If this beer was simply to replace Noble Pils I would be pretty upset about the switch, but since it simply slides into the Spring seasonal spot so Noble Pils can be available all year I am willing to accept it.  As mentioned below I think it would actually be great as the beer for the hotter months, but it is a solid beer nonetheless.

An early start to Spring for today . . .

Brewery: Boston Beer Company (Boston, MA)

Name: Alpine Spring

Style: Maybe a Helles or maybe a Premium American Lager (not really sure)

ABV: 5.50% (internet)

Tasting Notes: Stored in the fridge before serving in one of my incredibly awesome Genny Cream Ale glasses (sort of pilsner-like).

Aroma: A lightly floral aroma with a hint of citrus and a faint sweetness underneath.  Pretty subtle overall. – 8.5/12

Appearance: Medium golden yellow color.  One finger fluffy white head that holds well and leaves solid lacing.  A slight haze but is otherwise clear with rising bubbles visible. – 3/3

Flavor: A slightly sweet maltiness up front that is faintly honey-like.  Very little bitterness at all with a touch of citrus flavor.  Pretty well balanced overall.  Finishes smoothly and mostly clean with a touch of lingering citrusy sweetness. – 15/20

Mouthfeel: Light body with a moderate level of carbonation.  Very smooth and lightly crisp on the palate. – 4/5

Overall Impressions: Light in body but has a bit of creaminess to it and especially so after warming just a bit.  I still prefer Noble Pils, but a very good lighter beer that I actually think would be great for the summer months.  Goes down very easily at least in part because of the good balance of flavors.  Glad to have it around as a seasonal. – 7.5/10

Overall: B+ (38/50)

Samuel Adams - Alpine Spring

There are days when you simply want a thirst quenching beer (or three) and after working in the Florida heat for many hours I found myself having one of those days.  Sure I could have grabbed something else, but I had never tried this beer before and that usually tips the scales of my decision making process.  Of course I would also love to get to New Zealand someday to visit some of The Wife’s family, so maybe drinking a few beers from there will help me get some good mojo toward that end as well.

Oh yes, I should mention that I called this a Premium American Lager because that is where Heineken belongs and that is the closest relative I could think of after tasting this beer.

From a land far, far away . . .

Brewery: New Zealand Breweries Ltd. (Auckland, New Zealand)

Name: Steinlager Pure

Style: Premium American Lager

ABV: 5.00% (on bottle)

Tasting Notes: Stored in the fridge before serving in a pilsner glass.

Aroma: Mild malty aroma with a bit of grainy sweetness and (I think) a slight fruity character.  Very light overall aroma. – 6/12

Appearance: Pale straw color.  Two finger plus, frothy, white head  that holds pretty well and leaves some lacing on the glass.  Very clear with many rising bubbles visible. – 3/3

Flavor: Light grainy character with a very slight sweetness and a faint bitterness.  Seems well balanced, but I do notice the maltiness more.  Finishes pretty crisply and is very clean. – 10/20

Mouthfeel: Light body and a pretty high level of carbonation that gives it a slight bite.  Has some creaminess on the palate. – 3/5

Overall Impressions: Has to be really cold to be enjoyable (surprise, surprise).  Certainly prefer this beer to the other stuff that comes in green bottles as I think it it finishes more cleanly.  Would rather just drink it from the bottle since the aroma is pretty weak.  Very refreshing when thirsty and that, in combination with the clean finish, makes it easy to get through a handful of these pretty quickly if you so choose. – 5/10

Overall: C+ (27/50)

New Zealand Breweries Ltd. - Steinlager Pure

There had been a good run of reviews lately of beers that I cannot get in the stores down here and I think this is the last of those for at least the near future. I suppose a few more like them could show up at my door today or tomorrow, but I am not expecting any. Beyond that, the way that I review the beers and take pictures of them will finally be changing very soon as well. Had I been more organized I would have started that change to begin the year, but I think the beginning of February will work just fine.

Now to keep this week rolling along nicely . . .

Brewery: Saranac (Matt Brewing Company – Utica, NY)

Name: Season’s Best (Nut Brown Lager)

Style: Vienna Lager

ABV: 5.30%

Tasting Notes: Stored in the fridge and served in a pilsner glass. Part of Christmas package from The Dad.

Aroma: Lightly sweet aroma with a faint nutty character underneath.

Appearance: Coppery brown color. Slight tan color head that has good retention and leaves a nice trail along glass. Super clear with lots of small rising bubbles visible.

Flavor: Toasted malty flavor up front and throughout that is faintly caramel-like. Bitterness from middle through to the finish (some/most from hops and some from the super toasted malts). Dryness present at the finish with some lingering.

Mouthfeel: Medium to light body with a moderate level of carbonation. Somewhat creamy initially but finishes very crisply.

Overall Impressions: Neat to get this kind of style as a winter seasonal. Nice nutty/toasty flavor that grows on me as I drink more of it. Find myself wishing that it had a bit of sweetness to balance it out some. Nice level of carbonation and somewhat surprisingly a little better as it warms just bit.

Grade: B- (maybe B)

Saranac - Season's Best (Nut Brown Lager)

A little closer now

A tear comes to my eye as today is the last of three Great Lakes Brewing beer reviews. It was nice to look back on them, but that combined with seeing someone with one of their shirts on the other day only reminded me how we don’t get their beers down here. It may be time to call a few friends that do have access to them.

So for this Friday review . . .

Brewery: Great Lakes Brewing Co. (Cleveland, OH)

Name: Eliot Ness

Style: Vienna Lager

ABV: 6.20%

Tasting Notes: Stored in the fridge and served in a pilsner glass. 12oz bottle via gift from Mr. Carlin.

Aroma: Full malty aroma that borders on sweet with some light toasted notes as well. Really nice, inviting aroma that is clean with a moderate overall intensity.

Appearance: Amber color with copper highlights. One finger, light amber color head that is solid with decent retention and leaves a good trail. Very clear with many visible rising bubbles.

Flavor: Quite malty up front with a bit of toasted flavor with some nice hoppy bitterness that comes through in the middle and some dryness at the finish. Really well balanced with good interplay of the different characteristics through to the finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium (toward light) body with a fairly high level of carbonation. A slight bit of warmth with some very slight creaminess.

Overall Impressions: There is something addictive about it . . . maybe the balance of components. It is everything I like about a good lager, but amplified. The ABV is a bit high for the style (typically 4.5-5.5%), but it works very well overall.

Grade: A (A- at worst)

Unfortunately the photo is lost somewhere with the other Great Lakes reviews, so just check this out if you are interesting in knowing what to look for. Maybe one day I will get to have them again and will take some new photos.

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)

Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Co. - Classic Amber