Alas, when I graduated from SIU and moved out of 901 W. Laurel, the bottle collection went the way of the recycler. SO this is now more like a unrated, unsolicited review. With that said...
This is my small but growing bottle collection. With each bottle, I've given a brief, and occaisionally long-winded description of the beer formerly contained within. Opinions expressed herein are just that. If you don't like what I have to say about a particular brew, e-mail me and I'll be glad to put your opinion up. If you do like what I have to say, let me know and I'll do the same. I claim not to be a knowledgeable beer judge, but I do claim to be a card-carrying beer nerd with a passion for his beverage. With that said, I bring you the list...
ANCHOR CHRISTMAS 1996- San Francisco, California- I seem to remember Steve having a nearly-full six pack of this left over from last winter; I think I traded him something for a bottle of this stuff. I don't recall it well; I know it didn't suck or I'd have remembered it. (3-97)
ANCHOR WHEAT BEER- San Francisco- Honestly, this is just your standard American wheat beer. Pretty light, and not much to it. I just liked the 22oz size Anchor bottle. I want to start getting more big Anchor bottles for homebrew. (9-97)
AVERY ELLIE'S BROWN ALE- Boulder, Colorado- Roasty Toasty! Avery's
brown ale is a smooth-ass beer and slides down your throat quite nicely.
It tasted almost like a not-so-bitter porter. (11-96)
AYINGER OKTOBERFEST-MAERZEN- Aying, Germany- It is my goal to try
all the Oktoberfest beers available here this year. (Didn't happen.) Ayinger's
was light amber in color. They also have nice bottle caps. (9-96)
BASS COUNTRY CHASE ALE- Burton,
England- This tastes pretty much like Bass
Pale Ale. Of course, that was after more than a few Big Shoulders Porters.
(10-96)
BELL'S BATCH 2,000 BEER- Kalamazoo, Michigan- This barleywine was
nothing short of a full-blown enigma. I don't know if that's true or not,
but it rolls off the tongue well. I opened the bottle and poured it in my
glass and the four of us gasped at how thick the beer was. I mean, it was
thicker than Rosie O'Donnell on a bad day. Its color was a deep opaque amber.
Not only could you not see through this, there were vitamin-packed yeasty
chunkulets floating around in there. The head was a nice light brown in
color and was retained quite well for a beer of this magnitude. The taste
was obviously very malty with only a very subtle hint of the "Bell's
Hop Flavor" noticeable. A 22-ounce bottle of Batch 2,000 took more
than an entire Euchre match to drink, and left
me half-shitty. (10-96)
BELL'S BEST BROWN ALE- Kalamazoo, Michigan- Based on their beers
that I've had, I think it is impossible for Bell's to make a shitty beer.
This beer is smoooooooooooth, with the perfect amount of the aforementioned
"Bell's Hop Flavor" for a brown ale. Not as roasty tasting as
Ellie's. This is the best American brown I've had yet. (3-97)
BELL'S OBERON ALE- Kalamazoo, Michigan- This wheat ale makes quite
the nice summer beer. It makes no pretensions about being a "hefe-weizen",
in fact, it doesn't even mention the fact it is a wheat beer on the label.
It's just a nice and light, but well-hopped quaffer. Lovely. As you might
be able to tell, the Bell's products are my favorites. (7-97)
BELL'S PALE ALE- Kalamazoo, Michigan- Simply the best American beer
out there. The most perfect example of an American Pale Ale. Quite bitter,
and and a very hoppy aroma. Bonus points for the way the head always lasts
to the bottom of the glass. (3-96)
BELL'S THIRD COAST BEER- Kalamazoo, Michigan- This nectar defies
description. I thought I'd heard somewhere that Third Coast was a lager,
but really it has elements of a lager, an ale, and a wheat beer. It has
the fuzzy aroma of a wheat beer, with a hop note I've more associated with
ales, but a crisp, lagery finish. Once again Bell's has made another lovely
beer. (6-97)
BIG SHOULDERS PORTER- Chicago, Illinois- From the Chicago Brewing
Co. located in the City of Big Shoulders comes their tasty porter. A little
milder than, say Sierra Nevada Porter, but still eminently quaffable. I
stole that last phrase. (10-96)
BIG SHOULDERS WINTER FIRE ALE- Chicago, Illinois- "Winter Fire"
my ass. This beer was rather not too good. I was expecting a gnarly, dark
concoction. All it really was Michelob-colored sweetness with almost no
hops. A real disapponiment. (12-96)
BRECKENRIDGE MOUNTAIN
WHEAT ALE- Denver, Colorado- Well, it seems to me that most (not all, mind
you) American breweries haven't a clue what a wheat beer should taste like.
This beer is no exception. It's less Budweiser-ish
than say, Pyramid Hefe-Weizen, but it is filtered. I guess I'm just biased
towards the German wheat beers. (11-96)
CELIS DUBBEL ALE- Austin, Texas-
I don't really remember too much about this other than it was very good.
It had a good fuzzy wheat taste punctuated by a weird sweetness. Maybe this
is the style brewed with that funky sugar. (3-97)
CELIS GRAND CRU- Austin, Texas- I
thought this beer would be similar to the Sunshine wheat. It was quite odd,
actually. It started off with a sweet malty foretaste followed by a soft,
wheaty aftertaste. Very little hop action. I suppose I ought to read up
on these Belgian styles. ???????????? (4-97)
CELIS RASPBERRY- Austin, Texas- Very
strong raspberry aroma, with a tart, more subtle raspberry taste. I suppose
I oughta drink another one of these to give a better description. (7-97)
CELIS WHITE- Austin, Texas- I think
I got this one right. This is the Witbier or Biere de Blanche style, brewed
with coriander and curacao orange peel. As I recall I didn't like this as
much as the Sunshine. (6-97)
CHIMAY CINQ CENTS ALE- Chimay,
Belgium- This is Chimay "White",
or what they consider their "light" Trappist ale. This beer was
unlike any I'd ever had. Very strong (about 8% alcohol) but no sharp, alcoholic
taste. Instead, there was more of a yeasty, woody taste. It had a good dose
of hops in it, as well. A definite must-try, altho it is very pricey. A
25.4oz bottle was 9 bucks even. (11-97)
GOOSE ISLAND HONKER'S ALE- Chicago, Illinois- When I bought this,
I thought I'd be trying a new beer. Upon first taste, I realized that I'd
had this while shrooming at Pinch Penny last year. Go figure. Anyway, this
beer was pretty damn good. A pleasant bitterness, with a great hoppy aroma
and taste. Quite a deal for only 6 bucks. (4-97)
GOOSE ISLAND INDIA PALE ALE- Chicago, Illinois- See above, but a
tad mo' bitta. (8-97)
GOOSE ISLAND KILGUBBIN RED ALE- Chicago, Illinois- This beer was
quite good, too. Almost brown in color, you have to hold it up to the light
to find its redness, but hell, you're supposed to drink the shit, not eye
it. Fairly malty, with a slight roasty taste within. The hops were less
pronounced than in their Honker's Ale. This beer gets its name from the
original name of the brewery, Kilgubbin. (5-97)
GOOSE ISLAND OATMEAL STOUT- Chicago, Illinois- Another solid beer
from Goose Island. The oatmeal stout had a nice chocolatey roast taste to
it. I am quite partial to Goose Island products cuz they don't suck (they're
actually good) and they are relatively cheap ($6 even). (10-97)
GUINNESS EXTRA STOUT- Ireland- Yep, it's Guinness. The measuring stick of stouts. (8-97)
JACK DANIEL'S AMBER LAGER- Lynchburg (pop. 361), Tennessee- Kathy
got me 3 of these and 3 of their American Ales when she was on vacation
with her homies. I didn't even know Uncle Jack made beer. While it wasn't
particularly outstanding, it didn't suck. I forgot to retain the American
Ale bottle, tho. (3-97)
LEFT HAND SAWTOOTH ALE- Longmont, Colorado- This beer was quite good.
A good example of a mild English bitter. A nice golden-amber color was appreciated
by all present. Personally, I wouldn't have minded a bit more hops, but
TS. It's still good. (11-97)
LONGSHOT AMERICAN PALE ALE- This is the winning pale ale recipe
from the 1995 World Homebrewing Contest sponsored by Boston
Beer Company. How it won is unbeknownst to me. My 50-50
Pale Ale I brewed eats this stuff for a mid-afternoon snack. It wasn't
bad, though. I could have been influenced unfairly by the BBC name on the
label. (9-96)
MILLSTREAM LAGER BEER- Amana, Iowa- My folks got me a Millstream
sampler for Christmas. Do they know me or what? From the Amana Colonies
in Iowa. I think that shit is like Dutch or something. Anyway, there's not
really to much one can really say about lagers. Well, this was noticeably
more hoppy then your other American lagers (Pud, Swiller, Old Pile). And
its goldenish color led me to the assumption of it being all malt. Quite
enjoyable. (12-96)
MILLSTREAM SCHILD BRAU AMBER- Amana, Iowa- A darker, maltier version
of their lager. A sort of "Oktoberfest", American-style. (12-96)
MILLSTREAM WHEAT LAGER- Amana, Iowa- This is a very interesting beer.
It has that soft, fuzzy taste of a wheat beer but it's got a hint of crispness
to it also. Not too hoppy, either. Really good with a chunk of lemon. (12-96)
NEW BELGIUM FRAMBOZEN RASPBERRY BROWN ALE- Fort Collins, Colorado-
Wow!!!! This was a very unique beer. It had a beautiful deep red color.
The aroma packed a bit of a raspberry wallop. The taste was decidedly fruity,
almost to the point that it overpowered the beer flavor. Almost, but not
quite. An original beer; I've never had anything like it. (2-97)
NEW BELGIUM OLD CHERRY ALE- Fort Collins, Colorado- I guess I experienced
an emotional letdown on this one. I expected this beer to rock my ass but
I only got pebbled. The cherry flavor was almost un-noticeable and there
was no aroma of cherries whatsoever. It just tasted like a less hoppy, more
sweet amber ale. It didn't suck, tho. (11-96)
NEW BELGIUM SUNSHINE WHEAT BEER- Fort Collins, Colorado- Words fail
me on this one. One taste said it all. This beer was spiced with coriander
and orange peel in the traditional Belgian White style, like that nasty
fake "microbrew" Coors makes. Except Sunshine's spiciness was
much more subtle. That subtlety allowed some of the wheaty goodness to shine
forth. This is the first of eight bombers Ben got for me when he was in
Colorado over Halloween. This beer certainly rates in the Top 10. (11-96)
- This year, just Eric
went to Boulder over Halloween break. He brought me back a few beers again,
and I specifically requested this one. This beer is just too good for words.
(11-97)
NEWCASTLE BROWN ALE-
Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England- What else can one say about the Newc that
hasn't already been said? The truth-in-labeling folks must have gotten a
hold of Newcastle; it truly is the One and Only brown ale. I drank boatloads
of this over in England. (7-97)
PAULANER HEFE-WEIZEN- Munich, Germany- Easily the standard of measure
for hefe-weizens. (2-97)
PETE'S WICKED PALE ALE- St. Paul, Minnesota- This is probably the
only Pete's product that doesn't taste bad. Nicely bitter but with a weak
aroma. A good "fall-back-on" beer when nothing else in the store
appeals to you or you've only got 5 bucks in yer pocket. (3-97)
PETRUS SPECIALE ALE- Bavik (?), Belgium- This is the first Belgian
ale I've ever bought. Based on this one, it's easy to see why Belgian ales
are so damned expensive. This beer was so good, I wanted to run out and
plunk down 3 more dollars for another 8.5 oz bottle. But I didn't have another
three dollars. The aroma was very fruity, even though it was just a straight
ale. It was also very hoppy, which of course is the measure of a great beer.
The next time I have a spare dollar per 2.8 ounces of beer, I am buying
another Belgian ale. (4-97)
PYRAMID HEFE-WEIZEN- Washington- HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! THIS BEER
TASTES LIKE ASS!!!! (11-96)
REDHOOK BALLARD BITTER INDIA
PALE ALE- Seattle, Washington- The important thing to know here is that
Redhook is destined (or as some say,
already there) to be the next Boston
Beer Company. I mean, their beers don't taste bad necessarily, they
just don't reflect the particular styles too well. (9-96)
REDHOOK BLACKHOOK PORTER- Seattle,
Washington- I was very much looking forward to this one. I was wearing this
when I got in my accident, so I was drinking these very quickly to numb
the pain. I was able to do that because this beer didn't taste like much.
It was missing something; perhaps taste. See above. (9-96)
REDHOOK EXTRA SPECIAL BITTER
ALE- Seattle, Washington- This was available for a while on tap at Tres
Hombres. Tastes like butt. See above. (9-96)
REDHOOK HEFE-WEIZEN- Seattle,
Washington- The hops overpowered any trace of wheaty goodness. See above.
(9-96)
REDHOOK WINTERHOOK WINTER ALE-
Seattle, Washington- A very forgettable beer. Don't waste your money on
Redhook. They will just disappoint you. (11-96)
SIERRA NEVADA CELEBRATION ALE (1996) - Chico, California- I don't
know if it is possible for me to say an unkind word about Sierra products.
I sure won't for this beauty. A definitive winter (winter only!) brew, this
brew has the malty warmth plus probably the bitterest hop funk I've tasted
yet. And it only got better as it got warmer. The first time I'd ever seen
this was when Kathy and I were in Famous Liquors (FKA Midway) in Springfield
over X-Mas Break. Actually, a lot of the beers in Famous caught my eye.
(12-96)
SIERRA NEVADA PALE ALE - Chico, California- You cannot go wrong with
this beer. A classic APA that will complement any food you wash down with
it. Tastes wonderful and is semi-affordable, and is on draft at three places
'round here. (2-97)
SIERRA NEVADA PORTER- Chico, California- Once again, Sierra has made
another Bomb brew. This is one of my favorite porters. Fairly bitter with
a good amount of roastiness, this beer also has a wonderful subtle Cascade
aroma. It's the little things Sierra does that make their beers so M.F.
good. (5-97)
SIERRA NEVADA STOUT- Chico, California- A natural extension of
the porter. A nice yummy stout, but with the Sierra Nevada hop extravaganza.
(8-97)
SAMUEL SMITH'S INDIA ALE- Tadcaster, England- Doug
kept telling me how good this was but I never could afford it, but finally
I got a hold of a bottle. This was standard English ale fare, but with a
good measure more hops. This was very bitter. (7-97)
SAMUEL SMITH'S OATMEAL STOUT- Tadcaster, England- Lately I've been
more able to appreciate the stouts in general. This beer is part of my "stout
education" now. I'd already drank (drunk? drinked?) one of my homebrews,
so I was already a little, shall we say elevated, and this stout just sealed
the deal. It was really smooth, not having the "burnt" taste some
associate with Guinness. (8-97)
SPANISH PEAKS BLACK DOG PALE ALE- Bozeman,
Montana- OK, I admit, I was always skeptical about this brewery. I think
it was because I missed Mingus so much. But this stuff came recommended
by Raymond Trello so I tried it. It's a decently average APA. It has a crisp
bitterness, with kind of a sweetish aroma. I don't like, however, their
putting "No Whiners" on the label. I mean, what the fuck are they
selling, beer or attitude? The jag-offs who buy this because it says "No
Whiners" are probably the same jag-offs who buy Bad Frog. (2-97)
SPATEN OKTOBERFEST- Munich, Germany- This the first Oktoberfest beer
I ever drank. It was excellent to say the least. It better have been because
it cost 8 bucks. (9-96)
STARVED ROCK PORTER- Hennepin, Illinois- "Rich in Aroma and
Taste", indeed! Indubitably the best 3.99 porter you'll ever have.
This beer has a pleasant roasty, coffee-ish flavor with an almost fruity
sweetness. It's a nearly black opaque brew with a good light-brown head.
(10-96)
TIMBERLINE HEFE-WEIZEN- Denver, Colorado- Finally, an American micro
has brewed a mildly enjoyable hefe-weizen. Mile High B.C.'s attempt actually
(however very subtly) tastes like a real (read: German) hefe-weizen. You
can just barely taste the S. delbrueckii yumminess. (11-96)
WYNKOOP
DENVER PUBLIC LIBATION- Denver, Colorado- "A hopped-up edition of Railyard
Ale." Annnnnd how. I didn't know what to expect when I opened this,
which is good, I suppose. Wynkoop must have been hit with the hop bomb when
they brewed this. Bitter as hell, aroma-ey as hell and taaaaaaaaaasty as
hell, this beer entertained me for an hour whilst I watched E.R. (12-96)
