At my current job, a sixpack of random beers costs about what I make working for an hour and a half. It’s more fun that going to a movie with people who always annoy me, so I guess it’s a fairly cheap entertainment. One, Otto’s Apricot Wheat, we had before, so I’ll only review the new ones.
Full Sail Session Black Lager – This was in a squat short neck bottle like Red Stripe. The beer was a very dark red when held up to the light, essentially black. Lots of roasty toasty malt character but none of the heaviness. I look forward to drinking this more in the summer when I’m craving a dark beer but it’s 90+ degrees Fahrenheit.
Crabbie Alcoholic Ginger Beer – Yum! This is great stuff. I am very pleased that it isn’t as hot as some ginger beers are. A red-amber in color, it isn’t too sweet, like a cross between a ginger beer with all of the spice and a US soda ginger ale. I can see this mixed with an alcoholic cider, apple or ooh, maybe pear, for some wonderfulness.
Lancaster Brewing Company Strawberry Wheat – LBC is a relatively local beer. Most of their beers tend to run a little sweet for me. The strawberry wheat doesn’t taste too sweet but it does taste like those hard strawberry candies that have the jam inside of them. Not bad for a fruit flavor added beer but not my favorite. LBC has a restaurant here in Harrisburg that does have some very good food.
Victory Swing Session Saison – Think Belgian funk with a lot of hops. I’m guessing there are some Citra hops in there but could be wrong. Definitely an excellent way to transition to spring and summer with a Belgian style ale.
Erie Brewing Railbender Ale – Erie Brewing has a lot of beers we like. The Railbender is a Scottish style, a little sweet and a little strong (6.8%). It’s a malt forward ale, without too much hops. I also like their Fallenbock, a rich bock with a nice clean finish, and their Derailed Black Cherry Ale. Be warned, that last tends to really foam as soon as you open the bottle, so be near a sink. That happened to me when I made a cherry beer too, so I don’t know if it’s some magical property of the fruit. 🙂
Drink well!
Club Schadenfreude 