Best of a Mixed Six-Pack Final

Well it’s finally time to see which of the six beers in The Best of a Mix Six-Pack it the best. I have individually reviewed each of the six beers and have come to a final conclusion on which is the best and to serve to a broad range of beer drinker. Well this is where they stack up…

  6.   Fullers ESB Extra Special Bitter - F+    

  5.   Bells Brewery Best Brown Ale – A    

  4.   Unibroue Blanch De. Chambly – A

  3.   Westbrook Brewing Co. White Tai – B+

  2.    Founder’s Brewing Co. All Day IPA Session Ale – A+

  1.    Fullsteam Brewery Paycheck Pilsner – A

The Best of a Mixed Six-Pack winner is Paycheck Pilsner! It is one easy drinking smooth Pilsner that everyone will enjoy even the non craft beer drinker, or Joe six-pack. It is a better version of stereotypical beer, and something you can drink many of without it being too much, flavorful or heavy. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!

Founders Brewing Co. All Day IPA Session Ale

I have here the fifth beer of The Best of a Mixed Six-Pack. This fifth beer is Founders Brewing Co., All Day IPA Session Ale, 4.7% ABV and 42 IBUs. Founders Brewing Co is up there in Grand Rapids Michigan. The idea behind All Day IPA is that with the lower IBU and ABV IPA is something that you can drink all day long. Not that I think you should, but I think they mean you can have many and share with friends and such. All Day IPA pours a copper orange color with a one and a half finger of brilliant white that fades a semi-quick pace and leave some lacing behind but nothing really to right home about. Aroma is quite pleasant with nice wooded aroma with earth and pine with some grapefruit notes and faint hints of some bitter orange. All Day IPA has a clean taste of earthy light grapefruit flavor with a touch of pine and bitter hops and balanced out with some grain like notes. Mouthfeel is on the lighter side with an easier quality about it. The finish is smooth and clean for an IPA with enough stratifying bitterness. Aftertaste is much like a sessionable IPA should finish with nice fruited bitter notes with bites of earthy pine. This is one easy drinking IPA, and I think it deserves an A+. I would say this is an IPA you give to someone that has yet to try an IPA. All Day IPA is a gateway to the IPA style if you will. It’s well balanced with nice flavors. I highly recommend Founders Brewing Co., All Day IPA Session Ale. But is this beer the Best of a Mixed Six-Pack? Keep it here to find out soon! Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!

Unibroue Blanche De Chambly

It’s been four of The Best of the Mixed Six-Pack, with Unibroue Blanche De Chambly, 5.0% ABV. This is a Belgian style white ale from Canada brewed with Coriander and Orange Peel then its bottle refermented, which means a second fermentation takes place within the bottle. Unibroue is one of my favorite brewers and brews some of the most amazing beers. Blanche De Chambly pours a hazy sort of bight yellow color with a bright three finger white head that slow to fade but does transition into some nice lacing. The aroma is quite nice with some spiced orange peel with a hint of a yeast character. Blanche De Chambly has a nice refreshing taste to it with nice yeasted orange peel with hints of the coriander spice. The taste is one the heavier side but really solid. The mouthfeel is one heavier side of the medium spectrum and has a nice refreshing finish of slight orange and faint spiced notes, the same can be said of the aftertaste but the is a slightly heavy feeling in the said aftertaste. This is definitely an A beer for sure. It's a bit heavy but a lot of good Belgian style white ales are, so have many is not recommend. It this better than Westbrook White Thai? Well, Westbrook White Thai is not as heavy as Blanche De Chambly and White Thai has more of a broader flavor to it with a slight tropical feel to it. But this is a tough question. They are both White Ales, but different takes on each. One is traditional and one isn’t. But to find out which comes out on top, you’ll have to stay tuned here to find out. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!  

Fullers ESB, Extra Special Bitter

 Here’s beer three in The Best of the Mixed Six-Pack, Fuller’s ESB, 5.9% ABV. ESB or Extra Special Bitter, this Fuller’s ESB uses Northdown, Target, Challenger, and Goldings hops. Fuller’s ESB has been brewed beside the Thames river in London England since 1845, and according to the label is has been voted Britain’s best. Fuller’s ESB pours a caramel copper color with a one finger quickly fleeing white head that leave almost no trace of ever being there. The aroma is of slight faint fruity caramel with some malted notes. Taste is at first sip a bit strong with a malty jam/marmalade fruity note and a then a bitter off flavor comes it really making it hard to enjoy, and as it washes over the back of your tongue the off putting bitter flavor grows. The mouth feel is on the higher side of medium with a slight bitter creaminess. Fuller’s ESB finish rough with a big bitter caramel that leads into a sticky bitter and slightly sour like taste that lingers around kind over staying it welcome. Now this Fuller’s ESB is not bitter like an IPA, no its more of a candy bitterness and not in a good way. This Fuller’s ESB is a F+. I did get to the end of this beer just to give it a far change of a review, but I didn’t like this at all and I usually like ESB, but I have had mostly American versions of the ESB style and this is only my second English ESB, the first was before The Best Beer Blog was ever an idea. Fuller’s ESB isn’t balanced and has a strong candy bitterness that wipes out any other flavor, or just takes over the beer, and the alcohol taste is too predominate on here and combining with the bitter flavor just makes this beer taste like bad medicine. It is just good enough to finish the bottle but that the only good quality out of many bad ones. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!   

Fullsteam Brewery Paycheck Pilsner

Here is the second beer in the Best of a Mixed Six-Pack. This beer is Fullsteam Brewery Paycheck Pilsner 4.5% ABV. This is a local beer from a local brewery here in Durham North Carolina. Paycheck Pilsner is a post-prohibition pilsner brewed with grains of two-row, riverbend heritage malt and corn; motueka, saphir, and magnum hops are also used. Paycheck Pilsner pours a bright yellow straw color with a three finger bright white fluffy head that dissipates into some frothy lacing within the glass. The aroma is somewhat sweet with a bit of gains and corn. Smells like a pilsner should, but a nice one at that. Taste is quite good with nice crispness of semi-sweet cracker like note that becomes the slightest bit hoppy as it hit the back of the mouth and tongue. But when I say slightest bit hoppy, it barely over nonexistent. The mouth feel is light, crisp, and refreshing. Paycheck Pilsner finishes every so slightly hoppy, just a quick touch of a hop note, (only 35 IBUs) with a nice aftertaste semi-sweet corn taste that become less hoppy and more dry but a nice semi dryness. Nothing that will makes you reach some water. Paycheck Pilsner is easy to drink, too easy, but in a good way. That makes it an A, no flavor stands out of is too weak, just right. This is how an American Pilsner should be, and everyone will like it. Is Fullsteam Brewery Paycheck Pilsner better than Westbrook Brewing Co. White Thai? Well you will have to find out after the conclusion of The Best of the Mixed Six-Pack. So stay tuned right here! Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!  

Westbrook Brewing Co. White Thai

Here is the first of The Best of the Mixed Six-Pack, Westbrook White Thai, 5.0% ABV. This brewery is out of Mt. Pleasant South Carolina down very near to Charleston SC. I have previously reviewed other Westbrook beers and have had their White Thai before though, I really should review this beer, and here it is. White Thai is inspired by flavors of Southeast Asian cuisine and is a twist on the classic witbier style. Westbrook has added fresh lemongrass, ginger root, and a dash of Sorachi Ace (a Japanese hop with flavors of citrus and dill, used mainly in IPAs and Saisons) hops instead of the traditional coriander and orange peel.  White Thai pours a hazy yellow color with a cloud white two finger head that dissipates into nice lacing. The aroma is reminiscent of some Asian dishes. There is nice lemongrass, a bit of citrus, hints of faint dill, and nice ginger on the nose.  Taste is on the bolder side with a lemon candy and some nice citrus fruit with touches of semi faint ginger, and the ginger flavor strengthens as it washes over the back of the tongue. The mouthfeel is medium to heavy with a nice sweet wheat finish and an aftertaste of lemon candy coated in some ginger, but as that aftertaste fades you get a touch more citrus fruit. Overall this was pretty good, and I say it is a B. Slightly bolder on the flavor for a beer you want to have a few of, like three or four of. I can have just about two, but that has nothing to do with the way the flavor taste. It’s more of the heaviness of the beer. I found it to be a bit heavier than other witbiers, but still something that everyone would enjoy, just not a lot, a few maybe. But Westbrook Brewing Co. White Thai is a solid tasting beer. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!