Samuel Smith’s Nut Brown Ale

Brewery Name and Location: Samuel Smith Old Brewery in Tadcaster, North York, England. Marketed by Merchant Du Vin.

Name of Brew: Nut Brown Ale

Style of Brew: Brown Ale

Purchase Info: $3.49 for a 18.6 oz bottle.

ABV: 5%

Ingredient Info:

Nutritional Info:

Vessel Used for Tasting: Stemmed Glass

Aroma/Olfactory: Hazelnut, caramel and cola.

Visuals/Appearance: Clear amber-brown with a fine khaki head and lace.

Taste/Flavor: The malt profile is earthy, doughy and nutty. The hops are the flavor of meadow and, although not as prominent as the malt, balance nicely. Notes of hazelnut and cola. Clean finish.

Palate/Tactile: Light to medium bodied. Smooth and creamy.

Tasting Backstory: Well, well, well, we have our English Brown Ale. My Newcastle tasting made me long for a better brown and I certainly have found it. I have to revisit some of the other Samuel Smith brews but if I remember correctly this is their standout.

Rating: 8.5/10

Value Rating: 7.5/10

Newcastle Brown Ale

Brewery Name and Location: Newcastle Federation Breweries of Dunston, England

Name of Brew: Newcastle Brown Ale

Style of Brew: Brown Ale

Purchase Info: $2.99 for 18.6 oz  (clear, wtf?) bottle.

ABV: 4.7%

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Vessel Used for Tasting: Big Glass Mug

Aroma/Olfactory: Mostly sweet cereal grain. A bit of breadyness. A bit of molasses.

Visuals/Appearance: Slightly hazy brown-amber with a small off-white head and minimal lace.

Taste/Flavor: Mostly bready with a tinge of molasses, nut and copper.

Palate/Tactile: Light to medium body.

Tasting Backstory: It is…. hmmm… okay. It is not bad but certainly not that good. Makes me want to taste a proper English Brown Ale. Or is this a proper English Brown? I don’t know but I would wager that it is not really. I like the blue star on the logo, it reminds me of the Dallas Cowboys blue star. Otherwise, the color scheme is kind of unattractive.

Rating: 5/10

Value Rating: 4.5/10

Pipeline Porter by Kona Brewing Company

Brewery Name and Location: Kona Brewing Company of Kailua- Kona, Hawaii

Name of Brew: Pipeline Porter

Style of Brew: Porter

Purchase Info: $6.99 for 6 * 12oz bottles.

ABV: 5.4%

Ingredient Info: Kona coffee added. Malt and hop varieties unlisted.

Nutritional Info:

Vessel Used for Tasting: White wine glass

Aroma/Olfactory: Coffee, toffee and Irish creme nose.

Visuals/Appearance: Opaque black-brown with tan head and nice, even lacing.

Taste/Flavor: The coffee flavor dominates and is underscored by cream and toffee. Taste is mostly sweet and a bit sour.

Palate/Tactile: Light bodied. Very fine bubbles give a fuzzy mouthfeel.

Tasting Backstory: A very solid coffee enhanced porter. Surprisingly drinkable. Straight forward, not a lot of depth, not overwhelming. Overall, a decent porter.

Rating: 7/10

Value Rating: 7/10

Cerveza Tecate

Brewery Name and Location: Cerveceria Cuauhtemoc Moctezuma of Monterey, Mexico

Name of Brew: Cerveza Tecate

Style of Brew: Lager

Purchase Info: $1.99 for 24oz can.

ABV: 4.5%

Ingredient Info:

Nutritional Info:

Vessel Used for Tasting: Big Glass Mug

Aroma/Olfactory: Sweet grain and corn.

Visuals/Appearance: Clear golden-yellow with a dispersive head.

Taste/Flavor: Taste is sweet. Flavors are cereal grain and corn.

Palate/Tactile: Light to medium body, flattens quickly.

Tasting Backstory: This was a go to beer when I was dirt poor. The main draw is that it is cheap and ever-so-slightly better than the average cheap adjunct lager. Plus, I like the design. The eagle logo looks like it belongs as the tattoo for some gnarly, gung ho special forces unit in Latin America. I also like the red and gold. Classic color combo. The beer itself *meh*. To me, it is Mexico’s version of Budweiser…. Oh, the commercials on the website are awesome. A dude shaves his tongue on one and on another a dude carries a whole side of beef on his back then goes and rides his horse.

Muy macho!

Rating: 3.5/10

Value Rating: 4/10

Michelob Original Lager

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

Name of Brew: Michelob Original Lager

Style of Brew: Lager

Purchase Info: $9.49 for 12* 12oz bottles

ABV: 5%

Ingredient Info:

Nutritional Info:

Vessel Used for Tasting: White wine glass.

Aroma/Olfactory: Grain with hints of caramel, honey and grass in the nose.

Visuals/Appearance: Clear golden yellow with dispersive white head and minor lacing.

Taste/Flavor: Slightly peppery and grassy. Notes of white bread. Mostly sweet taste with a bit of bitter. Fairly muted.

Palate/Tactile: Light to medium body.

Tasting Backstory: Well, I worked my way up the Michelob lager ladder tonight. From Ultra to Light to Original. This one, Original, is almost a proper lager. It has some flavors that you would expect from a decent lager but it is muted and a bit extracty. Compared to macros it is much better than average but compared to premium or craft beers it is on the very low end. So it all comes down to pricing. If you are looking at beers at macro price points and this is priced the same then it is not a bad pick up. However, if there is a decent premium or craft beer for the same price or you just want quality and are willing to drop a couple more bucks then it is no go.

Rating: 4/10

Value Rating: 5/10

Michelob Light

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

Name of Brew: Michelob Light

Style of Brew: Lager

Purchase Info: $9.49 for 12* 12oz bottles.

ABV: 4.3%

Ingredient Info:

Nutritional Info: 123 calories, 8.8g carbs.

Vessel Used for Tasting: Glass Mug

Aroma/Olfactory: Mild aroma slightly sweet and grassy.

Visuals/Appearance: Clear pale yellow with dispersive white head and no lace.

Taste/Flavor: Muted flavors of corn tortilla (toasty corn). Taste is slightly sweet and ever-so-slightly bitter. Clean finish.

Palate/Tactile: Light body.

Tasting Backstory: Michelob Light is nothing special. Not disgusting like many of the macro light beers but nothing special. A bit more flavorful and heavier than Ultra.

Rating: 3/10

Value Rating: 5/10

Michelob Ultra

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

Name of Brew: Michelob Ultra

Style of Brew: Lager

Purchase Info: $9.49 for 12* 12oz bottles. $13.99 for 20* 12oz bottles.

ABV: 4.2%

Ingredient Info:

Nutritional Info: 114 calories, 3.7g carbs

Vessel Used for Tasting: White Wine Glass

Aroma/Olfactory: Very muted nose of barley and corn.

Visuals/Appearance: Very pale, clear yellow with dispersive white head and no lace.

Taste/Flavor: Quite bland. Like Bud Light cut with water. Notes of hay. Clean finish.

Palate/Tactile: Like sparkling water. Thin and force carbonated.

Tasting Backstory: Michelob Ultra is to having a beer as rice cakes are to having a snack. When you want to snack but are dieting or do not want to fill up for whatever reason you can munch a couple of rice cakes and have an “almost” snack. It is not quite a snack but better than nothing. Michelob Ultra serves the same purpose for having a beer. For example, when I get home from work and want a cold one but am going to work out or study or something later, I can have a Michelob Ultra and get a bit of satisfaction without really having a beer. Most beers make me feel sluggish or dehydrate quicker if I go work out after drinking them. Not Michelob Ultra. It is pleasant enough to enjoy drinking but mild enough to drink at times when having a real beer is not feasible. I was really turned off light beer for such a long time. Most are kind of bleh. Glad I finally tried this. It really works with my lifestyle. When I get off the clock, I do not have to go work out right away or not at all. I can have a beer then work out. Such blissful freedom.

Rating: 5/10

Value Rating: 7.5/10

Starz Beer

Brewery Name and Location: GI Group of Rochester, New York, USA

Name of Brew: Starz Beer

Style of Brew: Lager

Purchase Info: $4.99 for 6 * 12oz bottles.

ABV: 5%

Ingredient Info:

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Vessel Used for Tasting: Glass Mug

Aroma/Olfactory: Sugary corny nose.

Visuals/Appearance: Clear pale yellow with dispersive white head and no lace.

Taste/Flavor: Tastes are sweet and sour. Flavors are very similar to cheap malt liquor except without the high alcohol content. Very adjuncty.

Palate/Tactile: Thin, watery and flattens very quickly.

Tasting Backstory: This is one of the worst beers I have ever had. The slogan on the bottle proclaims it “The Finest Beer.” Quite inaccurate that one. It is disgusting. I can put up with cheap macro beer better than most craft brew heads but I seriously consider pouring this one out. Very disgusting. No matter how cheap it is not worth getting. If you were to put a can of creamed corn and a bottle of hand sanitizer into a blender you would get something marginally better than this.

Rating: 0/10

Value Rating: 0/10

2° Below Winter Ale by New Belgium Brewing

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

Name of Brew: 2° Below Winter Ale

Style of Brew: ESB

Purchase Info: $7.49 for 6 * 12oz bottles.

ABV: 6.6%

Ingredient Info: Sterling and Liberty Hops.

Nutritional Info:

Vessel Used for Tasting: White wine glass.

Aroma/Olfactory: Toasty bread and orange marmalade notes in the nose.

Visuals/Appearance: Crystal clear orange amber with a dispersive white head and sticky lace.

Taste/Flavor: A great balance. The malt profile is of toast, whole grain and woodiness. The hop profile has notes zesty orange. The standout flavor is that of the yeast, New Belgian uses a very distinctive strain that works quite well in this case. The taste is tangy with a bit of sweet with a lingering subtle bitterness.

Palate/Tactile: Crisp and light to medium body.

Tasting Backstory: A tasty winter beer that has a bit more balance and is less overpowering than a lot of other winter seasonal offerings. A quality brew.

Rating: 8/10

Value Rating: 8/10

Boont Amber Ale by Anderson Valley Brewing Company

Brewery Name and Location: Anderson Valley Brewing Company of Booneville, Mendocino County, CA.

Name of Brew: Boont Amber Ale

Style of Brew: Amber Ale

Purchase Info: $3.79 for 22oz bottle.

ABV: 5.8%

Ingredient Info:

Nutritional Info:

Vessel Used for Tasting: Large Glass Mug

Aroma/Olfactory: Caramel maltiness and citrusy hoppiness. Faint metallic aroma.

Visuals/Appearance: Hazy orange amber with foamy off-white head and some lacing.

Taste/Flavor: Initially a balance between the caramel malt and NW hop profiles. The initial taste is slightly sweet and slightly sour but it finishes with a slight bitterness.

Palate/Tactile: Medium bodied with a creamy lusciousness.

Tasting Backstory: A very solid session amber. It is not spectacular but amber ales rarely are. Most ambers are good transition beers for people that are expanding in their tastes in beers but not really into the more extreme styles. Amber ales are the gateway craft ale. Boont is better than average. Quite drinkable, with solid but not spectacular hop and malt profiles. It was a session mainstay for me a while back and nice to revisit critically.

Rating: 7.5/10

Value Rating: 7.5/10