BEER OF THE YEAR 2009 Rock Ice Limon (Costa Rica)

Of all the beers I have had this year, this by far was one of the best drinking experiences of my life. In addition to all of the criteria by which I judge beers (taste, flavor profile complexities, drinkability, easy by which the beer goes with food) one tool of measurement by which I personally use for how good a beer is comes from what I was doing as I was enjoying the beer. Beer is not just taste alone; it is at least for me emotional as well. The events, people, places and smells are all important parts of what makes drinking a beer so special or so miserable, and for me this was an exceptional example of that. I can go back to that moment in time with just the thought of the experience. There that night with my wife and parents in-law at the el Refugio Grill. The air fat with moisture, exotic animals of the Costa Rican jungle calling out from high atop trees in the far off hills. The smells of fresh food of the earth never tainted by packaging, all cooking on a small home stove top just on the other side of a thin wall, all of the small infinitesimal parts that made up the whole of that moment in time. The refreshing lime salt flavor mixing with the fish mixing with the plantain mixing with the everything else, all coming together to make that moment a perfect one. I urge you to take a moment to think of your favorite beer and examine what you were doing the first time you had that beer and see if that has any validity as to why you enjoy that beer so much. Perhaps it was the first time you shared a beer with your Father, or it was your Grandfathers beer of choice. Whatever the reason you like it I am willing to bet that on some level there is a positive emotional aspect involved with it, however small it might be. Drinking should always be a positive experience, one which congers happy memories. However, in a world of stress and overindulgence it is all too easy to fall into drinking for the sake of being drunk. My wish to all of you out there on this Christmas Eve is that you find yourself surrounded by good food, good friends, loving family members and phenomenal beer, whatever it may be. So in conclusion I thank all of you, and remember that Santa Claus is coming to town tonight so don’t hit him. Think right. Drink right, good night.

Steel Reserve

This beer is like the sleeper hit of the year. You have seen it down at the local gas and go and perhaps never even gave it any mind, you don’t see it many places but when you do, give it a try. This is an easy drinking beer. You can really taste the malted barley, which is what gives this beer it’s sweet taste profile which ends in an overall refreshing taste. This is however, a more one-dimensional beer in that it is best as just a drinking beer and not so much one you would pare with food. This is however a fantastic drinking beer. Let me set the scene for you, it is a winter night you find yourself in a semi rural pasture surrounded by old friends, a camp fire is going and you are all standing around recalling stories about remember when, and a Steel Reserve in every hand. Closing out the year with this one being in the running for beer of the year is a wonderful segue to the beer of the year award rundown. In no particular order, 1) shiner smokehaus 2) Rock Ice Limon 3) Anchor Steam 4) Sakara Gold 5) Steel Reserve. All of these beers have been in my opinion outstanding and deserving of the beer of the year. So look out for next weeks Beer of the year, just in time for Christmas and the New Year.

Blue Moon Harvest Moon Pumpkin Ale

A melding of the bitter and the sweet, the first thing you taste is bitter pumpkin with sweet undertones of caramelized brown sugar, which one would find around the edge of one of Grandmothers Thanksgiving pumpkin pies. We round out this beer with an uncommon smoky finish. This beer is one you can enjoy before during and after your Thanksgiving Day meal. This is a wonderful beer from a wonderful beer company, so enjoy and have a Happy Thanksgiving, and as always, think right, drink right, lest you end up at the po po’s place for Thanksgiving.

P.s. thanks to http://justbeer.wordpress.com/2008/08/09/harvest-moon-pumpkin-ale/ for the pic and thank you to Blue Moon Brewing Co.

Old Peculier

As ale’s go this is rather tasty and goes very well with spicy foods. It has a creamy dark chocolate taste that sits at the back of the tongue; it has a velvety texture in the mouth as well so enjoy this one as the temp starts to drop.

Grolsch Lager

A contradiction in terms, bitter, yet refreshing. It tastes like a dark coffee beer should but looks like a Heineken. The beer is fairly simple tasting and that is really sad because this bottle is one of the best looking I have ever seen and it is truly a shame that the stuff inside is not as good as the bottle looks.

Leinenkugel brewing Co Berry Weiss

Sweet and watery in quality after sampling another offering from this brewer it is my inclination that perhaps we are dealing with a one trick pony here. This offering is mediocre at best, ok it is sweet, it is lightly refreshing, blaw, blaw, blaw. It is everything but inspiring, if anything it is a carbon copy of the Sunset wheat by the same company.

Sakara Gold

This is perhaps the most refreshing lager I have ever had and coming from Egypt that is a good thing. Because it is so dang hot over there that a dark beer would not go over well at all and at a whopping 500 Ml a bottle the powerful refreshment just keeps coming, any bitterness that might be found in say an American or European lager is missing. This beer goes well with grilled yellow squash and turkey burgers with Brie cheese. The sugars in the squash help to embellish all of those non-bitter lager tastes. Please enjoy this beer ice cold, hell it even says to do so right on the bottle. This is without a doubt the most refreshing lager I have ever had and that is saying allot because I am such a loud lager lasher that when a lager beer comes along that is so refreshing that I have this many good things to say about it, you know it is worth your time. This beer is good with food and as a standalone. Perhaps the best occasion to enjoy this beer is on one of those record breaking days we just finished with as you grill some fish or poultry on the grill with friends. In conclusion, it is no wonder that this beer is so good, Egypt is thought to be one of the first places that beer was brewed, so they have had quite some time to get it right. Enjoy

Stella Artois

This review comes from a June 8th Wall Street Journal article talking about how Anheuser Bush is now the exclusive U.S. importer of the beer and how as a result, bars and pubs are coming up high and dry. When it comes to getting the beer. The fact that the beer was becoming had to fade me want to go out and get some for myself, RIGHT AWAY!!!! Disappointed that there were no singles I got the whole six pack. When I am trying a new beer I always like to get a single to see if I like it or not, this way if it turns out that I don’t care for the beer I have not wasted my money, and in this day and age one can never be too frugal when it comes to making sound dissuasions with beer money. Unfortunately this beer tastes just like a Budweiser. If you find that you just love lagers, my suggestion is to pick a cheap one and stick with it because all but a few lagers taste the same. I can only hope that you’ll drink beer for the beer, not the label on the bottle. It was at that time that I had been suckered into rushing out and purchasing a beer because of the fact that it was made out to be this really good beer that was so popular that it was being consumed at a record pace. Only to find that I had been bamboozled, I hate when a beer has a cool new label and the company pumps mega dollars into promotions only to find that it taste the same as others. "Stells" as the beer is refereed to my hipsters in the bars is a standard brew by European standards while it’s popularity is rising on the east and west coast sense Budwiser is now the only distributor of this beer which is pinching out all the other distributors who were the original distributors before Anheuser Bush took over. Anheuser is turning into the Wal-mart of the beer world. Which since the time when I first created this beer review has been bought by the European distributor of Stella Artois, how fitting that the big boys of American Beer are now owned by a European company. How the big have fallen. In conclusion to this rant, if you want to look cool at the bar drink "Stella" if you want to drink a lager, drink a Budwiser and save some money. Think right, drink right.

Thanks to http://www.austrianbeer.co.uk for the pic, I just did not have a pick.

Singha

This beer brings to the table a bouquet of bittersweet effervescent taste with a hint of lime. The closest taste equivalent from the "big brand name beers" is Heineken, which is not an Asian brew but is quite a popular beer among the Asian community. Singha has a clean start with a pleasant mild finish. This is a good beer to have with the spicy and sweet sauces often found in the tie cooking. The overall taste is reminiscent of a young spring afternoon, one of those lazy carefree days where the sun warms you, but the occasional wind gusts brings a slight bitterness. The beer is best with sweet/ spicy foods. So enjoy.
Thanks to (http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BiereSingha.jpg) for the pic.

Halida Premium Lager Beer

Ah so, me so thirsty and if you are, you will love this beer, it is extremely light in all of it’s taste aspects. Like when your smart phone back lighting goes out, you still know the screens info is still there. This beer is just like that in that it is in my opinion it’s very light in the taste department however, this is probably because it’s as hot as napalm death down in Hanoi town during the summer, hell it’s hot at winter time as well. So it makes sense that the beer down there is so light and refreshing and goes will with spicy Asian food.


P.S. Thanks sis, for the beer, be safe and enjoy. I love you very much.

Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout

When I first cracked this one open I could tell that this beer was going to be an entreating journey down flavor street. This beer is so dark, light can not escape from its surface. This is one formidable looking beer and a lesser man would run. However, being the intrepid ale explorer that I am. I gave this one a go and I am glad that I did. This is a chocolatie, leathery smelling beer with a light hint of smoked fish. You might think this is really more of a desert beer than anything else so I was completely pleased by it’s performance with my meal of Whole Food’s sausage and a medley string vegetables. This beer has earned a spot in the beer of the year contest. For those who may not know, the "beer of the year goes to the beer that was all around superior in all of the categories that I use to calculate a beer. 1) TASTE 2) color 3) in the glass aroma 4) how well it goes with food 5) drinkability and overall versatility. So in conclusion don’t doubt the stout.

Michelob Ultra Lime Cactus

I really enjoy the regular Michelob Ultra, however, this version of the beer is like a watered down miller chill or a Tequiza. The beer is a bit sweeter than most, and it is best as a standalone, and goes well with mechelata mix that you can buy an the store. The beer really comes alive with that authentic restraint mechlata taste one which is so hard to find in a store bought style. So if you are in the mood for mechlatas when pick up a sixer and enjoy.

Pyramid Thunderhead IAP

Yes, hello, hi!! Here comes the thunderhead, the name does it justice. The beer is fairly yeasty and just a little spicy, it goes great with food, but is a bit too bitter to enjoy as a standalone. However, it is wonderful with chicken or pork. The best food to enjoy this beer with is something spicy accented with Tabasco green pepper sauce, so enjoy and let me know what you think. Thanks to all who come to this blog.

Shnier Kolsch

The beer is a bitter pale tasting offering from the "little brewery", it is in my opinion a less than stellar. The nose on the beer smells light and refreshing, however, the taste is more robust that on might expect. The thing about it is that as you get down to the end of the bottle it takes on a lighter more watered down taste, a sort of anticlimactic ending. I maintain my position that Shiner Bock and Hefeweizen are still perhaps the best offering from the brewer.

Anchor Steam Beer

The distinct bite of this beer is the first of the flavor characters one notices when you first drink this beer. As you continue to analyze the flavor profiles you can sense an after taste of malt which lingers on the tongue. The overall taste profile of this beer is a robust earthy medium bodied beer. This particular beers strong suit is that it goes best with most any food type. I have found that I can’t go wrong with one when it comes to playing matchmaker with foods. Despite the fact that this is a pretty one-dimensional beer in that is does best with food I would still call it a San Francisco treat. One with a definite wow factor to it. My food pick is grilled beer ribs marinated with brown sugar and chili dust. Enjoy

Quilmes

In observation of the fact that last week I did not do a post because my internet was down, I will give you a two for one drink special this week, and it’s not even Thursday yet, so without further adieu I bring you Quilmes.

This beer comes to us from the little known beer producing country of Argentina. It was refreshing and cool on the tong, with a hint of summer ale flavors. This beer is not one you will find at most local grocers and that hurts it. This beer is an under dog in the big brewery world. I was only able to find it in the singles section of the local beer store. Who says you can’t go cursing for singles after you are married. That’s for beers, I love my life.

Orval Trappist Ale

Oh baby, this one gives great head; this is perhaps the headiest beer I have ever had. With nodes of orange, lemon zest and jasmine flower, the best way to describe this beer is a cross between a Hefeweizen a pale ale and a citrus beer. It smells sweet, however this beer has a bit of a bitter bite, so it is best enjoyed with sweet and spicy foods like a pannini sandwich or some sweet chili grilled tofu. This beer looks like a spring sunset, orange and golden. Enjoy!!!

Samuel Adams (Summer Ale) By Samuel Adams brewing co.

Usually you will find me bashing this bean town beer brewer. However, this is perhaps a first. This is a pretty good beer. This particular beers key feature is a lemony zest with the slightest hint of bitterness followed with a barley taste. However, the much touted "grains of parricide" that is apparently used in the beer I have no way of giving you a taste profile on because I have nor really had any other beers that I can remember having it in the ingredients. So, all in all the fact that I am saying this offering from Samuel Adams of pretty good is saying a lot, perhaps this beer is best as just a drinking beer and not so much one you pare with food. Stay cool, stay hydrated and always think right, drink right.

Rock Ice Limon (Costa Rica)

Fresh off my trip to Costa Rica, I had the opportunity to sample some of the beers of Costa Rica. To start the reviews of Costa Rican brews is Rock Ice lemon, which is a chelada style beer in that it has a nice mix of salt and lemon flavors of which one finds primarily in Mexican style beers. However, not mixed within the beer like it is with Rock Ice Limon, usually you must mix the salt and lemon yourself but with Rock Ice that is not the case at all. This beer is truly a treat after a day full of swashbuckling your way through a Costa Rican rain forest. After all the sweating one does in the jungle a beer like this helps to restore essential salts and elector lights to the body. This beer meats my standards of versatility and goes well with fish and chicken of which were exceptionally flavorful down at the el Refugio GRILL where the picture of the beer is from. This one is going into the hopper for beer of the year because of it’s refreshing out of the norm flavor profile and the fact that it was so dang refreshing, if you like Tequiza, Miller Chill or Budweiser Lime, you will enjoy this beer. So if you find yourself in Puerto Viejo Costa Rica ask about the el Refugio Grill. Good food, good people, greate beer, enjoy.

Shiner Smokehaus Helles Style (By the Spoetzl Brewery)

Just in time for the 4th. So I am in my favorite adult candy store yesterday looking for some caned beer for a concert in the park and I happen to over hear some guy squawking about some smoked beer. Well knowing me I just had to inject myself right into this conversation. Sure enough the gentleman is talking about the latest offering from that brewery of breweries in Shiner Texas. Now as you all know I am a swashbuckler of sorts when it come to trying new beers, but this one was right on the edge of being way to out there and novel even for me. I just did not know, plus I was just in there for the staples, beer. Not necessarily some for reviewing but just for drinking. Well to make a long story short I just could not resist an opportunity to slap another notch on my beer drinking gun belt and picked up a sixer and was on my way. I am glad I did, because there is nothing like enjoying a beer with you family over lobster and bacon raped wrapped scallops. This beer went so well with dinner it was uncanny. The beer does go best with food but it is still good as a standalone. This is definitely what I would call a "snack beer" when you are hankering for a beverage with flavor substance but no so filling like what you get with the Guinness. The marinating potentials are endless with this beer. The beer is reminiscent of Shiner dunkelweizen which I did not care for, the redeeming qualities of my last statement is that it is smooth and has that slight hint of smoke which for non adventurous beer drinkers may not be as pleasing as you would want it to be. This beer is exactly what it says it is, and there is no misconception as to what this beer is going to be like and as a consumer I enjoy it when a product description is what it says it is and nothing more. So in conclusion this beer will not be making it into the running for beer of the year. However, it will be making an appearance on the dinner menu. So the next time you find yourself at my house, be on the lookout for this beer. Happy 4ht!!!

Landshark Lager (By the Margaritaville brewing co. Jacksonville, FL)

Yes it is that Margaritaville, thank you so much Mr. Jimmy Buffett. First, let me say thank you to all of you out there who kept urging me to continue with this. It is truly ridicules how quickly a year or even a keg can be pissed away like so much cheap beer when your are busy or just drunk. Anyhow, on to the revival of this blogg. This offering from the same people who brought us some of the best tequila this side of Tijuana, (no really it is pretty dang good for coming from someone who is so relatively new to the new to the commercial world of alcoholic beverages, but I digress.) This is a smooth tasting beer; refreshing, not as "bitey" or bitter as say a Corona with just a hint of the sweet stuff. However, when matched with the right food, say a summer greens salad with stuff you picked up at your local farmers market (support local things people!!!) you can taste that old familiar bitterness creep ever so lightly back onto the palette and this is not such a bad thing. This beer lives up to my "standard of versatility" which means that the beer goes well with food and without. Interested in more info on this beer you can check out the web page at http://www.landsharklager.com/ . However, a word of warning. This web page is fairly lame, I was over it in thirty seconds. Enjoy, and remember Captain "C" says " Think right, drink right."