Dogfish Head Festina Peche is brewed in the Berliner Weisse style, which is characterized by a lovely tartness, which some would call sour. Perfect for hot summer days, this 4.5% ABV beer is wholly refreshing in every way, and makes a great session beer.

Festina Peche pours many-bubbled with no head whatsover, much like a well carbonated wine. Its aroma is characterized by wheat, and sweet, juicy peach. From the nose, alone, I would expect this to be cloyingly sweet.

Its light, effervescent mouthfeel makes Festina Peche rather refreshing going down; great for a sweltering day. Super tart from the peach on the sides and tip of my tongue, there is an underlying flavor of sour apple that’s quite a surprise. It smooths out though to a malty finish, with the taste of ever so slightly doughy wheat.

Very refreshing through and through. I’d certainly recommend this for a hot, muggy summer day and suggest that if you pick some up, grab more than just one 4-pack; once you have a taste you’ll be coming back for more.

Cheers!

TAGS [ DOGFISH HEAD | FESTINA PECHE | SUMMER BEER | SESSION BEER | BEER REVIEW ]

Victory Prima Pils poured a delightfully sunny, golden yellow with a fluffy white head. Mine poured with 1½ fingers, while my companion’s poured with well over two fingers, plus his stuck around for much longer than mine. Maybe my glass wasn’t quite as beer-clean as I had thought?

The aroma of Prima Pils was mostly grassy, herbal hops, backed by a sweet, bready malt and yeast. The grassiness was the star here and even before tasting, I knew this would be a thirst-quencher.

Its lively, but not overdone, carbonation danced on the tip of my tongue, smoothing out as it slid down the sides and back of my tongue. Overall the body was medium-light and wholly refreshing, with a hoppy dessication on the sides of my tongue through the finish.

I had taken my very first sip just as my company was arriving. After swallowing, I bounded downstairs to let him in and, once a few good moments had passed, all of a sudden I was treated to a lovely malty aftertaste; one of sweet, unbaked bread. I was happily surprised to have this sneak up on me so many minutes after the sip was finished.

Once I had more time to discern the flavor entirely, I found that the palate followed that of the nose quite well; grassy hops at the start along with some grapefruit toward the middle of the tongue (which my companion had pointed out—definitely a good call there!), leaving that lovely dryness in the finish that I mentioned above. The hops became more and more balanced by the bready malt as I enjoyed sip after sip. Truly a complex German-style pilsner that I cannot wait to pick up again.

At 5.3% ABV, Victory Prima Pils is a perfect summertime session beer, leaving the palate refreshed and ready for more. I highly recommend this brew.

Want to learn more about the German pilsner style? Deron laid out some history, characteristics and great food pairing ideas in his Top 5 German Pilsners. Check it out!

Cheers!

TAGS [ VICTORY PRIMA PILS | PILSNER | PILSENER | BEER REVIEWS ]

Sunday was a hot one in Buffalo, so I decided on a couple of thirst-quenching brews. Sierra Nevada Kellerweis Hefeweizen is, according to Sierra Nevada’s website, "one of the only American Hefeweizens made using the traditional Bavarian style of open fermentation." Upon learning that, I simply had to pick up a six-pack and give it a try.

Kellerweis poured a hazy golden yellow with two fingers of head that dissipated to about a ¼-inch in about three minutes. Its aroma was of light banana, wheat, a fair amount of yeast and a hint of clove. The taste followed suit, but with far less clove spiciness than I expect from a hefeweizen (usually my thoughts move toward Weihenstephaner, Franziskaner or Julius Echter when hefeweizen comes to mind).

Also different from my typical hefe-weiss choices was the mouthfeel. Like most, Kellerweis offered a smooth body but its mouthfeel was far lighter than I expected; not watery but more along the lines of medium-light, in my opinion. No complaint here, however, because it was a hot, muggy day and this brew was perfect poolside. Plus, at 4.8% ABV, it was incredibly drinkable, especially in sweltering heat.

I recommend Kellerweis to you if you plan on being out in the sun and enjoying a good session of drinking, without wanting to feel weighed down.

Want to learn more about the history of hefeweizen and some great food pairing choices? Check out Deron’s Top 5 Hefeweizens and think about including this style next time you’re enjoying a spicy dish.

Cheers!

TAGS [ SIERRA NEVADA | KELLERWEIS | HEFEWEIZEN | HEFE-WEISS | SUMMER BEERS | BEER REVIEWS ]

Brewed by Brouwerij Slaapmutske, this Belgian Tripel weighs in at 8.1% ABV but the relatively high alcohol content is masked well in both the aroma and flavor.

Slaapmutske Triple Nightcap pours the color of clover honey and, being unfiltered, quite hazy with tons of scrumptious yeast particles filling the glass. Tall, creamy, off-white head billows over with great retention.

Its aroma is of golden raisin, sweet honey and unbaked bread. There’s a hint of spicy clove here too. The nose flows through nicely onto my palate, with the golden raisin playing a major role here. There’s a bit of dessication on the sides of my tongue and the finish is of sweet, malty biscuit.

Slaapmutske’s light, tiny-bubbled, effervescent carbonation perfectly cuts the medium-heavy to heavy mouthfeel, leaving it full bodied but drinkable.

I really enjoyed this Belgian Tripel and most definitely recommend it. I’d been saving it for months and Sunday couldn’t have been a better evening to enjoy it.

Cheers!

TAGS [ BEER REVIEWS | SLAAPMUTSKE | BELGIAN TRIPEL ]

I came across a pretty awesome blog called Pints and Panels where all of the beer reviews are published in comic strip form.

What is the benefit? I happen to find them more entertaining and fun to read. Life (much like beer drinking) is usually a little more enjoyable with some variety.

Check out the comic-esque review of Brooklyn Lager Photo:

Or just visit the site to read them all.

Here’s to thinking differently. Cheers!

TAGS [ BEER REVIEWS ]

A beer style that I enjoy very much that I’m embarrassed to say I don’t drink nearly enough of, German Pilsner has ‘Summer’ written all over it. Sometimes spelled ‘Pilsener’, or referred to as ‘Pils’, this beer is a bottom-fermented, pale lager that is a copy of Bohemian Pilsner (the original clear, light colored beer) that was adapted to brewing conditions in Germany. I’d like to expand on the history of this style, but since I want to save that for when I write my Top 5 Czech Pilsners, let’s get to the meat and potatoes of what German Pils is all about.

German Pilsner Characteristics

Bright and beautiful, German Pilsners will appear straw to light gold, and be very clear with a creamy long-lasting white head. They’ll have a light, grainy Pils malt aroma (sometimes resembling Graham crackers) and prominent flowery, spicy noble hops courtesy of the Hallertauer, Tettnanger, or Spalt varietals. However, this complex aroma will be VERY clean without fruity esters. Keep your nose peeled also for an initial sulfury aroma from the water and/or yeast, and possibly some "corny" notes (Dimethyl Sulfide, or DMS). German Pils taste crisp and bitter, with somewhat of a dry finish, and will have a malty flavor with some hints of grain. A spotlight will be on the noble hop bitterness it and will linger into the aftertaste. Again, there shouldn’t be any fruity esters and no diacetyl (that buttery/butterscotch flavor you get in a lot of other beers), and have a medium-light body with medium to high carbonation and be VERY drinkable. German Pilsners will be drier and crisper than Bohemian Pilsners, with a bitterness that will linger more in the aftertaste, have a lighter body and color, and have more carbonation. As you move from Southern Germany to Northern Germany, the examples you’ll find will be paler in color, drier in finish, and more bitter.

German Pilsner Food Pairings

Being a delicate, light, unobtrusive beer, German Pilsner (and all Pilsners, really) are incredibly versatile with a variety of foods. So clean and crisp, it may lack the fruity, malty, roasty, complex flavors that pair well with a lot of grub, but its attributes in other arenas make up for that, as it provides palate-cleansing bitterness, high carbonation, and malty sweetness. It will cut right through a spicy dish such as Thai, Vietnamese, Indian, Mexican, or Jamaican food, and will handle fatty foods just as well, especially oily, robust fish. And speaking of seafood, bring it on…ANY type of shellfish will be happy with a glass of Pilsner. Ham, bacon, and prosciutto go great with Pilsner, as the beer will slice through the fat and muffle the sodium-bomb that ham can be at times. If cheese is your poison, feel free to pair it with some light cheddar of any variety.

Sometimes choosing a Pilsner, be it Czech/Bohemian or German can be difficult, as many of the breweries in Europe just LOVE those green bottles, which sunlight wreaks havoc on and can render a perfectly drinkable and enjoyable beer a skunky mess. Fortunately, most of the ones on my Top 5 come in brown glass, so you don’t have to worry. But if you do seek out ones in the green enemy, spring for a 12-pack if you can, so you’re getting a product that’s been protected from light (whether it’s natural or artificial) from the point it left the packaging line to the point it makes it in your hand while you’re mowing the lawn. Cheers!

Trumer Pils

Sly Fox Pikeland Pils

Stoudt’s Pils

Bitburger Premium Pils

Troegs Sunshine Pils

TAGS [ GERMAN PILSNER | TOP GERMAN PILSNERS | BEER REVIEWS | GREMAN PILSNER CHARACTERISTICS | GERMAN PILSNER FOOD PAIRING ]

North Coast Brewing Old Rasputin XII 12th Anniversary is a 11.2% ABV Russian imperial stout, aged in oak bourbon barrels. Produced in limited quantities, I was stoked when a new friend in Chicago gifted it to me (thanks Tom!).

Old Rasputin XII poured a deep, dark raw umber—near black—with a ½-finger head that dissipated after a short time but had great legs. Its aroma was of dark, bittersweet chocolate with the heat of alcohol in the nose.

Its body was lighter than I expected but by no means "light." I’d say it weighed in at a medium to medium-heavy (heavier as it warmed up even more) with tiny bubbled carbonation that was most detectable on the tip of my tongue. The carbonation kept it from being cloying, despite the fact that it’s an imperial aged stout.

On the palate, it was dark bitter chocolate and sweet hot bourbon from the barrels in which it was aged. Positively delectable and one I would love to enjoy again.

I cannot thank Tom of theperfectlyhappyman.com for bringing this to me, otherwise I might never have had the opportunity to indulge.

Cheers!

TAGS [ BEER REVIEWS | NORTH COAST BREWING | OLD RASPUTIN XII | RUSSIAN IMPERIAL STOUT ]