Bear Republic Double Aught Pilsner

I failed to get a picture of this because I was just so glad to be drinking it I completely forgot. I had a Saturday off from the brewpub and my favorite food truck was scheduled to be there, so I went there for lunch and enjoyed a beer and a burger with my husband, my brother-in-law, and my brother-in-law's wife. It was nice to be able to eat and drink with them instead of serving them!



Bear Republic's Double Aught Pilsner is brewed in Healdsburg, California. Our brewpub heavily favors IPAs, of which I'm not a huge fan, so I was eager to try this pilsner and I was not disappointed.

Appearance: Light straw color, retains a thin head and leaves decent lacing (I've poured it in the past).
Smell: Nothing remarkable. Maybe smelled a little bit of lemon.
Taste: Malty and a little yeasty.
Mouthfeel: Crisp and refreshing, easy to drink with a nicely bitter finish.

Overall this beer is QUITE TASTY. I thought it complemented the burger very well. It was a very easy beer to drink and would be refreshing on a very warm day. If it were available locally in 1/6 barrel kegs, we would definitely consider it.

I give BEAR REPUBLIC DOUBLE AUGHT PILSNER 7/10 stars.

Avery Ellie's Brown Ale

The third candidate for our next keg comes from the Avery Brewing Company in Boulder, Colorado. Ellie's Brown Ale again was reasonably priced for a 1/6 barrel (~$70).



This beer was much darker than I had expected. The label featured a brown dog (yes, there does appear to be a theme here, but I'm actually a cat person). We enjoyed the beer, but agreed it's much more of a sipping beer and would probably overpower a lot of the food we eat. Although a good beer, we probably wouldn't get it in a keg.

Appearance: Dark brown with minimal head which dissipated almost immediately.
Smell: Bitter and roasty (not a word, but oh well).
Taste: A nice amalgamation of coffee flavors--vanilla, caramel, and chocolate.
Mouthfeel: Smooth with a dry finish.

Overall this beer is QUITE TASTY. It would be a good beer to get as a pint at a pub, and I'm glad we tried it, but it's not a candidate for our next keg.

I give AVERY ELLIE'S BROWN ALE 7/10 stars.

New Holland Sundog Amber Ale

The second candidate for our next keg hails from Holland, Michigan. New Holland's Sundog Amber Ale was reasonably priced for a 1/6 barrel (~$70).



I am somewhat familiar with the New Holland Brewery's offerings because the brewpub often has their craft beers on tap, but I had not tried this one before. My husband and I enjoyed this beer while eating some homemade popcorn and watching a terrible movie. We both agreed that it was the best candidate so far for our next keg. The label features a silhouette of a dog (looks somewhat like a coyote) basking in the rising sun.

Appearance: Caramel-colored with 1/4 inch of head which lasted for a short time before dissipating.
Smell: Toasty and warm with hints of nuttiness.
Taste: Nice and malty with a touch of caramel. Somewhere between a sipping beer and a chugging beer.
Mouthfeel: This looks like it would be a beefy beer, but it's actually smooth with moderately low carbonation.

Overall this beer is QUITE TASTY. Similar to the Smuttynose Old Brown Dog Ale, I'd pair this with flavorful food or just a nice beer to nurse while relaxing.

I give NEW HOLLAND SUNDOG AMBER ALE 7/10 stars.

Kona Longboard Island Lager

My husband and I are in search of the right beer for our next keg. I got the bright idea to buy some individual bottles of beer so we can sample them without committing to an entire 6-pack.

Brewed in Kona, Hawaii (on the Big Island), Kona Longboard Island Lager sounded like a fun beer to try and the keg price was fairly cheap (~$80 for a 1/6 barrel). The label was appealing and kind of reminded me of an Old Navy commercial.



I had high hopes for this beer, but it didn't leave much of an impression on me.

Appearance: Light straw color with very little head which disappeared almost immediately.
Smell: The smell reminded me of a typical American lager such as Bud Light.
Taste: Nothing remarkable here. It certainly didn't taste bad, but it wasn't very strong. I told my husband I could definitely play beer pong with a beer like this it was so easy to drink.
Mouthfeel: Very light with minimal carbonation.

Overall this beer is COMPLETELY AVERAGE and that disappointed me a little. I'd certainly order it before I'd order something like Bud Light or Miller Light, but otherwise I'd probably pass.

I give KONA LONGBOARD ISLAND LAGER 5/10 stars.

Smuttynose Old Brown Dog Ale

The second beer I bought yesterday caught my attention because it had a dog on the label. Years ago an ex-boyfriend of mine was exasperated when my college basketball bracket had teams going further because their mascots were "cute". The same thinking went into this beer purchase.



It's a puppy dog!

Smuttynose Old Brown Dog Ale was a little stronger in flavor than the Mt. Carmel Blonde Ale, but still QUITE TASTY. It had a darker color and a nuttier aroma and taste. I thought this beer was more of a sipping beer, but not so strong that it would overpower some flavorful food. Again, I gave my husband half of the beer in a glass and I finished the bottle.

I give SMUTTYNOSE OLD BROWN DOG ALE 7/10 stars.

Mt. Carmel Blonde Ale

Yesterday I stood in front of the wall o' beer at a local liquor store and searched for a couple I could take home and try. Not only did I look for key words that I knew I'd like, but I looked for appealing labels and packaging.

Mt. Carmel's Blonde Ale appealed to me as a blonde. The artwork on the bottle was really interesting as well. The label pictures a serene setting with a farmhouse brewery, a beer truck, a small outbuilding, and a duck pond. The Ohio flag flies near the pond as Mt. Carmel is brewed in Cincinnati, so I felt a sense of Buckeye pride. On the side of the bottle the description of the beer is arranged in a word mosaic with different fonts and sizes, which reminded me of a really cool collage my husband's stepsister made for us for our wedding.




Now, the idea to rate the beers on this blog came to me AFTER I had this beer (and one other), so I didn't get a lot of information, or a picture of the beer in a glass. I don't want to use other people's pictures, either. So this review is going to be very rudimentary. Maybe I'll come back around and rate it properly because it was quite good.

So yeah, this was a VERY GOOD beer! It had a good flavor and was not too bitter. While I didn't have any food with it, I think I'd be able to enjoy it with a meal without it overpowering the flavor of the food or filling up my belly too quickly. It was straw-colored and had a pleasant aroma. I shared with my husband and gave him a small glass we got at the Sam Adam's Brewery to try it in while I drank it out of the bottle.

I give MT. CARMEL BLONDE ALE 8/10 stars.

Welcome to Megan's Beer Blog!

Thanks for stopping by my beer blog. Let me tell you a little about myself.

My name is Megan and I'm 28 years old. I'm married and I currently have no children. Earlier this year I graduated with my master's degree in leadership development. I wear many hats at a small co-op brewpub opening in my area. I'm their membership coordinator, but I've also done shifts as a server, bartender, and assistant manager. I just enrolled in bartending courses to become a certified mixologist.

Oh, and I really enjoy beer! That's one of the reasons I pursued employment with the brewpub. I've come a long way from the days when my friend and I would give his older brother $10 and he'd buy us a case of Natural Light (which I would cut with Cherry 7-Up to make it more palatable).

A nearby liquor store boasts an entire aisle of single serving beers. I recently visited the store and looked in awe at the hundreds of beers available. I wanted to try something new, but I had no idea where to begin. So I grabbed two beers that sounded good and had appealing labels. Later that night I decided it would be my goal to try as many different beers as possible. The idea of a beer blog came to life!

I am not a beer expert by any stretch of the imagination. I know jargon exists for rating beers, but I don't understand a lot of it. Maybe as I work more at the brewpub (and once we start brewing our own beers instead of only serving other craft beers) and as I maintain this blog I'll learn some of it. So if I describe a beer as "yummy" please don't call me out on it!

Enjoy my beer journey!