Brief hiatus

Well, I was overdue for a new review this week, but I regret to inform my readers that I am going on a brief hiatus due to a couple of midterms I have to study for this week.

But fret not, the good news is that the money I would have spent on my selection will be saved and when I next make a visit to the liquor store, it will be a very large purchase and it follows that there will be very many more reviews.

Hope you all understand, school still comes first.

FINALLY getting around to the Sierra Nevada Pale Ale

I promised I would review this beer "soon" like 3 weeks ago, so now I'm making good on that promise.

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is a very good ale. It pours a decent head with incredible retention which sticks to the glass quite well as the amount of carbonation is superlative. It is a orange-gold color and is unfiltered so you can see some yeast floating around in the liquid (though this particular beer does not have much yeast in the bottle). The aroma is very earthy rather than malty, which stands it apart from other beers that I have tasted. The flavor is also very earthy and this is due to the high hop content of Pale Ales and if you pay close attention they also provide a subtle citrus flavor. The high hop content also makes it quite bitter which would deter the novice drinker, but is very welcome to an experienced taster. The aftertaste stays on the tongue for a much longer time than the average beer and reminds me of the smell of dirt which brings me to the mouthfeel. It feels very bold in the mouth and whetting, but at the same time triggers the brain to "feel" an earthy sensation in the mouth.

Final verdict: not for the novice. You will not enjoy it for all of its unique qualities.

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.