Each week Doug will kick off the weekend with a cold one. Doug and his buddy Matt will feature some of the great beers we all know and love and also delve into some of the more unique brews and hopefully have you looking at beer differently as the weeks go on.
If you miss a week, this is where you can get caught up.
Slainte Scottish Ale
This is another beer that Matt and I had never heard of. But honestly, it surprised us both. While a hearty dark beer, it was smoother than anticipated. It has a strong coffee start, with some roasted overtones, but a smooth, slightly hoppy finish. Very surprising.
In-Heat Wheat Heffeweizen
Matt and I knocked back a tasty treat from Flying Dog, the In-Heat Wheat Heffeweizen. The last heffeweizen we tried was a bit sour, more like a wit beer; but this one had all the things that make a good heffeweizen. Smooth taste, slightly fruity, and way good. I liked this one a lot.
Liljas Hell Hound Brown Ale
Matt and I took on the Hell Hound this week. Sand Creek Brewings Liljas Hell Hound Nut-Brown Ale that is. And man, this thing had some bite to it. That's not a bad thing. This is one very full flavored beer. It does have a nutty flavor to it, but also some of that bitter full mouth action that you'll find in fuller flavored beers. I say give this one a go.
Shock Top Wheat IPA
Matt and I decided to try a little Shock Top Wheat IPA. We've been dabling in the IPAs for a while now and this one is pretty good. Although, if you're looking for a traditional IPA, you won't find it here. Matt put it best when he said he thought it tasted just like you took a good wheat beer and poured an IPA into it. Smooth and creamy with a bit of that bitter hoppy taste. All in all, I liked it.
Weize Guy Hefeweizen
Matt and I sat down with a cold one Joseph James called Weize Guy Light Hefeweizen. Let me say first I kinda liked this beer. It's not my most favorite, but I do like it. I say that up front because how I describe it might make it sound like I don't like it. It's kind of thin, a bit watery, doesn't pour with much of a head, and has a bit of a sour bite to it with a sour finish. There are some fruit like qualities to this one, maybe even some white wine type vibe coming from this beer, but I gotta say, on a hot day, I could drink a few of these. All in all, much different that say a standard American Lager and way different than an IPA, but still tasty.
Snake Dog IPA
So Matt decided we needed to take a trip down IPA lane, so we did. Flying Dog puts out a tastey little IPA called Snake Dog IPA. If you like the bitter, hoppy bite, you're gonna dig this. But through the bitterness, some of the citrus cuts through. This would be great with some spicy mexican or thai food. The bitterness could even cut through a creamier, cheese based meal. Either way, it's a good one.
Red Pig Mexican Ale
I'm a complete sucker for marketing, and when I saw a red pig jumping through a hoop on this bottle of beer, I knew I had to try it. Matt and I partake in Red Pig Mexican Ale, and it was surprisingly good. It's smooth with good carbonation, it has a bitter hops finish, but smoothed out with some caramel sweetness. Over all, a really good beer.
Guiness Draught
Since St. Pats day is tomorrow, Matt and I decided we needed some Guiness. So, Matt thought we should get Guiness Draught in the can. For reasons which Matt makes much clearer than I could, the can works out better thanks to a thing called a widget. Check it out, and all will be revealed.
Elliot Ness
A buddy of mine heard I drink beer on the radio on Fridays, and he said I had to try this beer. It's Elliot Ness from Great Lakes Brewery. Pretty good little beer. It's well carbonated with an amber color, and has a bit of a bite to it. Pretty good suggestion for a nice weekend beer. Matt and I liked it.
Magic Hat Demo
This week, my buddy Matt joins me in the studio as we partake in a tastey little brew from Magic Hat: Demo. It's a dark, but creamy beer. A little bitter with some hoppy undertones, and with a bit of coffee flavor.
Shiner Bock
Kelsey from Fat City Bar and Grill brought in a beer that I've been wanting to try for a while now and for some reason just haven't. Shiner Bock turned out to be a dark, but fairly smooth beer with some malty, caramel overtones. Much lighter than it's dark color would indicate.
Two Brothers Domaine DuPage
Kelsey from Fat City Bar and Grill brought in a very cool, medium bodied beer from right here in Illinois, Domaine DuPage from Two Brothers.
Bells Porter
Kelsey from Fat City Bar and Grill brought by an awesome little beer for this week's On Tap. Bell's Porter is a dark, medium body beer with a smoky essence that goes down smooth and leaves a nice warm after taste.
Stella Artois
Kelsey came by with a beer she called "wildly popular right now." Apparently, Fat City Bar and Grill had to start carrying Stella Artois because they had so many people asking for it. Well, it's here now, and we drank it...
Berry Weiss
Kelsey from Fat City Bar and Grill promised a "fruity" beer today, and she came through. The Berry Weiss while very berry, isn't too fruity and still tastes like a beer. So you get the best of both worlds.
Ranger IPA
Kelsey from Fat City Bar and Grill stopped by with a really smooth IPA. It's rather hoppy, but smooth. Check it out.
On Tap Left Hand Milk Stout
Kelsey brought in a beer, that, I'll be honest, scared me a little bit. Left Hand Milk Stout turned out to be surprisingly different than I anticiipated.
On Tap Bells Winter White Ale
Kelsie brought in another seasonal beer from the fine folks at Bell's. This one is a very smooth and refreshing beer with citrus and pepper... yep, pepper. Don't let that fool you, it's a good one.
Bells Christmas Ale
In the spirit of the Holidays, Kelsey brought in a seasonal beer, Bell's Christmas Ale. I gotta say, while I didn't automatically think of Christmas when I drank it, it was really good.
On Tap: 12-2-11
For our first week, Kelsey brought in an awesome little beer, Rogue Dead Guy Ale. It's got more bite to it than your average light beers or lagers, but isn't overly heavy either. It's a nice middle of the ground beer that has a bunch of flavor without leaving a hoppy after taste.
