- Buzz on Beer -

— Found these recently in Boston and felt compelled to try something new (note: the Hefeweizen was a rando mixed in with five ales). I was sadly and sorely disappointed. The ale had a strangely sour aftertaste and the hefe was surprisingly bland. Not what i was hoping for. —Zach

Figured it was appropriate to pick up a Reaper Ale. It’s a standard red ale, but very tasty. The Thunderbird IPA tastes a lot like Sierra Nevada Pale Ale - so it’s good. Happy Halloween everyone. - Drew

— That’s right: a new Harpoon. And yes, it’s great. It’s definitely no IPA, but it’s a great classic pale. I strongly recommend.

Another tasty Big Sky brew. I have not had the Wolaver’s Oatmeal Stout in awhile so it’s difficult to compare, but this beer is darn tasty. Perfect for the changing seasons where a little heavier brew works just perfectly. Glad Buzz is back up and running. -Drew

First Ska Brewing beer I’ve had and it is FANTASTIC. A very very solid IPA
(one of the best I’ve had in awhile - reminds me of Southern Tiers
IPA)….plus it comes in can, which is fun. I can never remember if I’ve
had some Sierra Nevada brews - I just need to come to the conclusion that
I’ve had them all. For some reason I thought I hadn’t had the Porter, but I
have. It’s good….it’s Sierra Nevada. -Drew

—

- Edison is a purposefully light beer (“Brewed to be Light” reads the
label) that is indeed light. Unfortunately this also means “light” on flavor
and “light” on awesomeness. There’s really just not a lot to it. But, having
said that, I still get one almost every time I visit Houston’s in Boston.
And hey, if you’re looking for light, this definitely beats Bud, Miller,
Coors, and the gang. — Zach

I really like Port Brewing. All of their brews are consistently good and
have not disappointed me yet. They don’t do anything crazy, just standard
simply good (that makes sense right?). They also do a Black & Tan (which
far too few brewers do) that is really really good. Anyways, this IPA is
really good - reminds me a little bit of Racer 5. Haven’t had the Bell’s
Pale Ale yet, but will comment when I do. - Drew

—

It’s been awhile for me here, but let’s get back into the swing of things
with a GREAT mixer. Feel like I’m beating a dead horse here, but Big Sky is
making a very strong push for my brewer of the year. I had had the two
beers on the right (IPA & Moose Drool), but not the two beers on the left
(Trout Slayer & Pale Ale). First, the names of their beers rock (Trout
Slayer, Scape Goat, & Moose Drool….how do you beat that?). Secondly and
more importantly, the beers are so good. The Trout Slayer is a wheat brew,
which I usually don’t care for, but liked this one quite a bit. The Pale
Ale was also very very good. If I’m back east next year, I will certainly
miss the accessibility of Big Sky here in the Midwest.

—

— Enjoying the dog days of summer at the BMW in IL - with some imported fun. —Grant

I was pretty excited to try this one, as Dogfish Head is generally
infallible (even with its weirder beers), but the Shelter Pale Ale was
surprisingly disappointing. Basically it was just a “blah” beer. Not bad by
any stretch, but really failed to live up to the brewery’s legacy of awesome
beers. Normally when I don’t love a Dogfish Head it’s because the beer is
too intense/flavored/hopped/something - and oddly, the Shelter was pretty
much lacking intensity/flavor/hops/something. There’s just not a lot to it.
If you’re a Dogfish Head fan, you’ll try this anyway. But if not, it’s a
fair one to skip. — Zach

— This was a top contender for my 2008 BOTY (Beer Of The Year) award and
I’m excited it’s back in season. The concept here is that hops are a
seasonal crop, but beer is a daily drink. Sierra Nevada imports hops from
New Zealand (I think) during our off-season - their in season - to make the
freshest, hoppiest, most delicious beer. The only downside I see is that it
only comes in big bottles, but it’s really one of my favorites. — Zach

— Continuing the micro-brew-in-a-can series, I tried out a few from Oskar
Blues, a CO based brewery. The Pale Ale was interesting in a few ways: it
wasn’t very pale but was sort of red, it was bit more bubbly than I expected
but also delicious! Surprisingly strong and really good, I never would have
called this a Pale Ale, but whatever category it goes in, I like it. —
Zach

— After over a month off from posting, I have a lot saved up and ready to
go, starting with a series of microbrews in cans. I’d heard great things
about SF’s 21st Amendment brewery and its IPA does not disappoint. It almost
has a little sweetness to its aftertaste, which was nice, but overall a
pretty tasty beer. 21st also makes a watermelon beer, which I’ll likely not
try anytime soon… but thought it was worth noting for any fruit beer
enthusiasts. — Zach

Otter Creek’s Imperial IPA:

Picked up this delicious brew in VT this weekend, part of Otter Creek’s
special series. The Imperial certainly lives up to its name at 11% abv - a
good kick, but surprisingly not overpowered by the alcohol. The hop finish
is outstanding - one of the best in recent memory. The biggest surprise to
me was the light color - indicated pretty accurately in the picture -
representative of a lager, but it has a deep and rich taste. I strongly
recommend! —-Zach

Drew: Saranac’s 6 Beers of Summer: I drank them all the time in college and it was wonderful to see this mix pack at the store. It was an easy decision to purchase. I had the Helles Lager, Pale Pale Ale, and the Rye Pilsener. They were all great. —