Franziskaner Hefeweizen Dunkel Review

The Germans are known for a couple things, cars and beer. So not surprisingly they do them both pretty well, especially their beer. While they may be most well known for their classic Hefeweizen (or wheat) beer, they provide many variations on their classic staple.

The Franziskaner Dunkel can provide a very large head depending on how you pour, but disappears just as quickly as it came. With a dark brown color, this is not a beer that particularly shines in the light. The beer smells like a wheat for sure, giving off a sweet aroma with a little fruity twist that is very refreshing. 

The beer doesn't have a very distinct mouthfeel. There is no real tingle or sparkle on the tongue like some of the other beers I've reviewed which I find a little disappointing. The taste is very satisfying with hints of caramel and the fruit that was present in the smell. This is a very drinkable, refreshing beer with a smooth finish. So if you're looking for a good beer to sip on, this would be a good option. In my opinion however, I think the beer could benefit from a little more of a spark to the drink. It's just a little too smooth/bland for my taste.

Overall Franziskaner Hefeweizen Dunkel Review: B (84/100)

Beer Details:

ABV: 5.5%

IBUs: Unknown

Brewer: Franziskaner

Style: Dunkelweizen

Price: $2.99/22 oz bottle

Red Hook Long Hammer IPA Review

As I've said before, I love IPAs, so here's another one for you to try! Red Hook brewery does an elegant job of crafting a beer with all of the unique qualities of an IPA, while also making it a refreshingly sweet and different experience.

At first I was disappointed with the beer and was rather unsettled. For being an IPA it did not give a frothy head that most other beers in the genre provide. Possibly I just messed up on the pour but from my experience, it was an initial let down. I was also discouraged by the color of the beer. Not that it looked like nasty nuclear waste or anything, but that it didn't have that rich, red oak color that I usually look for in an IPA. While the beer did have some red tint, it was a very clear beer that would sparkle in the sunlight.

Now that I've beaten the beer down enough, I must give credit where credit is due. This is one tasty beer. As I drank, the hops provided just enough bite to tingle my taste buds while also giving off some zesty/sweet flavors I couldn't precisely pick out. All I know is that this was a beer that I wanted to drink slowly, let it swish around for a while to really experience the combination of bitter and sweet. It was a very appetizing 17 minutes to my day.

While I was discouraged at first, this beer came back to win me over. With a strong presence of a hoppy bite, paired with a light sweetness and a smooth finish, it is a great one-two punch out beer. I guess I should learn a lesson mothers have been saying for ages. You can't always judge a book by its cover.

Overall Red Hook Long Hammer IPA Review: B (85/100)

Beer Details:

ABV: 6.5%

IBUs: 44

Brewer: Red Hook Brewery

Style: IPA

Price: $7.59/6 pack

Tallgrass Oasis Ale Review

Hello beer fans! Today I'm reviewing a beer that will both challenge and satisfy, all in one sip. Tallgrass Brewing Company has a wide variety of high quality beers that will surely end up on this blog sooner or later, however I feel like I should start with what I see as their tour de force, the Oasis Ale.

Through out the entire experience of drinking Oasis Ale, it's motto of, "Aggressively Hopped.  Mightily Malted." precisely exhibits its two face personality is displayed right from the get-go. While the beer pours smoothly from the 16 oz. showing off its "Mightily" amount of malt, the pour also creates an alluring white, frothy head that shows off the "Aggressive" level of hops the drink contains. After a bit the beer settles down into a lush red oak color that smells like a traditional IPA with hops being in the forefront.

Now, here is where Oasis' two face personality comes onto center stage. The IPA qualities of the beer are tasted immediately giving off a tingly mouth-feel and a bitter bite. However, these are only little side notes to the real treasure of this beer, the finish. As you take time to taste the beer you think nothing of it at first, just a good quality IPA and then, BAM! You're hit with a smooth, roasted coffee finish that would usually be found in any variety of stout beer. The best part is, while your caught off guard by the malted flavors, they are almost perfectly intertwined with the hops giving you a complex bitter-smooth experience.

Oasis Ale defiantly gives the drinker a lot to think about in one pint, so much I say that it took me nearly two in order to write this review (not that I'm complaining). Point is if you like IPAs, you'll like this beer. If you consider yourself more of a stout drinker, you'll like this beer. Even if you don't like either IPAs or stouts, there's nothing to say you won't like them combined.

Overall Tallgrass Oasis Ale Review: A (95/100)

Beer Details:

ABV: 7.2%
IBUs: 93
Brewer: Tallgrass Brewing Company
Style: Stout/IPA
Price: $9.49/4-16 oz cans

Minnesota Beer Lovers Rejoice! Surly Bill Passed!

To everyone else in the country this may not be a big deal, but to Minnesota breweries and beer lovers, this is like having prohibition lifted and God deciding to let it rain beer from the skies. The "Surly Bill" has been passed by the Minnesota House and State legislatures to allow breweries to sell pints of their own beer on location (something which was not legal before).

Now all that needs to happen is to have Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton to pass the bill. C'Mon Marky-D, do us all proud!




For more information check out the Star Tribune article here:

http://www.startribune.com/politics/blogs/121785214.html

Feel free to comment on what this bill may mean to other states breweries or the beer industry itself.

Happy National Homebrew Day

To all you homebrewers out there, happy National Homebrew Day. Check out more ways to celebrate this joyous occasion day at:

http://www.homebrewersassociation.org/pages/events/national-homebrew-day

Get in the spirit, have a homebrew today.

Avery Maharaja Imperial India Pale Ale Review

All you IPA fans out there, this ones for you. I usually place all the beer details at the end of the review, but today I'll make an exception. All you need to know about this beer can be found on the label. How it's going to taste, how it's going to smell and how amazingly awesome this IPA is going to be.


Beer Details:

ABV: 10.54%
IBUs: 102
Brewer: Avery Brewing
Style: Imperial India Pale Ale
Price: $8.99/24 oz bottle

Right off the bat you notice the 10.5% alcohol content, so you know it's going to be strong. Then you realize the 102 IBU rating, which suggests that this beer is going to have a bite to it, and have a whole ton of hops in it.



After knowing what I'm getting myself into, the actual drinking experience did not disappoint.

This beer puts off a very strong hoppy aroma. In fact I think I had some hop flakes fly up into my nostrils while I inhaled (yeah, it's that hoppy). As I took a small sample sip, the beer sparkled on my tongue and while I tried to focus my taste buds to find the subtle flavors that make each beer unique, all I found was a strong blast of hops. While this is not a bad thing since most IPA lovers love IPAs because of their strong hop taste, this will not be the beer of choice for everyone.

The best part of this beer bar far however, is the swallow. While you may think that a 10.5% beer would be a hard swallow, it is not. Instead, as I drank the beer my salivary glands in the back of my mouth began to tingle and I was hooked. The beer's bitterness partnered with the kick from the alcohol content, gave this beer a nice one-two punch.

While this was not a "refreshing" beer, IPA lovers or lovers of hops will enjoy it. Its nice bitter taste, sweet aroma and finish that makes your mouth water is just what fans of these beers love. This is a definite "must try" for anyone who enjoys a good ol' IPA.

Overall Avery Maharaja Imperial India Pale Ale Review: B+/A- (89.5/100)

And just because the stats of this beer makes my mouth water, here they are again.

Beer Details:

ABV: 10.54%
IBUs: 102
Brewer: Avery Brewing Co.
Style: Imperial India Pale Ale
Price: $8.99/24 oz bottle

Boulevard Harvest Dance Wheat Wine Review

Boulevard Harvest Dance Wheat Wine is one of the most complex and satisfying beers I've had in a while. For those of you who don't know, Wheat Wine style beers contain a large portion of wheat malt, which will give the beer soft mouthfeel. Balanced that with a generous portion of hops provides this beer a very complex sensation for the drinker.

Harvest Dance pours a beautiful deep amber that gleams in the light and provides a head that looks like it could hold up a bottle cap. Once the head is there however, it isn't going away anytime soon so if you don't want to drink though two inches of foam before you get to your beer, pour slowly.

Taste and aroma wise there is a lot going on. The hops in the beer gives a nice tingly sensation in the mouth that isn't overpowering because of the malt. The beer has strong citrus and fruity flavors, which is well needed to balance the high percentage of alcohol in the beer. At 9.1% ABV, it may not be the beer for everyone. But where others taste a beer so potent it stands the hair on the back of their neck, I taste a beer with such complex flavors, I get chills thinking about it. In fact, there is so much going on with this beer that I probably won't do it justice in this review. It's just something you have to experience for yourself and while this may not be the beer for everyone, its uniqueness makes it a must for any beer geek out there to try at least once.

Boulevard Brewing Company had become a powerhouse in the Midwest craft beer industry because they flat out know how to brew beer. From the classic Boulevard Wheat to the alcoholic powerhouse known as The Sixth Glass (10.5% ABV), they have been able to make beers that attract all echelons of beer drinkers. From your ordinary Homer Simpsons to the ritzy Monty Burns of the world, all of them can enjoy something Boulevard has to offer.


Overall Boulevard Harvest Dance Wheat Wine Review: A- (91/100)

Beer Details:

ABV: 9.1%
IBUs: 42
Style: Wheat Wine
Price: $11.99/750 ml bottle

Summit Extra Pale Ale Review

I'm going to start this blog off right by reviewing one of my favorite beers from my very own hometown of St. Paul, Minnesota.

If you are new to the world of micro-brewed beer and not sure if you want to join the movement, here is where you should start. It's reasonable price (about $8.99/six pack) and well rounded flavor is perfect for the beer drinker wanting to wean themselves of the routine of light beer. As soon as you pour it into your glass or see it poured from the tap, you know this is not going to be your average pint of beer.

While Summit EPA does provide a decent head, it disappears rather quickly. But with its light bronze coloring and mind numbing aroma, this beer won't be in the glass for long. The beer provides a strong bitter taste that tingles your taste buds and follows with a surprisingly smooth finish. You would think that a beer with such flavor would have stronger taste on the swallow. With a strong presence of hops that provides that satisfying bite, this is a beer that you're going to want to drink again.

So if you're looking to get out of your light beer habit but don't want to break the bank doing it, this is the beer for you. And even if you feel you have a more sophisticated beer pallet longing for a beer to awaken your taste buds, save the cash and break out a Summit EPA.


Overall Summit Extra Pale Ale Review: B+ (87/100)





 Beer Details:

ABV: 5.2%
IBUs: 45
Style: Pale Ale
Price: $8.99/six pack
(price may vary depending on store/region)

Please feel free to comment on your thoughts or experience drinking Summit Extra Pale Ale.