Michelob Irish Red Ale

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer

Michelob Irish Red Ale
Anheuser-Busch, Inc.
St. Louis, Missouri USA
Est. 1852
www.michelob.com 

Brain Damage Quotient = 5.7 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Ruddy mahogany color.
Not too hoppy in flavor but full of malt and caramel.
Fruity in flavor.
Creamy, long lasting head with minimal lacing.
Medium to full bodied flavor. 

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
A good example of an amber (red) ale. This one is the last in the sampler pack left to review. It has a distinct malty flavor found in these style ales and finishes with a small amount of fruitiness and just a bit of bitter hops. I was able to try this ale not only from my sampler, but also on my excursion at the brewery in Colorado. Fresh from the brewery!

Warsteiner Premium Dunkel

Dead Soldier

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Warsteiner Premium Dunkel
Warsteiner Brauerei
Warstein Germany
Est. 1753
www.warsteiner-usa.com

Brain Damage Quotient = 4.8% ABV
Fluid Oz. = 11.2 

Postmortem Brew Review
Deep brown, root-beer like color.
Magnificent malty aroma with nice, slight bitter hops finish.
Fluffy head with wispy lacing on glass.
Medium bodied.

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
The Warsteiner Pilsner was as great as this one. I now feel obliged to try the rest of their line.

It's a bit pricier than any run-of-the-mill six pack, but oh so worth it! The hops are so flavorful but with a very soft bite at the end of each sip. The head stands up throughout the glass and the malty flavor keeps coming and coming. I now understand why some of these euro-brews are only 11.2 oz. It's not a metric thing, at all. The brewers use the other .8 of an oz. to fit all that great flavor in the bottle!

Michelob Amber Bock

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer

Michelob Amber Bock
Anheuser-Busch, Inc.
St. Louis, Missouri USA
Est. 1852
www.michelob.com 

Brain Damage Quotient = 5.2 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Deep brown color.
Malty aroma and taste with good amount of hops.
Frothy, foaming head; lasts for a while.
Fair to good lacing with some rings.
Medium bodied flavor. 

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
Continuing through the Craft Sampler from Michelob, we have their old faithful, Amber Bock. This beer perplexes me. It is good, very good indeed, but there's just something about it that misses over the others in the lineup. Just can't figure it out. It's at home on it's own as a multi-drinker, or as a single with a good meal. Well, it just doesn't have it's own identity. Namely, if you want a dark beer, go for the Porter. If you want a good malty lager, try the Marzen. Hmmmm........it's somewhere lost in the middle.

Michelob Porter

Dead Soldier

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Michelob Porter - All Malt
Anheuser-Busch, Inc.
St. Louis, Missouri USA
Est. 1852
www.michelob.com 

Brain Damage Quotient = 5.9 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Dark brown.
Malt smell and taste to a good bitter finish.
Fast foaming head that disappears rapidly.
Minimal Lacing.
Medium to full bodied flavor. 

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
I have teleported back to the crypt after a fun time out west. While there I visited one of the Anheuser Busch breweries. At the end of their brew house tour, we were treated to a 'flight' of four beers. For the uninitiated, a flight is a small sampling of several beers. And what a nice grouping is was!

Since I am working my way through the 'Mick' craft sampler here at the crypt, it made a simple choice as my flight. The Winter Bourbon Cask Ale, and Pale Ale, both of which have been recorded in these annuls, were in the batch. Additionally, Michelob's Dunkel Weisse (gotta' find some of that here to review) and the Porter you see here were also in the sampling.

This is a very good porter with robust chocolate malt and coffee undertones. The hops amount gives just enough traction or bite, at the end of each delicious sip. This is a beer you can enjoy by itself or with a rich meal. From the Rocky Mountains where first sampled or right here where it is being savored while typing, I 'highly' recommend this brew.

Avery - Salvation

Celestial Body 

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer

Salvation Belgian Style Golden Ale

Avery Brewing

5763 Arapahoe Ave.

Boulder, CO USA

Est. 1993

www.averybrewing.com 

Brain Damage Quotient = 9.0 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 22.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Orange golden color.
Apricot and peach flavor with hint of spiciness.
Soft, creamy three finger high head.
Good amount of lacing on the glass.
Medium mouth feel with extra hoppy start.

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
What's in a name? Let's start with what's in the bottle. A Rocky Mountain High, 9% kick, gives this delicious ale plenty to go on. The Grim Reaper just collects the souls, but this one lives up to its name...Salvation. Not in a can, but in a bottle. It has a heavenly label right out of the 15th century. Almost divine intervention that this brew was selected on this particular evening.

It's symbolic of this entire trip out west. Is it a sign? Maybe. We are on a quest to find just the right locale on the search for higher knowledge. The last possible outcome of choices and then, there it was; Salvation. This big 22 0z. bottle will make a believer out of you, too!

Get some of this religion yourself, my friend and spread the faith.

Breckenridge IPA - 471 Small Batch

Dead Soldier 

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Breckenridge IPA - 471 Small Batch
Breckenridge Brewery
471 Kalamath Street
Denver, CO USA
Est. 1989
www.breckbrew.com 

Brain Damage Quotient = 9.2 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Somewhere between an orange and golden color.
Smell and taste of sour apple in the brew, (maybe even citrus.)
Rich, root beer like, foaming head.
Awesome lacing down the side of the glass.
Medium bodied mouth feel with very hoppy flavor from start to finish. 

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
Okay, I never saw this one coming.....same pizza & brew place as the last post. Our host Zach returned again, this time with an 18.4 proof, 9.2% alcohol beauty. At a whopping 70 IBU's (International Bittering Units) it knocks at the back of your throat, screaming from the hops in it. And the bitters stay long after the sip, biting back in defiance. The way I described it on the way out of the joint was, "...it's like a caged, screaming monkey riding on the back of your taste buds!" I will admit, it's not for everyone...but, I like it!

As staggering as the hops in this brew are, it does not detract from the taste. It is a great small batch craft beer. I am saddened at the thought that I may never get out here to taste one again. What a brew...whew! The specialty artwork, painted on-the-bottle label, proclaims precisely what the brewers set out to achieve, "Oh lordy, this is fun."

Odell - Cutthroat Porter

Dead Soldier 

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer

Cutthroat Porter
Odell Brewing Company
800 East Lincoln Avenue
Fort Collins, CO USA
Est. 1989
www.odellbrewing.com 

Brain Damage Quotient = 4.8 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Dark brown on the pour.
Chocolaty malted caramel and coffee flavor.
Smooth head pour with decent lacing.
Medium bodied mouth feel; not overpowering. 

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
Second post from the Rockies. Got to a regional pizza & beer restaurant that boasts "110 Brews". This is a deep rich coffee & chocolate flavored porter that went down smooth while waiting for the entree's arrival. Our host Zach, brought it along with a frosty mug to pour and explore. As per usual, I try to taste through the flavors before reviewing the label.

This local brew confirmed the flavors I was tasting in the porter, within the glass. It's from another small local brewery which is also in town where I am, ahem, "resting my bones". It seems that this will also command some attention before departing said town. Ohh soo good!

New Belgium Fat Tire Amber Ale

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer

Fat Tire Amber Ale
New Belgium Brewing
500 Linden Street
Fort Collins, CO USA
Est. 1991
www.newbelgium.com 

Brain Damage Quotient = 5.2 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 22.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
True amber coloration.
Nutty maltiness and with hops you can taste.
Rich, frothy head pour with rings and clumps of lacing.
Medium bodied mouth feel. 

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
Ironically, yours truly is reporting "live" from the Rocky Mountains in these upcoming episodes. Oh, I know you hate the droll pun as much as I, but here's my report.

Fat Tire is a brew from these parts that is a local phenomenon. According to the website, the brewery was born from a passion for home brewing. So much passion, that it grew into a business. You can read the passion at their website. You can see it in the labeling. But where it shines best is where you taste it in the brew.

Along with several other brews, this ale is the 'signature' of their craft. Since I'm in town for another day, it will be worth a trip to see their brewing in action. I wonder if we can get some on the east coast? It's good!