Brew: Magic Hat Number 9

Location: South Burlington, VT

First Impressions: The #9 is a textbook brew by one of the nation’s largest micro breweries. Classified as a “Not Quite Pale Ale”, this brew is somewhat of a misfit when it comes to finding a family. While brewing it, Magic Hat adds fruity flavors to it, which give it a unique extra kick. Alright, let’s see how this brew fairs.

Aroma: A sweet fruity smell that is pretty prevalent. Apricots, citrus, maybe some lemons.

Overall Taste: Incredibly odd, yet still pleasant, refreshing and smooth. I’m not quite sure I’ll ever understand what the number 9 is made of, but that doesn’t matter to me. It is a quality and complex brew, which deserves recognition.

With that being said, I also don’t think I could drink any more than two number 9′s in a night. To me, this brew is a decent way to start a long night of drinking, but it shouldn’t be the main attraction.  No malts, no real hops, just a mysterious pale ale.

I would recommend this brew to men and women a like and to those who don’t like the full body beers (porters, stouts, black lagers, etc).

You might also like: There is nothing that compares to Magic Hat #9, not even fruit flavored beers.

Price: 8.99 / 6-pack

ABV: 5.1%

Calories: 146

Grade: B

Location: Boston, Massachusetts

First Impressions: I wasn’t sure what to expect at first from this Black Lager by Sam Adams. As you may know, Sam Adams makes roughly 30 different kinds of craft beers, some of which are hit or miss. The appearance of this brew when poured into a glass is quite dark. There’s only one way to figure out how this one fairs.

Aroma: A warm, roasted malty scent is given off by this brew, similar to coffee. Some caramel and nuts are also evident.

Overall Taste: The Black Lager is a hit in my book. It has a deep, roasted malty taste to it at first and then fades into a suprise chocolately after taste. Suprisingly, this brew had a low alcohol content, one of it’s only downsides.

This brew is full of flavor and is sure not to disappoint. I would recommend this brew to anyone who thinks stouts and porters are to dark, but still likes to have some flavor in their beer.

You might also like: Magic Hat’s Howl (Black Lager), Flying Dog’s Schwarz Double Smoked Lager

Price: 9.99 / 6-pack

ABV: 4.9%

Calories: 191

Grade: B+

Location: Silver Spring, MD

First Impressions: The Golden Ale by Hook and Ladder is a medium bodied beer with a deep yellow color.

Aroma: A light caramel smell comes through. Not to much else, just a light and soft aroma. 

Overall Taste: This brew has a pleasant taste, with one consistent flavor throughout. It’s definitely a lighter style brew with a malty taste. There are no hops, bitterness or additional spices. The Golden Ale won’t blow you away with flavor, but it will suffice for a warm, summer day.

The best part about this beer was it’s drinkability (with only 94 calories!). I could easily drink a six pack of this in one night and still have room for some dinner.

You’ll also be drinking for a good cause because H&L donates a penny for every bottle sold back to local firefighters in Maryland.

You might also like: Dogfish Head Golden Elixir, Flying Dog Tire Bite Gold Ale

Price: 9.99 / 6-pack

ABV: 5.5%

Calories: 94

Grade: B

Brew: Bell’s Oarsman

Location: Kalamazoo, MI

First Impressions: The Oarsman is an entirely new offering from Bell’s, which is usually spot on with it’s brews. In fact, this brew is so new that it is not even available in bottles yet.

Aroma: It smells like a German pilsner, or a blonde ale. I didn’t detect any hops, but I could tell that the flavor was going to be light and bitter.

Overall Taste: Horrendous. This brew starts off with a kick of sourness then fades to a strong tartiness which lingers. There is really no point during the brew which is delightful, as the whole time I was saying “Yuck.”

Personally, this is not my type of beer. Actually, I don’t even know what type of beer this is… Is it a blonde ale, maybe a wheat ale, summer ale, a light pale ale???

I’d stay away from this brew. No flavor. No hops. No lasting memories.

You might also like: Stick to the rest of the Bell’s line

Price: 4.00 / Draft

ABV: 4.0%

Grade: D-

Brew: Mt. Carmel – Amber Ale

Location: Cincinnati, OH

First Impressions: Mt. Carmel Brewery is a recently founded, family owned craft brewery, yet they make some of the best beers out there.

Aroma: An embodied, sweet, scent which doesn’t give to much away with it’s smell. There is a soft level of malts, but not it overpower you.

Overall Taste: Mount Carmel bottles beer exactly how it should, and this Amber Ale tastes exactly how an Amber Ale should taste. Not to hoppy, rich in flavor, smooth and highly drinkable.

The beer has the same taste from the begininng to the end of the bottle and leaves your mouth with the same flavor after you swallow the beer. High consistency will keep beer drinkers coming back for more and more.

I would recommend this beer on tap instead of from the bottle, and with a food pairing at dinner.

You might also like: Great Lakes’ Elliot Ness, Troegs’ Hop Back Amber Ale

Price: 9.99 / 6-pack

ABV: 5.8%

Grade: A-

Location: Germany

First Impressions: The eisbock, otherwise known as “ice bock”, owes its discovery to an apprentice who forgot to bring two barrels of beer into the brewery cellar, and as a result discovered this frozen beer the following spring. Hmmm…that makes for an interesting introduction to this brew.

I also have to mention how sweet this bottle looks. Holograms galore. Shields. Snowflakes. Truly badass.

Aroma: Dark fruits with roasted malts – chocolate, maple syrup, cherry, raisin, and vanilla. A wide combination of nose candy.

Overall Taste: Very heavy, highly complex, and strong in alcohol content. Overall, this was a memorable brew with tons of flavor and tons of kick to it.

However, the one thing which it lacks is drinkability. It took me about 40 minutes to kill one bottle of this Eisbock so I would recommend a food pairing with it, or at least some chips and salsa.

This brew is not your typical foreign beer, as it will suprise you with it’s taste and complexity. This brew will require your full attention.

You might also like: EKU 28, Brauerei AG, Brooklyn Chocolate Stout

Price: 11.99 / 6-pack

ABV: 9.2%

Grade: C+

Brew: Summit – Red Horizon Ale

Location: St. Paul, Minnesota

First Impressions: Summit describes the beer as “an emerging American hybrid ale that crosses the boundaries of styles.” Hmmm…That sounds interesting enough to try out myself. I’m expecting something similar to the previous Irish Red Ales that I have tried.

Aroma: A fruity, citrus nose with with a hoppy caramel underneath it.

Overall Taste: This brew took some getting used to. The Red Horizon Ale didn’t blow me away with anything unexpected, but it was unique. It wasn’t a bad beer by any means but it didn’t exactly make you want to stock up your basement for the next cold war with it.

The caramel flavors are the first thing you will notice as greet your tongue with sweetness. That is then followed by a hollow bitterness which leads me to believe this beer is not hoppy enough. In my opinion, it just was unbalanced with regards to it’s flavor and hops, otherwise it would have scored higher.

It’s worth trying once, but you probably won’t go back to it.

You might also like: Avery’s Karma Ale, Summit Extra Pale Ale

Price: 9.99 / 6-pack

ABV: 5.7%

Calories: 197

Grade: B-

Location: Golden, Colorado

First Impressions: My best friend’s ex girlfriend used to drink Blue Moon religiously. She would always show up at our door with a six pack and an orange and then she would drink two of them, talk about how good they were, and then go pass out upstairs. Hmmm…maybe Blue Moon will have the same effect on me. There’s only one way to find out.

Aroma: It obiviously smells like a lighter brew with tons of oranges. Other than that, there’s not much else to say about the aroma.

Overall Taste: This brew sucks. It just might be one of the ten worst beers I have ever had, seriously… It was tangy, sweet, way too much orange flavor, it didn’t go down smooth, was bitter at points, and left my tastebuds with a resounding “WTF!”

On a side note, if you would like to make some of your very own Blue Moon at home, take a half gallon of orange juice and a 12-pack of Bud Light and mix it in a cooler. Stir for five minutes and chill until ready. (Just kidding)

I also want to know what is up with putting the orange peel in the Blue Moon. Why give an already orange flavored beer, more oranges? Why people?

You might also like: The other brews under the Blue Moon line

Price: 7.99 / 6-pack

ABV: 5.5%

Calories: 171

Grade: F

Brew: Stone Brewing – Arrogant Bastard Ale

Location: Escondido, CA

First Impressions:  I’ve been wanting to try this brew for a few years now but have never gotten around to it. Finally, I had my chance at a local bar this last weekend. It’s marketed as the type of beer that will put some hair on your chest and is too bad ass for the “Normal” American to like, or even try for that matter. This damn brew sure is arrogant and cocky, be sure to check out it’s own website for Christ sake. (http://www.arrogantbastard.com/)

Aroma: It smells pretty decent, enticing, above average. A blend of hops and dark roasted malts.

Overall Taste: This brew is aggressive so you’re either going to love it or hate it. Personally, I didn’t like it, but I can see why some people enjoy it. I would go as far to say that I’ve had better brews by Stone such as Levitation Ale and Stone IPA. The flavor was strong (and unpleasant) and drinking it led me to one conclusion…. “I don’t need anymore hair on my chest, Stone Brewing Company!”

You might also like: Arrogant Bastard Ale OAKED, Reaper’s Mortality Stout, Left Hand’s Oak Aged Imperial Stout

Price: 4.00 / Draft

ABV: 7.2%

Calories: 316

Grade: C

Location: St. Louis, MO

First Impressions: At the Brew Review Crew we generally stick to craft beers, however, we do know our drinking roots and where we have came from. Back when I was in college I used to drink Michelob Ultra three times a week. Yes, I know Mic Ultra gets a bad rap as being marketed towards 35 year old women who are on a diet. Instead, I would state that Mic Ultra is the prefect drinking beer for athletes who are in their twenties. Finally, let’s get under the cap and see what this brew is all about.

Aroma: Smells like beer. Very crisp and light. That’s about it.

Overall Taste: After this brew hit my lips I noticed a little carbonation, and upon swallowing my first gulp I was pleased to have a nice, refreshing taste in my mouth.

Mic Ultra is incredibly smooth, light and drinkable. If I was by chance partaking in some binge drinking, Mic Ultra would be right at my side. If I wanted a beer after playing a soccer or basketball game, once again it would have to be Mic Ultra. If I was at a party and was asked to pick from my choice of Bud Light, Miller Lite, Coors Light and Mic Ultra, I would pick Mic Ultra 9 times out of 10.

I’m not saying that Mic Ultra is the greatest tasting brew in the world, but Anheuser Busch is certainly doing something right. If you haven’t tried it, go out and get yourself some today. Mic Ultra is crisp, refreshing and smooth.

You might also like: Michelob Ultra Amber, Michelob Amber Bock, Michelob Light

Price: 10.99 / 12-pack

ABV: 4.2%

Calories: 95

Grade: B+

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATbjan7QErk