"You can never buy beer, you just rent it."
- Archie Bunker
Beer may be man's best invention. With that said, light beer may be the worst. Would someone please tell me why you would drink this stuff? As far as I can tell, only the uneducated consumer would choose a light beer. I have seen many people pass up Guinness because "it has way too many calories," but let me enlighten you. Per twelve ounces of beer, there are 120 calories in Guinness and about 95 in most light beers (Miller Lite, Bud Light, and Michelob Ultra). To me,
25 calories is not that many. I think I can burn them off going out to my car. Look at what you are sacrificing. I am not saying everyone should drink Guinness, but most beers do not have that many more calories than light beer. Yes, there are some anomalies like Sam Adams Triple Bock with around 340, but it does weigh in at a whopping
17.5% ABV. Sure, the additional calories add up if you go on an all-night bender, but if you are drinking to get drunk, my suggestion is to drink something that will do the job quicker. Why rely on beer to get you hammered, when whiskey does a better job? If you do not like the way hard liquor tastes, there are enough mixed drinks out there that you could find one that you will like. I am not preaching that you should not drink more than one or two beers in a sitting, but to drink a whole case is ridiculous. As a side note, I am also not advocating that you drink to get wasted, but I am not naïve to the world. Another habit that may hurt your waistline is snacking. Alcohol drops your blood sugar, thus making you hungry, and on top of that, hops used in beer are an appetite stimulant. So of course you will get hungry. I would rather eat diet food than drink light beer. Beer is something to enjoy, so do not deprive yourself of drinking quality brew. Cheers!
Jason Arakelian Editor and Reviewer
Beers Reviewed in this Issue
Black Sheep Ale (England – Pale Ale) La Choulette La Robespierre (France – Biere de Garde) Thomas Kemper Weizen Berry (USA – Hefe Weizen with fruit) Leipziger Gose (Germany – Gose) Bridgeport IPA (USA – India Pale Ale) Heavyweight Biere d'Art (USA – Biere de Garde) O'Hanlon's Rye Beer (England – Rye Ale) Einbecker Schwarzbier (Germany – Schwarzbier) Dogfish Head Midas Touch (USA – Experminetal Barlyewine) Jopen Koyt Gruit (The Netherlands – Gruit)
Black Sheep Ale
A fine example of an English Ale that has a sweet, hoppy aroma and a smooth body. The slight fruitiness gives way to anise and woody tastes. Another beer produced by this brewer is Monty Python's Holy Grail Ale. There are more pronounced cedar and anise notes in this beer as well as a slight orangeness.
La Choulette La Robespierre
The Biere de Garde is usually a very hoppy style. In this case, this golden ale is more subdued and is maltier than traditional examples. It has a huge head, tastes of sweet apples, and has a delicate hop finish.
Thomas Kemper Weizen Berry
Fruit beers are not considered manly, but this beer is a great cross between a Hefe Weizen and a fruit beer that can impress even the machoest. There are slight banana clove notes that explode into sweet raspberry. This is a cloudy wheat beer that has a clean and refreshing taste.
Leipziger Gose
As far as I know this is the only commercially available version of this style in the US, and there are not many brewers who produce it in its native Germany. It does not follow the German Purity Law because of the use of salt and coriander, which creates an unusual end result. It has a spicy aroma and is complex to taste. There is a reminiscence of pretzels from the salt, yet it is also slightly sour and has notes of orange.
Bridgeport IPA
This beer is fruity and dry, yet very hoppy. It has a strong citrus aroma. The creamy body tastes of tangerine and vanilla, almost reminiscent of a creamsicile. It finishes with a minty bitterness.
Heavyweight Biere d'Art
Here is a Biere de Garde from a brewer in New Jersey. The glowing amber color is mesmerizing. The spicy, fruity aroma gives way to orange and pepper notes.
O'Hanlon's Rye Beer
This is a bottle conditioned, amber colored beer that will surprise you. It has a spicy, fruity aroma. The oily body brings tastes of mint, passionfruit and possibly mango, and of course bittersweet rye. Not many brewers attempt beers with rye, but once you try this, I'm sure you will wonder why few brew this style.
Einbecker Schwarzbier
The Schwarzbier is a dark lager that originated in Germany. Many people are intimidated by dark beers, but this is perfect for those who have a hard time moving to a stout. This ruby, brown beer has a sweet licorice aroma that is malty and slightly spicy. There is a crisp, delicate noble hop finish
Dogfish Head Midas Touch
One could try to classify this beer, but there truly is no category that it fits into. I believe it is a one of a kind brew that is based on the drink of the real King Midas. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania did an analysis on what is believed to be the cup of King Midas, and Dogfish Head produces a beer based on this finding. It is strange to hear the ingredients listed, but the final product is something that I will not soon forget. Of course there is barley, but there is also honey, grapes, and saffron. There are no hops, but I would not call this a Gruit. It is winey and fruity and the saffron adds a bit of spiciness to round out the syrupy body. Maybe this is not truly a beer, but more of a cross between a beer, a wine, and a mead (honey wine).
Jopen Koyt Gruit
Some of the first Gruits originated in The Netherlands and this is a good embodiment of the style. This brown unhopped ale is best for a cold night with its full, hardy body and warming alcohol content. The body is sweet and malty with spicy pepper tastes.
Haacht
Originally a dairy, this one hundred year old brewery is steeped in tradition. They have since added brewing and later decided to focus on brewing exclusively. They are probably best known for their lager, Primus, but they do produce other beers as well as soft drinks. One such beer comes from the recent revival in witbiers, which is simply called Haacht Witbier. This is cloudy with a huge, soft head like many of its counter parts. Its use of orange zest and coriander helps create the spicy-sweet citrus taste is typical of the style, but this beer is not as sweet as others and finishes with a lovely delicate bitterness. It is a refreshing, dry beer that goes great with the waning days of summer.
World Brew Review Staff Jason Arakelian: Editor/Reviewer Emily Grant: Graphic Design/Editorial Consultant
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