These are strictly my own opinion, which is subject to change!.
Best of / worst of the beers in several categories
My rating, on a scale of 0 (bad) to 10 (good), is derived from how much I like the beer overall, and, to a lesser degree, how well the beer fits the style I'm expecting. I tend to like beers with a lot of flavor, and not like beers that have what I perceive as nasty flavors. I am especially partial to hoppy beers such as pale ales and IPAs, to rich, dark (but not sickly sweet) beers, whether they be dark lagers, doppelbocks, dubbels, tripels, dark wheat beers, weizenbocks, brown ales, stouts, or porters, to wheat beers with the traditional yeast-produced spicyness, to fruit beers, and to spiced Christmas beers. Thus, flavorless American pilsners won't do very well here! I recognize that some beers, such as Coors Light, don't have a lot of flavor, but don't taste bad either and can hit the spot under the right circumstances. Note that just because one beer has a higher rating than another doesn't mean I'd want to drink it all of the time; sometimes a thick, heavy beer just isn't what I want. For reference, I give Coors Light a 4; bad beers have lower rating, while more tasty (good taste, that is) beers have higher ratings. The following table shows, for each number, roughly how I would describe a beer with that numerical rating. If a beer has both desirable and undesirable characteristics, they are weighed against each other.
NR = No rating: I was too busy enjoying the beer to jot one down.
0 = Barf reflex is immediately invoked.
1 = Undrinkable.
2 = A few sips can be tolerated (hey, I paid for it).
3 = It's beer, but it's not good beer.
4 = It's not bad, but it lacks flavor.
5 = Has a little flavor.
6 = Has decent flavor.
This is a very good rating for a lager
but not a particularly good rating for a beer that
I think should have a lot of good flavor.
7 = Good.
8 = Very good. No flaws. A real treat.
9 = Excellent.
10 = Perfect. Cannot be improved.
I've noticed that the tastes of beers from some of the smaller breweries have changed over time, some for the worse. I think (and am supported by many posters on the newsgroup rec.crafts.brewing) that some of the breweries have ongoing infection problems. Other breweries may not have as good a control over their process, so the beer varies from batch to batch. Furthermore, some beers (notably Heineken) taste vastly different from different containers, whether bottle, can, or keg (the green Heineken bottles let UV light through, which supplies the energy for a chemical reaction involving one of the hop compounds, producing a "skunky" aroma that some people like). And of course, my taste may have varied. Therefore, some of the beers have multiple ratings from different tastings.
Some beer-rating lists go on and on about flavors of this wood, hints of that fruit, the nose of a certain wine, and very specific recommendations of what foods should be eaten with each beer. I really don't think that there's that much to say about most of the beers...so I don't say it.
Each beer in this list has the following information: brewery name, contract brewery if applicable, city, beer name, whether it was tasted from bottle or tap, perhaps some comments, and my rating. I haven't listed the beer style (e.g. pilsner, stout, India pale ale), as this is somewhat a matter of opinion and some beers would fit the guidelines (of the American Homebrewers Association, for example) for more than one style. Sometimes the style is given by the name (although I think some are improperly named).
Beers are grouped by country of origin, or by state for the United States. For each region, breweries are listed alphabetically. Beers from each brewery are then listed alphabetically.
I've listed U.S. microbreweries separately from the large ones. While there is no legal definition of "microbrewery," these might more appropriately be called "craft brewers," brewers who make special beers in contrast to the American "Budmilloors"-type beer. The Institute of Brewing Studies, a trade group in Boulder, Colorado, defines a microbrewery as one producing less than 15,000 barrels per year (a barrel of beer is 31 gallons), while a larger brewery is one producing over 1,000,000 barrels per year. All of the craft brewers produce well less than this million-barrel mark.
Some businesses supply the recipe and marketing for a beer, but have it brewed by someone else (a contract brewery). For the purposes of this list, breweries are listed by the location of their headquarters (e.g., Pete's is listed as a California beer, even though it's brewed in Minnesota).
This list emphasizes the beers of West Coast microbreweries because that's what I enjoy, and, being in California, that's what's most readily available. I do taste beers when I travel, and receive beers from beer-of-the-month clubs for a wider selection.
Beer Ratings by State and Country
This list starts in California and travels generally eastward.
???, Berkeley, California Brandenberg Gate Pilsner 4.5 Tries to look German and doesn't even list the brewery, but really just a plain American lager. Ale Smith Brewing Company, San Diego, California Ale Smith IPA 6.5 Cloudy. Could use more hop aroma. Has a bitterness that I don't care for. American River Brewing Company, Auburn, California Brewers of Auburn Amber Lager (bottle) 7.5,5 Gold Lager (bottle) 5 No flavor. Oatmeal Stout (bottle) 8 Roasty. Paradise Ale 7.5 Fruity. Some hoppy aroma and bitterness. Paradise is a town a few miles south of Auburn on Highway 49 (Gold Country Highway). Paradise Pils 6.5 A good pilsner. Anchor Brewing Company, San Francisco, California Anchor is the granddaddy of craft brewing in the U.S., and is one of the best-known. It rivals Sierra Nevada as my favorite brewery. Anchor was one of the first in the U.S. to come out with a Christmas beer, in 1975. Take a tour and taste afterward. (415) 863-8350 1705 Mariposa St., SF. Cases of past OSAs may sometimes be purchased at the brewery. I keep a few years in the fridge for comparison. Anchor Bock Beer 9 I'll describe this as more like a doppelbock than simply a bock, with its dark brown colorand rich malt flavor. Suspiciously simliar to Anchor Porter. Anchor Porter (bottle) 8,9 My favorite porter Anchor Saison Spring Ale 3 A Belgian-style saison with some clove-like flavor, but it has a off taste that neither my wife nor I like. I ended up dumping most a six-pack. 7.2% abv. Anchor Steam (bottle, tap) 5,6 Anchor Wheat (tap) 5.5 Unremarkable. No spice. Liberty Ale (bottle) 9.5 A wonderfully hoppy pale ale (or maybe even IPA) style. Dry hopping adds to the hop aroma. Old Foghorn (tap, bottle) 7 Rich, well balanced, strong. Slightly fruity. Barleywine, bottled only occasionally, and only in small 7-oz. bottles due to its strength (8.8% alc/vol). Expensive. Our Special Ale 1992 (Christmas Ale) (bottle) 9 A little less body that in later years. Western yellow/ponderosa pine on label. Our Special Ale 1993 (Christmas Ale) (bottle) 10 Wonderful spices added. Heavy. Apple tree on label. Our Special Ale 1994 (Christmas Ale) (bottle) 8 Not quite as good as last year. Generic Christmas tree on label. 20th year. Our Special Ale 1995 (Christmas Ale) (bottle) 10 Liquid heaven! Heavier. A well balanced amount of spice added. Palm tree on label. Our Special Ale 1996 (Christmas Ale) (bottle) 8.5 Not as spicy or heavy as last year. Oak tree on label. Our Special Ale 1997 (Christmas Ale) (bottle) 10 Scotch pine tree on label. Our Special Ale 1998 (Christmas Ale) (bottle) 9 Not quite as spicy as last year. Odd-numbered years seem to be a little stronger. California juniper on label. Our Special Ale 1999 (Christmas Ale) (bottle) 10 Desert ironwood tree on label. I like it even better at cellar temperature. Our Special Ale 2000 (Christmas Ale (tap, bottle) 8 California Nutmeg tree on label. Intially has a thin mouthfeel. Seems to have similar spices, just less than in most other years. Our Special Ale 2001 (Christmas Ale (bottle) 10 California fan palm (aka California Washington palm) tree on label. Our Special Ale 2002 (Christmas Ale (bottle) 10 Fremont cottonwood tree on label. Our Special Ale 2003 10 Spicy flavor, yet drinkable. Our Special Ale 2010 10 Ginko Biloba (maiden hair) tree on label. Only 5.5% abv. Small Beer (bottle) 1.5 Made from the second runnings of the Old Foghorn barleywine, this beer is amber in color but weak and off in taste. Anderson Valley, Boonville, California Has a brewpub. Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout (bottle) 7 Didn't live up to expectations. Exps. Belk's Bitter Ale--Extra Special Bitter (bot.) 6.5 Yeasty Boont Amber (bottle) 8,6.5 Slightly fruity. Bourbon Barrel Stout 8 "Malt beverage age in Wild Turkey Bourbon barrels." This stout is smoother and not as roasty as other stouts. The taste of bourbon is surprisingly strong, almost like they added bourbon to the beer, but probably not as it's 6.9% abv. If you like bourbon whiskey, try this one. Brother David's Double 8 A fine example of the style. More flavorful when warmed above refrigerator temperature. Brother David's Triple 8,7 Rich, but not as sweet or rich as I hoped. 10.0% abv. Heech O'Hops 7.5 Double India Pale Ale. 8.7% abv. Hop Otter I.P.A. 9 Bitter enough. Hoppy aroma last to the bottom of the glass due to dry hopping. Winter Solstice (tap, bottle) 9.5,8 Fairly rich, smooth, some spiciness Winter Solstice Seasonal Ale 2001 10 Sweet spicy, drinkable. Not too heavy. Ballast Point Brewing Company, San Diego, California Fathom IPL 7 IPL = IPA-Sytle Lager. This has the bitterness of an IPA, but without the esters of an ale. Personally, I prefer the IPA style. Humphrey's Amber Ale 7.5 Brownish red color. Detectable hop bitterness and aroma. Humphrey's Pale Ale 5 Deep golden. Little flavor. Barley and Hopps, San Mateo, California A brewpub with some distribution. Rye IPA (tap) 8 Well-hopped. Bay Brewing Company (aka Devil Mountain Brewery), Benicia, Calif. Founded in 1987. Used to have a restaurant in Walnut Creek. Closed in September 1995 due to thin profit margins, even though the brand was successful. The brand was bought out and is being brewed in Cincinatti. Devil's Brew Porter (bottle) 4 Diablo Golden Ale (bottle) 7.5 In the past it's had a good fruitiness. 5 Malt Ale 7.5 Malty. Railroad Ale (bottle) 7,4 A pale ale. I think it's been infected lately. Bayhawk Ales, Inc., Irvine California California Pale Ale (CPA) 6.5,9 Hop aroma, medium bitterness. 5.4% abv. Bear Republic Brewing Company, Healdsberg, California 3R Belgian Ale 7.5 A blend of their three top-selling ales with Belgian malt. Malty. Hefeweizen 9 Spicy. Yummy. Hop Rod Rye Ale 8.5 "High-gravity IPA." Organic IPA 7 Hoppy, but needs more body. Racer 5 India Pale Ale 8,9.5 Excellent hop aroma and bitterness. Racer #5 is Speed Racer from the old cartoon. Black Diamond Brewing Company, Walnut Creek, California A brewpub--all beers here are from a tap. Amber Ale 6.5 English-style malt and hops flavor. American Red Wheat Ale 7 EPA (Extra Pale Ale) 5 Some cardboard taste. Hefeweizen 7 German style spice. Pale Ale 8.5 Hoppy. Stout 7.5 A dry stout. Creamy. Bison Brewing, Berkeley, California Primarily a brewpub. A few beers get bottled. Bison Weizen 4 A hint of clovelike spicyness. Has an off taste. Chocolate Stout 9 Very chocolatey. India Pale Ale, September 1994 (bottle) 7 Decent hop bitterness, but yucky flavor, too. Spring Bock, March 1994 (bottle) 5 Boulder Creek Brewing Company, Boulder Creek, California Brewpub. Ghost Rail Pale Ale (tap) 4 A little nasty. Royal E.S.B. (tap) Slightly sweet. 5.5 Brewery Atlantis, San Francisco, California (not to be confused with Atlantis in Denver) Wintertide Ale (tap) 5 Brewski Brewing Company, Culver City, California (contract: unknown brewery in Portland, Oregon) Bar Room Ale 7 A brown ale. Decent brown-ale flavor. Brew Pub Classic 4 Boring lager. Holiday Salute 1994 7.5 Full body. Holiday Salute 1995 5 Brewtown Tavern Grill, San Carlos, California Dragontail Pale Ale 7 Trainwreck Hefeweizen 7 The cloudiest yeast I've ever seen, with some spice to it. Brothers Brewing Company, Berkeley, California Brothers Honey Brewed Amber Ale 7.5 Very malty. Buffalo Bill's Brewery, Hayward, California (contract for botttled beer: Dubuque Brewing Co., Dubuque, Iowa) Bellhop Porter 7.5 Billy Bock (bottle) 8.5 Smooth, fairly rich, malty, and enjoyable. Buffalo Brew Pale Ale 7 Well hopped, fruity. Leaves an unappealing dry aftertaste. Buffalo Special Bitter 7.5 Pumpkin Ale 1994 (bottle) 7 Pumpkin pie flavor. Spicy ending taste. Pumpkin Ale 1995 (bottle from brewery) 6.5 Less pumpkin, more nutmeg than last year. Pumpkin Ale 1996 (tap) 8 Nice nutmeg-like spice. Tazmanian Devil (bottle from brewery) 6 Strong but smooth. (tap) 8.5 White Buffalo 6 Light beer. Butte Creek Brewing Company, Chico, Califonia Specializing in organic beers. Gold Ale 6.5 Lighter body. Organic India Pale Ale 9.5 Great hop aroma and bitterness. Roland's Red Premium 7.5 Fairly hoppy. More brown than red. Roland was formerly with Sierra Nevada. Butterfield Brewing Company, Fresno, California Bridalveil Ale (tap) 6 Riptide Red (tap) 9 Very dark for a red. Good balance of body and hops. Carlsbad Ale Works, Carlsbad, California (contract: Palm Springs Brewing Co., Palm Springs, CA) "Warm Waters" India Pale Ale 9.5 Great combination of bitterness and body. And a good value at Trader Joe's. Carmel Brewing Company, Salinas, California I guess "Carmel" sounds better than "Salinas." Cypress Amber 6 Malty. Holiday Ale 6.5 Very malty. Mission Hefeweissen Wheat 7 Some spice. Nice misinformation on bottle. Pale Ale 5.5 Bland for a pale ale. Winter Brau German Brown Ale 7.5 Malty. Chao Tien Beer Co., Chico, California Pale Ale 7 Some bitterness. Coast Range Brewing Company, Gilroy, California BevMo! Belgian White 6 Some of the right flavor, but needs more. A little bit of funny aftertaste. Cloudy, as it should be. Blackberry Wheat Beer (tap) 7.5 Decent fruit. No aftertaste. Flawless. Coast Range Barleywine (tap) 6.5 Unbalanced sweetness. Desperado Special Bitter (tap) 3 Desperado Pale Ale (bottle) 7.5 Good hoppy bitterness. Merry Maker 2000 8 Amber color. Hoppy aroma and bitterness. Coastal Fog Brewing Company, San Francisco, California Coastal Fog Pale Ale 4.5 Bland. Not a California-style pale ale. Copperhead Ale Company, Emeryville, California (contract: Golden Pacific Brewing, Emeryville, California) Original Copperhead Ale 8.5 Very malty. Coronado Brewing Company, Coronado, California Islander IPA 10 Great balance of hoppiness and body. Covany Brewing Company, Grover Beach, California Copper Penny--Honest Ale 7 Danse-Skjold Brewing Company, Solvang, California (contract: St. Stan's Brewing Company, Modesto, California) Solvang is the "Danish Capital of the U.S." Danse-Skjold Premium Ale 5.5 Devil's Canyon Brewing Company, San Carlos (formerly Belmont), California Full Boar Scotch Ale 7 Smokey, so be prepared. 7.4% abv. Double D Brewing Company, Arboga, California Hefe Weiss 5.5 High Velocity Ale 5 Lucious Lager 7.5 Pilsner-like. Red Ass Ale 7.5 Sasquatch Ale 9 Big body and the hops to match. Drake's Brewing Company, San Leandro, California Drake's IPA 10,8 A powerful hop aroma and bitterness, with big body to match. Gold medal IPA at 2002 GABF. 7.0% abv. Dust Bowl Brewing Company, Turlock, California Therapist Imperial IPA 8 10.4% abv. Eel River Brewing Company, Fortuna, California Amber (bottle) 6.5 Climax California Classic (bottle) 7,8 Crisp. Very bitter. A better Bohemian pilsner than Urquell. Pale--ESB (tap) 6.5 Ravensbrau Porter 6.5 El Dorado Brewing Company, Mt. Aukum, California Real Mountain Ale 5 Nice hop aroma, but non-hop bitterness doesn't go away. Trailblazer Stout 8.5 Rich and creamy with a little roasted bite. El Toro Brewing Company, Morgan Hill, California El Toro IPA 7.5,7 Cloudy. Fruity, not hoppy aroma. Sufficient bitterness. Dry finish. Golden Ale 6 Peach Flavored Ale 4 Too bitter for the fruit flavoring. Poppy Jasper Amber Ale (bottle) 8 English Ales Brewery, Marina, California 1066 Pale Ale 3 Has an off taste. Black House Stout 8 Quite roasty. Black Prince Porter 8 Creamy. Edinburgh Winter Ale, Special Reserve 2002 9 Like Anchor's OSA. Monterey Bay Wheat 5 Etna Brewing Company, Inc., Etna, California Etna Ale 6.5 Nothing special. Etna Beer--Export Lager 6.5 Tangy. Etna Dark Lager 2.5 Lemon flavor. Doesn't taste dark. Expensive, but I still dumped out the rest of the bottle. Farmhouse Brewing Company, Gilroy, California Oasthouse IPA 8 Copper color. Good hop aroma and bitterness. Faultline Brewing Company, Sunnyvale, California Brewpub and restaurant. All beers on tap. Belgian Abbey Ale 8 Mildly sweet. Dark. Dunkel Weizen 9 Yeast-induced spiciness. Not too dark. India Pale Ale 8 Very drinkable. Mild hoppyness; not as rich of an aroma. 6.8% abv. Pale Ale 8 Very drinkable. 5.1% abv. Firestone Walker Brewing Company, Paso Robles (formerly Los Olivos), California Double Barrel Ale 6.5,6 Stickee Monkee 10 "Central Coast Quad" "ale brewed with Belgian candi sugar and aged bourbon barrels." Rich, port-like flavor. 13.4% abv. More flavor and aroma at cellar or even room temperature. Fremont Brewing Company, Fremont, California Brewpub. Belgian Bully 5.5 9% abv: limit two 12-oz. glasses per customer! Very sweet. Flat. Flavored with corriander and orange peel. Tastes like orange curacao liqueur. Smells better than it tastes. California Amber Ale 5 Some astringency. GABF silver medal in American Amber Ale 1995. Fremont ESB (tap) 8 Hop aroma. Dark brown color. Very slightly fruitly. Great Full Red Ale 6.5 Label is a tribute to the Grateful Dead. Irish Coffee Stout 6 Brewed with coffee. Served at cellar temperature. Slightly fruity. Off-taste from high fermentation temperature? Summer Gold 7 Mission Peak Porter 7 Mission Wheat 6.5 Smooth. No spice. Freewheel Brewing Company, Redwood City, California Small brewpub specializing in British-style session beers. Serving their own and guest beers. Iron Bridge Hybrid IPA 6 Thin. 5.2% abv. Iron Bridge Wenlock Stout 8 Roasty, creamy. 5.6% abv. Golden Pacific Brewing Company, Inc., Emeryville, California Formerly 1000 Oaks Brewery with Golden Bear Line of beers (the Golden Bear is the U.C. Berkeley mascot) Amber NR Bosco's Brew 4 This beer is brewed for Bosco's Bones and Brew in Sunol, Calif. Bosco, a dog, was formerly the elected mayor of Sunol. The tap is worth seeing: The bartender raises Bosco's leg and well, you can guess the rest. Golden Bear Bohemian Lager 7 A Bohemian-style lager is crisp and bitter. This is neither. While light in color, it tastes like a brown ale. Golden Bear Dark 7 Smooth. Not very dark tasting. Golden Bear Lager 5,6.5 Golden Gate Amber Ale 8 Amber and malty. Strong carmel flavor. Golden Gate Copper Ale 6.5 Very malty. Golden Gate Hefeweizen 8 Some wheat-beer spice, but I'd like more. Golden Gate Original Ale 8,9 A rare beer with a lot of both hop flavor and maltiness. Half Dome Pale Ale 8.5 Fruity, hoppy. Hibernator Winter Ale 1995 7 Medium maltiness. Gordon Biersch, San Francisco and Palo Alto, California Dunkles (tap) 7 Smooth. Not very rich or roasted. Export (tap) 2.5,5 OK at the brewery, but bad at another place. Marzen (tap) 7,7.5 Slight fruitiness. Very smooth. Rich. Winterbock 8.5 Dark, malty, slightly sweet Green Flash Brewing Company, San Diego, California Barleywine Style Ale 8 A good example of a bitter barleywine. Some companies sell their barleywines in smaller bottle or 4-packs. This one is in a 22-oz. bottle, which is a lot to drink at once at 10.9% abv. Belgian-Style Tripel 8 Third anniversary ale. 8.5% abv Nut Brown Ale 7 Half Moon Bay Brewing Co., Princeton-by-the-Sea, California This is a nice brewpub and restaurant north of Half Moon Bay. India Pale Ale 7.5 Maverick's Amber Ale 7 Maverick's is a world-famous surf break nearby. Malty. 4.8% abv. Pillar Point Pale Ale 6.5 Sandy Beach Blonde 6.5 A hefeweizen. Menu says it has a "wonderful aroma of clove and other esters" but doesn't match the good German hefes. 4.75% abv. The Hangtown Brewery, Placerville, California Boysenberry Ale 4 Tastes artificial. Placerville Pale Ale 6 Nothing to get hung up on. Heckler Brewing Company, Tahoe City, California (contract: August Schell Brewing Co., New Ulm, Minnesota) Heckler Brau Doppelbock 7.5 Smooth. Not very rich. Heckler Brau Fest Marzen 7 Heritage Brewing Company, Lake Elsinore and Dana Point, California Mulligan Premium Lager (bottle) 6.5 Flavorful for a lager. Not lager-like. ONO Pale Ale (tap) 6.5 Could use more hops. Hook & Ladder Brewing Co., Gilroy, California Backdraft Brown 8 Creamy stout-like head, some roastiness, (but not too much for a brown ale), and a hint of fruitiness. Grassfire Wheat 7 A clear wheat beer with good flavor for not having suspended yeast. Hoptown Brewing Company, Pleasanton, California Hoptown IPA 6 Some hop aroma and bitterness. Tastes kind of like one of my homebrews with a little off taste. 6.2% abv. Humbolt Brewing Company, Arcata, California Cheshire Cat (tap) 7.5 Barleywine. Dark. Not too sweet. Gold Rush Extra Pale Ale 6.5 Decent hoppiness. Hemp Ale 7.5 Dark. Hemp/marijuana is a cousin of hops. Red Nectar Ale 4 I went to the brewery and tasted six different beers. They all sucked. Humes Brewing Company, Glen Ellen, California Cavedale Ale 7 Organic beer. Huntington Beach Beer Company, Huntington Beach, California Bolsa Chica Bitter (tap) 5.5 Brickshot Red (tap) 5.5 A little malty. Droosenberry Ale (tap) 3.5 Little berry flavor. Hefeweizen (tap with lemon) 6 Huntington Beach Blonde (tap) 6 A great pilsner. J & L Brewing Company, San Rafael, California (contract: someone in Cold Springs, Minnesota) San Rafael Amber 8 Full-bodied. Decent hoppiness. Jack Russell Brewing Company, Camino, California Brewery named after the owners' dog breed. Jack's Best Bitter 6.5 Jack's London Porter 8 Stout-like roastiness. Jefferson State Brewing Company, Crescent City, California Brother Johnson Belgium Style Ale 7.5 Rich. Deep amber color. Karl Strauss Breweries, San Diego, California (contract: Stevens Point Beverage Co., Stevens Point, Wisconsin) Karl Strauss Amber Lager 5.5 Karl Strauss Red 7 Pilsener 6 Deep color for a pilsener. I'd like more hops. Star of India Pale Ale 8 Great hop aroma. Decent bitterness. Stargazer IPA 8.5 Very drinkable. Lagunitas Brewing Company, Petaluma, California Big Rib Pale Ale (on tap at MacArthur Park, SF) Fruity. 6.5 Cappuccino Stout 7.5 Stout brewed with Columbian coffee, but I don't taste much more roasted coffee than in typical stout. 8.29% abv. Dog Town Pale Ale (bottle) 6.5 Hoppy. India Pale Ale 6.5 Not bitter enough for an IPA. IPA Maxiumus 9 They did this one right. 72 IBUs, 7.5% abv. Lagunitas Pils 4 Has an off bitter taste. Says "Czech-Style Pilsner," but not like Pilsner Urquell. 38.3 IBU. Lagunator Solstice Ale 6 Good at first taste, but has some astringent aftertaste. Oktoberfest Ale 6 Has an off taste. Sirius 6.5 Spring-release high-gravity cream ale. La Jolla Brewing Company, La Jolla, California, (contract: August Schell Brewing Co., New Ulm, Minnesota) Red Roost Ale 6.5 Nothing to crow about Lake Tahoe Brewing Company, near Lake Tahoe, California Tahoe Red Ale (tap) 6.5 Lind Brewing Company, San Rafael (?), California Drake's Expedition Ale 6.5 Bitter. Drake's Gold (tap) 7.5 Slightly sweet Jolly Rogers 1998 8.5 Barleywine. Very dark. Roasty like a stout. Sir Francis Stout (tap) 6,4.5 Porter-like. Sometimes flat. Los Gatos Brewing Company, Los Gatos, California Brewpub. Dunkel (tap) 5.5 Heavy-handed. Pale Lager (tap) 6.5 Oktoberfest--Amber (tap) 8 Porter (tap) 6.5 Chocolately. Lost Coast Brewery & Cafe, Eureka, California Downtown Brown 8 Bottle says Light Brown Ale. Dark brown. Winterbraun Holiday Ale 8.5 Says brown ale. Rich. Dark lager-like. No roasted flavors. Mad River Brewing Company, Blue Lake, California Jamaica Brand Red Ale 7,1 Heavy. Funky label. I have do dump out a sour six-pack. Steelhead Extra Pale Ale 9,7 The "extra" seems to sometimes refer to the "ale," and sometimes to the "pale." Cool label. Steelhead Extra Stout 8 Fruity, rich, slight roasted flavor. Marin Brewing Company, Larkspur, California Albion Amber (bottle) 7.5 Blueberry Ale (tap) 5 Breakout Stout (tap) 9 A mouthful. Mt. Tam Pale Ale (tap) 7.5 Old Dipsea Barleywine (tap) 8.5,9 8.4% abv. Good balance. Raspberry Trail Ale (tap) 6 Plain and fruity. Point Reyes Porter (bottle) 7.5 Zimmerman Pale Ale (tap) 6.5 Unfiltered. Mendocino Brewing Company, Hopland and Ukiah, California Has a nice brewpub. One of the oldest micros in the U.S. Black Hawk Stout 8 Blue Heron Pale Ale 8 Expensive. Eye of the Hawk Select Ale 7.5,9 Heavy, cloudy, and rough. Supposed to be flavorful, but could have more. Another tasting: both hoppy and malty, between an IPA and a barleywine. Imperial IPA 8 A winter seasonal beer. 7.5% abv. Red Tail Ale 9,8,6 Good bitterness. Malty. A pale ale. This ale seems to have changed the past few years. I think it has lost both its bitterness and body. Saison Anniversary Ale 9 Belgian-style spiced ale. 7.0% abv. White Hawk Original IPA 7.5 Considering that this is from one of the most respected breweries, this was a disappointment. I expected more hop bitterness and aroma. Yuletide Porter 7 A Christmas beer. Not too exciting. Slightly fruity. Yeasty at bottom. Mission Brewery, San Diego, California Shipwrecked Double IPA 9.5 Smooth for the strength. 9.25% abv. Balanced hoppiness and body. MoonLight Brewing Company, Santa Rosa, California Twist of Fate Bitter Ale (tap) 6 Monterey Brewing Company, Monterey, California Killer Whale Amber Ale 1 Lemony nose. Flat saltwater taste. How did they get this piss out of the whale? Monterey Coast Brewing, Salinas, California Hefe Weizen 5 Banana flavor. Some spice. Pilsner 3 Scottish Red Ale 5 Moylan's Brewing Company, Novato, California Moylan's Double IPA 7 8.5% abv. Moylan's IPA 8 Big hop aroma and good bitterness. 6.5% abv. Murphys Creek Brewing Company, Murphys, California Black Gold Stout 6 Golden Wheat Beer 6 Murphy's Red Beer 7 Hop aroma, but not very bitter. Napa Valley Ale Works, Napa, California Red Ale 7 Long-lasting malt aftertaste. Napa Valley Brewing Company, Calistoga, California Calistoga Extra Special Bitter 7 Calistoga Pilsner 6.5 A lot of body and color for a pilsner. Calistoga Red 6.5 Nevada City Brewing Company, Nevada City, California Tasting at the brewery. California Dark Lager 6,7 California Gold Lager 5,7 California Stout Lager 6,7 All of these "live beers" are best fresh at the brewery. North Coast Brewing Company, Fort Bragg, California North Coast is now also brewing several beers under the old Acme label (Acme was an early microbrewery in Northern California). North Coast's stronger beers are sold in 4-packs. Acme California Pale Ale 6.5,7.5 Christmas Ale 1995 6 Not much to it. Has a bit of a milky taste and mouthfeel. Cru D'Or Organic Belgian Style Ale 6.5 Bland when cold; a little flavor when warm. 8% abv. Oktoberfest Ale 8 With its hoppiness, I'd call it a good pale ale rather than an oktoberfest. Old No. 38 Stout 6.5 Sharp roasted flavor. Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout 7,8.5 Exceptionally rich--too much form me. Powerful. 9% abv. Old Stock Ale 7,8 A barleywine in the sweet style. 11.4% abv. Pranqster Belgian Style Golden Ale 9.5 A golden clear beer with the taste of a flavorful Belgian wit beer. 7.6% abv. Expensive at $6 for a 4-pack. Ruedrich's Red Seal Ale 7.5,8 Hoppy aroma. Scrimshaw Pilsner 5 More hops than a standard American pilsner. Traditional Bock 6.5 Dark. Slightly malty nose, but otherwise unremarkable. Similar to the Christmas Ale. Oakdale Brewing Company, Oakdale, California A brewpub. Hefeweizen 6.5 The menu claimed it was spicy, but it could use more. IPA 7 Pacific Coast Brewing Company, Oakland, California Acorn Beer (?) 7.5 Code Blue (tap) 6.5 Barleywine. Too sweet. IPA (hand pump tap) 8 Pacific Hop Exchange Brewing Company, Novato, California Holly Hops Winter Ale 1994 5.5 A disappointing spiced ale. Tasted like a flat, yeasty porter. Parrotts Ferry Brewing Company, Columbia, California Housed in an A-frame near the historic Columbia gold diggings. Brown Ale 7 Good representation of style. ESB 8.5 Smells like a fragrant bag of hops due to dry hopping. Hefe Weizen 5 American style--no spiciness. Red Ale 8.5 Nicely bitter for a red ale. Pete's Brewing Company, formerly of Palo Alto, California (and brewed at: Pete's Brewing Company, St. Paul, Minn.) Now in Seattle, Washington and Winston-Salem, North Carolina after Pete sold out. Pete's Signature Pilsner 6 Billed as a true, hoppy pilsner, but needs more bitterness to match the likes of Pilsner Urquell. Pete's Strawberry Blonde 4.5 Tastes like beer with artificial strawberry flavor added. A wheat beer. Pete's Wicked Ale 8.5,9.5 A rare recipe having strong malt and hop aroma and taste. Excellent balance. Pete's Wicked Honey Wheat 4 Cardboard taste. Pete's Wicked Lager 6,7,7.5 Pete's Wicked Maple Porter 8.5 Very dark. Not too sharp. Distinct hint of maple. Pete's Wicked Pale Ale 4 Label says "intensely hopped, rich fruity ale." I didn't think so. Pete's Wicked Red 7 Some flavor, but could use more. Pete's Wicked Winter Brew 1993 9.5 Great raspberry and nutmeg flavor. Recipe from the National Homebrew Grand Champion. Pete's Wicked Winter Brew 1994 8 Not as good as last year. Has a saccharin taste. Pete's Wicked Winter Brew 1995 7.5 Has bit of an artificial taste. Pete's Brewing Company, formerly of Palo Alto, California after moving to Eden North Carolina (in the late 1990s?) Pete's Wicked Ale 7.5 Not the same as the original: A nice brown ale with detectable hops, but no longer has a strong hop flavor. Port Brewing Co./The Lost Abbey, San Marcos, California Devetion Ale 7 Moderate hopping. 6.25% abv. High Tide 7 Fresh-hop IPA. 6.5% abv. Judgement Day Ale 9 "Belgin-style dark quad." I agree. A BIG beer. Also brewed with raisins. More flavor at cellar temperature, rather than refrigerator temperature. At 10.5% abv, one 25.4-oz bottle is plenty for one night. Lost and Found Ale 8 Ale brewed with raisins. I like the idea, but I didn't smell the expected fig and raisin aroma, even when warmer. 8.0% abv. Red Barn Ale 0.5 Nasty. I dumped out the whole big bottle. Powerhouse Brewing Company, Sebastapol Powerhouse Ale 7.5 Strong Ale with complex bitterness and surprisingly smooth finish. Privatbrauerei Hubsch (aka Sudwerk, Hubschbrau), Davis, California This is a great brewpub and restaurant. Doppel Bock 5 Too thick (even for me!) Hefe Weizen 6.5 Some wheat-beer spiciness. Lager 4 Mai Bock 7.5 Full-bodied. Marzen 7 Nice, rich taste Pils 4 True to American pilsner style, which is flavorless. Buy Coors instead. River Otter Ale 5.5 Coarse. Red Branch Brewing Company, Sunnyvale, California Diabhal 7 Means "devil" in Irish. "Belgian style ale fermented with honey." Spicy notes. A little flat. Swing-top bottle. 8.2% abv. Redwood Coast Brewing, Mountain View, California (this is the distribution name for the Tied House Cafe and Brewery, with locations in Mountain View (started in 1988), Alameda, and San Jose, California. I've combined the list.) All are on tap. Alpine Gold 8,6.5 Cascade Amber 6,6.5 Dark Light 5 Dark Wheat 7 ESB 7 Slightly fruity. Some hop aroma. Smooth. Rich head. India Pale Ale 7.5 Lacks the bitterness required to be a true IPA. Little hop aroma. Exceptionally creamy due to nitrogen pump. See Winter IPA below. Ironwood Dark 6,5.5 Mai Bock 6.5,7 Not heavy. Light-colored. Newt's Tail Pale Ale 7.5 Good bitterness. Quite drinkable. Oatmeal Stout 8.5 Creamy. Not overly heavy. Porter 5.5,5,6.5 Passion Fruit 8 A nice "breakfast beer." GABF fruit beer silver medalist. Raspberry Wheat 7 Smooth. Good balance. Redwood Coast Ale 7 Decent flavor. Clean. Redwood Coast Amber 8 Fruity. Tied House Wheat 7,6 Winter IPA 9,9 Rock Bottom, La Jolla, California Rock Bottom is a chain of brewpubs. American Dream IPA 8 Good hop bitterness and balance. 6.5% abv. Belgian Framboise 1 Looks like a strawberry smoothie in the dim light of the bar. Too sour to finish a small glass. Black Seal Stout 8 A creamy oatmeal stout. 5.8% abv. Breakout Pale Ale 7.5 Rubicon Brewing Company, Sacremento, California Brewpub. Amber Ale 6.5 India Pale Ale 7,8 Sour Cherry (?) 7 Russian River Brewing Company, Santa Rosa, California Pliny the Elder 8 Marketed as a fresh beer, meant to be sold and consumed within a few weeks. Due to a cult following, only a few bottles may be purchased at a time. 8.5% abv. Good hoppy nose. Sacramento Brewing Company, Sacramento, California Sac-Squatch Scotch Ale 6.5 The name is a play on "sasquatch." Smoked peat flavor. 7% abv. San Andreas Brewing Company, Hollister, California A down-home brewpub and restaurant. Beers are best on tap. Apricot Ale 2.5 Cardboard taste--I couldn't finish it. Earthquake Pale 6 Flat Earthquake Porter 6,6.5 Kit Fox Amber 5 Plain Oktoberquake 4.5 (Contract brewed by August Schell Brewing Company, New Ulm, Minnesota.) Grain-husk-like off-taste. Not much of an Oktoberfest style. Pale Ale 6.5 Plum Nut 4 Cherry aroma. Yucky aftertaste (but others in my group liked it). Porter 6.5 Seismic Ale 6.5 Woodruff Ale 8 Brewed with wood chips to yield a slight woodiness and spicy aftertaste. St. Stan's Brewing Company, Modesto, California Beautiful brewpub and restaurant. Amber Alt 6.5 Dark Alt 6.5 Fest Alt 8.5 More flavor than the rest. Only at Christmastime. Graffiti '93 5.5 Wheat beer. Monk and old car on label. (The monk is a Stanislaus State prof that helped get the brewery running.) Graffiti '94 5.5 Graffiti '95 5.5 Smooth, but a little astringent aftertaste. Red Sky Ale 8 A red ale with a hoppy pale ale flavor. Whistle Stop Pale Ale 3 Liking the Red Sky Ale and Fest Alt, and liking pale ales in general, I really expected something good from the Whistle Stop Pale Ale. I couldn't finish a bottle. Santa Barbara Brewing Company, Santa Barbara, California All S.B. beers were tasted at the brewpub on tap. Castle Rock IPA 8.5 Very hoppy. Fruity. Corimpepper (sp?) Barleywine 8 9% abv. Little carbonation. Decent balance. ESB 7 True to style. Hefeweizen 8.5 Decent spice. Served with lemon wedge. Old Town Nut Brown ? Pacific Pale Ale 9 Rincon Red 7 Tastes like a brown ale. State Street Stout 9 Creamy chocolate flavor. Served on nitrogen-propelled tap. Santa Cruz Brewing Company, Santa Cruz, California Beacon Barley Wine Style Ale 7 Hoppy Holidays 1994 8.5 Rich. Smooth. India Pale Ale 7 Lighthouse Amber 6.5 Santa Rosa Brewing Company, Santa Rosa, California Amber Ale 7 Oatmeal Stout 7 Seabright Brewery, Santa Cruz, California Emerald Ale (tap) 7 India Pale Ale (bottle) 6 Oatmeal Stout (tap) 8.5 Very rich and creamy. Smooth. GABF gold medal 1995 in stout. Pelican Ale (tap) 7.5 Well balanced. Seabright Amber (tap) 7 Hop bitterness dominates the lighter body. Session Ale 6 Dark, slight roasted flavor, but light light body. Shields Brewing Company, Ventura, California Channel Islands Ale 5 Expensive. Not much to it. Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, Chico, California ***** In my opinion, this is the premier craft brewery ***** (it's now bigger than a microbrewery) in the ***** country. I love most of their beers! 1075 E. 20th St., Chico, CA 95928 (916) 893-3520 Tours Tu-F @ 2:30, Sat @ 12 & 3 Bigfoot Barleywine Style Ale 1999 (tap) 10 Bigfoot Barleywine Style Ale 1997 (bottle) 10 Bigfoot Barleywine Style Ale 1996 NR Limited production kept distribution to the Chico area in 1996. Bigfoot Barleywine Style Ale 1995 (bottle, tap) 10 Late winter seasonal. Cool label. Heavily hopped, but well balanced by the very full body. Stronger that it seems: at 10.6% alc/vol (according to Michael Jackson), it is one of the strongest beers made in the U.S. Expensive ($9.60/sixer), but worth it. Bigfoot Barleywine Style Ale 1994 (bottle) 7.5 Celebration Ale 1993 (bottle) 10 Holiday season. A great example of an "American IPA." Celebration Ale 1994 (bottle) 9.5 1994 GABF India pale ale silver medalist. Celebration Ale 1995 9.5 Celebration Ale 1996 9.5 Celebration Ale 2007 9 Harvest Fresh Hop Ale 9 Brewed with undried hops. Ovila Dubbel 7 Brewed in collaboration with the Abbey of New Clairvaux. 7.5% abv. Ovila Abbey Quad 9 "Belgian-style" "ale brewed with plums." Brewed in collaboration with the Abbey of New Clairvaux. A whopping 10.2% abv. With sugar plums grown at the abbey. Complex. Surprisingly not very sweet. Slight fruity aroma, maybe of plums. Much more aroma at room temperature. Pale Ale (bottle, tap) 9.5 This beer has more requests for the recipe than any other in the newsgroup rec.crafts.brewing. Pale Bock (bottle) 7 Spring seasonal. Way cool label. Ruthless Rye 8 Brewed with rye. Darker than SNPA, with a little more spice and bitterness. 6.6% abv. Porter (bottle) 4.5 Snow Wit White IPA 3 It's an interesting idea, but I dislike it enough to dump out a few bottles. Southern Hemisphere Harvest 6.5 Brewed with fresh hops from New Zealand. Didn't taste much different that their regular pale ale. 6.7% abv. Stout (bottle) 8.5 Rivals the British and Irish stouts Summerfest 1996 (bottle) 7 Bottom fermented. Smooth lager. Golden color. Medium-bodied. Wheat Beer (tap) 4 Nothing special. Available in keg only. SLO Brewing Company, San Luis Obispo, California (brewed by: SLO Brewing Company, New Ulm, Minnesota) Brickhouse Extra Pale Ale (bottle) 7 Cole Porter (bottle) 6 Snowshoe Brewing Company, Arnold, California Brewpub--all beers on tap. Apricot Wheat Ale 8.5 Quite apricoty. Grizzly Brown Ale 7,8.5 Stout-like roastiness. Big malty flavor. Hefe-Weizen served with lemon slice 7.5 Refreshing. Oatmeal Stout 8 Traditional oatmeal stout flavor. Snowshoe Scarlet Ale 7 Malty. A better pale ale taste than the Sunrise Golden Ale 7 Smooth and lighter-bodied but not wimpy. Thompson Pale Ale 6.5,6 Good hop aroma, but not much bitterness. Sonoma Brewing Company, Petaluma, California Noche Buena Barley Wine 7 Sweet. Red Rooster (bottle) 6.5 Southern California Brewing Company, Torrance, California Bear Country Bavarian Brand Hefeweizen Beer 7.5 Cloudy. Nice spice. Honey Wheat Ale (bottle) 7 Olde Red Eye--Red Ale (bottle) 5 Worth overlooking. Screaming Lobster Lager (bottle) 3 The only flavor is yucky. Winter Wonder Beer 1995 (?) (bottle) 7 Dark color. A little richness. Winter Wonder Beer 1996 (bottle) 8.5 Deep maltiness and unusual aroma Speakeasy Ales & Lagers, San Francisco, California Big Daddy I.P.A. 9.5 Powerful hop aroma and bitterness. Fruity. 6.5% abv. Double Daddy Imperial IPA 8 Big hop aroma and bitterness. 8.5% abv. Prohibition Ale 8.5 Nice balance of bitterness and body. 6.1% abv. Scarlett Red Rye Ale 7.5 A limited release. Reddish brown. Some hops and spice from the rye. 5.5% abv. Steelhead Brewing Company, Burlingame, California A good brewpub. Beers on tap. Anniversary Triple 9 Slightly sweet and strong. 8.6% abv. Bombay Bomber IPA 10 Creamy, hoppy. 6.% abv. Stoddard's, Sunnyvale, California A brewpub with good beer but crummy service. ESB 6 Kolsch 7 Crisp. Smooth. Oatmeal Stout 8.5 Thick. Pale Ale 6.5 Stone Brewing Company, San Marcos, California Stone is famous among hop lovers. 9th Anniversary Ale 10 September 2005. A hop-lover's delight: bitterness and aroma, but not too heavy. 7.8% abv Arrogant Bastard Ale 8 Fruity, dark, has body. 7.2% abv. Double Bastard Ale 7 Brown color. Smells strong and is at 10% abv. Balanced bitterness. Levitation Ale 9 Hoppy and big-bodied for a beer with a mere 4.4% abv. Oaked Arrogant Bastard 9.5,10 The addition of oak chips adds a subtle sweet wood flavor. A BIG beer. Expensive. 7.2% abv. Pale Ale (tap) R&R Coconut IPA 8 I didn't taste the coconut. Ruination IPA 8,9 "A liquid poem to the glory of the hop." Bitter with very hoppy aroma. 6.5% abv., 77 IBUs. Smoked Porter 8 Not overly smokey. Good body. Stochasticity Project Quadro Triticale 7.5 Less sweet than other quadrupls. Sort of a date aroma. 9.3% abv Vertical Epic 2007 10,9 At first taste I thought "What is this? There are no hops!" That's because it's a Belgian style beer, a combination of Tripel and Saison styles, with several spices. I poured it into a red wine glass, let it warm some, and wow! A symphony of flavors. Stone recommends aging it until 2012. Sunset Beach Brewery and Fish House, Sunset Beach (Orange County), California Captain Pale Ale (tap) 6 Tapit Brewing Company, San Luis Obispo, California American Pale Ale (APA) 6 A little hop aroma, but overall not much flavor. 6% abv. India Pale Ale (IPA) 8 Much more hop aroma and bitterness than the APA, but not as much as an IPA should have. 7% abv. Thirsty Bear Brewing Company, San Francisco, California Bearley Legal 1997 (tap) 7.5 Barleywine. Trader Joe's, ???, California Trader Joe's Jumping Cow Amber Ale 6.5 Malty. Trader Joe's Reserve Brown Holiday Ale 4.5 (contract: Brasserie Duyck, Jenlain, France) Initial good taste, but later cardboard and fermentation off flavors. Some alcohol nose. Trader Joe's Special Dark Golden Beer 6 (contract: Prospector Brewing Company, San Antonio, Texas) Malty. Amber color. Triple Voodoo Brewing, Belmont, California Triple Voodoo Grand Cru 7 I expect more flavor. 9% abv. Triple Rock Brewing Company, Berkeley, California Brewpub. Formerly Roaring Rock, but Rolling Rock made them change their name. Alt or I'll Shoot (tap) 6.5 Smooth. Decent body. Stonehenge Stout (tap) 6.5 Roasty. Dry/sweet stout border. Truckee Brewing Company, Truckee, California Boca Bock Lager 7 Part of the label is reproduced from the 1890s. Back then, Boca sold for $12 a keg-- three times the price of ales. A long lagering gave the beer a long shelf life. Truckee Amber Lager 6 Truckee Dark Lager 6 Twenty Tank Brewery, San Francisco, California Kinnikinick Amber 7.5 Fruity Kinnikinick India Pale Ale 7 Not very bitter (not an IPA). Mello-Glow Pale Ale 5 Nyack 1998 (tap) 7 Barleywine. Very dark. Westwood Brewing Company, Los Angeles, California Belgian Triple 9.5 11% abv. Pale Ale 8 William and Scott Company, Culver City, California (contract: Minnesota Brewing Company, St. Paul, Minnesota) Rhino Chasers American Ale 3.5 Standard mass-produced American beer. Rhino Chasers Dark Lager 7 Amber. Lacks body. "Sweet" aroma. Nice umlaut over the "a" in "Dark." Rhino Chasers Dark Roasted Lager 6.5 Not much to it. Rhino Chasers Peach Honey Wheat 7.5 Good peach flavor. Rhino Chasers Winterful 6 Panorama Beer Co., Ukiah, California Wolaver's India Pale Ale 8 "Certified organic." Nice combination of bitterness and body. Yosemite Brewing Company Mariposa, California El Capitan Dark 7 Flat. Some roasted sharpness. Half Dome Amber 3 Tastes a little off.
BridgePort Brewing Company, Portland, Oregon Founded in 1984, BridgePort claims to be Oregon's oldest micro. Coho Pacific Light Ale 5 I'd like a more body, but then, it's a light. India Pale Ale 8.5 Hoppy aroma. Sharper bitterness than SNPA. 5.5% abv. Old Knucklehead Barley Wine Style Ale 7 Strong. Smells alcoholic. Pale Ale 6.5 Heavy. Pintail Extra Special Bitter 7.5 Medium body. Balanced bitterness (bitterness not noticeable). Deschutes Brewery Inc., Bend, Oregon Black Butte Porter 7 Dry, stout-like finish Cascade Golden Ale 7 Crisp. Fairly hoppy. Gluten Free ESB 1 Yucky. Hop in the Dark Cascadian Dark Ale 7.5 Tastes like a stout to me. Inversion IPA 9 Jubelale 9,7.5 Malty, with enough hopping to balance most of the malt, leaving a net malty beer. Brown ale. 6.7% abv. Mirror Pond Pale Ale 7,6.5 A milder pale ale. 5.0% abv. The Obliteratr Maibock 8 On tap in Portland. Obsidian Stout 8 Eureka Brewing Company, Portland, Oregon Eureka! Ale NR Full Sail Brewing Company, Hood River, Oregon Amber Ale (bottle) 5 Equinox ESB 7 Cloudy. Golden Ale (bottle) 5.5 India Pale Ale (bottle) 7.5 Lighter color. IPA bitterness. Not much hop aroma. Nut Brown Ale 6.5 Roasted stout-like flavor. Oktoberfest 9 Rich and dark. Red Ale (bottle) 6.5 Rip Curl 7 A malty copper-colored ale. Drinkable. Wassail--Winter Ale (bottle) 6.5 Hair of the Dog Brewing Company, Portland, Oregon Adam 7 Strong. Fred Golden Special Ale 7.5 Very thick. 10% abv. Both malty and hoppy. Perhaps the biggest beer I've ever tasted. Honu Brewing Company, Portland, Oregon Brewed in Oregon but sold in Hawaii. Honu is the Hawaiian word for sea turtle. Honu NR Golden beer with medium body and sweet taste. Lucky Labrador Brewing Company, Portland, Oregon Triple Threat IPA 9 Fruit, hoppy aroma. McMenamins, Portland, Oregon They have a chain of brewery/restaurants in the Portland area. All on tap. Hammerhead Ale 5 Off bitter taste. 5.9% abv. Porter 7 5.6% abv. Purple Haze 7 Brewed with berries. Pink color. Very drinkable. Ruby Ale 7 Made with raspberry. 4.4% abv. Sunflower IPA 8 Floral aroma. Less bitter than most IPAs. 6.7% abv. Terminator Stout 7.5 Creamy, roasty. 6.5% abv. Working Man's Red 7 Very malty. Oregon Ale and Beer Company, Portland, Oregon Formed by Boston Beer Co. (Samuel Adams) in 1994 "to develop and market Pacific Northwest style beers." Oregon Honey Red 4 OK starting taste, but cardboard taste afterward. Oregon IPA 6.5,8 Lacks body. Needs more hopping to be an IPA. Much better at a later tasting. Oregon Nut Brown Ale 7.5 Similar to Samuel Smith's and Newcastle Oregon Brewing Company (aka Rogue), Newport, Oregon Old Crustacean Barleywine 8 Strong. Lightly carbonated. Unfiltered. 7-oz. bottle. Old Crustacean XS 5 Unfiltered barleywine. 120 IBU. Rogue American Amber Ale 8 Rich. Balanced bitterness. Rogue Dead Guy Ale 6 Dark but not much to it. Rogue Golden Ale 5,6.5 Slight fruitiness. Expensive. Rogue-n-Berry 5 Brewed with marion berries. A real disappointment for all who tasted it with me. Santa's Private Reserve 5 Some astringency. Wild Irish Rogue 8.5 Although the label doesn't explicitly say so, this is an oatmeal stout. Portland Brewing Company, Portland, Oregon (note: some of these appear to have been spun off into MacTarnahan's Brewing Company, Portland, Oregon. MacTarnahan was an original investor.) Bolly Dazzler 7.5 A Christmas beer. Very malty. Haystack Black 2.5 Hydrogen sulfide dominates over roasted malts. Highlander Pale Ale 7.5 Brewed with distilled hop oil and heather for a Scottish Highland ale flavor. More delicate flavor than Pacific coast pale ale. Icicle Creek Winter Ale 6 Winter beer. Dark, but not much flavor. Mac Frost Winter Ale 9 A flavorful dark wheat beer. Surprisingly, it's only labeled as a wheat beer on the six-pack; the bottle just says it's a winter ale. Tastes like it uses Weihenstefan yeast. McTarnahan's Ale 7.5 Says Scottish style on the label. Named for an investor. Mt. Hood 7.5 Oregon Honeybeer 2 No honey flavor. Downright bad. Portland Ale 6.5 Not very complex. Slightly friuty. Uncle Otto's Weiss Beer 9 The six-pack container says "Germany's oldest brewery provides this special yeast." Indeed, it tastes like Weinhenstefan, with a wonderful spicyness. It's great to have a brewery with wide U.S. distribution brewing a true Munich-style wheat beer. Unfortunately, Uncle Otto's and Mac Frost appear to only be seasonally available. Wheat Berry (Product #13) 7 The only berry is in the aftertaste. "With essence of marionberry and other natural flavors." Woodstock IPA 7 "Oak aged ale" that is supposed to match the original British flavor. Does have a woody taste, which could be as much from the hops. I'd like more bitterness. Saxer Brewing Company, Lake Oswego and Portland, Oregon Saxer Dark Lager 7 Saxer Lemon Lager 5.5 Light. Certainly lemony. Saxer Pilsner 4 Tasteless. Three Finger Jack Hefe Dunkel 7.5 "Roasted red." Smooth but not rich. 1994 GABF Dark Lager Gold Medal. Three Finger Jack Stout 6.5 Not a really big taste. Star Brewing, Inc., Portland, Oregon Dark Star Nut Brown Ale 8.5 Dark flavor of a stout without the roasted sharpness. Smooth Starbright Pineapple Ale 8 Pineapple aroma hits you as soon as the bottle is opened. Amber color. Nose is a mix of pineapple and beer. Excellent job of melding fruit and ale. Medium-light body. Smooth finish. Willamette Valley Brewing Company, Portland, Oregon Nor'Wester Dunkel Weizen 6.5 Nor'Wester Hefe Weizen 5 No traditional spicy taste. Yeast OK. Cool label. Widmer Brothers Brewing Company, Portland Oregon Nelson Imperial IPA 9 Smooth hoppiness. 8.6% abv. Widmer Hefeweizen tap 5.5 Unremarkable. No spice. bottle 3 Has a nasty bitterness.
Emerald City Brewing Company, Seattle, Washington Emerald City Ale 7 Post Alley Pale Ale 5 Not a pale ale. Intentionally light. Elysian Brewing Company, Seattle, Washington Bete Blanche Tripel 9 Spicy. Slight sweetness. 7.4% abv. Fish Brewing Company/Leavenworth Biers, Olympia, Washington Boulder Bend Dunkelweizen 6 Flavor is dominated by roasted malt, making it taste like a stout. No wheat-beer flavor. 4.7% abv. Hart Brewing, Inc. (aka Pyramid), Kalama, Washington Microbreweries elsewhere, including Berkeley, CA Betelnut (contract) IPA 8 Draught Pale Ale (DPA) 6 Nitrogen injection makes it very creamy (and a slow pour), but not much flavor. Espresso Stout 5.5 Dry stout with a very dry aftertaste. Not brewed with espresso, but is brewed to have a similar flavor. Pyramid Apricot Ale 8 A wheat-yeast ale with "natural essence of apricot added." Good balance of apricot and beer flavors. GABF fruit beer gold medalist. Pyramid Best Brown Ale (bottle, tap) 6.5,7 Pyramid Kolsch 6.5 Pyramid Pale Ale 7,6,9 Fruity. Sometimes has a hop bitterness I don't like. Pyramid Porter 6 Pyramid Rye Ale 5.5 Amber color. Some body. Not much flavor besides an undesirable bitterness. Compare to Redhook Rye. Pyramid Sphinx Stout 6.5 A dry stout. Some roasted flavor. Pyramid Wheaten Ale 4.5 Pyramid Hefe Weizen 6 No traditional wheat beer spice. Snow Cap Ale 6.5 Barleywine style. Malty. Thunderhead IPA 9 Good balance between body and hoppiness. 6.7% abv. Jet City Brewing Company, Seattle, Washington Jet City Ale 5 Plain. Jet City Rocket Red Ale 8 Jet City Triple 7 Nectar 8 Apricot rye ale. Nice apricot flavor. (Thomas) Kemper Brewing Company, Poulsbo and Seattle, Washington Bohemian Dunkel Lager 8 Flavorfully malty without being very heavy. Integrale--Amber Lager 5.5 Oktoberfest Lager 7.5 Creamy. Rich. Copper-colored. Weizenberry 8 Refreshing. Unlike many other fruit-flavored beers, this has a clean taste to the end. "Raspberry bouquet and a more subtle raspberry taste." Winterbrau--Winter Lager Beer--1995 7 Dark lager. Winterbrau Lager--1996 8 Medium maltiness. Rich, dark. Orchard Street Brewery, Bellingham, Washington Pale Ale 8 The Pike Brewing Company, Seattle, Washington (and under contract: Minnesota Brewing Company, New Ulm, Minnesota) Old Bawdy 1997 7 Barleywine. Has 90 IBU, but still could use more bitterness for balance. Pike IPA 7.5 Pike Pale Ale 7 Pike Street XXXXX Stout 9.5 Slightly fruity. Roasted taste isn't overwhelming. Smooth. Redhook Ale Brewery, Seattle, Washington Ballard Bitter (old recipe) 7 Ballard Bitter (new recipe) 7.5 The recipe was changed around 1995 to make it more hoppy and supposedly an IPA. I'd call it a pale ale, but not an IPA. Refreshingly smooth. Redhook Double Black Stout 9 Brewed with Starbucks coffee. Full-bodied and aromatic. Redhook ESB--Extra Special Bitter 8,7 Redhook Hefe-Weizen 8 Good spice--one of the best I've tasted from an American wheat beer. Redhook Nut Brown Ale 9 Between and brown ale and a doppelbock. Redhook Rye 8 Wheat Hook 6.5 No wheat taste. Winter Hook 7 Malty. A lot of body, but nothing spectacular. Much different than Redhook. Ranier Brewing Company, Seattle, Washington Ranier Ale 3.5 Has body, but an odd off-taste. "The Green Death." Yakima Brewing and Malting Co., Inc. (aka Grant's), Yakima, Wash. Grant's Celtic Ale 5 Intentionally lighter. Watery. Grant's Imperial Stout 5 Smells strong. Little roasted flavor. Alcoholic aftertaste. Grant's India Pale Ale 7.5,8.5 Too bitter (a rarity for me). Another tasting: Suprisingly light color. Effervescent. Better flavor when not too cold. Reminds me of Belgian Duvel. Grant's Perfect Porter Very chocolately 7 Grant's Scottish Ale 6 Has a bitterness I don't like. Full-bodied. Grant's Spiced Ale 6 Brewed with spices and honey. Recommended warm on bottle. When cold, not much spice flavor.
Coeur d'Alene Brewing Company, Coeur d'Alene, Idaho T.W. Fisher's Festival Dark Ale 5.5 Body, but no flavor. Grand Teton Brewing Company, Victor, Idaho Bitch Creek ESB 6.5 Teton Amber Ale 7.5 Good body and bitterness. Snake River Brewing Company, Jackson Hole, Idaho Pale Ale (bottle) 7 Zonker Stout (bottle) 8.5 Not too dry. GABF Silver medal 1994 in stout. Sun Valley Brewing Company, Hailey, Idaho Honey Weizen 7 A honey beer that doesn't taste bad! Lost Planet Porter 8 Stout-like sharp roastiness. Our Holiday Ale 6.5 Some richness, but just not a great flavor. Traditional Octoberfest Beer 7.5,6.5 White Cloud Ale 8 Full-bodied. Good bitterness.
Bayern Brewing Inc., Missoula, Montana Bayern Pilsner 7.5 A true pilsner. Trout Slayer Ale 6.5 Big Hole Brewing Company, Belgrade, Montana Headstrong Pale Ale 7.5,6 Less hops than a Pacific Coast pale ale. 5.2% abv. Big Sky Brewing Company, Missoula, Montana (bottled by Portland Brewing, Portland, Oregon) Big Sky IPA 7.5 Good aroma, but not enough bitterness to be called an IPA. Moose Drool Brown Ale 8 Richly malty aroma and taste. Powder Hound Winter Ale 7.5 Deep reddish brown color. Malty with sufficient hop bitterness to balance. 6.2% abv. Summer Honey 5 Brewed with honey and spices. Yellowstone Ale 6 "Artisian Brewed." Sold in Yellowstone National Park. Good body, but nothing special. Great Northern Brewing Company, Whitefish, Montana Minott's Black Star 5 "Double hopped" on the bottle is a joke: this is like Bud but a little more bitter. Advertised as "between a Bud and a Sierra Nevada" and "between a Coors and a heavier microbrew." The bottle also says "a family tradition of brewing since 1856" which is also a joke: Minott Wessinger, the head, is a descendent of Heny Weinhard. Being a public relations businessman by trade, he used this instant heritage to make the beer look like a product of tradition. Lewis & Clark Brewing Company, Helena, Montana Lewis & Clak Lager 6.5 Good body. Spanish Peaks Brewing Company, Bozeman, Montana (contract: August Schell Brewing Co., New Ulm, Minnesota) Black Dog Ale 5 Rated the worst ratio of good label to good beer
Hofbrauhaus, Las Vegas, Nevada This brewpub used the same recipes as the original brewery in Munich. When I visited, there were more Germans here than there were in Munich. Worth venturing off the Strip for. Dunkel 6 Some flavor. Weizen 9 Cloudy and flavorful. Reno Brewing Company, Reno, Nevada (contract: Cold Spring Brewing Company, Cold Spring, Minn.) Ponderosa Pale Ale 6.5 Hop aroma. Not my favorite bitterness. Ruby Mountain Brewing Company, Clover Valley, Nevada Angel Creek Amber Ale 7 Wild West Hefeweizen 8 Decent spiciness.
Shirf Brewing Company, Park City, Utah Wasatch Apricot Hefe Weizen NR 4% abv. Squatters Pub Brewery, Salt Lake City, Utah Full Suspension Pale Ale 6 Not much to it. 6% abv. Utah Brewers Cooperative, Salt Lake City, Utah Wasatch Superior Ale Reddish amber color. Hoppy aroma. Bitterness matches medium body. 4% abv. Unita Brewing Company, Salt Lake City, Utah Cutthroat Pale Ale 7.5,5.5 Deep color, but this. 4% abv. Trader India Pale Ale 8
Avery Brewing Company, Boulder, Colorado Ellie's Brown Ale 7.5,8 Hog Heaven Barleywine-Style Ale 8.5 Similar to Sierra Nevada's Bigfoot. 9.2% abv, 100 IBUs. India Pale Ale 8 Very fruity. Bitter. The Reverend 9 Belgian-style quadrupel ale. Spicy. Strong at 10% abv. Boulder Beer Company, Boulder, Colorado Hazed and Infused Dry Hopped Ale 7.5 A play on Jimi Hendrix's "Dazed and Confused." Great hop aroma, but bitterness doesn't match. Good body. Breckenridge Brewery, Denver, Colorado Christmas Ale 7.5 Alcoholic nose. Eldorado Canyon Brewing Company, Broomfield, Colorado Black Widow Imperial Stout 7.5 High in esters. Seems strong-- a little bit dangerous in the 22-oz. bottle. Estes Park Brewery, Estes Park, Colorado Renegade India Pale Ale 7.5 1993 GABF Gold Medal IPA. Very bitter, but not much hop aroma. Great Divide Brewing Company, Denver, Colorado Arapahoe Amber Ale 7 Denver Pale Ale 9.5,7,8 Hoppy and floral (without Cascade hops!) India Pale Ale 9 Great hop bitterness and aroma. St. Brigid's Porter 7.5,8 Rich. Stout-like roastiness. Left Hand Brewing Company, Longmont, Colorado Black Jack Porter 7.5 Sawtooth Ale 6.5 Hoppy aroma, decent bitterness, but lacking in body for balance. GABF Gold Medal Traditional Bitter 1994. Mountain Sun Pub & Brewery, Boulder, Colorado Hog Back Doppelbock 8.5 Sweet. Good aroma. Illusioin Dweller IPA 8 Usurper Imperial Stout 9 Brewed to style, which is strong. XXX Pale Ale 7 New Belgium Brewing Company, Inc., Ft. Collins, Colorado It's great to have a few companies in the US specializing in Belgian-style beers. 1554 Brussels Style Black Ale 7 Looks and smells like a porter. Abbey Ale 8.5 Rich, yeast spiciness. Accumulation White India Pale Ale 8 Winter seasonal beer. Nice hop aroma. 6.2% abv. Blue Paddle Pilsener Lager 3 I poured some rotten bottles out. Mothership Wit 7.5 Organic wheat beer brewed with spices. Snow Day 8 Dark brown color produces expectations of a malty beer, and it is, but there is also a nice hoppy fragrance. 6.2% abv. Sunshine Wheat Beer 6,7 This is supposedly a wheat beer spiced with corriander and orange peel like a Belgian wit. I tasted neither. This tasted simply like a smooth, full-bodied lager. Trippel (sic; not Tripel) 8.5 Added coriander. 7.8% abv. Oasis Brewery, Boulder, Colorado Zoser Stout 9.5 An oatmeal stout. Chocolate notes. Very rich without being too heavy. Odell Brewing Company, Fort Collins, Colorado 90 Shilling 6.5 Dark brown. I expected more flavor. Dark Side Vanilla Porter 7 Nice combination. Eccentric Oktoberfest 6 Golden color. Mild taste. Isolation Ale 8 Malty. Red Ass Distributing, Fort Collins, Colorado (contract: Cold Spring Brewing Company, Cold Spring, Minn.) Red Ass Ale 7 Initial hop aroma. Rockies Brewing Company, Boulder, Colorado Started in 1979 as Boulder Brewing, this is the oldest true microbrewery in the U.S. still operating. Boulder Amber Ale 7 Smooth. Good body. Boulder Igloo Ale 7 Malty. Boulder Porter 8 Rich without being too sweet. Past gold medal winner at the GABF. Buffalo Gold Premium Ale 3 Fall Fest Ale 8.5 Fruity, hoppy. Singletrack Copper Ale 5 Tabernash Brewing Co., Ltd., Longmont, Colorado Tabernash Weiss Beer 9 A rare American-made German-style wheat beer: it has a clove-like spicyness. Effervescent. Walnut Brewery, Boulder, Colorado Big Horn Bitter 7 Buffalo Gold 6.5 Devil's Thumb Stout 8.l5 Creamy, rich. India Pale Ale 8 Good hoppiness. Hefe Weizen 7 Old Elk Brown Ale 7 St. James Irish Red Ale 7
Black Mountain Brewing Co., Inc., Cave Creek, Arizona Amber (bottle) 6 Golden color. Not much amber flavor. Ed's Original Cave Creek Chili Beer (bottle) 1.5 (contract brewed: Evansville Brewing Co., Inc., Evansville, Indiana) Too hot to be drinkable. Porter (tap) 5.5 A little cardboard. Could use more body. Copper Canyon Brewing and Alehouse, Chandler, Arizona Arizona Pale Ale 6 Foothills Blond 6.5 Penta Yum Porter 7.5 "Pentium Porter" Razberry Ale 6.5 Summer Extreme IPA 6.5 Coyote Springs Brewing Company, Phoenix, Arizona A brewpub. Coyote Gold (Cream Ale) 7.5 Czar Madness (Russian Imperial Stout) 8 Smooth, roasty, but no bitter flavor. Not as strong-tasting as a true imperial stout. Has 7.5 abv. Desert Dew (Amber Ale) 7.5 Slightly fruity. Kilt Lifter II (Scottish Ale) 6.5 Bread-yeast taste. No smoke detected. Nut Brown 7.5
Blue Corn Cafe & Brewery, Santa Fe, New Mexico End of the Trail Brown Ale 7 Lighter body. This city is at the end of the Old Santa Fe Trail from Mexico City. High Altitude Pale Ale 9.5 Rich copper color. Both malty and hoppy. 5.7% abv. Plaza Porter 8 Smokey. Refers to the Santa Fe plaza, where silver jewelry is sold. Rio Grande Brewing Company, Albuquerque, New Mexico Outlaw Lager 7 Smooth, very full body for a lager. Santa Fe Brewing Company, Santa Fe, New Mexico Brown Ale 6.5 Pale Ale 6 Not too exciting. Sierra Blanca Brewing Co., Carrizozo, New Mexico Sierra Blanca Pilsner 5.5 Sierra Blanca Nut Brown Beer 7.5
Blue Star Brewing Company, San Antonia Texas All beers on tap. Golden 6 A good lager. Kaiser William 5.5 Sharp aftertaste. Pale Ale 6 Moderate body and bitterness, but has an off taste. Smoked Dark 6 I expected more flavor. Stout 7 Creamy. Medium body. Rosty aftertaste. Celis Brewery, Austin, Texas Celis Pale Bock--Hill Country Beer 6.5 Celis White--Belgian Style Beer 6,8.5 One bottle was very lemony. Another bottle had a clove spicyness. Nowhere does the label mention lemon or wheat, but I assume this is made in the traditional style with about half unmalted wheat and corriander, which causes an orange/lemon flavor. Saint Arnold Brewing Company, Houston, Texas Christmas Ale 2 Deep amber color. Sweetish taste. Got worse the more I drank of it. Lawnmower 6 Golden color. Somewhat floral flavor. Like Budweiser with more flavor. Saint Arnold Amber Ale 7.5,7 Saint Arnold Brown Ale 8 Rich. Shiner, Spoetzel Brewery, Shiner, Texas Shiner Bock (tap) 6 Amber. Smooth enough. Not much flavor. All over Texas, people say "You have to try Shiner Bock." I didn't find it to be that flavorful, but maybe it is when compared to Lone Star and Coors. Shiner Black Lager 7 Dark, but not much flavor.
Pony Express Brewing Company, Olathe, Kansas Honey Blonde 7 "Ale brewed with honey and spices." No dominant flavor, but a nice mouthfeel. Kansas City Unfiltered Wheat 6.5 Good American-style wheat beer.
Empyrean Brewing Company, Lincoln, Nebraska Luna Sea ESB 6 Reddish color. Slightly fruity. Upstream Brewing Company, Omaha, Nebraska American Wheat 5 Cloudy. Little flavor.
Boulevard Brewing Company, Kansas City, Missouri Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale 7 8.5% abv.
Beartooth Brewing Company, St. Paul, Minnesota Beartooth Blueberry Lager (bottle) 5.5 Snarling bear on label doesn't match mediocre beer inside. Only a faint hint of berry in smell; none in taste. Billy Goat Brewing Company, St. Paul, Minnesota This sounds like a big company trying to market like a microbrewery. Billy the Kid Billy Goat Bock Beer 5 Cold Spring Brewery, Cold Spring, Minnesota Chopper Beer 4 Is this competition for Harley Beer? Cold Spring Pale Ale 5 Not a pale ale. Dog Days Brewing Company, St. Paul, Minnesota See Billy Goat Brewing Company. Dog Days Summer Brew 6.5 Another Trader Joe's beer. Fat Weasel Brewing Company, St. Paul, Minnesota See Billy Goat Brewing Company. Fat Weasel Ale 5 Humpback Brewing Company, St. Paul, Minnesota Humpback Premium Ale 7 Humpback Premium Honey Wheat 7 James Page Brewing Company, St. Paul, Minnesota Burly Brown Ale 8 Good body. Northern Lights Bock 7.5 Plis 6 A tasty pilsner. Naked Aspen Beer Company, Cold Spring, Minnesota Naked Aspen Raspberry Wheat 6 Overwhelming raspberry flavor is not a good match for light-bodied beer. Spring Street Brewing Company, Inc., St. Paul, Minnesota Wit! 7 "Original 1444 Recipe." Nice aroma. Not much flavor. Good mouthfeel. True to Belgian style, is it very cloudy. Wit! Amber 6.5 Smooth and creamy. Delicate flavor with a slight hint of the added spices. Summit Brewing Company, Saint Paul, Minnesota Extra Pale Ale 7 Amber. Lighter body, good bitterness.
Capital Brewing Company, Inc., Middleton, Wisconsin (bottled at Point Brewing in Stevens Point) Garten Brau Oktoberfest 6 I wouldn't call it an oktoberfest. Harbor City Brewing Co., Inc., Port Washington, Wisconsin Harvest Wheat Beer 5 Has body, but not much else. Jacob Leinenkugel Company, Inc. Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin Leinenkugel's Berry Weiss Bier 8 Very fruity, sweet... soda-like, but not too sweet. Leinenkugel's Red 7 Leinenkugel's Maple Brown 7.5 Decent maple flavor. Leinenkugel's Northwoods Lager 6.5 Decent body. Leinenkugel's Red Lager 5,6.5 James Page Brewing Company, Stevens Point, Wisconsin Iron Ranger Amber Lager 5 Amber color, but not much flavor. Joseph Huber Brewing Company, Inc. Monroe, Wisconsin Dempseys Ale--Irish Style Ale 5 Lakefront Brewing Company, Inc., Milwaukee, Wisconsin Cream City Pale Ale 7 Eastside Dark 7.5 Dark lager. Smooth. No smokiness. New Glarus Brewing Company, New Glarus, Wisconsin Norski Honey Bock 6.5 Pioneer Brewing Co., Black River Falls, Wisconsin Groovy Beer 4 Boring. The label is the main attraction. Royal Duffer Beverage Co., Monroe, Wisconsin Royal Duffer Golf Society Lager 3 Another cheap beer sold at Trader Joe's. Sprecher Brewing Company, Inc., Glendale, Wisconsin Sprecher Abbey Triple Ale 8 Light in color, spicy in flavor. Wisconsin Brewing Company, Black River Falls, Wisconsin Rainbow Red Ale 5.5 Whitetail cream ale 4.5 Creamy enough. Amber. Has a bitterness I don't like.
Pavichevich Brewing Co. (aka Baderbrau), Elmhurst (Chicago), Illinois Baderbrau Bock Beer 7 R. J.'s Ginseng Company, Inc., Chicago, Illinois R. J.'s Ginseng Beer 0.5 Has ginseng root and extract. Foul odor; similar taste. I could only tolerate a few sips. Rock Bottom Brewery, Chicago, Illinois Brown Bear Brown Ale 7.5 Gold 6 Plain. Raspberry Wheat 7 Nice balance. Terminal Stout 8.5 Oatmeal stout. Not really black.
Three Floyds Brewing, Munster, Indiana (contract: New Ulm, Minnesota) Burnham Pilsener 6 Needs more hops for this style. Robert the Bruce Scottish Style Ale 7 Needs more (some?) smokiness to be a true Scottish style ale, but I like this better.
Barley's Brewing Company #1, Columbus, Ohio Barley's Pale Ale 8 Centennial IPA 9 Ivan Porter 7.5 Columbus Brewing Company, Columbus, Ohio Columbus 1492 Premium Lager 5 Columbus Pale Ale 6.5 I'd call it English style. Slightly woody. Crooked River Brewing Company, Cleveland, Ohio Robust Porter 8 Unlike many other porters, not stout-like. Select Lager 4.5 Amber color, full-grain aroma. Settlers Ale 8.5 Hoster Brewing Company, Columbus, Ohio Gold 7.5 Crisp Bohemian style pilsner. Miami Trail Brewing Company, Xenia, Ohio Miami Trail Red Ale 7.5 Western Reserve Brewing, Cleveland, Ohio Cloud Nine Belgian Style Wit (White) Beer 9 Cloudy, spicy.
Brimstone Brewing Company, Frankenmuth, Michigan Brimstone Amber Ale 7 Frankenmuth Brewery, Inc., Frankenmuth, Michigan Frankenmuth Bock 6 Dark in color; light in flavor. Old Detroit Brewing Company, Frankenmuth, Michigan Old Detroit Red Lager 5.5 Some flavor, but not wonderful
Flying Fish Brewing Company, Cherry Hill, New Jersey ESB Ale 7 Has the mouth feel and roastiness of a porter. Extra Pale Ale 7 Truly extra pale. Hop Fish India Pale Ale 7 Insufficient bitterness to be called an IPA, or even a west coast pale ale. River Horse Brewing Company, ???, New Jersey River Horse Cream Ale 6 A "river horse" is a hippopotamus.
Arrowhead Brewing Company, Chambersburg, Pennsylvania Red Feather Pale Ale 5 Not a pale ale. Similar to Bass. Dock Street Brewing Company, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Bohemian Pilsner Beer 6 Similar to Pilsner Urquell. Illuminator Double Bock 7 Not dark, but rather an amber color. Sweet aroma. Fairly heavy. Not much flavor beyon sweetness. Low carbonation. Philadelphia Amber Beer 7 A little "amber taste." Smooth. Franconia Brewing Company, Mt. Pocono, Pennsylvania Herren Pils 7 Licensed from Keesman Brewery, Bamberg, Germany Crisper than a typical German-style pilsner-- more Bohemian style. A good pilsner. Independence Brewing Company, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Betsy Ross Kristall Wheat 5.5 No spicyness. Plain. Uncle E$B 6.5 Latrobe Brewing Company, Latrobe, Pennsylvania This brewery is known mainly for its Rolling Rock beer, but makes a line of tasty craft-brew-syle beers. American Pale Ale 8 True to style. Nice hop and malt components. A bargain for $3/six at Trader Joe's. Bavarian Black 7.5 Bohemian Pilsner 7 Good Bohemian-style pilsner, but I'd like more bitterness. Rolling Rock--Extra Pale--Premium Beer 5 "Extra pale" is right. Rolling Rock Bock 9 Rich amber. The Lion, Inc., Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania Liebotschaner Cream Ale 3.5 Buy Budweiser instead--it's cheaper. Pennsylvania Brewing Company, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Penn Dark 7 Could be richer. Penn Gold 6.5 A good lager. Penn Hefe Weizen 9.5 Yeast-strain spiciness. One of the best German-style hefeweizens in the U.S. Penn Pilsner 6.5 Good for a pilsner. Pittsburgh Brewing Company, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Iron City Beer 4 Pretzel City Brewing Company, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Pretzel City Belgian Style Witbier 8 True to style. Spicy. Pretzel City Steam Horse Lager 7.5 Tasty example of style. Stoudt Brewing Company, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania Stoudt's Fest--Marzen Style 7,7 Slightly sweet. Cardboard taste-- would rate higher without it.
Boston Beer Company (aka Samuel Adams), Boston, Massachusetts (Some is made by them; most is contracted out to various breweries around the country, including: F.X. Matt, Utica, New York; Pittsburgh Brewing Co. (aka Iron City), Pitts., PA; Stroh Brewery Co., Allentown, Pennsylvania; G. Heileman/Blitz-Weinhard Brewing Co. (aka Henry's), Portland, Oregon; Genesee Brewing Co., Rochester, New York; and the Bronco Winery in Ceres, California. See also Oregon Ale and Beer Company.) Founded in 1984, this is probably the best-known craft brewer in the U.S. IMHO their beers are of good quality, but many find their ads and business practices annoying (e.g., trademarking "Best Beer in America" (which is not necessarily true), treating the winning of a single gold medal at the GABF as if it applied to all of their beers, and suing other companies for using the words "Boston" or "Samuel" in their names). Longshot American Pale Ale 6 Not particularly hoppy. Winner of World Homebrew Contest in the ale category. Longshot Black Lager 8 Roasted malts give it the roastiness of a stout. Thick, creamy head. Longshot Hazelnut Brown 6.5 Very fragrant with hazelnut and vanilla, much like a flavored coffee. Flavor doesn't match if drunk slowly... I'm expecting something more liquer-like. Winner of World Homebrew Contest in the specialty category. Old Fezziwig Ale 7.5 A Christmas beer for 1995. Spiced with cinnamon, ginger, and orange, but I didn't taste much of them. Slightly malty. Samuel Adams Boston Lager 6 The original. Samuel Adams Cherry Wheat 7 Strong black cherry aroma. Little cherry taste. Samuel Adams Cranberry Lambic 6 Decent berry flavor and tartness. Not a true lambic (although I think the flavor is close), but rather a wheat beer. Samuel Adams Cream Stout 7.5 Samuel Adams Dark Wheat 6 A disappointment, as I love this style. Samuel Adams Double Bock 9 Rich, malty aroma and taste. Good body. Deep brown-red color. I had high expectations for this beer... and they were met (compare to Triple Bock). Samuel Adams Honey Porter 3 No honey taste. A little yucky. Samuel Adams India Pale Ale 7.5 Smooth. Needs more hoppiness for an IPA. Samuel Adams New World 9.5 "A golden tripel with nots of spice and tropical fruit." They nailed this Belgian-style tripel. Drunk at cellar temperature, this is very spicy and flavorful. 10% abv. Samuel Adams October Fest 6.5,8 Amber color. Decent body. Samuel Adams Scotch Ale 6.5 Fairly true to style. Says "Triple Malt" on the label, apparently to mislead the uninitiated into thinking this is three times as strong. A lot of beers use three different malts. Samuel Adams Stock Ale 7 Samuel Adam Summer Ale 7 Samuel Adams Triple Bock 1 Port-like, thick, flat. I wanted to like it, but the blue 8.45-oz. corked bottle was more than enough for 5 people. At 17% alcohol by volume, this was the world's strongest "beer" in the mid 1990s. Millenium Edition Triple Bock is reported to be even stronger at 20-21%. Compare to Samichlaus. Samuel Adams Triple Bock 1995 1 Thick. Has a potent smell that I can't describe, but it's not pleasant. Samuel Adams Winter Brew 6 Less flavor than their regular beer. Samuel Adams Winter Lager (2012) 7.5 "Lager brewed with spices." 5.6% abv. Uno Amber Ale (tap) 7.5 Brewed for the Uno Pizza restourant chain. Smooth. Hop aroma. Buzzards Bay Brewing Company, Inc., Westport, Massachusetts Olde Buzzard Pale Ale 7.5 More flavorful than their Stock Ale Stock Ale 6 Name describes it well. The Commonwealth Brewing Company, Boston, Massachusetts (contract: The Lion, Inc., Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania) Boston Burton Ale 6 An attempt to duplicate the pale ales of Burton-upon-Trent in England. John Harvard's Brew House, Cambridge, Massachusetts A good brewpub. Irish Dry Stout 7 A little roasty. Creamy. John Harvard's Brew House Pale Ale 7.5 Less hoppy than west-coast counterparts. Newtown Nut Brown Ale 8 Quite malty. Old Willy's IPA 7 Quite drinkable. Emphasis is on hops. Bitter aftertaste. Union Ale 7 Smooth. Modern Brewer Company, Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts (contract: Catamount Brewing Co., Windsor, Vermont) Cat IPA 7 The Northampton Brewery, Northampton, Massachusetts Northampton Pale Ale 8 Good body and hop flavor.
Coastal Extreme Brewing Co., LLC, Newport, Rhode Island Newport Storm IPA 7 They call it "India Point Ale." Not as much bitterness or hop aroma as west-coast IPAs. Trinity Beer Co., Providence, Rhode Island India Pale Ale 7 Not as much bitterness or hop aroma as west-coast IPAs.
Brewery Ommegang, Cooperstown, New York Hennepin 7 Belgian-style ale. 7.5% abv. Yeast at bottom of bottle adds some flavor. Ommegang 8 Ommegang set out to brew an Abbey-style ale in America--and made a decent rendition. It's 8.5% abv, and seems about that strong. Rare Vos 7 Some spice. 6.5% abv. Three Philosophers 6 Quadrupel ale. For this style, I expected a lot more flavor. 9.7% abv. The Brooklyn Brewery, Brooklyn New York (contract: a brewery in Utica, New York) Black Chocolate Stout 8 The label says it is in the imperial stout style. I agree, but it's not quite that strong. Brooklyn Brown Ale 7 Chelsea Brewing Company, New York, New York Sunset Red Ale 6 Dundee's Brewery, Rochester, New York J. W. Dundee Honey Brown 7.5 Smooth. Good body. F. X. Matt Brewing Company, Utica, New York Saranac Adirondac Amber 6.5 Saranac Black & Tan 7.5 Stout and lager pre-mixed. Saranac Golden Pilsner Beer 5.5 Smooth. Saranac Traditional Pale Ale 6 Not pale ale--not much hoppiness. Highfalls Brewing Company, Rochester, New York Michael Shea's Irish Amber 4 Fruity. New Amsterdam Co., New York, New York (some beer brewed in: Utica, New York) India Dark Ale 6.5 An IPA is very biter. This isn't. New Amsterdam Amber 3.5 Some cardboard taste. New Amsterdam Blonde Lager 6 Old World Brewing Co., Inc., Staten Island, New York (contract: Stevens Point Brewery, Stevens Point, Wisconsin) New York Harbor Dark Ale 7.5 Brewery Ommegang, Cooperstown, New York Ommegang specializes in Belgian-style ales. It's nice to have a US source for these. Ommegang Abbey Ale 8 Complex, "Burgundian." Sold in 4-pack. 8.5% abv. Three Philosophers Quadruple 7.5 "Ale with cherry lambic added." Post Road Brewing Company, Utica, New York Post Road Pumpkin Ale 5.5 A little pumpkin-pie flavor. Scmaltz Brewing Company, Sarasota Springs or Clifton Park, New York "He'Brew" He'Brew India Pale Ale 7.5 Dry hopped. 6.8% abv. Messiah Nut Brown Ale 7 Rejewvenator Dubbel Doppel 3 A doppelbock with grape juice added. The juice must have been added after fermentation because I can taste it. It's an interesting idea, but it just doesn't taste very good and I dumped out half of the 22-oz bottle. Ten Springs Brewing Company, Saratoga Springs, New York Saratoga Pilsner Beer 6.5
Catamount Brewing Company, Windsor, Vermont Catamount Oatmeal Stout 6.5 Catamount Pale Ale 7.5 American-style pale ale. Otter Creek Brewing, Inc., Middlebury, Vermont Copper Ale 7 Hickory Switch Smoked Amber Ale 7.5 Balanced smokiness (not overpowering like some Rauchbiers). A Winter's Ale 7 Malty
Green Valley Brewing Company, Merrimack, New Hampshire Stone Mill Pale Ale 5 Not much to it. Old Nutfield Brewing Company, Ltd., Derry, New Hampshire Black 47 Stout 7.5 Smuttynose Brewing Company, Portsmouth, New Hampshire Belgian Style White Ale 5 Barely detectable flavor. Old Brown Dog Ale 8.5 Velvety. Quite drinkable. Robust Porter 7 Shoals Pale Ale 8.5
Allagash Brewing, Portland, Maine Allagash Tripel Reserve 8,9 Belgian style ale. Golden color. 9.0% abv. More flavor at cellar temperature. Casco Bay Brewing Company, Portlane, Maine Riptide Red Ale 7.5 D.L. Geary Brewing Company, Portland, Maine Geary's Pale Ale 6 Pugsley Brewing LLC, Portland, Maine Sea Dog Old East India Pale Ale 7 Sea Dog Pumpkin Ale 7 Ale with pumpkin flavor added. Tastes like pumpkin pie. Great if you're in the mood. Amber color with medium body. Shipyard Brewing Company, Portland, Maine Barley Wine Style Ale 7 Part of Pugsley's Signature Series. 8.5% abv. Prelude Special Ale 10 Rich English-style ale. I'd describe it as a woody hoppiness. 6.8% abv.
Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Lowes/Milton, Delaware Chicory Stout 9 With roasted chicory organic Mexican coffee Indian Brown Ale 10 Big roasty flavor like an oatmeal stout, yet very drinkable. 7.2% abv. Shelter Pale Ale 6
Chesapeake Bay Brewing Company, La Plata, Maryland Chesapeake Bay Pilsner 7 Very amber for a pilsner. Clipper City Brewing Company, Baltimore, Maryland Clipper City Porter 8 More velvety than roasty. Clipper City Reserve Winter Ale 8.5 Better when aged a few months. Flying Dog Brewery, Frederick, Maryland Snake Dog IPA 9 7.1% IPA. Frederick Brewing Company (aka Blue Ridge), Frederick, Maryland Blue Ridge ESB Red Ale 7.5 Hop aroma. Some bitterness. Blue Ridge Golden Ale 7 Hop Fest Brown Ale 8 Complex taste. Ipswich Brewing Company, Ipswich and Baltimore, Maryland Ipswich Original Ale 8.5 A different bitterness than Sierra Nevada P.A. Very drinkable. Oxford Brewing Co., Baltimore, Maryland Oxford Class Ale 7 Deep color. Delicate English-style flavor. Wild Goose Brewery, Cambridge/Frederick, Maryland India Pale Ale 6.5,2 I dumped the second six-pack I bought. Spring Wheat Ale 6 Wild Goose Amber 7.5 Wild Goose Oatmeal Stout 8.5
Old Dominion Brewing Company, Ashburn, Virginia Dominion Stout 6.5 Potomac River Brewing Company, Chantilly, Virginia Rappahannock Red Ale 7 Rock Bottom Brewery, Arlington, Virginia Geoffweizen 6.5 Potomac Pale Ale 8 Good hop nose. Balanced bitterness. Spout Run Porter 8 Dark and roasty. Rock Creek Brewing Company, Richmond, Virginia Devil's Elbow I.P.A. 8 Self-described as an "English-style" IPA, which is not as bitter as its American counterparts. Has a vinous, barlywine-like aroma and texture. Tuppers' Hop Pocket Brewing Company (contract: Old Dominion Brewing Co., Ashburn, Virginia) Hop Pocket Ale 7.5,8 Delicate floral hoppiness. Good bitterness.
BBC Brewing Company, Louisville, Kentucky American Pale Ale 8.5 Label says "hoppy full-bodied American Pale Ale." This is a rarity: both a true label and a hoppy/malty beer at the same time. Altbier 6 Oldenberg Brewing Company, Fort Mitchell, Kentucky Outrageous Bock Beer 5 Pipkin Brewing Company, Louisville, Kentucky Blonde Ale 5 Like a good American lager. India Pale Ale 8 Brown color. Full-bodied. Balanced, but not strong, hoppiness.
Memphis Brewing Co., Memphis, Tennessee Mississippi Mud Black & Tan 7 Small jug for bottle.
Greenshields Brewing Company, Raliegh, North Carolina Nut Brown Ale 6 Thin. Pinehurst Village Brewery, Aberdeen, North Carolina Double Eagle Brown Ale 8 Double Eagle Scotch Ale 7 Rock Creek Brewing Co., Raleigh, North Carolina All American Ale 9 Full-bodied and hoppy. Beer like I like to brew. Weeping Radish Brewery, Outer Banks, North Carolina Black Radish Dark Lager 8.5 Black color, medium body, good flavor. Fest Amber Lager 7 A good, thick lager.
Palmetto Brewing Company, Charleston, South Carolina Palemtto Pale Ale 9 Hoppy and somewhat malty.
Georgia Brewing Company (aka Wild Boar), somewhere in Georgia (brewed by: Georgia Brewing Company, Dubuque, Iowa) (now Wild Boar Brewing Company, Dubuque, Iowa) Wild Boar Classic Pilsner 7 Wild Boar Winter Spiced 7 Pepper nose. Not the usual Christmas spices. Slightly sweet. Wild Wheat 7 Cloudy with yeast. Some wheat-beer spice.
Ybor City Brewing Company, Tampa, Florida Ybor Brown Ale 6,6.5 Darker than it tastes. Ybor Gold 6,6.5
Abita Brewing Company LLC, Abita Springs, Louisiana Andygator Helles Doppelbock 7 Means "Light Doppelbock." This doesn't look or taste like a Doppelbock to me. 8% abv. Dixie Brewing Company, Inc., New Orleans, Louisiana Dixie Crimson Voodoo Ale 7 Malty.
Kona Brewing Company, Kailua, Island of Hawaii, Hawaii Fire Rock Pale Ale 7,7.5 This is supposed to be in the West Coast style, but could use more bitterness. Big body. Golden Ale 6.5 Longboard Lager 6 Good body. A good lager. Mehana Brewing Company, Hilo, Island of Hawaii, Hawaii Mauna Kea Pale Ale 7 Deep golden color. Some hop bitterness and aroma. Tradewinds Brewing Company, Wailuku, Maui, Hawaii Paniolo Ale 7.5 Good amber. A Paniolo is a Hawaiian cowboy.
Alaskan Brewing Company, Juneau, Alaska Amber 9 Good maltiness. Has widespread distribution through Alaska and into the middle 48. IPA 9 Surfer on label. Floral hop aroma. Good bitterness. Oatmeal Stout 8 Roasty, creamy. Old Growth (tap) 7 Barleywine. Sweet. Flavored with spruce tips. Pale (Golden Ale) 7 Mild hopping, as in a toned-down version of their IPA.
Anheuser-Busch, St. Louis, Missouri The biggest brewery in the world. Black & Tan Porter 7.5 In 1996 A-B finally made a good dark beer! Once again, however, the big boys have trouble understanding beer naming. This is probably a good dark lager rather than a porter or a black and tan. Budweiser 4.5 What does the name Budweiser really stand for? It's from the city of Budweis, Czechoslavakia The biggest-selling beer in America. Bud Dry 6.5 This has great body for a mega-brew. Bud Ice 3,4.5 Left a dry taste in my mouth. 5.5% abv. Label says "ale." Bud Light 5 Elk Mountain Amber Ale 6 From the Specialty Brewing Group of A-B. Decent body and flavor. Nasty aftertaste after a few sips. Faust Golden Lager 3.5 Like Michelob, but with a bitter off taste. Michelob 6.5 Michelob Amber Bock 5 Brown in color; Michelob in taste. Somehow they made it dark without any deeper flavor. Michelob Classic Dark 6 Dark color. Some "Michelob taste." No roasted malt detected. Michelob Dry 6.5 Michelob Golden Draft 3.5 Not on par with the other Michelobs Michelob Centennial Special Brew 6.5 Listed as an ale. Doesn't have "Michelob taste." Muenchener--Munich Style Amber 5.5 Natural Ice 4.5 5.9% abv. Natural Pilsner 5 Smooth. Surprisingly decent body. O'Doul's 4.5 Non-alcoholic beer. Smooth enough. Doesn't quite taste like beer. Pacific Ridge Pale Ale 6.5 Bitter. Label says "brewed in Northern California" with pictures of a forest. It's brewed in Faifield, which is pretty barren. Red Wolf Lager Beer 6 From the Specialty Brewing Group of A-B. A little flavor (good for A-B). Special Christmas Beer 1995 6.5 Deep reddish brown. Some Budweiser taste. Fancy bottle. Blitz-Weinhard Brewing Company, Portland, Oregon Weinhard's Ale 6 Weinhard's Blue Boar Draft 6 Weinhard's Honey Hefeweizen 3 Label says "A traditional wheat lager." Where did they get this idea? Henry Weinhard's Blackberry Wheat 5.5 "Wheat ale with natural blackberry flavor" Henry Weinhard's Private Reserve 5.5 Henry Weinhard's Private Reserve Light 5 Very smooth. Slightly creamy. Henry Weinhard's Private Reserve Dark Beer 6.5 Good price/performance ratio. Henry Weinhard's Porter 7 Another moderately priced, tasty beer. Weinhard's Boar's Head Red 6.5 Ditto. Coors Brewing Company, Golden, Colorado Coors now labels the Killian's line as being brewed by Unibev. Coors Eisbock 1994 3 It's good to see the big boys make an attempt at more flavorful beers; unfortunately, it's a really bad attempt. I wouldn't call this good, an eisbock, or a stout (it says "stout" on the label!). These guys are good at making smooth beers, but clueless otherwise. Coors 4 Coors Light 4 Smooth and almost completely flavorless. My favorite for a hot day on the water. Coors Non-Alcoholic 3 Coors Weizenbier 6 A little better attempt at a traditional old-world beer. Also says "stout" on the label. Coors Winterfest 1993-1994 5 Not much more to it than their regular beer. Coors Winterfest 1994-1995 5.5 Smooth, clean, decent body, but alas, no character George Killian's Irish Red 4.5,6 Tastes like Coors to me, but with a little more flavor. Formerly sold under Coors label, Now listed on label as being made by Unibev Ltd., undoubtedly to distance it from Coors. George Killian's Irish Brown Ale 7.5 Good maltiness. F & M Schaefer Brewing Company, Detroit, Michigan Schaefer Beer 4.5 Slightly sweet. Can says "America's Oldest Lager Beer," "Established 1842." General Brewing Company, Tumwater, Washington Regal Select 4 Label says "Recognized as one of America's two great beers." G. Heileman Brewing Co., La Crosse, Wisconsin Colt 45 4 Has that "malt liquor" taste. Mickey's Fine Malt Liquor 4.5 In the "big barrel." Joseph Huber Brewing Company, Monroe, Wisconsin Boxer Premium Malt Liquor 4.5 Harley Beer 4 A cheap attempt at using the motorcycle's draw to sell beer (as well as cigarettes). Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company, Detroit, Michigan Schlitz 4.5 Smooth enough. Can says "Just the kiss of the hops," which is true. It also says "The beer that made Milwaukee famous," which is kind of funny because the company is headquarted in Detroit. Miller Brewing Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin Miller also markets under the Plank Road Brewery name. Lowenbrau Special Beer 5 Many companies around the world are licensed to brew Lowenbrau, resulting very different brews. They include Miller in the U.S., Molson in Canada, and Sapporo (?) in Japan. Lowenbrau Dark 7 Best American mass-produced dark. Meisterbrau 3.5 Miller Genuine Draft 4.5 Miller Genuine Draft Light 4 Miller Genuine Red 5.5 Good body, but no flavor. Miller Reserve Amber Ale--100% Barley Draft 5 I hoped for more. Plank Road--Ice House Ale 6 Exceptionally smooth. No taste or aftertaste. Strong 5.5% abv. Plank Road--??? Light 5.5 Very smooth. Strong for a light beer. Plank Road--Red Dog 5 Smooth. Pabst Brewing Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Tumwater, Washington Hamms Genuine Draft 3.5 Olde English "800" 4.5 Has body. Slight sweetness. Charcoal filtered (scary). A gold medal winner at GABF in malt liquor category in '94 and '95. Olympia 3 Smells like a frat party the next morning. Formerly made in Tumwater, Washington using water from artersian wells. Pabst Blue Ribbon 3 Bland. Pabst Genuine Draft 4 Pearl Brewing Company, San Antonio, Texas Country Club Malt Liquor 3.5 Can says "America's Premium Malt Liquor." Only sold in the scarier parts of town. St. Ides Brewing Company, Detroit, Michigan St. Ides Premium Malt Liquor 6.5 Surprisingly good. Has a bit of wheat-beer spice, along with a bit of malt-liquor taste. The Stroh Brewery [sic] Company, Detroit, Michigan Primo Beer 2 Formerly made in Hawaii by the Primo Brewing and Malting Company, this mega-swill now tastes like a yucky version of Stroh's. The label says "Registered in the Islands 1905"--what a joke!
Big Rock Brewery, Calgary, Alberta, Canada Albino Rhino Ale 5 Cold Cock Winter Porter 8.5 Rich. A little spice. Grasshopper Wheat Ale 6 Body. Mouth feel. No tang. Magpie Rye Brew 7.5 "Ale brewed with rye." McNally's Ale 8 Label says "Irish style golden ale." Brasal Microbrewery, Quebec, Canada Brasal Bock 7.5 Brown color. Strongly alcoholic and somewhat port-like nose. Canadian Brewery I.N., Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada Kodiak Lager Beer 4.5 Labatt Brewing Company Limited, Edmonton, Winnepeg, Toronto, Montreal, Halifax, and St. John's, Canada John Labatt Special Stock (?) NR Labatt Blue--Pilsener Beer (can) 5.5 Smooth. Hint of sweetness. The Lowenbrau Brewing Company, Toronto, Canada I am suspicious of this brewery name: It is probably just Molson. Lowenbrau Premium Laber 6.5 More body than the Miller version. Molson Breweries of Canada Limited, Montreal, Canada Molson Export Ale 6.5 Molson Golden 6.5 Molson Ice 5 Stronger. Molson Light NR Moosehead Breweries Limited, Saint John, New Brunswick and Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada Canada's oldest independent brewery. Moosehead 6,7 A good lager. Skunky aroma, which is good if you like it. Unibroue, Chambly, Quebec, Canada This brewery produces some powerful beers that are similar to Belgian styles. Blanc de Chambly 7 White (wit) beer. Soft. A little spicy, like a Belgian wit. Don de Dieu 7.5 Sailing ship on label. 9% abv. Deceptively strong, effervescent. Similar to the Belgian beer Duvel. La Fin du Monde (End of the World) 8.5 Map of the northeast edge of Canada on the label. Belgian trippel style. Maudite (Damned in French) 9.5 Nice label of canoeists paddling through the sky to a party, enabled by a deal with the Devil. 8% abv. Strong, effervescent, yeasty. Fermented in bottle. Similar to a Belgian trippel. Upper Canada Brewing Company, Toronto, Canada Upper Canada Pale Ale 2.5 Whistler Brewing Company, Whistler, British Columbia Black Tusk Ale 8 Black. Fairly rich. Mother's Pale Ale 7
Carta Blanca? Carta Blanca 5 Cerveceria Cuauhtemoc, S.A. de C.V., Monterrey, Mexico Bohemia 6,5 Cerveceria del Pacifico, S.A. de C.V., Mazatlan, Mexico Pacifico Clara 6 Crisp, clean. Not much flavor. Cerveceria Moctezuma, S.A. de C.V., Orizaba, Mexico Dos Equis--XX 6 A little heavier than typical Mexican beers. Noche Buena Cerveza Especial 8,6,7 A dark Christmas beer. A decade ago I remember it being dark and rich; now there's not much to it. Cerveceria Monterrey S.A. (contract: Centro Americana, S.A., Guatemala City, Guatemala) Baja Cerveza Importada Lager Beer 5.5 A full-bodied lager, on the more-flavorful end for Mexican lagers. Cerveceria Modelo Modelo 4.5 Negro Modelo 7 On the light side of dark. Clara? Clara 2.5 Yucky. Corona? Corona 5 As the result of an advertising blitz, this typical light-bodied, flavorless Mexican beer is a trendy beer in Southern California and elsewhere, selling for far more than it should. Sol? Sol 5 Superior? Superior 5 Tecate? Tecate 2,4.5 I wouldn't want to "Tecate my body." Taste varies. Maybe problems with storage during shipping?
Belize Brewing Company, Ladyville, Belize Belikin Beer 6.5 Smooth, flavorful lager.
Cerveceria La Constancia, S.A., San Salvador, El Salvador Cantina Pura Cerveza 3 Has a bit of an off taste. Corona-like bottle. El Gran Campeon 4 Smooth, OK body, like Dos Equis and many Mexican beers.
Cerveceria Centro Americana S.A., Guatemala City, Guatemala Moza Cerveza Oscura (Dark Beer) 7.5 Lives up to its bock label.
Cerveceria del Baru S.A., Panama City, Panama Cerveza Panama 5.5 Green bottle with Heineken-like aroma, but thinner body.
Carib Brewery, Champs Fluers, Trinidad, Trinidad and Tobago Carib Laber 6 Similar to Corona. Royal Extra Stout 9 Flavorful, but not roasty. Alcoholic.
Cervejaria Cacador, Ltda., Cacador, Brazil (old) Cervejaria Sul Brasileira Ltda., Toledo, Brazil (new) Xingu Black Beer 4.5,7 Thick, heavy. Truly black. Low carbonation. Sweet caramel taste. Xingu is a tributary of the Amazon.
Compania Cervecera del Sur del Peru S. A., Cusco, Peru Cusquena Malta 1 Tastes like unfermented malt syrup (the main ingredient in beer). I poured out most of it. Cuzco Cervecera--Premium Peruvian Beer 4 Heineken-like nose. Light body. Some cardboard.
Bass Brewers Limited, Burton-on-Trent, England
Bass & Co. Pale Ale--IPA 6
I wouldn't call it an IPA:
it doesn't have the hop bitterness.
Country Chase Ale 6.5
Initial maltiness gives way to smoother
yet medium-heavy beer.
Boddingtons Brewery, Manchester, England
Boddingtons Pub Ale Draught (N2-injector can) 6.5
Not much flavor, but very creamy texture
due to nitrogen injector in can
(as in Guinness' Pub Draught).
Courage Ltd., Staines, England
John Courage Amber 4
Nothing to it.
Eldridge, Pope & Co., PLC, Dorchester, Dorset, England
Thomas Hardey's Ale ('94) 7.5
Very full body. Flat.
Port-like nose. Yeast in bottle.
This barleywine comes in a 6.33-ounce bottle.
Named for the author, who mentioned it in
Fuller Smith & Turner Griffin Brewery, London, England
Fuller's London Pride 8
"Outstanding premium ale." This has the full
body of Heineken with the flavor from an ale
yeast. Copper color. Tastes like more than its
4.7% abv (usually such beers are thin).
Fuller's Vintage Ale 2013 7
I expected more flavor. 8.5% abv.
Greene King, Suffolk, England
Westgate Brewery
Abbot Ale--Pub Draught Ale Can 7
Some flavor. Smooth.
Exceptionally creamy due to nitrogen
injector (like Guinness's Pub Draught).
"The Trumpet Major."
Griffin Brewery, London, England
Fuller's ESB 7,6
Says "The World's Original Extra Special Bitter."
Ind Coope Burton Brewery, Burton-on-Trent, England
Double Diamond (tap, bottle) 5.5,6.5
Not much to it.
Bottle has cardboard taste.
Newcastle Breweries, Newcastle upon Tyne, England
Newcastle Brown Ale 8
Newcastle Traditional Ale 6.5
Ridgeway Brewing, Oxfordshire, England
Seriously Bad Elf 7.5
"English Double Ale." Dominant flavor
is ethanol. 9% abv.
Robinsons Brewery/Unicorn Brewery, Cheshire, England
Trooper 6
Nice label, but the beer isn't that exciting.
4.7% abv.
Samuel Smith Old Brewery, North Yorks or Tadcaster, England
Samuel Smith seems to export the
biggest selection of beers from
England to the U.S.
Samuel Smith's Imperial Stout 6.5
Estery/banana nose.
Unlike other imperial stouts,
only tastes a little strong.
Samuel Smith's Lager Beer 4.5
Samuel Smith's India Ale 5
Contrary to the label, this beer has
little hop aroma or bitterness.
Samuel Smith's Nut Brown Ale 8
S. Smith's Old Brewery Tadcaster Oatmeal Stout 8
No aftertaste.
Samuel Smith's Old Brewery Pale Ale 4
Flavorless. Not a pale ale.
S. Smith's Old Brewery Tadcaster Taddy Porter 6.5
Roasty taste.
Samuel Smith's Winter Welcome Ale 1993-1994 8
Samuel Smith's Winter Welcome Ale 1994-1995 8
As usual, richly flavored.
After a few weeks on the grocer's shelf,
it gets lightstruck (skunked).
Buy it early in the season.
Samuel Smith's Winter Welcome Ale 2014-2015 6
Not too exciting. I'm glad to see that
they are now using brown bottles instead
of clear ones. 6.0% abv.
Watney Truman, Ltd., London, England
Watneys Red Barrel 7
Whitbread PLC, London, England
Mackeson XXX Stout 8
Wychwood Brewery, Witney, England
Hobgoblin 7.5
A decent brown ale.
Scarecrow Golden Pale Ale 6.5
Tastes like traditional English hopping,
which to me is a woody taste. 4.5% abv.
Wychcraft Blonde Ale 5
Young and Company's Brewery PLC, London, England
At the Ram Brewery
Old Nick Ale 7.5
"A traditional English barley wine."
Strong tasting.
Young's Oatmeal Stout 6,7.5
Creamy. Suprisingly little flavor.
Young's Tartan Special 5
Amber but boring.
Young's Winter Ale 5
Not much to it. Expensive.
Young's Winter Warmer Ale (tap) 7
Decent creaminess, but not much flavor.
The Belhaven Brewery Co., Ltd., Dunbar, Scotland Belhaven Scottish Ale 8 Smooth amber ale with a distinctive smoked peat flavor. You have to be in the right mood for this one. Heather Ale Ltd, ???, Scotland Fraoch 4 Scottish & Newcastle Breweries, PLC, Scotland McEwan's (regular in a can) 4 McEwan's Export--India Pale Ale 4,2 Cardboard taste both from bottle and on tap. McEwan's Scotch Ale (bottle) 7.5 Smells strong. Sweet initial and aftertaste.
Felinfoel Brewery Company, Ltd., Llanelli, Wales aka Welsh Welsh--Thames Festive Ale (bottle) 5 Full-bodied, sweet, spicy aftertaste. The sweetness turns cloying by the end of the bottle. Welsh Bitter (tap, bottle) 3 Very sour lemon both on tap and in bottle. Something is wrong.
Guinness, Dublin, Ireland Guinness makes a variety of stouts (see their homepage, linked via my beer homepage). Guinness Extra Stout (bottle) 6.5 Not as much flavor as its American stout counterparts. Kaliber 6.5 A good non-alcoholic beer. Harp Lager Brewery (owned by Guiness), Dundalk, Ireland Harp Lager Beer 7 Murphy's Brewery, Cork, Ireland Murphy's Irish Stout 5.5 Thin. Smithwick's, Kilkenny, Ireland Smithwick's Irish Ale 7
Aass Bryggeri, Drammen, Norway Aass Bock Beer 9 A flavorful dark beer.
Carlsberg Breweries, Copenhagen, Denmark Elephant (bottle) 6.5,7.5 Strong with a bit of a hop bite. Harboes Bryggeri A/S, Skaelskor, Denmark Bear Beer 6 Heineken-like "skunky" nose, but pretty flavorless lager. Decent body.
Amstel Breweries, Amsterdam, Holland Amstel (regular) (tap) 7 Amstel Light (bottle) 6.5 It's a light, all right. Antwerpse Brouw Compagnie, Anterpen, Belgium Seef Bier 9 A spicy wheat beer, but nothing on the label indicates this. 6.5% abv. Brand Brewery, Limburg Province, Holland Brand Bier NR Brouwerij de Koningshoeven, Berkel-Enschot, Holland La Trappe Quadrupel 10 Deep amber color. Rich. 10% abv. Brouwerij de Orangeboom, Brabant, Holland Orangeboom Premium Lager (bottle) 4 Always has a cardboard taste in U.S. Eindhoven Bierbrouwerij, Schinner, Holland Eindhoven Special Reserve 6.5 Quite drinkable, but nothing special. Grolsch Bierbrouwerijen, Groenlo, Holland Grolsch Amber Ale 7 A slightly dark wheat beer. Grolsch Bok (bottle) 6.5 A lot of body, but dominant characteristic is sweetness (compare to Heineken Tarwebok). Grolsch Premium Lager (bottle) 6.5,7.5 The thickest "plain" lager I've had. Strong floral, hay-like aroma. Heineken Brouwerijen B.V., Amsterdam, Holland Buckler (bottle) 6.5 Non-alcoholic. Kylian 7.5 Vienna style. Heineken Lager Beer (bottle) 7 I like the slightly skunked taste when it's from a bottle; canned and kegged Heineken rates about a 5. Heineken Special Dark Beer (bottle) 8 Heineken Tarwebok (bottle) 7 Dark. Very sweet. Label says "Traditional Wheat Bock Ale." I've never seen a "wheat bock," a "bock ale," or a "traditional" Dutch bock, but it does have a bock character. de Schaapskooi, Tilburg, Holland A true abbey brewery (see Belgium). La Trappe Dubbel/XX 5 Malty aroma, but flat taste. 6.5% abv. La Trappe Enkel/X 6.5 Tastes like a solid lager. 5.5% abv. La Trappe Quadrupel/XXXX 5.5 When cold, dominant taste is metallic. When warmer (as is appropriate), it is slightly sweet with a malty taste. 10% abv. La Trappe Tripel/Triplus/XXX 9.5 Clove-like spiciness. Rich. 8% abv. Stads Brouwerij de Ridder, Maastricht, Holland Wieckse Witte 7.5 Wit style beer. H. West, Maarssen, Holland Hollandia (can) 5.5,4 Little flavor.
Belgium is the home of 5 of the 6 true Trappist abbey breweries, breweries that are truly on the premises and run by monks. Their beers are referred to as Trappistenbiers or Biere de Peres Trappistes. They are Westmalle, Westvleteren, Chimay, Rochefort, and Orval, and Schaapskooi in Holland. Similar beers are contract-brewed under the abbey name and referred to as Abdijbiers or Biere d'Abbaye.
Abbaye St. Remy, Rochefort, Belgium Trappistes Rochefort 8 6 9.2% abv. Brasserie d'Achouffe, Achouffe, Belgium Houbon Dobbelen IPA Tripel 6 9.0% abv. Brasserie d'Orval S.A., Orval, Belgium Orval Trappist Ale 4 Trout with ring on label. Very foamy head that doesn't fall. Golden color. Smells strong. Flavorlessly thin. (Reported to be very bitter--needs a retaste.) Brasserie des Legendes, Ath, Belgium The town has an annual giants parade. Goliath 7 Tripel Belgian Ale. 9% abv. I expected more flavor. Brasserie Dupont, Tourpes, Belgium Saison Dupont "Belgian Farmhouse Ale" 6 Light-struck taste does not agree. Brewery Bavik, Bavikhove, Belgium Petrus Winterbeer 7 Brewery Stubbe, Ichtegem, Belgium Ichtegem's Ale 8 Tastes strong, port-like. Brewery Corsendonk Ltd., Oud-Turnhout, Belgium (contract: Brewery Du Bocq) Monk's Pale Ale 9.5 (Not a pale ale in the British sense.) Suspended yeast. Pale color. Head when poured, but drops off fast. Silky smooth texture. Spicy and surprisingly sweet. A triple. Monk's Brown Ale 6.5 Less head and yeast than its counterpart. Skunky *taste*. Medium-full body. Called "Pater Noster" (our Father) in Europe. Brewery De Silly, Silly, Belgium Double Enghien Brune 9 Brewery van Steenberge, Ertvelde, Belgium Augustijn Ale 7 Spicy, yeasty. Maybe my bottle had been sitting too long, as it was overcarbonated. 8% abv. Brouwerij Alken-Maes, Belgium Grimbergen Abbey, since 1128 by Norbertine monks. Contract brewed by Kronenbourg? Grimbergen Double Ale (Dubbel) 10 Rich, aromatic, moderately sweet. Much more flavor when warmed above refrigerator temperature. Phoenix on bottle. A wonderful beer! Brouwerij Bavik, Bavikhove, Belgium Wittekerke 5 Wheat ale. Not much to it Brouwerij Boon, Lembeek, Belgium Kriek Boon 7 Some cherry flavor. 4% abv. Brouwerij de Gouden Boom, Bruges, Belgium Blanche de Bruges (White of Bruges) 6.5 Soft and smooth. Subtle spice. Brouwerij de Smedt, Opwijk, Belgium Affligem Dubbel 8.5 7% abv. Affligem Noel Christmas Ale 9 "Spices and caramel color added." Affligem Tripel Abbey Ale 8,9 Gold color. Light-bodied. Rates an 8 when cool, with a spicy flavor, but a 4 when too cold. 8.5% abv. Brouwerij Lindemans, Vlezenbeek, Belgium Kriek Lambic 9 Excellent mix of black cherry into beer. One of the most expensive beers, at ~$6/bottle in 2004, but one that everyone should taste at least once. Brouwerij Maes Waarloos, Belgium Maes Pils 6 Heavier pilsner. Brouwerij Strubbe, Ichtegem, Belgium Strubbe Pils 6 Brouwerij Van Steenberge, Ertvelde, Belgium Gulden Draak 7.5 "Golden Dragon." Little aroma. Some sweetness gives only a hint of its 10.5% abv strength. Better at cellar temperature. Brouwerij Verhaeghe, Vichte, Belgium Bourgogne 2 Tastes like A-1 steak sauce. Castle Brewery Van Honsebrouck, Ingelmunster, Belgium St. Louis Framboise 9 Tart. Powerful raspberry/cherry aroma. De Keersmaeker, Asse, Belgium Mort Subite Kriek Lambic 9 Sour cherry flavor. Duvel Moortgat, Breendonk, Belgium Maredsous 10 Triple 7 Strong at 10% abv, but not particularly heavy. Huyghe Brewery, Melle/Ghent, Belgium Ale Delirium Tremens 10 Very flavorful wit style. 8.5% abv. White bottle with blue label. Delirium Nocturnum 7 Strong "wheat bock." 8.5% abv. Liefmans Brouwerij, Oudenaarde, Belgium Liefmans Cuvee-Brut (cherry) 8 Ale aged with cherries. Very drinkable, even for people who don't like beer. L'Union, Jumet, Belgium Grimbergen Double 7.5 Sweet. Brewed by monks at the Grimbergen Abbey. Double has an "extended top fermentation." Grimbergen Triple 2 Yuch. Much different that the double. Triple "continues fermentation in the bottle." Moortgart Breweries, Breendonk, Belgium Duvel Belgian Ale 3,6 The color of light beer or lemonade. Not much flavor. Slightly lemony. Very fizzy. Initial bitter aftertaste. Yeast in bottom of bottle. "Duvel" means "devil." Suprising 8.2% alc/vol. Retaste: Faint flavor. Very light color for 8.5% abv. Has more flavor when allowed to warm from refrigerator temperature. S.A. Bieres de Chimay, Chimay, Belgium Brewed by Trappist monks. The first monastery to commercially brew beer, and the most famous of the Trappist breweries. The labels instruct you to use only their stemmed goblet for drinking. They brew three different strengths of ale. The bottles are not differentiated by writing, but rather by color. The strongest, the blue, is also bottled in a 75 cl bottle with gold label and vintage dated. Chimay Blanche/Wit (White Label) 6.5 Blonde color. Very effervescent. Moderately malty aroma. Light-to-medium body. 8% abv. Chimay Bleue/Blauw (Blue Label) 7.5,8.5 Amber color. Rich. Fairly malty. Smooth. Strong with alcoholic nose. 9% abv. Not much flavor for its strength. Plenty of yeast at bottom of bottle. Later tasting in 2014 at a warmer temperature: more flavor and higher rating. Chimay Rouge/Rood (Red Label) 7 Amber color. Medium maltiness. Surprisingly little flavor. 7% abv. St. Bernardus Brewery, Watou, Belgium Contract-brewed under the abbey name. St. Bernardus Christmas Ale 8 Similar to the Abt 12, and similarly strong at 10% abv. I expected more flavoer for $12 for a bottle in 2013. St. Bernardus Prior 8 6 I was disappointed: not much flavor. St. Bernardus Abt 12 8,9 Doppelbock dark color. Creamy and slightly sweet, but not as sweet or rich as I had expected. 10.5% abv. Best at cellar temperature. St. Sixtus (bottle) 7.5 Sweet. St. Feuillen, Le Roeulx, Belgium St. Feuillen Saison 6 Light straw color, cloudy. A little spice 6.5% abv. Stella Artois, Leuven, Belgium Stella Artois (can) 5 The Budweiser of Belgium, widely sold in the US. Trappest Monastery of Westmalle, Westmalle, Belgium Westmalle Dubbel 6,8.5 Body, but not much flavor. 7% abv. Westmalle Tripel 7 Lighter color that dubbel, but of course stronger. Better when allowed to warm above refrigerator temperature. Brewery Van Steenberge, Ertvelde, Belgium This brewery uses a pirate theme. Biere du Boucanier 8.5 Golden color. Spicy yeast aroma. Deceiving 11% abv. Bornem Double Ale 7 Fairly rich. Sweet, effervescent. Bruesel Amber Ale 8 Spicy. 5.2% abv. Piraat Ale 7 Golden color. Deceptive 10.5% abv. Fairly fizzy. Some spice. Slightly bitter aftertaste.
Aktien Brauerei, Kaufbreuren, Germany St. Martin Doppelbock Dunkel (tap) 8.5 Good malty flavor. 7.5% abv. Bayerische Staatsbraueri Weihenstephan, Freising, Germany Claims to be the world's oldest brewery, since 1040. Hefe-Weissbier 9 Wheat-beer spice. Yeast in bottom is yellowish. Hefe-Weissbier Dunkel 8,9 Nice traditional yeast-created spice. 5.3% abv. Korbinian Dunkeles Starkbier 6.5 Surprisingly little flavor, given that it's a "strong beer." 7.4% abv. Kristall Weissbier 9 A clear wheat beer that still has the spicy flavor. 5.4% abv. Vitus Weizenbock 11 Yes, in the tradition of Spinal Tap, I rated this an eleven! The most flavorful beer I've ever had, with a rich clove-like spiciyness. 7.7% abv. Surprisingly, it is a straw-colored, rather than dark. Like most Weizenbocks, name ends in "-tus." Binding Brauerei A.G., Frankfurt, Germany Clausthaler 7,5.5 As with all the European non-alcoholic beers, pretty good. Grain flavor associated with non-alcoholic beers. Bitburger Braueri th. Simon, Bitburg, Germany Bitburger Drive (bottle) 4.5 Non-alcoholic. Bitburger Premium Beer 6 Smooth, decent-bodied lager. Pils (bottle) 5 Generic taste. Brauerei Beck and Company, Bremen, Germany Beck's (American-market version) 6.5 A decent pilsner. Beck's (German-market version) 7,7.5 More bitter than in U.S. Beck's Dark 7.5,6.5 Good flavor. Lighter body. Beck's Light 4 Grainy, like a non-alcoholic beer. Oktoberfest 1994 7.5 Not too heavy. Haake Beck 7 Very good for a non-alcohol beer. Brauerei G. Schneider und Sohn, Kehlheim, Germany Origninally located in downtown Munich, Schneider still operates the Weisses Brauhaus, which is famous for its wheat beers Hefe-Weizenbier (tap) 7 Not as flavorful as I had expected. Aventinus Weizenstarkbier (bottle) 7.5,10 No spicyness. Tastes strong. Another tasting years later: Wheat doppelbock. 8.0% abv. Rich, spicy. Yum! Transportation and storage may affect flavor. Aventinus Wheat-Doppelbock (Weizen-Doppelbock) 10 Same as above, with a different label. The original Weizenbock. Others' names end in "-us" or "-tus" in deference. Aventinus Weizen Eisbock 8,9 The Weizen-Doppelbock concentrated by partially freezing and removing the ice, leaving behind a beer with 12.0% abv. On the label Georg Schneider VI says that this is a concentration of the most complex Wheat-Doppelbock in the world. Personally, I lke the regular version better. Dark brown and cloudy. Retaste in 2014: I give a higher rating. Schneider Weiss Tap 5 Hopfenweisse Doppelbock Ale 8 Sweeter than the Tap 4. 8.2% abv. Brauerei Pinkus Muller, Munster, Germany Pinkus Organic Original Munster Ale 4 Bland. Burgerlichen Brauhaus Ravensburg-Lindau AG, Ravensburg, Germany Burgerliches Brauhaus Export (tap) 5 Humpis-Original NR Burgerliches Weizen Klar Export (tap) 7.5 Delininger Kronenbrau (aka EKU), Hof, Germany EKU stands for Erste Kulmbach Actienbrauerei "Union" EKU Hefe Weissbier Hell (bottle) 8 EKU Hefe Weissbier Dunkel 9.5 A very tasty wheat-yeast beer EKU 28--Kulminator Urtyp Hell 5,7,8 "Hell" means "light" in color. It *is* a suprisingly transparent brown. Almost sickly sweet. Very alcoholic nose. One of the world's strongest (12.4-13.5% alcohol by volume). "28" is the minimum starting gravity in degrees Plato (specific gravity ~1.120). As I've gotten older, I've grown to enjoy it. Dinkelacker Brauerei AG, Stuttgart, Germany Dinkel Acker Oktoberfest 7 Dark brown color. Deliciously malty without being overbearing. Not much other taste or smell. Dortmunder Actien-Brauerei (DAB) AG, Dortmund, Germany Original Dortmund Premiuim Lager Beer 5 Good body. Skunky aroma. Edel (?), ???, Germany Edel-Export von Fass (tap) 7.5 Hacker-Pschorr, Munchen, Germany Founded 1417, but named after Georg Pschorr, 1798-1867) Amber Marzen 7 Reddish brown. Slight sweetness. Richer than Edelhell. Braumeister Pils (bottle) 8 Very bitter. Has hop extract added. Dunkel weisse 8.5,9 Yeast-induced spice. Hacker Braumeister Dunkel (bottle) 4 Marzen Amber 8 Amber. Fairly rich. Munich Edelweiss 6 Golden color. Good body for a lager. Original Oktoberfest/Amber Marzen 7 Weisse 8,8.5 Hanseatische Getraenke-Industrie GmbH, Hamburg, Germany Streitberg Bier 3,5 Cheap half-liter can. Hanner (?), ???, Germany Hanner (can) 4 Malty. Henninger-Brau, Frankfurt am Main, Germany Gerstel Brau 4.5 Non-alcoholic. Henninger Feinwurzig 6 Smooth, clean. Kaiser Pilsner Premium Privat Bier 7 Thick body. Thanks to Joerg. Hofbrau, Munchen, Germany Hofbrau Alt-Munchener Dunkelgold (tap) 6 Hofbrau Hell-Premium (tap) 4 Hofbrau Weisse (tap) 4 Hofbrauhaus Freising, Freising, Germany Jagerbier-Helles Exporbier (bottle) 6.5 A good lager. Heineken-like nose. Holtsten-Brauerei A.G., Hamburg, Germany Holsten Bier 4 Holsten Light (can) 4 Holsten Dry Bier 6.5 Holzkirchner Oberbrau, Holzkirche, Germany Hefe Weissbier Dunkel 6.5 More amber than dark. Hornecker (?), ???, Germany Hornecker Hell (bottle) 6 Hovel (?), Berlin (?), Germany Hovels Original Bitterbier (tap) 5 Jever (?), ???, Germany Jever Pilsner Friesisch Herb (can) 6.5 J. W. Augustiner Brau, Munich, Germany Since 1328. Has a traditional beer hall at the brewery. Edelstoff (tap) 5 A light-colored beer. Plain. Maximator (tap) 7.5 The sign said "Frisch vom Fass"-- fresh from the barrel. Indeed, it is a fresh-tasting doppelbock. Weissbier 7.5 Less spice than some other wheat beers. Clean finish. Kindl (?), ???, Germany Berliner Kindl Pils (can) 6 Klosterbrauerei Andechs, Andechs, Germany An abbey brewery. Since 1453. Andechser Doppelbock Dunkel 9 Rich without being too sweet. Klosterbrauerei Reutberg, Sachsenkam, Germany Reutberger Export Dunkel 7.5 Reutberger Export Hell 6.5 Reutberger Josef Bock 8 Strong-tasting. Klosterbrauerei Weissenohe, Weissenohe, Germany Monk's Christkindall 6.5 I expected more flavor from a Christmas beer. Konig (?), ???, Germany Konig Pilsener (tap) 6 Kostritzer Schwarzbierbrauerei, Bad Kostritz/Thuringen, Germany Kostritzer Oktoberfest 8 Richer and sweeter than their black beer. Kostritzer Schwartzbier 8,6.5 Decent body. Black color with a little roasted taste. Krombacher Braueri Kreutzal, Krombach, Germany Krombacher Pils (bottle) 7.5,5.5 Only a little bitter. Kulmbacher Brauerei, Kulmbach, Germany Monchshof Schwarz NR Linderer (?), Hannover, Germany Linderer Spezial (can) 7 Lowenbrau, Munich, Germany Since 1383. Has a biergarten and beautiful restaurant across from the brewery. I was expecting more from this world-famous brewery. Lowenbrau Export-Helles (tap) 5 Lowenbrau Premium Pils (tap) 6 A little bitter. Lowenbrau Schwartzbier (tap) 6 For such a dark beer, not much to it. Lowenbrau Weissbier (tap) 5 Triumphator (tap) 7 Not as thick as other doppelbocks. Mahr's-Brau, Bamberg, Germany Jubelfestbier 6 Dark beer, but nothing special. Paderborner Isenbeck Braueri, Padenborn, Germany Isenbeck Premium Dark 6.5 Paulaner, Munchen, Germany All have nice labels of festivals. Hefe-Weizen Naturtrub NR Hefe-Weizen Altbayerische Brauart NR Oktoberfest 6 Sweet, rich aroma is not followed in taste. Original Munchnen Hell (bottle) 6 Pils (tap) 2 Salvator 8.5 Strong, but only a slight hint of alcohol. Rich. Fluid effervescence. Salvator is the original doppelbock, first brewed in 1634. In tribute to Salvator, the suffix "ator" is used by over 100 breweries in Germany to signify doppelbocks. Thomas Brau 5 Non-alcoholic. Has that "NA beer taste." Peterhof (?), ???, Germany Peterhof Helles 5 Peterhof Pils 4 Privatbrauerei Erdinger Weissbrau Werner Brombach, Erding, Germany Since 1516. I think this is one of the best wheat-beer breweries. Erdinger Weissbier 9.5 Rich, creamy, traditional wheat-beer spiciness. Erdinger Weissbier Dunkel 6,6,6 Surprisingly little flavor on several tastes. Pikantus Dunkler Weizenbock 8.5,7 Dark wheat beer. Has wheat-beer spiciness. Slight alcoholic nose (it's a bock). Schneeweisse (bottle) 7 "Das Winterbier" on label. Very effervescent. Lacks the spicyness of their regular wheat beers. Privatbrauerei Aying Franz Inselkammer KG, Aying, Germany Ayinger Altbairisch Dunkel 8 Ayinger Brau-Weisse--Helles Hefeweissbier 8.5,7.5 Wheat-beer spice. Ayinger Brauspezialitaten 7.5 Ayinger Dunkles Hefe-Weizenbier 7 Ayinger Maibock 7.5 Sweet. Ayinger Oktoberfest/Marzen 7.5 Ayinger Ur-Weisse 7 Creamy. Distinct wheat-beer taste. Celebrator Doppelbock 8.5 Rich, malty, and strong. Privatbrauerei Rudolf Schaft, Treuchtlingen, Germany Schaft's Helle Weisse 6 Privatbrauerei Tucher, Nuernberg, Germany Tucher Dunkeles Hefe Weizen 7,6.5,9.5 Spicy aroma, but flat taste. Tucher Helles Hefe Weizen 7 Some spiciness. Much variation in different tastings. Pschorr-Brau, Munchen, Germany Weisse--Naturtrubes Hefeweissbier NR Radeberger Exportbierbrauerei GmbH, Radberg, Germany Radeberger Pilsner 7 A true pilsner, with a decent bitterness. Rothaus (?), ???, Germany Rothaus (bottle) 7 St. Pauli Braueri, Bremen, Germany Saint Pauli Girl 6 Very smooth. Saint Pauli Girl Special Dark 7,8 A good dark beer. Less sweetness and body than Spaten Dark. Schlossbrauerei Kaltenberg Irmingard Prinzessin von Bayern, Kaltenberg, Germany Prinzregent Luitpold Weissbier NR Prinzregent Luitpold Weissbier Dunkel 8.5 Very foamy. Very cloudy. Good spice. Schlosser Alt (bottle) 6 Schultheiss (?), ???, Germany Schultheiss (tap, bottle) 6,7 Spaten-Brau, Munchen, Germany Spaten brews both the Spaten and Franziskaner beers. Club-Weisse NR Dinkel Acker Dark 9 Some sweetness, but less than Spaten Dark. Franziskaner Weissbier (tap) 7 Franziskaner Hefe-Weissbier NR Cool monk on label. Franziskaner Hefe-Weisse Dunkel 7,7.5,8.5 More amber than dark. Franziskus Heller Bock NR Oktoberfest Ur-Marzen 7.5 Optimator 7,8 The only doppelbock I've seen that is readily available in the US. A good amount of richness and sweetness. Strong. Pils 6 Premium 7 Full bodied. Premium Bock NR Spaten Premium 7 A great lager. Full-bodied. Spaten Dunkel (tap) 6 Spaten Oktoberfest 7 Spaten Weihnachtsfest (tap) 8 St. Pauli Braueri, Bremen, Germany St. Pauli Girl Beer 8 A full-bodied lager without hop/skunk aroma. Their labels are known for buxom blondes serving beer. Thier (?), ???, Germany Thier Pils (tap) 8 Warsteiner Brauerei Haus Cramer, Warstein, Germany Warsteiner Premium Verum 7 Lighter. "Grolsch" flavor. A good lager. Claims to be the biggest seller in Germany. Weissbierbrauerei Hopf, Miesbach, Germany A wheat-beer brewery on par with Weihenstefan. Hopf Dunkel Weisse 7.5 Initial spicy aroma. Would like a fuller flavor for a dark beer. Hopf Helle Weisse 9 Wheat-beer spicyness. Hopf Weisser Bock 9.5,10 Full-bodied spicy wheat beer. Amber color Wildbrau ???, Grafing, Germany Dunkles Weissbier (bottle) 7
Brasserie Artinsanale, Beaucaire, France Biere Rouse Pur Malt 3 Has on off taste that I don't like 5.5% abv. Bie Enfants de Gayant (aka Abbaye de St. Landelin) Brewed by the Monks of the Crespin Monastery Abbaye de Saint Landelin Amber Abbey Ale 8 Slightly sweet. Yeast in bottom. Abbaye de Saint Landelin Blond Abbey Ale 7.5 Spiciness of a German wheat beer. Yeast in bottom. Abbaye de Saint Landelin Brown Abbey Ale 7.5 Some maltiness. Yeast in bottom. Doesn't smell strong. Brasserie du Pecheur, Schiltigheim, France The Bitter by Fischer d'Alsace 6 "Grolsch" flavor. The Amber by Fischer d'Alsace 5.5 Very light amber color. Brasserie Grain d'Orge, Ronchin, France Belzebuth Pur Malt 7 Amber color. Sweet and strong at 13% abv. Similar to EKU 28. Ferme Brasserie St. Rieul, Trumilly, France St. Rieul Grand Cru 7 Deep amber color. Slightly sweet. More flavor as it warms. 9.6% abv. Kronenbourg Breweries, Strasbourg, France Kronenbourg 6.5 Not seen in U.S. Kronenbourg 1664 7 Called "1664" in France. Kronenbourg Dark 8 Haven't seen this for awhile.
Brauerei Hurlimann AG, Zurich, Switzerland Samichlaus Brown (bottle) 8 (Bottles in some states may say "dark.") At 14% alcohol by volume, the world's second strongest beer. Strong-tasting. Port-like. Intensely rich and malty. Suprisingly, not opaque. Brewed once a year on December 6, then aged 10 months before bottling. Expensive. Compare with Samuel Adams Triple Bock. For a 1997 batch tasted in 204, I rated it a 9.5. Cardinal, ???, Switzerland Cardinal (tap) 7.5 Feldschlosschen Brewery, ???, Switzerland Feldschlosschen Bier (tap) 6 Feldschlosschen Dunkel (tap) 5 Lowenbrau Swiss Beer (?), Zurich, Switzerland Lowenbrau Export Dark 6 Could use more flavor. Walliser Brewery, ???, Switzerland Walliser Bier/Biere Valaisanne 2 A local beer...and it's a good thing.
Brau Union Osterreich AG, Linz, Austria Kaiser Lager Beer (can) 6 A decent lager. Gosser (?), ???, Austria Gosser Pils (tap) 3 Hofbrau Kaltenhausen (aka Edelweiss), Salzburg, Austria Edelweiss Dunkel Weizenbier 7.5 Lacks flavor beyond the first note. Edelweiss Hefetrub 9.5 Pretty much the same as the Klar. Edelweiss Kristallklar Weizenbier 9 Not crystal-clear, but cloudy. German wheat-beer spice.
Okocim Brewery, Brzesko, Poland Okocim O.K. Beer 7 6.2% abv.
Zagrebacka Pivovara, Zagrab, Croatia Bansko Pivo 6.5 Bitterness reminiscent of Pilsner Urquell. According to the label, this beer has its origins 900 years ago in monasteries. Named after Bana Josipa Jelacica. Ozujsko Pivo 4.5 A little nasty aftertaste.
Brewery Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic Black Lion LEV Dark Beer 7 Initial strong banana nose. A little richness. LEV Czech Premium Dark Beer 6.5 LEV Lion Double Bock 7 Looks as the name implies. Thick. Lobkowicz, Vysoky/Chamec, Czech Republic Baron 5.5 Dark lager. Some cardboard taste. Knight Traditional Czech Lager 7 Need more bitterness for a traditional Czech lager (Pilsner style). Prince 5.5 Blonde bock. A little flat. Drinkable. Decent body, but little flavor. Pilsner Urquell, Pilsen, Czech Republic Pilsner Urquell 6 THE original pilsner. Prerov Brewery, Prerov, Czech Republic Zubr Premium Lager 7 Similar to Heineken. Primator A.S., Nachod, Czech Republic Primator Double Bock 8,10 Sweet, strong. 10.5% abv. Starobrno Brewery, Brno, Czech Republic Starobrno Premium Lager 7.5 Has the bitterness of a true Bohemian pilsner.
Heinken Slovensko, Stefanikola, Slovakia Golden Pheasant 7 Similar to Heineken. Zlaty Bazant, A.S., Hurbanovo, Slovakia Zlaty Bazant Beer 6.5 A good pilsner. Slightly sweet.
Martens S.A., Galati, Romania Prax Beer 6HR>
Obolon Brewery, Kiev, Ukraine Magnat 6.5 Similar to Heineken. Smooth with body. 5.2% abv.
Baltika Brewery, St. Petersburg, Russia Baltika Classic Lager Beer 7 Smooth with body. 4.8% abv. Baltika Extra Pale Ale 6.5 8.0% abv, but doesn't taste that strong.
Unicer/Uniao Cervejeira, CA, Leca Do Balio, Portugal Unicer Super Bock 7 Similar to Moosehead: A rich lager that is a little skunky.
Brasserie Almaza, S.A.L., Lebanon Almaza Pilsener Beer 4 Like Miller beer with cardboard. 9.5-oz. bottle.
T. B. I. Ltd., Netanya, Israel Malt Star 6 Non-alcoholic malt beverage. I think it's unfermented because it is very sweet and malty.
BB Brewery, Lome, Togo Ngoma Togo Pils 7 Very similar to Heineken. Good body. Ngoma Togo Special 5 Deep amber color. A lot of cardboard taste.
Bip Italia (?), ???, Italy Bip Italia Pilsen Birra (bottle) 5 Moretti Castllo di Udine, S.p.A., Udine/San Giorgio, Italy La Rossa Doppiomalto 7.5,8 Deep red color. Strong-tasting. Similar to Spaten Optimator. Peroni, Rome, Italy Peroni (can) 4 Peroni (bottle) 7 A full-bodied lager. Claims to be "#1 in Italy."
Beijing Yanjing Brewery Co., Ltd., Beijing, China Yanjing Beer 4 Light color. Some body. Some grainy taste similar to Stroh. Thanks to Qing for importing this for me. Cheerday Brewery, ???gzhou, Zhejiang Province, China Lucky Budda 6 A decent Heineken-like lager. Cool green bottle with Budda molded into it. 4.8% abv. Zhujiang Brewery, Guangzhou, China Yi King Chinese Beer (bottle) 2 Sweet, flat, "alcoholy." Zhujiang Beer (can) 6 A clean pilsner.
Asahi Breweries, Ltd., Tokyo, Japan Asahi Black (can) 7 A rare dark Japanese beer. Can actually taste some roastiness. Asahi Dry NR Lowenbrau (can) 6.5 Lowenbrau is also licensed for brewing in Japan. Asahi Super "Dry" 6 True to its name. Beer Isn't It?, Chain of pubs in Japan (contract: a brewery in New Zealand) Beer Isn't It? 4 All malt, but tastes similar to Old Milwaukee. Echigo Beer Co. Ltd., Niigata, Japan Kashihikari Echigo Beer 6.5 Lager with good body. Similar to Heineken. Kirin Brewery Company, Ltd., Tokyo, Japan Kirin Dark (draft) 7 Like a slightly lighter Guinness: good head, slightly roasty. Kirin Ichiban (can in Japan) 6 Kirin Ichiban (can in U.S.) 6 (contract: Molson Breweries, Montreal, Canada) A thick lager. "Kirin's Prime Brew." Kirin advertises that, unlike other cheaper beers, this comes from the "first press" of the ingredients. They are full of B.S. No one knowledgeable about brewing that I've talked to knows what they're referring to. Kirin Lager (can) 4 Kiuchi Brewery, Ibaraki, Japan Hitachino Nest 8 A white ale brewed with orange juice (which I can taste) and spices. 5.5% abv. Sapporo Breweries, Ltd., Ginza, Tokyo, Japan Founded in 1876 in Sapporo, Japan's oldest. Sapporo Draft Beer NR Sapparo Hokkaido (can) 6.5 Slightly sweet. Suntory, Tokyo and Kyoto, Japan Names with apostrophes are big in Japan. Hop's 4 Says "Fine Malt...Choice Hops", but you can't taste them. Malt's 6.5 A decent pilsner.
Bgi Tien Giang, ???, Vietnam "33" Export 2.5 Some skunky aroma. Overpowering cardboard aftertaste.
Boon Rawn Brewery Co., Ltd., Bangkok, Thailand Singha 6,4.5 Decent pilsner. Cosmos Brewing Co., Ltd., Ayutthaya, Thailand Chang Beer 4 Singa Corp. Co. Ltd., Bangkok, Thailand Singha Lager Beer 6 Smooth and slightly sweet.
San Miguel Corp., Manila, Phillipines (lager contract brewed by San Miguel Brewery Hong Kong Limited) San Miguel Dark Beer 10 Dark, rich, but not too heavy. San Miguel Premium Lager 3 Grainy, similar to Old Milwaukee.
Breweries of Austrailia Pty. Ltd. (contracts: Geelon Breweries Co. Pty. Ltd., Geelong, Victoria, Austrailia; FBG Breweries, Toronto, Canada) James Squires Australian Table Beer 4 Castlemaine Perkins Ltd., Queensland, Australia XXXX Export Lager 3 Like Budweiser, but worse. Carlton and United Breweries, Melbourne, Austrailia Foster's Lager 5 (contract: It appears that for North America, Foster's is made by FBG Breweries, Toronto, Canada.) The only thing exciting about it is (was) the big "oil can." Foster's Special Bitter (can) 7,4 Decent body. Smooth with a nice bite, not very bitter. More of a bitter in the English sense. Sheaf Stout 8,3 Highly variable. Sometimes rich. Coopers Brewery Ltd, Regency Park, Austrailia Orginal Pale Ale 5 Yeasty. Minimal bitterness. South Australian Brewing Company, Ltd. West End Export Australian Lager Beer 4 Richer than a Bud, but a bit of a yucky taste. Old Australian Stout. 6.5 Slightly sweet. Alcoholy. Not very roasty. Tasmanian Breweries, Hobart, Tasmania, Austrailia Razor Edge 4 Not much flavor. Alligator and shark on label. Tooheys Limited, Lidcombe, NSW, Austrailia Tooheys New Draught Beer 4
New Zealand Breweries, Ltd., Auckland, New Zealand Steinlager Premium Lager 8
Bricktown Brewery Copperhead Amber Ale 5 Body, but not much flavor. 75th Street Brewery Brown Ale 7.5
Samuel Adam Millenium Edition Triple Bock (20-21%), Samuel Adams Triple Bock (~17%), Samichlaus (13.7-14.0%), EKU 28 (12.4-13.5%), Belzebuth Pur Malt (13%)
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