Stillwater Vanilla Cream Ale

Todays offering is a little doozy from Greenville, SC and even though I think this is not necessarily the best of drinking beers it is one hell of a good eating beer if you pick the right thing. I try’ed this with beer with a creamy non-dairy chicken enchiladas. Yes I know what you are thinking, a creamy non-dairy meal and the answer is yes, however that is for another story. The beer works so well with the chicken and the creamy flavor of the non-dairy cheese. So when enjoying this beer think chicken and creamy, so things like chicken alfredo or some sort of casserole and you will be on the right track. The beer is lightly bitter tasting like an ale is known to taste however with this Stillwater Vanilla Cream Ale you really do taste the vanilla taste which comes on at the end of your sip and it is a pleasing one at that, it is the slightest taste of what vanilla smells like without the bitter mouth feel. The beer is so good with food but what it brings to the table when it comes to food it is lacking when it comes to drinking as a standalone beer. The beer is 4.5% ABV so it is not too strong, in fact it is right down the middle of the road when it comes to alcohol content. In light of this beers short comings I am going to put this one into the running for the beer of the year, it was just so good with the food that I am placing it in the running. You can checkout the brewers web page at www.thomascreekbeer.com

Enjoy =)

Sunray Wheat Beer By: The Terrapin Beer Co.

Back in July, got the chance to go to the east coast of the United States which I hod not be to in the last fifteen years, on my trip I was able to bring home some brews to review with you. We start off with Terrapin Wheat Beer from the Terrapin Beer Co. which can be found on the web at www.terrapinbeer.com. The brewer says that it is best with old world food such as German food so all you snitzle lovers out there enjoy. I had this beer as a standalone and with home made pizza and after having it with both, this is best as a beer you drink with food. The food really does bring out the flavors of the beer. You can really taste the banana bubble gum notes in the beer. The brewer says the beer is brewed with honey, but I really can’t taste it, however I can taste the banana taste, but only with the food. The beer as a drinking beer reminds me a little of the Oak Creek Brewing Co’s Hefeweizen, but only just a little. The head on this this thing when you put it in the gals is nothing short of amazing. It is reminiscent of a time laps photo of bread rising, it is really big. The bottle is chocked full of good information, most beers will tell you when to drink the but this one not only tells you the month in which to drink it but also the week to drink it in. This is the first beer that I have seen that gets this accurate when it comes to enjoying fresh beer. All in all this is a great food beer and just an ok drinking beer. I found this beer in Charleston South Carolina at a place called The Charleston Beer Exchange located T 14 Exchange Street Charleston, SC 29401 Ph# 843-577-5446 or on the web at www.charlestonbeerexchange.com Rich Carley the Owner of the joint was a real help in picking out some beers to review.

Flying Dog Old Scratch Amber Lager

The beer is called an amber lager, however it looks like dark amber or copper. The color is reminiscent of the snake dog IAP I last reviewed, and tastes like it as well. However, not as strong in the flavor or alcohol department (alcohol content 5.5%). The first thing you will experience is a tingling taste near the sides of the mouth as well as a flat after taste going down. This is a a fast drinking beer but not a drinking one, it is a good eating beer due to it’s bitter ending. I feel that it would be best as an ingredient in foods or with foods. For example I could see this beer being used in beer bread and if it came in a can it would do good in a beer can chicken or duck or game hen. The Flying Dog web page says that the beer is good with roasted meats, hearty breads, spicy foods and cajun food. All in all this was my second favorite beer from the flying dog brewing Co. my first being the Snake Dog IAP which was a real kick in the mouth unlike this one is. In conclusion, the last two beers I reviewed from Flying Dog were the most flavorful of all that I tried. So as the dog days of summer start to wind down so too does my reviews of the Flying Dog. We start next time with some beers I picked up during my trip to the east coast.

P.S. Thanks Lina for the the beers.

Snake Dog IAP

Right off the bat this beer is a vast improvement from the other ales offered from the flying dog, This is a real kick in the mouth. The beer even looks cool as it goes into the glass, is I poured mine into the glass the fizz looked like a fuse burning in on it’s self revealing the slight reddish tent of the beet. As with most ales, this would be best enjoyed during the winter due to the fact that it’s alcohol content comes thundering in at a whopping 7.1% which leaves me feeling like that lyric in the song tik tok (tryin get a little bit tipsyyyyyy) so take it easy with this one. This beer is one of the more potent ones I have ever had. The best way to describe this beers taste is grapefruit and hops, this ones taste profile bowls you over from the first sip to the last it is a real power house of a beer but not as powerful as arrogant bastard ale. All in all this is a much better than the others I have tried from Flying Dog. However, this beer is not one that I loved but it was still a much better offering than the rest. So enjoy!!!!