Beer Review: Rivertowne RT Lager

Serving Type: Bottle

ABV: 5.4 percent

Appearance: This came off as a golden-brown lager with some additional honey-colored hues. There was also what looked to be an orange glow in the deep core of the body. The head was an appetizing shade of cream white. It had a slight layer of thickness, but then faded back into the beer slowly to leave just a thin layer of white and fizzy carbonation. Unfortunately not much lacing was to be noticed.

Smell: This gave off an interesting roasty and peppery profile. The roast aromas were uncharacteristically darker than your typical lager, but in an a positive way. Pair all of that with a mild and floral hop nose.

Taste: I noticed a decent of helping of sweetness on the front of my tongue back towards the mid portions. It was then that the sweetness subsided and gave way to a crackery and bread-like profile. The hop bite was a bit above mild compared to what I noticed in the aroma, but it complimented the dark cracker flavors quite well. Here it seemed like a very classic lager profile.

Overall Rating: 

I was a little worried  once the aroma went down a different road than I expected, but everything went just fine. This brew reminded me somewhat of Yuengling Traditional Lager, but this had a few more layers of flavor. Sweet, a little dark and roasty while still having a nice bite towards the finish. A little more carbonation and texture from it can vault this beer to the top.

Beer Review: Flying Dog Atlantic Lager

Serving Type: Bottle

ABV: 4.7 percent

Appearance: Under Dog Atlantic Lager pours a lighter shade of brown. It highly resembled something close to a glass of iced tea. IF you want it to be something more filling, it also has a color that resembles the crust of freshly-baked break. There are also a few sectors of the body that are a shiny gold as well. This brew featured those beady carbonation bubbles that rose upwards in streaky trails. It also had a slight haze with a thin, but bright white head that faded away after about a minute and a half. To my dismay, there wasn't any lacing to be found once the head of the beer went away!

Smell: Very bready and crackery. A little grassy and a low hop profile. Overall, this was a very moderate aroma. There was also a bit of fruit that peaked through. I sensed it was something close to an apple, but everything else seemed to distort it. I couldn't quite tell.

Taste: This was kind of weak in the first portions of the tasting for me. The apple flavor was very light and hard to detect on the front of my tongue. The bread and cracker profile kicked in after the apple and was thankfully quite stronger. The bread/cracker sensation took a foothold and combined for a tasty finish with the mild hop bitterness. A definite plus for me was the plethora of carbonation adding to the texture of the beer.

Overall Rating: 

This is a quality lager. The lack of head retention was a little on the downside for me as was the weakness of the fruit presence. I actually felt a little stressed trying to figure out what it was. Before I knew it, a third of my beer was consumed! The bread effect and the mild hop notes work very well with this, though.

Monday Rant: Lager than Life

Sometimes you just don't have that light bulb switch on in your head until you read something about a particular subject somewhere and realize how right it could be. I've even had such an experience where I read something and realized that it's so true, but I've never really figured it out enough in my own head. What I read ended up tying all of the loose ends.

You probably have no idea where I'm going with this, but I'll just make it much less complicated than I already have. If I said to you that lagers were pretty underrated in the beer world, would you agree with me?

The article I linked makes a good point about half way through. The word pilsner has been bastardized. From my point of view, that could possibly be from the numerous American lager commercials (i.e. Miller Coors etc.) claiming that they fall under this style. I know Miller Lite is assumed to be a pilsner. In my opinion, it tastes nothing like a pilsner. Maybe it tastes like the watered down American lager we've become ascertained to since the Great Depression.

A pretty damn good lager.

I also get an irking that many out there frown upon lagers because they're more traditional styles than some of the over-the-top and extremely creative brews we see in craft beer today. People flock to releases of double IPA's and barrel-aged stouts. Some breweries are forced to do away with some lagers because of time it spends taking up space in tanks. That's understandable as well as unfortunate.

I'm more of a traditional guy. I hated to see instant replay in baseball. I'm a staunch traditionalist. Maybe that's why I have a deep affinity for lagers? There's nothing wrong with enjoying some of the very exotic beers out there. Be my guest and partake. That's not hurting anything. Let's just not forget about some of the older and more traditional beer styles.

There are plenty of great and tasty styles in the lager category. A lot of good pilsners and helles lagers are popping out since we are close to summer. Before long we'll be enjoying Oktoberfests. How can I forget about Dunkels? There are a lot of good styles listed in the lager category in the previously mentioned article. Just check it out.

Beer Review: Brooklyn Lager

Serving Type: Bottle

ABV: 5.2 percent

Appearance: Brooklyn lager pours an amber color with a plethora of reddish hues.  There wasn't an abundance of carbonation bubbles in this brew, but there was an inch and a half of ivory colored head. There was average lacing left. The head did end up collapsing in on itself after a sip or two. There wasn't much of that creamy layer I like to have most of the way down the glass.

Smell: This beer smelled like its malt was very grainy and toasty. In general very bready. I was intrigued to pick up a little bit of each caramel and lemon.

Taste: A lot of the aromas I picked up earlier didn't translate as well as I had predicted once I tasted this beer. The graininess and bread I noticed was very dominant on the tongue. The finish was a little hoppy. The citrus and caramel weren't noticeable at all. That was a bit of a letdown for me.

Overall Rating: 

This one was a bit of a roller coaster ride. Interesting appearance, very intriguing smell, but the taste wasn't anywhere near what I was lead to believe when I caught a few of this brew's aromas. I wasn't deeply saddened, but I wasn't exactly blown away either.

Beer Review: Hop City Barking Squirrel Lager

Serving Type: Draft

ABV: Five percent

Appearance: Barking Squirrel Lager looked exactly like your typical amber-colored lager. It's a deep and shiny amber with a creamy head. If you look closely at the head you'll notice thousands of tiny carbonation bubbles. Look lower and watch them dance upwards to form the head. The head had pretty weak retention and didn't leave much lacing if any at all.

Smell: There wasn't a lot that I noticed when I smelled this beer. Mainly two things which were a tad of maltiness and a strong hop aroma.

Taste: The flavor of this beer was a little more complex. The malt hit my tongue first. That provided a nice roastiness along with a small taste of nuts which was also on the darker side. There was also some sweet caramel before an above-average hop kick on the finish. Unfortunately, for my palate I wanted more of a textured mouth feel from all of that carbonation I noticed at first, but I didn't get as much as I would have liked.

Overall Rating: 

Coming from a brewery named Hop City I initially feared that this would be one of those beers that was made to distinctly prove the brewer can put more hops into his or her concoction than another. It was a good thing that the hops actually worked like they were supposed to and complimented the other features of the beer. They provided a tasty bitterness on the back. I really wish the head had more retention and potential to add some creaminess atop the caramel and roasted flavors this beer features. That would have only shown more of this brew off.

Beer Review: Appalachian Brewing Mountain Lager

Serving Type: Draft

ABV: 4.5 percent

Appearance: Mountain Lager pours a pale gold color. You can see pretty much straight through the body. A decent bit of carbonation is present. The head is a fairly thin layer of white fizz, but seems to want to remain atop the beer.

Smell: The malt from this beer punches you in the nose. It smells mainly sweet and pungent. Breadiness and a slight amount of floral hops also find their way from the brew to your nostrils.

Taste: The malt flavor has a certain sweetness to it and when it mixes with that light, floral hoppiness on the tongue you won't ever forget it. The sweetness hits you on the front and then mellows out on the back for an easy aftertaste. Excellent taste.

Overall Rating: 

This is one of the best beer's I've had. The sweetness wasn't overbearing like some honey-infused brews are, nor was it weak to the point that hops and other ingredients were interfering with it. It smells like a beer you'd get in a German beer garden, but tastes like the nectar of the gods. An awesome drink for a sunny day.

Beer Review: Abita Amber Ale

Serving Type: Bottle

ABV: 4.5 percent

Appearance: Abita Amber Ale has a pretty shade of amber in the body. It really lives up to its name. The beer is pretty transparent despite the amber color. The head is a lighter shade of beige and is slightly bubbly, which comes off as slightly weak. Doesn't appear to have a lot of energy in the body.

Smell: It smells nutty, malty and has some caramel notes. The malt has a hint of bread within the scent. Very pleasant to the nose.

Taste: This beer features one of my favorite beer tastes. That Vienna Lager flavor that I've deeply fell in love with has that biscuit/bread-like malt taste that's become so popular in the beer world. I can't sense much alcohol and it does feel a bit watery than I'd like.

Overall Rating: 

One of the better beers to pair with a great meal. This beer is perfect with a side of ham or beef. I only just wish there was some more alcohol present.

Beer Review: Hofbrauhaus Original Lager

Serving Type: Bottle

ABV: 5.1 percent

Appearance: Hofbrau Original Lager is a very light shade of gold. It almost appears as if it's a more of a lighter beer. It's very transparent, which enables you to clearly see all of the bubbles float their way to the top of the glass. The head was pretty bubbly, not too thick and dissipates after a few sips. There was a lot of retention. So, expect a ton of caked lacing inside your glass

Smell: This beer smells somewhat yeasty and grassy. Reminds me of being in the back yard after the lawn was freshly cut. I realize that there isn't ever salt in the brewing process, but for whatever reason this beer smells kind of salty (in a good way).

Taste: So heavenly. It tasted very zesty and crisp. It had that tang on the back of the tongue that hop heads love, but it wasn't dominating to the point where someone like me would despise it. This beer also featured that biscuity-taste that dominates the back of most Pilsners. That's fitting since the Helles was the German response to Czech Pilsner.

Overall Rating:  

Truly one of my favorite beers. Every time I can get a glass of it I take it as it makes me feel like I'm sitting in a German beer garden every time I drink it. If there is a negative thing about this beer it's that it causes me not to try any of the seasonal offerings when I visit Hofbrauhaus on the South Side. I can't help it. I always order a stein of this when I'm there. It pretty much pairs with food, in my opinion.