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    Satsuma Harvest Wit

    September 2, 2010
    / Beer Review /
    1 Comment

    Name – Satsuma Harvest Wit
    Country – United States
    Type – Witbier

    Appearance – Pour a pretty hazy straw yellow color with a big white head.

    Smell – Wheat and orange rind seem to be the main things I get.

    Taste – Wheat, bitter orange, coriander and some other spices to it.  Has a pretty dry finish.

    With the summer coming to a close I figure I would have a few of the left over summer beers I had picked up.  I had the Abita Strawberry wit when that was out and found it very unique so I picked this up.  Nothing really unique here though.  It is a pretty straight forward witbier, not that there’s anything wrong with that.  There is probably a bit more orange presence than normal but orange is pretty typical in this style.  I thought it was good for what it was but there are some other wits that I would rather have for the summer.

    Overall Grade – C+

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    Prickly Pear Braggot (Brothers’ Reserve Series)

    September 1, 2010
    / Beer Review /
    3 Comments

    Name – Prickly Pear Braggot (Brothers’ Reserve Series)
    Country – United States
    Type – Braggot

    Appearance – Poured an absolutely clear orange color.  There was a super thin white head but it was gone before I could even snap a picture.

    Smell – Honey and booze is pretty much all I get in the nose.  Kind of smells like rubbing alcohol.

    Taste – Super sweet honey flavor with a really strong alcohol backing through out.  The booze gets even more intense as it warms up.

    I’ll admit I was hooked into buying this because of the box it came in (no pic sorry) and now kind of regret it.  I’ve only had one other braggot before and that was Brooklyn Buzz Bomb.  That beer wasn’t nearly as intense as this one.  This was just honey and alcohol.  It was rough to drink cold and close to undrinkable when it warmed up.  I don’t know which one I got a more classic braggot out of but if this is what the style is like I might pass on future braggots.  I’m sorry Widmer Brothers.  I like your Drifter Pale Ale and the Hefe is solid but this just wasn’t good at all to me.

    Overall Grade – D-

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    He’Brew Rejewvenator 2010

    August 31, 2010
    / Beer Review /
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    Name – He’Brew Rejewvenator 2010
    Country – United States
    Type – Doppelbock

    Appearance – Pours a mostly clear dark red color with a thin off white head.

    Smell – Dark fruit really is the main scent.  There is some faint malt character too.

    Taste – You most certainly get the grapes in this but there are other dark fruit flavors in there as well.  A malty bready presence comes out as well.  There is a Belgian like yeast characteristic to it that really makes this seem more like the Dubbel half of the beer over the Doppelbock.  As it warms up you get the alcohol as well.

    This is He’Brew’s 2010 Rejewvenator and it is called the Year of the Grape.  It also says it is part Doppelbock and part Dubbel.  I definitely get more Dubbel character out of this thanks to the grape.  I wasn’t sure what to think of this going in.  I didn’t know if it was going to just taste like an alcoholic grape juice or what.  But I was very happy when it tasted a lot like a traditional Belgian Dubbel.  Who woulda thunk it?  But I really enjoyed this effort at something different.

    Overall Grade – B+

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