An Amateur Beer Snob’s Guide to Beer: The A Beers

Introduction (or how it all got started)

Prior to the mid-90s I had been your typical American beer drinker. Budweiser was pretty much it for me, maybe Pabst if I was low on money. But I made some friends in the early and mid-90s who introduced me to good beer. I mean really good beer. From then on, my tastes in beer have bordered on snobbery.

Then, for Christmas of 1997, some friends gave me a present of one of those large boxes of different types of Saranac beer. So, on December 20, 1997, I started “Ty’s pages for Beer Snobs” on the Geocities Web sites. The site wasn’t for brewing experts, but was meant to be more of a laid-back list of beers I had tasted, all for the beginning beer connoisseurs. And yes, I said “tasted.” My Web site wasn’t just about drinking beer, but about tasting it. Again, this wasn’t for the experts, but I did try to toss in a little education here and there, things I had learned about beer over the years from reading and talking to brewers, going to beer halls, etc.

Unfortunately in 2009, Geocities decided to shut down. That meant after 12 years of writing about beer, I had to find a new venue. I didn’t want to start another blog or just post my beer ramblings online somewhere, so I came up with the idea to self-publish an ebook titled “An Amateur Beer Snob’s Guide to Beer,” which reprints much of what was to be found on my old Web site. The ebook itself will soon be available on the Kindle from Amazon and online at Smashwords.

What you will find below

As per my old Beer Snobs Web page, below is an alphabetical listing of all the beers I tasted from December 1997 to October 2009, all 527 beers. I have tasted many of these beers more than once to make sure of my thoughts on them.

The listings below will include the name of the beer, my numerical ranking based upon my own scale of 0.1 to 10.0, and a little of my personal thoughts about each beer. Here and there I’ll also throw in a few funny or interesting quotes about beer from famous folks. And if you’re curious about my ranking systems, let’s just say that a 5.0 is a decent beer, a 1.0 is an awful beer and a 10.0 is a fantastic beer.

As a last word, let me just say that I am not advocating underage drinking nor drunkenness at any age. If anything, I am promoting tasting of beer, not drinking of it. There’s a difference. A huge difference.

Enjoy!

A beers

Abbot Ale Draught

4.2

This brew has a nice, frothy head. A little stronger than your average cheap English draught ale and has some sweetness. Greene King of Suffolk, England, brews this ale. If you like sitting around all day drinking cheap beer you can guzzle, then this stuff is built for you.

Algonquin Black & Tan

6.2

This Canadian microbrew is a mix of stout- and lager-style beers. It’s awful weak for a beer that is supposed to be half stout (generally the strongest, thickest type of beer). Has a very soft maple flavor and a watery texture. There are better black and tans available.

Algonquin Honey Brown Lager

6.0

Craft brewed in Formosa, Canada, by the Algonquin Brewing Co. A little too sweet but very smooth. Worth tasting but not good enough to drink regularly.

Algonquin Royal Amber Lager

6.1

Smooth, wet and cool with a strong bitter/sour flavor that stays on the tongue for a while.

Algonquin Special Reserve Ale

3.9

Not a very good beer. The texture isn’t too bad because it’s smooth and wet, but the taste is just nasty – a little sour with a brownish sweet that reeks of cheap beers (almost in a malt liquor sort of way).

Altenmunster Premium Malt Liquor

3.3

Not a real strong malt liquor taste, but it’s still nothing more than a cheap beer. Even if this does come from Privatbrauerei Franz Joseph Sailer in Marktoberdorf, Germany, it still isn’t worth drinking.

Amstel Light

4.5

Like many light beers, this one has lots of carbonation. The taste is very American and pretty weak. Amstel Light is brewed in Amsterdam, Holland.

Anchor Brewing Co. Liberty Ale

7.9

Comes from San Francisco, California. Light when it enters the mouth, but goes down with a strong bitterness. Just a touch of fizz, but not enough to ruin this drink.

Anchor Brewing Co.‘s Our Special Ale 1996

4.4

If you are one of those rare people who actually likes those spicy, cinnamon-and-nutmeg flavored Christmas/holiday beers, then this beer is for you. The texture here is strong and frothy like a stout. This isn’t the worst of the holiday brews, but as of this writing (April 1998) I have yet to find a Christmas-type beer worth drinking on a regular basis.

Anchor Porter

7.1

Strong maple flavor that is too complicated for novices. Has the texture of a stout. Not a superb brew but definitely worth tasting. Anchor Brewing Co. of San Francisco, California brews this drink.

Anchor Steam Beer

8.9

This is a must-try brew for beer snobs. Made in San Francisco, California, by Anchor Brewing Co. Strong and smooth. Too complicated for folks not used to good beer. Due to its strength and excellent taste, this brew is surprisingly good as a bar beer as long as it is taken in moderation. Goes great with bar food and cigars.

Andechser Dunkel

7.6

Hits you with a strong caramel flavor that turns into a burnt-tasting bitterness on the way down. Just a tad too much carbonation for my taste, but not enough to ruin the drink. Quite enjoyable.

AndechserDunkel Weissbier

7.1

This beer has a strong, fizzy sweetness that’s too complex for non-afficionados. Has a slight tea-like texture.

AndechserSpezial Hell

7.9

This German brew is light with a crisp bitterness, kind of like a hefeweizen. Light enough that non-beer snobs could stand it, but they might not like the strong bitter flavor that hangs on the tongue.

Apollo Lager

6.3

Big Bang Brewery of St. Paul, Minnesota, brews this. The blue bottle is quite unique with an image of one of the Apollo spacecrafts on the clear label. Weak looking but has a smooth strength to it. A little too complicated for beginners.

Aspen Edge

2.9

This is Coors’ version of the new low-carb light beers that are hitting the market in early 2004. This beer isn’t awful, but it’s not good. A little fizzy at first, with a soapy aftertaste in your mouth once you’ve finished a bottle. Very made-for-Americans with a cheap beer flavor.

Athenian

3.5

Nothing special here, but nothing really rotten either. It basically tastes like Budweiser with a snazzy label on the bottle. Comes from Athens, Greece, and the Athenian Brewery.

Augsburger Golden

4.1

Has a little more kick and taste than normal American beers. Not a bad beer to try, but probably not something you want to drink regularly. The flavor is American with some extra sweetening. Apparently Joseph Huber Brewing Co. used to own this brew, but now the Stroh Brewery Company owns it.

Augustiner

4.3

This lager comes from the Pittsburgh Brewing Co., the folks known for making Iron City Beer. Pretty smooth with a slight dark beer taste, but not a true beer snob’s beer. Tips for beer tasting: use a clear glass and have some crackers or bread to eat between beers; also, try to have no more than two or three beers when tasting because you start to get tipsy, and that influences your tasting judgment..

Augustinerbrau Munchen Maximator

5.4

Way too much sweetness. Worth tasting at least once so you’ll know about it and so you won’t have to try it again.

Augustinerbrau Munchen Munich

5.8

Made in Munich, Germany since 1328. Has the texture and burnt taste of a sturdy porter. This is a good beer for those of you who like dark German brews. You Beck’s fans would probably like this. Not nearly as sweet as Augustinerbrau Munchen Maximator, but has more carbonation.

Avery Brewing Co. Ellie’s Brown Ale

5.8

I’m guessing Ellie is the name of a dog since there is a picture of a black dog on this Boulder, Colorado, beer bottle. A little heavy, somewhat like a stout with a little bit of the burnt maple taste of a stout without being quite as heavy as a stout (you got all that?). This would make a fine brew for folks working their way up to heavier fare like stouts or porters.

Avery Brewing Co. 14′er E.S.B.

5.7

Smooth and bitter with a bit of a malt aftertaste. Weak enough that beer snobs could drink it like non-snobs do Budweiser. Big thanks to Larry Avery of the Avery Brewing folks for giving me permission to use their logo on my old Web site.

Avery Brewing Co. India Pale Ale

6.0

Boulder, Colorado, is where this tasty beverage is brewed. Generally speaking, while I love pale ales, I tend to not like India pale ales because they often have a sharp, almost sour taste going down. This India pale ale is an exception for me; it still has a touch of the sourness but not enough to be overpowering. Goes down easy and frothy. India pale ales (I.P.A.) are named after a type of pale ale shipped to British troops in India during the nineteenth century.

Avery Brewing Co. Out of Bounds Stout

7.4

Frothy with a strong burnt flavor like many good stouts have.

Ayinger Altbairisch Dunkel

7.0

The bottle calls this an “authentic Bavarian dark lager.” Brewed in Aying, Germany by Privatbrauerei Franz Inselkamner. Brought to the U.S. by the Merchant du Vin Corp. of Seattle, Washington (these guys bring plenty of great beers into the United States). This beer has a nice dark flavor with a hint of a sour smell, but not enough to really ruin the tasting experience. Some carbonation on the tongue, but again, not enough to hurt.

Ayinger Brau-Weisse

6.3

Has a nice frothy head. Also has a soured fruity flavor that is standable, but builds the more you drink it. After a few tastes, the sourness is really too much.

Ayinger Jahrhundert-Bier

5.8

This Bavarian lager has a smooth blond color and a smooth, bitter taste. The bitterness is too strong, even tasting a little like a British “bitter” style ale. Has a very nice, frothy head. Should score better, but the bitterness is too overpowering.

Ayinger Ur-Weisse

4.7

Very smooth with a light sweetness that builds the more you drink, almost turning into a sourness going down. Nice to try, but nothing worth drinking regular. Not the best Ayinger beer.

From Edgar Allan Poe

Fill with mingled cream and amber,
I will drain that glass again.
Such hilarious visions clamber
Through the chambers of my brain.
Quaintest thoughts–queerest fancies,
Come to life and fade away:
What care I how time advances?
I am drinking ale today.

Chris of HackCollege shows off how to get away with some stealthy drinking in public. Whether you’re using it for some extra security in your dorm room or to down one at a tailgate, this little hack should come in handy. For full episodes and other posts, go to www.hackcollege.com

Video Rating: 4 / 5