Sam Adams Blackberry Witbeer

You'll be seeing a lot of Sam Adams on here. I picked up a Summer Variety 12 pack. Last night I had the Blackberry Witbeer. I was expecting it to be blue (a la the very pink Leinenkugel's Berry Weiss), but it looked just like a normal wheat, like Oberon or Sunset Wheat. It was basically Sunset Wheat (though craftier) and tasted of berries instead of orange. I enjoyed it a lot, very refreshing, nice taste.

Sam Adams Chocolate Bock

Sam Adams Chocolate Bock is on t at our Friday after work bar, and it's fantastic. It's thick and rich and not overly sweet. You can taste the chocolate, but it's not overpowering, and finishes with a faint vanilla aftertaste.

Samuel Adams Official Beer site

Blue Moon

I used to love Blue Moon, but I'm done. I was at BW3 last night and had one, and it tasted like it had High Fructose Corn Syrup in it. It was terrible. If I want a wheat, I'm going Sunset Wheat or a microbrew. Stay away!

Leinenkugel's Berry Weiss

I was returning bottles and since I was working on this blog, I decided to try some things I normally wouldn't. Enter: Leinenkugel Berry Weiss. The bottle is purple. The beer is pink. It's the beer version of a wine cooler. It was oddly good, but I certainly didn't feel manly drinking it.

Pyramid Audacious Apricot Ale

I'm not kidding. I really drank this. Our waitress at our Friday after-work bar was having an off day, and accidentally poured two of these that we didn't actually need, so I took one. I wasn't really a fan. It was trying to be sweet, but it was only halfway there. It had a lot of extra, unidentifiable spices or something going on as well. I'm glad it was free.

Official Product Page

Michelob Hop Hound Amber Wheat

The name of the beer was so enigmatic I had to try it. Hop Hound leads me to believe it's... hoppy. Amber leads be to believe it's an amber ale. Wheat leads me towards a Blue Moon or Sunset Wheat. This beer is none of those things, but it's possibly a combination of them all. Since it's Michelob, it's possible that they literally blended a couple beers together. It's amber colored, and smooth, but not at all complex. Not bad, but not great.

Bell's Porter

As I've mentioned, Bell's makes some amazing beers. Bell's Porter is no exception. It has a lot of great malt flavor with very little aftertaste and no bitterness. It's extremely smooth and not that heavy. I could drink it all night, which is not true of many porters or stouts.

Bell's Brand Page

Leinenkugel's Sunset Wheat

Leinenkugel is probably second only to Sam Adams in the competition for best American macrobrew. Leinenkugel makes a number of great varieties. My favorite of theirs is probably the Sunset Wheat. If you like Blue Moon, Sunset Wheat blows it away. It's very clean and sweet. You can definitely taste the orange and coriander, but it still feels like you're drinking beer. Give it a try, with or without the orange slice.

Sunset Wheat Brand Page

Bell's Amber Ale

Quite simply, this is my favorite beer. Ambers in general are great, but Bell's makes exactly what I want. It's spicy and complex without kicking you in the face. Bell's is a great brewery out of Kalamazoo, MI, and they make some amazing beers. I'm sure you're going to see their Porter and Oberon show up on this blog soon enough. In the meantime, if you see Bell's Amber in the store, pick it up.

Bells Brand Page (Flash required)

Sierra Nevada Porter

Sierra Nevada Porter is the first beer for no particular reason other than it's what I bought tonight on my way home. I like porters in general for the deep, malty flavor. This one is nothing spectacular, but it's good enough. It's very smooth with very little aftertaste. Some porters coat the sides of the glass on the way down, but this one doesn't do it as much. I'll give it a 7 out of 10.

It was $8.88 or so, plus tax and MI deposit it came to an even $10 for a 6-pack.

Sierra Nevada Porter product site

It Begins

This will be my second attempt at a blog. The first was about reviewing movies, and I stopped pretty shortly after my first daughter was born. This one will be simpler. It will be about beer. I love beer. Ambers, porters, stouts, browns, kolsch, you name it. The MO will be simple: everytime I drink a beer I've never talked about here on the blog, I'll post some thoughts about it, and, if I'm particularly ambitious, a picture of the bottle and glass. Stay tuned!