Argus Brewery-Pegasus IPA tasted

Appearance: brownish, maybe it's reddish. Plenty of thick frothy white foam and considerable lacing of the glass. Head dissipates very quickly.

Smell: Hopped up. Pineish, but not too big of a nose.

Taste: As expected, it tastes hopped, but not a heavy presence as the smell would lead you to believe. Clean, crisp, refreshing, light taste, but not watery. Nice.

Drinkability: Excellent India Pale ale. Perfect with classic bar food or on a hot day.

Overall: Definitely a strong consistent beer that does an IPA well, but not as strong as I prefer them!

Serving type: bottle

Chin chin!

David Ruiz is a Sales & Marketing pro who is unnaturally obsessed with good beer.  Contact him at beersnobber@yahoo.com

Sprecher Brewing Company of Glendale, WI (just outside of Milwaukee) is introducing an alcoholic version of their somewhat famous Root Beer (their beers are much more well known).  Sprecher has been making award-winning beer and sodas since it opened in 1985 (formerly located in Milwaukee proper)

The “Hard” Root Beer is an old fashioned fermented root beer with 5 percent alcohol by volume.  Sprecher said, “It combines the flavors and characteristics of Sprecher Root Beer with bourbon and oak flavors.”

Apparently customers had been asking for a “Hard” version of their Root Beer for years and they finally decided to take action on the requests.

Unfortunately, Sprecher’s Hard Root Beer is only available in limited distribution.  Currently the small number of locations is limited to Southeastern Wisconsin, Madison, WI and at the brewery in Glendale, WI.

Here's to hoping they take their Root Beer and create a beer influenced by it, but for now we will have to settle for spiked Root Beer soda.

Chin chin!!

David Ruiz is a Sales & Marketing pro who is unnaturally obsessed with good beer.  Contact him at beersnobber@yahoo.com

Heat up with the right winter beer!

It's that time of the year where parts of our great country start to get chilly, frosty and down right cold.  

The good news is that it is also the time that hearty winter brews start hitting the shelves.  

Beer makers had made these types of beers for many centuries and they tend to be fuller, maltier and heavier in alcohol than traditional beers.  The payoff is more texture, richness and complexity.  Most should be served no colder than 55 degrees F as to not lose the deep flavors, notes and spices that have been methodically calculated during the brewing process.

My top four (readily available) winter beers   

Samuel Smith's Winter Welcome Ale

A traditional winter Ale or at least what I think of when I think traditional.  Heavy on the maltiness front, but does a good job of balancing with caramel and apple flavors in the mix. 

Young's Winter Warmer

Another traditional winter style that can be appreciated by all, not just the snobs. Smooth start, not too complex and light finish.  A classic.

Samuel Adams Holiday Porter 

Deep black with a strong tan head that dissipates quickly.  Aroma is quite subtle with hints of dark roasted barley.  Smooth on the pallet with a smokey start that moves to a persuasive bitter finish 

Samichlaus

One of the greatest Christmas beers, It is a deeply aged doppelbock with complex notes and a strong smooth finish.

All of these can easily be found at any liquor store or local grocer.

Chin chin!
David Ruiz is a Sales & Marketing pro who is unnaturally obsessed with good beer.  Contact him at beersnobber@yahoo.com

Is it a beer or is it a Wine?

Brewmaster Keith Villa has created a new Beer or is it a Wine. In case you don't know the name Keith Villa, he is the creator of Blue Moon (MillerCoors).  He is also the guy that added the then unheard of garnish of an orange slice as a marketing/branding exclamation point)  

Now he may have done it again by creating a Wheat beer that puts grapes in the same barrel as the beer (instead of malts).  Actually he started this project back in 1995 and test marketed it at Coors Field.  The consumer response was underwhelming so it was shelved.

16 years later, Villa has resurrected his hybrid product.  He again test marketed small batches and it won several awards.  It is now ready to be brought to the masses.

There are currently two styles.  One beer (Wheat Ale) is half-Sauvignon Blanc and is called Proximity and the other beer (Wheat Ale) is half-Cabernet Sauvignon and is called Impulse.  Both varieties are on the shelves right now, under the Vintage Ale Collection.  (This summer they will be re-branded under the Golden Knot label along with a new summer variety). 

It can be found in the wine section of liquor stores in 750 ml bottles so check there first.  I will have tasting notes as soon as I find a bottle.

Chin chin!

David Ruiz is a Sales & Marketing pro who is unnaturally obsessed with good beer.  Contact him at beersnobber@yahoo.com 

Monks Selling their Rare Beer in the United States

St. Sixtus Abbey Westvleteren Brewery in Belgium is going to sell its Westvleteren XII beers in the US to pay for some much needed improvements to the Abbey.  

Westvleteren XII is believed by some to be the best beer in the world-It is considered the holy grail for many beer lovers.  

Westvleteren XII is brewed by Trappist Monks in the Belgium countryside and is normally only available at the Abbey.  But now (for as long as they last) consumers in the U.S. and a few other countries can purchase the beer at select retailers for $84.99 for six bottles.   

The 21 monks made the decision to export a very small amount of their rare libation overseas for the first time because of the need for expensive renovations and lack of cash on hand.  Because of their lifestyle they purposely don't have cash reserves and live a very noncommercial existence.

Mark Bode, spokesman for the Westvleteren Brewery, recently said "I think it will be the last."  They say, 'We are monks, we don't want to be too commercial. We needed some money to help us buy the new abbey and that's it,' " then  "Back to normal again."

The monks only brew 3,800 U.S. barrels a year, every year.  That is exactly what is needed to create enough cash flow to sustain the abbey. Obviously, sales of the beer are under tight control.  This low supply has caused high demand especially regionally.  

Despite it being a heavy, dark sweet Ale, the few that have tasted it have given it outstanding ratings which has only added to the mystique and demand.  

Chin chin!

David Ruiz is a Sales & Marketing pro who is unnaturally obsessed with good beer.  Contact him at beersnobber@yahoo.com

Happy National Lager Day!

Celebrate National Lager Day today Monday December 10, 2012 with your favorite lager.  Lagers are by far the most consumed type of beer in the United States.

Lager are not just the classic clear, light refreshing pilsners-type beers you may first think of.  Lagers represent a large variety of styles including those lights (i.e Miller High Life) all the way to the darker bocks (i.e Spaten Optimator). 

All lagers are fermented for longer aging times than "ales" and at lower temperatures which help create cleaner, fresher tastes for the palate.  (Lagers were accidentally created by Bavarian brewers who were trying to ferment their beer during lower winter temperatures).

Up until the late 1980s most Lagers brewed in the US were of the pilsner variety and it was difficult to find any full flavored lagers out there.  The original Samuel Adams Boston Lager was one of the first full bodied lagers to become popular and widely accepted.

Do your part to support National Lager Day.

Chin chin!

David Ruiz is a Sales & Marketing pro who is unnaturally obsessed with good beer.  Contact him at beersnobber@yahoo.com

Samuel Adams Holiday Mix 12 pack has a new beer!

Samuel Adams White Christmas Ale

I tasted it using the Samuel Adams perfect pint glass.  It poured a foggy orange yellow with a distinctively thicker white head than expected.  The head held up well throughout the tasting experience.  The style is a traditional witbier normally associated with spring months.  The normal wheaty mallty base and orange flavor is present, but that is quickly infused with overlapping notes of nutmeg and possibly a hint of cinnamon.  These traditional Holiday spices fully compliment the flavors of this wheat based beer.  The body is medium with a very smooth drinkability, a decent foray into the Holiday beer genre.  As others have written, this beer gives us a great reason to enjoy a witbier in the winter months.

Chin chin

David Ruiz is a Sales & Marketing pro who is unnaturally obsessed with good beer.  Contact him at beersnobber@yahoo.com