Samuel Adams - Cherry Wheat

Dead Soldier  

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer

Samuel Adams - Cherry Wheat

Boston Beer Company

Boston, MA USA

Est.1985

www.samueladams.com

Brain Damage Quotient = 5.3 % ABV

Fluid Oz. = 12.0


Postmortem Brew Review

Hazy yellow orange hue.
All you smell is cherries.
Wheat taste and finish that displays cherry flavor as it warms.
Firm head with pretty good lacing.
Light and refreshing mouth feel.

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
Everyone doesn't like something. I don't prefer wheat beers, but I really don't like cherries. Never been a big fan of them at all. Well 
hush my mouth! This was really okay, on both fronts. Maybe it takes two negatives multiplied to make a 
positive, like they taught us in math.


Okay, so going into this wasn't going to be easy for me, but plunge right in, I did. Cherries in the smell as you bring it up to you lips. Whammo! Like a big whiff off a box of cough lozenges, it hits your olfactory senses. But the first chill sip, and it's a wheat beer again...a delicious one. But where did the cherries go? Hmmm? As the beer warmed to room temperature, the sips revealed the wheat AND the Michigan cherry sweetness. Darn that Jim Koch! He has won me over again! And he did so with two things that are on my not so favorite list. Must be from the all natural and fresh ingredients they use. I realize my cherry prejudice may have been due to over exposure from imitation cherry flavors all this time.

Go try some...very interesting combo.

Paulaner - Salvator Double Bock

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer

Salvator Double Bock
Paulaner Brewing
Munich, Germany
Est. 1634
www.paulaner.com

Brain Damage Quotient = 7.9 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Rusty orange/amber color.
Definite malt barley smell with some hops aroma.
Slight, quickly diminishing, tan head.
No lacing of the glass.
Medium bodied mouth feel. 

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
The Mrs. and I went to a nearby watering hole that boasted, "...the best area burgers..." along with a fine selection of 80 bottled and additional select tap, beers and ales. No lie. Total truth in advertising. The burgers will definitely bring you in the door, but it's that selection of liquid gold that will have you coming back...over and over again!

There is only a slim trace of BMC here. They are edged out by simply some of the most exotic beers to try. They will even indulge you with a 2 oz. sample of what's on tap. Just like that sample slice of ham at the deli or the wooden spoon of pistachio down at the ice cream shop. There's also an 80 beer club where they'll punch your card for each brew purchased. Then they put your mug shot on the wall-of-fame. Call it the good return customer reward because you couldn't possibly get them all in one evening...and I'd not suggest it either. Oh, what's the name of this joint that proffers up these 80+ ales and beers, you ask? Let's just say it was named after a famous playwright chap from England around the 16th century.

The Paulaner got me my first card-punch into the 80 beers club this evening. It has a Monk and some sort of 'Fezziwig' fellow on the label, each smiling at a rather large growler of Salvator Double Bock. The Monk seems to have control of the amphora at the moment, but he looks to be willing to share. After the pour you might exclaim it's a rather plain ale. Sip it. At first appearance the brown body and poorly foaming head might turn you away. Sip it again. The drink is where it's at. There is a nice bitter hops finish at the end of each and every sip. No lacing, you say? Keep sipping... Uh huh, it's all in there.

Stone Cold Fact: Salvator was brewed by the Monks for the season of Lent when they fasted from foods, but derived sustenance from this hearty malted brew instead.

Orkney - Skull Splitter Ale

Dead Viking Warrior

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Skull Splitter Ale
Sinclair Breweries Limited
The Orkney Brewery
Orkney, Scotland UK
Est. 2006
www.sinclairbreweries.co.uk

Brain Damage Quotient =8.5 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 11.2 

Postmortem Brew Review
Brown with ruby tones.
Malted smell with distinct hop aroma.
Fruity, fig notes in aroma.
Minimal head that dissipates rapidly.
Some lacing throughout the glass.
Medium bodied, complex mouth feel and zingy hops finish. 

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
Tickling hop notes after each sip were found on this high ABV ale from Scotland. As distinct as the hops were, they were subtle, punchy even, but not overpowering. Nor was there a hint alcohol aftertaste as in some high ABV's, but a strong buzz prevailed after sucking the brains out of this noble lord.

The label's bold looking Viking however, was not nearly as subtle. With a winged helmet, leather shield and bright read warrior cloak, it was no surprise what lay in wait inside this brown glass vessel. Red lettering and matching red foil neck wrap showed this was not a beer nor Viking to take lightly. This dude was going down fighting!

Reading the bio of Thorfinn Hausakluif (Skullsplitter) added to the charm of this brew. He was the 7th Viking Earl of Orkney from the tip of the northern Scottish Isles and roamed those islands and seas around 1,000 AD, making him an official 'dead soldier' in the Reaper's book. I feared him not, as the barkeep's church key was enough to decapitate Thor and claim his broadsword for king and country. Muahahaahaaa!

All hail the Vikings...Long live Thor! Long live Orkney!

Odell - India Pale Ale

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer

India Pale Ale
Odell Brewing Company
800 East Lincoln Avenue
Fort Collins, CO USA
Est. 1989
www.odellbrewing.com 

Brain Damage Quotient = 7.0 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Translucent golden color.
Apple hint and citrus, hoppy smells.
Tart, tangy hops finish.
Moderate one finger head with terrific lacing.
Medium mouth feel. 

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
And the hits keep on coming...

Another great brew from the Odell folks. We can't say enough about their unique lineup. This IPA is well done. Another of the brews my friend Adam tossed into our order. It is sufficient to say that this is one of the best all-around IPA's sampled to date, at the western crypt.

Please Odell...get some of your stuff out closer to my home crypt. As we say in Florida, the land of the living dead, "...in Heaven there is no beer, that's why we all drink it here..." I guess I will be going to Colorado more frequently.

Odell - Levity Amber Ale

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer

Levity Amber Ale
Odell Brewing Company
800 East Lincoln Avenue
Fort Collins, CO USA
Est. 1989
www.odellbrewing.com 

Brain Damage Quotient = 5.1 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Hazy golden yellow, straw like in color.
Citrus zesty tang; grapefruit(?)
Pine scent, strong hop oil scent in the nose.
Minimal head that dissipates rapidly leaving scant lacing.
Light to medium bodied mouth feel; refreshing. 

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
Deja vu? If I didn't know better...this one is eerily like the St. Lupulin, but softer in hops and ABV. It is great on its own and I don't really have more to state about it, except that it was greatly enjoyed.

Try some and you too will rise from the grave. Muaahaahaaahaaa!

Odell - St. Lupulin Extra Pale Ale

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer

St. Lupulin Extra Pale Ale
Odell Brewing Company
800 East Lincoln Avenue
Fort Collins, CO USA
Est. 1989
www.odellbrewing.com 

Brain Damage Quotient = 6.5 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Hazy golden yellow, straw like in color.
Citrus zesty tang; grapefruit(?)
Pine pitch scent, most likely hop oil scent in the nose.
Minimal head that dissipates rapidly leaving scant lacing.
Light to medium bodied mouth feel; refreshing. 

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
From the Odell label for this bottle, "A mystical legend echoes in our brewhouse - that of St. Lupulin (loop-you-lin) the archetypal hophead. He devoted endless summers to endless rows of hops, tending to the flowers and the beloved resin within - lupulin." Here is a beer that spoke of summer and the wild smell of the fields, even before this seasonal ale label was read.

Lupulin is that main earthly ingredient Odell's has managed to extract. As for the mythical St. Lupulin, well since I'm somewhat of a myth, there should be room for another mythical creature. Especially when his hop tending job is so very important! Good things from the earth go into making this a very tasty and drinkable experience. And that is what you need to do friend, experience this extra pale ale. It should be summer all year long!

Odell - 90 Shilling Ale

Dead Soldier

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90 Shilling Ale
Odell Brewing Company
800 East Lincoln Avenue
Fort Collins, CO USA
Est. 1989
www.odellbrewing.com 

Brain Damage Quotient = 5.3 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Ruby red and dark brown color.
Balance of malt and hops aroma and taste.
Frothy off-white three fingered head with peaks.
Balanced carbonation.
Excellent clinging lace down the side of the glass.
Medium bodied mouth feel; fruitiness in finish. 

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
This is the second of the two sixer's we sampled from our trip to the mega-cooler in Ft. Collins. Oh, how I dread returning to the Florida crypt where we cannot get this earthly nectar...I must implore my grocers to obtain shipments, somehow. Returning to the 90 Shilling...

What a wonderful balance of roasted malt and hops. Not only in the aroma, but in the taste. Just simply delicious. A great beer to have with a meal or maybe even a couple alone. Such flavor and body. Yum. Yes, I said yum! That is a fine superlative and succinctly defines this ale. Deal with it!

Now I am sad again, until we return to the Rockies in the fall whenst' more of this delectable ale can be had.

Odell - 5 Barrel Pale Ale

Dead Soldier 

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer 

5 Barrel Pale Ale

Odell Brewing Company

800 East Lincoln Avenue
Fort Collins, CO USA
Est. 1989
www.odellbrewing.com 

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

Postmortem Brew Review
Solid orange to copper color.
Hints of citrus in the bouquet with pleasant malt and hops aroma.
Foamy off-white three fingered head.
Continuous, small bubble nucleation in the liquid beneath the head.
Excellent clinging lace down the side of the glass.
Light to medium bodied mouth feel; gentle nudge of hops in the finish. 

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
Making unexpected acquaintances is one of life's great pleasures. I made a new best friend in Adam, from the Odell Brewing Company today when visiting a rather large Ft. Collins beer and spirits emporium. While perusing the refrigerated aisle for suitable liquid victims to harvest, we stumbled upon his display of Odell finery. I had already made a selection prior to meeting him. Back into the mortuary fridge it went escaping my clutches to live another day. Instead we strolled out with two different six packs of Odell's, along with some mighty nice swag.

This 5 barrel ale is done in their small batch style where only five barrels are brewed at a time until they are satisfied with the formulation. Once this pilot system is perfected, they let the bottling begin! Also interesting to note is that hops are added specific points during the fermenting process, leaving a very flavorful ale as the finished product.

As we say around the crypt, "...life's short." So while you can, go do something refreshing today. Make a point of introducing yourself to some of the Odell family, either in the flesh or in the bottle! It will be a rewarding experience, indeed.

UPDATE 9/23/09 - Arrived Denver this evening for GABF weekend. A fine Irish pub was close by to our hotel and had 5 Barrel on tap. Even more marvelous to behold by the pint, fresh from the keg.

Left Hand Sawtooth Ale

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer

Sawtooth Ale
Left Hand Brewing Company
1265 Boston Avenue
Longmont, CO USA
Est. 1994
www.lefthandbrewing.com 

Brain Damage Quotient = 4.48 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Amber in color with orange hues.
Balance of hops and malt in flavor.
Two fingered head with good lacing.
Small hops punch at end of each sip.
Medium bodied mouth feel. 

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
I am reviewing again 'live' while enjoying some time off in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. This time around, the entire family crypt has come along for the experience. We returned to a favorite brew and pizza restaurant from the February trip. Wendy was our gracious server and brought the Sawtooth forth from their vault of beers and ales.

The Sawtooth caught my attention because it was listed as an ESB, or extra special bitters. Not seeing the ESB moniker attached to many types of pale ales, prodded my curiosity and so thought to give it a try. This proved to be a good session bitter running just below the 5% ABV level. It falls in within typical US 'bitters' classifying it as an ESB. A slight amount of hops in the finish, sealed the deal. All in all, a flavorful drink.

Wells Banana Bread Beer

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer

Wells Banana Bread Beer
Wells and Young's Brewing Company
Havelock Street
Bedford, UK
Est. 1876
www.wellsandyoungs.co.uk

Brain Damage Quotient = 5.2 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 16.9 

Postmortem Brew Review
Clear and copper in color.
Bready smell of banana, malt and spicy hops.
Full head with staying power.
Slight lacing of the glass.
Medium mouth feel.

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
Almost like lovin' from the oven. This beer is truth in advertising! Once lifted to the nose and tasted on the palate, you would swear you were drinking a slice of banana bread. It has a delicious balance of spice to it as well. Delectable and savory; it's the new comfort food in a bottle.

This was another of the samplings from the western trip and was enjoyed by all. Clever of these Wells folks to capture Fairtrade Bananas and pair them with a beer. This beer can be fun to start off with, but you may want to have it as your aperitif at last call. No peeling required.

Moosehead Lager

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer

Moosehead Lager
Moosehead Breweries Limited
89 Main Street West
Saint John, New Brunswick, CANADA
Est. 1867
www.moosehead.ca

Brain Damage Quotient = 5.0 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Clear yellow color.
Malt and hops smell; great fresh beer smell.
Soapy white head with lasting stringy lacing.
Light, refreshing mouth feel.

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
Quality, tradition, proudly independent. These words do not merely grace the bottle and label. They embody the beer. The Moose has been loose for nearly a century and a half. This was the beer to "go and get" on a Saturday night, back in the day.

I was passing the grocers cooler when I came across a twelve pack with a special gift inside. Being a sucker for a freebie, I found that there was a 1 of 12 collectible stainless steel drink coaster with a built in opener stamped into one corner. Heck. I hadn't reviewed a Moose yet, so into the cart went my prize. Moosehead has always been good at the giveaways over the years. I still have a wooden display crate and lid that they used to sell 24 packs of bottles from way back in the 80's.

Stone Cold Fact: A woman named Susannah Oland first started brewing in her Dartmouth, Nova Scotia back yard which became the genesis for Moosehead brewing.

The beer is as good as I remember. Best of all, there was no 'skunk' in this batch. Green bottle beers occasionally suffer from this condition and the Moose had its share of those batches from time to time. The only thing in this 12 pack was cold Canadian lager refreshment and a cool coaster/opener to boot. I felt the urge to say boot, like in about. You know what I'm talkin' about (aboot).

Turn your inner Moose loose and don't forget to stop by their way cool website.

Guinness 250 Anniversary Stout

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer

250 Anniversary Stout - Limited Edition

Guinness Brewing Company

St. James Gate

Dublin Ireland

Est. 1759

www.guinness.com 

Brain Damage Quotient = 5.0 % ABV

Fluid Oz. = 11.2 

Postmortem Brew Review
Dark malted brown color.
Rich malted smell with hints of chocolate.
Slight carbonation and hops.
Tan, caramel colored head with some lacing.
Medium to heavy mouth feel, unusually refreshing. 

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
From the land of the leprechaun comes an anniversary stout to please even the finickiest palate. 250 years is a long time and well heralded by this delicious stout. Now they may have fiddled with the original recipe for this special run, but if you can make a great thing even greater, then go for it!

Guinness has had a long standing tradition with their stout, one that Americans have come to understand over time. Don't worry, the Irish have been patient with us. Specially brewed for the US market, Guinness used, "...a proprietary brew house process that combines the use of stout and ale malt for a distinctive carbonated stout with a clean, smooth finish."

We Americans now can truly have the luck of the Irish. It's a limited edition lads and lasses...do ya' hear me, now? Go get some today before it's all gone.

Kona Longboard Island Lager

Dead Surfer

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer

Kona Longboard Island Lager
Kona Brewing Company
Kona, HI USA
Est. 1994
www.KonaBrewingCo.com

Brain Damage Quotient = 5.5 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Bright clear yellow in color.
Bit of spicy hops on nose with malt flavor.
Frothy head that dissipated at half glass.
Slight lacing of the glass.
Light, refreshing mouth feel.

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
It's been said that good friends and good beer go together. What's better is when good friends bring you beer! This one was imported (?) all the way from the 'Aloha' state by a great friend, which was no small feat in airports today. Same good friend also brought another Hawaii beer, which will be reaped and reviewed in a later column. Now back to the Longboard...

It poured like any other lager and foamed like any other lager, but it had this distinctly different uh, ummm, sweetness. I just can't describe it, but it's enough to say that it was most enjoyable and refreshing in its chilly liquid form. Quite delectable and an ideal thirst quencher.

Even though Kona's Longboard is available around the corner at the local grocer, it was an extra special treat to know that it was bought and brought personally as a gift. The grocery store bottle or the gift bottle are both "handmade" as the bottle label proclaims, in the same brewery. The difference lies in the taste...the tasteful gift that is, of beer. Mahalo!

He'Brew Messiah Bold Dark Brown Ale

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer

He'Brew Messiah Bold Dark Brown Ale
Shmaltz Brewing
New York, USA
Est. 1996 (5757 Hebrew Metonic Cycle)
www.shmaltzbrewing.com

Brain Damage Quotient = 5.6 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Dark brown color.
Firm malt flavor.
One finger head that disappeared quickly.
Negligent lace on the glass.
Light to medium bodied mouth feel.

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
If this beer were a movie, it would be "Cool Hand Luke". "What we've got here is failure to communicate!" Nothing extraordinary speaks to the drinker. As the character Dragline explains it, "You're an original, that's what you are!" And so is Messiah Bold. I'll tell you this, 'shtick' with He'Brew and you can't go wrong, but like Paul Newman's character, you may want to escape this one.

Typical of brown ales, I was expecting the maltiness, sans the hops. But there wasn't anything else remarkable that set it apart from other brown ales I've sampled. Brown ales are an acquired taste, and it seems the British pretty much own that category in ale.

You might be tempted to throw this one in the ditch, but just like Luke, it has redeeming values and is far from criminal. And also like Luke, Messiah Bold just casually refuses to change its behavior in order to please others. Gotta' admire that quality.

Rogue American Amber Ale

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer

Rogue American Amber Ale
Rogue Ales
2320 OSU Drive
Newport, OR USA
Est.1988
www.rogue.com 

Brain Damage Quotient = 5.6 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Cinnamon orange in color.
Malt taste and aroma with floral scent of hops.
Minimal off-white head with good lacing.
Hoppy punch with each sip.
Medium bodied mouth feel with full hops taste.

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
What an ale. Great spicy sweet hops punch at 53 IBU's. It speaks to you that there's hops but doesn't scream at you. And after all, we're just looking for some peace and quiet around the crypt. Good one to kick back with after a hard day in the trenches. Dig those ditches. Love the hops...Mother earth. Good Mother earth. It feels like an honest days work went into this ale so the proletariat and petit-bourgeois could enjoy it. The capitalist pigs can drink the river water! Ha!

This is a fine amber ale worthy of its working class roots. Just look at the union guy on the label; sleeves rolled up with a solidarity fist pump in the air. You can check out their website and declare your own personal independence in the Rouge-dom. Karl Marx eat you heart out!

Now then, back to Rogue.....I hear they have some "Dead Guy Ale". Gonna' have to get my hands on that! Muahaahaaahaaahaaaaa!