Not the package mine came in, but I would not mind seeing it reintroduced.
Tennant’s (lager) is light gold in color, lightly carbonated and produces a big fluffy head on the initial pour. Plenty of Brussels lace as the head recedes. Very aromatic and reminiscent of a Northern German lager in that respect. Some people call it skunky, but I don’t think it’s quite that bad in this case. First whiff brings hops, second brings maltiness. Very smooth on the tongue with a dryish finish on the back of the palette and tongue. Not much aftertaste, just a mild sweetness. Very drinkable, but not something I’d buy on a regular basis, unless it was a good deal. Generally I drink it at the Highland Games and pay $4.00 for a pint of it. Not a bad beer.
One more thing…their stupid website will only let you see an advert for a soccer game that was played on September 5, and tells you you’re too late to enter a contest. I had this same problem with Labatt’s last week, that’s why I posted that lame video. He big brewers, GET ON THE BALL!
This one was a real pleasant surprise when I first had it in Baltimore in Spring 2007. To think that a local (well, Pottsville PA isn’t exactly local to Baltimore, but it was common to find it on tap anywhere I went) lager had some color to it blew my mind, being used to the Miller, Old Style, Bud stuff you get in Chicago. It was amber in color, didn’t hold its head very well, but still produced a good amount of carbonation. It had a bouquet that was malty, tart and a touch earthy maybe? The taste followed suit with a bit of a tang, and a thin mouthfeel. Still, I found this beer very satisfying with more to it than standard American lagers. I liked it, and wish I could find it around here. Lord Chesterfield Ale, another Yuengling product was faboulous, but that’s a story for another day.
This Austrian brew is deep brown with red-orange highlights and floats a sparse but consistent tan head. The bouquet is fabulous: malty, roasted carmel, licorice, coffee, raisins…and all well-balanced and very appealing. Schloss Eggenberg Doppelbock Dunkel has a creamy mouthfeel, really smooth-edged. It is sweet tasting, malty and earthy with a touch of hoppy resin in the finish. Be ready for your salivary glands to go full tilt. The overall flavor is not strong, just well crafted and well balanced. Finish up with a slight whiff of alcohol in the final exhale and you have one very good doppelbock.
This $8.00 22oz. bottle of beer just might have been worth it. Sofie is gold, cloudy, bubble and lively. The bouquet has a hint of citrus/lemon, and is sweet and clean, and holds a spicey note for a long time. It supports a 1/2″ thick head for a good long time. It tastes tart and makes the taste buds stand at attention. Theres a nice wheaty, malty quality in the finish, and at 6.5% ABV it make you feel real good. I dig this stuff. It is a blend of 80% Belgian style ale blended with 20% Belgian style ale aged in wine barrels with orange peel. What a well-crafted wonder. Get you some!
I know a lot of people who call Bass Ale their favorite beer. Nothing wrong with that, we all have an opinion. I just think that those people don’t care to look further that the liquor section at their Osco. Bass Pale Ale is amber-orange, well carbonated and has a thin lacey head. The bouquet is reasonably hoppy with a hint of sweetness. It is smooth-bodied, but maybe a wee bit thin in texture, and it finishes sweet and dry. I have noticed inconsistency in Bass over the years, but the most recent pint I’ve had was fresh-tasting. Bass Pale Ale is a crowd pleaser, but there are better ones out there.
I am not a big fan of light beer, but it definitely has its place. My friend Mike recently brought a 12 pack of Labatt Blue Light to a basement jam session, and I found that it went well with Alice Cooper, Luke Doucet and Brian Setzer tunes. It is light yellow in color with good carbonation and it retains its wispy head. The bouquet is sweet with hints of berry and hops. It is thin in the mouth, and a touch rusty at first, but produces a light sweetness in the finish. It’s refreshing when ice cold, but a bit on the mild side. And where are the hops if this a pilsener? None the less, it is a good session beer and goes better with Hey Joe and It’s a Shame About Ray than does my musical talent.
The label design made me think American craft brew, but indeed this one is from http://www.caledonian-brewery.co.uk/brewery_home.html Caledonian Brewery, Edinburgh. There is a slight essence of butterscotch in the bouquet, along with a dose of hops and a final breath of alcohol. It has a sweet quality as well. This honey-colored ale is quite effervescent, sports a decent head and plenty of lacing that slowly slides back into the brew. Great Scot is light bodied, grainy, dry and has a touch of carmel and some more alcohol in the finish. It’s pretty good. It tastes fresh, not like what I typically expect from a Scottish import. On top of it all, it is organic and vegan friendly, I read on the label, not knowing that beer is generally made to be vegan unfriendly. Curious.
The confusing thing about this beer is the label, which lists the brew as both “Great Blond Ale” and “Belgian Amber Ale”. Well fear not, because I am going to straighten everything out for you. http://www.hetanker.be/en/beers/gouden-carolus-hopsinjoor.html Gouden Carolus Hopsinjoor is gold and cloudy and pours with a HUGE fluffy white head. Lots of fine bubbles in the carbonation. It’s a bottle fermented ale, and it has been blessed with four varieties of hops in its creation. The bouquet is a tad bit floral, at least at the opening phase, because the head is all I can get a whiff of. As the head subsides (a bit) some citrus notes become apparent. It smells clean, not antiseptic clean, but fresh clean. The taste is sweet, dry and hoppy, and very alcoholy. It tangs the tongue, makes the saliva flow and warms the belly. The aftertaste hints at the sweetness of the malt and the floweriness of the hops. This beer is complex, but it’s not as if it’s trying too hard. The hoppiness brings happiness. Gouden Carolus Hopsinjoor is well-crafted and quite good.
I’m fortunate to live near the Gordon Biersch in Bolingbrook. The food offered is varied and good. Service is always good and very accommodating. The beer is good. Here is a quick run down of the sampler. Golden Export is light and clear, thin head and texture, nice grain notes and texture, lightly hopped. Hefeweizen is very smooth and very Bavarian, a bit dry and banana-clove-spicey, cloudy, and has a hint of bubble gum in the finish. Czech lager is buttery, a tad spicey and dry and golden in color. Marzen is smooth, dark amber-orange with a touch of sweetness. Altbier is dry and light, and very much like the the alt they produce for Trader Joe. Schwartzbier smells like coffee and floats a thin beige head, has brown-orange tones tastes like coffee, has a smooth texture and is light than you’d expect, but that makes it more drinkable to the amateur. Good stuff all, and something for everyone.
This one was a real pleasant surprise when I first had it in Baltimore in Spring 2007. To think that a local (well, Pottsville PA isn’t exactly local to Baltimore, but it was common to find it on tap anywhere I went) lager had some color to it blew my mind, being used to the Miller, Old Style, Bud stuff you get in Chicago. It was amber in color, didn’t hold its head very well, but still produced a good amount of carbonation. It had a bouquet that was malty, tart and a touch earthy maybe? The taste followed suit with a bit of a tang, and a thin mouthfeel. Still, I found this beer very satisfying with more to it than standard American lagers. I liked it, and wish I could find it around here. Lord Chesterfield Ale, another 
roasted carmel, licorice, coffee, raisins…and all well-balanced and very appealing. 
brewery.co.uk/brewery_home.html
The taste is sweet, dry and hoppy, and very alcoholy. It tangs the tongue, makes the saliva flow and warms the belly. The aftertaste hints at the sweetness of the malt and the floweriness of the hops. This beer is complex, but it’s not as if it’s trying too hard. The hoppiness brings happiness. Gouden Carolus Hopsinjoor is well-crafted and quite good.
