Saturday, September 24, 2011

LA 31 Grenade by Bayou Teche Biere

  This passion fruit infused beer has a sweet caramel tone to the nose, and a strange (that doesn't necessarily mean bad) dominant flavor. We will come back to that. The mouth feel is crisp yet also slightly slick, and goes down quite smooth. There is a sweet aftertaste indicating a good deal of sugar is in this brew. Almost no bitterness is present at all. If you are trying to get your wife to try new beers, this might do the trick.
  Now, back to that flavor. I am not really familiar with passion fruit, so I cannot with any degree of accuracy comment on whether this beer taste strongly of that fruit. It does definitely taste strongly of something and I detected an almost vegetal undertone mixed with hints of mango. This is an easy to drink beer whose nose bends more towards malted barley as it warms. It is definitely worth a try if you like sweet beers, but it is not high on this reviewer's favorites list. I will trying pairing one of them with a strongly bitter beer to see what that does with the flavor. As an important side note, I obtained a six-pack of this by winning a bet with a good friend of mine. My friend Brittnee bet me a six-pack if I ate a katydid. Which I did. So now with gratitude in my heart I have reviewed the fruits of my labor.
_ the Zech gives the Grenade a 3.0 out of 5-

Lazy Magnolia Brewery has allowed this beer to be brewed there and bottled under another name. I'm confused, is this malt liquor with passion fruit infusion or an effort at a quality beer. Either way, I found an initial grapy smell coming from this product. Expecting a sweetness that comes with the whiff, I was belayed by a flat, unimpressive offering. You can call it a lack of appreciation for passion fruit or a misunderstanding of what to expect, but I missed the point here.At first I found some promise in this as I felt it had a smoothness in the aftertaste, but the more I drank the more the aftertaste began to annoy me. It stayed with me like an onion does long after finishing the burger, you enjoy it initially but then it just gets to be to much. I found this to be more than my palate could bear and so...
Matt gives this 1.5 out of 5
 

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Moose Drool brown Ale





Moose Drool, made by Big Sky Brewing Co. in Missoula, Montana is a delicious and masterfully crafted brown ale. It has chocolate tones in the flavor, a bit of charcoal in the nose and a clean, refreshing mouthfeel. I was given this can by a friend of mine at the Jackson, TN, Fire Department (Thanks Brian) and now I am mad @ him for not giving me a six pack. I mean, what kind of friend gives you one beer when he knows it will be this good? That is simple cruelty. Anyway, this is an excellent brown ale with just a touch of individuality from the good folks in Missoula. I highly recommend it.
-Zach gives the Moose 5 out 5 big drooly kisses-

Friday, September 2, 2011

Flying Dog Tire Bite Golden Ale

This  refreshing, unassuming Ale sporting a light dissipating head, drew my attention. The Nose was clean, nothing jumping into my nostrils for a whiff, smelled almost like a light beer. As I began to partake though, I began noticing a light citrus undertow that pulled me back for more. I almost noticed light whispers of hop flavor, but without any bittering. This beer is great for warm weather, I would probably choose this with a summer crab boil. Cover the picnic table with newspapers set the boiling pot dead center and start cracking because a cold Tire Bite will go along with the party.
Matt gives this a howling 4 out of 5.

What the Fahrvergnügen? Is Matt starting to like fruity beers? Come to the dark side Matt. We have cookies.
Anyway, I digress. It is not really a fruity beer, there are simply some hints of citrus that I attribute to masterful use of hops and yeast. There is a well balanced malts and hops essence to the nose, the mouth feel is clean and medium bodied. A thoroughly enjoyable brew that delivers golden rays of sunshine directly to your tastebuds while little refreshment ninjas surf into your mouth on gentle waves of hoppy malted barley goodness.
-the Zech also delivers 4 out of 5 to this ale-