Beer:
Overall grade of 0-20
00-causes cancer
02-vomit inducing
04-indistinguishable from urine
06-noticeably bad
08-1 or 2 more cons than pros
10-average, nondescript
12-above average, no flaws
14-solid, 1 or 2 points in favor
16-good
18-great
20-perfect
Wine:
Copied from the Wine Enthusiast Scale
Not well known in America, but what’s surprising about that considering it’s a product of Belgium which, based only on the beers that they make, must be the greatest place in the world. DT is one fantastic beer and has perhaps the most complex makeup of flavors that I have yet to taste. It’s pricey for a typical beer, but it is certainly worth its price and only having it on occasion helps to make it all the more special.
Cost: 7.99/25.4 fl oz (750ml) bottle
Rating: 19
UPDATE:
So it’s been brought to my attention that the official script used to write out Delirium Tremens closely resembles Thai. Coupled with the large elephant, an animal of extreme importance to Thais, as a mascot, and I am left wondering what the connection is, or if this is just some bizarre coincidence. Kudos to S for spotting it.
I must confess that the first time I tried Hoegaarden I was underwhelmed. All of my friends had built it up to be some amazingly tasty beer. After my first pint I had decided that it was OK, but definitely not worth the import price.
I recently, however, started frequenting a great hooka(h) bar in downtown Philly. The beer selection at this place is small, so I opted to give Hoegaarden another try rather than push my luck on the swill that is Coors Light. To my surprise the Hoegaarden was amazing. I quickly downed one bottle and had about four more. The next day I even began craving the unique taste.
It was at this point that I began to wonder why my experience with the beer had changed so dramatically over a relatively short period of time. I came up with two possible explanations. It could have been either the combination of the beer and hooka(h) or the fact that it was in a bottle.
Originally I was sceptical about the bottle scenario. In my experience beers on tap are always better than the same beer in a bottle. One of the best examples of this has got to be Bass. Bass on tap is a really nice beer. Bass in a bottle, on the other hand, is bitter and hard to force down.
Perplexed, I decided that there was only one way to find out – buy a bottle and drink it sober and without a hooka(h). So the next day I went and picked up a six pack (I was desperately hoping it was the bottle scenario) and brought it home. That night I popped one open for my first drink of the evening.
It only took one sip for the realization to hit me – it was, after all, the bottle scenario. While it seemingly defies all logic, Hoegaarden in a bottle is an amazing beer. Hoegaarden on tap is another story.
Nice. Designed to be served cold (37 deg. F) it’s got a nice clean start and a late developing taste that finishes nicely. Able to polish off 4+ without growing tired of the taste.
Cost: 13.99/12 pack bottle
Rating: 16
***IMPORTANT NOTE***: This review concerns Newcastle on tap only. I have heard that Newcastle bottled is quite a different, and inferior, experience.
Appearance: Pours like you would expect from a stout, dark brown/blackish color, thick dark head.
Smell: 7 – There’s just a hint of the dark, nutty, taste that lies beneath in the smell. This is quite the reverse of the Harpoon Raspberry UFO which possessed a strong scent, but little punch in the way of taste.
Taste: 9 – Just a wonderful, filling taste. Harder to describe in terms of flavors because it is a complex mix of nuts, coffee, caramel, and toffee.
Mouthfeel: 9 – A terrific balance between too lite and too thick.
Finish: 9 – Clean, smooth, almost a blueprint for how a beer should feel at the end.
Aftertaste: 8 – Pleasent and understated. Doesn’t grow with repeated tastings, instead, it maintains a comfortable reminder of the wonderful taste without being just a continuation of the first impression.
Drinkability: 8.5 – I could drink tons of these. Only the neccessity of getting Newcastle on tap, and therefore the increased cost, keeps this from being a really high rating.
OVERALL: 17
Appearance: Pours like you would expect from a stout, dark brown/blackish color, thick dark head.
Smell: 8.5 – Nice fragrance of chocolate with some caramel and malt undertones. Very refreshing.
Taste: 8.5 – The chocolate really hits home here as it takes no time to announce its presence in the beer. Right off the bat, I am reminded of the more heartier chocolate stouts like Young’s.
Mouthfeel: 7 – A comfortable filling feel. Not thick, but possesses enough substance to know that you are drinking a beer.
Finish: 7.5 – The chocolate takes a back seat here as the caramel and malty flavors really heighten and provide a nice finish on their own, but especially so when coupled with the chocolate first impression. A lesson in well-roundedness that many other beers should be paying attention to.
Aftertaste: 6.5 – Very little aftertaste to begin with, though over the course of a bottle, I began to notice the finish hanging around longer and longer. Lost a few points for that as the finish grows wearisome when it’s present well after the swallow.
Drinkability: 7.5 – By no means is it as filling as a stout makes you think, and it certainly gets good marks here, but the mounting aftertaste do hold back the beer somewhat from elevating past a merely good overall rating. Could easily have 3 or 4 of these in a night, and with the price of being a Sam Adams, that is certainly affordable, it just does not quite possess enough character to pass the great threshold.
OVERALL: 15
Appearance: Pours with a soda-like fizzy white head and lots of carbonation. Has a peach hue to its body.
Smell: 14 – Deep raspberry smell. Not as strong as a Lindemans Lambic, but it is quite noticeable berry tinged.
Taste: 10 – Weaker than expected given the strong smell. It has very little kick to it and reminds me much more of a generic American macrobrew than anything specifically flavored. There’s nothing really wrong with it, though there is a distinct sourness at the back of the mouth. Underwhelming would be the best way to describe it
Mouthfeel: 10- Very light. Again, reminds me of somewhat flat soda or any American piss beer.
Finish: 8 – That bitter/sourness at the back of the mouth is the most distinct appearance of this beer, and that’s not exactly a good thing.
Aftertaste: 10 – A really small hint of raspberries comes up on the aftertaste, but you would only notice it if you were looking for it. Pretty much zero aftertaste.
Drinkability: 8 – I could guzzle these without really noticing it, but, at $1.25/bottle, why would I when I can get much cheaper beers that taste pretty much the exact same? Overall, I’m disappointed. Harpoon is one of my favorite breweries, but this offering just does not bring much to the table. If you really want a good raspberry taste, splurge $10-12 and go buy a 750ml bottle of Lindemans Framboise
COST: $15/12-pack
OVERALL: 9/20
