by Ethan Johnson
December 12, 2008

It's either a perk or an occupational hazard, but I must sample all sorts of beers and wines in order to perform my beer/wine store duties to any degree of competence. That is, I drink them at night, after work, and come back the following day better equipped to speak credibly about the products. I seem to have a speed limit of up to 2 beers per day, unless I am really living on the edge. Here are the beers of November once I had the brilliant idea to keep notes about each one. Due to the volume of items and my lack of time to go HTML crazy, I am including photos of my favorites from this batch of tastings.

Disclaimer: Though I work for a local beer/wine retailer, I was not commissioned to do this tasting, am not receiving any sort of compensation for it, and reserve the right to trash the product publicly as a civilian if it is not to my liking. As with any food/drink article, the reader is advised to consult my Food and Drink Ethics Statement. The beers reviewed in this article were purchased out-of-pocket, by me, except as noted.

Unibroue Fin du Monde (Tripel): Poured into New Belgium (NB) stem glass. Thick head at first, then eventually evaporated completely. Smells of banana peel and cloves on the nose. Cloudy golden color in the glass. Foamy mouthfeel with a taste similar to Gewürztraminer. Paired well with beef + broccoli. Definitely a must-have, and cheaper than wine.

Lindermans Cassis Lambic (fruit beer): Poured into NB stem glass. Richly purple with a pink head. Smells of, well, cassis. Taste was incredibly tart. I tried to hang in with the drink but the tart-and-sour mix was too overwhelming. I tried to "cut" it with Young's Chocolate Stout which helped a little, but ultimately the entire experiment ended up in the sink. Pass.

Belhaven St Andrews Ale (Scottish Ale): Poured into Sam Adams (SA) pint glass. 1" head eventually reduced down to "bathtub ring". "Beery" scents on the nose - still need a better descriptor. Malty with a semi-sweet center which makes for excellent Autumn drinkability. Relatively smooth on the finish. A current favorite.

Green Flash Hop Head Red (IPA): Poured into SA pint glass. 1-2" head at first became "bathtub ring" over time. Rich reddish color. Bitter aroma. Hoppy to taste, for sure, but especially on the finish/aftertaste. Impossibly annoying hoppiness that wasn't fun to drink after the first few gulps. I drank this with Fritos, hoping the hops and salt would counteract. Wrong. Pass.

Young's Luxury Double Chocolate Stout (Stout): Poured into NB stem glass. Really should have used the stout glass for this one (duh). Black color in the glass with a thin head. As the name suggests, there is a cocoa taste to this, but mostly the coffee-ish sensation found in most stouts that I have tried thus far. I am not a coffee drinker. Marlena LOVES this beer, the colder the better. As for me, pass.

Sam Adams Octoberfest (Marzen): Poured into tall drinking glass at BYOB restaurant. Thin head dissipated into "bathtub ring". Beery nose. Something of an "autumnal" taste to it, but overall very forgettable. Pass.

Breckenridge Avalanche (Amber Ale): Poured into tall drinking glass at BYOB restaurant. This beer was out of date and cannot be reviewed fairly. Despite its age I found it to be an OK drink, and would be interested to try a fresher bottle of it sometime. Seemed to pair reasonably well with fried food.

Widmer Brrr (Seasonal): Poured into SA pint glass. Seemed to be no head at first, then flared up to about 1". Smelled and tasted like grapefruit. Hoppy center. Cloudy amber color. Over time, started to taste like Green Flash Hop Head Red. Sweetened up in the glass as it got warmer. More drinkable than Hop Head Red, and probably would pair well with salty foods.

New Belgium Frambozen (Raspberry Brown Ale): Poured into NB stem glass. Thin head that dissipated quickly, Strong raspberry nose. Deep rich reddish brown pallor. Heavy on the raspberries, sour on the tongue with a woody finish. Not as objectionable as the cassis lambic (by comparison). Marshmallowy mouth feel once I stopped swigging gulps down expecting a lambic experience. Coffee notes as the drink warmed up in the glass. Probably an excellent dessert drink with chocolate cake.

New Belgium 2Below (Seasonal): Poured into NB stem glass. Thick foamy head on the pour. Rich amber color in the glass - akin to pumpkin. Grapefruity nose - which apparently is the giveaway hop smell. Foamy mouth feel with hop notes - but not obnoxiously hoppy like Hop Head Red, or even to the extent of Widmer Brrr. Smooth finish with hoppy essences.

Shiner Holiday Cheer (Seasonal Bavarian-Style Dark Wheat): Poured into SA pint glass. Thick head on pour. Peachy nose. Rich maple syrup color in the glass. Marshmallowy mouthfeel with peach, roasted pecan, and malty flavors. Smooth, roasty finish. Great winter warmer for the Shiner crowd.

Sam Adams Chocolate Bock (Seasonal): Poured into drinking glass. Bitter nose. Dark brown in the glass with a thin and short-lived head. Cocoa powder taste with roasted coffee beans for good measure plus bitterness. Mar loved it. I think Youngs Choc Stout is better for less.

Stone Oaked Arrogant Bastard Ale (Ale): Poured into SA pint glass. THICK head on pour. Malty nose. Malty and caramelized sweetness in the glass. Similar to Belhaven St Andrews but much more expensive.

Sam Adams Light (Pilsner): Poured into SA pint glass. No head. Beery to diaper-y nose. Golden pallor in the glass. Incredibly watery and nondescript. Designed to be drunk cold and not examined. Quick finish, nearly tasteless. I expected much better from Sam Adams, especially as this is more expensive than the usual Bud/Miller/Coors stuff. Pass. This was a free sample from our local distributor.

Newcastle Brown Ale: Poured into Cheesecake Factory beer/drinking glass at restaurant. Next to no head. Amber-y color in the glass. Bitter (!) nose. Malty taste with toffee, vanilla beans and nuts. Nutty, smooth finish. Seems to appeal to the recent college grad/Deep Ellum crowd. An okay beer but not my first choice unless cornered.

Stay tuned for even more tasting notes/favorites next month. Here's to adventure! <EM>

(The Adventures in Beer index may be found here.)