Lammin Kataja Olut
January 23, 2011 by justin · Leave a Comment
Don’t brew beer with juniper branches. It is a bad idea. if you want proof, drink Lammin Kataja Olut from Finland. Do the Finish drink this stuff? They shouldn’t.
Sinebrychoff Porter
January 23, 2011 by justin · Leave a Comment
Finish porter!
According to the Sinebrychoff website,
Porter was the first product of industrial brewing and remained the most common beer category in Finland until Prohibition. Sinebrychoff fermented Porter already in the 1860s, though in relatively small quantities and primarily during winter months. Ab P. Sinebrychoff made Sff Ruunu-Portteri during the 1910s and Sff Porteri was brewed during the 1930s.
Sinebrychoff’s Porter is Sinebrychoff’s oldest special beer. Produced continuously since 1957, the recipe has remained virtually unchanged from one decade to the next. Sinebrychoff’s Brewmasters Nils Sandman and Boris Orlo as well as Laboratory Manager Aarne Rahiala are credited with the development of Sinebrychoff’s Porter. Legend has it that the yeast required for the manufacturing of porter was smuggled in a test tube from the British Isles to the Hietalahti brewery. The yeast was preserved in the brewery’s own laboratory and transferred only several decades later for processing at The Technical Research Centre of Finland’s yeast bank in Espoo.
So a porter from 1957, not that old but, the quality is great and the thing is this. Porter had virtually disappeared till the 1970′s/80′s when they made a comeback in the US. For anyone to be brewing porters in the 50′s is pretty cool and this one is good. A nice heavily malted Baltic Porter Style. Very nice.
Delirium Tremens
January 16, 2011 by justin · Leave a Comment
Delirium tremens (Latin for “shaking frenzy”, also referred to as The DTs) is an acute episode of delirium that is usually caused by withdrawal from alcohol, first described in 1813. DT is also a great little Belgian ale from Brouwerij Huyghe in Melle, Belgium. This Belgium Strong Ale uses 3 yeast strains to create its unique flavour. Very floral in the nose with some esters. Pepper and bread (all that damn yeast) are prominent in the flavour. Very nice beer.
Péché Mortel (Imperial Stout Au Cafe)
January 16, 2011 by justin · Leave a Comment
It is winter, there is 26_ inches of snow on the ground and big solid stouts and porters are my favorite in this season, well and in general. The beautiful Péché Mortel (Imperial Stout Au Cafe) from Brasserie Dieu Du Ciel in Quebec, Canada is perfect for such a snowy day. Seriously and amazing beer. At 9.5% ABV you can sip this one instead of desert.
It is sweet, rich, and linda like an amazing chocolate truffle, you know, the ones that melt in your mouth? It’s like that. I think this is what Peter drinks in heaven.
Modelo Especial
January 9, 2011 by justin · Leave a Comment
Well, if I catch flack for any of my choices for shitty beer week this week, I anticipate the most of this one. Modelo Especial has been brewed and packaged in Mexico by Grupo Modelo since 1925 and became available in the U.S. in 1990. Grupo Modelo is Mexico’s largest brewer, operating seven state-of-the-art breweries throughout Mexico.
So, I think the question with Modelo is what do you compare it to? If you compare Modelo to other Mexican lagers then it is great. It has a fuller body than other Mexican lagers and has fewer off flavours. If you compare it to a “good lager” or pilsner though (like Prima Pils) than Modelo comes up short.
Is this drinkable with some enchiladas or a nice torta? You betch a. But to be honest, I’d have a Corona in that case and save a few nickels.
Heineken
Heineken used to be my beer of choice, oh youth. I grabbed one last night for “Shitty Beer Week” and went to see True Grit. What a great film for shitty beer week! Beer and Westerns is a match made in heaven.
Heineken is now undrinable to me. I did finish all of my 22oz but damn it was hard. The difference I noted with Heineken in comparison to other shitty beers is that this one is more “skunked” (meaning it tastes like a skunk smells). They have all been kinda skunky but this one is way more so.
In the US we are used to, and even associate, skunk taste and flavour with “import” beer. Heineken is a leader in this skunk stuff.
Heiny oh Heiny I never want to taste you again.
Also, can someone tell me why beer geeks on BeerAdvocate give this beer a C and C+ ??? So far this is the worst beer Ive had in shitty beer week.
Molson XXX
January 3, 2011 by justin · Leave a Comment
Welcome to “Shitty Beer Week” here at BeerGeek, dude. I realized that this little project of mine is costing me a small fortune and as I come to the end of the project I thought it might be nice to end on a low note.
Everyone has had one, a shitty beer. Most of these are produced macro breweries who use adjuncts and very few hops. They often resemble the colour of healthy urine and have a similar aroma. They are cheap and often light in alcohol as well. Most say COLD somewhere on the CAN. They say this because the cold temperature masks the off flavours in the beverage. I often struggle to call these beverages “beer” but most know them by that name.
I have reviewed a few on this site already. Budweiser, Bud Golden Wheat , and Natty Light. But there is a world of shit to explore!
This is not the first Molson beverage I have tried. A few months ago you might remember that someone left a Moslon Ice at my house and I drank it.
Tonight we start “Shitty Beer Week” with Molson XXX. It is supposed to be the premium Molson “beer”. This beverage pours a straw colour and it is so clear you could read the newspaper behind it. It smells like stewed veg and there is tons of foamy bubble stuff that dies down fairly quickly.
This is categorized as a “Malt Liquor” at, 7.3%ABV.
Honestly, I may have bought 24 oz. but I can’t make it through 1/2 a glass.
Jason Alström from Beer Advocate hits the nail on the head when he says, “Every-time I sip this beer I have violent vision of sweaty bloody Canadian hockey fans pummeling each-other. I watery beer with only one purpose … to get drunk, sad beer has to be like this.”
See other shitty beers:
New Years Eve at Ye Olde Forge
December 31, 2010 by justin · Leave a Comment
What a great way to ring out a year, at Ye Olde Forge. With only 29 days left in my project things are still going strong and I got two tasty winter ales in before midnight.
I was so happy to see two beers I was interested in on tap, 21st Amendment Fireside Chat and Mikkeller Red/White Christmas, a nice strong ale.
I started with the Mikkler’s. It was as expected, a strong ale should have an almost liquor quality to it. Slightly viscus and sweet. Very nice
The Fireside Chat is a spiced winter ale and as I am not a fan of spiced ales i wasnt sure. I have loved all of the 21st Amendment beers so I figured Id give it a go and I had been hearing about this but had not even seen it in a can. Totally dig the name of this dark beer. The brewery describes it as “Like FDR’s Depression-era radio addresses, which were like a kick in the butt and a hug at the same time, our Fireside Chat is a subtle twist on the traditional seasonal brew.” It is an odd brew. It is actually almost porter like but tastes more like and English bitter. I totally dug the first few sips but after about 1/2 a glass I was not as big of a fan. Something was just not what I was looking for.
Happy New Year folks!
Dogfish Head Namaste
December 29, 2010 by justin · Leave a Comment
Ok, Love Dogfish Head, love this beer, mixed feelings about the name. While the word is a common greeting in India, and most Americans just think it is some weird word their hippy yoga teacher says at the end of an ass whipping class, according to Aadil Palkhivala from Yoga Journal, it actually means, “The gesture Namaste represents the belief that there is a Divine spark within each of us that is located in the heart chakra. The gesture is an acknowledgment of the soul in one by the soul in another. “Nama” means bow, “as” means I, and “te” means you. Therefore, Namaste literally means “bow me you” or “I bow to you.”
So when you name a beer Namaste what does that say? Does the beer bow to me?
Then, I read the reason they chose this name. Brewery 3 Fonteinen, in Belgium had a thermostat break and as a result, excessive heat ruined about 100,000 bottles of lambic and gueuze in storage – representing about a third of their annual revenue.
Sam Calagione says, “We decided to brew a beer together along with our lead brewer Bryan Selders and my wife Mariah that would be a tribute to 3 Fonteinen. We will be sending a portion of the profits to 3 Fonteinen but more importantly we wanted to use this brew as a celebration of the vibrant, creative Belgian brewing culture that, in our minds, 3 Fonteinen embodies. Our ultimate goal is that news of this brew and the production set-back will inspire beer enthusiasts to seek out 3 Fonteinen beers in which ever town and country they live in.”
Ok, so that is really cool. And this Belgian White rocks. It is sweet, but not overly so, and smooth and well just swell. Support 3 Fonteinen and Dogfish Head, they are good peeps.
14 Beers of Christmas – Winter Welcome Ale
December 26, 2010 by justin · Leave a Comment
On the fourteenth day of Christmas…
Ok, I just cant stop! I got these fab winter ales and I just need to tell you about them. This Winter Ale Christmas thing has really opened my eyes. I actually kinda dreaded it. I dont like spiced beers, harvert and winter ales are nutoriously spiced and I dread their season. This year though I have found some outstanding beers that lack spice and are very tastey. None of them have been all too special, well maybe the Yule Ale from Alse Smith, otherwise, soild beers.
Sam Smiths Winter Welcome is right there. Not special, just solid. In typical Sam Smith style this is a English style ale. You taste the toasted malt and some mild hoppyness. Very nice