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.
