Instead of my usual ramblings, I was hoping to solicit your opinion. What do you like or dislike about the World Brew Review so far? Are there any beers you have tried that you think are worthy of a review or do you want to see coverage of a particular topic? Do you just have general questions or comments? Send us an email and let us know what you are thinking. It would be nice to hear from you.
Cheers!
Jason Arakelian Editor and Reviewer
Beers Reviewed in this Issue
Dortmunder Union Export (Germany – Dortmund Lager) Wychwood Scarecrow (England – Pale Ale) Wychwood Fiddler's Elbow (England – Pale Ale) St. Peter's English Ale (England – Bitter) Cooper's Extra Strong Vintage Ale (Australia – Strong Ale) Unibroue 11 (Canada – Belgian Strong Golden Ale) Malheur 10 (Belgium – Belgian Strong Golden Ale) Malheur Brut Reserve (Belgium – Champenoise Brut) Malhuer 12 (Belgium – Belgian Strong Dark Ale) Duyck Jenlain (France – Biere de Garde) Herold Bohemian Black Lager (Czech Republic – Schwarzbier) Stepan Razin Porter (Russia – Baltic Porter) Baltika Porter (Russia – Baltic Porter) O'Hanlon's Ruby Stout (England – Dry Stout with Port) Weyerbacher Old Heathen (USA – Imperial Stout)
Dortmunder Union Export
This is a straw colored lager from the city of Dortmund, Germany. It has a great delicate hop aroma and a malty body with a dry, crisp finish. A very refreshing brew that would pair well with fish.
Wychwood
Scarecrow The hop aroma of this beer is reminiscent of lemon and iced tea. There is a good maltiness with a rounded hop finish.
Fiddler's Elbow This beer is slightly hoppier than Scarcreow with both a slight citrus and mint taste. It is well balanced and very quaffable.
St. Peter's English Ale
A light orange colored ale with a sweet aroma. There is a slight taste of anise amidst the fruity/flowery body and it finishes with a nice hoppiness and the lingering taste of marmalade.
Cooper's Extra Strong Vintage Ale
I sampled the 2000 vintage, which was the third batch that Cooper's brewed. I sampled it in 2003 so it had time to age. The copper/amber colored beer was lean with a fruity aroma. It was malty, creamy and mellow.
Unibroue 11
This slightly cloudy golden ale is capped with a tremendous rocky head. It has a flowery hop aroma that is slightly citrus. It is lemony and grassy and the high alcohol content is very noticeable. The carbonation is a little harsh. I think it would be best served if it aged for a few years to let it mellow out.
Malheur
10 This golden ale has a huge soft head and hoppy aroma. It has a hefty alcohol content, yet it is hidden well among the complex body of malt and spicy phenols.
Brut Reserve This is a wonderful beer that I wish I could find more readily. It is produced using the same method used for champagnes in France by freezing the yeast in the neck of the bottle and removing it. As far as I know it is a truly unique beer. This slightly cloudy golden ale has a big, fluffy head. The aroma is part fruity and part delicate hoppiness. It is quite complex and tasted of apricot, peach, and vanilla. It has a spicy hop finish and leaves you wanting to finish the whole bottle even though it is the size of a wine bottle and is
11% ABV.
12 This dark ruby-brown beer has a big tan head and a spicy, yeasty aroma. Its taste is fruity with a flowery hop finish.
Duyck Jenlain
A hoppy beer from France that is a cloudy amber in color. The soft head is good sized and gives off an aroma of oranges and prunes. The oily body finishes slightly spicy with notes of anise.
Herold Bohemian Black Lager
Many people think that dark beers are not for them because they are too heavy or strong. This beer is neither. It has a raisiny, buttery aroma. The taste is fruity with a slightly burnt maltiness and a crisp, clean finish. A very good comforting beer that is quite refreshing despite its appearance.
Stepan Razin Porter
This porter is a dark ruby color when held up to the light. It has a firm body that is spicy and tastes of raisins. It finishes with slight whiskey notes and warming alcohol.
Baltika Porter
The style of baltic porter was introduced to Russia during the reign of Catherine the Great, but this brewery was not established until the last days of Communism. This beer is dark, but not as thick as you might expect. The medium body is smooth and fruity with hints of raisin and fig and there are slight whiskey notes in the finish.
O'Hanlon's Ruby Stout
This dry stout from England is infused with a small amount of Ruby Port. You need to like strong tasting beer to enjoy this one. Its opaque black color and soft, light tan head give rise to a burnt aroma with a slight fruitiness. The smooth, full body has a huge burnt malt character that finishes with a winey tinge and slight vanilla.
Weyerbacher Old Heathen
This stout is as black as night with a little head. It has a sweet chocolate and coffee aroma. The huge maltiness mostly tastes of roasted coffee. It finishes slightly dry with a taste of molasses. This beer would be good with a chocolate dessert or as a nightcap on a cold night.
The Good, the Bad, and The Ugly "The Good" – Mead Want to try something new? How about mead? Mead is a fermented honey drink that is supposedly the oldest fermented beverage, older than beer or wine. Essentially, it is made by mixing honey and water and then adding yeast. One great producer of mead is the Lurgashall Winery in England. They produce a variety of meads that are exported to the U.S. Their English Mead is pale yellow in color with a flowery and sweet taste. Their Special Reserve Mead is vintage dated and is aged in oak barrels. The result is a darker yellow color with an oaky aroma. There are some whiskey notes to go with the flowery, perfumy taste and the finish is slightly drier as well as the alcohol content being stronger.
"The Bad" – Saxer Lemon Lager I am not against fruit flavored beer at all. In fact some of my favorite beers have fruit in them, but this may be the worst. It has a citrus aroma, but tastes like a lemon soda that is not sweet enough. I did not find that it tasted too much like a beer. I suspect it might appeal to those who enjoy other malternative beverages.
"The Ugly" – Route 59 Beverage It is not too difficult to take care of beer, right? I did not think so until I purchased nine different beers from a distributor in West Nyack, New York. All of the beers tasted worse than stale. I have no idea how they stored them, but please, if you are in this area do not go to Route 59 Beverage. Maybe it has no affect on the beers that have a fast turnover, but I bought nine beers that I thought I would never find in the US and I wish I still had not. They all had the same off taste that I can't adequately describe. They were not all from the same brewer, so I could not even blame them. Some were domestic, some were foreign, but all were bad. Buyer beware.
World Brew Review Staff Jason Arakelian: Editor/Reviewer Emily Grant: Graphic Design/Editorial Consultant
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