Tagged "beer" | Justintoxicated.

Pabst Blue Ribbon, 4.9% ABV, (Guelph, ON) (NPO owned, brewed under contract by various breweries)

-listed in the “1001 Beers you must try before you die”

My Notes:

My Rating: D+
Why it’s not the best: watery body and mouthfeel
Where I got it: BC Liquor stores
How much: $1.25 can, 15pack,
Do I love this enough to drink it again: No
Would I recommend this to beer afficianados: No

Tasting Notes: pours minimal head, large CO2. Tastes mainly of bread, corn, bitter grapefruit, and minor hoppy bitter finish. Med-low complexity, low depth, not much carry, okay transitions, thin body. A mass-produced beer for sure, but fruity-drinkable.

Les Trois Mousquetaires (Quebec, Canada)

1) Lager Fumée Rauchbier, 5% ABV

On the label:

“Voila! A beer inspired by the Rauchbier you find in Bamberg, Germany. A dark beer made partly from smoked malt unique to this region, aged slowly at low temperatures, and put in the bottle unfiltered, with a fine yeast sediment.”

My Notes:

My Rating: B
Why I like: dark and drinkable
Where I got it: Brewery Creek
How much: ~$12, 750ml
Do I love this enough to drink it again: No
Would I recommend this to beer afficianados: Yes

Tasting Notes: pours dark brown, small dissipating head, micro-foamy CO2, ringed and some center retention, visible CO2 streams near the surface. Smoky wood and malt on the nose. Gentle start, smoky mildly 2/10 bitter malts up front, good body holds in the mid, tingly CO2 in the mids until finish. Chocolate, smoked wood, caramel malts, creamy mouthfeel. Medium-high depth, medium complexity, good carry, medium length. Excellent body for a 5% ABV beer, and good sweetness (4/10) level.

2) Festbier - Lager Brune epicee, 56% ABV

On the label:

“This brown lager offers sweet citrus flavors that arise from a selection of thirteen Queb3ec malts from barley, wheat, oats, and rye. It’s bouquet is caused by a blend of Saaz Czech hops, coriander seed and bitter orange peel. The result is a wonderful festive beer!”

My Notes:

My Rating: B+
Why I like: fruity and firm
Where I got it: W. 16th (?)
How much: ~$12, 750ml
Do I love this enough to drink it again: No
Would I recommend this to beer afficianados: Yes

Tasting Notes: pours red-orange-brown, small dissipating head, large and small CO2, very active CO2 streams, slippery lacing. Orange hops on the nose, much like an IPA. Lots of fruity orange up front, balanced dryness in the mid, a bit of orange blossom, coriander near the end, 4/10 sweetness, 4/10 bitterness in the form of orange peels, silky mouthfeel. Medium complexity, medium depth, great transitions, good carry, excellent balance of sweet, fruity, bitter, hoppy, and refreshing. Finishes creamy.

3) Weizenbock Grand Cuvée Hiver 2010, 11% ABV

On the label:

“A winter brew inspired by the best of Germany’s strong beers, this Weizenbock is a rich libation which will seduce you with its lush aromas. Its succulent body and flavors reminiscent of candied fruit will be a fine companion to your cozy evenings.”

My Notes:

My Rating: B-
Why I like: dark rich yet fruity
Where I got it: Brewery Creek
How much: ~$12, 750ml
Do I love this enough to drink it again: No
Would I recommend this to beer afficianados: Yes

Tasting Notes: pours dark walnut brown, almost no head, minor CO2 ringed retention, runny lacing, some CO2 streams near the perimeter. Strong prunes on the nose. Starts off with medium CO2 bubbled carbonation, transitions into 8/10 sweet fruity prune, dried red fig, molasses flavours, followed by a bittersweet chocolate finish. Medium-high complexity, medium-high depth, medium length, good transitions, good carry. An interesting fruity dark beer, but too sweet for me to enjoy again.

Mass Extinction (Ice Barley Wine) - Phillips Brewing, 12% ABV, (Victoria, BC)

On the label:

“Just like the dinosaurs this barley wine was ice-aged at glacial temperatures. Throughout the fermentacious period water underwent a chrystaline phase transition which distilled the remaining liquid into a naturally-sweetened nectar of caramel flavour. Being an archaealcohologist never tasted so good.”

My Notes:

My Rating: B-
Why I like: rich and very deep
Where I got it: Legacy Liquor
How much: $8, 341ml
Do I love this enough to drink it again: No
Would I recommend this to beer afficianados: Yes

Tasting Notes: pours bottle dark brown, minimal head, very thin ringed retention, minimal thin lacing, barely visible streams. Strong coffee and caramel aromas on the nose. Lethal alcohol base (vodka-like) is apparent immediately and persists throughout, heavy bitter caramel in the mids, thick malts, 5/10 sweetness, slight mintyness, 3/10 coffee bitter finish. High depth, medium complexity, long length, good carry, okay transitions, okay drinkability. Surprisingly drinks okay for 12% ABV, not something I would drink again though.

Chateau Jiahu - Dogfish Head, 9% ABV, (Milton, DE)

On the label:

“9000 year old Chateau Jiahu stands apart as the most ancient, chemically-attested alcoholic beverage in the world. Its re-creation is based on painstaking excavation by Chinese archaeologists of Jiahu in the Yellow River basin, state-of-the-art microanalysis of pottery residues by American laboratories, and the inspired ‘Neolithic” brewing of Dogfish Head Craft Brewery. Chateau Jiahu, then as now, opens a window into the world of our ancestors.”

My Notes:

My Rating: A
Why I like: fruity honey beer!
Where I got it: W. 16th, 2010
How much: $28, 1 Pint 9.4 fl.oz.
Do I love this enough to drink it again: Yes
Would I recommend this to beer afficianados: Yes way

Tasting Notes: pours golden orange, slightly cloudy, smallish head, ringed retention, micro CO2, thicker runny lacing, lots and lots of CO2 streams. A rather muted nose. Drinks really really creamy up front, velvety silky soft CO2, 6/10 tangy fruity green grape, mild 2/10 bitterness in the mids, slightly bitter ale finish. Medium complexity, medium depth, excellent carry, love the transitions, medium length. Very well balanced and doesn’t drink like a beer at all - more like a sparkling fruit wine. Could drink this over and over again. Also the 9% ABV is completely hidden.

Coors Light - (brewed under license by Molson Brewing), 4% ABV, (Canada)

From wiki:

“Coors Light is a light beer produced by the Coors Brewing Company. It was first produced in 1978. The beer has a “Cold Certified” label which turns the mountains on the label from white to blue when the beer’s temperature is lowered to 4 degrees Celsius (39 degrees Fahrenheit).”

My Notes:

My Rating: D-
Why I dislike it: waste of calories
Where I got it: BC Liquor stores
How much: $22 for 12 bottles, 341ml
Do I love this enough to drink it again: No
Would I recommend this to beer afficianados: Heck No

Tasting Notes: pours clear morning urine yellow, no head, ringed retention, plethura of CO2 streams. Almost nothing on the nose except a bit of fart (initial thought, honestly speaking). 1st third was quite awful. Quite fizzy texture, gummy stickiness leftover at the top of the mouth Tastes mainly of barley and 4/10 sweetness, minor 2/10 bitter hops at the finish. Low complexity, low depth, crappy carry, short length. Only drinkable with hot wings or nachos and cheese.

Pilaarbijter Brune, 6.5% ABV, (Bavikhove, Belgium)

from the ratebeer.com website:

“Dark ale, fermented in the bottle.
Inspired by a Breughel painting, “The Flemish Proverbs” (1559), in which several Flemish proverbs are depicted amongst which is the expression “He’s a pilaarbijter” (“pillar biter”), which means, ’He’s a hypocritical man.’”

My Notes:

My Rating: C
Why I don’t love it: off-putting honey and wheat
Where I got it: Brewery Creek (?), 2011
How much: ~$4, 330ml
Do I love this enough to drink it again: No
Would I recommend this to beer afficianados: No

Tasting Notes: pours cloudy chestnut brown, decent head, mix of large and foamy CO2, lots of CO2 streams, sticky lacing, sediment in the bottle. Honeyed malts on the nose. 7/10 bright sweet honey up front, sharp start, semi-large CO2 persists throughout, wheat & bread malts pick up in the mids, finishes tingly 3/10 mildly bittersweet with a lingering rough finish on the tongue and throat. Body is somewhat thin from the mids until the finish and texture reminds me of a honey lager. Medium-high complexity, medium depth, not so good carry, medium bodied, medium-long length. This flavour is not for me (honeyed wheat with thin body).

beer
belgian

Old Rasputin XII (12th Anniversary) - North Coast Brewing, 11.2% ABV, (Fort Bragg, CA, USA)

From ratebeer.com:

“Seems hard to believe that we’ve been making Old Rasputin for 10 years now, but that’s what’s happened. And, to celebrate the occasion, we’ve brewed a special small batch that’s been aged for 9 months in some 12 year-old bourbon barrels. It’s bottled in 500 ml bottles with a cork and wired finish and a special commemorative label —— and it’s amazing. The depth, intensity and complexity of the flavor profile make it a worthy tribute to this fine beer.”

My Notes:

My Rating: A
Why I like it: Rich, deep, smooth, creamy
Where I got it: Brewery Creek (?), 2011
How much: $24, 16.9 fl.oz.
Do I love this enough to drink it again: Yes
Would I recommend this to beer afficianados: Yes

Tasting Notes: pours plasma TV black, small head, nano CO2 foam, ringed retention, sticky lacing. Light coffee malts on the nose. Delightfully creamy at the start, medium thick viscosity, mild & gentle roasted coffee throughout, 5/10 sweetness, transitions beautifully into a soft bitter chocolaty finish. Notes of vanilla, almond, and cherries. High complexity, med-high length, fabulous transitions, high depth, long length. Almost perfect but a bit of ethyl alcohol detection at the 2/3 mark; probably can’t be helped but still detracts from the tasting experience. Be careful with this one, 1/2 bottle through and it is on.

Scaldis Noel Premium (Anno 1768) - Brasserie Dubuisson Freres, 13% ABV, Belgium

On the back label:

“The strongest Christmas Belgian beer. Brewed exceptionally fro the Christmas period, Scaldis de Noel, a brilliant, red-amber ale will delight the most demanding connoisseurs. The Scalcis [SIC] de Noel Premium is not filtered and refermented in the bottle”

My Notes:

My Rating: B-
Why I like it: Very smooth for 13% ABV
Where I got it: Brewery Creek (?), 2011
How much: ~$20, 750ml
Do I love this enough to drink it again: No
Would I recommend this to beer afficianados: Yes

Tasting Notes: pours amber reddish-brown, good sized head, .75cm micro CO2 retention, slow-moving lacing, LOTS and LOTS of CO2 streams - very active, slighty cloudy (unfiltered). Prunes and faint ethyl alcohol on the nose. Upon sipping, the high ABV is there immediately (the heat & burn) and persists until the finish. This is mixed with 7/10 smooth sweetness, very creamy texture especially in the mid, prune/fig/almost cherries at the start and the transitions into dark malty 3/10 semi-sweet bitterness. Medium-high complexity, Medium-high depth, good carry, good mouthfeel, excellent smoothness, good transitions, decent length. To me Christmas beer should have some spices; sadly this one doesn’t really deliver in that aspect but still solid and potent nonetheless.