McEwans Scotch Ale

I found this at Greens Beverage Co in Atlanta. This is my first Scotch Ale, so I wasn't so sure what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised by this beer. It's a dark beer, sweet, with a slight molasses taste to it. This is a very creamy beer as well, yet with a crisp aftertaste.

At 8% ABV, you'll only need one to realize how nice this beer is. The current owner of this brewery is Scottish-Newcastle known for many other very popular beers around the world. However McEwans, and Scotch Ale in general, have a long history in Edinburgh. As it turns out, Scotch Ale is a Pale Ale.

I will definitely try the other beers still available from McEwans, as this was a pleasant experience. For more information about McEwans, take a gander at their wikipedia page.

Cheers,
Jimmy

Hite

My sister-inlaw took me and my wife to an amazing Korean Barbeque restaurant here in Atlanta last week (Hae Woon Dae). The first time we went, I asked for some Korean beer (of course). However, they were completely out. So I ended up having a Sapporo instead.

Anyway, we went there again over memorial day weekend and this time they did have some cultural beer. So I ordered the Hite.

This is a very light and clean beer. Hite is known for two primary reasons. One is the water they use; it evidently is taken from the bedrock. The second is a different twist on the brewing process; something they refer to as the '3-stage rhythm method'. This avoids the 'yeast shock' which occurs when beer is usually stored and the temperature drops rapidly.

I really enjoyed this beer, and it went well with the BulGogi too!

For more information about the rhythm method, and other beers made by the same brewers, check out their website

Cheers,
Jimmy

Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy

Beer with Natural Lemon Flavor...

So says the Label. I saw this and immediately thought of my first trip to Germany. I was in a beer garden for lunch, and found it remarkable that drinking beer was not seen as a problem in Germany, but a source of pride. I asked them when kids started drinking around there. I was amazed at the answer; around 7-9 they introduce kids to beer mixed with lemonade.

That being said, this beer label brought those memories back at full speed. I decided to give this beer a try, especially since the carton said "Limited Availability".

This is truly a refershing Beer, if you enjoy Lemons... This is a Weiss Beer mixed with Lemonade. You might expect it to be sweet, but not really. More of a puckery sour lemon flavor, but light enough to be refreshing, and not over shadow the beer too much. Do you want a beer both you and your wife will enjoy?... Pick this one up then.

Take a gander at their website too, it's packed with details about their short brewing history which began in 1867.

A German Beer Trail

Folks,
Today a great article was published by the New York Times Travel section. Evan Rail, a frequent contributor to the travel section, has just returned from a Beer Odyssey in Germany.

The article is called "A German Beer Trail" and contains beautiful descriptions of some of the more esoteric forms of Beer from the old country. He goes to Berlin, (not very well known for beer), and Cologne (specifically known for great beer), as well as several other areas in Germany.

His chronicles of the manner in which they server the beer, from sometimes using green syrup, to other times being lambasted by traditionally cranky waiters, is a fun read. Make sure to have some good old German beer on hand though, this will definitely make you thirst for another glass.

Leffe Blonde

Leffe Blonde is a delicious Belgian Abbey beer. A quick note about Abbey Beers; they are not necessarily brewed in a monastery or by monks, but do pay money to the Abbey for use of the name.

This beer will not be found in Alabama, and some other states because it is 6% ABV. Alabama doesnt allow anything 6% or over... don't ask me why... take that up with the law. I did, however, find this in Atlanta.

Leffe Blonde has a taste that reminds you of bread. I always feel heavier after drinking one, but this changes depending on how cold it is when its served. It's not my favorite Belgian, but it is a standby that I return to again and again. It's very lacey, which means it leaves lace on the glass you drink it from. Not sure why this matters to some aficianados, but it is pleasing to the eye.

If you have been raised on US Domestic Beer, I recommend this as your first foray into Belgian beer. Reports are that this tastes much better in Europe than in the US, and that has a lot to do with the way this beer ships. You definitely want this to be a fresh case. If you reach in the cooler to buy this and it has dust on it, find another location.

My favorite way to drink this beer is while lodging in a cabin in the Smoky Mountains. Make sure it's so cold that it has ice chips in it, and it will win (and warm) your heart.

For more information check out the Leffe website, but be careful, there is not an english version.

Cheers,
Jimmy

Duvel Belgian Golden Ale

This is a crisp and dry Ale, with a nicely high Alcohol content, sitting at around 9%.

This is a Bottle Conditioned Ale, which means it finishes it's fermentation in the bottle. I'm not sure if thats the reason, but this beer tastes like a champagne. It pours a very thick head, which is quite fluffy. The moment I had my first sip, the carbonation just exploded. This Beer takes a while to get used to. I had to let it sit in the fridge for several days before I tried it again. I must admit, I really enjoyed it after it had sat for a while.

It has a high alcohol content, so go easy on it if you are used to lower ratios.

A beer like this tastes best served in a stein like mug, and sipped over a long period. This isn't my favorite beer, but if you haven't tried Duvel before, it's worth the $12 to experience how champagne like it is, right after opening. And if it makes you feel any better, (it did for me), it's made with "Bohemian Hops".

If you'd like more information on Duvel, check out their home page.

Cheers,
Jimmy

Alcoholic Beer Taster

So I was googling to see where this blog shows up in searches, and I stumbled across this article regarding a brewery in Brasil who had an employee sue them. He stated that the brewery did not do enough to prevent him from becoming an alcoholic.

First off, let's talk about the difference between loving beer, and being an alcoholic. The two are not the same. An alcoholic can not go without consuming alcohol. Someone who loves Beer, can go without it, no problems; although they probably prefer not to ;-)

Anyway, Alcoholism is a real disease, and it effects lots of people. Now, if I found that I had symptoms of a disease, and that my work was exacerbating that disease, I think that would be a great excuse to find another job. However this guy was a Beer Taster.

So anyway, this guy sued. Perhaps he had a justification, and the company really didn't do enough to help this guy, like transfer him to bottling or something. However, instead of the company, taking the high road and acknowledging responsibility (regardless of actual fault), they decided to say that this guy was an alcoholic when they hired him!

Not only does this mean the company did not take the high road, it also means they broke the cardinal law of bartending... never serve someone who has already been served more than their share.

Thank goodness the Judge in this case realized what was going on, and still found the company negligent, stating they should not have hired him to begin with.

I normally err on the side of personal responsibility, but when a company like this is so obviously trying to skirt any responsibility at all, I enjoy a good gaveling at their expense.

Cheers,
Jimmy

Weihenstephaner Heffe Weiss Beir

When I first saw this beer I had to look twice.



"World's Oldest Brewery"... Are you sure?

A closer look at the neck states the date, 1040. That's 55 years before the Crusades!

This has got to be some good beer!

Sure enough, when I got it home, it was indeed Great Beer!

Now I have to say, I didn't get the "original", because, well I didn't know it existed until a week later. I got the Heffe Weissbier, which means it's a Wheat Beer, and I really enjoyed it. I have to say, at 5.4% alcohol, it only takes one to get nicely buzzed. And the buzz is completely different from any beer I've ever had. It's crisp, clean, and very energetic. The taste of this beer is amazingly refreshing. There are not many imports that I would look for at a baseball game, but this is definately one.

I found this beer in Atlanta, and Birmingham. Your ability to find this should be pretty easy.

Don't forget to check out the website. You'd be surprised at how far back the history of this brewery goes. Starting as a monastery which brewed beer from the hops the parishoners tithed, it was destroyed many times over by foreign invaders, only to be built back so many times. It has a prominent place in the annals of Beer History, as the Bavarian Beer Purity law was decreed on it's doorstep, and even today maintains it's place as the center of Beer Tech in Bavaraian Acadamia.

Give this great historic beer a try this week. And if you are looking for still more information on Wheat Beers check out this link

Cheers,
Jimmy

Tilburg's Dutch Brown Ale

An amazing brown ale! I picked this up today and am in love. At first taste, I immediately thought of a Chimay Blue taste, only lighter and sweeter. Come to find out, it's brewed in an Abbey, the only Abbey outside of Belgium, the Abbey of Koningshoeven in the Netherlands.

Is this a Trappist Beer? Well, there are Trappist Beers brewed there, and it very well could be made by trappists, if you believe the following post:

Tiffany and Andrew


I've recently sent in an email asking this very question on their contact page. I'll let y'all know how that all turns out.

Meanwhile, if you are interested in their web presence, the following link provides a ton of information. Also pictures of their brewery that supports the hypothesis that this excellent brew is crafted by the same folks who make Le Trappe.

Tilburg's Dutch Brown Ale

As for the odd logo... well thats is from a picture which has three panels, one depicting Paradise, one depicting a lustfilled world, and the last depicting the artists verision of Hell. I'll let you guess which one the odd creature above is found on. Visit that link above and find out....

Cheers,
JimmyZ

I love Beer

Hello Everyone,
I love Beer. I really and truly do. This wasn't always the case. When I was younger and in the Navy, I found myself drinking whiskey, if I was drinking anything. Eventually I acquired a taste for wine, and only recently (within the last year) have acquired a serious respect and love for Beer.

Now I really should clarify here. When I say Beer, I'm usually not refering to traditional US Domestics, like Bud, or Coors. Not that these don't hold a place in the story of Beer, just that they are only about 1% of that story. Believe it or not, there are some folks out there, (some who are reading this now), who have never had anything else than US domestics.

I've pretty much said it all. So with that, I hope you have a nice cold foamy beverage to sip from while you spend your time here.

Cheers,
Jimmy Alderson