March 12, 2010
So here we are again, approaching the week of St. Patrick’s Day which means some Irish and Irish-themed beer reviews! You can’t really call McSorley’s Irish Black Lager an Irish beer can you?
Its even debatable if popular beers like Guinness, Smithwick’s and Murphy’s are Irish either considering where they’re made or who owns them! (More on that next week.) Anyway…
Last year we reviewed McSorley’s Ale, and while it isn’t an Irish beer per-se, one might think it was by looking at its shamrock-laden label claiming that it’s brewed with ‘Irish Spirit’. Well, this year we’re checking out the 5.5% ABV (and newly labeled) McSorley’s Irish Black Lager.
The newer label tries to invoke images of the famous McSorleys Old Ale House that was established in New York City in 1854. The history is actually quite interesting, but its unfortunate that the beer has gone from being brewed on-site in the basement, to being brewed today in Wilkes-Barre PA. Hardly a NYC crafted beer as the label suggests, and even more dubious might be the ‘Irish Spirit’. Still, lets see how the beer is!
This is a new beer for me in the sense that I don’t think I’ve had a domestic ‘black lager’ before. I did try Negra Modello and San Migual dark lagers, and looking back it seems I enjoyed them both of them enough to give 3-star ratings!
The McSorley’s Irish Black Lager pours an almost black color, (really?) but when held up to the light one can see its really a nice and clear ruby red. The head is on the large side as you can see in the picture, but its very foamy and dissipated rapidly. In the glass, a nice looking beer.
The smell is not ‘lagery’ in the typical sense, and I suppose I should try and purge my impression of lagers while trying to do this review. Its not hoppy or crisp, but rather more ale-like with sweet malt and a hint of caramel in the aroma. Nothing special, but so far so good.
The taste is interesting and follows the aroma very closely. Its malty and has a caramel sweetness, but there’s something of a metallic thing that comes through in the finish. Perhaps its the hops finally making themselves known? I don’t know but it was the one thing that sort of turned me off on this beer. The other odd thing I noticed is that as the beer warmed up it seemed to get sweeter – like syrupy sweet. It wasn’t bad, but I think this beer (being a lager) is perhaps better tasting when its colder.
McSorley’s Irish Black Lager has a decent mouthfeel that is almost creamy and also doesn’t have a watery feel to it either. This characteristic also surprised me because I’m mentally referencing watery lagers as I drink it. I’ll admit, I need to get some more lager reviews under my belt!
Overall, its a drinkable brew, but its one of those beers that you can either take or leave and be no better or worse for trying it or not trying it. I’m curious if anyone who reads this review has had this beer on tap and has been able to compare it to what’s in the bottle?
So, based on The Brew Club’s beer rating system, I’m going to give the McSorley’s Irish Black Lager a 2 star rating. “Drinkable, and not unpleasant, but not something I’d take to a friend’s house either.”
Rating: 
What about you? What do you think of the McSorley’s Irish Black Lager, or any of their beers? What do you think of the marketing? Is it cool to look like grungy NYC when you’re from Pennsylvania?
Posted in 2 Star Reviews, Lager 
6 Comments »
March 10, 2010
With beers now apparently reaching 45% ABV this post should ideally be read with the theme from ‘Rocky’ playing in the background, so get those trumpets out… pa paa papa paa papa paa papa pop… The battle for the strongest beer in the world rages on!
I’ve previously written about the Brewdog brewery in the north of Scotland. In the past they courted controversy by brewing ‘Tokyo Extra Stout‘, brewed to a scary 18.2% ABV. Despite this extreme potency, I gave it 5 stars, describing it as “a truly awesome, yet well balanced beer experience”.
Well, while the controversy over the Tokyo Stout was raging, Brewdog were working on an even more audacious and potent brew – ‘Tactical Nuclear Penguin’ – brewed using an ‘Ice Lagering’ process – not unlike how (I am led to believe) ‘Applejack’ and ‘Jersey Lightning’ is made.
‘Penguin’ was certified in November 2009 as having an ABV of 32%, beating the previous record of 31% held by German brewer Schorschbräu.
Schorschbräu responded with Schorschbock at 40%, regaining their world record – for just two weeks. Brewdog have recently launched ‘Sink the Bismarck‘ brewed an eye watering 41% ABV!
Now we’ve seemed to find a Dutch brewery, Het Koelschip from Almere which cranked out a 45%ABV beer called Obilix. Where does it end?
Check out what Google translator does when it mutates Dutch into English!
“OBILIX is a special beer from 45% alc obtained by a cold beer to ship a special way to edit the obtained alc. rate amber beer with a beer a very distinct taste.”
Makes sense, right?
I have a bottle of ‘Tactical Nuclear Penguin’ lined up for a beer review, but I have to confess that at the equivalent of sixty dollars a bottle (or ninety dollars a US pint) I think I’ll pass on ‘Sink the Bismarck’. To me, this is too much to spend on a beer. I have no idea how much Oblix might cost.
Again, I was pleasantly surprised by the complexity of the flavour of the 18.2% ABV Tokyo Stout, but I’m wondering what are your views on this race for the strongest beer in the world? Is it simply marketing and bragging rights, or is there more to it?
-Bob the Brit
Posted in Other Stuff, Views from a Brit 12 Comments »
March 8, 2010
Its breakfast time! Well, almost. If you read the label with the creepy baby of Founders Breakfast Stout, you’ll find that in addition to chocolate, (which makes any meal better) this particular stout is brewed with coffee (of the Sumatra and Kona variety) and Oatmeal. Its like breakfast in a bottle!
I’ve read a lot of good things about this beer, and as a stout-lover I’ve been really wanting to try it for The Brew Club. You’ll be happy I did! I know I was!
First, look at that picture. That’s a good looking beer, don’t you think? The beer is very dark, probably black in color. The beer is so dark, even my halogen desk lamp’s light could not penetrate it! The foamy head is a complimentary milk chocolaty color.
Spending some time on what the Founders Breakfast Stout smells like beyond the obvious (and wonderful) chocolate and java, you have warm roasty malts and just a hint of alcohol which is impressive for a beer that’s 8.3% ABV.
The flavor is just unreal. Like the aroma, its a combination of bitter coffee, sweet chocolate, and rich malt. The flavors were individually identifiable if I concentrated on it, while at the same time were seemingly perfectly blended so that it was hard to tell where the coffee started and the chocolate ended and vice-versa. I really liked trying to figure out this beer, but then I realized there isn’t much to it. Its kind of simple, but very, very well done.
Again, for an 8.3% ABV beer, the Founders Breakfast Stout keeps the alcohol flavor well managed, it never steals the show from the coffee and chocolate, but you do get a little of that warm finish that reminds you to keep track of how many of these you consume!
The body was full as one might imagine for a stout, and I found the mouthfeel to be creamy and there was just the right amount of carbonation. The only problem I have with this beer is that I don’t have more of it!
Looking back on this little beer review, I have to say that I’ve had some pretty good beers lately- many getting 4-stars which is unusual for me. I’m really hesitant to give a beer 5 stars, but for the life of me I can’t think of any reason not to! Granted, I LOVE this style of beer. I like stouts; milk stouts, oatmeal stouts, what have you, but the way Founders was able to perfectly bring together some of my favorite flavors of coffee and chocolate has so far been unmatched.
So, there you have it. Founders Breakfast Stout gets the first 5-star beer rating (from me) since 2008! If you like stouts, do yourself a favor and try this one, you won’t be disappointed!
Rating:
Have you tried Founders Breakfast Stout? What did you think of it?
Posted in 5 Star Reviews, Ales, American Beers, Bocks, Porters and Stouts 11 Comments »
March 5, 2010
Cruising through my local Whole Foods Market, I come across this giant pile of River Horse Oatmeal Milk Stout. I wasn’t planning on buying beer for The Brew Club this evening, (I swear, I wasn’t!) but this monolithic beer display got me thinking.
For one, River Horse Brewing Company is a New Jersey based brewer, and I’m consciously trying to buy New Jersey beers to review from time to time. Secondly, the beer sounded like something I’d LOVE! Oatmeal Milk Stout. Nuff’ said! Third, this pile of beer was so big, I had to take a six pack off of it just to get to the checkout line!
So, with my River Horse beer, and some other selections in tow, I made it back to my humble abode where the ’science’ all happens! 
The Oatmeal Milk Stout is something of a mystery. It’s not even on the River Horse website, so I couldn’t even do any background research on the beer! The best I can tell from scrounging around on the interwebs is that its a special-release beer and that its in the 6.7% ABV neighborhood.
This Jersey oatmeal stout pours pretty much an opaque black color into my glass and created a wonderfully colored chocolate brown head. The head has decent frothiness and as it dissipates it reminds me of a cappiccino from the top with areas of darker brown amongst the sea of foam.
The aroma of this beer has me wondering if its mislabeled somehow! I’m picking up notes of chocolate and coffee malts and there is also lurking the smell of alcohol. I guess at almost 7% that shouldn’t be a surprise, but it seemed a bit dominating to me. Again, I would have named it something like Coffee Chocolate Oatmeal Milk Stout, but that doesn’t really roll off the tongue now does it?
Taste is initially a bit on the bitter side, and I think that’s where the oatmeal is kicking in. Any Milk Stouts I’ve had in the past have been much sweeter and creamier than this Oatmeal Milk Stout from River Horse. The bitterness is a little bit of a turn off for me because it doesn’t seem to subside or change throughout the sip. Its just bitter all the way through, almost to the point where I’m thinking it has a slightly odd metallic twang that just isn’t thrilling.
Aside from my above criticism, there is the coffee and chocolate flavors, but for me the bitterness and the alcohol flavors throw this beer a bit off balance. I was also surprised at how the ‘Milk’ part of the Stout just didn’t seem to show up for the show. Oatmeal bittery-ness wins the battle here.
Still, this River Horse brew has a nice creamy mouthfeel, and I’d say that its moderately drinkable – but it will take some more time to finish the rest of them. Not something I’d rush back to.
So there it is. Overall, the River Horse Oatmeal Milk Stout is a decent beer from Jersey, but I guess I was expecting something a bit different than what I got. Not a bad beer, but not something that I’d consider to be all that memorable or go out of my way to purchase again – unless I had to buy some to get out of the store!
Rating:
If my rating system had a 2.75 star, that’s what I’d give it, but I’m going to round it up to 3 stars because its local New Jersey beer!
Posted in 3 Star Reviews, Ales, Bocks, Porters and Stouts 6 Comments »
March 3, 2010
Beer Tasting Notes? What’s this about? (Post spoiler. You can get a free copy of this book if you read on. There’s only 5 so shhhhh.) (Post Update! Prizes have all been claimed! Thanks to all who participated!)
We’ve been reviewing beer here on The Brew Club for almost two years now, and for the most part my beer reviewing methodology was seat-of-the pants, immediate feedback from mouth to keyboard, (and by that I don’t mean I type with my tongue.)
I typically do my beer reviews ‘on the fly’ in real time as I’m enjoying the beer.
Anybody else do that?
While my palate is improving, and I’m learning more about the flavors of beers, there’s only so much brainpower I’m willing to expend on such an endeavor, and I kind of like the spontaneous beer review. Still, I’m always looking for ways to improve my reviewing ability both for myself, and you the cherished visitor!
Recently while reviewing the Southern Tier Porter, I did something that I’ve never done before. I jotted down some beer tasting notes! I had my Southern Tier Porter, and I wrote down my impressions of the beer in my Beer Tasting Notes book.
After I finished my notes, I began to put the review into blog format, and fleshed it out a bit as I was able to open bottle #2 (for verification purposes of course) and I found that it was actually a little easier to get my words and ideas onto the electronic page after having written them on the paper page first.
Seems like an extra step (it is), but I felt that having my thoughts written out beforehand in some sort of logical order made the actual review a little bit easier to do. I was even able to stop the beer review, run a few errands and pick up where I left off which would have been difficult otherwise.
So what brought about this new beer reviewing method? Well, fellow beer-blogger Nate over at Brewery Reviewery sent me some free copies of his Beer Tasting Notes books as a VERY generous thank you gift for some assistance I gave him with his website. (I didn’t do anything really.)
Still, Nate insisted on sending me some of his books to try with my beer reviews, and perhaps give some copies away for others to try. (Which I will if you read on!)
The book itself is quite simple. In the front it has a table of contents where you can list your beer reviews in an easy to access place. Then, you have 75 pages for your beer review notes which has places for you to put all the information about your beer from the price and style, to taste and mouthfeel notes.
This beer review business is an odd thing, but I’ll admit that it’s interesting to compare beers, even when there is no comparison! Still, a book like this might help someone who doesn’t run a big fancy beer blog like this to keep track of their own beer adventures. Actually, that’s why The Brew Club got started in the first place, as a way to keep track of beers we exchanged, but in reality, having a book handy like the Brewery Reviewery Beer Tasting Notes book is a lot easier!
So I mentioned something about giving away some copies. If you’ve read this far you should have slim competition! I have 5 copies of Nate’s Beer Tasting Notes to give away so I wanted to make it easy, but still make it a little challenging as well. Why bother? Well, as I mentioned I think its a neat tool for the beer geek, and also the Beer Tasting Notes
goes for $10 on Amazon so it isn’t like it’s of no value either! It might be worth your time!
All you have to do to get a free copy of Beer Tasting Notes is this….
- Must live in the 49 48 contiguous United States. Sorry Alaska and Hawaii people. While I love you I’m just not going to mail stuff to you!
- Be one of the first five people to Tweet about this post on Twitter.
- In the Tweet, mention this post however you want, but you MUST include a link to either this post or http://thebrewclub.com (makes sense, so people can find it) and you MUST include me in the Tweet @TheBrewClub so I can keep track of the first 5 people to do it!
- Sorry, re-tweets of someone else’s entry doesn’t count!
Seems simple enough right? So, if you are one of the first 5 people to tweet about this post, include a link and @thebrewclub, I’ll mail out a free copy of Beer Tasting Notes. I’ll mention the winners here and on Twitter!
If you miss out or are not on Twitter, you can still pick up a copy of Beer Tasting Notes on Amazon. Its $10, but I think its worth it. Good luck!
We have our 5 winners already! (Faster than I thought!) Congratulations to @Chillman2 @Brewerman @BeerPoet @BeerandWhisky (Don) and @BillyBroas. I’ll be in touch!
Posted in Other Stuff 20 Comments »
March 1, 2010
Gelande Amber Lager is a 4% ABV beer from Uinta Brewing Company in Utah. I figured I’d do a beer review on this lager a try because the picture on the label indicated a skiing scene which makes it a good reason to try during the winter, right? Plus, we just got through the Winter Olympics. What can I say, I’m a master at timing.
This beer pours a nice amber color, and I messed up a bit and poured it a little too recklessly which created this massive fizzy head in my glass! D’ oh! Its a nice looking beer, but nothing particularly remarkable about it either I guess.
The aroma is really hard to pinpoint because its simply nondescript. There is a slight sweet malty scent, and something of a very slight bread thing, but this beer is generally weak.
Getting on to the taste, I have to say that the Gelande Amber Lager is a bit of a disappointment compared to some of the beers I’ve had the pleasure to try recently. First, much like the scent, there are hardly any flavors that stand out to make the beer interesting.
Its got some weak maltiness, and some weak breadiness, but it just sort of blends into this bland and uninspired beer thing. I don’t know if the low ABV is an indication, but this beer is not trying to impress, and I wouldn’t accuse it of pushing any flavor boundaries.
On top of that, this amber lager has a really thin body of water-like viscosity. Digging down, I’m really finding it hard to say anything more about this beer - so I won’t. Except that I didn’t like it. Uninspired, bland, watery. It’s a mild-mannered beer, and I wonder how many calories are in it. You get the idea.
Rating:
Granted, this is the first beer I’ve had from Uinta Brewing Company, but it was really a let down. Have you tried this beer? What did you think? What about other beers from this Utah based brewer? I wish I had another bottle to give it a second shot, but alas, I do not.
Posted in 1 Star Reviews, American Beers, Lager 6 Comments »
February 28, 2010
I was running some errands the day after our latest seemingly endless snowstorm and I came across this gigantic snowman! I thought at first it was some left up Christmas decoration, but its not – its a real snowman!
Check it out! The fire hydrant in the front and the garbage can hat give it some proportion! I don’t know how these guys made this giant snowman, I’m guessing its at least 20ft. tall, but I do know they used beer bottles for the face and buttons, and that’s the beer tie-in. They jammed the beer bottles into the snowman so that only the base of the bottle shows making nice contrasting round shapes. Clever!
I’m just wondering if they had all that beer while making it – could have been a crazy time!
Anyway, I hope it brings a smile to your face. It did mine!
Posted in Other Stuff 4 Comments »
February 26, 2010
Heavy Seas Winter Storm is another winter seasonal beer brought to us by the people at Clipper City Brewing Company in Baltimore, MD. This is my first beer review of anything from this brewery, so I’m curious to find out what this beer is about. Its also a timely review because as I write this we’re literally in the middle of what seems like a weekly blizzard here in NJ!
Here’s some of the beer’s basics. Heavy Seas Winter Storm, according to the label, is a 7.5% ABV Imperial ESB. What makes it a Winter seasonal brew I’m not sure, but from what I’ve seen on other winter seasonal beers like the Long Trail Winter White, a higher ABV is usually part of the categorization process! For example, the Winter White is simply a stronger (7.2% ABV) Belgian White, whereas the ‘regular’ Long Trail Belgian White is a ‘more normaler’ 4.7% ABV. See?
I’ve only had a couple other ESBs One was Fuller’s ESB which is considered by many to be the standardbeared of the style, and more recenlty I had the Yards ESA which I really enjoyed.
As far as I can tell, ESB is short for Extra Special Bitter or a Strong Bitter which has an ABV of 4.5% or higher. Stylewise, ESB is still a bit of a mystery to me because this particular beer (as you will learn) tastes nothing like the Fullers ESB I previously mentioned. Perhaps English and American ESBs are like English and American IPAs? Similar, but different? Allot different?
This beer from Clipper City could be described by me as a strong American Pale Ale. It pours a nice amber color and its cloudy in the glass. I realize after I pour the beer that there is decent sediment floating in the glass – maybe I poured a little too aggressively and should have slowed down!
The beer immediately gives off an aroma of earthy hops, but there is also some malty sweetness – but hops dominate here. Overall, the aroma is not overpowering in one way or another – and even at 7.5% ABV, the smell of alcohol is almost hardly apparent. Hmm.
The head is (to me) typical of a hoppy-type beer. It’s got a bit of a creamy color and it leaves that odd frothy layer on the surface that never disappears.
Getting on to the taste, I’ll admit I’m more of a malt beer guy than a hop beer guy. I simply prefer my beers nice and malty. This beer, however, while stronger on the hop to malt scale didn’t go overboard. Its a hoppy beer, but not extreme. I actually enjoyed it which is something you will hardly ever see me saying.
The mouthfeel was a little on the sticky side, but this Heavy Seas Winter Storm did leave a nice mildly hoppy and bitter aftertaste. Nice.
Overall, I thought that this winter brew from Clipper City wasn’t bad. Its not really a WOW type of beer – nothing really outstanding about it, but I can’t really fault it either especially because I have a hard time appreciating hoppier beers. (I’m trying to keep an open mind though.)
Not to dwell on it, but besides the higher than normal ABV, I’m not sure what makes this beer a Winter Ale, or an ESB for that matter. I think it could be called an Imperial American Pale Ale and sold all year long actually! I did enjoy it, and I would not shy away from having this again at a pub or something, but I would say that the Yard’s or Fullers were better.
Rating:
What do you think about Clipper City’s Winter Storm? What about their other beers, do you have a favorite? Anybody care to clarify the ESB confusion I had because this beer didn’t seem to be ANYTHING like Fuller’s or Yard’s ESB!
And please, no more snow!!!
Posted in 3 Star Reviews, Ales, American Beers, Seasonal Beers 7 Comments »
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