Saturday, March 12th, 2011
Pyramid Breweries Snow Cap Winter Warmer
The Brewski Report Reviews Pyramid’s Snow Cap
File Date: 3.12.2011
File Name: The Last of The Seasonal Beers
The Beer: Snow Cap
Type: Winter Warmer
Serving: Bottle
Stats: 7.0% ABV
Brewer: Pyramid Breweries, Inc.
Web Site: www.pyramidbrew.com
State/Country of Origin: WA, USA
Brewer Info: No relevant information on the brewery origin on-line.
Brewer Brand Hype: Deep mahogany in color, our full-bodied winter warmer is brewed in the spirit of British winter ales. Crafted with a flurry of roasted chocolate and caramel malts, and generously hopped, it delivers a smooth finish that makes this beer the perfect cold weather companion.
Label: Life is what you pour into it. Your thirst for life demands an offering that can match it. With the artistry of our brewing, we’ve created in every bottle an adventure worth sharing with friends.
The Brewski Review: Rather bitter aftertaste. Large foamy head at the pour. I don’t think I’d try another Snow Cap. Given my desire to find the best beers that suit my palate I’d move on and try something else in a Winter Warmer. But it won’t be until next winter season. This is the last of the Winter Seasonal beers I’ve had tucked back in my fridge so it’ll have to wait until the end of ‘11. Besides, it’s time to get outside and do yardwork, pull down the deer netting, pick up twigs and branches, get the rest of the leaves off the groung, fertilize the yard, etc. I like living in the Northern states but the winter blah’s can a good man down.
Enjoy the warmer weather everyone!
Drinkability: Would try another Winter Warmer.
Appearance: Dark amber brown in color.
The Buds: Bitter aftertaste.
TBR Cap Rating: 3.25 out of 5 caps.
Tags: 3.25 Rating, 7.0% ABV, Bottle, Foamy, Fridge, Good Man, Last Seasonal, Northern States, Outside, Pyramid, Pyramid Brewery, Seasonal, Snow Cap, WA, Warmer Weather, Winter, Winter Warmer, Yard Work
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Sunday, March 6th, 2011
Goose Island Brewery's Mild Winter Ale
The Brewski Report Reviews Goose Island’s Mild Winter
File Date: 3.6.2011
File Name: Mild winter my buttski! Glad March is upon us.
The Beer: Mild Winter
Type: Rye/American Ale
Serving: Bottle
Stats: 5.6% ABV
Brewer: Goose Island Beer Company
Web Site: www.gooseisland.com
State/Country of Origin: IL, USA
Brewer Info: In his travels across Europe, beer-lover John Hall had enjoyed a distinctive local brew in each region he visited. Hall was convinced that Midwesterners could produce beers as good or better than those he’d tasted in his travels. Living on the shore of the largest system of fresh water on the planet Earth, in a city with rapidly evolving tastes – John decided that his hometown, Chicago, would be the ideal place to do just that. The key to building interest in craft beer, Hall decided, was to allow consumers to watch the brewing process – while providing them with the then-novel experience of enjoying a wide variety of distinctive beers that had been produced on-site. Hall wanted to not only cater to his customers’ tastes, but to challenge them as well. Goose Island’s brewers set to work crafting a diverse selection of unique beers – and on Friday, May 13, 1988 the Goose Island Brewpub was born. It turned out that John was right; Chicagoans palates evolved rapidly once Goose Island’s Brewpub opened its doors and introduced the city to distinctive craft beer. By 1995, the brewpub had become so popular that John Hall and his son Greg, who had by then become Goose Island’s brewmaster, decided to open a larger brewery and bottling plant to keep up with demand. Finding still more room for growth, in 1999 the father-son team opened a second Goose Island Brewpub just a stone’s throw away from historic Wrigley Field.
Brewer Brand Hype: Toffee brown, medium-bodied, with a creamy head and an aroma of raisins and freshly baked dark bread. Mild Winter’s rich caramel malt and spicy rye flavors are sure to take the bite out of whatever Old Man Winter brews up for you this year.
Label: Serve Mild Winter in a Willi Glass.
The Brewski Review: Nice deep amber/brown color. Or, as Goose Island states - toffee color. I thought it was tasty and so did my wife who wanted me to purchase a six pack. Of course, I beat her to the punch and drank most of it before she had the chance. Hey, I need a drink to help me unravel from a metally stressful day of having to deal with the weather, house, my job/boss/coworkers, whatever excuse is handy. But, March is here upon us so we’ll be shelving the seasonal winter brews for the time being. I beleive I have one more tucked back in the fridge I need to polish off. I’ll take care of that soon. Would I drink this again? sure. Maybe I’ll have to visit Goose Island next time I’m in Chicago to visit the relatives. You know, for research.
Drinkability: Bought a whole six pack. So, yes.
Appearance: Large head. Deep amber/brown color.
The Buds: Tastly winter ale.
TBR Cap Rating: 3.75 caps out of 5.
Best Big City In America - in my humble opinion.
Tags: 3.75 Rating, 5.6% ABV, Bottle, Chicago, Domestic, Fridge, Goose Island, House, IL, Mild Winter, Relatives, Research, Rye/American Ale, Seasonal, Six Pack, Stress, Weather, Wife
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Saturday, August 21st, 2010
The condensation on the bottle looks more flavorful than the contents.
The Brewski Report Reviews Coors Brewing’s Light Lager.
File Date: 8.21.10
File Name: Wife Discriminates: Makes Husband Do The Heavy Lifting.
The Beer: Coors Light
Type: Light Lager
Serving: Bottle
Stats: 4.2% ABV
Brewer: Coors Brewing Co. / MillerCoors
Web Site: www.coorslight.com
Country of Origin: CO, USA
Brewer Info: Adolph Coors Company was founded in 1873. Our principal subsidiary is Coors Brewing Company, the nation’s third-largest brewer. Throughout our history, Coors has provided consumers with high-quality malt-beverage products using the finest ingredients available. Coors Light is the the largest selling beer in the country. Coors maintains a long-standing commitment to equal opportunity in employment, promotion and purchasing. The company’s policy is to “recruit, hire, train and promote into all job levels employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, age, disability, covered-veterans status, sexual orientation or national origin.” The Coors Golden brewery is the world’s larges on a single site. Free brewery tours are offered daily, except Sundays and holidays.
Inside this room, all of my dreams become realities, and some of my realities become dreams. - Willy Wonka (I'm sure for some that is.)
Brewer Brand Hype: Coors Light, the World’s Most Refreshing Beer, is the fourth best-selling beer in the U.S. Introduced in 1978, Coors Light has been a favorite in delivering the ultimate in cold refreshment for more than 25 years. Coors Light’s unique frost-brewing process locks in a taste as cold as the Rockies. The simple, silver-toned can caught people’s attention and the brew was nicknamed the “Silver Bullet” as sales climbed. Recent Coors Light innovations include the Cold Activated Bottle, Super Cold Draft, the Vented Wide Mouth Can with Frost Brew Liner and a Cold Activated Can.
Label: Nothing worth noting.
The Brewski Review: I was moving junk from my basement to the garage attic today in an effort to make more room in the basement for more junk. Circular isn’t it? We’re not big consumers which is a good thing. My wife and I don’t think we have much stuff but we tend not to throw much away. While performing this mundane task several times from our air conditioned house to a garage attic that was well over 100 degrees, I thought it was high time I pull open the fridge and treat myself to a cold beverage. Juice boxes. No. Water. No. Coors Light. Okay, I’ll try one. And, might I say, what a dissapointment it was. There wasn’t much ‘beer’ flavor but if you wanted to drink a lot of beer, this choice may rank up at the top. Very watery. Very blah. I can only think that Coors Brewery has been distracted lately and their attention has been turned away from brewing beer. Take a look at the ‘Brewer Info’ above: why would a company integrate their equal opportunity employment policy into their marketing strategy? PR issues? Do they have a discrimination lawsuits on the docket or what? Hopefully this was just a poor pick of venues to eagerly promote their HR policy. My feeling is that Coors should remove the wording. I wouldn’t think this is advancing Coors Light’s marketshare. But, I could be all wrong on this one. Perhaps Coors drinkers are very litigious individuals.
Drinkability: A guest left some at my house. It was free. Wouldn’t buy any myself.
Appearance: Pale golden color.
The Buds: Minimal taste. Watery. Session beer.
TBR Cap Rating: 2.5 caps out of 5.
Perhaps Atticus Finch is on the case.....
Tags: 100 Degrees, 4.2% ABV, Adolph Coors, Atticus Finch, Basement, CO, Consumers, Coors, Coors Brewing Co., Coors Light, Domestic, Employment Policy, Fridge, Garage, Garage Attic, Hot, Junk, Lawyer, Legal, Light Lager, Litigious, MillerCoors, Moving, Public Relations, To Kill A Mockingbird, Wife
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Friday, April 2nd, 2010
Tennent's In The Green Bottle
The Brewski Report Reviews Tennent’s of Scotland Lager And The U.S. Economy.
File Date: 4.2.2010
File Name: Toasting The U.S. Economy With A Scottish Beer
The Beer: Tennents of Scotland
Type: Euro Pale Lager
Serving: Bottle
Stats: 5.0% AB
Brewer: Tennent Caledonian Brewery
Web Site: www.tennents.com
Country of Origin: UK (Scotland)
Brewer Info: By far the oldest Brewery in Scotland is Tennent Caledonian, which has been involved in the brewing business since 1556. Its flagship brand, Tennents Lager, has been brewed at the Wellpark Brewery in central Glasgow since 1885, making it the UK’s original lager. Other notable Tennents firsts include: first draught lager in 1924, first canned lager in 1935 and first keg lager in 1963 – there’s that famous Scottish innovation again! Wellpark Brewery was originally known as the Drygate Brewery. It was founded as H&R Tennent in 1740 at Drygate Bridge, near Glasgow Cathedral, by Hugh and Robert Tennent, although brewing had been taking place on the site since 1556, making it the oldest continuous commercial concern in Glasgow. Hugh Tennent’s sons, John and Robert, continued the family business, trading as J&R Tennent from 1769. The business expanded in the 1790s when the Tennent family purchased the neighbouring brewery of William McLehose, and renamed the 5-acre (20,000 m2) site Wellpark Brewery.
Brewer Brand Hype: Born in 1885, Tennent’s was the first lager to be brewed in Scotland, and has remained the market leader and one of Scotland’s favorite beers since then. Tennent’s Lager, has a distinctive, crisp and satisfying flavor with a fresh, bright appearance. Made entirely from natural ingredients, including the finest Scottish barley & the purest Highland water, Tennent’s beers are part of Scottish history and at the very heart of Scottish culture. Tennent’s is a distinctive well-balanced beer with sweet, malty flavors and a tangy hoppiness which give the beer a crisp, refreshing character. Tennent’s is best enjoyed with grilled meats and fish, feta cheese and Caesar salad.
Label: Tennent’s lager has been brewed since 1885 and is the Scots’ favourite beer.
The Brewski Review: I’m doing my part to help the economy. Are you? Our local appliance retailer was touting the ‘Cash for Appliances’ program which is the smaller version fo the widely infamous ‘Cash for Clunkers’ program for automobiles that has propelled the U.S. economy into the stratosphere. Since I missed out on the taxpayer subsidized car purchase program I wanted to get on board this train quickly. So, I decided to tell my wife it was time to turn in the Avacado Green range. Although supportive, she didn’t understand why: the dial timer and two of the four electric burners still worked. What would she do without the large burner that leans to one side, she sniffled. All the food conveniently rolls to the right. And, she added, the inconsistent oven temperature helps keep her culinary skills finely sharpened. Okay. Now do I really need the sarcasm? Anyhow, we were quite disappointed to learn that the program didn’t apply to ranges. ‘Only Energy Star appliances.’ said the retail salesguy - fridges, freezers, washers and maybe dryers (I don’t recall for sure since my eyes glazed over and my attitude went from ‘great’ to ’screwed’ in about a nanosecond.). We did end up purchasing both a range and overhead microwave (we couldn’t have a microwave that didn’t match the new stove). And maybe, since I’m not responsible for my own actions, a couple years down the road when I claim bankruptcy because I’m in over my head on my appliance loan, I can complain about how some unscrupulous salesperson put me in a range that was well beyond my mean. Then I can just sit back and wait for the government handouts. The reason I bring all this up is because I was drinking Tennent’s of Scotland while I was trying to install the overhead microwave. I thought it was a nice, crisp ‘Euro Pale Lager’ that went down quite nicely. A good summertime beverage worthy of six pack status.
Drinkability: Yes. Would drink it again.
Appearance: Light golden color with big head
The Buds: Crisp and light.
TBR Cap Rating: 4.25 out of 5.
T Party Enthusiasts H*ll Bent On Undermining The Government
Tags: 4.25 Rating, Actions, Appliance, Appliance Retailer, Avacado Green, Bankruptcy, Cash For Appliances, Cash For Clunkers, Culinary Skills, Electric Burners, Energy Star, Euro Pale, Euro Pale Lager, Freezer, Fridge, Government, Government Bailout, Import, Loan, Microwave, Nanosecond, Oldest Brewery, Range, Responsible, Retail Guy, Retailer, Sales, Salesman, Sarcasm, Scotland, Scots' Favorite Beer, Screwed, Subsidized, Summertime, T Party Supporters, Taxpayer, Tea Party, Tennent, Tennent Caledonian, U.S. Economy, Washer, Wife
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