I want to start up a  beer reviews thread. There are people across the country and around the globe here. So I figured we could each become more exposed to beers that may be available to us at specialty stores. Beer we may not be able to get but could keep an eye out for or possible trade someone for. I will post a couple reviews tonight on two beers I went and picked up tonight.

Alrighty... To start this thread off with a review...

 The following will be a review of  Abbaye Des Rocs Grand Cru Belgian Special Brown... Its brewed by Brasserie de l'Abbaye des Rocs s.a. and the style and abv is belgian strong dark ale... 9.50% ABV

 Appearance - It produced a tannish white one finger head that slowly dissipated to a thin crown. It is a hazy translucent ruby brown color. The first pour had no yeast floaties, but all subsequent pours did.

Smell - The smell is pretty good. There are many layers to the scent - green and red apples, raisin, plum, bananas, pear, burnt sugar and caramel. The alcohol becomes more apparent as the beer warms to room temperature.

Taste - All of the scents that are present are also contained in the flavor. It tastes of red apples, raisins, plums, caramel and a slight spice - very sweet. The flavor is very complex and seems to change over the course of the drink, with the apple flavor trading dominance with raisin flavor.

Mouthfeel - Medium bodied with light carbonation. Very creamy and smooth.

Drinkability - Extremely good. The smooth mouthfeel, flavor and scent make for a very nice drinking experience.

A really good Belgian. I recommend drinking this brewerie's beers out of the larger bottles. I enjoyed the flavor much more out of the 750mls than the 33cls. I am glad that these are now available in Texas.

onto the next beer :) 

Hey Bob, nice call on the thread. I'm not a a beer expert or anything but I think trying different beer and styles of beer is often quite rewarding. One of the best beers I have ever had was when I was travelling in New Zealand, they have a beer called Monteith's Summer Ale, only available during their summer, it is a beautifully crisp lighter beer with a nice kick, perfectly refreshing on a hot day. What I would call a spice beer, almost olde style ginger beerish. You can easily drain 5 or 6 and not even know it they go down so smooth. A great summer beer for those barbie, doobie days.

 oh nice. i will have to keep my eyes peeled for this one and check it out. i really love me some beer :)

Im not a huge beer fan, but I do like a few of the ciders Ive tasted, like Stong-bow(sp? Ive only had it once) and Woodchuck granny smith apple cider, they also have rasberry and pear, that I still need to try... So if anyone knows of any others that would be worth trying that would be awesome....

erm, i don't know much about how to properly describe beer... but KWAK is mighty good. it's an amber brew, 8% alcohol, and if you order it in a bar, they serve it to you in a special KWAK glass. when i first got it in the glass, i wasn't sure what to do with it, since it's a round bottom glass and sits in a stand. you have to pick up the stand with the glass in it to drink it. there's also a pretty neat history behind the beer and the glass. there is a website that talks about the history of the beer. i tend to stick with belgian beers because they taste better and have consistant good quality.

there is one other beer, whose name i can't remember, but it tastes like banana cream pie and it's amazing, but only as it warms up. they sell it from the fridge, but i found i only liked it warm, it brings out more of the flavor. i'll have to go back to the store and get the name of it. 

I've had Kwak but I've never had it in a weird glass :(

Wychwood Hobgoblin has been my favorite beer lately.  Brown, with a smoky, nutty flavor and a little more hops than usual.  That and Live Oak Heffeweissen.  Austin people should go to the Live Oak Brewery.  The people are nice and give you free beer and tell you about brewing and it smells like fucking heaven inside.  Like baking cornbread and black tea and sweet peas, but strangely nothing like beer.  

Leinenkugels brewery is in my state, and they have some mighty good varieties.  My fave is Honeyweiss.  http://www.leinie.com/av.html

Also, the New Glarus brewery.  Spotted cow is one of my all time faves.  It is slightly sweet, and very hoppy.  There is usually a bit of yeast residue at the bottom of the bottle(some people don't care for it, but that's what helps give it it's flavor).  http://www.newglarusbrewing.com/

My favourite beer....

Staatliches Hofbraeuhaus (Muenchen)

Hofbraeu Original, Munich Helles Lager, 5.10% abv.  Served in a masse, 1L

Appearance: Pours a crystal clear straw yellow. The head is sticky, slightly rocky and lingers at about a 1/2 inch. Bubbles rise slowly.

Smell:  this beer's aroma is clean, slightly grassy, with the faintest of German hop aromas lingering in the background.

Taste: A very mild husky sweetness is followed by a clean, balanced hop bitterness. Crisp, exceedingly well balanced.

Mouthfeel: Soft is the word I would use to describe the mouthfeel of this beer. Despite being a helles, this beer feels sturdy, round and solid.Possibly the best aspect of this beer.

This is my favourite beer.  It goes particularly well with some jager-eintopf or sauerbraten klopse...or alone, under a car, in a box, with a fox.

 Got two of em for you.

The first of these, i believe is a Bud microbrew. Its called Red Hook. They have a few flavors, but they blonde and amber i tried were both pretty decent.

The second, and one of the best you can find (if you can find it) is called Dogfish Head. Its a microbrew out of Delaware and it is the tits. They have alot of different brews, some seasonal, some year round, some pub exclusives. The kicker with the year rounds are that they are listed and label by IPA (the length of time they sit in the hops). They have a 60 minute, a 90 minute, and i think a 120 minute. They have a good chunk of other stuff -- Indian Brown, Lawnmower, and the Midas Touch Golden Elixir. Some occasion brews -- Theobroma, Black and Blue,  Red and White, Golden Era, Pale Santo Marron, Chateau Jiahu, Fort, Burton Baton, Pangaea, Olde School Barleywine, World Wide Stout, and Immort Ale. Again, they have seasonals, of which names are similar to Sammy -- but better.

Bottom line, if you get a chance, try some Dogfish Head. They know what they are doing. Im not a beer drinker, but Ive had my share, and these guys, i would continue to drink and claim to still not be a beer drinker. Its more than a beer, its a treat. 

i meant to write another review lastnight but i got kinda drunk... lol 

 ironic.

Alright here is another one....

Urthel Samaranth who is brewed by De Leyerth Brouwerijen (Urthel). The Style / ABV is Quadrupel /  12.00% ABV. 

 I'd intended to pick up a different and popular beer of the same style and spotted this on the shelf. I'm glad I did.


I popped the cork on the corked/caged bottle and checked the aroma (after making sure I wouldn't end up with a nose full of foam.) Wow! Apples, pear, caramel, malt, yeast, and just a hint of alcohol. If this tasted as good as it smelled, I was in for a treat.


And a treat it was. It poured dark gold and just slightly translucent. The head was white and thick. It lasted too which surprised me a bit. This isn't a low ABV beer. There was some lacing, though I admit to not being patient enough to wait for much settling to occur. The aroma was even better from the glass.


The initial sip was complex, having all the flavors the aroma promised and then some. The sweetness was there, but not overpowering. Flavor of many fruits, spices, and just enough malt to convince me this was beer and not mead. I think there are people I know who say they don't like beer who'd love this. I knew there was a fair amount of alcohol in this, but it was sure well hidden.


The mouthfeel was creamy, but light at the same time. It flowed down very nicely and left one ready for the next sip after enjoying the finishing flavor of the previous one.


The drinkability of this is as close to perfect for the style. I felt I'd had enough about the same point where I was warm and convivial without going into flat out drunk. It's somewhat filling without being bloating. I'm sure one could get blasted on this easily enough, but it would be a waste to do so. It's not really a session beer, but you could do far worse than to share some with a friend over some good conversation.


My new favorite. I'm going to have to try the other offerings by the same brewer.

ryan LOVES urthel samaranth. i'm not a fan of quadrupels, but he loves them.

we've got the dogfish head beers at our liquor store, midas is the only one i've ever had. one of the perks of living where i do is that we have one of the most well stocked liquor stores in the area, and right across the bridge is the best bar with a full-on beer menu.

i'm not a fan of the leinenkugel berryweiss, but their honeyweiss is delicious and tastes like fruity pebbles. there's another beer called shock top that's a lot like the taste of the honeyweiss blend, but with a less bang.

Alyssa says 'doooo eeeeet':

ryan LOVES urthel samaranth. i'm not a fan of quadrupels, but he loves them.

we've got the dogfish head beers at our liquor store, midas is the only one i've ever had. one of the perks of living where i do is that we have one of the most well stocked liquor stores in the area, and right across the bridge is the best bar with a full-on beer menu.

i'm not a fan of the leinenkugel berryweiss, but their honeyweiss is delicious and tastes like fruity pebbles. there's another beer called shock top that's a lot like the taste of the honeyweiss blend, but with a less bang.

Aw yes, Dogfish head beers are quite tasty. I have had my fair share of those as well. One brewery that I also enjoy is the Rogue Brewery. Most of the stuff they have is fantastic! 

milkhoney:

I've had Kwak but I've never had it in a weird glass :(

 

Wychwood Hobgoblin has been my favorite beer lately.  Brown, with a smoky, nutty flavor and a little more hops than usual.  That and Live Oak Heffeweissen.  Austin people should go to the Live Oak Brewery.  The people are nice and give you free beer and tell you about brewing and it smells like fucking heaven inside.  Like baking cornbread and black tea and sweet peas, but strangely nothing like beer.  

Live Oak  Heffeweissen is VERY yummy. I had some a few weeks ago at the Alamo Draft House.... I think i bought a pitcher of it... I can't exactly remember....