Monday, August 10, 2009
Endless quest for the perfect summer beer - part 1
Crisp, dry, with just enough body and a hint of flavor. Low cal light beers just do not do it for me anymore.
Tried a six pack of Landshark Lager over the last week. It is produced (likely more accurately manufactured - it makes me shudder) by the Margaritaville Brewery of Jimmy Buffet fame. It claims to be an original island lager. I find it a bit too creamy to meet my somewhat vague perfect summer beer yardstick, and too creamy to be calling itself an island lager. Otherwise it was acceptable, better suited for a moderately warm island evening than a hot and humid island afternoon.
I am suseptable to headaches from some beers even in small quantities (most Anheuser Busch products will give me a headache, 1/2 a bud is the equivalent of driving a rusty iron spike through the top of my skull). A couple of Landsharks at a sitting did not produce a beer reaction headache in me.
I'll put this lager on my "I'll buy it again if I can't find anything better" listing. Which, in fact, is not a bad rating since I am quite particular.
Cheers.
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A quick rundown of summer beers for me...
ReplyDeleteLwinenkugel's Sunset Wheat
Sam Adams Summer Ale
Bass Ale
Dos Equis Lager Especial
Gila Monster Amber Lager
Bass and the Gila Amber are a little dark, but if it's not scorching hot out, I think they work fine as summer beers. Dos Equis Lager is my "scorching hot" beer of choice - it's light but flavorful and when it comes out of a cooler or fridge ice-cold it just hits the spot on a really hot day. The Sunset Wheat and the Summer Ale are both very "summer-flavored" beers, go great with a lot of summer "grill foods", and I can easily drink three or four of them in an afternoon with no ill effects.
Whoops - that's "Leinenkugel".
ReplyDeleteHi Badelaire,
ReplyDeleteI don't count Bass as a summer drink, though it is among my favorite medium body ales that go great with light pub fare, along with Newcastle and a local brew Smuttynose Old Brown dog.
I visited the "Leinie" brewery a few years ago in scenic Chippewa Falls, WI. I must say I didn't care for most of their brews with the exception of the Sunset Wheat which was OK. I have a friend out here who is also quite fond of it.
Sam's Summer is a good choice, and readily available. I have not seen Gila Monster, I will look for it.
I like Dos Equis (I had a bunch this weekend) but find it better with food or in the evening of these scorching days. That leads me to the what was going to be the part 2 of the beers of summer: Mexican Beers. However I think that will move to part 3 and I will comment on berry flavored wheat beers first.
Cheers
For me, summer beer means Wychwood Breweries Black Witch Ale. I love heavy stuff. However, I found a couple new ones this summer that weren't bad... Lancaster Bomber was pretty decent, as as Innis & Gunn oak cask aged ale. And Samuel Smith Imperial Stout rocked bells. I'm going to see if I can lay up a few bottles before I leave the city and head back home.
ReplyDeleteHey Badger King,
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping in. When the cooler breezes of autumn roll in I will be back to the medium and dark beers. Most of what you list above I am not familiar, but I have had the Wychwood Hobgoblin though it is not easy to come by here. It was nicely done if my memory serves me correctly.
Cheers
Yeah, Hobgoblin is another favorite. I love Wychwood stuff... the Black Wych is a heavy, dark ale, almost a stout. I usually snag a few bottles of Wych and Hobby when I leave town... I always try to taste a few new beers every summer. The Lancaster Bomber is OUTSTANDING.
ReplyDeleteI will look for the Lancaster Bomber in one of the specialty pubs or the one little shop which carries hard to find brews. Cheers
ReplyDelete