When at a Greek restaurant, do as the Greeks do, right? Not anymore I won't.
No idea how this one pours, since I had it straight from the bottle. And I'm not sure what I was expecting, but I classify this one as a pilsner. But it may be within the type for a Euro Golden as well, it was difficult to pin it down. It had the moderate bitterness and sweet malt that both types have, but I got alternating hits of cardboard bitterness from a Golden and funk from a pilsner. More Czech than German, I think, because the malt wasn't as sweet as a German pils.
All in all a weird one. To be expected from a company that owns Carlsberg, I guess. I still say pilsner, but honestly, who knows.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Kreuz Market Update
Well, if you remember my last post on Kreuz Market, you know that I was there so early that they had no ribs for me. It was a let-down, but gave me an excuse to go back, as if I needed one.
So I made the trek back and had plenty of just about everything. And to my surprise, and disappointment, the rims were the least of their offerings. The brisket was better than I remembered, the pork chops were the same, and the beef shoulder was better. The ribs, though, were probably the least favorite ribs from anywhere in that area. Yes, even Black's BBQ beats them. They were too big, and far too fatty. Flavor was OK, but it was just a chore to eat them at times.
I'll go back most likely to give them a third shot at it, but all in all City Market is still the best of the bunch. I have yet to have them tell me they were out of anything, and everything was perfect. I wish they offered pork chops and beef shoulder, I'd never go anywhere else.
So I made the trek back and had plenty of just about everything. And to my surprise, and disappointment, the rims were the least of their offerings. The brisket was better than I remembered, the pork chops were the same, and the beef shoulder was better. The ribs, though, were probably the least favorite ribs from anywhere in that area. Yes, even Black's BBQ beats them. They were too big, and far too fatty. Flavor was OK, but it was just a chore to eat them at times.
I'll go back most likely to give them a third shot at it, but all in all City Market is still the best of the bunch. I have yet to have them tell me they were out of anything, and everything was perfect. I wish they offered pork chops and beef shoulder, I'd never go anywhere else.
Rahr & Sons Brewing Company's Oktoberfest
I know it's fashionable to have beers as early in the season as possible, but it's still October, so I don't feel like I'm terribly late in having my first Oktoberfest. Even if we are three weeks deep in October and Saint Arnold's Christmas Ale is coming out any day now, which is entirely too early.
Wow, great copper color with a nice tan head that stays better than most lagers. Looks loosely filtered, with decent carbonation.
Nice malty but zippy smell. The noble hops give it a slightly spicy smell as well.
Good body for a lager. Caramel malts overpower any hops, which stay in the background. Tastes like a very strong Coors, but I don't mean that in a bad way. Fades to a hollow maltiness, but the aftertaste stays malty for quite a while. The hops are more twangy than bitter, which I think they could improve upon.
Good beer. On type, but could use a little more oomph in the body if you ask me. I like the mild hops and strong aftertaste. Probably my favorite Texas Oktoberfest. It drinks very well, and before you know it the glass is empty.
Wow, great copper color with a nice tan head that stays better than most lagers. Looks loosely filtered, with decent carbonation.
Nice malty but zippy smell. The noble hops give it a slightly spicy smell as well.
Good body for a lager. Caramel malts overpower any hops, which stay in the background. Tastes like a very strong Coors, but I don't mean that in a bad way. Fades to a hollow maltiness, but the aftertaste stays malty for quite a while. The hops are more twangy than bitter, which I think they could improve upon.
Good beer. On type, but could use a little more oomph in the body if you ask me. I like the mild hops and strong aftertaste. Probably my favorite Texas Oktoberfest. It drinks very well, and before you know it the glass is empty.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Real Ale Brewing Company's Coffee Porter
I'm always up for a porter, or something with coffee in it, or a Texas beer, so this one stopped me in my tracks. I've also often wished Real Ale made a few more than their standard beers, and I'm glad to see it's a big one.
Pours a viscous brownish black with a good tan head. Excellent pour for the type.
Great smell. Heavily vinous and obvious coffee flavors hit you. Solid roasted malt smell as well. So far, it's looking great.
Good initial feel to it, and the vinous taste follows the smell and is good for a porter. But the carbonation is a little too fast, I think, and it lightens the body too much. I like porters with a long, slow feel, and the carbonation makes this one too zippy. The coffee taste is subdued, but the roasted malt is still there.
All in all a very good beer, I just wish the body was a bit more consistent. The carbonation is the only thing that seems just a tad off to me. I don't know, I think I'll have to try a couple more to make sure.
Pours a viscous brownish black with a good tan head. Excellent pour for the type.
Great smell. Heavily vinous and obvious coffee flavors hit you. Solid roasted malt smell as well. So far, it's looking great.
Good initial feel to it, and the vinous taste follows the smell and is good for a porter. But the carbonation is a little too fast, I think, and it lightens the body too much. I like porters with a long, slow feel, and the carbonation makes this one too zippy. The coffee taste is subdued, but the roasted malt is still there.
All in all a very good beer, I just wish the body was a bit more consistent. The carbonation is the only thing that seems just a tad off to me. I don't know, I think I'll have to try a couple more to make sure.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Tallgrass Brewing Company's IPA
I have six mixed sixers in the beer cellar made up of beers that I didn't like that are ready to give away. It looks like I may be adding to that with this beer. And yes, I know I shouldn't be washing down these chocolate chip cookies with it, but my experience with this brewery is that it can't hurt.
Pours a clear amber with a tan head that's as big as you want it to be and decent carbonation.
Surprisingly, this one is throwing off a lot of hops in the smell. It's about two feet away from me on the end table (although upwind with the windows open), and I can clearly smell the sweet malt and grassy hops. It has a twangy smell to it that I hope goes away when I get closer. The twang seems like a bit of orange, but it's drowned out by a crisp grassy smell.
Well, the hops are within type, but the malt disappears. It leaves this feeling much more like a twangy pale than an IPA. The feel is just hollow, like Gatorade with a punch.
This one's kind of like a red head. Looks great. Tastes funny.
Pours a clear amber with a tan head that's as big as you want it to be and decent carbonation.
Surprisingly, this one is throwing off a lot of hops in the smell. It's about two feet away from me on the end table (although upwind with the windows open), and I can clearly smell the sweet malt and grassy hops. It has a twangy smell to it that I hope goes away when I get closer. The twang seems like a bit of orange, but it's drowned out by a crisp grassy smell.
Well, the hops are within type, but the malt disappears. It leaves this feeling much more like a twangy pale than an IPA. The feel is just hollow, like Gatorade with a punch.
This one's kind of like a red head. Looks great. Tastes funny.
Sierra Nevada Brewing Company's Kellerweis Hefeweizen
I don’t want to dislike a Sierra Nevada beer, but this may be the first. I’m hating the European type wheats lately, but feel compelled to buy every beer from my favorite breweries. This complete lack of discretion is a bad combination at times, and I’m hoping this isn’t one of them.
Pours an unfiltered and cloudy golden. Great light tan head, decent carbonation. Huge pile of yeast on the bottom of the bottle.
Wow, I think only one other time in hundreds of beers have I ever said that a beer smelled like bananas. In fact, I fairly ridicule other reviewers who use it at the drop of a hat. But this one smells like a fruit basket. It’s a bit floral, but the banana smell was huge. Like the cheap cologne a gorilla would wear. As it warms it fades to the standard chemical smell that European wheats often have.
Cleaner than I thought. Most beers that other describe as having banana and cloves (it always seems to be both banana and cloves, never just bananas or cloves, for some reason) I describe as have a chemical, plastic, or burned plastic taste. The banana smell mellows in the taste. Still no cloves though. It doesn’t really have a chemical or plastic taste, but I’m just not wild about the style. Good bready aftertaste, but it’s still tinged with that odd European wheat taste.
Well, I won’t go so far as to say I don’t like it, or so far to say I do. It’s definitely my least favorite Sierra Nevada offering and will be giving away the other five, but I don’t regret having bought it. Too badly, anyway.
Pours an unfiltered and cloudy golden. Great light tan head, decent carbonation. Huge pile of yeast on the bottom of the bottle.
Wow, I think only one other time in hundreds of beers have I ever said that a beer smelled like bananas. In fact, I fairly ridicule other reviewers who use it at the drop of a hat. But this one smells like a fruit basket. It’s a bit floral, but the banana smell was huge. Like the cheap cologne a gorilla would wear. As it warms it fades to the standard chemical smell that European wheats often have.
Cleaner than I thought. Most beers that other describe as having banana and cloves (it always seems to be both banana and cloves, never just bananas or cloves, for some reason) I describe as have a chemical, plastic, or burned plastic taste. The banana smell mellows in the taste. Still no cloves though. It doesn’t really have a chemical or plastic taste, but I’m just not wild about the style. Good bready aftertaste, but it’s still tinged with that odd European wheat taste.
Well, I won’t go so far as to say I don’t like it, or so far to say I do. It’s definitely my least favorite Sierra Nevada offering and will be giving away the other five, but I don’t regret having bought it. Too badly, anyway.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Tallgrass Brewing Company's Tallgrass Ale
Well, after about three weeks of vacation, to places where there is little or no beer, I'm back and for some reason decided to celebrate in style by reviewing a beer from.... Kansas. One named after grass.
I don't get it either. But it's cold, so here goes. I also haven't had a beer in a month, so it should be interesting to see if my taste buds have reset.
This one pours a loosely filtered coppery brown, with a decent tan head for a brown. It fades to a sheet, but even that's more than many browns, including some of my favorites.
The label says something about a toffee aroma, but I don't smell it. I do smell the standard slightly nutty smell, but also a yeasty sweet bread that leans slightly to the Belgian side.
Ooof. Much nuttier in the taste. It almost punches you, in fact. It fades to a weak yeasty bread similar to the smell, but I still don't taste any toffee. Slight wet tobacco taste to it.
It's big for a brown, especially an English brown. There's something a tad off about it though, like it's been filtered by that red tallgrass that grows in the Flint Hills or something. Leans further toward a Belgian (which I dislike) in both smell and taste as it gets warmer.
Eh, it's Kansas.
I don't get it either. But it's cold, so here goes. I also haven't had a beer in a month, so it should be interesting to see if my taste buds have reset.
This one pours a loosely filtered coppery brown, with a decent tan head for a brown. It fades to a sheet, but even that's more than many browns, including some of my favorites.
The label says something about a toffee aroma, but I don't smell it. I do smell the standard slightly nutty smell, but also a yeasty sweet bread that leans slightly to the Belgian side.
Ooof. Much nuttier in the taste. It almost punches you, in fact. It fades to a weak yeasty bread similar to the smell, but I still don't taste any toffee. Slight wet tobacco taste to it.
It's big for a brown, especially an English brown. There's something a tad off about it though, like it's been filtered by that red tallgrass that grows in the Flint Hills or something. Leans further toward a Belgian (which I dislike) in both smell and taste as it gets warmer.
Eh, it's Kansas.
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