Review: Pilsner Urquell

Pilsner Urquell from Plzensky Prazdroj, a. s.
Rating: B

Appearance: A little darker than I expected, pours golden rather than straw. Minimal lacing.

Smell: Nose is of malt, with that clean lagery scent

Taste: Well balanced taste. everything is there in good proportion - a little sweetness towards the beginning that goes away rapidly, followed by malt and a hops bitterness to finish. Good representative of the the style.

Mouthfeel: pretty light, less carbonation than expected, but maybe that's letting the malt come out more.

Drinkability: Very drinkable, especially with spicy food. A solid pilsener.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 03-20-2006 00:06:40

Pilsner Urquell 12 oz

Review: Labatt Blue

Labatt Blue from Labatt Brewing Company Ltd.
Rating: C-

Pours a pale straw color into the glass with a one-finger head and significant carbonation. No lacing whatsoever.

Nose just has a hint of malt, the kind of squeaky clean nose expected from a macro lager. Not much going on.

Tastes a little richer than expected. Sweetness, malt aftertaste, mild hop bitterness on the tongue. I can detect a bit of corn once I get down the glass...

Mouthfeel is thicker than is typical of the style.

For me, the sweetness docks points for drinkability. It'd probably go well with some spicy food, though.

I've had this in Canada before and I swear it tasted better there....

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 03-19-2006 22:07:20

Review: Harp Lager

Harp Lager from Guinness Ltd.
Rating: C+

So strange to drink a Euro Pale Lager from Ireland...

Pours somewhere between gold and honey with a big frothy white head that sticks around. Looks good, anyway.

Crisp, clean lagery aroma... almost nothing going on here.

Tastes a little hoppier than most euro pale lagers. Bitterness, malt, then bitterness again on the pallet. Finishes with a sharper bitter hops aftertaste than most.

Mouthfeel is dominated by carbonation - a good thing, because with less carbonation it'd be watery.

Overall, better than average in an unremarkable style. Go down good as a St. Paddy's Day leftover, but certainly not to be sought out.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 03-19-2006 20:37:45

Harp Lager

Review: Guinness Extra Stout (Original)

Guinness Extra Stout (Original) from Guinness Ltd.
Rating: B

Rediscovering this beer after a long hiatus during which I'd convinced myself that I preferred their draught. I have now revised that judgement.

Appearance: Brown head! Almost opaque, ruby tinting when held up to a light

Smell: Sweet nose, chocolate and roastiness

Taste: Tastes like it smells - roast, chocolate, coffee... hops comes in at the end to balance the malt and prevent an overly sweet, malty aftertaste.

Mouthfeel: Not as creamy as their draught, but thick mouthfeel and a taste that sticks to your tongue - and your ribs!

Drinkability: Not a sessioner for me, personally. Too easy to fill up - a few of these is a meal! Stouts aren't my favorite style, but this went down pretty easy.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 03-19-2006 03:40:03

Guinness Extra Stout 12 oz

Review: Smithwick's Ale

Smithwick's Ale from Smithwick's Brewery / Irish Ale Breweries Ltd
Rating: C+

Appearance; Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a pint glass, not as carbonated as I expected. Cola color with red tint

Smell: Hops, and a hint of alcohol. Nothing remarkable or distinctive.

Taste: Has a nice roastiness to it... Enough hops to balance the malt, but they don't stand on their own except in the aftertaste, which is fairly bitter.

Mouthfeel: Carbonation shows up more in the mouthfeel than in the glass. Smooth but light mouthfeel.

Drinkability: These go down pretty good - nice on St. Paddy's day, but there's not enough going on to warrant another purchase.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 03-19-2006 02:54:26

Smithwicks Authentic Irish Ale

Review: Foster's Lager

Foster's Lager from Foster's Group Limited
Rating: C-

Appearance: Pale gold in the glass, no lacing and little head retention for me - odd, since many reviewers applauded this.

Smell: squeaky clean lager, almost soapy. smells like macro lager to me!

Taste: unremarkable, nothing wrong but nothing to like, either. malt shows up on the tail end, hops in the aftertaste.

Mouthfeel: sadly, it's the carbonation that dominates the mouthfeel because there's nothing else going on.

Drinkability: all of that said, there's nothing wrong with this beer, it's just boring. in other words, they go down easy!

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 03-17-2006 23:47:59

Review: Peroni Nastro Azzurro

Peroni Nastro Azzurro from Birra Peroni Industriale S.p.A.
Rating: C-

To my knowledge, this is the only Italian beer I've had, so I was curious to see what it was like.
Pours a very clear pale gold with a big foamy white head. Little to no lacing.

Almost no smell, except for a hint of skunkiness toward the end. Best before date indicates this still has 5 months to go...

Not a whole lot of taste here... No maltiness to speak of, a little hops bitterness at the end, but very watery...

Crisp mouthfeel, almost like drinking mineral water - actually, very reminiscent of mineral water.

You could drink a lot of this, because it's so watery, but why bother? Maybe it'd be good with some pizza, sitting at a cafe in Italy all afternoon, but it's not for those who like beer for being beer.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 03-15-2006 02:55:36

Peroni

Review: Tyskie Gronie

Tyskie Gronie from Tyskie Browary Książęce (SABMiller)
Rating: C+

Pours a very clear gold, one finger head with nice lacing as it dissolves.

Hops comes out in the aroma, along with the clean scent of a lager.

Hops hit your tongue first, a clean bitterness, but then it becomes a much more malty beer than I expected, and it's malt that dominates the aftertaste - interestingly. The second sip reveals some corn tastes, too, not as pleasant.... The alcohol is pretty well hidden.

Mouthfeel is fairly watery - too much of a clean filtered lager to have much in the way of body, but the malty aftertaste doesn't seem quite right for a pale lager.

Drinkable, but not something to buy again.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 03-15-2006 01:27:27

Review: Bass Pale Ale

Bass Pale Ale from Bass Brewers Limited
Rating: B

Pours a very nice dark amber, with a nice head. Aroma has hints of toasted malt and hops... The hops have an initial bite on the tongue but hten fade... Aftertaste is kind of sweet, maybe too much so. Good mouthfeel, a well balanced brew in terms of gravity:IBU. Not a bad standby if only macros are available.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 03-09-2006 09:09:49

Review: Blue Moon Belgian White

Blue Moon Belgian White from Coors Brewing Company
Rating: B

Had several of these tonight, including one I unintentionally spilled all over myself.... Served with a slice of orange, this brew looks hazy to the point of being opaque. Fairly typical of a wit.

Smells and tastes fruity and citrusy, the latter probably aided by the accompaniment on the side of the glass. The waitress tried to push a Blue Moon mixed with a shot of Citron. Pretty good for drinking several in one night, especially on Wednesdays when it's on special at Po' Boys' ;)

Serving type: on-tap

Reviewed on: 03-09-2006 08:59:22

Blue Moon

Review: Purple Haze

Purple Haze from Abita Brewing Co. / Abita Brew Pub
Rating: B-

Pours a hazy gold from the bottle with not a whole lot in the way of noteable carbonation. It's not noticeably purple... The raspberries really dominant the aroma of this, can't detect much besides raspberry, besides a little mild wheat. This fruit beer manages a fairly good balance in the taste department. It's not overpowerlingly fruity, but the fruit definitely comes across. For me, not very drinkable, but I bet a lot of girls would like this one.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 03-09-2006 08:53:21

Abita Purple Haze

Review: Turbodog

Turbodog from Abita Brewing Co. / Abita Brew Pub
Rating: B

Appearance is almost opaque but not quite, with ruby tints. The chocolate malt in this brew is evident in the aroma as well as the taste, a little toasty too. I feel like it could have benefited from more hops to balance out the mallt. Not a bad beer, fairly drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 03-09-2006 08:48:28

Abita Turbodog

Review: Grolsch Blond

Grolsch Blond from Grolsche Bierbrouwerij N.V.
Rating: D+

Pours a dark yellow... a meager head forms, with no lacing, and few bubbles tracing up the glass.

Smells sweet, and I detect some corn characteristics. No hint of skunking, despite the clear bottle. I taste the same corn... probably used as an adjunct? Sweet, obviously low in alcohol... Leaves an aftertaste that isn't pleasant, but not quite unpleasant either. Could have benefited some more carbonation, I think, to make up for the lack of character otherwise. Not a bad beer, but I won't be seeking it out - one is enough.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 03-04-2006 07:19:36

Review: Noche Buena

Noche Buena from Cervecería Cuauhtémoc Moctezuma, S.A. de C.V.
Rating: B

Very well presented bottle, great seasonal appeal, although it's a shame that the cap underneath the foil is blank. Looks like carbonated iced tea in the glass, very pretty. Appealing appearance and aroma. Aroma is mostly malt, a hint of hops tucked away in the back. A touch of sweetness, resolving to a mild hops finish. Maybe a little too much carbonation... I feel like some flavors might be being hidden by the bubbles. Not a whole lot of depth in the flavor department, but nothing to complain about either. Crisp finish, very drinkable. Probably the best Mexican macro out there.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 03-01-2006 02:56:26