My Favorite Styles Of Craft Beer (Right Now)

Hello everyone, Fontes again. As I discussed in my last blog I like a variety of styles of craft beer. Everything from porters to pale ales. Everything from dark beer to lighter colored beer. Each style of beer has it's own unique flavor and appearance. But at this point in my life however I have a particular love affair with stouts and porters. To put it simply, these styles of beer are fantastic. They are dark and have rich, full, and bold flavors of coffee, toffee, dark chocolate, caramel, and roasted malt. Many times, the roasted malt is what gives the beer it's dark complexion and flavor. Porters and stouts are so similar that they are often intertwined. If you are looking for more information on the history of these styles of beer and how they are made, check out these two links: Porters and Porters/Stouts.

About ten months I ago I went to the Mew's Tavern located in Wakefield, Rhode Island for the first time with my parents for dinner. For those of you located in or around the Rhode Island area, I definitely recommend that you take a trip to this restaurant if you have not done so already. In addition to the restaurant, they also have three different bars located within the building. What makes this restaurant unique from other restaurants is that the Mew's Tavern offers 69 craft beers on tap all year round. On my first trip there, I ordered a beer that I never tried before. It was called Young's Double Chocolate Stout. I was simply blown away by this beer. It was like having dessert in a glass. I tasted roasted malt, and dark chocolate. It was dark, creamy and well...beautiful!! That was the first stout that I can remember trying and being absolutely blown away by. I was so excited!!

Shortley after my first vist to the Mew's Tavern, I went back with my friends on the weekend. As I was looking at the beer menu I was very tempted to get the Young's Double Chocolate Stout again, but I also wanted to try something different. In the end, I decided to try another beer that I never tried before. This time, I tried Berkshire Coffeehouse Porter. Again, my reaction was...WOW!! I was amazed at the quality of this beer. It was very similar to the Young's Double Chocolate Stout in the sense that it was dark, and had the bitter taste of dark chocolate. BUT...this beer had something more to it.  It was much thicker than the Young's. As I was drinking the beer, the foam clung to the glass. You could see the rings that it formed on the glass as you drank the beer. This beer was also like having dessert in a glass and I have to say, that this is my favorite beer to drink at the moment. 

If you have not tried porters or stouts yet, I highly recommend that you at least give them a try. A common misconception that is attached to porters and stouts is that they are thick and heavy. While that is true with some porters and stouts (like the Berkshire Coffeehouse Porter) it is not true with all porters and stouts. What makes these styles of beer so dark is the roasted malts that are used in the brewing process. But the roasted malts do not necessarily make the beer thick. An example of a very drinkable stout would be the Young's Double Chocolate Stout. While it is true that is dark in color, it is fairly light on the palate.

So don't be afraid of these styles of beer. They have a unique taste that you can't find with any other style of beer. You won't know if you like it until you give them a try. In my opinion, I think you will like what you taste. Cheers everyone!!

How I Was Introduced To Craft Beer

Hello everyone, Fontes here. Yes it's true, unfortunately there was a time in my life when I was unaware about the wonderful world of craft beer. As a result, I was forced to drink what the majority of American beer drinkers today drink. What might that be you ask? I'm talking about cheap, watered down, mass produced, disgusting beer. That's right, I'm talking about beers like Budweiser, Miller, and Coors. I used to think this kind of beer was good. Like millions of American beer drinkers I was brainwashed by their multi-million dollar add campaigns. I wanted to be the guy at the bar with his friends drinking Budweiser. I wanted to be the guy at the bowling alley drinking Miller High Life. I wanted to be the guy at the football game drinking Coors Light. These were the type of beers I started out drinking when I was a young beer drinker. I can remember my reaction when I first started drinking these beers. I remember saying to myself: "Well I don't really like the way it tastes, because it doesn't really have a taste. But all my friends like it, so I guess I'll keep drinking it." Thinking back to those days, I can't help but laugh at how ignorant I was about beer. And then one day about two years ago, everything changed.

One night about two years ago I was at a friends house. I was sitting down, relaxing, and drinking my normal watered down beer. Then my friend came over and sat next to me. He had a beer in his hand that I never saw before. I said "Hey, what kind of beer is that, I've never seen that before" That's when he gave me a bottle of Leinenkugel's Sunset Wheat. I remember my reaction to the first sip of that beer like it was yesterday...WOW!!! I was totally blown away. It was so unlike any beer that I was used to. This beer actually had flavor!! I said to him "It tastes like Fruity Pebbles!!" Thankfully, he saw how much I enjoyed the beer and he was kind enough to share his twelve pack.

After that night, I was completely hooked on craft beer. I wanted to know everything about it. The different styles: porters, stouts, brown ales, pilsners, lagers, indian pale ales, pale ales, barley wine ale, etc. I discovered a great documentary called Beer Wars. The documentary talks about micro-breweries and their fight against the giant breweries like Bud, Miller, and Coors.

It's hard to believe that it's already been two years since I was introduced to the wonderful world of craft beer. Since I've been drinking craft beer I have a much better appreciation for good quality made beer. The beer I drink now is not made by some huge company. It's made by small independently owned micro-breweries. The beer might be more expensive, but it's like the old saying goes: You get what you pay for. And in my honest opinion...Craft beer is worth every penny. Cheers everyone!

 

Magic Hat Hex

Helllo everyone, Fontes here, and tonight I'm sitting down, drinking a glass of Magic Hat Hex. This particular brew is Magic Hat's attempt at an Octoberfest beer. In fact, they call it Our-toberfest. So did they achieve a good tasting Octoberfest? The answer?....Kind of. Let's start from the beginning. I purchased this beer in a six pack for a little over $9 after tax. The color of this beer is best described as amber in color, which is consistent with most Octoberfest beers. With most Octoberfest beers that I have tried, I've gotten a predominant smell and taste of roasted malts. The malt gives way to a nice caramel flavor. With certain beers like the Dogfish Head Punkin Ale, one can even get a taste of brown sugar and pumpkin. However, with this particular brew, I was kind of let down. Is there a taste and smell of roasted malts? Yes...but only slightly. Everything with this beer is light. The smell, the taste, and the texture. It smells only slightly of roasted malt. I actually get more of a hops smell more than anything. When the beer hits my tongue, I get a slight taste of hops, followed by a slight taste of roasted malt in the after taste. The texture is no Dogfish Head Punkin Ale. That brew was much thicker than the Hex. This beer is much lighter on the palate. Taste wise and texture. I should mention that I'm drinking this particular brew out of a standard pint glass.
 Do I think this is a good tasting beer in general?...Yes. And because of that I will give it a thumbs up...And I'm being generous with this one only because I truely like the rest of Magic Hat's beers that I have tried. HOWEVER, do I think this is a true Octoberfest beer?...No. A true Octoberfest beer should have bold flavors of roasted malt, caramel, and in general smokey flavor, that reminds you of the Autumn season. This beer tried to achieve that, but in the end fell short. Magic Hat might call their Octoberfest Hex Our-toberfest, but it is certainly not my Octoberfest.

Dogfish Head's Punkin Ale Revisited

Hey everyone, Antonio here offering my opinion of Dogfish Head's Punkin Ale. I purchased a 4-pack for exactly $9.08 including tax at my local liquor store. As Fontes has mentioned, this particular beer is brewed with real pumpkins, brown sugar, allspice, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

I am reviewing this beer from a bottle poured into a snifter glass.

I found this beer to be copper in color, with a heavy smell of brown sugar and alcohol. A predominant taste of brown sugar and spice, with a very subtle hint of pumkin.

Overall, I was expecting more taste of pumpkin. I did enjoy it, however I consider this to be very sweet and would venture to call it a dessert beer. Thumbs up from me, but be warned: drink too many and be prepared for a stomach ache.

Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy

It's still Summer until mid-September so I decided to go into my fridge and grab some of the last Summer seasonal beers that I have left. Hello everyone it's Fontes, and tonight I'm sitting down and enjoying a glass of Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy. To me, this is the perfect Summer time beer. It's light on the palate while still very refreshing and full of flavor. I purchased this beer in a twelve pack for about $16 and I'm sad to say that I only have two beers left. I'm currently drinking this beer from a standard pint glass. The color of this beer is very light. It has a very nice yellowish hue to the body of the beer and finishes with a nice white head on top. The beer gives off a strong smell of citrus with a slight smell of hops. The taste is very similar to the way it smells. When I drink this beer I get a blast of citrus flavor, followed by a slight hoppy taste. To me it tastes like the perfect lemonade. And at only 4.2% alcohol, it is in my opinion the perfect Summer time beer for cookouts, bbq's, ball games, and any other outdoor activity. This beer gets a definite thumbs up from me.

So while the weather is still nice, pick up some Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy if you can still find it and get outside and have some fun in the sun.  Cheers everyone!!

Dogfish Head Punkin Ale

I LOVE THIS BEER!!!!! Ok now that I've got that little outburst out of my system, I can try to do this review hahaha. The beer that I am drinking tonight is Dogfish Head Punkin Ale. This beer is brewed with real pumpkins, brown sugar, allspice, cinnamon, and nutmeg. All those ingredients combined create one response...WOW!!!! I get a smell of brown sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, and a slight smell of hops. The taste is absolutely fantastic!! Cinnamom, nutmeg, brown sugar, and slight hops warm the palate to give way to a nice subtle pumpkin taste. Every time I drink this beer it's like I get a taste of the holidays. I am drinking this particular brew out of a standard pint glass. The color of this beer is a fantastic reddish amber color. It's basically autumn in a glass hahaha. This beer also packs a punch at seven perecent alcohol for a standard tweleve onunce bottle. It's microbrews like this, that make me wish it was autumn 365 days a year. This beer gets a definite thumbs up! Cheers everyone!!

Samuel Adams Octoberfest

Hello everyone, this is Fontes. Ah it's that time of the year again. The days get shorter, the temperature starts to drop, and there's a surplus of great seasonal beers at your local liquor store. It may only be early September, but October is right around the corner and that means it's time for Octoberfest! That's right, tonight I'm sitting down enjoying some Samuel Adams Octoberfest. This beer is simply fantastic. Each drink reminds me of a cool Autumn day. This beer has a nice red amber color to it. The color of this beer is perfect for the season. In Autumn, the color of leaves start to turn a reddish hue. The color of this beer resembles that perfectly. I get a strong smell of roasted malt with a slight smell of hops from this beer. The smell of malts is very apparent since the brewers at Samuel Adams use five different types of malt during the brewing process in order to create this particular beer. The taste is very similar to how it smells. When the beer first entered my mouth, I got a strong taste of roasted malt. After swallowing, the roasted malt flavor still lingered while giving way to a slight hoppy taste. Overall, I found that the end result tasted similar to that of a toffee flavor. I am drinking this brew out of a Samuel Adams pint glass. I purchased this brew in a six pack from my local liquor store for 8.99 plus tax. I definitely give this beer a thumbs up.

Just picture yourself sitting outside on a cool fall night in October. The sky is crystal clear. The leaves are on the ground. The smell of burning wood is in the air. And an ice cold Samuel Adams Octoberfest is in your hand! What could be better than that? Cheers everyone!