Bene-ficial

Beer #704 Benediktiner Weissbier / Klosterbrauerei Ettal

Previously from this brewery: N/A, this beer is the first out the limo

It's a hustle day, so you get some hustle.  Today's beer was an old pour of Benediktiner, a hefeweizen from Klausterbrauerei Ettal in Germany.  In the glass, you get a hazy amber with a fluffy white head.  There are ample aromas of banana and yeast, and when you take a sip, you get an almost carbonated feel, and flavors of banana, clove, a fair amount of spice and biscuit.  Rather nice, particularly if you like hefeweizens.  And I do like them, even if I don't order them all that often.

Borrowed photo; mine lost to the sands of time.

This beer has roots that go back to a Benedictine order of monks who brewed beer; it appears they're still involved in production.  Sweet.

Thing to Think About Today:
I mentioned them in my post last night, and I'll go ahead and delight you with The Jayhawks in this space. Further proof of my fondness for country music (that is, the non-pickup truck or macro beer version, of course).  We close with Ten Little Kids.  Night, all.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=goox4SnszCw

Touch

Day #702 Tucher Helles Hefeweizen / Brauerei Tucher Brau, Nurnberg, Germany
Previously from this brewery: Hefeweizen

Another blast from the past review, as I didn't get a chance to eat lunch yet, and not really feeling like today is a good day for liquid dinner.  So you get a glass of Tucher Helles Hefeweisen, which pours a cloudy pale yellow with a lingering head.  There are aromas of lemon and bread, and the taste has notes of biscuit, wheat, orange, and some light banana.  This isn't a beer that really stands out from the crowd, but it is perfectly drinkable.

My photo is mysteriously lost in space.  So, you get this stock footage:

The Good "Tuch"

Thing to Think About Today:
A song that popped up on the iPod, and provides a nice mellow background for the evening.  The immensely talented Ben Folds and Landed.  Makes me wish I still played the cello.  Night, all...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXHjKFhq2s0

And I've been flying high all night / So come pick me up, I've landed"

Day 471: Starr Hill's The Love

I wanted to love The Love, but I don't. I wanted to love The Love for so many reasons--it was part of the one-sided beer exchange; it's called The Love; it's a hefeweizen. But alas, poor reader, it was not meant to be.

The Love poured a bright golden color with a thin white head. It had a tangy, wheat aroma. The flavor was lemon-tart with undertones of wheat bread. It's very effervescent. But I'm not getting the typical hefeweizen flavors of banana. There's no hints of bubblegum. No apple. Nothing typical of the style. Perhaps there's clove hidden in the spiciness that I noted in my scribblings. Overall The Love is The Dud.

Beer stats
Style: German hefeweizen
ABV: 4.6%
IBUs: 9
Rating: Average

Previously reviewed from Starr Hill
Mr. Blog Named Brew's thoughts on The Love
Shake Ya Ass and a Cryptical
Proof that I shouldn't make Godfather references and a Cryptical review from me

Day 408: NXNW Sampler and Some Rambling

Texas Beer Week hits its second to last installment with a review of NXNW. It was the first Texas beer that I found upon our arrival and I maximized my time there with the sampler.

The Northern Light is a great session beer. It pours a bright golden color with barely any head. It's a little bready with a hint of hops.

The Bavarian hefeweizen is a traditional German wheat beer. It pours an opaque lemonade color. No strong aroma, but has great banana and clove flavors. Excellent.

Then there was the Duckabish amber. It poured a clear amber color. It was very malty and creamy.

I also tasted the Jingo pale ale, Okanogan black ale and something aged in Jack Daniels' barrels. I didn't write any notes on those samples.

Perhaps I need to work on my writing dedication when I'm sampling the sampler. I tend to fall apart when I have more than a few beers to review. In lieu of good beer reviews, I share my photos of UT's campus and a great chicken trailer we found on South Congress Avenue.

Ms. P's Electric Cock. I kid you not. We should have bought the t-shirts.

UT's campus. Two balls. Seriously?

And the had the nerve (balls?) to tell me
not to photograph the balls.

Me and a wishing well.  What did I wish for?
More beer.

I'm throwing my year 2 format out the window because this is one of my more disjointed posts in awhile. If Mr. Blog Named Brew finds his notes, then perhaps we'll formalize this mess.

Cheers!

Day 407: Circle Brewing Blur

Today's installment of Texas Beer Week features Circle Brewing Company's Blur. It's billed as a Texas hefeweizen, but I'm not sure what makes it so. A little research...

From Circle Brewing's website: Blur is a unique blend of traditional old-world styling with a little Texan ingenuity. This Texas twist on the German wheat beer brings with it a hint of caramel to a crisp and refreshing style. The citrus aroma plays off the light and creamy body to create a beer that has no rival whether you enjoy it in the sun or in the shade.

I guess it's the caramel in a hefeweizen that makes it so.


The Blur is a beautiful beer. I had it served in a GIANT chalice at Hopdoddy's in Austin. What do you know about Hopdoddy's? Go there and get any of the burgers. So good. I could kill for one right now.

Anyway the Blur poured a deep hazy shade of orange with a thick white head. There was lots of orange and wheat in the nose. The flavor is strong orange with hints of banana creaminess. There was a nice breadiness to it and some light hops. I could totally see drinking this on a hot Texas day.

Beer stats
Style: Hefeweizen
ABV: 4.6%
IBUs:12
Rating: Good

Previously reviewed from Circle Brewing
Gary's thoughts on Blur

Circle of Life

Beer #403 Blur / Circle Brewing Company, Austin, TX
Previously from this brewery: None, new brewery

Randomly busy night tonight, as I was tied up in a board meeting after work, then had to run an errand, and I'm just now getting to sit down an write.  When will I find time to catch up on missed episodes of Gossip Girl tonight?  Today was also a whirlwind day in the office - productive, but greatly tiring.  I am hereby going on record that I think tomorrow will be a good day.  You heard it here first!

Tonight's beer is Blur, a hefeweizen from Circle Brewing Company in Texas.  This one was on draft at Hopdoddy in Austin, a great place for a burger and a beer (or two or three).  While the burgers are fantastic, the ginormous goblet the beers come in is worth a visit alone.  In said goblet, this beer has an apricot hue, and your nose finds a good aroma of banana.  The taste is classic hefeweizen, with plenty of banana, clove, and yeast.  Well done beer, definitely worth your effort.  Particularly if you can get a goblet-sized portion.

Love this glass 

This brewery adheres to the German Purity Laws of 1516, and started producing their beers in 2010.  Now you know.

Thing to Think About Today:
In the spirit of Circle Brewing, we close tonight with Round Here from the Counting Crows.  Ah, the 90's.  Good times, good times.  Enjoy your evenings, friends!  See you tomorrow.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SswG-1Q3fFM

"She has trouble acting normal when she's nervous..."

Beer 355: What Would Mom Drink? Benediktiner Wheat Beer?

Back on November 4, I posed some questions about what I've learned during this adventure. I guess with a mere eleven beers to go, I better start coming up with some answers. 

Let's just rip this band-aid off and start with the hard question.  Has all this writing helped honor my Mom's memory?

I don't freaking know. I don't think she even liked beer. But seriously this woman never stopped encouraging me to pursue my dreams, even when my dreams seemed ridiculous for any number of reasons. You want to be a cheerleader? I'll drive you to practice everyday. You want to play tennis? Sure where do we buy a racket? You want to move to the suburbs of Philadelphia? Ok, just don't get shot. Mom never fully grasped how safe it is here, that I don't really live in Philadelphia and that the museum area where I work is quite safe. God rest her soul. You're going to buy a house with a guy that you aren't married to? When's the housewarming party? You're marrying that guy? Thank god because I really like him.

Fast forward to now and I have a feeling that she's sitting there thinking good job. Keep writing. It makes you happy.

Thanks, Mom.

Another question -- would she like tonight's beer?


It's the Weissbier from Benediktiner Weibrau in Germany. It's a hefeweizen with an ABV of 5%. It pours a deep, golden brown color with a full white head. It smells of lemons and wheat grains. The flavor is thick...wheat, general citrus and I would have said berries but I couldn't find them again. I may have hallucinated that part. Overall I think this is a good beer and I would totally share it with my Mom.

Cheers!

Beer 348: Tucher Hefeweizen and Thanksgiving Wishes

This Thanksgiving I'm grateful for the balance I've found in my world. I'm at peace with who I am and how I make my way in the world and I sincerely hope that brings joy to those I encounter along the way. I have amazing friends and a strong family and an incredible husband. Happy Thanksgiving!

I'm also grateful for good beer and that's certainly been plentiful this year. Today's beer is from Brauerei Tucher Brau -- specifically the Tucher helles hefeweizen.


It pours a hazy straw color with a full bright white head. It hails from Germany and has a 5.3% ABV. It smells of banana and wet dog. Somehow the wet dog isn't a bad thing. The taste is light buttery banana, wheat and some bubblegum. Overall this is a great beer.

Cheers!

Day off = Magical

Beer #342 Circus Boy / Magic Hat Brewing Company, South Burlington, VT
Beers to go: 24

While you're at work, I'm sitting at home, writing a review and getting ready to get on the road - it's another Penn State tailgate weekend!  Only two left in the season, need to make them count...

Today's beer is Circus Boy, a hefeweizen from Magic Hat Brewing Company out of Vermont.  In the glass, this beer shows off a clear effervescent gold hue, with a wispy white head.  The aroma is of bread and lemon, and when you take a sip you pick up flavors of bread, biscuit, and banana, with floral notes and a crisp and clean finish.  Not as much clove or banana as you might want from a hefeweizen, but a decent beer for those who are looking for something light to remind them of sunny days.

Yeah, boyeeeee!

Burlington is a great town, and the last time I was there, I figured a tour of the Magic Hat Brewery would be a lot of fun, right?  Yeah, until I found out that the brewery was undergoing renovations, and there were no tours that weekend.  Next time, next time.

Thing to Think About Today:
Magic Hat?  Magic Man, from Heart.  It's Friday people, go crazy.  Let loose.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXOO7QVHgXs

Beer 263: Nonsequitor. Winnie the Pooh. Ass Kisser

“What day is it?"
"It's today," squeaked Piglet.
"My favorite day," said Pooh.

Have you ever read A.A. Milne quotes? Especially from Winnie the Pooh? They are remarkably inspirational. I read this one weeks ago and it's been my focus ever since.

Now prepare yourself for a rough transition because I'm switching gears from lovable childhood character to a brewery named Ass Kisser Ales.


I'm drinking the Tight Ass -- a hefeweizen with an ABV of 5.8%. It's brewed in San Jose, California and purports itself to be a clean style wheat beer that has a sense of style of its own. It goes on to claim that it provides clove and citrus aromas with a clean and spicy finish and will push the pain of the day away.

Ok.

It poured a cloudy straw color with a lumpy white head. My advice is if something is in a style, don't mess with that style. There's probably a reason it's a style and the odds of you improving it are pretty slim. If only I met this beer when it was an idea. The addition of Canadian barley doesn't help. This is a weak example of the style.

My summary: smells of wheat and tastes like grass. I don't taste cloves or any spices other than pepper. I'm having a hard time finding the citrus as well. On a positive note, it looked really good in the glass. Cheers.

Princes and Bishops

Beer #237 Julius Echter Hefe-Weiss /  Würzburger Hofbräu ,  Würzburg, Germany

It's Friday, and we're doing take-out Chinese food for dinner, with a movie and some beer to follow.  Not a bad way to end the week by any stretch of the imagination.

Tonight's beer is the Julius Echter Hefe-Weiss from Würzburger.  It comes out of the bottle with a hazy yellow, with a lingering thin white head, and gives off aromas of grain, malt, and banana.  The taste is classic hefeweizen - banana, clove, wheat, and bubblegum, with a clean light finish.  If you love hefeweizens, this one needs to be on your list, and soon.

Soooo good.

Würzburger is storied brewery, founded in 1643 by Prince-Bishop Johann Philipp von Schönborn.  Prince-Bishop is one badass title, if you ask my opinion.  All the funk of Prince, plus the strong pimp hand of Bishop (Don Magic Juan, that is).

Prince!

Bishop!

  

Yeah, I mean I guess it was something like that.  Anyway, keeping with the theme, this beer is named for Prince-Bishop Julius Echter von Mespelbrunn, a big wheel in the church and town of Würzburg in the mid-1600's.  His heart is buried in a monument in the great hall of the University of Würzburg.  Top that one.

Looks just like Prince!

Thing to Think About Today:
A bit more on heart.  Sometimes, the winners aren't strictly the ones who go home with shiny medals around their necks.  Take for example, the story of Derek Redmond.  A pulled hamstring got very much in the way of a podium finish for Redmond at the '92 Olympics, but it didn't get in the way of him proving he had a heart of a champion.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFKpZnok10s&feature=BFa

Beer 229: Julius Echter Hefe-Weiss

It's late and I've had a long day of being super productive so I could duck out of work early to hit the salon. It takes work to maintain these good looks...I can't risk a bad beer blog paparazzi photo! Oh wait. The beer blog paparazzi only stalk me in my sleep. So yeah...on to the beer.


It is the Julius Echter Hefe-Weiss brewed in Germany by Wurzburger Hofbrau.

It poured a very cloudy straw color with a thin white head. There were lots of bananas and clove in the nose. It smells fantastic. The taste is spicy and fruit ester and it has a creamy mouthfeel. I would really love this beer if the carbonation wasn't so prickly. Overall it is delicious and a great example of a hefeweizen.

Cheers.

Love the Drake!

Beer #211 Drake's Hefeweizen / Drake's Brewing Company, San Leandro, CA

Tomorrow starts the new job.  I don't exactly have a desk yet, and I'm being bombarded by people who want to meet about things I'm supposed to be doing.  So, I'm going to be diving into the deep end of the pool.  Even though I know everyone I'm going to be working with, it still has a first day of kindergarten feel to it, for some reason.  Hopefully I find someone to sit with at lunch....

Today's beer is the Hefeweizen from Drake's Brewing, which we had at lunch during a brief swing through Napa on our way to the airport.  It has a cloudy, hazy gold color, and your nose picks up citrus and grain aromas.  It has flavors of orange, grain, and  yeast, with some underlying banana in there as well.  At 4.5% ABV, this is a great beer for a summer day or a lunch outside (as evidenced by the photo below).

This brewery traces its roots back to 1989 and the dawn of the craft beer movement in America.  If you didn't know, male ducks are called drakes, and two ducks are included on the brewery logo.  Now, why the brewery is named Drake's is a bit more of a mystery, which I could not solve in my five minutes of internet research.

Thing to Think About Today:
So tomorrow is like the first day of school, but in a good way.  If we're thinking about the first day of school, let us pause to reflect on that elementary school all-star film, Billy Madison.  This movie tells the tale of an imbecile who won't inherit his father's business empire until he goes back and re-passes each grade from first through twelfth to prove he's not an idiot.  Back in 1995 when this movie came out, Adam Sandler was hilarious.  However, after seeing him play the same character in every movie since then, it's getting a bit tired.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePHDaKdQqYo

If anyone challenges me at dodgeball tomorrow, I will put a beating on their ass.

Beer 210: Why Hello There, Karl Strauss!

On Day #2 in San Diego, we ventured due north to visit La Jolla.  It was a great trip.  We saw some contemporary art...

...then I was attacked by a shark.  It was touch and go for a bit but I made it...

...fortunate for me because the final stop in La Jolla was the Karl Strauss Brewing Company.  There was a delicious sampler awaiting my arrival.

And a good time was had by all!

I know you're wondering what was in that sampler. For that information, you'll need to visit Gary's review on our visit.  Those are his beers! And yes, it took me awhile to figure out why none of them looked like a Russian Imperial Stout.

Here is my sampler in various stages of consumption.  (Note the bonus beer!)

From left to right...

Not pictured:  Wreck Alley Russian Imperial Stout weighing in at a solid 9.5% ABV.  It poured black with a tan head.  Smelled of coffee and roasted malt.  It drank with a thinness and had a nice sweet-tinged flavor that finished with a great roasted-ness.  There were hints of licorice in there as well.  It was named for the area of ship wrecks off the coast of Mission Beach...lots of mystery in those depths.  Lots of great flavor in this beer!  

Pictured above but not below:  Windansea Wheat.  A hefeweizen.  Lovely hazy straw color with very little head.  Smells of banana with citrus notes.  It drank with a full, creamy body with flavors of peppery spice, citrus and banana ester.  Exactly what is expected in a hefeweizen.  Best part of this beer?  THERE WAS NO CITRUS WEDGE SERVED WITH IT!  5.1% ABV.

Next up is the Amber Lager. It's the first beer ever brewed at the brewery.  It is a solid lager that I thoroughly enjoyed.  If this is what I was making, I'd certainly open a brewery!  It's made with caramel and Munich malts and is double-filtered to give it that bright and beautiful color.  It's just slightly biscuit-y and there's a bit of caramel roundness to it.  Easy to drink.  4.2% ABV.

Then came the Flan-Diddly-Anders Flanders red ale.  5.5% ABV.  Honestly it wasn't the greatest Flanders red ale I've had but it was good.  It was tart and earthy but still  retained a malty profile.  I tend to like this style of beer when it's punch-me-in-the-chops tart and sour.  Maybe this one is best described as a gateway to bigger and bolder versions?

Finally there was the bonus pour -- the Boardwalk Black Rye IPA.  It was on cask and looked like coffee in the glass...dark opaque brown.  It had a thick tan head that lingered.  It was creamy, almost lactic, which was surprising for an IPA.  There were roasted notes, but it was definitely hop dominant.  

Hopefully as the Karl Strauss empire expands, I'll start seeing it on the east coast.  I can't say that I've ever seen it and that makes me kind of sad.  Until next time, Karl...

Cheers!

Beer 203: Pyramid Hefeweizen and Sea Creatures

Sorry for the completely spastic report out on the beer-cation. Today I'm rewinding to San Francisco and our stop at The Eagle Cafe on Pier 39.  Pier 39 is a total tourist trap, but they have seafood restaurants and sea lions.  So that's good.  

Sidebar: I cannot for the life of me tell the difference between sea lions and harbor seals.  Those gelatinous, slightly furry creatures to the right are sea lions.  

The Eagle Cafe made one of the best fish sandwiches I have had in my life.  It looked like any other fish sandwich, but tasted far superior.  They also had cold, refreshing beer and I opted for Pyramid Brewing Company's hefeweizen.

It poured a hazy apricot color with a thick white head.  It was very lemony in the nose and  had general beer aroma.  The flavor is lots of wheat, light spice and a nice lemony tartness.  My one complaint is that despite the typical hefeweizen flavors, it felt watery as I drank it.  If it had more body, I would rate it better than average.  But it didn't so average it is.

Cheers!

Not pictured here: two dozen oysters
that didn't stand a chance against us!

Beer 201: Back to Portland...Next Stop Rogue

Day #2 in Portland involved a trip to Rogue Brewery's outpost on NW Flanders. At the time I didn't realize it, but Rogue has a number of outlets. The Distillery and Public House on Flanders was fantastic and exactly what I expected.

What I didn't expect is for Rogue to also support a number of nano-breweries (exactly what it sounds like), a hop yard, barley farm and bee farm. The commitment to being local, sustainable and green is outstanding in Portland.

While visiting Rogue, I opted for the sampler and had the following:

Hazelnut Brown Nectar. It poured a shade of chestnut and smelled woody. The taste was nutty with lots of malt. Delicious.

Next up was the Chocolate Stout. Big aromas of chocolate. It was pitch black in the glass with a dense head. It had a great balance of roasted malts, chocolate with a touch of vanilla. Delicious but in a way totally different than the Hazelnut Brown.

The final beer in the sampler was the MoM Hefeweizen. This one was a slightly cloudy straw color and had no head. The scent was lemon and sweet. It was effervescent and lemony with wheat flavors. It's brewed with rose petals and honey, which don't lend overwhelming flavor...they just make it all the more tasty.

There was one more "beer" in my sampler. It was labeled kid beer. I'll leave you with my notes from that afternoon regarding my thoughts on being served root beer in my sampler...

Then the kid beer. I feel insulted. Dick.

Evidently I was none too pleased with that development. I'm also not holding grudges because Rogue is going in my top 25!

Cheers!

Beer 189: Fish Brewing Hibiscus Hefeweizen

I'm sitting here typing away with the sounds of the Russian River lapping at the edges of the Pacific Ocean. Umm. Holy shit. Seriously. I'm in the middle of nowhere and it pretty much can be summed up as heaven on earth. I don't know how our friend found this place, but thank you.

I'm going to go back a few days...to our afternoon at Slaters 50/50...for this review. It is Fish Brewing Co.'s Hibiscus Hefeweizen. It's brewed in Washington and weighs in at a very respectable 5.6% ABV.

It poured a ruby color with a slightly pink head. It had lots of carbonation. The smell is sweetly floral with some malt. The flavor is predominantly orange, honey and flowers and finishes with pear notes. It is very good. I get to write that because I've had a BUNCH of hibiscus influenced beers this year.

Cheers from the river's end!

Beer 164: Schneider Weisse Mein Grunes

I cannot get enough of this song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=4LF2HaXf58g

I actually can't get enough of this band.  I'm kicking myself for missing their free show at World Cafe Live last Friday.  Ugh.

***

Tonight's review is actually the beer that got me out of the house late Thursday. It also led to Blog Named Brew kicking ass at Quizzo and taking home a sweet gift certificate to TJ's Everyday -- the site of our Quizzo massacre!

The Schneider Weisse Mein Grunes - advertised as Schneider Edel-Weisse - is an awesome beer...definitely worth putting pants on and venturing out of the house on a school-night for.  It's very drinkable at 6.2% ABV.  It poured a hazy straw color with a thick white head.  A little lacing was left behind as I drank it.  The smell was kind of nutty.  The taste was bananas, creamy and nutty.  Wheat and cloves were also apparent.  It has a good spice and just enough hop.

This is a hefeweizen with character.  And I think it has enough character to make it into my top 25!  Cheers!

Make Love to the Camera

Beer #161 Hefeweizen / Lake Placid Craft Brewing Company, Lake Placid, NY

Big day today in our world: new camera arrived at the house last night, and we spent the morning learning how to use the features.  We opted for a Nikon 5100, and so far it seems to be a good addition to our household.  This was a must get, as our old point & click camera takes relatively crappy photos.  Needed to up our game before our June beer vacation, and I think we're now well prepared for some great pictures.

Sitting on the deck on a sunny afternoon, I'm enjoying a Hefeweizen from Lake Placid.  It pours with a clear,  gold hue, and gives off aromas of yeast.  There are flavors of fruit, grain, and yeast, and a dry, peppery note shines through.  A nice relaxing beer as we get ready to make dinner (grilled shrimp), but could stand a little more complexity perhaps.  This being said, my allergies are kicking into high gear, so take any aroma/flavor notes with a grain of salt.

Do not be alarmed: this was still taken with my camera phone

Interesting story here, the demand for Lake Placid's beers far outpaced their supply, so they've entered into a contract arrangement with nearby Matt Brewing Company, producers of Saranac beer.  Nothing like a little cooperation to keep the wheels of commerce turning.

Thing to Think About Today:
I thought about the 1980 Lake Placid Winter Olympics, but it's way too nice outside to think about hockey.  Instead, we'll celebrate our new camera with Spoon's great song, I Turn My Camera On, because that's what we did this morning:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ro95Ns58qSE

Beer 161: Lake Placid Brewing

Today's trip to Wegman's delivered six new breweries. Among them Lake Placid Brewing Company's hefeweizen.

It poured hazy but not cloudy, not much head. It smelled generally of beer...nothing in the way of banana or clove. The flavor is kind of meh as well. If I drink a big mouthful and savor it and think really hard, I can find a hint of the classic hefeweizen flavors. I should not have to work so hard.

Would I be pissed if I ordered this at a bar? Not if it were reasonably priced. Would I order/buy it again? No.

There are many, many better hefeweizens out there. You could read about some of the ones we've had here.
Cheers!