finest goods from our nation’s heartland to cities along its banks. Big River Grille & Brewing Works was born out of a passion for fresh, hand crafted beer and premium, made from scratch regional cuisine. Our original location in Chattanooga, Tennessee is located in a historic trolley barn, just steps away from Ross’s Landing. Along the Tennessee River, in days gone by, it was here that fresh grains and produce were offloaded for use by local merchants including mills, markets and of course - breweries. At Big River Grille & Brewing Works, the riverboat’s heritage is echoed in our award-winning lagers and ales and innovative menu. Our onsite brewery, extraordinary regional cuisine, and warm and friendly service deliver a fun and deliciously entertaining experience you will enjoy.

The Sweet Magnolia American Brown Ale is, according to Big River Grille:

Medium-bodied, brown in color with a floral hop aroma created by Mt. Hood hops. Crystal and Chocolate malts from the UK render a sweet, malty flavor. Gold medal in the 1998 Great American Beer Festival in Denver, Colorado.

Here’s what I think…

The Pour
I was brought a glass on tap, with very little standing head. It’s a rich dark brown color, with just a hint of light shining through. After a sip, there was some nice lacing down the glass that didn’t last very long.

The Nose
The nose is quite malty and sweet. There is a definite nuttiness and caramel present in the aroma, and hints of green apple come through as the beer warms.

The Taste
This beer is a crisp, medium-bodied ale. It is lightly carbonated, and the nuttiness and caramel carry through from the nose to the taste. There is definitely a sweet maltiness to the brew, though hoppy undertones are present and make this a crisp brew. There are also smoky undertones to the beer. As the beer warmed, I could taste the crisp green apple present in the nose after it warmed. Very interesting to taste that in the beer. The green apple helped contribute to its depth of taste.

In Summary
This is an excellent American brown ale. I don’t have much else to say about it. It’s just a great brown ale.

Recommended: Definitely
Price: $3.75 for a pint glass
ABV: 5.2%

Young’s Luxury Double Chocolate Stout

I decided yesterday that it was time for a new beer review. I had intended to go pick up a jug of Mississippi Mud, but I got to the store and they had none. I don’t know if it’s no longer available or that store just doesn’t sell it anymore. Instead I decided a Young’s Double Chocolate Stout sounded good, so I brought home a bottle and chilled it. The anticipation was killing me as it cooled in the dark confines of the fridge, nestled among the milk and the orange juice.

I’ve had this beer many times and is actually one of my favorites, but I thought I’d review it and share it with my fellow beer snobs.

Young’s is a brewery based in England, and according to their Web site they have been brewing beer since 1581! I’ve tried several of their brews, and you almost can’t go wrong with anything they brew. I say “almost” because I tried their Waggledance beer once, which is a honey beer. I don’t generally like honey beers.

Young’s Luxury Double Chocolate Stout is touted on their bottle as being a dark ale with natural chocolate flavor added. The bottle also says:

Young’s Double Chocolate Stout has an intriguing twist. Chocolate malt and real dark chocolate are combined with Young’s award-winning rich, full flavored dark ale to craft a satisfyingly indulgent, but never overly sweet experience.

I’d say that’s a pretty accurate description. Anyway, on to the review.

The Pour
I cracked open this nectar of the stout gods and poured it into a nice pint glass, giving it just enough speed at the end to raise a nice thick, rich and fluffy dark tan head with dense bubbles. The head dissipated slowly with very slight lacing. When drinking the beer though, the head left some good lacing on the side of the glass.

The ale itself was basically pitch black, or a brown as close to pitch black as possible, and basically opaque. I couldn’t see more than the slightest tiniest hint of light shining through.

The Nose
The nose is a wonderful dark chocolate bouquet. There are hints of coffee and licorice in the nose as well. It smells very full bodied….almost chewy. It smells like heaven.

The Taste
There’s much more coffee in the taste than in the nose. There is still dark chocolate evident, but it’s more noticeable in the finish. This is quite smooth with a good amount of body (on the heavy side of medium). The beer coats your mouth with coffee, chocolate and malty goodness. As it warms, the coffee and dark chocolate flavors sort of meld together and become one new flavor….almost a dark chocolate mocha.

In Summary
Overall, this is a terrific example of a stout, even though it’s flavored with real dark chocolate. Stouts are generally wonderful mixtures of coffee and chocolate flavors anyway. This brew just takes those flavor profiles to another level.

I drank this in early July, but it is best in late fall or winter, preferably sitting in front of a wood fire. This is definitely not a session beer, but something to be sipped and sniffed and savored.

Incidentally, I once spoke with a beer seller at one of my usual haunts who told me there was a couple who would come in and buy Young’s Double Chocolate Stout and a Cherry Lambic. Apparently they would, for dessert, mix the two. I suppose it was like drinking a chocolate covered cherry. I may try that some time.

Recommended: Absolutely, without question, YES!
Price: $3.99 for basically a pint
ABV: 5.2%