Drink

Both of us love beer.

In fact, I knew Jen was the girl for me when, on our first date, she ordered an Anchor Steam…and then told me that it was actually her second favorite, Guinness being at the top of the list (but unfortunately not vegan-friendly). A woman who knows Guinness from Anchor Steam is a novelty. A woman who actually drinks them is a keeper.

One of our missions on our travels is to sample the local brews, and this is where we tell you about them.

We have a simple, three-level rating system. At the top is, “Buy It, Drink It.” In the middle is, “Drink It if There is Nothing Better in the Fridge.” At the bottom is, “Pour It Down the Sink.” I reckon they are self-explanatory.

60 Minute IPA by Dogfish Head Craft Brewery

60 Minute IPA by Dogfish Head Craft Brewery

We first heard about Dogfish Head Craft Brewery while watching the documentary film, “Beer Wars.”  When we ran across a six-pack of their 60 Minute IPA, we thought we should give it a try. Overall, it’s a good rendition of the style — hoppy aroma, bitterness, upper-level alcohol content.  It achieves this without being too bitter, too heavy in body, […]

Naked Pig Pale Ale

Naked Pig Pale Ale

Naked Pig Pale Ale is brewed by the Back Forty Beer Company of Gadsden, Alabama. This beer has a high degree of hops bitterness, which is appropriate for this style. It is medium bodied – as advertised on its label – and flavorful. Overall, a decent beer that is worth your money and time to try. At the time and […]

Hopitoulas IPA by NOLA Brewing

Hopitoulas IPA by NOLA Brewing

This is an India Pale Ale made by the New Orleans Lager & Ale Brewing Company.  We first tried it at the American Sector bar in the National World War II Museum, located in New Orleans.  It is a very good beer.   It is a little “fruity” in flavor, but appropriately hopped for this style of beer.  We give […]

Yazoo Pale Ale

Yazoo Pale Ale

This pale ale is made by the Yazoo Brewing Company of Nashville, Tennessee. It’s full bodied, and the maltiness is appropriately balanced by hops bitterness. There isn’t much of a head or much hops aroma, but neither detracts from this otherwise very good beer. It’s a good representation of the pale ale style of beer, and we like it. Yahoo […]

Diamond Bear Presidential India Pale Ale

Diamond Bear Presidential India Pale Ale

This IPA is made by the Diamond Bear Brewing Company of Little Rock, Arkansas. If we had found this bear in anywhere but the United States…or England…or Germany…or Ireland, we would have different things to say about it.  If we had found it in Thailand…or Laos…or Cambodia…or Spain, we would have bought cases of it on the spot.  But, it’s […]

Bayou Teche Brewing: Biere Pale

Bayou Teche Brewing: Biere Pale

This pale ale is actually brewed by Lazy Magnolia Brewing Company in Mississippi, on behalf of Bayou Teche Brewing. It’s a malty pale ale, and the taste of the specialty grains stands out. It’s a worthwhile beer, although I prefer a bit more hops bitterness in this style of brew. Nonetheless, it’s decent enough. Some beer folks will really like […]

Lazy Magnolia Deep South Pale Ale

Lazy Magnolia Deep South Pale Ale

This is one of the best production pale ales I have ever encountered. Bitter and hoppy, with a full body, it is something along the lines of an India Pale Ale.  It very clearly rates a, “Buy It, Drink It.” Who would have thought that a brewery in Kiln, Mississippi could have produced this? For that matter, who would have […]

Yazoo Brewmaster's Series Hop Project

Yazoo Brewmaster’s Series Hop Project

This beer is made by the Yazoo Brewing Company of Nashville, Tennessee. The packaging says it is an experiment in excessive use of hops, although I found it not excessive — it is just right. The level of bitterness is on par with a good India Pale Ale, and there is good hops flavor and aroma added in. It’s a […]

Spanish Beers: Cruzcampo

Spanish Beers: Cruzcampo

Cruzcampo is, perhaps, the most prevalent beer we have encountered in Spain.   It is on tap in every bar and restaurant.  It is advertised on the signs outside those bars and restaurants. So, is it any good?  Well, it’s sold in liter-sized bottles, and that pretty much says everything.  No good beer comes by the quart. Months of bad […]

La Bodeguita, Vejer de la Frontera, Spain

La Bodeguita, Vejer de la Frontera, Spain

La Bodeguita is a small bar on Marques de Tamaron.  It’s somewhat the standard Spanish town bar, in that it has a small and wood-heavy interior, and a few outside tables. Yet, there is something different about this bar that keeps bringing us back.   Perhaps it’s the reliable and free wi-fi Internet access, which is a rarity in Vejer. […]

Spanish Beer: Alhambra 1925 Reserve

Spanish Beer: Alhambra 1925 Reserve

This beer is made by the folks who make Alhambra beer; which, together with Cruzcampa, seems to comprise the bulk of the Spanish beer market. It has more hops aroma and bitterness than other Spanish beers we’ve tried, including the more-expensive “reserve” beers put out by the major breweries.  Most of these latter type tend to have higher alcohol content […]

Spanish Beers: Estrella Damm Lager

Spanish Beers: Estrella Damm Lager

This is a fairly expensive beer by Spanish standards, in that it costs about US $1.50 to buy a 12 ounce bottle in a discount store. For comparison, the predominant Spanish beer, Cruzcampo, comes in liter bottles and costs a third as much per volume. The first thing I noticed about this beer was the absence of hops aroma. The […]

Hennan Alt Beer

Hennan Alt Beer

Hennan Alt Beer Hennan Alt has a nice amount of hops bitterness and aroma, and good flavor, yet maintains a relatively light body. It is worth drinking, and would likely be popular in any American pub with a decent draft selection. Hennan Alt rates a “buy it, drink it.”

Franziskaner Weissbier

Franziskaner Weissbier

Franziskaner Weissbier This is a wheat beer. Bottom line is that Jen, who has tried many beers in this style, thinks that this is a good one. She says it’s very favorable. She also says it’s “crunchy,” which I don’t fully understand, but I take it to be a good thing. Franziskaner Weissbier rates a “buy it, drink it.”

Ottinger Schwarzbier

Ottinger Schwarzbier

Oettinger Schwarzbier This is an OK black beer. I wouldn’t not drink it, but I also wouldn’t take a trip to the store just to buy a six pack. The Kostritzer Schwarzbier is a better choice in this style of beer. Oettinger Schwarzbier rates a “drink it if there’s nothing better in the fridge.”

Kostritzer Schwarzbier

Kostritzer Schwarzbier

Kostritzer Schwarzbier This is a black beer. We tried it in both draft and bottled. We both liked this example of the style. It had good body, and a nice – but not overwhelming – degree of chocolate flavor. This beer rates a “buy it, drink it.”

Schofferhofer Hefeweizen

Schofferhofer Hefeweizen

Schofferhofer Hefeweizen This is a wheat beer. Jen likes this one. She says it has a good aftertaste. It doesn’t rate as high as the Fransikaner Weissbier in her book – it’s not as “crunchy” – but it’s still up there. It rates a “buy it, drink it.”

Yet Another...Cambodia Beer

Yet Another…Cambodia Beer

This beer is unsurprisingly named Cambodia Beer. It’s another one of those light-colored, light-bodied, crap beers that try to out-Budweiser the Budweiser swill. I managed to get down my first – and last – bottle of this stuff. Pour it down the sink.

Australian Beer

Australian Beer

Most of the Australian beer we have tried is shit, along the lines of America’s mass-production crap beers: Budweiser, Miller, Coors, and the like. The Australian equivalents have names like Carlton, Emu, and Swan. All of these rate a “Pour it Down the Sink.” But we have managed to find three decent Australian-made beers. In order of preference, they are: […]

Kingdom Beer, Cambodia

Kingdom Beer, Cambodia

This is supposedly the product of a small Cambodian brewery. It’s a pilsner, and it ain’t cheap – a bottle cost us $2.25 at a Battambang restaurant. Well, it’s a fairly unremarkable beer, about the same as a cheap, mass-production, pilsner-style beer in the States. It may be slightly better than Angkor beer, but whatever small advantage it has in […]

Cambodian Wine and Brandy: The Prasat Banan Winery, Battambang

Cambodian Wine and Brandy: The Prasat Banan Winery, Battambang

There is a vineyard near Battambang, the Prasat Banan Winery. It is located south of Battambang, around kilometer marker 10 on Route 155, which is the road that travels along the west bank of the Stung Sangker River. We had a sampler of four of their products: a rose wine, a brandy, a non-alcoholic grape juice, and a non-alcoholic ginger […]

An Introduction to Cambodian Beers

An Introduction to Cambodian Beers

Khmer This is a palm beer, so it isn’t a true beer. I tried it, nonetheless. It sucks. It could never be quaffed – maybe taken in a shot like a bad medicine; but not quaffed. I poured it down the sink after a handful of tastes, taken in an effort to identify the industrial solvent of which it reminds […]

The Laotian Beer Walk-Off

The Laotian Beer Walk-Off

We have now tried five Laotian beers. They are… BeerLao BeerLao Dark BeerLao LaneXang Tiger Beer Namkhong Beer We have covered BeerLao and Tiger Beer in other posts (click here for BeerLao, and here for Tiger Beer). As to the other three… BeerLao Dark is a step up from BeerLao, like Heineken Dark is a step up from plain-old Heineken […]

Tiger Beer, Laos

Tiger Beer, Laos

This is a sometimes-found alternative to the much-more-common BeerLaos. Like BeerLaos – and Chang and Singha in Thailand – it’s a relatively light-bodied and light-colored beer. Something like a Budweiser or Miller in the States. We found Tiger Beer to be a bit better than BeerLaos. It doesn’t have the slightly unpleasant aftertaste, and it doesn’t seem to be the […]

BeerLao, Laos

BeerLao, Laos

BeerLao is the most common beer in Laos. We spent the first few days without seeing any other beers.  We didn’t even see any others just across the river from Thailand, where you would think a stray Chang or Singha might wash ashore from time to time.  It wasnt until Luang Prabang, and then only after seeking an alternative, that […]