Beer Reviews

Certified Evil - Lucky Bucket Brewing Co., La Vista
Lucky Bucket Certified Evil
Dark Ale La Vista Lucky Bucket Brewing Co. Nebraska American

This beer has been peering out at me from the back of the fridge for a couple weeks now... I think this beer is a survivor of a craft beer house party we had two months ago, but (like any good house party) I don't really remember a whole lot of details about that night. I knew no other details about this beer, other than the fact that Lucky Bucket is somewhere in Nebraska, so I decided to open this bottle up in case the beer inside wasn't meant to age more than a few months. What I found inside was definitely evil...

Read more

Mad Elf - Tröegs Brewing Company, Harrisburg
Troegs Mad Elf
Strong Ale Harrisburg Pennsylvania Tröegs Brewing Company American

The more I drink Troegs beer the more I enjoy it. I've still only had an admittedly small number of their beers, but what I have had has been great. When I talk to others about Troegs there's one beer that keeps getting mentioned as their best and it's called Mad Elf. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get a bottle of Mad Elf during the Christmas season, so it took a little hunting to find a bottle. This is a beer that's released in November, so it's been sitting around for about 7 or 8 months. It's a big 11% Strong Ale though, so I'm willing to bet it's held up just fine.

Read more

Rugbrød - The Bruery, Placentia
The Bruery Rugbrød
Rye Beer California Placentia The Bruery American

Rye Beer isn't a style I reach for very often. Most beers that I've had which have been brewed with Rye, have been overly spicy and bitter. It's a grainy bitterness that I don't particularly enjoy. It's not that I have anything against rye, I just don't think it makes the best main ingredient in a beer based off of the Rye Beers I've had so far. I've waited a while to open this bottle of The Bruery Rugbrød because it's a "JuleBryg-Style Dark Rye Ale". I don't know the first thing about JuleBryg style beers... but rye is a familiar ingredient. I wasn't in a hurry to open this, going off of the assumption that I won't be that crazy about it. Today I decided to just get it over with. Let's see if JuleBryg is a style worth differentiating from other Rye Beers.

Read more

Rauchbier - Les Trois Mousquetaires, Quebec
Les Trois Mousquetaires Rauchbier
Rauchbier Canadian Les Trois Mousquetaires Quebec Smoke Beer

A great Rauchbier has been my white whale after leaving Bamberg about five years ago. Bamberg Rauchbier is a great, roasty, bacony, dark style of beer that is smoky but not burnt or incredibly intense. Over the past five years I've been trying various American style Smoke Beers and Rauchbiers, trying to find something comparable to the Bamberg Rauchs. I've found that nearly all of the American Smoke Beers are much more dark, burnt and bitter than the German style. The comparison I use to explain this to others is that American Smoke Beer tastes like a campfire while Bamberg Rauchbier tastes like dark chocolate covered bacon. I've heard good things about a Rauchbier from Quebec that is similar in style to what I'm looking for. I was finally able to find a bottle and I can't wait to try it.

Read more

Flying Mouflan - Tröegs Brewing Company, Harrisburg
Flying Mouflan
Barleywine Harrisburg Pennsylvania Tröegs Brewing Company American

"Tastes like hops dipped in candied sugar and rolled in dark chocolate nibs." That is what you'll find printed on the neck label of the Flying Mouflan. It certainly sounds delicious. Flying Mouflan is Tröegs' Barleywine style beer, an extreme version of their highly regarded Nugget Nectar. This bomber has a yellow and red label with a winged bottlecap in the center. A Mouflan is a breed of sheep, which I why I thought this would be a Bock or a variation on the Troegenator Doppelbock. I'm guessing the reference is lost on me, oh well...

Read more