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.

Well it's my first post

I think I will post on here each time I try a new beer for two reasons. One, to hone my skills in assessing qualities such as flavor, aftertaste, maltiness, hoppiness, carbonation, characteristics of the head formed, aroma, etc. The other, less important, reason I have created this blog has two reasons in itself: a) to help you, the reader, learn more about beer and its finer qualities, and b) to possibly help put an end to the shitty American beer industry in favor of a much more diverse industry.

I feel that rather than simply enjoying the fine beers I drink, I should instead try to determine *why* I enjoy them.

Tonight I had a bottle of Tilburg's Dutch Brown Ale poured into a standard pint glass. The color was, you guessed it, dark brown and slightly tinted with red if viewed in front of a light source. The head was not spectacular, perhaps a quarter inch in depth but it did consist of the smaller bubbles associated with a quality beer, with only a few very small bubbles of carbon dioxide forming on and rising from the inside of the glass. When cold, the full flavor is subdued, suffice it to say very malty without a lot of the bitter hops flavor. A slight acidity can be detected in the mouth and after swallowed it leaves a slight, but pleasant, coating inside the mouth that lasts for several minutes. When warm the malty flavor is still apparent, but contains a hint of cinnamon flavor in the aftertaste with the same hops characteristics. I think this beer would pair well with a red meat due to its heavier weight and maltier flavor.

I would recommend this beer for anyone who has already come to appreciate the pale lagers and ales, but is looking for something new to whet the palate. Overall it is not the boldest beer I have tried, but definitely of fine quality.



UPDATE:
I had some scalloped potatoes with beef today and decided to try the Tilburg's with it and it did, indeed, pair well. So next time you fire up the grill for a steak and a baked potato, give the Dutch Brown Ale a try!