Beer Journal May 21, 2010

1. Coronado Brewing Company - Mermaid Red - 5.7%

Good malt with a nice sweet offset to the bittering hops. Ideally I would prefer a bit more sweet malt and a touch of flavoring, herbal hop. As reds go this is a good one. A red is one of my favorite styles so it is hard to find one that I don't like. That also may make me a little more judgmental of reds. This one gets a B for flavor but a C for style. it lacks a dimension that could push it over the edge.

2. Great Lakes Brewing Company - Edmund Fitzgerald - 5.8% - best served at 55 degrees

I love the name of this beer because I love the song with the same name...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0DqPSF2fyo&feature=youtube_gdata

You may know that I am not generally a fan of a porter but this one has some nice characteristics. I think it is the intense sweet flavor of a porter that I don't like. This one offsets it nicely with a dimension of smoke and coffee that pull down the emphasis on the sweet. I still don't think I would choose this one but that is my own personal bias. If you like sweet then you probably like a porter and you should give this one a shot.

3. Hitachino Nest Classic Ale

I got a chance to head back out to the Common Market with my Mom this evening for their Wednesday night beer tasting. This Japanese ale was on the list and it may be the best Japanese ale I have had to date. It is aged in cedar like sake which gives it a nice sweet wood flavor that I thought was going to be a little much in the nose at first but it was actually very nice. It is not a heavy beer in the classic Japanese ale style of Sapporo and Kirin. It's a premium import so it is a bit pricy but well worth it if you are looking to splurge on something different. You won't be disappointed.

Beer Journal 5-18-2010

Beer Journal
5-18-2010

1. Atwater Block Brewery - Cherry Stout - 6.5%
Nice sour cherry finish. Not too heavy. Might benefit from a stronger stout flavor but it is very "drinkable." This is probably a good stout for those who aren't generally into heavy beers and tend to steer clear of stouts. You may notice that the percent alcohol by volume is higher than a standard beer. In my experience brewing a cherry stout this may be in part due to the fermentation of the natural sugars in the cherries. In my case I bottled too soon and the extra fermentation made for some explosive bottles, literally. Give this one a shot. 3 stars.

2. Coronado Brewing Company - Islander IPA - 7%
You can tell from the sweet character of this beer that it is going to be higher in alcohol content. This brew does a really nice job of balancing the sweet and the hop without being too heavy. I can't deal with a beer that is too sweet. I think that is why a porter is generally not my thing. One of the best ways to impress me is with a beer that is nicely balanced between hop and malt but also carries a nice herbal hoppy flavor. I love a good hop but I am not a fan of bitter for the save of being bitter. The balance is key. This beer does a nice job and isn't too heavy to keep me from throwing a few back. This is another drinkable choice if you like the bitter of an IPA.

3. Duck Rabbit Imperial Stout - around 10%
On my mission to pick up some good beer at The Common Market on Commonwealth here in Charlotte I got a chance to task the imperial stout on tap. This one had me wondering how much of it I could throw back because it was so thick and sweet. It wasn't sickeningly sweet though and I had not yet made up my mind how much I could drink when I finished my sample. Considering that it is 10% perhaps I wouldn't make up my mind by the end of the first serving. You don't want a pint of this. It is more suited for a sniffer. It was sweet but not overly so and made me want to come back for a full serving. Perhaps I will soon. Let me know if you want to try it and need some company.