Joe Lunchpail
Jake Scheeler
Registered Since: 2008-03-24 18:19:56
Profile: I used to be a typical Bud/Busch/Michelob guy. Whatever's cold, right?! (I grew up in a town of 690) However, around my final year of college, I developed tastebuds and soon began to whistle a different tune. My fridge now usually contains about 5-7 different beers at any given time, and I'll be dipped in dog doo if you can find an American domestic in there. My tastes are more inclined to the dark side, with Stouts and Black Lagers being my favorites, generally speaking.
Reviews by Joe Lunchpail:
Mai oh Mai
Week 16: Summit Maibock (April 14–20) | Reviewed on April 13th, 2008
First of all, I must start off by saying that Maibocks aren’t exactly my favorite types of beer, so I have a difficult time judging them. The Summit Maibock, while in my opinion is better than the Maifest, still leaves something to be desired. It is a bit on the sweet side, and lacks the hops to really make a mark on the palate. I really can’t say much more about it, except that it isn’t really something that I would drink very frequently and would probably only order one if the alternatives are domestic light beers.
Cygnus a song, you’re the piano man.
Week 8: Flat Earth Cygnus X-1 (February 18-24) | Reviewed on April 4th, 2008
Great roasty, malty, mochafied, chocolatey taste when it hits the mouth. I can kinda pick up the rye on the aftertaste, but probably only because I read the description stating that it was in there. I can see where some others liken it more to a nut brown ale, reminiscent of Goose Island perhaps. Good aroma and dark in color, just like I like ‘em. The carbonation seems to be on the brink of perfection. This bowl o’ porridge is juuuuuuust right. The more I drink it, the more I like it. These Flat Earth cats know how to craft a fine brew. I give it a 4.5 only because perfection is the end of progression.
I love potatoes!
Week 12: Finnegans Irish Amber (March 17–23) | Reviewed on April 1st, 2008
But I’d rather sip on a cup of mashed ones with gravy than to drink this crapola. Weak flavor, flat, and has a crummy aftertaste. It doesn’t help that my first experience with Finnegan’s is when I ordered it at a half-ass Irish pub (Kip’s in St. Louis Park) and caught major attitude from a 1/4-ass waitress. Maybe that’s the bad taste in my mouth, nope, wait, it IS the beer. Boo this beer. BOO! My rating is extremely generous at 1.5
My frame still hangs a little to the left
Week 9: Brau Brothers Frame Straightener (February 25–March 2) | Reviewed on April 1st, 2008
The color looks good, decent carbonation, has a little baby head. Clean taste. Goes down pretty smooth. I can pick up a little clove on the aftertaste. Doesn’t linger too long. Surprisingly short on hops. Thought it would be hoppier? Like many others, I thought it would have a little more oomph, what with the name and all. I’ve been trying to train my sniffer to differentiate odors better, but all I smell is…beer? As it warms (which I hate to let my beer do) I can start to detect the plum aroma. All in all, I am quite satisfied, though hardly overly impressed. My socks are still on my feet, if you catch my drift. A solid contribution by the Braus. I think even a few of my blue collar buds might actually like it, and they hate nearly everything that isn’t Busch, Mich, or Bud. I’ll give it a notch above plain jane average-3.5 of 5. That’s passing nearly anywhere you go.
Where can I find a barrel and a waterfall?
Week 3: Flat Earth Belgian Pale Ale (January 14-20) | Reviewed on March 31st, 2008
The mildly hoppy aroma complements the hints of clove flavoring quite well. The taste lingers on your tongue long enough to be enjoyable without being overdone. Not overly hoppy, just enough to let you know they’re present, but not enough to have to do the roof of the mouth/tongue smack thing. It’s not a beer that I would typically buy, but I’m glad that I joined Brew 52, otherwise I would probably have never just picked one up.
By the end of the bottle, the spice-y aftertaste begins to take hold. I wonder how my breath smells to other people after drinking this? By the way, the guy on the bottle reminds me of a lot of the empty suits I see walking in the skyway during lunch hour. Classic. Re: the bottles being too big? I disagree. Just better for sharing the wealth, though my girlfriend didn’t like it much. Oh well, more for me I guess. Things could be far worse.
I suppose it’s close enough to Mai…
Week 14: Schell Maifest (March 31–April 6) | Reviewed on March 31st, 2008
…to start enjoying some Maifest. The Loon already has it on tap, so I reckoned I’d give it a try at last Friday’s happy hour. A decent hoppy aroma gives this blondey a better than expected flavor that goes down smooth and bitterness-free. I happened to drink the Maifest right after a Newcastle, so my bias (and residual taste) was difficult to overcome. Another enjoyable, albeit unspectacular offering from the Schell’s folks. Next time I’ll drink it with a clean palate and see what I think of it then. 3 out of 5 ain’t bad, though.
The March 31st Snowstorm
Week 1: Schell Snowstorm (January 1-6) | Reviewed on March 31st, 2008
I was able to find a sixer of Snowstorm lurking in the back of the liquor grocer’s cooler and decided to pick it up. No wonder it was sitting alone on the shelf. I poured it down the middle of the glass and got nary a bit of head out of it. After settling for 15 seconds, there was no carbonation whatsoever. The taste was flat to boot. In fact, it tasted like I was drinking it out of a soiled pair of Sorels.
I had last year’s Snowstorm and remember being quite impressed by it. Well, no two snowflakes are alike. This much is true. I could pick up the raisin aroma after it warmed up a bit, but the overall flavor was as bland as a fratboy’s musical tastes. I kinda wish I had left that sixer sitting on the shelf. And so it goes.
Don’t let winter get you down…
Week 5: Summit Winter (January 28-February 3) | Reviewed on March 31st, 2008
…get down with winter beer. The Summit Winter Ale is a darker beer that can be enjoyed by those whose palates are more accustomed to enjoying lighter offerings. The subtle coffee and caramel/chocolatey floavor is what I like most about this beer. You can definitely have more than a few without feeling overly full, in contrast to what a lot of people generally think drinking dark beer will do for the stomache. Compared to Sam’s Winter or Schell’s Snowstorm, I would definitely take Summit over either of these any day.
Furiously Surious
Week 4: Surly Furious (January 21-27) | Reviewed on March 31st, 2008
The strong hops and piney flavor may cause most casual beer drinkers to recoil in horror. Resist this urge. Upon first taste, my ‘buds were surprised as they had never quite experienced this type of flavor. However, after this initial reaction I found that I really enjoyed the Furious and came to appreciate its unique construction. You probably won’t want to knock back a 4-pack of pints at first, but once you acclimate to its hoppy goodness, you may find yourself changing your tune.