Types of Beer

What is your favorite type of beer? For me it is very simple any beer that does not have a strong bitter hop taste! This would be considered India Pale Ales, Pale Ales, Barleywines. To me each of the following have a distinct issue with my pallett. India Pale Ales and Pale Ales are not my favorite because usually they are all filled with bitter hop taste. Barleywines beer are an issue for me as well because they tend to have the bitter taste as well as being very high in alcohol content. If you have any suggestions on any of these types of beers to try I am all yours. Just leave a comment on the bottom. 

Bell's Brewery Two Heart Ale IPA

I have been talking to some beer fanatics like myself and I have been told to look more at Stouts and Sour style beers. First I like Stouts that are done well, secondly I am not a fan of the big macro brew stouts. I do not enjoy Guinness unless it is in a Car Bomb drink.  Stouts that I do like are Left Hand Brewing Company Milk Stout and River Horse Oatmeal Milk Stout. I have never had any Sour style brews and was told I should get in to that style from my friend in Arizona.  If you have any suggestion on styles of beer or beers I should try in this area just leave a comment and I will added into my next 6 pack if its available around me. 

Cascade Brewing Sang Noir Belgian Style Sour Ale

Wheat beer and White Ales are the particular styles that I love. Anything that is usually in this styles of brew I will drink until I can drink no more. The only thing that I will not enjoy in this type of beer is Coriander. Any particular beer that has that as a strong flavor in that beer is hard for me to enjoy. People say you either like Cilantro/Coriander or you do not, for beer sake I am not a fan. Example of this style is Walt Wit, very popular in the Wheat beers but for me it does not sit right with me. Nothing more refreshing than a good wheat beer. 21st Amendment Brewing Company has a really tasty Wheat beer and that is Hell or High Watermelon. 

21st Amendment Hell or High Watermelon, Watermelon Wheat 

Lagers are usually the go to drink if I am drinking all day. Or a smooth Pilsner. I think these are the old faithful for everyone usually, in my opinion. I think most popular Lager is Yuengling and my favorite is K.C.C.O. Lagers by Red Hook. I think most people tend to not think about Pilsner style beers unless you drink them. To me my favorite when I first tried beer was Labatt's, I know there are better ones out there now but when you first start drinking you tend to go with what everyone else is drinking. I think everyone at some point has had a Pilsner, ever have Miller Lite? You would be drinking a Pilsner if you have. 

Labatt Blue 

I think that people are afraid to try Tripel's and Quad because of their alcohol content, but if you enjoy Barleywines then you should enjoy a good Tripel. These are usually Belgian Style brews and I think my favorite Tripel is by Weyerbacher, Merry Monks. I have also heard that I need to try Three Philosophers by Ommegang Brewery, which is Ommegang's Quadrupel Ale. Quads can be difficult to have some times in my opinion, because they either are too much like a wine or not strong enough for a Quad. I had two Quad style beers on my 25th birthday the first I could not stand but the second one, which was made by the place I went to was so delicious and tasty that I actually enjoyed it.

Ommegang Three Philosophers Quad Ale

If I missed any styles of beer, which I know I did I will make more posts like this showing you different styles of beers and I will be going further in depth on theses styles in the future. This is just a glimpse of some styles of beers that are out there for you to enjoy. 

Jefferson Tavern Ale

Yards Jefferson Tavern Ale

Jefferson Tavern Ale is made by Yards Brewing Company. This Ale is part of their collection of Ales called Ales of the Revolution. Seeing as this brewery is in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, this collection only seems fitting to be made by them.  Philadelphia is a very historical city and I am glad that Yards incorporated this into their brewery. I have had a few brews from Yards and have not been disappointed in their beers. This ale is a strong Golden Ale. The alcohol by volume or ABV on this beer is 8.0% and the IBU or bitterness of this beer is 28 IBU. Yards made sure when they made this beer, that it resembled beer that was served at Monticello, home of Jefferson. 

Brown tint to Jefferson Tavern Ale

The aroma I picked up from this beer was caramel and a hint of honey. I am intrigued by the aroma from this beer and want to dive into this beer. The appearance I pick up on this beer is the color and the clarity of the ale. The clarity it interesting to me because of the use of wheat into this beer. Usually wheat mixed into a beer makes the beer cloudy and there are no clouds in this beer. The complex color is also intriguing to me because they used rye malt and honey in this ale, shows the complexity of the color in this ale. I am a fan of ales usually and this ale is dragging me into try the nectar of this Tavern Ale. One thing that I noticed about this ale is that it is smoothness is surprising to me, it just goes down so easily. The rye malt and honey add a sweet and bitter taste to this ale that I like. I think that drinking a lot of these in one sitting would not have allowed out countries four-fathers to get anything done. I hope this ale was only brought out for special visitors and special occasions. 

Yards Jefferson Tavern Ale

Really tasty beer that I think many would enjoy. If you like history and beer this is an Ale for you. Thomas Jefferson Tavern Ale I think is an ale that many should drink or if you have not had it add to your list of beers to try. If you come to Philadelphia make sure you visit this brewery on Delaware Ave. 

   

Reader's Choice Part 2

READER'S CHOICE:

Hi, everyone. This is my second installment of reader's choice. First one went so well, so I figured I should make it a common occurrence. All six of these beers are from six different breweries around the country. Some are local and others are popular breweries, I am giving a shot at. We currently headed towards spring so I figured this should be spring style beers. Since we are headed out of winter, spring styles tend to be lighter and not as heavy. I know personally when I get into spring and warmer weather I enjoy trying to get lighter and not as heavy beers because of the heat. Enough chatting lets dive into the following beers. Which ever beer gets the most votes by the end of April will be my first beer of May. I will update, when I get a chance to show you what beer is winning. MAKE SURE YOU LEAVE A COMMENT ON WHICH BEER TO BE COUNTED!!

UFO BIG SQUEEZE ABV of 4.5% and IBU of 13 

UFO Big Squeeze is an unfiltered shandy. This shandy is made by Harpoon Brewery in Boston. I have had their UFO White in the last pick 6 and that was a tasty brew. I even got talked to on Twitter by Harpoon and was told to give this beer a shot, so I am having you guys tell me if I should drink this beer first. This is a seasonal beer that is brewed with Grapefruit juice and is unfiltered. 

SUMMER HONEY WHEAT ABV of 5.2% and IBU of 15

Summer Honey Wheat is brewed by Blue Moon. Blue Moon is located in Colorado and this beer is a Honey Wheat Ale. If you have read this blog or if you are new I am a fan of Wheat beers. This wheat beer is in Blue Moon's Seasonal Collection and brings us closer to summer.

MANGO WHEAT ABV of 4.8% and IBU of 20 

Mango Wheat is brewed in Perkasie, Pennsylvania by Free Will Brewing Company. This is my second time having a beer from Free Will and I was not disappointed in the Destiny's Wit. I an curious to see how the Mango does in a Wheat Beer. I think I will be in for a delightful surprise when I go to taste this beer. 

TANK 7 ABV of 8.5 IBU of 38 

Tank 7 is a FarmHouse Ale, which is a very popular Spring style type of beer. This FarmHouse Ale is brewed in Missouri and brewed by Boulevard Brewing Company. I have had this beer before but never wrote a review on it for this blog. I am curious to see if it taste like I remember or if its better than I remember.  

ANCHOR STEAM BEER ABV of 4.9% and IBU of 35 

Anchor Steam Beer is made by Anchor Steam Brewing Company. They are located in San Francisco, California. Style for this beer is California Common Beer, I am curious to see what that means. We used to have this beer at my work, but I never was able to try it and now that I saw it outside I wanted to make sure to try it. 

FARMHOUSE ALE ABV of 4.6% and IBU of 15 

This Farmhouse Ale is brewed by Flying Fish Brewing Company, which is located in New Jersey. I am trying to incorporate some seasonal beers into this blog, so I can give you a glimpse of what might be out there. This Ale will be my first be Flying Fish on the blog. 

REMAINDER: PICK ONE and which ever has the most by the end of APRIL will be my first beer of MAY. 

Session Ale

Session Ale Manayunk Brewing Company

This ale is by Manayunk Brewing Company and it is Session Ale. Session is a Belgian Style  Blonde Ale and is a type of beer most breweries are trying and putting out in the market. Manayunk is a local brewery in Philadelphia. They are right on the outskirts of the city and are right next to the Schuylkill River. I try to have a local brewed beer every once in a while to see what is happening at the local breweries. I have had a few of Manayunk Brewing Company's beer before and my favorite by them is the Yunkin' Punkin, which is a pumpkin beer by them. This is my first time trying one of their other brews. Session Ale's are very popular right now in the brewing world, in my opinion. Breweries are try to compete against each other, what a shocker, but they are trying to create beers that people can drink all day like Bud Light and Miller Light. They are trying to steal the market from the macro-breweries like Miller and Budweiser. The only question is how well are they succeeding at taking the market away from the macro-breweries. 

Session Ale Cloudy Golden Complexion 

Session Ale as a reminder is Belgian Style Blonde Ale. The alcohol by volume or ABV is 4.5%, and the bitterness or IBU of this ale is 21. The question that I have is with Session Ale's usually they are hoppy, and not my style so I am curious to see what I think of this beer. The part that I find intriguing is that this is ale is a session ale, but is a Belgian Style Blonde Ale. Blonde Ale's were created to compete with gold lagers that became popular. Blonde Ale's have a high carbonation which usually creates a thick head at the top of the beer. In addition to the high carbonation Blonde Ale's tend to have a sweet honey malt taste to them to balance the hop taste. Now time to focus on this Session Ale, when I take a sniff to smell the aroma I picked up a lemon zest smell and that is very intriguing because that reminds me of  Samuel Adams Summer Ale. I also smell a hint of hops in the aroma, which could steer me away from this ale, but I am committed to trying this local brew. Color and complexion I see when looking at this Session Ale is a golden cloudy complexion, which comes from the Belgian Style brew. 

Manayunk Belgian Style Session Ale 4.5% ABV

The last step to this beer review is the tasting aspect, which so far I am interested in trying this ale because of the aroma and the cloudy golden color to the beer. This ale looks like my style of beer that I like and usually enjoy. There are two ways you should think about how you have a beer. They are through smell and taste, that usually tells me if I am going to like a beer. Smooth tasting beer and is surprisingly very drinkable. You do get a hint of hops when drinking this ale,but at first you taste a sweet biscuit taste to this ale. One more thing that I noticed when enjoying this beer is you feel the carbonation while drinking this Session Ale. If I had to classify this beer I think it belongs more with Blonde Ale than a Session Ale. This ale has more qualities and taste more like a Blonde than a Session style beer. Now I am not trying to confuse you this is a beer that can be enjoyed all day like a Session Ale is suppose to be enjoyed.  To me Session Ale's are pale ale's that are trying to get away from the high alcohol by volume and focuses on limiting it but leaving the hop taste. This Session is definitely more Blonde than Session. I think that if you are trying to find a good Session Style Ale you could use this as that type of beer, but if you like light smooth tasting beer that can drink all day this is one to enjoy. 

Orabelle

Orabelle Great Divide Brewing Company 

Trying out a new brewery tonight, Great Divide from Denver, Colorado. The beer I am trying is Orabelle, which is a Belgian Style Ale. Orabelle is a seasonal beer from Great Divide. This ale is a Tripel Ale. Tripel's are high in alcohol content and tend to usually get you drunk very quickly. I have had some Tripels on this blog before, they were as followed: Bolg and Merry Monks. Out of the two so far I would have to say Merry Monks by Weyerbacher was the better of the two. Tripel ales are known as Tripels because they use three times the malt than a standard beer. In addition to that Tripel's use a Belgian Candy Sugar, which adds complex flavors/aromas to the beer as well as adding alcohol to the beer. Usually Tripel Ales have a yellow to gold complexion and are a couple shades darker than pilsners. 

Golden Complexion of Orabelle

Time to dive into Orabelle. This Tripel Ale had thick foamy head to the beer. The aroma I am picking up from Orabelle is a coriander and citrus smell. Orabelle has a ABV or alcohol by volume of 8.3%, which is on the lower side of the Tripel's. Tripel's usually average between 7.0 and 11.0% in alcohol content. I do not know why I like Tripel's, they sure are good ales and have one or two and you are done for the day or night. To quote Great Divide, "Don t let ORABELLE' s nature fool you, this is one flavorful brew. Watch out, she s a charmer- one sip and you'll be in love." Now it is time to try this ale for this first time and see if I will love it. First sip I took was a sweet malty taste, usually a sign I might not like this beer. I think that its too sweet of a Tripel. I think that this beer has a full flavor, but to me I do not think that the flavor and I like each other. It could be the use of coriander in the beer that is making me not like this beer as much as I should. The beer is definitely smooth and I think through drinking half of this beer I might be feeling tipsy. The 8.3% ABV is catching up to me. This is why you can only really have two of these types of beer at a time because after the second one you are not going anywhere. 

Orabelle 8.3% Seasonal Beer by Great Divide

I am not a huge fan of this beer, but if it was put in front of me I would drink it. I think that if you are a fan of coriander being brewed into your beer like White Wing by Shiner than you would like this beer. Seasonal beers can be tricky because of the season you are having that beer come out could affect the view on the beer. For example, most breweries would not brew a pumpkin beer right now in the middle of spring it is just not the right time and I think that Orabelle to me is more of a winter style beer. Keeps you warm and toasty while having a great full taste. We are headed into spring and I think that beer drinkers like myself and everyone that reads this blog are looking for those light refreshing beers for spring and summer. I want to give this beer another shot and I will have to try it in the winter not early spring! To me this is a good beer, I just got it at the wrong time. 

Sweet Action

Sixpoint Sweet Action Ale

Since today is National Beer Day, I figured having a beer blog that I should have a beer or two today. The first one I am writing about is Sixpoint Breweries Sweet Action Ale. Sweet Action is a Cream Ale and has a ABV or alcohol by volume of  5.2 %. A Cream Ale is brewed in the same way as a standard lager, but the malt used in the beer is a pale malt to add to the low bitterness and refreshing taste. Brewers came up with the Cream Ale so that more people could enjoy a light pale ale, while also being able to appeal to the masses that drink beer. Usually when people drink beers you are thought of in two types, in my opinion, people who like hops and people that do not. I think Cream Ales are designed to target both groups and allows the people who like hops to enjoy a refreshing beer. The IBU or bitterness of Sweet Action is 34. Sixpoint Brewery is located in Brooklyn, New York. Alright time to move on to trying this beer and seeing if I like Sweet Action. 

Glimpse of Sweet Action Ale 

First thing I noticed when I poured out Sweet Action was the color of the beer it reminded me of a lager and I was intrigued. I have had a Sixpoint beer before and it was Bengali, so I figured it was time to try another beer by them. The color I would describe this beer as is golden brown or a light brown. The aroma I picked up from this beer was a bitter one but not too bitter, which came from the pale malt they used in the beer. In addition to the bitter smell I picked up faintly on a citrus aroma to the beer. Now time to dive in for a sip of this beer on National Beer Day. First sip I tasted was a bitter one and this beer reminds me of an IPA, which makes sense because of the pale malt used in brewing this beer. This beer is smooth but the bitter aftertaste makes me not a fan of this beer. I think that this beer is more like an Amber Ale that has the hop taste than it is more like a lager. This Cream Ale did not get me to like the hop taste in the beer. I will say that while drinking this beer it was on the lighter said and made me not hate the beer as much as I would have if had a thick IPA taste. I would drink this beer again, but I would only have maybe one or two, personally I would not buy a six pack myself. 

Sweet Action ALE 

I think that Sixpoint did a great job brewing this beer and made it lighter than most hop tasting beers. If I knew someone that liked hops and ales together like IPA's I would make sure I got them this beer. I do not hate this beer but I know that right now I am one of those beer drinkers that does not like hops and if you can hide the hops in the beer than I like it. But this beer had a bitter taste from the beginning and I think that I need to try to expand on my beer tastes to see if I like beers like this in the future. Anyone that likes hops should try this beer and as well as other Sixpoint beers like Bengali and Resin. This is a year round brew, so if you want to try it go to your local beer six pack place or distributor and give this beer a shot. 

Pils Lagunitas

Lagunitas PILS

Back at it again with another Lagunitas beer, I had two in my last six pack and since I had Nooner last week. Nooner was a German Style Pilsner and this Pils by Lagunitas is a Czech Style Pilsner which I have had before with Piercing Pils by DogFish Head. Just as a refresher Lagunitas is located in Petaluma, California and is becoming a powerhouse Brewery. They are pumping out really good quality beers that are decently priced. Czech Style Pilsner use a particular hop that is called the Saaz Hop, which is a spicy style hop that is usually paired with a fruit to cut the spice in the beer. German Style Pilsners use more floral hops which tend to taste more like India Pale Ales. Lagunitas Pils has a ABV of 6% and the bitterness of  38 IBU.  In this pilsner they added fermenting yeast to bottom of the beer which when poured adds a different flavor to the beer. This PILS is almost like a unfiltered beer.  

Clear Golden Complexion to PILS

The aroma I picked up from this Pils is a fruity citrus aroma that begs for me to drink it. It draws me in for a sip. I picked up a spiced aroma when smelling this beer in addition to the citrus smell which covered up the Saaz style hop in the beer. The color of Pils is a clear gold, showing you what is through the looking glass unlike a stout, which is usually black and thick. The foam from this beer is very thick because of the unfermented yeast at the bottom of the bottle, which adds a level of carbonation to the beer. Took the first sip of this beer and it is smooth and light tasting beer. They did a great job covering the spice of the Saaz Hop. The unfermented yeast in the beer completely adds flavor to this beer and makes this beer really enjoyable. I think I might have found a new brewery that I like. You initially get hit with a little spice when taking a sip of this beer but then is replaced by a smooth taste. 

Add this to your next six pack!!