Author: Professor Good Ales

Mythical poster at The LTS Good for What Ales You Beer Journal. Loves good beer. Hates same old, same old. Muses that Bud and Miller might as well be brewed in urinals. Drinks lagers too, if they are complex and interesting.
Posted on

North Coast’s Tart Cherry Berliner Weisse

Profiled by Ken Carman

Of the many breweries who have entertained my palate over the years; one of the very, very few that have failed to bore me, or even make me go, “Eh,” is North Coast, whose Old Rasputin makes me drool.

Tart is no disappointment; far from it.

The nose is tart cherry with faint malt in the background, at best. Almost sea breeze, minus salt.

Small bubble slight off white head is greeted by a slight haze and a bright, beautiful orange-ish yellow. Magnificent in the glass. The head doesn’t last.

Flavor is cherry tart mixed with background malt. Sweet, yet tart, fruity, yet clean. This is very slightly sour, at best.

Leaves the palate quickly, just leaving the tart and cherry. Low, yet firm, carbonation. A deceptively easy quaff with light body and fruit cling to the roof of the mouth. Almost lawnmower-ish, yet not.

If you don’t try you’re missing a great rendition of a tart cherry Berliner.

4.5

3361242-simple-drawing-of-a-pint-of-beer-isolated-on-white3361242-simple-drawing-of-a-pint-of-beer-isolated-on-white3361242-simple-drawing-of-a-pint-of-beer-isolated-on-white3361242-simple-drawing-of-a-pint-of-beer-isolated-on-white

Welcome to the PGA beer rating system: one beer “Don’t bother.” Two: Eh, if someone gives it to you, drink. Three: very good, go ahead and seek it out, but be aware there is at least one problem. Four: seek it out. Five: pretty much “perfecto.”

1-2-3-4-5-fingers-on-hand1

___________________________________________Beer HERE

___________________________________________________________________

kYes, to the left is Ken Carman. Obviously Ken is a mere cartoon character who reviews beer. A magical nymph turns the beer into something a cartoon character can drink.

Posted on

An Open Letter to Wicked Weed

We have all read the caveats offered by those who sold Wicked Weed to InBev. Here’s another perspective-PGA


Dear Rick, Ryan, Luke and Walt,

Let me start by saying I loved working for you. For four years I looked up to your business acumen and craft beer concepts. I was proud to wear, serve and represent Wicked Weed. I enjoyed going to work for a man who knew my name and a company that seemed to echo my personal values and those of Asheville.

How quickly it all changed. I left in December citing an increasingly corporate atmosphere and a declining quality of food. The company I signed on to work for would not have tried to marginalize my health coverage for its bottom line. Ultimately this is why I left.

Want to read more? Please click…

HERE

Posted on

What’s It Like to Work in a Brewery that has “Sold Out?”

The professor understands the need for anonymity, but it does make the content easy to question. How are we to know how legit any of this is?-PGA
BreweryBuyout

 

Yesterday, the beer world was ablaze with the news that beer giant Anheuser-Busch InBev had purchased Wicked Weed Brewing, North Carolina’s beloved producer of wild ales. The response was as harsh as it was predictable: The outcry of “sell out!” ran rampant across Twitter and Facebook.

This is a narrative we hear a lot—that brewing megalodons like AB InBev, MillerCoors or Constellation Brands are out to gobble up every small brewer they can, crush the ones they can’t, and turn the beer their new subsidiaries produce into bland, watered-down swill. What we don’t often hear, however: What it’s actually like to be an employee at a brewery that’s owned by one of these dreaded macro-brewers.

 

Want to read more? Please click…

HERE

Posted on

Beer Profile: Adventurous Stranger Coffee Kolsch by Campanology Brewing, Waunakee, WI

Profiled by Ken Carman

Thick, very white, head that hold well with tiny bubbles and some pillow. Very hazy, urine yellow. The haze may be wheat, tho I really didn’t get any, or the cold pressed-like coffee. But it is supposed to be clear.

A lager-like aroma, no coffee aroma, pilsner-like malt. No hops sensed.

Some cold pressed coffee, which I think may have been the lager sense? Just a guess. The beer behind that is very light. This is more coffee than Kolsch and not much of that either. Slightest bitter. A little minerally.

Mouthfeel had moderate carbonation that fades fast with a hint of carbonic to it. The body is actually moderately light.

I’d love to try this as just a Kolsch. I am guessing it’s a tad like a lawnmower Kolsch. The Kolsch could use more but that would put it out of balance with the light coffee sense that dominates just a hint. Too cold and you don’t get it. Once it warms the coffee gently pops out.

46/83 Rate Beer/Not enough reviews on BA but so far heading towards about 3.3 out of 5

Not all that interesting, but good enough for a…

3.9

3361242-simple-drawing-of-a-pint-of-beer-isolated-on-white3361242-simple-drawing-of-a-pint-of-beer-isolated-on-white3361242-simple-drawing-of-a-pint-of-beer-isolated-on-white

Welcome to the PGA beer rating system: one beer “Don’t bother.” Two: Eh, if someone gives it to you, drink. Three: very good, go ahead and seek it out, but be aware there is at least one problem. Four: seek it out. Five: pretty much “perfecto.”

1-2-3-4-5-fingers-on-hand1

____________________Beer HERE

___________________________________________________________________

Ken Carman is a beer dog who slops up various styles as a beer judge, homebrewer and craft beer lover since the 70s all over the U.S.,especially the east coast. I mean the only way he could have done more would be an injection needle, and what’s the fun in that? That’s what he has morphed into the picture that you see to the left. Here at PGA we have to keep him on a tight leash. Very tight. We’re worried he may like it too much.

Posted on

A Tempest in a Tankard

Written by Franz Hofer for A Tempest in a Tankard

You have to admire a city where the rhythms of life revolve around excuses to tap a keg and raise a mug of good cheer.

Munich is one such city where the seasons are marked by festivities that involve a healthy amount of imbibing. Most of these beer festivals have their roots in Catholicism and are, more often than not, bound up with the arrival of spring, summer, autumn, and winter.

Want to read more? Please click…

HERE

Posted on

Beer Profile: Ommegang’s Shadow Brewer Imperial Stout

Since it’s Easter time, what style better to review than one who color is black as death, but revived by brewers a number of years back! If I were a commercial brewer perhaps a seasonal “Dead Easter Bunny,” or better, “Resurrected Rabbit?”

Profiled by Ken Carman

This is such an anomaly for Ommegang. The color right: black as hell, almost no light shines through, thick, high viscosity/FG, brownish head. On the nose: heavy roast, some hops in the background. So far close to a perfect score, except a hint of…

Really? This is a classic beginning brewer mistake. I knew it when it first hit the palate: too much roasted barley. Too much roasted barley creates a harshness, an astringency that, here, is annoying. Yeah, it can be worse, but the balance here is off and the roasted barley is annoying, even as we polished off the bottle and the abv starts to hit.

Everything is right: mouthfeel is full and pleasing, except the same problem, the malt complexity and intensity is everything a RIS should be. Ommegang, if fault is found, usually plays it too safe.What happened here? Did someone slip and pour in the whole bag, or too many bags?

87/84 @ BA
97/64 @ Rate Beer

3.6

3361242-simple-drawing-of-a-pint-of-beer-isolated-on-white3361242-simple-drawing-of-a-pint-of-beer-isolated-on-white3361242-simple-drawing-of-a-pint-of-beer-isolated-on-white

Welcome to the PGA beer rating system: one beer “Don’t bother.” Two: Eh, if someone gives it to you, drink. Three: very good, go ahead and seek it out, but be aware there is at least one problem. Four: seek it out. Five: pretty much “perfecto.”

1-2-3-4-5-fingers-on-hand1

____________________Beer HERE

___________________________________________________________________

Posted on

Anheuser-Busch InBev Acquires Northern Brewer & Midwest Supplies

AB inbev purchases northern brewer and midwest supplies

The rumors started days ago have ended in the last 48 hours with confirmation direct from Northern Brewer and Midwest Supplies today that indeed, they were acquired by Anheuser-Busch InBev, the multi-national super conglomerate that owns Budweiser and Miller. More precise the deal was announced as being completed by ‘ZX Ventures’, the disruptive growth unit of AB InBev. Anheuser-Busch InBev now has market share of 70% of beer sales in the United States after getting Justice Department approval of a merger.

Want to read more? Please click…

HERE

Posted on

Northeast IPAs from Upstate to take home (Beer Review)

Northeast IPAs from Upstate NY

Time for a history lesson: The India pale ale was invented in the 1870s as England’s means of providing beer to its citizens living abroad in India. It was too hot in India to brew beer, so heavily-hopped strong ales were made in Britain and aged aboard ships making the six-month journey.

It was not until the 1970s that beers with huge hop profiles became popular stateside. Anchor Brewing’s Liberty Ale and Sierra Nevada Pale Ale are considered the first modern American pale ales and their aggressive hop use place them at the forefront of the American IPA movement.

Want to read more? Please click…

HERE

Posted on

Why Sam Adams Utopias Costs $200

Beer is arguably one of the most democratic drinks in the world. Yes, beer uber-nerds have their white whales to chase, but the rest of us can enjoy world class beers like St. Bernardus Abt 12, Ballast Point Sculpin, and Goose Island’s Bourbon County Brand Stout with a little patience and leg work. And not only are life-changing beers available coast to coast, they almost always run less than $20 per bottle. Hell, sometimes that’ll buy you a six-pack. So then what do you make of Boston Beer’s Sam Adams Utopias release that hits shelves (usually) every other year with a sticker price of $200 for a 24-ounce bottle?

 

Want to read more? Please click…

HERE