Shwag Beer Awareness ( Dundee Craft Pack)

So as I walked the beer isle looking for a choice beverage, I had a novel (well to me) idea.

Why not take a beerventure in the world of shwag beer. I think we can all agree on the pointlessness of reviewing the big guns, like Miller and Bud, but a venture into cheap "craft" beer seemed like a fun (and inexpensive) journey. I snagged a 12 pack of Dundee's Craft Pack, which offers 4 varieties of their take on classic Ales and Lagers. The Craft Pack features a Stout, India Pale Ale, Kolsch Style Ale, and a Pale Bock Lager. I figured at a price tag of around a buck a beer I couldn't go wrong, especially with the hot days still among us.

The Stout:

Alright. First of all I am a big fan of creamy stouts. I get very skeptical about carbonated stouts, and would always prefer a Beamish or Young's Double Chocolate over a stout that is full of CO2. The Stout here is a bit on the weak side. It lacks that full bodied, just-drank-a-loaf-of-bread feeling and after my first I was feeling a little dissatisfied, although for the price, what could I really expect? I will say in this beer's favor that it gets better as it goes. As I continued through I found myself enjoying the effect of not feeling full from the Stout. If I was ranking it straight I would be hesitant to give this beer anything above a 3 but for the purpose of ranking these "shwag ales" I'm instituting an "Shwag Adjustment Scale" or SAS of 4 to the Stout.

The India Pale Ale:

All I have to say is this: If the India Pale Ale was labeled a Pale Ale I would give it a 3.5 straight up. But since it is a pale ale masquerading in the his much stronger older brother's bottle I have to give it SAS rank of 4.

The Pale Bock:

This beer was the most indistinct of the bunch. Not a lot of flavor or character. If there is nothing better around then I guess it would do, but I almost imagine I'd reach for the Pabst over this disappointing variety. SAS 3.

The Kolsch-Style Lager:

Easily my favorite of the pack! This is a beer I would be glad to drink on a hot afternoon. It is crisp, clear and refreshing. Although it lacks a substantial amount of the flavor complexities of traditional Kolsch Lagers, it makes up for it which true "drinkability" that was just refreshing. SAS 5.

Overall I think the Dundee Craft Pack is a step in the right direction for the brewers of Honey Brown. There were some highs and lows but overall it is a great value. Give it a try.

Dundee Brewing Co. Rochester NY

Skinny Dip (New Belgium Brewing)

After a long and stressful week of packing

and a move to Atlanta, GA, I was ready to

sit down and enjoy a glass in my new digs.

As I perused the beer aisle at the local grocers, Jordan suggested I try Skinny Dip from New Belgium Brewing. She is always raving about their most popular Fat Tire amber ale, which is a delightful change of pace, with it's mild flavor. I decided to give Skinny Dip a chance, and boy am I glad I did! This summer creation has the most malt flavor of any summer brew I have experienced yet and is perfect for the hot weather. The brew is balanced with a generous selection of Cascade Hops and lime leaf infusion to give a wonderful full-bodied flavor that has jumped to the top of my summer beer list. I cannot stress enough how great it is to experience a summer beer that utilizes malty flavor as this has. For those of you in the Northeast without access to this great treasure, all I can say is it's worth the trip to get one!

For those of you keeping score: 5 out of 5 for this hidden treasure.

On a side note for all you Green folks out there, New Belgium Brewing is employee owned and wind powered, touche.

Captain Lawrence Pale Ale (Bohemian Hall, Astoria)

It's officially warm out, which means it was time for us to hit up Astoria for the famous Beer Gardens. The Czech-run establishment boasts a large outdoor drinking area, a fantastic array of taps, and enough patrons to never be boring. It can be difficult to find a table but let's not get into the details here, we'll save that for a profile. Onwards, then, to yonder brew.

It seems that many individuals that own ships also enjoy brewing beer or, in the case of one very famous captain, rum. This here is Captain Lawrence Pale Ale, brewed by the Captain Lawrence Brewing Company. As far as I can tell this seems to be their only brew. Too bad, because its got one hell of a unique taste. To begin with, the initial taste is a sledgehammer of hops. Not quite Hopstoopid, but still a shock to the taste buds. Then, to the surprise of the Beerventure and their respective mouths, the taste transformed to a piney, outdoorsy type taste as we waited. More interestingly, you could actually feel the taste transforming. Fascinating, unique, and tasty. Unfortunately, the drawback was the initial hop blast as it mars the more complex aftertaste with its own. Nevertheless, its a quality beer and we gave it a 3.5 out of 5 for its unique-ness and overall flavor. I'd suggest a pint of it to any serious beer drinker, but if you're not into bitter, stay away.

http://www.captainlawrencebrewing.com/beer_list

Playing with Hops is like playing with fire, it might ruin your day but it's essential if you plan on doing anything except beating your chest.

Profile: Beer World (Sunnyside)

We decided it was time to shed some light on some of our favorite beer-providing locales. Whether it be a store, bar, or a beer-raining fountain, they have provided a plethora of ales, lagers, and stouts. Armed with these suppliers, we have been been able to continue our journey through rain, snow, wind, and cold.

The best place to start is the beginning, so let's talk about our local favorite: Beer World. Located in Sunnyside, Queens, this magical corner shop is part of a Russian Supermarket located on Queens Boulevard just off the 40th and Lowery Street stop on the 7 train. It's labeled well, but can look a little put-offish from the outside. Don't be dissuaded, go inside. The grocery store is a grocery store, but the Beer World section is a force to be reckoned with. Those shelves house some of the strangest beers from the furthest locations you can think of, and there is a never ending supply of single bottles that you just can't find anywhere else. You might be tempted to say, "Well, that doesn't look like that many choices". I would say to you, "But no, yon skeptical reader. See those bottles? Each one is a different brew." Needless to say they don't keep a large stock of any beer (save those that come in 30s), but the endless choices and reasonable prices make it a worthwhile location.

We're not in the business of rating bars or stores, so we'll keep the profiles to our favorite places. Though I may consider rating one of the aforementioned fountains...

Smoked Porter (Beer World, Sunnyside)

Rain is a pain, especially in New York City. Maybe it doesn't rhyme nicely, but it did drive us back to local and trusty Beer World in Sunnyside. Their vast selection never ceases to disappoint, though when your choosing at random you're bound to be disappointed with your own selection.

Enter Stone's Smoked Porter. Despite its badass gargoyle and promising name, the porter failed to even remotely live up to its promise of a smooth blend of chocolate, coffee, and "peat-smoked specialty malt". To start with, the head on the pour is massive. Although I've seen excitement over this, in reality it proved to be nuisance as I had to wait a full 5 minutes before I could drink it. This is a porter, not a stout. If I wanted the pour to be an art, I would have picked up something much darker, drier, and more expensive. The Smoked Porter has delusions of grandeur, and I ended up finishing it out of the bottle.

The taste only further added to my frustration. The porter is a smooth blend of malt and chalk balanced with the subtle character of dish water. To be fair, I was able to finish it thanks to the sheer complexity of its taste, so it manages to squeak out a 2 out of 5.

Stone Brewing Company's "Smoked Porter"

If you want to try it based on the label, I understand. Do yourself a favor, though, grab a six pack of something else too. You're going to need it while you wait.

Red Barchetta Ale (John Harvards, Manchester CT)

It's been a month, but we're back and kicking off round 2 with a sample from a new State: Connecticut, home of John Harvard's. John Harvard's is a microbrewery located in the northern part of the state. A trek to say the least, but a welcome change of pace from the Big Apple from time to time. In this case, a welcome change to the bank account. With $3 pints of home brews on weekdays, it's hard to find a better sampling place in the Tristate area when you take selection and cost into account.

Fending off Red Sox fans with one hand, I ordered the Red Barchetta Ale with the other. Named after the song by Rush, the Red Barchetta promised smooth, malty taste with a hop finale. It delivered. Very mild caramel starts the taste, with enough tingle to say, "yes, I am an Ale", while a rather abrupt hop taste finishes. It's an ale of extremes, which certainly leads to an interesting pint. What it doesn't lead to, however, is prolonged enjoyment. I lost taste for this guy after just two pinits, despite thouroughly enjoying my first, and had to order something else to continue the night. Quality? Yes. Drinkability? Eh, not so much. That doesn't mean it didn't wrack up enough points to grab a 4 out of 5 though.

No website for the beer, since its a microbrewery that changes its selections daily, but if your interested in the joint: http://www.johnharvards.com/index.shtml

Drinkability is a shwag quality anyway...

Farmhouse Ale Moo Thunder Stout

I first heard of Farmhouse Ales from a friend of mine who noted that he had just picked up a fantastic variety pack of great beer in CANS!

Being skeptical I couldn't seem to find it

anywhere to try it for myself, but did manage to try the Pork Slap Pale Ale at a friends once. Upon entering my local Sunnyside Beer World I found a whole cornucopia of Farmhouse Ales (actually the Butternut Brewery), so I decided to take a shot with the Moo Thunder Stout. First off, the can designs look like they were designed by someone

much too young to purchase adult beverages.

They are cartoony and put a smile on my face right away. Moo Thunder is a milk stout

and while being carbonated as opposed to nitrous

(like a Guinness or Old Speckled Hen) it still is remarkably creamy, no small wonder. The taste is pure malty stouty goodness with an abundance of chocolaty finish. This would go great with with the classic "meat and potatoes" type dish, or better yet, with a chocolate dessert.

I'm giving it a 4.5 outta 5, it's not my favorite stout out there(Young's Double Chocolate Stout), but it's pretty damn close. (and at a $1.50 a single at in NYC not bad either)

Sunset Wheat (Whole Foods, Upper West Side)

The Upper West Side is home to a long list of bars with taps of excellence, but sometimes you run out of money. When that happens, there's Whole Foods. With a beer selection rivaling many liquor stores and blowing the rest out of the water (not to mention their"fill your own Growler" section), the wholesale grocer allowed us to continue our journey.

With our day saved, we found this guy and had a taste at our Master Brewer's apartment. Leinenkugel's "Sunset Wheat", although a year-round brew, says "Hi, I'm Spring" then smashes you in the face with a bag of fruit. You've got to like wheat and citirus to like this one, but if you do then go snag a pack because your all set for tonight. Definatley a wheat-lover's beer, this guy is pale as a horseman and has a not-so-suble fruity aftertaste. It can be overwhelming at times if your not in to coriander, and definatly cannot be mixed with stouts. Overall, though, I liked it enough to give it a 4 out of 5.

http://www.leinie.com/sunset_wheat.html

Website suggests serving it with cheese. I suggest serving it with 65 degree weather and the month of March.

Island Creek Oyster Stout (Amsterdam 106, Upper West Side)

We made the trek out of Sunnyside to an old faithful named Amsterdam 106. Profile to come, lets get down to the beauty on the screen:

The picture does it no justice, but this is Harpoon's "Island Creek Oyster Stout". To be fair, it's really Kate Tame's "Island Creek Oyster Stout", as it is part of the 100 Barrel Series that was inspired either by a divine revelation or a group that really loves making beer. Essentially, they've invented Russian Roulette for beer except losing only means a trip to the porcelin god, while wining is a taste explosion. Every couple of months one of Harpoon's brewers gets to spin the chamber and invent their own brew which is then, in turn, fed to the general population. The result? Our first 5 out of 5.

The dry stout is a thick mix of smoked hickory, coffee, and chocolate perfectly blended to give it a smooth, warm taste. The coffee taste dominates, though not so much as to burn out the taste after a few. If you want my opinion: grab a four pack, shelf the Guiniess, and enjoy this St. Patrick's with a new taste (if not a new look).

http://www.harpoonbrewery.com/index.cfm?pid=28515

Boston is good for something it seems...

Anchor Steam (Maggie Mae's, Sunnyside)

I decided to do a little traveling to find a new beer this weekend, though I have several sitting at home. Found this guy at an Irish pub called "Maggie Mae's" less than a block from the apartment. The bar had some good reviews, but quickly disappointed thanks to blasting b-lot techno-pop and a crowd that made the Jersey Shore look like a WASP wedding. The same, unfortunately, can be said about the beer. With a name like "Anchor Steam", I expected a hardy, unfiltered shore lager. I got water instead. It's clean and crisp, but in the same manner that water is clean and crisp. Any taste it does have vanishes immediately, leaving you ready for the real beer. An ABV of 4.9% doesn't redeem it either. Not totally for the dogs though. I would take it over a shwag any day, and there are far worse things. I wouldn't gravitate to it in a store, but it could be a relief in if you find yourself at a college town nickle night. Think of it as a top-shelf beer pong beer.

Anchor Brewing's "Anchor Steam Beer": 3 out of 5

http://anchorbrewing.com/beers/

I've got 2 more and a profile in reserve. In the mean time, I wander on...

Railbender (Beer World, Sunnyside)

Beer World will keep me satisfied for a while. I grabbed this one based on the description on the box which reads, "Hop on the Train...Ride off the Rails". With an ABV of 6.8% and a smooth, mild taste, it lived up to its claim. Its hop-y aftertaste gave a little flare that kept it from growing dull through the night. I'd classify it as a high end middle-of-the-road ale. Definitely a classic taste to it.


Erie Brewing Company's "Railbender Ale": 4 out of 5

http://www.eriebrewingco.com/beer_railbender.html

I'll be looking for something a little darker and a little more extreme next time.

The Censored (Beer World, Sunnyside)

I've decided, based upon my love of beverage, that I want to know more about the wonderful beer world that is out there. As such, I have begun a delicious journey to find and sample as many different types of beer as I can afford. What better place to start than Beer World, right here in Sunnyside New York:

Lagunitas' "The Censored Rich Copper Ale": 3 out of 5

Drinkable for the whole night while maintaining a distinctive flavor.

http://www.lagunitas.com/beers/censored.html

A copper ale is an ale that is aged in oak casks. This allows it to keep its copper color and gives it that distinctive middle-of-the-road (between hops and malt) flavor.

Let the Beerventure begin!