Beer Tasting: Many Hops to be Had

In an effort to spread the craft beer cheer around campus I host beers tastings about once a quarter. The most recent one was our largest; a still modest 11 people and we definitely tasted some delicious brews. Everyone left satisfied, craft beer literate, and (a little) tipsy. From left to right, the beers we tasted were Paulaner Hefeweizen, New Belgium Ranger IPA, New Belgium 1554 Black Ale, New Belgium Mighty Arrow Pale Ale, Anchor Porter, Founder's Double Trouble and Half Acre Daisy Cutter Pale Ale. We also had New Belgium Fat Tire (not pictured). I'm going to deviate from my traditional format of reviews and just do a little mini-review for each beer tasted; I didn't get the chance to take a picture with the beautifully poured beer next to its bottle so I'll just include a little blurb about the major strengths/weaknesses of the beer. The beers will be reviewed in order from right to left in the picture above, to avoid confusion. Without further ado, I give you, Paulaner Hefeweizen!

The first thing you notice about this beer is its unique aroma. Sure, you get the wheat and spicy notes present in most "authentic" hefeweizens, but there is a definite sort of "cleaner" aroma. I just can't think of another way to describe it other than like chemicals. Now I will go on to say that this did not ruin my drinking experience and I will further posit that cleaning chemicals do not smell bad... just not as good as wheat, hops and cloves. The taste is pretty generic other than the sort of biting sensation that I tie to the smell just described. Here, this oddity is a wholly good thing. I love the extra distinction that this taste gives the beer; it's different, pleasant, extremely refreshing, and goes well with the mild body of the beer. At $10.99 a 6 pack, I can't help but point out that there are better options out there (see: Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier) but if you like a wheat beer with a "clean" taste (in every sense of the word), definitely give it a try. Score: B


New Belgium Ranger IPA
Being an IPA, one expects piney hops and in this case, one gets piney hops. Ranger doesn't wow in the smell department, nor does it impress with a bright orange hue when you pour it (like another beer we will explore later) but the smell is inviting and the taste is very solid. It has a somewhat creamy body for an IPA; almost like Raging Bitch Belgian IPA but it is easy to drink and satisfies the hop craving. Not a whole lot of malt presence and this is by no means a complex beer, but there are citrus notes, there are pine notes and there is body; all are indicators of a solid IPA. At $8.99/ 6 pack or an even better deal in the 12 pack sampler we got, its a good entry level IPA. Score: B+


New Belgium 1554 Black Ale
This is a Belgian Dark Ale and the closest thing I can liken it to is an [inferior version of a] belgian dubbel. Before getting into specifics I think this beer compares to another offering by New Belgium, their Abbey Ale, with the latter being a more complex beer. But, enough with comparisons. THIS beer pours a dark brown/amber color and smells like dark fruits. The first sips reveal a very malt dominated beer with a lot of fruity flavors going on here. Tastes kind of muted; a bunch of nice flavors including raisin, cherry and bready malts shine through but its all a bit dumbed down. A refreshing beer to be sure, plus its got a nice body but I wasn't too impressed. Score: C+

New Belgium Mighty Arrow Pale Ale

A scent of mild hops makes for an enticing beer an the taste follows through with a crisp, moderately hoppy beer with not a whole lot going on other than some citrus hops backed up with a faint malt backbone. Not a substantial body on this one and I have to comment that this beer is much better cold than warm. Maybe it's just a tale of two bottle but the first time I sipped this (warm) I thought there was very little flavor. It was better the second time, when I took a beer from the fridge. I wouldn't buy a sixer of this by itself but it was a nice addition to the variety pack. Score: B-

Anchor Porter

This beer had a nice smell to it: some roasted malts coupled with a sweet, chocolaty aroma really draws you in. The sweetness was certainly something that translated into the taste as well. There were some nice toasted malts but there was definitely a sweet, almost dark fruit taste (think plums?) It wasn't the dominant part of the beer, but an interesting twist on the usual porter. Bold flavor and body make this beer an excellent beer to kick back and enjoy slowly. At $9.99/ 6-pack I'd recommend it without reservation. It seemed to be the favorite at our tasting as well! Score: A

Founders Double Trouble

Clocking in at 9.4% abv, this was the heftiest beer of the bunch we tasted. The smell itself was very complex; a big grapefruit hop smell with a molasses/malt presence as well. I could tell this one would be a thick, bitter beer and it delivered on that promise. The malt hits you upfront coating your tongue with a sticky sweet taste and then the piney hops shine through with a definite citrus hop taste. Tastes kind of spicey on the back end as well with no hint as to the high abv. This ran me $11.99 for a 4-pack, which is expensive, to be sure and the score will reflect that. However, as a treat this beer is excellent and purely based on taste this was my favorite beer of those at the tasting. Score: B

Half Acre Daisy Cutter Pale Ale

Craft beer in a can! A concept that is catching on in the beer community has produced a winner in the form of Daisy Cutter. This pale ale drinks like an IPA but ultra refreshing. Maybe its the springtime can art but I envision myself lounging around in the sun while drinking this. Lots of citrus hops coupled with a medium body and a perfect amount of carbonation produce a really awesome experience for your taste buds. Not a whole lot of malt presence, but I wouldn't describe this beer as ultra "dry." Sold in 4 packs of tall boys that run you $8.99, it's a decent value for what ends up being a little less than a 6-pack and a delicious, refreshing beer.

Score: A