Schneider Aventinus Weizen-Eisbock
Posted by HopMaster in Reviews on Jan 22nd, 2012 | 0 comments
The Wheat Doppelbock of Bavaria also named Aventinus is a powerful beast from Kelheim, Germany.
This beer will slap you across the face with a big old bag full of flavor.
When I first got this beer I wasn’t sure what to expect. Its purple label with some old dude on it made me think think that I was getting into some sort of thick stout. But on the label it’s a weizen eisbock. What the hell is that? Well it literally means “wheat ice bock”.
So should you buy this beer? 100% yes. This beer is awesome.
It pours a dark cloudy mess with a good bit of head. The smell you get is a big old malty sandwich.
When you first pour this guy down your throat you get tons of flavor. Lots and lots going on here. It’s almost like a nice banana sandwich. No real hops or anything but more on the wheaty , kinda fruity, almost even…buttery side.
This beer is strong so be careful. It comes in at 12% ABV but you wouldn’t really know by drinking it. One is awesome, number 2 is going to do some damage.
This beer is very very well balanced. Upon finishing it I had a glass with some sediment at the bottom.
It’s the best beer I have had this year so far. You should be buying it right now.
Meantime London Pale Ale
Posted by HopMaster in Reviews on Jan 15th, 2012 | 0 comments
Cheerio! How about a pint?
Meantime Brewing takes a dives in the hop pile by taking Goldings and Cascade hops to produce London Pale Ale. This London style pale is produced in London and comes in at 4.3% ABV.
When I first got this bottle, I noticed the artwork. It looks like a nice summer day in a park in London somewhere. Hopefully, it describes the beer pretty well. So, let’s crack this guy open.
It pours a nice golden color with a little head that disappears quickly. Not much of an aroma coming from this and not the typical smell you’d get from a sack full of cascades.
The first sip brings on a bit of a peppery hopness but not what you would expect coming from the smell. It’s rather thin and has some bitter overtones.
This is definitely not a hop monster and is more like your typical English pale ales. It’s not bad though. Not a lot going on in this beer but the bitterness at the end makes it a little interesting.
I think the lovely artwork on the front of the bottle describes is nicely. Grab a couple of these and a book for a nice afternoon in the park.
Brewdog 77 Lager
Posted by HopMaster in Reviews on Jan 6th, 2012 | 0 comments
If you have never heard of Brewdog then you are missing out on some of the world’s most extreme beers. If you have, then you know their beers can pack quite a flavorful punch.
The one thing I really enjoy about the Brewdog beer company is their willingness to go beyond the limits. Putting ultra strong beer into animal carcasses is pretty bad ass. Unfortunately their Juxtaposition Pilsner doesn’t have that same affect.
It pours a nice clear gold body with a decent head that is pretty standard. When you sink your nose into it you get your average pilsner with a hint of hops, which is unusual for this kind of beer.
The first taste is that you get a pretty normal German style Pils but then a little aftertaste of hops hits. Not much, but a little taste of the deliciousness that could be with this beer. It’s a light fresh beer with a crisp taste that you would expect from a Pilsner.
When you compare this beer to it’s siblings, it doesn’t have much to offer. When you compare this beer to similar Euro Pilsners, it would trump them.
Overall I would say this would be your average European Pilsner with some hoppiness aftertaste tucked away in there. I would take it over a standard Heineken but then again, I normally wouldn’t order a Heineken. Check it out here.
Firestone Solace
Posted by HopMaster in Reviews on Dec 31st, 2011 | 0 commentsSUMMERTIME! FUSION! WHEAT! BEER!!!!
Well it’s almost summertime and I am sure you were getting worried what your new summer beer was going to be. Well look no further. Firestone Solace unfiltered wheat ale has come to save the day.
Just look at the bottle
You have a lion and a bear ready to kung fu fight! (It’s actually Firestone’s logo)
So how is this beer? Well it pours with virtually almost no head. Don’t let this fool you though, it is nicely carbonated. And it’s cloudy as hell. Let’s hope our summer isn’t like this.
It’s got a nice wheat taste while still being light. The thing I like about this beer though is the spice that is contained in there. It’s not as sweet as you would think. It’s got some yeast bite in there with a slap of citrus. It’s a very clean beer.
A very enjoyable beer. Pair this beer with a nice serving of porch sitting and you’ll be in for a treat. If you need me, I’ll be outside finishing this and enjoying the sun.
Unabashed Patriotism
Posted by Thomas and Hardy in Reviews on Dec 22nd, 2011 | 0 comments
There are two things you need to know about my friend Hardy. The first is that he loves hops. That’s hardly a rare quality amongst the imbiberati. It’s much more difficult to find a craft beer fan who claims not to love hops. Hardy’s devotion to Humulus Lupulus borders on religious fervour. There’s a hop bine altar in his garage. I’d go on, but you probably get the idea by now.
The second thing about Hardy is that, when he was still fairly new to craft beer, he had a deep and abiding loathing of dark beers (porters in particular), brought on by some early bad experiences with a few poorly crafted examples. He got better.
The beer we’re talking about today represents a bit of a paradox for Hardy. It’s a dark beer, packed to the brim with amazingly fresh and zesty US grown hops. Of course, Hardy is long past his fear of the dark, but I’m still amused by the fact that this beer is one of his favourites.
Croucher Patriot pours a deep black, though its crystalline clarity allows glints of ruby to show through. The head is a regal crown of frothy off-white foam which persists well, gripping the sides of the glass until the very last drop. The nose is an intense and mouthwatering mix of toffee, treacle, and chocolate, which is smacked into submission by an aromatic mix of passionfruit, grapefruit, and mango from the Simcoe and Amarillo hop blend. On the palate, the beer is perfectly integrated, with a conflux of roast/smoke, chocolate, and fruit salad. The balance between sweet malt and hop bitterness is magical. The hops dance a ballet over the malt, then settle on your palate after the beer has passed on. In true Croucher style, you will be left with the most delicious of burps!
It’s not just Hardy who is obsessed with this beer. Earlier this year, while faced with a tap lineup which included many of NZ’s best and brightest craft beers, I went for Patriot. Twice. It really is that damn tasty. With the current USA hop shortage, it might be a while before more of this is available, so snap it up if you see it. The hop character will become more subdued with time, but the brilliance of this beer will continue to shine. Erm. Blackly.
