Weihenstephan Weihenstephaner 1516 | Craft Beer Review

From Germany with love well actually from my buddy Gary, but either way the Weihenstephaner 1516 from Bayerische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan is a beer that I recently had the pleasure to enjoy as the subject of this latest beerventure. The Kellerbier itself has an ABV of 5.6% and an IBU of 25. As far as appearance this beer proved to pour a brilliant golden color, as far as aroma it offered great notes of fruit and as for taste, just a pure delight in my opinion as it was as smooth as could be. My Untappd rating for this one was an easy 4.5 and one that I will drink again at some point for sure. Check out my video here though to see my other thoughts.

Brewer Notes:

The Weihenstephaner 1516 is a bright amber colored cellar beer with a fruity-fresh hop flower, a full-bodied body and a pleasant caramel. In the brewing process of the 1516, the Braumeister have considered the traditional way of producing a marten beer. For example, the beer of dark Munich and bright Pilsner malt, combined with traditional Hallertauer hop varieties, such as the rare variety Hallertauer Record, matures long and cold in the historic vaulted cellars on the Weihenstephaner mountain and is not filtered before bottling. Due to the long storage, the bottom fermented yeast naturally settles on the ground and the beer thus obtains an opal opacity and a balanced taste.
Fits with grilled meats and fish, roasts, cheese as well as other hearty dishes.

The Weihenstephaner in 1516 was honored in honor of the 500-year Bavarian purity and is offered only seasonally, at the spring time.

Brewed with the centuries-long beer experience at the Weihenstephaner mountain.

Wort: 12.6% wt.

Alcohol content: 5.6% vol.

Bitterness (IBU): 25

Calorie: 210 kcal / 0.5l

Bottle size: 0.5l

Serving temperature: 6-8 ° C

Guinness Irish Wheat | Beer Review

I decided to take a beerventure off the craft beer path to return to an old faithful, Guinness and take a look at their Irish Wheat. This Witbier style beer has an ABV of 5.3% and poured a nice golden color with a white head that dissipated pretty quickly. The taste was pleasing though and it did deliver good flavor with a nice duration. Overall, a pretty decent beer that led to me to provide an Untappd rating of 3.75. You can check out my video here to see more of my thoughts on this one.

Brewer Notes:

Welcome to Ireland’s sunny side. Far away from the salty sea coastline, the Irish Midlands were the prime spot to grow the wheat for the first ever beer to use 100% Irish wheat malt. Golden in color, with a hint of spicy clove and citrus, Irish Wheat is a clean and lively wheat beer that’s perfect for any occasion.

Our recipe starts with Irish-grown, Irish-malted wheat. A long fermentation with the classic Guinness yeast strain brings out subtle banana, clove and citrus notes—flavors we hold back in our stouts but let loose in our perfectly balanced Irish Wheat. The result is a golden and hazy wheat beer with a clean, crisp, refreshing zesty citrus taste.

Aroma: Cloves with a hint of banana and citrus
Flavor: Clean, low bitterness with a subtle clove and banana flavor and a hint of zesty citrus
Palate: Clean, refreshing taste with full body
ABV: 5.3%
Appearance: Light, golden with a typical wheat haze
Hops: Mount Hood & Amarillo

Minute Beer Buzz: The Simcoe Hop

This is a quick minute look at the Simcoe Hop which is a dual purpose hop that is used to add both bittering and aroma to beer. It is mainly used for India Pale Ales and American Pale Ales, although you can find it sprinkled in with some other styles as well. If you are looking to add a hop that can bring fruity, earthy and pine notes to your brew then this is the hop you are looking for.

Minute Beer Buzz: The Saaz Hop

A quick minute look at the Saaz Hop which is a hop for adding flavor and aroma to beer, mainly used for pilsners.

Saugatuck Starburst Wheat | Craft Beer Review

Starburst Wheat is American Pale Ale from Saugatuck Brewing Company out of Michigan; it has an IBU level of 25 and an ABV of 5.1%. The style of Pale Wheat Ale is one that I have started to really enjoy as it adds additional hoppiness, and this one does a nice job of doing so. The ale is not overly bitter and delivers good flavor as well aroma due to the dry hopping used. If you like hoppy wheat ales then this is definitely one to try. My Untappd rating given for this one was 3.75 and check out my video review to see my other thoughts.

Brewer notes:

An explosion of tart, fruity flavors will erupt in your senses as you take your first sip of this perfectly balanced wheat beer. The sensation can only be matched by the brilliant aroma from dry hopping with massive amounts of Amarillo and Motueka hops.

ABV: 5.1%

IBU: 25

Malts: 2-Row, Wheat, Munich 10, Munich 60, Rice Hulls

Hops: Simcoe, Citra, Motueka, Amarillo

Availability: Year Round in 4 6-pack 12 oz bottles and 1/6 & 1/2 bbls.

Blue Point Hoptical Illusion | Crafty Beer Review

Hoptical Illusion is an American IPA offering from the Blue Point Brewing Company. Due to of course ownership and the accepted guidelines for craft beer, this one does fall outside of that due to the ownership. With that being said, this “crafty” beer does provide similar quality to some offered by some of the craft breweries. This 7% ABV and 70 IBU beer does possess the qualities of the style, although I did find it somewhat muted in respect to taste, flavor and aroma. My Untappd rating for this beer is 2.75 and check out my video here to see my other thoughts on this ale.

Brewer Notes:

To brew this award-winning well balanced IPA, we add plenty of hops five different ways. Adding it five ways allows the “Essence of the Hop” to really shine through and give Hoptical Illusion its signature resiny, citrus-burst punch. From aroma to first sip, this beer is sure to be one of your new favorites.

ABV: 7.0 IBU: 70 OG: 1.061 Availability: Year-Round

Minute Beer Buzz: The Warrior Hop

A quick minute look at the Warrior Hop which is a fine hop for bittering beer...

Great Lakes Oats MacDonald Pale Ale | Craft Beer Review

Oats MacDonald Pale Ale is one more offering from the Great Lakes Brewing Company, and I recently had a chance to check this one out as part of their fridge filler variety offering. This Pale Ale poured out a brilliant and vibrant golden color with a good amount of foaminess for the head. The aromas did provide some of the qualities of your usual pale ale, although this one was a little more malty than expected. Carrying a 5.7% ABV and 35 IBU, even the non-hop beer lover may be able to slide into this one as a transition to hoppier beers. If you have had Lake Erie Monster or Chillwave then I would consider this almost a lighter version of those. The beer was a solid one for me as I gave it a rating of a 4 on Untappd. You can see more of my opinion on this one by checking out my video below.

Brewer Notes:

E-I, E-I-O! With creamy oats here and citrus notes there, this smooth golden Pale Ale recalls the grain silos and rolling acres that line our Midwestern highways and byways.

FLAVOR: Fruity hop aromas roam free-range through a bountiful field of oats and golden malt

PACKAGING: Fridge Filler Variety Pack

ABV: 5.7%

IBU: 35

PAIRS WITH: Roast Chicken, English cheeses, and fields of gold

BEER AVAILABILITY: March

Great Lakes Lightkeeper | Craft Beer Review

The Lightkeeper from Great Lakes Brewing was one of their offerings of their fridge filler pack recently which I was able to pick up on a beer run. This was one of the four beers included and it is a Blonde Ale that carries an ABV of 6.6% along with an IBU of 30. The beer did pour a nice color and did have some good substance to it, but overall it didn’t do as much to really stand out and kind of sat as an average one for me. The flavors were okay but not very long lasting, and the aromas tended to also be faint. A bad beer by no means, but there was just not as much to it in my opinion which is why it may have been a part of a variety pack. My Untappd rating on this one was 3.25, and check out my video here to see the rest of my opinion on this beer.

Brewer Notes:

Inspired by Marblehead Lighthouse (the oldest operating on the Great Lakes) our Blonde Ale's effervescence is guided home by a shimmering beacon of dry and fruity hop flavors.

FLAVOR

Aglow with crisp hop aromas, an incandescent golden hue, and a smooth, navigable malt finish

PACKAGING: 12-pack cans

ABV: 6.6%

IBU: 30

PAIRS WITH: Salads, Sushi, and clear skies

BEER AVAILABILITY: March

Beer Run and Unboxing Video: To Indiana And Back

Did someone say beer run? Oh yeah, I did. Deciding it was a nice day for one; I jumped into the cat and decided to venture over to Indiana in search of a certain beer. Unable to find the one for which the venture was created, I turned my efforts to others and was able to find fine substitutes. But why only stop there, on the way back I decided to hit one more spot in Kentucky and was also able to discover some pleasant surprises. Check out my video here to see what I found!

Bell's Winter White Ale | Craft Beer Review

The Winter White Ale is an offering from Bell’s Brewery out of Michigan and the subject of this beerventure. This 5% ABV Witbier pours a nice golden hazy colored beer due to the bottle fermentation that takes place. The beer itself provides a good reminiscence of Belgian-style white ales with the aromas and taste that are often desired. Smooth overall, this beer makes a good offering in winter or spring in my opinion. My Untappd rating on this one is a solid 4 and well worth a try for anyone who enjoys this style. Check out my video review here to see more of my thoughts on this one.

Brewery Notes:

An alternative to dark and heavy winter warmers and stouts, Winter White is a stylish and refreshing Wheat Ale.

Fermented with a Belgian ale yeast, this blend of barley and wheat malts yields a mixture of clove and fruity aromas, all without the use of any spices. Deliberately brewed to retain a cloudy appearance, Winter White is a beer for embracing winter.

Alcohol By Volume: 5.00%

Original Gravity: 1.05

Shelf Life: 6 Months

FOOD PAIRINGS:

Winter White Ale pairs well with delicate fish, seafood, pork or salads. It also works well with spicy foods, bacon, Peking duck, eggs, eggs Benedict, octopus, omelets and sushi.

Dessert: Fruit pies or dishes like blueberry trifle, cranberry-apple cobbler or banana orange crepes.

Cheese: Butterkase, Mascarpone, Edam, Gouda and anything with herbs, cheddar, EMMI Le Gruyere, Blue Costello, Cambanzola, Gorgonzola, 3-year-old Grafton, Trader Joe's Goat Milk Brie (with the rind) or Cotswold with herbs.