Brews and Reviews: Drinking the In-Laws

It's that time of year again.  My father in law is in town!  The good news is that we didn't have to buy one case of Bud, it's all Schell's from here an out!  That being said he has undertaken redoing our entire deck.  This of course has led me to drink more then a fare share of new beers.  So to kill two beers with one gulp I decided to post about my sanity saving friends....

I don't know if this is the first year that Summit has made this beer, but I hope it is not the last [Summit contacted me after posting this and say that it was first introduced in 2012].  In a world filled with Summer Lagers this beer is a great edition to anyone's lawn mower beer line up.  This hazy straw gold beer gives off a clean white grape aroma.  It has a nice gentle biscuity malt taste, with mild hop bittering.  Almost like a lingering pilsner.  It has a very thin mouthfeel, it actually feels lighter then water.  I really enjoyed this beer and good easily take down a few of these after a hard day's work in the yard.  Rating:  "Good"

This is not the first year Third Street brought out Hunny Do, but last year it sold out so fast I am not even sure if it made it to the cities.  But luckily they made it a second year!  this hazy pale gold pours with a tight foamy head.  It has an ample floral bouquet in the aroma.  Soft mouthfeel, ample Saaz like bitterness.  It has a dry finish.  Another beer to enjoy after the yard work is done!  Just make sure your Hunny Do list is done as well before cracking into this summer delight.  Rating:  "Good".

 I am a sucker for a good pilsner, so when the make of one of my favorite stouts had a pilsner offering on the shelf of my local liquor establishment, I had to partake.  Left Handed Polestar pilsner is a great offering, again pair well with the muggy days of the Minnesota Craft Beer drinking season.  This pale straw yellow poured with a short white head.  It had a soft hops presence, and gave of hints of cinnamon in the aroma.  The pilsner was softer then they strong German pilsners I am used to, but I think that might make it easier for your average American drinker, so I am overlooking that for this rating.  It has a harp bitter aftertaste reminding me of the noble hops.  It has a very mellow biscuity malt taste with a nuttiness to it, which was my favorite part.  Rating:  "Good"

So there you have three solid beers to try for this summer season.  What are your favorite "lawnmower beers".  Leave us a comment!

Cream Ales, The Other Summer Beer!

I’m gonna start this post off with a little secret for all of our regular readers.  Some BIG changes are coming to Beerploma.com.  I’m not talking about a logo face lift, although that is part of it.  I’m talking about something BIG!!!

With that said I feel that our recent articles have gotten away from our primary mission:  Educating Craft Beer Drinkers about GREAT local beers.  So as such I would like to start steering the ship back onto the correct course.  So class is in session, and speaking of sessions it’s time to talk about one of my favorite session styles.  Just in time for spring, let’s talk about Cream Ales!

First let’s talk about the history of cream ale.  They first came into popularity before Prohibition in the Northeast/Mid-Atlantic in order to compete with mass produced American Lager (Oliver, 2012).  Taste wise Cream Ales should be light, hoppier then American Lagers, and often have a light fruity taste.  The color should be a pale straw to pale cold and the APV should be between 4.2% and 5.6% (Mosher, 2009).  Cream Ales being a lighter fare should be paired with salty snacks; basically treat them like you would an American Lager.  

Minnesota and Wisconsin are both home to two of the finest Cream Ales in this country.  I’m of course talking about Rise To the Top,by Third Street Brewhouse and Spotted Cow, by New Glarus.  Both are great examples of this great session beer and both are great at showcasing better different aspects of Cream Ales.  Spotted Cow shows off the fruity-ness of the style while Rise to the Top shows off the hop potential.  Both are excellent beers, and I highly recommend sampling the two side by side if you ever get the chance. 

Minnesota Cream Ales:

Rise To the Top:  Third Street Brewhouse

Castle Cream Ale: Castle Danger Brewing(Seasonal)

Other Cream Ales:

Spotted Cow: New Glarus (WI)

Capitol Hop Cream: Capitol Brewery (WI)

Homebrew Kits:

Liberty Cream Ale:  Midwest Brewing Supplies

So now that the snow has finally melted, and we trade in snow-blowers for lawnmowers its time to trade in the porters for cream ales!  Until next time, keep those glasses full!

QUESTION OF THE WEEK:  Which of these beers would win in a Border Battle Royal?  Rise to the Top or Spotted Cow!

Leave your answers in the comments section or on Twitter @beerplomadotcom or on our Facebook Page! 

Works Cited

Mosher, T. (2009). Tasting Beer: An Insider's Guide To The World's Greatest Drink. North Adams, MA: Storey Publishing.

Oliver, G. (2012). The Oxford Companion to Beer. New York: Oxford University Press.

Dez's Brewz and Reviewz: Third Street Brewhouse: Three Way Pale Ale

I've let it be known in past reviews that Pale Ales are not my cup of tea. Seems lately, I may be in the minority as week after week I see super-duper double hop, hoptastic, hop till you drop....and on and on it goes. So when Third Stree Brewhouse offered up a Pale Ale...I was hesistant (3 kinds of hops!?). When so many other brewers are packing as much HOP as they can into a bottle the Three Way Pale Ale was a great suprise. It pours a hazy, golden amber with little head. Taste is light and a little sweet/fruity. But most of all, and most important to me, the hoppy bitterness was kept under control, making this an unbelievably easy drinker. Maybe its the balance between the 3 hops and 3 types of malts? Both in appearance and tastiness, I kept trying to figure out what it reminds me of. Some that came to mind were: Smithwicks and Yuenglings. Somewhere along the lines of great Irish Reds and Lagers. I wish Third Street was closer to the Metro area, but they will give me a reason to head out of town this summer. *** Stars (too obvious?) Like I said when I drank it "only bought 1, should have bought 6"

Coming soon: Cigar City Brewery of Tampa, FL and hopefully whats on tap at Epcot Walt Disney World...stay tuned!