The Drunken Polack

Oskar Blues Dale’s Pale Ale

Found: Grape and Gourmet
Price: Around 3 dollars a bottle
Website: http://www.oskarblues.com/
What the company says: Dale’s Pale Ale is our flagship beer and America’s first hand-canned craft beer. It’s an assertive but deftly balanced beer (somewhere between an American pale ale and an India Pale Ale) brewed with hefty amounts of European malts and American hops.

It features a merengue-like head, a copper color, and a hoppy nose, thanks to a big post-boil addition of Centennial hops. To complement its hoppy first impression, Dale’s also sports a rich middle of malts and hops, and a bracing finish. Dale’s is 6.5% alcohol by volume, and features 65 International Bittering Units.

We think of it as the perfect, everyday beer for hopheads like us. Dale’s Pale Ale’s rich flavor has helped us make many new fans, and its numerous honors have helped us kick huge holes in the misconceptions regarding cans.

What I say: This would be my second review for Oskar Blues and my second review of a beer that comes in a can.  I’ll tell you right now that their can technology does work.  Their beer is fantastic and it doesn’t hurt one bit that it comes out of one.  This time around we have Dale’s Pale Ale.  This one is known to have a good amount of hops.  I’ve seen other Pale Ales try to add a good amount of hops and fail.  How does this one turn out?  As I always say, read on. 

The Look: Pours a dark orange color with a huge fluffy white head that laces the glass. 

What the nose thought: As you pour this you can smell the hops leaving the can.  I was very impressed.  After the pour was done you get a nice floral hop smell.  The hop smell takes off the malt smell but it’s there along with a nice orange smell.

And the tastebuds?: This pale ale might rival some of the better ones I’ve had so far.  The hops aren’t as big as they are in the smell but they are there.  This beer is a bit tangy and bitter but is easy to drink.  A real treat.  Biscuit malts sit under everything else.  If you don’t like bitter beers, don’t bother with this beer.

The feel: A little heavy but smooth as silk.

Would you drink more?: Yes.  Oskar Blues has another winner here.

Ending notes: This is a really good Pale Ale that rivals others I’ve had.  Highly recommended.

Rating: 4.25/5

Tags: American Pale Ale, Oskar Blues, Year Round

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To Jeff: I got some glasses

My buddy Jeff made a recent comment that I shouldn’t be putting Barley Wine into a pint glass.  Well I totally agree!  It just so happen that today these arrived from Stone.

Oh aren’t they pretty?  Don’t worry Jeff I’ll do reviews right from here on out =)

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Flying Dog Garde Dog Biere De Garde

Found: Grape and Gourmet
Price: Around 3 dollars a bottle
Website: http://flyingdogales.com
What the company says: You can read about this beer at http://www.flyingdogales.com/beer-gardedog.asp

What I say: First off let me say sorry for the picture.  I usually take a picture with the glass full of beer but for some reason my Iphone didn’t feel like saving that picture.  So you get an empty bottle!  Secondly this is my last review for Flying Dog week.  Most of you know tomorrow Batman comes out and heck, no reviews on Batman day people.  This time around though I drank a different type of beer.  Never had a beer that tasted like this.  Did I like it?  Read on!

The Look: Pours a golden color with little or no head at all.  Has a good amount of carbonation.

What the nose thought: This is a very sweet smelling beer.  Almost floral.  Hops are present but are not a main ingredient in this beer.  The sweet malt mixes in with apples and what I thought to be a honey smell.  Sweet and perfume like smell.

And the tastebuds?: Once again like the smell you get a perfume like taste. Crisp malt flavor.  Sweet apple and honey.  Hops are more present in the taste but still take a back seat to the rest of the taste.  Yeasty back end. 

The feel: Crisp and easy to drink. 

Would you drink more?: Honestly I probably wouldn’t or at least I wouldn’t go out buy more.  Now if someone gave me one that would be a different story.  Just not my kind of beer.

Ending notes:Well that wraps up Flying Dog week at the Polack.  Of course they’ll be more Flying Dog reviews in the future.  Flying Dog is a world class brewery.

Rating: 3.5/5

Tags: Biere De Garde, Flying Dog, Spring Release

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Flying Dog Horn Dog

Found: Grape and Gourmet
Price: Around 4 dollars a bottle
Website: http://flyingdogales.com
What the company says: You can read about this beer at http://www.flyingdogales.com/beer-horn-dog.asp

What I say: For the third review this week we go with the Barley Wine.  This beer honestly surprised me a lot. This is a top of the line Barley Wine.  These guys can do many different types of beers and do them all well. 

The Look:Pours a dark brown color with ruby red highlights if held up to the light.  Huge fluffy tan head.  Laces the glass as you drink it. 

What the nose thought: Now this is from their beer big series called Canis Major but I honestly didn’t expect the beer to be this big.  Huge smell of malt, dark fruit (figs, raisins) , hops, and caramel.  Just a huge smell. 

And the tastebuds?: Up front he taste is kind of muted but once it hits the middle of your mouth you get a huge taste of sweet malt with the fruits and hops.  Even though it’s a huge taste it’s very balanced and huge.  Fantastic beer.

The feel: A little thick and oily.  But very very smooth for a Barley Wine.  Refined and not raw or rough around the edges at all. 

Would you drink more?: Easily.  This is not my favorite Barley Wine at all but it’s up there thanks to it’s big but balanced taste.

Ending notes: If you see this one give it a try and put it up against others, you’ll see it easily holds its own.  Heck get two and age one to see how it does.

Rating: 4.5/5

Tags: English Barleywine, Flying Dog, Winter Release

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Flying Dog Woody Creek White

Found: Grape and Gourmet
Price: Around 3 dollars a bottle
Website: http://flyingdogales.com
What the company says: You can read about this beer at http://www.flyingdogales.com/beer-woody-creek-white.asp

What I say: Welcome to the 2nd review of Flying Dog week on the Drunken Polack.  Up next is their seasonal and what a good seasonal it is.  It matches perfect with Summer.  Read on.

The Look: Hazy straw color with a very small head that laces the glass as you drink.

What the nose thought: Zesty and spicy smell.  Full of coriander, lemon, and wheat.

And the tastebuds?: Like I said above this brew matches it’s season perfect.  Nice for a hot summer day.  Low alcohol.  You can enjoy quite a few and not feel the effects.  Spicy coriander, lemon, wheat, and orange.  A good balanced mixture.

The feel: Light and crisp.  The spices might bite your tongue a bit.

Would you drink more?: Yes.  Great for the Summer (Are you sick of hearing that yet? =)

Ending notes: Do I dare say there is a Barley Wine in my future?  Stay tuned!

Rating: 4/5

Tags: Flying Dog, Summer Release, Witbier

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Flying Dog Double Dog Double Pale Ale

Found: Grape and Gourmet
Price: Around 4 dollars a bottle
Website: http://flyingdogales.com
What the company says: You can read about this beer at http://flyingdogales.com/beer-specialty-doublepale.asp

What I say: Welcome to the first review of Flying Dog week here at the Drunken Polack.  First beer up is from their Canis Major line.  The Double Dog Double Pale Ale.  This beer is actually a Double India Pale Ale and a good one at that.  Read on!

The Look: This beer pours a dark orange color with little or not head at all. 

What the nose thought: This is a big beer.  Huge hit of hops up front.  Piney hops, caramel, grapefruit, citrus, and alcohol.  Everything about this smell is big. 

And the tastebuds?: The hops attack your tongue.  A little abrasive.  Hop bitterness, caramel, citrus. Star of this taste is the hops though.  A very big amount.  Nicely done.  Alcohol is there too, it’s pretty big but doesn’t get in the way.

The feel: A little thick.  Oily.  Like I said in the taste bud section, the hops attack your tongue. 

Would you drink more?: Easily.  This is one of the best brews from Flying Dog.

Ending notes: Next review for Flying Dog week is their Belgian style Wit.  Stay tuned.

Rating: 4.5/5

Tags: American Double/Imperial IPA, Flying Dog, Year Round

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Pyramid Curve Ball

Found,: Total Wine
Price: Around 2 dollars a bottle
Website: http://www.pyramidbrew.com
What the company says: Inspired by the traditional Kölsch style beers of Cologne, Germany, Curve Ball boasts a clean, crisp slightly herbal taste and a lighter body. With its sporty packaging and refreshing taste, Curve Ball is the perfect accompaniment to summer grilling and ballpark outings. Try swingin’ at it on a hot summer day!

What I say: I thought I’d get in one more review before Flying Dog week starts. 

Kolsch is a type of beer I just recently got introduced to.  So far it’s beer a joy.  Light and refreshing and fantastic for a hot summer day.  This version is no different.  It’s a solid Kolsch that you should give a try.

The Look: Golden color that pours a good amount of carbonation and as you can see in the picture a good amount of fluffy head. 

What the nose thought: Very sweet and perfume like smell.  Hops are present but not huge.  Spices and grassy notes round out the smell.

And the tastebuds?: Now this beer is easy to drink but it has a bit of a bite that resides in the high carbonation.  Sweet and earthy taste.  Grassy hop taste with a good amount of apple.  Overall not a bad beer at all.

The feel: Crisp, high carbonated and a tad bit dry.

Would you drink more?: Yes.  Great for a summer day and with the low alcohol content it’s easy to enjoy a few of these.

Ending notes: The last Pyramid beer I visited before this one was their IPA.  After having this one I’ll have to try some of their other brews.

Rating: 3.75/5

Tags: Kolsch, Pyramid, Summer Release

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Avery Collaboration not Litigation Ale (Batch #2)

Found: State Line Liquors (Thanks for making the trip Jeff!)
Price: Around 5 dollars a glass
Website: http://www.averybrewing.com
What the company says: Salvation. The name of two intricate Belgian-style ales, created by us – Vinnie Cilurzo of Russian River Brewing and Adam Avery of Avery Brewing. After becoming friends a few years ago, we realized that we both had a Salvation in our line-ups. Was it going to be a problem? Should one of us relinquish the rights? “Hell no!” we said. In fact, it was quickly decided that we should blend the brews to catch the best qualities of each and create an even more complex libation. In April 2004, in top-secret meeting at Russian River Brewing (well actually it was packed in the pub, and many were looking over our shoulders wondering what the hell was going on), we came up with the perfect blend of the two Salvations. Natalie, Vinnie’s much more significant other, exclaimed, “We should call this Collaboration, not Litigation Ale!” “Perfect!” we shouted. We celebrated deep into the night, (or is it morning?). Fast forward to February 2008, and we completed our second blending of these two fine ales. Batch 2 will become available to the public February 12th.

All profits from this joint venture will fund a return educational trip to Belgium with our bros Tomme (Port Brewing), Sam (Dogfish Head Brewing) and Rob (Allagash Brewing). This pilgrimage will enable us to learn even more about traditional brewing techniques to combine with our already strange and unique styles here in America.

What I say: So if you read above this beer is actually two beers put into one.  I’ve never had Salvation from either company but I know I’m going to have to try them some day. 

Recently I had a beer from He’brew where I had a real issue with finishing the second glass.  Something in the taste turned me off a bit.  That doesn’t happen to often.  Well it happen again.  With this brew. 

The Look: Dark copper color with a nice fluffy head that laces the glass. 

What the nose thought:  Very sweet malt, bananas, cloves, caramel with a bit of floral hops and molasses.

And the tastebuds?: Now my biggest issue with the He’Brew beer was the huge amount of figs used.  I felt the same way with this beer but instead of the figs I believe the issue was the molasses.  The first glass of this was fantastic.  I thought it was a very complex, different, and tasty beer.  But when I got to the second glass something just turned me off.  The taste is complex with caramel, cloves, banana, the nice hop taste and of course the molasses. 

The feel: Full bodied and highly drinkable.

Would you drink more?: Yes but only one glass at a time.

Ending notes: I can’t wait to try more stuff from Avery.  Overall this is not a bad beer.  It’s a cool concept and I wish more breweries would give it a try.

Rating: 3.5/5

Tags: Avery, Belgian Strong Dark Ale, Rotating Release

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Podge Belgian Imperial Stout

Found: Grape and Gourmet
Price: Around 4 dollars a bottle
Website: http://users.pandora.be
What the company says: I should of taken a few foreign languages in high school.  Can’t quite understand the site.

What I say: So this might be the most deceiving beer I’ve ever had.  When I think of Imperial Stout, I think of stouts like Stone Russian Imperial Stout or Old Rasputin.  This beer is so far from those I really don’t see how it’s a Russian Imperial Stout but it’s what they call it.

The Look: I thought I was pouring a can of Pepsi into my glass.  Huge carbonation.  Bubbles popping out of the glass. Soda color.  Dark brown. 

What the nose thought: From the start you knew you were getting something different here.  The smell is very sour.  Like a wine.  Grapes, raisins, toffee, chocolate, and a little bit of coffee.  But the sour notes is really sticks out.

And the tastebuds?: Like the smell, the sourness of this beer really gets to you.  This is not the most sour beer I’ve ever had but for a stout it’s very sour.  Grapes and raisins are the big taste with the coffee and chocolate in the background.  This really is a different stout.

The feel: I can’t say this one goes down easy because I had a real hard time getting it down thanks to the sourness.  On the thickness front, it doesn’t come close to other stouts.  Very thin.

Would you drink more?: No.  One bottle of this stuff was enough.

Ending notes: You’ll probably see more reviews for this brewery soon.  I don’t mind the different take on beers but this one was just not for me.

Rating: 2.75/5

Tags: Picobrouwerij Alvinne, Russian Imperial Stout, Year Round

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Gordon Biersch Sommerfest Kolsch

Found:Gordon Biersh Brewpub, Virginia Beach, VA
Price: Around 4 dollars a glass
Website: http://www.gordonbiersch.com/
What the company says: Couldn’t find anything on their site about this brew. 

What I say: Their Kolsch is a seasonal beer and it’s actually one of their better beers.  I wish they would add it to their fulltime arsenal.  But alas I must get more of this beer in before the summer is done. 

The Look: Cloudy golden color.  Very little head.

What the nose thought: Lemon, citrus and a yeasty smell rule this beer. 

And the tastebuds?: One of the most drinkable beers I’ve had in a while.  I really wanted to have more then one but since I was driving that night I couldn’t.  Very nice lemon and citrus taste.  Like I said a joy to drink and fantastic on a summer day.

The feel: Crisp and dry.  Medium bodied and goes down easy.

Would you drink more?: This is their best beer in my opinion.  Out of the ones I’ve tried anyway.

Ending notes: Not much to end with here.  Just a highly drinkable beer.  Good stuff.

Rating: 4.25/5

Tags: Gordon Biersch, Kolsch, Summer Release

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