Beer Thoughts 02-03-14

Don’t call it a comeback ‘cause I’ve been here for years! (Or months in my case.)

I hope everyone had a fun and joyful holiday season.  First things first, I apologize for the hiatus these last few months.  I was recently hired for a second job at FedEx.  While I’m getting more money overall, my free time has dwindled quite a bit.  That and I had a bad case of procrastination (“I’ll write tomorrow”, “I’ll write on the weekend”, etc.).

With that said, hopefully I can start anew as I already have some ideas for future posts lined up.  And what better way to start with a new Beer Thoughts!

These beers are courtesy of my local HEB, and by local, I mean nearly 20 minutes away from my house.  Some of these are winter beers so they’re a little out of season, but thanks to old Punxsutawney Phil, I have six more weeks to enjoy them.  Let’s get to it!

Drink up, Phil.  You've earned it.

Saint Arnold Winter Stout - As with most stouts, it has that burnt coffee-ish, very dark chocolaty smell. It starts with a bitter taste but not enough for me to turn it down as it goes down easily with no real aftertaste. I think you’ll notice a pattern with me when it comes to these beers as when I let them sit for a while, the initial taste starts to improve. I think if it was a bit sweeter, it’d remind me of an iced coffee.

No Label Brewing Co. Ridgeback Ale - The smell reminds me of an IPA with a scent of hops but a bit sweeter.  It tastes somewhat similar to the last beer but not as sweet and it does have an aftertaste that didn’t quite agree with my tongue.  It’s not bad when you knock it back but when you actually let it sit in your mouth to taste it, it’s quite bitter.

Leinenkugel’s Creamy Dark - Its smell was very slight but what was there was similar to the coffee smell of the Saint Arnold’s.  The Creamy Dark lives up to its name as it starts a bit bitter but has the sweetness to prevent it from taking over.  It’s much smoother than the last two beers, both on the palate and going down.

Shock Top Chocolate Wheat - It seems that Shock Top likes to experiment with wheat beers as the last two I’ve tried from them being Pumpkin Wheat and Apple Wheat.  Like the Pumpkin Wheat, I followed the instructions on the bottle on “how to drink it“.  It has a very chocolaty smell when opened.  This is the beer version of chocolate milk as it’s not bitter at all and has nothing but a sweet chocolate taste all the way down.


Jacob’s Best O’ The Bunch! - It seems I picked the dark beer collection as all the beers were similar in taste and look.  However, the Shock Top Chocolate Wheat is by far the Best O’ The Bunch. It appears I  picked the best for last as it really lives up to its name. I wonder if you were to warm it up European-style, would it taste like hot chocolate?   I hope this is still around by Valentine’s Day as it would make a perfect drink for all those sweets.