Smuttynose Star Island Single

This week's six pack was the Smuttynose Brewing Company's Star Island Single. It's a straw-colored abbey-style ale with a surprisingly refreshing flavor. I'm generally a dark beer kind of guy but this is one I would buy again.

There's not a strong aroma or a thick foamy head, but the faint aroma is tantalizing and promises the flavor not promised by the relatively pale color. The brewers describe it as a session ale brewed with spice, and although I didn't detect much spice flavor, there was a refreshing mix of fruity flavors and pale malts. Hop character was barely present, but was also not called for in this style of ale.

The brewers advertise the ale as "eminently sessionable" and although at 5.3% ABV it's a bit on the high side for sessioning, it doesn't feel that strong when you drink it, and I could readily see going through a six-pack over the course of a football game. It does have the requisite light mouthfeel and clean finish that to me define a session beer, and it doesn't sit heavily in the stomach like some darker ales. It went well with everything I ate with it over the course of the week, from pizza to leftover chili. I didn't pair it with a pasta and wouldn't imagine it being the ideal partner for one. I think its ideal dance partner is probably pizza or nachos, or some other type of salty snack food.

I'm going to give it a B+, and reiterate that it's one I would buy again. My name is Joe.

Next up: Well I'll edit when I decide.

Dead Reckoning Porter

The Troegs Brewing Company's Dead Reckoning Porter Six pack was a pleasant surprise. I'm a man who enjoys a porter, and it's rare to find one that's really true to the style, earthy, smoky, and strong-flavored. It weighs in at about 5.7% ABV.

Served at room temperature, it has a thick and dark whitish brown head, which is much less present when served refrigerated, looking more like your typical porter and less like your typical stout at cool temperatures. Either way, the head has some of the smoky flavor in it, and really opens up the beer.




As soon as you open the bottle, the aroma hits you, and it's a delightful aroma indeed. It blossoms when poured into a glass, smelling like a porter should. It's a fine snack after a long hard day at any sort of work you might do. Its best accompaniment this week was a chili, although it does stand alone and would do well with a burger or something equally hearty.

Overall, it's a solid first entry for this project. I'd give it a B. My name is Joe.


Next up: Smuttynose Brewing Company Star Island Single.

Resolved

So this is a beer review blog, and there's not lots of beer being reviewed these days.

My goal then is to review a beer a week. Every Sunday I'll go buy a six pack of something I've never had before, and drink it over the course of the week, and post a review on the following Sunday. I encourage my fellow bloggers to do the same.

First up: Troegs Brewing Company - Dead Reckoning Porter

This is a seasonal brew which is currently out of season, but was available at my local liquor store, so I grabbed it.

Digging around in the cellar

Last night while brewing up my first tripel I decided it was time to break the seal on the last bottles of Gravitas and Agave Porter Mk. 1

Why both? Because I had forgotten which was which

So, how did these two hold up to somewhere around a year of time in the cellar?

Wow. Full stop.

The porter was glorious and had developed some more complexities. The agave came through in plum notes which played very well with the roundness and depth of the beer.

Somehow I think I either cracked my imperials too early or just didn't appreciate them enough the first time around. The Gravitas certainly didn't mind hanging out in my basement doing its own thing for close to a year. Rich mouth feel, great tan head which exploded in a world of aromatics, extremely smooth.

And here's the reaction from my brewing collaborator last night

The Porter:
What else can i say that describes it better than that I thought it was the imperial stout? complex bouquet, that nice and balanced porter roasty flavor, a surprisingly supple mouthfeel. it was like that last keg of your favorite local brew that everyone forgot about down in the cellar. suddenly it feels like christmas.

The Imperial Stout:
the imperial stout was quite simply an excellent representative of the species. floral to peaty bouqet, luscious mouthfeel, and incredibly developed flavors ranging from overripe stonefruit to french roast beans to mildly earthy grains. fruity, yet meaty. and yes... somehow that is correct...

I still have a blond and an apricot in the basement. I'm not sure when next I'll crack open an old favorite, but if these two were any indication, the next two should be something special.

Red Oval Classic Lager: You can only dig so far before you hit the sewer

I just found another cheap-ass beer at Trader Joe's. At $2.99 per 6-pack ($1 less than the still "great" Simpler Times Lager) I was able to manage my expectations pretty well. I cracked one and smelled it. My girlfriend described it best: "It smells like a 70's block party." It tastes pretty much like it smells. Its only distinguishing characteristic is an unpleasant twinge of sweetness that I've only tasted in Old Speckled Hen or dirty bar taps.

Pros:
1. it's technically beer
2. the logo that screams "I don't give a fuck" from 50 yards
3. it's dirt cheap

Cons:
1. it tastes like dirt

Simpler Times Lager

Anheuser-Bush doesn't need my money, and with the arrival of Simpler Times, they'll never have it again.

This is new from Trader Joe's. I always look for a basic macro style lager that isn't Bud or PBR, and I always hope to be surprised. The last hit was Frugal Joe's Ordinary Beer, also from Trader Joe's, but Simpler Times just took the crown. It's crisper, lighter, but still manages to have a more interesting flavor. It's initially light and clean, but then there's a curious and tasty malty bloom. I'm not claiming that it's a complex beer; that's the whole thing. It's a simple tasty two part ride with every sip. Sometimes I want a robust porter to kick my ass, and sometimes I wanna collapse on the couch in my boxers and enjoy some simpler times.

Interesting aside, the owner of Minhas Brewery is 24. The site could use an editing pass, but I won't complain because I like the beer.

21st amendment brewery ipa

Miildly hoppy as far as a craft brewery's ipa usually goes, but has a
nice caramely flavor paired with it which leaves you palette feeling
nice and balanced between bitter and sweet. Best beer out of a can
I've ever had, I'd even take it over a guiness.