Beer Review: Schlafly Pumpkin Ale

I first had this Pumpkin Ale over Christmas, brought to me courtesy of Bob Jarrett over at The Wine Tree in Evansville, Indiana.  He’s introduced me to several really good beers and is a member of my extended (through marriage) family.  He makes me look like a beer novice with his knowledge of beer.

I have had good and bad experiences with Pumpkin Ale, so I approach each one with trepidation. Will this one be overspiced or will it be a beautiful example of this variety? One never knows..

The Village at Lake Las Vegas and Buckbean Brewing Co. Present Brew’s Best

A Hand-Crafted Beer Festival Benefiting the New Vista Community

(Las Vegas, Nev.) — The Village at Lake Las Vegas and Buckbean Brewing Company, the largest production microbrewery in Nevada, will host Brew’s Best Hand-Crafted Beer Festival Saturday, March 13, from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Taster kits are available for $25, which include 30 sampling tickets and a souvenir tasting mug. All proceeds will benefit local charity New Vista Community.

Brew’s Best is the third installment of successful craft beer festivals hosted at The Village at Lake Las Vegas. The festival has grown to more than 20 breweries sampling as many as 75 craft beers, and the highest expected attendance to date.

Beer Review: Oskar Blues Ten Fidy Stout

It’s awfully cold here in Middle Tennessee, and the roads are pretty near impassable in places, thanks to the ice and snow we received in the last 36 hours. It’s a great time for a stout! Unfortunately, I don’t think I have any stouts on hand to enjoy, so instead I thought I would post a review of one I’ve tried recently: Oskar Blues’ Ten Fidy Stout.

About the Brewer

Great canned beer? The term has been an oxymoron for craft beer lovers used to getting their full-flavored beers from bottles only. But in November of 2002, Oskar Blues Brewery (in tiny Lyons, Colorado, pop.1400) changed that by launching its “Canned Beer Apocalypse.”

Beer Review: Guinness Draught

I’ve been reviewing beers with this blog since January 2007 (3 years now….wow!) and oddly enough, I have never reviewed Guinness Draught.  That changes tonight.  Now, I first tried Guinness years ago, when I began experimenting with different beers.  I tried it, and….how can I put this delicately….I hated it!

Well, I hadn’t touched a Guinness since, until Mrs. Beer Snob decided to make beef and Guinness pie, and I had some leftover cans of Guinness Draught.  Naturally I thought it would be great to do a review of it.

Beer Review: Adelscott Biere Aromatisee Au Malt A Whisky

This, it turns out, is my 100th post. I decided to post a review from tasting notes I took on my trip to France last year. As best I can tell, Adelscott Bière Aromatisèe Au Malt À Whisky is a beer aged in whisky barrels, though I can’t be sure of that at all.

I bought the beers I tried in France with absolutely no frame of reference at all, so I had no idea if I was buying something akin to our Budweiser or something of quality.  I tended to lean towards beers that said “brune” (brown) somewhere in the name, or this one, because it sounded like it was aged in whisky barrels. I’ve had very enjoyable experiences with beers aged in whiskey or bourbon barrels, so I gave it a shot.

Review: The Hangover Cure

Today’s review is not for a beer, but a product designed to help when you’ve enjoyed too many beers “for reviewing purposes”: ( :D)   The Hangover Cure

When someone sends me a product to review (usually beer), I like to review it as quickly as possible and get the review posted so they don’t have to wait around for it.

Unfortunately, this was not the case with THC – The Hangover Cure.  I was sent two samples back in June, 2009.  Now initially, I wanted to do a more scientific reviewing process with this product.  I wanted to have three separate nights of drinking, one followed by nothing before bed, one followed with a glass of water before bed, and one followed by The Hangover Cure before bed.  This way I would have a control (nothing taken after drinking), the experiment (the THC after drinking) and a glass of water after drinking, in order to separate the THC effects from the effects of water.

Instead, what happened was that I drank more beer than I intended one night, and took The Hangover Cure before heading to bed.  (I probably had work or school, or both, the next morning.)  Sure enough, I felt pretty good the next morning.  Now, I didn’t have an extreme amount to drink that night, but this held promise.

Then, much more recently, I had a good bit (for me, anyway) to drink and decided to try it again.  We had friends over for dinner and, for your reference, I had two Dogfish Head Indian Brown Ales (7.2% ABV), a full glass of 11% ABV merlot, a third of a bottle of 14% ABV Samichlaus, and a good swig of white wine just for good measure.

Before I went to bed for the evening, I mixed The Hangover Cure with a large glass of water and drank it down.  It’s really not nearly as bad-tasting as you would expect something like this to be.  It was tropical flavored, but to me it tasted more like strawberry, with other flavors backing it up.  Overall, very easy to drink.

So what about the next day?  Well, I’d love to be able to compare the results to just drinking water, or nothing at all, but I can say I believe I felt far better than I would have otherwise.  I only had the slightest hint of ill effects from the alcohol, and they lasted hardly any time at all!

Overall
So I can’t say with any scientific certainty (I’m studying engineering….I like scientific certainty) that it cured my hangover, but for my money, I believe it did me a great deal of good the morning after!

Recommended: Sure…give it a shot! It seemed to help The Beer Snob!

You can purchase it at http://www.drinkthc.com. Do me a favor, if you order it, tell them The Beer Snob sent you. And as they say on their site…

THC was not meant to be taken after two ultra-light beers at a Jonas Brothers concert before calling it a night at 9:30. And don’t take THC if your idea of a good time on a Friday night is re-watching The Notebook over a glass of white wine and “reflecting” on your life by candle light.

Beer Review: Brooklyn Brewery’s Brooklyn Lager

I’ve only recently experienced Brooklyn Brewery‘s beers firsthand, though I’ve heard nothing but good things about them for some time.  I first tried this Brooklyn Lager after trying their Brooklyn Brown Ale, but just recently found the tasting notes, so I thought I’d post it.

About The Brewer
Brooklyn Brewery was started in 1997 by, oddly enough, a former Associated Press Middle East correspondent (Steve Hindy) and a banker (Tom Potter).  The brewery is involved in many different charitable causes and even takes advantage of wind power. In 2003, Brooklyn Brewery became the first New York City company to switch to 100% wind-generated electricity. Incidentally, Linus Hall of Yazoo Brewing here in Nashville, interned with Brooklyn Brewery.

About The Beer
This beer is an American Amber Lager, brewed with American Two-Row Malts and Hallertauer Mittelfrueh, Vanguard and Cascade hops.

According to the bottle:

Amber gold, with a malty body and a floral hop character, Brooklyn Lager is a revival of Brooklyn’s pre-Prohibition all malt lagers.

The Pour
This pours to a nice, thick two-finger pillowy head that consists of a very light tan color and tiny bubbles. The beer is a great, clear amber color. The head settles a good bit quite quickly.

The Nose
What is that? This smells of malt and hops but something else is in there, hiding. I can slowly coax out good floral hoppy notes and hints of yeast, with very intriguing butterscotch or caramel notes reluctantly being drawn out of the glass.

The Taste
This beer lays down the standard lager foundation, but modifies it with a slightly sweet maltiness and slightly bitter hoppiness vying for attention on the palate.  The yeast almost gives it a breadiness as well. Medium bodied, this beer is very smooth and eminently drinkable. With repeated samplings, the slight hints of butterscotch or caramel found in the nose make teasing appearances on the palate. As it warms, a slightly spicy sourness develops on the finish.

Overall
If you’ve read some of my other reviews, you know I’m not a fan of lagers. I usually find them lacking in character and depth, and without a unique personality. This is a definite exception. I find this one intriguing and tasty. The hidden depths of flavors give you plenty to explore.

Recommended: Definitely.  This is a really good beer….as a lager, it is exceptional!

Price: $8.39/6-pack at Midtown Wine and Spirits

ABV: 5.2%