worked til pretty late last night. I've decided to pop open some stuff in my cellar and throw out some half-assed reviews of some new(er) stuff I've tried recently, and stuff that I'm beginning to really enjoy and would like to recommend to some of my buddies that tell me they actually read this thing.
Fantome - Saison
I had this beer for the first time about a half year ago, and enjoyed it then. I've tried it a handful more times since and seem to like it more and more as I try it. I think initially you might call it a "sour", but I think it's more tart than sour. It's got a good tart/sweet bite, a little bit of funk, and it's nice and earthy/grassy which is what I really like in a Saison. It finishes very clean and with only minimal hop bitterness. It's refreshing, obscenely easy to drink, no characteristic is overpowering and everything plays nicely with each other. Like many of the brews I consider the "best", it practices the fine art of subtlety. I wouldn't put a new beer nerd on to this right away, but if you can get some good saisons under their belt, like Saison Dupont, or Boulevard's Tank 7, this might be a good next step. It also might be a good way to bridge the gap if you or someone else wants to try some of the more sour brews.
Be forewarned: A 750ml bottle of this usually runs around 14 bucks a pop, retail.
Half-assed verdict: 8.5/10
Boulevard - Amber Ale
I think most beer nerds see Amber Ales as kinda lame beers, and stuff that's left for the newbie who thinks they're branching out because "OMG, THIS IS A DARK BEER". I've been on that boat before, and too often roll my eyes when someone asks me for a good "Amber". Regardless, this is actually a really solid session brew. I'd be more than happy if this were the beer of choice for a Super Bowl party, or something similar. It's got a nice full body, a good mingling of sweet and bitter, and enough taste to make you want more, but not overpower you. I'd say the flavor profile is a bit of caramel up front, and just enough hops to give it a clean finish, nothing more. It's not meant to blow up your palate, and it's not meant at any one point to make you go "WOW". But if you click on the link (the session brew), that's the point of a session beer, you can put down a sixer and not be in a vomit-inducing state. Like many other Ambers, this one is still a good introduction to craft beer in that it's not too overpowering, or unapproachable, and the AB/Miller/Coors drinker can still say: "OMG, THIS IS A DARK BEER" which will make them happy.
Also helping the sessionability, this won't go for more than 8-9 bucks a sixer.
Half-assed verdict: 6.9999/10
Abita - Jackamo IPA
Abita is one of those breweries everyone gets excited about because they drank a ton of it while they were having a good time, and associate that with quality. The brewery is out of Louisiana so they most likely had it while getting shit-canned, eating gumbo during a binge drinking weekend in New Orleans. I have no problem with all of those things, I'm just posting this particular beer because it is another example of what is (IMO) an average, at best, brewery. Abita's beer really isn't anything special. You might associate it with good times, but just because an ugly girl is good in the sack, doesn't mean she isn't ugly. You were drunk, and it was fun......just like this beer. Specifically, their IPA is really awful. It's sloppy, overly sharp, the malt is too thin and syrupy sweet, and the hops are far too bitter and out of balance. I'm not sure what hop variety they used but it's "unpleasant" at best. I had this once at a beer festival and had to pour out the other half of my 3 ounce sample. It's going to rank higher than your bud lights, etc...but only because it at least attempts to impart flavor on the drinker, and has a decent ABV so at least you can tie one on more quickly. I'm not a huge IPA-nut, but this isn't an issue of style for me, this is just me having an issue with a poorly made beer.
Half-assed verdict: 3/10
Well, that's all for now.
Cheers, folks.
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