Cranberry

Another from Sam Adams winter beers box set, this is the Cranberry Lambic. They've been making this beer for many years, and they alter the recipe every year. Some years are good, some bad. This year turned out to be one of the best.
Its not technically a Lambic, but a wheat ale with fruit added. I'm willing to forgive them on that. The aroma is very fruity, and a little sweet. Lots of berry flavors, and the carbonation his very high, almost to a champagne consistency. The body is light and refreshing, and the hops light and unobtrusive.
As the beer wams up, the tartness of the cranberries starts to come out, and a maple syrup undertone to the flavors. Very well done this year, well worth searching out a six pack.

Going Coastal

As you can probably tell, I got my hands on this years Sam Adams Winter Seasonals box. First up is a beer I havent seen from them before, the Coastal Wheat. The labal describes it as a stronger and heavier wheat ale, with lemon peel.
It certainly has the lemon peel aroma, and the coloris darker and cloudier than your typical wheat ale. The flavor certainly lives up to the description. It has plenty of body, the light slightly sweet flavor of a wheat beer, and plenty of lemon. Its also pretty well carbonated, which seems to work in this case, giving it a bubbly almost lemonade flavor. The hops are light and reserved, taking a back seat to the lemon and malt. My only complaint is that the aftertaste strays into the pithy lemon flavors you get from the white part of the peel.
Certainly worth your time to try this one.

Belgian Pils

Ah, those Belgians, they really know their beers. Today its Bavik Pilsener.
Unlike German Pilseners, the Belgians tend to make theirs a lot lighter in flavor. This one starts off with a light aroma, with hints of lemon. It has a clean flavor, with strong citrus notes, and lightly hopped. The slippery mouthfeel you expect of a lager is definitely there. The aftertaste moves from slight hop bitterness, to citrusy. My only complaint is that it gets a bit watery as it warms up.
Overall a very tasty beer.

Fall Ales

Today, Im drinking the Levity Amber Ale, from O'dell Brewing Company in Ft Collins, Colorado.
It starts off very nicely for an amber ale, with a malty sweet aroma and hints of peach and apple. Just what you like for a fall beer. But the flavor left me disappointed. The mouthfeel is lacking, on the watery side, and theres a sourness to the aftertaste that doesnt go well. The malt flavors are good, and the hops are nice and strong, but overall not one of my favorites.

Classic Czech

Czecholslovakia is known as the birthplace of Pilsener, and no country does the style as well. Today, Im trying one of the more well known "export" Czech Pilseners, the Czech Rebel beer.
And it is darn tasty. Its a bit darker than you might expect, but the aroma is all spicy pilsener hops. The taste is light, refreshing, everything you'd want in a pils. There is a sourness to the flavor that creeps in as the beer warms up, and on the aftertaste. Altogether a tasty beer, but not quite up to the level of Czechweis.

October Surprize

Continuing in the seasonal beer tradition, today's tasting is the new Hoptober beer from New Belgium Brewery in Colorado. You might know them as the producers of Fat Tire.

This beer starts off with a strong hoppy aroma, lots of spice and floral notes. The surprize, however, is the smooth flavor. For a beer that at first appears ready to knock you out with hops like an IPA, it has a lighter flavor with a bit of sweetness. The hops are there, definitely, and give you a great spicy aftertaste, but dont take over the beer. Very well balanced, and well worth opening a 6 pack for a football game.

Winter Beers

OK, so its not actually winter yet, but the winter beers are starting to hit the shelves. This is the Imperial IPA from Mendocino Brewery in upstate New York.
If you're not familiar with IPAs, it stands for India Pale Ale. Back in the 1800s, when India was a British colony, the colonists wanted to enjoy their beer. But regular beers could not survive the long trip by ship from England. IPAs were created as much more highly hopped beers, with the hops acting as a preservative.
The Mendocino version turns out to be a pretty good representation of the style. From the first sip, its pretty highly hopped, with lots of spice and bitterness. Its enough to actually make your tongue a bit numb. Good maltiness, and plenty of hoppy aftertaste. The alcohol content is nice and high, just what you'd expect in a winter beer.
Worth a try, if you can find it.

Imperial White

Heres something you dont see every day. Sam Adams came out with their "imperial series" beers not long ago, this is the Imperial White. Personally, I had never heard of this variety before, but the label claims its an incredibly strong version of a Belgian Wit.
The aroma is very much like a Belgian Wit, with lots of citrus and spice. What really hits you when you drink it, is the incredibly thick body. This one has the mouthfeel of maple syrup. The flavors are complex, lots of maltiness, and the citrus, spice, and coriander notes are heavy. The hops are floral and spicy, a good counterpoint to the heavy sweetness.
Another thing that hits you is the high alcohol content, just over 10%. One of these is enough to make your afternoon very happy.
Excellent beer, well worth getting a 4 pack.

Black Ale

Heres a bit of an odd duck. This beer says its made in Germany according to the purity law, but nowhere on the bottle does it say where in Germany it is made, only who imports it to the US. That leads me to believe its brewed strictly for export.
Anyway, on with the tasting.
It starts off with a toasty slightly nutty aroma, and a bit of hoppy spiciness. First taste is surprizingly light for a dark beer, some nice malty and nutty flavors, hints of caramel and toffee. The hops are a bit too spicy and overpowering, and as the beer warms up theres a sourness that overtakes the flavor.
Altogether, not bad.

Canned Beer

Normally i avoid canned beer. But in the name of trying every variety possible, Im willing to make the occasional exception. This is Henninger Lager, from Germany, and I could only find it in a can.
It starts off light, with a slightly sweet malt aroma. A decent enough lager flavor, and the smoothness you'd expect. Not much in the way of hops. More body than an American lager. As you get near the bottom of the can, the hops start to come out more, but not in a nice way.
Not one Id try again.

Greece

Our tour of world beers continues in another place not normally known for beer, Greece. This is Mythos Lager.
It starts off nicely enough, with a lightly sweet aroma and slightly floral hops. The first taste is ok, good mouthfeel, slightly sweet. But the hops seem to take over right away, and take the beer too far to the spicy/floral side. Rather strong too, at over 7%.
I probably wont try it again.

Korea

When you think of Korea, you dont normally think of beer. I lived there for a year, and experienced a number of them. Unfortunately I dont remember much of it....
This is Hite, a Korean lager. Its pretty similar to a light American lager, but more dry and crisp. Its highly carbonated, with a light and slightly sweet aroma. Very light flavor, not much in the way of hop bitterness, and a little residual sweetness. A lot more body and mouthfeel than you get in American beers too.
Nothing special, but worth a try.