lager

Sam Adams Noble Pils

Style: 
Bohemian-Style Pilsener
Rating: 
4

Another great looking beer, every pilsner lager should aspire to this color. A perfect pour with no haze. The aroma is subtle - sweet notes with mild perfume, floral notes from the european hops. Over the past year, I've had enough Sam Adams Noble Pils to notice subtle grassy, almost skunky notes at times. The combination of noble hops and exclusively pale malts make this almost a naked beer - there's almost nothing to hide potential pilsner off-flavors.

The delicacy of the nose hides the big hop flavor that come through when you taste this Pilsner - it grabs you right from the start with

Harpoon Munich Dark

Style: 
Dunkel
Rating: 
3

I was at a holiday party a few days ago and the host had one of the ubiquitous holiday variety 12-packs, this time from Boston's Harpoon Brewery.  You know the ones - its full of beers you never knew the brewery actually brewed.  Its the beer industry equivalent of seafood stew - would anyone ever try a cranberry lambic without the help of a variety pack?

Since the IPA's were gone by the time I arrived at the party - I had to choose between the Munich Dark and a Raspberry Hefe Weizen.  The choice was obvious - go with the Lager.

To my pleasant surprise, Harpoon's entry into the dunkel category

Narragansett Bock Beer

Style: 
Bock
Rating: 
4

As I wrote about previously, I'm a sucker for cheap, regional beer brands.  I'm a huge fan of Narragansett Beer - who doesn't want to "Grab a 'Gansett?" But when I saw they also brew a Narragansett Bock beer I was... intrigued.  I've had Schlitz Dark in a Bucktown bar in Chicago, so why not a 'Gansett on a snowy new years eve?

It has a deep amber color, almost brown with a sweet, slightly spicy aroma.  Flavor has chocolate and vanilla notes, a hint of roasted malt smokiness and a sweet finish.

Coney Island Lager

Style: 
Bohemian-Style Pilsener
Rating: 
3

I found Coney Island Lager on tap at Superfine in DUMBO and ordered it primarily for the novelty and so I could review it here at the Beer Observer. The label - tap art, in my case - is straight off the boardwalk. A sort of Ed Roth meets garbage pail kids depiction of a carny. I don't think I would have identified this beer as a lager. It was fairly hoppy and had a slight fruitiness. A bit of post-draught research informed me that it is "composed of 8 malts, 6 hops, and Czech pilsner yeast." Lager or not, it was tasty brew and the proceeds help support Coney Island USA and I'll drink to that

Brooklyn Pilsner

Style: 
International-Style Pilsener
Rating: 
5

I've been drinking Brooklyn Pilsner for about a week now and I have got to say, this is what an American Pilsner should taste like. An outstanding beer.

It pours consistently with a thick white foam that is bright and airy, lacing all the way down the glass. The aroma is all German hops - hallertau, perle, saaz, and vanguard - floral and spicy. I'm hard pressed to call the color golden - its more a faint orange. It has a pronounced protein haze, the beer's only flaw.

Upon first taste, its a mouthful of low bitterness hops - spicy and oily with a lingering dryness upon finish.

Reissdorf Kölsch

Style: 
Kölsch
Rating: 
5

While in Newburyport, MA over Labor Day weekend, I discovered a new specialty shop, the Grand Trunk Imports, with a sweet selection of German, Belgian, and English beers.

Reissdorf Kölsch is the first of two beers I bought at the Grand Trunk. Bright yellow in color and crystal clear, with no haze, this beer poured with a thick, whipped egg whites foam head. The aroma is clean and malty, with just a little sweetness. Before I have a taste, this imported beer seems like its in great shape - always a triumph for any European beer shipped across the Atlantic.

Kölsch beer has always been one of my

Sierra Nevada Glissade Golden Bock

Style: 
Bock
Rating: 
5

There was a time in the early days of the craft beer movement when experimentation ruled the game. The best breweries released a steady stream of new and seasonal beers year round. When I brewed at Boston Beer Works, we prided ourselves on having 12+ beers on tap - including a range of strong beers, hoppy beers, exotic styles and drinkable session beers for everyone else.

But like all businesses, economics intervened and when the craft beer market contracted in the late 1990's, the first thing breweries did was focus their brands - reducing line extensions and eliminating low sellers.

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