Ambers and reds in winter...

Ah, the frigid winter already has me longing for the spring (especially with the perplexingly massive heating bills I've accrued - gasp). But alas, the beer choices this month harken back to the fall, with one amber and a pair of reds. Here are my takes on the three 'new' beers presented to me this month. The grading scale goes from 5 (truly a craft brew, I'll be buying more on my own) to 1 (swill, only good for cleaning out the drains). That leaves 4 (solid and worthy), 3 (average beer, drinkable but not recommendable), and 2 (fair beer, but borderline swill). Geddit? Sure you do. On we go:

MICHELOB HOP HOUND AMBER WHEAT (St. Louis, MO) - 2

A fresh and summery aroma begins this one auspiciously enough. It's a cloudy, citrusy wheat ale that supposedly uses premium Hallertau and Pacific Northwest hops, but this rich and not-hoppy brew disappoints. The overly malty presence overweighs the hoppiness, and thus I have to call tomfoolery here. My expectations were not met. Maybe if they changed the name, I'd be more inclined to like Hop Hound. As it stands, I cannot commit here, no sir.

MISHAWAKA BREWING - FOUR HORSEMEN IRISH-STYLE RED ALE (Mishawaka, IN) - 3

This darker-hued (deep brown) 'red' ale has a rich and unusual (and appealing) floral nose and a complex malty flavor that stabilizes on the tongue. Mishawaka doesn't talk up this one, as there's no details on the bottle, but it's a tad more complex and hearty (for lack of a better word) than Michelob's Irish red reviewed here. This one's unquestionably a craft beer, not perfect but not bad, either.

MICHELOB - IRISH RED ALL-MALT ALE (St. Louis, MO) - 4

Pours a clean deep amber, with a fruity bouquet. Taste is almost pumpkin-ish at first, with a clean and clear finish. No surprises here, but it's more than drinkable - in fact, I had finished more than half the bottle before beginning my review! This one takes me back to my bachelor days, sipping on pints of Killian's and getting into all kinds of trouble! But that's a whole 'nother story. Hah! Me likes.