AW's Beer Reviews

stop looking and go get some and start tastin'!!!

i love spaten my favorite thing to do is when your at fiesta texas enter the front gate walk straight forward 100 yards turn left get 2 spatens and a gunies (spelled wrong) for breakfast
dave

Brew: Spaten Optimator

Brewed by: Spaten-Franziskaner-Bräu, Germany

Style: Doppelbock

Glassware: Best served in a pilsner glass or beer mug. Although I don't mind mine in a goblet from time to time!!

Personal Notes:
What an awesome German doppelbock!! Once poured I knew I was in for a treat when I gazed upon that deep, DEEP dark brown/near black delicious body! Taste and smell are dazzled by a grand balance between malt and hops; not too bitter and not too sweet. The body is good and thick; I like to tease folks by saying it's "thick but not too chewy!" I think it's time to go back and enjoy a few more!

AW where are you getting all these off matlock
dave

Kegs & Corks
2240 Matlock Road
Arlington, TX 76001
(817) 477-5347

what i thought on of my workers swears about that store some time i go home down matloct into mansfield. ill give them a shot
dave

the folks that run that shop are top notch!! when you go, tell 'em Alan "AW" Miller sent ya.... then tell 'em he's that guy that comes in buying up various beers and doing reviews of them on his blog and various forums.... then they'll know who you're talking about!!!

and ask 'em if they have my glassware in stock yet!! (hehehe... I'm always bugging them for unique glassware)...

thanks will do

Brew: Mardi Gras Bock

Brewed by: Abita Brewing Co.; Abita Springs, Louisiana, USA

Style: Maibock / Helles Bock

Glassware: Best served in pilsner glass or beer mug.

Personal Notes: A good beer with a rich amber color and a somewhat nice thin foamy head. Not too heavy so it's a good beer to be enjoyed readily throughout the day. Scents and tastes of caramel and malt are noted but neither of which are too heavy or overbearing of the other; but there's a nice little bite of hops at the end that makes this a right-tasty beer!

Brew: Hobgoblin

Brewed by: Wychwood Brewery Company, Oxsfordshire, United Kingdom ... check out their wicked website!!!

Style: English Brown Ale

Glassware: Best served in pint glass (becker or tumbler) or a good ol' mug.

Personal Notes: The appearance is a dark amber / dark ruby red sporting a nice frothy head that lasts for the entire beer; with nice lacing throughout. Scent and flavor reminiscent of toffee with just enough hops to finish it off nice and smooth. Definitely one of those all-day beers... one that you can enjoy all day! Oddly though... I found myself enjoy the beer after it warmed up just a tad!

Brew: Rahr & Sons Buffalo Butt

Brewed by: Rahr & Sons Brewing Company; Ft. Worth, Texas, USA

Style: American Amber Lager / American Red Ale

Glassware: Best served in a pint or mug.

Personal Notes: A lovely dark maroon brew that sports a fairly hearty head, which dissipates a bit too quickly for my preference. Lively scents and flavors of caramel, malt, toast, and toffee; and a slight reminiscent hint of warm flaky biscuits (yeah... Hungry Jack style). Not too hoppy ... not too sweet. Good carbonation makes for a light, refreshing mouth-feel.

It's an "ok" beer (not bad but not overly exciting) but it could be amped up some to represent Texas much better!! (How? I'm not sure.... will have to put more thought into that one!) Most interesting about this beer, for me, was not in the taste but rather in the labeling! It has an interesting 'story' which can be read on the label or on their website (click here for that 'story').

Brew: New Belgium 1554 Enlightened Black Ale

Brewed by: New Belgium Brewing; Fort Collins, Colorado USA

Style: Belgian dark ale

Glassware: Best served in a snifter, tulip or over-sized wine glass.

Personal Notes:

Ok… I’m a believer now! I’ve been trying several “black ales” and just haven’t found one that truly tempted my taste buds. That was until I enjoyed this 1554 Enlightened Black Ale by New Belgium brewing company in Fort Collins, Colorado. The beer is a lovely dark chocolaty brown with the scent of chocolate and dark roasted coffee and topped off with creamy tan-colored head that is not too thick nor is it too thin. Upon my first taste my taste buds went into total shock. Did I really taste what I thought I tasted or was I just dreaming? But the second taste confirmed it! Flavors of strong coffee (much like espresso), chocolate and subtle hints of bitter malt. One taste led to another and then there were none!

This is definitely one going into my Beer Hall of Fame!!

Brew: Weisse Dark

Brewed by: Hacker-Pschoor Bräu; Munchen, Germany

Style: Weizenbock

Glassware: Best served in weizen glass or mug.

Personal Notes: These German brews are steadily growing on me! This brew sports a body that is a dark amber, slightly cloudy (maybe a bit murky?) but, moreover, like dark honey that has crystallized somewhat. Topped off with a thick, frothy, bubbly white head that stays with the bear all the way through! Warm scents of apple (like a warm apple pie), sweet malt, clovers and bananas tease the nose as you bring it close. This brew is soooooo smooth, thick (but not chewy!!) and creamy. Slightly fruity (apple? banana? but only so slight)... and malty (like a good malt from a fountain shop). There's a slight hint of bitter hops but it is so well blended in with the rest of the delicious flavors of this brew that it doesn't stand out. What a very wonderful dark wheat German beer!!

Brew: Xingu Black Beer

Brewed by: Cervejaria Sul Brasileira; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Style: schwarzbier

Glassware: Best served in a pilsner glass or a heavy mug (which is what I prefer!!)

Personal Notes: Black gold.... that was my first thought when I poured this brew. Pleasant scents filled with sweet molasses, dark chocolate and slow-roasted malts. A hearty, foamy head stayed well for quite a while. But the taste... ooooh how smooth it was... so smooth I had to keep telling myself that this was beer! The taste was just a tad sweet but there was no detection of any bitterness at all! The flavors of sweet molasses, chocolate and malts come through so teasingly well in this black beer. One reviewer somewhere even said it "smells like cocoa krispies, tastes like heaven" ... yeah I can see where they would say that!! This is definitely one full bodied, easy to drink black beer that you don't want to pass up when you can get it!!

Brew: Franziskaner Weissbier

Brewed by: Spaten-Franziskaner-Bräu; Munich, Germany

Style: Hefeweizen

Glassware: Best served in a weizen glass.

Personal Notes: Pours a very hazy golden amber color with a substantial head … either wait a bit for it to go down or deal with the foamy mustache! The aroma of this brew was amazing!! It put off scents of bananas and cloves … and just a subtle hint of lemon-grass. The taste is just amazing … like sweet banana-nut bread or bread pudding with warm cream sauce just poured on! Nice, creamy, and an exceptional finish! Definitely an awesome companion with poultry and seafood dishes!!

Brew: Shiner Spring Ale Dortmunder

Brewed by: Spoetzl Brewery; Shiner, Texas USA

Style: Dortmunder

Glassware: Best served in a pilsner glass.

Personal Notes: Well this is my first ‘dortmunder’ to try out. The body is a nice rich golden color with a pretty good level of carbonation going on. As you can see it sports a tall, frothy head! Light scents of grain, malts and just a slight hint of hops here and there. Although I prefer ‘heavier’ beers, this one was a nice ‘light’ beer with subtle flavors of malt and grains and a tinge of spice from the hops at the end. I’d probably keep a few of these on-hand to enjoy after a long day spent working the yard/garden; but definitely something I’d enjoy during the spring or summer seasons.

Brew: Weihenstephaner Hefe Weissbier

Brewed by: Bayerische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan; Freising, Germany

Style: Hefeweizen

Glassware: Best served in a weizen glass.

Personal Notes: Stop the press! I have just enjoyed the MOST amazing hefeweizen ever!! Definitely one that would make me pack a bag and head overseas to Freising, Germany, just to enjoy this beer at its freshest! It pours a tantalizing hazy golden colored brew with a hearty frothy head. Some beers are meant to be savored at many levels and this is exactly one of those beers! Sit back and let the scents of cloves and banana-nut bread along with subtle hints of citrus fill your sense of smell. The savor this prime brew and enjoy that warm banana-nut bread flavor following by a nice slightly citrus-y aftertaste. Words just cannot describe how amazing this one is … you just have to get some for yourself and enjoy!

Brew: Samuel Adams Imperial Stout

Brewed by: Boston Beer Co.; Boston, Massachusetts USA

Style: Russian Imperial Stout

Glassware: Best served in a pint glass, becker or a snifter.

Personal Notes: This is definitely the darkest beer I have yet to try (at least as of the time of this review)! Held it up to the light and all I could compare it to was a solar eclipse … light was not getting through! I was expecting a more frothy head but once the head ‘fell’ it formed a nice mocha-colored ring and formed subtle lace lines on the glass while I drank the beer. There were an abundance of scents and flavors in this beefy brew: chocolate, coffee, espresso, toffee, sweet raisins, vanilla, and more. That snifter glass is the key glassware to use to trap all those wonderful scents while you enjoy drinking this beer. The body is very thick (but not chewy!) and each sip is followed by a hearty aftertaste of strong coffee mixed in with some rich hot chocolate. Definitely a beer to be enjoyed during the chill of fall and winter months and absolutely NOT a beer that is to be quaffed!! Sit back, slow down and enjoy this beer for a while.

Brew: Saint Arnold Fancy Lawnmower

Brewed by: Saint Arnold Brewing Co.; Houston, Texas USA

Style: kolsch/altbier

Glassware: Best served in a stange or pint.

Personal Notes: Pours a clear amber body with a nice white foamy head. Filled with scents of grains, bananas, and cloves. This is a nice crisp beer that’s to be truly enjoyed during the hot summer months. The carbonation in this beer is just right; crisp and a wonderful clean finish with only a slight bitter aftertaste. Flavors of sweet malt, bananas, and cloves are complimented well with ‘herbally’ hops. Stock up as the weather warms up!!

Brew: Samuel Adams Imperial Series Double Bock

Brewed by: Boston Beer Company; Boston, Massachusetts USA

Style: doppelbock

Glassware: Best served in a pilsner glass or mug. But I really wish I had a becker glass for this particular brew!

Personal Notes: Whoa…. now this was one nice hearty brew!! Pours a deep dark mahogany with a sporty head that stays with the brew for a long time. Sweet scents and flavors of malts, caramel, toffee, espresso and hints of clove or some sweet fruit (almost candy-like). Definitely one of my favorite brews to enjoy during the chill of fall and winter. This is a thick (but not chewy!) brew and one that is easily drinkable so you can enjoy a few each time. This is a brew I turn to especially when having wild game for dinner!

You are the COB Beerman for sure AW

It's a burden I must truly bear....... hahahaaaaaa!

Here's a sneak peak at some upcoming beer reviews!

iv had the last good buzz hav you had aintthatakickinthe___
on the bottle it says you wont like the taste wait 30 min. then enjoy the bezz
dav

Brew: Monty Python's Holy Grail Ale

Brewed by: Black Sheep Brewery PLC; Ripon, United Kingdom

Style: English pale ale

Glassware: Best served in a pint glass.

Personal Notes: Pours a rich amber colored body sporting a somewhat melancholy foamy head. No big signs of carbonation that I took note of. As with most English pale ales, this one has the pleasant scents nuts and butter and the taste supports those scents with strong flavors of nuts and butter; I did note that the hops presents quite a bitter punch on the first few sips but mellows out after a while. It's not real heavy so it's a real good session beer! But for me this was a fun beer just because of the label as this ale was "tempered over burning witches"!!