Blow the trumpets!  Gather the drinkers!  Alert the pubs!  The Beer Reviews are back.  (Now that I’m writing from the “perilous realm,” I need a few good ales and lagers to keep me sane in the midst of danger.)

Time to tell you all about some winter ales and lagers to get you through the remaining weeks of cold.

Today’s selection comes from Middle Ages Brewing Company, based in Syracuse, NY.  Wizard’s Winter Ale is a good beer.  It’s not as hearty as I prefer my winter beers to be, but it’s got a really nice blend of malts, caramel/butterscotch, brown sugar sweetness, hops, and spices, with a slightly bitter finish and a nice aftertaste.  (Balancing those spices is really important; overdone spices is the death of many winter beers).   It pours a dark amber color, and the smell is a bit fainter than you’d expect, so the initial taste takes you a little bit by surprise.  I was expecting it to be a bit too weak.  Like I said, weaker than I prefer for my winter beers, but very smooth; I could easily move through a couple of these in a short period of time.

A worthy brew.

Remember all those beer reviews I was doing?  They seem to have gone the way of Fred the Fundamentalist (meaning, a great plan that fizzled out).  The good news is, both beer and Fred are on their way back.  I’ve had a Fred post brewing (haha) in my mind for some time, and I’m making a trip to Beers of the World in the near future (my wife got me a gift card for my birthday – she’s a great woman).  For now, here’s a drive-by beer discussion:

St. Patrick’s Day (my wife’s birthday) was a good beer night.  The evening was spent at MacGregor’s Grill and Tap Room.  I started with the obligatory Guinness and then switched to Smithwick’s before seeing a sign on the wall – “The All-Irish Black and Tan.”  I had never heard of it before, and I had to have it.  It’s a black and tan made with Guinness and Smithwick’s (instead of Bass), and it was yummy.  I finished the night off on a lighter note with a Magic Hat #9.

I’ve recently discovered that my local Wegman’s has more selections in the coolers.  I had no idea.  I thought all the options were in the window.  So more weekly options have been opened to me; I’m currently finishing off a 6 pack of Magic Hat Fat Angel, their pale ale.  Without all the details, I’d give it a B+.  Good stuff.  (By “currently finishing off,” I do not mean, “Right now, at 9am,” just for the record.  I’m at work.)

Wegman’s is also carrying Wolavers organic beers, which I’ve just learned comes from the same brewery as Otter Creek – and I like Otter Creek.  They carry the pale ale, the india pale ale, and the brown ale, and I’ve just discovered a local cafe that has the oatmeal stout on tap.  I’ll have to try all those in the near future.

Rohrbach’s has been filling growlers for me lately, too – American Pilsner (A) two nights ago, and there’s a growler of Vanilla Porter (A) waiting for me this weekend. 

There’s more to say, including reviews of the beers I had while in California – but I’ll do a separate California Beers post soon.

Time for the winter warmers reviews to begin!

We start this season with a sad little ale that’s just trying too hard. Three important words here: too. much. cinnamon.

I’d never tried a Harpoon beer before, so I figured I’d start with their Winter Warmer. I cracked open bottle number one, poured the beer, and smelled Christmas. Nutmeg and cinnamon scents rise strong out of the orange/copper colored ale with a great big head that fizzles down to a small amount of lacing.

It has a good mouth-feel, maybe a little on the thin side, and not too much carbonation; really, just how an ale should feel. It starts kind of sweet and malty, but as it finishes, an enormous rush of cinnamon kicks you right in the teeth, and you’re left wondering whether the brewer’s hand slipped when he was adding that particular spice.

Ultimately, the overbalance of the nutmeg and cinnamon spice ruins this beer. I poured myself a second; maybe it was just one bad bottle. It wasn’t; I couldn’t make it through the second. Now there’s 4 more in the fridge, and I’ve no idea what to do with them. I might be willing to drink this again while consuming large amounts of sugar cookies and gingerbread men on Christmas day. Otherwise, this one’s a no-go. Avoid this winter warmer.

Grading Scale

• A – Superb Beer; would buy regularly
• B – Good Beer; might buy over an “A” beer if on sale
• C – Not So Good Beer; some good qualities, but I wouldn’t buy it again; would drink it if offered by someone, or if it’s the only option in a restaurant amidst “D” and “F” beers
• D – Bad Beer; if this were offered or the only option on tap, I’d just not drink beer that day
• F – Disgusting; unworthy of the name “beer”

Pluses and Minuses used to create a spectrum for each grade level.

This one fits the same category as the Saranac Octoberfest. It pours darker – a dark red/amber color, and it has a frothy head that dissipates quickly with minimal lacing. It has a malty smell with maybe a little fruit and a sort of toasty scent.

I’ve read some complaints that this beer is too malty, but I’ll give the opposite assessment: the hops jump right out and bite you, and the maltiness suffers a bit from the overbearing hops. Starts with a roasted grain, carries a slightly metallic flavor to it, and finishes with a bitter kick. It wasn’t a bad taste, just not as balanced as I’d like.
I wouldn’t call it an easy-to-drink beer; I never poured myself a second. It’s a little too crisp and overcarbonated. Medium-bodied.

This is my first experience with a Brooklyn Brewery beer. I probably won’t be rushing to try another. As far as Octoberfests go, Sam Adams is still the winner so far (well, except for Rohrbach’s, but that’s a local brewery that doesn’t ship its stuff around the country).

Not sure I’ll get to any new O’fests this year. Winter lagers and ales are coming next.

Simply put, this is an excellent Octoberfest, particularly if you’re a fan of malty beers. It pours a deep red/amber color, with a thick, foamy head that leaves a nice lacing after dissipating.

It’s got a toasty, malty sweet kind of smell and a full, smooth mouthfeel which makes it very easy to drink. It does have a sweet malty taste, and the hops are a bit outweighed by the maltiness, but this is certainly not a problem if you like a good malty beer. There is a sort of bready taste to it with caramel and toffee hints, and it finishes with a slight bitterness.

Highly recommended. An excellent Octoberfest.

Saranac Octoberfest pours a clear orange/copper color with a one-inch creamy head that quickly dissipates with decent lacing. It’s got a bready, hoppy scent.
The taste is very hoppy. I like bitter beers, but the bitter, herby hops seems to overwhelm the malt flavor, making it a good, but ultimately not well-balanced beer. Very strong bitter finish.
The advantage to this beer is that it’s a solid Octoberfest for a good price: $9.99 for 12 pack. But it’d be better if the maltiness was better balanced with the bitter hops. I’d drink it again, but in the future, I’ll more than likely pay the extra couple bucks for the Sam Adams Octoberfest, which I’ll review next.

I was going to sit down and write a lengthy theological exposition on Christ being found in the sacraments, but for now, I’d rather review a beer. I think I shall start beer review as a semi-regular part of this blog. I’m certainly not going to be any good at it at first, but eventually, these will be helpful. I’ll use an A-F grading scale.

‘Tis the season for Oktoberfest. Last Fall, I tried my first ever Oktoberfest, brewed locally by Rohrbach’s (German brewery/restaurant). That was excellent, so I thought I’d start this year by picking up some different Oktoberfests from the store and learn more about the brew. My first choice was Otter Creek.

Turns out Otter Creek’s Oktoberfest is not strictly on Oktoberfest, even though that’s its name. It’s actually an ale, so it’s more of an autumn/harvest ale. It pours an amber/copper color with a bit of an orange hue. It has an off-white, small head that dissipates quickly. It’s got a weak aroma.

It’s a mild, smooth, creamy, warm taste with hints of toffee and caramel, a sweet (but not too sweet) malty flavor with only a slight bitterness from the hops. It goes down quite easy, and you can put down a couple before you know it.

It gets a B+ as an autumn ale. I would definitely buy it again. I might give it an A- if not for the name confusion; Otter Creek should change the name.

I’ll be trying Saranac Oktoberfest soon. Review to come.