Beer News

Protests 'halt' Thai beer listing

Cobra Beer plans two breweries in India

Belgians losing taste for beer

"Beer Bandit" trial continues in N.B.

Japan turns to beer alternatives

Debatable: Should Bud Light drinker Aguero have been fired?

Good News For Brew Lover

Turkey laps up Foster's after lifting foreign beer ban

British beer price bloats up

Peroni gets facelift from SABMiller

Beer found to 'stop cancer'

Guinness stout to be brewed in Russia

Colombian Brewer Bavaria Seeks to Buy

A-B speeds up launch of caffeinated suds

Busch: Brewer Loses Round In Name War With Czech Company

Shareholders say yes to marriage of Molson, Coors

Miller Brewing Company Welcomes Rollout of New Budweiser

Bass Nitrogen-Flush Can Brings Pub-Pour Bass into the Home

Tuborg Brewery Spreads Holiday Cheer Throughout Denmark With Help of Coyote Point

Bilimoria to brew Cobra Beer in India again

Brew better than the Brits'

Delta to Celebrate Castle As 'Africa's Finest Beer'

Beers flavor new holiday rituals

Foster's Lager making Russia debut

76,000 Bottles of Beer on the Road: Trucker's spill saves lives

Heineken boosts African position

Miller puts UAW label in beer ad

Czech brewers defend their famous beer amid claims it is deteriorating

Beer could make you feel healthier and look younger

Drink binges 'cause beer belly'

Here's the buzz on brewer marketing new energy beer

Experts point way to perfect pint

A coffee beer to give you some cheer!

NEWS SNAP: InBev Boosts China Foothold With Hunan Debier

Thai Brewer Expects Beer Mkt To Grow 12% To THB82B In '04

Heineken USA Reinforces Its Commitment to Responsibility During Tampa's Festival Caliente

Winter's Brewery wins Beer of the Festival at Norwich Beer Festival

Coors' profit rises on higher prices, favourable exchange rates

Bad news for Russian beer lovers

Corrie Star Backs Bid to Save Historic Brewery

Brewers go head to head in battle of the Buds

Cincinnati's The Winner As Site For "Beer Hall Of Fame"

China Tops World In Beer Production

Study shows beer to be America's choice

Rock Bottom Restaurant and Brewery Awarded Six Medals at the 2004 Great American Beer Festival

Beer hall of fame cut off in San Antonio

FTC Clears Merger of Coors and Molson

Beer giants go on spending spree

"Beer for Soldiers" site shut down

Cave-aged beer to be unveiled

Anheuser Busch creates caffeinated, ginseng beer.

Anheuser-Busch Natural Light

Style: Light Lager

Presentation: 12 ounce can. Bluish-silver label with Natural Light in large red letters.

Appearance: Pours a pale straw yellow with a huge head that ripidly deteriorates in seconds. The carbonation bubbles are large.

Smell: Hardly any smell. Hint of corn and malt.

Taste: I always chugged this beer. Wow, it used to go down so smooth. Why am I having trouble drinking it now? You can tell a beer is skunked if it tastes like Natural Light. On the other hand, this beer can sit around for weeks and still taste the same.

Notes: 4.4% alc/vol. a.k.a. Natty Light. A favorite of frat parties for it's low-cost. Perfect for beer pong but not for drinking. Once you drink a micro-brew, you'll gag on this stuff.

Paulaner Hefe-Weizen

Style: Hefe-Weizen

Presentation: 500ml unfiltered bottle. Has a pretty picture of a German pasture.

Appearance: Pours a cloudy golden color. Sometimes the head grows to half the glass and it stays around for a while.

Smell: Sweet and yeasty.

Taste: A decent hefe-weizen. Not as much corn taste as others in its category. The bubbles are soft. Has almost a honey sweetness.

Notes: Do not drink this from the bottle. Like most hefe-weizen, it produces a large, longlasting head in the bottle.

Pabst Blue Ribbon

Style: Lager

Presentation: 12 oz can. White can with a blue ribbon.

Appearance: Naples Yellow with very little head.

Smell: Grains and corn.

Taste: Lots of carbonation. No sticky mouth from malts. A little burn at the end to let you know that this is a beer.

Notes: a.k.a PBR. My favorite of the cheap 30-packs, altough I never bought a case...

Pabst Old Milwaukee

Style: Lager

Presentation: 16 oz can.

Appearance: Straw colored. Not much head.

Smell: Light grain. A little skunky.

Taste: Malty. A cross between Bud and PBR.

Notes: I drank this because it's funny to drink a pounder. There are much better other lagers available for same price.

Anheuser-Busch Budweiser

Style: Lager

Presentation: 12 oz bottle. Red label with white letters.

Appearance: Pours amber-gold color. Not much head.

Smell: A heavy,musky alcohol that your breath will soon smell like.

Taste: Lots thick malt with some bitterness from the hops. Not much carbonation.

Notes: a.k.a Bud. I always seem to get a hangover drinking this stuff. It probably has a lot of toxins in it. At least you'll be able to find this beer anywhere you go and it has a consistent taste. Not spelled Budweizer like German beers.

Victory HopDevil

Style: India Pale Ale

Presentation: 12 oz brown bottle with purple label of green Hopdevil

Appearance: Dark red amber. Long-lasting head.

Smell: Mulched grass and wet wood. Very earthy.

Taste: Spicy. Bitter hops leave mouth dry. Hint of citrus.

Notes: 6.5% alc/vol. My beer of choice. You will not find a better IPA.

Yuengling Traditional Lager

Style: Lager

Presentation: 12 oz green bottle. Eagle is on label.

Appearance: Golden with a bit of head.

Smell: Grain and a little corn.

Taste: Smooth and a little hoppy. Aftertaste of metallic corn.

Notes: 4.9% alc/vol. Where I live, you order "lager" and get this. This beer is affordable and pretty good. There are differences between bottle and draft.

Unibroue Trois Pistoles

Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale

Presentation: 12oz refermented brown bottle with a scene of a pegasus in a purple sky

Appearance: Pours black with a soft head. Glows red when held to the light.

Smell: Ripe fruit, raisins and chocolate

Taste: Fruit wine with the bitterness of alcohol. "Aftertaste of port." Dry mouth feel from yeast.

Notes: 9% alc/vol. I bought this beer because of the cool logo, but I ended up being quite taken by the beer.

Magic hat #9

Style: American Pale Ale

Presentation: 12 oz brown bottle with neon #9 label

Appearance: orange with nice head.

Smell: wheat and apricots

Taste: Pale ale? I thought it would have more hops. It is definitely a fruit beer. Lots of sweet apricot.

Notes: 5.1% alc/vol. Very good if you wanted a fruit beer. I don't think I could drink more than one of these per day.

Cervejaria Sul Brasileira Xingu Black Beer

Style: Dark Lager

Presentation: 12 oz brown bottle. Black label with biege diamond shape of map of Amazon.

Appearance: Black. Almost looks like a stout. A little light gets through making parts turn red. Thick caramel head.

Smell: Grapes and malts.

Taste: Very little carbonation. Complex spices like wine. Aftertaste of prune and grape wine.

Notes: 4.7% alc/vol. I usually don't drink beers from South America but this was good.

Rogue Dead Guy Ale

Style: Maibock / Helles Bock

Presentation: 22 oz unfiltered bottle. Picture of skeleton sitting on a barrel.

Appearance: Pours orange with some haziness from the yeast. Nice head. It laces the glass.

Smell: Toasted malts and fruit.

Taste: Bitter with some citrus flavors from hops. Dry mouth from yeast.

Notes: 6.5% alc/vol. Rogue always makes a good beer. This is the most available of Rogue's brews. I heard that some of labels on the bottles were glow-in-the-dark.

Rogue Shakespeare Stout

Style: American Stout

Presentation: 22 oz brown bottle. Picture of Shakespeare holding a mug.

Appearance: Pitch black with straw-colored head. No light gets through it.

Smell: Smoke and yeast.

Taste: Very toasty with hints of port. Chocolate notes.

Notes: 6% alc/vol. I love stouts. This is one of the best. No.3 behind Storm King and Old Rasputin.

North Coast Old Rasputin

Style: Russian Imperial Stout

Presentation: 12 oz brown bottle. Label shows stern,bearded Rasputin.

Appearance: Ivory black. white head. blocks out all light.

Smell: Rum, burnt malts

Taste: Chocolate and coffee. Very warming.

Notes: 9% alc/vol. Drink this beer in the winter. It'll warm you right up. I can't decide between this beer and Storm King for #1 Imperial Stout.

Victory Hop Wallop

Style: Imperial Pale Ale

Presentation: 12 oz bottle with a picture of a miner with a frothy mustache.

Appearance: Pale orange. Very clear. Not much head.

Smell: Very pleasant when I poured it into the glass. Nothing overpowering.

Taste: Similar to Sierra Nevada pale ale. Pine taste lingers. Very dry finish.

Notes: 8.5% alc/vol. Available during winter starting in November.

Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale

Style: India Pale Ale

Presentation: A stout, brown bottle marked with 2004 at the top of the label. Pictured on the label is a winter scene.

Appearance: Glowing red-orange with a sizeable head. Quite clear.

Smell: Nothing unusual.

Taste: Bitter with hints of pine. Crisp, clean hop finish. Very similar to Victory HopDevil

Notes: Sierra Nevada is a solid brewer in California. All of their ales are good. You can find the pale ale in every state.

Chimay Première

Style: Dubbel

Presentation: dark stout bottle. red label reads "Chimay Ale Pères Trappistes"

Appearance: dark red-brown (mahogany?) color. fluffy white head stained by color of the beer.

Smell: sweet and yeasty.

Taste: deceptively smooth. notes of fruit and honey. heavy yeast finish.

Notes: 7%alc/vol. My favorite of the 3 Chimay beers. Chimay is one of the six Trappist Monk breweries. Remember to use a chalice.

Brouwerij Duvel Moortgat NV Duvel

Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale

Presentation: A portly light 11.2 oz brown bottle. A unique looking bottle.

Appearance: Massive head. No wonder they serve these in beer/brandy glasses. The beer is mirky and golden.

Smell: Sweet fruits and yeast. A faint hint of bananas.

Taste: Strong alcohol. Lots of sugar. Bitter,dry finish.

Notes: 8.5 alc/vol. A famous Belgian beer that you can find almost anywhere. It's good but there are better strong pale ales for less money.

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale

Style: American Pale Ale

Presentation: 12 oz brown bottle with a green label.

Appearance: Poured into a pint glass. Decent head leaves some lace around the glass. Darker than other pale ales.

Smell: Smell of citrus fruits and damp wood.

Taste: Refreshing. Nice bitter hops with orange zest finish.

Notes: 5.6% alc/vol. This beer can be found all over the country. Sierra Nevada has been brewing since 1979.

Sierra Nevada Stout

Style: American Stout

Presentation: 12 oz brown bottle and brown label.

Appearance: Dark, dark brown. Almost no light. Caramel colored head.

Smell: Toasty, burnt malts. Maybe a little chocolate.

Taste: Tastes like what you would expect from a stout. Toasty chocolates and coffee notes. Very smooth and filling.

Notes: 5.8% alc/vol. A decent stout, but I know of many with more interesting characteristics.

Left Hand Juju Ginger

Style: Fruit/Spice Beer

Presentation: 12oz brown bottle. Asian looking green, red, and yellow label with fiery lion. Bottled on date 8/10/04

Appearance: Almost no head. Cloudy, amber color.

Smell: Faint whiff of ginger with malts.

Taste: The ginger is weaker than I expected. I had hoped for something a little more spicy. Very mild.

Notes: Left-Hand Brewing Company is based in Longmont, CO.

Rogue Chocolate Stout

Style: American Stout

Presentation: 22 oz brown bottle. Picture of lady silk screened on front.

Appearance: dark brown with nice caramel head. A little light shines through.

Smell: Chocolate bars and maybe a little cereal.

Taste: I should have had this with ice cream. Dark unsweetened chocolate. A little bitterness. Very rich.

Notes: Check out the Rogue website for unusual facts about this beer.

Wychwood Hobgoblin Ale

Style: English Brown Ale

Presentation: 500 ml clear glass bottle. Round label featuring a D&D hobgoblin reads "HOBGOBLIN Imported English Ale". Very cool.

Appearance: decent sized head vanishes after 2-3 minutes. Nice lacing. The beer is dark brown. A little light makes it glow dull red. Has a neat head build-up when first poured.

Smell: Thick sweet malts.

Taste: Lots of grains. Very smooth and mild. A little bitterness but one would expect more of a bite from a hobgoblin. Similar flavors to doppelbock. They claim to use chocolate malts but I don't taste it.

Notes: 5.5% alc/vol.

Victory Storm King

Style: Imperial Stout

Presentation: 12 oz brown bottle. black label with eagle and lightning bolts

Appearance: black. no light. bone-white head lasts forever.

Smell: roasted malts and oats.

Taste: Very filling like eating a bowl of oatmeal. Deep toasty malts disguise the alcohol volume.

Notes: 9.1% alc/vol. I needed a nap after drinking this beer.

Ommegang Ommegang

Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale

Presentation: 12 oz brown bottle with red label. Gives directions on pour technique and type of glass to be used. Reads "Cellared at the Brewery".

Appearance: Looks like cola. Average head with large carbonation bubbles.

Smell: Very fruity and yeasty. Strong smell. This is what makes Belgian-type beers popular.

Taste: Complex notes of cherries and prunes. The yeast gives it flower-like taste. Not a beer to drink fast. The beer became better as it warmed up.

Notes: 8.5% alc/vol. Brewery Ommegang is in Cooperstown, NY.

Magic Hat Blind Faith

Style: India Pale Ale

Presentation: 12oz dark bottle with black label and blue swirls.

Appearance: dark red color. nice head stays around.

Smell: slight smell of coffee grounds with malts.

Taste: bitter with a taste of coffee and hops. The bitter aftertaste stays around a little too long. Not as crisp a finish as I was expecting.

Notes: Located in South Burlington, Vermont.

Great Divide Hibernation Ale

Style: American Strong Ale

Presentation: 12 oz bottle with a snow scene and tree. Reminds me of Christmas.

Appearance: Pours dark like English dark ales. Mahogany cast when put to light. Medium head laces.

Smell: Nutty and spicy. A little musty.

Taste: Bitter with high hops. Does not have the citrus taste like IPAs. Crisp finish. Very nice.

Notes: 8.1% alc/vol.

Smuttynose IPA

Style: India Pale Ale

Presentation: 12 oz bottle with a picture of 2 elderly men relaxing.

Appearance: Light head with slight lacing. Pours a cloudy honey color.

Smell: Strong beer smell with grass.

Taste: Crisp bite with pine aftertaste. Very nice. Lighter in bitterness than HopDevil, but stronger than Harpoon.

Notes: The company is named after Smuttynose Island.

Molson Ice

Style: Lager

Presentation: 12 oz black can.

Appearance: Golden straw color. Not much head.

Smell: Must, alcohol and corn. Nothing unexpected from a lager.

Taste: When I first started drinking this beer, I found the taste too strong. After a couple of tastings, it wasn't that bad. All you taste is the alcohol. It doesn't leave the clammy feel of Bud or Old Milwaukee in my mouth.

Notes: 6%alc/vol. This beer goes great with cheap Chinese food such as lo mein. Don't bother with the bottles. Not much difference in quality and it's $7 cheaper.

Elysian Dragonstooth Stout

Style: stout

Presentation: 22 oz brown bottle. Cartoon of a warrior in a dragon's mouth. Pink label.

Appearance: Caramel head. Intense black. No light gets through.

Smell: Toasty malts. Sweet smell of cookie dough.

Taste: Starts with sweetness. Followed by a big bitter bite. Ends with a burnt dryness.

Notes: 7.4% alc/vol. Elysian Brewing is a brewpub in Seattle, WA.

Victory Prima Pils

Style: Pilsner

Presentation: 12 oz brown bottle with green label. "Enjoy by Sep 30 05"

Appearance: Clear and golden with white bubbly head.

Smell: Not strong. A little pine note from hops.

Taste: More bitters than mass produced pilsners. Crisp finish. A little malty dry mouth.

Notes: Brewed in Downingtown, PA.