Samuel Adams Spring Ale

Beer score: 6.8
Web site: Samuel Adams
Wet with a slightly fruity bitterness. Not overly heavy, so it should make a good drinking brew. A good cooling down beer. On the downside, apparently the Samuel Adams people have retired this beer, which is a shame. I guess it wasn't a big seller, but it had a decent flavoring.

Fischer LaBelle

Beer score: 4.4
Web site: Amstel Light

This French beer is very wet and smooth but has a taste similar to that of Heineken with a little extra bitter, which is not surprising considering the Amstel Light folks now control this brewery. Not a great beer. The French might make great wine, but they are lacking in beer.

Latrobe American Pale Ale

Beer score: 6.8
Web site: Rolling Rock
Very smooth and wet with a strong bitterness on the way down. Tastes a little like an India pale ale with a hint of fruity sourness. Brewed by the Latrobe Brewing Company, the same company that brings us Rolling Rock beers

McNally's Extra Ale

Beer score: 5.8
Web site: Big Rock Brewery
A pretty strong malt sweet/sour taste here. Kind of a red ale, but pretty heavy for a Canadian ale. Not bad. Comes from the Big Rock Brewery of Calgary, Alberta.

John Courage Amber

Beer score: 4.3
Web site: Heineken
Too much fizz. Not very sweet for an amber ale, but the bottle says this is a premium beer (premium usually means "cheap" in beer talk). Fairly wet, despite all the carbonation. Not much taste, just a little bitterness that you have to stretch your taste buds to experience. Brewed by Scottish and Newcastle of the UK, but apparently the company is now run by Heineken.

Old Milwaukee

Beer score: 2.1
Web site: Old Milwaukee
I haven't even tasted this stuff yet, but it looks green and smells nasty. Okay, I've had a sip and the verdict is ... weak, watered, a little sweet. Thank goodness it doesn't taste as bad as it smells. This beer would go good with a meal at any restaurant that serves battery acid.

Oldenberg Raspberry Wheat

Beer score: 6.2
Another decent brewery that's no longer with us. Too bad, because they had some decent brews. This here beer definitely had a fruity zing, but it's not overpowering. Stronger than the color would lead you to believe. Too much carbonation. The raspberry overpowers any beer taste, but it's not awful.

Estrella Galicia

Beer score: 3.9
Web site: Estrella Galicia
Tastes like a premium American lager that's had some sugar thrown in it, but it's not annoyingly sweet. A Spanish beer that's not all that great but doesn't suck (well, not much anyway).

Barrel House Brewing Company Vandermeer OO

Beer score: 5.9
Web site: Barrel House Brewing Company
This is supposed to be a strong ale, but it went down pretty easy  for with a slightly sweet caramel, malty aftertaste. Worth your time to try. The Barrel House Brewing Company of Cincinnati, Ohio, makes this drink as well as many others.

Samuel Adams Scotch Ale

Beer score: 6.4
Web site: Samuel Adams
Extremely strong and bitter maple flavor at first that smooths out on the way down. No sweetness at first but it slowly grows. Makes a good cold weather brew.

Perry's Majestic

Beer score: 4.3
Web site: Frankenmuth Brewery

Nothing real special here. Just another medium lager with a little fizz. Ho hum. If you really stretch your tastebuds, you can pick up the barest hint of honey sweetness.

Harpoon Munich Type Dark Beer

Beer score: 6.2
Web site: Harpoon Brewery

This drink reminds me of a weak porter. It has strength, but it's more like one of those mass-marketed dark beers than a true porter or stout. Has a decent burnt flavor that isn't too strong for true beer tasters. Just the slightest hint of carbonation. Worth giving a try.

Labatt ICE Beer

Beer score: 3.0
Web site: Labatt
Overly sweet with a roasted, burnt taste that is rather annoying. A little carbonation. A little dryness. A little waste of my time.

McEwan's Scotch Ale

Beer score: 7.3
Web site: Heineken
I suggest this one only for experienced beer tasters. You need to sip this, much like you would brandy or a fine wine. The taste is extremely sweet, to the point of being overpowering at times. The texture is extremely heavy, almost to the point of being a stout. I have seen true beer snobs who were not able to finish one whole bottle of this ale because it is so rich. Still, I enjoy this beer quit well with a heavy meal like steak, or when I've had a few other beers beforehand which helps kill some of the strength. Not for the weak of stomach. From Scotland, of course. Comes from Scottish & Newcastle Breweries of Edinburgh, Scotland, which is now owned by the Heineken folks.

Gritty McDuff's Best Bitter

Beer score: 4.3
Web site: Gritty's
Gritty McDuff's Brewing Company of Portland, Maine, brews and bottles this stuff. Gritty McDuff's is also a brew pub in Portland. The heavy mix of sweetness and bitterness is overpowering at first, but the strength dies away until it is tolerable by the time you're halfway through the bottle. The smell is still too strong. Leaves your mouth dry. Would go well with bar food.

Mault's Brew Pub Winter Bock

Beer score: 6.0
Very smooth and good for drinking. Mid-level beer snobs would enjoy this while working their way up to being expert beer snobs. This beer is a bit too sweet for my taste, but I tend to not be a big fan of seasonal brews. Mault's Brew Pub of Portsmouth, Ohio brewed this beer, and they had great food, too, but unfortunately the business is no longer around, though it has been replaced with the Portsmouth Brewing Company which I've yet to have the pleasure of trying.

Katahdin Stout

Beer score: 8.1

Stouts should be served fairly warm because it increases the taste and the pleasure. This stout is no different. This drink is reminiscent of Guinness Extra Stout, for those who would like a comparison. A very sturdy drink with the right amount of bitter and heaviness and strength for a stout. But the brewery no longer exists, which is a tragedy considering how great this drink was.

Avery Brewing Co. Out of Bounds Stout

Beer score: 7.4
Web site: Avery Brewing
Frothy with a strong burnt molasses flavor like many good stouts have. You could do far worse than to give this heavy drink a try.

Samuel Adams Old Fezziwig Ale

Beer score: 4.4
Web site: Samuel Adams
Yes, it's a Christmas beer with cinnamon, ginger and orange flavoring. As with all Christmas beers, this one is too sweet and has too much of that spicy, holiday flavoring to it. I simply don't like these kinds of beers.

Dixie Blackened Voodoo Lager

Beer score: 7.8
Web site: Dixie
The Dixie Brewing Co. of New Orleans, Louisiana, makes this fine brew. It looks and tastes like a porter, though the burnt maple taste of a porter isn't quite as strong here as is a sweet molasses flavoring. Quite an enjoyable drink. You dark beer lovers will love this.

Devil Mountain Tasmanian Pale Ale

Beer score: 5.9
A little strong for a pale ale but goes down smooth. There's a train on the label, which is kind of cool. This brew would score a little higher if it weren't so bitter. It's called a Tasmanian pale ale because the hops are supposedly Tasmanian. Unfortunately, this brewery is no longer with us.

Oldenberg Premium Verum

Beer score: 5.9
Not a bad beer but not as good as I expected. Beginning beer snobs could work their way up with this; it's on the same level as St. Pauli Girl Dark or Beck Dark. More carbonation than I like. The taste is a delicate mix of bitterness with a touch of sweetness. The first taste is slightly fruity. All that being said, the Oldenberg brewing business is no more.

Oldenberg Pious Pale Ale

Beer score: 6.9
As was common with all the Oldenberg brews, a little too much carbonation. A sturdy drink that goes down a little rough due to the fizz. A slight fruit taste with lots of strong bitter, but not nearing stout levels. Not for beginning beer snobs, though it really doesn't matter because this brewery is closed.

Fischer Bitter

Beer score: 5.4
Web site: Amstel Light
The French aren't particularly known for making good beer, but this brew isn't too bad, though it's not superb either. A bit dry and harsh for a bitter-style beer. Not a bad beer, but not overly exceptional. Apparently the Brasserie Fischer brews this drink and is owned by the Amstel Light folks, at least as of this writing in May of 2010.

Rhino Chasers Peach Honey Wheat

Beer score: 7.3
Web site: Rhino Chasers Beer

Brewed and bottled by the William and Scott Brewing Co. of St. Paul, Minnesotta when I first tasted this brew in the 1990s. Nowadays it's brewed by the M. A. Hagerman Brewing Company of Ashburn, Virginia. This beer has a nice frothy feel with a light sweet taste. The peach flavor is just right, not overpowering. Reminds me a little of Pete's Wicked Strawberry Blonde, but more peachy than strawberry. You know what I mean.

Samuel Adams Octoberfest

Beer score: 5.8
Web site: Samuel Adams
A strong, sturdy ale that is a tad bit strong to swallow. A good amber color and strong caramel taste. There is also a bit of a burnt smell.

Harpoon I.P.A.

Beer score: 6.5
Web site: Harpoon Brewery
Doesn't taste like your usual India Pale Ale (that's what the I.P.A. stands for). Has a stronger flavor than most I.P.A. beers, and also lacks the fruity sour aftertaste of many I.P.A. beers. Tastes more like a sturdy pale ale. Good, light coloring. Give this one a taste. Comes from the Harpoon Brewery in Boston, Ma., and Windsor, Vt.

Mault's Brew Pub Summer Breeze

Beer score: 4.0

Very wet and smooth and decent tasting at first, but the aftertaste reminded me of that taste in your mouth the morning after you've been smoking a cigar. Who knows, maybe I just got a bad batch. There was a picture on the wall in this brewpub that had a caption that read Gambrinus, a mythical Flemish king, was the inventor of beer. I'd never heard that before, but historically the Flemish were the first to put hops in beer. Anyway, this is another of many brewing businesses that's no longer around, though it has been replaced by the Portsmouth Brewing Company and a restaurant called The Brew Pub in Portsmouth, Ohio.

Devil Mountain Summer Mountain Brew

Beer score: 5.3
Another brewery that's gone out of business. What a shame. This beer was watery and weak but still too strong for your average Budweiser drinker. A slight bitterness with some fizz. The light fruity smell was quite nice. There are worse beers out there.

Oldenberg Holy Grail Nut Brown Ale

Beer score: 6.5

For middle rank beer snobs who are working their way up. Strong for a brown ale with a little too much fizz. The company that put this stuff out, Oldenberg Brewing Company, was in Fort Mitchell, Kentucky, just a few minutes south of Cincinnati, Ohio, but it is now out of business. The brewery was "part of a larger complex which includes a gift shop and the American Museum of Brewing History" - or so says the back of the box this beer came in when I bought it (it was a sampler pack that included a beer mug). Thanks to Oldenberg folks for giving me permission to use their logo when I had it on my old Web pages about beer.

Avery Brewing Co. India Pale Ale

Beer score: 6.0
Web site: Avery Brewing
Boulder, Colorado, is where this tasty beverage is brewed. Generally speaking, while I love pale ales, I tend to not like India pale ales because they often have a sharp, almost grapefruit-like sour taste going down. This India pale ale is an exception for me; it still has a touch of the sourness but not enough to be overpowering. Goes down easy and frothy. India pale ales (I.P.A.) are named after a type of pale ale shipped to British troops in India during the nineteenth century.

Tequiza

Beer score: 4.7
Web site: Anheuser-Busch
This was Anheuser-Busch's answer to Corona, which has grown in popularity, and it was supposed to have a tequila flavoring. This drink doesn't taste much like tequila, nor beer. It tastes more like a lime seltzer water. The smooth lime gives it the score I've given it, because there isn't enough beer taste to have done so. Folks who don't like beer but want to fit in with a beer crowd will like this (ie. the Zima and wine coolers crowd). This brew goes down very easy. The lime is nice at first, but gets on your nerves after you've had a few. Update: As of 2009, Tequiza is no longer on the market.

Samuel Adams Honey Porter

Beer score: 6.3
Web site: Samuel Adams
This is an extremely sweetish but bitter and wet brew. All that malty sweetness might be too much for some beer drinkers, but it didn't bother me much here. It would go well with a roast beef and Swiss cheese sandwich, preferably on toasted rye. Also, if you haven't checked out any of the Samuel Adams websites, then get to it - the pages are worth reading.

Oldenberg Crosley's Red

Beer score: 6.3
Has a strong but smooth bitter flavor. The first drink or two goes down a little harsh, due to the strength of the bitterness, but after that it's smooth sailing. Was on tap at some Cincinnati Red's home baseball games before the Oldenberg Brewing COmpany wne out of business. This beer had a frothy head in a glass.

Harpoon Ale

Beer score: 6.7
Web site: Harpoon Brewery

Great caramel coloring, and a little stronger than many traditional American ales. This was Harpoon Brewery's original ale back in 1987. Goes well with a pimento cheese sandwich. Give it a try.

Devil Mountain Railroad Gold Ale

Beer score: 5.7
A cloudy pale ale-type drink with a little sweetness. Went down smooth and wet. But it's no longer in production since the Devil Mountain Brewery of Ohio went out of business. Shucks.

Avery Brewing Co. 14'er E.S.B.

Beer score: 5.8
Web site: Avery Brewing
Smooth and bitter with a bit of a malt aftertaste. Weak enough that beer snobs could drink it like non-snobs do Budweiser. Big thanks to Larry Avery of the Avery Brewing folks for giving me permission to use their logo on my old website about a dozen years ago. Avery Brewing makes some pretty good beers.

Mault's Brew Pub Spartan Export

Beer score: 7.0
Fairly smooth with a touch of fizz. Good, clean taste. One of the few drinks good enough for beer snobs to enjoy, but smooth enough for non-snobs to drink. Which is unfortunate. Why? Because Mault's Brew Pub no longer exist. It's a shame.

Tennent's of Scotland

Beer score: 6.0
Web site: Tennent's
This Glasgow, Scotland, brew is very sweet with an almost fizzy, cider-type quality. Goes down pretty smooth. Worth trying for its uniqueness.

Samuel Adams Golden Pilsner

Beer score: 6.2
Web site: Samuel Adams
For a pilsner, this is awful robust, but not enough to ruin the drink. There's a little too much fizz for my taste. This is a good beer for just sitting around and drinking, say while watching a football game. For those of you with an interest, pilsners are a light, golden beer first introduced in Germany in the 19th century during a time of mostly dark beers.

Goose Island Blonde Ale

Beer score: 6.9
Web site: Goose Island
The Goose Island Beer Company works out of Chicago, Illinois, and has apparently won all kinds of awards. As with most Goose Island beers, this one goes down smooth. The flavor is slightly bitter. If you like fairly light, blonde ales, this one is for you.

Labatt Canadian Ale

Beer score: 5.2
Web site: Labatt
There is a little strength here. Not real watery, but not real carbonated either. A decent beer for beer snob beginners to break their teeth on.

Oldenberg Blonde

Beer score: 7.8
Smooth and frothy. Good for you folks who like lighter beers, but interesting enough for those of us with more complex tastes. Similar in texture to Pete's Strawberry Blonde, without the strawberry flavoring, of course. Unfortunately the Oldenberg Brewing Company that made this fine beverage is no longer in business.

Mault's Brew Pub Red Bird Ale

Beer score: 5.6
Mault's Brew Pub was in Portsmouth, Ohio, but it's been replaced by the Portsmouth Brewing Company. The Redbirds were a baseball team in Portsmouth back in the 1930s, so the rumor is this beer is named for the team. This beer is frothy and goes down easy because there's little strength but a good amount of wetness. Beer snob beginners and wannabes would like this beer. There is a little fizz and a touch of sweetness.

Avery Brewing Co. Ellie's Brown Ale

Beer score: 5.8
Web site: Avery Brewing
I'm guessing Ellie is the name of a dog since there is a picture of a black dog on this Boulder, Colorado, beer bottle. A little heavy, somewhat like a stout with a little bit of the burnt maple taste of a stout without being quite as heavy as a stout (you got all that?). This would make a fine brew for folks working their way up to heavier fare like stouts or porters.

Augustiner Brau Munchen Dunkel

Beer score: 5.8
Web site: Augstiner-Brau Wagner KG
Made in Munich, Germany since 1328. Has the texture and burnt taste of a sturdy porter. This is a good beer for those of you who like dark German brews. You Beck's fans would probably like this. Not nearly as sweet as Augustinerbrau Munchen Maximator, but has more carbonation.

Negra Modelo

Beer score: 4.8
Web site: Negra Modelo
A dark Mexican beer that didn't impress me. It isn't an awful beer, but there's not much to say about it. Fairly wet with no fizz. The only taste is a slight burnt flavor, and my taste buds had to reach for that. Probably decent for just drinking. More flavor might raise this beer's score.

Carling

Beer score: 3.4
Web site: Carling
A weak, American-tasting lager from the Carling Brewing Company in Burton-on-Trent. I've been told this brew is better off tap. It would almost have to be. Sorry, but this is evidence the Brits can make not-so-great beer.

Red Wolf

Beer score: 3.3
Web site: Anheuser-Busch
It's beer. You can drink it. You Budweiser fans who want to live on the wild side a little can try this without getting too turned off. I'll let you have it.

Samuel Adams Cream Stout

Beer score: 8.2
Web site: Samuel Adams
A smooth coffee/maple flavor. Not as hardy as many a stout, but still stout enough. One of my favorite Samuel Adams beers.

Mault's Brew Pub Portsmouth Pilsener

Beer score: 5.8
Smooth and light like a good pilsener. Frothy but a little weak for true beer snobs. Too bad Mault's Brew Pub is no longer around in Portsmouth, Ohio, though it has been replaced with the Portsmouth Brewing Company. I'll have to drop in some time to see if they still have the recipe for this tasty pilsener.

Firestone Lager

Beer score: 6.2
Web site: Firestone Walker
Another brew from Firestone Walker Brewing Co. of Los Olivos, California. A little fruitier than the average lager. Real beer tasters will enjoy this, but realize it's not overly special. The spicy/fruity taste builds as you drink it.

Tecate

Beer score: 3.3
Web site: Tecate
I guess weak and watery beers are popular in hotter climes. This stuff comes from Mexico but it tastes like it came from tap water. If you like weak, watery brew, this one's for you. But it's not for me.

Augustiner Brau Munchen Maximator

Beer score: 5.4
Web site: Augstiner-Brau Wagner KG
Way too much sweetness. Worth tasting at least once so you'll know about it and so you won't have to try it again. There's a bit of a woody and nutty flavoring here, but the depths of all that malty sweetness really hurts the enjoyability of this brew.

Augustiner

Beer score: 4.3
Web site: Iron City Brewing Company
This lager comes from the Pittsburgh Brewing Co., the folks known for making Iron City Beer. Pretty smooth with a slight dark beer taste, but not a true beer snob’s beer. Tips for beer tasting: use a clear glass and have some crackers or bread to eat between beers; also, try to have no more than two or three beers when tasting because you start to get tipsy, and that influences your tasting judgment.

Golden Promise Ale

Beer score: 5.9
Web site: Caledonian
A sweet brown ale that is apparently made only with organically-grown hops and barley by The Caledonian Brewery of Edinburgh, Scotland. Smooth enough that you could drink this stuff all night long. Has a nice head to it.

Samuel Adams Cranberry Lambic

Beer score: 6.4
Web site: Samuel Adams
The old definition of a Lambic was a Belgian beer that has natural, instant fermentation. The modern definition seems to be a wheat beer with fruit added (usually one type of berry or another). This beer meets the more recent meaning of the word Lambic. Like many Samuel Adams brews, this one has a solid, wet texture. The sweet of the cranberry isn't overly strong, even for someone who doesn't like sweet beers. This beer would be good as a desert, especially after holiday dinners with the family.

Wallaby's Great White Wheat

Beer score: 6.0

An extremely smooth beer with a soft sweetness that you won't taste unless you're trying to. Non-snobs could drink this, but true snobs might find it interesting. A good drinking beer. But it no longer exists. The company went out of business. Had a Great White shark on the bottle's label to keep with the Australia theme, which looked cool.

Augsburger Golden

Beer score: 4.1
Web site: Stevens Point Brewery
Has a little more kick and taste than normal, cheap American beers. Not a bad beer to try, but probably not something you want to drink regularly. The flavor is American-mass-market with some extra sweetening. Apparently Joseph Huber Brewing Co. used to own this brew, but then Stroh Brewery Company owned it when I tasted it in 1997. Now the Stevens Point Brewery makes this beer, so perhaps they've improved upon it.

Athenian

Beer score: 3.5
Web site: Athenian Brewery
Nothing special here, but nothing really rotten either. It basically tastes like Budweiser with a snazzy label on the bottle. Comes from Athens, Greece, and the Athenian Brewery.

Aspen Edge

Beer score: 2.9
Web site: Coors
This is Coors' version of the new low-carb light beers that are hitting the market in early 2004. This beer isn't awful, but it's not good. A little fizzy at first, with a soapy aftertaste in your mouth once you've finished a bottle. Very made-for-America with a cheap beer flavor.

Apollo Lager

Beer score: 6.3
The Big Bang Brewery of St. Paul, Minnesota, brewed this, but they are no longer in business. The blue bottle is quite unique with an image of one of the Apollo spacecrafts on the clear label. A weak looking beer, but has a smooth strength to it. A little too complicated for beginners.

Peroni

Beer score: 4.3
Web site: Peroni
Actually, this beer's full name is Birra Peroni, but the word Birra is small on the label so I figured more people would look under "P" for this beer than under "B." This beer has that foreign-but-made-for-America's-mass-market flavor. Not great, but it doesn't suck. This drink is made at one of four towns in Italy – Roma, Napoli, Padova or Bari. If you like the typical mass-marketed brews in America, you know their names, you'll probably like this.