First Impressions of 4 Beers

This last weekend was a very busy weekend for us. We went out to Amanda's home town - Boyceville. Saturday was her 15 year high school reunion and Sunday was her family reunion. Since both started in the afternoon or evening, I figured we'd have some down-time, but I was wrong.

We stayed with her mom, so Saturday morning we drove into Menomonie to go to the farmers market and take her shopping. While we were out, we stopped to pick up some things for the family reunion on Sunday. While I was window shopping beer, I saw that both the super Walmart and the Marketplace foods carried Budweiser Chelada. Brad, at work, doesn't really drink beer, but he loves Cheladas. I've never actually seen them sold, though. They are a mixture of Budweiser (or Bud light) and Clamato. I mentioned it and Tess, my mother in law, bought some. I was going to ask her if I could have one, but in the rush of the weekend, I never got around to it. Oh well, I know it's sold in my area, so I'll get my hands on some eventually.

The reason I had been window shopping beer was because I was looking for craft beers local to that area which I haven't seen at home. I settled on the Badger Porter from Sand Creek Brewing Company in Black River Falls, Wisconsin. It has a nice dense feel to it with a pleasant roasted coffee flavor and a smooth finish. I like it, but I don't know that I like it enough to go out of my way to get it. I'll enjoy the rest of the six pack, but when I find Sand Creek Beers again I'll try something else before going back to the Badger Porter.

That evening we had Amanda's highschool reunion at the Glen Hills Golf Club in Glenwood City. My experience in that area is that more common to find big name beers (Miller, Budweiser, Coors, etc.) than craft beers or imports. Which isn't a bad thing, but since I tend to prefer craft beers I tend to have a harder time deciding what to drink. Well, I made things easy and started with bourbon. When I finally decided to start in on beer, I went for a Leinenkugel's Original. Surprisingly enough it was the first time I had their original. There was nothing really special about it, but it tasted like a good old fashioned American beer. Not my favorite, but I had no complaints.

Sunday, while we were setting up for the Family reunion, I opened a Breckenridge Brewery Summerbright Ale. I loved it. It had a full flavor that wasn't heavy. It had a little sweet tartness without really being sweet, and finished with a hint of bitterness. It was great for a hot day outside.

Toward the end of the day I was thirsty, but didn't want anything too heavy. Amanda's aunt and uncle typically dring Milwaukee's Best (or the Beast as I like to call it), and I've never been interested in trying it. Amanda's cousin had brought a cooler of Milwaukee's Best Light, so I grabbed one. Not being a light beer drinker, I don't have much to go on, but it wasn't bad. It reminded me of those lightly fruit flavored bottles of water you can find. Except instead of a hint of fruit flavor, this had a hint of beer flavor. Not the kind of thing I'd like to drink with dinner or while watching TV, but it would go well with mowing the lawn or doing other yard work during the summer.

Leinenkugel's Brewery Tour!

Amanda and I had a very busy weekend, and we capped it off by taking today off of work and stopping by Leinenkugel's Brewery for their brewery tour this morning before we came home.

It was fantastic! First off, it's free, second off, we got vouchers for 3 beer samples each. Not 3 full glasses, but 3 small sample glasses - the size you usually get for a beer chaser with a bloody mary. But still - free is my favorite price!

We had the dogs with us, so we dropped them off at a dog daycare in Eau Claire, we drove 15 minutes to the brewery in Chippewa Falls.

We started in the gift shop - which was HUGE and filled with Leinenkugel's swag. We grabbed the 10 AM tour so there was just the two of us and a family of four. It wasn't a long tour (45-60 minutes-ish) and there were parts of the brewery that we couldn't go into because it was a tour of the operational brewery. I'm fairly new to brewery tours, and this is the first where we were in the areas where they were actually doing the production. It was really cool!

Then we headed back to the gift shop and spent a bunch of money. It helps that I like several of their beers, you can find them all over the place, and that the only beer Amanda drinks is their Berry Weiss. I "joined the leinie lodge" which I believe means I get a newsletter. Amanda picked up a Berry Weiss pint glass and we got some clothes.

Highlights from the tour - found out they use corn in more than just a couple of their beers, which I didn't know. Their beer takes about 28 days from the beginning of production until it gets shipped out. Their kegs have a shorter shelf life than cans or bottles. They have distribution to 48 states (which has been helped since they became associated with Miller Brewing Company). They're still run by the Leinenkugel family. Leinenkugel's no longer makes their Apple Spice. Berry Weiss is no longer a seasonal beer.

I wish I'd asked it on the tour, but I didn't think of it until afterward, but I want to know why the cans and bottles have a longer shelf life than the kegs. Is that true of all beer?

When we got back to the gift shop, I started out with their Red, which I like, and Amanda had Berry Weiss (no surprise). I followed with their Oktoberfest (which I also like), and Amanda had a "pink lemonade" which was a mix of Summer Shandy and Berry Weiss. I had a sip and it was good - but not very beer-like. It tasted more like a wine cooler. I finished with a "black bear" - which was their Creamy Dark and Berry Weiss. I liked it - better than either of those two beers alone. Amanda finished with another Berry Weiss.

On the way home Amanda said we need a kegerator. I love her.

Milwaukee's Largest Fish Fry

On Wednesday after work, Amanda and I had a bunch of friends over and then we headed over to Milwaukee's Largest Fish Fry.

I got home from work about the same time everyone was getting here, so I changed real quick and headed into the back yard. Well our friends had brought some beer - which was great, I really wanted one. They'd brought Guinness and Bud Light Lime. Well I know I like Guinness, but I really wanted something lighter, so I asked for a Bud Light Lime. Amanda was surprised because she knows that I don't really care for light beers, and I'd never had Bud Light Lime before.

Well I may not typically be a light beer drinker, but there have been several occassions where at the end of a long, hot day outside I've gone out with friends and gotten a pitcher of Bud Light, so I figured it would be safe to say that in the mood I was in I would enjoy the Bud Light Lime. I did. It's light and citrusy. Not a lot of body, and the lime adds more flavor than I've usually tasted in a light beer. I won't drink it often, but I think I could incorporate this beer into my summer beers. And being from a major brewery, it's easy to find.

Then we headed over. Milwaukee's Largest Fish Fry is in it's second year and it ran for 2 days - Wednesday and Thursday - at State Fair Park. The proceeds went to benefit Hunger Task Force. It didn't seem very well organized, but I had a great time. While we were there I had a Leinenkugel's Honey Weiss. I haven't had one in a long time, since they didn't strike me as anything memorable. I enjoyed it. It's definately got a nice flavor, but I still don't believe it's a very memorable beer.

Wisconsin State Fair

Every year, Amanda and I try to take a night after work to go to the Wisconsin State Fair for a couple beers and some fatty fair food - the kind that will give you a heart attack just by being within 10 feet of it. I always get the smelt boat from the Door County Fish Boil (because I love fried smelt, and I don't find it very often anywhere else), and I try to have one of the unique and possibly disgusting sounding new fair foods. This year it was the Krispy Kreme cheese burger. It was okay. Not as gross as I suspected but not great.

Before I got my burger, I grabbed a Goose Island 312 Urban Wheat Ale from the World Cafe area near the westside marketplace (Amanda likes window shopping random fair swag). It was the only craft beer they had at that location (although there are others sold at a couple other locations).

I've never had it before. I liked it. It was a beautiful golden color with a smooth, slightly tart taste. I really liked it.

Unfortunately after my burger, I just wasn't interested in beer any more. Which was disappointing (although it saved me money).

Amanda on the other hand found the Leinie Lodge and they were serving the cheapest beer on site - she got a 20 ounce Berry Weiss for $6.00. It was such a great price (for the size, compared to the rest of the site) that I would have overcome my post-burger disinterest if they'd been serving something I was interested in drinking.

I'll get another chance this Saturday, when we go back with friends.

Newcastle Brown Ale

Today one of my co-workers offered to take a couple of us out to lunch, so we walked down to Bar Louie on Water Street and had their Southsider burger. It's a darn good burger. I asked our waitress what beers they had on tap, and she said, "I don't know, we have like 40". Their bar menu didn't have that many. There were some good beers on it, but not alot that I was feeling so I had a Newcastle Brown Ale. It was good. Not my first, and not my last. But I think I prefer the New Glarus Fat Squirrel for a nut brown ale.

Summer Shandy

So I'm having a couple beers while getting stuff done around the house and I decided to give Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy another shot. With my first sip, I realized that I still don't think it's a good beer.

Then I looked at the label - "Weiss Beer with Lemonade". I always thought it was a weiss beer with lemon among the flavors. So I thought about the "lemonade" aspect while I was drinking it and I started to get it. It's sweet, with a hint of tartness, a strong lemony flavor - but it really is more of a lemonade flavor than a lemon zest kind of flavor. And then it hit me - It's less of a beer with lemonade and more of a beer flavored lemonade. That made it considerably easier to drink. My problem is that if that's what it takes for me to drink it, it still leaves me disappointed. I like my lemonade strong and real tart. But Summer Shandy is definately neither. From a lemonade standpoint, it's kind of weak. From a beer standpoint it's kind of bland.

But my friends like it, and even though it might not be for me, I still think it's a pretty good idea for a summer beer. It may not have earned a repeat performance on my taste buds, but it has a place in my fridge.

My friends better drink it, though; I'm not sure I can cook with it...

Completed the Set - Hofbräu in the Summer

Today I had the last of the Hofbräu beers that the Old German Beer Hall currently has on tap with their amber. It was a darker color than I expected with a mild, full flavor - rich, but not overpowering. It went down nicely over conversation, and had I not been on lunch with work waiting after I was done, I would have had more than one. So I have completed the set of Hofbräu beers - Obviously I have seasonal beers, but none of them are on tap right now.

I also nearly completed the set of free lunches that they offer. Their weekday lunch special is a meal with the purchase of a Point rootbeer, a Hofbräu beer or a cocktail; but it isn't all of their food. The choices are bratwurst, weisswurst, knockwurst, lieberkäse, or hotdog (I believe it's a Klements). The only one I haven't had is the hotdog, and I'm not sure I'm really interested. Don't get me wrong, I still love the old children's meal of mac-and-cheese and hotdogs, but that's one of the few times I'll eat hotdogs anymore. I had the bratwurst today.

This evening I tried the Capital Brewery Fest, which is their summer seasonal. It has a nice mild flavor - slightly sweet, very earthy, maybe a hint of bitter around the edges. Had it with a buffalo chicken salad, but I think it would go better with a tomato sauce based meal, or a tomato soup, or a beef broth based soup. Good. Definately good, but not my favorite. I think I'd have to be "in the mood" to drink it again, but I think I'd definately pick it over plenty of other beers depending on what's available.

Three Beaches Honey Blonde

I got done with work late tonight, and by the time I got home Amanda was in the middle of doing her own thing. So I grabbed a bite to eat and figured I'd sit down at my computer - not something I've done much of recently, except for an odd moment here and there while doing things around the house. Since I was just sitting around (like I need an excuse, really) I grabbed the Tyranena Brewing Company Three Beaches Honey Blonde. My first sip was a pleasant surprise. It started with just a hint of tartness and faded into a smooth, mild sweetness with just enough character to stay interesting. If it were a little more citrusy and maybe a touch sweeter, it could pass itself off as a cider instead of an ale. Very pleasant.

I also like the slightly stout bottle. For some reason I like the little things that aren't directly related to the drinking of beer - The shape of a bottle, the design of the cap, popping off a non-twist off cap (which I didn't get to do - this one was a twist off). Little things that, for me at least, add to the experience

Point Nude Beach

Last night with dinner I had a Point Nude Beach. It was good. It had a little more of an earthy taste than most wheat beers I've had.

What struck me as odd is that it had a taste that was similar to something I tasted in the Point Cascade Pale Ale. I wonder if there's some ingredient that they used in both that lends itself to a similar element to the flavor in both - and if I could pick it up in any of their other beers.

Now I really want to try other Point beers to find out.

Getting Fed Up Isn't All Bad

I went back to my Capital Amber and still wasn't enjoying it. So I turned it into part of a savory lemon marinade for chicken breasts and grilled them with some twice baked potatoes.

I still wanted another beer, though, so I tried the Lakefront Brewery White Beer - it's a Belgian wheat style beer that was a little less sweet than I expected, but it was still good and the flavor grew on me as I drink it. I'm glad I got a second one in that sampler pack I picked up on Friday.

Some Beers Do Not Go Well Together

I was doing some chores around the house earlier today and decided to Try the Lakefront IPA. It's a new beer to me, and I loved it. It has a clear citrus flavor along with the wonderful hoppiness of a good IPA. This tart/bitter was nice while I was getting stuff done.

I needed lunch, so I made myself a nice smoked salmon sandwich and decided that it might go well with an amber, so I grabbed one of the Capital Brewery Wisconsin Ambers I've got. It was too close to the last sip of Lakefront IPA and the Capital Amber just tasted bad. So I set it in the fridge and am drinking some water to clear my palate before I keep drinking it.

Although I've had Capital Brewery beers that I enjoyed, I'm beginning to think that their amber might not be for me. I occasionally like to have an Amber, but they aren't my first pick. I'm finding that there are more times that I go to grab a beer and think that the flavor of the Capital Amber just isn't what I'm looking for. I might have one or two left, and if I do, I think I'm going to retire them to the status of cooking beers.

Hoffbrau Original - One New Beer

This last Friday, 8/6, I went to the Old German Beer Hall and had the Hoffbrau Original with my lunch (I had the Weisswurst). The sausage had subtle seasoning and went very well with the Hoffbrau Original. It is a pale beer with a nice clean flavor. It's what I would consider "light bodied", and it went down easy. I don't think I'd pair it with any heavily seasoned foods, rich sauces or anything with too strong of a flavor. I liked it.

In the evening, while running some errands, I stopped by Southridge Mall in Greenfield to pick something up for the house and then I stopped into the World Market. I like world market's beer and wine selection. It's not what I would consider big, and they carry a lot of standard items, but it's also a little easier to find some imports than you would find in many grocery store liquor departments. Originally, I thought of getting a build-your-own six pack, but then I saw they had a summer beer 9 pack that included Tyranena Brewing Co. Three Beaches Honey Blonde, Sierra Nevada Summerfest, Blue Moon Honey Moon, Lake Front Brewery White Beer, Breckenridge Brewery SummerBright Ale, Capital Brewery Fest, Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy, Samuel Adams Summer Ale and Point Brewery Nude Beach.

I already have Summer Shandy, but I've got friends that will drink it (and maybe I'll try it again), Summer Ale (I like it, so an extra isn't a bad thing) and White Beer (I've never had it, the one I've got in the fridge is from the Lakefront Brewery sample pack I'd bought. I figure if I like it, there's no harm in having a second on hand.) - but I've never had any of the others.

So I picked it up. I love sample packs of beer.

Surprised by a New Beer

This last week Amanda and I went to see Wicked in the Uihlien Hall at the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts with our friends Bryan and Marilou. Before the show started we grabbed drinks from the stand they set up. I didn't want anything strong, so I didn't get a mixed drink. Instead I got a Point Pale Ale.

For some reason I seem to have be prejudiced against Point Brewery beers. And now I'm beginning to wonder why. I think it's because I may have had one of their beers about 10 years ago that I just did not like. I've avoided them ever since - it's kind of part of the "Life's too short for cheap beer" mindset that I had developed.

A couple of years ago I was visiting my friend Adam in Wausau and he had a Point bock of some kind. I enjoyed it, but I figured it was just because I have yet to meet a bock I didn't like.

Well the Point Cascade Pale Ale was very pleasant. I was so pleased that I've decided to give Point beers another chance. Maybe I was just unlucky with my first Point experience. I suppose it just goes to prove that I really do need to try things twice.

Half a Day of Beer

Last week Saturday I had to work in the morning (I rarely work Saturdays), so after work was done I and a co-worker went to the Old German Beer Hall (at this point, I think I can safely say it has become a favorite spot of mine) for their smoked porkchop meal and a beer.

Right after I gave my order to the bartender I heard someone tell one of the other patrons that they currently have 2 seasonal beers - their summer beer and a maibock. I don't know what their summer beer is, but I ordered it. I have to say it's the first time I've had a beer there that I didn't care for. It wasn't bad, but it was... well, bland, I suppose is how I would describe it. It lacked character, so I can't think of how to describe it better.

Later in the afternoon, Amanda and I went to the "first annual" Milwaukee Brewfest. I had a fantastic time. We got there before they opened, and we brought non-perishable items to get the discount on the tickets. As part of the event we each got a free pint glass. It wasn't just a souvenir, but it was pivotal to the event. There were 2 beer tents and a few of the beer vendors had separate stands around the perimeter. All you did was walk up to a vendor and let them know what you wanted that they offered, then they'd give you a free sample (about a quarter of the glass). So all you did was walk around sampling different beers (or ciders in a couple of cases). They had live music and food vendors.

Now, being a first year event, it had it's short comings - beer ran out earlier than expected, and they ran out of the Milwaukee Brewfest glasses (although they brought in more glasses with logos from breweries instead of the Milwaukee Brewfest logo). They also didn't have enough bathrooms. But first year problems aside, it was absolutely worth the money we paid to go. I'm really looking forward to next year.

After our first few beers, I started wishing I had a palate cleanser so the tastes wouldn't all run together. They had rinsing stations for rinse your glass, but I didn't know what to do to clear the taste of my latest beer from my mouth - which is when I noticed people walking around with pretzel necklaces. It was like childrens' candy necklaces, except better. It was a simple string run through pretzels, and we bought them from one of the food vendors - Problem solved!

I kind of wish I'd had a pen on me so I could keep track of the different beers I had, but I didn't and I had so many that I can't say I remember what most of them were. I remember I had 3 kinds of Crispin cider, Stone Brewing Co., St. Francis, Ale Asylum, Horny Goat, Buffalo Water, and Rogue. Were there more? yes. Do I remember who they were? No. Did I have any beers I didn't like? No. Were some more my style than others? Of course. Absolutely worth it.

After the event ended, Amanda mentioned that she wanted a Strongbow cider on tap. I'm pretty sure she was thinking of going to Paddy's Pub, which we both really like (although we haven't been there in a while). But I really wanted to get back to the Old German Beer Hall to try their Hoffbrau maibock. So I suggested we go to the Harp - which serves Strongbow on tap AND is just a couple blocks away from where I was hoping to go.

So we had an appetizer at the Harp while Amanda had her Strongbow and I drank a Guinness. Then we walked across the street to Trinity Three Irish Pubs for a desert, and I had a Carlsberg. This was the first time I had a Carlsberg, and although it isn't quite my normal choice in beer I liked it. I'll have to try one again when I haven't had an afternoon of drinking leading up to it. After Trinity, we walked over to the Old German Beer Hall and I had a half liter of that maibock I wanted to try. It was great. Definately my kind of beer. We finished off the day by walking over to Molly Cools for an actual dinner. I had their Crabby Patty and it was delicious.

All in all it was a great afternoon and evening.

Lesson Learned - One New Beer

I am a firm believer that unless you're a lightweight, occasionally having a drink on lunch is fine as long as it doesn't interfere with your job.

Well, I learned a new lesson. I and two of my co-workers went to the Old German Beer Hall on 7/28. They each had a Point rootbeer and I had a half liter of their strongbock. It was really good - not heavy, but not too light with a nice full bodied flavor. I loved it, and it paired very well with their lieberkäse (a fine ground pork meatloaf seasoned similar to a mild sausage - served as a thick slice sandwich style).

Unfortunately, it has a slightly higher alcohol content and I had a second glass. It didn't impair my ability to work, but Brad told me he could smell the beer on me. That's not something I intend to do again. I absolutely intend to drink it again - just not 2 on a work day.

Fruity Beer

The last week of July (Monday or Tuesday, I don't remember which) we went to lunch at Waterstreet Brewery. There was a convention in town, and it didn't work out to our advantage because they were B U S Y. While we were waiting for a table, one of my co-workers bought me the Raspberry Weiss - Well, I ordered it and he insisted on paying for it. Gotta love a free beer - I ordered the Raspberry Weiss because it was a warm, sunny day and I was expecting a nice light beer with mild sweet tartness.

Or so I had hoped.

I had never had it before and as it turns out, I didn't care for it. It was too sweet and too fruity. Drinkable, but not something I'm interested in trying again. It reminded me too much of Leinenkugel's Berry Weiss, which I'm not really a fan of. At the Brewfest we attended on 7/31 I had amanda try the Waterstreet Brewery Raspberry Weiss because I wanted to see what she thought of it since Leinie's Berry Weiss is her favorite beer. She said the Raspberry Weiss isn't as sweet and fruity, but it was "okay".

In retrospect, I might be willing to use it as a beer mixer. In my opinion, there are two good ways to mix beers - at least two good ways that I've tried. One is the layered approach, like you get in black and tans, and the other is just to pour two beers together, like the Honey Bear (a mix of Leinie's Honey Weiss and Berry Weiss which had some limited popularity a couple of years ago. I've never tried it).

I'm a big fan of the half and half layered style drinks. I've done it with Murphy's Stout and Hardcore Cider. Guiness Draft and Harp. Guiness Draft and Bass. Guiness Draft and Berry Weiss (which was only "okay" in my opinion).

But I also tried a mix of Guiness Draft and Lindemans Framboise Lambic - which I rather enjoyed. It was suggested by a friend of ours who was bartending when Amanda and I went out a couple of years ago. She asked if they had Berry Weiss. He said they didn't, but that they had Framboise. He said that he liked it mixed with Guiness. I tried it and had to agree with him! New Glarus Brewing Co. also has a nice raspberry framboise ale - Raspberry Tart - that works well.

The Raspberry Weiss doesn't have quite the same kind of flavor as the framboise, but it might work in a similar mix, so I might try it sometime.