Commercial Beers -- Blind Tasting Comments...
More beer destinations on our Brewtopia Events webpage...
- Alpharetta / Cumming, GA
- Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Athens, GA
- Atlanta, GA
- Austin,
TX
- Belgium
- Chicago,
IL
- Columbia,
SC
- Denver, CO
- Fort Collins, CO
- Germany 2003: Munich, Kelheim,
Regensburg
- Minneapolis, St. Paul
- Montreal, Canada
- Nashville, TN
- New England - RI, NH, ME
- New
Orleans, LA 1999
- New Orleans Beer Tour
Photos 2001
- New Orleans Craft Brewers Conf. 2003
- New York,
NY
- Philadelphia, PA
- Germany:
Munich, Bamberg, Kulmbach, and Berlin
- Salt
Lake City, UT
- Tampa,
FL
- Chimay
Trappist
- Orval
Trappist
- Rochefort
Trappist
- Westvleteren
Trappist
- Westmalle
Trappist
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| Max Lager's was kind enough to host our
evaluation of
these beers. Visit the pub soon for a fine selection of house
beers and
delicious menu items.
Max Lager's American Grill
& Brewery
320 Peachtree Street
Atlanta, GA
phone: (404) 525-4400
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Pasha Sovourin and Crawford Moran
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Pumpkin
Ale
Spice/Vegetable Beer
Buffalo Bill's Brewery – Hayward, CA
FIRST PLACE - tie
Aroma: Ginger and allspice - smells
like pumpkin pie. Hints of toast and bread crust.
Appearance: Light
gold in color and very clear.
Flavor: Bit of a thin body - could
use more malt. Pumpkin is mild, but spices are intense and
flavorful. Big carbonation bite makes spices taste even more
bold. Slightly dry in the finish. This is a very pleasant
holiday ale. |
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Hoppus Maximus
American Amber Ale
Thirsty Dog Brewing Co. – Akron, OH
FIRST
PLACE - tie
Aroma: Big hop aroma. Smells
like fresh hops from the NW USA - citrusy and resiny.
Appearance: Light
copper / golden / orange color.
Flavor: Spicy and floral with hints
of butter, chamomile, and fruity esters. A complex ale with a
bold hop flavor balanced well by malt. So light in color and caramel
notes that it could pass for an American Pale Ale.
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Red Brick Winter Brew
2003
Robust Porter with chocolate malt and oatmeal
Atlanta Brewing Co.
– Atlanta, GA
SECOND
PLACE
Aroma: Roasty, chocolately aroma
with touches of coffee/burnt notes.
Appearance: Almost black - opaque
with an attractive tan head.
Flavor: Chocolate and coffee are up
front with an herbal/roasty finish. This is a bold, flavorful ale
that is medium in body.
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Bert Grant's Fresh
Hop Ale
American Pale Ale
Yakima Brewing and Malting Co.
– Yakima, WA
THIRD
PLACE
Aroma: Cascade hops (citrusy) and
malt sweetness make for a nice aroma. There are some sulfur notes
that dissipate quickly.
Appearance: Clear and brilliant with
a copper/amber color and good head retention.
Flavor: Good malt (caramel
undertones) and hop balance with outstanding flavoring hops. NW
American hop (piney, citrusy, grapefruit-like) character is nice, and
there is a mild hop finish without much bitterness. This is an
elegant ale that is somewhere between an American Pale Ale and an
American Amber Ale.
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Anchor
Porter
Robust Porter
Anchor Brewing Co. – San Francisco, CA
HONORABLE MENTION
Aroma: Chocolatey, earthy, fruity,
aromas. Hints of phenols and green apple.
Appearance: Nice dark color with a tan
foam. Gorgeous and dark.
Flavor: Light nutmeg and cinnamon with a
big chocolate, cocoa flavor. Body is medium. Chocolate
dissipates into a sweet, malty finish with some fruity esters.
Yuengling Premium Light Beer
American Standard Lager
D.G. Yuengling & Son – Pottsville, PA
Aroma: Corn and DMS with a slightly
sweet, mild aroma of grain.
Appearance: Yellow with a bright
clarity and white head.
Flavor: Clean and mild with a thin
body. Good example of the style.
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Abita
Light Beer
American Standard Lager
Abita Brewing Company –
Abita Springs, LA
Aroma: Slightly sour, earthy, sweaty,
straw aromas.
Appearance: Light
yellow in color with a slight haze.
Flavor: Almost champagne-like - very
effervescent with hints of light grain and apple. Slightly malty
with a carbonation bite.
Sam Adams
Light
Specialty/Experimental Lager
Boston Beer Company –
Boston, MA
Aroma: Honey, flowers, and hints of Vienna
malt. Toasty, bready notes make for a complex aroma for a light
beer.
Appearance: Much
darker than an American Lager - has a touch of red.
Flavor: Mild European Lager hints - mild
malt, mild toast - richer and more complex than a standard American
Lager.
Highland Gaelic Ale
American Amber Ale
Highland Brewing Co. – Asheville, NC
Aroma: Malty and slightly fruity with a
tea-like, caramel character.
Appearance: Clear
and amber with an appealing, mild, white head.
Flavor: Deep malt flavor with touches of
crystal/caramel malts. There are also toast and smoke hints with
a balance toward malt (rather than hops). The hop background is
pleasant, however.
Rogue
American Amber Ale
American Amber Ale
Rogue Ales – Newport, OR
Aroma: Hops, nuts, wood, pine, malt,
caramel, and honey.
Appearance: Dark
amber and clear with a good stand of white/tan foam.
Flavor: Almond and pepper notes.
Seems a bit thin with some paper (oxidative) quality. Balance
leans toward bitterness in the finish with a touch of
astringency. Overall, a nice Amber Ale.
Yuengling Porter
Brown Porter
D.G. Yuengling & Son – Pottsville, PA
Aroma: Fruit, melon, grass, malt, herbs,
and a slight roasted malt note.
Appearance: Dark with some ruby
highlights. Very opaque.
Flavor: Tastes very English in style with
sweet, mild flavors of roast and caramel. Very light
bitterness. Body is medium/light. This is a mild and smooth
ale that is very drinkable.
Saranac Caramel Porter
Robust Porter with caramel
Matt Brewing Company –
Utica, NY
Aroma: Caramel corn with hints of fruit
and figs. There is a hazelnut/butter note in the aroma.
Appearance: Clear
and light brown with slight carbonation.
Flavor: Caramel flavor is intense and
somewhat odd - has a candy/artificial note about it. This is a
malty Porter that is more like a Brown Porter than a Robust.
Butter is present in the flavor. Tastes a bit like a Brown Ale
with some nut extract. Strange, but interesting.
Samuel Adams Old Fezziwig Ale
Spice Beer with cinnamon, ginger and orange
Boston Beer Company –
Boston, MA
Aroma: Mild spices - ginger, orange peel,
allspice. Has an orange candy aroma that is citrusy.
Appearance: Clear
and red - very attractive.
Flavor: Mild orange rind with other
flavors of toast, malt, and mild spices (ginger and cinnamon).
Well balanced, yet very mild. Caramel background is
pleasant. This is slightly more dry than one might expect, yet
very drinkable.
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