"Anyone there?"

So after restarting this blog I promptly got busy with real life....again. Surprise surprise. I keep meaning to finish posts I start but it never seems to get done. Well enough is enough and it's time to open the doors again. I am going to finish the dozens of half filled posts I have saved and get this baby flowing again. Expect a massive influx of posts as I complete these half filled entries and clear them out. At least those who follow the blog won't lack for Holiday reading material that's for sure heh.

Peroni Nastro Azzurro

Birra Peroni

Peroni Nastro Azzurro

Rating: C-

So this is basically Italy's big great premium big brand lager. Sort of their Budweiser or Miller. Peroni is actually owned by SAB Miller which is the main conglomerate of Miller and all the other brands SAB Miller has. Miller has recently merged with Coors btw for a random bit of info. Apparently SAB Miller has really been pushing this beer in Europe and has gone on about how it's been refined. Well.....they need to do more refining.

Now I know many think that Bud and Miller and other beers like this are what lagers all are. For starters lagers encompass a lot more styles then just this. Your Bud and Miller and Peroni beers are pilsners mostly which are a style of lagers. Just so we clear that up. And if you want GOOD examples of pilsners I suggest you go to Bavaria, Munich, or maybe the Czech republic for good examples of pilsners. This one...not so much.

It pours to a very pale yellow color akin to a Budweiser or Coors etc. It's got a decent head when poured and you get mild aromas of peppery and lemony citrus hops, and faint graininess. Not much real aroma, it's all very subdued. The beer does have decent carbonation and a nice crisp taste. You get mostly a dry grainy flavor with some slight spicy floral hope flavor. Just enough to remind you it has some but not enough to give it any REAL flavor. More of the dry hop and grain flavors on the aftertaste.

This one really is not BAD but it's far from GREAT as well. The one thing going for it though is that it is crisp and refreshing. Good to wash down some fish and chips perhaps. It's a decent beer but there are many much better pilsner style lagers out there.

Dragonhead Stout

Orkney Brewery

Dragonhead Stout - 4.0% ABV

Rating: B+

"Dragonhead is a legendary stout: dark, intense and fully-flavoured, it is our tribute to the Vikings and their cultural legacy in Orkney."

The funny thing is I had picked this up before I decided to do my Scottish/Irish beer run for March. I picked up another from them and then realized they were both from the same brewery. Nice little coincidence. I do love my stouts so I was looking forward to this. Ok I love all beer let's be honest, but stouts are one of my favorite styles.

In terms of presentation this one pours to a nice deep brownish black with a thick mocha color head. You get the aroma of sweet roasted malt, caramel, bitter chocolate, and dry roast coffee. The aromas had my mouth watering and my taste buds praying it tasted as good as it smelled. It thankfully did but the taste was different than the aromas. It's much dryer then you'd expect given the aromas. You get a dry coffee taste up front followed by the roasted malt and a sweet and slightly bitter flavor. As it fades you get a dry roasted nut and malt finish.

This one here is a tricksy lil hobbit yes indeed. You expect something sweeter and thick and instead get a dry and thinner brew that really packs the dry roasted nut, malt, and coffee flavors. Not bad mind you, just not what you're expecting. I think it could use just a bit more balance and thickness to it but it'll still a fine beer. This stout gets a solid B+.

Fraoch Heather Ale

Williams Brothers Brewing

Fraoch Heather Ale - 5.0% ABV

Rating: A

"Brewed in Scotland since 2000 B.C. heather ale is probably the oldest style of ale still produced in the world. From an ancient Gaelic recipe for "leann fraoich" (heather ale) it has been revived and reintroduced to the Scottish culture. Into the boiling bree of malted barley, sweet gale and flowering heather are added, then after cooling slightly the hot ale is poured into a vat of fresh heather flowers where it infuses for an hour before being fermented."

This is another of the historic ales from Williams Brothers. This is actually the brew that started it all for them. I first had this one several years ago actually. At that point i had no idea how rare and unique it actually was. I knew i liked it and it was right at the beginning of when I started to crave better beer. Fast forward a few years and I get to revisit an old friend, and learn a bit about my heritage's beer brewing history. On to the beer though!

So this baby pours out to a nice rich golden color with a thing but full head. Has a very nice sweet herbal and nectar like floral aroma. Slight earthy malt aroma as well but mostly herbal and floral. When you sip it you get a nice light and crisp sweet honey like malty taste first. A little sweet bread like taste as well. That fades quickly though and the herbal spice comes in. You taste the herbal spice flavor of the heather and it just warms and lingers. You get a nice slight grassy honeysuckle and peppery finish along with the herbal spice notes. Again, a nice long warm slightly bitter aftertaste. Very pleasant.

This beer is simply a treat to taste. For one thing it's just a damn fine beer with great flavor. Second you get all these flavors with no hops and from different ingredients then you'd find elsewhere. Not that beers with the traditional main ingredients are bad but it's nice to have a change every so often. This is a change you'll be damn glad you tried. Of their 5 historic ales this one is easily my favorite. I'm giving this a full blown A rating.

Alba Scots Pine Ale

Williams Brothers Brewing

Alba: Scots Pine Ale - 7.5 ABV

Rating: A-

"A traditional Highland recipe, popular in Northern Scotland until the end of the 19th Century. This "triple" style ale is spiced with sprigs of spruce and pine, harvested in the spring and brewed with only a small token handful of hops . Break out the goblets and pour with abandon. Rich, tawny and best enjoyed at Room temperature."

So this is one of the specialty beers from Williams Brothers. They do 5 brews using old original Scottish techniques long forgotten. Nice changes of pace from the traditional styles. This one is their Pine Ale. As the title says they use actual pine, along with spruce and bogmyrtal in the brewing process. How many beers have you had that do that? Got this is one of the "Historical Ales" mix packs the company does. Each one has 4 of the 5 historical brews.

As for the beer itself it pours out to a nice see through copper/amber color. When you smell it you immediately smell the earthy spice of the pine and spruce. You also get the sweet caramel malt aromas as well as a fruity aroma. It's full bodied and has a nice slight carbonation to make it crisp and smooth. You IMMEDIATELY get the spicy, earthy, and herbal flavors from the pine/spruce. The initial burst of that flavor fades to the sweet caramel matly smoothness. The slight splash of hops in the brews serves to give it just enough balance to keep the malt in check so it doesn't get too sweet. It had a nice smooth and slightly dry aftertaste with a bit more pine coming through.

As for my rating I'm giving this a very solid A- rating. The only reason I didn't give it a full A is the earthy, spicy, and herbal flavors are strong and can be a bit much for some. Overall though this is a damn good beer and it's unique as well. If you can find it in singles or in one of the Historic Ales gift sets get it. All of the historic Ales are good but this one is my second favorite of all 5 personally.

Whitewater IPA

 Samuel Adams

Whitewater IPA - 5.8% ABV

Rating: A-

"We love hops at Samuel Adams, and while we enjoy traditional IPAs, we thought we might spice things up a little bit, literally, by combining the intense hop character of an IPA with the crisp spicy wheat character of a Belgian-style white ale. The resulting fusion-style brew is Samuel Adams Whitewater IPA. The white ale and IPA combination make this crisp, smooth, yet hop-friendly beer the perfect pairing with a variety of meats and cheeses. Intensely flavored and firm in texture."

Anyone who knows me knows that I love Sam Adams. I love their brews and very rarely have a bad one. So when I heard they had 2 new spring themed brews I had to try them. Now they're new actual "spring seasonal" is their Alpine Spring Ale. I'll get to that one soon enough. This is their other new spring beer. Sam has their official season brew and then other brews that are only available readily during that season. This one is in the second category. Not the official new spring seasonal but only readily available in spring. So get it soon before summer hits.

As for the brew itself it pours a nice hazy golden color. It looks heavier then it actually is. A nice decent head and good amount of carbonation which is to be expected with an IPA. It looks like a good IPA but remember now this is a mix of 2 styles as the description says. A mix of a hoppy IPA and a fruity white ale. And it mixes well. You taste a more wheat base with hints of grassy wheat malt flavor with light spices. So more of the white ale upfront. Then the hops kick in. You get big spicy and citrus hops but with a tropical fruit flavor again. More of the white ale coming through. As the hops tailor off some you can taste the apricot flavor and you get a nice spicy earthy finish.

All in all I find this beer to be very good. The mix of an IPA and White Ale works great here I think. It's very flavorful and you can easily drink several of these. Good one for spring. Giving this baby a strong A rating.