Week 15 of 52
Brewer's Cave Golden
Caramel Lager
April 7th thru April 13th
Brewer's Description
Brewer's Cave Golden Caramel Lager begins with a handcrafted mixture of barley and caramel malts, accompanied by a complex variety of Perle, Mount Hood, and Tettnang hops. The end result is a beer marked with a good clean maltiness and a rich toffee hue.
The Brewer's Cave name, logo and recipe are from the old Minnesota Brewing Company. Frank Yarusso of St Paul (who used to have a share of Yarusso Bros. Italian restaurant) bought the brand when the brewery went out of business.
Overall Rating based on 10 reviews
2.95 of 5 stars
Brewery Information
Blue Diamond Brewing Company
Contract brewed at Cold Spring Brewing
Cold Springs, Minnesota
coldspringbrewery.com
Interesting Fact
There is a web site for Blue Diamond Brewing that seems to be quite out of date, but it's got Frank Yarusso's contact info if you'd like to get in touch.
Photography
Courtesy of Erin Reichelt. View more on her flickr set.
Reviews | Learn More About the Brew52 Reviewers | Previous Beer | Next Beer
Erica says OMG, My New Favorite Beer!
May 22nd, 2008
I loved this one instantly. Nice and creamy and sweet, which are features I enjoy in a beer, but I generally prefer the dark variety, like oatmeal stouts and milkshake stouts. This one captures those flavors well, but is so much lighter! Nice smooth finish. I was literally gulping it.
lowrez says Bottle as weapon
May 14th, 2008
I picked up a six pack of this fine brew but was unable to try it before my dickhead brother drank it all. So, now I will see how the bottle fares as I club him over the head with it.
I’ll let you all know.
ScottyO says Brand owned by an ass
May 13th, 2008
After one of the brew52 reviewers posted a negative review of this beer (see “Barfy”), Mr Yarusso felt obligated to post on this reviewers personal blog questioning his credentials:
“Hi Ben, please explain to me, what your back ground is to judge beer & food. I would lke to meet with you sometime soon. Off: 651-221-0899 Cell: 651-216-7550. All of (3)Brewer’s cave recipes are from Sig Plagens, Minnesota Brewering Co. I don’t like your remarks, especially, when you don’t know what you are talking about. Talk to me before you EVER, say anything about me and my Beer’s.
Wait your response
Frank D. Yarusso
Blue Diamond Brewing Co”
I was not aware someone needed a specific license to drink your beer, captain douschebag. Brilliant marketing though, hats off to you, sir, for shining a favorable light on your brand.
Aaron says This Beer Reminds Me Of Another…
April 28th, 2008
Lesley and I enjoyed this beer at Yarusso Brothers yesterday evening. It’s not a bad beer, but it’s not fantastic either. We couldn’t decide what was “wrong” with it but something was a bit off. Maybe it was too much caramel flavor? In the end, I thought it tasted very similar to the Gluek Honey Bock. I went online today t find they’re both brewed at Gluek’s. I’m not surprised. 
flashmcduff says spelunk-a-drunk
April 11th, 2008
This one cought me off guard. I had no expectations, and quite honestly I was just planning on slogging through a bottle for the sake of the review. I was, however, very happy with the product. Worth it if you don’t like hoppy beer, but like a full-bodied one.
I see that a Yarusso brother is the one who kept this recipe going. Yarusso’s is a nice old Italian place on Payne Ave that looks respectable (I’ve never been but know those who have). I have been to Morelli’s Liquor which is right next to Yarusso’s. Good prices and a nice wine selection and a top-notch deli. The place just oozes attitude: the old Italian food and wine shop…..that’s family run……since the 30’s…….that doesn’t take plastic (leaving no paper trail)…..
not sayin, just sayin.
berrywise says I love caving
April 10th, 2008
When I was a kid we used to go down into the sewer system (yeah gross I know but we were kids) to pretend we were caving. I think this beer would be the perfect beer (well it should be in a can so it wouldn’t break) for an adventure like that.
I have a feeling that if you did a blind taste test on this beer and people didn’t know who brewed it the results would come out much better than they will end up.
Barrett says No complaints here
April 9th, 2008
When I was a kid, I loved to watch my much-older brother make his shambolic homebrew. My favorite part was when he opened a can a malt extract and poured it into the mixture. I never was allowed to taste the sweet sticky syrup, but I sure could smell it, and I could imagine what it tasted like. This beer tastes like that smell, and that’s a good thing.
Normally, I don’t appreciate sweet beers, but this is a rare exception. There’s almost no hoppiness to speak of. Hand me a bottle and I’ll drink it without complaints, and then ask for another.
Josh says Better Then Advertised
April 9th, 2008
I wasn’t expecting much from this beer after hearing Ben badmouth it for the last few weeks but I think it delivers on it’s promise. The label says it’s a caramel lager and that’s exactly what it tastes like. The caramel flavor really jumps out in this beer making it a little sweet for my taste but I wouldn’t mind drinking this once in a while. It doesn’t hurt when your expectations are low to begin with.
Ben R says barfy
April 9th, 2008
‘Caramel lager’ sounds like a good beer, as evidenced by the fact that I bought this beer TWICE, forgetting that I had tried it before and not liked it the first time. (this goes to show that I’m a sucker for words like ‘caramel’ and ‘vanilla’)
This beer is nasty, I can see why they don’t mention it on their web site, I wouldn’t want to draw attention to it either.
Rett says Hidden in the cave of mystery
April 8th, 2008
This has to be one of the most intriguing beers I’ve reviewed thus far. Just think about it, all of the other Minnesota beers say right on the label where they come from, and usually they point you to a web site where you can find out more info. BORING! Brewer’s Cave keeps you on your toes with it’s mysterious label stating “Handcrafted by the Blue Diamond Brewing Company” and lack of web site. Continue reading Hidden in the cave of mystery