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Jever Pilsener

30 Sep

German Pilsener

Rating: B-

Poured from bottle to pint glass.

Color is a transparent straw-yellow.  It has a thin, bright white head with nice retention and lacing.  Aroma is very green bottle skunky at first, then earthy, malt and grass.  At first, the taste is honey-sweet and then gives way to a strong, but not entirely unpleasant bitterness.  There are hints of cracker and grainy malt with a bit of astringency.  Medium body with good, zingy carbonation.   The dry finish sort of sits on the back of your tongue.  Pretty average.

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Lagunitas Pils

30 Sep

Czech Pilsener

Rating: B-

Poured from bottle to pint glass.

The beer is a clear yellow with a 1-finger, tiny-bubbled white head.  Minimal spider-webby lacing.  Nose is extremely bready up front, followed by apricot, citrus, earthy hops and a bit of malt.  The aroma gets a bit grassy as the beer drinks down.  A crisp, caramel sweetness transitions to hops, crackery malt and then back to sweet.  It seemsto be a little too much on the sweet side, but is a fairly well-balanced nonetheless.  Medium body with light carbonation, a little oily on the tongue.  I thought the finish would be crisper, but it is slightly wet.  It doesn’t seem terribly indicative of a Pils, though a decent drink.  I would have it again, but wouldn’t rave about it.

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Orval Trappist Ale

29 Sep

Belgian Pale Ale

Rating: A+

Poured from bottle to pint glass.

Pours a thick, fluffy white head that lasts for some time.  The color is a rich, cloudy amber.  Very pleasant aroma of spice (cloves), orange, malts and yeast.  The taste is very malty upfront, but gives way to a hoppy backbone with accents of fruit.  Medium bodied with high carbonation.  Surprisingly well-balanced.  The uncommonly high ABV at 6.7% is masked well without any astringency.  The dry, bitter finish ends on the roof of the mouth.  This was the first time that I had tried this beer and I would highly recommend it.  Extremely satisfying.

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Corsendonk Abbey Pale Ale

27 Sep

Belgian Tripel

Rating: B+

Poured from bottle to pint glass.

The beer pours cloudy and golden with some visible sediment. Thin, small-bubbled eggshell head leaves almost no lacing behind. The aroma is spicy (definite coriander), citrusy and fruity (apple among others). The taste is lemony upfront and then sweet, champagney and very fruity with a bit of malt. The mouthfeel is crisp and medium bodied with med-hi carbonation. Dry, bitter finish. The sediment leads me to believe that my bottle may have been a bit out of date.  I owe this beer another shot.

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Southern Tier Pale Ale

21 Sep

American Pale Ale

Rating: B+

Poured from bottle to pint glass.

The color is a translucent yellow/gold that is perhaps a bit too yellow for an APA.  1” creamy medium-bubbled head that retains well and leaves some decent lacing.  Nose has a sweet malt, hops, floral with a bit of berry.  The taste is certainly hoppy, but not overpowering (sorry hopheads).  Light-medium body with a fair amount of carbonation.  The beer finishes smooth and dry with a sour, lemony aftertaste.  Zing!  Southern Tier has yet to really disappoint me.

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Stoudts American Pale Ale

17 Sep

American Pale Ale

Rating: B

Poured from can to pint glass.

Dull golden amber color.  Slim, tiny-bubbled head with an average retention.  The aroma is sweet, hoppy and citrusy with a bit of pine.  The taste is average; light malt with a hoppy back.  Very indicative of an American Pale, but a bit bland.  Crisp with a medium body.  The bitter finish settles on the back of the tongue with citrus and a hint of peach.

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Dale’s Pale Ale

11 Sep

American Pale Ale

Rating: B+

Poured from can to pint glass.

Very amber in color.  The foamy, off-white head was comprised of medium-large bubbles; good retention and nice lacing.  The aroma is very hoppy and floral with a bit of plum.  The taste is hoppy, malty and resiny with a tad of citrus and caramel.  The beer is fairly balanced, but might be a little on the hoppy side.  Medium body with medium carbonation.  The finish is bitter but satisfying.  The beer seems to almost border on an American Amber.  The packaging was deceiving.  I would encourage Oskar Blues to hire a marketing company.

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Harpoon Belgian Pale Ale

10 Sep

Belgian Pale Ale

Rating: B-

Poured from bottle to pint glass.

Bright amber color.  A half-inch white head lingers briefly and leaves behind a thin lace.  The aroma is very piney and spicy with citrus and a bit of banana (almost like a Hefe) and other fruity undertones.  The taste is crisp, fruity and malty, but in typical American fashion, they slightly overdid it with the hops.  Light-medium body with very little carbonation.  The finish is sort of dry and the aftertaste hangs back by the tonsils.  Not particularly thrilled, but I would try it again.

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De Koninck

5 Sep

Belgian Pale Ale

Rating: C+

Poured from bottle to pint glass.

Clear gold/amber in color.  The head is thin and doesn’t last for long, leaving minimal lacing.  Unpleasant vegetal, mossy aroma with a bit of berry and spice.  I am fairly certain that the beer was out of date and so I will try not to be too harsh.  Light-medium body with a balanced carbonation.  The aftertaste is crispy, slightly dry and soapy.  I am jealous of those who were able to try it on tap.

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Smuttynose Star Island Single

31 Aug

Belgian Pale Ale

Rating: C+

Poured from bottle to pint glass.

Very blond to light gold in color.  Heavy small-bubbled white cloudy head, though the head fades quickly and leaves virtually no lacing.  Slightly unpleasant vegetal, crackery aroma with a hint of coriander.  Medium-medium light body.  The taste is very celery-like and citrusy initially.  The finish is full, yet much more watery than expected with an almost spicy backbone.  Very meh.

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