Beery Photos and Such

Coors

Coors Banquet. When I think about Coors, I remember searching for the elusive old Coors cans while in California as a youngster. I collected beer cans and it was really hard to find old Coors in the mountains and on the trails. Why, well, Coors went to aluminum cans in 1959 with an aluminum can that required a churchkey to open. Aluminum dents easily and while some think that aluminum does not decay as quickly as steel, it does degrade in the iron rich soils of Southern California. The paint process also does not age well on aluminum. Aluminum might be light but it sucks if you are a beer can collector.

I don't know, I think that since most of the major breweries changed their formulation to allow beer to be shipped without refrigeration, that the beer does not taste as good. This brew had a strong metallic flavor that did not add to the rocky mountain refreshment. Not good.

2 out of 5 points Back to the drawing board...

Mickey's Malt Liquor

I remember Mickey's from back in the day. The little hand grenade shaped bottles were large mouthed as I seldom like to wait the long period that it takes to pour out a beer. I like the clean, potent brew as it really has no offensive flavors to it and it is easy drinking. Smooth? Well, that would be a stretch. Mickey's was brewed for many years by Heileman Brewing Company and was one of the beers by them that I could tolerate. I am sure that large bags of corn sugar are at play here as with most malt liquors as sugar is cheaper than fine malt. Tolerable compared to other malt explosives.

3.5 out of 5

Schlitz Malt Liquor Ice

Sorry, It was not to be. There just was no malt to balance the inevitable alcohol wash when you have a brew boasting 8.2 percent alcohol. I really did not need to feel the jagged edge that one can of this evil brew would inflict on my brain tissue so I gave it the old dump. I tried but really, flavor is not what these high gravity beers are all about.

2 out of 5 points eesh!

Budweiser and Clamato...Chelada!

Having been in the midwest for many years, I am familiar with the tomato beer. I have, however, never had beer with Clamato. I thought it was a good combination. In fact it did improve the taste of flagship Bud considerably. I would however state that there needed to be just a touch more Clamato. That is just my personal preference as I like the rich texture that tomato based juices impart to beer. Will I drink this every day? No, but an occasional brewski with Clamato could do no harm. Next up, Exlax flavored beer for the hard up.

Schlitz High Gravity VS

Schlitz in the large manly can with some semblance of the Schlitz Malt Liquor label. Hmmm, maybe I just might get Schlitz-faced. I purchase the can and ask for a paper bag and with the bag still over the can, I tear the bag open enough to be able to open and drink from the can. Oh, yeah. And now to hang out with my homies on the corner.

When I was younger, that was the image that occured near the liquor stores in Pomona as I was growing up. One would think that in some way, the beer would have evolved. In as much as there has been change in the marketing of malt liquor, there is something still very much the same about it. The razor has changed greatly in fifty or so years. But, when it all comes down to it, you are dragging a very sharp rock over your face to remove hair. With malt liquor, you are just dragging a very sharp rock over your brain cells to get very drunk.

I actually liked some of the elements of this beer. There was flavor and certainly potent alcohol esters throughout the process. There was so much sugar in this brew that it literally felt like corn sugar on the lips. This added to the mouth feel in some way. The hops were present but not prominent. No need for prominent hops with all the bitter alcohol stinking up the place. I found that I drank it down rather quick. Hmmm, strange, I figured that I would have to choke this beer down. It went down like sin. Ten minutes later, the result was there...a very prominent warmth that was a certain prelude to the headache to follow. Surprisingly, I did not end up with a headache. I also was impressed with this brew. I would however caution that unless you are a glutton for pain, only one 24 ounce can will do. Much more and you will be telling these stories about projection vomiting and three day recovery times to your grandchildren in order to scare them away from drinking. The alcohol content is in at over 8.5 percent, which, reminds me of the old Okeef's Extra Strong from Canada. I found this brew to have a place...perhaps, it tastes the same coming up as going down?

3 out of 5 Points- Merit as this one is made with much more quality than common in malt liquors.

August Schell Dark

Don't be afraid of the dark. Isn't that what the old Michelob Dark commercial said? This Schell's Dark is probably one of the most well mannered beers I have ever tasted. I don't know if I have ever mentioned it before about how I taste my beers, but here goes: I first Pour a 4 ounce amount of the test beer into a glass and spend some time looking at it, checking on the head color and consistency, and smell the beer and finally, taste the beer. This takes place at around 38 to 45 degrees which gives me a good chance to evaluate the brew at the temperature that most people like to drink it. Then, I wait for a few minutes with the same bottle and give the remainder another pour at the 55 to 60 degree mark. That is where I am able to detect smells and flavors that are masked at the lower temperatures. Smooth, balanced beers will taste equally good at both temperatures. This is a smooth, balanced beer. If you have had the chance to enjoy a Yuengling Lager from the PA area, this is the brother to that fine brew. The flavors are so similar that the only way to tell them apart is to drink them side by side. I am partial to both brews as they are both fine. I had a friend tell me recently that he prefers sweet, non bitter beers and I recommended August Schell Caramel Bock to him. I think that while he would have enjoyed that fine brew that, to his palette, the August Schell Dark will be more mild with a pronounced, but not thick, sweet flavor. This brew has a very mild hop presence and is so darn drinkable that the next time I buy it, I will take vacation time in order to recover from drinking a keg full.

4.5 out of 5 points -Very nice drinkable beer!