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-

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-

Laughing Skull Amber Ale

This Craft brewed product from the makers of red brick beers out of Atlanta Brewing, delights me in such a favorable way. My initial taste of this brought me slight hints of hop with a smooth malt finish. Both are subtle and this Ale gives you the feeling of quality start to finish. The bottle says its a return of an old favorite from Atlanta and though I never had the pleasure of trying it before, I'm glad they did bring it back so that I could enjoy this delightful Amber.
Matt gives this a 4 out of 5

Schlafly Raspberry Hefeweizen Ale

So... You say Matt is not a lover of the fruity sweet beers he's gonna give this a downer review. I really thought, and was prepared to whine about, a ruined Hefeweizen. As usual you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover. The front of the bottle shows all these sweet raspberries as if they laced it with fruitiness. I will say, It has a raspberry flavor in it, but it is a well balanced addition to the Classic hefeweizen flavors and , dare I say it...is quite good. an unfiltered bitterness comes across but the addition of the raspberry adds a little balance. A bit of fruitiness comes out in the nose and the magnificent fluffy white head emanates raspberry, but not overly so. I recommend you pull this one out with a fresh apple pie with extra whipped cream and enjoy a beer with your dessert.
Matt gives it a 3.5 out of 5

If you have tried other beers brewed with raspberries, you will already know that they are often used to balance a bitter brew and lend a smoothness to an ale. This is definitely the case with Schlafly's raspberry hefeweizen. A well crafted hefeweizen made smoother by a subtle addition of raspberry. This ale is unfiltered and should be swirled in your bottle before the last is poured in the glass. As it warms, you can smell the berries even stronger, and their scent mixes well with the phenolic tones coming off this beer. This brew has a crisp mouthfeel with just a hint of slickness. A very enjoyable brew.
-Zech gives this offering from Schlafly a 3.5 out of 5 as well-

Flying Dog Old Scratch Amber Lager

Zech and I recently celebrated a milestone in our beer blogging by enjoying some brews at one of our favorite beer watering holes, The Flying Saucer, Nashville. http://www.beerknurd.com/stores/nashville/ While there we tried various beers, Zech's view of, "if this is good and that is good than the two together make great", had him trying some really interesting concoctions of beer, which we would like to find some of for reviews... Should make interesting reading. I enjoyed a draft of Old Scratch, so afterwards at Frugal McDoogals beer store I purchased some for review. This malty amber is very smooth with a hint of coffee undertones. The head was definitely passing the 2 finger rule and left a nice lacing down the glass. I personally enjoyed this beer from cold to warm and everything in between. If your an Amber Lager fan as I am than this is absolutely worth a look.

Matt gives this 4 out of 5 scratches!


Monkeys in a walnut tree. Or something like that. This Flying Dog Old Scratch might be sharing a name with the Evil One, but evil it ain't. It be really good. If you ain't stoopid, drink this.

-the Zech gives the Old Scratch a well deserved 4 out of 5-

Morland Brewing Old Speckled Hen

This English Import comes with a little history, it was named after the delivery car used at the MG car factory, brewing this Ale the first time to commemorate the 50th anniversary of that car maker. That delivery car was called the "ol speckled un". You can see why that wasn't the last time they made this amber ale since it is a good product. It poured with a nice tight head and left a good lacing on the glass as I consumed it. The nose on it initially gave me a whiff of metallic, which I have to admit worried me. My first drinks while the beer was still cold left a dry flavor at the back of my throat, undoubtedly the hops, but as it warms it smooths and sweetens. I found this ale much better, warmer but not warm, if that makes sense. This Ale was reminiscent of the Strangford Lough products we reviewed before, but I have to admit I liked them more. I would say that this is worth an amber ale lovers try.
Matt gives The Speckled Un 3 out of 5

The initial metallic taste is a little off-putting at first, and it is present in the nose as well. However, as this brew warms the metallic flavor bends towards a mild hoppy bitterness, but is still present. Though I can detect a smooth amber ale that is quite pleasant, the metallic bitterness is indicative of a poor brewing process and evidence that either the brewers didn't taste this batch or didn't care. Iron or mild steel in contact with the beer; freshly-scrubbed stainless steel that has not been allowed to oxidize (passivation); improper filtering material; high iron content in water; poorly processed grain, all can contribute to this undesirable flavor. You simply don't release a product meant to evoke fond memories without a rigid set of quality control procedures. I am highly disappointed and though the amber ale does give evidence of a well balanced recipe, I cannot get past the lack of concern evidenced in this beer.
-The Zach gives this "Old Speckled Hen" 1 boot in the rear out of 5 and a "Bleh!"-