Mamma Mia Pizza Beer

'Unfiltered American Ale Brewed With Basil, Oregano, Tomato and Garlic. Truly the World's First Culinary Beer Designed to Taste Great on It's Own and Even Better With Food (Especially Pizza) The Beer is Truly Unique In That It Also Makes a Tremendous Ingredient in All Types of Foods. Chef Tom & Mamma Mia Have Developed Several Cooking Videos on Display at http://www.pizzabeer.net/

Being the fat bastard that I am, I could not pass this beer up when I was perusing the aisles of my nearby Sam's Wine and Spirits. In Chicago 'Beer' and 'Pizza' are woven into the fabric of the city, right next to 'Political Corruption' and 'Insane Weather'. I think I was reasonably skeptical of the juxtaposition of these flavors.

This stuff pours a strange light orange with a nice white, fluffy head. By looking at it you would assume this beer is terrible, so my initial worries started to grow. It smells strongly of the aforementioned oregano and basil, very strongly actually. Only the slightest standard beer scents force their way through the herbs and spices.

So I took the plunge, a nice big gulp. It's bizarre, but the spices that smell so pungeant really are not overwhelming in flavor. I really do not taste the tomato but the basil and oregano are prevelant. The garlic only makes itself noticed in the aftertaste but it is not too extreme like you would expect from such a powerful spice.

I would say this beer doesn't really taste like pizza, but the herbs inside it definitely bring pizza to mind. The beer itself is rather smooth with perplexingly little malt flavor. Perhaps garlic overrides maltiness? This is the quintessential 'meal beer' as it would definitely go well with plenty of hearty dishes but it is not something I could drink all night. In fact, it made me hungry. It's such a strange idea, but I think it pays off pretty well. Definitely one of the best novelty beers I have had in my life and the biggest pleasant surprise I have had since I started this journal. So go pick some up, they are sold individually which is perfect since it's not a hard drinking beer whatsoever. Much better than I expected. Recommended.

Sprecher Mai Bock

'This traditional springtime lager is aged throughout the cold winter months to develop its robust character. Additional dry-hopping gives this blonde bock a distinctive flowery aroma and a crisp hop flavor.'

Not the best of nights for me as far as tasting new beer. I probably shouldn't even be talking about this beer because I have never had a Mai Bock that I enjoyed before, this one included. It isn't a bad beer and I am sure that people who enjoy the style will love it but Bocks always taste antiquated and strange. Its like sipping something that has been in a cask since the middle ages, dust and all. I think that Gruit might have tasted a little like a bock. Look up Gruit on wikipedia if you dont know what it is, its kind of like a beer stew.

I found this beer passable but not terrible by any means. It certainly wasn't boring and it was neat to taste a sweet beer that didn't have much of a fruity flavor to it. There is also an understated herb taste to it that I did appreciate. Beers like this give me the impression that you will have to develop a taste for them to truly enjoy them, but thats not something I have the patience for. So yeah, worst review of anything ever, but I still didn't like it. Not recommended.

Shakparo Ale

I never thought it could happen, but I found a beer that I fucking loathe. This 'Ale' made me wary at first because it 'Contains no wheat or barley' and it is 'African Style'. I was intrigued a bit so I bought it. Even though I had reservations on how good it could taste Sprecher had been treating me well this week so I thought I would give it a shot. which turned out to be a bad decision. This is what I imagine fermented fruit cups in prison taste like. There was a distinct 'Foul' taste to this that thankfully masked the 'Urine' aftertaste a little. For the love of god do not drink Sprecher's Shakparo Ale. I do not care if it is Kwanzaa and you are feeling sentimental while walking through the aisles, do not buy this beer. Sorghum and millet, the two main ingredients of this stuff are apparently harvested in hell itself. 'Fire brewed' Indeed.



Picture later so you can see it seriously looks like piss. I swirled it around and there was some gross enzyme looking stuff towards the bottom. I poured that out. A pint of this stuff literally ruined my night. STAY AWAY!

Sprecher Russian Imperial Stout

'Originally brewed in Britain for the Russian Czars, this tremendously rich and thick stout is known as the 'King of Ales' . It has a massive flavor, reminiscent of coffee and dark roasted malt and a complex finish that can't be described'

I think this can be described just fine as liquid fucking gold. This is easily one of the best beers I have ever tasted in my entire life. This is what Norse gods are drinking in Valhalla as they tear meat from a lambs leg singing in celebration of fallen warriors.

Ok enough bullshit, this beer is incredible. I was extremely skeptical if it would be worth the $15 price tag for 1 liter but now I believe. Its going to be hard not to buy a bottle a week of this stuff. The taste is subtle at first but then it hits you with its 'complexity'. The coffee brought up on the bottle is not quite right, but I can see how someone could come to that conclusion. It is as if someone who was a master at making beer made an effort to make his next beer taste like an excellent cup of coffee. It doesnt really taste like coffee it just gives you the impression of coffee. Its hard to find a beer that is so hard to define in its glory.

This is one of the reasons I am doing this beer journal, so I can vividly remember that I absolutely adore Sprecher Russian Imperial Ale. Drink and believe people, drink and believe.

Sprecher Black Bavarian Style Lager

'This intensely dark Kulmbacher-style lager has a superb malt complexity with the distinctive flavors and aromas of caramelized and chocolate malts. A renowned smoothness and a creamy, tan head make it a world champion' Well don't pat yourselves on the back too much guys...

I actually had to look up 'Kulmbacher' on Wikipedia and found out it is a German brewery that was founded in 1895. So that clears up the name drop on the label, lets move on to the beer itself.

Writing about this in my beer journal is going to be a task because I have no fucking idea what they were trying to convey on the label, so I bought it to try it out. The beer itself is pretty decent, it actually tastes very much like the stout I reviewed yesterday but not as bitter and with a more artsy fartsy aftertaste. I do not taste any hint of malt or caramel in this beer, but the chocolate is definitely there although thankfully not overpowering. The word 'lager' definitely does not come to mind when you drink this at all, since when I think of lagers I think of the more common lighter beers. It makes me want to definitely try out some of their other products though as it is distinct and pretty damn good. I can see myself picking this up every few months for a slight change of pace but it definitely has not blown my mind. Oh yeah, the head to this beer lasted all of twenty seconds too which I thought was bizarre.

Alcohol content 5.8%.