Samuel Adams Escape Route Review

The Boston Beer Company

Limited Release

5% abv

Unfiltered Kolsch Style

Winter should be done and spring is trying to get some legs.  The days are still cool and the patio furniture is still under the tarp that was protecting it from the winter elements.  

Appearance: there is a little sediment on the bottom of the bottle so, make sure to get it off the bottom when pouring to get the hazy appearance that it is supposed to have; hazy golden body with a one and a half white finger head that leaves plenty of lacing on the glass.

Aroma: faint golden fruit; yeast; soft and delicate grassy hops; light bouquet overall

Flavors: little grassy; gentle citrus meat; light golden fruit;

Mouthfeel: light fizzy carbonation; crisp; light earthy yeast; light body;

To the Point: think of the typical clean Kolsch Style and add a touch of dusty yeast to give it a little body and that’s what this is; another way to say it, ‘a dirty Kolsch’; not bad; nothing special; nice for something different on a cool spring day and help those taste buds transition from the winter brews to the summer brews.  

New Belgium Snapshot Wheat Beer Review

New Belgium Brewing

Fort Collins, Colorado, USA

Newbelgium.com

5% abv

13 IBUs

Unfiltered Wheat

Appearance: hazy lemon peel body with a one finger white head that does not stay around long; leaves some lacing on the glass

Aroma: fresh wheat; light citrus zip; yeast; light spice; soft and pleasing

Flavors: the coriander stands out to me and is softened by the yeast and wheat; light tart on the finish; this would make a nice ‘sweet/tart’ candy – the sweet wheat with a light tart lemon

Mouthfeel: active carbonation; soft, refreshing; light-medium in body; light yet tart lemon peel on the back

To the Point: this will make for a nice summer beer if we ever get to summer this year; I liked it; I would buy again; I personally think the people on Beer Advocate are a little tough on this one – they gave it an 80; which would be only okay; I’ll give this beer an 85 a solid good but, not outstanding.  

Scaldis Blond Triple Ale Review

Brasserie Dubuisson

Papaix, Belgium

10.5% abv

750ml bottle

I think it cost me $35 @ Ashley’s of Westland

It is always interesting to me that a 750ml bottle of ale is gone before I know it and a bottle of wine would take me all day (okay night) to drink it. 

Appearance: a misty golden glow to the body with a big white head; leaves spotty lacing

Aroma: the nose will be muted when cold; allow this ale to warm up; musty; very light sweet floral note; the overall bouquet is delicate

Flavors: orange blossom; summer fruit, like yellow peach and white pear; dry hops; light bitterness with a light sour mash; light dash of alcohol pepper feel on the back; as it opens a musty white pepper comes into play;

Mouthfeel: super fine fizzy carbonation keeps it lively and giving it a semi-creamy feel; smooth; dry; light bitterness; medium body; lingering tart fruit; be careful – for the alcohol does not really stand out; yes it does have a champagne like feel on the palate

To the Point: this is a very pleasing ale to drink; not super complex at first but as it opens builds in complexity; has some interesting notes; has an elegant style – champagne like; and wow I am now starting to feel the alcohol;

Would I buy this again?  Depending on the price.  35 bucks for this bottle is too much in my opinion but, that was from a bar; under 20 dollars – I would buy it again.  

Hudepohl Amber Lager Review

Hudepohl-Schoenling Brewing Company

Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

Hudepohlbeer.com

This just gets you to the Hudepohl facebook

12oz bottle

Abv ? Not on the bottle or their facebook site

$5.99 a six pack

My grandmother use to drink Hudy by the quart bottles when she was alive back in the 1970’s.  She always had a stack of cases, yes cases, of Hudy in her basement.  She was a Cincinnati girl back in the day.  I saw this at a beer store when I was in Ohio the other week so I had to buy a six pack. 

Appearance: bright and clear amber body with a half finger white head that turned to nothing in seconds; no lacing.

Aroma: typical clean lager nose;

Flavors: simple, clean, easy drinking lager; another way to say not much in flavors; but, it is a lager; boring to drink if you want flavors but, many Americans look for that in their beer

Mouthfeel: good carbonation making it fairly crisp; refreshing; light earthy feel; not sweet; not hoppy; medium-light body; light earthy feel on the aftertaste

To the Point: simple and easy to drink lager; probably better than most adjunct lagers; if I was looking for a lager to drink I would select this one; I’ll give it a solid B

Michigan on Main Bar and Grill

If you like Michigan made products; If you like Michigan Brews; Oh, hell if you just like Michigan

You have to visit the Newest Bar in the town of Frankenmuth, Michigan.

Located inside the Bavarian Inn Restaurant in Frankenmuth, Michigan.

The month of March brought in a new bar inside the Bavarian Inn and Mother Nature just kept bring us wintry days.  The old bar and the Roof Garten area had a makeover on the last week of February.  I was there that week and I witnessed this remake in action.  In one week or five days they had it done.

Here is the new look.

They have 12 Michigan Beers on tap that any beer lover will enjoy.  They plan, for now, to rotate different beer into their fine selection.  Actually, they had seven beers on tap, out of their twelve, that I have never had or reviewed.  All of their food products are to be harvested from Michigan companies.  The ham, the burgers, the cheese, bread, apples, lettuce … you get it everything you eat is going to be coming from a Michigan based company.  So the name – Michigan on Main. 

The bar, the physical bar, is a work of art.  The concrete looking bar top has Michigan stones embedded into it and the bar top looks like the shore line of Lake Huron, to me.  Look at that rugged edge to the bar.  Looks like the shore line of Grindstone City, Michigan to me – oh, I have a place in Grindstone City. 

A great looking rotating tap selection.

Here are a few beers we enjoyed over the couple of days we visited Michigan on Main. 

My wife enjoyed the Copper Harbor from Midland Brewing  A nice red/amber ale.

I enjoyed the Kuhnhenn Loonie Kuhnie Pale Ale.

We returned later in the day for dinner and both of us enjoyed Founder’s All Day IPA.

I had the Lake Huron Ruby Red Trout which was just fine.  A little dryer than I would cook it but, still just tasty. 

We had lunch the next day.  We ordered the Mighty Mac ham sandwich.  One will work for two people.  Twenty bucks for this sandwich and yes it is big.  On the sides they could do better for a $20.00 sandwich; we got one small pickle and one side of cranberries.  How about two pickles and a side of slaw and cranberry, for it is a sandwich built for two.  But, look at that picture of that beautiful sandwich.  Ham, apples, bacon, lettuce, ……  

Homemade pretzel bread topped with apple chunks on long toothpicks

It was very tasty and yes I would order it again.

Yes, they still have a great selection of German beers to enjoy so, if you want a German beer just ask them for the German beer menu. 

The old Roof Garten Restaurant was for your parents (if you my age) or for your grandparents.  Sorry, for those of you over 80 it’s not the same old place – it is now gourmet-o. 

Don’t worry, the regular Restaurant Dining area that serves the chicken style dinners is still there. 

But, if you love Michigan beers like I do, this is a must visit now if you are in the Frankenmuth area.  Maybe I’ll see you there.  Tell them you heard about it on Beer Postings Beer Blog and they will charge you double the price!   Just Kidding!    

I know that I am looking forward to returning.

Fire Rock Pale Ale Review

Kona Brewing Company

Kona, Hawaii

Konabrewingco.com

6% abv

12oz bottle

$9.99 a six pack

Also listed on the bottle for brewing facilities:

Portland, OR; Woodinville, WA; Portsmouth, NH

Appearance: fairly clear; bright copper body; half finger white head that did not stay around long; no lacing

Aroma: weak nose overall; hint of floral, spice, and biscuit

Flavors: better than the nose; on the bottle it says, ‘…rich roasted malt tastes.’ I was expecting a malty profile; oh, no it’s not; soft white pine; touch of lemon peel; and nice roasted grains

Bought this LP album (Hawaiian Paradise) for 50 cents
and bought the album frame from Ikea for around 8 bucks

Mouthfeel: smooth wool; moderate-light bitterness; active carbonation; crisp; light-moderate spicy style; lingering lemon peel water;

To the Point: not bad and with that said it is not great either; Okay to good; let me give it an 83% for a B grade; easy to drink; simple; pleasing; Should pair well with white fish or a good Spam sandwich.  

Koko Brown Review

Kona Brewing Company

Kona, Hawaii

Konabrewingco.com

“Crack Open Aloha”

5.5% abv

12oz bottle

$9.49 a six pack from a party store in Sylvania, Ohio

Also listed on the bottle for brewing facilities:

Portland, OR; Woodinville, WA; Portsmouth, NH

Appearance: dark chestnut with some mahogany highlights when held to the light; one finger, if that, tan bubbly head that did not stay around long; one or two spots of foam on the glass;

Aroma: very light bouquet; a little funky at first and then the notes start to come into focus; nut shells; roasted grains; toasted coconut; and yes the nose is still very light; you will have to get your nose down in the glass

Flavors: roasted grains with a dusty nutty note swirl the palate; the coconut show up toward the back; a light bitter nut shell;

Mouthfeel: moderate carbonation; medium body, I’ll give it a 5.5 on my strength scale; dark toasted dusty notes coat the back of the palate and lingers for a while with a light bitter nut shell finish; that light bitter nut shell finish builds with each sip for I am halfway thru and that bitter nut shell taste is leaving a nice bite on the tongue when it hits the mid-point. 

To the Point: once again nice packaging; something is out of whack here; the bitter nut shell gets old after a while; the coconut flavor is not clean; I am starting to think the brewed this beer with the coconut shell and not the meat.  Personally, I can pass on this one.  Damn, five more bottles to go.  I’ll give this one a C for a grade.  

Longboard Island Lager Review

Kona Brewing Company

Kona, Hawaii

Konabrewingco.com

4.6% abv

12oz bottle

$9.99 a six pack

Also listed on the bottle for brewing facilities:

Portland, OR; Woodinville, WA; Portsmouth, NH

Appearance: bright yellow gold body with a half finger white head with a fairly aggressive pour for a lager; no lacing

Aroma: bready; touch of sour dough; faint non-descript fruit and hops

Look at those bubbles rising to the top

Flavors: dry floral grassy hops; sour dough bread; white bread;

Mouthfeel: feels a bit heavy for a lager; I feel full after one; dry; grassy; a bit metallic; doesn’t seem refreshing to me;

To the Point: an Island Lager with some character compared to other ‘island’ beers; comes across non-descript at times; just call it another lager with some character but not enough to distinguish itself 

Big Wave Golden Ale Review

Kona Brewing Company

Kona, Hawaii

Konabrewingco.com

4.4% abv

12oz bottle

$9.99 a six pack

Also listed on the bottle for brewing facilities:

Portland, OR; Woodinville, WA; Portsmouth, NH

The bottle has a great label and nice embossing on the glass. (I hope my bad photo work can pick that out)  If this beer is any good it may find a regular spot in my beer fridge for I have a Tiki décor in my basement. 

The State of Hawaii is embossed on the bottle 

'Liquid Aloha' is embossed

Appearance: neon golden body with a one finger white head that did not stay around long and not much on the lacing front.

Aroma: bright aromatic hops; floral and fruity;

Flavors: floral; citrus – reminds me of orange with a touch of grapefruit; there is a little white bread under the floral and citrus notes; soft grassy bitterness on the finish;

Mouthfeel: smooth, crisp, and refreshing; easy to drink; active carbonation; light body; light lingering bitterness on the aftertaste;

To the Point: fairly simple; light; should be pleasing on a nice summer day; I would serve this if I was having a party in the Tiki basement; great packaging;