Tastings From the Hotel

My fiance and I are in Tazewell, VA...or thereabouts, this weekend for a wedding.  On the way up, I knew I would be spending time alone in the hotel, so I stopped and grabbed some new beers that I had not tasted before.  I thought "Hey...why not taste some beers and talk about them!"  I stopped in Abingdon, VA at the Food City and made a mix pack.  I will post as I drink to let you know how it's going...

5:20 PM - First up is Molson XXX.  My exposure to Molson was several years ago and is the only ice beer (Molson Ice) that I will put to my lips.  The XXX version is a "Super Premium Beer" according to the label.  The beer is very "beer" colored.  By that I mean it is like dark urine.  The smell is negligible, which is strange.  You can smell Molson Ice for miles.  To be perfectly honest, there is very little taste!  There is no hoppy bitterness or even really a caramel or coffee taste to it.  Imagine if you will that you took dirty water and mixed it with Michelob Light.  I think you have Molson XXX.  Let me choke this down and I will be back with the next, hopefully better offering.  Beer Advocate gives it a C-...I give it a full on F.

6:30 PM - Next up is Pyramid Thunderhead IPA.  It is "bursting with hops"!  The smell has a nice hoppy aroma.  It has a nice carbonation to the taste and a very good bite from the hops.  I wouldn't say its as good as an IPA like the 60 Minute IPA from Dogfish Head.  But it is a tasty beverage with just the right amount of tangy aftertaste from the hops to make it crisp.  The aftertaste stays around, and that may be the down point.  The aftertaste is piney.  Like drinking a tea made with pine needles.  Beer Advocate gives it a B.  I am good with that.

7:20 PM - This could be the last one...we will see.  I just realized that the Pyramid offering was > 6% as well.  This offering is Starr Hill Amber Ale.  Starr Hill is based in Charlotesville, VA, so this seems to be a local flavor.  I have another Starr Hill beer as well, but this one looked more appealing.  Not sure how or why, but it did.  The beer is a coppery color with a reddish brown tone.  There is a malty, nearly sweet but not quite, smell to the beer.  Nice carbonation and a good malt flavor.  A small hoppy aftertaste hits when you swallow.  Overall a pretty good taste.  Nothing truly "out there", but definitely worth a six pack purchase.  Beer Advocate gives it a B, I would go B+ based on future drinkability.  Of the three so far, this is the one I think I will buy on the way home.  UPDATE:  7:35 - This one is drinking much faster than the others.

That's all for tonight.  I may be back tomorrow evening for a bit.  If not, I have tastings of New Belgium upcoming!