Author: Chad Wulff

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  Beers

  Flavored Wheat Ales

  November 1, 2008 - Chad Wulff Turning wheat beer into a cocktail has precedent in Europe, where alcoholic cordials or fruit syrups can be used to help beer slide down more easily. Flavored wheat ales are an increasingly popular specialty category, covering a number of flavoring options that brewers have adopted, particularly in the United States, the home of “throw-the-rule-book-away” hybrid beer styles. The two most significant additives are fruit and honey, usually employed separately. Raspberry is a common choice of fruit to flavor these styles and the best examples have faithful fruit essence and avoid any sweet cloying character. Honey can add richness to the palate and give a hint of sweetness. Herbs and spices are also encountered, but the possibilities are endless. Chocolate dunkel raspberry weisse anyone?
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  Buyer's Guide for Beer Lovers - REVIEWED_POSTS

  Belgian and Continental Style Ales

  September 1, 2008 - Chad Wulff Don’t tell me anything. I can’t keep a secret. If I’ve got something good, I’ve got to share it. It’s never intentional; it just slips out in a normal, unconscious stream. This is a problem and it always bites me where the sun doesn’t shine. I’ll find a new beer and share it with friends... View Article
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  Beers - POSTS_TO_REVIEW

  Doppelbock

  January 1, 1979 - Chad Wulff This is a sub-category of the bock style. Doppelbocks are extra strong, rich and weighty lagers characterized by an intense malty sweetness with a note of hop bitterness to balance the sweetness. Color can vary from full amber to dark brown and alcohol levels are potently high, typically 7-8 percent ABV. Doppelbocks were first brewed by the Paulaner monks in Munich. At the time, it was intended to be consumed as “liquid bread” during Lent. Most Bavarian examples end in the suffix “–ator”, in deference to the first commercial example, which was named Salvator (savior) by the Paulaner brewers.
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  Beers - POSTS_TO_REVIEW

  Bock

  January 1, 1979 - Chad Wulff Bocks are a specific type of strong lager historically associated with Germany and specifically the town of Einbeck. These beers range in color from pale to deep amber tones, and feature a decided sweetness on the palate. Bock styles are an exposition of malty sweetness that is classically associated with the character and flavor of Bavarian malt. Alcohol levels are quite potent, typically 5-6 percent ABV. Hop aromas are generally low, though hop bitterness can serve as a balancing factor against the malt sweetness. Many of these beers’ names or labels feature some reference to a goat. This is a play on words, in that the word “bock” also refers to a male goat in the German language. Many brewers choose to craft these beers for consumption in the spring (often called Maibock) or winter, when their warmth can be fully appreciated.
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  Beers - POSTS_TO_REVIEW

  Malt Liquor

  January 1, 1979 - Chad Wulff This category is legally mandated in states where any lager stronger than 5 percent alcohol by volume cannot call itself a lager beer. There are a number commercial brands that have been created to fill this category, many of which do not have great merit from the connoisseur’s perspective. Many malt liquors achieve their greater alcoholic strength through the use of adjunct grains—corn or rice—that add little flavor. Some strong European lagers are forced to adopt this labeling moniker for the U.S. market.
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  Beers - POSTS_TO_REVIEW

  Black/Schwarz Beer

  January 1, 1979 - Chad Wulff Originally brewed in Thuringia, a state in eastern Germany, these lager -style brews were known to be darker in color than their Munich counterparts. Often relatively full-bodied, rarely under 5 percent ABV, these beers classically feature a bitter chocolate, roasted malt note and a rounded character. Hop accents are generally low. This obscure style was picked up by Japanese brewers and is made in small quantities by all of Japan’s major brewers. Schwarz beers are not often attempted by U.S. craft brewers.
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  Beers

  “Light” and Reduced Calorie Lagers

  January 1, 1979 - Chad Wulff These are the recently popular brews in a figure-conscious society. Essentially, these are pale lager styled beers with fewer calories. Like all other “diet products,” the objective is to maintain flavor while minimizing calories. This achieved quite successfully by some brands, despite the implausibility of the proposition.
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  Beers

  Dark Lager/Dunkel

  January 1, 1979 - Chad Wulff Dunkel is the original style of lager, serving as the forerunner to the pale lagers of today. They originated in and around Bavaria, and are widely brewed both there and around the world. This is often what the average consumer is referring to when they think of dark beer. At their best, these beers combine the dryish chocolate or licorice notes associated with the use of dark roasted malts and the roundness and crisp character of a lager. Examples brewed in and around Munich tend to be a little fuller-bodied and sometimes have a hint of bready sweetness to the palate, a characteristic of the typical Bavarian malts used.
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  Beers

  “Light” and Reduced Calorie Lagers

  January 1, 1979 - Chad Wulff These are the recently popular brews in a figure-conscious society. Essentially, these are pale lager styled beers with fewer calories. Like all other “diet products,” the objective is to maintain flavor while minimizing calories. This achieved quite successfully by some brands, despite the implausibility of the proposition.