Ni Hao! Gotta love free mini-bars...San Miguel Pale Pilsnen

Greetings from Hong Kong! For those that did not know, I am in China for the next several days on business and since I am trying to stave off the fatigue of jet lag/have a free mini-bar/have not posted in forever, I decided it was the perfect opportunity to do a little posting from the Far East! Today I am drinking the only beer that happened to be waiting for me in my hotel: San Miguel Pale Pilsen.





San Miguel is the flagship beer of the brewery with the same name based in the Philippines (although this particular can was probably brewed in Hong Kong). Since I don't have the proper drinking glasses, I will describe how this beer pours and tastes in a hotel bathroom glass (only the finest when it comes to this blog)!

The first very noticeable thing about this beer is the packaging...the beer is packaged in a can that uses an "olde tyme" pull tab, ala beers you would find back in the fifties. The beer is unassuming in appearance, with a classic golden pilsner color and a markedly thick head. The beer smells a bit like the Natural Light I used to chug in college but, thankfully, tastes much better than it's aroma might suggest. The taste is subtle and slightly flowery with no lingering after-taste. San Miguel is light and easy to drink, which is a nice difference than some of the American pilsners I have had.

All in all, this is a pretty good beer...there is truly nothing out of the ordinary that makes it memorable (besides perhaps the location it is being consumed), but certainly better than lots of other pilsners I have had (looking at you Natty Light). If you happen to be in Hong Kong, I would recommend giving this beer a shot!

Gan bei! (Literal Chinese translation means "dry the cup").


Flavor: Classic pilsner with a slight flowery hint
Color: Light gold
Alcohol Content: 5% (by volume)
Average Price: Free in hotel mini-bar!

Never had a communist beer - Cigar City Cubano Espresso

Dave and Sara are in town to visit for the weekend, and more of a reason do I need to write a couple of updates! Dave and Sara toured the Cigar City Brewery in Tampa after Dave's completion of the Bar exam. They decided it would be fun to grab a growler and have a group review...today we are going to try the Cigar City Cubano Espresso.





The first thing that we noticed about this beer is the rich coffee aroma...Sara and I agreed that the beer smells more like an iced coffee that a stout beer. The pour was soft and resulted in little head (although, Dave was pouring the beer in a manner that preserved every drop of beer from the growler). The beer is dark in color, although not so much that you cannot see the slight changes in the color when shown in light. The flavor, much like the aroma, is very coffee heavy...which is not a negative attribute, but certainly something that might surprise those that were not anticipating it. The only probably with some much coffee flavor is that you can not really admire the other elements of the beer...it tends to overpower the hops and malts.

All in all, this is a very tasty beer, but it could use some tweaking to improve upon the overall flavor varieties. This is something I would have again, but something that I think I would actively seek out to purchase for stocking at my house.


Flavor: Coffee...enough said
Color: Dark and reddish brown
Alcohol Content: 5.5% (by volume)
Average Price: $7.00 (per 32 oz. growler)

They will call me this when I am a grandpa - Gritty McDuff's OPS IPA

While this might not be the first IPA I have reviewed, it is certainly the one with the longest name! Today I am reviewing the clever/lengthy Gritty McDuff's Original Pub Style Maine's Classic Pale Ale...whew!





Well, not only is this the longest named beer I have ever consumed, but also the most difficult to find a decent photo of! GMD's is a nice, lightly colored IPA with a subtle aroma and a quickly dissipating head...the flavor, however, is much softer than I expected. There is very little hoppiness to speak of, and this beer actually tastes a bit like dry toast (which, I should add, isnt necessarily a bad thing, just something I wasnt expecting)...the finish is smooth and there is no lingering aftertaste (something that can be a bit of a turn off about stronger IPAs).

All in all, I wouldn't say that this is my favorite IPA, but certainly not one I would scoff at if given to me. This is a very good starter IPA for those who are uncertain about diving into a strong IPA, but not necessarily memorable for those who are looking for a more falvorful brew!

Flavor: Light hoppiness with heavy hints of toast (?)
Color: Golden and clean
Alcohol Content: 6.2% (by volume)
Average Price: $12.99 (12 pack)

Maximus - best name never: Lagunitas Maximus IPA

I was in need of some crisp and cool hoppiness this evening, so I decided to turn to one of the IPAs I was holding off on (since, admittedly so, the blog is very IPA heavy). Tonight, we look into the self proclaimed "greatest" IPA in Lagunitas' Maximus IPA.





Lagunitas is a California based brewing company (is it me, or do most IPAs come from the west coast?) that currently only ships beer to 29 states and 2 Canadian provinces. They constantly brew 7 different types of beers, including 2 different IPAs, along with a nice variety of seasonal beers.

I tried to pour this beer a little harder than I typically do to judge the true head of the beer which, not to my surprise, was minimal and quickly dissipated, but was much more visible than when I typically pour my beers. The beer is a clear, golden color typical of many classic IPAs and has a subtle, hoppy aroma. The flavor is smooth and refreshing, with a nice undertone of hops that does not over power the flavor of the beer. Underneath the hops is a soft citrus and spice that balances out the hops.

I can honestly say that this is one of the better IPAs I have tried lately. As much as I enjoy a skull-crushing hoppiness, sometimes it is nice to be able to see clearly after drinking a beer! This is an IPA that could easily be tolerated by those who are new to stronger flavored beers, but tasty enough for the professionals to enjoy. I like to think about having several beers of one type over the course of a night as a gauge to the quality of beer...this is a beer that I could enjoy several of without tiring and wanting to switch to something else!

Do yourself a favor and pick up some Lagunitas Maximus IPA to try for yourself!


Flavor: Hoppy and citrus with nice spicy notes
Color: Golden with a nice clean finish
Alcohol Content: 7.5% (by volume)
Average Price: $10.98 (6 pack)

Calories: 233
Total Fat: 0g
Cholesterol: 0g
Carbs: 21.5 g
Protein: 1 g

Since my girlfriend loves the gonzo - Gonzo Imperial Stout

Well, it certainly has been awhile...No excuses on my part, although I could push out several very valid 'reasons'.

Let's jump right into it: Gonzo Imperial Stout





I am not certain why the Flying Dog brand of beers has such a love for Hunter S. Thompson (or, at least the artist that does all the drawing for his works), but it seems to me like this company uses this art all the time for their beers. I know a ton of people who really enjoy Flying Dog, but have never had the pleasure of getting to try one myself...

The beer is very dark and flows lightly into the glass...very little head for a stout, but I have a sneaking suspicion that this has a lot to do with the way I have learned to pour my beers for optimal beer consumption! The flavor is strong and has heavy undertones of dark chocolate. The strength of the beer is surprising, given how smooth it is to drink. The aroma is chocolately with slight hints of maple (although the beer has no maple taste to it).

This is a very tasty stout, but not one that I think I could handle for an entire evening of drinking. I would certainly recommend having this beer over dinner or with a chocolate dessert (Jess will be making a cake using stout from a future blog post: kamikaze gourmet...look it up!). Definitely have this beer whenever you are looking for a nice, strong stout!


Flavor: Dark stout with a nice, heavy undertone of dark chocolate
Color: Dark brown (almost purplish on the adhesion to the glass)
Alcohol Content: 7.8% (by volume)
Average Price: $5.99 (bottle)

Calories: 269
Total Fat: 0g
Cholesterol: 0g
Carbs: 18.6 g
Protein: 0 g





P.S. I'll end with a promise...much more frequent posts in the future!

All mine comes from growing up on the streets: Sol Cerveza

This post was originally planned for Cinco de Mayo, but it seems that Once de Mayo...From what I hear, this is like the Corona of Canada, so we shall see if Sol Cerveza tastes like maple syrup and ham.





Jess told me that, like Corona, this beer should be served with a lime, but to truly test the flavor of the beer, I decided to do this review with just the beer only. The color is a light golden amber and has little head of which to speak. Sol Cerveza has a very similar aroma to Corona, but a unique sweetness after tasting. In fact, I would say that this beer tastes as if someone mixed Corona with Heineken, which might sound a little strange, but is actually a nice little twist on your traditional Mexican cerveza. I would think that this beer would be inhanced with a fresh lime.

I know that most people like to eat Mexican food when enjoying a Mexican beer, but I really enjoy have a good burger and fries, since typically these beers are lighter in consumption, and thus better suited to consumption while eating food.

A very tasty beer with a nice hint of sweetness...I would definitely recommend picking some up for your next Once de Mayo party!


Flavor: Sweet with a subtle hint of Heinekenish flavor
Color: Light amber
Alcohol Content: 4.1% (by volume)
Average Price: $14.99 (12 pack)

Calories: 143
Total Fat: 0g
Cholesterol: 0g
Carbs: 11 g
Protein: 1.1 g

Wait, im NOT reviewing an IPA? - Sierra Nevada Stout

I have been a fan of Sierra Nevada since my first sip of it in a few years ago...however, I can say that my experiences have typically been with their different varieties of hoppier beers (IPAs, seasonal beers, etc.) The company itself has a very unique and inspirational history (the president began brewing in his garage and now has one of the largest microbreweries in the country...all with no paid advertising). Today, to experience more of their brand, I will be sampling the Sierra Nevada Stout.







Right off the bat, this is probably one of the darkest beers I have ever seen; imagine a Guinness without the defined head and unique bubbling. The aroma is nice and chocolaty, but not quite as potent as the aforementioned beer...The flavor is rich with a surprising (and pleasant) hoppy finish. I suppose that this is to be expected with a Sierra Nevada, as it seems that they pride themselves on the ability to infuse any beer the brew with a good amount of hops. The flavor is forward, but doesn't linger on the pallet much longer than it should.

All in all, I would say that this beer is a very tasty addition to my already beloved Sierra Nevada brand. If you are looking for a traditional (i.e. Guinness) flavored stout, I would probably steer away from this one, but if you are looking for something a bit more unique than your typical stout, then I would definitely recommend this beer!


Flavor: Chocolaty with a warm hoppy finish
Color: Dark brown (practically black)
Alcohol Content: 5.8% (by volume)
Average Price: $8.99 (6 pack)

Calories: 175
Total Fat: 0g
Cholesterol: 0g
Carbs: 14.1 g
Protein: 1.5 g