I admit it – I like beer. A lot of friends ask me about this beer or that beer  so I devote this page to them. I’m going to put notes out about all the interesting beers I taste. I’ll try to keep it alphabetical  – but sorry in advance if I screw that up. Hope you like it. I’ll evolve the page over time since I’m not sure how much detail I’ll put in for each brew. I’ll rate beers 1-5 with 5 being mind blowing good stuff.

Coresndonk Abbey Pale Ale – 2.5
I think the average american will taste this and say ick. Corsendonk has a very striking aromatic and fruity taste. It has a strong carbonation. It is a clean mid-color wheat beer. Good stuff I think. You can get this beer on tap in lots of places in the USA. It is great on tap so go for it. It is a good summer beer. A better beer than Hoegaarden.

Flying Fish HopFish IPA – 5.0+
This is a really great beer. If you are looking for a classic IPA that is not totally over the top with hops then this is your beer. Its right up there with Bass and Long Trail. Medium brown (or golden I suppose) with a decent head on it and a good hop finish. This beer has been dry hopped with Nugget hops so it has a really nice floral/citrus finish. One of my favorite beers and is listed in my top 10.

Hobgoblin English Ale – 1.5
I had high hopes for this expensive English Ale, but I was disappointed. I think I had this on draft at the Yard House in San Diego and it was great. So I grabbed a bottle at the local Wegmans and settled into my big chair to watch the Phillies smack the Yankees around. Not only did the Phillies lose, but I did too with this beer. A dark ale with little to make it stand out – mild on hops, mild carbonation, not much head. The tap head is really cool tho.

Lancaster Hop Dog IPA – 2.5
I was out at Gettysburg this summer and stopped in for a few beers at one of Lancaster Brewing’s pubs. I was impressed with a number of their beers so when I saw a case of the IPA I grabbed it. This brew is a medium-brown IPA with a rich thick feel to it. However for my taste I think an IPA needs a strong fuggle hop character – or I suppose cascade might work. Maybe that’s just me. This IPA to me is more of a brown ale than an IPA. It is good, but pretty heavy.

Maredsous Brun – 3.5
This is a classic Belgian beer. Deep dark chocolate  maltiness, but unlike a lot of american beer this is not heavy stuff that will make your stomach turn.  Straight classic beer taste makes this a very enjoyable beer. I recommend a not too cold temperature with this beer or you will kill off the carbonation. I think it is best in a wide mouth glass too. Not too much sediment in the bottle so pour it all. At 8% alcohol it is a good drink – be careful :-)

Maredsous Triple – 3.0
This is a straight-up triple with a sweet, but not too aromatic taste. A smooth drink with plenty of carbonation. A high-alcohol content too so be careful. This is not my favorite triple because, although it tastes good, it does not stand out really either. It is similar to beerse from Leffe – mass produced “abbey style” ales.  Like the brun this beer is not bottle conditioned so pour it all out and enjoy.

Orval Trappist Bierre - 2.6
This is a medium brown top fermented and bottle conditioned ale in the classic Belgian style. You need to let Orval settle well or even age it like a wine for a few years. That’s pretty difficult to do, but a dark corner of a basement works well.

Beer in the House – a review soon:

  • Spaten Optimator
  • Spaten Premium Lager
  • Michelob Lager
  • Franziskaner Weissbier