Thursday, November 20, 2008

super stinky cheese: a regular guy beer review



















So I try out Wolaver's organic brown ale. If I was talking with my buddy Gord, we would agree that Newcastle brown is a favorite. Well, this Wolaver's makes Newcastle brown taste like Budweiser, it is SUPER STRONG. I have recently enjoyed Brooklyn brown and felt it was perfect, and was thinking last Friday as I enjoyed an Ithaca Brown Ale (YES, our town brewery) that it was somewhat stronger and heavier than what I was in the mood for. So, we're thinking about browns a lot lately.
Wolaver's, I am sorry to say, strikes me as one of those fancy and super expensive stinky cheeses that get pricier the stinkier it gets. One of those macho things, the stronger the better might be the thinking. The flavor is like a pumpernickel loaf of bread, except somehow concentrated a hundred fold. And then there is the organic thing. Do I need an organic beer from Vermont when I can get a brown I like better HERE in New York?
So, basically, the regular guy gives this beer a 6 out of ten thumbs up: it is trying too hard.

9 comments:

Unknown said...

Ever hear of 'too much of a good thing'? Of course, you have. And that's exactly what that ale sounds like. I've always loved a nice brown ale, but not quite to the point of having to chew it, and that's what that one sounds like to me. Not likely I'll ever run into it, but thanks for the tip!

Anonymous said...

never tried organic beer.........just wine. I still like BASS ALE. Ithaca Ale is not bad.

H

Susan as Herself said...

Hmm. I have never been a brown ale person. I am a pilsner lover, and I do like a nice weiss beer, which is also pretty bready... :)

Anonymous said...

I think ML hit the nail on the head.

I picked up some beer for dh today - a 6-pack of O'Douls Amber Ale (which amazingly tastes like REAL BEER even though it is "non-alcoholic") and a 6-pack of St. Pauli Girl Lager. I didn't realize he isn't all that fond of lager. (Yes, we really have been married for 21 years; I just can't remember what kind of beer he likes best! So what kind of beer *is* Miller High Life?)

And here's a free tip, learned on our brewery tour this summer: MGD is packaged 2 ways -- in its usual cans & bottles PLUS in blue cans labeled Milwaukee's Best. Dh is more than willing to be clumped together with the cheap beer drinkers and pay less for the identical product!

Barbara Martin said...

Have you tried Guiness?

Gary's third pottery blog said...

I am of course quite fond of Guinness.

J said...

Yeah, sometimes brewers forget that just because they CAN make a beer that burns your throat and tastes like 30 miles of Scottish peat bogs doesn't mean they SHOULD make it. Beer is meant to be enjoyed, adored, savored, etc. Its not supposed to be a test of manhood.

oh, and Miller High Life is a lager, although they never market it that way.

Gordo said...

I really like that Ithaca Brown, Gary. Yumm.

You want weird? Check this out. Beau's makes a wonderful ale and every month a staff member gets to design and make a brew for consumption at the next month's staff meeting. You couldn't pay me to try the upcoming oyster stout. Gag.

Gary's third pottery blog said...

OYSTER STOUT??????????