Hey, Sunshine

Yesterday I decided to pop open a few bottles of the beer that's stocked under my kitchen table and around the washing machine. Yea, it's got to that point. The two lucky brews? Hofbrauhaus original Lager and Troegs Sunshine Pils.

The Original Lager is a Munich Helles Lager and was the official German response to the creation of Czech Pilsner. I guess the Germans felt that they needed to counter in some way? Sunshine Pils is a German-style pilsner. I'm guessing that this came much later than the first brewing of the Munich Helles. Just in case you ever need to tell German Pilsner from a German one, the latter is usually spelled just "pils."

I used to really enjoy the Czech style, but I've recently found myself enjoying more and more of the two styles that inspired this post. The Munich Helles is a lot maltier and the pils is a bit more hopped, but has a citrus-like zing to it.

Luckily, I had a case of Sunshine Pils drop into my possession late in the season last year. I'm still working on it. Thus, that's how I was able to open one up. If you follow the Troegs Twitter account, you might have noticed that it's a bit closer to being the time of the year for Sunshine Pils.

@troegsbeer #sunshinepils began shipping to our Central PA market today and cases, sixers & singles are now available in our General Store!
— Tröegs Brewing (@TroegsBeer) March 25, 2013

Monday Rant: Not Too Hop-Cited

Many seasonal beer posts around the blogosphere begin in this sort of fashion. I typically start by saying it's that time of the year again and it certainly is. If you check out the social media accounts of your favorite beer distributors and shops I'm sure you'll find their mentions and walls cluttered with questions pertaining to when they will have Bell's Hopslam and Troegs Nugget Nectar in stock.

I had both brews for the first time last year. Suffice to say, Hopslam tasted pretty close to pure hop oil. It didn't taste balanced to me at all, but Nugget Nectar was more on that side. I decided that I could definitely give Nugget Nectar a few more goes.

I know I call myself a "beer snob," but in the craft beer world I could really be classified as more of a beer geek. I only named this blog as such and took on the Twitter handle I have because that's what I've been referred to over the years during my summer job throughout college.

I've only ever deleted a comment once in the young history of this blog. This one time I came across what could be referred to as a "beer snob." This person didn't approve of my thoughts on Hopslam and even went as far to throw the word irresponsible when he saw that I gave Blue Moon's Summer Honey Ale a better rating than his beloved ale saturated with hops.

The beer isn't trash, but I had to dig in the trash to find this old photo.

Trying and experiencing different type's of beer is the beautiful thing about craft beer. I'm all for civilized conversation when discussing beers (I'm especially alright with it in my comments section), but I don't see the need to bring it to insults. That's where I believe the line is when it comes to being what we classify as either a "snob" or a "geek."

Apologies in advance, but I don't hold biases towards certain breweries and against others. If I think a beer tastes, looks and smells better than another (even if it has a huge following) I'm going to rate it higher and enjoy it more. I obviously didn't enjoy Hopslam, but the ironic thing is that I love most everything else made by Bell's. I just don't particularly enjoy beer's that have a ton of hops. That's not saying that you're wrong for liking them that way. We all have our own preferences, correct?

So, please have all of the Hopslam you want this year. I certainly won't be keeping any away from you. I also won't judge you if you really enjoy it.

Beer Review: Troegs Pale Ale

Serving Type: Bottle

ABV: 5.4 percent

Appearance: Troegs Pale Ale pours somewhere in between a gold and a copper. There's a slight haziness throughout the body which also adds some attractiveness. There weren't a lot of bubbles floating throughout to provided any evidence of carbonation which helped to cast some doubt in my mind about the beer's texture. However, the head is white and frothy and had maybe a quarter of an inch thickness. It had above-average retention as the beer was consumed.

Smell: Initially, this beer had a strong aroma of grassiness. Some floral scents were also picked up. I was really reminded of being somewhere outdoors, most likely a forest. There was also a tad of yeastiness as well as a backbone of citrus from the hops.

Taste: I was worried that the hops would takeover the taste of this beer. I was pleasantly surprised. The hop character was balanced out by the hints of caramel on the front of the tongue. This beer finishes with an aftertaste that features the crust/yeast and that subtle paleness you look for.

Overall Rating: 

The only qualms I have with this beer is the slight lack in carbonation, which limits the texture of the beer a bit, and  possibly an overuse of hops. Again, this is most likely just my preference because I'm one to always go easy with hops. Maybe a bit more caramel? Otherwise, an awesome and enjoyable drink. I'm rarely disappointed by any Troegs offering.

Troegs to Produce Another Interesting Scratch Beer

Are you one of the many out there fearing something odd is going to happen on Dec. 21? Well, it looks like Troegs might have you covered for the big day.

According to John Trogner's Twitter account, Troegs intends on adding a Russian Imperial Stout to it's fascinating list of Scratch brews. The tweet only says that it's nicknamed "Impending Descent" paying homage to the end of the Mayan calendar on the 21st. I'm not entirely sure if that's what the beer will end up being named.

Regardless, you now have reasons to celebrate the pending end of civilization as we know it, a massive shift in the earth's gravitational pull or whatever you think might happen by that date. Don't take my word for it. You can be the judge! I just think it means the Pittsburgh Pirates might provide us with a winning season very soon.

Brewing a huge Russian Imperial Stout nicknamed "?impending descent?" today to celebrate the end of the Mayan Calendar ..released 12.21.12
— john trogner (@jtroegs) November 6, 2012