Beer School 10-24-12

As some of you may have saw in my Facebook last month, I attended “Beer School” at the House of Rock.  What this “school” is on every third Wednesday of the month, a person from a beer distributor gives small samples of 6 or 5  different beers.  In addition to samples, you get a snippet of history of the particular brew and a quick lesson in beer tasting.  (Just swish it around in your mouth before you drink in order to taste the flavors).

While I didn’t get a free hat like I did in September’s Beer School, I did get to try some new seasonal fall beers.  While I was there, in true nerd fashion, I brought a notecard and wrote down some very (very) brief words of what I thought about the five beers they gave us.  (Well, technically, four beers and one cider) I'll be honest: I'm not a beer expert by any stretch of the imagination. I couldn't tell you which beer tastes more malty or was made with a different type of yeast.  I'm more in the camp of "I may not know much about art but I know what I like" when it comes to beers so my notes are more simpler and not too complicated. Here’s what I jotted down:


Magic Hat Hex Ourtoberfest - tastes a little strong and bitter at first, but has a smooth finish, caramel-like taste.

Saint Arnold’s Oktoberfest - smooth but has a bit of hoppy kick from spices

Paulaner Oktoberfest - smooth and easy to drink but has a fruity aftertaste to it  (Note: Beer Distributor explained that most European-style beers like Paulaner have floral and fruit ingredients)

 Sierra Nevada Tumbler - has a bit of dark aftertaste, kind of tastes like spiced coffee


 
Woodchuck Private Reserve Pumpkin Hard Cider - tastes like a weird mixture of apple and pumpkin. Strange taste but not horrible

While it wasn’t part of the Beer School, I sampled a Rolling Rock as well and also wrote a quick word about it:

Rolling Rock - The beer of choice for the Angry Video Game Nerd.  Nice light taste, despite being called “extra pale” didn’t really taste like a India Pale Ale beer




(Note: for those not as internet-savvy, the Angry Video Game Nerd is an internet video game reviewer who plays old crappy games and gets frustrated to the point of enraged insanity.)

Overall, I had fun at Beer School and I recommend any beer lover to give it a try.  While last time, my favorite of the bunch was Newcastle Werewolf.  Here, I'd have to say the Saint Arnold Oktoberfest was the one I had a fondness for.