Alligator Drool Beer - Florida

Today's beer is rather unique because it's a special beer brewed under contract for a local Orlando hotel chain. I really wanted to like this beer because it's brewed for the Rosen chain of hotels, and I have a lot of respect for Mr. Rosen, a very successful entrepreneur and an all-around good guy. Unfortunately, his beer has left me underwhelmed. I know he had nothing to do with the brewing of it, but I'm sure he must have approved it. It poured a nice amber color, with a small white head. So far, so good. The nose had a sour, almost vinegar-like character. That sour character followed through to the flavor as well. I almost think the beer was exposed to some conditions that spoiled it. I can taste some hops, but the sourness is very distracting. Unfortunately, I paid a lot of money for a six-pack of this, so I guess I'll be working my way through it. Maybe the next bottle will be better - but I'm not holding my breath.

Abita Pecan Harvest Ale

I went to World Market yesterday to pick up some mulling spices to make some spiced apple cider (yes, warm apple cider season is here!). I saw this beer in a big display, and the idea of a pecan ale was quirky and interesting enough to get my attention. I don't usually buy six packs, but the afore-mentioned quirkiness was enough to make me splurge. Abita is a Louisiana brewer, and the pecans they use in this brew are grown right there in the Bayou State. The ale poured a medium amber (or should I say pecan color) with a 1 inch off-white head. My first swallow didn't catch the pecans, but subsequent sips helped me find them. It's a very subtle flavor, and is similar to the nuttiness of a brown ale. In fact, this reminded me of a brown ale in a lot of respects. It had some caramel flavor, and very low hop levels. The finish was lightly sweet and nutty. This is a very smooth easy-drinking ale. I don't regret buying a sixer. Check it out!

Alba Scots Pine Ale

Alba Scot's Pine Ale is the fourth and final selection from the "Historic Ales from Scotland" collection that I bought a few months ago. This beer really surprised me. I was expecting a strong pine/spruce presence in a somewhat dry beer. What I discovered was a moderately sweet, very fruity, wine-like ale with only a small hint of pine. The bottle recommends drinking the ale at room temperature, which I didn't do initially. I allowed it to reach room temperature, which brought out the fruitiness of the ale even further. This ale is brewed without hops, which also contributed to its vinous character. I deliberately left this beer 'til last because of a bad experience I had brewing my own spruce ale. My fears were groundless. This was a delicious ale, just like the other 3 in the assortment. Check out the "Historic Ales from Scotland". There's not a bad beer in the bunch.

Otter Creek Copper Ale

Tonight's beer is the final selection from the Otter Creek variety pack my sister brought for me when she came down from NY. It's their Copper Ale, which describes the exact color when poured into a glass. It had a near-nonexistent head. The main flavor was sweet malt, with just enough hops to balance it out. I really enjoyed this beer, but it had one minor flaw. The finish was a little bit metallic and bitter. This is an easy-drinking ale, with a moderate alcohol level as well. It's brewed by Otter Creek Brewing in Middlebury, Vermont.

Fischer Tradition Amber Ale

Not a bad-looking beer right? Clear medium amber color, big bubbly head? Well, this is the closest I have ever come to a drain-pour. I'm hoping that this was a bad bottle, and this is not what the beer is supposed to taste like. It smelled sour in the glass, and that's how it tasted too. My wife said it smelled like a locker room. Once I got past the sour flavor, it went directly to metallic, like sucking on a rusty nail. Obviously something happened to this bottle during its journey from France to Orlando to make it taste this way. Otherwise, I don't think Fischer would have much of a future. Or history for that matter.

Left Hand Brewing's Sawtooth Ale

Here's another offering from Left Hand Brewing of Longmont, CO. It's their Sawtooth Ale, which the brewer describes as an ESB. When I poured this beer, the head filled the glass, and I had to wait a long time for it to subside enough to pour some more in. The photo shows the beer when only about 2/3 of the bottle has been poured. I've had this happen with a few of my homebrews, but usually I have the opposite situation with commercial beers - no head at all. So, I patiently waited, sipped some of the head to try to make some room, and finally got the beer poured. It's a nice pale amber, a little cloudy because it must be bottle conditioned. There was a fair amount of yeast residue in the bottle. This is a very flavorful beer, full of hops and malt. This is an American style ESB, since it's made with Cascade hops, along with English Fuggles. It has a slighty metallic taste in the finish. This was more obvious when I was sipping at the head only. Left Hand Brewing is another strong brewer, and this is a good example of their craft.

Redhook Copper Hook Spring Ale

Whenever I read the words "Spring Ale" or "Summer Ale", I immediately think "Wheat Beer". Such is not the case with Redhook's Copper Hook Spring Ale. This is a very mild amber ale, light enough to be a thirst-quenching warmer-weather brew. It poured a light amber color, with a small white head, that dissipated pretty quickly. It has a lightly malty, slightly sweet character, with a little bit of citrus flavor and aroma. There are just enough hops to offset the sweet malt. This would be a good session beer, since it is also reasonably low in the alcohol department, at just 4.1%. Redhook seems to be a pretty solid microbrewery, although I can't rate it as a great microbrewery. Dogfish Head, Rogue, and Lagunitas don't have to sweat it.

Sleeman Original Dark 50 Amber Ale

Sleeman's Original Dark 50 is actually an amber ale, and it's a pretty basic one at that. So far, that has been the theme of the Sleeman variety pack I bought a couple of months ago. This is a very drinkable amber ale, but it's nothing special. I've taken some grief about American beer from Canadian friends, but American microbrews have moved light years ahead of anything that I have tasted from Canada in recent years. The tides have turned - we no longer have to be embarassed by our lack of real flavorful beers, especially when compared to something like this.

Sackets Harbor Brewing Co - War of 1812 Amber Ale

This is the first beer I have had from the Sackets Harbor Brewing Co, and I am impressed. It's a smooth malty brew with a good hop presence. It reminds me of an English bitter. This beer came from the new wine and ale store here in Clermont, FL. They have a great selection of beers that I have never heard of. That's the kind of beer store I look for.