REVIEW 65: HOEGAARDEN

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:  Belgium

BREWERY:  Brouwerij van Hoegaarden

STYLE:  Witbier

ABV:  4.9%

PURCHASE:  Draught (pint), $4.25

SERVING:  Hoegaarden branded hexagonal glass. Not much head from the tap, perhaps half an inch on the first beer; subsequent beers seemed to get even less. Average retention.

APPEARANCE:  Murky yellowish-gold with a sudsy white head. Combined with the blue trim of the Hoegaarden logo on the glass, the total visual effect was reminiscent of a Swedish National Team hockey jersey (see below). Just-okay lacing that is broken and temporary.

BOUQUET:  Aside from the given aroma of wheat, this seemed to give off a scent divided between citrus, banana, and clove. Perhaps a touch of coriander.

PALATE:  Normal carbonation with a deceptive body: Feels relatively light in the moment, but can fill you up fast. Somewhat neutral at the entry. As with a lot of beers, it's mid-palate where things get going: Rising presences of yeast, citrus, and banana in this case. Wheat is there but far less conspicuous. Finish is more or less a yeast-clove blend, but none too dry. The clove factor remains in the aftertaste, where it is joined seemingly by a hint of coriander; hence this is subtly spicy, not peppery. Subtle or not, the spice factor seems to fade out, with the remaining aftertaste a reemergence of banana and citrus (mainly orange rind, but some lemon). One odd aspect of this beer is the sip-to-sip inconsistency; some sips are significantly yeastier, or spicier, or more citrusy, than others.

MUSINGS AND METAPHORS:  One popular variation of Hoegaarden is to add either raspberry syrup or raspberry-flavored beer; this is called a "Dirty Hoe." Nothing wrong with that. But Crockett likes his Hoes clean!

This is a beer that always struck me as kind of hipsterish, albeit in a more cult-like manner; PBR was for "mainstream" hipsters, if you get me. Maybe I'm overanalyzing. As a beer, this never disappoints but never wows, either. So I wouldn't call this the PBR, or Budweiser, of witbiers; more like the Guinness of them, one that has simply been outdone by too much of the competition, but remains decent in its own right. 




GRADE:  B-

REVIEW 64: PUNKLESS DUNKEL

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:  USA

BREWERY:  Neshaminy Creek Brewing Company

STYLE:  Pumpkin Ale

ABV:  8.8%

PURCHASE:  Draught (13-oz.), $7.00

SERVING:  Tulip glass. 3/4-inch head from the tap on the first beer, closer to half an inch on the two subsequent servings. Great retention, in any case.

APPEARANCE:  Ruby-chestnut color with an off-white head. Translucent and gorgeous. Seems to make the tulip glass glow. Very good lacing.

BOUQUET:  Nothing jumps out at you here. And that's a good thing. Everything meshes together effortlessly. So the question is, what is that everything? On the whole, this seems like a fig-infused pumpkin pie, liquefied and in a glass. More specifically, pumpkin spices (e.g. nutmeg, clove, cinnamon, allspice, et al.) are joined by fig and other dark fruit notes, such as plum (seemingly). It's as if this is an abbey ale from Belgium with some pumpkin notes brewed in for good measure. It works very well, though.

PALATE:  Medium body with carbonation held in check, regardless of how long it is held. The aroma seemed to accurately predict the taste profile here: This does have the mouthfeel of a Belgian. But you do indeed notice the pumpkin essences, even if they're more of an undertone than a main attraction. Dark fruit seems more conspicuous, namely fig and plum, but perhaps traces of prune and raisin. The usual array of pumpkin spices emerge more in the back end, but they are expertly distributed. Hints of wheat, banana, brown sugar, ginger, and toasted malt seem to emerge at the finish as well. Slightly sweet and yeasty but also peppery back there, especially in the aftertaste. A mild hop presence is detectable but doesn't stand out. In this case, that's a good thing; too much would have likely thrown everything off.

MUSINGS AND METAPHORS:  Now this is a pumpkin ale. 

Or is it? After downing three of these tonight, I can't help but think it's actually more of a hybrid. After all, "dunkel" is in the name. And "wheat" is in the subtitle. So I suppose that makes this a "pumpkin dunkelweizen." No matter. It's a winner, and another score for local Philly-area breweries. 

This is from the folks of Neshaminy Creek Brewing Company from Croydon, PA, just a few miles outside Northeast Philly. They've been in business only a little longer than Crooked Eye in Hatboro, but by the quality and resonance of their Punkless Dunkel, you'd think they've been at it for centuries. 'Nuff said.




GRADE:  A

Here's a better photo of this beer, since mine sucked.

REVIEW 63: STELLA ARTOIS

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:  Belgium

BREWERY:  Stella Artois

STYLE:  Pale Lager

ABV:  5.0%

PURCHASE:  Draught (pint), $5.50

SERVING:  Stella Artois branded chalice. The usual inch-high crown from the tap, although it was a little more in subsequent servings. Average retention, more or less.

APPEARANCE:  Pale lagers basically all look the same. Transparent straw-brass color, with a bright white head. Great lacing on this one, however.

BOUQUET:  Slightly skunky--that's always a major drawback for this beer. Both malty and mildly--very mildly--hoppy, leaning toward the malty side of the spectrum. Generic grain seems to round things out.

PALATE:  Sweet and biscuity from start to finish. The finish itself is very yeasty. The aftertaste is even more so. Yeast seems to be the predominant factor on the whole. That said, earlier on, there do seem to be mild hop undertones as well as a slightly fruity mid-palate; it's actually kind of appley for a bit. Sports the usual carbonation with a light-medium body. 

MUSINGS AND METAPHORS:  There are Belgians, and then there are macrolagers from Belgium. 

In my experience, there are two Stellas: The draught Stella, and the bottled Stella. The former is usually an agreeable, if unspectacular, session beer. The latter is an inconsistent one, often featuring a metallic aftertaste. You read that right.

Tonight's version was the former, more favorable version. But I've experienced the latter on so many previous occasions, including the one time I reviewed it for a private board five years ago. Either way, I still feel Stella is severely overrated, often presented as a world-class pilsener when it's really just a standard adjunct (a.k.a. "Corn Flakes beer") with slightly better--read: European--ingredients. A sufficient but boring brew.




GRADE:  C

REVIEW 62: PEARL NECKLACE OYSTER STOUT

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:  USA

BREWERY:  Flying Dog Brewery

STYLE:  Stout

ABV:  5.5%

PURCHASE:  Draught (pint), $6.50

SERVING:  Pint glass. Half-inch head from the tap (closer to 3/4" on the second and third servings). Fairly quick dissipation.

APPEARANCE:  Cola brown, almost black. Slightly beige head. Scattery, temporary lacing. Somewhat translucent overall appearance.

BOUQUET:  This is supposedly brewed from oysters, but I don't get that or anything else from the ocean. I get roasted coffee and bitter chocolate above all else, complemented by caramel and toasted malt notes. Nice.

PALATE:  Middle-of-the-road body with carbonation that is initially docile, but will pack a wallop when held long. Burnt barley is the featured taste, carrying through to the end, where it is met by a subdued, mild hop bitterness. Nicely balanced. Rounded out by, again, seeming notes of roasted coffee and bitter chocolate. No sign of oyster, no sign of any fish. Maybe that was the idea. Roasty aftertaste--in fact, the entire sip is roasty. Roasty entry, roasty finish, ROASTY EVERYTHING!

MUSINGS AND METAPHORS:  Yeah, they actually brew beers from oysters. They'll brew from anything, I guess.

Don't take that the wrong way. Oyster stouts have quite the history. Apparently, pubgoers in Victorian times often dined on oysters while sipping stouts and porters. The two seemed to complement each other so well, and brewmasters took notice. 

That all said, I didn't taste nor smell any oysters, mollusks, crustaceans, nor any other sea life in this beer. Maybe it's just me. Whatever. As a stout, it's solid. Nothing fishy about that.




GRADE:  B+

Check out this article for some background on oyster stouts: http://www.foodrepublic.com/2012/12/27/getting-to-know-oyster-stout-a-beer-made-with-oysters/.

REVIEW 61: PUMKING

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:  USA

BREWERY:  Southern Tier Brewing Company

STYLE:  Pumpkin Ale

ABV:  8.6%

PURCHASE:  Draught (12-oz.), $8.50

SERVING:  Beer snifter. The usual inch of head, or thereabouts. Average retention . . . on the first beer. Round 2 saw an inch and a half of head with slightly better retention.

APPEARANCE:  A translucent, rusty orange color with a slightly off-white tinted head. No lacing whatsoever.

BOUQUET:  Pumpkin spice will hit you first. (Well, obviously!) Traces of nutmeg, cloves, and brown sugar are quite evident. Possible hints of cinnamon and caramel. There is a faint presence of malted grain and hops. The main aroma here, however, is ginger. Hold a ginger snap to your nose. Same result. Minus the malted grain and hops.

PALATE:  Body is a bit on the heavy side. Carbonation is controlled unless you hold it unreasonably long. The pumpkin factor becomes evident mid-palate, but it doesn't dominate the mouthfeel. The overall taste profile seems somewhat twofold: Pumpkin ale in front, pale ale in back. Malt, pumpkin, and other spice notes in front, strong hop presence in back, especially in the aftertaste. 

MUSINGS AND METAPHORS:  Well. This is certainly a unique beer. And also a much better attempt at a pumpkin ale than the mediocre brew I reviewed from Stegmaier last week.

This one may have ventured a little too far from pumpkin ale territory. But at least it had the balls to venture somewhere.




GRADE:  B

Get it? It's a pumpkin . . . shaped like a pair of balls!

REVIEW 60: GUINNESS DRAUGHT

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:  Ireland

BREWERY:  Guinness Ltd.

STYLE:  Dry Stout

ABV:  4.2%

PURCHASE:  Draught (pint), $6.00

SERVING:  Pint glass--sadly, not a Guinness-branded one. 3/4-inch head from the tap. Excellent head retention.

APPEARANCE:  Ultra-dark brown, almost black*. Beige-tinted, dense head. Good lacing, though it was initially more like blotches.

BOUQUET:  Clean aroma for a stout. Toffee-like notes are traceable, as is a touch o'molasses. (See what I did there?) Somewhat floral--not the most expected thing with a stout, but it works. Dig deeper and you'll find accents of coffee, chocolate, and oats** and other malted grain.

PALATE:  Light, easygoing body for a stout. Carbonation is almost nonexistent. Semi-creamy yet thin mouthfeel; in fact, in some ways, this is like an English bitter or mild ale. The toffee that seemed evident in the aroma is absent in the taste. The front palate takes on the taste of iced coffee doused with a little bitter chocolate**. Toasted grain--mainly oats** and possibly barley--characterizes the aftertaste above all else. Finish is actually somewhat yeasty, like some adjuncts. Also evident at the end with this one? Hops. Just a little. Not the first thing you think of with a stout. But again, it works. 

MUSINGS AND METAPHORS:  By now, Guinness has been surpassed on the stout front many times over. That said, it remains a solid choice even for a discriminating beer snob like myself. It has a smoothness and an "everyday beer" quality to it that, in my experience, most other stouts lack. Foodwise, it goes with practically anything, and is also used in the preparation of many dishes (ever have a Guinness steak?). By itself, it's a beer that serves more than one purpose: It contains anti-oxidants that fight cholesterol and aid in maintaining a healthy heart, according to various studies. Though the company itself shies away from making any medical claims. 




GRADE:  B-


*Turns out it's actually very, very, very dark ruby. Seriously.

**None of these things are actually in the beer. It only gives that impression. Guinness is made with roasted barley malt, brewer's yeast, water, and hops. That's it.

REVIEW 59: MOLSON CANADIAN

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:  Canada

BREWERY:  Molson Coors Canada

STYLE:  Adjunct Lager

ABV:  5.0%

PURCHASE:  Draught (pint), $4.50

SERVING:  Chilled pint glass. A roughly half-inch head from the tap on Beer #1. Not much retention. Beer #2? Not much head at all, and even less retention. Uh-oh. Flat? I was able to use the "stir" method to give it one. 

APPEARANCE:  Typical color for this style, which I call "adjunct straw." A shade darker than most adjuncts, though. The usual white head. Very little lacing.

BOUQUET:  Fresh, floral aroma with whiffs of grain. Not very complex, but agreeable. The "cooked-veggie" element adjuncts are famous for is not very evident here.

PALATE:  Average body with initially average carbonation; the latter can increase sharply if you give it the opportunity. Yeasty and biscuity from the get-go. Slightly sweet. Hop factor is minimal, though discernible. Ricey, like a lot of North American adjuncts these days. Slight seltzer quality to the overall mouthfeel. Husky finish followed by an aftertaste that features the trademark "cooked-veggie" note largely absent from the aroma, and complemented by a perfectly heightened yeastiness.

MUSINGS AND METAPHORS:  Molson Canadian. Hockey beer. 

Adjuncts--particularly those from this continent--are never top-of-the-heap. The term "adjunct" itself indicates that. These are beers made with slightly inferior ingredients--at least as far as beer goes. These ingredients include such things as corn and rice--adjunct ingredients. These ingredients partially take the place of real malted barley and hops, thereby cheapening the quality. 

That said, this is better than most, and arguably the best one out there. Although I must say that, like Bud, it's better in the bottle. Far from outstanding, but far from shit.




GRADE:  C+

REVIEW 58: SCHNEIDER WEISSE TAP 6 UNSER AVENTINUS

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:  Germany

BREWERY:  Weisses Bräuhaus G. Schneider & Sohn GmbH

STYLE:  Weizenbock

ABV:  8.2%

PURCHASE:  N/A (gift)

SERVING:  25-oz. bottle, poured into Chimay-branded chalice. A typical pour resulted in a head of roughly a half-inch. (In a pint glass, this probably would have been a full inch or so.) A faster pour on Round 2 yielded a head of 3/4 of an inch. Not much retention in either case; then again, that's not what these beers are known for, and that's not of vital importance anyway!

APPEARANCE:  Dark ruby-brown color; from a visual standpoint, comes off like a cross between prune juice, cola, and chocolate. Effervescent. Light beige-tinted head. Lacing is non-existent--but again: That's not what these beers are known for, and that's not of vital importance anyway!

BOUQUET:  Wow. Pressed wheat notes abound along with dark fruit essences; this seems to be the case with a lot of German and Belgian beers of this variety. It's an outstanding combination if you ask me. Bitter chocolate notes also surface to mesh with the fig and plum. But there's more here and it's a bit of a mystery. Banana is detectable. And, admittedly, after consulting other online reviews to confirm my own intuition, I can attest to a subtle peppermint presence. Seems like it would throw things off, but it works, and it works frighteningly well.

PALATE:  Slightly heavy body with softly onsetting carbonation. Fig plays a prominent role in the overall taste. This is a mouthfeel that is subtle yet rich at the same time. Very, very well-balanced between malted grain (namely wheat) and dark fruit (namely fig and plum). Finish is rife with spice undertones that weren't really discernible in the aroma: Pepper, coriander, clove, and possibly allspice. Roasty aftertaste, characterized by a warming alcohol sensation, but also by touches of banana not as conspicuous elsewhere.

MUSINGS AND METAPHORS:  This is one of those beers that, in a beer snob's mind, prompts the question: What is the best beer country, Germany or Belgium?*

I still lean toward the latter, but this one bolsters the case for Deutschland. Formerly known simply as Schneider Aventinus, this is a weizenbock, which is basically a stronger dunkelweizen. The main elements are the same: Dark visual appearance, dark fruit essences, wheat, some spicy undertones. 

A near-perfect beer. 




GRADE:  A

*The U.S. is probably third, for me.

REVIEW 57: STEGMAIER PUMPKIN ALE

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:  USA

BREWERY:  The Lion Brewery, Inc.

STYLE:  Pumpkin Ale

ABV:  5.5%

PURCHASE:  60-oz. pitcher, $10.00

SERVING:  Said pitcher, poured into chilled pint glass. First pour from the pitcher yielded your standard head of an inch and change. Almost doubled that with a slower pour. Fairly quick dissipation.

APPEARANCE:  Transparent caramel tone, almost a pumpkin pie color. Off-white head bordering upon light beige. Zero lacing, except for a little of it in the pitcher. Not much bubbling action either.

BOUQUET:  As you would expect, pumpkin spice is prominent; specifically, ginger and nutmeg stand out. Perhaps a touch of cinnamon. On the whole, the aroma is also a bit bready. You won't detect much in the way of traditional beer notes here (e.g. hops).

PALATE:  Average body and mild carbonation. Entry is sweet but subtle. That said, this is a somewhat empty-tasting beer until the finish, save for an undercurrent of nutmeg. As with many beers, the aftertaste is best part, though that's not saying much in this case. It's a little gingery and gives rise to some--some--actual pumpkin flavor. 

MUSINGS AND METAPHORS:  Bleh.

On the bottle, or in my case the tap handle, label, credit goes to the Stegmaier Brewing Company from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. The city of Wilkes-Barre actually owns the Stegmaier building, and it is used for office space for federal employees. So is there a Stegmaier Brewing Company? Well, there was, dating back to 1857. It was once the largest Pennsylvania brewery outside Philadelphia or Pittsburgh. In 1974, the company was sold to The Lion Brewery, makers of such esteemed pedestrian offerings as Lionshead and Lionshead Light.

Perhaps that explains why this attempt at a pumpkin ale comes off as so half-assed. 




GRADE:  D+

The old Stegmaier building in downtown Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.

REVIEW 56: MIDAS TOUCH

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:  USA

BREWERY:  Dogfish Head Brewery

STYLE:  Herbed/Spiced Beer

ABV:  9.0%

PURCHASE:  Draught (12-oz.), $7.00

SERVING:  Palm-branded snifter. Roughly 3/4" head from the tap on the first serving; second yielded over an inch. Average retention.

APPEARANCE:  Dark gold. Transparent. Shiny. Take your wife's or your girlfriend's jewelry and melt it all down, then pour it in a glass; that's what this looks like. Wispy white head. No real bubbling action to speak of.

BOUQUET:  One of the most challenging aromas I have personally come across. Filled with "I-thinks," if you get me. On the whole, it comes off as a white wine rather than as a beer. It's a tad malty and a bit yeasty, with essentially no hop aroma. In other words, there are very few actual beer notes. Methinks I smelt vanilla. Methinks I smelt pineapple. Methinks I smelt floral essences. Honey? Maybe. This is a riddle to me.

PALATE:  Not a very heavy body--particularly for beer of 9% alcohol. Carbonation is almost nonexistent initially; hold the sip, however, and it can rise sharply. Mouthfeel is viney and somewhat cidery; this goes down like a chardonnay. Light vanilla notes seem to line the mid-palate. Finish is dry and a bit buttery. Aftertaste has some sort of very, very subdued spice, but I can't make it out. Ginger?

MUSINGS AND METAPHORS:  Dogfish Head claims this is brewed from "ingredients found in 2,700-year-old drinking vessels from the tomb of King Midas." That's the king from ancient times who turned things into gold by touching them, in case you couldn't put that together.

At the end of the day, the story behind the beer is nice, but it's the taste, the final result, that matters. On that note, this passes easily.

But at the end of the day, there's something else that matters just as much: Does this actually taste like beer? In that regard, I have the same problem with this as I did with Not Your Father's Root Beer. In that case, I felt I was drinking a gimmick. Same here. Is this beer, or is it wine? Hey, I like wine, and I even like beer that has wine-like qualities. But I still need to feel like I'm drinking a beer. Apologies to the hipster and craft beer communities if I piss them off here.



GRADE:  F

REVIEW 55: SAMUEL ADAMS OCTOBERFEST

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:  USA

BREWERY:  The Boston Beer Company

STYLE:  Märzen/Oktoberfest

ABV:  5.3%

PURCHASE:  Draught (pint), $5.25

SERVING:  Pint glass. Initial head from the tap: 1/2 inch. Average retention. Ditto for Round 2.

APPEARANCE:  Copper-auburn tint, inching toward ruby. Beige-white head. Moderately transparent with slight bubbling in the body. Scattered, inconsistent lacing.

BOUQUET:  Not overtly complex, though not one-dimensional. Initial aroma seems to be a mix of malted barley, caramel, apple skins, and possibly . . . bitter chocolate. Straining to detect something under the surface yields nothing further, except perhaps a touch of hops.

PALATE:  Moderately to slightly heavy body; this can fill you up quickly. Carbonation starts softly but will snowball if held too long. Malty overall mouthfeel, but becomes a bit oaty at the finish. Roasty aftertaste, with a tease of bitter chocolate--I was right. Mild hop factor, but this is the malt's stage.

MUSINGS AND METAPHORS:  Uneven or sharply increasing carbonation can render a beer merely solid where it could have been spectacular. Such is the case with Sam Octoberfest. This used to be my personal favorite of the Sam Seasonals, but that honor has belonged to the Winter Lager for the past few years, as I find that one more consistent. Last year's Octoberfest offering seemed to improve upon the previous few years' regression, but this one seems to mark a return to said regression.

That said, it remains several notches above your standard macrolager. Bleh plus one, I guess.




GRADE:  B-

REVIEW 54: TWO HEARTED ALE

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:  USA

BREWERY:  Bell's Brewery, Inc.

STYLE:  IPA

ABV:  7.0%

PURCHASE:  Six-pack of 12-oz. bottles, $13.00

SERVING:  12-oz. bottle, poured into Guinness-branded imperial pint glass. (It was either that or a Collins glass tonight, my friends.) A dense, spongy, three-inch head emerged from a standard pour; a slower pour still got two. Excellent retention.

APPEARANCE:  Tannish-caramel color. Kind of cloudy--hazy is probably a better word--at upon first pour. Has the appearance of suspended yeast and/or bubbles. Becomes more transparent as it warms a bit. Luminous white head and superb lacing around the glass.

BOUQUET:  Hops are the centerpiece here, as you would expect. But they are rounded out by a variety of essences, and quite nicely: Orange spice, coriander, grapefruit, rolled grains, and yeast, mainly. Multi-dimensional for an IPA. 

PALATE:  Middle-of-the-road body, but somewhat light for a beer of this magnitude (7% alcohol). Carbonation sets in a beat or two after entry, then softly crescendos and can become sharp if held too long. Taste is primarily hoppy, but not as conspicuous in that regard as other IPAs--especially those this side of the Atlantic. Juice-like finish, followed by an aftertaste characterized by subdued spiciness--mainly orange zest and coriander, a common combination in the microbrew world. Almost goes down like a witbier.

MUSINGS AND METAPHORS:  Yup. Like a witbier. Want to introduce a Blue Moon drinker to the world of IPAs? This is the beer to do it with. 

This is about as smooth and as drinkable an IPA as you will find. Unlike other IPAs, the hop factor is more inclusive than prohibitive here. I rank it accordingly.




GRADE:  A-

Bell's second brewing facility, located in Comstock, Michigan.

REVIEW 53: YUENGLING TRADITIONAL LAGER

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:  USA

BREWERY:  Yuengling Brewery

STYLE:  Amber Lager

ABV:  4.4%

PURCHASE:  Pint (draught), $3.50

SERVING:  Pint glass (obviously). Tap formed a predictable head of roughly one inch. Average to slightly worse than average retention. 

APPEARANCE:  Mahogany body with an off-white head. Transparent. Not much bubble action even when freshly poured. Great lacing, though.

BOUQUET:  Aromatically, comes off less like a beer than as a clean surface of some sort. Damp metal? A whiff of generic grain is discernible. Perhaps half a hop. 

PALATE:  Standard carbonation and a mouthfeel that almost comes across as a light beer. It's very easy to drink, despite the lack of character. There is very little malt or hop presence; in fact, nothing is particularly memorable until the finish, when an apple-skin note emerges and remains through the otherwise tea-like aftertaste. That said, it is also kind of seltzery at that point. Everything here is just so . . . bleh. It has no balls. But it goes down like a sorority sister!

MUSINGS AND METAPHORS:  Yuengling. A staple of eastern Pennsylvania bars, restaurants, and bottle shops. So much so that it is popularly referred to simply as, "Lager." A sort of rite of passage for teens and college students from this region of the country--especially if they wanted something better than . . . Natty. It's priced just right for them.

The Yuengling Brewery may be a point of pride for my fellow Pennsylvanians. But let's face facts: Yuengling is a mediocre brew. I'm sorry if that upsets any brahs reading this.

The best thing about most beers is the taste. The best thing about some beers is the aftertaste. The best thing about many other beers is the aroma. The best thing about still other beers is their appearance.

The best thing about this one is the lacing.




GRADE:  D+

REVIEW 52: CARLSBERG

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:  Denmark

BREWERY:  Carlsberg Danmark A/S

STYLE:  Pilsener

ABV:  5.0%

PURCHASE:  Case of 24 11.2-oz. bottles, $30.99

SERVING:  11.2-oz. bottle, poured into pint glass. Two-inch head from a normal pour, with decent but unspectacular retention. That head was slashed in half with a slower pour; a faster one barely exceeded it.

APPEARANCE:  Straw-brass color and highly transparent. Sudsy white head. Minimal lacing.

BOUQUET:  Standard grain-and-malt aroma, for the most part. Biscuity and with a trace of cooked-vegetable essences. Hop factor minimal, bordering upon nonexistent. 

PALATE:  Light-medium body with carbonation held tightly in check. Not much wavering with this beer; this has about as consistent a mouthfeel from start to finish as you will find. A sweetness enters right out of the gate and stays for the duration. Malted grain and yeast enter at mid-palate and also remain for the long haul. The aftertaste is characterized by this "sweet malt/yeast" quality, with a tinge of "cooked veggie" thrown in for good measure. Somewhat cereal-like.

MUSINGS AND METAPHORS:  Every country has its Budweiser. This is Denmark's. Except it's a bit better. It's still what I call a "Corn Flakes beer," but it's on the higher end of that spectrum.




GRADE:  C+