[BW] Beer Blog

Style: American Barley Wine
Availability: Rotating release
Beer Advocate rating: 88
Rate Beer rating: 3.59/5 (88th percentile)

I’m going to be totally honest and state that this is the first barley wine I’ve ever tried. With that said let me say that I absolutely loved this brew. I poured from a 22oz bottle of 2005 into a pint glass.

Appearance - Dark red, almost brown tint with a very thin head that dissipated almost immediately. Kind of surprised me how easily it poured.

Smell - I seriously couldn’t get enough of this smell. It almost smelled like a cider in some aspect. I can’t put my finger on it, but raising the glass to my mouth made me excited for each forthcoming sip due to smell alone.

Taste - This stuff is flat out delicious. Sweeter than most beer, but incredibly inviting. The weirdest part about this brew that surprised me is each sip leaves an aftertaste that reminds you of how delicious that last sip was.

Mouthfeel - Nothing too spectacular in the field of mouthfeel. Not quite syrupy, but not watery by any means.

Drinkability - This is actually a lot more drinkable than I expected. To be totally honest the first couple sips left me wondering if I was enjoying what I was drinking due to my lack of experience with barley wine, but after a few sips I honestly couldn’t get enough. My 22oz bottle is gone and I wish I had a couple more.

Warning: the alcohol content is very apparent. I recommend you sip this.

-Rick

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Style: American Macro Lager
Availability: Year-round. You’ll have to go to your local Asian market such as Rice & Spice or Uwajimaya.
Beer Advocate score: 74
Rate Beer score: 1.7/5 (3 percentile)

This stuff is essentially South Korea’s version of Bud Light, only BL is considered a premium beer compared to Hite.

I studied abroad in South Korea and drank a ton of this stuff. It’s noted that I had it in a bottle, but keep in mind the bottle it was mostly served from was a 1.6L plastic bottle in the form of Hite Pitchers.

Immediately upon opening it smells like somebody just ripped one in your face. You’d think this would deter me from trying it anyway, but I braved it and gave in. It’s bad. It’s really bad actually. The good part is it actually gets easier to drink as you go along. Long story short it’s awful light beer that gets you drunk cheap. Oh and don’t go to South Korea expecting to find good beer…anywhere.

I DARE you to pick up a Hite Pitcher from your local Asian grocer.

-Rick

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Style: American Pale Ale
Availability: Summer seasonal
Beeradvocate.com rating: 84
Ratebeer.com rating: 83

My Thoughts:
Pretty mediocre. I’m not going to write up a full review because in my opinion there isn’t much to talk about. While I didn’t personally enjoy it very much, this seems like an attempt to bring in people who usually drink macro beers.

That’s not a bad thing.

I doubt this was Deschute’s intention, but I can see myself suggesting it to friends who would normally drink crappy macro brews. Would I buy it again? Probably not. Would I suggest it to most of my friends? Definitely. It’s just I prefer much darker, richer brews while this is lighter and more bitter for my taste.

-Rick

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Style: American Stout
Availability: Year-round
Beeradvocate.com rating: 91 (Outstanding)
Ratebeer.com rating: 98

My overall rating: 4.8
appearance: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | mouthfeel: 5 | drinkability: 5

This stout absolutely blew me away. I’ve had great stouts before and I more or less enjoy all of them (including Rogue’s Shakespeare Stout), but in my honest opinion this is the best stout I’ve ever had. Poured from a 22oz bottle into a pint glass.

A - Jet black with a thick, creamy, brown head. Can’t ask for anything more from a stout. Lined the glass thick through the entire pint.

S - The only area I think this didn’t quite excel in, but I’m going to give it the benefit of the doubt and attribute it to the bottle. Smells great, but not spectacular. Can definitely smell chocolate as well as other sweet tones I can’t yet put my finger on.

T - Tastes of dark chocolate throughout the entire pint. Not too overwhelming by any means though. I’ve had beers with chocolate hues before, but this perfects it. Leaves a chocolate aftertaste that leaves you wanting more.

M - Thick, rich, and creamy. Absolutely perfect.

D - This stuff is dangerous because it’s so delicious. Definitely a dessert beer or something you’d drink with a meal. I can’t imagine making a night out of it, but I could definitely contently drink a few of these with a huge smile on my face. Very easy going.

I’m definitely going to use this brew as ammo to help convince my friends to try better beer.

-Rick

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