Alexander Keith’s Nova Scotia
Style Ale
(St. Louis, MO)
Todd Zachritz: 3.5
I’d never heard of this one, nor of a “Nova Scotia style”, so was curious to imbibe. This one pours an attractive amber, with a rich white head and sparse, but nice, lace. I get an aroma of yeasty rolls and honey. Definitely more body than most lagers and a lot more flavor, too. Bread-like, almost chewy, and with a little bitter hops at the finish. Solid and enjoyable!
Jabez Martinez: 3.5
This is a clear amber beer. It had a crisp lager flavor, with medium body. I would compare this with a Sam Adam’s - but just slightly better. It had more character than other Lagers and not one flavor that overpowered it. It is a nice beer to have when you are grilling some steaks.
Alison Sigman: 2.5
It smells really malty, with a lot of caramel and scorched sugar in it.
Soapy and grassy hops scent, but, mostly, this smells really malty for a lager. The taste starts out malty but not as sweet as the smell might suggest. Drinkability is okay. There just isn’t a lot going on here with this beer.
Widmer Brothers Pitch Black IPA
(Portland, OR)
Todd Zachritz: 4.5
Widmer’s hefeweizen is well-known and one that I’ve always found to be a top-notch session wheat beer, but this one’s escaped my radar, and sad that is. This is (no surprises, please) pitch black, with a big head of off-white bubbles
and an intricate spider web of lace. A decent mild hops nose -- grapefruit and floral. What a taste! All sustained citrus sweetness (orange, grapefruit), with some pine and a bitter finish. Very tasty and one I’d seek out again.
Jabez Martinez: 3.5
A nice dark beer, with a 6.5% alcohol content. Like the label says, “Smooth, Dark and Hoppy”. It has a nice grapefruit aroma, too. It does have a strong hops flavor, with roasted caramel coffee flavor added in.
Alison Sigman: 2.5
Well, it’s pitch black. Even holding it up to a light won’t do much to diminish the opacity. It pours a lumpy tan head, with large and small bubbles. It smells of hops, and I can actually smell some roasted scents.
Breckenridge Agave Wheat
(Denver, CO)
Todd Zachritz: 3.5
Breckenridge is one of a metric ton of Colorado breweries and one of the best-distributed, but they’ve never got the same respect as their relative neighbors, New Belgium, Great Divide, or Avery. This beer won’t change that perception. It’s a cloudy yellow-gold, with minor froth and a little lace. Aroma is sweet rolls and honey.The taste is smooth, but the agave nectar adds a syrupy mouth-feel [NOTE: Do you mean “mouthful”, rather than “mouth-feel”?]. I get a hint of citrus somewhere in there, too. Not a lot of depth, but decent and a worthy summer treat.
Jabez Martinez: 4.5
This beer has a nice, cloudy, yellow color to it. It proves itself to be a great summer beer – clean finish with a fruity, unfiltered wheat flavor and a touch of grapefruit. I would actually suggest putting a slice of lemon in it. Keep an eye out for this one.
Alison Sigman: 3
This beer poured a flat orange, with fair clarity. The head was slight, eggshell white in color and a bit soapy, failing to hold long. Oranges with both a sweet and sour quality come through, along with berry and cypress, with a hint of semi-dry lemon pulp and green leafy hops. It does have a good level of carbonation, light-bodied, and it’s lively on the hold. While not particularly crisp, it is bubbly, with a slick and slippery texture. Good level of drinkability, non-discriminatory and easy to down. Probably fares well as a summer drink.
Schlafly American India Pale Ale
(St. Louis, MO)
Todd Zachritz: 5.0
Schlafly is a regional treasure, being available in only seven states. This is a special release, so grab it while you can. IPA fans (like me) will appreciate this murky red-brown ale, with a thick head and thick lacing on the glass. Wonderful. The nose is deep pine resins. Amazing and intense. The anticipation builds! In tasting, I get more of the pine, with some sour grapefruit.
A fetchingly bitter finish seals the deal. This one’s a real winner, and if it were available more widely, it would certainly earn Schlafly further acclaim. My top choice of the issue!
Jabez Martinez: 3
This beer sports a cloudy bronze beer, with a big hops aroma and taste, just as the label states. I am a true Schlafly fan, but I wasn’t crazy for this beer. I guess I am just burned out on all the “amped up” hopped beers that have been released lately. This one was almost a little too much for me.
Alison Sigman: 3
Hops, hops, hops in the front of things with oily citrus notes. The backbone is sweet malt, and it does a nice job of balancing things out here, but it is definitely in the background. The finish is semi-dry and leaves a bitter hops aftertaste, begging you to take another sip.
Ratings are given from 1-5. “5” is the best rating a reviewer can give, meaning they were very pleased with the beer and would recommend it. “1” is the lowest rating a reviewer can give, not enjoying it at all.
Alexander Keith’s Nova Scotia
Style Ale
(St. Louis, MO)
Todd Zachritz: 3.5
I’d never heard of this one, nor of a “Nova Scotia style”, so was curious to imbibe. This one pours an attractive amber, with a rich white head and sparse, but nice, lace. I get an aroma of yeasty rolls and honey. Definitely more body than most lagers and a lot more flavor, too. Bread-like, almost chewy, and with a little bitter hops at the finish. Solid and enjoyable!
Jabez Martinez: 3.5
This is a clear amber beer. It had a crisp lager flavor, with medium body. I would compare this with a Sam Adam’s - but just slightly better. It had more character than other Lagers and not one flavor that overpowered it. It is a nice beer to have when you are grilling some steaks.
Alison Sigman: 2.5
It smells really malty, with a lot of caramel and scorched sugar in it.
Soapy and grassy hops scent, but, mostly, this smells really malty for a lager. The taste starts out malty but not as sweet as the smell might suggest. Drinkability is okay. There just isn’t a lot going on here with this beer.
Widmer Brothers Pitch Black IPA
(Portland, OR)
Todd Zachritz: 4.5
Widmer’s hefeweizen is well-known
and one that I’ve always found to be a top-notch session wheat beer, but this one’s escaped my radar, and sad that is.
This is (no surprises, please) pitch black, with a big head of off-white bubbles
and an intricate spider web of lace.
A decent mild hops nose -- grapefruit and floral. What a taste! All sustained citrus sweetness (orange, grapefruit), with some pine and a bitter finish.
Very tasty and one I’d seek out again.
Jabez Martinez: 3.5
A nice dark beer, with a 6.5% alcohol content. Like the label says, “Smooth, Dark and Hoppy”. It has a nice grapefruit aroma, too. It does have a strong hops flavor, with roasted caramel coffee flavor added in.
Alison Sigman: 2.5
Well, it’s pitch black. Even holding it up to a light won’t do much to diminish the opacity. It pours a lumpy tan head, with large and small bubbles. It smells of hops, and I can actually smell some roasted scents.
Breckenridge
Agave Wheat
(Denver, CO)
Todd Zachritz: 3.5
Breckenridge is one of a metric ton
of Colorado breweries and one of the best-distributed, but they’ve never got the same respect as their relative neighbors, New Belgium, Great Divide, or Avery. This beer won’t change that perception. It’s a cloudy yellow-gold, with minor froth and a little lace.
Aroma is sweet rolls and honey.
The taste is smooth, but the agave nectar adds a syrupy mouth-feel
[NOTE: Do you mean “mouthful”,
rather than “mouth-feel”?]. I get a
hint of citrus somewhere in there, too. Not a lot of depth, but decent and a worthy summer treat.
Jabez Martinez: 4.5
This beer has a nice, cloudy, yellow color to it. It proves itself to be a great summer beer – clean finish with a fruity, unfiltered wheat flavor and a touch of grapefruit. I would actually suggest putting a slice of lemon in it. Keep an eye out for this one.
Alison Sigman: 3
This beer poured a flat orange, with fair clarity. The head was slight, eggshell white in color and a bit soapy, failing to hold long. Oranges with both a sweet and sour quality come through, along with berry and cypress, with a hint of semi-dry lemon pulp and green leafy hops. It does have a good level of carbonation, light-bodied, and it’s lively on the hold. While not particularly crisp, it is bubbly, with a slick and slippery texture. Good level of drinkability, non-discriminatory and easy to down. Probably fares well as a summer drink.
Schlafly American India Pale Ale
(St. Louis, MO)
Todd Zachritz: 5.0
Schlafly is a regional treasure, being available in only seven states. This is a special release, so grab it while you can. IPA fans (like me) will appreciate this murky red-brown ale, with a thick head and thick lacing on the glass. Wonderful. The nose is deep pine resins. Amazing and intense. The anticipation builds! In tasting, I get more of the
pine, with some sour grapefruit.
A fetchingly bitter finish seals the deal. This one’s a real winner, and if it were available more widely, it would certainly earn Schlafly further acclaim. My top choice of the issue!
Jabez Martinez: 3
This beer sports a cloudy bronze beer, with a big hops aroma and taste, just as the label states. I am a true Schlafly fan, but I wasn’t crazy for this beer. I guess I am just burned out on all the “amped up” hopped beers that have been released lately. This one was almost a little too much for me.
Alison Sigman: 3
Hops, hops, hops in the front
of things with oily citrus notes.
The backbone is sweet malt, and it
does a nice job of balancing things out here, but it is definitely in the background. The finish is semi-dry
and leaves a bitter hops aftertaste, begging you to take another sip.
Ratings are given from 1-5.
“5” is the best rating a reviewer can give, meaning they were very pleased with the beer and would recommend it. “1” is the lowest rating a reviewer can give, not enjoying it at all.
