Weekend Brews - Week 64 - Sunshine and Shiner Hefeweizen

It's Friday. It's sunny and warm outside. It's time to drink cold beer!

This week we start with something from the lighter side of the beer spectrum. A wheat beer from Texas by the name of Shiner Hefeweizen. The Shiner Brewery, probably best know for its flagship brew, the Shiner Bock, has been producing great beer since 1909. The Hefeweizen is a perfect choice for a sunny Friday after work with it's easy drinkin' light-bodied goodness. Let's give the Shiner Hefe a go!

The beer pours a light gold into the glass and features clouds of yeast and an angel soft head on top. The head disappears quickly and aromas of orange, lemon and clove bounce from the glass. Oh man that smells amazing! And now we taste ...

Ahhhhh. A well-balanced and refreshing beer filled with citrus flavors and a touch of sweetness from the malt as well as the honey added in the brewing process.

This beer is the perfect beverage for a barbecue with friends. My neighbors are making a ton of noise right now with their damn loud car and stupid kids, so for now, I'm enjoying this beverage indoors. However, once they shut the hell up, I'll be outside, soaking up the last few minutes of sun, and watching it set below the rooftops and into the bay. Not a bad Friday at all.

I've got a few other beers to write about tonight, so stay tuned. In the meantime, go find some Shiner Hefeweizen and welcome in the beauty of springtime.

Prost!

Overall Score of the Shiner Hefeweizen: 3.75 out 5.0

Weekend Brews - Week 63 - Full Sail Slipknot

It's Friday and you know what that means ... beer! It's another Weekend Brews Report. This week we look north to our friends in Oregon and sample another beverage from the folks at the Full Sail Brewing Company. The beer is called Slipknot, and it's an Imperial IPA from the Brewmaster's Reserve.

Throughout the year, brewmaster John Harris brews up some limited edition beers, and the Slipknot Imperial IPA is one of those beauties. I'm hoping this is a great start to a wonderful weekend with some tasty beer and the Florida Gators playing in the SEC tourney.

So, lets see what we've got in this 22oz. bottle ...

The beer pours a light copper color into the glass and forms a light whipped cream-like head. Mmmm ... whipped cream. Aromas of pine trees, brown sugar and grapefruit fill the nose. Oooo weeee! Smells like a Carolina pine forest up in here! I've got to get myself a taste of this mofo.

The first sip ... whoa! This is a "slap yo mama" kind of beer! A smack of bitterness right off the bat, some sweetness follows and a dry and crisp finish. There's that familiar aftertaste of fresh cut grass that you encounter from many strong IPAs, but it dissipates quickly. There's a touch of citrus in their, but most of the flavor features the bitter hop oils up front.

Man, if you like the mouth puckering goodness of a massive amount of hops, this beer is for you! It's not my favorite Imperial IPA as I like a bit more sweetness from the malt to give the beer some balance, but what little malt flavor there is, this is still a good beer.

We're almost to Spring people, so get your fill of the strong beers now because once the heat starts to hit, big beers like this tend to get left on the shelves as we turn to the lighter-bodied beers.

Grab a bottle of this Slipknot Imperial IPA, and let me know what you think.

Cheers!


Overall Score of the Full Sail Slipknot Imperial IPA: 3.25 out 5.0

Weekend Brews - Week 62 - The Lost Abbey Serpent's Stout

Holy crap, Friday could not have come sooner! From my car shitting the bed to my broken glasses, I'm ready for a muthaf#@kin' beer! I decided upon something strong to start my weekend. That strong beer is none other than The Lost Abbey Serpent's Stout. An 11% ABV monster with my name on it.

The Lost Abbey is the beer family brought to you by Port Brewing Company in San Marcos, California. Born from the legendary Pizza Port, The Lost Abbey was created to allow the folks from Pizza Port to bring their love of Belgian-style beers to a larger audience. Let's take a look at the Serpent's Stout.

The beer pours a thick, dark brown into the glass with a light and fizzy mocha-colored head on top. Aromas of chocolate and caramel jump out of the glass. This beer smells wonderful. I touch the glass to my lips and tilt ...

... oh good lord that's tasty! Flavors of chocolate, coffee and dark cherries are abundant in this syrupy thick beer. There's some strong alcohol aftertaste and a pleasant warming effect that follows. Wow. On a cold night with a fire going, this beer is perfect.

The Serpent's Stout comes in a large bottle, so I recommend sharing it with some friends. At 11% ABV there's enough for two ... three if you've got a few other beers around. ha ha.

Check it out and let me know what you think. I'm always interested to read reactions to the stronger beers.

Happy Friday everyone!


Prost!

Overall Score of the The Lost Abbey Serpent's Stout: 4.0 out 5.0