Paulaner - Premium Pils

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer
Paulaner Premium Pils
Paulaner Brewing
Munich, Germany
Est. 1634
www.paulaner.com

Brain Damage Quotient = 4.9 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Bright golden yellow color.
Dry grainy malt and slight hops smell.
Crisp white tall head that lasts to the end of the glass.
Stringy lacing.
Light and refreshing; light mouth feel. 

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
Inside this bottle is a quintessential euro style Pilsener beer.  It is dry, light crisp and refreshing.  And almost a bit too dry for my bones, but never the less a tasty brew.  If you like your 'yellow' beers original to recipe and light and easy to drink, you'll look no farther to find enjoyment, right here.

Heck, they have been perfecting the art of Pilsener style for over 360 years.

Full Sail - Premium Lager

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer
Full Sail - Premium Lager
Full Sail Brewing Company
Hood River, OR USA
Est.1987
www.fullsailbrewing.com

Brain Damage Quotient = 5.1 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 11.0
 
Postmortem Brew Review
Pale and golden in color.
Grain smell with faint hops aroma; bread-like smell.
Sweet malted taste.  Slightly grassy flavor.
Two and a half finger, white colored head that slowly dissipates, leaving good lacing.
Light to medium body with carbonated mouth feel.

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
It's what beer used to be!  Session from Full Sail is reminiscent of the lagers I grew up with in my formative beer drinking days.  Those breweries from Piels, Rheingold or Schaefer were the 'microbreweries' of their day. They promoted sporting events in the New York area such as football and baseball, adorning the end-zone or outfield billboards with their logo's.  They would entice you to try their crisp clean excellent beverages with slick jingles and flashy, eye catching branding.

Those days are long gone now, along with the back yard barbeques that had coolers full of the aforementioned suds in abundance.  They were always in easy reach of the grill or the picnic tables or even the horseshoe pit.  Mom & Dad, grandpa's & grandma's, aunts, uncles along with all sorts of friends and neighbors gathered around the back yards, parks and beaches of North America.  Hot dogs, hamburgers, corn on the cob and some icy cold brews from the box were the primary staples for the event along with salads, beans and chips of all types.

It was a working man's (and woman's) relief from the work-a-day world every Memorial Day, Fourth of July or Labor Day.  Ahhh, yes!  You remember the sights, smells at these family gatherings, just as you are reading these words!  If you are like me, it was probably where you had your first sip of beer as a kid.

So if you want to wax nostalgic, pick up an aptly named Session and have your own trip down old memory lane.  Here's to those "...lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer! Those days of sodas and pretzels and beer!"  Thanks Nat!

Früli Strawberry Beer

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer
Früli Strawberry Beer
Brouwerij Huyghe

Brusselsesteenweg 282

Melle, Belgium
Est. ????
www.fruli.com

Brain Damage Quotient = 4.1 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 8.4
 
Postmortem Brew Review
Hazy reddish brown color.
Powerful strawberry aroma, coriander and citrus notes.
Wheat and strawberry tasting with balanced sweetness.
Slight sourness; tart sensation at end of sip, but not unpleasant.
Off white head with good lacing.
Light mouth feel with good amount of carbonation.

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
A blend of 70% white beer and 30% fruit juice goes into making this strawberry beer.  It's a mini bottle packed with a mighty "punch" of strawberry flavor.  Sweet on the nose and true tart strawberry finish makes this most unusual in a beer, indeed.

Opening the cap, there is no mistaking the aroma.  It wafted out of the vessel and could be smelled from over 3 feet away.  It was so sensory, that it stopped me 'dead' in my tracks!  The taste is similar to spiked fruit punch.  It's fizzy, strawberry sweet and oh, so easy to drink.  The unusual 8.4 oz. bottle makes Früli just the right size for a step off the beaten beer path.

A gold medal winner at the International Beer Competition 2004, it's just another good thing from the earth in a bottle!

Dogfish Head - Shelter Pale Ale

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer
Dogfish Head - Shelter Pale Ale
Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
6 Cannery Village Center
Milton, DE USA
Est. 1995
www.dogfish.com 

Brain Damage Quotient = 5.0 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Hazy amber color.
Slight sour taste with nascent hops.
One finger tall, white foamy head.
Hops and malts are in there, but muted.
Active carbonation.
Medium mouth feel with watery finish.

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
This is not a hop monster of a pale ale, but sometimes you need an easy session drinker.  It was not so remarkable as to set it apart from the sea of pale ales in the market.  But consider for a moment that it is from Dogfish Head and you know that it is quality brewed.

Nothing more to say.

Wild Blue Blueberry Lager

Dead Dog

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer
Wild Blue Blueberry Lager
Blue Dawg Brewing
Baldwinsville, NY
Anheuser-Busch, Inc.
St. Louis, MO USA
Est. 1852
wildbluelager.com

Brain Damage Quotient = 8.0 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Blue to purple in color.
Sweet blueberry smell; faint malt notes.
Thin, fast dissipating head with minimal to no lacing.
Sweet blueberry taste with minimal carbonation.
Light bodied, syrupy mouth feel. 

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
Highly infused blueberry taste, as only blueberry sugars will do.  This is great for the first few sips, but wears you out through the glass with its sweet syrupy flavor and taste.

Sessionable? No.

Try-able? Sure, why not.

Samuel Adams - Dunkelweizen

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer
Samuel Adams - Dunkelweizen
Boston Beer Company
Boston, MA USA
Est.1985
www.samueladams.com

Brain Damage Quotient = ?.? % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Hazy brown color.
Malty wheat smell; not too much hops on nose.
Wheat taste and finish with mild hops.
Firm tan color head with good lacing.
Light to medium mouth feel.

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
Jim Koch!!!  You've done it again!  I don't prefer wheat beers and then there's the fact that it is a dark wheat beer.  I can hear mother saying, "...eat whole wheats, eat your veggies."  Grrrrrr.....

Uh, so there it is.  The fine folks at Boston Beer come up with another reason for me to like that which I thought I did not.  This is an exceptional wheat beer.  It's as good as any hefe or crystal wheat out there, in my humble opinion.  And because it's a dark beer it must be even better for me, as the whole grains are in play.

Dudes of Sam Adams, I am not worthy!  Keep on making these fine crafts and keep on amazing me by doing so!  Once again, learn to not judge the book by its cover, nor the beer by its style.

Jalehouse Light

Dead Inmate

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer
Jalehouse Light Lager
Turtle Distributing Co. of South Florida
1251 Commerce Boulevard South

Sarasota, FL USA
Brewed by The Florida Beer Co.
Melbourne, FL
Est. 2009
www.jalehousebeer.com
 
Brain Damage Quotient = 4.5 % ABV

Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Bright, light yellow color.
Sweet grain smell with faint citrus smells.
Foamy, white, tall head that dissipates over time.

Dots of lacing on the glass.
Moderate carbonation. Slight lemon detected in taste?
Light bodied, refreshing. Low calorie and low carb. 

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
Headline should read, "Hometown boys make good!"

I read something once that said nearly everyone in the USofA lives within an average of 10 miles from a brewery.  The boys over at Jalehouse actually are distributors, not brewers, so they contract their beer production with The Florida Beer Company out of Melbourne, FL.  Since I live within 10 miles of their first distribution points, we set off for a scavenger hunt.

The hunt was short and the hearse pulled in the crypt with six cold corpses for a quick autopsy.  This beer just hit the market in the past few weeks.  As I type, a cold one is only a few inches from the keyboard.

The beer is a great first effort, in that it fits the Florida market and lifestyle.  Many hot days here produce the need for a quenching beer that won't dry you out.  So these fellas did their homework and have come up with a great beach/pool/after a hard days work kind of beer.  You will find that they will slake even the mightiest of thirsts.  Wth low carbohydrates and low calories, they won't weigh you down.  Even the 4.5% ABV will keep the 'brain drain' at bay.

Bravo for your first effort!  Another micro-brew has launched, and right here in my own backyard.  Keep up the good work boys.