Boulevard's Collaboration No. 1 is one unique brew.  Besides the fact that it is the brewery's first ever collaboration, that it is an imperial pilsner (an odd, but awesome trend-bucking choice for a first collaboration), and that it is the first (as far as I know) collaborative brew between an American craft brewery and a Trappist (Orval) brewery, it also employs an age old method of brewing in which hops are added pre-boil in the mash.  I had to have some. When I was touring the brewery, the amiable Steven Pauwels did try to send me home with a bottle, but unfortunately none were to be found un-boxed, and I had to leave Kansas City before Collaboration was released.  Fortunately, a good friend recently visited Springfield, MO--and old stomping ground of ours--and brought me back a bottle. Every limited release beer I get I have a hard time drinking, especially when I only have one.  But with an imperial pilsner (contra an imperial stout or IPA) I was so geeked over this beer I waited only minutes to open this brew and share it with friends.  I was a bit nervous since it was smuggled back to Toledo via non-carry-on luggage...good chance ...

After a long twelve hour drive in a small minivan with 5 kids and a dog from Kansas City, MO to Toledo, OH seeing a package on my doorstep from Buckbean Brewery was a welcome sight, as it distracted me from the week's worth of unopened bills lying inside the door. I am just now getting around to reviewing the beer because since Buckbean was so kind as to send me a free sample for review, I wanted to make sure to put some pics of their product up, and my camera was broke. It takes guts for a brewery to send out a free sample for review to sites such as ours.  You see, we will be honest...brutally honest.  Not only could it be a waste of their money, but the internet has an eternal memory and a bad review is one evil spirit to get rid of.  When I opened the box, I picked up a can (Buckbean is one of those craft breweries that chooses can over bottle).   Ironically, Buckbean included a little key chain bottle opener. At first glance, I saw "Doug's Very Noddy Birthday Lager," and put it in my refrigerator.  Without knowing anything about this brewery I ...

In the American craft beer scene, Pilsners/Lagers are kind of like everybody's weird uncle, they are ignored, perhaps only recognized at family gatherings, and we begrudgingly admit association.  Perhaps this attitude is a bit wrong...for the uncle and the beer.  More on this in an upcoming post...this is beer review, after all. Pilsner Urquell is a bit of a classic.  As the name suggests (so Mike pointed out to me) it is the original pilsner.  Brewed in Czechlosovakia, it reeks of eastern European lager-ness from the packaging on down. The Pour: Urquell pours  with ample carbonation and, given a little help, a decent head.  The beer is crystal clear, as it out to be.  I mean, you could actually make beer goggles out of a couple of glasses of this brew were beer goggles literal spectacles and not a euphemism for unlikely hookups.  What is noteworthy is the color of the beer.  Pilsner Urquel is not a faint, watery, patel yellow like American macro lagers.  It is TRULY golden, seemingly boasting an absence of adjuncts. The Nose: It is difficult to push into the aroma of this style of beer, in my opinion, as our presuppositions from our Macro years cloud our judgment.  However, with ...

This coming Saturday we are going to be tasting Pilsner Urquell.  I'm sure more than a few may roll your eyes at the choice (a pilsner lager???) but to be honest, lager and pilsners do not get the respect they deserve in the United States.  Due to the paltry products of many of the big brewers, this style has become the black sheep of the beer family.  As I mentioned earlier this week, Steven Pauwels of Boulevard felt a bit of a cold shoulder from the throats he fills upon releasing to the public a Pilsner as Boulevard's Collaboration. At one point in time, such a beer was a delicacy as it required advanced brewing technology to maintain the cool temperatures necessary for lagering.  Regardless, this Czech pilsner is considered top notch by many.  The brewers sure consider it a thing of beauty: For generations our dedicated, passionate brew masters have ensured that Pilsner Urquell with its distinctive darker shade of gold and snow white head has maintained its uncompromised purity of flavour. Since 1842 we have used only the purest, most natural ingredients to create a beer of golden opulence. From the soft crystal clear waters, to the superior Bohemian and Moravian ...

The weather was certainly right for Spaten's Optimator:  Cold, dark and rainy.  With a fireplace being absent from the architecture of my home the 7.2% liquid warmth was a welcome sight as it filled my glass.  Optimator is a classic example of a Doppelbock, a bottom fermented (lager) beer that utilizes malts that produce toasted an nutty qualities and has a higher than normal (doppel/double) alcohol content.  Apparently this style of beer was developed by a German order of Minim monks (St. Francis of Paula, Italian in origin).  These Minimums are noted for having named their doppelbock "Salvator," which is utilized by the brewer, Paulaner.  The religious ties to beer never ceases to be a fascinating study! The Pour: Spaten's Optimator fills the glass with a dark brown mahogany deliquescent fluidity.  There is a reddish quality hidden in the darkness.  A ample malty head, dense and thick leaves awesome sticky lacing behind.  The beer itself is remarkably clear, a bonus from lagering. The Nose: The sweetness of Optimator dominates the aroma.  A strong whiff of caramel, vanilla, chocolate, and  slight fruitiness (cherry/berry) block out hop aromas.  The smell is simple, but pleasant.  The smell alone could convince a non beer drinker--partial to sweet mixed ...

Following cue from Mike's article that suggests beer geeks need to take time to revisit the classics, the Sip With Us Saturday beer this week is Bitburger.  Bitburger is truly a classic, and is Germany's number one draft beer. The brewery has been pumping out  beer for 190 years, but it didn't always taste like the Bitburger of today. When it was first opened in 1817 by Johann Peter Wallenbronn ,the brewery was only set up to brew top fermenting yeasts (ales). The cooling technology necessary to utilize bottom fermenting yeast (lagers) wasn't easy to come by. In 1871 the brewery was revamped and updated technologically, including the capability for lagering beer. In 1883 Bitburger brewed its first Pils beer. Before you roll your eyes at the choice of a light lager for SWUS, keep in mind that it is only light in color.  The beer is considered full body, and utilizes a unique and high quality water for the brew that comes from a well owned and drilled by the brewery.  See if you can pick up on these nuances. Due to it's popularity, you should have no trouble finding this beer at any of your local beer stores.  ...

Personally, beer distribution is as confusing as complex algorythms.  Case in point:  Voodoovator by Atwater brewery.  The Atwater brewery is located in Detroit, Michigan, however the beer is not available just 50 miles south in Toledo beer shops.  So when I happened to be up in Michigan this past weekend, I made it a point to pick some up. Atwater itself was established in 1997 and may be considered a "local" beer.  In fact, I don't believe they distribute west of the Mississipi, but do hit up a few states clustered around the rust belt.  I picked up Voodoovator because I was in the mood for a doppelboch, although as far as beer names go, Voodoovator seems a bit corny.  Subjectivity is not limitied to beer flavor, after all!  Nonetheless, I was excited to try this beer merely for the fact that it is a more obscure and lesser tried beer and due to it being a "local beer".  I suppose I'm one of those nerds that is drawn to all things recondite. The Pour: The beer pours out of the bottle a tad thinner than I had expected and leaves an attractive stable head whose color is the same as coca-cola fizz.  ...

I'm sure we've all had this experience:  You are walking through the beer aisle sort of aimlessly without a target beer, or even a target beer style in mind.  Your eye catches something vaguely intiguing.  You've never heard of it.  You don't know how it has held up to judgmental tastebuds of beer reviewers.  Yet you buy it. This happened to me a few weeks ago as a walked down the aisle.  The kooky label is what drew me in:  A bare (no nudity) backside of a woman with a large lobster tattoo on her back.  The name of the beer was as kooky as the label:  "Lobster Lovers Beer."  The back of the bottle read:  "Has life ever snapped at you?  Grab it by the claws!"  I suddenly became a slave to impulse.  I had to buy it. Lobster Lover beer is brewed by Rinkuškiu Alaus Darykla, a Lithuanian Brewery.  It should be classified as perhaps a pale or strong lager.  Like I said, it is 9.5% ABV.  Here are my thoughts: The Pour: Pours a crisp, golden color, slightly darker than a typical American lager with a decent amount of carbonation bubbles swirling as the glass fills.  Minimal head and lacing.  I ...