Heavy Seas Small Craft Warning Über Pils

One of the most common styles of beer, Pilsner is of German and Czech heritage, but originated in the town of Plzen. It is a quite popular around the world but is second in popularity to the Lager. Heavy Seas, which is operated by Clipper City Brewing Company in Baltimore, Maryland. They brew Small Craft Warning Über Pils, 7.0% ABV, which is an imperial Pilsner. This is just a stronger Pilsner beer. Small Craft pour a golden amber color with a two finger bright white head that is quick to fade into a very thin halo of tiny bubbles. The aroma is of malted crackers and subtle biscuit notes. But I also found there to be a bit of a metallic scent as well that was displeasing to say the least. The flavor was a touch too boozy with a cracker malt flavor and a sharp but subtle metallic flavor that is not what you want to taste in a beer. The mouth feel is medium with a sharp jarring finish that is almost bitter a little rough going down and the aftertaste is medicinal and fake. I did not like this one, so getting a D from me. It was not crisp at all and a lot of the flavors where to sharp and the malts did not really balance out the alcoholic booze even though it’s only 7.0% ABV which is not a high ABV for a beer but is on the higher side for a Pilsner. It should have been smoother in my opinion. Everything about this beer is too much sharp flavors and to bland all at the same time. I don’t think this should be had. So don’t drink Heavy Seas Small Craft Warning Über Pils. Cheers Please! Drink Responsibly!

  

Brewery Ommegang Rare Vos Amber Ale

Once again I, The best Beer Blog found it’s way to yet another Belgian-style beer. This is Brewery Ommegang (part of Duvel) Rare Vos Amber Ale, 6.5% ABV. Rare Vos is an Amber ale style that is popular in Belgian cafés and is named after a café just outside of Brussels: De Rare Vos, or “The Sly Fox”, hence the fox on the label. Rare Vos is brewed with sweet orange peel, grains of paradise, and coriander. This beer is good by itself or with mussels, fries and other pub food. Rare Vos pours a bright copper-amber hue with a big three finger creamy white head that sticks around for a while. The aroma is spiced with orange peels, a grainy aroma with a nice subtle sweetness. The taste on Rare Vos is sweet and orangey with a spice note in there and hints of malt flavors. I like the way this tastes but not enough to have more than probably two or three. The mouthfeel is mellow with a nice fruity finish and a nice spiced orange that fades into a subtle sweetness that doesn’t linger for too long. I enjoyed this but like I said earlier this is good up until the third because the flavor is a bit bold and would be too much after a few. This Ommegang Rare Vos Amber ale is getting a B here. Not a bad beer but it gets to be too much after a while like I said. This isn’t the worst thing ever. It is a good beer, don’t get that wrong. I only had this one Rare Vos. But I am basing my opinion on how the flavor tasted by the end. It was slowly beginning to be a bit much for me by then. But it was not enough for me to stop at one. I could’ve had another, and I recommend you trying Brewery Ommegang Rare Vos Amber Ale. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly! 

Foothills Brewing Co. Hop of the Month Wakatu Wienna Lager

Well It is a new you for Foothills Brewing Co. The IPA of the Month series is after two years no longer being brewed. Now they have a new series called Hop of the Month. This series focuses on one hop in a different style of beer.  Each month will be a different hop in a different beer style. This month, January is Wakatu Vienna Lager, 5.8% ABV with 19 IBU. Wakatu hops are a hybrid with northern and southern hemisphere roots. Mild, subtly spicy Hallertau hops, produced in the largest hop-growing region in Germany, were crossed with a New Zealand varietal. Wakatu pours a beautiful deep clear bourbon orange color with a fluffy three finger semi-white head that slowly to fade into thick and sticky lacing in the glass. The color on Wakatu is just gorgeous looking. The aroma is subtly spicy with nice faint breaded noted with some malts long side those bead scents. The taste is clean and a little sweetness up front with some faint bread notes in the middle and hints of subtle spiced notes in the back of the tongue with a little lemon. The finish is a little spicy with a hint of faint lemon and with an after taste of malts and some little sweetness. This is a great start to Foothills Hop of the Month series. I give Wakatu Vienna an A+ and I highly recommend trying Foothills Brewing Co. Wakatu Vienna Lager. I also hop that the rest of the beer in the Hop of the Month series are just as good. I can see of find anything wrong with this awesome beer. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!

Orlison Brewing Company Euro Brown Lager Brünette

This beer is an interesting one. It combines to different styles. It is Euro Brown Lager Brünette, 4.2% ABV from Orlison Brewing Co. in Airways Heights Washington. Lagers ferment at colder temperatures on the bottom, while ales ferment at warmer temperatures at the top. Brünette is a lager crossed with brown ale. It pours a deep amber brown color with a three finger beige head that kind of slowly fades into some decent lacing. Brünette has a nice crisp, sweet faint chocolate aroma but it’s on the lighter side. Reminds of weak coffee a little. Taste is at first is more of a lager then as this beer washer over the middle of your tongue you get more of a light brown ale flavor that is like weak coffee with a touch of sweetness. The mouth feel is hard to pinpoint but it between a light feel to a higher medium feel. While the finish is more brown ale tasting with hints of weak and faintly sweet coffee the after taste has a little faint lager crispness with big brown ale note and some little sweetness. This Brünette is a different take on this style or styles of beer but I don’t think it’s a good combo. I give Orlison Brewing Co. Euro Brown Lager Brünette a C grade. It’s not so bad but its not the best, and the lager and brown ale clash with one another and don’t really mesh well, work well or even complement each other. This beer has moments of good but not enough. I love brown ales a lot and have had my fair share of them. This isn’t a great brown ale, it’s okay and that side of it kind of takes away from much of the lager which is also okay, which makes Brünette okay. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!  

Foothills Brewing IPA of the Month December (Violet)

It is the final IPA of the Month from Foothills Brewing of 2015. It’s December (Violet), 8.7% ABV with 88 IBU.  Violet is a double IPA, which are stronger in alcohol and have a much bigger hop profile than your average IPA. Some Double or Imperial IPAs can soar past 10% ABV and tend to have much higher International Bittering Units. Violet pours a deeper shade of amber with a light beige colored four finger head that slowly fades into wonder whiffs of ropy lacing. This beer has more of a malted aroma than some of it other kin in this series. But it’s not all malted on the aroma, there is a little hop bitter scent with touches of earthy pine notes and some bits of faint grapefruit that are hidden by big alcoholic notes. The taste is not so strong with alcohol on first sip but the alcohol does become a bit stronger towards the middle of the tongue with a faint over ripe grapefruit. I found a nice earthy malted note that kind of hid the bitterness. This isn’t as hoppy or bitter as the bottle says. It really doesn’t taste like 88 IBU, but it’s close.  The mouth feel is a little on the full side but does hit a medium feel at times. Violet finishes with a little bitterness that is more hop that bitterness with a little alcoholic bite, but the after taste is malty and faintly fruited with some hints of a hop bitter flavor. Yes this is a good finish to this IPA of the month series, but this isn’t the best one I have had, so I give this finial month a B-. The stronger alcoholic notes kind of hid the other flavors in this beer, but the malt noted do come though enough not to take this beer grade any lower. I enjoyed this on a still think that Foothills IPA of the Month is a great IPA series. Now that IPA of the Month is over Foothills has now released it first beer in the new series, hop of the month. I know what it is and I will not say because I want you all to find out here when I review it, and no it isn’t an IPA. So farewell to the wonderful Foothills Brewing IPA of Month, it’s beer great! Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!