Monthly Archives: December 2009

What are you drinking on New Years?

I did a post back when the Obama administration took office on the beer that I would be drinking for the Inauguration. That lead me to think about the beer that I would be having for New Years. I have been scouring the store shelves looking for the right beer to fit for the day. I finally came across it while at the World Market the other day.

I have decided to go with Sierra Nevada’s Celebration Ale. What other time of the year gets celebrated as much as New Years. While I can claim that I have never been to a New Years party (is that sad) I can say that I have enjoyed many a tasty brew from the safe confines of my house. Last year I had a helping for three different stouts and a nice barleywine. Celebration Ale is on tap this year and I am super excited. I haven’t had it in just over two years now, which is right around my awakening to craft beer.

So I am excited to get to taste it again and see if I like it as much as I did before. The biggest thing I remember it tasting like is a Christmas tree, but we shall see if that still holds true as my tastes have evolved. Celebration Ale is also appropriate becasue January 1st marks the one year anniversary of BreweryReviewery. Have a happy and safe New Years everyone, I have a bunch of fun plans for the site coming up this year.

Beer Review #38 Full Moon

I can honestly say that I don’t do “macro” brews on here very often. That is do to a number of factors, but the main two are that I like to support smaller breweries and that I think the smaller breweries turn out a better product. Full Moon is brewed by the Blue Moon Brewing Company, which is a spin-off of Coors. Blue Moon actually got its start at the test brewery for Coors located at Coors Field. As Dane Cook would say, “there’s a fun fact for you (an FF).” Is that still relevant, I mean really when is the last time you heard a Dane Cook joke?

And back to topic we go. My wife used to love this beer, and being that seasonal beers are tough to find in Lubbock, I’m willing to buy almost any seasonal, from wherever, and made by whomever. So we grabbed it. Full Moon pours a ruby color with an off-white head that quickly diminishes. It is crystal clear, if that matters to you. The bottle says the following, “this full-bodied ale is brewed with roasted malts and a hint of Dark Belgian sugar for a perfectly balanced taste.” OK then.

The nose on the beer is a malty sweetness, with a small bit of Belgian sugar. There is an ever so slight hint of the Belgian yeast, but you could easily miss it. The taste starts with a slightly malty tone, followed by some slight Belgian yeast. The candy sugar in the beer is the most apparent taste with some bready notes also buried in there. I’m surprised a Belgian beer could be toned down so much on the yeast ends of things. The taste is not super strong, but it does give a nice ending to the beer. There isn’t any hop flavor in there either, not that it should always be expected with a Belgian beer.

The body of the beer comes in light-medium and it is rather watery. Blue Moon puts this under an Abbey Ale while I have also seen it classified as a Belgian Dubbel. Which ever the case, it is a watered down version of a true representative of this style. It is drinkable, but for most craft beer drinkers I think this one misses the mark. It is a great introduction to craft beer though for a newcomer. While it is made by a macro, it is balanced enough to not turn someone off. This isn’t going to be for a Belgian beer lover, but as an introduction to the style, it isn’t bad. Continue reading →

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas from all of us here at Brewery Reviewery. We hope that Santa brought you a bunch of beer related goodies to keep that beer geek inside of you happy. Come January 1st BreweryReviewery will celebrate its first year on the net. Plenty of things have changed on the site and we have a whole bunch of ideas and things that we want to do to make this one of the best beer blogs on the internet.

Again, have a Merry Christmas and enjoy a good beer or six during the holiday season.