Killian's Irish Red

Killian's Irish Red is a red lager whose color is......... yes, you guessed correctly, red.

It pours a great head without much of a retention to speak of. It doesn't have a pungent aroma, but is well carbonated. Flavor is bitter with hops and only slightly malty. The flavor on the back end of the tongue is incredibly sweet which is surprising considering the density of sweet taste buds, or lack thereof, in the area. Aftertaste is mildly bitter and mildly sweet. Mouthfeel is...... meh. That's about all I can say about it.

Overall, Killian's is not a particularly special beer. It's decent, but not spectacular. It's a good everyday beer, or a good "get drunk" beer.

Michelob Amber Bock

Well, today is Saturday and any good college student knows what that means. Saturday IS football. And any good male college student knows that means BEER.

In fact, today is Celebration of Man at my Fraternity. Since none of you can relate to that, I will elaborate. There are 5 TVs in the living room with a different football game on each. There is a dick ton of beer here, and plenty of bratwurst, salsa, chips, beef, and more beer.

So at the moment I am drinking an Amber Bock from Michelob. It pours a very deep brown amber color (the label on the neck of the bottle also states this) and a GREAT head with decent retention. Aroma is extremely sweet and malty; even the hops are aromatic and add a slight floral scent. It is well carbonated, maybe a little too much, but it is not overpowering. Flavor is malty and sweet, with a very slick mouthfeel; almost lubricating. It is slightly bitter as it slides down the rear of the tongue, but aftertaste is almost lacking of any bitterness whatever.

The donut I ate just before this beer didn't go particularly well with it, but it wasn't bad.

Beer blog SPECIAL!

That's right! I'm doing a special tonight and reviewing not only two beers, but a renowned TRAPPIST ALE!

For those of you who haven't heard of trappist beers, it means that the beer is brewed by or under control of monks in a monastery. This particular bottle is of Chimay Grande Reserve (colloquially known as Chimay Blue label). It is truly a special brew. Also expensive; about $10 for 25 ounces. It comes in sort of a wine bottle and is corked in the same fashion as champagne. It is 9% alcohol by volume (ABV), a very uncommon ABV for a beer. There are three different types of beer brewed in the Chimay brewery, but you can read about those from here or even from the brewery's own website.

It pours a golden brown and being unfiltered, it is very opaque and creates a very small head. The lack of head in this beer is acceptable only due to the quality of the beer and its cost; you don't want to waste the precious elixer to a lot of head. The aroma is predominantly malty but I can faintly detect the scent of alcohol. The flavor is VERY sweet and malty which is best appreciated as you swish the liquid in the mouth. As you let the brew slide down across the palate and past the tongue into the esophagus, the alcohol and yeast is most keenly detected. Surprisingly, there is almost no aftertaste which primes you for another enjoyable sip. The mouthfeel is very big and extremely smooth.

I would compare the release of endorphins this beer prompts the brain to release equivalent to sex. It is truly an incredible beverage. In fact, it has been voted number one beer in the world.

Havest Moon, a seasonal from Blue Moon

Harvest Moon is a pumpkin and nutmeg spiced ale from the brewers of Blue Moon beer. I was wary of trying this one at first due to the pumpkin spice, but it was unnecessary.

The color is an amber-orange, with a relatively decent head retention. It is not at all overcarbonated; the carbonation is well balanced, in fact. The aroma consists entirely of nutmeg, which is a welcome change for a seasonal; I admit this is because I love nutmeg. It tastes vaguely of pumpkin and has a dry mouthfeel. The sweetness overpowers the bitterness of the hops, which is to be expected from a seasonal. Aftertaste is predominantly pumpkin flavored.

The malt in this beer is absolutely undetectable which would make this beer a very good beverage for the inexperienced beer drinker or for those that are not yet used to beer's bitterness.

By the way, it complements Keebler's Pecan Shortbread Sandies surprisingly well.

Shiner Bock

Though this is not the first time I have had Shiner Bock, I thought that it deserves a review.

My pint glasses are dirty tonight so I used a large table glass instead. It pours an exceptionally clear copper to amber color and produces a small head with decent retention and a uniquely sweet aroma. Its flavor is relatively uncomplex (I purposely avoid using the word "simple" here) consisting largely of malt which is evident from the uncommon sweetness and a subtle earthy (from hops) secondary flavor (not aftertaste). It is not over carbonated so it does not have a very dry or "spicy" feel on the palate, though it is detectable on the tongue. The aftertaste is faintly fruity due to the initial sweetness.

The lack of complexity compared with some other beers I have reviewed can be better appreciated by the novice taster or drinker than the more complex brews. It also seems to complement a hamburger quite well.

Sierra Nevada Stout

Tonight I poured a bottle of Sierra Nevada Stout into another pint glass. In fact, I recommend that you just assume I am using a pint glass from this point forward unless stated otherwise.

It is not a naturally heady beer, but a good aficionado knows that before pouring the last half inch or slightly less of beer from the bottle that he or she must shake it up to create a head and then finish the pour.

The yeast is exceptionally aromatic in this beer, slightly overpowering the rich malty scent. Color is extremely dark, such that it is nearly impossible to view a light source through.
The flavor will be surprising for those of you who are not familiar with stouts. It honestly does taste like coffee with a little bit of a nutty flavor. It is bitter with hops, but the coffee flavor prepares you for the bitterness and also masks the flavor of hops. Mouthfeel is almost non-existent as it dissipates after just a few seconds and the acidity does not leave any film on the teeth and gums.

Surprisingly, as dark as this beer is it sits relatively lightly in the stomach. I do not recommend this beer with any sort of food as the coffee flavor would not mix well with most of them (perhaps coffeecake? Hahaha.) I thoroughly recommend this brand for an enjoyable brew after a long day.

Soon: Sierra Nevada Pale Ale

Leinenkugel's Red Lager

Well tonight the President of my Fraternity decided to purchase me (free of charge) a 6 pack of Leinenkugel's Red Lager to celebrate the first night of this season of college football. I write this under the influence of 3 of these beers.

Well first, let me explain what a lager is for those of you who do not know. Lager is German for "to store" and it is a beer that is bottom fermented at cool temperatures and then put in cool storage for secondary fermentation for several weeks; hence the name "lager".

Okay, so the color is a brownish red (hence the name of the beer, obviously). It is an exceptionally clear beer. The carbonation is moderate; I can count the number of bubbles that form on the glass on one hand and they rise only very slowly. Depending on how you pour it, the head can be anywhere from non-existent to over an inch tall.

I'm going to leave it at this for the time being because these three have blurred my sense of taste and smell. I will continue this next time I have a beer, which will probably be tomorrow night.

CONTINUATION:
Okay, so a day of recovery has prepared me to complete this review.

As you stick your nose in the glass (pint, again. I do not have the finances for the innumerable types of glasses for different beers), you can detect the predominance of malted barley. Here I must note a much greater number of bubbles forming and rising inside the glass than the last time. Flavor is not excessively bold which is pleasant at this time of the night and right after the shower I took before the initial pour. I can certainly taste the barley, but there are additional malted grains used in order to make the deep red hue. Acidity is apparent as a thin film on the teeth and gums. Hops are not overpowering as in the Sam Adams Boston Lager, but as you let the fluid glide down the esophagus they tickle the bitter taste receptors and leave a satisfying aftertaste.

It is essentially a medium bodied beer, in between a pilsner and a dark lager that I say would go well with a cheeseburger or nachos.