Brawling Brits

The beer news comes to us from a Houston Chronicle article what was printed sometime last week. Apparently the problem of using bar glasses as weapons in bar fights has reached such epidemic proportions that the government has seen fit to step in and intervene with what is being called the biggest advance in glassware in decades, unbreakable beer glass. In an effort to save 2.7 billion pounds (4.3 billion us dollars) a year in health care cost from “glassing” attacks. The new glasses use two different types of technology to prevent shattering. The first is one which has ben used in car windshields where two thin layers of glass are bonded together and the other uses a bio-rsin coating on the inside of the glass to prevent shattering. The fact that the government is putting it’s best men and resources towards preventing drunken brawls as apposed to stopping the culture the spurs it on says but one thing. Beer is important to the British

Budweiser Select

Budweiser Select was originally released as an answer to Michlobe Ultra. The beer says that it is full flavored and only 99 calories, and surprisingly both are true. As much as I hate to give this honor to a beer from a company that for the most part don't care for because of it’s ubiquitous nature in the market which has led the beers that come from Budweiser to be flavorless and boring. A good example of what I dislike about Budweiser is what is going on with Toyota, they have become so popular that somewhere along the way they lost something in the way of product quality. The same is true for Budweiser, with few exceptions and Bud Select is one. So much so that this beer is also in the running for beer of the year and here is why. To start, the beer is cool on the tong with a smooth middle and a full flavored finish. The beer is not complicated but simply refreshing. I know what I hate and I don’t hate this. This beer is good for enjoying with virtually any food or just as a Sunday sipper. However, as I sit here guzzling this on the couch I just can’t stop thinking about all of the food pairing options. Plus the beer is fairly low in the calorie department, however not as low as some of the beers on the market today but it does hold it’s own in the ever changing beer market.

(Editorial note)

For lint this year I will be forgoing all alcohol, so during this time I will be bring you beer news instead. I will be scouring the newspapers and internet to bring you the latest beer related news. Enjoy!!

Hornsby’s Hard Cider

This beer is this mounts smash hit. This baby is in the running for beer of the year. The only detractors from this beer are that 12 fluid ounces is not nearly enough, this is like one of those incredible vanishing beers, once the cap is off it is gone, all gone like so many trailer homes after a tornado. In addition to that, it only seems to be best as a drinking beer only, not an eating and drinking beer of which is an important aspect in my reviewing process. The thing that stands out about this beer is that it is refreshing as hell, you just want to drink it, and then you want to drink another. However, with an alcohol content of 5.5%, you may want to take it easy or you might end up feeling like that rhino on the label smacked you, or even worse, you just might end up waking up next to one the morning after. With it’s shiny gold medal color and applelishous refreshingness this beer is like velvet throat candy, with just a little bite at the end, a little yoo-hoo for your taste buds. This is just a great beer and what is better is the fact that my wife loves it as well, and that is saying a lot about the beer because she hats beer like Brett Favre hates punt kickers from gumbo land. So if you are looking for some brew that even the beer hating fans will love, this one is a touchdown. So enjoy the game today.

Hue Beer Export By Hue Brewery, Hue City, Vietnam

It is only now that I am starting to see this beer for sale outside of an Asian restraint and upon further investigation into hue on the internet I learned that back in 2008 in an embargo was lifted on Vietnam and the beer was now being exported to the US. This is an unassuming beer that if you did not know to give it a try you might not. This beer is a good example of one that has a malt flavor. This malt flavor is the full rich creamy flavor that wells up in your cheeks as you drink. Hue, like Lone Star does a good job at including this more tactile aspect to it’s beers overall flavor profile. This beer does a good job at running right down the middle of the taste spectrum. Its flavors are neither conservative nor liberal, but right down the middle, which makes it overall refreshing with a hint of sweet bitterness at the end. This lager beer is yellow in color and reminiscent of a wheat field just before harvest time. The beer works best with typical Vietnamese American cooking, and I say that because when it comes to "authentic" Asian food, nine times out of ten you are getting dishes that the chef’s have purposely concocted to please the American palette. As for the beer the, equivalents I can think of are Lone Star and Lhasa (which was last weeks review) This is a happy medium of the two. The beer has an alcoholic content of about 4.8%, which took some snooping on the net to come up with. If you look at imported beers for example those from Asian countries you will see that the alcoholic contents often is not printed on the label so it is sometimes hard to tell how powerful the beer will be. I have found that most golden Asian beers sit at about 4.5% alcohol. The retail price was $11.29 as Spec’s, which is too damn much to pay for beer. However my first experience with the beer was so positive I decided to splurge and bring some home and do a review for you. However, looking at the retail price and trying to remember what I paid for it at the restaurant definitely makes this a beer one you get when you are out to eat and not one you bring home to drink. The cost is prohibitive of that and not worth it. If you are interested in learning more about Hue you can go to the web page

http://www.huda.com.vn/default.asptype=portal&tab=news&menuID=32&SubmenuID=86&path=Hue Beer

Lhasa Beer by Tibet Lhasa brewery LTD

I am usually a real fan of Asian style beers like Sapporo, Kirin and Tsingtao. However, this is not the case with the Lhasa. The beer does start out crisp and refreshing followed by a swift and bitter finish, the likes of which linger on the back of the tong well after the beer is finished. The beer is touted as " capturing the elemental essence of Tibet and the high Himalayas." Apparently according to Lhasa’ s web page barley is farmed extensively in the region with approximately 3395 different genetic variants of the brewing ingredient used in farming there. However due to the climate and pests, farmers tend to grow many different types of barley in an effort to stack the deck in their favor. If pest destroys one strand then another will have survived the attack leaving the farmer with something to harvest. The bottle also boasts that the "all-malt beer is made from the worlds finest ingredients" including among other things, pure Himalayan spring water of which is not just life’s most important liquid, but beers as well. The majority of beer is water and if the water doesn’t taste right then neither will the beer. This along with some of the other challenges of brewing a beer in the Himalayas such as having so many different strands of barley in the brew makes for an overall mediocre taste profile. Which is hindered the most by the Saaz hops which according to the beers web page is the "gold standard of hops" and is among the most expensive around. Just because something is expensive, like a Mont Blanc pen does not mean it is worth the price, I fear that this is the case with this beer. The overall taste profile is of bitter jasmine flower, the likes of which you find at most Asian restaurants floating around in the teapots. The beer is a Lager with a 4.6% Alcohol content, moderately priced at about seven dollars I found this beer at Whole Foods Market, however on the web page under the distribution tab you can find other places to get the beer. In conclusion I feel that the Lhasa needs lhasa improvement, however the fact that 10% of the profit goes to helping Tibet makes spending money on a beer that I did not particularly care for a little less disappointing. After spending any amount of time on the web page you will see that the Lhasa brewery LTD is an all-round good-natured company, one that I would want to work for, I only wish I liked the beer more. So buy some beer, save Tibet. If you’re into bitterness this is a safe bet.

http://www.lhasabeerusa.com/

Hoogstraten Poorter by Sterkens Meer

The Hoogstraten Poorter is brewed according to the German purity law of 1516 that was originally in acted to ensure that the beer-drinking public was getting pure beer. The law called only for the use of water, barley and hops, which is great. However, in a world in which variety is the spice of life, the purity law is a little passe. For those who know me on a personal level, I am all for holding onto traditions. I am the person who goes on vacation and wants to do what the locals are doing, drink what the locals are drinking and eat what the locals eat, all in an attempt to get to the heart of the culture, the original culture. That is why on one hand I applaud the purity law. However, on the other hand when you adhere to the old in the case of the purity law you leave no room for improvement. When you drink a beer brewed by the purity law you know what you are getting. Barley, hops and water. Nothing more nothing less. If you have not had a beer brewed to the standards of the purity I would suggest that you try one, however after that it is my opinion that you have beer there done that. The first thing I can tell you is lookout when you open the bottle you should have a glass ready to receive the contents. You will see an effervescent smoke emanating from the bottles mouth followed by an eruption of foam. You will then try to cap it off with the stopper on the bottle. After you decide to "try it again" you will open it only to find you have adorned the ceiling with foam. As for the beer, it is slightly hopper than it is malty which comes from the barley. The majority of the carbonation is lost when you open it, which leaves the beer a little flat. The beer starts out over the tong; the beer feels smooth however as you finish off the swig a hint of bitterness from the hops comes right through. All in all this is a solid example of a beer that has been brewed according to the law of 1516 and a great beer to share with friends. Even though it says one pint on the bottle I am suspecting that is what the brewers were expecting you would have left after pissing off most of it when you opened it. This is a slow drinking whopper of a beer just perfect for enjoying during the wintertime that is because this dang thing is so heavy it might crush the hygrometer. You can checkout the Sterkens Meer web page by going to http://www.sterkensbrew.be/sterkens/index.htm
P.s. thanks for the brew bro, I love you

Oak Creek Brewing Co Hefeweizen

So the Thursday posting date was postponed due the BCS game in California. In this years blog I have employed a new tool for helping you decide if what I am drinking is something you are
drinking. The form is called Rate That Beer and it can be found by going to this web page.

http://www.knockknock.biz/catalog/categories/pads/classic-pads/rate-beer-pad/

You can just copy and paste it into your browser bar if you would like to see the format that I will be using to help to better serve you. So with further adieu I present to you

Oak Creek Brewing Co Hefeweizen

To hefeweizen (German for "Yeast wheat") purists, this beer is anything but. However, to understand my description of this beer one must look at where the beer is from, Arizona, a place that is not known for being a part of the breadbasket of America much less a beer brewing state. The folks at Oak Creek Brewing Co have done a good job what I would like to call a regional style of hefeweizen. Arizona is hot and dry, so who wants to drink a wheatie beer in a place like that? No, you want a beer that is easy drinking, refreshing and flavorful. Oak Creek does a good job at filling this order; even the bottle art conjures cool blue tones that is nothing like Arizona. The first thing you will notice is the unmistakable flavor of cloves, yea that Yuletide spice and uncommon brew ingredient has lawn darted itself nicely into this beers uncanny flavor profile. The beers color is reminiscent of morning fog turned golden by the suns rays. The yeast that is in my eyes what makes a hefeweizen a hefeweizen floats like diamond dust in it’s alcoholic atmosphere. This is not a particularly heavy beer, in fact its head was almost nonexistent even after the "rousting" of the yeast from it’s bottom of the bottle bed. The aroma is slightly pine like. However, pine is not in the flavor profile that happens to be consistent throughout the beer, which is nice in any beer you are drinking. The alcoholic content of the beer is 4.5%, which is consistent with the overall lite refreshing aspect of the beer. My overall impression: The beer is great for drinking on a hot as hell Houston day, where were you this summer?