Beer Review - New Glarus Two Women Lager

New Glarus Brewing Co. - Two Women Lager

Beer Type: German Pilsener - 5.00% ABV

Appearance: 12oz brown bottle with the brown craft colored label of New Glarus and two women on it. The name is a reference to the two woman owned breweries who worked on this brew. Also something about vikings and sumerians. Beer pours a orange amber color with a thin white head.

Smell: Something a bit like apples or apple juice and a bit of grain.

First Drink: Sweet malty apples with just a little bit of hops coming through at the end.

Mouthfeel: Smooth and creamy with just the right amount of carbonation.

Last Drink: Malty biscuits and grain with more of the floral hops and honey apples.

Drinkability: Woah I wasn't expecting this beer to be quite so good!

Notes: Another winner from WI that I can't get on a regular basis. Guess I will save it for road trips!

Verdict: 4.5 out of 5. A very tasty lager. 

Beer Review - New Belgium Hoppy Bock Lager.

New Belgium Brewing Company - Hoppy Bock Lager

Beer Type: Maibock/Helles Bock - 6.90% ABV

Appearance: 22 oz. brown bottle with a brown and red (kinda ugly when compared to the standard New Belgium) label. Beer poured a clear straw/yellow color with a nice beige head.     

Smell: Biscuity malt and a lot of floral hops come through first. Smells a bit funky which is not something you expect in a lager?        

First Drink: Hops in the front that quickly mellow out with malt and finishes with a bitter citrus.

Mouthfeel: Plenty of carbonation on this which is actually quite nice. Feels a little light overall.    

Last Drink: Sweet malt and bitter citrus left at the end and not too much in between.       

Drinkability: Not sure what the story on this one is. If it's a new thing they are trying to do (something called Hop Kitchen) or just a one off beer, either way I guess this wouldn't be the first beer I released?         

Notes: A more bitter and sweet lager? A hoppy bock? Something in between? So far this is a one off brewing and limited edition. Not sure I would go for this again.      

Verdict: 3 out of 5. Got craft but maybe not enough for what I want.

Beer Review - Uinta Baba Black Lager.

Uinta Brewing Company - Baba Black Lager

Beer Type: Schwarzbier - 4.00% ABV

Appearance: Cool little 12 oz brown bottle with a very classy looking label. Beer poured a deep dark brown/red color with just a bit of beige head.      

Smell: Roasted malt and some coffee aroma. Not a lot going on but it smells enticing.  

First Drink: Coffee up front then some smokey flavors which I wasn't expecting. Ends with the malt and a hint of bitterness.   

Mouthfeel: Surprisingly light for a beer that is this dark in color. I expected it to be a bit heavier.    

Last Drink: Bitter is building but the roasted malts are really carrying this brew through til the end.          

Drinkability: Very damn drinkable! Not what I expected but I like it.            

Notes: Grabbed this in Asheville NC on a visit last year. It's also the first beer I have seen to have the USDA Organic label!         

Verdict: 3.75 out of 5. Easy drinking and full of flavor.

Beer Review - Minhas Boxer Lager.

New brew Thursday!! Another beer from the archive. This one is from the summer and is what some might call a "lawnmower beer". I could go for a couple of these right now!!

 
Minhas Craft Brewery - Boxer Lager

Beer Type: American Adjunct Lager

Appearance: Big ole can for a low price of $1.15, Beer poured a light golden color with a huge foamy head that dissipated quickly. A darker color than I expected to see which is a good sign.

Smell: Sweet malt and corn come through right away. Have read other reviews which compared this smell to the circus peanuts candy and I can see that. 

First Drink: A nice bold flavor when compared to other cheap beers of this ilk. Sweet like the aroma with a bit of fruit mixed with the corn. Not as bad as that sounds. 

Mouthfeel: Very full for this style and price. A bit sticky but the even carbonation helps balance this out. 

Last Drink: More of the sweet flavors but I am not getting the "cheap beer fatigue" I would normally get from drinking something like this.  

Drinkability: Cheap, regional, not from a massive horror-brewery, and it tastes good too? I don't really see how you can go wrong. I'll be drinking it again for sure.  

Notes: Got this from a new local beer store when it was on sale. Glad I gave it a shot.  

Verdict: 3 out of 5. Great for what it is.. an affordable 5% beer that will have you feeling good on a warm day. 

Links: Beer Advocate and Minhas Craft Brewery.