150-170 (Great Int'l Beer Fest)

Come one, come all! This is an event to remember (if you're lucky). The Great International Beer Festival was on November 10th and really a lot of fun, despite having to stand in long lines for 2oz of beer.

The drive there was pretty uneventful but full of excitement. There was anticipation in the air. We were floored by being fleeced for $20 to park, but we had no choice. Oh, let's not forget that we had an extra ticket to sell. I (Wes) had to serve as the sales agent. I slid into the line and casually offered to save random strangers $5 by selling them my extra ticket. It's amazing how many people will pass on this offer - they must think it's illegal or something! After dropping the extra ticket and waiting in a 1/2 hour long line to get into the convention hall we had finally arrived. We walked into the hall and were immediately hit with the task of navigating this vast room filled with beer. We had only a small map, 3 two ounce cups and our spirited determination to guide us. The journey was as such:

Ipswich Winter Ale:
This is a very hoppy beer. Retha says it's "Wicked Hoppy". there are some obligatory spices there, but hops is the overwhelming taste and smell. There are some chocolaty malt hints mixed in with the hoppy aroma. 3 steins out of 5.

J.W. Dundee Pale Bock:
From the makers of Honey Brown comes this delightful beauty. Matt didn't quite think it was deserving of the bock name but Retha and I agreed that the beer seemed to be fine either way. There was a very sweet smell with stronger hops in the aroma than the taste. This somewhat fruity, slightly sour beer had none of the bitterness that it advertises - a great drinking beer. 3.75 steins out of 5.

Blue Point Toasted Lager:
Now, don't go pulling out your cream cheese, jelly and butter just yet. This toasted beer smelled surprisingly similar to peach ring candies and had a VERY fruity taste. There was a really bitter aftertaste that was "total hops" buy Matt's account. 2.75 slighty toasted steins out of 5.

Blanche De Bruxelles:
Light vanilla aroma, thin and pale but doesn't taste bad. Appeals to all of Matt's available taste buds. 3.25 Steins out of 5

Haverhill Leatherlips IPA:
The $2 hooker that leaves her mark. This was bitter to the nose, totally bitter by taste and smelled like cheap apricots. Retha sais it was bitter and fruity and the aptly named Leatherlips gets a unanimous 2.5 steins out of 5.

Cottrell Old Yankee Ale:
By far my favorite ale to date, this sweet, smooth, malty smell was matched with a grainy aftertaste. A very classic ale, this beer has all the character of an old man sitting on the veranda of his once bustling mansion telling stories of years (and beers) gone by. 4 steins out of 5.

Brookly Winter Ale:


-I'm going to bed, I'll finish this post tomorrow. It's gonna be a long one.

Beers 130-149

Tonight was American Macro Brewery night. There are a few in the mix that are not from macro breweries. To top it all off we watched Beer Fest...overall it was a very white trash night. Teddy is our special guest star tonight.

Natural Light
Oh, Natural Light. Lets face it everyone has had some good times with it. It tastes like a bad bad Pilsner and some vomit. Teddy said that it tastes like bad decisions and to me its the taste of summer. 2.25 out of 5 steins

Busch Light
The taste...piss and lemon piss...enough said. It also reminds me of my bad after he's had a few. It really makes me laugh how bad this beer is. 1 out of 5 steins

Bud Light
Matt said that this beer was better when he didn't know what beer was. And for Teddy it reminded him of fishing (don't worry I don't get it either) 2 out of 5 steins

Miller High Life
"Mmmmm tastes like freshman year..." -Teddy (Oh Teddy I love you) I think it smells like Res and Matt said that it smells like old Chinese food (probably from Good Friend). As far as the taste goes, when I taste it I don't feel like I'm living the high life and that's a problem. 2 out of 5 steins

Busch
This one is short and sweet.
1. Smells like piss.
2. Tastes like rice cakes
3. Shitty Aftertaste
1.75 out of 5 steins

Natural Ice
Soooooooo easy to drink. Sadly it smells like yeast and fermented piss and a big surprise to everyone it also tastes like fermented piss. 1.75 out of 5 steins

Miller Lite
I haven't had this in so long that I actually forgot how bad the taste was. The general consensus about it is that we would only drink it if we were drunk and at a bar...that's totally not true if it was in front of us we'd drink it. We just wouldn't buy it. 2.25 out of 5 steins

Coors Light
For a cheap beer Coors Light isn't that bad. Matt enjoys it cause it is his cheap beer of choice. For me I like it because it causes me to make "good decisions" 2.5 steins out of 5

Clausthaler
Smells a bet skunky, but the taste isn't bad for a non-alcoholic. We all agreed that it tastes like tea. I would honestly drink this if someone had it. This is the best non-alcoholic beer I've ever tasted. 3 out of 5 steins

Abita Beer Turbodog
Smooth mocha taste followed by a pleasant aftertaste. Had a very different taste we couldn't really pin point the spices used. This was a very tasty brown ale. "As a fan of Brown ales this interests me." -Matt 3.75 out of 5 steins

Abita Pecan Harvest
"Nice and Sweet" - Wes
"Yummy" - Teddy
"Goooooood" - Me
Matt had no comment
3.5 out of 5 steins

Abita Purple Haze
With an amazingly sweet raspberry flavor this beer is original and tasty. Personally this has been one of my favorites. I will definitely be buying this again. 4 out of 5 steins

Harpoon Smoked Porter
Smells like a Roche beer, we couldn't smell porter. The taste along with the smell is extremely smokey. The guys loved it cause they're into the smokey beers, me not so much. 4 out of 5 steins.

Samuel Adams Winter Lager
If you've been reading this you know that we're big fans of Sam Adams, and this brew is no different. I enjoy most lagers, but this one was fantastic. It went down nice and smooth and you could taste the warm Cinnamon flavor. Matt said that if he could drink Sam Adams everyday for the rest of the rest of his life he would die happy. I second that because Retha + Sam Adams = Love 4 out of 5 steins

Rogue Mocha Porter
Dry, aftertaste which overpowered the mocha. "Tastes a bit like Guinness" - Teddy 4 out of 5 steins

Jahva - Imperial Coffee Stout
Extremely strong coffee taste. This is the type of beer that could put hair on your chest...even mine. This is a very heavy beer. "If tasted in large portions you can taste the beef jerky" -Matt (Damn you and that beef jerky) 3 out of 5 steins

Saxo Belgin Blonde Ale
3 of us hated it. Wes' tongue actually tryed to run away from this beer. Teddy however loved it. His rating was so high that we had to give it 3 out of 5 steins.

Ridge Runner Barely Wine Ale
They like it and I'm tired. 4.25 out of 5 steins

Shipyard Summer Ale
"Winey" -Matt Wes said that is was Bright and told me to shut up and write it down when I asked him what the hell that means, so yeah its bright. Oh yeah and it was yummy. 3.5 out of 5 steins

Coors Non-Alcoholic
Why Anyone would drink this is beyond us. It was terrible. Wes said that it tasted like strained pasta water. The rest of us said that it tasted like old blackberry vines. Had a very strong taste of wood. And our night ended with this comment: "I don't know what animals shit in the rocky mountain water..." -Wes

Side story.

This happened during Wes' "Big Bottle Birthday Weekend," I just never got around to writing the story (and I'm tired of Retha hazing me to write it).

So after a few tastings, Bob joined our adventure. However we had already finished the cookout portion of our adventure. Bob, being a strapping young Irishman, needed some of our delicious spread. However, we had finished eating hours ago (so the grill was long off).

Now, this was a charcoal styled grill. Which if you readers know anything about, means that after a long time of disuse the coals go cold. Also, if you know anything about me, you'd know that I love that style of grill (I bought one the summer prior to this past). Bob didn't know how to use one, and me being the inebriated ex-cook that I am decided to help my friend.

The coals that were in the grill still seemed usable to me (which should have flagged something in my head). So I decided to use them. At this time I added a liberal amount of lighter fluid (as is the general technique for starting a grill of this type). Sitting there with lighter in hand, ready to start the fire, suddenly I exploded.

The coals were still hot enough that the lighter fluid eventually ignited, shooting a giant fire ball at the inebriated ex-cook still applying lighter fluid. I dove in the opposite direction covering my face. What I left out was this was night time. So all people near a window got to watch the spectacle of me exploding and running around making sure I was not ignited. Retha and Wes then saw the giant flash of light (thinking it was a car's headlights) and decided to see what the goings on were. Many people near windows gathered to make sure I was okay.

Upon entering the bathroom I noticed that I had burnt off half of my eyelashes some of my eyebrows and a good bit of my hair. And if you know me at all I really pride myself on my good hair. Which I didn't get cut until about a week ago.

So thats the story, hop you all enjoyed this interjection in your beer readings.

Beers 121-129

I had some free time in between my studying, so I have opted to blog the 9 that are sitting here on my desk. These aren't necessarily beers 121-129, because we finished American Macro night (ended up being two days) before we drank these. But these were consumed prior to us going to The Great International Beer Festival (which Wes will be blogging shortly).

Onto the beer:

Jever
This beer was terrible. Reeked like a skunk. "Wow that's not good" was the first thing Wes could blurt out after taking his first disgusting sip. Which later turned into "Weh" (which is how I choose to onomatopoeia a vomit sound [yea I used onomatopoeia in that way]). After all of our various onomatopoeias we later decided that the beer tasted like a really bad light beer. Therefore... we will shame this beer with a 1.5 of 5 steins.

Lion Stout
Good long lasting head on this one. Which drank very sweetly and smoothly. So you know we're going to give this a good rating... but please keep reading on. This beer had the standard Stout taste to it, but oddly enough, did not had as strong of an after taste as other Stouts. We liked this beer so much that we're going to grant it a magical 4.5 of 5 steins.

Guinness Extra Stout
This was a real dark beer (as expected with any Guinness beer). Surprisingly this beer didn't have the usual coffee taste that Guinness brings. If I closed my eyes I would not have thought this was a Guinness. So we're going to give it a 3.75 of 5 steins.

Gose Leipziger
This was an interesting beer that was brewed with various spices (including but not limited to coriander). Because of this, the beer had a coriander aroma (which Retha was new to... I guess she doesn't spice her food with coriander ever... I don't know... She's never cooked for me... but apparently is good at it...). This beer also had a orangy/cinnamony taste about it. Which made this a very interesting beer to have at our tasting. Due to its difference and cleverness we're giving this beer a 3 out of 5 steins.

Adnams Broadside Ale
This beer was spicy yet sweet and quite robust. To be honest with you guys, I don't have much in the line of notes on this one. But I do remember the beer; and I remember Wes' comment. "It's like the small girl that can surprisingly pick you up" I guess I'd agree (if I knew what that meant). We give this beer a 3.75 out of 5 steins.

Adnams Suffolk Special Bitter
"Tastes thinner than it smells" commented Wes. I put this in because I think it's the best description of this beer. It was pretty average (but good nonetheless). I believe Wes also decided to add, "If I saw it on tap I'd drink it" other than that... this beer was okay. 3.5 steins of 5.

La Choulette Framboise
"This is alcoholic?" (Me). "This is my 5" (Retha). So yea... I think that tells you how we felt about this one. Review over... Wouldn't I be a bitch if I did that to you all? This was a delicious beer that had a tangy yet sweet taste. The scent (and aforementioned taste) was strong of raspberries. In fact in my notes I have "v. good" which (if your incompetent) means very good. 4.5 out of 5 steins.

Specziel Rauchbier
mmMMmm another Rachbier. Wes and I could throw these back all day everyday. This is much lighter than the Aecht Rauchbiers that we blog so much about. When I type lighter, I mean in taste, scent, color, and body. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing for this beer. We'd throw it into the Rauch lager category. Which landed it a 3.75 out of 5 steins.

Aecht Weizen
Yes, we have more Aecht. But since all the beers are relatively the same, I will keep this to a short entry. Smells like the other Aecht beers we've had. Not a strong Weizzen taste. 3.25 out of 5 steins.

Beers 117-120

Well I guess I'll make my posts a little better than Wes'... you know, because I take better notes.

Pinkus Muller Organic Hefe-Weissen
Now this one through me for a curve. Hefe-Weissens are the German wheat beers. Up until this point none of the Hefe-Weissens have tasted as what I recognize as a wheat beer. Until this sexy beast hit the scene. This beer is what I'd call a wheat beer. Retha also found this to be an enjoyable beer. What I found to be some-what strange was the fact that the beer smelt of bananas. Wes decided to throw in, "I knew a hippy drug dealer who drank only this; cuz' it's organic." Due to our overall joy with this brew, we will grant it 4 steins out of 5.

Pinkus Muller Organic UrPils.
This beer threw me for a curve because it smelt like tomato soup (to me). But it did carry a good head that sustained well. This was a deliciously sweet, yet hoppy brew that tasted like a mild Pilsner. But certainly was tasty none-the-less. A tasty 3.75 out of 5 steins.

Pinkus Muller Organic Munster Alt
A what? Okay, well I'll drink it (that wasn't a quote... that was what I think I must have thought before drinking this one). This also carried a mild soup smell; but was definitely sweater than its predecessors. Strangely it was also a little sour (more than the others). But all 3 of the Pinkus beers were definitely similar. That in mind, we will give it a similar rating of 3.75 out of 5 steins.

Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Urbock
Yes, another Aecht. If you have a problem with that have a few of them... then tell me what you think about us trying so many of them. A dark color complimented by the usual Rauchbier smoky aroma (which Wes and I love). Retha didn't really care for this beer. But she doesn't care too much for the genre of beer. So her comments will be omitted from this post. "I love this stuff", yea, that's a comment I will happily post. I don't know if an Urbock is the same as a Bock. But I certainly would not call this a Bock. Either way, I don't care, this was delicious. 4 steins out of 5.

Beers 102-116

This will likely be the shittiest blog entry ever. I took the worst notes ever. I will try to stay true to the post-its and only interject when absolutely necessary.

Interjection 1: "Pump up the Volume" is Christian Slater's best movie, barring "The Wizard".

Sam Adam Light
"Worst Sam Ever" 3

Amstel Light
"You can really smell the tainted water and hooker sweat" 1-

Molson Canadian
Matt, "Not a bad beer" 2

Interjection 2: Christian Slater, "...naked, wearing only a cock ring" Retha, "I'll drink to that!"

Molson Golden
"Sweaty feet and bologna" "Smells like a week old yeast roll" 1.5

Molson Ice
Matt, "My first ice beer" "nothing special" 1

Labatt Blue
"LaBLAH blue!" 1.5

Icehouse
Retha, "Smells like urinal"
Matt, "I thought you said it was good!" .25

Michelob Ultra
Retha, "As good as a fat woman's orgasm!" 1

Interjection 3: the preceding comment was made while watching a fat woman orgasm in Beerfest.

O'doul's
"Smells like corn beef hash, tastes like piss, eats like a whore." 1

Michelob Light
"Spoiled Gingerale"1.5

Interjection 4: It was at this point in the night that Matt sank into the folds of my couch and refused to talk, only waving his hand dismissively when asked questions.

Budweiser A.K.A. Bud Heavy A.K.A. Bud Diesel
- no comment- 1.5

Bud Select
"What?" 1

Coors Original
"the rockies don't taste so great." "Vomit" 2

Miller Genuine Draft
"no comment" (I actually wrote that) 1.5

Bud Ice
- no comment - 1.25

Beer 96-101

yeah, we forgot to log the last beers because we drank them on the night of game 4 of the series. Something about a riot, I can't remember exactly. All I know is our notes were lost. Here's what we do have from the next night that we tasted. One more note for these beers: we didn't rate them. We kinda forgot. oops!

Concord - Rapscallion Premier

This American Blond Ale is sweet, dry and (even though Retha and I think he's crazy) Matt thinks it smells like an IPA. This is very refreshing, so much so that Retha had an alcogasm. Matt also says that women are like beer - full of yeast!

Middle Ages - ImPaled Ale

Obviously this is an IPA. Matt, who isn't crazy after all (but sure is unoriginal) says, "This smells like a pale ale". Also, this is very drinkable. The after taste is a bit short-lived, I wish it would stay longer and cuddle after we were finished.

Brouwerij Van Steenberge N.V - Piraat

At a hefty 10.5%ABV this is a beer that will make you kiss a fat man and rub his bald heads for good luck. This has more head that the underside of a congressman's desk and a strong wheaty taste to boot. I'd let this beauty loot and pillage anytime!

Ridgeway - Seriously Bad Elf

We had this one with pizza. It was really hard to taste with a mouth full of Dijourno, but It was still yummy. I said it tasted like pizza and elf toes, Retha said it tasted like bad Christmas (Come and sit on santa's lap, little girl. Santa promises to be good this time ;)
Piney, not good if you're looking to have a beer that you can dunk your pizza into.

Proceed with caution, particularly when eating with pizza. MSDS sheets available at front desk.

North Coast - Old Rasputin

Shoot it, stab it, poison it, drown it in a river - this beer is strong enough to survive anything. I think I shit a czaress when I woke up in the morning. I could really taste the chocolate! WOOOO! 100 Beers!

Tommyknocker Butthead

Matt - "Pumpkiny behind it all" Smells like a double bock (no shit) . Wes doesn't think it's so sweet, but this is a pretty average craft beer. Retha said nothing and stared at the TV.

That's all for now. Next post: American Macro Part I. The drunkening!!!!!

Brews 80-87

Yeah... We're really throwing them back now!

So we decided to have an Oktoberfest night. Now I know what you're saying, "But Matt, Oktoberfest is in September." I KNOW. But we didn't have these beers until October. So we're having a make-shift Oktoberfest.

If you guys don't know the story of Oktoberfest here it is: Way back when Monks would brew beer (go monks!). However, it was illegal to brew beer during the summer months. So the monks would brew large amounts of beer and store it deep inside caves so that it would stay cool all through the summer. Then in September they would climb down into the caves, retrieve the beer, and party hard. This later became a national celebration where royalty would drink with commoners, which is quite unheard of. And so... yeah... Oktoberfest...

Horbrau Oktoberfest
This was a fun beer, light amber color that smelled a lot like an American Macro Lager. Upon sipping this beer I noticed a hint of grain toward the front of my mouth. This beer has a delicious sweet taste that is chased with a great hoppy finish. They make themselves a fine beer, which we give a whopping 3.0 of 5 steins.

Abita Amber
I enjoy Abita beers. This one was packaged with a lovely sweet aroma. All of us kept repeating "It's good" at various moments of drinking. A good amount of head to this beer, that is followed by a caramel-y taste; which was strong (but not over powering). "...like a sweet cereal..." was commented by either Wes or I at some point in the tasting. With a quite tasty finish, we're giving this one a 3.75 of 5 steins.


Aynger Oktoberfest Marzen
Now, Wes rather enjoys Marzens, so he was in heaven with this one. It's a shame that he was let down by an average beer. An irony smell permeated from this beverage. Now I will describe why we feel it was average. It didn't have a bad taste (by no means), but it certainly didn't have a good taste either (if that makes sense). Retha didn't like it, for what it's worth... Kidding of course... you wouldn't read this if you didn't care what we think. This beer has a nice head that sustains well; but due to its averageness we grant it (an average) 2.5 of 5 steins.

Lowenbrau Oktoberfest
Oh dear another brau? Okay, I'll drink it with gusto! Light in color and similar smelling to the Hofbrau. With a taste that was on the lower side of average (aka not too impressive). "It's kind of eh..." We didn't find anything too standout-ish about this brew. Kinda sweet & hoppy, but not really. Another average 2.5 steins of 5.0... I want more full steins!!

Brooklyn Oktoberfest
Brooklyn represent!! Erm... I'm not even sure I've been to Brooklyn... But I'll represent it! This beer sports a dark color with a chocolately aroma. Wes feels it, "...looks kind of like an Irish red." This beer strangely fit all of the characteristics of a Brown Ale (which I happen to love). With that, we wouldn't categorize this with Oktoberfest beers; but I guess Brooklyn does (REPRESENT). The only Oktoberfest characteristic we found was the after taste (which was kind of a standard Oktoberfest taste). An estranged 3.0 of 5 steins.

Great American Beer Fest 25th Anniversary
Now, we were upset that we couldn't make it out to Colorado for this year's Great American Beer Festival. So we wanted to bring a taste to our small town in the Southern Mass. At first sniff, I noted, "...smells like a candy..." Wesley commented: "I smell an IPA." Which I think should set off a bell in your head saying, "Hey man... This beer sounds complex!" Which it was! I've got to tell you, this beer is quite a rare beer. We considered just keeping it as a collectible, but we thought you readers were more important. Oh, this beer... totally has a head that sustains... through the entire drinking experience. This beer was pretty good, 3.0 of 5 steins.

Budweiser's Brew Master's Private Reserve
This one goes out to all the Americans out there, that enjoy a fine American brew (yea right). "This is very heady." That is perhaps the only nice thing I have to say about this beer. Now for the negative: "This beer smells like piss!" I proclaimed as I almost gagged. Wes then felt it necessary to say, "Ever pick up a mop that was used to sweep up piss the day before? I have..." Retha continued, "I am absolutely livid!" If you are wondering why we are so upset, it because this bottle was HUGE and hard to find. Couple those together and you get what? EXPENSIVE. Sadly this beer came with no sweetness at all in fact, "It's just bad. Ugh!" I don't care what Retha and Wes say, I am hijacking this rating. Despite any redeeming qualities that we could make up for this beer, it's expensive, large, and of the family Piss. I give it a 0 steins of 5... Yeah NO STEINS FOR YOU PISS BEER BITCH!

74-79

Manav Karma

As our friends to the east say, Karma's a bitch. this is your average wanna-be american macro lager. Tastes a bit rice if you ask me. Kinda tastes like rye after you swallow. I'm giving this a 2.5 steins - right down the middle of the road.

Melbourn Bros. Strawberry

This is expensive, but maybe worth the investment. at "spontaneous fermantation" beer with strawberry flavor added, the strawberry definitely overpowers the flavor, kinda like a fruit roll up on white bread 3.75 steins for this english curiousity

Rodenbach

Tiny-ass bottle. Thank GOD! this was not worth the effort we took in finding it. Smelled like composting barley and a fruity, sweet/tart taste that fades into Worcestershire sauce just isn't something my mouth enjoys. If you want a cheaper facsimilie of what this tastes like, put a shot of bitters in a Killian's. Sound like fun? Thought not. 1.5 steins out of 5

Rodenback Grand Cru

From the makers of the previous abomination comes an average beer. Supposedly a flemish sour ale, this was more like a light barleywine with a vinegar hint (I guess that's what makes it sour?) Acidic, fruity and tart. I think that this might taste good with fish (think malt vinegar on haddock), but as a standalone beer it was nothing to call the press about.

Farson's Lacto

Milk stout? I guess. This dark beer smelled like a lager! I could smell the milk and barely taste it. I think this would be a great stout to drink for a session. 3.5 steins out of 5

Lakefront Fuel Cafe

Coffee beer. I feel like Drew Cary would be proud if Buzz Beer tasted anything like this. It was great, but the smell made me think of Tobasco sauce! Weird beer, but damn good. 4.25 shaky, jittery steins!

the next six will be posted by Retha. That'll round out the first 85 and hopefully we'll be back on track after that.

Newcastle	Brown Ale
Anchor	Liberty Ale
Spaten	Oktoberfestbier
Sapporo	Yebisu
Samuel Smith's	Taddy Porter
Samuel Smith's	Old Brewery Pale Ale
Christoffel	Blond
Westmalle	Dubbel
Duvel
Alba	Scots Pine Ale
Ebulum
Fraoch	Heather Ale
Hoegaarden	Witbier
Radeberger	Pilsner
Southhampton	Secret
Tsingtao
Murphy's	Irish Stout
Samuel Smith's	Oatmeal Stout
Samuel Smith's	Imperial Stout
Pilsner Urquell
Victory	Prima Pils
Weihenstephaner	Hefe Weissbier
Weihenstephaner	Kristal Weissbier
Boon	Geuze
Boon	Framboise
Paulaner	Hefe-Weizen
Paulaner	Original Munich
Paulaner	Salvator
Theakston	Old Peculiar
Franziskaner	Dunkel Hefe-Weissbier
Grozet	Gooseberry & Wheat Ale
Schneider Weisse
Schneider	Aventinus
Christoffel	Robertus
Saison Dupont
Saint Sylvestre	3 Monts
La Choulette	Ambrée
Chimay	Cinq Cents
Southhampton	Saison
Chimay	Grand Réserve
Young's	Double Chocolate Stout
Unibroue	Maudite
Kasteel	Bier
Saison de Pipaix
Huyghe	Delirium Tremens
Ommegang
Tripel Karmeliet
Beamish	Irish Stout
Red Hook	ESB
Geary's	Pale Ale
Bavik	Wit Bier/Wittekerke
Anchor	"Our Special Holiday Ale"
Weihenstephaner	Hefeweissbier Dunkel
Sinebrychoff	Porter
Aecht	Schlenkerla Rauchbier - Marzen
Uerige	Alt
Magic Hat	Blind Faith IPA
Spaten	Münchner Hell
Black Sheep	Ale
Wychwood	Hobgoblin
Burton Bridge	Empire Pale ale
Boston Beer Works	Beantown Nut Brown Ale
Boston Beer Works	Buckeye Oatmeal Stout
Rodenbach
Farsons	Lacto Traditional Stout
Rodenbach	Grand Cru
HB	Oktoberfestbier
Ayinger	Oktober Fest-Märzen

Berkshire	Drayman's Porter
Carib	Royal Extra Stout
Rogue	Dead Guy Ale
Weihenstephaner	Korbinian
Dogfish Head	120 Minute IPA
Boston Beer Works	Bunker Hill Blueberry
Boston Beer Works	Muddy River Porter
Sam Adams	Boston Lager
Sam Adams	White Ale
Sam Adams	Octoberfest
Lakefront	Fuel Café
Manav	Karma
Melbourn Bros	Strawberry
Abita	Amber
Boulder Beer Company	The Great American Beer Festival 25th Year Beer
Brooklyn	Oktoberfest
Löwenbräu	Oktoberfestbier

For those of you counting, those are our first 85 beers. I know we didn't review all of them, but I really don't feel like going through and double checking right now for our oversights. Deal with it! :)

Beers 61-72

So it's been a while since I blogged anything for you guys... Been a real rough few weeks of academics. But I am back and I am here to inform you all of delicious (and not so delicious) beers... Will you join me?

Beamish Irish Stout
This beer was interesting to me. It had a real nice head and color to it. It reminded me of Guiness. But a watered down Guiness. To continue to compare it to Guiness, despite the nice head, it was certainly less heady than Guiness. But for the price I think I'd buy this over Guiness. The price is nice and since it's a little more watered down, I could certainly drink a good number of these in a night. Especially since even though it is watery, it is a very delicious beer. 3.25 steins of 5.

Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier
We loved this beer (Timm was with us). A very fire-y, smoke-y aroma permeates from this incredible beverage. "I just wanna smell it all night" was heard from all 4 of us at one point in the tasting; and we certainly could have. But you all are on the edge of your seat to know how this tastes. NO DO NOT READ AHEAD! Look I know its tempting... but you need to stay with me. This beer was absolutely amazing. It tasted like barbecue ham. And we feel it would go perfect with some kind of meat. I am for sure bringing this to my next summer cookout and helping my friends enjoy their meal with a supplementing beverage. Timm would not stop repeating, "This is sick!" In fact it was so "sick" that he gave it a 5 of 5. But Retha, Wes, and I are much more critical than that. We gave this BBQ-gasm a humbling 4.25 of 5 steins.

2006 Anchor Our Special Holiday Ale
Like I said, it was a while since we had these beers. To be honest with you all, I don't remember this one. So I'm going to have to refer strictly to the notes I took. Possesses a chocolaty/cinnamon-y aroma. Smooth drink but strange after taste. Sorry that wasn't more informative... 3.5 steins of 5.

Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier Dunkel
When I usually have any kind of "hefe" beer I seem to taste beef jerky. With this beer there was a definite less jerky taste (which I of course loved). This Hefeweissen looked and smelled pretty much like any other that we have had. Now, this beer was special to us because by far it was the best Hefeweissen we have tasted. Which doesn't say too much, because it was still a bad tasting beer. 3.0 steins out of 5.

Sinebrychoff Porter
"It's no BBQ sex, but its good" -Wes. I think that was a weird comment because these beers aren't very comparable. This porter had a strong coffee taste. A very smooth beverage with an after taste that was a little chocolaty. This beer is definitely worth savoring and enjoying. 3.75 steins of 5.

Weihenstephaner Korbinian
This beer is not listed in the book. But as we said, we're going to have to make up for some that are no longer in production. Since we had a few other Weihenstephaners, we figured why not try this one too. Now I thought this beer was far too sweet. Don't get me wrong, I like some sweetness to my beers, but this beer was obnoxiously sweet. We felt it was very similar to barley wine (which explains why I didn't like it at all). Retha like the sweet smell but disliked the complete lack of head. Its a heavy beverage, but not very heavy. I regretfully tell you all that we gave this one 3.0 steins of 5.

Bavik Witbier/Wittekerke
"Oh! A beer that smells like a beer for once" I proclaimed as this beer was handed to me. Light in color and sporting a light head this beer went down exceptionally smooth. And for the price this beer is absolutely amazing! This is the kind of beer I want at my wedding. A perfect 4.5 out of 5 steins. (hah you thought I was gunna say 5 of 5).

Geary's Pale Ale
This beer came with a rather nice amber color. When tasted, finished rather dry. Timm could really taste the fruitiness in this beer. We all enjoyed the smooth taste provided by this beer. The only thing I remember about this beer is that I was eating Chinese food and I did NOT like the combination. 3.5 of 5 steins.

Uerige Alt.
This beer came with a caramel-y sweet smell. But was surprisingly very hoppy. "Really nails you with that bitter aftertaste" commented Timm. I would have to agree. But I rather enjoy the hoppier beers. Wes thought this was a good dark malt. It went well with my Chinese food. So I am happy to tell you all we gave it a 3.75 out of 5 steins.

Red Hook ESB
Now, if you don't know what ESB stands for I will inform you. It stands for: Extra Special Bitter. In hearing that, I expected something more bitter than an IPA. What I got was a sweet and hoppy beer. Now this doesn't mean it was a bad beer. It just isn't what I'd call an ESB. I really expected more; and as a group we felt this beer did not stand out at all. A 3.0 steins of 5.

Carib Extra Stout
This beer is also not in our lovely book handed down by Michael Jackson himself (may he rest in peace). This beer smelt like toast dipped in sangria. This disturbed me. In fact after tasting it I believe my notes here say "Sorry Carib, you lose). I did however enjoy the dark rose color found in this beer. Later on, "mmm, you get worse" was proclaimed by Wesley. We all agree that this was the worst beer tasted at this point in our journey. A pitiful 1.0 of 5 steins.

Rogue Dead Guy Ale
This beer sported we characterize as a "Hefeweissen-amber" color. This is certainly a pale ale. But it was like an average pale ale (though it does contain a high ABV). There was a subtle aroma of an IPA. I tasted a hint of watermelon, similar to a watermelon tootsie pop. Like a candy watermelon. Which I found interesting and delicious (I like watermelon). 4 steins out of 5.

54-60

From time to time there are defining moments in the life of a man: your first bike without training wheels, your first kiss, your first car, your first car with matching paint. The list can go on and on, but on October 13 we made a memory that puts many of those to shame - our first beer in a brewery (which was free)! Here's the recap.

Sam Adams Boston Lager -
Thick headed, great color and wonderful carbonation. A sweet, hoppy smell that is somewhat citric. The taste is a bit bitter and just thick enough. A solid 4.5 steins. WOooHOoo!

Sam Adams Oktoberfest -
This little beauty had a characteristic Marzen amber color with an aroma that was also citric (like the lager) but with a slight coffee smell. The taste was characteristic and had a sweet start. This beer started out a bit watery and ended wonderfully. another 4.5 steins. BEER!!!

Sam Adams White Ale
Hoppy, wheaty, cloudy, great head. Just like that one time in college, at Bonnaroo with that girl that could do the thing with her... Oh wait. I mean. It was great. 4.5 ! <3beer

Boston Beer Works Beantown Nut Brown Ale
Very clear for it's dark coloration. Looks like thin maple syrup. Sugary, nutty aroma (roasted walnuts) Dry, thin and syrupy (if that makes sense) and this is true to taste.
4 steins, yo.

Boston Beer Works Buckeye Oatmeal Stout
Thick head, recedes and leaves fine lacing. Tastes like oatmeal cooked with a beer instead of water. Light chocolate scent. Very dark color, slightly dry, kinda bitter in a good way. average stout. 3 steins for you!

Boston Beer Works Bunker Hill Blueberry Ale
Great presentation with floating blueberries that rise and fall in the glass. The smell is a bit like blueberry pancakes and thsi has a thin, fruit taste. the ale is very blueberry at the finish and the taste disappears quickly. Retha like blueberries in her mouth. "MMmmmmm!"4 steins and a bushel of berries for this one.

Boston Beer Works Muddy River Porter
Little head. DARK! Raisiny taste with a fruitier taste than most porters. Think raisin chocolate bar. 4.25 steins.

Beers 41-53

The following beers took place between Thursday October 4 and Saturday October 6. Yeah I'm not sure when we drank these exactly, but in general we just called it Big Bottle Birthday Weekend!

Ommegang
This beer was very enjoyable. It went down easy and the favor was impectable. Matt thought it smelt like a musty basement, but he's crazy...the smell was sweet and hoppy. Wes felt that if he had this while watching a movie it would be gone by the end. We give this one 4 unanimous steins out of 5

Tripel Karmeliet
Heife-weissen fans should definately try this beer says Wes. There was no strong after taste and I really liked that. For Matt this was another beef-jerky beer. Matt didn't enjoy it but Wes did so there was a stairdown. It was very heady, but at the same time it had a taste that a wine drinker would enjoy, which is why I loved it. 4 out of 5 steins

Saison De Pipex
If I didn't know this was a beer I would have thought I was drinking wine. It smells like apple sauce or apple cidar. The taste is of a blush apple wine. The only thing that set this beer apart from a wine was the carbonation. We gave this one a soid 4 out of 5 steins

Huyghe Delirium Tremens
I don't remember much about this beer to be honest. I do remember that it had a very hoppy taste and that it wasn't too bad. Matt was complaining about the sediment in it cause hes a bitch. 3.75 steins out of 5

Kasteel Bier
This was nasty beer! Wes is werd so he really liked it. All I remember is that it tasted like shitty saki. BOOOO!!!!! 2.5 steins out of 5

Young's Double Chocolate Stout
Stouty, Chocolatey...amazing!!!!! I think its like heaven in a bottle. It was just a damn good beer 4.5 out of 5 steins

Unibroue Maudite
"If I was in the mood for a spiced Belgin ale would definately drink this" -Wes Predicable taste of a Belgin ale, but nothing that special about it. We felt that is was good but we could have likes it more. 3.5 out of 5 steins

Magic Hat Blindfaith IPA
It has the normal IPA smell. The taste isn't over-powering, and it goes down smooth. Matt said that if wasn't so difficult to find he would drink it all the time. 4 out of 5 steins

Black Sheep Ale
LAME! It was an okay beer, but it wasn't anything special. Why is it a black sheep there isn't anything very different about this beer. You could distinctly smell the corn and the hops used in the brewing process, but other than that, eh. 3 out of 5 stiens.

Hobgoblin
Very good english dark brew. It's amber color and taste reminded us of the Newcastle, which we really enjoyed. The taste was sweet and hoppy with an additional little something that we couldn't really place. 3.5 steins out of 5

Spaten Muchen Hells
This beer was nothing special. Average taste, smell, and color. 3 steins out of 5

Burton Bridge Empire IPA
Heady at first, but slowly goes away. Has a really odd bubblegum taste to it. This has got to be the worst beer we have had. Matt was getting a hard alcohol taste, Wes didn't like it, and I kept getting a differnt taste each time I had a sip. It was just bad, there is no other way to discribe it. 1.5 steins out of 5

Dogfish Head 120 minutes IPA
Before I give the review I just want to say that we were really excted about this beer...and then we tasted it. I had one sip and couldn't drink anymore. My stomach hated this beer. Luckily the guys are awesome and drink my share too. The faces the guys were making when they were taking down this one were great. We gave this a 1.25 out of 5 steins only because of the high alcohol content.

We Haven't forgotten

Just so all you faithful readers know, we haven't forgotten about you! We are college students so we do get busy. We have been tasting and sampling, but have been too busy to sit and blog. We are presently over 60 beers and will be blogging them as soon as we have the free time.

A slight preview for you all: This past weekend we drove up into Boston and did a tour of the Samuel Adams brewery. Which I highly suggest (free beer). We also hit up Boston Beerworks for some interesting beers (to be blogged ASAP).

So keep checking cuz those updates will be here soon!

Beers 36-40

8% completion!

This post will be everything (and nothing more) than what I found posted on my refrigerator this morning. -Wes

La Choulette Ambrée
"Fruity yet delicious good amber Matt bitched about the sediment 3.5"
Southhampton Saison
"Something French Southhampton -citrusy, tasty. A strong "Sam Summer". Heady, like that shameless broad from Oxford.
3.125
♥Bob

Chimay Cinq Cents
" -fuck France "surprisingly little head, smells like yeast. It's my ex-girlfriend!" Matt no like @ first then did. 3.5"

Chimay Grand Réserve
"I enjoyed it. Can definitely taste the nutmeg -Retha
Matt - tasteless
sweet smell + taste. a bit tangy. starts sweet, bitter end - Wes
3.5"

Saint Sylvestre 3 Monts
"Damn, I feel like a 12 year old trying to open a condom! - Wes (while trying to pop stubborn cork)
Winey - would think it was a lambic [yeasty] - Matt
3.5"

501 (the first supplement)

Berkshire Drayman's Porter:

The Dead Livers Society is not only on a quest to bring you reviews of Michael Jackson's 500 best brews, but to bring you reviews of any interesting or (more importantly) available beers that we feel are interesting, good enough, or bad enough to comment on. This is the first of many supplements that will all be numbered beginning at 501 and may well reach the largest number that scientists and astronomers know to exist: One thousand and thirty-five.

Big bottle birthday weekend started quick and slowly declined into something mediocre and uneventful. This is a pretty classic americanized porter. Lighter than a stout but full of flavor, this beer tasted quite a bit like what I might imagine Murphy's Stout would taste like if it went out trick-or-treating as a porter for Halloween. The groups response range from "wow, that's heavy" to "Slow down Wes, there's other beers to try tonight!"

True, we had 5 other beers on our agenda, but this was my favorite by far of the evening. To make this beer even better, it comes in a GROWLER! I don't know if it is about getting my beer in 1/2 gallon units, or the ability to roll the growler back over my wrist and chug from it's sweet glass teat like a backwoods sophisticate, but I sure feel cultured and slightly naughty when I hold this little cutie in my anticipating fingers. (like a groom carrying his virgin bride across the threshold on the night of his 4th wedding in as many summers)

Based entirely upon my recollection of last night, 4.04 steins out of 5.05. Do the math, yo.

Brews 26-35

And so once again we are putting our livers on the line to bring you guys the skinny on Michael Jackson's "500 Best Brews" and with this batch, I gotta tell you, he may have something here. We did 10 freakin beers in a night, and some of them were absolutely amazing. We almost had our first 5 which was quite exciting. But with out further delay...

Theakston Old Peculiar:
Rather peculiar indeed... To the nose: strong wine odor... to the tongue: smooth with no wine taste what-so ever. All joking aside, this was an amazing beer upon tasting it Retha declared it to be the best beer thus far. I personally can't remember too many taste factors, but I do remember being very happy with it as a first choice for the night. We highly suggest picking up a 6 of this and enjoying it with some good friends.. a 4.5 out of 5 steins.

Paulaner Original Munich:
From the scent of this beer, I would have thought it to be lambic. In fact I kept asking if it was... A strong berry scent, which Wes describes as, "Fresh Tortilla Chips (right out of the fryer) with fruit salsa." I don't know if I'd go that far, but yes... it did smell fruity. Perhaps the greatest quote about this beer came while we were trying to figure out a way to describe it. Wes declared, "It was good" with a mouth full of lemon mirange pie. We give this beer a lovingly 3.5 steins out of 5.

Paulaner Hefe-Weizen:
"A smelly smell that smells" (Retha). Yeah, that describes it. The scent on this beer was quite disturbing. However the taste was rather interesting. Instantly I tasted that beef jerky taste I have been getting from some beers. Then Wes mentioned the banana undertones. Upon my next sip I was there with him. I'd call its jerked bananas. But as for the type of beer, it was very good. We're granting this one 3.5 bananas out of 5... Oh! uh... I mean steins... We grant steins here...

Scneider Weisse:
We purposely put all of the weisse and weizen in the middle so that we could have a delicious beginning and ending (we aren't huge fans of these types). I believe my exact words were "disgusting." That was all I needed to say about this beer. The smell was terrible, the taste... terrible even for a weisse. But in order to stay objective, we're giving this one a 2.5 steins out of 5, simply because for the type of beer... its was... kind of shitty. But only kind of...

Paulaner Salvator: If you haven't guessed by now, we're trying to take down all of the Paulaner's tonight. I absolutely loved this beer. An incredible smell, sweet and smooth taste, and just amazing. However every silver lining has a cloud (yeah I reversed that). This beer lacked a real hops taste. If this beer had a strong hop taste to it, I would have fully given this a 5 (and I believe the other agree). But due to the lack of stronger hops, 4.5 steins out of 5.

Schneider Aventinas: At this point in the night our friend Timm and his lovely fiancé Jen joined us. And I am terribly sorry to say their night started with a terrible beer. "I really really hate it" said Retha. I feel as though it is a wheat beer brand trying to be a bock. Timm thought, "It smells good, but it just tastes bad." Before we all gave up on this one Wes chimed in with, "As it warms it tastes better." Now I rather enjoy wheat beer, and I am fine with drinking bocks. But this hybrid frankenstein-esque beer does not deserve to be on the face of this earth. A pitiful 2 out of 5 steins.

Saison Dupont: Wes has been eagerly waiting the tasting of this Dupont. We talked alot about having it, and finally decided it was time. The pour left a strong foamy head at the top, with a rather skunkish odor. Our good friend Timm said it was good but he wouldn't drink it every day.Wes believed it to be an average summery ale. I personally thought it was a decent beer and I would suggest it to a person who enjoys summer ales. But it is an expensive beer which deterred us a little. 3 steins out of 5.

Grozet Gooseberry & Wheat Ale: What the hell is a gooseberry? I don't know. But I liked it. This beer was both sweet and hoppy (which I rather liked). Timm liked it so much that he would drink it on a regular basis. This beer had a hoppy flavor complimented by the sweet fruitiness of the gooseberries. What was incredible was that the smell was a little spicy, yet the taste was devoid of all spice. The after taste of the beer was surprisingly more hop driven than fruit. As we all enjoyed this one, 3.75 our of 5 steins.

Franziskaner Dunkel Hefe-Weissbier: Quite a mouthful to order, but worth every word. This was almost like candy beer. This beer had a lot of various flavors to it, toffee, coffee, chocolate, and hops. Which was not at all indicated by the smell of the beer. It was very dark and indescript. Now depending on your taste buds you will have a different experience. I very strongly tasted the chocolate with a coffee underlie, whereas Retha tasted more coffee with chocolate undertones. Timm? well Timm just thought this beer was "sooooo good... it's just sweet goodness." Goodness indeed, 4.5 goodness steins out of 5.

Christoffel Robertus: If you guys are regular readers of this blog, you'd know that I had a bad experience with the last Christoffel... That's right, the beer exploded in my face. Now I felt as though it was necessary for me to open this one and redeem myself. That I did... and so did the brand. This beer was great. It had an interesting watermelon taste to it. The amber color was quite misleading, as it contained more hops than expected. This beer completely changed how I feel about the Christoffel line of beers. An easily granted 4.25 out of 5 steins.

Brews 20-25

Yeah...I know this blog entry is like 2 days late, but in my defense there's been a lot going on. I mean seriously we had 10 beers last night alone...don't worry Matt's got those covered so you wont have to wait too long.

Anyway, Tonight there were 4 of us, Matt, Wes, myself, and appearing for the first time in the Beer Blog - which I might add he is very excited about - Timm! Timm became intertwined in our mission after he read our blog the other day. Timm will be making celebrity guest spots here from time to time.

#20 Boon Geuze
This is the first lambic beer we have tasted on our journey. The beer has a very wine-esque smell and taste. Being a wino myself I immediately feel in love with its fruity flavor that over ran my taste buds. Timm and I agreed that this would be an amazing dinner or dessert beer...especially with cheesecake. The best quote from this tasting is, "I could easily get drunk off of this," made by Timm. This is a very strong statement from a guy who drinks to enjoy. The rating for this makes me sad because I rated it higher.
3.75 steins out of 5

#21 Boon Framboise
Being our second lambic beer I was excited for the fruity nature of another lambic. This had a raspberry scent to it that filled with nostrils and made me smile. What didn't make me smile about this tastey brew was the sedement. I didn't like the fact that there were floaties in my beer. Another thing that turned me off about this brew was the acidic flavor brought on by the lemon in it. This made me very sad because if I didn't have the lemony flavor in it I would have given it a higher rating.
This baby gets 3.5 steins out of 5

#22 Pilsner Urquell
This brew disappointed the entire group. I mean when it get the comment of, "It tastes like a men's urinal sweat, yet bitter," comes from Wes you know there's got to be something wrong. It has a very hoppy taste and I beleive its one of the hoppy-est Pilsners I've ever had. This was definately on the lower end of our taste buds.
2.5 steins out of 5

#23 Victory Prima Pils
Going from the last Pilsner to this one made the entire group nervous. This one was lighter in color than the last and we expected the same nasty urinal sweat taste, but it wasn't as bad. The beer went down relatively smooth. Once in your mouth the taste wasn't too bad, but it was the short bitter aftertaste that killed it. It was very average, so we gave it an average rating.
3 steins out of 5

#24 Weihenstephaner Kristal Weissbier
To start off with this beer has an amazing taste, but once that after taste hits you it's like you just pounded a bottle of bad cough medicine and ate a pound of beef jerky. I don't know if you realize how bad of a taste that is but if you want to experience it try this beer, if not don't waste your money. Some comments about the beer were, "it's like the other Weissbier, but less intense," Wes and "Love the original, but the after taste I'm not dinnin'," Timm.
We give this a poor 2.5 steins out of 5

#25 Weihenstephaner Hefe Weissbier
All I have to say about this beer is "What the F-enweissen!" I'm not sure who in the group said that, but I completely agree. Bad, Bad, Bad! The scent was bad, the taste was bad, and the after taste was bad. Really Now? How much did we pay for this beer? I don't remember but it definately wasn't worth it!
1 stein out of 5

The left out story...

So Retha and Arlo left out the details of how we acquired beers 17-19+... I will now share the magical story of our pilgrimage to Rhode Island.

Now, we are a simple people from small towns in Massachusetts. But we all attend a college in Southern Mass (about 20min from RI). One day, while listening to the radio in my car, We heard about a liquor store in North Providence (a mere 30min drive from our school). This was no regular liquor store, NO NO! This store offered over 700 different kinds of beer!

The very thought of so much beer decided for Retha and I to make the epic venture south. We were sitting at breakfast on Saturday and it was decided that after our delicious meals we would make the trip. Wes just so happened to be there and had nothing to do, so we included him. After we finish eating, we gathered our various necessities (Michael's book, money, vehicle, etc.). We all piled into my little Jetta and began the journey.

The highway work was a joke; I've traveled to Providence many times. It was when we got down in the area that troubles arose. We were using the mapping functions of a popular search engine, which told us our beloved liquor store was just off of the highway. IT WAS NOT...

After wandering around side streets we decided to start over on the main road. There was this random rehab clinic on a street labeled as the one we wanted. But we found no road, so we decided to enter the building and ask for assistance. Upon entering we saw an unmanned reception desk with a sign saying to use the phone in the case of an emergency. Now I really needed to urinate, so we made the decision to continue. We wondered through the halls until we came upon perhaps the greatest bathroom I have ever used.

The actual room itself was pretty lame... but the door and toilet side was what I enjoyed. Normal bathrooms have just a lock... this one... 2!! So I felt it necessary to lock both. While urinating I noticed an "in case of emergency" switch. It was a little right switch (much like a light switch) with a chord through it. I suppose it was there in case I fell into the toilet while pissing... I dunno...

When I exited the bathroom Wes and Retha approached me and made me aware of the lack of people and a creepy chapel. We then decided it was a Zombie Rehab Clinic. So that we ought to leave immediately. So we ran back to my Jetta noticing that there must have been many zombies because the parking lot was nearly full.

We got back onto the highway and decided to try a different street. After about a mile we found a gas station and decided to ask for directions. Retha went in to get proper directions (via cleavage flashing). After a few minutes she returned with what we thought were good directions. These shitty directions lead us onto a highway that would take us north to my home area. We righted ourselves back toward the Providence area.

We found a new gas station just off of the highway; and so once again Retha entered to show off the goods. The clerks of the station were a large man and a geeky kid. Both of whom had no idea where we were going until Retha bent over the counter. At which time the fat man knew exactly where the liquor store was (about 10mi away). With a new breath of life we got back on the road and eagerly drove. Then all of a sudden, there it was, in a little plaza... Nikki's Liquor!!

This is perhaps the second best store I have ever been in (the one back home is better... we may blog its location later). They had a wide selection of beer, wine, and hard alcohol. This truly was an excellent store. After about a half hour of browsing, we compiled a case and a quarter of custom 6packs (thats 5 6packs for the less mathematically inclined). These 30 beers cost us over $100, but they also set us up until mid October.

This was an epic journey, and I gladly tip my hat to Nikki's Liquors!

Beer 17-19

Last night we had a very special celebrity guest, Wes. Wes will be joining us very frequently throughout the rest of the year to enjoy the wonder that is beer with us.

Murphy's Irish Stout
Ok so, I enjoyed the Stout. This wasn't a bad stout nor was an excellent one. Matt commented that it was a bit watery. He didn't like that he could actually taste the water. I didn't know what the hell he was talking about, yes it was thin but i tasted no water. It was very non-mealish. I didn't feel full afterward which was good. To the common drinker, most people will compare an Irish stout against a Guinness. Murphy's is a bit less intense, but not without flavor. It seems a bit more earthy, if not nutty. The head is pretty typical of an Irish stout, with the falling head as it is poured thinning out to a thin layer of meringue-like foam as you drink it.
We gave with 3 steins out of 5.

Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout
It was good...I don't remember why, but it just was. The beer was much thicker than the Murphy's but I enjoyed it nonetheless. Yeah...that shit was good.
I give it, I don't care what anyone else says 4 steins out of 5.

Samuel Smith Imperial Stout
Pretty standard imperial stout that sticks to the tradition of Samuel Smith: accurate yet drinkable. I remember a few times back in college where I put down a few of these in a evening (with other assorted drinks) and felt no ill effects. This is a great priced beer for what it is. Not outstanding, but a great "fancy beer on a budget" choice. 3.5 steins out of 5.

Beer #16

Okay, so Retha and I went out for Chinese food and scorpion bowls. While we were there we noticed a beer that was in Michael Jackson's book... so here's our review:

Tsing Tao:
This was an amazing beer. We started with sniffing the bottle. The bottle was interesting with the name printed both on the label and in the glass of the bottle. Then the first taste. So good. This beer was agreed to be great by all of the people we were with. Retha, Wes, Bob, H, Dibz, and I all agreed this was a great beer. I highly suggest it to any one who wonders about the beverages of the orient. 4.5 steins out of 5.

Brews 13-15

So Tonight we have a special guest star to the blog, his name is Bob, and he wraps that shit tight yo. Any who here we go for tonight.

South Hampton Secret Ale
This brew wasn't so bad, it's a dark ale which as we have said earlier we are not fans of. Over all the 3 of us felt it wasn't too bad. The flavor is pretty strong, Matt and I went with a bloodish flavor. Bob kept getting a bitter taste in the back of his throat. I enjoyed the beer myself. It's definitely one of the better dark ales that I've had. I really liked that it didn't have a strong aftertaste, i mean as far as dark ales go.
In the end we gave it a 3.5 steins out of 5.

Hoegaarden Witbier-biere Blanche
I don't care how cool, funny, sexy, dirty, or STD infested hoes are this is beer sucked. "This smells like utter," is what Bob said while Matt said, "This tastes like beef jerky," and I would have to agree with Matt. If I could imagine the taste of ass, I would say that it tastes like bee jerky and ass. This beer was fucking nasty! "I hope this didn't cost much," was Bob's comment. Yeah sadly it cost about $3. It definitely wasn't worth it, and I would never buy it again. Matt doesn't think it's that bad, while I think he's crazy.
Because of Matt we give it 1.5 steins out of 5.

Radeberger Pilsner
WOOHOO for Pilsner!!!! So, clearly I'm a pilsner fan, and I really enjoyed this brew. It went down nice and smooth, the aftertaste was just right, and I thoroughly enjoy how refreshing the taste is. The guys well, Bob didn't have a problem with it and Matt's taste buds are clearly fucked up because he tastes burnt hair (I'm sure he'll be okay someday, but for now lets all just go with it). I'm just excited for a Pilsner!
This baby gets 3 steins out of 5 (I blame the guys, I would have rated it a little higher)

Beers 10-12

Well, after an interesting find last tasting, Retha and I have decided to make notes on the brews as we go... As you can tell by the last post of the last session, I was very good...

Beer 10: Alba Scots Pine Ale
Hated it. Retha tasted the pine (I did not). But I did taste a very distinct mustard-esque after taste. In my opinion the beer is very sweet on the way down, which made it less enjoyable. According to Michael Jackson's info blurb in the book, no hops are used in its creation (parts of pine trees are instead). Perhaps that is why this beer is so terrible. I was excited to try it because I am a huge fan of Jessica Alba, and I was grossly let down. This beer gets 0.5 Steins out of 5.

Beer 11: Ebulum Elderberry Black Ale
"Wow I like that one." ~Retha. And I would have to agree. A very interesting black ale with an after taste that reminds me of Crack Jacks. Mmmm a nice blast to my youth ::drifts off into a euphoric gaze:: ... Oh! Right! The beer... an extremely smooth caramelish taste that was quite surprising. We were expecting a dark beer that would make us go "wooleh." But this is not a meal on its own and it certainly isn't that thick. It also carries a very sweet aroma. All around a great beer. An easily granted 4 steins out of 5.

Beer 12: Fraoch Heather Ale
So this one is all mine considering Matt can't taste a thing...I blame the pizza. Anyway, I give the smell a huge blah. Damn that was smelly. The taste was just as bad. It didn't go down smooth and it tasted like a caramelish ewwww. Upon further tasting after the pizza Matt said that he got a quick caramel taste. Over all it was pretty nasty. Tis was difficult, but we gave it 2 steins out of 5.

Brews 4-9

Samuel Smith's Old Brewery Pale Ale
We were pleasantly surprised by this brew. We are two people who don't prefer drinking pale ales but will enjoy one from time to time. I think that this is perhaps my most favorite pale ale. The hoppy overtones compliment the various flavors enclosed. As for pale ales, we highly suggest this one. 3 out of 5 steins.

Samuel Smith's Taddy Porter
For the 5th of our brews we tried Smith's Pale Ale, which I found very good. The ale had a sweet smell with a hint of coffee-ish. As for the taste it was enjoyable. Being the type of person that does not enjoy pale ales I find this beer surprisingly tasty. Sadly the aftertaste ruined the beer for me. It left me with the taste of old coffee in my mouth and that is not cool with me.
I give this beer 3 out of 5 steins.

Christoffel Blond
Number 6 is a very interesting Dutch lager. My number one suggestion is to open away from the face. I had never experienced a bottle such as this, so when I opened it the carbonation exploded into my face. We had a good laugh about it as we poured the beer. From that, the first sip was terrible. The second just as bad. In theory this would be a very delicious brew. However, the hops are far too large of an ingredient. If the brew master took the hops down a little this brew would be amazing. The hops just over power all of the other undertones. Because of this hop domination, I have to score it a 1 stein out of 5.

Anchor Brewing Co. Liberty Ale
The 7th brew truly let us down. We expected so much more from something characterized as an "American ale." By this point we were truly feeling our beer; and this poor taste still cut through. This beer has a very bitter yet tangy taste. Much like the previous, I wouldn't suggest this to anyone unless they really loved their pale ales. It wasn't bad but it certainly is not my beer of choice. However, it did have more of a taste to it than the Christoffel Blond; so I'll have to give it 2 steins out of 5.

Spaten Oktoberfest
Number 8. This beer definitely grew on me as I drank it. The first few tastes were alright. I've definitely had worse, but also had a lot better. I find this to be somewhat bad qualities in a beer. I want to like it from sip one to gulp done. I would categorize this brew as either dark or red (more on the darker side of red). A little pale, yet intriguing taste. I give this a 2.5 steins out of 5 (simply because I didn't like it at the start).

Westmalle Dubbel
Wow. 6 imported beers in a night. Number 9 (said to be the best by the gentle men at the liquor store) was... alright. A strong coffee taste to start with strangely no after taste at all. a very sweet aroma with an interesting like tangy taste (to compliment the coffee). I would have to agree with the men at the store. This is a fine beverage and I am glad to have ended the night with it. I don't know if it's the best we've had tonight, but it is damn good and I would suggest it to any friend who has the money for it. 3.5 steins out for 5

Beers 1-3

So, my friend Retha and I were in a Barnes and Noble one day looking for books. We then stumbled upon a book of the "500 Best Brews" by: Michael Jackson. Now, we are both avid drinkers and we found quite a bit of amusement in this. So I took it upon myself to spend the $10 to purchase it. As we thumbed through the book we both noticed that we had only both had 3 beers listed. We found this to be a huge problem. We have made drinking all 500 brews a goal. We intend to taste and blog all 500 beers in a year's time.

The first beer we've both experienced was Sapporro Yebisu. I had this at a Chinese food restaurant. It came in a nice chilled bottle. However, it came with a sort skunk aroma. But I didn't let this bother me. All in all it was an alright brew; nice alcohol content, and despite the aroma a nice taste (followed by a par after taste). I give this beer 2.5 steins out of 5.

The second beer we both had we shared together, was New Castle Brown Ale. I really enjoyed this brew. An incredible flavor, nice price and an even better after taste. This was my first brown ale and I must say that new castle impressed me. I definitely give this a 4 steins out of 5.

The third beer that we had both had was Duvel. This was a very interesting beer that came highly recommended by a colleague of mine. So we were very interested in trying it. My number one first bad impressions was the price. $15.50 for a four pack. Now I'm sorry but I am a poor college student. I have to fund the tasting of 500 beers and that price is too steep. However, Retha and I are dedicated to bring you guys the skinny on all these brews; so I coughed up the cash. This was a very fair beer. No where near what I expected. The taste was that of an average beer. But what was the trick was the after taste. This beer brought a nice wine after taste. Plus the alcohol content of amazing. One and a half Duvels and I was definitely happy. This is a nice 3 out of 5 steins. Simply because of the price and the averageness of the taste.


-Matt