Bell's Oarsman Ale (Bell's Week Day 3 of 8)

Bell's Oarsman Ale (bottle)
Kalamazoo, MI
4.0% ABV

This is Batch Number 9934, bottled on September 20, 2010, and reviewed on October 5.

Oarsman Ale is a brand-new regular release from Bell's, an American Pale Wheat Ale made with sour mash techniques. Which is fascinating, but doesn't make for a great product.



Zymurgical Explorations rating: 4.5/10

Short's Nicie Spicie | Short's Week Day 6 of 7

This was the last beer review I shot before I got sick and couldn't do videos for a week. Thankfully modern medicine intervened and I'm better now and managed to complete the vids and upload them.

This is an American Pale Wheat Ale that is slightly spicy, but overall really just tastes like a completely average American Pale Wheat. Probably be a good lawnmower beer, though.



Zymurgical Explorations rating: 6.0/10

Video: Southern Tier 422 Pale Wheat Ale

Southern Tier 422 Pale Wheat Ale (bottle)
Lakewood, NY
5.8% ABV

Another new vid.



I ran into issues rating this one, just because of the philosophical question around whether I should rate for style or for personal taste. I've always been one to try to understand the brewer's intentions first and foremost, and I tried to be very fair to this beer as I am to all beers. It's a fine APWA, really, but it just isn't interesting to me and I'll never buy it again.

Is it fair to knock a beer just because I personally don't like it? I don't know -- if you were to only judge a beer based on style, Bud and Miller would be highly-rated beers, too, at least a seven or eight out of ten. I think on some level personal taste has to play a factor, and since here I've given my honest opinion, my conscience is clear.

My numerical rating: 5.0/10

Lazy Magnolia Reb Ale

Lazy Magnolia Reb Ale (bottle)
Kiln, MS
5.4% ABV

I actually read the bottle as "Lazy Magnolia Red Ale" when purchasing, thinking I was going to be getting a nice amber. It's a pale, though, and I have to admit that a beer from Mississippi calling itself a "reb" is somewhat bothersome. The label references the American rebellion against England, and mentions the State of Jones, which alleviates the bother somewhat. But still.

Doesn't really matter if the beer is good. Let's taste it.

Pours light orange, very transparent, with a very thick white foamy head. Head sticks around nicely and gives some lacing. Lots of effervescence from the bottom of the glass. Smells very hoppy, lots of pine notes with a bit of yeasty dryness. Some sweetness.

Flavor has a lot of hoppy bitterness, more yeast than expected, especially with a beer that's so clear. Hints of vanilla on the back of the palate. Lots of citrus character. I find it a bit cloying as I get to the bottom of the glass.

(I just looked on BA, and this beer is classified as an American Pale Wheat Ale there. Checking with the Lazy Magnolia website, wheat is listed as an ingredient in this beer. The wheat could absolutely be causing that dryness and vanilla-ish flavor, although I never would have imagined it would. Very interesting, and worth a half-point in the rating.)

Mouthfeel is moderate, with heavy carbonation and moderate-to-heavy hops. Coats the palate.

So how do I feel about this brew? It's pretty good, but I would definitely get tired of it quickly. Despite the interesting notes caused by the wheat, the flavor's a bit one-note and the dryness gets tiresome pretty quickly. Definitely an interesting beer, but not an altogether successful one, in my humble opinion.

My overall BA rating: 3.9/5

Beer Review, Whitsun Ale

Arcadia Whitsun Ale
Battle Creek, MI
6.2% ABV

Appearance: Hazy light-brown/orange body with a thin white head that dissipates quickly. No lacing. Some bubbles suspended in the body. 3.5/5

Smell: Lots of oranges and bits of citrus. Slightly yeasty, very sweet. 3.5/5

Taste: Very strong with oranges, slightly astringent. Some spices, almost has the kind of spicy bitterness that you'd get from a winter warmer, although this is obviously very different. Very slightly dry on the finish, not unpleasant. 3.5/5

Mouthfeel: Thicker than expected, coats the tongue. 3.5/5

Drinkability: American Pale Wheat Ales tend to be pretty bad, but this one isn't. It's a drinkable, accessible wheat beer. It's probably meant to be competition for Bell's Oberon, and it's hitting in the same ball park. 3.5/5

Overall: 3.5/5 It was 3.5's all the way down.

Beer Review, Agave Wheat

Breckenridge Agave Wheat
Denver, CO
Unknown ABV

Appearance: Yellow body, hazy, with a thin but persistent foamy white head. Some effervescence. Not bad. 4.0/5

Smell: Strong aromas of citrus, slightly dry. Has a very yeasty nose. Has approximately the same aromatics as every other American Pale Wheat Ale I've tried. 3.0/5

Taste: Strongly citrus, somewhat "gritty" -- earthy, perhaps? Finishes sweet, leaves a slightly cloying aftertaste. 3.5/5

Mouthfeel: Thicker than average for the style, slightly chewy. 4.0/5

Drinkability: For an APWA, this is actually not bad at all. The style usually leaves a lot to be desired, but this one is a nice quaffer. I probably wouldn't buy it again, but that's more a personal preference thing for the style than anything else. 3.5/5

Overall: 3.55/5

Beer Review, Circus Boy

Magic Hat Circus Boy: The Hefeweizen!
South Burlington, VT

As usual with American-made "hefeweizen," this is actually an American Pale Wheat Ale rather than a true hefe. You can tell because they don't use a true German yeast strain that a real hefe would have, and therefore change the flavor significantly. I'm a huge fan of true hefeweizen, not so much for American Pale Wheats.

That said:

Appearance: Clear yellow-white body, nonexistent head. No effervescence, no yeast in glass. 3.0/5

Smell: A very mild sweetness, slightly yeasty. Some notes of citrus, mostly lemon-lime. 3.5/5

Taste: Very citrusy, strong notes of lemon and orange. Slighty dry on the finish, leaves a cloying aftertaste. 3.0/5

Mouthfeel: Moderate, but coats the mouth well. 3.5/5

Drinkability: There are only a handful of American Pale Wheats really worth the time. This isn't one of them. If I hadn't gotten it out of a multi-beer pack I wouldn't have bothered with it at all. It's not unpleasant, and it goes down cleanly enough, but overall it's just not a beer I can feel strongly about. It's less objectionable than plenty of other APW's, for sure, but I won't be buying it again. 3.0/5

Overall: 3.15/5