Great Lakes Moondog ESB

Great Lakes Moondog Extra Special Bitter

Another fine brew from my favorite brewery. The April, May, June seasonal from Great Lakes Brewing Co. Extra Special Bitter name comes from the English meaning -- pale or translucent, as it is not all that bitter and hoppy. The name comes from the first ever rock-n-roll concert in 1952, which was held in Cleveland and was called the Moondog Coronation Ball.

Pours a nice golden orange/yellow and has a nice earthy tone with a small amount of hops at the end. A nice malty beginning and a hint of floral at the finish. Moondog is very easy to drink and I found myself drinking a couple at a time.

I would recommend this beer to anyone because of its smoothness. Another entry from GLB which I wish they brewed all year round.

Who: Cathy
Where: Deck
Price: $$
Score: 4 / 5

Happy Drinking!

Snake River Lager

Snake River Lager - Jackson, Wyoming

What a pleasant surprise. Very drinkable beer that looks a lot like an IPA. Nice amber color and smells of sweet caramel and malt. Not much hop flavor coming through, but a very nice alternative. It's not the best beer in the world but easy to drink a few at a time. I had trouble saving one for Cathy to try out of the 6 pack given to me by Thad (can't find Snake River in Cincinnati).

I would recommend this beer to anyone who can get their hands on a six pack. I have also been told that they sell growlers of this out west closer to the brewery and it probably would get any better than that.

Back to regular posting in June. Wedding and honeymoon this weekend!

Who: Thad
Where: Cleveland
Price: FREE
Score: 4 / 5

Happy Drinking!

Rogue American Amber Ale

Rogue American Amber Ale

Pours a very nice reddish brown amber color with a fair amount of white head at the top. Very hoppy taste for an amber ale. I was very much expecting a more malty flavor but this tastes a bit more like an American Pale Ale than your typical sweet amber beer. Maybe that is why they called it the American Amber...

As I have found with other west coast brews, Rogue comes in with big flavor (a lot like Stone, Full Sail, etc). Not a bad thing when done right, and this beer was done right. It wasn't my favorite beer and I am not going to be rushing out to buy a 6 pack, even though I think that some of my friends could enjoy this beer, especially those who aren't hop heads. I believe that Dead Guy Ale is a much better beer to drink, but all in all, this turned out to be a nice surprise for me and I will definitely try it again.

Who: Joe
Where: Beer Engine
Price: $$$
Score: 4 / 5

Happy Drinking!

Stone IPA

Stone IPA - Escondido, CA

A true IPA if I have ever tasted one. This is a full blast of hops from beginning to end. If you aren't into bitter beer, then this is not the beer for you.

Stone IPA pours a nice deep golden amber/copper color. You can smell the hops from the very beginning a very light amount of malt helps smooth the beer out. There is a lot of hops smell and taste but somehow it isn't that overpowering. They have done a tremendous job in capturing what an IPA should taste like. Hop heads all around will enjoy this beer. It has a pretty high ABV (almost 7), so I wouldn't recommend having more than 2, unless you feel like getting pretty crazy.

Overall it was great to re-discover this IPA. I was worried because Stone is usually so over the top with there beers they are hard to enjoy (Arrogent Bastard comes to mind. This is probably one of the better IPA's out there. I will rank it highly in my list.

Who: Bill
Where: the deck
Price: $$$
Score: 4 / 5

Happy Drinking!

Pacifico

Pacifico

One of my favorite summer time beers. Best enjoyed with friends on the deck or lounging on the beach.

Mexican pilsner first brewed in the early 1900's and aptly named Beer of the Pacific because the brewery is based in Mazatlan on the Pacific Coast of Mexico. Currently brewed by Mexican beer giant Grupo Modelo (mostly owned by Anheuser-Busch).

This beer is what it is, a Mexican Lager. It is in the same boat with Corona, Tecate, Sol. Except in my opinion has a much better flavor and taste. Goes down very easy and doesn't have that skunky after taste of a Corona. I think it outdoes even some of the American lagers like Coors and even Miller Lite (gasp!).

Recommended for anyone. Always better enjoyed with friends!

Who: Cathy
Where: the deck!
Price: $
Score: 4 / 5

Happy Drinking!

Magic Hat #9

Magic Hat #9 - American Pale Ale

I think this beer is actually termed a fruit beer. It really doesn't have the hoppiness of regular pale ales and has a distinct apricot flavor. I first starting drinking this beer when I would visit Luke in Washington D.C. It always had a pretty fair price and is easy to down a few in a row. Magic Hat finally started showing up at my neighborhood grocery last summer and I have been able to grab a 6 pack every once and awhile.

Amber orange color with a sweet citrusy smell. This beer is very drinkable and is easy to introduce to any beer drinker. I would recommend this beer to anyone, especially those who tend not to stray away from the American lights...Bud, Miller, Coors, etc.

All in all I have always had pleasant experiences with #9. I still need to get up to Burlington for Magic Hat fest. I hear its a great time -- plus I could do some skiing while up there.

Who: Luke
Where: DC
Price: $$
Score: 4 / 5

Happy Drinking!

Full Sail Amber

Full Sail Amber - Hood River, Oregon.

When I am tired of IPA's, I always seem to turn toward the amber style. I guess it's a nice change up from the bitter hops of the IPA's.

The beer pours a nice dark amber color as you would expect from the style of beer that it is. A nice mix of citrus fruit, hops and malt are the first things you notice when you smell the beer. Also notice a sweetness (maybe caramel from the sugar).

Pretty smooth and sweet beer. I had 3 last night while watching the Dayton Flyers @ Ohio State basketball game. I think that I would have been better off with 2, as the 3rd didn't go down as easy as the first two. A touch of bitterness showed up towards the end of the last beer that wasn't there with the previous two.

I think that this is a well crafted beer from Full Sail. They talk about how they first started brewing this beer during the 80's light lager craze. Almost as if they were the first brewers to try something different during that time period. I will most likely try others from their collection if I see them in the future and I might even buy another 6 of the Amber if I want a sweeter taste in the future. Overall it was an unexpected pleasant beer.

Who: Billy
Where: My house
Price: $$
Score: 4 / 5

Happy Drinking!

Snake Rive Pale Ale

Snake River Pale Ale - Jackson Hole, Wyoming

I had been itching to try this beer for a couple of years but was always unable to find it. A couple of weekends ago while in Cleveland, Thad bought a 6 pack for me to try -- Actually not knowing I had wanted to try the beer, but because he really enjoys the Snake River brews when he heads out West with friends.

The beer was better than I expected. It had a very smooth taste and was not as Hop heavy as other pale ales -- probably because its an American PA. Poured a nice dark yellow color with slight head. Nice floral and citrusy smell. A hint of caramel malt to tone the bitterness of the grapefruit (not nearly as potent as the Loose Cannon).

It wasn't my all time favorite, but a very drinkable beer that I will keep on my list of beers to buy if I see it again. I would love to get the chance to taste the other Snake River brews. Thad says that they are much better out west, and I believe him. Based on my experience with beers from the west, when drank in Cincinnati vs. where they come from, it isn't even close.

Who: Thad and Cathy's family
Where: Cathy's Mom's house
Price: Free
Score: 4 / 5

Happy Drinking!

Samuel Adams - Cream Stout

Samuel Adams Cream Stout.

This was in one of the Samuel Adams Winter Classics or Brewmasters 12 pack. I think there were 6 different beers in the pack but I can't remember anymore since I drank this beer before Christmas.

I do remember this being my favorite of the whole group though. I am a sucker for the stout's and porters, probably its my chocolate addiction. The beer pours a very dark brown almost black color with a nice tan head. It's not very thick when compared to other stouts, but this didn't negatively affect my experience. It has a very sweet cocoa malty aroma and tastes almost like it smells. The cream taste comes from the vanilla and sweet milk flavors.

I feel that Sam Adams has a lot of different flavors to offer and this one is one of my favorites. I'm sure that this beer doesn't get high marks from others that I think it should because it comes from the very large Sam Adams brewers. But don't let that keep you away from this very fine craft brew.

Who: Billy
Where: Home (during the Dayton vs. Louisville game -- GO FLYERS!)
Price: Free
Score: 4 / 5

Happy Drinking!

Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA

Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA

This is the beer that Dogfish head is know for, and in my opinion, one of the better IPA's available (unless you ask Cathy). This was one of the first craft brews I got hooked on, and at the time, it really opened up my eyes to what a good beer can and should taste like.

To start it has a very nice orange/amber color which coincides with the citrus flavor. For an IPA it has a rather light bitterness which makes this beer very enjoyable and easy to drink. It also has a pretty nice hoppy finish and if you look closely you can see all the hops on the label.

I honestly was very surprised when I saw the beer on Arthur's menu, and after I saw that on the list, I looked no further. When we lived in Hyde Park and were frequenting the café often, the only beers you could get in bottles were Bud, Miller, Coors and Sierra. Maybe they have a beer geek doing the purchasing these days.

Happy Drinking!

Who: Cathy and Ang
Where: Arthurs
Price: $
Score: 4/5

Santa's Butt - Winter Porter

Santa's Butt Winter Porter.

I had been waiting for the right time to try the last of my Christmas/Winter seasonal beers. Santa's Butt was a Christmas present from Thad and ended up being a pretty nice present.

One very noticeable thing right away is the fun name and label for the brew. Santa's Butt has a double meaning, the first is obvious, the second is that "butt" is also for the 126-gallon beer barrel Santa is sitting on.

I rather enjoyed this porter (one of my favorite styles of beer). First things I noticed with the pour was the beautiful dark brown color and the sweet chocolate aroma. The sweet chocolaty flavor was in the forefront and reminded me a little of getting a chocolate soda at the local ice cream shoppe. What surprised me was it didn't have that typical "spice" that is in the winter ales. I was dissapointed in the head on top, it wasn't that soft creamy head that I expected. But overall I will rate this beer very highly and can't wait until next Winter when it will be available again.

Who: Cathy
Where: Home
Price: Gift
Score: 4 / 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

Great Lakes - Conway's Irish Ale

Great Lakes Brewing Company - Conway's Irish Ale. From my favorite brewer. GLBC produces what I believe to be one of the best seasonal brews out there. I find myself wishing this beer was available all year round, that is why I probably enjoy it so much (knowing I can only get it 4 months out of the year). It is the Winter/Spring ale brewed from January to April. This typical Irish Ale is a beer best enjoyed with your Irish food favorites (potatoes, corned beef, etc). A little history lesson: the beer is named after the grandfather of the founders of GLBC, Patrick Conway, a Cleveland traffic cop who used to work in the same area as the brewery.

Who: Cathy
Where: The old apartment
Price: $$
Score: 5 /5

Brooklyn Brown Ale

Brooklyn Brown Ale. One of my original favorites right after college. Very smooth taste because of it being a brown ale. It is obviously closer to an amber flavored beer, which helps with it being less bitter than that of a pale ale. Easy to recommend this beer to anyone.

Who: Luke, Cathy, Angie
Where: The Comet
Price: $$
Score: 4 / 5