Leinenkugel’s: Limited

Thanks to Mom and Dad, I got a delivery of Leinenkugel’s! Today’s selection is their “Limited”, which has been in and out of rotation for the past 25 years. Its last appearance was as “Northwoods Lager” about 3 or 4 years ago. This is one of the things I like about Leinie’s–their beers rotate, so your old favorites may disappear but they will always be back!  On to the review:

This beer was just like I remembered it: crisp and smooth with a clean finish. It is a very typical Leinenkugel’s brew–not very hoppy, not very malty, not fruity, but still pretty tasty. I immediately wanted to go tailgating. Leinie’s makes all my go-to tailgate brews and this one is no exception. You get a significant amount of taste compared to an American adjunct lager, but you get it on the cheap! (At least in Wisconsin you do…nothing is cheap in New York.)

I’m only giving this beer three stars because while I REALLY like it, it isn’t too exciting.

I’m heading down to NYC for the next two days, so hopefully I’ll have some beers to write about when I come back!

Try this if you like: anything else Leinenkugel’s

Boulder Beer Company: Old Chicago Black Diamond Chocolate Porter

Whew—that’s a mouthful! The Boulder Beer Company in Colorado makes this lovely chocolate porter. I believe this was made specifically for Old Chicago, because I can’t find it on their website. Oh well.

It pours beautifully with this dark ruby color, and there’s chocolate all around; from the first scent to the aftertaste. Don’t let the darkness fool you–it’s light, as one might expect from a porter. The initial taste of chocolate then gives way to malt and then hops.

OCBDCP was a pretty decent chocolate porter, but as far as chocolate beers go, there are far better ones.

I’d recommend another chocolate porter to try, but I haven’t personally had any that I can remember clearly, so I’ll leave you to google Chocolate Porters and find one in your area. For those of us in New York, Horsehead Brewery does make one.

Lost Coast Brewery: Great White

This Thursday night I went out to Syracuse’s great beer bar, J. Ryan’s. A couple reviews will come from this night, so here’s the first.

Great White, by the Lost Coast Brewery in Eureka, California, is a light, refreshing witbier. It was fairly typical in color, texture, and taste. Great White has strong hints of citrus and no real after taste. It’s highly carbonated and not very bitter. This is definitely a beer to have on a hot summer night–or a brisk spring evening. Either works!

Unfortunately the color doesn’t come out very well in the photo–that’s the problem with forgetting your camera and having to use your boyfriend’s Android phone camera. But, you can even SEE the carbonation in it.

Overall, this was a pretty decent Belgian witbier. Nothing too special, but tasty enough. I’d drink it again if given the chance.

Try this if you like: Blue Moon

Samuel Adams: Infinium

Sadly the beer I’m reviewing isn’t available anymore (at least not anywhere in New York) but there’s still two bottles in my apartment! Today’s pick is a very interesting beer which was released just in time to ring in the New Year: Infinium.

First of all, the brewers at Sam Adam’s worked with the people at Weihenstephan, the world’s oldest brewery, to brew a different kind of beer that still met all the qualifications to be considered beer. Which is: malted barley, yeast, and water. Hops is not actually a requirement for beer, though the majority of beers include hops, as does Infinium.

Infinium is a different kind of beer. See how it’s being served in a champagne flute? This is the REAL champagne of beers. Sorry, Miller High Life. It is very carbonated (just like champagne), and has a crisp, clean, citrus-y fruity-scent. Just like champagne. See where I’m going with this?

Unfortunately the four kinds of malts kind of take over, and what you smell isn’t exactly what you taste. The four kinds of hops also seem to have disappeared as this doesn’t have much for bitterness.

I’m glad I tried Infinium, but in all honesty I wouldn’t buy it again. Especially not for the price. If it were available year round I wouldn’t buy it the way I buy Leinenkugel’s, that’s for sure. But for being a one-shot deal at this kind of beer, which will probably never be tried again, it’s not bad.

Try this if you like: War Horse Riesling Ale, Bell’s Sparkling Ale. These beers are a FAR better attempt at combining wine and beer.

 

Wychwood Brewery: Hobgoblin

While in Geneva, Eric and I stopped at the Beef ‘n Brew. It’s a fairly new restaurant, only been open two months, but their beer selection is to die for! They have about 15 beers on tap (mostly domestic mass-produced crap), but they have at least 50 selections in bottles. Probably more.

I decided to take a break from my normal light lager dinner selection and I decided to try an English Brown Ale by the name of Hobgoblin from the Wychwood Brewery in Oxfordshire, England. Yes, I picked it because of the name. It’s not often you find a beer that is so obviously aimed at the computer-gaming/fantasy/D&D type crowd. Which I happen to belong to. (What can I say, I love my fantasy-based RPG/adventure games.) On to the review.

The creators claim this is a “ruby beer”. I agree as long as “ruby” means “cross between red ale and stout.” Which is exactly what it tastes like. My concern before the beer even showed up was that it would be too bitter for my tastes. It wasn’t. You certainly get the taste of the hops but it isn’t overwhelming. If you don’t like overly bitter beers, this one is a dark to try.  While you drink it, you get hints of chocolate, which I love. The bottle itself was very drinkable, but I think this is a one-and-done beer.

Drink this beer while you’re eating something beefy-be that stew, burgers, or steak. I happened to be eating fish and chips with it. Very English night for me.

Overall the Hobgoblin was very good, but what made it special was the label and the name, not necessarily the taste. I would certainly try Wychwood’s other creations if given the chance.

I’d give you a “try this if you like” recommendation but I don’t have anything that comes to mind. If someone else has a comparison, feel free to let me know.