Chicks Love Beer

If you couldn’t tell from my Oktoberfest post, I love fall, and fall beers.  Especially pumpkin beers (true confession:  I actually love just about anything pumpkin).  Every year, in early September, I head to my favorite beer shops to pick up a season’s worth of pumpkin beer.  I usually grab some of my favorites, and check out new ones to try.  The owner of my tried and true beer store recommended Schlafly to me, saying it was his favorite.  I was a little dubious, as his second favorite is one I’m not a fan of.  But I decided to give it a try, and I am very happy I did.  This is the first Schlafly beer I’ve tried, and I’ll definitely be looking for additional styles.  (more…)

I can’t help myself, I get very excited about all things fall – and as a consequence, start drinking Oktoberfests as soon as they appear.  So I was happy to see Ayinger Oktoberfest on the draft list at my local uber-beer garden.  While Ayinger isn’t one of the original Fests from 1810, it’s still regarded as a classic.  It all started well, as it was a beautiful copper fest-color, with an even head.  But when I started drinking it, I was a bit disappointed.  (more…)

Some bottles from Erie Brewing Co appeared in my fridge recently, so I opted to try the Golden Fleece Maibock in my quest to let Bocks grow on me – I haven’t seen too many Maibocks from American breweries before.  Erie Brewing is located in (surprise!) Erie, PA, and the Maibock is their spring seasonal.  It was light amber/gold in color, and had minimal head.  The thing that really hit me was the maltiness.  I’m a big fan of malt, but this seemed a bit harsh – it had a flavor similar to what you’d get actually chewing on grain.  Luckily, that flavor diminished as I tried a bit more. (more…)