June 20, 2005 - New York Lawmakers are currently trying to pass a resolution to create a NEW YORK BEER TRAIL to celebrate the New York brewing tradition, dating from the 1630s when the Dutch East India Company established a brewery in New York. Loserplatz is very excited and believes in pub-hopping on a regional scale!
OCTOBERFEST 2001
BECK'S (DE) bottled - Nice amber color, little malt,
decent hops, not much taste. Decent Belgian lace, minimal head & yeast
trails.
BROOKLYN BREWERY (US) bottled - Nice amber, dry with good hops, nice
Belgian lace & head.
HACKER-PSCHORR - Original Oktoberfest (DE) bottled -
Hacker-Pschorr?, you ask? Well, I'll tell you how you can be sure. Amber, rich,
creamy, slightly sweet, with nice engaging hops. Massive head, Belgian lace
& yeast trail contingent.
PAULANER - Octoberfest Amber (DE) bottled -
Nice rich amber, slightly sweet, with nice hops.
SAM ADAMS (US) bottled -
Amber, rich malts & rich taste, with nice hops. A very nice brew. Minimal
head, yeast trails & Belgian lace.
SPATEN - Octoberfest Ur-Marzen (de)
bottled - Nice amber, good yeast trails & Belgian lace. However, not too
special, good, but not engaging.
MOST EXCELLENT
ABITA TURBODOG - bottled (US) Very good, somewhat dark,
rich, dry, with good hops & malt balance.
ADNAM's BROADSIDE - bottled
(UK) Sole Bay Brewery - Delicious, dark, rich, with complicated hops. Creamy
head. The bottle says it commemorateds the 1672 Battle of Sole Bay - Thank God
for the Battle of Sole Bay!
ALLAGASH White (US) Bottled - Tasty light yeasty cloudy brew, almost a little lightly creamy. Good yeast trails, good head and nice Belgian lace.
AYINGER Hefe Weisse, bottled (DE) Very nice,
Somewhat light, cloudy, nice hops, and slightly sweet, almost citrusy.
BARBAR
(BE) bottled - LeFebvre Brewery. A honey ale, with the honey and malt in a
lovely harmony, and not too sweet, and the hops supplemented with bitter orange.
A lovely and original brew. Good head, yeast trails & Belgian
Lace.
BELHAVEN Scottish Ale - (UK) in the can - Delicious malty, nutty ale.
Dry with great hops balance. Excellent creamy head.
BITBURGER PILS - on tap
(DE) An excellent pilsner, light and dry. The malt and hops are in excellent
balance, slightly towards bitter, with a soft malt.
BLACK SHEEP Brewery - Riggwelter (UK) Bottled. Very good, not great. Good, dark, with a nice dryish taste, good hops.
BODDINGTON'S Pub Ale (UK) in the can - lovely, rich cream head. I'd drink just the head alone! Rich, with
nice complicated hops.
COOPERSTOWN - Hennepin (US) bottle conditioned - Good,
citrusy, crisp with nice hops. Light, nice head, nice Belgian Lace.
DAB
(Dortmunder Actien Brauerei) (DE) dark, bottled - Dark, rich, a tad creamy, dry
with nice hops. Nice head, Belgian lace and yeast trails.
DUBBEL - DUINEN
(BE) bottle-conditioned Abbey ale - Gut Schtuff! Rich, dark, sweet, with great
hops. Brouwerj Huyghe Melle.
DUVEL (BE) bottled & bottle-conditioned -
Light, misty, sweet, with good malt/hops. Good yeast trails, good head, good
Belgian lace. A very lovely brew.
JULIUS ECHTER - Hefe Weiss (DE) Bottled - Wurzburger Hoffbrau - A very nice light, and creamy hefe weiss, with nice body, good hops (tad bitter) and good yeast trails, belgian lace and head.
EDELWEISS (AS) bottled - Light, cloudy, dry
with good body, and complicated hops. Nice head, yeast trails & Belgian
lace.
EINBECKER Mai-Ur-Bock - Braurei Abfullung (DE) Really nice, rich and tart, with great head, yeast trails, and belgian lace.
Great body and hops balance, with a tarty twang.
Hall & Woodhouse - Badger Ales Fursty Ferret (GB) This one has a scale on the side - Bitter - 3; Sweet - 3; Hoppy -2; Malty - 3; Fruity -3. I prefer slithly more bitter, hoppy and fruity can be good, and less malty and sweet, but that is just me. Medium Pale Ale, nice amber whiskey color, nice head & Belgian Lace. Very cute label, with ferrets carousing on a cask. A very nice brew.
HE'BREW Genesis Ale (bottled / kosher) (US) This is really gut schtuff.
Smooth body & quite hoppy, with a nice hop aftertaste. Massive head,
extremely robust yeast trails, and great Belgian Lace. HENNEPIN (US)
bottle-conditioned - Light, dry, with good complicated hops. The
bottle-conditioning gives additional dimension. Very good stuff. Cloudy, good
head, Belgian lace, and a yeast fountain.
HITACHINO NEST, Kiuchi Brewery (JP)
bottled - Light, slightly tangy, tasty, with nice hops. With great head, yeast
trails and Belgian lace.
JOHN COURAGE Amber (UK) bottled - Coppery dark,
rich, dry, complicated hops, great head and Belgian lace.
JULIUS ECHTER -
Hefe Weiss, Wurzburger Hofbrau (DE) Good, light, with great head and Belgian
lace. Nice & light with good hops balance. Decent body, not heavy or
complicated, almost 'dry'.
ERDINGER, Pikantus, Dunkler Weizenbock - bottled
(DE) Dark, rich, malty, yet dry. A very tasty brew.
FRANZISKANER Hefe Weisse,
bottled (DE) Malt liquor. Very good, rich, malty, somewhat dry, with a great
head.
C. SCHNEIDER & SOHN - AVENTINUS - Wheat Doppelbock (DE) bottled -
Dark & misty, dryish, sudsy, and the hops and malt get in there and do their
thang. Nice yeast trails, good head & Belgian lace.
GUEZE - Brouwerij
Lindemans (BE) bottled - Spark'lay and Fruit-ay!! Sparkly, fruity and tart, and
excellent. Good head and Belgian lace, with nice hops as well.
HOEGAARDEN
bottled (NL) bottle-conditioned, non-filtered white beer. Lovely, light,
balances sweet & sour, complicated hops.
KILLIAN'S RED - on tap - (US) an
excellent, tasty red brew.
LEFE Blond (BE) bottled, abbey - Blond, sweet,
with a slight edge. Great head, Belgian lace & yeast trails.
LOMZA (PO)
bottled - OK, not great, good taste, ok hops, slighly sweet,, not much
body.
MACKESON'S Triple Stout (UK) Bottled - Good, hard, dark & stout, with a hard edge, a touch of sweetness, and thick dark body. Also, good blegian lace.
MENDOCINO Brewing Co. (US) - BLUE HERON Pale Ale (bottled) - Very nice, dry, rich, good body and strong & nice hops balance (a tad on the hops side). However, this is not a very light 'lawnmower beer', it has too much taste to drink heavily in summer.
MENDOCINO Brewing Co. (US) - RED TAIL ALE (bottled) - Very nice, rich, good body and hops balance (slightly to the hops, though also full and slightly sweet). It has a nice slightly tart and coppery aftertaste which lasts on the palate. Not a pale ale, has a fiar amount of body and sweetness, and medium in colour.
MCSORLEY'S (US) on tap at McSorley's - Dark - Dark, sudsy, malt and
hops in good balance. Good head. Light - light, and the same.
OLD SPECKLED
HEN (UK) Morland - pressurized can - Smooth rich ale, nice body & good
subtle hops. Great creamy head & Belgian Lace, no yeast trails due to
pasteurization.
PAULANER - Hefe Weise - (DE) bottled - Delicious, sweet,
almost fruity, but not cloying.
PERNSTEJ (CZ) Nice, Light, smooth, with nice
hops balance. With good head, yeasty trails & Belgian lace.
PETE's WICKED
ALE - (US) Lovely, complicated & dark, like a woman you wonder if you have
the guts to marry. It speaks to me. I got lost in this beer once
::burp::.
PORKSLAP Pale Ale (Butternut Beer & Ale) NY, US - Surprisingly good, though with a slight stale aftertaste. Light, very slight citrus (?), slight hop bitterness, and good flavour. Nice beer.
SAISON DUPONT (BE) bottled - (Brasserie Dupont) bottle conditioned.
A Belgian Saisons style beer, originally meant for winter brewing and summr
drinking. Light, clean, refreshing, fruity, with a dry aftertaste. Thick head,
with good Belgian lace.
SCALDI'S (DuBuisson) (BE) bottled. Very gut schtuff,
sweet, sweet, amber, with good hops. Nice head & Belgian
lace.
SCHNEIDER-WIESSE Hefe-Weizen - (DE) bottled. Lovely, slightly dark.
Rich, nice body and hops balance, great Belgian lace an yeast
trails.
G.Schnieder (DE) Wiesen Edel-Wiese - Lovely, light, with great
balance between nice hops and some sweetness (not coyling). also good Blegian
lace and hyead.
SIERRA NEVADA Pale Ale - on tap (US) Very good, some
sweeteness, nice strong complicated hops.
SPATEN - bottled - (DE) A most
excellent brew, clear, dry.
SPATEN Optimator (DE) bottled - One of my
favourites, dark, rich and sweet, with great taste, good hops. Serious head,
Belgian lace and yeast trails contingent. You can get lost in this brew, it even
smells good, and I'd drink just the head alone.
STELLA ARTOIS (BE) bottled -
Clear, sweet, citrusy, nice subtle hops.
TIGER (SI) Clear, sweet with good
strong hops. Good head, yeast trails & Belgian lace.
TRAQUAIR House Ale -
(UK - Scotland) bottles - Most Excellent, the taste set me back on the balls of
my feet on the first sip, and would have on the second as well, except I was
kneeling. Very Dark, slightly stout, dry, slightly bitter, with a subdued malt,
and very slightly charred - complicated. Nice yeasty CO2 fountains with Belgian
lace. It speaks to me and won't shut up.
TROUBADOU, Blonde (BE) No, that's
not ghey. Brouwery de Musketiers. An excellent Belgian blonde, delicious, with
great taste, body, & hops that won't stop. Great yeast trails, Belgian lace
& head.
TUBORG - DK Premium lager, bottled. A good light lager, with nice hops balance, making a solid taste. Good Belgian lace, decent yeast trails & slight head.
TUCHER (DE) Kristall Weizen - Great head, Belgian lace &
yeast trails. Light & hoppy with great aroma. almost slight citrus
aftertaste?
UTENOS - (Lithuania) - Good pale, decent head, good yeast trails
& Belgian lace. Decent body & tase, and hoppy.
VUUVE - BE - Brewed in
the tradition of Belgian white ale brewed with spices, per the label, including
coriander and orange peel. This is good stuff, with a bite from the coriander
and orange. Nice flavor, and stron, nice hops.
WEIHENSTEPHAN Hefe Weis - Sweet, light, citrusy, with good light hops. Really gut schuff!! great taste, with the obligatory belgian lace and yeast trails.
WIDMER BROS. Hefewiezen -
good, pale, dry, bitter, with just a taste of citrus?
WITKAP-PATER - (BE)
bottled - Abbey single ale, unfiltered, bottle conditioned. No kidding. Cloudy
and light with a huge head. Sweet, even tangy? Very good.
GOOD STUFF
BEDELE BEER - (Ethiopia) bottled - semi-decent, but if it
weren't Ethiopian, i wouldn't drink it. Decent head & ok carb. Flat with
little taste.
DeKONINCK (BE) bottled - Amber, top-fermented, medium-dark.
Good yeast fountains, ok head, the taste is not so great, the malt/hops thing
doesn't really go anywhere.
DENAR (PO) Browar Namyslow. Good, but not great.
Nice head, yeast trails & decent belgian lace. Nice taste, almost citrusy,
decent body, good hops. Slight aftertaste, and not a whole lot to it.
DOS
EQUIS - bottled (MX) Very good, I'll try it again & review.
FISCHER
Bitter - bottled (FR) OK taste, nice yeast hops, and yeast tang. Nice Yeast
trails & Belgian Lace.
FOSTER'S BITTER - In the oilcan (AU) The only
bitter I have been able to find in N.America. Rather straight and normal, but
still good, though less bitter than the UK bitters I remember. Better chilled
than warm, which is less than ideal.
HACKER-PSCHORR Weiss (DE) - Bottled. Good, Nice, but not Great. As a Weiss beer HS lacks the lightness of many, and has none of the almost citrusy overtones of some others. Good flavour, good body, light hops, lovely colour, great aroma, but a little on the heavy side for a weiss. The aroma is actually slightly better than the flavour, I think.
HARPOON Winter Warmer (US) bottled -
Great beer, great spices. Although this is great beer and great spices, the two
do not really mingle, keeping separate in the same bottle. Really good, but not
fabulous.
HARVEY's Christmas Ale (UK) bottled - Good, dark rich, but a touch
molasses-y.
KINSALE IRISH (IE) bottled - Good stuff, light & flavorful.
KRONENBOURG (FR) bottled - Nice head, nice Belgian lace. An initial pleasant
taste settles into a mediocre aftertaste.
MOLSON lager (CA) bottled - good
clear lager taste.
O'HARA'S Irish Red (IE) Carlow Brewing Co., bottled. A Good Red, great colour, good strong hops. The flavour is there, and it is good, but it is not the full body it is supposed to be. Nice head nad Blegian lace, but not terrific.
OKOCIM (PO) Tagtoba, bottled - Nice flavour, good body
& hops, slight tang to it. Nice head & Belgian Lace.
RADEGAST GROUP,
Czechoslovakian Orig. Lager (CZ) bottled - Moderate head, some nice yeast
trails, little Belgian lace. Good, but the malt is somewhat overpowering, though
it is good and smells great. Still trying to find the hops in here, they are
very subtle.
SAGRES - Portugal - OK, rich, thick, nice head & Belgian lace, nice flavour & hops balance. but nothing special.
SAM ADAMS - (US) Very good across the board, but somewhat
standard, nothing particularly special. I prefer Pete's.
STAROPRAMEN (CZ)
Prazske Pivovary, AS - bottled - Nothing special, dry with nice hops. Big head,
yeast trails.
SWINKELS (NL) bottled - Pretty good, flavorful, light, dry,
nice hops. Nice head, Belgian lace, yeast trails.
TUCHER - Helles Hefe Weizen
(bottled) DE - Good stuff, light, with nice hops balance. Great head, yeast
trails & Belgian lace.
URPIN Lager (SL) This is a hearty brew, but not an
excelent taste. Good head, decent yeast trails, Belgian lace. heavy on the hops,
but not much body.
LoserPlatz would like to point out that unfavorable reviews are often likely
the result of bad handling and/or storage. Beer which is perfectly good when
bottled may be putrid upon opening. However, it is the end result which is
important, so all beers are reviewed as drunk, where drunk,
drunk.
MEDIOCRE BRAU
3 HORSES (NL) Bierbrouwerij - Good, not great, Nice aroma, nice hops & flavour, nice yeast trails. However, I think the hops cut short the flavour in this beer, it seems a tad shallow.
ABITA AMBER - on tap (US) Good, but too
sweet, with too sweet an after-taste.
EB (PO) bottled - OK, between sweet and
dry, not much body or taste. Good head & Belgian lace.
COORS - (US) only
included because I believe it is the best 'lawnmower' beer - great for a hot
day, clear, very light and dry.
CONQUEST ALE MASTERBREW (UK) George Cale
& Co., Ltd., bottled & bottle-conditioned - Medium ale, tangy. This one
had no head and no carbonation - completely flat?!? COORS LIGHT - duh, an even
better 'lawnmower beer', but only for an even hotter day. Preposterously light,
almost water.
CORONA - (MX) a good pale ale. Light and dry, with enough
body.
KELER Lager (Grupo Cruzcampo) bottled (ES) - it ain't no thang, 'twas
on the side of skunk, perhaps just a bad sample.
OCHAKOVO LIGHT - bottled
(RU) - OK, not great, decent balance between hops & malt, dry, but not a
clear taste, hinting dangerously toward skunky.
BIRRA TIRANA (LI) Pretty
Good, though not great, nice head, decent belgian lace & yeast trails. Nice
flavor, really nice hops & tang. Not much body, though.
ZAMKOWE, Jasne
(PO) Nice, light, decent hops, slight aftertaste. Not much taste, though. Decent
belgian lace, no real head, nice yeast trails.
ZELTA Gold - Aldaris, (Latvia)
OK, Not much body or taste, decent hops, not much belgian lace, head, or yeast
trails. kinda flat, all around.
LOUSY BRAU
KILLIAN'S IRISH RED - bottled (US) Although Killian's Red
on tap is delicious lovely stuff, this was skunky.
PACIFICO CLARA -
Cerveceria del Pacifico, SA de CV, Modelo - bottled (MX) Disgusting and
disappointing - avoid.
PERLA - (PO) Lublin Breweries, bottled - No good.
Flat, bland, no taste. It is supposed to be a Pils, but it is dishwater.
RYAN
(PO) Browar Namysklow - No taste, no life, carbonated crap. The aftertaste is
appalling, and the head degenerates into this thick, stiff pond scum. crap like
this hasn't been seen since before the Pre-Cambrian era.
TECATE - bottled,
Cerveceria Cuauhetemoc (MX) Was this supposed to be good? 'twas skunky.
