Southern Star Brewery - Bombshell Blonde Ale

Southern Star Brewery, a fairly new brewery in the booming metropolis of Conroe, TX, is the brewery any of us could have started. It is in a converted warehouse, it is predominantly manual everything. There are no bottles - all cans. It is employed by beer enthusiasts and previous employees from other breweries (that wanted to get back to the roots of brewing). It really gives you the "yes, this is a REAL brewery" feeling... Because it is.
On to the beer.
Ok, it is no mystery how I felt about their Pine Belt Pale Ale - AKA Tree Sap, but Southern Star completely redeemed themselves with Bombshell Blonde Ale. It is great. Unfiltered, non-pasteurized, all natural. It is what beer was meant to be. And though I typically keep away from "yellow beers," this seems to be a beer everyone likes. Literally. I keep this beer in my beer fridge at all times, because I love it, but so does everyone else that tries it. What makes it so great? It is one of those beers that isn't "too much" of anything. Not too hoppy, not too sweet, not too high of alcohol, everything is just right. This beer strikes me as a contest winner, so watch out blonde craft beers, this blonde is the bomb(shell).

Stone Brewing Co. - Highway 78 Scotch Ale

Alright stop, collaborate and listen. Stone is back with a brand new invention.
I really do love to stumble upon a great beer, especially when I don't have to buy it. As one of our "Beer Knight" tastings, my good friend and co-blogger, Bradford brought this delight to the table. After going through a few other unmentionable beers, we popped the top on this gem. Highway 78. This beer was a collaborative effort between Stone Brewing, Green Flash, and Pizza Port Carlsbad. Who? Yeah, I hadn't heard of the other two either, but the magic these three made together? It was like Lucky Day, Dusty Bottoms, and Ned Nederlander... an unstoppable trio of perfection. (Look up here! Look up here!)
This 8.8% scotch ale very well may be the best of its breed. I've tried several before and a couple since, and they just don't get any better than this one. Sold only in single bottles, it can get a bit pricey, if you were hoping for a 6-pack, but well worth the premium. As far as flavor goes, it is slightly sweet with just enough alcohol warmth to get you going.
My recommendation: Nice, nice, baby.
Category: Top-shelf scotch ale

Public Service Announcement

 Friends don't let friends drink bad beers. Hopefully this blog will help you prevent such a tragic event.

Trinity Brewing Co. - Emma's Coffin Pumpkin Saison

After touring around Colorado, we made our way to Trinity Brewing Company right outside of the Garden of the Gods state park (which ironically was first thought to be called the Beer Garden). The brewery was pretty small, but had a cool vibe, and great food. For the size of the brewery, they had many beers on tap - most of which I had never tried. (It was pretty much like that everywhere we went - and yes, it was a long week.) My wife and I decided to split a bottle of the pumpkin saison. I am a fan of pumpkin beers, and after having several saison beers in Colorado, it was a new favorite too. But two "goods" don't necessarily make a "great." In this case, we shared a bottle of regret. It just wasn't pumpkin enough or saison enough... Too bitter, slightly bland, and overall pretty disappointing. Especially considering the fantastic pumpkin aroma it had. Oh well, you can't win them all.
My recommendation: If you visit the Trinity Brewery, try any of their other good beers. This isn't one of them.
Category: Bad frankenstein of a beer.

Boulevard Brewing Co. - Chocolate Ale

Fantastic. Yeah, I know - Chocolate beer, but trust me, this is a great beer. As part of Boulevard's Smokestack Series, this Chocolate Ale was a seasonal collaboration with chocolatier, Christopher Elbow. There is a fine line with candy/fruit beers, am I right? They are easy to make way too sweet, and they end up tasting like a candy soda instead of a beer. Not the case with this one. I haven't tasted a chocolate beer this great since having the Belgian Fruli Chocolate beer... Which is impossible to find in the US of A. Chocolate Ale is a little hard to get your hands on, but not impossible. It is still in season, so I recommend trying to get your hands on this 9.1% alcohol chocolatey delight.
My recommendation: Find it! Drink it! Love it!
Category: Drinks to impress your lady-friend, but still manly enough for the dudes.

Coors Brewing Co. - Blue Moon Grand Cru

This 8.2% Belgian-style wheat ale... Wait, did I just start with the percentage of alcohol? That can't be good, right? Well... Let's put it this way - The "regular" Blue Moon is ok at best. The Blue Moon Grand Cru is the best of their "ok" beers. Ok? Ok. Let's face it, Coors wants into the craft brewery market, and by hiding behind the "Blue Moon Brewery" label, they think they can fool us. Hey Coors, the market you are going after with this beer isn't stupid. We know you make Blue Moon. Just be proud you made a decent beer and put your name on it instead of trying to be sneaky and introduce a "new brewery."
Back to the beer... This really is a pretty tasty beer. If you've had Blue moon, this one is just slightly sweeter with more alcohol - but at $11/bottle, is it worth it? Meh. There are plenty of beers I think I'd rather spend $10+ on, but I wasn't disappointed that I purchased it. I'd say give it a try, especially if you like wheat/whit beers. And while we are on the topic of wheat/whit beers... Am I the only one that hates orange slices in my beer? All it really takes is one swig of a bottle of orange juice that's been sitting in your fridge too long, and I think you'll agree that an orange slice in beer tastes like fermented orange juice. Nasty.
My recommendation: Give it a spin, but probably won't be one you'll buy again.
Category: Pretend Belgian wheat ale

Paulaner Oktoberfest

I've tried quite a few of the Oktoberfest beers from both Germany and the United States.  This one is probably my favorite (and I would assume it is also Cooper's fav) of the German selections.  Stay tuned for the review of St. Arnold's Oktoberfest which rivals any of the homeland brews.  Of course, Oktoberfest is the annual German festival that runs for 16-18 days in late September thru the first weekend of October.  You can learn more here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oktoberfest

But back to the beer: This brew can be enjoyed year round, so don't box it in for the fall only.  It carries a nice spicy note, but not so overpowering that you couldn't enjoy a few in one sitting.  Or pour it into a giant boot.

Verdict: A topnotch beer from the motherland.
Category: True German Oktoberfest