Shiner 99 / Munich Helles Lager
Spoetzl Brewery /
Pours a bright, clear, straw color with ample suds. Smells of grain malts and a very faint sweetness/honey and spice coming through from the Hallertau hops. Taste of forward leaning malt with hops that lean to the back. Light-medium mouthfeel with calm carbonation and average drinkability for a Munich lager. A common representation of the style that pays tribute to Shiner's rich German tradition and heritage. Bring some to your next crawfish boil (see picture below.)
3.75 overall
Style: Munich Helles Lager
Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 5.0%
Availability: limited release
Sample Size: 12oz brown bottle
Pairings:
cheese: Havarti, Brie
cuisine: spicy crawfish, fried oyster po-boy
glassware: flute or Pilsner glass
pric
e: $6.99 6/pack
Allagash Tripel ReserveAllagash Brewing Company /
Bottle is corked and caged with a #68 batch stamp. Brew streams into the goblet translucent golden-orange with a frothy dense head. Extremely convoluted aroma of spices like cardamom, cinnamon, coriander, with hints of banana. Taste brings rich flavors of candi sugar, caramel, banana, clove, and a tad bit of citrus tartness with light pepper. Carbonation pops in the mouth and levels out with some alcohol warmth. Fruity sweet and dry finish that is quite drinkable. One of the best, if not the best Tripel brewed in the United States. Try drinking Allagash Tripel as an aperitif with the suggested parings, with a dessert, or especially excellent on its own as a digestif.
4.55 overall
Style: Tripel
Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 9.0%
Availability: year-round
Sample Size: 750ml corked and caged bottle
cheese: Stilton, Roquefort, Feta
cuisine: Greek salad, asparagus, lemon squares
glassware: goblet, snifter
price : $9.25 bottle
Style Profile:
In 2005, five years from their Centennial Anniversary, Shiner began brewing an annual series of limited edition, commemorative brews, tipping a hat to their rich German roots. Shiner kicked things off with their 96 Mรคrze
Tripel is a strong blonde/pale ale originally created and popularized in 1934 by the Belgian Trappist monastery at Westmalle. Allagash stands out as one of the best breweries in America with an anchored portfolio of Beligian inspired style beers such as White and Dubbel, while some brews are barrel-aged in bourbon soaked oak. All Allagash beers are always bottle-conditioned, meaning that they are not pasteuized and they contain live yeast to being a new process of fermentation.
Below is a video from Allagash brewing company. They are in process of creating one of America's first spontaneous fermented beers, which are also called Lambics and are made from wild yeast and aged hops. After fermentation the Lambic will age in French oak and possibly be added with fruit and should be ready in 2009.
http://allagash.com/news_cool_ship.htm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wD_49kfVJeE
