Red Hook ESB

Brewery Name and Location: Red Hook of Seattle, Washington, USA

Name of Brew: Red Hook ESB

Style of Brew: Bitter

Purchase Info: $5.99 for 6 * 12oz bottles.

ABV: 5.77%

Ingredient Info: Pale, Caramel and Carapils malts. Alchemy, Willamette, Centennial and Crystal hops.

Nutritional Info: 183.3 calories per 12oz.

Vessel Used for Tasting: Pint Glass.

Aroma/Olfactory: Malty, caramel aroma. Very faint.

Visuals/Appearance: Clear copper with dispersive off-white head and minimal lacing.

Taste/Flavor: The pale malts are the most prevalent flavor with a minimal hop bitterness. Balanced but bland.

Palate/Tactile: Watery, light bodied and slightly sticky.

Tasting Backstory: This is a good transition beer. I used to drink this a lot when I first started moving towards craft beers, back when good IPAs and porters were too much. Nowadays it just seems bland and uninspired. Good price point. On par with Bud American Ale.

Rating: 5/10

Value Rating: 6/10

Steinlager by New Zealand Breweries Limited

Brewery Name and Location: New Zealand Breweries Limited of Auckland, New Zealand

Name of Brew: Steinlager

Style of Brew: Lager

Purchase Info: $2.39 for 25.4 oz bottle.

ABV: 5%

Ingredient Info:

Nutritional Info:

Vessel Used for Tasting: Big Glass Mug

Aroma/Olfactory: Sweet, bready and grassy underscored with Euro hops.

Visuals/Appearance: Clear, pale yellow-golden with fluffy white head and some lacing.

Taste/Flavor: Same notes as the aroma. The hops disappear in the taste though.

Palate/Tactile: Light bodied, smooth yet crisp.

Tasting Backstory: A nicely priced decent lager. Not amazing but enjoyable if you are in the mood for this sort of beer.

Rating: 5.5/10

Value Rating: 6.5/10

Long Hammer IPA by Red Hook

Brewery Name and Location: Red Hook Brewery of Seattle, Washington, USA

Name of Brew: Long Hammer IPA

Style of Brew: IPA

Purchase Info: $5.99 for 6 * 12oz bottles.

ABV: 6.5%

Ingredient Info: Pale, Caramel and Munich malts. Alchemy, Cascade and Willamette hops.

Nutritional Info: 190.5 Calories per bottle.

Vessel Used for Tasting: Big Glass Mug

Aroma/Olfactory: Sweet caramel malt backbone with bready, whole wheat aromas and a bit of citrusy hops.

Visuals/Appearance: Hazy, light golden orange-brown with almost white head and lacing.

Taste/Flavor: The hops come through more in the flavor than the aroma, although it is fairly mildly hopped. Not as sweet as it smells. Notes of grain and metal.

Palate/Tactile: Light to medium bodied. Quite crisp, not as sticky or resinous as other IPAs.

Tasting Backstory: I cannot believe that I have not reviewed this one yet. This is like the fourth time I’ve had it since I started the blog and I just assumed that I had already reviewed it. The reason I get it is strictly price. There are few IPAs that you can find a sixer of for $5.99. The beer itself is quite marginal. It is not bad beer but compared to almost any other IPA it does not stand up. Still: $5.99.

Rating: 4.5/10

Value Rating: 6.5/10

Paulaner Original Munich Premium Lager

Brewery Name and Location: Paulaner of Munich, Germany

Name of Brew: Paulaner Original Munich Premium Lager

Style of Brew: Lager

Purchase Info: $2.19 for 16.9 oz bottle.

ABV: 4.9%

Ingredient Info:

Nutritional Info:

Vessel Used for Tasting: White wine glass

Aroma/Olfactory: Grassy, buttery, biscuity, honey, floral.

Visuals/Appearance: Crystal clear golden yellow with white head.

Taste/Flavor: Grassy, buttery, biscuity, honey, floral notes; same as the nose. Not all that sweet compared to other lagers. Slight noble hop tang.

Palate/Tactile: Wet finishing, crisp and refreshing. Very drinkable.

Tasting Backstory: A rather solid lager. Not amazing but pretty good.

Rating: 7/10

Value Rating: 7/10

Budweiser American Ale

Brewery Name and Location: Anheuser Busch of St Louis, Missouri, USA

Name of Brew: Budweiser American Ale

Style of Brew: Amber Ale

Purchase Info: $5.99 for 6 pack bottles.

ABV: 5.1%

Ingredient Info: Caramel malts and Cascade dry hopped.

Nutritional Info:

Vessel Used for Tasting: Glass Mug

Aroma/Olfactory: The citrusy hop aroma lies atop a distinctly Budweiser smell.

Visuals/Appearance: Clear amber with off-white head and a smidge of lace.

Taste/Flavor: A minimal caramel malt and hop bitter sit above a very Bud tasting ale. The hops do not come through in flavor nearly as well as they present in nose. Tastes adjuncty and a bit metallic to me.

Palate/Tactile: Light bodied and pretty drinkable. Flattens a bit quickly.

Tasting Backstory: It looks like a quality brew, it (mostly) smells like a quality brew… then you taste it. *sigh* Don’t get me wrong, it is not awful. It just is not great. It is like a beer made from a concentrate. Good craft beer is Budweiser American Ale as fresh OJ is to Minute Maid. It reminds me a lot of the Coastal Fog Pale Ale I had a few months ago in that it is an imposter, but it is slightly better than that disaster…. To me it seems like the InBev execs were trying to figure out the bare minimum they could brew to get on the craft side of the beer shelf…. Enough ragging on this, it is, after all, the epitome of mediocre and that is better than sucky. Plus, good price point.

Rating: 5/10

Value Rating: 6/10

Hoptober Golden Ale by New Belgium Brewing

Brewery Name and Location: New Belgium Brewing of Fort Collins, Colorado, USA

Name of Brew: Hoptober Golden Ale

Style of Brew: Golden Ale

Purchase Info: $7.99 for 6 pack bottles.

ABV: 6%

Ingredient Info: Centennial, Cascade, Sterling, Willamette and Glacier hops. Pale and wheat malt, rye and oats.

Nutritional Info:

Vessel Used for Tasting: Big Glass Mug

Aroma/Olfactory: Floral, citrusy and bready. Specifically: honeysuckle, oatnut bread, pineapple and lemon.

Visuals/Appearance: Crystal clear golden yellow with puffy off-white head and nice lacing.

Taste/Flavor: Balanced and flavorful. The initial floral and fruity notes are an indulgence and the slight bitter finish reminds you that this is real beer.

Palate/Tactile: Light bodied and dry but slightly oily and sticky.

Tasting Backstory: Happy 200th review!!! I lucked out on getting a great beer on this venerable occasion. I got it because of the name. My favorite month is October and I love hops. Needless to say (but saying it anyways): Hoptober is the best beer name ever. I read the label and it looked promising. The ingredients listed have the potential to be the ultimate combo or god awful. Also, it being labeled as a Golden Ale was worrisome as most Golden Ales are insubstantial. When I poured it and got wind of the aroma I knew it was going to be a goodie. It is. It is. It is. It reminds me of some of the tastier and more nicely balanced IPAs out there but with a unique malt/ grain profile with the oats and rye. The combination of hops is also a winner. Overall, I am really impressed.

Rating: 8/10

Value Rating: 9.5/10

Old Chub Scottish Style Ale by Oskar Blues Brewery

Brewery Name and Location: Oskar Blues Brewery of Lyons, Colorado, USA

Name of Brew: Old Chub Scottish Style Ale

Style of Brew: Scottish Ale

Purchase Info: $8.99 for 6 * 12oz cans.

ABV: 8%

Ingredient Info:

Nutritional Info:

Vessel Used for Tasting: Glass Mug

Aroma/Olfactory:  Sweet and malty. Chocolate, molasses, black cherry and alcohol come through in the nose.

Visuals/Appearance: Dark reddish brown with dispersive khaki head.

Taste/Flavor: Overwhelmingly malty profile. Same notes as the nose.

Palate/Tactile: Sticky, slightly creamy and medium to full bodied.

Tasting Backstory: I got this to bring to the beach since bottles are not allowed. It is actually not a good beach or warm weather beer at all. The tasting was done later on at home. The malt profile drowns out any hops. It is too syrupy and medicine tasting for my taste. I am not a fan.

Rating: 3.5/10

Value Rating: 2/10

Drifter Pale Ale by Widmer Brothers Brewing Company

Brewery Name and Location: Widmer Brothers Brewing Company of Portland, Oregon, USA

Name of Brew: Drifter Pale Ale

Style of Brew: Pale Ale

Purchase Info: $5.99 for 6* 12oz bottle.

ABV: 5.7%

Ingredient Info:

Nutritional Info:

Vessel Used for Tasting: Glass Mug

Aroma/Olfactory: Grapefruit, pine, cinnamon and zest in the nose.

Visuals/Appearance: Clear amber with off-white head.

Taste/Flavor: A flavorful NW hop profile over a spicy malt backbone. Tangy but not bitter. Yummy aftertaste.

Palate/Tactile: Light bodied and smooth.

Tasting Backstory: This is the best of the Widmer Brothers brews. A might fine session pale ale. A bit thin. However, the flavor of the hop profile is good. Great price.

Rating: 7/10

Value Rating: 7.5/10

Widmer Brothers Hefeweizen

Brewery Name and Location: Widmer Brothers Brewing Company of Portland, Oregon, USA.

Name of Brew: Widmer Hefeweizen

Style of Brew: Hefeweizen

Purchase Info: $5.99 for 6* 12oz bottles.

ABV: 4.7%

Ingredient Info:

Nutritional Info:

Vessel Used for Tasting: Glass Mug

Aroma/Olfactory: Orange, lemon, zest and metallic nose.

Visuals/Appearance: Cloudy yellow orange with fluffy white head.

Taste/Flavor: Citrus and wheat notes and slightly sour. Does not have the complexity of other hefeweizens.

Palate/Tactile: Light and smooth.

Tasting Backstory: About 90% of the bars that I have been to that have a hefeweizen on tap has this one. Widmer does a great job with distribution. And most of the places that serve this put a slice of lemon or orange in it. That covers up the lack of nuance in the flavor. The fruit in conjunction with the drinkability make this a go to for the unseasoned beer drinker. I admit I have had plenty of these. However, when compared to all the other hefeweizens out there, this brew cannot stand up. Check out the honor role page in the right hand column to see some of the greats.

Rating: 4/10

Value Rating: 5.5/10

Drop Top Amber Ale by Widmer Brothers

Brewery Name and Location: Widmer Brothers Brewing Company of Portland, Oregon, USA

Name of Brew: Drop Top Amber Ale

Style of Brew: Amber Ale

Purchase Info: $5.99 for 6 * 12oz bottles.

ABV: 5%

Ingredient Info: Pale Caramel, ES and Honey malts. Alchemy and Simcoe hops.

Nutritional Info:

Vessel Used for Tasting: Glass Mug

Aroma/Olfactory: Milk, honey, caramel and floral nose. Very sweet smelling for beer.

Visuals/Appearance: Almost clear copper with dispersive off-white head. No lace.

Taste/Flavor: Toast, butter, milk, honey, caramel notes all come through in the malt profile. Any hops are drowned out. Overall, fairly bland flavor.

Palate/Tactile: Light bodied and low carbonation.

Tasting Backstory: Widmer reminds me a lot of Red Hook. It is kind of a macro-micro brewery that serves dumbed down versions of favorite craft styles. This amber is probably their worst offering. It does not have much going for it except for a relatively low price point when it is on sale.

Rating: 3/10

Value Rating: 5/10