Wabid Duck Wussian Impewial Stout (Duck-Wabbit) - Weview

Alright, so I've been drinking recently (not a surprise) and have not been good about posting but I have an excuse. The posts are on Brooke's computer and he is lazy about getting them to me. But I posted about malt liquors earlier so at least I'm on a roll today. Brooke and I both reviewed this, but he left out the witty banter and opted for and honest, straightforward review.

Duck Rabbit Rabid Duck Russian Imperial Stout
Stephen: First things first: I'm a sucker for stouts. When it comes to the King of them, it has to be the Rogue Xperience Imperial Stout. On the plus side, the Wabid Duck comes very close for the price. Insane! head. First taste like clean, tasty, spicy dirt (okay bad description). Reminds me of an excellent steak served with a spicy cocoa cabernet sauce (odd description but hey, it's what I tasted!) Simply put, this beer is an awesome Imperial Stout for the price and if it's available outside of North Carolina, get some.

Brooke: Very robust head. Foams up quickly and settles to a nice smooth head. Flavor is very heavy on roasted malts, with lots of chocolate malts throughout. Reminds me of the Brooklyn Black.




This is the original photo we took but the Elmer Fudd joke took flight and we couldn't pass on it.

Read more!

El Cheapo Tall Boys (aka Malt Liquor and Friends) PART 1

I was walking around the grocery store and realized that their selection gets worse daily. While they begin to choose more specialty beers, it tends to waiver on the side of one offering from each brewer; and not even the best offering at that. So, I felt that I needed to sway from craft brews and imports for today's post.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you the cream of the crop in swill. This is stuff that many of us have had in college, when we're broke, when we're tired of quality beer, and when water just doesn't do the trick. Reviews after the jump.

All Ratings represent the malt liquors when compared to each other.

Hurricane High Gravity Lager
Not exactly sure how a Malt Liquor High Gravity Lager gets 8.1% alcohol by volume considering most of the manufacturers inject the alcohol anyway (editor's theory), but there it is on the can. This stuff smelled like bananas foster to me, not a good sign. It tasted like a cheap whiskey making me wonder if they fermented it in whiskey barrels; nah, that's not possible. The aftertaste was like whiskey too. What's up with this beer? The entire time, from first sip to throw away, I felt like I needed to gag. In the end, I felt sick and had to pour the rest out.
3/10

Steel Reserve Triple Export
For those that have been brave enough to try marketing company malt liquor (yes, Steel Reserve was created by the same marketing company that gave the world Sparks), there is now Steel Reserve Triple Export. This stuff is stronger than it's predecessor and somewhat better than any of the other malt liquors I tried. It smells like alcomalts (that would be highly a alcoholic malt smell), to the point where I could pass out on the smell alone. But the taste, ahhh, the taste. This stuff was best described as a dirty rag soaked in gasoline. Now I don't know why that flavor makes it better than some, but it does.
8/10

Natural Ice
Now I realize that this is technically not called a malt liquor, but this college favorite is treated like one and will get you drunk like one so that's why I included it. Looking at my notes on this beer, the first thing I see is 'smells like feet.' It did. The smell alone destroyed the beverage. It tasted like it was alcoholated (injected with alcohol). It finishes like a can of dirt. This is the driest beer I have ever had. I don't want a malt liquor to hold that award.
6/10

Schlitz Malt Liquor
The famous Blue Bull. This stuff smelled like a high alcohol pilsner. So there is a beer on this list that actually smells and tastes like beer? Sort of. First taste was like a malty lager with heavy alcohol. It had a really grainy aftertaste. After that, well, there was no after that. The alcohol seared the inside of my mouth to the point that all I tasted was carbonated alcohol for the rest of it. That alone, makes this the #1. To not have to taste it is awesome.
8/10

After all that, I forgot one, Billy Dee's Colt 45. For some reason, I became so preoccupied with drinking cheap malt liquor that I threw my journalistic integrity out the window (actually, I forgot). So here is a picture of the can. That's the best I can do. When I write part two, I'll put the review in.

Read more!

July 4th American Original Session

Earlier, I talked about posts I'm working on, the main post being July 4th American Original Session. If anyone could help me out with this, that would be great. What I am looking for is classic American Regional or National beers. The beers excluded from this are beers that are under 50 years old, beers whose formulas have significantly changed (Anchor Steam; certain beers switched to corn for production costs which is acceptable), and Bud, PBR, and Schlitz (they will have their own post). So, if you are in a part of the country that has access to Leinenkugels, Narragansett, Schells, or the like, please feel free to leave a comment on this post. I'll try and respond to it as quickly as possible. The beers I will be reviewing that I have access to are: Utica Club, High Life, Yuengling, Iron City, and any others I can find. I hope some of you can contribute. Good luck!

Read more!

A Note from the Editor

Over the last couple of days, I have noticed that people are actually visiting this blog. Welcome, thank you, and come again. I wanted to let all of you who are new, know more about this blog. The main purpose of this site is for people who enjoy beer, to find out about beers they've never heard of, laugh at things like pizza beer, and provide insight to those who think that Budweiser is the greatest of all time. The other thing is, I am not a snob(sometimes). I am not a fan of Bud but I love Miller Lite, Schlitz beer, and PBR. I will not knock them and say that only craft and imports are good, because that's simply not true. Are craft and imports better? Usually. However, if American beers were truly undrinkable, I think the industry would have a problem. Now, for anyone willing to argue this please feel free, but I am not going into statics, I am just referring to the fact that I know many people who prefer a Bud over a craft brew.

So why am I writing all this? Is it because someone asked me what I was doing? No. It is simply because I needed something to post today. I should have some reviews up soon, in the meantime, feel free to browse the few things that are here. Also, I am looking for contributors. This is a free site and done on my own time, so if you would like to contribute, I can't pay. Sorry.

Coming Soon!
Anchor Bock
Weyerbacher Merry Monks' Belgian Style Golden Ale(too long of a name)
O'hara's Irish Stout
Malt Liquor Time!
July 4th American Original Session
The Original(and Surviving) Big Three
and more!

Keep on reading the site and check back often(daily might be a little much right now)

Read more!

You've Got To Be Fucking Kidding Me! Pizza Beer?

I was reading the internet just now and I shat myself. Why, you ask? Because what was simply joked about the other day on this site in Craft Brews Taking it Too Far, has been taken too far. Introducing, Pizza Beer! Slashfood has the story courtesy of CBS2 Chicago.

Read more!

Beer Can Chicken

Beer Can Chicken has been around for some time now. I heard of it about five years ago, saw a beer can chicken roaster(why?) about three years ago, and found I good looking recipe for it today. The concept of sticking a perfectly good beer up a chickens #$* has struck as a little odd, but hey. I still have never tried the stuff but I think now is the time to fire up the grill and eat. From the Boston Globe. Here's the recipe!

Read more!

Largest can of beer (comparatively) OMFG!

One thing that never ceases to amaze me is packaging. Obviously a great label can sell a beer. So can the can(Foster's). Foster's redefined the industry by selling their beer in the 'oil can.' At 750mL, that's a bit of a whopper; and while the taste/quality of the beer is arguable, it's always fun to drink one. But now, my opinion has been swayed.

I was in Manhattan recently when I practically lost my shit. While looking for beer in convenience store, I stumble across the largest beer can made for single use. I bring you FAXE. This gargantuan beer comes in at 1000mL (1 fucking Liter). Now that isn't that amazing when compared to the 2000mL can from Sapporo, but come on, this is for single use. Read more after the jump.

Truth beer told, this is one fine beer. Now it is not complex in taste, but it is one of the easiest beers I have ever forced myself to drink(by forced I mean I bought it strictly for the can and found it's contents made me a happy man). I tried two different kinds of FAXE, Amber and Premium, and each one was delicious. Like "My First Import" delicious(and not that is not a line of children's beers).

Not sure what states FAXE is available in but I haven't seen it in North Carolina. I'll keep looking though because I want to be the badass that shows up at a party holding two of these in one hand.

Read more!

Alternabrew -Sorghum

I am sitting here trying my first Sorghum based beer(ie. Gluten Free) and while it isn't a micro brew, it ain't half bad. I'm trying Redbridge from Anheuser-Busch. Now I've heard of sorghum beers before and I have been hesitant to try them because what's beer without malt. It's like cheese without milk(and that stuff tastes like fresh shit). But, my first sorghum beer is a mainstream beer trying to pass itself off as craft brew. It tastes like nothing I've had before and since I have a cold, I can't give an accurate description of the stuff. I will say this - play the role of hippie next time you buy beer. You might be suprised.

Read more!

Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA Review

For those looking for hops, IPA is the brew. For those looking for IPA there are many brews, but Dogfish Head stands out as one of the premier breweries in the US for classic IPAs. Dogfish Head has many IPAs, but the most common "brew de strength" is the Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA. Between the crisp finish and the smooth "I think I'm going to do nothing the rest of this hot afternoon" buzz, you can count on the 90 Minute to come through in hard times.

The first impression you will get upon purchase is "why the hell do I get only four beers?" Well, dear reader, drink one and you shall see. The 90 minute has a 9% alcohol content. Hence the four beers and the red cap. To judge the beer on alcohol content alone however is a sin. The 90 minute is one of the finer IPAs available.

The first whiff (I inhaled the beer fully up the nose during my first smell test, I kid you not!) is quite sweet. The beer has hints of grapefruit (common to IPAs) and a balanced malt flavor without the classic caramel hints common to ales. Instead the sweetness almost seems sugary, which as I understand helps contribute to the shelflife and aging of the beer.

The head is fairly smooth for a carbonated brew. The color is a fantastic amber, deeper than your average IPA .

The taste, as to be expected for an IPA, is bitter, however, unlike most IPAs it tends to be on the sweet side. This may come as a shock to the casual drinker, however upon further consumption I find that the sweetness is balanced. There is a certain "freshness" to the beer as well. Although typical to IPAs, the "freshness" of the 90 Minute goes above and beyond the average.

All in all I would rate the Dogfish Head 90 Minute a 90. For those that do not know me, I consider anything above 90 to be exceptional, so the 90 minute ale is in that category... exceptional!

Read more!

Craft Brews Taking It Too Far

I like beer. As a matter of fact, I love the stuff, all kinds; and ever since Boston Brewery launched the microbrew explosion with Sam Adams, I can't get enough of the it. I appreciate new beers, old beers, reinvented beers, etc. Microbrewers love to experiment. Whether they learn from the French or the Belgians, they love to add new fangled or old fangled ingredients to the beers to try new flavors. Espresso beans to stout, chocolate to stout or porter, raspberry, honey, saffron; whatever you can think of, they've probably done it. More after the jump.

Just this past winter, Michelob tried craft brews by introducing the worst flavor in brewing history. In the South, we're known for a very bad concoction of Bourbon and Beer. Known as the boilermaker, it's the cheap way of getting drunk; a poor man's cocktail. So some idiot in marketing thought, 'Hey, let's make a boilermaker, add vanilla, throw in some sweet n' low, a sell the stuff.' Yeah, it's that bad.

Another type of beer that is quickly replacing the Belgian wheat craze is IPAs. Now this isn't a bad thing as I can definately enjoy an IPA every once in a while. Some of the psychohop IPA's are a little hard for me to understand. They tend to be those most bitter, tasteless drinks I've ever had but hey, whatever floats your boat.

Just recently, I tried Saranac's entry into craft brewing, the Imperial Pale Ale. Now, I thought I could appreciate a craft brew from Matt Brewing, but apparently, they don't know what craft beer is. Saranac's Imperial Pale Ale is a fairly week tasting IPA ruined by a sickly alcohol taste. I hope that Saranac has some better brews up it's sleeve than this.

The one type of IPA that just needs to stop now is the Crapricot Apricot infused IPA's. Magic Hat No. 9(I've already spoken about it). The Magic Hat is actually a good IPA which is slightly fucked up by the addition of Apricot Essence. On the other hand, the Aprihop from Dogfishead is just flatout nasty. Much like the Magic Hat, there is a good underlying IPA here, at least in the first sip. On further notice, though, the beer is destroyed by an overly sweet apricot taste that becomes unbearable by the fourth sip.

So after all of this, what's next? A caraway stout? Mustard IPA? Oh wait! Pizza Lager.

Drink on!

Read more!

How A Lazy Man Spends His Time (or I Found A New Brewpub)

It has been a while since I've posted and that is because this site is still under construction. I am in the process of designing a logo for the site and getting a better layout(graphically). I am also lazy and went to the beach.

Speaking of which, there is a new brewpub in Litchfield, South Carolina, called Quigley's Pint and Plate. Now, this is not a formal review of the place considering that my girlfriend and I stumbled upon it, but it wasn't bad. The brewmaster from Liberty Brewing, at Broadway at the Beach in Myrtle Beach, left there to start his own place. He has a ways to go on the beers. They are not awful by any means. On the contrary, they are very drinkable to the average drinker, which might be what they had in mind. The bartender said they brew about every three weeks. I can't wait for them to start experimenting with high gravity beer as South Carolina popped the cap just recently.

So anyway, new additions to the site should be up soon and I should be better about writing, and reviewing beer. Also, if any of you out there stumble upon this site and want to write for it, drop me a line. I am looking for posters who like beer but aren't into talking about "notes of pine oil" when describing how it smelled.

Read more!