Saturday, June 30, 2012

6/30/12 Efes Pilsener

So a couple of nights ago I was sitting back and decided that I needed to try another beer from another country. I had a beer from Turkey that I had gotten from a colleague at work called Efes Pilsener. I had never heard of this beer before but as with anything I'm always looking to try something new. The temperature was 40.5 degrees with an ABV of 5% and a volume of 11.2 oz. The head was average at 2" with a foamy appearance and an off white color. The head lacing was excellent and it dissipated slowly. There was little carbonation and a hazy clarity. The color was gold with a sherry and honey taste and aroma. The flavor was light with a short finish length and an oily mouth feel. The tongue hit was towards the back and it had excellent head lacing. Overall it was a decent beer that was nice to experience and definitely something different. Thanks for reading and as always drink responsibly.

There was a website on the bottle dreaminefes.com but it is no longer active.





Nutritional Information from myfitnesspal.com


Efes - Pilsener Beer

  1.   
Calories170Sodium0 mg
Total Fat0 gPotassium0 mg
Saturated0 gTotal Carbs0 g
Polyunsaturated0 gDietary Fiber0 g
Monounsaturated0 gSugars0 g
Trans0 gProtein0 g
Cholesterol0 mg
Vitamin A0%Calcium0%
Vitamin C0%Iron0%
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

6/27/12 Victory Summer Love Ale

My beer of the day yesterday was Victory Summer Love Ale. I'll start out though with Monday night where the RZA attempted once again to capture the illusive three peat at Dorko's in Mount Carmel. Trivia this night was pretty difficult and the scores were low and tight after the first round. The RZA was tied for the lead and out chances seemed good. The next round started are downward spiral. Our lack of knowledge of the Choice hotel chain killed us and saying the right answer and then not putting said answer down put the nail in the coffin. We ended up tied for the last so at least we weren't in the basement by ourselves and there was still some Elder Betty in the fridge. So I at least got to have one more to remember its fantastic flavor. Yesterday me and the kids made homemade chalk boards which I later decided to use in my review. After a long day of walking about six plus miles I decided it was a great night to have a nice summer beer and what better way to go than Victory Summer Love Ale. I had read about this being the summer of lemon flavored beers so I figured I'd try one out. At first I wasn't to impressed by the heavy bitterness exacerbated by the colder than usual temperature I had the beer at but as I continued to drink and the beer warmed up the flavor got milder and it became a really enjoyable beer. I had it in a pilsner and the temperature it started out at was  39.3 degrees with an average head at 3". The head had a frothy appearance and a white color with excellent lacing. The head dissipated slowly and the carbonation was little. The color was straw with a hazy color. The aroma was a strong citrus with hints of lemon and it started out with a grapefruit taste that dissipated throughout drinking. The initial flavor was heavy and ended as light. The finish length was average with a dry mouth feel and a back tongue hit. The body lacing was excellent and overall I would say it is a really solid summer beer but totally different than the Elder Betty I had the previous night. I think this summer is really turning out a huge variety of great summer beers and with each one I drink I yearn to find the next fantastic summer brew. Thanks for reading and as always drink responsibly. 






Information from Victory website

With the sublime, earthy familiarity of noble, American and German hops backed up by fresh and clean German malts, Summer Love Ale® ends with a surprising burst of lemony refreshment from fistfuls of American whole flower hops. Love Summer, now.

COMPOSITION

Malts:2 row German pilsner malt
Hops:American and German whole flowers
Alcohol
by volume:
5.2%

AVAILABILITY

Available on draft and in bottles beginning May – August.


Nutritional information from myfitnesspal.com

Victory Brewing Co - Summer Love Ale

  1.   
Calories160Sodium0 mg
Total Fat0 gPotassium0 mg
Saturated0 gTotal Carbs0 g
Polyunsaturated0 gDietary Fiber0 g
Monounsaturated0 gSugars0 g
Trans0 gProtein0 g
Cholesterol0 mg  
Vitamin A0%Calcium0%
Vitamin C0%Iron0%
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs


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Saturday, June 23, 2012

6/23/12 Victory Prima Pils

Last night I decided to sit down with a Prima Pils from Victory Brewing Company. I've had this one in the fridge for a while and I decided it time to start killing off some of the older beers in the fridge and also have a new one every couple of days. Hopefully I'll finish off most of the stuff in the fridge so i can start buying new beers again. I also started a fridge just for my beer so I can keep my beer at a proper temperature. I had this beer out of a pilsner glass and at 46.6 degrees. The head size was average at about 2 inches with a frothy white appearance. The head lacing was excellent and it dissipated quickly. The carbonation was lively with a hazy clarity and a yellow color. The aroma was perfume with a grain taste. The flavor was moderate with an average finish length with a creamy mouth feel. The tongue hit was towards the back with good body lacing. Overall it had a solid taste and was pretty enjoyable but it would of probably have been a little better at about 4 to 5 degrees cooler. With the weather being so hot here it got even warmer super quick and brought out the hops in this beer. Thanks for reading and as always drink responsibly.




Information from Victory Brewing Company

Heaps of hops give this pale lager a bracing, herbal bite over layers of soft and smooth malt flavor. This refreshing combination of tastes makes Prima a classy quencher in the tradition of the great pilsners of Europe.

COMPOSITION

Malts:2 row German pilsner malt
Hops:German and Czech whole flowers
Alcohol
by volume:
5.3%

AVAILABILITY

Available year-round on draft and in bottles.


Information from myfitnesspal.com


Victory Brewing Co - Prima Pils

  1.   
Calories165Sodium0 mg
Total Fat0 gPotassium0 mg
Saturated0 gTotal Carbs4 g
Polyunsaturated0 gDietary Fiber0 g
Monounsaturated0 gSugars0 g
Trans0 gProtein0 g
Cholesterol0 mg  
Vitamin A0%Calcium0%
Vitamin C0%Iron0%
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Thursday, June 21, 2012

6/21/12 Beer of the Day - Weyerbacher Merry Monks

The beer of the day for Tuesday was Weyerbacher Merry Monks. I had gotten this beer from a colleague at work after she got back from a trip to the Weyerbacher brewery. She raved over all the information they dispensed about properly drinking beer. I've had stuff from Weyerbacher before and thought that they definitely had some interesting stuff. I did a little research about this beer before I drank it. I went with a tulip glass and tried to get the temperature as close as I could to the recommended 55 degrees. The temperature ended up coming in at 47 degrees when I took it but by the time I ended up taking my first sip I think it might have been even warmer. The head was small at about 1" with a foamy off-white appearance. The head lacing was fair and the head dissipated quickly. The carbonation was medium with a hazy clarity and a gold color. The aroma was caramel with a nutty taste with hints of banana. The flavor was light with an average finish length and a dry mouth feel. The tongue hit was towards the back with fair body lacing. Overall this was a pretty good beer to sip on and enjoy for a while. Thanks for reading and as always drink responsibly.




Nutritional Information from myfitnesspal.com


Weyerbacher - Merry Monks Belgian Ale (Calories Only)

  1.   
Calories279Sodium0 mg
Total Fat0 gPotassium0 mg
Saturated0 gTotal Carbs0 g
Polyunsaturated0 gDietary Fiber0 g
Monounsaturated0 gSugars0 g
Trans0 gProtein0 g
Cholesterol0 mg  
Vitamin A0%Calcium0%
Vitamin C0%Iron0%
*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 Weyerbacher website


Merry Monks’

Merry Monks’ is a Belgian style Abby Tripel. To be true to the style, Merry Monks’ Ale is bottle conditioned. This means we add a bit of sugar and yeast just prior to bottling. This imparts a special effervescence to the beer, a creamier carbonation, and also extends the shelf life. The on-going fermentation inside the bottle will change the character of the beer as it ages, and you’ll find it becomes dryer with age. You may want to lay down a few bottles for future evaluation. We suggest storing at cellar temperatures – around 55°F – and away from light.
When you try this beer you’re in for a unique treat. The special effervescence and creaminess are immediately apparent when pouring. The pilsner malts combined with the Belgian yeast strains yield a remarkable and complex flavor- perhaps you’ll note subtle hints of banana. The flavor is nicely balanced and the finish moderate to dry, begging for the next sip. This 9.3% brew is avaiable year-round.
Keep your eye out for Merry Monks’ Ale in 25oz. cork-and-cage champagne bottles for an exceptional experience.

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

6/19/12 Beer of the Day - Magic Hat Summer Scene

Today's beer of the day Magic Hat Summer Scene. On Monday night I went to my usual destination in Mount Carmel, Dorko's Cafe. It was that time of year for the grill give away so trivia action was fierce. I wasn't expecting additions to their cooler so I didn't bring my reviewing gear. But low and behold when I arrived I caught glimpse of some new Magic Hat beers that I had to add to my list given this opportunity. The Trivia was excellent on this night with it being close and the excitement of mid round competitions made the night awesome. In the end it came down to a tie breaker and as usual when it comes to tie breakers the RZA brought home the trophy. This made it two weeks in a row and the crowd was not happy with another win from everyone's favorite team from Minersville. Out of the three beers that I had Elder Betty was clearly the best and one of the reason's I love summer. It was a real easy drinking beer that I could of easily kept drinking all night long. But I figured I wouldn't have to many more opportunities to have any of the other beers so I then had Pistil. This was also a really great beer with really great flavor but I liked the flavor combinations in Elder Betty better. The last beer I had was Blind Faith IPA. This wasn't a bad beer for an IPA but it was an IPA and this is still by least favorite style even though it is growing on me with having so many different IPA's. Thanks for reading and as always drink responsibly.


Nutritional information from myfitnesspal.com

Magic Hat - Elder Berry Beer

  1.   
Calories165Sodium0 mg
Total Fat0 gPotassium0 mg
Saturated0 gTotal Carbs0 g
Polyunsaturated0 gDietary Fiber0 g
Monounsaturated0 gSugars0 g
Trans0 gProtein0 g
Cholesterol0 mg  
Vitamin A0%Calcium0%
Vitamin C0%Iron0%
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Magic Hat Brewery - Pistil

  1.   
Calories144Sodium0 mg
Total Fat0 gPotassium0 mg
Saturated0 gTotal Carbs15 g
Polyunsaturated0 gDietary Fiber0 g
Monounsaturated0 gSugars0 g
Trans0 gProtein0 g
Cholesterol0 mg  
Vitamin A0%Calcium0%
Vitamin C0%Iron0%
*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 Magic Hat web site

Introducing Elder Betty

Summer: Blind Faith
An ale of enlightenment created to aid in deciphering the puzzles along life's road, and to interpret signs in the voyages of the spirit. Blind Faith is an extremely well-balanced India Pale Ale with a crisp, refreshing hop bitterness and a deep malt body to match. Visit the I.P.A. on Tour site.
  • TYPE: India Pale Ale
  • YEAST: English Ale
  • HOPS: Apollo, Cascade
  • MALTS: Pale, Crystal
AVAILABILITY: April 1 to July 31

Pistil — Stop and smell the petals Pistil is a summer beer unlike any other, brewed with a combination of dandelion petals, Pale and Acidulated malts, flaked oats, and Apollo and Northern Brewer hops that results in a one-of-a-kind beer with a slightly sour acidity and a smooth malt body. Perfect for taking down deep thirst.
  • TYPE: Dandelion Beer
  • YEAST: California Ale
  • HOPS: Apollo, Northern Brewer
  • MALTS: 2-row Pale, Acidulated, Flaked Oats
AVAILABILITY: April 1 to July 31