Aecht Schlenferla Rauchbier 4-29-2011

Ze Beer? Aecht Schlenferla Rauchbier
Ze Style? Rauchbier
Ze Maker? Brauerri Heller-Trum / Schlenkerla
Ze Content! 5.4%
Serving type: 16oz bottle

Hello everyone, another blog to add to the month, of April, picked out by a co-worker, Virginia Valenzuela. We had just returned from a Wine Tasting for work, and I decided, what a good way to finish a few hours of wine tasting, then to add a beer as the finale! I asked her to pick my beer, seeing as I’ve had most beers at work, and tend to gravitate towards beers I enjoy and would rather prefer, this way, by asking a third party to help select a random beer, I have a non direct way of picking beers not normally selected by the general populace. Here’s to being random, here’s to fun co-workers, here’s to beer! Cheers!

The moment you open this bottle, the aroma has a light malt nose but then is quickly overwhelmed with a smoke heavy scent. This beer pours a dark amber color, with a slight red hue with a nice thick fluffy head. Though the head was nice, it didn’t retain very well; but instead cascaded away to a very thin layer of carbonation. Tons of smokey aroma, absolutely full of it, almost like a chunk of firewood is toasting on a bonfire. I have to admit, the strong smoked wood is actually quite nice, and the malts in this beer compliment them. Very smooth, a very easy subtle hop presence on the back end, almost hard to pick up through the hickory bacon-esque flavor. Not much carbonation in this beer, but not much is needed. Very nice beer, but after a couple, the smoke filled flavor may be too much, seeing as it does leave a type of salted pork after taste, I know unusual, but yummy!

Would I PAY for this beer? At 6 dollars a pint, buying this beer isn’t much more than paying for a pint of beer at a pub. Definitely worth the one time try, but I can easily see why this beer isn’t going to be the beer for just anyone. I suggest trying it at least once, if not tasty, it’s fun! Mmmm Liquid Smoked bacon!

Overall Rating: B+

Cheers,
-Ze Beer Guy

Tilted Smile 4-16-2011

Ze Beer? Tilted Smile
Ze Style? Imperial Pilsner
Ze Maker? Uinta Brewing Company
Ze Content! 9.0%
Serving type: 22oz bottle

This bottle was purchased for me by my girlfriend for our 4 year anniversary. Went to the store, and the woman’s smile on the bottle caught her eye; alas, it was chosen. I’ve actually never had an Imperial Pilsner before, so I was a little excited, but never hearing this brewery before too made me a bit apprehensive; more about the taste though, not the selection. That is what this blog is about! Trying new things, something you’d never find yourself buying. And hopefully craft selections you love. All in all, I think this was a great choice made by my girlfriend; here’s to 4 years of love, and a new style of beer!

Beer pours a very tan brown color, very copper; lots of fluffy head with decent retention and surprisingly nice lacing. Can definitely pick up on the pale yeast but it’s not overwhelming on the nose, which is nice. Lots of bread for malts with just a touch of citrus lingering on the back end, also with the longer the more the citrus tones come out. The beer is nice and creamy on the texture which was surprising, I guess that’s what you expect out of an “Imperial” Pilsner. A little bit of that straw taste lingers on the finish, but not bad overall, nothing too exciting either but not bad. Perhaps a small tart of green apple right off the front end before the bread malts power through. It’s a little heavy for a session beer, all that creaminess translates to, one bomber is enough. At the end of the bottle, the 9.0% abv catches up too which is nice, seeing as you don’t have an ethanol finish.

Would I PAY for this beer? For 10 dollars a bomber, I’d pass. Nothing screams out to buy… if it were a decent price on tap somewhere, maybe… but the mood would have to strike me before drinking something so bread malted.

Overall Rating: C/C+

Cheers,
-Ze Beer Guy

Titan 4-10-2011

Ze Beer? Titan IPA
Ze Style? India Pale Ale
Ze Maker? Great Divide Brewing.
Ze Content! 7.1 %
Serving type: bottle

Great Divide Brewing is a brewery I didn’t have much knowledge on until I heard about their Imperial Stout, the Yeti, which I reviewed a while back. Since then I have enjoyed most beers I have had from Great Divide. BevMo used to not carry Great Divide beers, and it seems my persistence with vendors or just luck and time made it available for our store to carry. At least at my BevMo!, we carry some of the Great Divide beers as it is making its way through the west coast. Now Great Divide is from Colorado and im not much a fan of Colorado hops, to me they tend to be a little on the skunky side, it may have to do with the freshness but not entirely sure. But here’s to trying a new IPA and hoping for the best. Cheers!

The Titan IPA pours a clean amber color with decent head but little retention, though the lacing is nice. The scent is a bit resiny feeling a little sticky just from the nose, and a little floral and aromatic. For some reason, If I drink an IPA from Colorado, I can usually tell it’s from Colorado by the way the hops taste, very distinctive. It’s a nice IPA, but has a decently sticky, slightly pungent hop bitterness to this beer. A very slight caramel malt taste on the front end helps prepare your palate for the bitterness the hop brings shortly after. Very easy going, nothing too complex, but a great tasting decent IPA; if you are used to the taste of a bitter IPA, this beer will be fairly easy to drink, but if you are not used to that bitter, green herbal IPA taste, this may not be the beer you should drink to get into IPA’s. For me, I enjoy an IPA but this kind of hop, ones enough.

Would I PAY for this beer? It was a bit pricey for a 6 pack reaching the upwards of about 10 dollars. If I found it in a single bottle or it was reasonably priced at a bar, sure. But I wouldn’t go out of my way to make sure I try this beer.

Overall Rating: B-
Cheers,
-Ze Beer Guy