The original Blue Boar brand mixes ‘classic hand-crafted ale with the crisp, smooth finish of authentic ice brewing.’ But this ain’t no quality brew, folks. Skunky malt aroma and cloudy pale hue mismatched against unexpected cloying nature similar to Rolling Rock (sans the creaminess and dank yeast finish). Serve only to novice ale dabblers.
All posts by John Fortunato
WEIHENSTEPHANER & DOEMENS 1809 BERLINER WEISSE
Slender golden-hazed glow radiates drier, bitterer German wheat beer supposedly first brewed for Napolean (and re-created by Dr. Fritz Briem). Extremely tart lemon juice frontage sags to sharp cider bittering. Sour grapefruit, unripe orange, and blanched banana-kiwi diminish below unexpected lemongrass proclivity and musty barnyard waft. Faint clove spicing barely sweetens quinine-watered backdrop.
WEIHENSTEPHANER VITUS WEIZENBOCK
Amiable yellow-hazed white-headed medium body brings softly creamy marshmallow malting and banana-clove-bubblegum sweetness to sinister bruised lemon souring. Delicate herbal restraint placates subsidiary coriander-cinnamon-allspice illusions.
WEIHENSTEPHANER ORIGINAL LAGER
Caressing toasted wheat tag overlays bitter hop torrent, dry coriander-clove reticence, and less noticeable yeast sweetening. Vacant lemon rind finish gets watery, perhaps tinny, and surprisingly flaccid (considering its German roots).
WEIHENSTEPHANER KRISTALL WEISSBIER
Lively mint freshness enhances silken carbolic nature and tart citric-spiced zest of pale bodied Weiss. Hearty Scotch malt essence soaks delicate off-dry banana-clove finish. Competes well with French/ Belgian-styled wheat ales, though lacking peculiar wine-like tendencies.
WEIHENSTEPHANER KORBINIAN DUNKLES STARKBIER
Booze-charged caramel-wafted dark wheat beer with creamy mocha malt palate and rising prune undertones intercepted by high-octane alcohol-fueled hop bittering. Buttery honey-nut follow-up reaches dry almond wine finish. Depending on individual taste, this coppery German is either pure platinum or fools gold – but it’s always inviting.
WEIHENSTEPHANER KORBINIAN DOPPELBOCK
Peculiar wet-blanketed horsehair waft emanating from ruby amber bock never disrupts penetrating fruited nut theme. Sweet honeyed malts enrich roasted hazelnut, dehydrated prune, dried cherry, and tangerine illusions. Mild barleywine finish adds further luster.
WEIHENSTEPHANER HEFEWEISS DUNKEL
A.k.a. dark wheat, this medium-bodied Bavarian tends toward the lighter side, as dry plum-raisin souring picks up mild malt creaminess alleviating clove-banana recess. Floral hop dusting drapes lucid mocha backdrop.
WEIHENSTEPHANER HEFEWEISS
Admirable fleshy-headed golden-hued moderate-bodied half-wheat with sinewy yeast sediment propelled by creamy banana butterscotch charm and lacy eclair froth. Lemony floral hop tingle and expansive clove-coriander spicing delicately caress candi-sugared honeyed wheat base. An undeniable world-class beer.
WEIHENSTEPHANER FESTBIER
Moderate straw-paled Marzen-styled Oktoberfest with smoky wood tinge places dry-hopped wheat-husked maize astringency atop sourdough malting. Honeyed lemony fizz gets soapy then fades away.
WEEPING RADISH WEIZEN
Responsive floral wheat fragrance and sourdough mouthfeel usurped by well-mannered hops then fortified by sugary-malted cotton candy illusions mid-palate. Unlike many American weizens lacking full-bodied nature, resilient yeast elegance and multi-dimensional finish keep this near-classic German-styled brew robust.
(WEEPING RADISH) OBX BEER
Generic white-labeled black lettering (replaced by better left-side version) misleading for fine Kolsch-styled pale lager named after Outer ‘Banx’ of North Carolina. Citrus crispness and berry sweetness outline hop bitterness, re-enforcing dark malt extract and retaining appreciative Summer Ale luster.