Dan's Beer Blog

Where I drink beer and tell you what I think of it...
Hofbrau Dunkel Please excuse the photo; I wasn’t going to blog about this beer, but then I tasted it and changed my mind! I realize it’s been months since I’ve reviewed a beer and I apologize. I worked two jobs over the summer and while it didn’t stunt my beer consumption, it did stunt my desire to blog. Now that I’m getting back into it I’m going to try and keep my posting consistent. Anyway, let’s talk about the beer! This is the first dunkel that I have had so I did a little research and found out that this is a bavarian style lager known for it’s smooth malty flavor. I am quite a fan of this one. It has a bit of toasty-ness with a light caramely flavor. It’s rich without being heavy and really hits the spot after a long day. I will definitely be restocking the fridge with more of these! Definite Re-buy

Hofbrau Dunkel

Please excuse the photo; I wasn’t going to blog about this beer, but then I tasted it and changed my mind! I realize it’s been months since I’ve reviewed a beer and I apologize. I worked two jobs over the summer and while it didn’t stunt my beer consumption, it did stunt my desire to blog. Now that I’m getting back into it I’m going to try and keep my posting consistent. Anyway, let’s talk about the beer! This is the first dunkel that I have had so I did a little research and found out that this is a bavarian style lager known for it’s smooth malty flavor. I am quite a fan of this one. It has a bit of toasty-ness with a light caramely flavor. It’s rich without being heavy and really hits the spot after a long day. I will definitely be restocking the fridge with more of these!

Definite Re-buy

Kulmbacher Eisbock What an interesting beer! The brewing process is very unique, because involves brewing a bock and partially freezing it. The ice crystals are removed and you’re left with a concentrated flavor and inflated alcohol content. This beer is “mmm mmm mmm toasty!”. Concentrated is definitely the best way to describe its taste. In addition to the intense toasty-ness I get right off the bat, I can taste bitter-sweet chocolate notes, and a slight heat that lingers from the additional alcohol. The beer is surprisingly smooth and slightly sweet, but it does pack a punch. It may not be a beer I could handle any night of the week, but I’m sure I’ll get a craving for one of these again! Probable re-buy

Kulmbacher Eisbock

What an interesting beer! The brewing process is very unique, because involves brewing a bock and partially freezing it. The ice crystals are removed and you’re left with a concentrated flavor and inflated alcohol content. This beer is “mmm mmm mmm toasty!”. Concentrated is definitely the best way to describe its taste. In addition to the intense toasty-ness I get right off the bat, I can taste bitter-sweet chocolate notes, and a slight heat that lingers from the additional alcohol. The beer is surprisingly smooth and slightly sweet, but it does pack a punch. It may not be a beer I could handle any night of the week, but I’m sure I’ll get a craving for one of these again!

Probable re-buy

Samuel Adams Black & Brew Coffee Stout Wow, this is like drinking a caramel mocha latte, but without all the sugar, whipped cream and hipster baristas! Actually it’s more like drinking beer. However, this stout has an outstanding coffee taste. This pairs wonderfully with the roasted flavor of the malt. There are also some chocolate and caramel notes (hence the previous poor use of a literary device) which are subtle, yet they play an essential role in this beer’s flavor. The head dissipated almost immediately after I took the picture, but quite honestly I didn’t miss it. When I get my occasional late night coffee cravings, I think I’ll grab one of these instead! Definite re-buy

Samuel Adams Black & Brew Coffee Stout

Wow, this is like drinking a caramel mocha latte, but without all the sugar, whipped cream and hipster baristas! Actually it’s more like drinking beer. However, this stout has an outstanding coffee taste. This pairs wonderfully with the roasted flavor of the malt. There are also some chocolate and caramel notes (hence the previous poor use of a literary device) which are subtle, yet they play an essential role in this beer’s flavor. The head dissipated almost immediately after I took the picture, but quite honestly I didn’t miss it. When I get my occasional late night coffee cravings, I think I’ll grab one of these instead!

Definite re-buy

New Belgium’s Snow Day: Winter Ale Very interesting brew. It contains a malt called midnight wheat, which brought a nice caramel-y flavor. I’m always a little cautious with ales. Sometimes they are just too bitter for me to enjoy. However, this beer is very well balanced. The three different hops they use play very well together and add a nice complexity, while the light bitterness is supported by those toasty malt flavors that I love. The beer also has a nice creamy head, which tied everything together quite nicely. It’s beers like these that really help me appreciate hops more. I doubt this is the last I’ll see of Snow Day. Probable re-buy

New Belgium’s Snow Day: Winter Ale

Very interesting brew. It contains a malt called midnight wheat, which brought a nice caramel-y flavor. I’m always a little cautious with ales. Sometimes they are just too bitter for me to enjoy. However, this beer is very well balanced. The three different hops they use play very well together and add a nice complexity, while the light bitterness is supported by those toasty malt flavors that I love. The beer also has a nice creamy head, which tied everything together quite nicely. It’s beers like these that really help me appreciate hops more. I doubt this is the last I’ll see of Snow Day.

Probable re-buy

Weihenstephaner Weizenbock First off, let me start by saying that I LOVE German beer, and this one was outstanding! Weihenstephaner is the world’s oldest surviving brewery (est. 1040) so they’ve had quite a long time to perfect their craft. That being said, I was a huge fan of this beer. Its the first weizenbock that I’ve had so I can’t compare it directly, but I have had plenty of wheat beers. This one definitely has those wheat characteristics, but being a bock its also got that maltiness I like. I also get a light sweetness and some dark fruity notes as well. Hops are pretty much undetectable, which is no surprise. What I did notice was a pleasant spiciness. I read that this is probably due to a pronounced estery alcohol presence. This beer was between 3-4 dollars for the bottle and worth every penny. It’s sold in full pint bottles too, which is awesome. I’d say the only regret I had was that I wasn’t eating bratwurst and sauerkraut while drinking it! Definite re-buy

Weihenstephaner Weizenbock

First off, let me start by saying that I LOVE German beer, and this one was outstanding! Weihenstephaner is the world’s oldest surviving brewery (est. 1040) so they’ve had quite a long time to perfect their craft. That being said, I was a huge fan of this beer. Its the first weizenbock that I’ve had so I can’t compare it directly, but I have had plenty of wheat beers. This one definitely has those wheat characteristics, but being a bock its also got that maltiness I like. I also get a light sweetness and some dark fruity notes as well. Hops are pretty much undetectable, which is no surprise. What I did notice was a pleasant spiciness. I read that this is probably due to a pronounced estery alcohol presence. This beer was between 3-4 dollars for the bottle and worth every penny. It’s sold in full pint bottles too, which is awesome. I’d say the only regret I had was that I wasn’t eating bratwurst and sauerkraut while drinking it!

Definite re-buy

Left Hand Brewing Company’s Milk Stout: Nitro I’ve had a few different milk stouts and this one really struck a chord with me. I love the creamy head that you get from nitros and it really paired well with the sweetness of the lactose. I was also very satisfied with the level of sweetness. It was just enough to accent the flavor of the roasted malt and not overpower it. It was also a pleasant surprise to get a hint of that characteristic bitterness you would normally find in oatmeal stouts, so I checked the label and sure enough oats are one of the ingredients. Great brew from Left Hand! Definite re-buy

Left Hand Brewing Company’s Milk Stout: Nitro

I’ve had a few different milk stouts and this one really struck a chord with me. I love the creamy head that you get from nitros and it really paired well with the sweetness of the lactose. I was also very satisfied with the level of sweetness. It was just enough to accent the flavor of the roasted malt and not overpower it. It was also a pleasant surprise to get a hint of that characteristic bitterness you would normally find in oatmeal stouts, so I checked the label and sure enough oats are one of the ingredients. Great brew from Left Hand!

Definite re-buy