Mini Brew Review: Josephsbrau Prost Lager
ABV: 7.3%
Appearance: Orange-amber with a decent head of foam and good lacing.
Smell: Faint caramel malts.
Taste: Sweet caramel malts with a hints of fruit, spice and hops.
Mouthfeel: Smooth, creamy, medium bodied with little aftertaste.
The Verdict: Not bad. A decent beer at the typically decent Trader Joe’s price. You won’t confuse it with a genuine German bock, but it won’t disappoint you either.
Mission St. 2013 Anniversary Ale (from Trader Joe’s). A 2 of 4. A solid imperial brown - some nice nutty notes in the nose, as well as some slightly weird dark fruit and toffee notes. Some almost-molasses-y sweetness in the body, and a bit too much of it. Needs some balancing bitterness, but not bad at all - the sweetness fades in the finish, so it drinks pretty easily.
3 Big Fat Truths About Storing Beer @ SaveOnBrew.com
Happy May 2-4 weekend to my Canadian brethren. May your beer be cold and your drivers sober!
Rogue St Rougue Red Ale (Dry Hopped)
I was lucky enough to be taken to lunch by my grandmother yesterday, and as it happened her choice was undoubtedly one of the best beer bars in the city. So that brings me to the Rogue. It’s grassy, really grassy and due to this there is quite a bitter aftertaste, with a nice dash of malt in there too. All up, its good, but I wouldn’t be rushing back fro another anytime soon. It was however a welcome relief from the mid-strength beers on offer at work. So for this, I give it one thumbs up.
JG
Lagunitas | Lucky 13 | 8.6% ABV | Red Ale
As far as reds go, this is pretty solid. Super hoppy, copper in color, gives off a aroma similar to candied nug of weed. For the price, you can’t beat it. Good start to a BBQ.Price: 3.99/22oz Bomber
Rating: 6/10
Mini Brew Review: Full Sail LTD - 04
ABV: 7%
Appearance: Clear amber with nice foamy head and good lacing.
Smell: Biscuity malts and lemon grass hops.
Taste: More of the buscuits and grass, with hints of chocolate. Tastes fresh, good balance.
Mouthfeel: Crisp, medium bodied, and refreshing. Very slight bitter aftertaste, in a good way.
The Verdict: Good stuff. A tasty, well-balanced pale bock that I managed to snag the last couple of bottles of. The LTD series is hit or miss like many seasonals, though it’s usually a hit. This one is definitely a hit.
Beer: Apricot Wheat
Brewery: Ithaca Beer Company
Location: Ithaca, NY
Type: Wheat
In Three Words: sweet, light, fizzyI was so tempted to put “sassy” as one of the adjectives above. Held myself back because this beer is already so sweet; it’s what some jerks may call a “girly” beer, or what the people at Arrogant Bastard might say is a “fizzy yellow beer” (I mean, just look at the verify your age page of their website). But guess what? It is delicious. And with summer months, humidity and my general uncomfortableness approaching, I am all for this refreshing slice of apricot heaven.
I think any fruit beer than manages to taste like the fruit they are named after and not a soda is an achievement. I am a big fan of fruit beers, but some of them (cough Shock Top raspberry wheat) (sorry, caught something in my throat) just end up being saccharine and hard to swallow. For some people this may be a dream come true: get drunk and feel like all you’re drinking is soda. For other people, this isn’t quite the point of beer. I am of the latter.
Ithaca’s Apricot Wheat tastes like a beer. It has hints of bitterness and wheat. On top of that is a light apricot flavor that just grazes the palate. Enough to balance out the flavors and create a unique blend of all of them. It is fizzy without making me feel like I am drinking a glass of champagne.
It is a very light beer. If you are looking for strong, bold, intense beers that will make you feel like Gaston from Beauty and the Beast (minus the sexsist tendencies) this isn’t the beer for you. But I was kind of hoping you might guess that from the name of the beer.
I like this beer. I like that it does what it sets out to do. It is delicious, refreshing and not too sweet. Grab me another six pack. Yum.
