Tag Archives: Beer Advocate

Brasserie Bourganel – Biere au Nougat (Review)

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First off, Merry Christmas! I hope your Christmas Eve went smoothly. I recently had a beer that can be seen as seasonalbly appropriate, the Brasserie Bourganel – Biere au Nougat. I received the beer from Michael Jackson’s Rare Beer Club for this December. It earned horrible reviews from Beer Advocate and Rate Beer. This is a prime example of why review sites should never be the only factor one looks at when they are considering a beer. I do not think this was a good beer by any means, but I do not think it was nearly as bad as the ratings suggest. Yes, some of the main flaws reviewers mentioned were evident, it was a little watery, it did not taste like a beer and the flavors did seem to have trouble blending. Still, it was exactly what the label claimed, a beer brewed with nougat. The nougat flavor was evident on the nose and the taste. There was a strong nougat aftertaste as well, which I enjoyed. It really did taste like a Kit Kat Bar! I do not plan on drinking a lot more of the Biere au Nougat, but am glad I tried it once. I think it was innovative and deserves at least a little credit for that. I have never tasted or heard of a beer like the Biere au Nougat.


(I will post a picture when I have time)

Beer Ratings Debate

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http://www.topfermented.com/2011/10/11/why-beer-rating-is-crap/

That is an interesting article that I think makes some good points. I agree with the author in that Beer Advocate and Rate Beer do tend to overrate rare and bigger beers. I also agree with his stance on the big three domestics Budweiser and Miller-Coors, in that they probably do not deserve a D- or F rating. Just because they are not a very imaginative style (American Adjunct Lager), does not mean they are a flawed beer. I would argue that they are decent beers, if an American Adjunct Lager is what one is looking to drink. I think most beers and styles, have their time and place, as well as price considerations. That does not mean I like those beers, in fact my stance is very much the opposite. I think the size and the power exerted by the big three is bad for business all around. I also believe their dominance has, for years, made America look foolish on the world beer scene. I am glad there is a revolution in the beer world going on and love seeing those companies lose market share every year!

I disagree with the “trained professional panel” aspect, in part. I agree that there is a usefulness for panels such as those utilized by the Great American Beer Fest and various publications. I do not believe they should dominate the market, nor do I want to see a bunch of shelf tags with ratings in my beer store. A lot of times I disagree with their findings and in the cases mentioned the reviews are often limited to certain geographical areas. There are many fantastic beers that do not fit nicely in a particular style as well, which would unfairly hurt their rating. I also do not believe that a single person nor a group of people regardless of training are infallible.

Ultimately, I believe there is room for both styles, a professional system as well as a democratic mass based system. I would not mind seeing more ratings come from the so called “experts” but I never want to see the only ratings coming from those people. I think both are important and should be considered when researching beers as aside from examples on the extreme high end or extreme low end, I think Rate Beer and Beer Advocate to be fairly accurate. Luckily most beers are relatively inexpensive (at least compared to wine) and a rating system at all is not as important because a poor investment will not, in most cases “break the bank”. I would like to know others thoughts on this issue, feel free to comment here or bring up the topic in the forums.

Founder’s Backstage Series

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The Beer Advocate rumor mill has started moving again concerning Founder’s Brewing Company. There is a hope that Founder’s will bottle another Backstage Series beer before the year is out. So far this year, they have bottled the Blushing Monk, which is about as raspberry like as any beer will ever be, and the Canadian Breakfast Stout which is about as good as any beer will ever be. The Canadian Breakfast Stout was especially impressive and stupidly rare that it was selling for $150 a bottle on Ebay…. I still almost bought one… If I did not have the opportunity to try it last year on draft at the Flying Saucer in Kansas City or at work this year, I probably would have. I still want one and may take up beer trading just for that beer (I am reluctant to, because I am not familiar with the shipping laws and have plenty of amazing beers to occupy me here in Missouri as well as through other sources from out of state). For anyone unfamiliar with Founder’s, it is one of the best breweries in the country. Furthermore, they really do not mess around when it comes to their Backstage Series. From what I have read, there is a general agreement or hope that another Backstage Series will come out before the end of the year. From Beer Advocate, I have seen a lot of speculation that it will be the Black Biscuit. Everything I have just said about the release, including whether or not it will even happen, is purely speculation. Still, what an exciting speculation it is!

One more side note on Founder’s (and yes I know it is old news), they are discontinuing the Nemesis line due to a lawsuit. I have not yet heard of any new product set up to replace it. The Nemesis never made my top ten list of barley wines but like everything Founder’s created, I thought it was very good. I drank a 2010 last month and was very satisfied.

As with anything I put up here, if anyone has any insight or comments, feel free to chime in.

Bananatana (Review)

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—Originally Posted on http://beerandboardgames.blogspot.com 10/27/2011—

I just wanted to quickly review an interesting beer I had a few days ago. Bananatana is the ultimate in banana beer. That is simply the easiest way to describe it. This ale was created by De 3 Horne Bierbrouweij in the Netherlands with bananas and plantains. Like the name and description imply that is exactly what this beer is. This beer is a very thick and cloudy brown, in which banana is the only flavor I picked out of it. And it is banana-y. This brewery somehow managed to liquify some bananas and ferment the mush. It is sweet and kind of funky looking, but interesting and worth a try if you are bored. It is around 5% abv. Beer Advocate gives it a C+, I think this rating is unfair as several non-banana fans have lowered the ranking by giving it an F. I think it is at least a B-. It retails for around $9.99 at the Brown Derby International Wine Center, in Springfield, MO.