3/2008 ORANJEBOOM LAGER
This was a funky find. There we were, staggering down the aisle of a Trader Joe's grocery store in Virginia when to our right appeared a heap of unrecognizable 16 ounce cans. ORANJEBOOM? What the Hell, it was $5.99 for a six pack of tallboys, so we went for it. We're glad we did. This is a nice lager-- clean, biscuity, with a dry close. Good stuff. You can read a bit about this brew here. (Rating ***3/4)

To see if our retailer can sell you ORANJEBOOM, click here. Otherwise, check with your nearest Trader Joe's.

Labels: Holland, Lager, Orangeboom

 

2/2007 FULL SAIL LTD SERIES LIMITED EDITION LAGER
This is a new brew from FULL SAIL, those beer meisters from Oregon. It is one robust lager- hooooo-eeee! Copper colored, oozing malt, with mild hops. And it's 6.4 ABV. Hubba, hubba. This is definitely a cold weather beer. Lucky us for getting the chance to try bottling number 1! (Rating****)

To see if our retailer can send you FULL SAIL, click SHOP and type "FULL SAIL" in the search engine and click the magnifying glass. Otherwise, surf to http://www.FullSailBrewing.com/.

Labels: Full Sail, Lager, Oregon

 

07/2006 TIGER BEER
We were rather disappointed by this lager. Produced by Asian Pacific Breweries
Ltd. of Singapore, TIGER BEER is a thin yellow beer that tastes a bit like a cross
between SINGHA and BECKS. Was it drinkable? Sure. Will we fork out $7+ for a
six-pack of it again? Not bloody likely. (Rating **3/4) If you think that maybe
we aren't giving TIGER BEER a fair shake, perhaps you ought to peek at the reviews
of it here: http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/727/2176/.
Those who feel they must learn more about TIGER BEER may surf to http://www.tigerbeer.com/.

Labels: Lager, Singapore, Tiger

 

BATTLE OF THE BARGAIN BEERS: PABST BLUE RIBBON VS. NATIONAL BOHEMIAN
Amazingly, both these brews can still be found, though we had to go into a rather slummy part of Washington, DC to acquire them. We had figured that Pabst (PBR) would be a passable brew. National Bohemian, on the other hand, well, let's just say that the packaging didn't inspire confidence. The can features a one-eyed cartoon character with an enormous black mustache and the hair of an 1890s Wild West saloon-keeper. Cursive writing exclaims the brew to come from "The land of pleasant living." Apparently, the maker of this beer, with good cause, fired the marketing team in the early 1950s.

Anyhoo, our estimation was off. PBR was rather gritty and was palatable only when bone cold. Otherwise, with each sip, we found ourselves sticking out or tongues and rubbing them against the roofs of our mouths. (Rating **)

National Bohemian, on the other hand, was decent. It was a simple American lager with no outstandingly bad notes (or good ones, for that matter); and, critically, it did not become foul when it warmed (as so many cheap beers do). Is National Bohemian a high quality beer? No, but for a few bucks for a six pack, it proved enjoyable on a hot day. (Rating ***) Those who want to read about National Bohemian might wish to check out this Natty Boh lover's page http://www.nationalbohemian.com/archives/national_bohemian_beer/. For a more concise history of National Bohemian beer, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Bohemian.

Labels: Lager, Maryland, National Bohemian, Pabst, Texas