Leinenkugel's Canoe Paddler Tasted

Kolsch style beer (at least that's what the bottle says)

Poured pale clear straw-ish color. Head dissipated rapidly.

Smelled of citrus almost fruity, which is not what I expected from a Kolsch style brew. 

Very easy on the pallet, crisp and light with a dry fruity tang to the finish.  Unfortunately not a hint of the traditional Kolsch rye flavors.  Fruit flavors are the clear winners here. 

A very refreshing balanced beer and very drinkable, but I honestly would be hard pressed to identify this beer as a Kolsch especially in a blind taste. 

Overall a decent beer but the weakest Kolsch I've tasted.

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

Mamma Mia Pizza Beer

WHAT you say, yes there is a pizza beer out there.  I love pizza almost as much as I love a good beer so I had to give it a try.

Poured mine into a classic pint glass, it has a reddish/orange color with a nice frothy white head that does not dissipate quickly, hold its own.

This brew definitely smells like a real pizza (my stomach began to growl), the basil, garlic and oregano are much more apparent to the nose than tomato. 

Classic wheat beer characteristics, but with strong pizza flavors and oregano notes lasting on the tongue.  

A little thin and watery body, but contributes to its smoothness.

On its own its not anything to write home about, but everything changes when you pair it with a fresh hot pizza.  Easy to drink, perfect compliment to your pie. This is not too bad a beer alone, but it's much more than a novelty when you add in the real pizza. 

Chin chin!

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

A perfect beer for your Easter dinner.

Are you looking for the right beer to pair with your Easter dinner, well here is my recommendation.  Smuttynose Maibock from Smuttynose Brewing.  They brew out of New Hampshire but can usually be found at many specialty liquor stores.  Their Maibock has its own distinctive take on the Germany originated Springtime beer, "the Maibock".  

Bocks are usually thought of as stronger, deeper and darker versions of lager beer, but not Maibocks, especially those released in Springtime.  Spring Maibocks are much lighter in appearance, medium bodied and traditionally use German “noble” hop varieties. Smuttynose brewery's Maibock is overwhelmingly malty to start with a subtle finish of a variety of crisp hopiness-the perfect compliment for a traditional ham dinner.  Enjoy!

Chin chin!

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

Goose Island Clybourn's annual STOUT Fest is here!!!!!!!!

Goose Island Clybourn's (1800 W Clybourn, Chicago, IL) will have 20+ Chicagoland breweries and their master brewers live, pouring and discussing their handcrafted stouts Saturday March 16th 12-4pm!  Must be 21 to attend and have a pre-purchased ticket (or try & scalp one at the door).

Some Breweries Attending: Atlas Brewing Co., Half Acre Beer Co., Haymarket Pub & Brewery, Revolution Brewing, Flossmoor Station Brewery, Goose Island Beer Co.,  Rock Bottom Chicago Lucky Monk Brewery, Rock Bottom Warrenville, Pig Minds Brewing Co., Two Brothers Brewing, Wild Onion Brewery, Pipeworks Brewery, Spiteful Brewing, etc.   

Look forward to seeing you all there.

Chin chin!

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

St. Patrick's Day is almost here

In honor of the day, I decided to give Guinness Draught in a BOTTLE another try.  I am a Guinness lover but quite frankly have never liked the Guinness Draught in a bottle.  It always tasted flat, bland and shallow plus the clanking of the "rocket widget" (introduced in 2001) drove me crazy.

I have to say a couple things have changed since I last tasted it, for the better.
The "rocket widget" is now gone and replaced with a new "innovation dedicated to delivering the best drinking experience".  Guinness has recently adjusted the gas (nitrogen) mix so the widget is no longer needed.

When you open the bottle you can definitely here the loud sound of the gas being released (similar to the draught in a can-that still has a ball widget).  This new mixture, much like the old is supposedly activated every time you tilt the bottle to drink.  According to Guinness you should never pour the draught bottle version into a pint glass.  The nitrogen contained in the new gas mix is released by the tilting action of drinking directly from the bottle.  Every time you drink (tilt) more nitrogen is released adding to the creaminess and texture of the beer.

I was pleasantly surprised by the stark difference in drinkability versus the old widget version.  Definitely worth your time.  Still not as creamy as the can version, but much closer than ever before.  Neither really compare to greatness of the keg version, but if you can't get your hands on a pour from your local pub then the bottle version is now a real alternative.
Slainte!

Chin chin!

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

Tranquair Jacobite Ale 

Tasted

APPEARANCE-Very deep dark brown hue, almost ruby. Off-white head fades rather quickly and leaves slight edge around the glass. 

SMELL-strong smell of coriander as advertised on the bottle.  Full bodied sweetish, full molasses smell is easily recognized. 

TASTE-Incredibly smooth.  Combo of sweet sugar cookies, the obvious molasses, rich syrupy flavors with a toasty spot on the palette.  Coriander is definitely pronounced, malt goodness to start-almost chewy, thins quickly towards the end.  Hop presence is non-existent. Slight chocolate flavors finish it out. 

Drinkability-full of sweetness, spicy-cinnamon,roasted fruitiness, sugary with rich chocolate malt flavors.  

OVERALL-I would say this is a superb Winter Beer. 

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 

Deschutes Red Chair Northwest Pale Ale

-tasted


Appearance: Clearish, tangerine tone. Good creamy off-white head that fades 

slowly to a decent lacing.

Smell: Sweet citrusy, almost floral or even herbal. Just a hint of some pine in the nose



Taste: Malty, doughy start that leads to a slight caramel trace. Very smooth push that is

forcefully bumped by a stronger more intense hop taste that ends with a slight mint aftertaste.  

Works very well together, nicely balanced.




Drinkability: Very clean, Medium body, smooth and tasty.



Overall: Pretty interesting take on the a Pale ale, still prefer their Mirror Pond, but definitely 

worth it.



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