America's Original Pumpkin Ale from Buffalo Bill's Brewery

A few days ago I tasted Blue Moon's Harvest Moon Pumpkin Ale, and found it somewhat wanting. I decided to follow it up today with the other Pumpkin Ale I had in the fridge - "America's Original Pumpkin Ale" from Buffalo Bill's Brewery. It is actually brewed by Pyramid Breweries for Buffalo Bill's. It poured a pale amber color with a tall white head. It's a well-carbonated ale. This version of a Pumpkin beer makes up for what the Blue Moon lacked. It's maltier, spicier, and has more pumpkin flavor. It's also slightly sweet. I enjoyed this one more than the Blue Moon. I got this at World Market along with a few others that I'll be sampling soon.

Flying Dog In-Heat Wheat Hefe-Weizen Ale

Today I enjoyed another beer from the Flying Dog variety pack that my wife bought for my 50th birthday party. It's their Hefeweizen Ale - In-Heat Wheat. I didn't read the label before I tasted it, and was pleasantly surprised. I was expecting an American style wheat beer, but this is actually a Bavarian style Hefeweizen. In fact, this was the most authentic Hefeweizen I have tasted that wasn't from Germany. It had the classic bananas and clove flavor from the yeast and a huge white head that left a lot of lacing as the level went down. If I had read the label, I would have realized this was a German style beer. The label berates drinkers who "wing a lemon slice in it", since "Germans don't drink it that way". I prefer German-style wheat beers over the American style, so I was not guilty of this type of affront. This is definitely a winner from Flying Dog - no lemons or oranges needed!

Otter Creek Stovepipe Porter

Today I finished the other half of my Macaroni Grill Penne Rustica - a very spicy, creamy and smoky pasta dish. I had it a couple of nights ago at the restaurant, and the Yuengling Lager I ordered was totally overwhelmed - to the point of being nearly flavorless by the end of the meal. Today I tested my premise that a nice strong-flavored Porter would have been a better choice, had it been available. The only Porter I had in the fridge was Otter Creek's Stovepipe Porter, brewed in Vermont. This is a Porter in the Robust style, full of roasted malt, chocolaty aroma and flavor, and even a little smokiness. This was definitely the correct beer to stand up to my Penne dish. It tasted like a Porter from start to finish, and it complimented the wood-oven smoked flavor of the pasta perfectly. Now, if some of these chain restarants would start offering something other than Bud, Coors, or Miller, I would be happy.

Blue Moon Harvest Moon Pumpkin Ale

I decided the other half of my Macaroni Grill dinner could wait another day, so the Porter experiment will wait until then. With the Autunmal Equinox just around the corner, the beer selections in the stores are transitioning from lemony wheat beers to more malty styles, like Octoberfest Marzens, dopplebocks, and seasonal beers like pumpkin ales. I picked up Blue Moon's version of a pumpkin ale about a week ago, and decided to try it with my chicken tonight. The ale poured a coppery color, with a small white head. I expect pumpkin ales to be malty and spicy, like pumpkin pie in a bottle. This was not like that. It had a small amount of pumpkin flavor, a smaller amount of spices, and not much malt flavor. It was somewhat mediocre in general, and had a bitter finish that didn't taste like hop bitterness. I've brewed a number of pumpkin beers myself, and I tend to be over the top the other direction - lots of malt, and lots of spices. This beer from Blue Moon/Coors was basically a disappointment. Not terrible, but not what I was expecting. I have another pumpkin ale from Buffalo Bill's Brewery waiting in the wings. Maybe that one will be better.

Dinner at Macaroni Grill

Tonight, my wife and I had to deliver some necessities to our son in college, and we decided to take him out to dinner while we were there. Macaroni Grill is one of our favorite eateries and there is one near the college, so it was an obvious choice. I inquired about their draft beer options, and there were only 2 non-Anheuser Busch offerings - Coors Light and Yuengling Traditional Lager. What is it with chain restaurants having crappy beer menus? I know that they would sell more beer if they had a little variety. It's a pretty sad situation when Yuengling is their most adventurous beer. The problem is that Macaroni Grill isn't alone - Red Lobster, Long Horn, Chili's, and all the other ones are just as pathetic. The only chain that had a semi-decent selection of beers was Bennigan's, which is mostly shut down. Oh well, enough of my complaining.

I ordered the Yuengling, because it was the only choice I had. I also ordered the Penne Rustica, which is a smoky spicy pasta dish with a creamy sauce, shrimp, chicken and prosciutto - all topped with parmesan cheese and baked in their wood-fired oven. This is a wonderful dish, and about a million calories! Needless to say, after a couple of bites of Penne, the Yuengling tasted less and less like beer, and more like water. The beer actually tasted pretty good at first, a bit maltier than most lagers. It also had a fresh taste since it was draft. Unfortunately, it never stood a chance against the Penne Rustica. A nice hoppy Sam Adams would have been better, or an IPA. Actually, the best beer for this meal would have been a nice smoky Robust Porter. THAT would have still tasted like a beer, even at the end of the meal. I still have half of my dinner left, so tomorrow I'll be giving that combination a try.

Urthel Hop-It Belgian Superior Hoppy Blond Ale

This is a very interesting beer - a Belgian style ale with lots of hops. I hesitate to call it an IPA, but it has some of those characteristics - lots of hops, high alcohol level. Accoding to the website www.urthel.com, this beer was created after the brewer made a trip to the US Northwest and tried some of our IPA's. It was actually brewed in the Netherlands by De Koningshoeven. It poured a golden color with a big fluffy head, typical of a Belgian ale. It also had plenty of carbonation, and an alcohol level of 9.5% - all characteristic of a Belgian strong ale. The one difference was the level of hops, which was much higher than most Belgian golden ales I've tasted. The finish was dry. I really enjoyed this one. If the price was a little more attractive, I could handle a six-pack of it - but then I wouldn't have anything new to write about for 5 days.

Virgin Islands Tropical Mango Pale Ale

Another interesting beer I picked up at the local wine and ale store, Virgin Islands Tropical Mango Pale Ale is contract brewed for St. John Brewers by Shipyard in Portland, ME. The beer poured a crystal clear golden color with a medium white head. The aroma is almost all mango, with a little bit of malt underneath. The flavor is definitely mango - much stronger than I expected. I'm assuming that they have added some sort of mango extract to make it stand out like it does. This is not a wheat beer, like most fruit beers tend to be. Underneath the mango, there was a little bit of malt, a very light body, and a slightly bitter finish. This is another nice warm weather beer.

Flying Dog Road Dog Porter

Here's another beer left over from my birthday party - Flying Dog's Road Dog Porter. At one time, this beer was described as Scottish Porter, but the "Scottish" seems to have been dropped from the name. I think it's the same beer. It's been a while since I've had this, and I'd forgotten what it tasted like. I was anticipating a deep rich chocolatey roasty porter, but this is not that beer. It was very subdued, with very little roasted malt flavor. The body was a bit thin for a Porter. It poured a deep ruby-brown color, and had a rapidly disappearing head. Overall, I was a bit underwhelmed. It wasn't "bad", just so-so.

Lukaya Beers Two Tail Pale Ale

I saw this beer in the local wine and ale shop and was immediately drawn to the picture. Not many beers have photos of dogs on the label, so it caught my attention. I had also never heard of Lukaya Beers before. The name is drawn from the names of the two dogs, Lucy and Kaya. What's interesting is that the bottle says that the beer is "Bottled for the Hmieliewski family by Florida Beer Company, Melbourne, FL". Is this a family of homebrewers that designed this beer? I don't know, but I think it's a pretty good beer. It poured an amber-orange color with a good-sized cream-colored head. It had a piney-citrusy smell from the hops. It's a pretty hoppy American Pale Ale. It had a medium body with a little bit of caramel and malt sweetness. All in all, a very enjoyable beer. According to their web-site - lukayabeers.com, they are bringing out some additional seasonal beers soon.

Young's Oatmeal Stout

Young's is a well-established (since 1831) British brewery that makes a wide variety of ales. Tonight's beer is their Oatmeal Stout, which poured almost black, with ruby highlights, and a tan-colored head. The head was not as large or as long-lasting as I expected from an oatmeal stout. In fact, oatmeal is frequently used by brewers for head retention. This was a very roasty-flavored stout, and was pretty dry. It had a lot of coffee and some dark chocolate in the flavor. I have had this same beer in a 16 oz can with a "widget", and the canned beer has a much creamier texture. I guess that's due to it's nitrogen-injected goodness. Young's also makes a Double Chocolate Stout that actually has chocolate bars in the mix. It's an excellent stout, which I'd recommend buying it in the "widgetized" can, for the reason mentioned above.

Orange Blossom Honey Mead

Almost exactly 6 months ago, my wife and I brewed up a Mead made from 100% Orange Blossom honey. We love the flowery aroma of the honey, and felt it would make for a wonderful mead. Well, we were right! We sampled some today, and the mead is aging very well. The aroma is like standing in a flowering orange grove. With this particular mead, we decided to try to be as historically accurate as possible, with no extra additives such as yeast nutrient. This is made from Orange blossom honey, water, yeast, and a little bit of organic sugar to help the yeast get started. It's a really sweet mead, made from 9 lbs of honey in a 2.5 gallon batch. The photo does not do it justice - it is much clearer than it appears. The condensation on the glass is misleading. This mead is very smooth, and I can only imagine how it will be in another 6 months - if it lasts that long. The hardest part about making mead is the patience that's required!

Tommyknocker Maple Nut Brown Ale

I'm a big fan of maple syrup, so I couldn't resist this beer when I saw it on the store shelf. Brewed by Tommyknocker Brewery in Colorado, it's a Maple Nut Brown Ale. It poured a typical brown ale color with a miniscule white head. It had a very subtle maple flavor, or else I imagined it. It was a bit roasty, slightly sweet, and had a finish bitter enough to offset the sweet malt. I like brown ales, and this one was pretty good. Just a little more maple flavor would have made it perfect.

Saranac India Pale Ale

I decided to drink from my cheerful 50th birthday mug today. The beer is F.X. Matt's Saranac India Pale Ale, which was part of the Trail Mix assortment my sister brought me. She won't touch the India Pale Ale, so they just sit in her fridge. This is actually a pretty mild IPA, somewhere in between the Fiddler's Green and the Flying Dog Snake Dog. It's not as citrusy as some IPA's, although the bottle says that the hops are Cascades. It's more malty than the Fiddler's Green. and a bit higher in alcohol. It poured an orange-amber color, like most IPA's. This is a nice IPA, without being over the top.

Homebrewed Apricot Wheat Ale

I tasted my Apricot Wheat ale today. It's been in the fermenter for weeks, with the yeast busily working on the apricots. It finally looked about finished, so I decided to see how it tastes before bottling. It's totally flat, since the carbonation is generated in the bottle, but I can tell it has a lot of potential. It's quite tart, almost a lambic-style flavor, and the apricots come through nicely. I think a couple of weeks in the bottle to carbonate will definitely do it some good. I'm thinking of carbonating it using some Apricot nectar, but I'm a little concerned about how much to use. I'd hate to finish up my Apricot Ale by turning it into a bunch of bottle bombs.

With dinner tonight, I had a bottle of my Maple Wheat ale, which has aged nicely. It's smoothed out a lot, but I still think I'll go with a little less maple the next time. I need to lower the alcohol level a bit, and it would be perfect.

Sam Adams Light

I have a bunch of Sam Adams Light left over from my birthday party, so I decided to try one today. I've had it in the past, but my memory of the experience eluded me. It poured a pale amber color, with a small white head. The aroma was malt, which is unlike most light beers. One taste told me that if I had to drink a light beer, this would be the one. It does not compare to their Boston Lager for sure, but it is head and shoulders above the Beck's I had a while back. This is much more malty, with a better body than the Beck's. Of course, at 119 calories, it should be, since the Beck's was half that number. Of course, bottled water has no calories, so it would be a better choice than the Beck's.

Tucher Kristall Weizen

I found another bottle of Tucher wheat beer in the fridge - this time it's their Kristall Weizen. A Kristall is a filtered wheat beer, which differentiates it from the Hefeweizen, which is unfiltered. It generally has a cleaner, crisper flavor than a hefe. This one falls into that category precisely. It still has the banana-clove flavor of a Bavarian Hefe, but it is lighter in body, color and flavor. The Tucher poured a golden color, almost like a Pilsner. It had a big frothy white head. This is a great warm-weather beer, which I enjoyed tremendously.

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.

Fiddler's Green India Pale Ale

Fiddler's Green Brewing Co. is from Utica, NY which made me suspicious. Sure enough, it's a contract brew made by FX Matt, brewers of the Saranac line of beers. This IPA poured an orangy-gold color with an inch-high white head. The aroma is essentially caramel malt and not much else. The first sip had a lot of citrus, presumably from the hops. The beer is somewhat fruity in general. This is a somewhat subdued IPA, but that's not a fault. It's very drinkable and enjoyable. This would be an excellent "training wheels" kind of IPA to get the uninitiated interested in IPA's. It won't scare them off like Flying Dog's Snake Dog might.

Birthday dinner at Long Horn

Today was my official half-century birthday, and I celebrated it with my family by having dinner at Long Horn Steakhouse. I think Long Horn is one of the best steak restaurants there is. I've had tough steaks at some pretty fancy restaurants, but Long Horn is consistently good. I was a little concerned when the chain was bought out by Darden, the owner of Red Lobster, but I guess they decided not to mess with success. My only complaint is that their beer selection is sketchy, with Samuel Adams Boston Lager, and Blue Moon representing their most adventurous selections. Fortunately I like them both, and chose a Sam Adams tonight - in the big 25 oz mug. Hey - it's my birthday, right? The prime rib was tasty, although it was cooked a little more than I wanted, and the Sam Adams was ice cold. Sam from the tap is a different beer from Sam in a bottle. They're both excellent, but draft is better. Maybe it's just the presentation, but it tastes fresher, and has more hop flavor and aroma. I had a nice dinner with good company for my 50th.

Rogue Brutal Bitter from Oregon Brewing

Tonight I enjoyed my first beer in a few days, and I picked one from one of my favorite brewers. Rogue Brutal Bitter is definitely a very creative version of an English Bitter. It poured an orange-amber color with a head the color of orange sherbet. This ale is much hoppier, and more bitter than the standard Bitter. John Maier, the Brewmaster at Rogue, likes his hops, and there's a healthy dose of citrusy West coast hops in this beer. While it's hoppier than a traditional bitter, it is not as hoppy or as strong as an IPA. Oregon Brewing can do no wrong as far as I'm concerned, and this beer just strengthens that conviction.

GASP! No Beer Today!

This weekend has been crazy for my family. My son has moved out of the house to his own apartment, and he will be starting his Junior year of college tomorrow. He was living at home for his first two years, but felt that it was time to step out on his own. Obviously, it's a small step, since he's only an hour from home, but it feels like a huge distance. This event leaves my wife and I as empty-nesters - a title that we're not sure we're ready for. Our daughter was married 10 months ago, so we've had some big life events this past year. With helping my son prepare, move and settle in, we ended up eating fast food most of the weekend, and I think Taco Bell would have had something to say if I brought my own beer with me. So no beer tonight. Maybe we'll be back to something more normal tomorrow.

Saranac Brown Ale from F.X. Matt Brewing

Well, my sister's headed back to NY after a week in Florida enjoying our tropical storm. Yep, Fay did a number on their vacation. I made out pretty well because they brought me a 12 pack of assorted Saranac beers, and another assortment from Otter Creek. Along with my homebrew, the extra beer from my surprise birthday party, and the beer I already had in the fridge, the old beer fridge is bursting at its seams. To take a little of the pressure off, I tried Saranac's Brown Ale tonight. It poured a medium brown, with a fluffy beige head that was pretty sturdy. This brown ale is not as sweet as a lot of them are, but it had a chocolaty base, and a hoppy finish. They must have thrown a few extra hops in because the beer surprised me in that area. This was a very enjoyable ale. Thanks, sis for bringing it to me!

Orkney Brewery's Skull Splitter Orkney Ale

Orkney Brewery's Skull Splitter Ale is a high gravity malty brew from Scotland. It poured a deep amber with a 3/4 inch off-white head. Unfortunately, the picture is not doing it justice because it's so dark. We can thank Tropical storm Fay for that! This is a sweet ale in the style of a Wee Heavy, with lots of malt, and with the flavor of toffee and dark fruits. It's a bit higher in alcohol at 8.5%. The alcohol is obvious in the finish, and there is almost no evidence of hops. This would make a nice winter warmer!

Tucher Dunkles hefe Weizen

This Hefe Weizen Dunkle is brewed by the German brewer Tucher. It poured a cloudy medium brown color with a large off-white head. The head lasted for a long time, and left some nice lacing on the glass. This beer had the banana and clove flavor that is typical of a Bavarian Hefeweizen. These flavors are generated by the specific type of yeast used in these brews. Because it is a dunkel, it also had some caramel and chocolate notes as well. This beer was a little sweeter than the standard hefeweizen, probably due to the fact that it's a dunkel. It had a smooth medium texture and very little hop finish. This was a very enjoyable beer.

Wit Beer Taste Comparison - Japan vs USA

In the spirit of the Olympics, I decided to open up two different Wit beers, or White Ales in this case, and pit them against each other. The one on the left is Otter Creek White Sail Belgian Style White Ale from Middlebury VT. The other one is Hitachino Nest White Ale from Ibaraki, Japan. The Otter Creek poured a medium gold color, and was nearly crystal clear. It had a smallish white head that evaporated rather quickly. The Japanese contender poured a cloudy orange-gold color, with a larger white head. It too dissipated rather swiftly. The Hitachino Nest had a very strong orange flavor, almost like it had added orange juice in it. The coriander was also very obvious. The Otter Creek was more subdued, at least as far as the orange flavor, and had more maltiness to it. Coriander was still evident, but less obvious. It also had more hop flavor and is sweeter in general. I don't think there was a clear winner here, because the beers were so different. I think I preferred the tangy strong orange of the Hitachino Nest, but the rest of my taste testers preferred the sweeter, maltier Otter Creek. You can't go wrong with either one.

Dixie Blackened Voodoo Lager

I was concerned that I wouldn't be able to post tonight. Work is killing me! I work from home, and today was a long day, finishing up just a few minutes ago. I wanted to post about Dixie Brewing Co.'s Dixie Blackened Voodoo Lager before I forgot what it was like. I've seen this beer numerous times over the years, and I always wanted to try it. It definitely has a cool label. The Dixie Brewing Company was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, and while the brewery is rebuilding, the beer is being brewed in Wisconsin by the Joseph Huber Brewing Co. No matter its origin, this beer is somewhat in the style of a Schwarzbier. It's a dark lager, with some chocolate and roasted malt notes, and it's smoother than a dark ale. It's a bit watered down in comparison to some other beers of this style, such as Samuel Adams Black Lager. It poured a deep brown, not quite as dark as a Schwarzbier generally is. The head only lasted a short time. This isn't a bad beer, just not an exceptional one.

SURPRISE!!

Today started out as a pretty normal Sunday, except that my sister and brother-in-law are down from New York, on vacation. Being a good sister, she brought me some Saranac, and some beer from a brewery I was unfamiliar with - Otter Creek Brewing, which is in Vermont. We ate a late breakfast, and had plans to do an early dinner at my daughter's house, so my sister could see her niece's new home. I decided to go do some shopping, in preparation for my 50th birthday, which is coming up in a week, so my sister and her husband and I jumped in the car and took a ride. Our shopping trip ended just in time to get to my daughter's home at the designated time. I knocked on the door, and as I was let into the house - SURPRISE!! My family had thrown me a surprise birthday party for my 50th. I was floored! Totally clueless! I never suspected a thing. It was a great party, with good friends and family, lots of good food, and plenty of good beer. I was touched that they had planned this for me, and I had a great time. When I knew I would be just in time for "dinner", I asked my wife to bring one of the new Otter Creek beers with her to go along with my meal. So the first beer I had was Otter Creek's Stovepipe Porter, a roasty robust version of the style. I then switched to Flying Dog's Snake Dog - a very snappy, hoppy IPA. I cut myself off at 3 beers, so I picked a classic - Samuel Adams Boston Lager. I think this is one of the best lagers on the planet. The time flew by, the party ended, and I think everyone left smiling. I had a great early birthday! And now I know why my wife wanted me to get a haircut!

Orlando Brewing Partners brewery visit

After our lunch at the Irish pub, my wife, my sister, my brother-in-law, and I decided to check out the only microbrewery in the Orlando area - Orlando Brewing Partners. This microbrewery was started by some homebrewers, and is an all organic brewery that follows the German Purity law of 1516, also known as the Reinheitsgebot. The brewery is located in a scary industrial section of town and we were a little hesitant about going inside. We walked into the taproom, and soon learned that brewery tours were scheduled to run at 6 pm, and it was only 2:15. Since we made the trip, we sat down and ordered their beer sampler - 12 four ounce beers - 1 of each variety they currently had on tap. We all chuckled when we tried the first one, which was infused with vitamins - a "healthy" beer. Maybe I need to get a six-pack to take to the gym while I work out. It was ok, but the remaining 11 were much better. I realy enjoyed their "Miami Weisse" a Bavarian style wheat beer. Their Blackwater Dry Porter, which I have reviewed in an earlier post, was also excellent, as was their double IPA. This was a worthwhile trip. I even added a new pint glass to my collection. I'm just glad I wasn't driving!

Lunch at Hagan O'Reilly's Irish Pub

A new Irish pub opened up this week in Winter Garden, Florida, so I had to give it a test run. My sister and her hubby are down for the week, and it seemed like a perfect place for lunch. We all like Irish pubs, with their basic tasty foods and good beer. We had an assortment of Irish cuisine at the table, including Shepherd's Pie, fish and chips, and bangers and mash. Of course we accompanied the food with some good brews. The pub has a special tap system that injects nitrogen into the beer to create "the perfect pour". I'm not sure it had much impact on the Murphy's Red or Harp lager, but my Guinness and Smithwick's combination definitely benefitted from it. The pub called this particular combo a "Blacksmith", just a different variation on the black and tan theme. The photo shows the two-layered blacksmith. Originally I ordered a Guinness and Boddington's, but there seemed to be some problem with their Boddington's tap, so I needed to switch to Smithwick's. The drink was just as creamy and smooth as I think it would have been with the Boddington's, so I'm not sorry to have changed. The food was excellent, and once they have the kinks worked out, I'm sure Hagan O'Reilly's will be a very popular new restaurant.

Mad River Steelhead Scotch Porter

Mad River Brewing Co. is located in Blue Lake, CA and they make a number of beers with the "Steelhead" moniker. This is their Scotch Porter, and it's a tasty one. It poured a deep brown with a small tan head, which left lacing down the entire glass. There was a lot of sediment in the glass, so I think it may be bottle-conditioned. This is a roasty Robust Porter, with lots of chocolate flavor, some vanilla, and even some licorice. I also detected the mild smokiness of the peat-smoked barly they used. This is a great Porter - and isn't that a purty label too?

Baron's Black Wattle Superior Wattle Seed Ale

I have noticed this ale at my local Publix supermarket, but at $11.00 a sixer, I was hesitant to try it. This past weekend, I made a trip to the Total Wine store, and found I could buy a single of it. The Wattle seed was what intrigued me, since I hadn't the slightest clue what a Wattle seed was. As it turns out a Wattle seed is from a native Australian tree, and the seeds have been used for flavoring for many years. The beer poured a chocolate brown color, and had some hints of chocolate in the flavor as well. The bottle described a "lasting creamy head" which turned out to be 1/4 inch tall, as you can see in the picture. This ale was slightly sweet, and had some caramel and vanilla-like flavors, which may or may not be from the Wattle seed. This was a good beer, but not an $11.00 a six-pack beer - at least in my opinion.

A Funny Keystone Light commercial

Here's a pretty clever beer commercial from Keystone Light. I'm not a big fan of their beer, but the commercial's pretty good.....

Lagunitas IPA India Pale Ale

Tonight was pizza night again, so I went to the fridge to find an IPA. Lagunitas has never let me down, so I pulled their IPA out from behind a bunch of other beers, and popped the top. It poured an orange-amber color with a small white head. The brewer describes this beer as "homicidally hoppy", which might be a slight exaggeration. There were plenty of hops to be sure, but I've had hoppier beers. The hops were perfectly balanced by just enough malt sweetness. This is a really solid IPA, although I can't put it in the same class as Dogfish Head's 60-Minute IPA. It went beautifully with my pizza, so I have no complaints.

J.W. Dundee's American Pale Ale

J.W. Dundee is pretty well-known for their honey brown lager, but they also have a number of other options available, one of which is this American Pale Ale. The Dundee beers tend to be on the more affordable side of the microbrew list, so I decided to try this out. It poured an orange-amber, with a decent white head. It's a very basic Pale Ale, very middle-of-the-road for the style. It has some maltiness, and some hops in the finish, but nothing to really recommend it, except for the price. I have to say that I would definitely prefer to drink J.W. Dundee's American Pale Ale over most of the other beers in the same price range, so I guess that says something. This beer was brewed by the High Falls Brewing Company in Rochester, NY. High Falls Brewing is also the home of the Genesee line of beers. Anyone who went to college in upstate NY knows Genny Cream Ale, their most famous brew.

Moosbacher Kellerbier

As a homebrewer, I'm always on the lookout for bottles I can use for my latest concoction. There are several German brewers that use brown half-liter flip-top bottles like the one in the photo. These bottles are perfect! Flip-top bottles are so much easier to use than standard crown bottles. I started out using Grolsch pint bottles, which work fine, but they have the Grolsch logo molded into the glass, so it's not a bottle you want to give to friends, and it's very difficult to put a label on. The bottle in the photo has smooth sides, so it can easily be personalized with your own clever labels.

Now - on the subject of the beer that's in the bottle - it's Moosbacher Kellerbier, brewed by the Private Landbrauerei Scheuerer in Bavaria. A Kellerbier, which literally means "cellar beer", is an unfiltered, highly hopped lager. Also known as a Zwickelbier, it is usually an amber color with very little carbonation. It's normally brewed in wooden casks, with the bung left loose, so that the fermentation gas escapes. This particular example is definitely the correct color, about the color of maple syrup. It was low in carbonation, but was definitely not flat. In fact, it had a decent 1 inch head when I first poured it, but I couldn't get the camera set up quickly enough to capture it in its full-headed glory. I really like Kellerbiers - they have more malt and flavor than a traditional lager. They're also a bit stronger. This one weighed in at 5.2 % abv. The only fault I found with this particular brew was a slight metallic aftertaste. Kulmbacher Mönchshof is another German brewer that makes a fine Kellerbier. It tends to be cloudier than this one, which points to its unfiltered nature. Mönchshof also uses these great bottles!

Grozet Gooseberry & Wheat Ale

Tonight, I had the 3rd choice from my "Historic Ales of Scotland" assortment - Grozet Gooseberry & Wheat Ale. I had never heard of a gooseberry until I started brewing, and then I noticed some gooseberries in the canned fruit section of our local supermarket. They're canned by Oregon, a very popular brand of fruit favored by brewers due to their lack of preservatives. Based on the picture on the can, a gooseberry looks a lot like a white grape. This was a very mild-flavored ale, and very refreshing as well. It poured a golden color, with almost no head. It didn't have the usual tartness of a wheat beer, but instead had a wine-like quality to it, presumably from the gooseberries. I'm not sure if there are any hops in this ale, because I certainly didn't notice any. So far, this assortment of ales has been a winner. Every one has been very enjoyable.

The AC is back!!

Well, my AC is back from the dead. The repairman took all of 30 seconds to spot the problem - a capacitor that had swollen due to a possible lightning strike. Come to think of it, there was a lot of thunder around the time we noticed that the house was getting hot. Thankfully, the capacitor was 63.00 rather than the 300.00 he estimated for the fan motor. Sometimes, luck does fall your way!

Ruby Tuesday Emergency Dinner

At about 2pm this afternoon, I realized that the house seemed awfully warm, so I looked at the thermostat - yep - 83 degrees. Now what? The air conditioner was running, but the house kept getting warmer. This is Florida in August, so the outside temp was hovering in the mid 90's. I took a look at the outside unit, and the fan was just sitting there - immobile. #1?#$! air conditioner!! So, tomorrow the repairman will be here, but now the house is 85 degrees. My wife and I didn't feel like cooking dinner in a toasty humid house, so it was off to Ruby Tuesday's. We each had a big fattening burger and a Blue Moon Belgian White Ale. Blue Moon is one of my guilty pleasures. It's tart, refreshing and tastes great on tap with an orange slice thrown in. Sleeping will be a treat tonight. It rained, but the house is still 85. Hopefully with the windows open and the fans running, the slightly cooler outside air will come in.

Gritty McDuff's Vacation Land Summer Ale

Tonight, I tried another beer from Gritty McDuff's Brewing. I posted about one of their other beers a while back. It was their Original Pub Style Ale. This beer is called "Vacation Land Summer Ale", and is just as good as the Pub Style. Vacation Land is an informal nick-name given to the state where this was brewed - Maine. Gritty McDuff's Brewing is in Portland, which is also home to Shipyard and Sea Dog. This was a nice refreshing ale, light in color with a big white head. It's much lighter colored than a pale ale. It had a nice distinct hop presence in the finish. It was nice to drink a summer ale that was not made from wheat. I have nothing against wheat beers, but sometimes I think the breweries feel that wheat beers are the only variety to drink during the summer. This light ale proves that it doesn't have to be so.

Homebrewed Scottish Ale

I couldn't stand it any longer - just had to pop the top on my Scottish Ale. It's been carbonating for 11 days, and I'm sure it's been long enough. It poured a deep amber with a very healthy tan-colored head. It's plenty malty, slightly sweet, and has some alcohol in the finish. The hops don't really come through much, but Scottish ales are not heavily hopped anyway. Unfortunately, the smoked malt isn't coming through either, so I guess I didn't use enough. All in all, I'm very pleased with the results.

For those interested, here's the recipe I used for 2.5 gallons:

3.3 lbs Briess Golden Light LME

3 oz Peat Smoke Malt (should have used more)

4 oz 120L Crystal Malt

4 Oz Vienna Malt

2 Oz Lyle's Golden Syrup (all that I had at the time)

8 Oz Munton's Extra Light DME

1/2 Oz Fuggles Hops for bittering (60 Minutes)

1/2 Oz Fuggles hops for finishing (5 minutes)

Wyeast 1728 Scottish Ale Yeast

I used my usual procedure of putting the crushed grain in a gallon of water and then heating to 165 degrees. After removing the grain bag, I brought the wort to a boil and then added the first batch of Fuggles. At the 45 minute mark, I added the malt extracts and golden syrup. At 55 minutes, I threw in the 2nd batch of Fuggles. Then, into an ice bath to cool it down. Once it reached 80 degrees, I poured the wort into the fermenter which already contained a gallon of cold water. I then topped it off to the 2.5 gallon mark and pitched the yeast. Two weeks in the fermenter - 11 days in the bottle, carbonating with corn sugar - and 5 hours in the fridge before my taste test - that's the timeline. The finished product has more alcohol than a Scottish Ale should have, but I'm happy with it. The best part of homebrewing is drinking a successful experiment, as I did tonight. I know it will improve if I have enough patience. The last bottle of the batch is always the best one!

Dogfish Head Immort Ale

Had I known that this was a Barley Wine when I took it out of the fridge, I probably would have made another selection. Not that I have anything against a particularly strong and sweet beer - since I have brewed plenty of them myself - but I think another variety might have worked better with my dinner. Dogfish Head in Rehobeth Beach, Delaware is one of the finest breweries in the country, and this is a perfect example of why I feel that way. This ale is brewed with maple syrup, vanilla, peat smoked barley, and then fermented and aged in oak barrels. At 11% alcohol, it is a sipping beer. It poured a deep amber, with almost no head. The first sip told me that smoked barley was one of the ingredients. I like a smoked beer, and this was a nice subtle touch. I could also tell that there was maple syrup involved, since I brew with that particular ingredient quite frequently. This is a sweet beer for sure, and definitely would be nice as a winter warmer in front of a fireplace, in a snifter. Oh well, I'll drink the next bottle of Immort Ale the correct way.

Schlitz is back!!

As a member of the latter part of the baby boomer generation, I remember Schlitz beer from my high school days. I don't remember much about it except for the jingle - you know - "When you're out of Schlitz, you're out of beer....". At one time, Schlitz was the most popular beer in the country, pre and post-Prohibition. Unfortunately for the company, they messed around with the formula in the 80's and basically ruined the beer. People stopped buying it, and it eventually just went away. Now owned by Pabst, the original formula has been found, and the brewer is bringing it back from the dead. I think they're hoping that nostalgia will create a market for it again. I think they might be right - I think there will be a market for it at first - folks who used to drink Schlitz are going to want to try it again. I know I'll probably give it a shot when it makes its way to Central Florida. I also know that beer tastes have evolved, and it may not make it in these craft beer times. Only time will tell. In the mean time, here's a classic Schlitz commercial:



And here's the jingle that I remember. I know, I'm dating myself.

Saranac Chocolate Amber Lager

I have to hand it to F.X. Matt - they produced a great dark beer with a real head on it. I couldn't fit the full 12 oz bottle in my glass because the head was so tall. It lasted a long time, with nice lacing too. Although the bottle calls this a lager, it had all the characteristics of a stout. Dark, roasty, lots of chocolate flavor, and a creamy texture don't usually point to a lager. This was from their Beers of Winter collection, of which I still have a few left. This was a really great beer!

Pinkus Organic Munster Alt

I was a bit disappointed when I tasted this beer for the first time. I saw it at Whole Foods and decided to buy it because it was called an "Alt" beer. I had never tried an "Alt", but had heard good things about them. This is not the Alt style of beer - it's more of a blonde ale. It poured a light hazy golden color with an inch tall white head. If I had been given a glass of this beer without seeing the bottle, I would have sworn it was a wheat beer. It has a very tart and fruity flavor, for a non-wheat ale. The body was light, the finish was lightly bitter. It was an OK beer, but not what I was expecting. Pinkus is an Organic brewer in Germany, and Whole foods had two other varieties - a lager, and a weizen.

Flying Dog Garde Dog - a Biere de Garde

Flying Dog's Garde Dog is one of their "Seasonal" beers, and is in the style of a Biere de Garde. The name means "beer of keeping" in French, and is a Belgian style. It's traditionally unfiltered, brewed in March to be "kept" for several months and then drunk during the summer months. This is a well-carbonated version, and it has a healthier body than I would have expected in a beer of this color. It's not as heavy as a bock, but it has more body than a lager. This has an underlying fruitiness and is a little spicy in the finish. This is the first Biere de Garde I have ever had, so I can't comment on how true-to-style it is. I definitely enjoyed it, and could easily drink these during the warm weather.

The Tanner's Jack, by Morland

I was a little concerned about this beer, since it's in a clear bottle. I was afraid it might be skunked if it hadn't been stored properly. My fears were unfounded, and the beer was fine. The Tanner's Jack is brewed by Morland in England. The word "Jack" in this case refers to a leather tankard which was a popular container for drinking beer from in the 18th century. This beer is an English Bitter. It's a smooth malty, slightly fruity ale with a modest bitter finish. This would be a good session beer. It poured a light-colored amber with a head that was just larger than non-existent. I'd like to try this from a cask, on draft, because I imagine it would be even better.

Sea Dog Apricot Wheat Beer from Pugsley Brewing

Pugsley Brewing is a Maine brewery, and they're known for their fruity wheat beers. This is the first time I've tried their Apricot Wheat. Since I have my own Apricot Wheat Ale fermenting as I write this, I thought I'd try a commercial version. I've also tried the apricot ale that Dunedin Brewery makes. This version has a strong apricot aroma, and pours a golden yellow color with a small white head. The head was a little disappointing for a wheat beer. It has a strong apricot flavor that tastes like it was created using an extract of some kind. Once I got used to the apricot, I was able to taste the tartness of the wheat. This is a very mild beer with very little hop flavor. It's good, but I think my own apricot wheat will be better - no extracts used in that one!

Dry Hopped St. Rogue Red Ale

This wonderful red ale starts and ends with hops. The first sip is all West coast hop flavor - piney and citrusy. Then you notice the smooth creamy body with plenty of malt - slightly sweet and fruity too. Finally, it finishes with a lasting hop bitterness. As you can see in the photo, it had a nice big orange-colored head, which left plenty of lacing on the glass. It poured an orange-amber color. Oregon Brewing is one of my favorite brewers, and this beer just strengthened my opinion.

Bell's Kalamazoo Stout

This is the second beer I have tried from Bell's Brewery, in Comstock, MI. The label describes it as a "stout brewed with brewer's licorice". I'm not sure I tasted any licorice, but there was a lot of dark roasted malt, some chocolate and some coffee flavors. It had a creamy smooth texture, with moderate carbonation. It poured nearly black, with a 1-inch tan head, and was a perfect accompaniment to my burger tonight. So far, Bell's is 2 for 2 in my book. Their Oberon Wheat Ale was also enjoyable.

Brewing Day today!

Today was another brewing day. I've been trying to escalate my brewing frequency because I like to have a lot of homebrew selection when I go to the beer fridge. I was down to just a couple of varieties, so I needed to step it up. Today I bottled my Scottish Ale, after giving it a taste test from the fermenter. It tasted awesome, even without carbonation. I'm not sure I'll be able to wait the two weeks for it to carbonate. Bottling time is always fun because when our two dachshunds notice we're bottling, they stand under the fermenter, hoping to catch any errant drips (which are never in short supply). I've mentioned our one dachshund, Porter in earlier posts, but we also have a second one, a female named Penny (due to her copper coloring). The two dogs spend our bottling time trying to see who can get to the beer drips first. Invariably, one of them ends up licking beer off the top of the other ones head. It turns into a zoo.

While we bottled the Scottish Ale (which is actually probably closer to a Wee Heavy due to its alcohol content), I had my next beer boiling on the stove. I made a Belgian style Wit beer, with the addition of some fresh apricots we got at the local farmer's market. It's in the fermenter, and hopefully by tomorrow it will be bubbling away. It's probably a little late to be making a summer beer, but with the climate here in Florida, I don't pay much heed to the season. I already have my next two beers planned out - one for fall, and one for winter. I'll be making a butternut squash porter for Octoberfest, and a Spiced Imperial Stout for Christmas. I'll be posting about them when I'm able to taste them for the first time. In the mean time, my wife and I will be brewing again tomorrow, making an all-Florida mead with Orange blossom honey and muscadine grape juice. Technically, it's called a pyment, which is a mead made with grape juice along with the honey. Muscadine grapes are native to Florida, and we bought a bunch of juice at the local winery, specifically for this purpose.

With dinner tonight, I opened another bottle of my Maple Wheat that I brewed a while back, and it is mellowing nicely. I probably won't make it again, because there are too may other beers I want to make, but if I did, I would lay back a little on the maple syrup. It really kicked up the alcohol level, and I'm getting too old for that. We also sampled our metheglin again, to see how it's aging, and it's becoming really smooth. I'm not sure there will be much left by the time Christmas rolls around.

Since I've put some pics of Porter up here already, I guess I should give Penny some exposure too. So here's a pic of both dogs. Dachshunds are great dogs!

Grolsch Light Lager

Yeah, I know, I don't like light beers. I said as much in my Beck's Premier Light review a while back. I was invited to my daughter's house for lunch and a swim in her pool, so I thought it would be a good time to drink a Grolsch Light. I've had it in the fridge for a while now. I didn't even pour it into a glass, so I don't know what it looks like, although I can imagine. I like Grolsch in its high-calorie format, so I thought this might be worth a try. I don't know if it was the 90 degree heat, but this beer tasted pretty good. It had more body and flavor than the bottled water that Beck's sells as light beer. If I had brought a second one with me, I probably would have drunk it as well.

Weltenburger Kloster Asam Bock

Weltenburger Kloster is a German brewer that claims to be "the oldest Monastery-Brewery in the world. Since 1050." That's just 10 years after Weihenstephan began brewing. This is their "Asam Bock" which is in the style of a doppelbock. They call it a "dunkler doppelbock", and it is dark, so it deserves the name dunkler. It poured a dark brown with a sizeable tan head that lasted for a few minutes. It really looks good in the glass, and it tastes even better than it looks. This is a very rich, malty doppelbock - one of the best I have ever had. It smelled of sweet malt and caramel, and the flavor hinted of raisins and molasses, and lots of malt. It was somewhat low in carbonation, but had a rich texture. At 6.9% alcohol, it wasn't too strong, so I didn't feel like I couldn't finish the bottle. I can easily see why Weltenburger has been around for nearly 1000 years. This is an excellent beer, and I'll be looking around for some of their other varieties.

Theakston Old Peculier

Theakston Old Peculier is brewed in Masham England, and belongs to the Old Ale family of ales. It poured a deep mahogany color, which was red when held up to the light. It had very modest carbonation, and a small light tan head. It had a nuttiness to its flavor, like a brown ale, but less sweet. It had a medium body, and about 5.7% alcohol. The finish was dry, with not much hop presence. I've been hearing about Old Peculier for some time, and this was my first sampling. Although it's a fine English ale, I'm not sure it warrants a second taste.

Margaritaville Brewing Co.'s Landshark Lager

Tacos were on the menu tonight, so I looked thru my beer fridge to see what I had that was Mexican. I came up blank, except for a bottle of Margaritaville Brewing's Landshark Lager. I know it's not Mexican, but it was the closest thing to it. I don't know how much input Jimmy Buffett actually had in the production of this beer, but I do know that it's brewed by Anheuser-Busch. It's bottled in a nice sharkfin-embossed bottle with a painted label, and it poured a light golden color with a 1-1/2 inch tall white head. If Jimmy was going after a Corona clone, I think he nailed it - based on my memory of Corona. This was a refreshing light beer, and went perfectly with my tacos. I'm sure that a lime would feel at home in the neck of the bottle, if you're into that sort of thing.