North Coast Brewing Company: Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout

Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout

North Coast Brewing Company opened in 1988 as a brewpub in Fort Bragg, CA. Owners Mark Ruedrich and Tom Allen claim to be pioneers in the craft brewing movement, which after tasting Old Rasputin, I tend to agree!

Now, on to the beer review! Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout is simply one of the most well-rounded and best tasting beers I have ever had. Period. It starts off by pouring a literally jet-black colored, thick beer into the glass.

Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout head

As you can see the head is rather large, usually 2 to 3 fingers. Its color is a lighter shade of the beer’s color, mocha or tan I’d say. The smell is of many things: chocolate, coffee, roasted malt and barley. Heavenly. The taste is even better! Definitely starts with the chocolate and coffee flavors leading into malt and even a bit of a hops at the finish to even it out. Very well balanced, doesn’t leave you wanting anything else; not too sweet and not too bitter, although the roasted malt flavor is the strongest. The mouth feel is almost creamy and stays heavy with minimal carbonation. It’s very smooth considering that this beer’s ABV is 9%, I didn’t really taste any alcohol.

All in all, I give this beer a 10/10! Definitely one of my favorite beers to drink. I would say this beer is perfect for dining, with dessert better yet. I would suggest trying this if you like a rich, heavy beer and don’t mind drinking it while eating.

Komodo Dragonfly Black IPA - Upland Brewery

I had a taste for some Upland Wheat from the Upland Brewing Company, so I inquired about their beer selection here in Chicago. I was told that they didn’t distribute anything to Illinois but was offered a free sample by mail, which I gladly accepted. Thanks!

I have reviewed a few beers from Upland Brewery here before, this is my new favorite! As you know, the Upland Brewery makes great Indiana beer; if interested, you can find a short history on my Dragonfly IPA beer review.

Komodo Dragonfly Black IPA head - Upland Brewery

A new record for the largest glass of beer has been set. An Irish Pub in California has created the largest glass of beer, taking the title from Harry Carry’s Italian Steakhouse right here in Chicago. What a shame…

A beer museum will soon open in Staffordshire, England, UK. Created on the site of the Coors visitor’s center, it will include tours and information about how beer brewing has evolved through the years as well as bars and restaurants.

Check the beer blog for a new review!

Narragansett Lager

Beer Review & Beer Rating: Narragansett Lager

Finally, a new beer review! Narragansett Lager is brewed by The Narragansett Brewing Company and has been since 1890. Originating in Cranston, Rhode Island, it has been producing American beer for over 100 years. They have an interesting history; apparently six businessmen from Rhode Island got together in 1888 with $150,000 and started a brewery. At one point they were the largest brewing operation in New England. According to their website, during Prohibition they were granted the right to brew, bottle and sell beer by the IRS. Here is a direct quote from their website:

By the mid sixties, the Narragansett Brewing Company was providing steady pay, good benefits and free beer to some 850 workers. The company culture not only spawned lifelong friendships and good times, but also encouraged beer drinking during the workday.

- Narragansett website

I wish I could find a job like that. A beer blog will do for now. After experiencing great success a series of legal troubles and unfortunate outcomes forced the closure of the brewery in the 1980s. Then in 2005, ironically more New England investors purchased the rights to Narragansett Beer from the previous owner and began brewing the great beer once again.

The good folks over at the brewery were kind enough to send me a 6 pack of 16oz cans, or ‘Gansett tall boys as they call them. I am very thankful ,thanks! I had never heard of them before, the beer or the company. I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the beer. The beer actually smelled like most Polish beers, grains and a bit of malt. The appearance was crisp and clear, with a pale yellow color to it.

Beer Review and Beer Rating: Narragansett Lager

As you can see there was a nice head but left minimal lacing. The carbonation was definitely there but was light, making it really easy to drink. The taste was pretty good, grainy and you could taste more hops than you could smell. You get malt at the very start and the hoppy bitterness at the end of a nice big sip. Pretty refreshing.

All in all I give this a beer rating of 7/10! This beer is easily a replacement for Miller Light or Coors Lite, the Midwest equivalents. Again, I had never heard of this before as I have never seen it in any liquor stores in the Chicago area. I can’t tell you were to get it in the Midwest but it seems this beer is easily acquired anywhere in the New England area.

Regards!

SABMiller has gotten permission from the South African country of Nambia to import beer there. The group plans to build a brewery sometime in the near future.

The University of Memphis netted $114,576 in beer sales over the past weekend’s game versus the University of Mississippi! That was more than half of the food sales, that’s a lot of beer!

Check back for beer reviews!

Harnas is brewed by Okocim Brewery, the same people who brew Okocim. You can refer to the first Okocim post for a brief history of the brewery.

This Polish beer was not the best I’ve ever had. It poured a pale golden color and as you can see there was basically no head or lacing. It smelled like Okocim as well, like faint hops and maybe some grain. To me it tasted like Okocim, but worse. It started off tasting like grains and a small hint of hops. It finished sweet, which was not a good thing. It’s 6% alc/vol but you don’t taste it, just the poor quality beer.

All in all, I give this beer a 5/10! It tasted watered down and basically like an American beer macrobeer. Not one of the best beer ratings here. I would suggest getting some other Polish beer if you are looking in that direction. This is good if you can find it for cheap, which isn’t hard here in Chicago; I got a 4 pack of pints for $4.

Regards!

Na zdrowie!

]]> http://www.allbeerblog.com/wordpress/index.php/harnas-beer-review/feed/ http://www.allbeerblog.com/wordpress/index.php/honey-amber-rose-beer-review/ http://www.allbeerblog.com/wordpress/index.php/honey-amber-rose-beer-review/#comments Sun, 06 Sep 2009 00:36:36 +0000 All Beer Blog http://www.allbeerblog.com/wordpress/?p=464 Honey Amber Rose

Honey Amber Rose is brewed by Beautiful Brews, Inc. in Boca Raton, Florida. It is the first beer from Florida I have reviewed. The folks over there were kind enough to send me a few brews to sample and review, thanks! I have to say I was skeptical at first because it is marketed as a beer for women and it is technically a fruit beer (not my favorite). According to their website they revived an 1830’s beer recipe that called for rose hip shells, very  healthy apparently and very unique.

The beer poured a hazy, golden caramel color; almost brown. As you can see, there wasn’t much head and there was minimal lacing. It smelled, to me, like the rose hip shells they brew it with. There were also hints of honey and a little malt. It tasted pretty much the same as the smell but with more honey. The beer is 4% alc/vol so you don’t taste any of the alcohol. Not my favorite beer but a female companion loved it and drank one of the bottles.

All in all, I give this beer a 6/10! Not the best beer rating we have here but not the worst either. I would say that if you know a woman who would like to try a beer pass this along to her. I don’t know anywhere in Chicago that sells this beer so it will be hard to find it. I’m sure if you are really interested you could email the brewery and see what you can arrange.

Regards!

I apologize but I have been on hiatus from writing here. I have added a nice list of beers to my site. You can view all the beer reviews and beer ratings there. I will have a new review very soon. Check back!

The Chicago Tribune reports that the Chicago AleFest is to be at Soldier Field. The event is on Saturday, July 11th, 2009 and will have about 150 different craft brews! More info at Alefest.com.

ScienceDaily reports about a German technical director who found a way to turn used grains into more energy after the brewing process had ended. Apparently the used grains can be turned into steam, lowering brewery energy costs.

Brick House Tavern is serving beer in bong-style glasses and reports no profit loss in tough times. They also offer PBR cans served in brown paper bags too. They say these are great attractions. Their first chain opened here in Chicago and branched out as far as Houston.

Beer and pizza will be shipped to our troops over seas in the Middle East. I think this is a great way to remind them of home and their traditional 4th of July celebrations, which I am sure they all miss. The only problem is the beer being sent is Coors Light and Miller Lite, I think they could have sent a better selection or taken suggestions. The pizza is from Pizzaria Uno (based in Chicago), which is acceptable.

EB Natural Premium Quality Beer

EB is another Polish beer produced by Elbrewery. Elbrewery is the largest in Poland and is owned by Grupa Żywiec. They make many other beers including some beers I have reviewed (Leżajsk beer, Tatra beer and Żywiec beer). They have the biggest market share in Poland and have some of the best beers.

EB beer was pretty good. Apparently it is marketed to younger beer drinkers in Poland. It poured a nice golden color, a bit on the darker side for a light Polish beer. The smell was of grains and malt, similar to most Polish beers. The taste was the same, very good when cold. Very refreshing. At 5.2% alc/vol, it wasn’t too heavy and didn’t taste like alcohol.

As you can see, the head was pretty prolific. I have read other beer reviews that stated this beer didn’t have head, this is untrue. Maybe those who had EB with no head got old bottles or stale beer(?). If anyone knows why a beer wouldn’t have head, please leave an explanation in the comments section. Back to the beer, the head stuck around for a minute and dissipated but never disappeared. It had a nice mixture of large and small bubbles; good carbonation, not overbearing. It sat well in my stomach when I was done drinking it.

All in all, I give this beer a 6/10. Not the best out of the Polish beer ratings and it wasn’t the best Polish beer I’ve ever had but it also wasn’t the worst. In Chicago, you can find it pretty much anywhere where there are a lot of imported beers sold; find a good liquor store. As I mentioned, it was pretty refreshing when cold. I assume if it were lukewarm or not cold it would be a bit hard to drink, grain isn’t the best taste. I suggest you try it if you are looking for a relatively new Polish beer to drink.

Regards!

Na zdrowie!

Capital Brewery: Island Wheat

Capital Brewery is a Wisconsin brewery located in Middleton, just outside Madison, the capital of the state and making it yet another Midwest beer. They have been in production since 1986 and offer about 20 different beers. According to their website, “Capital Brewery was named the #1 Brewery in America at the 1998 Beverage Testing Institute’s World Beer Championships in Chicago, IL.” Pretty nice award, I can’t comment on it since I have only had one of their beers.

Island Wheat was a pretty good wheat beer, not unlike all others. Apparently it is made with wheat grown on Wisconsin’s Washington Island (hence the name). It poured a hazy yellow color with a pretty nice head. The smell was of wheat and hints of yeast or grains along with some citrus. The taste was the same with added floral characteristics, from what I don’t know.

As you can see, the head is pretty prolific for a lighter beer. It is very white and there is a good mixture of large and small bubbles. The lacing on the side of the glass was minimal. The head receded quite quickly and reduced itself to nothing.

All in all, I give this beer a 7/10! It was pretty good but it was too similar in comparison to most other wheat beers; it wanted to be more but ended up being the same. I think I bought this at my local liquor store, it is probably easy to find throughout the Chicagoland. If you like wheat beers, give it a try!

Regards!

The Examiner explains that for cheap beer these days, you have to brew it yourself. Apparently it only costs big brewers about 5 cents for ingredients to brew their beer. Why do we have to pay so much? Brew your own, I am starting this weekend, I will have pictures!

The National Beer Tax threatens small breweries all across the United States. The Examiner reports that a drastic decrease in the choice of beer could be the case if we do not act soon.

Support your local breweries, contact your Senators now!

Leżajsk Beer

Leżajsk is another Polish beer. I couldn’t find much information about this beer other than it is named after a small town in southeastern Poland. The brewery is located in the town and it is a very small operation. They don’t even have a website, but they do have a Facebook. I bought a four pack of 500ml bottles at a Polish deli on the Northwest Side, Gene’s Deli and Shop (Belmont/Long), they have a lot of imported beers.. If you haven’t been to or heard of this deli, I suggest you go; you won’t be disappointed, they have every possible Polish food product you could want (especially sausage)! Go with a Polish speaker otherwise you won’t be able to communicate very well.

Back to the beer, it was pretty average. Nothing special, but I will say that it was quite refreshing because it was the first hot day here in Chicago in a while. As you can see, it poured a somewhat hazy gold-colored lager. The smell was like most Polish beers, some grains and malt were present. It tasted the same, surprisingly very light. At 5.5% alc/vol, it didn’t taste bad because of alcohol content. I mentioned I bought it at a Polish deli, I also bought some Kielbasa Wiejska. It went great with the sausage.

You can see it poured a pretty nice head, very white and a good mixture of small and large bubbles. It lasted a few minutes and dissipated to a very thin layer on top of the beer, which didn’t stick around. Like I mentioned earlier, this beer was lighter than it appears, this allowed me to drink a couple 500ml bottles.

All in all I give this beer a 7/10! It was definitely not the best beer I’ve ever had but if you are looking for something not out of the ordinary, try Leżajsk. It was rather light and had a pleasant taste that sat well in my stomach. Not a bad beer rating but you could choose to drink something a little more flavorful. I also suggest you drink it while eating some Polish food, specifically Kielbasa Wiejska.

Regards!

Na Zdrowie!

Barley Island Brewing Company is another brewery located in Indiana. I couldn’t find that much information on the history of the brewery itself but from their website I gathered that they have a brewpub and about 10 beers they brew, they alternate which beers are on tap at their brewpub seasonally. Apparently they are the only brewpub in Hamilton County, Indiana. They state that the name Barley Island comes from an old 17th century name for the room in an alehouse that beer is consumed. Neat.

Brass Knuckles Oatmeal Stout was pretty good. I am starting to really like stouts and this is the first one I have chosen to review. As you can see the appearance is very dark; you can’t see through the beer at all. The smell was that of roasted malty chocolate and a little hint of oatmeal. Chocolate was definitely the dominant smell. The taste was the same, definitely tasted roasted chocolate. With an alcohol content of 4.9% alc/vol is was hard to taste; the beer itself is what you taste, not alcohol.

The head, as you can see, was not very large. It poured a darker, seemingly chocolately head. This dissapated to a thin layer that stuck around until the beer was fininshed. For a stout, this was not as heavy as I thought it was going to be and sat well in my stomach.

All in all, I give this beer a 7/10! It wasn’t the best stout I’ve ever had but it was definitely something you should try if you are interested in stouts. It wasn’t as heavy as others so it would probably be a good starter to see if you have the taste for stouts. I bought this beer in Indiana and have never seen it anywhere in Illinois (or anywhere else for that matter), so if you want it you will probably have to go to the source.

Regards!