Chang

Chang

Country of Origin: Thailand
Style: Pale Lager

Chang is brewed by ThaiBev. To me, it's basically the Thai version of Budweiser. It's a very standard beer. Drink it with anything, anytime. It goes with TV, food, anything. Nothing exceptionally special about it, but a good beer. Try it if you get the chance.

Flavor: Moderate
Finish: Moderate
Aftertaste: Moderate

Price: Moderately High
Availability: Moderate

Similar To: Budweiser

Recommended: Yes. Drink it like a Bud. Nothing special, but worth trying.

O' Fallon Wheach

O' Fallon

Wheach

Country of Origin: USA, Missouri, Greater St. Louis Area
Style: Wheat and Peach

O' Fallon is a microbrewery in the greater St. Louis area.They have yet to disappoint. Wheach is wheat + peach. The peach isn't overpowering. You mostly taste it in the finish (that's what she said). The base is a good wheat beer, and the peach makes a light, summer beer. It's vaguely similar to Blue Moon, but not quite as potent.

Flavor: Moderately Light
Finish: Light and Sweet
Aftertaste: Sweet

Price: Moderate
Availability: Limited
Similar To: Blue Moon

Recommended: Yes. If you like Blue Moon, and are able to find it, it's definitely worth trying. A very good summer beer.

Red Stripe

Red Stripe

Country of Origin: Jamaica
Style: Lager
Brewed Since: 1928

To me, this is Jamaican Budweiser. A good beer to have with most occasions. Drink it with football, dinner, or at the bar. The only thing really special about it is the bottle and the funny ads. A good beer, worth drinking, but nothing to write home about.

Flavor: Medium
Finish: Light
Aftertaste: Light

Price: Moderate
Availability: High
Similar To: Budweiser 

Recommended: Yes. A suitable replacement for Bud, if you want to be a little different, or feel Jamaican.

Sam Adams: Whitewater IPA

Samuel Adams

Whitewater IPA

Country of Origin: America, Boston
Style: India Pale Ale
Brewed Since: 2012
Special Ingredients: Apricot, Spices

Sam Adams recently released it's new Whitewater IPA (India Pale Ale). It's not your traditional IPA. They've added apricots, to give it a subtle sweetness. They did this to counteract the not-so-subtle hops and spices. It is a very strong beer. It has quite a bitter finish. This is not for the casual beer drinker. This is for people feeling adventurous, and fans of IPAs.

Flavor: Full
Finish: Very Strong
Aftertaste: Strong

Price: Moderate
Availability: Moderately High
Similar To: A very unique IPA.

Recommended: Yes. But only if you are an IPA fan.

Paulaner: Naturtrub

Paulaner

Naturtrub

Country of Origin: Germany, Munich
Style: Wheat
Brewed Since: 1634

Paulaner Naturtrub is a Weissbier (wheat beer). Paulaner is the #8 best-selling German brewery. Paulaner is owned 49.9% by Heineken, which Heineken likely bought, due to it's similar taste. I personally like it almost as much as Heineken. If you have the chance, try it, but don't go too out of your way to do so. You can just have a Heineken, and get almost the same experience.

Flavor: Full
Finish: Moderate
Aftertaste: Moderate

Price: Moderate
Availability: Lower
Similar To: Heineken

Recommended: Yes. But only if you don't have to spend too much time or money to get it.

Oettinger: Hell

Oettinger

Hell

Country of Origin: Germany, Munich
Style: Ale
Brewed Since: 1731
 

Oettinger has been brewing beer since 1331. They are Germany's #1 selling beer brand. That is due to low price, not high quality. They have cut costs by having nearly a fully-automated process, with few human workers. Basically, they sell quantity, not quality. It's not a bad beer, but really not a good beer. Bad German beer is still better than bad American beer, but not worth the extra effort of finding it.

Flavor: Full
Finish: Strong
Aftertaste: Moderate

Price: Moderate
Availability: Low
Similar To: Peroni, but slightly worse

Recommended: Not Really. Not worth the price. Not worth tracking down.

Hofbrau

Hofbrau

Munchen

Country of Origin: Germany, Munich
Style: Wheat Ale
Brewed Since: 1589
Made Up Of: Water, Wheat Malt, Barley Malt, Hops, and Yeast

Hofbrauhaus has a ton of history. It is owned by the Bavarian state government, and has a history as the royal brewery in the Kingdom of Bavaria. It was frequented by everyone from Mozart and JFK to Hitler and Lenin. Hofbrauhaus even saved the city of Munich. In 1632, Bavaria was invaded by Sweden. King Gustavus Adolphus agreed to leave the city in peace, in exchange for some hostages and 600,000 barrels of Hofbrauhaus beer.

Hofbrau follows Reinheitsgebot. This is known as German/Bavarian Beer Purity Law. Originally, this only allowed for water, barley, and hops. The newer Provisional German Beer Law allows for cane sugar, yeast, and wheat malt, but no longer allows unmalted barley.

As for the taste, this is hands-down the greatest wheat beer I've ever tasted. It's a little cloudy, since it's unfiltered, but don't let that scare you away. This is my new choice for high-end beer. Heineken is still my default choice, but this is for when I want to treat myself.

Flavor: Full
Finish: Smooth
Aftertaste: Smooth

Price: Moderately High
Availability: Moderate
Similar To: Heineken, but better

Recommended: Yes. Any and every beer drinker needs to try this beer. It's a little pricey, but worth every penny.

Peroni: Nastro Azzurro

Peroni

Nastro Azzurro

Country of Origin: Italy
Style: Pale Lager

Brewed Since: 1963

Nastro Azzurro is Peroni's second largest brand. It's designed as a premium lager. The brand has gotten large enough to sponsor teams in Grand Prix motorcycle racing. It's a very large international brand. The beer, however, is nothing special. I like it. It's a good beer, but nothing to write home about. To me, it's a case of very good marketing with a good product. Try it if you get a chance, but don't wear yourself out finding it.

Flavor: Full
Finish: Strong
Aftertaste: Moderately Strong

Price: Moderately High
Availability: Moderate
Similar To: Harp, by Guinness

Recommended: Mostly. If you have the chance, try it. But it's nothing special.

Fat Tire

Fat Tire

Country of Origin: America: Colorado
Style: Belgian Amber Ale
Brewed Since: 1991
Special Ingredient: Crystal Malt

Fat Tire is the flagship beer for the New Belgium Brewing Company. A co-founder spent some time on a bicycle, touring the breweries in Belgium. This is how he both refined his recipe and came up with the bicycle-themed packaging. It's a good beer, but there's not a whole lot to it you can't find in other beers. Honestly, for the price and somewhat limited availability, you can probably find the same flavor in a couple varieties of Sam Adams. It's still a good beer. If someone offers you one, drink it. But don't kill yourself trying to find it.

Flavor: Moderate.
Finish: Moderate
Aftertaste: Moderate

Price: Moderate
Availability: Moderately Low, But Growing

Try If You Like: Other Amber Ale's

Recommended: Mostly. If you can find it, and it's not too expensive, get it. It's a good Amber Ale. But there's nothing to make it worth tracking down, or paying an inordinate amount of money for. If you can't find it, just get a Sam Adams.

Guinness Black

Guinness Black

  

Country of Origin: Ireland

Style: Black Lager

Brewed Since: 2010

Special Ingredient: Roasted Barley

This beer is for those of us who want a Guinness, but don't want to have to chew it. You get most of that classic Guinness stout flavor, but with a more-drinkable lager, designed to be served cold. I'm a pretty big fan.

Flavor: Strong

Finish: Strong

Aftertaste: Moderately Strong

Price: Moderate

Availability: Moderate

Recommended: Yes. For anyone who wants a good, dark beer, but doesn't want the thickness of a full Guinness.

 

Intro / Heineken

Heineken

Country of Origin: Holland

Style: Pale Lager

Brewed Since: 1873

Made Up Of: Purified Water, Malted Barley, Hops, Yeast

I started this blog because I intend to try a lot of different beers in the near future. I want to keep them all straight in my head, and decided a blog is the easiest way to do that. I decided to start off with Heineken because it is my favorite beer. I always have a few bottles in the fridge, just in case. This is the beer I will always return to.

Flavor: Moderate. A good flavor, but not super strong.

Finish: Smooth

Aftertaste: Mild

Price: Moderate

Availability: High

Recommended: Yes. Very much so. Anyone who likes beer should try this at least once.