Fat Tire Beer Review

One of my readers requested this beer review a while ago. I've come to realize just why he wanted this beer reviewed as well. Today's review is Fat Tire Amber Ale, which is made by the New Belgium Brewing Company out of Fort Collins, Colorado. This recipe was inspired by a bicycle trip through Europe from brewery to brewery.

The color of this beer is really inviting. It leaves a little to be desired on the head, but the color is a deep golden orange and the smell is of honey biscuits, malt, and hops, although the hops do not overpower this at all. The body is light to medium and the drinkability is very high on this one. It has a very balanced flavor as well.

The flavor was very malty and biscuity with some sweetness balanced by the hop flavors which gave it a great finish. If it were not for the somewhat lack of a head on this beer, it would score perfect for me. It tastes fresh, it is refreshing, and very pleasurable to drink with a perfect balance of malts and hops. This beer is very well done! I give it a 9 out of 10.

Thanks for reading and watching, and keep suggesting beers for me to review- I've been enjoying quite a few of your requests. Keep drinking good beer!

How Beer is Made

One of my viewers on YouTube made a request that I make a video article series on how beer is made. I figured that this would be a fun adventure and that it would also make a great article for the blog, which hasn't received an update for a while (sorry guys!). So without further adieu, let me go into the process on how beer is made. There are four key processes that I will be highlighting for you, and they are malting, brewing, hopping, and fermenting (yeast).

Malting

Barley is the most common malted grain.

Malting is the process of beginning the germination of grains, and then halting the process through drying or baking. The main grain that is used for the production of beer is barley. Other grains can be malted as well, such as wheat, corn, rye, and oats. The grain that will be used for the beer is soaked in water long enough for the grains to begin to germinate, or sprout. This causes enzymes to develop in the process that break the starches in the grains down into sugar- something that is critical later on in the brewing process.

There are two common methods of malting. The first method is called floor malting. The grains are literally spread out on a floor and soaked to germinate. The second method is the most common, called pneumatic malting. In pneumatic malting the environment is controlled and the process usually takes place inside tanks or drums. In both processes, the grains are soaked and watched carefully until they begin to sprout. Once they begin to sprout, they are removed from the water and begin the second part of the malting process- drying.

As I mentioned in my Origin of Beer article, early man would eat barley sprouts that had been dried out, due to the fact that they were sweet and easier on the digestive system than raw grains. It was when these grains were re-submersed in water and combined with yeast that the first natural beer was born. The drying process today usually occurs in a kiln, otherwise known as a large oven, where the germinated grains are cooked long enough to dry. Some beers use roasted malt, which is cooked longer and roasted to bring out darker colors in beer along with a more distinctive caramel flavor.

Once the malt is dried out in the manner appropriate to the style of beer that it is to be used for, it is then stored to be used for the brewing process. When it comes time to brew the beer, the brewer weighs out the amount of grain that is going to be used for the recipe and then sends it through a malt mill that cracks the grain, turning it into grist. Grist is defined as a grain that has been separated from its chaff. This grain is collected in a grist case, which has a valve at the bottom. When the valve is opened, the grist drops into the mash tun, where it will become mash.

Brewing

The mash tun is where the grist is mixed with water and heated

Mash is produced in a mash tun, which is a large container, usually made with copper or stainless steel. This container has a bottom that has a strainer that is used to catch the remainder of the grist after it has been used. The entire point of mashing is to convert starches into sugars that can be fermented. The grist is mixed with water and then heated up to controlled temperatures, which usually vary depending on the style of the beer that is desired. During this heating period, enzymes are activated that help in the conversion of starch to the desired fermentable sugars.

There are several ways of mashing that revolve directly around the temperatures used and the consistency of those temperatures. In some cases the mash is kept at the same temperature the entire way through the process. Some mashing involves multiple temperature changes, and in most lagers, a portion of the mash is drained, boiled, and then returned to the main mash. When the mashing is completed, the liquid, which is now known as wort, is removed and the remaining grains, or grist, is strained and kept out of the wort.

The lauter tun is where the grains are rinsed after mashing

The grain is rinsed at this point to remove as much sugar that remains as possible, which is a part of the wort. This process is called sparging, and is done in a lauter tun. Once all of the wort is collected, it is then moved to a brew kettle. It is in the brew kettle that the wort is then boiled; usually for one to two hours. It is during this boil that hops are introduced to the wort. Now, the stage of the boil that the hops are added is critical to the character of the beer. Adding hops early on will result in a much heavier bitterness in the beer, but a lot less hop flavor. Adding the hops late in the boil will give more flavor and aroma, but usually result in less bitterness. Some brewers add hops at multiple points throughout the boil.

Hops

Hops are the flower clusters of a plant that is closely related to hemp, believe it or not. They are used for flavor and as a stability agent for beer, but have other herbal and medicinal purposes that I will not go into. Different varieties of hops are usually associated with different styles and regions of beer. Pale ales are usually brewed with European noble hop varieties such as Saaz, Hallertau and Strissel Spalt. British ales are usually brewed with Fuggles, Goldings and Bullion hops and North American beers tend to use Cascade, Columbus, Centennial, Willamette and Amarillo hops. There are many other varieties of hops, but I do not have the time or space to go into every single one of them in detail.

Hops were first added to beer to sterilize it and keep it fresh

Noble hops are generally used for their ability to add aroma, while not adding much bitterness, which is a characteristic of the pale ale. Fuggles and Bullion hops tend to add much more bitterness and earthy flavors to beer while the Goldings hops add more sweetness in British style beers. In North America, the three most popular types of hops are classified as the "Three Cs", which are Cascade, Columbus, and Centennial. These three hop varieties all give a strong citrus or grapefruit aroma, while the Columbus variety is slightly woody.

Most hops are dried in an ousthouse before they are used during the brewing process. Some "wet hops" are used in certain beers, but it is not very common. Depending on the style of the beer, the hops are added at different stages of the boil. Once the boil is completed, the hops themselves are strained out of the hopped wort, which is sent into a wort chiller that rapidly decreases the temperature of the wort to about eighty degrees farenheit. Now the wort is ready to be fermented.

Yeast

The type of yeast used to ferment the wort is the main determining factor for whether the resulting beer is of the lager class (lagers, pilsners) or the ale class (Ales, Stouts, Porters, etc). There are some exceptions to the rule, but for the most part if a top fermenting yeast is used, it will result in the production of an ale, and if a bottom fermenting yeast is used, it will result in the production of a lager. The most common top fermenting yeast is known as Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which has been used in baking as well as beer brewing for thousands of years. Most yeasts used in beer production are related to Saccharomyces cerevisiae in some manner- usually via crossbreeding Saccharomyces cerevisiae with another yeast.

The adding of the yeast to the wort is calling "pitching the yeast" and is done in a fermenter. The temperature is also important in the fermenting process as lager yeasts are able to ferment at forty degrees where ale yeasts go dormant. Ales are therefore fermented at warmer temperatures than lagers, and a lot of their fruity flavors come when the wort ferments at seventy degrees, where "fruity esters" are released into the wort. The initial fermentation stage lasts three to seven days, and lagers are kept in cold storage usually for several weeks. Ales typically have a shorter fermentation period.

Saccharomyces uvarum is the most commonly used bottom fermenting yeast, which produces a lager. Saccharomyces uvarum is the cross between Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Saccharomyces monocensis. This yeast is able to ferment at much colder temperatures than Saccharomyces cerevisiae and doesn't produce the foam on top of the wort that a top fermenting yeast typically does during fermentation. The selection of yeast and fermenting temperature is extremely important to the production of a beer, as the same recipe can be used twice, and if it is top fermented in one case and bottom fermented in another, each beer will be uniquely different.

During the first stage of fermentation is when the yeast goes to work eating the fermentable sugars in the wort. The result of the consumption of sugar is the release of alcohol and carbon dioxide, which carbonates the beer naturally. During secondary fermentation the yeast that has collected at the bottom of the fermenting tank is removed. The remaining yeast then precipitates out of suspension and the beer matures.

Bottling Time!

Once the beer has matured, it is usually filtered. In some cases, especially in the brewing of wheat beers, the beer is actually bottled without any filtering at all, but any beer that you can see through has typically been filtered. Unfiltered beers usually have a cloudy or hazy look as the yeast and other particles that have remained in the beer remain. The beer is then transferred to bottles, cans, casks, kegs, or whatever other containers are used. And finally it is delivered to the drinker, who without really thinking about the long journey that their beverage has gone through, opens it up and enjoys it. But then, that is the part that you care most about anyway, isn't it?

Thanks for reading, and I will be posting the video series on YouTube that matches this article over the course of this week. You guys keep drinking good beer!

Dog Days Dortmunder Lager- Two Brothers Brewing Company

I decided that with spring here and summer coming up that I would review a great spring or summer time beer brewed only 20 minutes from where I live.  Dog Days Dortmunder Style Lager is brewed by Two Brothers Brewing Co out of Warrenville, Illinois.  As I expected, this is a great beer for a nice hot day.

The beer poured a deep gold color, almost the color of cider, but there was not much of a head on it.  Adding to the lack of a head was the fact that it seemed like it was flat throughout my taste experience of it.  However, the aroma was very inviting with the clear presence of the noble hops coming through along with some sweet apple and citrus notes.

This beer really matches the style of a lager more than that of a Dortmunder in my opinion, but it was a great light bodied beer that I felt was very well balanced between bitter and sweet.  It left a rather sweet aftertaste which I enjoyed and the drinkability was very high.  All other things aside, I did really enjoy this beer.

However, the beer didn't match the style of a Dortmunder and lacked head and carbonation, which retracted from its final score- a 7 out of 10.  I would say that this is definitely an above average beer and it is worth trying if you can get your hands on some.  I feel a lot of people would really enjoy this beer during the warmer months of the year as it is crisp, refreshing, and not too heavy.

Thanks again for reading, and if you haven't already done so, please subscribe to me on YouTube and tell a friend.  I am trying to start the month of May off strong with a great effort toward expanding the viewer and reader base, so please do invite your friends.  Thanks for the ongoing support, and keep drinking good beer!

Belhaven Scottish Ale

It was a request from one of the viewers from IRC, LewisCooper, that I review a beer from the Belhaven line.  I wasn't able to find Belhaven Best, but I got a hold of their flagship beer- Belhaven Scottish Ale.  Belhaven is out of Scotland, and was established in 1719.  I wasn't blown away by this beer.

The beer poured a rich copper color with a nice off white head.  The appearance was quite inviting.  However, I didn't get much out of the nose at all.  The aromas I did get were of florals, a small hint of malt, and an even smaller hint of vanilla.  The mouth feel on this beer would probably be a solid medium.  It wasn't watery or syrupy but rested right in the middle.

My first impression of this beer was that it was an imitation of Samuel Smith's Nut Brown Ale, but it didn't give me much nut flavor.  I did get caramel, some vanilla, a wood like taste and a hint of vanilla, but everything was so undistinguished that I was left with the impression of a semi bland beer.  This is definitely a better beer than macro beers, and it is a decent ale, but it didn't impress me that much.

The beer was well built and it had some semblance of the style, but it wasn't robust enough for my impression of an ale.  I didn't encounter any tastes or smells that turned me off, but I also wasn't very turned on.  For that reason, I decided to go against the other reviews I've seen of this beer and score this a 6 out of 10.  It isn't horrible by any means, but it just isn't spectacular.  It isn't much of anything, really.

People who like ales may want to give this a try, and it might even make a great starter ale for people wanting to cross into the ale side of the beer world if they never had an ale.  Other than that, I really don't have many merits to bestow on this beer.  Thanks for reading and watching and please tell a friend.  Keep drinking good beer!

I will add the video review when it is done rendering.

Samuel Smith's Nut Brown Ale

Samuel Smith's Nut Brown Ale has gotten many great reviews from other places, including a mention in Michael Jackson's Beer Companion.  So, I decided that I would put this English Brown Ale to my own test.  I have to say that at the end of the day, I didn't have many disagreements with prior assessments of this beer.

The pour is a deep amber brown with a light tan head.  The head is glorious and it sticks around through the entire experience.  The aromas that I got from this beer where of toffee, caramel, and walnut.  It was a very inviting smell and the taste wasn't that different from the smell.  There were subtle hints of sweetness along with the strong presence of malt and walnuts with a bitter finish.

Bittersweet is the best way to describe this beer.  This is a wekk made beer that I believe would satisfy a wide range of tastes.  The sweetness will appeal to those who like sweeter beers while the bitterness and rich flavors of caramel, toffee, and walnuts will appease the beer drinker that desires a rich and full flavor.  I have to say that this was well done.  I don't think that it impressed me enough to warrant a 10 out of 10 however.

I felt that the aftertaste lingered on for longer than desired, and that detracted from the experience.  And although the flavor was quite rich, no particular flavor among the many I was tasting really stood above the crowd.  I was expecting the walnut tastes to be dominant, but they only appeared toward the finish.  Overall, this was a great beer though.  I score it a 9 out of 10.

Thanks to those of you who continue to watch and read.  Please tell a friend so the site can continue to grow.  And last but not least- keep drinking good beer!

Budweiser Beer Review

Ok, so I was egged on by a few people to do a Budweiser beer review, even though it is pretty obvious that Budweiser is not my cup of tea.  I'm really not into any of the cheaper beers either though, really, unless I'm just drinking it to finish off my night or it is what is available at a barbecue or something.  My opinion on Budweiser is not a very high one.

The beer gives a good head, but it goes away immediately.  The aroma I get from it is very chemical and I can't even describe it as hoppy.  It doesn't smell right to me at all.  I would say that the body on this beer is light, but it was so thin and watery, that is even a stretch.  The only advantage I've found up to this point is the low price, which isn't even low enough for this kind of quality.

The taste was extremely chemical for me.  It left a bleachy aftertaste and I found it absolutely disgusting.  Whenever I am stupid enough to drink a Budweiser, it also has made me very sick afterward.  Not so much that I'm throwing up like in the video review, but more of a really bad reaction in my head.  I rated this beer a 1 out of 10.  I wanted to rate it a 0, but you get what you pay for and this beer is very cheap.  It is highly drinkable- it goes down like water, but it is pretty unpleasant in every other way.

To any Budweiser fans out there, understand that I just don't like this beer.  I understand that many people are turned onto this beer when they are young and just trying to get drunk and have two bucks to spend.  However, I am quite certain that most Budweiser fans that have a better beer will change their minds.  By better beer, I do not mean a Miller, or a Coors, or anything of that manner.  I mean a better made beer- and a higher quality beer.  As you try new beers, you begin to find beers that are much better than this, and I do mean much better.

Thanks for reading and watching, and please tell a friend.  Keep drinking good beer!

Great Lakes Burning River Pale Ale Review

A friend from a game that I used to play asked me to review a local beer produced where he lives.  This beer is called Burning River Pale Ale, and it comes from Great Lakes Brewing Company.  I had high expectations for this beer from the get go, not only due to the fact that my friend was so excited about it, but also because this beer is a World Champion Gold Medal winner.

This Pale Ale wasn't so Pale- it was a nice deep copper color.  The aromas I got were both floral and fruity- mainly with the smell of grapefruit being the dominating of the two.  The beer poured a nice head, but the head didn't retain itself very well.  There was a little lacing that hung on the glass, but not much.  I didn't taste the grapefruit when I went in for the taste test.

Instead, I tasted a very biting beer- with malts, caramel and hops to finish it off.  This beer definitely matches the style, and it gave me a rich flavorful experience.  I felt the aftertaste lingered on for too long though, and the beer didn't live up to the fruity assertiveness that the packaging claimed.  Overall, this was a good beer, and I would have it again given the opportunity.  I give this an overall rating of 8.5 out of 10.

Thanks again for reading and watching.  Please tell a friend.  And last but not least, keep drinking good beer!

Franziskaner Hefe-Weiss Beer Review

This review was actually requested by one of my readers.  I enjoy the history that revolves around the Franziskaner name- the brewery that was known as "that brewery on Franciscan corner".  This is one of the oldest beer brewers in the world, and so I knew that I would be in for a treat when I reviewed this beer.

Unlike witbiers, this hefeweizen had a very deep color.  I would describe it as a deep orange, with a bright white head.  I was a little disappointed by the head on this beer, however.  Although the head retained itself well, it wasn't the huge snowball head that I expected from a German hefeweizen.  The smell was inviting, with very subtle hints of banana and clove, but the wheat was dominant.

This beer was a little more filling than most wheat beers I've had.  The body was medium, but it went down smooth.  The clove was very subtle in the front, but jumped out at me in the finish.  The banana was subtle the entire way through.  The dominant taste was that of the wheat malts and yeast.  Although it tasted good to me, I was left wanting something else out of this beer that wasn't present.

I rate this beer an 8 out of 10.  I would definitely suggest this beer to a wheat beer lover, and I would drink it again myself.  I just don't think that it delivered enough to warrant a 9 or a 10.

Thanks to all of you who have been reading and showing your support.  Keep drinking good beer!

Hoegaarden Witbier-biér blanche Review

A lot of people asked me to review Hoegaarden, and I always enjoy this beer.  This is becoming a very popular beer.  In fact, I had to delay this review because the store I purchase my beer from had run out of it.  This is a Belgian Import, owned by InBev, and despite my hatred for anything that has to do with Anheuser-Busch, I have to give this beer some points.

Many of the American wheat beers use Hoegaarden as the standard to try to reach, and this is definitely a tasty beer.  It had a great pour with a great head, and great lacing all the way through.  The color was, as I describe, a "wheat yellow" and the head was snow white and very frothy.  The aromas were mainly of citrus, with a slight hint of lemon in my nose.

This is a very refreshing beer.  If you are thirsty, this is for you.  The body was medium, and the beer is on the lighter side, with an alcohol content of 4.9%.  It was very smooth, and the taste really highlighted the wheat and had a lemony taste with a bit of hops taking the far back seat.  Drinkability was extremely high on this beer.  I drank another two of them immediately after filming the review and had finished them faster than the video could publish.

I definitely give this beer a 10 out of 10, but I warn ale and stout drinkers, that this beer may not be for you.  In fact, all wheat beers are pretty much not for those who really desire full, rich ales and stouts.  If you are like me and enjoy a wide range, this will be great for you, and it is also great for people who like more tame beers with a hint of citrus in them.

So, if you haven't tried Hoegaarden yet, give it a shot.  I think you will enjoy it.  Thanks for reading and for all the support.  If any of the sponsors you see on this blog appeal to you, check them out too.  I actually wish I could visit some of the beer related ones myself, but it is against the rules for me to visit any of them from my own page.  I completely want one of those "Das Boot" mugs I have seen floating around on here though!

So that is all for today.  Tell a friend please, leave my lots of comments, tell me how I'm doing, and keep drinking good beer!

The History of Wheat Beers

As you may have noticed, I have had the tendency to review quite a few wheat beers.  In the poll I placed on this blog, wheat beer is also showing itself as the steadfast favorite of the readers, and many people request reviews of wheat beers on a consistent basis.  However, wheat beer has not been as popular as it is today for quite some time, despite being one of the oldest styles of beer in our history, as well as being the beer most similar to the original beer that I mention in my article, The Origin of Beer.  So, today I am going to go back in history and detail the rollercoaster ride that wheat beer has gone through, and all of the obstacles that had almost wiped this style off of the face of the Earth.

The wheat didn't fall far from the beer tree

There are a number of different kinds of wheat beer, but they pretty much all fall into two categories (with a couple exceptions).  These categories are mainly separated by region; the historical witbier comes from the Brussels area in Belgium and the historical weissbier comes from Germany.  The most renowned of the weissbiers is the hefeweizen, which is a term for wheat beer in its natural, unfiltered form.  The origin of wheat beer itself, however, comes from Babylon, around the year 2000 BC.  The Babylonian god, Marduk, was the beer brewing god and wielded a pickaxe, which became the earliest known brewer's emblem.  This god brewed and drank a beer that combined wheat mash with barley mash in the brewing process.  If you would note, Babylon occupied the same area that the Mesopotamians occupied, which could be why this wheat beer was so similar to the first beer ever created.

Germanic Tribes helped the spread of weissbier

As I highlighted in the Origin of Beer, beer existed in Egypt at this point as well, with the first recorded evidence of a brewery being written on a clay tablet that dated back to 1600 BC.  It is believed that the Egyptians also brewed wheat beer during this time period.  By 800 BC, wheat beer had begun to be brewed on German soil.  Evidence shows that the style survived and continued to thrive during the time of Christ, with the Romans referring to the weissbier as a "drink of savages".  Weissbier would continue to be a choice of refreshment among the Germanic tribes for a long time to come, with several famines causing the beer to fade away as wheat was deemed needed for bread instead of beer, followed by the beer returning to relevance once wheat became more available.

The first beer brewery in Munich arrived in 815.  However, food shortages and other political events made it extremely hard for many of the brewers to establish themselves, and wheat beer almost died away.  In 1363 we find the first evidence of the "brewery near the Franciscans", which was on the opposite corner of a Franciscan monastery.  This is where the name "Franziskaner" comes from.  Franziskaner is the oldest privately owned brewery in Munich, still brewing wheat beer to this day.

The Bavarian Purity Law

Meanwhile, wheat beer is not documented in Belgium until 1445, east of Brussels.  The witbier became extremely popular throughout the 1500s, and separated itself from the flock with the use of coriander and orange peel in the brewing process.  However, while the witbier was flourishing in the 1500s, the weissbier ran into some troubles.  In 1516, Duke Wilhelm IV of Bavaria issued the Bavarian Purity Law, which outlaws any beers brewed with anything other than malt, hops, and water.  Although wheat can be used in malt form, the new law severely limits weissbier by not allowing the use of yeast.  With weissbier already struggling, a near fatal blow is dealt in 1567 when Duke Albrecht IV of Bavaria declares that weissbier is unhealthy and outlaws it entirely.

During the struggles that weissbier endured in the 1500s, witbier continued to remain popular in other areas.  Almost as if on opposite sides of a swinging pendulum, the two styles of beer continued to flourish and flounder while the other style was doing the opposite.  In 1602, Duke Maximilian I of Bavaria placed all of the weissbier breweries under state ownership after determining that not only is weissbier safe, but it is refreshing.  This is actually a move that was performed to balance the budget, and due to violation of the Bavarian Purity Law, Duke Maximillion I agreed to pay a fine to the chamber of representatives.  As weissbier made its return, witbier began to fade away once again, this time fading almost into extinction through famines, wars, and the great movement toward lagers in the 1900s.

The town of Hoegaarden now holds a piece of beer history

Weissbier suffered a similar decline as people in the area began to move to brown ale and other dark beers.  In 1798, Prince-Elector Theodore of Bavaria suspended the state ownership of weissbier breweries, as they were no longer profitable to the state.  Although weissbier had a much longer heritage than witbier and more periods of prosperity, it would be the witbier style that would eventually allow wheat beers to flourish once again.  In 1966, a man by the name of Pierre Celis established the De Kluis Brewery next to his home in a small Belgian town called Hoegaarden.  This man would later be known as one of the greatest and most influential minds in modern brewing, and his product would set the industry standard for Belgian Style witbiers.

Wheat beer is yummy!

The resurgance of witbier on the world scale brought attention back to the German weissbier as well, allowing breweries such as Franziskaner to begin to flourish once again.  Since then, the Belgian and German recipes have been imitated or replicated in many other countries, including the United States with the most notable names being Blue Moon, Leinenkugel's and Sam Adams.  Mainstream macrobreweries have also presented their own renditions of wheat beer as well, such as the new Bud Light Golden Wheat.  Despite the rough patches in the history of wheat beers, we all can be thankful that this style of beer has pulled through to remain with us today.  The sweet, spiced, and crisp qualities of a witbier and the clean, smooth, sweet taste in a weissbier will forever remain a refreshment on a sunny summer day.

So, now that you know the history of wheat beers, perhaps when you are enjoying one; perhaps you already are even as you are reading this, (if you are smart, and can read and drink wheat beer at the same time that is) now you can appreciate the great heritage and tradition that has brought that beer into your glass.  Or perhaps you don't really care about that and just want a good beer- and have found just that in your hefeweizen glass.  Either way, thanks for reading and keep drinking good beer!

Guinness Draught Review

A LOT of people asked me to review Guinness Draught, so I moved this review up in the line up.  Guinness is an import from Ireland.  The beer is made in Dublin, and the company has been around since 1759.  It wasn't written on the can, so I didn't mention the alcohol content in this beer, but it is 4.1-4.3% which is surprising for such a filling beer.  I really expected a higher alcohol content on this beer, but nonetheless, I don't drink beer for the alcohol content anyway.

What I find so great about Guinness is that it is like a chemistry experiment in a glass.  The can contains a nitrogen ball which releases from the depressurizing of the can when you pop it open.  This produces heavy smoke and also makes a surge in the beer, as the nitrogen bubbles make their way to the top of the glass.  Watching the beer turn from a really light tan coffee color to a deep ruby red makes drinking this beer a very fun experience.

The aroma that I got was of malt, chocolate, and coffee.  The head was about an inch and a half to two inches and was very thick and creamy.  When I dug into this beer, it gave me several sensations right off the bat.  The first thing that I could think of was coffee.  It was semi-sweet at the very beginning, like a dark chocolate, and then the burnt taste of roasted barley came forward followed by the bitter kick in the back of my throat that I would associate with coffee.

I am going to tell you right now that this is not a beginner's beer.  Try lagers, then move to ales.  Then when you want a real biting beer, go to Guinness.  This is also a very heavy beer, and it fills you.  I can normally chug a lager or an ale, but as you notice in the video I had to edit the video to reduce the amount of time you saw me drinking in order to make the 10 minute mark.  But this is not a bad thing.

I enjoy Guinness as it is a unique beer and it is very full of flavor, full bodied, and just a fun beer to drink.  However, I do not feel that this stout is the King of Stout any longer as others have made their way into the scene that would easily blow this one away.  Color, aroma, and body all scored well.  The taste is the most important factor to whether or not someone will come back to drink a beer, however, and although I enjoyed the flavor of this beer, it wasn't enough for me.

Therefore, I scored this beer a 8.5 out of 10.  It is a great beer for those who want something full and rich, but not for beer noobs.  Thank you guys for reading and watching, and also for the support.  The Facebook fanclub passed 300 members today, and that is amazing.  Please continue to invite your friends and a BIG, HUGE thank you to those of you who have shown your support.  It means a lot to me.  Thanks again, and keep drinking good beer.

Leinenkugel's Sunset Wheat Review

There have been several requests from you guys for certain beers that you would like to see reviewed, and I am tackling the list in order of availability. This beer that I'm reviewing today is the perfect beer for spring and summertime. Today's beer is Leinenkugel's Sunset Wheat.

Leinenkugel's Sunset Wheat is similar to Blue Moon Belgian White Ale, which could be why I enjoyed it so much. Leinenkugel's happens to be owned by SABMiller, who owns Coors, who produce Blue Moon, so I wasn't surprised to find similarities between Leinenkugel's and Blue Moon. Leinenkugel's is produced in the United States, in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin.

This beer is a witbier, or "White Beer" and is unfiltered, giving it a nice cloudy appearance and a beautiful color.  The pour didn't give a magnificent head, at least not when I was filming.  I poured a second one afterward that had a much better head than the first.  In both cases, the head retained itself throughout the entire drinking experience.  The smell was a sweeter smell, and had a hint of citrus without any real hint of hops.

The beer was very smooth going down.  It wasn't crisp or dry at all, and had a wonderful sweet citrus taste followed up by the taste of the wheat and a hoppy finish.  The hops only really appear at the end of the taste and they don't linger around for too long, which is why I enjoyed this beer so much.  The body was medium- not watery and not syrupy. 

I failed to point out in the video that this beer has a 4.9% alcohol content, so it is a little on the lighter side as far as that is concerned for a wheat beer.  All things considered, I rate this beer well for its aroma, taste, texture, body, and appearance.  It is a definite 10 out of 10 beer.  You can find this beer and other Leinenkugel's varieties nationwide.  They do have some seasonal beers that are only available in the spring, summer, or fall, depending on the beer.  The price will run you about $1.25-$1.50 a bottle.

So, leave me some comments and tell me if you agree with my assessment and definitely suggest more beers that you would like to see reviewed.  If I can access the beer you request, I will do a review on it for you.  Thanks for reading and watching.  Keep drinking good beer!

Harp Lager Beer Review

As some of you may have noticed, I posted my YouTube Video Review of Harp Lager earlier today.  Harp Lager is an Irish Style Pale Lager produced by Guinness.  Contrary to the belief that this beer is actually made in Ireland, it is an import from Canada that is made with an Irish recipe and features the traditional bitter flavor of hops that is common in an Irish Style Lager.

When I poured the beer into my glass, it looked absolutely delicious with a nice foamy lacing that had good retention throughout the entire review.  The head was still present all the way to the last drop.  The beer was a nice golden amber color with a cream colored head, and the aromas I could smell were of the malted barley and hops, with the hops being the more prevalent of the two.

This beer is a light to medium bodied beer, and it went down smooth.  I found that it was a rather filling beer as well, which is a turn off to light beer drinkers, but a plus for me personally.  The taste was your classic bitter kick that you would expect from an Irish lager, but it lingered on the tongue for too long afterward.  I found the aftertaste to be a bit unappealing, but not to the point that I wouldn't drink this beer again.

Overall, I gave this beer a 7 out of 10, and I would recommend this beer to lager fans, and anyone who prefers the taste of hops in their beer.  I would definitely drink Harp Lager again.

Earlier in the week, I also did a review on a game called Drink Up on Facebook.  Since a great majority of this blog's readers are on Facebook, I will repost the video here for you to watch.  I really have been enjoying this game, and since the video I made, I've climbed the ranks from number 5 in the game to the top spot.  So definitely ask me for an invite so that you can be a member of my team.  Here is that review.

Thank you guys for reading and for your support.  Please visit a sponsor or two on this page before you leave, as spending 30 seconds on their pages will help pay me for the costs of running this blog.  So since you are here already, please take the time to do this.  Also check my Battle of the Beers post right below this one to participate in the tournament and have a chance to win some money.  Thanks again, and keep drinking good beer!

The Battle of the Beers

So, while I'm in between reviewing beers on YouTube, I was trying to think of an idea to get a little more crowd participation going.  What I came up with will also lead to quite a few beer reviews in the near future.  So, I give you- The Battle of the Beers!

The Battle of the Beers will be a winner take all death match for 32 chosen beers.  The contestants will be chosen by you, the readers, so I would like you all to submit as many brands of beer as possible to enter this contest.  The top 8 beers from each category will be chosen and seeded into the tournament.  Each beer will then travel through the brackets until it is eliminated by a higher quality beer.  One beer will remain the victor.

How will seeding work?

The most popular entries will be seeded higher than the less popular ones.  Some beers that are hybrid beers like a black and tan may go into the category that needs more entries.  For example, if a black and tan ale is entered in the contest and the other ales are much more popular, it may be seeded in the Stout bracket, since it is from the stout family.

Higher seeds will be pitted against lower seeds in the first round, but that does not necessarily mean that the top seeded beers will win the tournament.  Each beer will be judged on appearance, aroma, consistency with its style, body, head retention, and flavor.  Flavor is the most important factor, and will therefore contribute double points to a beer's score.

How do I enter the contest?

Entry into the contest requires a $5.00 USD donation to the Warbuck Beer Blog to help pay for the cost of the beer and the operation of the site.  For every five dollars that you contribute, you will receive another tournament sheet to fill out.  Therefore, you will be able to play different scenarios for a better chance of winning.  To donate, use the Tip Jar on the right hand side of this page, and then send the confirmation code to johnwarbuck@gmail.com with the subject- Battle of the Beers in order to be entered into the contest.

Do I have to enter the contest to suggest beer entries?

You do not need to enter the contest to contribute to the beer entries into the contest.  In fact, I encourage as many people as possible to leave comments here with suggestions for beers to compete in this tournament.  None of the beers will be chosen by me, so that there will be no bias in the tournament.

What is the prize?

The top three point earning tournament sheets will each earn a cash prize.  This prize will be determined off of the total amount of sheets entered into the contest.  The more people contribute to the contest, the higher these three prizes will pay out.  The prize amount will be announced before the tournament begins, once the 32 beers have been decided.

How are the winners decided?

Each correct guess in the first round will be worth a point, and the points will double for each round after.  If a person guessed 10 winners in the first round, 4 winners in the second round, 3 in the third round, 1 in the fourth round, and failed to guess the winner in the final round, that person's score would be 38.  The top three scores would receive prizes.

If you guys have any other questions, send me an email or ask me on Facebook.  I'll be happy to answer any and all questions on the contest and about the blog.  So let's hear some comments, and everyone tell your friends.  Thanks once again for reading and keep drinking good beer!

Blue Moon Belgian White Wheat Ale

For the first beer review on this blog I wanted to go with a beer that I'm very familiar with.  Blue Moon has always been one of my favorites- especially the Belgian White.  Blue Moon is a Coors product, and this beer is known for the unique use of orange peel and coriander in its recipe.  When you get to the bottom of it- this beer is just downright tasty.

Blue Moon Belgian White is a non filtered wheat ale.  Due to the lack of filtration, the beer has a nice glowing look that is cloudy and appears to be a golden amber in color.  The aroma from this beer is amazing.  When I smell it, I am just lured into it and it draws me in.  The smell of wheat and orange is dominant and it has a nice hoppy finish with a foamy white head.

Many establishments serve this beer with a slice of orange, something I had never done before.  I always drank this beer as it is, and so I decided to do a dual review on this beer.  I reviewed it with an orange and without an orange.  I enjoyed the beer both times, but the orange definitely brought out some flavors in the beer that I hadn't noticed before.  Some people like these flavors while others do not.

I sided against the orange slice, as it brought out too much of the spice in the beer and it tasted overly acidic for my tastes.  In my opinion, it turned the normal sweetness of the beer into borderline sour.  The orange also completed destroyed the foamy head of the beer- absolutely obliterating what was once a beautiful finishing touch to the eye on a great beer.

What I did not notice a lot of when tasting this beer in both cases was hops.  They were present, but they were not dominant, adding just the right amount of bitterness to the beer.  American breweries tend to over hop their beers, but Coors did a good job of not doing that in this case.  All in all this was a great beer, and remains one of my favorites.

Blue Moon Belgian White Ale has just enough citrus and sweetness to tickle your tongue, and it goes down smooth.  It isn't a very thin beer by any means either.  I didn't feel any watery sensation, but the beer was not like a syrup either.  A perfect medium bodied beer, well crafted and well done.

I give this beer a 10 out of 10 without the orange slice.  The orange slice brought out too much flavor dissonance for me to give it a 10, so with the orange it gets an 8 out of 10.  It is still a good beer, orange or no orange.  Thanks for reading, and please share this with all your friends who enjoy beer.  Keep drinking good beer! 

Just something to pass the time...

So, I was hoping to have my first beer review finished by now, but I probably won't be able to post it until tomorrow. I've been working on a couple of other projects as well, and I was close to being finished with my latest music video, so I decided to direct my attention to that. Here it is, for your enjoyment:

Not too sure if you guys have heard the song or not. One of my friends on CyberNations has a huge collection of music and he did not have this song, which came as a huge surprise to me. He was quite upset about it as well and it was funny reading his responses as he was frantically looking for the song on his hard drive. So, getting back to the point, I hope you guys enjoy the video.

I am also going to give you guys my upcoming agenda so that you know what to look forward to. Tomorrow I plan to finish editing my video review of Blue Moon Belgian White Ale. I figured that my first beer review should be on a beer that is one of my personal favorites. Along with the video I will be making a written review here on the blog. Then by Wednesday or Thursday I plan to have a review of Harp Lager for you guys. I'll finish the week with one of my interesting Beer in History articles.

From there, I would like to get some feedback. What do you want me to write about? Is there a beer that you haven't tried that you would like me to review? Send me a message, or leave a comment right on this post. I would love to review beer for you guys, and your requests will be met.

Also, please help support this site by visiting some of the ads. Just visiting two or three of them for a couple of minutes really helps me out. I also have the tip jar as well. Supporting this blog goes toward purchasing the beer I will review, site upgrades, and the internet bill in general, so it would be greatly appreciated.  Whether you simply click a couple ads a visit, or help in other ways- I greatly appreciate the support, and would like to thank those who have supported me so far.

That is all I have for you this morning- I will see you again when my first beer review is completed.  Keep drinking good beer!

The History of Coors

It was a typical fall day in Golden, Colorado.  People going about their business on November 14, 1873 hadn't the faintest idea of what was being born in the now abandoned Golden City Tannery.  German immigrant Adolph Herman Joseph Coors invested $2,000 to go in with Jacob Schueler on a venture that would change the world of beer in America as we know it.  This is the story of Coors, The third largest beer brewer in the United States, and now a regional division of the fifth largest brewing company in the entire world.  Above all things, Coors is known for their creation and operation of the single largest brewing facility in the entire world.

Adolph Kuhrs was born in northwestern Germany

Adolph Kurhs was born on February 4, 1847 in Barmen, Prussia which is now part of Germany.  At the age of 15, both of his parents died, leaving him orphaned.  He was an apprentice for a brewery owned by Henry Wenker at the time and completed his apprenticeship to become a paid employee of the Wenker Brewery in Dortmund.  He continued to work for the Wenker Brewery until May of 1867.  He then worked for three breweries in Kassel, Berlin, and Uelzen to finish out the year.

Early the next year, Adolph Kuhrs immigrated to the United States, arriving in New York City.  He then made his way to Chicago, IL where he arrived on May 30, 1868.  His name changed from Adolph Kuhrs to Coors when he arrived in the States, a name that would live in fame in centuries to come.  Coors never forgot his origins, always finding himself in a brewery.  In the spring of 1868, he would work as a laborer, but in the summertime, he worked as a brewer.  During the fall and winter, he worked as a fireman, loading coal into the firebox of a steam engine. 

Naperville was home to Coors for 4 years

During the spring and summer of 1869, Adolph became an apprentice bricklayer and stone cutter but returned to brewing once again on August 11, of the same year when he became the foreman of John Stenger's Brewery in Naperville (Naperville is the neighboring town to me, so I literally live down the street from beer history!).  His tenure at Stenger's Brewery had been his longest at any job he had had in the United States to that point, but on January 22, 1872, Adolph Coors submitted his resignation and began his journey west.

After a couple of gigs in Denver, Colorado, Adolph finally began what would root him into the profession he had always known- for the rest of his life.  He paid $2,000 against the $18,000 investment of Jospeh Schueler to found the Schueler & Coors company on November 14, 1873.  The once defunct Golden City Tannery had been converted to brew beer, and the company sold its first beer in February of 1874.  Six years later, Adolph Coors purchased Schueler's interest in the company, renaming it the Adolph Coors Company.

The Origin of Beer

The beer industry is a mammoth of production, producing the third most consumed beverage in the world.  Over 35 billion gallons of beer are enjoyed per year, and the industry experiences over $294 billion in annual revenues.  Water and tea are the only beverages that have managed to top beer in consumption, and I suppose that has to do with children not being allowed to drink alcoholic substances...

But the question of the day is this- where did this wonderful elixir have its humble beginnings?  Surely beer could not have simply appeared out of nowhere; or could it have?  Today, I invite you to join me in a thrill ride full of inquiry, laughs, and discovery, as I present to you- The Origin of Beer.

Many people imagine the invention of beer as some dude sitting around in his house and throwing a bunch of ingredients together, letting it ferment and then enjoying the result.  This is not how it happened.  11,000 years ago, in ancient Mesopotamia, humanity was made up of hunter-gatherers who had probably just learned how to create fire.  There were no roads, irrigation, chariots, catapults, or any real primitive technologies at all at this point.  These people didn't even know how to make bread.

Basically, these people were as ignorant as they come and without fate, our entire civilization would not have advanced.  Without the magical elixir known as beer, you would not have your cell phone, your laptop computer or your I-Pod.  And we feeble humans couldn't even create this magical elixer on our own either...

The first post

Hello all. This is my first post on Blogger, but it sure won't be my last. I figured that I would connect my YouTube account with an actual blog. You may find that I'm a better writer than a speaker, but I'll let you determine that. As I've already revealed, I am on YouTube, and I am just getting started there as a video/movie maker.

I plan to post a lot of interesting things both on YouTube and on here, with the majority of it being beer based knowledge :P I am no alcoholic, but I enjoy a good beer, as you can tell from any picture or video of me that you will see.

I am also a fan of a lot of different kinds of music, a game called Cyber Nations (you will see many references to "CN" in my posts), good books, history, interesting facts and good humor. I'm easily entertained and pretty easy going. I also like making videos- mainly the kind that have lots of explosions in them, but I'm sure you will see other themes too.

I'm also embedding my first video production ever here for you to look at. Took me about 3 hours to edit the footage and I think it turned out pretty well. I'm looking to get better as I continue. Other than that, enjoy the video, and I'll be doing something a lot more beer related for my next post. Peace until then.

Advertising

I just wanted to cover the many ways that businesses can advertise on the Warbuck Beer Blog.  This blog is a chronicle of my personal adventures and enjoyment of many different kinds of beer.  Beer is the world's third highest selling beverage, and billions of people around the world are familiar with or enjoy beer.  As my blog grows, I expect to have more opportunities for businesses to utilize my site for their advertising needs, but at the moment, here is a list of possible ways that you can receive advertising space on my site:

• Buy an online ad- I have set up an area in a highly visible area for the sole purpose of displaying purchased advertisements.  Your ad will rotate through this area for the length of time that you desire it to run.  Pricing is dependent on the duration that your ad runs and you will have an unlimited amount of views and clicks during this period- this is not a pay per click ad.
• Product Reviews- One of the key elements of my blog is to review different beers.  If you are a well known beer vendor, or even a local micro brewer, you may request a review of your beer for free.  However, for me to use any logos or media that you have in my presentation, I will need written consent to do so (ie- I can review your beer but to make a video that has footage from an event that you hold the rights to, I need permission).
• Topic Related Businesses- If you own a bar, sports bar, liquor store, or any establishment that sells beer, and you are in the greater Chicagoland area, I can review your establishment in a showcase for a fee.  I will visit your establishment, interview key employees, and write an article solely to promote your business.  Out of state businesses may still request a review, but will need to pay all related travel costs (if I'm going to fly out there for a 3-6 hour visit, I can't afford to do so unless I am compensated).
• Non Topic Related Businesses- If your business is not related to the beer industry, you may still purchase an ad, but you are not able to have your product reviewed.  Other than the purchase of an online ad, you may also choose a sponsorship option.
• Sponsorship- The sponsorship program will give your advertisements a higher priority on the site, as sponsors will have their own ad area and a listing on my cool sites.  You will also receive a special mention at the top and bottom of my blog as well as your own sponsor page on my blog that will serve as a page long advertisement and explanation of what your company does and the products or services provided.

For more information, contact me at johnwarbuck@gmail.com .  I will answer any questions as well as pricing information for you via email.

Beer History

One of the things that I love to write about is the history of beer.  I hope to possibly compile all of my history articles into a nice book one day, but for now, you have the individual histories here.  Like beer reviews, you can ask me to write a history about a beer related topic and I will do the research and write it up for you!  Here are the historical beer articles I have posted so far.

The Origin of Beer
The History of Wheat Beer
The History of Coors

Beer Reviews

Due to my need to keep my blog from having a super long front page, I actually only show my two most recent postings, which means that you may be missing out on some great beer reviews!  So, I have chronicled all of my beer reviews right here for you so that you can have easy access to them.

If you want me to review a beer that is not on this list, just let me know.  If it is a local craft beer, or a home brew, or you just can't wait, feel free to send me a beer mail as well.  That is a super way to get your beer reviewed quickly.  Beer mail can be sent to the following address:

John Warbuck
6419 Arnold Dr
Woodridge, IL 60517

Here is a list of all of the beers I have reviewed to date.  Just click the links and you will be directed to the review you want to see.  Thanks for visiting the Warbuck Beer Blog and keep drinking good beer!

Leinenkugel's Sunset Wheat
Harp Lager
Blue Moon Belgian White Wheat Ale
Guinness Draught
Hoegaarden Witbier-biére blanche 
Franziskaner Hefe-Weiss 
Great Lakes Brewing Company Burning River Pale Ale 
Budweiser
Samuel Smith's Nut Brown Ale
Belhaven Scottish Ale
Dog Days Dortmunder Style Lager