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Monthly Archives: September 2011

Review of Three Floyds Robert The Bruce

For today’s craft beer review I thought we would take another trip (figuratively of course) to Munster, Indiana to the Three Floyds Brewing Company and try the Three Floyds Robert The Bruce Scottish Style Ale.

As I have mentioned many times before, Three Floyds is one of my favorite brewers, so I can’t wait to get this beer in a glass and dig in.

Here’s the description from the website, 3floyds.com.

A bold Scottish ale with a complex malty body derived from roasted and crystal malts balanced with just the right combination of hops. This ale pours a deep ruby color, has a sweet malty nose with layered caramel and roasted notes and a full body. Robust yet smooth, Robert The Bruce is a malt lover’s delight.

Let’s do this!!!

This Three Floyds offering has an ABV of 7.0% and comes in a 12 oz. bottle.

The appearance, after the pour, was of a very deep ruby to dark copper color with a few burnt orange highlights gleaming at the bottom of the glass. The crown was very smooth, fluffy, creamy and khaki colored. The head was of great size and it had very nice retention time. After it settled it left some nice patchwork all along the sides of the glass.

The aroma began with some well accentuated caramel malt juxtaposed with some burnt sugars and toasted breads. Some slight, dark fruity raisins and a touch of chocolate added a notable sweetness. Further aromas of dried tea leaves and “earthy” hops helped create a very “round” and “smooth” nose. This brew smells great in my opinion.

The taste brought forth some chocolate tones along with more of the toasted malts and freshly baked breads. Sweeter hints of sugar, toffee and caramel were all noticed, however the dark fruit was quite minimized. I even found the most faint hint of coffee bean. Nearly zero bitterness was discerned and I detected absolutely no alcohol flavor.

The mouthfeel was medium, very smooth, soft, slick and dry. The palate was left with only an average amount of flavor, yet with no distinguishable warmth. It seemed very comfortable and fitting.

Well this is another great brew from Three Floyds. I have yet to find a beer from them that hasn’t left me wanting another one. The Robert The Bruce is so smooth and easily drinkable. It has plenty of aroma and flavor and I think it matches perfectly with the cooler Fall weather. I’m not normally a big fan of Scottish or Scotch style ales, but this one sure grabbed my attention. I would have no problem setting a few of these back on a lazy, crisp afternoon. If you have not had the chance to try this beer, seek it out and give it a go. I think you will like it. I know I did.

As always, thanks for reading and commenting everyone.

Cheers.

Score: 4.05 out of 5
Grade: A-

Review of Aflligem Blond

29 Sep

For today’s craft beer review I thought I would try the Affligem Blond produced by Brouwerij De Smedt/Brouwerij Affligem located in Opwijk, Belgium.

I just recently reviewed the Affligem Dubbel and found it to be very enjoyable, so I’m hoping that I find this beer to be just as pleasing.

Let’s look at the description from the website, affligembeer.be.

Affligem Blonde, the classic clear blonde abbey ale, with a gentle roundness and 6.8 % alcohol. Low on bitterness, it is eminently drinkable.

Let’s see how it is.

This beer came in an 11.2 oz. bottle and the label stated that this particular brew was 7.0% ABV.

The brew poured a very clear, golden to honey color. It had a huge, billowy, soapy, white cap that had adequate retention and average lacing. The head started to crackle and pop and become somewhat fizzy as it started to subside.

With the nose I detected a nice little waft of that Belgian yeast along with a moderate pepper spice. It smelled slightly fruity too with hints of light banana and maybe a faint touch of lemon citrus. Bringing up the rear was a slight fragrance of corn husk and grain. Not too bad here. It was rather pleasant and fairly complex.

The taste seemed to bring out a bit more of the peppered spice than did the aroma. A very clean, grainy, yeasty backbone was detected coinciding with some of that lemon sweetness. I, personally, thought that it had a considerable bitterness. It really seemed to sparkle and tickle the tongue with each sip. The banana was almost completely hidden. Only the most faint trace was found. This taste was not bad at all. I rather enjoyed it.

The mouthfeel was medium, dry, crisp, refreshing and thirst quenching. Very nice carbonation for such a crisp and clean beer. A decent dose of flavor was left behind after each sip too.

Overall, I thought this was a pretty good Blonde. This would totally hit the spot during the warmer days of Spring or Summer. It’s easily drinkable and refreshing for a 7.0% ABV beer. I found myself taking huge gulps, which made for a very enjoyable and quick drinking experience. I would most definitely recommend you give this a go if you have not tried it or if you favor Blonde’s. I’m sure I will seek this out again next Summer and pair it with a day at the BBQ grill.

Do you guys favor Blonde’s during the Summer or do you prefer something else? Feel free to leave a comment if you wish.

Thanks for reading everyone. Until next time.

Cheers.

Score: 3.9 out of 5
Grade: B+

Review of Great Lakes Oktoberfest

28 Sep

Hello again guys. I thought I would go ahead and sample another Oktoberfest since the weather is cooling off nicely around these parts. Today, I’m going to be reviewing the Great Lakes Oktoberfest produced by the Great Lakes Brewing Company located in Cleveland, Ohio.

Let’s get right to the description from the website, www.greatlakesbrewing.com, shall we?

An amber lager with rich malt flavor balanced by fragrant noble hops.

I’m guessing they want the beer to speak for itself????

This version of an Oktoberfest comes in at 6.5% ABV and in a 12 oz. bottle.

The appearance was a very nice, clear orange to copper color with an off white head that looked as if it had a slight orange hue to it. Some burnt orange highlights were shown at the bottom of the glass. The cap was of decent size, smooth and creamy. The retention was just ok and the lacing was mostly average I thought.

The aroma started with a very sweet caramel malt. Upfront spice, toasted barley and baked wheat bread were found intermingled with “earthy” hops and tones of dried leaves. It’s well balanced, even and it does smell like Fall I must say.

The flavor began with a noticeable sugary caramel. More of the toasted breadiness and malts were found. They were a bit forward (in a good way). It was similar to the aroma in that the spices were easily noticed, but they never got in the way. It also started to develop a very minor grain profile. The hops were once again “earthy” with only a mild touch of bitterness. Good amount of flavor with this beer.

The mouthfeel was medium, dry, smooth and mostly crisp. Very nice carbonation with a soft feel. Quite a bit of flavor was left on the palate. The spices seemed to want to stick around longer than any of the other flavors.

In my opinion, this is an excellent Oktoberfest. It totally fits the style and the mood for the season. It’s easily drinkable and has plenty of aroma and flavor. To me, this is one of the better American Oktoberfests on the market. It’s definitely worth a try if you haven’t had it yet. Great Lakes just knows how to make a solid product regardless of style. I’m pretty sure that I will be picking this up again before the season is over.

I hope everyone is having a great day. Please feel free to comment or add suggestions to the posts. I enjoy the interaction. Thanks for reading.

Cheers.

Score: 4.0 out of 5
Grade: B+