OK, for today, this is Music 101’s class blog at Vaughan-Williams College.  Just play along, OK?  Posts for Blanche de Namur and Black Art Lager will be posted after December 9th.  Until then, hey how about that Mozart cat?!

Here's a brewery I'd ike to visit.

Hailing from Lake Mills, Wisconsin, Scurvy IPA by Tyranena Brewing Company opens with a good “pish” and a whiff of brown sugar and hops.  Lots of carbonation and lots of suspended particles, along with a frothy white head greet the eye upon pouring.  The beer is orange-gold and shows a lot of Brussels lace as the head recedes.  The bouquet reveals flowery, fruity, hoppy essences with an underlying rich maltiness.  It is brewed with orange peel, and that may explain the fruitiness, although I wouldn’t call it citrusy.  The texture is naice and the richness of the malt and persistence of the hops end with a dry finish, almost like Sierra Nevada Pale Ale on steroids.  This is a really good, over the top, ballsy IPA.

Yes, I’ve been shopping at Brookhaven again, my favorite Bulgarian market, and that’s where I found Rinkuskiai Aiko Pale.  Medium gold, light carbonation and a splotchy but long-lasting are the first impressions of this beer.  The bouquet is great:  malt first, a whiff of alcohol, followed by some sweetness and a hint of grain.  A bit thin in the mouth, the hops are light and floral and the finish is dry.  Plenty of splotchy lacing, too.  It’s OK, light, summery, but I would like a maltier, more substantial beer, please.

Here’s one that almost took me to the promised land.  Almost.  Light gold, very effervescent and capable of floating a decent 3/8″ thick head.  The hoppiness in the bouquet leans toward dry, not floral, more toward rusty.  And that is not a bad, just a hard essence to describe.  There is a hint of grain and berry there is well.  The mouthfeel is great, and the flavor is wonderful.  Rich malt, more grain and a hint of bread.  The problem arises here.  The finish is dry, it lingers and makes the salivary glands get going.  But the lingering…just keeps lingering.  Frankly, the aftertaste hung around too long and became unappetizing.  I didn’t finish this beer for fear of tasting it all night.  Too bad, because it had such promise.  This beer was brewed by Baltika, who in my experience, seem to just miss more often than the hit the mark, and I’ve tried at least 3 of their beers since they became available in the States.

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.

Chicago's other finest.

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!

Good enough for 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.