February 2006 Archives
Quite simply, this beverage is the nectar of the gods. Not an everyday beer by any stretch for mere mortals like myself.
Characteristics: Dark brown color, almost like burnt motor oil. Smooth, medium to heavy body. Flavor grows through opening bitterness to a sweet, long finish. No significant bite despite the 8% alcohol (as opposed to 4.5 or 5% in the average beer).
Minor Gripes: I recall McEwan's being thicker -- and a heavier body would make it harder to drink "too many" in one sitting. (Everything in moderation, right?)
Bottom Line: I'd forgotten how much I enjoy this beer -- it stands head and shoulders above the other scotch ales I've tried (notably Belhaven; Sam Adams doesn't count) and makes me even more psyched to be planning a trip to Scotland later this year. It even improved the Guinness I poured into the glass after I finished the last McEwan's. [*]
Rating: 9.5 / 10 (because there's no such thing as perfection).
Shiner Bock used to be one of those special regional delicacies, talked about in enthusiastic tones by transplanted Texans bemoaning its unavailability in wherever they were then living. And while it's still not universally available, it's now available in most of the country (the northeastern US being the major exception).
Characteristics: Reddish-brown color, light-to-medium-weight body, sweet and slightly malty taste -- the sweetness of a dopplebock without the body or alcohol content.
Gripes: The sweetness can get cloying as the beer breathes and warms up a little.
Bottom Line: I go back and forth on Shiner Bock ... though I'm probably most favorable towards it when I can't find anything "darker" or on a hot day when I'm drinking it ice-cold and quickly.
Rating: 5 / 10 (with up to a full point bonus depending on setting)
A few too many adjectives in the name, an uneven flavor profile, a bit of a disappointment from Boston's "other" brewery. I realize not everyone was an ancient European history (or Latin) scholar, but there's really no need for both "Hibernian" and "Irish" in the same title... especially when the packaging is kind enough to explain that the former is the Latin term for the latter. And isn't the "Ancient Order of Hibernians" still alive and well and gearing up for St. Patrick's Day?
Characteristics: Standard reddish amber color, body varies during drinking but generally medium, initial sweet malty dominance gives way to an odd citrus-tangy finish.
Gripes: Inconsistent from bottle to bottle within a single six pack. Unless we're talking about cask-conditioned or bottle-conditioned beers, I expect the same basic attributes out of each beer. That way, I can control certain variables (e.g. chilled glass vs. room temp glass vs. straight from bottle, effect of leaving beer to "breathe" for ten or fifteen minutes). Also, citrus and "irish red ale" really aren't complimentary concepts.
Bottom Line: This beer just doesn't match up, whether to Harpoon's crisp IPA (sharing the same color and enjoyed at many a Legal Seafoods pitstop) or to other seasonal reds (like the one redeeming grace of my time in Kansas City, Boulevard Irish Ale). I'd drink it with a meal, but it's not ready to stand on its own.
Rating: 5.5 / 10
