Choosing from my beer reviews by date rather than any other factor makes the decision process much easier.  I know that I will get to them all eventually, but this way I am not allowing some of my favorites to cut to the front of the line.

Since I did not look ahead to which evaluation was coming up, it must be only a coincidence that today is another shout out of sorts to my Midwestern beer news correspondent Erin and even more specifically to Leinenkugel.  This is another one of those beers I would enjoy greatly after mowing the lawn (or similar activity), much like the Labatt Blues of the world.  What this one has going for it is a deeper flavor profile than the American Lagers.

Brewery: Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Co. (Chippewa Falls, WI)

Name: Classic Amber

Style: Vienna Lager (?)

ABV: 4.9%

Tasting Notes: Stored in the fridge and served in a pint glass.  $6.99 per 6-pack

Aroma: Clean malty aroma overall with some very slight hop notes.

Appearance: Medium to light amber color.  One finger, off-white head that dissipates quickly with no trail.  Clear with many visible bubbles rising.

Flavor: Medium malt flavor up front with some hoppy bitterness toward finish.  Slightly dry at finish, though not lingering.

Mouthfeel: Medium to light body with moderate to high carbonation.  Slightly creamy on palate.

Overall Impressions: Easy drinking with good malt flavors compared to similar brews.  Definitely a good warm weather, outdoor activity type beer.

Grade: B(ish)

3775679694 06f9a9dd2e Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Co.   Classic Amber

Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Co. - Classic Amber

As I continue to cross the oldest evaluations off the list I again come across another of my favorite breweries.  This is a good thing for me as a reminder that it has been a while since I have had a Shmaltz beer (though I have one waiting in the wine fridge).  This is another one from their Coney Island line of beers and does nothing to stop me from wanting to try the entire lineup.  As I have said before the labels and the names will get you to try the first one, but the product inside the bottle will keep you coming back.

Brewery: Shmaltz Brewing Co. (Saratoga Springs, NY – based in San Francisco, CA)

Name: Human Blockhead Lager

Style: Premium American Lager (?)

ABV: 10.0%

Tasting Notes: Stored in the wine fridge and served in a pilsner glass.

Aroma: Medium, slightly sweet malt with the slightest bit of hops.  Light nose overall (not at all overpowering).

Appearance: Deep amber color.  Two finger (plus) cream color head that dissipates very slowly with some trail (actually with heavy legs when drinking).  Very clear with rising bubbles visible.

Flavor: Malty with some hop bitterness (not too much).  Well-balanced components/flavors with a slight dryness at finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium body and pretty high carbonation that gives a slight bite on finish.  Smooth and creamy, having some viscosity to it.  High warmth (and maybe body) for a lager.

Overall Impressions: Very enjoyable experience, especially not knowing what to expect going in.  I am not sure that I would pin it as a lager right away in a blind tasting, as many characteristics are not necessarily typical to style (color, ABV, body).  Would certainly buy and drink again.  A really good beer and an excellent price point (as usual).

Grade: A-

Shmaltz Brewing Co. - Human Blockhead Lager

Shmaltz Brewing Co. - Human Blockhead Lager

After receiving some fine Genesee product for Christmas this year, I was inspired to finally share the review of another beer that holds a special place in my heart.  Surely my final grade is influenced by the fondness that I have for it even if I try to block all of that out.  I suppose when you go very long stretches without having something that you used to enjoy all of the time it will have an impact on your perception of it.  I have yet to enjoy Blue Light down here, but I would put that right up there with Blue for my “right after mowing the lawn” beer of choice.

Brewery: Labatt Brewing Company Ltd. (Ontario, Canada)

Name: Labatt Blue

Style: Standard American Lager

ABV: 5.0%

Tasting Notes: Stored in the fridge and served in a pint glass.

Aroma: Slightly sweet (corn?) with some faint graininess.  Not much aroma overall.

Appearance: Pale straw color.  Three finger, white head with moderate retention and no trail.  Crystal clear with many visible bubbles.

Flavor: Slightly grainy with faint sweetness.  Even balance with no aftertaste or lingering finish.  Not a ton of flavor in total.

Mouthfeel: Light body and high carbonation that brings some bite.  Crisp with slight dryness.

Overall Impressions: Guilty pleasure of mine for sure.  Really refreshing and great when thirsty.

Grade: B

Labatt Brewing Compnay Ltd. - Labatt Blue

Labatt Brewing Compnay Ltd. - Labatt Blue

As I continue to work through my still pretty large backlog of beer reviews I again come to something a bit more common and easier to find on the store shelves.  It seems I stayed within a certain comfort zone a bit early on in my formal evaluations.  It is a good thing to know exactly what it is you like (or don’t like) about some of those beers that you drink most often.  Part of the fun of writing this stuff down is that if I was to do the review of this beer again now that it is cooler, I might just have some different reactions to it than I did when the weather was quite hot.  That and I have a little more practice in writing down my opinions of a beer!

Enough of my rambling . . .

Brewery: D.G. Yuengling & Son, Inc. (Pottsville, PA)

Name: Traditional Lager

Style: Standard American Lager

ABV: 4.4%

Tasting Notes: Stored in the fridge and served in a pilsner glass.

Aroma: Low maltiness with some sweet grain.  Slight bit of fruit/yeasty nose.

Appearance: Amber to copper in color.  Medium height, slightly amber head that slowly dissipates.  Very clear with many visible rising bubbles.

Flavor: Slightly malty with a little bitterness and no lingering finish.

Mouthfeel: Light body with high carbonation that leaves a little bite.  Crisp and smooth.

Overall Impressions: Really easy drinking and smooth.  Refreshing and light enough to be pretty thirst quenching.

Grade: C+ to B-

Yet again another picture has gone missing!  It will make an appearance as soon as it is found . . . if you are curious before then please see the brewery link above.


When first starting this site I already had a pretty sizeable build up of beer reviews that I was sure would help keep a steady flow of content early on.  Now four and a half (or so) months in I still have quite a backlog since I am constantly adding to the inventory and I am realizing that some evaluations were done quite a long time ago.  So it’s time to start knocking a few of the oldest ones off the list.  Fortunately I take good notes!

There is really no need for introduction on this one since I am sure that most everyone has seen it on the shelves of their local grocery store.  Recently though I learned (while watching Three Sheets) that because of ownership we are not able to get regular Amstel in the United States because they don’t want it to compete with Heineken.  Just another reason to go to Amsterdam is suppose.

Brewery: Amstel Brouwerij B.V. (Netherlands)

Name: Amstel Light

Style: Lite American Lager

ABV: 3.5%

Tasting Notes: Stored in the fridge and served in a pilsner glass.

Aroma: Slightly sweet with low, slightly spicy hops.  No real malt aroma.

Appearance: Pale straw color.  Extremely tall, white head with moderate retention.  Crystal clear with lots of visible bubbles.

Flavor: Crisp and somewhat dry (almost acidic).  Very low hop bitterness and flavor overall.  Flat finish with no lingering.

Mouthfeel: Light (watery) body and high carbonation.

Overall Impressions: Crisp, refreshing, and a pretty standard light beer.  Not the best, but as expected.

Grade: C (fine for light beer)

Sorry, I have no idea where I put the picture for this one!

Shortly after enjoying my first Schwarzbier via a Sam Adams Black Lager, I jumped at the opportunity to give this one a try also.  Though I didn’t like it quite as much, it was still a beer that I would drink again.  I have not had any of that style since this one, but it seems that the balance of flavors and mouthfeel is something that suites my palate.  It is probably over-simplifying things to say that it is a lighter version of a Porter (both in flavor and body), but that is really the best way that I can describe it.  Certainly the style is worth a try if that sounds appealing to you.

Brewery: Cervejaria Sul Brasileira (Brazil)

Name: Xingu (Black Beer)

Style: Schwarzbier

ABV: 4.7%

Tasting Notes: Stored in the fridge and served in a pilsner glass.

Aroma: Somewhat neutral malt aroma (no roasted, burnt, etc.) with a slightly clean yeasty nose.

Appearance: Very dark brown with a red highlight.  Three finger light brown head that slowly dissipates with a trail.  Clear with many bubbles visible along the glass.

Flavor: Light, very clean maltiness with (perhaps) a small hint of roasted flavor.  Very low hop bitterness and slightly sweet at the finish.  Finishes clean with no lingering flavors.

Mouthfeel: Medium to light body with fairly high carbonation.  Very smooth and crisp.

Overall Impressions: Incredibly refreshing and drinks like a standard lager (appearance deceiving).  Balanced flavors that I would enjoy again.

Grade: B

Cervejaria Sul Brasileira - Xingu

Cervejaria Sul Brasileira - Xingu

This evaluation is probably an appropriate one to share during football season.  Don’t we all wish we had draft beer at home to enjoy while watching the games?

The verdict was probably in on this one before I even took a sip.  This is a beer that most of us have had previously and developed an opinion on already.  I wanted to give the home draft option a try since I know that I like Heineken better on draft that out of the green bottles.  The draft part was cool to have in the fridge, but it didn’t really change my thoughts much on the product inside.  My feelings will certainly not hurt its worldwide appeal though.

Brewery: Heineken Nederland B.V. (Amsterdam, Netherlands)

Name: Heineken

Style: Premium American Lager

ABV: 5.0%

Tasting Notes: Stored in the fridge and served in a pilsner glass.

Aroma: Medium to low malt aroma that is slightly grainy and sweet.  Low to no hop aroma.

Appearance: Pale straw color.  Tall (2-3 finger), white, frothy head that slowly dissipates.  Very clear with many rising bubbles visible.

Flavor: Very low grainy sweetness with no noticeable hop flavor.  Some dryness at the finish (not lingering).  Rather bland (as expected).

Mouthfeel: Light body with medium to high carbonation (some bite on tongue).  Very clean and crisp.

Overall Impressions: Draft (draught keg) is better than the bottled (more skunky) Heineken and is very nice experience for the home.  OK beer for what it is, but it really drinks like water.  The tap spigot continues to drip for some time and was a bit messy.

Grade: C

Something is missing

Something is missing

Much better

Much better

Since there have been a bunch of responses already, I know that I wont be keeping the beer goodies myself.  Check out yesterday’s entry if you haven’t yet entered to win!

I didn’t know anything about this beer or the brewery before it entered my house.  I still really don’t know a lot about it, but I thank The Wife for getting it for me to try.  Sri Lanka isn’t really a beer producing area that I pay much attention to, but I know that Lion Brewery has some other products and I would certainly like to give them a try sometime.  Since this was so early on in my beer-reviewing endeavor, I would even like to give this one another shot.

Brewery: Lion Brewery Ceylon Ltd. (Sri Lanka)

Name: Lion Lager

Style: Light Lager (similar to Standard American Lager?)

ABV: 4.2%

Tasting Notes: Stored in the fridge and served in a pilsner glass.

Aroma: Pretty mild really.  Maybe a bit of hops (slightly floral).

Appearance: Pale straw to honey color.  Tall, slightly off-white head that dissipates with a trail.  Crystal clear with tons of bubbles visible.

Flavor: Low hop flavor with very slight bitterness.  Slight dryness at finish.

Mouthfeel: Very light body with high carbonation.  Slight astringency.

Overall Impressions: Refreshing and easy drinking, but nothing special.  Not unlike many domestic lagers out there.

Grade: C

Lion Brewery Ceylon Ltd - Lion Lager

Lion Brewery Ceylon Ltd - Lion Lager

If only to prove to a certain commenter on this site (ahem, Rob, ahem) that I still enjoy Boston Beer Company products, today is the first of what will likely be many reviews of their beer.  Schwarzbier (black beer) was completely foreign to me before I tried Sam Adams’ version.  It made a good enough impression for me to try another (Xingu) shortly thereafter.  It was definitely a beer where the appearance made me expect something different than what the flavor turned out to be.

It was one of my early evaluations and isn’t as thorough as future ones turned out to be, but it does get the point across.

Brewery: Boston Beer Company (Boston, Massachusetts)

Name: Black Lager

Style: Schwarzbier

ABV: 4.9%

Tasting Notes: Stored in the fridge and served in a pilsner glass.

Aroma: Roasted malt aroma that is somewhat sweet.  Very low amount of hops.

Appearance: Dark brown with red/ruby undertones.  Incredible café au lait head that quickly dissipates to half and leaves a heavy trail.  Clear with many bubbles on perimeter of glass.

Flavor: Clean, smooth, slightly sweet malt flavor.  Slight bit of hops noticeable.  Roasted coffee-like flavor at finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium body with some noticeable carbonation.  Very smooth.

Overall Impressions: Well balanced flavors overall.  Not as heavy as expected from appearance (looking like a porter or stout).  Very enjoyable (drinks like a good lager) and I would certainly enjoy multiple.

Grade: A-

Boston Beer Company - Black Lager

Boston Beer Company - Black Lager

Flying Dog has many beers that they produce (over a dozen at least), but Old Scratch is probably my favorite of those continuously available in “The Pack.”  They are one of those breweries that I am comfortable with and would purchase any of their beers knowing that it will not be a bad experience.  Of course some are better than others (for me), but you can’t really go wrong.

Brewery: Flying Dog Brewery (Frederick, Maryland)

Name: Old Scratch (Amber Lager)

Style: California Common Beer

ABV: 5.5%

Tasting Notes: Stored in the fridge and served in a pilsner glass.

Aroma: Light hop aroma with woody, almost musty notes.  Slight bit of toasted malt.

Appearance: Medium to light amber color.  Two finger (plus), cream color head that gradually dissipates with some trail.  Quite clear with many rising bubbles visible.

Flavor: Light toasted malt with a very moderate to light hop bitterness.  Slightly dry at the finish with the same light hop bitterness.  Slight woodiness at finish as well?

Mouthfeel: Medium body with medium to light carbonation.  Crisp and clean drinking.

Overall Impressions: Very interesting in that it drinks like a lager, but has some flavors and characteristics of an ale.  Likely (at least in part) a result of brewing at a more medium temperature in comparison to many lagers.  Enjoyable and would drink again.

Grade: B+

Old Scratch Amber Lager

Old Scratch Amber Lager

I will admit that the first beer from Shmaltz Brewing Co. that I purchased was because the label caught my eye.  The second, third, and every one since was because behind the really cool labels are some really good beers.  They got me hooked and it all started with a crazy smiling face.  I am sure their marketing department loves to hear that!

Since you will be seeing more Shmaltz reviews along the way, I should explain that they have two lines (for lack of a better word at this moment) of beer . . . HE’BREW Beer and Coney Island Craft Lagers.

Brewery: Shmaltz Brewing Co. (Saratoga Springs, NY – based in San Francisco, CA)

Name: (Coney Island) Freaktoberfest

Style: European Amber Lager / Oktoberfest . . . I think

ABV: 6.66%

Tasting Notes: Stored in the fridge and served in a pilsner glass.  1 pint 6 oz for $4.99

Aroma: Moderate malt aroma with no real hop nose to speak of.  Very clean, as I would expect from a lager.

Appearance: Red, I am talking red velvet cake red.  I have never seen any beer close to that color (and haven’t since).  It does have a hint of copper color when held to light.  Has a two-finger, light red/pinkish head that dissipates slowly and leaves a pretty heavy trail.  Quite clear with visible rising bubbles.

Flavor: Smooth malty flavor prominent . . . more complex malt flavor than expected.  Slight sweetness with some hop flavor near the finish.  Finishes slightly dry with a touch of hop bitterness.  The balance leans to the malty side.

Mouthfeel: Medium body and medium level of carbonation.  It is smooth and creamy (for a lager especially) and has no lingering aftertaste.

Overall Impressions: Wow it is red!  An easy drinking, enjoyable beer and good value (another good thing about Shmaltz brews).  Higher in alcohol than typical in the style category.  Looking back, it’s not the best Shmaltz beer that I have tried, but still nice.

Grade: B (in that range)

Coney Island Freaktoberfest

Coney Island Freaktoberfest

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