Beating The Cold With Beer II - Base Camp S'More Stout, Lough Gill Mac Nutty & Rohrbach Cookies and Milk Stout

For the second day in a row, my wife and I found ourselves stuck inside due to outrageously cold temperatures. Fortunately, we had a refrigerator full of beer and no place to go. Another beer tasting seemed to be on the menu for the day and I could not be more excited.


We started things off with Portland, Oregon's Base Camp S'More Stout. I wanted to start here because I wanted something to remind me of warmer days and enjoying a s'more fits that perfectly. The aroma contained a lot of smoke and roastiness, along with some chocolate, coffee and caramelized sugar. It tasted pretty close to the aroma. The smokiness was the first thing I noticed, it certainly added a nice campfire note. Then there was dark chocolate, coffee and caramelized sugar which added a touch of creaminess to the finish. I am assuming that caramelized sugar was supposed to satisfy the marshmallow note but it needed to be bolder. Completely missing was the graham cracker and I found this immensely disappointing. In a s'more, the graham cracker is certainly not the star of the show but it does bring everything together. Missing this key component makes it hard for me to think of this as a s'more stout. If I put that aside and just think of this beer as a chocolate stout, it works fairly well.

Overall rating: 3/5


Next, we decided to “take a trip across the pond” for a beer from Ireland's Lough Gill Brewing Company. MacNutty, a nut brown ale brewed with macadamia nuts should have been right in my wheel house. In the past, I have blogged about how I feel brown ales are a completely underappreciated style. I have also blogged about how I feel people always remember a really bad brown ale. Well, unfortunately, I will always remember this extremely watered down, borderline flavorless beer. It is like drinking a glass of water with a hint of caramel sweetness, a touch of chocolate and a nutty finish that not surprisingly washes away clean. Nothing here tastes particularly bad, there is just barely anything to taste at all. I felt like I was hydrating(which is important) while I was drinking it but that was not what I was looking for on a super cold night.

Overall rating: 1.5/5


Discouraged from the last beer, I opened the fridge and pondered what to drink next. I grabbed a can of Rohrbach's Cookies & Milk Stout while thinking, “when in doubt, drink local.” This line of thinking was rewarded the moment I opened the can. The aroma was chocolate chip cookies in beer form and it was blowing my mind. My mind continued to be blown when the flavor of chocolate chip cookies is what I got on my first sip and every sip after that. It was a touch more on the subtle side at first but the rich chocolate and vanilla flavors only get bolder as it warmed making this even more of a treat. After every sip, I would stare at the glass in disbelief of what I was drinking.  This is a dessert beer that never gets too sweet and delivers exactly what it promises. I admit I am geeking out a little bit as I write this, I did not expect to like this as much as I do. This is a really great beer and I am thrilled it is brewed in my hometown.

Overall rating: 4.25/5

I think we did a solid job beating the cold, I wonder how we will beat the snow? Cheers & stay warm!


Rating Scale:
1. Repugnant and undrinkable
2. Acceptable but forgettable
3. Good, worth a purchase
4. Excellent, a step above the norm
5. Truly Exceptional. Drop everything, BUY IT NOW!

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Thanks for reading. Sláinte!

Guinness Golden Ale, Rye Pale Ale & Milk Stout (Featuring Pat Ryan)

With St. Patrick's Day just around the corner, Guinness is everywhere. It's impossible not to walk down a beer aisle without stumbling upon a giant display of it. I really enjoy Guinness, I think it is a perfect beer to transition from winter to spring. Body-wise it is a little on the lighter side but the flavor is not. Unfortunately, like many others, I kind of drift away from it once the season passes. Not because I am tired of drinking it, but because it gets lost in the shuffle with all the amazing craft beer out there. I still enjoy a Guinness Draught on occasion throughout the year because my Dad(Pat Ryan) always has it in stock. For him, there never seems to be a bad time to enjoy a Guinness. If it's a cold winter night, he's enjoying a Guinness. If it is a 90 degree day with 100% humidity, he's still enjoying a Guinness. For this week's blog, I decided to visit him with some of the latest offerings from Guinness to see what his thoughts were. I also wanted to see if the same brewery that makes one of his favorite beers could make another beer he enjoyed just as much.

Guinness Golden Ale kicked off our tasting session to underwhelming results. Very light on flavor and what was there was not anything special. Caramel, cracker with a mild hop bitterness and a very metallic finish disappointed both myself and my father. We searched for positive things to say about the beer but kept circling back to the strong taste of metal we were left with after each sip. However if the finish was not an issue, with a low ABV of 4.5% this could have worked as a light beer in warmer weather. When it comes down to it though, Guinness Golden Ale is just nothing special.

Pat's take: “It's not terrible. It's definitely drinkable. I just don't like the aftertaste”

My rating: 2/5

Guinness Rye Pale Ale was up next. It was a significant step up from the Golden Ale but that's not to say it was anything special either. The rye spice was there but I wanted more of it. One would think that if it is promised in the title of the beer, it would be a featured part of it but sadly it was not. There were some nice candied orange, grapefruit and tropical notes here which we both enjoyed but they were also understated. Bready malt dominated most of the flavor. The metallic finish that ruined the Golden Ale was also present but not nearly as prevalent. My dad pondered this one a bit longer. I could tell he did not mind it but this is not something he would seek out again either. He agreed it was better than the Golden Ale but that was about it.

Pat's take: “It's a notch better than the golden ale. Clean finish, none of that bullshit in your mouth. It tastes more like a craft beer.”

My rating: 2.75/5

My Dad are I were divided on the final beer we sampled which was Guinness Milk Stout. Since it was more true to the style of Guinness Draught than anything else we tried, he thought this one would be a winner. After his first sip, he was completely disappointed. However, I enjoyed Guinness Milk Stout. It was a little chalky on the mouthfeel but the nice flavors of roasted malt, coffee and milk chocolate worked for me. I did not think the beer was by any means a masterpiece. Like the other beers, this one was a bit thin and the flavors could have been developed better. Overall though, I thought it was a serviceable milk stout.

Pat's take: “I thought I would like it. I'm not happy with it. I liked the Rye better”

My rating: 3.25/5

Once we finished each of the beers, my Dad and I both arrived at the same conclusion. The latest offerings from Guinness were nothing special. From his standpoint, none of the beers were good enough to take the place of Guinness Draught in his fridge and I completely agreed with him.

Rating Scale:
1 - Repugnant and undrinkable
2 - Acceptable but forgettable
3 - Good, worth a purchase
4 - Excellent, a step above the norm
5 - Truly Exceptional. Drop everything, BUY IT NOW!

To discuss this blog or all things beer like my Facebook page

Look for me on Instagram & Untappd and Twitter @ACraftyLook

For more beer reviews check out: http://www.acraftylook.com

Thanks for reading. Sláinte!

Guinness Antwerpen Stout

Two years ago, I reviewed Guinness Blonde American Lager. I remember it quite vividly because it was one of my first extremely negative reviews. I tried really hard but I could not find a single nice thing to say about it. I recall it reminding me of watered-down Rolling Rock and found it a chore just to make it through a glass of it. To this day I still can't believe the makers of Guinness Draught made such a lackluster beer. I'm stating the obvious when I say Guinness Draught is a classic. To me, it's a solid beer that works in any season. So when Guinness announced they were releasing Antwerpen Stout in the US as part of their Brewers Project line, I was excited. If anybody could deliver a fantastic stout it would be Guinness. While I was excited to try Antwerpen Stout, the memory of drinking Blonde American Lager put a slight damper on my expectations. I tried my best however to put those doubts aside and opened a bottle of Antwerpen Stout and hoped for the best.

Guinness Antwerpen Stout pours a rich black with a khaki colored head that stuck around for awhile. The familiar roastiness of Guinness was practically jumping out of the glass well before I put my nose up to it. The aroma of dark chocolate, smoke with a slight fruitiness was there as well. I felt very optimistic about the first sip and that optimism was rewarded until the very last sip. To put it simply, I loved this beer. The semi-sweet chocolate is the star of the show here. As Antwerpen Stout warms the chocolate becomes bolder and sweeter. However, it never gets to the point of being too sweet. A nice touch of vanilla also comes out as well, as it begins to warm. It is a wonderful compliment to the chocolate and the rich, roasted malt. There is also a subtle hint of fruity sweetness, think raisin/date and smoke in the finish. The smoke and the roasted malt linger long after you put the glass down. I really enjoyed that part. It left me looking forward to the next sip.

Guinness Antwerpen Stout is a beautiful stout.  It's so good it got me to forgive the awful mistake that is Guinness Blonde American Lager. Although I have to admit, I would have liked Antwerpen Stout to have a little more body. I thought it was a little thinner than it should have been. Still, with an 8% ABV, it's a big stout. It practically doubles the ABV of Guinness Draught. With the weather getting a bit cooler now, I could see this being a staple in my fridge in the immediate future.

Overall I would rate Guinness Antwerpen Stout a 4.25/5. If you enjoy Guinness Draught, I believe you will really enjoy this.

Rating Scale:
1 - Repugnant and undrinkable
2 - Acceptable but forgettable
3 - Good, worth a purchase
4 - Excellent, a step above the norm
5 - Truly exceptional　

To discuss this blog or all things beer follow me on Twitter, Instagram & Untappd at @ACraftyLook

For more beer reviews go to: http://www.acraftylook.com

Thanks for reading. Sláinte!

Guinness Blonde American Lager

While enjoying a Guinness, how many times have you thought to yourself: I really wish they made a lager? I'd wager the answer to that is zero. But on the slim chance you have had that thought you would find out they made Harp Lager and never think about it again. So when I first saw Guinness Blonde American Lager in stores my first thought was 'why?' instead of 'I've got to try it.' But in the spirit of this blog and the goodwill I have towards Guinness Draught, I felt picking up a single bottle was necessary.

Brewed in Latrobe, PA, Guinness Blonde American Lager pours a beautifully crystal clear golden amber with a fluffy white head. Unfortunately, that was the only positive thing about this lager. The aroma was almost non-existent. I had to bury my nose in the glass for a couple minutes to detect the aroma of a bready malt and some grassy hops. Sadly, much like the aroma the flavor was almost non-existent. There is some initial bready malt sweetness and a light peppery hop finish, but it took almost half a glass to figure that out. 　Frankly, it tasted like someone dumped out ¾ of a bottle of Rolling Rock, filled it back up with water, capped it, slapped a Guinness label on it and charged 10 dollars a 6 pack for it. 　Clearly, Guinness was trying to cash in more on their name value here then providing a quality product.

The first of their new Discovery Series line, Guinness Blonde American Lager disappoints on almost every level. And while I admire their attempt to try to do something new to compete with the expanding American craft beer marketplace, if this is a sign of things to come, I do not expect the Discovery Series to be a success. This is dull, flavorless beer and it’s an insult to the Guinness name. If you find yourself looking for a lager to pair with Guinness, I’d recommend sticking with Harp or looking anywhere else.

Overall I’d rate Guinness Blonde American Lager a .5/5. Overpriced and flavorless, I do not expect to see this beer on shelves for very long.


Rating Scale:
1 - Repugnant and undrinkable
2 - Acceptable but forgettable
3 - Good, worth a purchase
4 - Excellent, a step above the norm
5 - Truly exceptional　

To discuss this blog or all things beer follow me on Twitter at @ACraftyLook

For more beer reviews go to: http://acraftylook.blogspot.com/

Thanks for reading. Sláinte!