Strong Lagers: Not just malt liquor

For the last week I'd been bumping into Sierra Nevada's new pale bock, Glissade, around town. On Saturday I finally got a chance to try it and it reminded me of the odd strong lager family of beers. Strong lagers can fit into styles like maibock or malt liquor, but on a whole they're lightly colored, lightly hopped, and fairly alcoholic.

Below I've pasted in reviews of some of the strong lagers I've had, and which oddly enough connect Sierra Nevada's new beer to Colt 45. Terrifying? Heart-warming? Meh? You decide.

Sierra Nevada Glissade Golden Bock
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
Maibock / Helles Bock | 6.40% ABV

B- / 3.5
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | drink: 3

Ordered a bottle for $3.50 at Liberty St. Tavern and poured it into a pint glass. I read SierraNevadaBill's description of Glissade and it makes more sense when he calls it a "strong lager," because it really does remind of the European (and Russian) strong lagers I've had - but better. There's cool bready malts up front and in the nose. The barley is followed by a lot dry herbal hop character. The hops, frankly, are a bit thin and border on astringently bitter. Still, this brew is worth a try.


Stary Melnik Krepkoye
Pivovariya Moskva-Efes ZAO
Euro Pale Lager | 6.50% ABV

C+ / 3.1
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | drink: 3.5

AKA Stary Melnik Strong. Ordered a bottle at the Brickskeller... after they were out of the first nine beers I asked for. Anyways.

The flavor reminds me of peppermint and sweet bread. The appearance is a clear gold with a white head and there are no brewing flaws in the aroma or flavors. It was an interesting beer to try but I wouldn't order it again. The odd yeast character and malts are "ok" but not entirely pleasant. It's certainly worth a try for something different and not a bad beer.


Elephant Beer
Carlsberg Danmark A/S
Euro Strong Lager | 7.20% ABV

C / 3
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | drink: 3.5

Got a bottle from a friend, poured into a pint glass. Appears a clear gold with a short white head.

First things first, there's nothing patently offensive about this beer-bravo. That's not an easy accomplishment for a high-alcohol macro lager in green glass. The aroma is pretty non-existent however, I got a hint of strange scented candle-like spice I wouldn't expect in beer. The flavor opens with smooth bready malts and finishes with a big lager tang. In most beer this tang is unpleasant and astringent, but here it comes off more like a mix of strong perfume and fruit punch. Still not something you usually demand in a fine beer, but this could be worse.

Colt 45 Malt Liquor
Pabst Brewing Company / G. Heileman Brewing Co.
American Malt Liquor | 6.10% ABV

F / 1.55
look: 2 | smell: 1 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2.5 | drink: 1

It doesnt look horrible, just your typical mass-produced rotgut. The smell is at best, unpleasant. The mouth feel isn't bad, but the taste will make up for that.

I can only describe Colt 45 like this: Someone took a light-bodied beer, squated over the bottle, and farted. Beer + Fart = No fun for anyone.

I should also mention that if its your first time with a 40 of this, be prepared to get your ass kicked.

2009 Beer in Review

2009 may have sucked for a lot of people and a lot of reasons, but it was another good year for beer. Really though, how could beer have a bad year? It's beer after all. No negative sides to it, right?

Anyways, here's my Top 5 Beers of the Year list. Some are brand new, newly imported, or just new to me. What they all have in common is that they're freakin' delicious.


Cantillon Lou Pepe - Gueuze
Brasserie Cantillon
Gueuze | 5.00% ABV

A / 4.45
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | drink: 4.5

Label reads 2006 (year brewed), corks says bottled in 2008. Aside from dates, the bottle is entirely in French and Dutch as it was brought back from the Netherlands.

I'd been having a fair number of amazing oude gueuzes lately, and this hits all the marks, but goes just a little deeper. Yes, there's the sharp lemon-lime juice sour/acidic tang that pulls at the back of your jaw. There's the toasted oak, but also with a hint of ash and pepper. And then I also taste a not inappropriately cheesey funk like you'd get from a nice, fatty blue cheese. What else? Mmmmm, there's a light fresh garden herb and celery note, dry white grape, and wheat cracker. God damn this beer is amazing.


Achel Trappist Extra
Brouwerij der St. Benedictusabdij de Achelse
Belgian Strong Dark Ale | 9.50% ABV

A / 4.35
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | drink: 5

Split a bottle at Tap and Table in Emmaus, PA after it recently became more widely available in the states. Why, why, why does this beer have to cost nearly $29? It's easily the best the legal (not Westvleteren) Trappist beer I've had. Damn. The flavor is soft and malt-heavy with an earthy background. The barley brings a complex mix of typical but delicious candy flavors: figs, toffee, caramel, and cocoa. They're subtle flavors that develop as you sip though, not like some big beer that knocks your palate out. This is an experience, not just a drink. Find this beer.


Sculpin India Pale Ale
Ballast Point Brewing Company
American IPA | 7.00% ABV

A / 4.35
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | drink: 4.5

Shared a bomber at Tap and Table in Emmaus, PA for $14. Totally worth it. This is easily one of the best IPA's I've had in sometime. Reminds me in terms of quality of the pint of Town Hall Masala Mama I had last week. The hops jump out of the glass once the beer is poured - I love when that happens. The hops are a mix of spicy citrus that are juicy, but dry and drinkable. There are also tasty notes of apricot, white grape, and orange peel.The aftertaste just doesn't go away. I had to go out of my way to find an even bigger beer to follow this up, otherwise this beer would have still been hanging on my palate.


Beer Geek Brunch Weasel
Mikkeller
American Double / Imperial Stout | 10.90% ABV

Notes: Imperial oatmeal stout brewed with coffee. Ingredients: Water, malts, hops, yeast and Vietnamese ca phe chon coffee.

A / 4.3
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | drink: 4.5

Found a bottle hiding on one of the bottom shelves at Abe's Cold Beer for $11.25. I'm not usually impressed with big stouts, but this beer was fantastic. My first issue with imperial stouts is drinkability, but I split the bottle with a friend and could have easily split a second or drank it myself. My other typical concern with the style is that they all have the same heavy roast and cocoa flavors without much deviation. This beer started with a very unique, earthy coffee flavor that rolled off into chocolate liquor, cherries, and then a punch of citrus finishing hops. There was an incredibly long aftertaste that wouldn't seem to quit, though when it finally did, I wished I had more beer.


Sierra Nevada Kellerweis Hefeweizen
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
Hefeweizen | 4.80% ABV

A- / 4.2
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | drink: 4.5

Picked up a case from Shangy's in Emmaus for about $28. Man, this beer is for real. Pours a hazy light amber with a tall white head a good lacing. The aroma is a spicy mix of vanilla, banana bread, and clove. The flavor follows that up with a dry, mineral undertone with sweet cracked wheat malts, banana, and a touch of white pepper. Very tasty and very drinkable. It reminds me of a cross between Paulaner and Schnieder. Heck of a beer from the folks in Chico.