OddSide Ales Grapfruit Wheat

   I was looking for a new beer to try and I wanted something odd and unusual. That’s when I came across OddSide Ale’s Grapefruit Wheat. OddSide Ales is located in a former piano factory in Grand Haven Michigan. After purchasing a couple bottles of Grapefruit Wheat I went home and checked out their website. The OddSide Ales website is bright lively and well thought out. Everything you look for in a website.  

   The labeling is a nice simple label. I like the color choices OddSide choose for the label. Based on the label and the description on the label saying that it’s a wheat beer with grapefruit added, I was expecting a very light refreshing beer, with a nice clean finish of grapefruit that cleanses the palate and makes you want to drink more. The kind of beer that would be enjoyed after mowing the lawn.

   The aroma coming from the bottle was different than I expected. It had the smell you would expect from a wheat beer, but the grapefruit smell was flat and barely noticeable. If I didn’t know it had grapefruit in it, I wouldn’t have known it was there. The first taste was also not what I expected, it was much heavier and it was difficult to distinguish individual flavors. There was a perfect bitterness to the beer, but I was left wanting more grapefruit. I wanted a nice clean crisp finish, instead I got a lingering of the bitterness without any resolution.

   Overall I would rate the beer a 7 out of 10. I understand and appreciate what OddSide Ales was going for, but the execution was off for me. With the name OddSide I just expected a more extreme flavor.  Something that really lights up the taste buds. Instead I got another wheat beer with a good bitter taste that makes you feel like something is missing. I will say that I could taste some good potential and I will review more of their beer. Just don’t afraid to bring out the flavor and wow us with something bold and truly unique.  I can taste great ideas now is the time to perfect the execution.  Until next time drink what you love,

Ace

Alaskan Brewing Company Hopthermia Beer Review

   If there is any state I could live in besides Michigan it would be Alaska. That is the reason I went back to school to get a degree in Chemical Engineering. When I get my degree in Chemical Engineering I could take my family to Alaska and work for the oil companies or my ultimate pipe dream becoming a brew master for the Alaskan Brewing Company. I know I will never get the chance to become a brew master, but it’s fun to dream and while I’m dreaming I figure I might as well do a review on the great Alaskan Brewing Company. So I bought a six pack of Hopthermia and I’m ready to let you know what I think of it.

   As soon as I removed the cap from my bottle of Hopthermia I took a nice whiff of the contents inside and could smell bold hops with a nice floral aroma surrounded by hints of citrus and spices. By the smell I was expecting a bold flavor with a slightly bitter and spicy taste and an after taste that lingered.

   I took a good sized sip of Hopthermia and was correct about the bold taste. Right away I could taste a variety of hops that blend together nicely to create a strong full flavor that will keep me nice and warm inside during the cold Michigan nights. The hops are rounded out by a citrus flavor that gives a bold almost sour taste that compliments the fresh, earthy, hops bringing out even more flavor. I was expecting a long and strong aftertaste, but it actually finishes decently with just a lingering hint of orange and grapefruit that is more refreshing than anything else.

   Despite the almost too sour taste of the citrus notes, I still enjoyed the beer very much because of the bold hops and decent finish that balances all the sourness and creates a good complex beer that is surprisingly easy to drink. The one funny thing that I found is that I enjoy sipping the beer more than taking actual drinks. By sipping it I can enjoy the beer going over every section of my palate, waking up every set of taste buds in my mouth. By taking full drinks I lose some of the subtle flavor. On a scale of 1 – 10, I would say this is a very strong 7.5 out of 10.

   This is the first beer I’ve tried from Alaskan Beer Company, but it won’t be the last. I look forward to enjoing many more variety from the truly bold and unique beer company. Until next time,

Ace

Short's Brewery Snow Wheat

  Winter blends, that time of the year when everybody breaks out the spice rack and flavors their beer with cinnamon, cloves, and a multitude of other spices to make for some of the most complex tasting seasonal beers of the year. That fill your belly with beer to help you survive the winter type of season. No fun this is about survival. While I may be getting a little dramatic I find winter blends to be less enjoyable than other times of the year. Maybe it’s because I’m allergic to cinnamon, which prevents me from trying some of the best winter beers or that the stress of the season makes relaxing next to impossible.

  I will never give up on winter beers and today I’m reviewing one from Short’s Brewery. I was looking for a seasonal beer at my local store and saw a bottle with a guy skiing on it. It was called Snow Wheat and since I was looking for a seasonal beer to review I picked up a six pack for my wife and I to enjoy.

   I took my first taste of Snow Wheat and it was a crisp refreshing full flavored beer. It was a German Style beer, but halfway through my first sip I noticed an undertone of an interesting flavor that completely transformed and mellowed the beer out in a refreshing way. I took another sip and thought to myself, “It can’t be.” I got out my laptop, went to the Short’s Brewery website and sure enough, that unknown flavor that was holding this beer together from a flavor perspective was none other than Banana.

   I expected the taste of malted wheat and I even expected the taste of cloves, but this addition of banana was completely unexpected. Without the banana this beer would have been average at best but the banana helped it maintain a wonderful balance and is hands down the most refreshing winter seasonal beer I’ve ever tried. My wife drank her first bottle in silence, enjoying the taste experience on her own. It wasn’t till she finished the first bottle that she turns to me and says, “We need to get more of this.” I just nodded my head as I finish off my bottle.

   My wife and I both, were pleasantly surprised by the taste and balance of this beer. With an alcohol content of 4.5% and a clean refreshing taste I could see myself enjoying this throughout a Sunday while doing work or watching the game. I give this beer a solid 8.5 out of 10. I’m very impressed by this Michigan made beer. Now it’s time for me to grab another so until next time,

Ace