11/28/11 Guinness Draught

So I know its been a couple of days since I last wrote. I had another review to type out but I just can't seem to find where I put it. Well last night around 8:15 the RZA and the Man Can Critic made their normal showing at Dorko's in Mount Carmel for trivia. I made it in time to get a black bean burger and some fries which were excellent as usual. The RZA did not fair well at all this night. A huge bonus along with some costly mistakes landed us in last place to the happiness of the rest of the crowd. The night was not lost though the company was good and the beer excellent. It has been a long time since I last had a Guinness Draught and I thought it was harsh and thick but my memory did not serve me correctly. The head was small at about 1/2" and the fizzing sound when you open the can reminded me of the nitrogen capsule at the bottom. It had a foamy head that was light brown and dissipated slowly. The head lacing was excellent and the body clarity was dark with a black color. It had a wheat aroma and a coffee taste. The flavor was light and it was super smooth. The finish was short and my mouth felt watery. The tongue hit was towards the back and it had excellent body lacing. I was surprised that the size of the can was 14.9 oz but at $3.00 it was still a steal for a very excellent beer. I was also pleased to see nutritional information on the can a huge plus. Overall I would give this beer an A- for good flavor, something different and a superior amount of can information. Thanks for reading and as always drink responsibly.

According to Kelly Rippa on Live with Kelly Guinness also helps with the production of breast milk.

Nutritional information from can per 12 oz.
Calories 125
Carbs 9.9g
Protein .3g
Fat 0g

Food pairings from beer advocate
Cuisine (Barbecue, Latin American) General (Chocolate) Meat (Smoked Meat, Grilled Meat)

11/25/11 Troegs HopBack Amber Ale

So after a long day of work and very little sleep my taste buds were crying out for something different. So last night I took out one of the beers from one of the Troegs variety packs that are available at Brewer's Outlet in Pottsville. I am usually like a cold beer and tonight was no different so I had put my beer of choice into the freezer for about 45 minutes to put a nice chill on it and it came out at an almost perfect 33 degrees. The head was small at around 1" with an off white to light brown fizzy foamy appearance. The head lacing was good and the head dissipated somewhat slowly. The carbonation was lively with normal body clarity and an amber color. The aroma was a perfume, floral with a hint of honey. It had a light flavor with a slight bitterness and an average finish length. The mouth feel was watery and it had a tongue hit towards the front. The body lacing was good and I truly enjoyed my first Troegs.  Overall this beer was something slightly different it had a lot to offer and some different qualities to it that I can't place my finger on. Because I can;t place my finger on it is why I gave it an A- but it definitively is a solid beer. So don't forget your opener or dollar bill because you'll need it to open this one (refer to latest issue of Maxim). Thanks for reading and as always drink responsibly.

 All information about Troegs from there website

Tröegs HopBack Amber Ale

Alcohol by Volume: 6%

Hop Bitterness (IBU's): 55

Color (SRM): Amber

Availability: Year Round

Malts: Pilsner, Munich

Hops: Cascade, Williamette, Nugget

HopBack Hops: Whole Leaf Nugget, Mt Hood

Yeast: Ale

Tröegs Brewery’s Flagship beer, HopBack Amber Ale derives its name from a vessel in the brewhouse called a hopback. As the ‘wort’ is being transferred from the brewhouse to fermentation it passes through the hopback vessel. Packed full of fresh whole flower hops, the wort slowly circulates through this vessel extracting the essence of the aromatic hops. This vessel adds more time and more hop character that creates a fresh, spicy taste and rich caramel note that defines this signature ale.

TASTING NOTES

Deep amber in color under a huge creamy head. The aroma very apparent, bold and spicy with a slight floral character. Balanced with caramel malt, this well-rounded amber ale has an up-front floral spice that builds with a flush of sweetness.

FOOD COMPLIMENTS

Big, robust flavors like red meats and strong cheeses. The assertive flavors of our HopBack will hold up against strong cheeses like Stilton and Smoked Cheddar.

Serving Suggestions:
Temp: 50-55° F   Glassware:  Bavarian Tumbler or Pint Glass

11/24/11 Sierra Nevada Celebration

So after a long Thanksgiving Day and before I headed off to bed to get some rest before waking up early to go to work on Black Friday I decided to sit down and have a Sierra Nevada Celebration (which I got from Brewer's Outlet in Pottsville) to celebrate a successful Thanksgiving. The temperature was a warm 46.3 degrees which didn't bother me in the slightest. The head was huge at 4.5 " with a light brown foamy appearance. The head lacing was excellent and the head dissipated very slowly. The beer had medium carbonation with normal clarity and copper color. The aroma was a citrus smell and it had a hint of caramel taste and a mild bitterness that went well with some leftover cranberry relish. It had a light to moderate flavor with an average finish length. My mouth had a watery feel to it and the tongue hit was towards the middle. The head lacing was excellent and it was a good beer with something somewhat different that was nice for the holiday and for leftovers. Overall as a beer I would rate it a A- and as a Thanksgiving beer I would give it an A. So if your eating Thanksgiving fair I would recommend this beer as an excellent choice. You'll need a bottle opener to open it so make sure you have one handy or a dollar bill (see the latest issue of Maxim for that trick). Thanks for reading and as always drink responsibly.

Nutritional information from myfitnesspal.com

Nutrition Facts

Sierra Nevada - Celebration Ale

1. Servings:  12 oz 1 oz

Calories	214	Sodium	0 mg
Total Fat	0 g	Potassium	0 mg
Saturated	0 g	Total Carbs	19 g
Polyunsaturated	0 g	Dietary Fiber	0 g
Monounsaturated	0 g	Sugars	0 g
Trans	0 g	Protein	2 g
Cholesterol	0 mg
Vitamin A	0%	Calcium	0%
Vitamin C	0%	Iron	0%

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Information from Sierra Nevada website

The long, cold nights of winter are a little brighter with Celebration® Ale. Wonderfully robust and rich, Celebration® Ale is dry-hopped for a lively, intense aroma. Brewed especially for the holidays, it is perfect for a festive gathering or for a quiet evening at home. “…best beer ever made in America.” – Stan Sessor, San Francisco Chronicle GOLD MEDAL WINNER United States Beer Tasting Championship(IPA: 1994) FIRST PLACE  Chicago Beer Society — 1996 Fall Beer Tasting SILVER MEDAL WINNER California State Fair (IPA: 1999) Great American Beer Festival (IPA: 2002)
	ALCOHOL CONTENT 6.8% BY VOLUME BITTERING HOPS CHINOOK BEGINNING GRAVITY 16.0 PLATO FINISHING HOPS CASCADE & CENTENNIAL ENDING GRAVITY 4.0 PLATO DRY HOPPING CASCADE & CENTENNIAL BITTERNESS UNITS 65 MALTS TWO-ROW PALE & ENGLISH CARAMEL YEAST TOP-FERMENTING ALE YEAST

Pairings from Beer Advocate Cuisine (Curried, Thai) Cheese (peppery; Monterey / Pepper Jack, sharp; Blue, Cheddar, pungent; Gorgonzola, Limburger) Meat (Poultry, Fish, Shellfish, Salmon) 

11/22/11 Blue Moon Pale Moon

So this is the last beer from the Blue Moon winter variety pack that I got for Brewer's Outlet in Pottsville. I will say that once again I have found a really good variety pack especially if you like Blue Moon. Every beer had its own unique qualities and the little recipe book for the four courses was a nice touch. Last night I had the Blue Moon Pale Moon which I had in a bottle at a temperature of 35.1 degrees, nice and cold. It had a large head at about 3" that was light brown and fizzy. The head lacing was excellent and the dissipated slowly. The carbonation was on the lively side and the body clarity was normal with a gold color. It had a light citrus aroma and orange taste with a more bitter flavor than the Belgian white. The flavor though was still light with an average finish length. My mouth feel was watery with a front tongue hit and good body lacing. Overall I would rate it a B+. It has a lot of the good qualities of Blue Moon with a little edge but not my favorite. Thanks for reading and as always drink responsibly.

Information from Beer Advocate
Pairing Information: Cuisine (Thai) Cheese (tangy; Brick, Edam, Feta) General (Salad, Apéritif) Meat (Fish) 
ABV: 5.4%


Nutritional information from myfitnessplan.com

Blue Moon - Pale Moon

1. Servings:  12 fl oz 1 fl oz

Calories	171	Sodium	8 mg
Total Fat	0 g	Potassium	0 mg
Saturated	0 g	Total Carbs	13 g
Polyunsaturated	0 g	Dietary Fiber	0 g
Monounsaturated	0 g	Sugars	0 g
Trans	0 g	Protein	2 g
Cholesterol	0 mg
Vitamin A	0%	Calcium	0%
Vitamin C	0%	Iron	0%

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

11/21/11 Landshark Original Island Lager

So last night I made my weekly trip up to Dorko's in Mount Carmel, PA to participate in trivia on a Monday night. The RZA just barely fell short chopping away at the lead all night long but coming up one question short. I thought I would have the pleasure of sampling Bob's new menu item the vegan burger but alas I was to late and the demand for vegan food caused me to have to eat the ever changing style of fries. I was very pleased with them tonight though. They were probably the best I have ever had from Dorko's which are always a great addition to my pounder of the week. I thought last week I had finished off all of the pounders so I decided to try a Landshark. Later in the night though I discovered that there are still some other options in the cooler which I will be exploring next week. The lager was the coldest beer I can remember having coming in way under freezing at a chilling 29.8 degrees. The head was small at 1" with a white fizzing appearance that dissipated quickly. The head lacing was good with a medium carbonation. The body clarity was clear and the color yellow. The aroma had a grainy smell to it and its initial flavor reminded me of what I could remember of an MGD and then switched to a Corona like flavor. The flavor was light with a short finish length that left my mouth feeling somewhere between dry and watery. The tongue hit was towards the back and the body lacing was fair. Overall the beer came in at a B because it is decent but nothing special for the extra money it costs. Also remember your can opener because its not a twist off. Thank you for reading and as always please drink responsibly.

Pairing information and ABV from beer advocate
ABV 4.7%
Pairings: Cuisine (Barbecue, Indian, Latin American, Thai, Pan Asian) Cheese (peppery; Monterey / Pepper Jack) Meat (Shellfish) 
Nutritional Information from myfitnesspal.com

Margaritaville - Landshark Premium Lager

1. Servings:  12 oz 1 oz

Calories	150	Sodium	0 mg
Total Fat	0 g	Potassium	0 mg
Saturated	0 g	Total Carbs	13 g
Polyunsaturated	0 g	Dietary Fiber	0 g
Monounsaturated	0 g	Sugars	0 g
Trans	0 g	Protein	0 g
Cholesterol	0 mg
Vitamin A	0%	Calcium	0%
Vitamin C	0%	Iron	0%

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

11/19/11 Blue Moon Winter Abbey Ale

So I'm on my third Blue Moon beer from  the winter variety pack I got at Brewer's Outlet in Pottsville. Last night I had the Blue Moon Winter Abbey Ale with some harvest trail mix my wife got at Weis and non have disappointed so far. However I am slightly biased in that Blue Moon is one of my favorite beers. The ABV on this ale was 5.6% and it had a large head at 3" which was fizzy and off-white in color. The head dissipated slowly and had excellent lacing. The body clarity was normal with soft carbonation and a copper color. It had a caramel aroma and a toffee finish with a light flavor. The finish length was average and like the other blue moon beers left my mouth with a creamy feel. The body lacing was excellent and in had a middle tongue hit. Overall I gave it an A- not a hugely different tasting beer but still a great beer none the less. Thanks for reading and as always drink responsibly.  Also no need for an opener this one is a twist off.

Other information I got off of the bottle.
The copper colored ale is crafted with roasted malts, Belgian sugar, and a touch of wheat for a rich caramel flavor and a smooth toffee finish.

Garnish Information off of Blue Moon Facebook page
Rim glass with a mix of brown sugar and cinnamon.
Pairing information from beeradvocate
Cheese (buttery; Brie, Gouda, Havarti, Swiss, pungent; Gorgonzola, Limburger) General (Chocolate) Meat (Beef)  [ ? ]  

Nutritional Information from myfittnesspal.com

Calories	180	Sodium	0 mg
Total Fat	0 g	Potassium	0 mg
Saturated	0 g	Total Carbs	15 g
Polyunsaturated	0 g	Dietary Fiber	0 g
Monounsaturated	0 g	Sugars	0 g
Trans	0 g	Protein	0 g
Cholesterol	0 mg
Vitamin A	0%	Calcium	0%
Vitamin C	0%	Iron	0%

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.