July 2006 Archives
Sharpness (via carbonation) and yeastiness (of course) dominate this particular variation on the venerable hefeweisse. It's certainly a passable summer beer, but the body is perhaps a little heavy for the humidity of a Washington, DC summer.
Characteristics: Cloudy gold color, heavy body, high carbonation, yeasty / smoky finish on a sharp citrusy start.
Minor Gripes: This beer approaches porter-weight instead of staying in the pils/amber range -- perhaps it's the yeast (and my insistence on spinning the bottle to get all the yeast out).
Bottom Line: A decent if not spectacular variation. Certainly worth another try sometime before the end of the summer. Also, you may want to check out the recent NYTimes article (free reg.) for the wine-snobby run at the topic
Rating: 5.5 / 10
Technorati: Clipper City, Oxford, Hefeweizen, Weiss, Baltimore
Looks like a Sierra Nevada Pale, but with a taste that kicks American pales in the jewels. Fantastic beverage, even on a nasty hot humid evening when one might think only a proper Czech pilsner would do the trick. I definitely need to get across to England to compare this to their bitters.
Characteristics: Golden amber color, medium body, sharp carbonated start and caramel middle resolving to a slightly burnt bitterness.
Minor Gripes: The lack of hoppy bite before the bitter finish might not work for all drinkers, especially those partial to American pale ales.
Bottom Line: I'd like to see this in a widgeted / nitrogenated pour to compare to the Tetley's. Since that's not the intent of the brewer, however, I can only say that this is a great change of pace from the hop-fest that dominates so much of American microbrewing.
Rating: 6.75 / 10
"America's Original Blueberry Ale" is luckily a purist (of sorts). Instead of going sugary and blue-tinged, this ale goes for the tangy side and a residual reddish color. The result is interesting, if not entirely successful.
Characteristics: Amber color, lightly carbonated, light to medium body, tastes like a red ale but with a blueberry tangy tart kick toward the finish.
Minor Gripes: The amber and blueberry don't always match up, sometimes leading to a strange aftertaste that runs toward alcohol instead of blueberry.
Bottom Line: Not the fruity beer I feared, but not necessarily one I'd hoped for either.
Rating: 5 / 10
Technorati: Blueberry, Bar Harbor, Maine, Ale
The widgeted can proclaims that Tetley's is "Yorkshire's Finest Pub Ale" -- if so, then I'm thinking that the tastebuds are a little different up that way ... though it does explain a little something about musical heroes like David Gedge or the current crop of madness coming out of Sheffield. Tetley's looks and pours like a Boddington, but trades the clean taste for an earthy bitterness.
Characteristics: Amber-gold color emerges from nitrogenated widget pour, with a nice persistent head; light-to-medium body, smooth but strong opening resolves into slightly malty bitterness (as opposed to a hoppy bite).
Minor Gripes: The bitter edge gets a little sweet as the beer warms, and the overall flavor profile can run a little chalky.
Bottom Line: If this is a true English bitter, then sign me up for additional samples. (This site gets lots of search hits for "boddington's bitter" -- not the first identification I'd use.) It's not yet my idea of an everyday beer, but certainly could be (especially if I was tasting it relatively fresh with a properly pulled pint).
Rating: 5.5 / 10
