A Pint Half Full

Note: This is part 3 of a series documenting the countries of Epcot Center and the beer they serve.

Just a hop, skip, and a jump away from the land of vikings, weird troll things, and (how could I forget?!) the Maelstrom, was China, the land of Mulan and Chinese acrobats.  Epcot again does a great job here, creating 'temples' and painting the architecture red with the traditional Chinese adornments.  We walked through a museum which had a miniature exhibit of the Terracotta Army of the First Emperor of China which was pretty neat.  Koi ponds surround you as you walk through the exhibit making the environment peaceful with its feng shui-minded design even though you're actually in Orlando, FL.

I'll be the first to admit, I'm no expert on how beer is made or on the types of malt/hops/yeast are used to brew different types of beer, or how to develop specific flavors using these same ingredients.  There is aLOT of science and art into creating beer and it can get really technical, just like music or cooking.  Eventually, I'd like to start getting into the intricacies of brewing beer myself but right now, I'm trying to learn beer appreciation and develop my palate by getting my hands on anything remotely interesting.

Naturally, taste, scent, and anything else related to the senses is very subjective so the reviews I write are only based on a very personal experience.  So I wanted to outline how I approach each beer and give some guidelines on how to taste and enhance your beer drinking experience.  There are alot of good resources you can find by googling to get a good guide on how to taste beer.  A couple good links are here (check out the flavor wheel halfway down the page) and here (beerutopia.com - check out their Beer 101 section).  I hope that these methods will help in finding beers that you like and can enjoy on a deeper level rather than just "sucking down a few cold ones".

I will just highlight some of my main methods here and what I use for the reviews.  With beer, it's all about releasing aroma in the beer in order to help open up your palate to taste all the flavors.  Second is the taste and allowing the the beer to reach all the corners of your mouth.  Third is the finish after your swallow.  Alot of the more subtle flavors and balance of the beer an be tasted in the aftertaste.  This is probably oversimplistic but works for me.  Read on for more details.

Purchased from:
Trader Joe's, Falls Church, VA

ABV%:
5%

Type:
Pre-mixed black and tan (porter mixed with pilsner).

Color:
Dark brown color, like a Coke.

Aroma:
Really had to sniff this long and hard to get any malt or hop aroma.  Mostly dry and apple-y, a bit grassy and even cardboard-ish. 

Taste:
Watery, dry, thin, really light flavored.

Overall:
Like I've said before, I am a sucker for advertising and this beer definitely sucked me in with its packaging.  I was looking for some new beer to try while shopping at Trader Joe's (who don't really have a great selection) and this caught my eye.  The little brown jug makes it seem like it's homemade or aged and implies richness, sweetness, with a reckless flavor.  For $2.99 for the quart, I thought it was worth a try.  I've had the Yuengling Black & Tan previously which I liked the balanced flavor of the maltiness of the dark beer with the bitter, floral taste of the pilsner.  I anticipated something similar if not, better.

I poured this into my Perfect Pint glass and the dark color was appealing.  I took a whiff and couldn't really make out anything though.  Took another whiff and still not much in the aroma.  Dang it.  I saw alot of bubbles which made it seem like a soda.  Hmm...

When I drank this, I had a hard time making out any flavors as well.  I guess it was balanced but it really lacked anything special; hardly any sweetness or bitterness, really light and REALLY watery and thin feeling in the mouth.  I wanted to like this so it was disappointing.  At least I have a cool little jug for... oh who cares.

1.5/5

Note: This is part 2 of a series documenting the countries of Epcot Center and the beer they serve.

Each area at Epcot is designed to resemble the art, architecture, and feel of the native country.  In addition, the employees at each country actually call that country their home in real life.  It must be true since I saw their hometown displayed on their nametags, they spoke in accents, were wearing traditional garb, and just "looked the part" (not trying to be racist or stereotype anyone, it's just fact).  All these details make it feel like you are literally walking across borders into a foreign country.  Granted, the entire environment is sterile and fake but it's fun anyway.  The first 2 stops on our journey around the world began in Mexico and Norway (??  clearly Epcot Center was not thinking geography when they designed the place).

First stop, Mexico!  In the shadow of the Mayan Temple replica, the country of Mexico was out on display.  It was actually lunch time so the line for tacos and drinks was really long.  We decided to pass some time in the shops and within the Mayan Temple.

I've been talking alot about craft/micro brews lately and beers that aren't typically served in your restaurants and sold at 7-11s.   That doesn't mean I hate on/don't drink any of the macrobrews that are so common.  So this edition of Quick Brew Hits will list some of the beers I typically order when you can't get the small, local craft brews.  These are mainly lighter in flavor, lighter bodied, and pretty unassuming beers that are good when you're just hanging out with your friends and munching on pub grub (except for one of them). 

In this edition: Stella Artois, Yuengling Lager, Newcastle Brown Ale, Coors Light


Stella Artois - Not sure why, but Stella is becoming one of the beers I will usually get when at a typical American restaurant.  It is becoming more and more prevalent at the bars, probably because it is easily accessible, but a tier above the typical light beers.  It's got a thin sweetness, is refreshing, somewhat fizzy, and has this very slight metallic/skunky flavor (even on tap) to it which, oddly enough, balances out the sweetness.  Pretty much, it won't get in the way of anything.

Purchased from:
Total Wine, Alexandria, VA

ABV%:
7.2%

Type:
Maibock Lager

Color:
Reddish amber body with a slight brown sugar-tinged head when poured

Aroma:
Smells of roasted toffee malts with alcohol in the background.  Very slight hops. 

Taste:
Light carbonation and mainly taste the caramel/toffee notes.  A little bit of grassy hop taste but mostly malt.  Smooth going down.

Overall:
This was my first maibock so I wasn't sure what to expect.  I saw it on sale at Total Wine and decided to try it.  I had heard of Hofbrau Munchen as one of the most well-known and oldest breweries in Germany.  It being Oktoberfest-time, thought it'd be fitting to try something from the legendary brewery (apparently Nazis hung out there back in the day [wiki]).  On the bottle, it states that this was first brewed in 1614 in Munich and is enjoyed in the springtime.  I guess they find any excuse to drink over there.

I purchased this beer in bottles and unfortunately, a couple of the bottles had skunked.  I finally got a normal tasting one in the 3rd bottle so I'm basing my review off of that.  Overall this is a really smooth, malty, slightly rich beer.  It's really got a unique flavor from the malt that I haven't tasted before and can't really describe at this moment.  There is less carbonation and actually tasted better as it warmed up.  The mouthfeel was slightly watery and 'slick' but not too syrupy.

This is a beer that can be refreshing but due to the higher ABV and strong flavor of the malt, I'd recommend more drinking this as an accompaniment to food.   The flavor is like nothing I've had before and it definitely has a "European" feel to it (less carbonation, better served at a warmer temp).  I will definitely be on the lookout for this style in the future.


3.5/5

Note: This is part 1 of a series documenting the countries of Epcot Center and the beer they serve.

At heart, I'm a big kid.  You might call it a "almost-30-straddling-the-line-between-youth-and-adulthood" syndrome that alot of people my age go through.  Things from my childhood have once again become a passion - G.I. Joe (yes I saw the new movie, yes it was the worst movie ever), Transformers, TMNT, Street Fighter, Sega, and of course, Disney, have all worked their way back into my life in some form or another, whether due to nostalgia or pure geekiness.  Of course, the twist now is that these things are appreciated on a more 'adult' level: G.I. Joe figures remain in their plastic prisons of their original packaging or posed for 'action' vice ripped apart at the mid-section and missing tiny plastic weapons; the nuances of Street Fighter technique and strategy are discussed and refined in lew of button mashing; plots of Disney movies are actually understood from a musical and storytelling perspective rather than staring numbingly at Aladdin's magic carpet.  In essence, there is a greater, more sophisticated appreciation of all things we loved as a child - including the mother of them all - Disney World.

Some people hate and/or resent the Disney empire for various reasons.  I wouldn't know any of these since I love it.  But one area at Disney that I underappreciated as a child was Epcot Center.  When I visited the theme park for my last birthday, Epcot was definitely the highlight of the trip.  Not only do you get to ride some of the most state-of-the-art rides (SOARING is awesome!), there is the WORLD SHOWCASE.  All kids hate the World Showcase because all it is food, shopping, shows, beer, and some culture from the countries represented at the park.  But all these are great when you're almost 30!  Especially the food and beer part.  Well really the food isn't that great, so really it's just the beer.  More after the jump.