Been a while, but I have been trying some new beers as of late. Though one was really not new, but rebranded and changed just a bit (I believe).
Dave Johnson’s Tripel
Dave is a friend of my Uncle Steve. I have had the great fortune of drinking a couple of Dave’s beers a couple of years ago when we visited my aunt and uncle in Virginia. Dave’s tripel is not quite as good as Victory’s Golden Monkey, however I would choose it over Dragonmead’s Final Absolution which has won an award or two.
Dave Johnson’s Mystery Banana Beer
I forget what my uncle said this one actually was, and the two bottles of it I had didn’t have labels. My uncle said that there was a hint of banana flavor to it, but that I may want to hurry in drinking it because they had found a few bottles that didn’t age well and got bitter. Both of mine had a hint of bitterness, but it came across as more of a hoppy taste, not bad aging. To me, the light banana and hoppy flavor made this a real winner. Probably would have gone better with some Mexican or Caribbean food though then the pizza I hate with them.
Dave Johnson’s Lite Scottish Ale
If I remember correctly my uncle said that Dave went to make a Scottish heavy and it turned out much lighter then expected, so he dubbed it a “Lite Scottish.” However, as happens in home brewing sometimes, the beer was awful. It tasted like brown seltzer water. My uncle said that it was very good, and I tend to believe him. And given my experience with Dave’s brews, I figure that something erroneous happened to this bottle.
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Brooklyn Brewery’s Local No. 1
Wow! That’s the only word that need describe this BEER. Of course though I will have to go further. Like David SAID, it reminds me of Victory’s Golden Monkey. Though I would even say that it was a bit smoother because the high alcohol content didn’t seem to factor as much into the taste.
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The following brews are all from Petrus, a division of Brouwerij Bavik. Also, all six of these were in a sampler pack and can be found HERE.
Petrus Oud Bruin
This is a Flemish sour ale. It is the replacement of sorts of the Old Brown Ale they used to have, which I have HAD a couple of times. The best way to describe it is think of a brown ale with a bit of a fruit flavor from a lambic. Just like the Old Brown Ale, this was something that I enjoyed too much.
Petrus Dubbel Bruin
This was a disappointment because I expected even more flavor, or at least a different flavor, or something more about it. It tasted exactly like the Oud Bruin. So even though it was disappointing, it was still really good.
Petrus Aged Pale Ale
A nice flavor to this one. Had a bit of the fruit flavor from like the Oud Bruin over the top of the usual hoppy taste of a pale ale. Not awe inspiring, but satisfying.
Petrus Speciale Ale
This was a typical run-of-the-mill ale. Nothing to really write home about, but sure beats the pants off of the “big three” (Bud, Miller, and Coors).
Petrus Gouden Tripel
A decent tripel. Lacked the high alcohol content, but that isn’t what made it average. It just didn’t have the taste of other tripels I have had (like Golden Monkey, Final Absolution, and Dave Johnson’s).
Petrus Blond
Somewhat non-descript “golden” ale. All of Petrus’ beer don’t carry a high alcohol level. That made all of these nice to drink during those really humid and hot days. Still giving off enough flavor to make it a good ale. This is a very drinkable summer style beer.
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I had the following three while on my business trip to Maryland.
Clay Pipe Backfin Pale Ale
A local brewery of Westminster, Maryland BREWED this. Had it an Maggie’s, a older looking pub-like restaurant in their “downtown” area. Much like the brewer’s notes says, it was a fruitier flavored pale ale, which suited my taste buds just wonderfully. It also went very well with the Chicken Fettuccini Alfredo I had.
Widmer Brothers Hefeweizen
We were recommended to go to a place called the Ott House the second night. It was twice as far as the guy told us, and the food was pathetic (unless you were a college student and looking for decent food at a cheap price … though the hot crab dip as an appetizer was very good.) The only benefit this place had was having this BEER from Oregon on tap. It was an excellent example of an unfiltered wheat. There was a hint of spice to it that helped me enjoy it more.
Johanssons’ Whistle Stop Amber
The last night we were in Maryland, the VP of Engineering had set up a dinner for us at Johansson’s Dining House. The place was a nice combination of old tavern dining, but had an English pub atmosphere with it’s bar room. And some of us were happy to see that they BREWED their own beer. I went with the amber since I like more maltier beers, and this was described as an Irish amber. It was very smooth, and with my choice of the crab cakes for dinner, it added to my meal greatly.
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