Pabst Blue Ribbon

Pabst Blue Ribbon:   I guess this classic is coming back too. It’s fine on a hot summer day when you want to quench your thirst with something other than water. It’s a basic beer, for basic drinking!

Crispin Natural Hard Cider ~ Honey Crisp

Crispin Natural Hard Cider ~ Honey Crisp:  It says best served over ice. So I did that (after I took the photo) and it’s okay. I think it was too sweet in my opinion, but still drinkable. HOWEVER, it did clock in at 200 calories per 12 ounces, and I think I’d stick with Spire Mountain’s version especially since it’s under 100 calories for the same amount!

Kirin Ichiban

Kirin Ichiban:  100% Malt, which – yes, I do love malt, but too much of anything is never good! Gotta have a pinch of hoppiness! At any rate, it remains a regular accompaniment to sushi for me.

New Belgium Hoptober Golden Ale

New Belgium Hoptober Golden Ale: I was very much reminded of one of my all time favorites (Widmer Hefeweizen) with this brew; however the citrus notes were quite a bit more distinct. I normally would have shied away from a beer that touts any sort of “Hoppiness”, and with a name like “HOPtober”  I would have expected bitterness beyond my liking. However, it was quite pleasant, and I could even drink a whole one without batting an eyelash…

Sierra Nevada Southern Hemisphere Harvest

Sierra Nevada Southern Hemisphere Harvest: My first sip was almost the last sip, but the aftertaste had enough malty breadiness to persuade me to continue sipping. It was still too bitter for me to drink the entire thing, so I actually MIXED it (YES, you can mix your beers!) with the preceding malt liquor (Mickey’s). Between the two, I made it work for my taste buds!

Mickey's Malt Liquor

Mickey’s Malt Liquor: For someone who loves nice toasty malts, this was TOO much malt and needed some balance of bite (as in hoppiness)…so I mixed it with an overly hoppy brew (the next one mentioned) to make my own drinkable concoction!

Crispin Natural Hard Apple Cider ~ The Saint

Crispin Natural Hard Apple Cider ~ The Saint:  This cider was brewed with Belgian Trappist Yeasts and Maple Syrup (I LOVE, love, LOVE maple!)…but it did not have a very big maple flavor, and I don’t know if I would have been able to tell the difference between normal yeast and Trappist yeast, but it was okay. It had too many calories (180 per 12 ounces) for me to want to drink it again.

Sierra Nevada Tumbler Autumn Brown Ale

Sierra Nevada Tumbler Autumn Brown Ale:  I thought I was going to like this Brown Ale, but it had a distinct “burnt” flavor to it. I don’t know if that’s what they meant by “caramel” tones, but I think someone let the caramel burn in this batch.

Etna Brewing Co. Classic Gold

Etna Brewing Co. Classic Gold:  Eh. That’s it. It’s a classic Pale Ale, and again, the “light” hoppiness of it just fell short to me. 

Etna Brewing Co. Blackberry Blonde

Etna Brewing Co. Blackberry Blonde:  I was hoping for a repeat of Samuel Adams Blackberry Witbier, but this one was disappointing. I am not sure if actual blackberries were used in its brewing process at all (whatever natural flavor added means!) but it tasted fake and slightly too sweet to be believable.