I don’t think I have to go into the background of Budweiser too much. A nationally known symbol and icon that people are drinking quite a bit of yet today. It has been brewed and sold since 1876 by Anheuser-Busch in St. Louis, MO. An american tradition although Anheuser is no longer American owned.
REVIEW
Pour:Pale yellow pour with small white head.
Aroma: Grainy aroma.
Taste: Flavor is lacking, grainy, but that’s about it.
Overall: Nothing much going on with this beer. A cool label and marketing campaign but there is no flavor for this beer. I’ve said this before, don’t waste the money on beer like this, instead support local (Millstream) or craft beer that is out there today.
RATING: D-

Eastern Iowa residents: This beer is available everywhere. The Bud marketing machine makes sure you see this beer in the center of the shelves. Avoid it, buy something good.

Just bought a six pack of Anchor Steam beer, haven’t had it in quite a while. Anchor brewing (http://www.anchorbrewing.com/) is located in San Francisco and was one of the first microbreweries to get the craft beer revolution started. Iowa residents will probably recognize the man behind Anchor, Fritz Maytag. Maytag is from the same family that produces the nationally known Maytag Blue Cheese located in Newton, Iowa. He moved to San Fran and bought Anchor and turned it into what it is today. Some Iowa roots located on the west coast.
REVIEW
Pour:Deep amber pour with a thick creamy head.
Aroma: Malts, yeast, and floral hops.
Taste: Flavor of malts, caramel, and citrus hops.
Overall: A very enjoyable beer to sit and enjoy. A little bit of bitterness that rounds out the sweet flavors of the malts. A good session beer.
RATING: C

Eastern Iowa residents: I’ve seen this beer throughout Eastern Iowa. Hy-Vee, good liquor stores, and sometimes even small town grocers have had this in their selection. Give it a shot.

A beer I drank for a long time but haven’t much of late since I’ve been focusing on drinking micro/craft beer was Amstel Light. Amstel Light (http://amstellight.com/) is a light beer with only 3.5 a.b.v. It is brewed in the Netherlands and has that somewhat distinct skunk flavor that Heineken has but not to that extent. A little skunkiness but also somewhat refreshing.
REVIEW
Pour:Lighter gold with solid white head.
Aroma: Skunkiness smell.
Taste: Crisp clean flavor with not much finish.
Overall: If you are one of those people who only drink light beers, then I would recommend this. If you are more adventureous, there is much more offered out there than this.
RATING: D

Eastern Iowa residents: This beer is available pretty much anywhere. Don’t buy this, spend your money on a Millstream product and support the local brewer.

   The next beer I am reviewing is another brown ale. Samuel Adams Brown Ale(http://www.samueladams.com/) is brewed by the Boston Beer Company. Maybe the poster child of craft beer, Samuel Adams is now world renown for their beer. Brown Ales usually give you malty, caramel flavor, with a nutty finish. Onto my review!
Pour:Lighter brown pour with a small tan/off-white head.
Aroma: Smell of toasted nuts, malts, and caramel.
Taste: Flavor of nuts and caramel with a little bit of  in the end. A good brown ale! My only problem with this beer is that I have become a drinker of Rogue’s Hazelnut Brown Nectar, but this brown comes in second.
Overall: C

Eastern Iowa residents: I have seen this beer in all Hy-Vees, liquor stores, and sometimes in smaller grocery stores. You should have no problem tracking this one down.

The next beer I am reviewing is RJ Rockers Son of a Peach.  RJ Rocker’s Brewery ( http://www.rjrockers.com/verify.asp) is in South Carolina. This brewery opened in Spartanburg, SC in 1997. I found this six-pack at Benz Beverage Depot in Cedar Rapids, IA and decided to give it a try. I was glad I did.
Pour:Hazy yellow pour with a medium-sized head. Nice lacing on the glass.
Aroma: Distinct aroma of peaches and wheat, almost a wine-like smell.
Taste: You definitely get the peach flavor but it is not overpowering and meshes nicely with the wheat. A really great beer for a summer day.
Overall: B

Eastern Iowa residents: The only place I’ve seen it has been Benz Beverage Depot in Cedar Rapids. If it is available elsewhere please let me know! UPDATE: Hy-Vee is now carrying RJ Rocker products!

The next beer I am reviewing is RJ Rockers Son of a Peach.  RJ Rocker’s Brewery ( http://www.rjrockers.com/verify.asp) is in South Carolina. This brewery opened in Spartanburg, SC in 1997. I found this six-pack at Benz Beverage Depot in Cedar Rapids, IA and decided to give it a try. I was glad I did.
Pour:Hazy yellow pour with a medium-sized head. Nice lacing on the glass.
Aroma: Distinct aroma of peaches and wheat, almost a wine-like smell.
Taste: You definitely get the peach flavor but it is not overpowering and meshes nicely with the wheat. A really great beer for a summer day.
Overall: B

Eastern Iowa residents: The only place I’ve seen it has been Benz Beverage Depot in Cedar Rapids. If it is available elsewhere please let me know! UPDATE: Hy-Vee is now carrying RJ Rocker products!

The next beer I am reviewing is Ale Asylum Bedlam.  Ale Asylum(www.aleasylum.com)  is located in Madison, WI. There are some awesome beers for us Eastern Iowans that are only a couple hours drive to the north. The state of Wisconsin has a great detour of breweries right off of Highway 151 out of Dubuque that goes straight into Madison. So far, the Ale Asylum stands out the most to me. Bedlam! is one of the better beers I’ve had in a long time. Bedlam! is an unfiltered IPA. On with the review.
Pour:Dark orange pour with a nice white head.
Aroma: Amazing woody and citrus hop aroma.
Taste: Taste starts with biter citrus, hops, and finishes nice, creamy and smooth. Terrific!
Overall: B+

Eastern Iowa residents: Unfortunately, Ale Asylum only distributes around Madison and Milwaukee areas. The great news is that it is only a 2 hour drive away. Bedlam!, I believe is seasonal, hopefully that will change as this is one of my favorites today.