Beer Review: Red Stripe

Red Stripe is a beer that has gained popularity through advertisement over the years; because of this, the makers and distributors have been able to play it off as a beer superior to generic macro lagers. We'll see how it fares in a real world test in just a minute.

The beer pours a thin straw yellow color with quite a bit of carbonation. There's not head to speak of; even with a rather aggressive pour, only a few stray bubbles manage to make it to the surface. Overall a pretty generic looking beer. 

There's a sweet smell to Red Stripe; something akin to a corona or similar imported lager. Kind of musty but definitely syrupy. Not altogether off-putting, but not what I would call pleasing. 

Taste is sweet right off the bat. You get some bready/malty mix throughout the sip but not much else beyond that. Taste is funky; not quite your generic bud taste but almost like you took a bud and aged it. 

Soft drink consistency; drinks thin with a watery mouthfeel. I can deal with watery if there's some flavor to it but if you've read the previous paragraph you know my opinion on that. Not as thin as a light beer which is I guess a redeemable quality. 

You can find Red Stripe "Jamaican Lager" at your local store for around $7.99 but honestly, don't. There's not much that distinguishes Red Stripe from your corona-type varieties; some twists on the adjunct lager taste but basically its the same beer. The only thing keeping me from giving this beer an "F" is the slightly-better-than-light-beer mouthfeel. No other way to describe it other than a bad value. Want taste like this? Get a 30-pack of whatever macro is on sale.

Score: D-  1.5/5

Beer Review: Goose Island Honker's Ale

Today I'll be reviewing a Chicago favorite, Goose Island's Honker's Ale. This was actually the first craft beer I tried when I moved to Chicago and it's grown to be one of my go-to beers.

This beer pours a light amber color with a quick fading, fluffy head. Overall a nice full-looking beer.

The smell is complex; you get some sweet smelling malts as well as the piney hops as well as a faint citrus smell. The nose really adds a lot to the experience this beer offers.

The taste really wows you from the first sip. Everything that the nose promises is present and then some. There are some really bready malts present that are complimented by some decent hop bitterness. Not a whole lot of fruity flavor but the malt/hop balance is superb, with both of those flavor profiles shining through with strength.

As good as the taste is, the body and mouthfeel of this beer could be even better. The bready malts meld well with the full body and moderate carbonation creating a really bold tasting beer.

This is a solid all around beer that really has no weaknesses. At $7.99 a sixer or even better, $12.99 a 12-pack, this is another one of the best value beers around. Best of all, stores in Chicago love to have sales on it so I've seen a 12 pack for as low as $10.99.

Score: A  4.5/5

Beer Review: Smuttynose Finestkind IPA

A beer review to kick off the summer! This is probably one of my favorite beers ever; really the standard for value as far as I'm concerned. Just a note: it's not uncommon to observe sediment at the bottom of the bottle; even if it looks "chunky," it will break up when you pour it!

I poured this into an oversized wine glass and I think it did a good job of displaying the great cloudy appearance this beer has. Plenty of head  that fades pretty fast but leaves your standard creamy layer on top that keeps that aroma locked in.

Speaking of aroma... it smells resinous. The nose is all hops; oily, piney hops. You can tell how hoppy this beer will be just from its smell. It's not musty but quite crisp smelling (this bottle was pretty fresh).

Let me say here that because of the taste, this beer is my favorite single IPA. You obviously get the huge hops upfront but this beer is more than the hops. Some citrus flavors make their way through; definitely grapefruit and orange rind. You also have a little bit of malty sweetness though I wouldn't say it has a strong malt grounding at all... the main attraction here is the hops! Bold and perfectly melded flavors.

The body and mouthfeel are just about par for the course for an IPA; nothing surprising, just no nonsense goodness.

At $8.99/sixer this beer is a much better deal than almost every worthwhile IPA. Absolutely my go to beer when I can find it in Chicago and it's available widely in NE. Kudos to smuttynose for an outstanding beer.

Score: A+ 5/5