Ruby Redbird

The Perfect Summer Beer it says, well that is up for dispute. However, what is not up for dispute is that this beer is a unique offering from the Shiner Brewery. The beer boasts that it is brewed with Texas ruby red grapefruit and ginger. The primary taste is of ginger and no grapefruit so from a technical point of view the label should be switched. At first glance this beers sounds like it is only a good drinking beer. However as you drink this beer down the grapefruit does star to peek through towards the end. On further thought, this beer would be good with Asian broccoli and beef with ginger. This is a good conversation starter beer, when served to your guests you get to ask them what they think of the beer. This beer is a good attempt at pushing the boundaries of what beer can be and that is a good thing. This is what the world needs in a beer and for that matter, a beer company. However, this try just did not hit the mark as far as being a hit out of the park. However, this is what makes beer brewing an art that has lasted for hundreds of years, it is the continued hunt for something better, something new, something next.

Thanks to thehiddenlist.com and google.com for use of the picture.

Shiner Spring Ale

spring is here and that means a rebirth of everything including beers when I go through my local beer store I see new brews “springing” up everywhere. Case in point, this offering from Shiner Beer Co. it is Shiner spring Ale which is Dortmunder style which in actuality is a German lager that originated in the 19th century so the fact that Shiner says it is an Ale. The little rundown on the back of the bottle is an accurate one. You can taste the bite of an Ale with a hint of light sweetness at the end of the “swig” the light sweet taste is reminiscent of watered down clover honey like what one would find in meat which is a medieval alcoholic drink. The beer is refreshing and is good as a standalone and a food beer. The food of choice in my opinion is grilled chicken with grilled corn as well. Shiner has not broken any new ground in terms of taste or style here but has produced a solid spring time beer. This is not a beer that I would be apposed to drinking on a more regular basis.

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.