"You can never buy beer, you just rent it."

- Archie Bunker

Beer may be man's best invention. With that said, light beer may be
the worst. Would someone please tell me why you would drink this
stuff? As far as I can tell, only the uneducated consumer would
choose a light beer. I have seen many people pass up Guinness because
"it has way too many calories," but let me enlighten you. Per twelve
ounces of beer, there are 120 calories in Guinness and about 95 in
most light beers (Miller Lite, Bud Light, and Michelob Ultra). To me,
25 calories is not that many. I think I can burn them off going out
to my car. Look at what you are sacrificing. I am not saying
everyone should drink Guinness, but most beers do not have that many
more calories than light beer. Yes, there are some anomalies like Sam
Adams Triple Bock with around 340, but it does weigh in at a whopping
17.5% ABV. Sure, the additional calories add up if you go on an
all-night bender, but if you are drinking to get drunk, my suggestion
is to drink something that will do the job quicker. Why rely on beer
to get you hammered, when whiskey does a better job? If you do not
like the way hard liquor tastes, there are enough mixed drinks out
there that you could find one that you will like. I am not preaching
that you should not drink more than one or two beers in a sitting, but
to drink a whole case is ridiculous. As a side note, I am also not
advocating that you drink to get wasted, but I am not naïve to the
world. Another habit that may hurt your waistline is snacking.
Alcohol drops your blood sugar, thus making you hungry, and on top of
that, hops used in beer are an appetite stimulant. So of course you
will get hungry. I would rather eat diet food than drink light beer.
Beer is something to enjoy, so do not deprive yourself of drinking
quality brew.
Cheers!

Jason Arakelian
Editor and Reviewer


Beers Reviewed in this Issue

Black Sheep Ale
(England – Pale Ale)
La Choulette La Robespierre
(France – Biere de Garde)
Thomas Kemper Weizen Berry
(USA – Hefe Weizen with fruit)
Leipziger Gose
(Germany – Gose)
Bridgeport IPA
(USA – India Pale Ale)
Heavyweight Biere d'Art
(USA – Biere de Garde)
O'Hanlon's Rye Beer
(England – Rye Ale)
Einbecker Schwarzbier
(Germany – Schwarzbier)
Dogfish Head Midas Touch
(USA – Experminetal Barlyewine)
Jopen Koyt Gruit
(The Netherlands – Gruit)



Black Sheep Ale

A fine example of an English Ale that has a sweet, hoppy aroma and a
smooth body. The slight fruitiness gives way to anise and woody
tastes. Another beer produced by this brewer is Monty Python's Holy
Grail Ale. There are more pronounced cedar and anise notes in this
beer as well as a slight orangeness.

La Choulette La Robespierre

The Biere de Garde is usually a very hoppy style. In this case, this
golden ale is more subdued and is maltier than traditional examples.
It has a huge head, tastes of sweet apples, and has a delicate hop
finish.

Thomas Kemper Weizen Berry

Fruit beers are not considered manly, but this beer is a great cross
between a Hefe Weizen and a fruit beer that can impress even the
machoest. There are slight banana clove notes that explode into sweet
raspberry. This is a cloudy wheat beer that has a clean and
refreshing taste.

Leipziger Gose

As far as I know this is the only commercially available version of
this style in the US, and there are not many brewers who produce it in
its native Germany. It does not follow the German Purity Law because
of the use of salt and coriander, which creates an unusual end result.
It has a spicy aroma and is complex to taste. There is a
reminiscence of pretzels from the salt, yet it is also slightly sour
and has notes of orange.

Bridgeport IPA

This beer is fruity and dry, yet very hoppy. It has a strong citrus
aroma. The creamy body tastes of tangerine and vanilla, almost
reminiscent of a creamsicile. It finishes with a minty bitterness.

Heavyweight Biere d'Art

Here is a Biere de Garde from a brewer in New Jersey. The glowing
amber color is mesmerizing. The spicy, fruity aroma gives way to
orange and pepper notes.

O'Hanlon's Rye Beer

This is a bottle conditioned, amber colored beer that will surprise
you. It has a spicy, fruity aroma. The oily body brings tastes of
mint, passionfruit and possibly mango, and of course bittersweet rye.
Not many brewers attempt beers with rye, but once you try this, I'm
sure you will wonder why few brew this style.

Einbecker Schwarzbier

The Schwarzbier is a dark lager that originated in Germany. Many
people are intimidated by dark beers, but this is perfect for those
who have a hard time moving to a stout. This ruby, brown beer has a
sweet licorice aroma that is malty and slightly spicy. There is a
crisp, delicate noble hop finish

Dogfish Head Midas Touch

One could try to classify this beer, but there truly is no category
that it fits into. I believe it is a one of a kind brew that is based
on the drink of the real King Midas. Researchers at the University of
Pennsylvania did an analysis on what is believed to be the cup of King
Midas, and Dogfish Head produces a beer based on this finding. It is
strange to hear the ingredients listed, but the final product is
something that I will not soon forget. Of course there is barley, but
there is also honey, grapes, and saffron. There are no hops, but I
would not call this a Gruit. It is winey and fruity and the saffron
adds a bit of spiciness to round out the syrupy body. Maybe this is
not truly a beer, but more of a cross between a beer, a wine, and a
mead (honey wine).

Jopen Koyt Gruit

Some of the first Gruits originated in The Netherlands and this is a
good embodiment of the style. This brown unhopped ale is best for a
cold night with its full, hardy body and warming alcohol content. The
body is sweet and malty with spicy pepper tastes.


Haacht

Originally a dairy, this one hundred year old brewery is steeped in
tradition. They have since added brewing and later decided to focus
on brewing exclusively. They are probably best known for their lager,
Primus, but they do produce other beers as well as soft drinks. One
such beer comes from the recent revival in witbiers, which is simply
called Haacht Witbier. This is cloudy with a huge, soft head like
many of its counter parts. Its use of orange zest and coriander helps
create the spicy-sweet citrus taste is typical of the style, but this
beer is not as sweet as others and finishes with a lovely delicate
bitterness. It is a refreshing, dry beer that goes great with the
waning days of summer.


World Brew Review Staff
Jason Arakelian: Editor/Reviewer
Emily Grant: Graphic Design/Editorial Consultant

------------------------------------------------------------

Want to add your e-mail to our distribution list? Send us an e-mail
with SUBSCRIBE in the subject: