Cute Mouse Beers

I bought two beers because of the adorable mouse sketches on the bottles. The following are the reviews of those Off-Color beers.

The first thing that strikes me as 'Troublesome' about this beer is its transparency. Laudable in local politics, I discourage transparency in wheat beers and have been known to say that I don't trust beers I can see through. Still, the mouse on the bottle is endearing, so I give this kristalweizen a shot. Smells like those lightish honey wheat beers, kinda sweetish, but the head doesn't stick around. It tastes darn good though, even though I've let it get a bit warm. Quite well balanced, though again, reminiscent of most other filtered honey wheat beers. I keep saying that as if they were a common occurrence, but the one I'm thinking of is Wolaver Wildflower Wheat. It's been a while, but it reminds me of this, though this costs significantly more. Which is to say you're mostly paying for the mouse, but I'd say he's worth it. If this has coriander in it (as it claims), I don't really taste it, so it's just there to balance the residual. It has an overall impression of citrus, mostly orange, some light wheat, and honey. I probably wouldn't buy it again at this price point, but I would recommend it for the cute label and balanced taste. Reading the label, it says it was made with lactobacillus, but again, it wasn't especially tart, so if that's what you're expecting, look elsewhere, friend.

Scurry is tasty and balanced as well. There's a steely 'off' smell, but I'm pretty sure it's the tumbler I'm using; my glassware is in storage and the two tulips I kept out are in the washing machine. I don't know if I pick up molasses or honey specifically, but it does feel like there's some kind of premium adjunct at work here. It's definitely not a 'dry stout'. On second thought, there may be some honey presence on the aftertaste. It strikes me that these beers are well-crafted beers, but not terribly interesting or 'out there' in any way, though they come in at a premium pricepoint. My warped perspective has led me to expect 'weird' and 'expensive' to be synonymous, but it's important to appreciate the basics.

Pictures of beer

I recently visited my warehouse at an Undisclosed Location and emptied out about a pallet of empty beer bottles, recording their images in what I can only describe as 'not-very-good product photography.' A learning experience, and nostalgic for memories of  beers gone by.

I'll post them here along with anything interesting I remember about the beers of the stories surrounding them. Kind of a German-style photo project (they did a lot of cataloging), but with words. And this way your mind's eye can journey with me on my beer escapades while your skull's eye looks at pictures, making these brews easier to spot and acquire (or avoid) in the wild.

Mikkeller: Black, Black Hole, White Wine Black Hole, Scotch Black Hole, Barrel Aged Chipotle Porter

Mikkeller is a Danish gypsy brewer (that means all his beers are brewed at different breweries where he visits like an artist residence). He has a twin brother who brews under the moniker 'Evil Twin'. Black is an alcohol bomb; expensive and maybe not worth it; my recollection here is accordingly dim. Black Hole is pretty great; the white wine version probably was as well, but the Scotch version was outstanding. Apparently it's poorly reviewed because most rubes don't understand how great whisky is. Let their folly be your conquest, friends. Barrel Aged Chipotle Porter is also outstandingly good (and also aged in whisky barrels—go figure). This bottle came from Beer Mongers in Portland, OR in 2011, and I think I've had it again (in a large bottle) and it wasn't as good. So caveat imbibor.