Red Oak Amber Lager--Red Oak Brewery

Smooth. Everyone told me this beer would be smooth. From personal experience let me say, if someone tells you a beer is smooth, they are probably referring to how easy it is to drink—a lack of any bite, bitterness, sweetness or other overwhelming flavor that may slow your consumption down. When they tell you a beer is smooth that does not mean it makes a good lubricant or facial lotion. I am glad we have cleared that up, because putting this beer on your face will make you break out in acne.

Now I can say with no risk of misunderstanding: this beer is smooth! It comes from a little brewery in Greensboro, North Carolina that takes pride in this brew and how smooth it is. If you find yourself in that part of the country, check it out! This Amber Lager is crisp and refreshing. Not overly carbonated, the subtle earthy flavors make this beer an excellent beer for after (or while) mowing the lawn.

Two things should be noted about this beer:

1.       It is not life changing. This beer is good, but I would not go out of my way to get it. Think of this lager like an advanced Yuengling Lager. Clearly a higher quality, craft-brewed beer, but Red Oak is not trying to change the world here, just making a yummy lager.

2.       Don’t wait to drink this beer. I had a few bottles of the Amber Lager special delivered for me. I drank one right away and saved the others for another day. Don’t. Drink all your bottles within a week of getting them. Because Red Oak Brewery strives to follow the law of purity, they aren’t adding anything to give it a longer shelf-life so if you wait too long, this beer tastes like a rotten grape. I don’t know anybody that likes rotten grapes, but if you do, you are a sick, sick person.

If you are in North Carolina, buy this beer. Then drink it, quickly, and don’t use it as lotion (no matter how smooth people tell you it is).

Stay Classy,

-Captain Z

Oberon - Bell's Brewery, Inc.

We recently had a brief change in weather here in Northeastern Ohio, giving us just a taste of summer.  But thanks to our bipolar weather, who knows how long it will be until it officially feels like summer. 

That means it's getting to be summer ale season.  Bell's Brewery brings us their Oberon Ale, "an American wheat ale with the color and scent of a summer afternoon."

You cannot judge a beer by its bottle.  Oberon may look like it was designed for hippies, but the taste is worth the seasonal wait.   

It has a refreshing citrus-like smell that is complemented by its perfectly balanced taste.  There is nothing particularly overpowering about this beer, making it a very refreshing, enjoyable summer ale.  The cloudy orange color comes from being a wheat beer, so don't let that alarm you.

Definitely try this one.  Preferably when it is warm outside.  Consuming this summer ale before official summer weather arrives may put your body in a state of confusion.  It has been scientifically proven that the typical human body, like most other bodies, can tell when it is warm or cold outside.  Your body naturally sync's with the Earth as it changes seasons, much like your phone syncs to other electronic devices via Bluetooth.  The Earth sends signals to your season-receptors, causing very specific chemical reactions involving hormones and such. 

This process starts at the time of puberty.  Before puberty, you most likely enjoyed playing in the snow as a child.  But post-puberty, as an adult, your body develops a hatred for shoveling snow and causes seasonal grumpiness.  Enjoying a summertime drink in non-summertime weather can be dangerous, sending false signals to your season-receptors.  It's like brewing coffee using Red Bull instead of water.  Yeah you might want to see what would happen, but you don't do it because you are a responsible adult.

I tried Oberon one brief summer-feeling weekend.  It wasn't really summer yet, leading to lasting, confusing effects.  The next day I shoveled the driveway in a winter jacket when it was 80°F outside. 

I am not a weather doctor, nor a human-alcohol-consumption doctor, but you can trust my professional opinion in the sense that this is best enjoyed under the sun.

Drink responsibly and stay thirsty,

-Thirsteve

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Henry’s Helles Bock—Front Street Brewery

Located in Wilmington, North Carolina; Front Street Brewery is an awesome little microbrewery and restaurant with some excellent beer. It has been about a year since I have been there, but my brew-loving father was kind enough to bring me a growler after his recent trip.

I wish I could have gotten a better picture of this beer. For some reason, we couldn't get a good shot of it in the beer studio--just not a photogenic beer I suppose. It doesn’t pour much of a head, but right after you pour, hold it up to the light and see the bubbles swirl to the top like liquid gold; it’s pretty cool.

Flavor-wise, this was one of the most unique beers I have tried in a while. The amber-gold color fools you into thinking you are about to have a regular German lager. The scent is the first sign you are in for something special, the Pilsner malt being pronounced.  Take a sip and you are hit with German hops, light carbonation and a flowery, clean finish. After two rounds you get hit with the other plus of this beer, it’s 7.4 ABV!    

Moral of the story, if you are near Wilmington, check out this microbrewery, grab a pint or two or three of Henry Helles Bock. Tell them the Brews Brothers sent you and ask for the discount. While they currently do not offer a Brews Brothers discount, maybe you’ll get a waitress who doesn’t know any better.  

Stay Classy,

-Captain Z                                                                                   

Leffe Blonde--Abbaye de Leffe S.A.--Belgium

Leffe Blond is a Belgian Pale Ale, coming to us from the Abbaye de Leffe S.A. in Belgium.
It is slightly above average with a 6.6% ABV.  That and the bright, golden color are great, and not much else.

We have always had on our blog, "The Beer Review.  Providing beer reviews, one sip at a time."
With its dynamic taste, Leffe Blond actually needs to be reviewed with a similar approach.

First sip:  Wow, nice.  This is something different.

Sips 2-4:  Not bad.

Sips 5-9:  This is definitely something different..

Sips 10-end of bottle:  I have 5 more bottles of this..??

I would describe the taste as somewhat fruity, thin, and unique.  It also has a refreshing smell.  That may sound strange but it does smell better than it tastes.  Honestly, the first half of the bottle was enjoyable, and I am glad I tried it.

"Deliciously soft and subtle." Agreed, for the first couple sips.  The end of the bottle is more like "Dreadfully rough and brutal."  Also, by then, I was only concerned with trying not to get the foil from the neck of the bottle caught in my teeth fillings.  It was much easier to drink out of the glass.

"Belgium's classic abbey ale is best served in its own chalice-shaped glass, accentuating the ale's aroma and creating the perfect head."  I have tried this in a chalice-enough shaped glass, and I can safely say it is marginally less disappointing than drinking out of the bottle.

Their website declares that it is an "elegant and refreshing beer, which is especially tasty with a meal or while out on the town with friends."  Wrong.  I have had this beer with and without food, and I can safely say that I would not attempt to drink it in public.

Honestly, I only tried this because my girlfriend is left handed and also blonde.  If you like pale-ale's then you may want to check this out.  Otherwise, there is better out there.

Stay thirsty,
-Thirsteve

Black Rat Imperial Stout--Cellar Rats Brewery

Has anyone tried this one? Looks interesting!

Blue Moon--Spring Blonde Wheat Ale

Yes, that is a picture of Blue Moon’s Spring Blonde Wheat Ale in the trash. Why you ask? Because it is garbage. I like to do positive beer reviews, because that means I just drank a beer that I like. Unfortunately, this review will not be positive.

Due to some unseasonably warm weather, I thought I would make some beermosas. For those of you who have not tried a beermosa, I would highly recommend it as a summer beer cocktail. Just put about ¼ cup of orange juice in the bottom of your beer glass and pour in your favorite Belgian White Ale. Surprisingly good.

I purchased the Blue Moon Spring Mix pack, seeing as all of the beers already had some sort of orange in them and were variants of the original Blue Moon Belgian White, I thought they would be perfect for some more adventurous beermosas. (My advice after trying them, just stick with a classic Belgian White Ale).

Since the beermosas were less than successful, I decided to try the Spring Blonde Wheat Ale on its own. Honestly, I could barely tell the difference between it and a Butt Light, oops I mean a Bud Light (Freudian slip?). Maybe my expectations were too high, but I will never again buy this carbonated beer flavored water. Speaking of carbonation, it was probably the only saving grace of this beer, the crispy fizz helping me to get it down.

I paid 14.99 for this twelve pack. For an extra dollar or two, I could have gotten a twelve pack from one of my favorite local brewers, The Great Lakes Brewing Company. Or, for about four dollars less I could have gotten a twelve pack of Yuengling, which although cheaper, tastes much better than this Blue Moon.

I guess Blue Moon is an appropriate name for this brewery, because you should only buy their beer once in a blue moon.

Stay Classy,

-Captain Z