Troegs Nugget Nectar | ZE Beer Review

I review a highly-rated beer that I received from Chris over at BeerGeekNation. Color me slightly underwhelmed.



Zymurgical Explorations grade: B

Bell's Christmas Ale | ZE Beer Review

This is Bell's seasonal Christmas beer, which is unfortunately at the time of this upload out of stock in the area. BeerAdvocate calls this a Scotch Ale, but I review it as an American Amber.

This was a requested beer from Paul, Youtube user vallsack. Thanks for the request, Paul!



Zymurgical Explorations grade: B+

Bell's Amber Ale (Bell's Week Day 2 of 8)

Bell's Amber Ale (bottle)
Kalamazoo, MI
5.8% ABV

This is day 2 of Bell's Week, Bell's Amber Ale. This is batch number 9916, which was bottled on August 22, 2010. I shot this review on October 4.



Zymurgical Explorations rating: 7.5/10

Lagunitas Lucky 13 Mondo Large Red Ale

Lagunitas Lucky 13 Mondo Large Red Ale (bottle)
Petaluma, CA
8.56% ABV

I forgot when I shot this that I did a text review on BA only a year or so ago, on 9/30/2009. Here's the original text of my review, which I still basically agree with a year later.



Zymurgical Explorations rating: 8.0/10

"Appearance: Red-orange body, transparent, with a thin off-white head that dissipates to soapscum rather quickly. Very slight effervescence.

Smell: Rich fruity amber aroma, crisp white hops. Very floral, very inviting.

Taste: Rich amber flavor, thick with apples and syrupy goodness, with a hoppy backbone and a very dry finish. The alcohol is present in the aftertaste, along with a strong floral hoppiness. Very very nice.

Mouthfeel: Thick, heavy with hops and with high carbonation.

Drinkability: The beer I'd describe as the closest to this is Arrogant Bastard, which has got to be one of my all-time favorite beers. This is higher in alcohol and may be even smoother than the Bastard, although it's not quite as well-balanced. Highly recommended."

Video: Terrapin Big Hoppy Monster

Terrapin Big Hoppy Monster
Athens, GA
8.3% ABV

What did I pick for my first beer review back in Michigan from my trip down south? A beer made in Georgia, of course! This bottle has a 2009 bottling date and isn't as aggressively hoppy as I remember it, but I may be remembering badly. I'd love to try a more recent bottling if I can find it.



My numerical rating: 8.0/10

Video Beer Review, Rogue XS Imperial Red Ale

Rogue XS Imperial Red Ale (bottle)
Newport, OR
9.0% ABV

New video review. I promise I'll go back to doing text reviews sooner or later. Probably going to record another one this afternoon.



My numerical rating: 6.5/10

I'm getting away from using the BA scoring system for awhile, just for the hell of it. I'm not even inputting my video reviews into BA.

Short's The Magician Dark Red London-Style Ale

Short's The Magician (bottle)
Elk Rapids, MI
6.0% ABV

Yeah, I'm still using BeerAdvocate for my reviews. Still feeling ambivalent about it.

I reviewed all eight of Short's limited release bottles over the winter holidays, so when we got Short's newest year-round bottle released I knew I had to try it. This is my fourth bottle out of the sixer, and while it's a good brew, I don't think it quite lives up to the excellence of some of their other beers, in particular the Huma-Lupa Licious and the Soft Parade.

Pours dark reddish/amber with a very thick creamy brownish head. Clear body, but dark. Very interesting and inviting.

Smells very much like a traditional amber, but with a grainy fruitiness that adds complexity. Slight tartness and hints of sourness, not a lactic sourness or even a bretty sourness but just a traditional microbrewed Amber sour aroma.

Flavor is sweet, very grainy and bready, with a dry aftertaste and finish. Sourness is only present in the nose.

Mouthfeel moderately thick, creamy, with low carbonation and only a hint of hoppiness.

Overall quite drinkable, a decent beer, easy to consume, and worth the cost of the ten-dollar sixer. Overall I just don't have a lot to say.

My overall BA rating: 3.8/5

Lagunitas Censored

Lagunitas Censored (bottle)
Petaluma, CA
5.9% ABV

Gotta love Lagunitas. Gotta love, that is, if you're at all a fan of West-Coast hoppy ales of various varieties. Luckily, I am. So....

Pours dark red, mostly transparent, with suspended bubbles all through the glass. Thin white bubbly head that becomes soapscum pretty much immediately. Significant lacing. Lagunitas labels this one as a "copper ale," which generally refers to color, but I get a significant coppery aroma here, possibly by power of suggestion. Malty, slightly dry aroma, similar to a nice ESB.

Malty dryness also dominates the flavor, with a nice dry hoppy finish and aftertaste. Hops are less prominent than anticipated, although as the beer warms I get a more classic West-Coast hop flavor. Mouthfeel is moderately thick, with a high amount of carbonation and some significant hoppiness.

Overall this is a very nice beer, but I wouldn't necessarily recommend it to someone interested in ambers. Not enough fruity notes. This, as mentioned above, reminds me more of a dry ESB than an amber, but fans of Laguintas will probably get a lot from this beer.

My overall BA rating: 3.8/5

Widmer Drop Top Amber Ale

Widmer Drop Top Amber Ale (bottle)
Portland, OR
5.0% ABV

(Full disclosure: This bottle was given to me gratis by a representative from a distributor.)

I'm not a big fan of Widmer's Hefeweizen, as I'm a bit of a purist when it comes to wheat beers in general, but I quite liked their pale ale. How will the Drop Top fare?

Pours orange-red, hazy, with a bit of soapscum in the place of head. Tinges of yellow as I hold it up to the light. Smells more sour than expected, lots of sweet maltiness with a distinct sourness up front. Hints of dry hops. Overall impression of the nose is sweet and fruity, slightly tart.

The beer also has a bit of a sourness in the flavor, mostly in the finish. More prominent, however, is a strong hoppy body and a touch of citrus in the malt profile. Aftertaste is clean.

Moutheel is moderate-to-thick, with a slight hoppiness and a crisp carbonation.

What is it with amber ales and a touch of sourness? I've had at least three amber ales from microbreweries with a distinct sour flavor, and yet I wouldn't consider it at all a feature of the style. It's tempting to consider the sourness a flaw, but I doubt that a brewery with the size and reputation of Widmer would make such a mistake. Age is also not a factor, as this one has been in the bottle about six weeks at the time I drank it. Maybe it's some sort of strange function of the caramel malt.

My overall BA rating: 3.3/5

Beer Review, Lagunitas Lucky 13

Lagunitas Lucky 13 (bottle)
Petaluma, CA
8.3% ABV

Appearance: Red-orange body, transparent, with a thin off-white head that dissipates to soapscum rather quickly. Very slight effervescence. 4.0/5

Smell: Rich fruity amber aroma, crisp white hops. Very floral, very inviting. 4.5/5

Taste: Rich amber flavor, thick with apples and syrupy goodness, with a hoppy backbone and a very dry finish. The alcohol is present in the aftertaste, along with a strong floral hoppiness. Very very nice. 4.5/5

Mouthfeel: Thick, heavy with hops and with high carbonation. 4.5/5

Drinkability: The beer I'd describe as the closest to this is Arrogant Bastard, which has got to be one of my all-time favorite beers. This is higher in alcohol and may be even smoother than the Bastard, although it's not quite as well-balanced. Highly recommended. 4.5/5

Overall: 4.4/5

Beer Review, Amber Tease

Schmohz Amber Tease (bottle)
Grand Rapids, MI
5.3% ABV

This is a brewery that is clearly new to bottling. Cheap six-pack holders with a label stuck on, inexpensive bottle labels. I say we cut them a bit of slack.

Appearance: Reddish-orange body, thin pink-white head that dissipates quickly. Hazy, no effervescence. 3.0/5

Smell: Sweet with that classic "amber" aroma, but with a slight tinge of sourness. Notes of apples. 3.0/5

Taste: More complexity here. A nice bready malt backbone with a sweet (but still tarty/sour) finish and a very dry aftertaste. No hops to balance. Very slight yeastiness as the beer warms. 4.0/5

Mouthfeel: Moderate thickness, no significant carbonation, no hops. 4.0/5

Drinkability: I can't tell if the sourness here is intentional or a flaw in the brewing/shipping process. Their website claims that their beer is unpasteurized, so it's possible that infection set in between the bottling process and the store, but given the relatively minor distances and times involved this can't be good for the average consumer finding this beer on the shelf. The sourness isn't unpleasant, but it is unexpected and not quite true-to-style, but I'm cutting the brewery a bit of slack since I like to root for the little guy. 4.0/5

(Cute label, though -- almost worth buying just for the artwork.)

Overall: 3.6/5

Beer Review, R.J. King Wingwalker Amber Ale

R. J. King Wingwalker Amber Ale (bottle)
Rochester, NY
5.7% ABV

Appearance: Transparent orangeish red body, white soapscum head. Very slight effervescence. 2.5/5

Smell: Malty. Corny. Somewhat sweet. Pretty much what an amber is supposed to taste like, but I get the distinct impression of adjuncts used here... 3.0/5

Taste: Sweet on front, some fruity apple flavors. Slightly cloying on the finish and dry on the aftertaste. A bit sweet for my taste, but not terrible. 3.5/5

Mouthfeel: Thin body, but it does coat the palate. Low carbonation. 3.0/5

Drinkability: This beer has a lackluster presentation, but is really fairly drinkable. This is the last of a six-pack I bought in Chicago, and I remember drinking the first five fairly quickly. I was probably just drinking them straight from the bottle... 3.5/5

Overall: 3.15/5

Beer Review, Keweenaw Red Jacket Amber Ale

Keweenaw Red Jacket Amber Ale
South Range, MI
Unknown ABV

(Note: BA calls this an American Amber, but the can refers to itself as an "Octoberfest-style ale.)

Appearance: Hazy brown/orange body with slight yellow tinge at the bottom. Thick brownish head that dissipates to soapscum quickly. 4.0/5

Smell: Rich, malty, nutty. Quite dry. Very strong grains. 4.5/5

Taste: Sweet nutty grains on the front-end, with a bit of syrup on the finish. Some nice bitter hops, as well, and a dry aftertaste. Kind of a weird amalgam of styles, but somehow it works. Very much more like an Octoberfest than an Amber, so take that for what you will. 4.0/5

Mouthfeel: Thicker than anticipated, very low carbonation, with no particular hop bite. Smooth but a bit thick. 3.5/5

Drinkability: I'm tempted to pound these straight from the can. A nice beer, very good at what it does. 4.0/5

Overall: 4.05/5

Beer Review, David Bell is 21 Ale

Bell's David Bell is 21 Ale
Kalamazoo, MI
Unknown ABV

Appearance: Beautiful orange-red body, slightly translucent, with a very thick foamy white head. Yeast particles suspended in the body, frozen as if in amber. Significant lacing. I never thought I'd do this for an amber, but I'm giving it a 5. 5.0/5

Smell: Sweet, malty. Hints of cherries, strong aromas of apples. Strong yeastiness buried underneath. Very intriguing, can't wait to taste it. 4.5/5

Taste: Drier than expected, but with a sweet finish, lots of apples. Some yeast in the aftertaste. Not as good as the nose would lead me to believe, but still a very good amber. 4.0/5

Mouthfeel: Thin, actually, with a fairly high dose of hops and carbonation. I expected it to be a bit chewier, but this is actually pretty well-done for an amber. 4.0/5

Drinkability: From the appearance and the aroma I expected this one to knock me on my ass, but ultimately this is a merely (merely?) a very good amber. If you can get it it's definitely worth a try, but these limited releases generally don't last very long. 4.0/5

Overall: 4.3/5

Beer Review, Bell's Big Porch Ale

Bell's Big Porch Ale

Appearance: Hazy reddish-orange body, thin head that dissipates quickly and leaves no lacing. 3.0/5

Smell: Dry, malty, hints of fruit. Smells basically like a generic "amber" beer, but no flaws are easily detectable. Perhaps a touch sweeter and fuller-bodied than most. 3.5/5

Taste: Again, a pretty standard amber. Heavily malty starter, dry finish, leaves a bit of a sickly sweet aftertaste. No real complexity here, but it's well-executed and, again, there are no real flaws here to speak of, besides a bit of tartness to the finish. 3.5/5

Mouthfeel: Thin-to-moderate. Slightly grainy, light carbonation. 3.0/5

Drinkability: The American Amber Style isn't the most impressive style to begin with, but the folks from Bell's have made a perfectly serviceable example of one. Fairs better when not being scrutinized -- this makes a really nice beer with which to sit and have a meal or to have while watching TV, hence the relatively high marks for drinkability. 4.0/5

Overall: 3.4/5