Hog Heaven Barleywine Style Ale

Avery Brewing Company of Wonderful Boulder, Colorado. I love their beers and really have been dreading trying this intrepid brew from this talented brewer. Their manner of brewing seems to be, make it well and spare no expense to make it well. 9.2 abf and 2.5 lbs of Columbus dry hops per frigging barrel. If you have no fresh flower hops available, you will have to take my word for it...just rub your nose into a fresh hop and that is the smell of this hoppy brew. It is all about the hops with a sweet malty base that really is second fiddle for the hops. This brew to me is not unlike the Sierra Nevada offering Harvest. I really do not call these brews my cup of tea. I like much more balance for my taste. But that is me. This brew does stand alone along with twenty others in that Hops and hops alone are the focus. This brew does however go quite well with A CAO Maduro cigar...I like the creamy smoke followed by this sweet, cool, bitter brew. Cool combination, not to dunk your cookies in to be sure. I recommend this brew for the not so faint of heart. If you want to find out what hops truly taste like...well swig away. If you lean toward the malty, sweet brews that abound the shelves, then get back as this stuff will jade your senses and make you think that this is the new sweet. Not so, it is all about the hops.

4.5 out of 5 Points for a Barley wine. It is awesome to be sure. It is not however, subtle.

Pabst Blue Ribbon

1970's beer at its best. Actually, to be accurate, the best years for Pabst were the years prior to 1951. You see, Pabst from the year 1900 till 1951 was one of the invincible breweries that advertised everywhere and had the most modern equipment and for the most part, was the most popular beer in America. 1951 arrived with Pabst in command of the market share in the United States. They had just introduced a new Quart Crowntainer Conetop can. Their marketing was the total success story that anyone in business would love to have their name attached to. 1951 was also the year that the brewery had to renegotiate its contract with the brewery workers union. The negotiations were brutal with the brewery and its labor not agreeing and breaking off talks. The union went on strike for months while the Management had to watch as Budweiser, Hamms, Miller and Schlitz advertised aggressively, pointing out that their beer was good and in stock. Pabst was never the same...Pabst was overtaken in market share by Anheuser-Busch and that lead was never relinquished.

Good thing that every brewery did not go on strike that year... I am tasting the very good quality Pabst Blue Ribbon in the classy looking long neck bottles. I have read that SABMiller was doing this beer by contract brewing. Pabst, the brewery that does not any longer own an actual brewery, had sold off the breweries it owned in order to survive. Funny thing that in recent years the stats on brand name growth have shown Pabst to have one heck of a large gain in popularity. I am cool with that as this was one of the beers that I drank in the 70's in Nebraska. I later sampled it in the early 90's and bought a case of it and ended up using the 2 year old cans for target practice. Another Story.

Remember, I compare apples with apples. I am going to tell you that I not only like this beer...I am going to tell you that for taste, this beer blows Budweiser and Coors out of the water. The taste is crisp and dry with a light touch of bitter for a following of satisfying American Premium Style beer. It is good lawnmower beer and good football game beer. It tastes good and drinks smooth. The head is like soda pop as it dissipates quickly and the only scents are to me...alcohol in nature. I like what SABMiller is doing with its contract brews. I try these beers regularly and I like the improvements. Just if they could brew Falstaff, I would not have to dream and remember that flavor from college.

4.5 out of 5 This beer is really too good to only have 4.5 lets make 4.5 the new five

Neptune's Brewery Toad Back Bock

I just do not get it. Livingston, Montana...yep, Neptune would be just the perfect name that will fit right in. And of course, when I think of Neptune, I also connect that entirely with toads. Toads? Boy, I just love the idea of thinking of toad parts while drinking my beer and I tell you, it is a good darn thing that they chose to put a picture of Neptune on the label instead on a toads backside. It is just a good thing that the beer is good. Neptune's Brewery LLC is located at 119 N L st. in Livingston, Montana. I am sure that this is a nice, small, location. I just do not get the Neptune's thing.

The beer is nice however. Heavy, yet with pleasant chocolate, nutmeg tones. Nice head and dark coffee dark color. Very drinkable and very satisfying. Light bitter finish, not what I would call a really sweet beer, but nice light sweetness abounds. Really good, and yet I almost did not try it because of the odd name.

4.75 out of 5 points Prost!

Alaskan Amber

Another beer in a long line that I have not tried because it has the dreaded word on its label. Amber...ugh! This beer was really easy drinking and nicely balanced and well flavored. It was also very sparkling with fine bubbles and an almost soda pop like carbonation. It danced off the tongue. The head while tan in color, had little staying power and one was back to a liquid with mild traces of a head. Not bad for an Amber. Not bad at all.

3.6 out of 5 Recommended

August Schell Sampler Pack

The Sampler Pack is one of the treats offered by breweries during the holidays. August Schell offers this fine collection of 6 beers for the price of their six-packs and the choices are all worth while.

Schell Pilsner-Nice floral hop presence with malty balance. This beer would go nicely up against the Czech pilsners that abound the marketplace. 4.5 out of 5

Schell Pale Ale-All hops all the time bouquet with nice balance. This pale ale is easy drinking and well flavored and I would get more but there is another favorite of mine in this same six pack. 4.5 out of 5

Schell Octoberfest- While well done, this Octoberfest does for me what most all of them do. I am not enthused by all the spices. Nice malt presence and all prominent hop presence. This one is well done, just not my cup of tea. 4 out of 5

Schell Firebrick-Mellow lager with sweet maltiness that makes me want more. 4.5 out of 5

Schell Caramel Bock- Coffee dark color, rich head. Coffee, toffee, chocolate flavors blend for my favorite beer by August Schell. This one is a special treat. 5 out of 5

Snowstorm- I tried this beer a few years ago and did not like it. I read on the bottle that the recipe changes every year for the brew master to do creative things. This one is Belgian influenced and comes off really potent and tasty. Tingly rich flavors bounce off the tongue, dried fruit and sweetness with good hop balance. 5 out of 5

Yuengling Traditional Lager Original Amber Beer

This beer, brewed by the oldest brewery in the United States, is smooth, potent, delicious and will give you one hell of a headache if you drink nine of them. You will suffer, and deservedly so. Nicely done amber beer. Very drinkable and just a look of the bottle tells me that this recipe has been around longer than the petrified crap between Morty Vareberg's teeth. This is a beer that I take one sip and then the bottle is half empty. Sweet, malty smelling, with a mild hop flash on the back of the tongue at the silky finish. I love this beer and they do not sell it in North Dakota. I am waiting however.

4.25 out of 5 points...this beer is an original and highly recommended.

Shiner Bavarian Style Amber Limited 98 Edition

Shiner is without a doubt, my "when I am in Texas, I will be drinking this", beer. I have always enjoyed shiner bock and have never encountered shiner premium beer or any other "regular" beer. As you may have read, I reviewed Shiner and feel that I was fair with it and its evaluation. Well, this is not Shiner Bock.

This is the brew that commemorates 98 years in the brewing business. I like it, with its more assertive hop flavor and its rather crisp, sweet finish. I will pick it up when ever I see it or Shiner Bock. They drink just fine and are a treat to me when I get down here to Texas. I just feel that this beer could be more assertive. After all, it is 98 years. Why not brew something world class that would stun people. I hope that Spoetzl Brewery in Shiner, Texas decides to throw caution to the wind and just brew it. This beer however has a nice head and is not bad in the body department and I would recommend it. Because it is good.

3.75 out of five points...next time just go to Bavaria and brew the stuff you drink while there. E