One of the best things about winter being right around the corner is the number of winter lagers and ales that begin showing up on the store shelves this time of year. Mrs. Porch and I went grocery shopping tonight, and in my weekly walk through the beer aisle I spotted the winter ale of my favorite local micro-brewery, Christian Morlein.

Christian Morlein has a varied line of craft brews that include Double Dark Lager, Helles Lager, OTR Ale and a few others. My favorite is the Chrstkindl Ale Winter Warmer. It pours a dark amber, looks a little like a thin root beer. It didn’t have a very thick head and it dissapated fairly quickly which was a little disappointing. It had a nice malty aroma with a little bit of spice, perfect for a cold winter night. It’s taste is beyond my ability to describe, but I’ll try. It has a definite taste of malt that makes it a bold and hearty brew, a touch of chocolate with an almost perfect amount of hops to make this the most flavorful beer I have ever tasted. This one has a very wide range of food it could be coupled with. If you try it, I would suggest something hearty like beef stew, pot roast, turkey and dressing or baked pork chops with fried apples. Too bad it’s not brewed in the summer time because it would be a good cookout beer too. If you are not bothered by the cold and feel like braving the midwestern elements in mid- January, this beer would go well with cheeseburgers or bratwursts. (or both)  It really is too bad people outside of the Cincinnati marketing area don’t have access to this beer.

The day after Thanksgiving marks the day that I begin my annual search for the “Official beer” of the Porch household for Christmas. I couldn’t help myself this year to start a bit early. Although, I think I will stick to this tradition by buying more of this one on November 28th. Some of you may think this is just an excuse for me to drink more of this beer, but in the name of tradition, I will sacrifice and give the rest of the winter brews a fair chance. If you happen to find yourself in the greater Cincinnati area this holiday season, this is a must try.

P-O-R-C-H rating: H.

Posted by Mr. Porch

No Comments »

Finally, something new from Budweiser. This has been out a couple of weeks now and I’ve been anxious to try it. Being a fan of the American Micro-Brewing industry, I had my doubts but I promised I would be as fair as possible.

First of all, it didn’t have that cheap twist off top that I fully expected, score 1. The color was a normal amber with a thick white head that didn’t last and left no lacing as I drank it. I like to sniff the beer immediately after the pour and when I did, I could smell some hops. The taste was smooth and refreshing with a light hop taste that doesn’t stay with you. It is WAY better than Bud and Bud Light but if I’m going to pay $7.00 for a six pack, it won’t be this. Overall not a bad beer, but way overpriced.

 P-O-R-C-H rating:  O

Posted by Mr. Porch

No Comments »

Ok, I said that I’d give this line of beers a chance so, here goes.

First of all lets disect the name shall we? “Michelob” - A name we trust, right? I can buy that. ”Ultra” - Suggests that this is something to hold onto while others are drinking beer and because your bottle is shaped the same as theirs, you fit in. But you’ll have to remember to keep the label facing you so nobody can see it. “Amber” - Well, it’s darker, so maybe if I pour it in a mug everyone will think I’m drinking a beer.

 Honestly though, this beer isn’t that bad. After I got past the name and the fact that it had a twist off top, it got better. (Note to Anhueser-Busch: If you want to compete with the micro-brewery’s, at least shed the cheap twist offs. Not a good start with beer afficianados.) The color was a dark amber, almost a burnt orange. I poured it a little hard and got a head of about 1 1/2 inches that left some lacing but was gone by the second drink. Nothing special about the aroma, maybe a little malty. But nothing else. It went down fairly smooth with a good mellow flavor. There was zero hop bitterness.

Drink this one cold. It would be a good summertime refresher beer but not for that special meal. Unless you are eating from the lite menu. With only 114 calories per 12 oz bottle, I have to admit it is probably the best diet beer I’ve had. (not that I drink diet beers very often.) My opinion is that if this is marketed right, AB could possibly have a hit with this one. Believe it or not, there is a market for beer drinkers that watch their figures. I know, I don’t understand it either, but they are out there, and with beers like this, we can spot them a mile away.

P-O-R-C-H rating: O+

                                                               *******Rating explained*******

I’m keeping the rating below the middle mark because of the “Ultra” image that in my opinion just doesn’t go with beer drinking. That doesn’t mean that it’s not good for everyone. This could quite well fit someones lifestyle to a T and be their favorite beer. Not mine. I gave it the “+” because of the appearance. It is a good looking beer.

Posted by Mr. Porch

3 Comments »

I sat down after working a 3-11 shift and turned on the Miami hockey game that I had DVR’ed. This was going to be the first televised game of the year and I couldn’t wait. I thought since it was such a special event, I should drink a special beer. This beer and a hockey game was not the best mix. I enjoyed both but  this is not a “sit down and watch the game with the guys” kind of beer. It’s more like a meal to be enjoyed and savored.

It poured a nice dark brown with a hint of red. It had a tan colored head that I thought would last longer than it did. This beer had all the makings of a good stiff malty brew. This is where appearance and reality took two different roads. When I smelled it, I swear I smelled walnuts. I thought that might just the power of suggestion (you know ‘Nut’ brown ale) but when I tasted it, the nutty-ness jumped out at me. Yet for all the nut flavor I was experiencing, I could still taste the hops and the caramel malts. Nice mix of ingredients that leaves a somewhat long aftertaste.

If you are going to drink this beer, you better have you manliest taste buds with you. With an ABV of 5% it is a good thick and flavorful brew. It would go well with a good winter time meal like a pot roast or venison stew.

P-O-R-C-H rating:  C+

Posted by Mr. Porch

No Comments »

I found this one on sale at one of my favorite spots to buy beer. I thought it had a pretty generic looking label but the price was right and so I thought “how bad could it be?” So I picked up a six pack and brought it home and put it in my beer fridge to get cold. The next night, I was reading in my Market Watch magazine and lo and behold, there was an article that highlighted 4 different micro-brewerys and Brooklyn was one of them. What are the chances? Until this point I had never heard of them, so I figure it was just simple fate that brought me and this beer together. 

It poured a dark brown, like a cola, with a light tan head that lasted about half way down. It was a very smooth beer for an ale. You could taste the hops, but they weren’t overbearing like some ales. It had a pleasant malty aroma with every drink. If you are new to dark beers, this would be a good one to start with. It had just enough hops to cut through the malts but didn’t leave a heavy hop aftertaste. I would (and have) recomended this brew to anyone that is a bit shy about trying new beers. But be careful, it just may turn you into a dark beer drinker. If not, then at least you’ll look cool drinking a dark beer in front of all your friends.

This is the first Brooklyn Brewery beer I’ve tried and I’m impressed. I can’t wait to try their other brews.

P-O-R-C-H rating: C+

Posted by Mr. Porch

No Comments »

An old friend stopped by the other night with a six pack of Dixie Jazz Amber Light. I must admit, I’ve never heard of it. Ron has spent time in Germany with the U.S. Army so I was a little surprised that he would choose such a light beer to bring. But I trusted his taste buds and, again, I wasn’t disappointed. It poured a fairly clear amber with thin soapy head. It smelled thicker than it looked, I could swear at times it smelled a little like pancakes. It had a thick feel to the palate for a light beer and we thought it had a good combination of malts. No hop flavor at all.

For a light beer it had a pretty full flavor to it. We both agreed that it was a decent refreshing beer that had a deceiving appearance. It looked like a light beer but went down like a full flavored beer. If you like a full flavor in your beers but are concerned about your beer belly, this is the beer for you. It left no aftertaste and had a somewhat clean finish. Nothing really stands out about this one but it is good enough  to get again. Thanks for the beer Ron, and as always, it was good to see you again.

P-O-R-C-H rating: R-

Posted by Mr. Porch

No Comments »