Pete's Wicked Strawberry Blonde (bottled) - 3.2

Pete's Wicked Stawberry Blonde
Fruit Beer (Lager)
Pete's Brewing Company
Utica, NY
Alcohol Content: 5%

Jon:
I'll give this beer points for what it is--a fruit beer. It smells and tastes like strawberries, which would be great if I had a bigger sweet tooth. But really, for a fruity beer, it agrees with me better than many I've tried. Still too sweet.

2.6	Appearance Aroma Palate Flavor Price Buzz Overall 3/5 7/10 2/5 6/10 2/5 2/5 6/10

Jere:
Unfortunately Mark could not review this one due to its wheat content ("nasty wheat!") but he did give me the perfect description of the aroma: "Smells like pop tarts!" I have a bit of a sweet tooth as it is so that has skewed my perception of this fruit beer, since it does lean towards the sweeter side, but at the same time it is reminiscent of something from my wine cooler days, which is a bit of a turn off.

3.7	Appearance Aroma Palate Flavor Price Buzz Overall 4/5 9/10 4/5 6/10 5/5 3/5 6/10

Pabst Blue Ribbon (can) - 1.7

Pabst Blue Ribbon
American-Style Lager
Pabst Brewing Company
Milwaukee, WI
Alcohol Content: 5%

Jon:
This is the first time I've poured a PBR from a can into a glass, and I hope it's the last. It looks like ginger ale and smells like... well, it smells like bad beer. Nonetheless, PBR has a place in my heart for being cheap, refreshing, and readily available. Ah, memories of youth.

2.0	Appearance Aroma Palate Flavor Price Buzz Overall 1/5 2/10 3/5 3/10 5/5 1/5 5/10

Mark:
First of all, this is a working man's beer--no pouring--it stays in the can it came in. And the can is quite nice--a 3 for appearance from me. As far as taste, palate, and flavor, it's pretty much what you'd expect. It tastes like beer--classic American beer. Mmmm... cheap beer. Not great, but a bargain! Unfortunately it gives me a raging headache if I drink even one. Oh well...

2.0	Appearance Aroma Palate Flavor Price Buzz Overall 3/5 1/10 2/5 2/10 4/5 3/5 5/10

Jere:
Since Jon and I both poured ours into glasses, the slight variations in color and hue between the two were most apparent--clearly the QC process at this place leaves something to be desired... As for the taste, again, it's better than King Cobra, but that's not saying much.

1.2	Appearance Aroma Palate Flavor Price Buzz Overall 1/5 1/10 2/5 1/10 4/5 1/5 2/10

Look Up

As I'm a complete idiot, during our last gig at the St. Julien I put the output from the mixer into the headphone jack of the iPod instead of the line-in jack. As you can imagine, the recording sounded like crud. So instead of a track from that night, you get another track from our last Folsom Coffee show. Lucky you.

-Jon

Download the MP3

Mojo (bottled) - 4.8

Mojo
India Pale Ale
Boulder Beer Company
Boulder, CO
Alcohol Content: 6.8%

Jon:
This is truly the ultimate IPA. There is a complexity and fullness here that seems to transcend the normal possibilities of hoppy beers. It really shouldn't be possible to get this sort of body and balance without sacrificing hops.

4.9	Appearance Aroma Palate Flavor Price Buzz Overall 5/5 9/10 5/5 10/10 5/5 5/5 10/10

Mark:
I said my favorite was yet to come--and here it is. This is hands down the best IPA that I have ever tasted. If I could only drink one beer for the rest of my life (horror of horrors), this would be it. Great hoppy, grapefruit flavor with a wonderful smooth palate and full aroma. Best bet for the money and I love that it's a Boulder brewery!

5.0	Appearance Aroma Palate Flavor Price Buzz Overall 5/5 10/10 5/5 10/10 5/5 5/5 10/10

Jere:
I love Mojo as much as the next guy, but I'll have to sample a lot more brews before I hand out the 5.0. That said, this is the best contender for the perfect score as of yet... Two thumbs up!

4.6	Appearance Aroma Palate Flavor Price Buzz Overall 4/5 9/10 5/5 9/10 4/5 5/5 9.5/10

No Mark, no review

Since wheat-allergic Mark is in recovery mode this week, Jere and I tried New Belgium's Mothership Wit, an organic wheat beer I had never before seen at my local liquor store. It's a good beer, very citrus-y and appropriate for late summer, but it was a tad too sweet for me to want a second (as there were other selections next to it in the fridge). I think I'll end up buying it again. We probably should've written a review to have a little variety on the ol' blog, but we were so busy practicing classical music that we didn't have time. The rousing Harry Potter discussion with Kate didn't help our time management much either.

In other news, someone needs to get us a gig in Albuquerque so we can have some space beer.

-Jon

Where were you on the night of August 4th, 2007?

We were playing at Folsom Coffee, and you should've been there. Here's a track in case you missed it.

Download the MP3

Cold Hop (bottled) - 3.5

Cold Hop
"British-Style Ale" (whatever that means--it drinks like an American Pale Ale)
Boulder Beer Company
Boulder, CO
Alcohol Content: 6.5%

Jon:
The sweetness of this beer is too intense on the finish. It kind of tastes like someone slipped some Splenda in my beer. As pretty as this beer looks, it's a tad disappointing to taste.

3.2	Appearance Aroma Palate Flavor Price Buzz Overall 4/5 8/10 3/5 6/10 3/5 3/5 5/10

Mark:
Surprisingly sweet, a bit like toast with orange marmalade with a decidingly floral aftertaste. Bright, with a golden/orange color and opaque head. Not bad for a change of pace, but I don't think I'd drink it every day.

3.3	Appearance Aroma Palate Flavor Price Buzz Overall 4/5 6/10 3/5 6/10 4/5 4/5 6/10

Jere:
The sweetness is quite distinctive--almost makes me forget it's a beer! Not used to the heavy carbonation though, which is kind of a turn-off.

3.9	Appearance Aroma Palate Flavor Price Buzz Overall 3/5 9/10 4/5 8/10 3/5 4/5 8/10