UPDATE

I have decided to delve into the world of homebrewing of late. I plan on getting the equipment and supplies over the next monthish and (hopefully) have my first batch completed by the time I turn 21 in late April.

I may have also decided to study at a brewing academy to ultimately establish my own microbrewery. We shall see how this pans out.

Sam Adams Cream Stout

It pours a clear black with an incredibly large, brown head that consists of very fine bubbles and lasts for several minutes leaving great lacing on the glass. The malt smells thick of coffee grounds and little else.

The starting flavor is very bitter with a creamy mouthfeel (hence the cream in the name, I suppose) and has a very distinct finish of slow dripped brewed coffee.

This is a fairly short review since this is a fairly uncomplex beer. Basically coffee, cream, and hops. Heh.

Maybe I'll write a better review at some point in the future when it isn't so late....

Shiner Hefeweizen

This is a bottle conditioned, wheat beer (all hefeweizens are) so it is required that you either shake the last half inch of beer to stir up the yeast off the bottom of the bottle, or swirl about half of the beer well enough to do the same. I find the former method to be the most effective for this and for producing sufficient head.

Anyway, it pours a golden yellow color with decent sized white head (the shaking makes the perfect amount) that is very cloudy with yeast. There is enough of it that you should wait a few minutes after you pour for all of it to mix evenly and after this there will still be some hovering at the top so you should swirl it to coax the rest to mix. ANYWAY. It smells strong of floral accents which primes you to expect a pretty strong hop flavor. It is initially bitter with a very light clover honey flavor, but as you swish it in the mouth, the honey and wheat flavors start to build and culminate in the finish to mask the bitterness of the strong hops and leave a sweet aftertaste.

Does not mix very well with jambalaya and tabasco.... But is effective in quenching the heat from the tabasco.

Sam Adams Honey Porter

This is part of the Sam Adams Brew Master's Collection seasonal brews.

It pours a very dark, but very clear red-amber color with a small, light brown head with little lacing, if any. Aroma is very heavy with malt, but slightly floral scented. Maybe even a slight hint of chocolate?
The malt flavor hits the senses immediately, but the sweetness and flavor of honey hits them in short succession. On the rear of the tongue (before you swallow) you detect some of the floral accents from the hops. The finish is not bitter, but is instead mildly sweet.

Certainly not at all an everyday beer because of its gravity and flavor, but if you're looking to enjoy a beer for the sake of enjoying a beer I highly recommend picking up a case of this.

Next time: Shiner Hefeweizen!

Okay, so my hiatus was shorter than expected

Between last night and the night before last, I purchased $196 worth of alcohol between beer and liquor, $70 of which was on beer. The rest of that was on some Long Island Iced Tea stuff and top shelf liquor.

Needless to say, I will continue my reviews beginning tomorrow evening. Thank you all for understanding the importance of midterms to my continued reviewing skills. As well as my education and future job opportunities.

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.