Buckeye Brewing - Hippie IPA

Buckeye Brewing - Hippie IPA

Craft Brewer from Cleveland, Ohio.

My brother-in-law to be (3 weeks to go), Joe, took me to the Beer Engine in Lakewood, Ohio (10 mins from downtown Cleveland) to take in a few beers and a sandwich before we went to the Indians game.

I only had a sample of the other Buckeye beers but this one rules the roost of the one's I tried (mostly lagers). None of the others were worth getting a pint of...I always try to get the beer of the city/region that I am in since I can't get them back home in Cincinnati. The Beer Engine is the home of Buckeye Brewing so I had to start with them.

Hippie, pours a nice amber with a slight white head. Very much a beer for hop heads, as the explosion of hops is apparent from start to finish (smell, taste, after taste). There is also a caramel malt flavor. Other people didn't think this was quite as bitter as I did, but that was what truly came through in my tasting. Not the best IPA I have had, but was decent and I would probably get another if I ever went back.

Who: Joe
Where: Beer Engine
Price: $$
Score: 3 / 5

Happy Drinking!

Brooklyn Pennant Ale '55

Brooklyn Pennant Ale '55

Last Friday, Bill and I sat on the deck listening to the Reds lose to the Brewers and kicked back with a few beers. I went for the Brooklyn first, since I really enjoyed a few of their other brews.

American style Pale Ale that pours a typical amber/orange color. You could really smell the malt over the hops in this beer. A very sweet carmel flavor with a slight citrus bitterness at the end. It was a pretty smooth drink because the hops were very weak.

I would recommend the East India Pale Ale or the Brown Ale from Brooklyn over this brew. It's not necessarily a bad beer, just not what I enjoy so much. Especially copmared to the Stone IPA and the Hazed and Infuzed we ended up drinking alongside this one.

I wouldn't refuse one next time around, but you probably won't see me buying a 6 pack for myself anytime soon.

Who: Bill
Where: the deck
Price: $$
Score: 3 / 5

Happy Drinking!

Magic Hat - Circus Boy

Circus Boy - Hefeweizen

From the Magic Hat Pandora's Box.

I am normally not into Hefeweizen (or any wheat styled beer), but this one really wasn't all that bad. From what Cathy says, its very close to what you would get in Germany, so in my opinion it can't be all that bad. She did say it wasn't as good as those in Germany, but still not a bad American styled wheat beer.

Pours a nice hazy yellow/orange color without much head. You can very much taste the wheat and a small citrus flavor at the end. That citrus bitterness is probably why I liked this one a little more than other wheat beers I have tried. Still won't get a very high score from me, but
I would recommend trying this to anyone. Especially since you can get 3 of them in a Pandora's box, if you don't care for it, then you won't have to worry about getting rid of 5 more!

Who: Cathy
Where: Home
Price: $$
Score: 3 / 5

Happy Drinking!

Magic Hat - Odd Notion (Spring)

Magic Hat - Odd Notion Spring 2008

The spring brew from Magic Hat. Available in Pandora's Box (4 types of beer 3 of each kind in the box). It was an Irish Ale styled beer (which makes sense with St. Patricks Day in the spring).

The beer pours a very nice amber red color with a very small or almost no head. It has a simple taste and not as bitter as the Great Lakes (Conway's Irish). You can very much smell the cinnamon, ginger and cardamon in the beer. Those flavors also leave a nice spicy feel to the mouth when you are drinking the beer.

It was easy to drink and I am not upset that I gave it a try. Definitely not my favorite beer but very drinkable.

Who: They Guys
Where: My House
Price: $$
Score: 3 / 5

Happy Drinking!

Landshark Lager

Landshark Lager from the Margaritaville Brewing Company.

Jimmy Buffett brings us this Island style lager from the songs he sings about. I would guess that this beer is best enjoyed with a big fat cheeseburger with all of the fixins and sitting on your deck or patio with a nice summer breeze blowing.

My brother brought this over to our parents house for Easter lunch since we hadn't tried it yet. It was as expected for a beer from Jimmy Buffett. Think something in between Corona and Bud Light. Now, I'm not one to put Lime in beer, but it just seemed weird that there was no lime and a hot breeze blowing in the background. This beer really made me want the warm weather and honestly I can't wait to kick back with another 6 pack on the porch this summer. It wasn't my favorite beer but once its hotter and I don't want something so bitter and filling, I'll probably grab this before Corona next time.

Who: the family
Where: Mom and Dad's house
Price: Free
Score: 3 / 5

Happy Drinking!

Carlsberg

Coming to us from Copenhagen, Denmark is Carlsberg Beer.

As I stated in the Stella Artois post, this European Green Bottled Lager is not my favorite type of beer. The first (and last) time before this 6-pack that I had Carlsberg was when I was in San Fransisco my Senior year with Luke (2004). It was St. Patrick's day and the last bar we went into was selling these for around $2 and we really couldn't pass that up as poor college kids visiting a big city.

There is a nice smoothness to the beer which makes it go down pretty easy. My problem is with the smell of these types of beers. I really can't get past the skunky smell and it really hinders my experience with the beer. That is probably why it takes me about 4 years in between buying Carlsberg. The reason I bought it this time was to probably take me back to that trip to SF and remember all of the great times we had that week.

Who: Luke
Where: Some bar in San Fransisco
Price: $$
Score: 3 / 5

Stella Artois

Stella Artois Premium Lager.

Coming to us from Belgium, Stella Artois is a very typical North and Western European Lager. It has many similarities to Heineken, Becks, Carlsberg etc. I have this feeling that all Lagers that come in a green bottle have the same sort of skunkiness to its taste.

I'm not saying that I dislike the beer, I just don't perfer this style of beer. A couple of things that I did enjoy: the smoothness of the beer itself, and the crisp clean flavor. Before I knew it I had already downed 2 of them (not bad for a beer that I didn't think that I liked all that much). This style beer is probably best enjoyed in a small beer glass (which I didn't do).

All of this being said, you still probably won't find Stella in my refrigerator anytime soon. 1. Because I currently am working on a 6-pack of Carlsberg (which tastes very similar) and 2. Their are so many more beers out there that I still need to try.

Who: Cathy, Bautista, Angela, Jacob
Where: CB's place
Price: FREE
Score: 3 or 4 /5

Miller High Life

The Champagne of Beers. What else is there to say really?

They do have great commercials with that big guy Wendell. "$12 for a hamburger? You must be CRAZY!".

It really is a good honest beer at a tasty price. My college roommate and I used to kick back and have a few of these when we wanted a change up from Milwaukee's Best Light ("The Beast"). I've also been known to buy 1 every once and awhile when out with friends at the bar. I don't think it has the best taste when it comes to American Lagers, but for the price it's worth it.

Who: Everyone
Where: Everywhere
Price: $
Score: 3 / 5

Paulaner Salvator

Paulaner Salvator Double Bock German beer. Another beer I had at Allyn's Cafe in my around the world trip of beers. I remember it having a very smooth chocolate taste (as most bocks do). I don't think I have ever seen this beer at the store. I probably wouldn't buy it all that often, but for a change it can be nice (probably more of a fall/winter brew to me).

Who: Luke and Cathy
Where: Allyn's Cafe
Price: $$$
Score: 3 / 5