Thursday, May 24, 2018

An alternate dimension

Here we have an attempt at something German called Altbier. This is Alternate Dimension from Trader Joe's. The back label says the brewer used a special Alt yeast from Dusseldorf. Pretty impressive for $7 a sixer, right? But is it good?

With bit of a pretzel-like aroma, a pleasant maltiness and just the right amount of bitterness, Alternate Dimension is a very drinkable beer. In fact, I've tasted quite a few much higher-priced Altbiers and this one is just about as good. I might go back for more...it's just too bad that it's so hot outside....(I like my darker beers when it's colder.)

Sunday, February 04, 2018

Hmm. Keep driving?

Here's a new Trader Joe's beer (at least new to me) that I picked up today. It is a dry hopped red ale that clocks in at 7.2 percent. I paid $7 for the six-pack which I think is cheap for craft beer these days. The label design of thus beer appeals to me, with the VW bus and hop cones and all. Dry-hopped is always good. That said, this ale is hopped with Tettnang, which is a unusual choice for dry-hopping an ale. Most U.S. brewers would use Mount Hood, which is a Tettnang-like American hop. There's just a brief burst of a spicy hop note in this beer. There is, however, a satisfactory hop flavor. The carbonation seems a bit off at first but I realize my glass is not clean. I transfer the beer to a clean glass and it foams up nicely with a lasting head. Poured into a tall pilsner glass, I notice the Tettnang hops a little more. All in all a pretty enjoyable red ale with good caramel malt sweetness balanced by enough spicy hops to keep it interesting. Be careful though, as this beer is quite quaffable for it's 7.1 percent alcohol by volume!