2/11: Flying Dog's In Heat Wheat

Hi all.  The team I coach is in a tournament now, so it is a hectic week. I am glad that my bocce team had a bye tonight, otherwise there might not be a post this week.  Seriously, tomorrow I have a meeting at 6, and basketball practice at 8; Wednesday is our multi-course pre-Valentine's Day dinner; Thursday is a basketball game; Friday is Card Party!; Saturday we have both a league game and a tournament game.  So enough about the rest of my life, you've probably come here for the beer...

In last week's post I mentioned beers that I had had, without saying anything about them.  Let me now talk about some of the beers that I've had in February...

 Trader Joe's 2012 Vintage Ale: 
They say...
Drawing upon centuries-old Trappist Monk brewing traditions, the Belgian-style dark ale is bottle conditioned on lees (aged in the bottle on fresh yeast). This year, it results in finely structured brew that presents rich, malty (mildly sweet) flavor, with notes of cocoa and mulling spices.

My reaction...
Being a "dark ale" I was surprised that it wasn't black or brown, but rather reddish/golden.  At 9% abv, it was a winter warmer, that was bubbly and spicy and a bit sweet.  It had red wine notes.  So their was a mulled wine aspect to this beer.  An interesting beer.

Killian's Irish Red:
It is a lager, and it tasted largely like a mainstream lager.  The difference was that the malt was slightly roasted, which showed up in some slight "toast" and "caramel" notes on the tongue and accounted for the reddish color of the beer.  But it looks more different than it tastes.

Tecate:
Is a Mexican lager.  The brand is not a craft beer.  It is a beer designed for quenching a thirst on a hot day, or cooling your mouth down after eating some spicy food.  It is not very popular with Anglos in America, but the brand is popular with Mexicans and Mexican Americans.  Tecate sponsors several Mexican soccer teams and advertises primarily on Spanish-language television.  But they are starting to advertise to Anglos with the tag line... "It's not beer, it's cerveza."  Can the guy who wrote "Foster's, it's Australian for beer" sue?

Flying Dog's In-Heat Wheat Hefeweizen:
They say...
Flavor notes: Huge banana and clove notes.

I didn't taste either.  Instead I tasted a subtle cotton candy note on the finish.  It wasn't cloudy like the
hefeweizens I have enjoyed before.  It was a good wheat beer, but it didn't strike me as a hefeweizen.

Happy Valentine's Day.  Have a good week.  Go Raiders!

-Jim from Milwaukee

1/22: Bell's Winter White Ale

As I mentioned yesterday, most winter beers that I have come across tend to be dark in color.  With roasted malts that give the beer coffee and toasted caramel notes to warm a drinker on a cold winter's night.  Yesterday's winter beer was orange, today's - Bell's Winter White Ale - is a more typical amber color.  The difference is intentional.  According to their site; it was designed to be "a lighter yet abundantly flavorful alternative to the traditional heavy winter warmers." 

In other words... "if you are tired of the porters and stouts, we brew a summer wheat ale - but only in the winter time."  And because it is a Belgian-styled wheat/white beer, we call it Winter White and put a picture of a white snow-covered forest on the label.  Aren't we clever!

In general, I like wheat beers, but this one - not so much.  The overwhelming sweetness that I couldn't stand in Shakparo is hinted at here.  RateBeer.com's readers gave it an 86, DrinkHacker.com gave it a B, but noted a "grape bubblegum" flavor and I suppose others might like that.  It is ok enough to earn a 3, but just barely.

Jim from Milwaukee

1/20: Capitol Brewing's Weizen

Yesterday's sheepshead party, spilled into this morning.  So I am counting my last beer of the party as today's beer.  It was Weizen by Madison, WI's Capitol Brewing Company.

It is a seasonal beer, with the season being summer, so this beer was likely 6 months old. I found it refreshingly light and fruity after the dark lagers, but it was a bit sweeter than I like. Their website says "a unique yeast provides spicy bubblegum, banana, clove flavor notes." Maybe it was the bubblegum notes that pushed it into the "not a preferred beer" range.  Still a 3, just a less preferred version of a favorite style of mine. 

I will be having a fresher example of a Capitol beer soon when I drink a Winter Skal that I acquired in a Christmas 9 pack of winter beers.

-Jim from Milwaukee

1/13: Chameleon's Witty

WWitty, a wheat ale brewed with spices.  Like yesterday's 312 wheat ale, this one looks like lager.  But I would never confuse these two due to the spices.

These spices are right up front and in your face.  But what spices are they?  I could identify a lemon-y back end due to the yeast, but I couldn't identify the overpowering spiciness.  Maybe ginger, maybe rosemary, something sharp and bold.  So off to the internet I went.  The answer was "grains of paradise, coriander and orange peel."  I have had "Belgian White" beers with coriander and orange peel before, so the "different" thing must be "grains of paradise." 

Wikipedia (the previous link) says grains of paradise is an African spice in the ginger family that is rarely used in America except in some beers.  Also the article says that it can be used as a substitute for black pepper.  I can see that now.  An hour after I finished the beer, I can now identify a peppery tingle in my mouth.

Okay, so now that I know what that taste is, what do I think of it?  I think others might like this beer, but it isn't for me.  So that is a 2 on my rating scale.

Now on to "Chameleon Brewing Company, Glendale, Wisconsin."  I bought this beer at the gift shop at Sprecher in Glendale when I purchased the another non-Sprecher brew brewed in Glendale, Bucky Blonde. Bucky was attributed to Lithia Brewing, so I figured it was brewed under contract by Sprecher.  Maybe that isn't the case, because that is not true of Chameleon.  According to their website, Chameleon was founded by Randy Sprecher.  So Sprecher Brewery is making and selling Chameleon for Randy Sprecher.  Maybe these off labels are trying to be bold and be loved by a few, and that is a noble effort, but they don't connect with me.

1/12: Goose Island 312 Urban Wheat Ale

Tonight I spent the evening in a sports bar to watch a football playoff game.  I knew I was going to be there for a few hours and a few beers, so I chose a beer variety that wasn't too heavy.  Besides their usual selections, they were featuring Goose Island's 312 Urban Wheat Ale and Milwaukee Brewing's Polish Moon Porter.  I had a Polish Moon at the end of last year - and it is a good beer - but the wheat ale seemed like the better choice.  It was a good choice.

When I made my choice, but before my first taste, I joked about the name.  What makes it an URBAN wheat ale, bits of asphalt?  Goose Island says it has "densely populated flavor."  I don't know about that, but is was good.

As you can see in the picture, this beer looks like a lager - and it goes down just as smooth.  There was no hoppy after taste.  It finished very citrus-y/lemon-y.  It was a good beer for the occasion.  I give it a 3.  Although it is a very high 3.

Part of me wonders if my choice of a Chicago beer over a Milwaukee beer, somehow affected the Packers.  But I had already had a couple by the time the Packers tied the game in the 3rd quarter, so I think the Packer defensive struggles were not beer choice related.

- Jim from Milwaukee

1/6: Berghoff's Straight-Up Hefeweizen

I continue my way through the sampler 12 pack.  Berghoff makes a version of my favorite style of beer - the hefeweiss.  As I have mentioned, the yeast (hefe) usually gives this style of beer a lemon-y/citrus-y flavor.  Berghoffs version does have that flavor, but not enough of it to rate it above a 3.  It is a pleasant enough version of a hefeweiss.  Pleasant; but not special.  There is no "wow-factor."

Three Bergoff's rated and three "3"s awarded.  I don't foresee a pilgrimage to their brewery in Monroe in my immediate future. 

Wikipedia said this about the 2006 sale of the Joseph Huber Brewing Company...

"Berghoff beer, Huber's most popular label, will be produced by a new company called Berghoff Brewing Co., which will contract with Mountain Crest to brew the beer at the Monroe plant. The brewery was renamed Minhas Craft Brewery."



 

The Minhas Craft Brewery's website doesn't mention Berghoff.  But the label still says made in Monroe.  I can't find a website for a Berghoff Brewery, either.  Apparently this is a brand that does little to no marketing and inspires little enthusiasm.  The "Berghoff Brewery" page on facebook is pathetic, with only 104 likes.  In contrast, Lakefront Brewery in Milwaukee has over 33,000 likes, and Sprecher in Glendale has over 8,000. 

 

I bought my 12 pack out of a need to supply beer to my New Year's Eve party guests.  It was a mix of interesting sounding flavors at a good price.  The price was kept low in part by limiting marketing.  And while no one wants to pay for marketing campaigns, a total lack of a marketing campaign (no website in 2013?) might lead one to guess the manufacturer has a total lack of enthusiasm for their product.  I believe I am tasting their lack of passion in every glass.

 

Jim from Milwaukee

1/2: Franziskaner Weissbier

After not liking yesterday's ale, I selected a favorite of mine for day two: a Hefeweiss.  In German, "Hefe" means yeast and "weiss" means white.  According to Ultimate, this style of southern German beer is also known as hefeweizen. "Weizen" is German for wheat.  MJ says, "This type of beer is often served with a morning snack of bread and veal sausages.  Bavarians call it a 'breakfast beer' because it is light, cleansing and digestible." Which reminds me of the line, "you can't drink beer all day, if you don't start in the morning."

As you can tell from the picture, this "white" beer is not white in color, but it a cloudy golden brown.  It is only called white, because it is much lighter in color than traditional Munich brown beers.  The cloudiness comes from the fact that the yeast is not filtered out after the brewing is completed. 

 

Where yesterday's ale was hoppy, today's hefeweiss is yeasty.  And the yeast is the star here.  Hefeweisses are some of my favorite beers, and to me most of them taste of lemon or other citrus fruits - because of the yeast, there is no fruit in these beers.  But Franziskaner's leaves a distinct banana taste in my mouth.  The combination of wheat and banana brings banana bread to mind.  Maybe it is not for everyone, but that just means more for me.  I rate it a 4; "I'd seek this out."  I have.  And I would gladly do it again.  If other Spaten Brewery selections are equally interesting and tasty, I could consider a pilgrimage to Munich.

Jim from Milwaukee