This beer comes in a short stock brown bottle with a sky blue label which seems so inviting I had to try one. They are brewed in Chico, CA and is moderately carbonated.  It has a pleasant subtle smell to it of malt and barley.  The flavor is where I get slightly short changed. I suppose not every brewer out there wants to make a nice rich tasting stout porter but this porter is a little more mild than my taste buds care for.  It leaves you wanting more flavor and the aftertaste is just too dry for me.  The bottle says it uses the highest quality ingredients and uses old world traditions. I am not clear exactly what that entails but I don’t think they used much brown malt.

Over all I would give it 3 out of 5 burps.

So I am reviewing this beer after having had 3 other beers tonight. Surprisingly they were all good and I am just now getting around to typing up a review. I like to do the review while it is fresh. Unfortunately my typing and eloquence start suffering after 3 beers. Shiner Black Lager is a very good beer. It is not overly carbonated and the taste is not too heavy. It is a moderate lager and doesn’t try to hit you hard with too much flavor. The malts are well balanced and proportional. It has a nice head on it and comes in a dark bottle with a black Jack Daniel’s looking label. Definitely a beer I would recommend if you want a smoother beer to drink with a milder malt flavor than some lagers.

3.5 out of 5 burps.

Saint Arnold Microbrewery is out of Houston, Tx, which, since I am a Texan, makes me proud. Unfortunately this particular beer doesn’t have a Texas sized taste to it. It has a lot of carbonization and a decent malty flavor to it but it lacks a real punch in the flavor area. The brew master seems to have held back on this beer in the flavor department. I am not saying it is a bad beer, it has a pleasant smell, but it is just too bland and unidimensional. Overall I would rate it 2.5 burps out of 5.

Hornby’s Hard Cider is not quite beer but I does go through a similar process.   It is a pale amber color and light on carbonization with not much of a head.  It is a really easy cider to drink , if you’re into that sort of thing.   Its has a mildy sweet flavor of apples to it and an easy aftertaste.  I would recommend this to anyone who is not much of a bitter beer fan and likes sweeter fair such as white wines.

Over all 3 out of 5 burps.

Fat Tire Amber Ale is brewed by New Belgium Brewing out of Colorado. It is a light clear amber in color and has a mildly sweet smell to it. It has a decent head but not too much.  The real suprise is the flavor. It is a well balanced blend of malt and hops. You aren’t left with a bitter aftertaste or a feeling that the beer is too heavy.  This is my first foray with this beer and I am quite pleasantly impressed with the overall richness and flavor. I definitely would recommend this to anyone looking for a new flavor to try.

4 out of 5 burps.

While I like to go into stores that allow me to purchase different varieties of beers by the single, I stumbled across a Samuel Adams 6 pack which has 3 different beers in it. So I am reviewing the first one out of the box.  Sam Adam’s Brown Ale is a pleasant surprise.  It is a richer ale with a nice malt flavor, and a sweet aftertaste, but that turns tart after a few swigs.  It has a nice head to it and a touch of caramel and other flavors. I think the issue I have with the beer is it is not something I could consume more than one or 2 of at a time. It is too malty for my taste and seems to overload my taste buds quickly like running a wooden Popsicle stick over my tongue one time too many.  It is not too carbonated and has a nice dark full body. All in all I would rate it 3 out of 5 burps.

Samuel Adams beer is a pretty mainstream beer for a “micro brewery”. I bought mine at Target here in Texas. The lager beer is pleasant in taste and has a sweet aftertaste with a nice hint of citrus fruit. I would definitely recommend this beer as a great stepping stone for people who are tired of the watered down version of American beer. That being said I also think this beer is a little too mild for my particular taste. It also has a lot of carbonization. I would rate it 3.5 burps out of 5.

The work day is done and I decided to try something that I might not normally go for.  I decided to try a fruity beer called Leinenkugel Berry Weiss. According to their site it is brewed in Wisconsin which is quite a haul to Texas where I live.  It has a very strong blackberry flavor and dare I say it it taste a lot like Welch’s grape. Its not as sweet as Welch’s but it definitely seems a lot more like a carbonated fruit drink than a beer.

While I would not personally stock my fridge with this beer, I would say that if you like Bartles and James or any other wine cooler than this is a good alternative in a beer. It has a very mild flavor and absolutely no bitter after taste.  I would recommend this for anyone who was trying to get a woman interested in beer.  At 207 calories and 28 carbs it is definitely not a light beer.