Early on in my beer drinking days I always thought that this was a treat. Once you start to develop a taste for other beers you realize that stuff you drank early on is actually beer that doesn’t need to exist. Not to knock on Red Stripe (www.redstripebeer.com), because on hot Summer day it is pretty satisfying, but compared to some of the beers that are available out there now this doesn’t even come close. Very watered down and the price tag for a six pack is close to $9 which is ridiculous.
I think the best thing about this beer is the commercials on TV.

REVIEW
POUR: Hazy yellow pour with minimal head.
AROMA: Smell is somewhat grainy/grassy. Not nearly as skunky as Corona.
TASTE: Not really a distinct taste. It isn’t bad, but nothing really sticks out.
OVERALL: D+       

EASTERN IOWA RESIDENTS: Available almost everywhere. With a $9 price tag you would think you would be treating yourself with something special but avoid it and get a really good beer for the $9 or even less.

Never thought I would like a pumpkin spiced beer, but I’ve tried two so far this year and have really enjoyed both of them. A friend of mine recommended trying a pumpkin ale and Buffalo Bill’s Pumpkin Ale (www.buffalobillsbrewery.com) was the first one I saw at the store. The beer itself is an amber ale which I am fond of and the added pumpkin, nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves made this beer a great session beer in my opinion. A beer to sip on a fall day watching a football game, it doesn’t get much better.  Might not be a beer you can drink a lot of, but for just sitting down and enjoying the drink it is excellent. 

REVIEW
POUR: Amber color pour with a small white head. Nice lacing on the glass.
AROMA: Smell of cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg. Smells like fall should smell.
TASTE: Pumpkin pie sticks out but is not overwhelming. Very smooth.
OVERALL: B
Very happy I tried this and I recently bought a six pack of O’Fallon’s Pumpkin Ale to compare. Fall is a great time to be a fan of beer!

EASTERN IOWA RESIDENTS: Bills is available at John’s Grocery in IC and Family Beer and Liquor in East Dubuque, IL. Haven’t seen it at Hy-Vee, let me know if you find it anywhere else.

Never thought I would like a pumpkin spiced beer, but I’ve tried two so far this year and have really enjoyed both of them. A friend of mine recommended trying a pumpkin ale and Buffalo Bill’s Pumpkin Ale (www.buffalobillsbrewery.com) was the first one I saw at the store. The beer itself is an amber ale which I am fond of and the added pumpkin, nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves made this beer a great session beer in my opinion. A beer to sip on a fall day watching a football game, it doesn’t get much better.  Might not be a beer you can drink a lot of, but for just sitting down and enjoying the drink it is excellent. 

REVIEW
POUR: Amber color pour with a small white head. Nice lacing on the glass.
AROMA: Smell of cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg. Smells like fall should smell.
TASTE: Pumpkin pie sticks out but is not overwhelming. Very smooth.
OVERALL: B
Very happy I tried this and I recently bought a six pack of O’Fallon’s Pumpkin Ale to compare. Fall is a great time to be a fan of beer!

EASTERN IOWA RESIDENTS: Bills is available at John’s Grocery in IC and Family Beer and Liquor in East Dubuque, IL. Haven’t seen it at Hy-Vee, let me know if you find it anywhere else.

A beer that gets great accolades just about everywhere is Brewery Ommegang’s Witte (www.ommegang.com). I’ve read about very often in All About Beer Magazine (which I highly recommend to anyone) and finally saw it on the shelves at a Hy-Vee liquor store in Marion, IA. It comes in a four pack and it is pricey at $9.99 a four pack, but I had to try it. Let’s just say that I was overwhelmed at how disappointed I was with this beer. All the accolades, reviews, etc. I think got my hopes up. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a very drinkable white ale but I was expecting a lot more flavor. Give it a try a let me know what you think of it.
REVIEW
POUR: Hazy yellow orange color with a big white head.
AROMA: Smell of citrus and orange peel and corriander.
TASTE: Flavor was there for me, I got minimal orange peel/corriander flavor but not much else.
OVERALL: C       
Once again, was hoping for more, didn’t get it here.

EASTERN IOWA RESIDENTS: Now available at Hy-Vee in Cedar Rapids area, if you try it let me know what you think.

Breckinridge Vanilla Porter (www.breckbrew.com) has the perfect chocolate flavor you get out of most porters along with a very good coffee flavor, however, the vanilla makes this one a litte too sweet for my liking. Don’t get me wrong, this a very drinkable porter and some people will love the extra sweetness the vanilla provides, but it is just not for me.
RATING

Pour: Black pour with a nice thick brown head.
Aroma: Vanilla, chocolate, and coffee come through.
Taste: Very sweet from the vanilla, with coffee and chocolate also in there.
Overall: C-  
I can see how people would like this but as I stated above, it is just not for me. Give it a try though and let me know what you think.

Eastern Iowa:  This beer is on hand year round at my local grocery store and I’ve seen it at John’s Grocery and Hy-Vee stores also.

A beer that is very similar to Heineken, with the “skunky” type of flavor is Becks. A classic German lager, Becks (www.becksbeer.com) might be a little bit sweeter but tastes pretty close to Heineken. With so many terrific beers out there today it is hard to believe that people would drop $8-$10 for a six pack of this. 
RATING

Pour: Light yellow pour with no head.
Aroma: Grassy aroma, that popular “skunky” smell
Taste: Somewhat skunky, but drinkable. A little sweet at the end.
Overall: D

Eastern Iowa:  This beer is available at most liquor/grocery stores in Eastern Iowa but……Save your money! Unless there is a drastic price reduction don’t drop the cash on this stuff and go for some Boulevard Wheat, Sam Adams, or Goose Island Honker’s Ale.

Another watered down beer offered by Anheuser Busch is Rolling Rock. A heavily carbonated, extra pale ale that has a little more flavor than the popular american beers such as Coors, Miller, and Busch, but not a whole lot more. I personally would rather enjoy a Grain Belt or a PBR if drinking American Lager. A positive is that it is easy to find and very affordable.
RATING

Pour: Light yellow pour with no head.
Aroma: Soapy, corn smell.
Taste: Somewhat soapy, not overly pleasant.
Overall: D-

Eastern Iowa: This beer is available at almost anyplace that sells beer and it is cheap.

A transition beer for many people, including myself, into the world of micro beer. Although Blue Moon(www.bluemoon.com) is now owned by Coors a few years back it helped me acquire a taste for better beer. This beer is present almost everywhere now as it has a huge following. A perfect beer for those on the fence to committing to drinking mass produced beers (Bud, Coors, Miller). Serve with a slice of orange and enjoy. 
RATING

Pour: A hazy orange pour with a thick white head.
Aroma: Smell of corriander, orange, citrus, and wheat.
Taste: Orange peel and corriander flavor with a little bit of wheat.
Overall: A very solid 3.7/5    B-

Eastern Iowa: This beer is available almost everywhere now.

Wow! Just found a beer to add to my ever-changing Top 10 Beer List. Flying Dog Raging Bitch is a fantastic Belgian-style IPA; which means you get a little more sweetness from the malts to tone down the hops. However, the hops are still very evident in this beer and for me that is a good thing.  This isn’t a party beer with the 8% ABVso don’t pound a bunch of these and expect to see straight. A great beer to enjoy, a great mix of bitterness and sweetness. For hopheads and fans of IPAs you will love this beer.
RATING

Pour: A copper/amber pour with a nice white head.
Aroma: Smell of citrus, hops, and pine.
Taste: Fruit taste of peaches and citrus with hop bitterness at the end.
Overall: A very solid  A-

Eastern Iowa: I’ve spotted this beer at some Hy-Vees and John’s Grocery. I bought my first sixer or was it four pack? of this at Family Beer and Liquor in East Dubuque. If you try or have tried it, let me know what you think.

A beer that is getting more popular in the midwest is from Big Sky brewing (www.bigskybrew.com) out of Montana. Moose Drool is a brown ale and, according to their website, is the most popular beer brewed in Montana. They claim it is the best brown ale on the market; it is good, but it is not as good as Rogue’s Hazelnut Brown Nectar. The good thing about this beer is that it is a more affordable brown ale than Rogue’s. Moose Drool is an excellent choice for a brown ale, malty, creamy, and just enough hops to make it so it’s not too sweet.
REVIEW
Pour:  Dark brown pour with a small off-white head.
Aroma: Malts, caramel, and hops.
Taste: Sweet caramel flavor with hop in the end. A really good brown ale.
Overall: A top of the line brown ale and the price ranges from $6.99-$8.99 for a six pack make it pretty affordable. Give it a try!
RATING: B

Eastern Iowa residents: Hy-Vee and John’s Grocery carry this beer year round.