Bell’s Brewery: Oberon Ale

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Brad: 4

A very cloudy, amber-colored beer with nice earthy, complex taste. Every grain of wheat seems to leap out at the taste buds. This brew has a very clean, unadulterated taste, as if nothing artificial has ever contacted it. Understated, rich, and ultimately drinkable.

Sharon: 3

Cloudy amber color with a slight hoppy smell. It boarders on being too hoppy for me. It has a good finish with out an unpleasant aftertaste. But the longer it sits the hoppier it tastes.

Todd: 4

Nicely-hopped for a wheat beer, but lacking any fruity resonance.

Definitely a decent brew here, and a strong showing for Bell's, who I think are kinda hit-n-miss with their beers. Solid and drinkable.

Tom: 3

Bell’s Oberon Ale: I’ve always thought that Oberon had an odd smell that didn’t match its taste. Thankfully, it tastes better than it smells, although more like a pilsner than ale to me.


Leinenkugel: Summer Shandy

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Brad: 3

I don’t know that I’ve ever tasted anything quite like this. My first impression of the color screamed “lemon.” It’s got a bright yellow, lemony color about it. The bouquet confirmed what the color only hinted at – this is going to very lemony and bad, I thought… but I was wrong. The lemon flavor gives this wheat beer a zing that is actually welcome. I’ve tasted beers that tried mimicking raspberry, strawberry, and orange before, but never lemon. Strictly speaking, I still haven’t, since this is no mimic; it’s made with real lemon flavor. My wife tells me that Shandys are typically made with half lager half 7up where she’s from; this one is a Weiss. This would make a nice shade tree drink on a hot summer afternoon after busting ass mowing the lawn.

Sharon: 2

Smells like lemon bars from Maxine’s. Very cloudy, you can’t see through it. The taste is hard to explain. The beer is light but the lemon flavor is almost too overpowering.  

Todd: 1

Light and simple, and definitely a Summer-style beer. Very light and lemonade-like in appearance, too. No complexity in flavor, and this one tastes like someone poured some sugary lemonade into a light beer. No, thanks.

Tom: 1

Recipe for homemade Summer Shandy - take one of those cute little bottles of lemon juice shaped like a lemon and empty it into a bottle of cold beer. Stir.


Blue Dawg Brewing: Wild Blueberry Lager

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Brad: 2

Popping the top on this one, it’s immediately apparent that this is a blueberry flavored beer. The smell is intensely fruity. While the aftertaste leaves an impression that you’ve just eaten an appetizing blueberry muffin, the initial burst of flavor is a far too strong and mush too syrupy. So often, you come across beers you wish you could just tweak a little this way or that. This is one of those beers. A bit less blueberry flavoring, and this one would have been a good beer. As is, it tastes more like blueberry flavored Mad Dog 20/20 than a lager. Still, it didn’t stop me from finishing the bottle.

Sharon: 1

The only reason this one is in last place is because it just doesn’t taste like beer. It looks and smells like sparkling grape soda. Wait…hold on…I’m having a flashback from 1988(Wayne’s World style) I’m standing at The Purple Cow drinking Purple Passion, we all have big hair. Sorry, I’m back. It’s actually pretty good, but I wouldn’t call it beer. It’s very apparent in the taste that the alcohol content is 8%! My sister-in-law would love it!

Todd: 2

Yummy deep-blue appearance, and an aroma of fresh, tasty blueberries. Looking forward to this one already! But the flavor is what's important, and this one comes across like an alcoholic grape soda.

Tom: 2

I think that there’s been a mistake. This looks, smells, and tastes like a wine cooler. The only thing beer-like about it is the bottle. Nevertheless, the 8% alcohol (and the repulsive taste of the Leinie) keeps this one out of last place.


Negra Modelo Dark

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Brad: 4

Being no stranger to Negra Modelo, I knew going into this review that I would be covering a deep, rich brew with a dark color and even darker flavor. Like burnt coffee in its intensity, NM is a brooding concoction that brings the taste buds into new territories of sophistication.

Sharon: 4

Dark in color , but not heavy in taste. Yummy caramel-nutty flavor. Goes down nice with a mild aftertaste. Great flavor without being overpowering.

Todd: 3

A decent, if unremarkable beer, mild, malty, and really sort of bland. Dark caramel appearance. Ideal for spicier foods, though (like Mexican), though, so this one gets by.

Weird and un-beerlike. And not very good at all.

Tom: 4

I have never been a big fan of Mexican beers, but when I get one, it’s almost always a Negra Modelo. For those of you fearful of dark beers, it looks a lot darker than it tastes.