Blueberry Oatmeal Stout

This year is not starting like I had expected in the way of getting beer reviews out to the people who do read this blog and for you who do, I thank you for your following me. As you know, I for the most part judge a beer as being good by it’s ability to be good as what I call a standalone and a food beer and when a beer does not fall into both of my categories I tend to dismiss the beer as being “good” and also exclude the beer form the beer of the year award. However, this winter has opened me up to excepting beers that don’t fit into both of my categories. Case in point, this offering from Buffalo Bill’s Brewery, which has been operating since 1983. This is a fine example of what I am talking about, be forewarned this beer is good for the winter and not much else, I am not a stout beer fan. However, for whatever reason this beer, an oatmeal stout brewed with blueberries “and other natural flavors” caught my eye from a bottom shelve in a non beer related part of my local grocer. This beer moved me so much that just before I went to checkout I felt I needed to walk back to the beginning of the store just to pick this one up. This is the the beer you sip as you sit inside in the dark on a stormy winter night as the temp drops outside which makes you want to stay inside all the more which gives you time to notice all the complexities of this beer. Like it’s chalk aftertaste or it’s strong robust initial flavor, the kind of flavor that only a mature individual can appreciate. As for the blueberry taste it is very slight if not at all, despite that fact the fact there is a sweat ending taste to that beer. Overall, this beer is the refined thinking mans beer, the kind of man who reads John Updike or J.D. Salinger books who putters around the house in a smoker jacket with a pipe in hand and who‘s gray hair is coming in so nicely. So to all you aging, I mean maturing beer afficionados out there enjoy.

A side bar: Buffalo Bill’s Brewery also brews another one of my favorites, (America’s Original Pumpkin Ale)

in addition to that, thanks to

http://spiritshopinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/BUFFALO-BILLS-BLUEBERRY-OATMEAL-STOUT.jpg

for the pic.

Raha & Sons Ugly Pug Black Lager

Black Lager

This beer is one I first ran into back in October at the Galveston beer festival, I had been hesitant to purchase this beer in the store due to the fact that it is a Texas beer; unfortunately the Texas brewers tend to go heavy on the hops which for the most part I don’t care for, so when I found this one, I kew this would be a revisit and here we are. The taste profile of this one is of subtleties. You can taste a light creaminess followed by a slight burnt coffee or noodles, you know that smell that comes off the pot as you try and clean it. I know that at first glance this sounds bad but just give it a try. In addition to that, the effervescent nature of this beer is nonexistent at best, but that is typical of black lagers. Due to the unique flavor profile of this beer I did not find any food that went well with it but I am sure that there are foods out there that do. As a parting note, the beer is a quick drinker, too quick. Enjoy!

( side note ) It took me so dang long to do this review that I am sick of this beer, for whatever reason to just took so long to get this done it has cursed me from the beginning of the year, damn this beer. I was so tired of this beer you done even get a PIC

Beer of the year

And the winner is, Pabst Blue Ribbon!!!

And hers why. Pabst Blue Ribbon was a dud back in the day and now just like Lone Star beer it has pulled itself up by the boot straps to sit proudly on your grocers cooler shelve. In addition to that the beer was good as a standalone and with food as well an so as a result, that is why PBR has made the belated beer of the year for 2010. So, sorry that it has taken so long to bring it to you.

Not Quite Pale Ale #9

this is a phenomenal offering from the Magic Hat brewing co. The offering is not quite pale ale #9 and it is just that. This beer has ale like qualities like the bitter hops taste, but it also has a sweet ending nodes as well, in addition to that, you might also detect a hint of grapefruit as well. However, the bitter comes back after you finish the drink and it is this quality that makes this beer an exquisite when it comes to matching it with food. I have found that it is hard to find a food that this beer does not go well with. Some of my flavors were tie food, and pizza, the beer just goes so well with the spice from the tie and the robust flavors of the tomato sauce. However, it does lose some points in that I have deemed this beer best as a food beer and not both a food and drink beer which is sad because I would have loved to put this one in the running for beer of the year, which is coming up soon so stay tuned.

NGOK BEER

NGOK Beer

from the Congo, this beer reminds me of a cross between Rolling Rock Beer and Heineken Beer. However this is not necessarily a bad thing. The beer is a little skunky as after taste, but the beginning and middle part of the taste is pleasant. The beginning of the taste is sweet and lightly refreshing just what you would expect on a hot day it is so good, but then like just like the crocodile on the bottle, in comes the bite. Which hangs on for quite a long time which makes you want to take a quick swig of more to stop the the bitter bite. The beer is a pale gold with a medium head which falls off rather quickly. The beer is 5% ABV which makes it a middle of the road messer-upper when it comes to getting buzzed. Ebenezer, the beer drinking cat does not particular care for the smell much less the taste of the beer, but what can you say, he is a fickle puss. My final thoughts for this beer is that it is a good standalone beer, you know one you have at a social gathering in the summer, but that is about all. Remember, it is most like Heineken in the flavor profile so if you like you some Heine, then you will enjoy this beer but if not like me then you might not it is also a quick drink. Just like the croc on the label one minuet you see him, the next you don’t he is gone. A side note, the bottle for this beer is really heavy, I have never seen a bottle with so much empty weight, it really is heavy. In Addition to that, the name NGOK is African for crocodile.

As the close of the year comes around I will be unveiling my BEER OF THE YEAR so stay tuned to see who it will be.

Dixie Beer

I have been needing to do this review for a long time and now that I finely am getting around to it I find that I am less excited about it than I was when I first got the six pack. I first tried this beer back in September at the beer festival which was held in Galveston. The festival was bust but to the was it was setup, but thats another story. The beer is great as a drinking beer and good with food, but not grate. The beer is felled with a strong malt taste which is leads way to a cascading sweet nodes. This is a truly refreshing beer, just right for this transition time from summer to winter. It tastes like no other beer I can think of which also brings up another point, in addition to being like no other beer I have ever had, it is like on other I have ever seen. It is only within the last part of this year that I have seen this beer hit the scene. But the bottle says that the beer has beer around for a century, but juste like a Saints Super Bowl win; till now it has been nonexistent and so is any info in the net. So enjoy

Pabst Blue Ribbon

This beer is a contender for this years beer of the year and it is about time. Ten mounts into it and I do believe that this is the first contestant we have. The beer on the block today is of all beers a Pabst Blue Ribbon. This is not one of those trendy beers that everyone is drinking, in fact I think this beer had a stigma about it back in the day as being a billy bob beer, one which the proud beer swilling blue collar workers of the americas guzzle wile watching the fine quality programing only found on CMT, (is that channel even still around), but I digress. All stigmas aside the only place I have found this beer is whole foods a place which congers stigmas of another, but I will spare you all the stigma talk and get on with the beer review. This beer has a lightly malty taste with no bitter after taste. This thing is as smooth as all get out and in addition to that the beer is refreshing and thirst quenching as well. This beer will go well with darker meats such as steak and ribs. The beer is not so good with chicken but that is of little consequence. The beer has so many good attributes it is just so good, it comes in a one pint can which is the way all beers should come. The beer is about 6 to 7 bucks and is a good deal in my opinion. The web page is a little basic and leave much to be desired, but with a beer that is this good you don’t need a really boffo web page. So, as the temps start to drop and you want to head back outside and start grilling you might think about grabbing a PBR. Patrick, this ones for you wherever you are.