Capital Brewery-Wisconsin Amber

I'm going to get this out of the way now, I LOVE Wisconsin beer. This state has a rich brewing history and there is nothing I enjoy more then trying a new Wisconsin micro-brew. With that being said the next beer on my list is the Capital Brewery's Wisconsin Amber.

This beer poured a nice, light, cloudy amber and had a strong creamy white head with great lacing. The nose was sweet, but was predominately hoppy and bitter with herbal and floral notes. The taste was the same as the nose but the flavor of the malts came out more and even had a carmelly type of taste that when added the the bitterness of the hops made this beer great. The mouthfeel was light and smooth with perfect carbonation, and even was a little dry. Over all this was a very drinkable beer and I am excited to try more quality beers from this great state!

Sandcreek-English Style Special Ale

I'm excited to say this is my first Wisconsin beer I am doing for this blog! I was getting some gas at a station near my house and I noticed they had a "Build your own six pack" thing inside. I thought this would be perfect to get me starting on posting more beers, so I loaded up an empty six pack and got back to my house as fast as I could to try one. I inevitably ended up picking the Sandcreek English Style Special Ale.

This beer poured a nice rusty, and very cloudy, red color with an equally nice, thick, tan head. The nose was dry and nutty and somewhat biscuity. The aroma of the hops was very mild compared to the taste which was spicy and almost perfume like (in a good way). The taste was similar to the nose but was a tad more bitter and for some reason less malty. This beer had a nice, thick mouthfeel but it also had a lot of sediment floating around which I didn't enjoy too much. Over all I had a pretty good first impression of this beer and am looking forward on seeing what else Sandcreek has to offer!

Utenos Porter

My band was playing a show in La Crosse Wisconsin at an awesome venue called The Warehouse and as we were unloading I looked across the street and noticed this bar called The Bodega Brew Pub. I noticed the many beer bottles in the window and saw a sign that they had 400+ beers available. I couldn't believe it! I had to go and check it out. After we got done playing I snuck over and had a look. I asked the bartender for a list of the beers they had and she handed my a binder chalk full of of beers I've never heard of before! After much debate I settled on a Utenos Porter from Lithuania.

This beer was a nice dark ruby brown color that was very inviting. It had a dry chocolate nose with undertones of coffee and even a dash of plum. Also had a sweetness about it that I couldn't put my finger on. I didn't expect this beer to taste as it did. The taste was really roasty with the chocolate and coffee malts and the sweetness of the nose came through and was a pleasant surprise. It was unique for a porter, as it wasn't as dry as other Baltic porters I've tried. It had a pretty smooth and light mouthfeel.
I would defiantly have another one of these great beers and can't wait for my next visit to The Bodega Brew Pub!

Hansa Pilsner

I am sad to say this is the last post from my trip to Norway. As you may or may not have know am WAY behind on this blog. (My trip was in May and it is now September.) I had a blast over there experiencing this country's rich history and culture and can't wait to one day return. Let's get to the beer!

I was very pleased with this beer. It poured to a very deep amber color with a thick frothy head. The malts were very sweet and were somewhat biscuity. The aroma of the hops was a bit herbal and really came out in the flavor. The nose wasn't too hoppy, as the sweetness of the malts all but nudged them out. Very light and smooth mouth feel with good carbonation. This was a very easy drinking beer and was a good example of a European pilsner.

Hopefully I will get the chance to return and try many other great Norwegian beers!

Jacobsen Saaz Blonde

I wanted to try and stay away from the major European breweries while in Europe and found it to be a lot harder then I thought. I saw this on a shelf at the grocery store and it looked and sounded good, even after I saw it bore the mark of the Carlsberg beer giant. I later learned that Jacobsen had been brewing since 1799 and was later bought out by Carlsberg.

This beer poured a nice golden amber with perfect, but almost over abundant carbonation. Strong frothy white head that laced very well. Had a real fruity and slightly spicy nose. The taste was sweet and fruity with notes of almost citrusy hops. Had a light and smooth mouth feel. Very good overall, sort of like a lighter Belgian Strong Ale. I wish I could have tried the other Jacobsen products!

Norrlands Guld

Today I was looking through my beer journal and realized I am WAY behind in updating this blog! It is about time I added a couple so here you go!

While I was still in Norway (like I said I am way behind!) I was looking through the fridge at my girl friends' parent's house and saw a can of Norrlands Guld just sitting there. I asked her dad if I could have it and he said no problem!

This is a Swedish beer so I was happy to try it, even when I was told that Swedish beer wasn't as good as Norwegian beer. This beer poured a dark golden color and had a good head, ok retention, and good lacing. The nose was mildly sweet and also had a dank bitterness of the hops. The taste was similar to the nose. The sweetness of the malts was brought out more in the taste but other then that it had a very watery taste that turned me off from this beer. The mouth feel was light and the carbonation was bad. (Too flat) It was a very easy drinking beer, but was a little too light for my taste. I should have had another to see if it was just a bad can, but in my haste to try as many beers as I could while in Norway I never got around to it.

(Sorry for the picture! I was in a hurry to try this beer and only took one picture. Lesson learned!)

Ringnes Skjœrgårds Pils

Back to Norway I go! Since I was in Norway I thought I'd do mostly Norwegian beers while I was here. I walked down to the local grocery store and saw some Skjœrgårds Pils, another variety of Ringnes, so I bought it along with a few others. In Norway instead of having to buy a six pack and risk getting something you don't like, you can rip open the case and get them individually if desired.

I was told that Skjœrgårds translates to "islands or rocks along the fjords." This beer had a summery look to the can so I was guessing it was a seasonal.

This beer poured a light golden color and had a good head, but had no retention what so ever and therefore had zero lacing. The nose was sweet with hints of honey and was almost spicy. The spiciness came out in the taste as well with the sweetness. The mouth feel was thin and light but was well carbonated. Overall this was a very easily drinkable beer, especially on a hot Norwegian summer day.