Little Kings: a blast from the past

I would guess it’s been at least 25 years since I’ve had Little Kings Original Cream Ale.  No particular reason, I liked it pretty well as I recall. 

Retro beer from a worser time.

Recently, a friend brought over a 12 pack or 7 oz. bottles, seeing it as a fitting beer to celebrate me getting my MLIS.  Nothing says congrats on the masters like Little Kings, said he.  Well, let me start by saying it was a mistake to pour the beer into the glass.  I guess it took away the nostalgia associate with drinking Little Kings at NIU from tiny bottles that made your hands look huge and made your drinking prowess seem extreme due to the constant draining of the small bottles.  That said, Little Kings Original Cream Ale is light to medium gold, reasonably carbonated and has virtually no head by a minute after the initial pour.  I smell corn in the first whiff, and maybe it’s corn syrup, as there’s a sweetness in the bouquet.  There is a slight haze to the ale as well, but it has a nice body and, as you might guess, a creamy texture.  There is a touch of mild hops at the back end of the bouquet.  The taste is smooth, with a hint of apple cider.  More sweetness and some cereal notes in the finish.  It’s still a quaffable brew, and I’d call it OK, but I would not feel like I was missing anything if it’s another 25 years before my next one.

In the meantime, here’s a link to a good article about Little Kings’ new lease on life.

http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2009/05/11/story17.html

Samuel Adams Noble Pils: spring approaches

Replacing Spring Ale this season in the Sam Adams lineup

Just a look at this one reminds you that the worst of winter is past and that the warm days ahead are closer and closer.  Noble Pils is medium yellow in color, produces a thick, fluffy head and leaves tons of lacing all the way down, all thought head recedes to a thin, surface-covering layer fairly quickly.  Not a lot of carbonation is visible, but the beer is not flat.  There’s a prominent hoppy aroma, a little floral, a little peppery, but not too strong.  It’s a smooth-bodied beer with a touch of citrus tartness and floral sweetness.  This brew is reminiscent of Sam Adams Golden Pilsner from the mid 90s.  I was a big fan of it back then.  The malt characteristics are not too prominent, but come through in the richness of the body and the smooth texture, and the slight dryness in the finish once again reminds you of the hops.  The term noble hops refers to low bitterness/high aroma varieties such as Saaz, Spalt, Tettnanger and Hallertau (and 1 more in this brew, I don’t know what it is) that are typically used in European pilsners like Pilsner Urquell.  This is a warmer weather beer, and I can imagine it accompanying grilled shishkabobs or pinwheel steaks.  Definitely an above average offering from Jim Koch and Co., and one that will please the hops lover in us all.

Ohio Wheat Honey: darned with faint praise

Ohio Wheat Honey from Columbus Brewing Company is deep golden in color with lots of lively carbonation and a minimal head.  The bouquet is kind of floral, kind of grassy.  Texture is smooth and a bit thin, with some honey notes present during and after.  I found it just OK, and basically it’s a little bland.  Eh.

That Mabel, what a peach!

Ettaler Kloster Dunkel

On the strength of thier overly alcoholed keg on tap at the Bavarian Lodge in Lisle, Illinois, I decided to try another of their offerings, namely Kloster Dunkel.  This Pepsi-brown dark beer is fairly effervescent, even if it doesn’t produce much of a head.  The bouquet quickly shifts from ligh, rusty hops to a rich caramel.  The thin texture is not what I wanted or expected, but the tangy hops and roasted malt finish somewhat made up for that.  Overall, I’d give it a “not bad”, and say it’s slightly better than Beck’s Dark, but far from as enjoyable as the Ettaler Doppelbock previously alluded to.

Good steak and bad beer?

I have a question for you:  Can a steakhouse that offers good steak and bad beer survive?  I went to Jameson’s Charhouse last night and was really disappointed with the selection of beer.  Consider TGI Friday’s or Chili’s if you want more of a choice, and that’s sad.  Miller Light, Blue Moon, Guiness, Fat Tire and Amstell Light does not make for a good selection.  Bottle selection was equally lame.  On top of it all, the Fat Tire and the Miller Light basically tasted the same.  The similarity was in the fact that they were both flat and tasted of butter.  Some sort of invading bacteria probably produced diacetyl in the tapper and now everything is on the edge of rancid.  I can’t imagine I was the first person to notice this either.  I can’t imagine getting return customers with problems like this, even if the dinners were good.  I don’t think I’m spoiled either, because as I said, I can find something good at TGI Friday’s.  I’m just disappointed, and the Beerbliographer is done in both being disappointed and referring to himself in the third person.

Here’s a link that gives some basics about beer tastes and smells that may explain what can go wrong. 

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art30566.asp

The Gift of the Magi

Much more enjoyable than selling your hair just before getting a gift comb, Gift of the Magi Golden Ale from Lost Abbey, San Marcos, CA, is a treat.  This beer is a deep gold-to-amber color, not much carbonation, and floats a thin head.  The hint of swwet spices in the bouquet is explained by the inclusion of frankincense and myrrh.  Good hops, sharp, sweet and roasty, it’s a good sipping beer, best served in a snifter, and as it acclimates to the room, it gets even better.  The alcohol content is a bit high, and explains this somewhat disjointed post.  Zum Woll!

Dirty Old Man by Tyranena

Whoa, I think I just tasted the best porter of my life!  Dirty Old Man.  And, it’s fun to say to your bartender “I’d like a Dirty Old Man.”  This Imperial porter is aged in rye whiskey barrels, and contains some of the best flavors I’ve ever enjoyed.  Now, porters aren’t my favorite type of beer, at least I rarely seek them out, but this one could change that.  This deep brown beer is able to produce a dark tan head that lasts a few minutes, but then it collapses into a sparse film on that remains throughout.  It leaves lots of Brussels lace as well, but it doesn’t appear particularly well-carbonated.  The bouquet smells of vanilla, coffee and alcohol, all wrapped in a roasted carmel malt and tangy hop mantle.  It’s creamy and surprisingly smooth, and the smoked rye malt used shows itself at this point, and finishes with a large dose of hops.  The vanilla and creaminess is again featured in the exhale.  This is a special brew, and it would be good either with a heavy meal or for sipping and savoring.  This is a highly recommended beer, and I will be enjoying it again soon!

Pilgrim’s Dole

A lot better than Bob or Libby's dole!

Holland, Michigan:  Once just a rest stop on my way to Ludington, now the source of some of the best beer in the midwest.  The specific beer I am talking about in this case is Pilgrim’s Dole, by New Holland Brewing.  This wonderful stuff is orange-brown, pushing the edge of garnet.  The head is evanescent, but some fuzz remains on the surface to the last, and the carbonation is fairly vigorous.  The bouquet is full and malty with a good dose of carmel and dates, foreshadowing the sensations that is to come.  The taste covers the tongue front to back, side to side.  Sweet and alcoholy, it really sticks to the ribs.  It’s kind of hard to get this one straight, but I find references to dates, raisins, molasses and brown sugar.  This is a barleywine style wheat ale, and I’m new to the whole barleywine thing.  I could see myself digging a lot deeper into the realm of the barleywine soon.  Pilgrim’s Dole is fabulous, and a 22 oz. bottle will do you up right.  Let it breathe and warm up a bit for the best flavor and bouquet.

COMMENTS!

I think I fixed my problem with the “Leave a Comment” feature below each post.  I think it was disabled accidentally, not that I recall doing it.  Please feel free to comment, tell me about your favorite beers and tell me from where you are writing.