3.5% ABV beer has good flavor. Light and smooth in taste, it is dark brown in color.

Some head, some lacing on the sides.

Not bad for the first beer after 5 hours in the sun.

From the menu:

This Mexican lager is introduced each year at Cinco de Mayo and is slightly dark but not overly bitter with burnt and roasted malt characteristics that stouts or porters tend to depend on. Instead, hops are used for a good portion of the bitterness. Very refreshing and soul lifting but one with depth and color and taste. Goes well with Pinatas and Nachos.

It is a bitter beer. There is a small head with lacing on the glass. The color is very dark, porter like in it’s inky brown darkness. You cam smell the roasted notes. 5.5 ABV. Served with lime wedges on the rim.

Comes in a clear glass bottle. Color is light. Taste is somewhat bland. Aroma is fairly standard for a mass produced beer. Mouth feel is thin and a bit watery.

There is a clean, white head on the poor. The head is light and doesn’t last. A few bubbles cling to the glass but disappear quickly.

All in all, it’s not bad beer. It’s just not that interesting.

Rich ruby pour with great floral and hops aroma. Sturdy head, off-white with small tight bubbles. The lacing on the glass is thick.

The taste is fruity, but in a good way. It is light and refreshing.

Once the head mostly dissipated, there were “pebbles”. These were little nodules of the head floating on the top of the beer. There’s nothing wrong with them, I guess, but it is a little off.

… or a Bad Bottle of Warsteiner Dunkel …

I’ve had Warsteiner Dunkel before. I really enjoyed it. There was a richness and depth to the flavor that I did not expect at the time, but a flavor I found … yummy.

I was at the store today. I opted to pick up a 6 of the Warsteiner because a) it had been awhile, b) I like darker and heavier beers this time of year, and c) it and I were there. The experience was a little like calling that girl who, while you never formally were an item nor wanted to be, you could call up on short order and have better than decent odds of having a good time.

This evening I cracked open a bottle and took it for a pour. It was good. Rich & dark, but not opaque in the glass. The dunkel had a finger’s worth of head with some lacing left on the side of the glass.

I stuck my nose into the glass and took a big old whiff and …

D’ohhhhhhh (a Homer Simpson D’oh! with a slow exhalation of disappointment). The beer was a bit off. I could smell a hint of sulphur. Not Satan-level sulphur, not even left-in-the-back-of-the-girlfriend’s-Pontiac-on-a-warm-spring-day Red Stripe.

I’ve been told, and where I’m wrong Neal and Jeff and the rest of the team will correct me in my erroneous ways, that Austrian, German, and Dutch lagers typically have more compounds that react negatively to light and heat than do the average British, American, or Canadian offerings. This reaction typically leads to “skunking”, or an increase in sulphur compounds in the brew. Once a beer is skunked, I’m not aware of a remedy. However, I’ve been known to hang onto off beers for a spell to use in cooking.

When I parboil ribs, pork or especially beef, or if I’m doing up beer brats with peppers and onions, I’ll use the skunked beer. In the case of the peppers and onions, the onions have many of the same compounds. The brats will already be seasoned heavily. Parboiling the ribs, when I do it, is typically the first step. A dry rub and grilling is yet to come. The beer is meant to add some flavor and, with the heat, help soften up the connective tissue in the meat. Normally the meat I get is of good quality so I don’t have to resort to the stock pot.

If the beer is cover-your-nose-awful, the only cure is to dispose of it. Down the drain is one option, but if you have a compost pile or backyard garden or a lawn use it there. ‘Reduce, Reuse, Recycle’ and all that.

The other good news is that I’ve opened another of the Warsteiner. This one is not skunked. I am pleased.

I was over at Western Market after picking up my glasses with the new prescription. I almost picked up another Michigan brew when I saw the Michigan Brewing Company’s combination pack. I opted for it, of course, and will post my thoughts and findings on the brews.

This amber lager is an interesting brew. It’s similar to but less hoppy than a Magic Hat offering that I’ve yet to review. I recommend both, certainly this one for a wider audience. Snobs and neophytes can be boosters for this one.

Presentation

In typical Michigan Brewing Company tradition, there’s a descriptive picture inside a banner circle. The bottles are dark, as they should be. I picked this up as part of a twelve bottle multi-pack.

Pour

Amber definitely describes the color. There was a smallish but decent frothy head.

Aroma

The smell was slightly hoppy and fragrant, almost floral.

Taste

The brew hit me as more sweet than the average lager. There was also something, almost cinnamon but not, with caramel to boot.

Reviewer’s Grade

B-

From the Brewer

“Brewed in the tradition of the Austrian Vienna-style lager popularized in Bavaria’s Oktoberfest celebrations, Sunset Amber is a true cold aged lager beer.  A perfect beer for those who want a full flavored brew without too much hop bitterness.  Our amber lager shines like a golden sunset.  The pleasant caramel flavor is lightly balanced with Northern Brewer and other hops to satisfy the palates of most beer lovers.“

Statistics

Price/Quantity: $8.99/6 pack 12 ounce bottles
ABV: unknown
IBU: unknown
Calories: unknown
Suggested Glass: Pint glass
Website: Michigan Brewing Company

The Detroit Dwarf is a red lager

Detroit Dwarf is actually brewed in Webberville, MI by the Michigan Brewing Company.

Presentation

The bottle is dark. The label is bright but verbose.

Pour

The pour is reddish with a small head. The color is a dark red.

Aroma

Taste

Hops and citrus leap out. It’s a flavorful red, no doubt. The tongue feel is easy going down with some bite in the after taste.

Reviewer’s Grade

B+

Statistics

Price/Quantity: $8.99/6 pack 12 ounce bottles
ABV: unknown
IBU: unknown
Calories: unknown
Suggested Glass: Pint glass
Website: Detroit Beer Co.

Mill St. is a fantastic brewery in Toronto. If you find yourself in the Distillery District, go to their restaurant. If you’re at an L.C.B.O. or The Beer Store and see anything labeled Mill St. grab it.

The organic lager is … okay. There’s not alot of flavor or character to it, though I prefer this to a pilsner, any light beer anywhere, or any mass produced commodity beer in the US. The web page describes it as “delicate”, and that’s as good an adjective as I can come up with.

It’s a 4.2% ABV with a filtered, yellow color. There’s not alot of nose to it. It drinks easy.

If you’re keen on organic beer, this is your brew. I’ve tasted many, many worse options. Mill St. Organic Lager is superior to most mass produced off-the-shelf beers in the U.S. If you like a Bud or Miller or their ilk, you will more than like the Mill St. Organic. Take a suitcase home with you.

Presentation

The bottles are clear. The label underwhelms.

Pour

The color is yellow. The head is sparse.

Aroma

Nondescript, but not in a bad way

Taste

The taste is surprisingly okay.It drinks easy.

Reviewer’s Grade

C

Statistics

Price/Quantity: $12.99 CAD/6 pack 12 ounce bottles
ABV: 4.2%
IBU: unknown
Calories: unknown
Suggested Glass: Pint glass
Website: Mill Street Brewery

This ‘Authentic Bavarian Festival Lager’ was strongly recommended by the staff at Western Market in Ferndale. It’s a 5.6% ABV in a 500ml/1 pint 9 ounce bottle.

A good brew for $2.99 US. I’m not sure if I’ll cellar this one or not.

Presentation

The label is non-descript with a German farm house at the center. The bottle is dark.

Pour

The pour looked to be filtered with a rich yellow-orange color. It pours with a good head and tight bubbles.

Aroma

The smell was rich with citrus.

Taste

The taste is decidedly citrus-y. It seems to have some of the same sulphuric compounds as a North American would expect in a European lager like Heineken or Stella Artois, but fewer. It took the glass coming to room temperature before I could detect it.

Statistics

Price/Quantity: $2.99/1 pint 9 ounce bottle
ABV: 5.6%
IBU: unknown
Calories: unknown
Suggested Glass: Pint glass
Website: Ayinger