Beer: Left Hand, Schlafly, People's, and Boatswain

So we here at Goatsden World HQ are way behind on beer reviews. Apologies to those still waiting. It's a gradual process, but it's coming together. 

Here are some more assorted craft beer reviews, submitted for your approval. Ratings are from 1 (awful) to 5 (awesome). Anything over a 3.0 is considered a perfectly drinkable brew, so cheers, and enjoy a craft beer (not a corporate lager) today!

LEFT HAND - MILK STOUT NITRO (Longmont, CO) - 4.25

Colorado's Left Hand Brewing has been a favorite of mine for years. Their original milk stout is among the standards for the style. This is a new version of that brew, and it's just as successful.

Pours black, with ruby highlights. Pretty well opaque. Head is slight but smooth with fine, tan bubbles. Next to no lace here. Nose is chocolate, roasty, and lactic. A little char there, too, but overall nice! Taste is delicious! It's a creamy, smooth mix of bittersweet cocoa, milk, and some roasty char. 

An easy-to-enjoy treat, and here's to hoping this brew isn't limited.

SCHLAFLY - GOLDEN ALE BELGIAN STYLE (St. Louis, MO) - 4.0

St. Louis' largest craft brewery has always garnered praise and respect. This Belgian-styled ale doesn't disappoint, either.

Pours a pale gold, with moderate carbonation and attractive tree-line lace. Nose is sweet and spiced. Definite tones of Belgian candy sugar. Taste is strong on the spice up front, with a touch of citrus and darker fruit near the finish. There's also a slight warmth at the end, as well.

Overall, a superb Belgian-style ale, and this one is packed with rich flavor. Superb and faithful to the style.

PEOPLE'S BREWING - NOTORIOUS B.I.P. (Lafayette, IN) - 3.75

People's Brewing is a recent addition to Indiana's growing craft beer lineup, and their past beers have been received reasonably well here at Goatsden. This is one of the best we've tried yet.

Pours black with ruby highlights, and nice, tan foam. Thick walls of lace. Attractive. Aroma is fruity and herbal. Hops seem muted here. Not sure what to make of it. Taste is sharply hopped, with plenty of roasty chocolate-toned malts underneath. Citric hop finish. 

Comes around with a well-balanced taste and easy finish. Solid.

BOATSWAIN - CHOCOLATE STOUT (Monroe, WI) - 3.5

Brewed by Wisconsin's Minhas Craft Brewery (responsible for some really awful beers), and sold exclusively through Trader Joe's markets, this one isn't bad at all.

Pours a black with tawny brown highlights. Rich head of foamy suds. Thick tree-line lace. Nose is cocoa. Simply put, cocoa. Not bad at all. Taste is definitely overwhelmingly chocolate. I get a silky milk chocolate character more as this brew warms up. 

Not a complex nor multi-dimensional ale, but decent enough.

Beer: Simpler Times

Brewed by "Simpler Times Brewing Co.", aka Minhas Craft Brewery of Monroe, Wisconsin in disguise (makers of the Walgreens budget "Big Flats" lagers), and available exclusively at Trader Joe's markets, Simpler Times Pilsner and Lager are easily available for a budget price -- around $3-$4 for a 6-pack of cans. For an alternative to mainstream American adjunct junk lagers, these are worth an investigation. As per all of my beer reviews, ratings range from 1 (awful) to 5 (awesome). But don't take my word for it. Try them yourself. 

SIMPLER TIMES PILSNER - 3.0

Pours a clear, piss-yellow with substantial head of creamy white carbonation. Thick but erratic lace. Nose is grainy, malty, and borderline adjunct. Tastes rich and malty/grainy, with a buttery toast character and only a slight hops presence.

Nice body, and quite drinkable, though not one I'd pursue again, even at the Trader Joe's budget $3.99/6pk price.

SIMPLER TIMES LAGER - 2.5

Straw yellow, with a nice white head that dissipates into attractive spider-web lace. Nose is corny, adjunct, malted barley or rice, really pretty typical. Taste is super-sweet, even syrupy. Hop presence is practically null. To it's credit, this has a much fuller flavor profile and heavier body than macro lagers, but I'd still avoid this one again.

A nice deal, though, at $3.99/6pk at Trader Joe's.

Minhas site

Trader Joe's site

Craft Beer Tastings For Halloween 2012, Take Two...

Like it or not, craft beer is here to stay. Here are more reviews for your amusement and reference. Scores are from 1 (awful) to 5 (amazing). Drink and be merry!

ANDERSON VALLEY - BOONVILLE HOP OTTIN' IPA - 3.0

Picked up this single after several recommendations on the web. Unavailable in my zip code, so found one in Louisville, Kentucky, at the amazing Liquor Barn.

Pours a dense and cloudy amber, with a thick and sudsy head. Nice. Lace is there, but unremarkable. Nose is appealingly citrus-floral. Not outstanding, but definitely appealing. Taste is sharp up front, but with a heavy malt foundation to smooth it all out. This is an easy-to-drink IPA that shouldn't offend non-IPA fans too much, but doesn't quite cut it in my book. Sessionable? I'd say yes, though, so score some points there, but I wouldn't recommend this one otherwise.

MINHAS CRAFT BREWERY / TRADER JOE'S - BOATSWAIN TWIN SCREW STEAMER - 1.0

This delightfully-priced ($2.49 a bomber at Trader Joe's Louisville) imperial IPA is an impressively boozy 8.4% ABV, but fails on all other levels.

It pours a hazy, cloudy amber, with a decent two-finger head of off-white suds and a fair fence-post lacing. Not awful there. Nose is mild somehow, though. I don't get a lot of hoppiness. Maybe a hint, but almost more of an adjunct corniness. Huh? Taste is way off balance. This one is heavily malted and boozy. Really disappointing! I can hear an old lady buzzing "Where's the hops?" here. Maybe my bottle was old, but maybe not. A grossly imbalanced IPA and only a good deal if you want to get drunky-drunk. 

HENRY WEINHARD'S PRIVATE RESERVE- 2.0

This cheapie just appeared on local shelves at groceries, so I suspected a major corporation bought out the name. Spot-on, as this once-proud Pacific Northwest name is now owned and brewed by MillerCoors.

Semi-transparent golden in appearance, with decent carbonation. Lace is pretty spotty but present, nonetheless. Nose is grainy and malty. Seems adjunct and corny to me. Taste is mild and watery. No sense of hops at all, despite the bottle's claim. Not sure if this was a better beer before the big boys bought the name, but this one's really pretty uninteresting. Avoid.

FORT COLLINS - ROCKY MOUNTAIN IPA - 3.5

I've been quite a fan of Colorado's rich craft beer scene, but there are so many good breweries and beers, only a handful are distributed into my region. Had a chance to pick this up on a recent trip to Louisville, so here goes...

Cloudy amber, with an average head of carbonation. Lace is light and unimpressive. Nose is sticky hops. I get citrus and pine notes. Not bad. Taste is bitter grapefruit, but with a fairly substantial malt backbone. It's a crisp and refreshing IPA, and probably pretty sessionable. Still, this one doesn't seem to have a lot of character, so I won't have much interest in re-tasting unless it's fresh and on-draft.