Beer Review: Bell's Oarsman Ale

Serving Type: Bottle

ABV: Four percent

Appearance: Bell's Oarsman Ale pours a lemon-like shade of yellow. There was a slight haze that gives the beer an appearance of slight thickness. There was decent visible carbonation. The head of the beer as about the thickness of a quarter inch and only left minimal lacing. I can certainly let that slide as I've read that Berliner Weisse brews aren't exactly known for their heads.

Smell: Overall, the aroma of this was loaded with wheat and citrus. There was also a bit of yeasty character to it. This smelled very sour and tart as well. I was reminded of when I used to purchase and open up a pack of Shock Tarts as a kid. I think I remember them being called that. Anyways, on with the review.

Taste: This was a very enjoyable tease upon drinking. On the very tip of the tongue it was a hint of sweetness. Then the tartness of the beer took over. It was a tasty lemon flavor. I mean that in more of a sour sense rather than a fruity one. As the sip drifted towards the back I got more of the wheat and yeasty characters in the brew. There wasn't any hop notes to be noticed or compliment in any way, shape or form! I enjoyed it that way. Any bitterness on the finish would have interfered with the crispness of this beer.

Overall Rating: 

This is one of my favorites. I'm not completely knowledgeable on the Berliner Weissbier style yet, but I really enjoy this beer on a hot day. Sweet, yet sour and very crisp and refreshing. Tastes amazing and plays like a lighter beer. I never fill full after having a couple of these. Bell's with another awesome beer.

Beer Review: Lagunitas Little Sumpin' Sumpin' Ale

Serving Type: Bottle

ABV: 7.5 percent

Appearance: This brew has a deep golden color with some blonde highlights. There was a ton of rising carbonation towards the top of the glass. It was almost as if the bubbles were fighting each other for space within the concoction. That assisted the tall, thick and frothy head that was a bright white color and left very thick lacing inside the glass. Let me say again that the lacing was quite thick just to emphasize the thickness. The bubbles in both the head and the lacing were pretty big and defining.

Smell: I didn't pick up anything too exotic. Mainly just hints of a citrusy orange and a large helping of floral hop notes.

Taste: The front half of my tongue was saturated with some pleasant citrus, wheat and yeast. That combination gave me tastes of both sweet and pale. The floral hops hit me on the finish. They were quite intense and made swallowing the beer a bit of a struggle, but thankfully it didn't linger in the aftertaste. The booziness of the beer also kicked in at this point. It was a few shades above that warm feeling you get and is sometimes enjoyable. It had a slight burning sensation to it.

Overall Rating: 

This is a quality beer and it comes from a quality brewer. Apologies for not having it in the Lagunitas mason jar glass. I only came into possessing the glass some time after drinking this beer. Everything went quite well for me with this except for the harshness of the hops and the alcohol content. This seemed to be hoppier and more boozy than the Lagunitas IPA which I love. I love the label on the bottle of this, too. I'm a big history geek. So, I love that Lagunitas sometimes haspin-up style images on its labels. Ones just like those painted on fuselages of World War II bombers.

Beer Review: Sam Adams Summer Ale

Serving Type: Bottle

ABV: 5.3 percent

Appearance: Summer Ale pours a hazy orange color. Parts of the brew's body was murky and others weren't as much. There wasn't any carbonation present. If at all, it congregated and danced around on the bottom of the beer. Because the head faded off fairly fast, I was relegated to just one picture. It shrunk to almost nothing by the time I got a third and fourth shot off. As you'd expect after hearing that, there wasn't much lacing to write home about either.

Smell: This smelled very grainy and yeasty. Not sure how I felt about it. I wasn't excited nor was I completely turned off from the beer. Following that up was a decent presence of lemon zest. I definitely was moved enough to make a note of it.

Taste: Some wheat and citrus interested me on the front of the tongue. There was also some spiciness that I got. It provided some extra zest as did the lemon. The finish on this beer has always been my problem with it. It's not peppery from the spice nor is it a bitter bite from the hops. I really have never been able to tell what it was. It just always leaves me with a funky feeling in my mouth.

Overall Rating: 

The smell and the first aspects of the taste have always been pluses with me for this beer. I hear massive props given to this beer all of the time. It just hasn't got the job done for me in the years I've been able to drink it. A relatable brew is Bell's Oberon. One important aspect of Oberon that I love is the pale and wheat-like finish I get from it. perhaps that's why I don't enjoy the finish of this one?

Beer Review: Bell's Winter White Ale

Serving Type: Bottle

ABV: Five percent

Appearance: Bell's Winter White wouldn't appear to the casual eye as a beer that comes out during the winter months. It pours a straw gold with tons of carbonation bubbles dancing towards the crown of the glass. The golden body is somewhat hazy, but this can depend on how much of the yeast you pour into your glass. I usually leave a good portion of it inside the bottle. The head is very thick after the pour and consists of thousands of tiny bubbles. It fades away quickly and surprisingly doesn't leave much lacing inside the glass.

Smell: This beer smells very zesty and citrusy. There's a good dosage of coriander and orange peel. It's the orange peel that provides you with that spiciness. There's also an aroma of wheat and yeast, as this is a wheat beer. It better be there!

Taste: I got the wheat taste on the front of the tongue. This had a subtle sweetness to it. As your swig makes its way towards the back of your tongue the yeast and spices take over. I can't say enough about the way the coriander and citrus works in this beer. The orange is tart at first, but as the sip makes its way to the ending stages there's a spiciness that takes over on the finish. Oh, and as for that carbonation? Just provides a wonderful texture which finely compliments the taste. Such a wonderful experience.

Overall Rating: 

This is probably my favorite winter seasonal beer. It in no way looks or acts like a winter ale. It's a wheat beer in almost every aspect. It has its own character and that's what makes this beer special. A good comparison to this is Troegs DreamWeaver Wheat. Bells Winter White is almost twice as spicy. DreamWeaver has more of a fruity undertone in the flavor. Both are excellent brews. I'f prefer this beer to appear a bit more full. Maybe that head can stick around longer and possibly provide more lacing? I think this beer's appearance is still open for experimentation. Maybe if you pour more of the yeast into it the head can be somewhat stronger.

Beer Review: Atlantic Mount Desert Island Ginger

Serving Type: Bottle

ABV: 5.2 percent

Appearance: If there was ever a beer that resembled iced tea, Atlantic's Island Ginger would be it. The body's color was somewhere between an orange and an amber. I felt that saying it looked like tea was a fine compromise. The tea-colored body has a strong haze to it as well. The head of this brew is thin throughout most of the drink, even the initial pour. Carbonation also seems to be lacking.

Smell: If you had to guess one scent that's found in this beer it'd be ginger, right? That's exactly what I got. Aside from that, the only other thing my nose picked up is a sweet, wheat-like malt presence. That wasn't too strong, though.

Taste: On the front, I got plenty of the previously mentioned ginger. There was also a sweet, syrupy presence at the very same point on each sip of the brew. The wheat backbone just touched my tongue on the back, but I had to think twice to see if I really experienced it. Once again the wheat was kind of weak.

Overall Rating: 

This beer was highly recommended to me. If I could classify this beer in one word it would have to be "odd." I've never had a ginger beer before. So, that probably played against me in some facets of drinking this. One glaring hole in this beer is the lack of hop character. You hop heads out there know I'm not a proponent of very hoppy beers, but I do enjoy a decent hop presence in some styles. I would have enjoyed it in this beer.

Beer Review: Rock Bottom Pumpkelweizen

Serving Type: Draft

ABV: N/A

Appearance: Rock Bottom Pumpkelweizen is a dark and hazy shade of brown. Some reddish highlights help to add different hues throughout the body. If comes off as very thick. Almost opaque. It slightly reminds me of a Pittsburgh river, but that's my only small complaint. The beer's crown features an extremely thick and frothy head. I noticed some intense lacing, which was also very thick and had strong retention. It really sticks to the glass as the beer slowly travels downward.

Smell: Initially, I got plenty of spices and pumpkin. As for the spices, cinnamon and cloves were really dominant. I also picked up a wheat and grain aroma in front of a few darker fruits which I couldn't exactly distinguish.

Taste: The tanginess of the spices and a slight sourness from the wheat create an exotic taste. This beer features a taste I haven't come across before. The pumpkin tosses in a good aftertaste after each sip. The head of the beer is thick and powerful enough that you get a slight touch of creaminess atop all of the other flavors. Exotic, yet exceptional taste.

Overall Rating: 

This is a really interesting beer. I went out of my way to stop and try it. I was very pleased with it, to say the least. The spices go well with the wheat that's in the beer.

Beer Review: Lancaster Strawberry Wheat

Serving Type: Draft

ABV: 4.90 percent

Appearance: Lancaster Strawberry Wheat pours adarkly-shaded gold with a slight haziness throughout the body. It's tough to see through.The head is thick and frothy, with above-average lacing. A very appetizing beer to look at.

Smell: The wheat character of this beer is very strong in the aroma. As for the strawberry, which you'd expect in a beer named as such, there isn't much present in the smell. There's a sugary sweetness to be found, but not much strawberry in my nostrils.

Taste: There's plenty of wheat and sweet malt on the tongue along with some creaminess thrown in there from this brew's head, but once again the strawberry is fairly weak in flavor. It's barely there and almost gives off a bitter sensation.

Overall Rating: 

This is my second go-around with this beer. I had it out of a bottle the first time and almost struggled through it. I gave it a second chance and still wasn't thrilled. The strawberry in both the flavor and aroma aren't too prevalent and when it is, it's weakened and/or bitter.

Beer Review: Sea Dog Apricot Wheat

Serving Type: Bottle

ABV: 4.6 percent

Appearance: Sea Dog Apricot Wheat pours a dark copper, somewhat reminiscent of a glass of apple juice upon the initial gaze. There is a minuscule white head that is there for just a few seconds before it disappears. There isn't much visible carbonation. The beer looks sort of flat, weak and you can see almost anything through it. Take a look and you can read "Guinness" on the other side of the pint glass.

Smell: Fruits come to the forefront in this beer's aroma. Apricot is the heaviest scent, followed by a slight peachiness. There's also a decent backbone of wheat and maltiness that gives you some the hint of a crusty/fruity dessert.

Taste: Both the apricot and the wheat I found in the smell come through big time in the taste. Very sweet and fruity on the front, yet very pale and malty on the back. Reminded me of something such as a peach/apricot cobbler. My only complaint is that the apricot might have been too sweet.

Overall Rating: 

Didn't start off to well with this beer, but the smell and taste made up for something in the scoring department. If you follow a decent amount of my beer reviews then you know about my "Pie Theory" when it comes to fruity beers. If I can feel like I'm taking a juicy bite into a slice or section of a thick fruit pastry then a beer always scores some bonus points in my book.