Lakefront Brewery's Bridge Burner Special Reserve Ale

Here's another beer from Lakefront Brewery. We initially reviewed them here so if you wanna know more jack about them, go take a Gander Mountain there.

This beer already has two good things going for it; it's from Lakefront and its a Special Reserve Ale and anyone know knows anything know I like special shit. How special is this shit? Answer: not special at all. It's a year round libation that any jerk can get in Illinois or Wisconsin. So you could imagine my disappointment when I found out how un-special my special beer was. Their marketing group gets a tip of the hat because they totally got me; hook, line and sinker.

So what else can we say about this special ale other than it isn't special? Well, name aside there are some pretty remarkable things about this beer. Notably it has a 8.5% ABV which means it can take the paint off your car. And if "special" means you won't remember your night after a 6-pack then I stand corrected.

So clearly, you can see this beer is dark and has a fairly large, tan head. It's pretty thick and oaktrees your glass, which is great when you want to count how many sips you've been taking.

Oaktree Effect

It has a sweet scent which is totally representative to its taste. So that being said, it has a sweet taste. Duh. It has a full bodied, malty taste. It's smooth, thick and delicious. It has a little bitterness to it and has around 38 IBUs. They use two row, caramel, aromatic and chocolate malts and zeus, cascade, willamette and centennial hops. I hope you are taking notes so you can brew your own. But this stuff is so good that you can cough up the $5.50 to buy a double deuce you G.D. cheapskate.

This is a dandy beer for malty beer lovers and IPA fans; a real crowd pleaser. Babes may not dig it and request a Zima with a Jolly Rancher instead but that's cool; more for you. You may not be able to shove a million of these down your throat but I'll be dipped if this isn't a real tasty brew. I would totally get it again and see if I can pass out after three if I drink them real fast. Ah. The glorification of alcohol.

Drinkability: 7/10
Taste: 9/10
Value: 7/10
Curb Appeal: 7/10

Overall: 7.5/10

Brewery Ommegang's Hennepin Farmhouse Saison

Crank it and spank it ladies and germs!

Let me start off by saying Ommegang really tickles my heartstrings. They truly cater to the lazy boozehound. They sell these magnums and cram 7.7% ABV in these mothers. Getting drunk wasn't this easy since middle school!

For all the scholars out there, we originally reviewed Ommegang here. So if you want to read up on them I highly suggest you read that. If you're a slacker, like I'm guessing you are, I'll tell you a little more about this beer.

Any asshole can simply read the bottle and tell you where the term Hennepin originated. So let me type it for you and you can just read it. Named after Louis Hennepin, supposed avid pinball champion and explorer was the first turkey from Europe to visit Niagra Falls. Rumor has it he started the first bullshit wax museum and creamsicle flavored malt liquor. What else does Niagra Falls suck at? We don't have time for that.

From the site if this bad bastard, it's got more head than Man-E-Faces from He-Man. It follows up with a pretty serious champagne-esque fountain of bubbles stemming from the bottom of the glass. The head is whiter than Columbian cocaine and the beer itself its a clear amber beauty. The head adheres to the sites of your glass, exposing its deep, flavorful undertones.

The scent shits yeast.  It prepares your taste buds for a bitter, dry aftertaste.  For as dry as a finish as it has, the initial taste is crisp.  Initial chugs will deceive that this beer is light and uninteresting, however, when washing your mouth with it, the yeast triggers a malty, bubbling sensation encompassing your mouth. This beer is like a champagne and white wine rolled into one.

I don't typically care for saisons so my opinion is a little biased, however, I try and be fair. This beer does a great job. It isn't obnoxious but I can't see myself drinking more than a magnum in one sitting. I'm pretty sure most of Ommegang's stuff is Belgian-style. I don't care for belgians myself, but I know when a brewer makes a great beer.  I don't mind this beer at all. I wouldn't buy a case of it but I'd be real excited (and drunk) if someone brought some to an event to share.

It's hoppy, crisp and full bodied. I'd suggest to pour this in a stemmed glass. You want to keep this cold like white wine and you don't want to drink a mouthful of yeast at the bottom of the bottle like a real jerk.

Drinkability: 6/10
Taste: 8/10
Value: 6/10
Curb Appeal: 7/10

Overall: 6.75/10

Flying Dog Brewery - UnderDog Atlantic Lager

Hey all, it's been awhile. I'm back for my yearly review.

I bring to you another one from a favorite brewery of mine, the Flying Dog Brewery out of Frederick, Maryland. These guys pay homage to the late gonzo journalist, Hunter S. Thompson, whom you may have heard of. Ralph Steadman, a british artist & close friend of Thompson's, has created the label artwork for Flying Dog since 1995. And might I say, he does a humdinger of a job on those labels.

This lager gives you the best of both worlds; the crisp hoppy taste & aroma of an ale yet the smooth feel and finish of a good lager thanks to a variety of hops and specialty malts. At 28 IBU's this lager is one of the darker lagers on the IBU scale yet it still holds a crisp and light taste.

You can give me the Pepsi challenge with this beer any day of the week and one thing I'm not going to guess is that it's a lager. The hoppy finish is something you would expect from a pale ale. This beer holds a refreshing taste yet it doesn't quite meet my category of tailgating beers. This is a beer that you can enjoy 2 or 10 of at the local pub; and at 4.7% AB, that's doable for a seasoned boozer. 

I picked a six-pack up for around 9 bucks at the local Giant Eagle, just make sure you check the expiration date when buying beer from those ninnies. 

If the thought of pouring an amber lager and an IPA together into a glass and drinking it sounds good to you, then well here you go.

good people drink good beer

Drinkability: 7/10

Taste: 8/10

Value: 8/10

Curb Appeal: 10/10

Overall: 8.25/10