Jefferson's Reserve Bourbon Barrel Stout

Jefferson's Reserve Bourbon Barrel Stout is one of the more interesting beers I've had recently. This is the first bourbon barrel stout that I've had, so I wasn't sure what to expect from my first sip. The initial flavors are chocolate and coffee, which is common, followed by a hint of bourbon. The bourbon flavor was unexpected, I really didn't think a significant amount of the flavor would come through from aging in bourbon barrels. It turns out I was wrong and pleasantly surprised. I'll be on the lookout for other bourbon barrel stouts to try in the future.

Spaten Optimator

Yep, another German double bock. Spaten Optimator is malty with almost no hop flavor and the usual thick feel to it. I've had a lot worse, but this is not one of my favorites. The flavor was pretty weak compared to other double bocks and I prefer a nice hoppy finish.

Lagunitas Pils

Since I've been drinking a ton of double bocks and have only ever had 1 bottle of pilsner that was not from a major American brewer, I decided it was time to try a proper pilsner. Tonight, that was Lagunitas Pils. Part of what drew me to this was that I've seen Lagunitas beers recommended before. The other was that it was Czech style, and being of Czech heritage, I decided it'd be cool to see what my ancestors drank. It was pretty good for a pilsner. A big change from what I've been drinking lately, obviously. Much thinner, maybe a bit more carbonated, and a kick of hops right up front which fades somewhat quickly.

More Beers!

So, this weekend it's Lagunitas Pils, Spaten Optimator, and 1 more that I'll edit in here shortly when I get a chance. Lagunitas is an American brewed Pilsner, Optimator is yet another German Double Bock, and the third I need to look at - I can't even remember.

Birra Morettia La Rossa

La Rossa has recently becomes one of my favorites. This is another double bock, This one coming from Italy. La Rossa was originally brewed by Moretti, which is now owned by Heineken. It has a nice dark color and sweet, malty flavor. This beer finishes up with a more hoppy flavor, which I really enjoy and feel makes this one of the more drinkable beers with is mixture of sweet and bitter.

Paulaner Salvator

Fortunately, Paulaner Salvator was more to my liking than the barley wine. This doesn't come as much of a surprise since double bock beers are becoming one of my favorite styles.

This beer is a dark, almost reddish color. It is very malty tasting, with a good bit of sweetness. The beer went down smooth and was finished a little faster than I had intended, so you won't hear any complaints about it from me. I'll be checking out Paulaner's other offerings.

Weyerbacher Blithering Idiot

If anyone suggests you try Weyerbacher Blithering Idiot, they are probably not your friend.

To be honest, I could see someone liking this, but it's not for me. This is a barley wine ale, which are sweeter than typical beers, and is apparently something I do not enjoy. At least it was 11% ABV.

I will probably be giving other Weyerbacher brews a try in the future. While I did not enjoy the flavor of this, I don't think it was because Weyerbacher did a bad job, it just isn't my thing. One of their brews in a style I enjoy will probably be excellent.

More new beers for the weekend!

Alright, so I didn't say anything about the Dead Guy Ale from last weekend. I will. For now, I'll leave it at being tasty.

For this weekend I've got some Birra Moretti La Rossa, which is one of my favorites. I've also got a couple new beers. First off is Weyerbach Blithering Idiot. After that, I've got a double bock called Paulaner Salvator that I hope will be delicious. I've also got some Peg Leg Imperial Ale by Clipper City Brewing from a few weeks ago, which I like quite a bit.

Troegenator Double Bock

Hot damn. Troegenator Double Bock is going in my regular rotation. This was delicious. It's a smooth, malty beer, which is almost thick and creamy. It tastes great and has a relatively high alcohol content at 8.2%, what more could you ask for in a beer?

In Heat Wheat

Well, I got impatient and opened the Dog In Heat Wheat a bit early, so it was a tad warmer than I prefer - cool, but not cold. With that in mind, I still enjoyed it overall. It went down fairly smooth and had a decent flavor. I still prefer some of the other wheat beers that are more readily available such as Leinenkugel's Sunset Wheat, though.

This Weekend's Beer

To kick things off, here's what I normally do. Each weekend I pick up a six pack of something I'm fairly sure I'll enjoy or know I do from past experience and a couple single bottles of something that is usually completely new to me.

So, the beer list for this weekend looks pretty tasty. First off I've got something a lot of beer fans are going to be familiar with, Dead Guy Ale by Rogue Brewery. Next up, I've got Dog In Heat Wheat, a Heffeweisen from Flying Dog Ales. My third beer this weekend will be Troegenator Double Bock from Troegs Brewing Company.

First post!

Every weekend I pick up a few new beers from a local beer and wine specialty store. This is where I will catalog the tasty beers and review them. If anyone has any suggestions for specific beers or breweries to look for, please suggest them.