Sweet Water Sch'Wheat

Love me a wheat beer, so I grabbed it for my beer tasting weekend.

Pour/Look/Smell - Orange then yellow, a nice change of pace.  The head is super foamy but light, so it lasts only for a minute maybe.  Sweet orange smell.

Taste - Wow, and I'll tell you why.  There is so much flavor.  The malt is sweet and upfront.  The citrus is smiling at you.  The hops are only there to make sure you don't go crazy.  This one is amazing.

Rating - 10
This is the best in it's category.  It's price is just right.  You can't beat it, but I dare you to try.

Magic Hat Odd Notion Series Summer '10

So this was a whim buy, I actually didn't even look at the name or anything, just the brand and I grabbed it.  Great luck, since this is a special brew and won't come around again.  Says it's brewed 3/4 ale w/ ginger.


Look/Pour/Smell - Yellow orange, hazy.  You can smell ginger no problem.  The pours easy, light carbonation.

Taste - The ginger is amazing.  The malt is browned, and so it helps to manage the strong ginger taste.  It's a really deep taste.  Honey and brown sugar are other thoughts that come to mind.

Rating - 8
It's so unique I can't help but give it a great rating.  It's only my fortune to buy this, so I hope you don't miss it.

Kingfisher Premium Beer

A friend brought this over and I have missed a lot of oppurtunities in the past few months to review beers so I thought I'd give this one a shot.  Brewed in India.

Look/Pour/Smell - Straw yellow, a little orange.  Carbonation is well mannered.  Sweet malt smell is the majority of the smell.

Taste - Hops are interesting...the malt is lightly caramelized, and the hops follow suit.  The hops are like the background noise to a smooth jazz radio station jockey.  Surprisingly pleasant.

Rating = 5
It's much better than some domestics, but it's nothing to tip your hat at.  If someone brings it over fine, drink it.  If you're at your favorite pub or beer/liquor store, pick something else.

Victory Whirlwind Witbier

I was introduced to Victory about 2 months ago.  I tried their V-12 which is their high alcohol, high flavor, quadruppel.  Now I'm hooked to their beers.  Wanted something light and this was it.

Look/Pour/Smell - Yellow lemon look, carbonation is their but it's an easy pour.  Malt and lemon dominate.  Unfiltered so there's sediment.

Taste - Lemon and spice, light flavor, lemon after taste.  Malt is subdued.  Refreshing.

Rating - 7
This one gets a 7 because of the price range it's in.  It dominates the other beers in this range and category.  It's not the best wheat I've had overall, but it's great for a starter.  Let your friends try it.

Wychcraft Blonde Beer

I wanted something from England and this was fortunately on sale and still inside its "freshness" date.  I'm thinking this will be a great starter to the night.

Pour/Look/Smell - High internal carbonation, and if you pour slow it's easy to control the head.  Clear straw, leaning towards orange.  Malt of course, nice and sweet.

Taste - Light and crisp, like a German style beer under their purity law.  This is actually a disappointment, I was expecting a fuller taste.  Although it is good it's not great.

Rating =5
It was a little disappointing.  It's smell is nice, look is fine, but maybe this is more of a pub beer than a "let's try something spectacular" beer.  Try another blonde unless your watching some football (aka soccer to Americans).

Sierra Nevada Sierra 30th Anniversary

Alright, I couldn't pass this up.  Sierra Nevada, a well known to-do craft brewery, and they have been around for 30 years.  This is an accomplishment for any company, let alone one who represents less than 1% of the market share (Hypothesis).  This is my 3rd beer, I went from a good hefe, to an IPA, and I wanted to finish strong with a stout.  So not only does it peak my interest, but completes my beer path.

Taste/Pour/Smell - Nice and heavy, bubbles drop down, medium carbonation = an easy, slow style pour.  Can't wait to smell it.  Coffee first, chocolate maybe which I hope comes out in the taste.  Coffee is definitely the #1 smell though.

Taste - For the record, the head lasted ~10 min, and I do write for my friends wine blog, and so I like the "resting" of the beer to allow it to have time to mingle with the air.  Roasted is the first word comes to mind, really roasted but roasted well.  The last after taste is chocolate which comes really late which is nice.  It's a really deep taste.  I feel sorry for the connoisseur who doesn't have the chance to partake.

Rating - 10
It was a quick decision to chose a 10.  It's the leader in the stout category.  It is the holy grail that all other stouts should try to achieve.  This might be the first 10 I've given, but it's truly deserving.

Hoppin' Frog Hoppin' To Heaven IPA

It's been awhile since I posted anything.  Been pretty busy with school and ALS.  Got this when I purchased 3 beers to try to bridge the gap between a wheat and a stout.  It's also a new beer for the store I like to go to, and I like that.  This beer is proud of their American ingredients and heritage.  Brewed in Ohio.

Look/Pour/Smell - Middle of the road carbonation, great amber/orange color, light frothy head.  The hops are there, but it's a little sweet. 

Taste - Mmmmm....it's got a great crisp hop, the malt is sweet in the background.  It would be a great "after I just cut the yard" type beer.  It has a light after taste which makes it really refreshing. 

Rating - 8
This is the IPA everyone should overshoot, and most don't.  It will not disappoint.  I look forward to more offerings from this brewery.