Miasmatic Review

Consecrator Doppelbock

Tonight we have our third official Enabler. Ktreva, my wife, has donated her twelfth beer for review. Having done so, she has earned herself an enabler party which will be held at a future date. Keep your eyes peeled for invites. For her tenth and final beer we have one that has become one of her favorites, Consecrator Doppelbock by Bell’s Brewery in Kalamazoo, MI.

I originally had this at the brewery on tap, and then Ktreva wanted me to review it as she really liked it and bought a six pack of their standard 12 brown bottles. There is an off-white label with two goats that appear to be about to bump heads. The name of the beer is under the goats, the company logo is above.

It pours a rich ruby red and brown color. A thick frothy head formed that faded quickly to a film on the top of the beer and then to nothing. There is no lacing. The beer itself is clear. Light and images have no problem passing through.

The first thing I noticed when smelling it is that it has a very sweet smell. It’s almost like a barleywine like scent. The sweetness contains a fruity scent or raisins, prunes and tart cherries. A caramel malt scent balances it out. There is also a hint of alcohol that can be detected. The flavor is very much like the scent. Caramel malts with a touch of tart cherries. There is also an earthiness to it that that helps round out the flavor, making it more palatable. There is a slight alcohol taste to it, but not bad based on the fact it is 8% ABV.

This is a medium bodied beer with a touch of creaminess to it. There is a good level of carbonation so that it keeps fresh, but is also easy to drink.

Overall this is a nice doppelbock. It’s a little sweeter than what I prefer, but not bad. With an 8% ABV I don’t know that I would want to drink too many of them, but it is a good one to sit back on a hot summer night and enjoy one with some friends. I give it 5.5 out of 10.

Henry Weinhard's Blonde

Tonight’s beer is a first time submission from my friend Tina, AKA Wil’s Wife. She gave this to me when she came up for a pre-St. Pat’s celebration. The beer she chose for her initial donation is Henry Weinhard’s Blonde by the Blitz-Weinhard Brewing Company in Hood River, OR.

It comes in a customized 12 fl oz. brown bottle. It has the company logo and “Since 1856” cast into the bottle itself. The label is an off white with a gold border. The company logo is at the top, the name of the company below it. The word BLONDE is in a yellow stripe about two thirds of the way down. At the very bottom is the image of a mountain.

There is a clear, golden wheat coloring to it. You can see through the beer rather easily, not a hint of cloudiness at al. A quarter inch head formed on the top of the beer that faded to a film at the top. The film stayed in place until the beer was finished. There was no lacing on the side of the glass.

The first thing I noticed when taking a whiff of the beer is a roasted malt and corn scent. A citrus scent was also noticeable. There was also a slight grassy hop scent. The flavor was rather unassuming. Toasted malts and corn basically made up most of the flavor. I really can’t detect anything else, it’s not very impressive. There is a cornflake like aftertaste.

This is a light bodied beer. It’s a little heavier on the carbonation than one would expect with a light bodied beer. It has a good bite on the tongue.

This beer is less than impressive. It’s not bad, but it’s only a step up from your standard mass produced beers in America. I was less than impressed with it, and wouldn’t go out of my way to recommend it, nor purchase one. On the other hand, I wouldn’t turn one down if offered to me. I give it 4 out of 10.

Happy 2010 St. Patricks Day

I hope you all have a Happy St. Patrick's Day! May you all do plenty of Car Bombs, good Irish Stouts and eat a lot of Corned Beef and Cabbage!

O'Fallon Smoke

For the first time in a year I finally get to buy and try a beer I’ve wanted to try for a while. I’ve made it through all of the donated beers. I went to the store and found a six-pack of O’fallon Smoke by O’Fallon Brewery in Stevens Point, WI. This brings me up to my third Enabler Glass!

They use the standard 12 fl oz brown bottle. There is a grey label with a smoke design on it. In the middle is a picture in shades of grey and red of a guy sitting by a campfire producing a lot of smoke. O’Fallon is at the top of the design. The word smoke is at the bottom. Under the smoke it says “Smoked Porter”. There is a ribbon on it to show it won a 2004 gold medal winner for best smoked beer in America.

It has a dark walnut color with a garnet highlight. The beer is mostly opaque; however some light passes through the edges without having to hold it up to a light source. When poured into a glass, a quarter inch tan head forms. It fades slowly to a film at the top. There is no lacing at all.

The smell is a rich hickory and peat smoke scent that is the most noticeable. Subtle undertones of coffee and cocoa roasted malts can be detected. The flavor starts off with a good smoked meat flavor, not the meat flavor as the smoke flavor of smoked meat. Dark fruits and roasted coffee malts finish it off. There is a very mild aftertaste.

This is a medium to light bodied beer. The carbonation is very mild; there is no bite to the tongue.

The smokiness isn’t over powering, but real pleasant. It’s not like a Rauchbeir where the smokiness is so strong and ever present that you almost can’t get past it. This is more of a subtle, well blended smokiness. The beer drinks easy. I can see myself craving this beer later on, or getting a six pack to give to a friend. I really enjoyed this beer and give it 7.5 out of 10.