Beer Review, Jan. '08

I'm behind on my beer posts, but not to worry, I've been drinking plenty :-) Just ask my waistline. First up is a set of drinkin' beers (i.e. beer you typically buy in a 6-pack). I know, that sounds kinda silly, but there are the "special" beers - beer that usually costs around $10 and comes in a 1-liter bottle.



(click on photos for larger pic)
Samuel Adams Cherry Wheat is a delightful beer. My wife even likes it. It's smooth, refreshing, and done just right. Don't be afraid of this one being a sweet "girlie" beer (like so many flavored beers are) or a regular beer with some nasty fruit syrup poured into it. The Cherry Wheat is not. It's a full-flavored (but not too strong) wheat beer with an absolutely perfect "hint" of cherry. Damn good. It's smooth - almost a creamy smoothness - but still has a little bit of crispness. It's just a damn fine balance of goodness.

Paulaner Oktoberfest. I'm a big fan of the "liquid bread" type beers, usually double or triple Belgian Abby Ales. The Oktoberfest carries a lot of similarities but is slightly lighter and toned-down. It's definitely full flavored. It's so tasty that it's hard to put down after the first sip.

Paulaner Salvator (not pictured). This double bock comes from the same brewery as the Oktoberfest. Like the Octoberfest, the Salvator is a fine beer. This one is definitely a "liquid bread", it's just as full flavored and strong. It's slightly sweet, but not too much. It goes down smooth and the aftertaste is lovely. It's much better than the Samuel Adams double bock - a beer that I find too bitter.



Affligem Tripel. This one was a just-slightly less than full flavored "liquid bread". It has a stronger bitter/sour-ish flavor, very much like The Reverend (Avery Brewing Co.). Can't say that I'd buy this one again, but it wasn't bad at $6-something for a liter.

Erdinger Hefe-Weizen Dark. I made the mistake of drinking this one for dessert on Saturday, and dessert came after a few beers, wine, and a large meal. So, my taste buds were a little overworked by the time they swam in this brew. It was good, and had a nice, rich taste. Sort of a chocolaty-burned-smokey flavor floating around in it. Might have to give this another try when my mouth isn't so confused.

You may have noticed the slightly industrial setting of these photos. That's because I was working on a little project in the garage whilst I was drinking beer. Drinking and power tools, you ask? You got it. It's nice to work with my hands and sip on a little beer in the afternoon :-)



If you've never tried a pure Cabernet Franc wine, you should (yes, I just had to throw in some wine in the beer post :-) ). This one was quite nice. It had a full bodied taste and one little sip filled my head with a nice aroma. There's a touch of dryness that seems just right - you won't be enjoying this in big gulps. As the label states, "ripe black fruit with a mentholy edge". I don't recall what the back label on the bottle stated, except that it was from the south of France. This one is definitely worth buying again, and again.