Blue Moon Grand Cru Special Edition

How do you like the pic?

So Blue Moon was my first "non-massed produced American beer."

Great wheatey, orange smell.  Softer head that falls a little faster.

This beer is what I first tasted when I had regular Blue Moon.  It's what got me away from American Pilsners.

Great wheat taste, great orange.  Like Blue Moon X2.  The taste you really want.

Rating = 7  I won't give it an 8 because I only wish this was the taste of regular Blue Moon, but great flavor, great beer.

Lagunitas Imperial RED Ale

Amazing amber-red color, great hoppy smell with strong, lasting head.

Even though I prefer unfiltered, hazy beers this one is a great crispy clear beer.

Strong, thin mouth feel;  Great piny hop, but not too too much.  Just enough to get you thinken.

Rating = 8  Lagunitas impresses me again with this.  (6 for those who don't like hoppy so much)

The Vodka Improvement-Method Test

So I know this is a blog about beer, but I wanted to expand for a minute on an article I read about making cheap vodka taste more expensive.  The plan goes something like this:

1) Buy cheap vodka
2) Filter through a charcoal water filter 3-5 times
3) Enjoy your better tasting vodka

As the control I tasted a double shot of the $9 Taaka Vodka w/ a 1/8 cup of OJ.  1-10 scale = 3

Because the filtering doesn't take long I went straight to five filtering.

2nd filtering done like first w/ a verdict of:  7

NOTICEABLE DIFFERENCE...first smell had a much less "metallic" odor, and while the first taste left me with a minor hiccup/gag the second tasting after filtering was very smooth, much less vodka taste.  The vodka became more watery.

Pros:
1)  Wow, you take a $9 bottle and get a $20-40 bottle.  I would bet you money if you switched this into another bottle after filtering no one would be able to notice.  (As a good gauge of your friends put in cheap, unfiltered vodka first anyway and see if they notice.)
2)  Fast way to make your night much more enjoyable.
3)  The water purifier was ready to be used after a quick rinse.  First batch of water was perfect.

Cons:
1)  If you're lazy this might be too much for you, lol.
2) My vodka taste buds might not be as keen as others, so if you enjoy your expensive vodka then that is fine.
2) 

Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra IPA

Tiny bubble pour, warm grain yellow color, strong head.  Pine hops in the smell dominate. 

Awesome bitterness, hops in the flavor can't be missed.  Amazing that a beer can be this tasty and bitter.

Rating = 8  Doesn't get much better than this in the IPA category.

Stone Old Guardian

Very carbonated, head dies quickly.  Strong hop smell with notable hints of barley as title would suggest.

Great dark, hazy wheat look; very sun-burnt yellow.

Well balanced for hop heavy beer, alcohol not overpowering despite 11.3% content.

Rating = 7   Not for the fainthearted, or bud light drinkers.  A winner from Stone.

Shock Top Belgian White

Soft, white head.  Malty smell, slight orange.

Cloudy pilsner look.

Taste a little towards the pilsner side, but with a good amount of wheat and small amount of orange.

Rating = 5 

Since it's from Anheuser Busch it's geared towards being neutral and easily drank, so it's not what I would call Authentic Witbier, but it does hit a few key notes nicely.

Brooklyn Hopfen Weisse

Easy to pour, light but moderately strong head.

Great hazy color, and amazingly a little darker towards the top.

Malty flavor, light fruit (more lemon, less other citrus), light hops.

Easier to drink then what you might think.

Rating = 9

I could drink this every time.

Ommegang Abbey Ale

Slightly strong head, malty and fruity smell, apricot or apple maybe.

Great amber color.
Malty flavor, slightly hoppy with a good amount of fruit flavor.  Refreshing, with a lighter mouth feel.
8.5% alcohol.

Rating = 8, especially satisfying.

Sierra Nevada BigFoot

Short head, very short hold time.
Strong hops smell.
Good reddish color.
Strong alcohol taste, small malt, stronger hops.

More like something you sip, but if you want a typical beer taste this isn't for you.  The alcohol really overpowers all the other tastes.

Rating : 5

Brooklyn Local 1

Any bottle only sold  >12oz is fun.  Strong carbonation during pouring.

Sweet wheat taste, low but independent hops taste. 

Haze color almost American Pilsner like, but wheat is predominate.

Great wheat beer that will get your American Pilsner friends into something other than that.


Rating: 7.....6 if you like a more hoppy taste

Titan IPA

Less carbonated so pour aggressively.  Long lasting head is forgiving of a novice.  Head smells of equal parts malt and hops with both notes being discernable.                      Mouth-feel is clean with a strong malt start and strong hop finish.  Hops are have a very good, strong citrus flower flavor.                                                                              Beer Rating = 6

Sierra Nevada Wheat

Much better choice than my last entry.
Light malt but enough that you know it's a wheat beer. Very slight hint of spice, slight citrus.
Mouth-feel is excellent, not too heavy, not too light.
Cloudy due to it being unfiltered, but still a light yellow.
Hops are the clean flowery flavor that Sierra Nevada is known for (try their Torpedo if you want to know what their hops are all about).
Hops keep the head strong for ~1-2 min.

Grade 1-10 = 7

Bud Wheat

So I hate to have to start off a beer drinkers blog with something from Budweiser, but I decided to use this as a jump off point. I need to test out my !*&$%^#$ blogging.

So what can I say about this substandard drink?

To sum this beer into one sentence, "A Bud Light copy with underpowered orange hints, zero spice, and a ricey after taste that is the staple of Bud beers."

The only plus I can see to this beer is this could be the way to dupe your friends into trying other, "SCARIER!!!!" beers. The ones that get that unenthusiastic face which says, "I'm afraid, I want something that everyone drinks.

1-10 scale = 2

Enter Stage Left

So here we are, wondering just what this blog could possibly be about. Fortunately you're going to have some help. The journey through different beers can be pretty hairy, but I hope to be able to help you with some suggestions.

If you like craft beers, you'll love this blog.

If you are willing to try craft beers, you'll love this blog.

If stouts, porters, IPAs, Weisses, and any other beer that isn't "____ Light" then maybe this can be your calling to a better beer.