Beer a Day Blog

Jupiter

kd59 — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 20:32:02 +0000

One of the great rivalries in hockey is the Leafs and Canadiens, had the opportunity to take in the rivalry at the ACC last night. Before the game stopped for dinner and saw a Jupiter on tap and figured had to give this one a try. Not what I expected at all, with an out of this world name thought maybe an out of this world beer. Bills itself as an Belgian Blonde, not really typical of others I am used to from Belgium, no spicing at all. More of a Pilsner style taste. Golden in colour, kind of average, not my favourite blonde, but that’s for another day. Is this one worth a try, if you want, it’s just pretty average.

7/10

Christoffel Winterbier

kd59 — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 19:53:40 +0000

Happy New Year to all. Decided to kick off 2012 with a Christoffel Winterbier. This one only appears for a limited time and comes in a beautiful winter themed bottle. This beer from The Netherlands, is a orange, cloudy colour reminiscent of an unfiltered beer. Typical of an English style ale in taste, with a hint of bitter aftertaste. The best part is the bitterness is not overwhelming. I certainly would recommend this one to warm you on a cold winter’s night. Comes in a two litre jug, so bring a thirst or share with friends or family. And when these do become available grab one quick since they won’t last.

8/10

Bah Humbug!

kd59 — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 03:01:45 +0000

I hope all of you had a very Merry Christmas! I decided to celebrate Christmas with an ale from Wychwood Breweries of England. Bah Humbug is a seasonal beer, and if Scrooge had had a few of these he might not have had to be visited by the three ghosts. A typical English style ale, dark in colour, I found it very smooth without any bitterness. It was a perfect beer to drink as I celebrated Christmas Eve with family. I am positive that Bob Cratchit and Ebenezer would have enjoyed this ale with their Christmas Goose. Give it a try next year since you’re probably too late for this year. On another note I have reached over 50,000 hits on this blog, when I started it I would have been happy to reach 50 let alone 50,000. Thank you to all of you that have taken the time to check this out. And if I’ve helped any of you in trying a beer then I’ve accomplished my goal. I was recently in the Liquour Store and saw a couple in the specialty beer section mocking the names of some of the beers, Hobgoblin in particular, well if you’re not willing to try something different or going to judge a beer by it’s name, then I suggest sticking to your generic swill such as Budweiser. Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas!

8/10

Lava

kd59 — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 00:13:01 +0000

Iceland is famous for it’s volcano that blanketed Europe with ash. It’s also known for geothermal energy. Lava aside from what flows from a volcano is a Smoked Imperial Stout from the Ölvisholt Brugghús of Iceland. This is my second Icelandic Beer. This beer pours thick and very dark, cola-like in colour, even the head has that dark brown tinge. As for the beer, an almost chocolaty taste, but too bitter. Couldn’t really taste the smoke they promised me, unlike a German smoked beer where you can even smell the smoke, as stouts go this one is kind of average, maybe a little below. Not cheap either. I wouldn’t really recommend trying one unless you just have to try a Smoked Imperial Stout from the land of first names.

5/10

Wychcraft

kd59 — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 23:11:02 +0000

Wychcraft is a blonde beer from England’s Wychwood brewery. I’ve sampled quite a few from these fine folks, and have enjoyed most, with their unique names they make a good beer. Not sure about a blonde witch, I guess they are the good witches. Prefer mine with a touch of evil myself. On to the beer, cool bottle and label that prominently feature witches including as part of the glass. At first it has a bit of deep yellow almost orange in colour, clear unlike some of the unfiltered styles, ‘thrice hopped for flavour’ they say and it certainly has flavour. Not spiced at all which often can overwhelm a beer’s taste. Not at all like a Belgian blonde, a bit more like a Bavarian style. So give this one a try or one of the others from Wychwood.

8/10

Karlovačko

kd59 — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 00:37:35 +0000

This is my second beer from Croatia, I found my first pretty good. I guess it’s true you always remember your first. Karlovačko is very typical Eastern European style pilsner. A nice straw colour, with that full bodied taste you would expect, slight hint of bitterness, but overall a pretty good beer. The best in this style, no, but none the less a beer worth a try. This ones pretty popular in Croatia, so if you don’t want to listen to me then you can listen to the people of Croatia (Republika Hrvatska). The label features the red and white checked pattern reminiscent of their flag and Coat of Arms. First time I’ve seen this one so don’t hestitate and give one a try, unless you have a trip planned to Croatia in the future.

7.5/10

Holzar-Bier

kd59 — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 02:05:21 +0000

Another beer from the Bavarian brewery Hirsch Bräu. As I have mentioned in the past Bavaria is the centre of the beer universe. Holzar-Bier is a dark beer with a strong taste reminiscent of ‘liquid bread’, which is brewed in winter months only to help get you through the cold months. The lumberjack on the label symbolizes the lumberjacks who favoured this type of beer. A good mix of sweet and a hint of bitter, a little light on flavour but a decent beer none the less. Worth a try, however there are better of this style out there. Holzar-Bier Nach Urväterart, doesn’t really fit into a catogory the brewery describes it as “An original old Allgäu brewing specialty. Amber colored, bottom-fermented Export beer. Pure, full-bodied, hearty, with a light malt aroma and the taste of dark brewing malt with well-rounded bitter touch.” Give it a try, maybe after a day of cutting down trees, or maybe raking leaves, putting up Christmas lights or just for the sake of enjoying a beer.

8/10

Neuschwansteiner

kd59 — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 22:33:16 +0000

Neuschwanstein is probably the most famous landmark in Bayern, Deutschland (Bavaria, Germany). It is the inspiration for the Disney fairy tale castle. Built by der Märchenkönig (the fairytale king) Ludwig II as a homage to Richard Wagner. Brewed by Hirschbräu, Neuschwansteiner is excellent lager well worth a try, like the Schloss (castle) which stands above other castles this beer stands above other beers. Golden in colour this lager is smooth and very enjoyable with a hint of sweetness. I recommend this one, I have found reviews of this beer mixed but as Ludwig would say ”I wish to remain an eternal enigma to myself and to others.” Oh and his nickname as the ‘Mad King’ there is no evidence of any kind of mental illness, which was likely fabricated to explain his mysterious death. Neuschwansteiner das echte (Neuschwansteiner the real). And if you are wondering about the swans on the label neu-new, schwan-swan, stein-stone, the er means from there like Berliner.

9/10

Dominus Vobiscum Blanche

kd59 — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 22:23:42 +0000

Dominus Vobiscum Blanche is a Belgian style wheat beer from Québec’s Charlevoix Microbrewery. Dominus Vobiscum is not French but a Latin phrase meaning ‘The Lord be with you’. This beer is a pale yellow in colour and cloudy in appearance, typical of a Belgian Style wheat the first thing that hits you is the spices, the coriander and citrus with a hint of maybe cinnamon? The spices are bit much at first but better with subsequent sips. I find that wheat beers from ‘la belle province’ tend to be of the Belgian style. Reminds me a bit of the Holiday season and brings to mind Glühwein (mulled wine) very similar spicing. If you enjoy a good Belgian Style wheat beer then you will like this one.

8/10

Ayinger Celebrator Doppelbock

kd59 — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 00:10:25 +0000

I was looking for something to celebrate Germany’s decisive victory over The Netherlands in an international friendly. So I opened a Ayinger Celebrator Doppelbock brewed by the Ayinger located outside München in Bayern. A strong beer at 6.7% so you’ll get a bit of a buzz, if you have never tried a dobblebock, or you enjoy a good dobblebock then give this one a try. Dark in colour, thick with just the right amount of sweetness without the alcohol taste that often ruins a strong beer. This one will warm your heart and soul on a cold winters night. Oh and the goats on the label is a play on words, being that a bock is a goat, and dopplebock means literally double goat. Worth a try for sure.

9/10