Reviews by mallace

mallace says "How much are you able to take?" about Avery Brewing Hog Heaven Barleywine

mallace — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 19:40:40 GMT

Since the other review here does a pretty succinct job of describing this beer, I'll skip that and just offer my reaction to it: whoa. That can be both good and bad.

Certainly this beer is jam-packed with flavors of all variety. It is deeply complex, and the type of beer that just sniffing it is satisfying enough. The flavor is equally as complex, and I had the sensation of it really moving around my mouth in a succession of different flavors on a sip-by-sip basis. It has a lot of everything.

Then again, there is a good reason that, say, wild rollercoaster rides are limited to short experiences. After about 8 oz of this, I was really ready to move on to something that was not quite as full-throttle. The richness of the beer makes a strong first impressionm but I found it quickly onerous. Given that it comes in 22 oz bottles, find a few friends who will help you out with it.

For better or worse, this is the type of beer that would stand out in a blind tasting, but one that I don't...

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mallace says "Middle of the road regional beer." about Yuengling Traditional Lager

mallace — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 19:27:43 GMT

I think one reason Yuengling has a reputation for being good is that it is not widely available outside of the East Coast, and its scarcity might add to the allure. On the East Coast, it is ubiquitous, and, while many see it as a reliable go-to beer, it is not something that is often sought out specifically. All in all, this is an average beer at best, and if you are not from the East, it is highly likely a local brewery near you produces something equally as good if not better. In fact, even if you are from the East (we could even whittle that down to just eastern PA), there are breweries with better lagers. If you are someone who is looking for something more flavorful than the mass-produced national brands, Yuengling is certainly a decent stop on the way to better beer. But if you are already familiar with other amber lagers such as Brooklyn Lager, or even Marzen/Octoberfest-style beers, Yuengling will most likely come across to you as unremarkable.

I also get the sense...

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