The Superbowl Six
The Superbowl only comes once a year, so to commemorate this momentous event, the Connoisseurs (aside from Michael) and company embarked upon a six-beer journey. The three Connoisseurs present all agreed that beer was necessary to make it through the entire Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers intermission.
Beer 1 – Lowenbrau
This beer had a fruity wheat smell, with hints of banana. A black pepper smell and taste were noticeable throughout this pale beer. It had some spicy notes and was a little skunked. That green bottle…please, beer brewers around the world, listen to some important information. The green and clear bottles that you put your beer in let light get at the beer to skunk it. Nobody likes skunked beer. Nobody. This beer tasted like a slightly bitter Heineken. I’m sure it would have been better had it not met the skunk.
Beer 2 – O’Hanlon’s Double Champion Wheat Beer
O’Hanlon’s won awards in 1999 and 2002, so we were hoping that a unique and tasty beer was waiting for us in its one pint bottle. We were not disappointed. This wheat beer had strong smells of lychee, very perfumed and syrupy sweet. There was a thick, impressive head on this crystal clear offering. Upon tasting it, very soft and dry floral flavors presented themselves to the drinkers. Martha, Javier’s girlfriend, compared it to “showering naked in the
Beer 3 – Haystack Wheat Bottle-Conditioned Wheat Beer by Left Hand Brewery
As this beer was bottle conditioned, the bottom 1/8th inch will be thick and chunky. It won’t kill you, but many people find those chunks a bit unnerving. Fear not. You will want to save your trepidation for the moment that you see the color of Haystack. It is a weird light green color, like murky green tea. Javier remarked, “If I ever pissed this color, I’d be worried.” Classy. This beer had very little smell, and virtually no head, as if we were smelling water that was the color of ectoplasm. When we tasted this, it presented the classic wheat beer clove flavor, similar to the Julius Echter beer I reviewed a while back. Along with the clove flavor was the taste of water and raw hops. It was as if somebody took a glass of water and dropped a handful of hop buds and cloves in it. It had about that much body, and did not seem to mesh with itself.
Beer 4– Tremont IPA
This light tannish-yellow colored IPA had a good soapy head with a buttery nose. It boasted a thick mouth feel, with a spicy and buttery taste followed by an immediate strong bitter punch. The bitterness hangs around for a while and cleansed the palate. We all needed the palate cleansing after the Haystack, which was the definite loser of the night, right up there with the Patriots.
Beer 5 – Sam Adams Irish Red
This red-amber colored Irish ale had a sticky head that looked quite sugary and was dissipating quickly. Clean and toasty malt characteristics started this ale, while slight strawberry flavors came in with a strong secondary flavor, rounded out by a sweet finish. This medium-bodied ale was a nice change in pace from the other beers of the night, though it was a bit unremarkable in and of itself.
Beer 6 – Roxy Rolles by Magic Hat
This seasonal offering by Magic Hat was billed as hoppy amber ale. Upon pouring, amber hues and a fluffy head gave way to an overly hoppy nose, with strong pineapple, grapefruit, pine tree (Pine Sol?), and black pepper smells. The taste was not as overwhelming as the nose, bringing floral hoppy flavors smoothly together with flavors of
All told, these six beers had many pieces to offer, and they made for an interesting night of football, good times, tailgate snacks, and a big pile of beer knowledge.
For the historical accuracy’s sake, we did actually have seven beers, but we've already reviewed Magic Hat's Circus Boy twice.