Shaun here,
Here another review for you... Unfortunately I had the displeasure of trying Sarajevo. Its a Bosnian beer and it was disappointing to say the least. I bought a six pack of bottles and took it to a friends house to give it a try. My friend knocked the six pack off the top of the fridge and broke four of them. At first I was a little bummed out, then I opened one of the survivors and tried it. After that I was happy he broke the rest. It tasted like a PBR that had sat in the sun for about a year. In it's defense, I did procure the beer from a gas station so there is the possibility that it could have been old stock or something but even beyond the "skunkiness" I could find no redeeming qualities at all. When trying new beers you cant always pick a winner, and this was one of those times. It gets a rating of ZERO out of uh... pick a number.......

Not good...at all. 

Shift Beer!

Ahh the shift drink.

So I'm a waiter and as any waiter/bartender will tell you, sometimes the best part of the night (aside from the tips) is the end of the night. Probably the next best thing to celebrate the end of a night (or day) of hard work is the much anticipated, shift drink. The one (or more, depending on your bosses mood) drink you get to enjoy on the house, a little reward for the hard nights/days work that helps you relax and get back to your life outside of work. Well, New Belgium brewing has come out with the perfect shift drink...Shift Pale Lager.

While this beer is a relatively new creation for New Belgium (released in March 2012), the taste is very traditional. New Belgium utilizes four different types of hops, all unique to America, yet they also utilize those traditional European malts of Pale and Munich. This combination delivers just enough spice to the flavor without it overwhelming the finish. In fact, the finish is quite crisp and clean. As far as the aroma goes, there are floral and citrus over tones along with a strong smell of toasted crackers or bread. New Belgium's website references a touch of honey, but that is something I didn't pick up. As far as appearances go, it looks the just way it should, clean and crisp with just a bit of copper mixed in.

Another unique thing about this beer is New Belgium's decision to sell it exclusively in tall-boy cans. I can offer no explanation for this, except that maybe they wanted it to have more of a casual look and feel, considering it is a shift beer.

Whatever the case, this is a new staple for me. I really enjoy this beer and the fact that it only comes in tallboys means its just enough to take the edge off after long shift on my feet. Tell us about your shift drink habits and what you think of New Belgium's Shift Pale Lager in the comments below!

-Scott

Shaun here,
First beer review as promised....

Wooden Nickel IPA from Crown Valley Brewing Co. in Ste. Genevieve MO.

                                                           His job is to drink and smile

This is a great example of an American style IPA. It starts out with a burnt caramel flavor with some pleasant bitterness. There is a residual smokey flavor that tends to hang on the palate a while and compliments a unique roasted hop type of motif. It has a surprisingly crisp beginning and a clean finish. It does not have quite the floral aroma that one would expect from a traditional IPA or the sweetness. As such, one could make a strong argument that it would fall into the category of an American Pale Ale which is akin to the British Pale ales or Bitters.

Overall I give this a strong 4 out of 5 and commend Crown valley on taking a classic and making it their own.

Anybody who has the opportunity to sample this beer definitely should. And please let us know your thoughts.

Welcome Craft Beer Enthusiasts

While most of you have already read about Shaun and understand the purpose of this blog, I am here to do a little introduction for myself. While I have not been as fortunate as Shaun when it comes to my international exposure to breweries, I have visited many local breweries. As a St. Louis resident of course I've visited the famous Anheuser-Busch brewery, Schlafly Bottleworks, and Highlands Brewing Company. My interests not only lie in the enjoyment of craft beers, but also the process of making those beers. While the goal of this blog is to offer reviews, opinions, and criticisms of craft beers, we will also offer critiques and opinions of methods within the craft beer process. Shaun and I look forward to sharing our thoughts and feelings on all the beers we try as we go through this process! We also would like to hear from you, feel free to sound off on your opinions in the comment section below or on twitter or Facebook, which we will be launching in the coming weeks!

Be sure to check back next week for our very first beer review of Crown Valley Brewing's Wooden Nickel IPA!

-Scott

Hello craft beer enthusiasts

Shaun here,
My friend and classmate Scott and I are about to embark on a class project. We have elected to use craft beer reviews as a format. In the coming weeks we will be sampling many craft beers and offering up our opinions. We hope to get a dialogue started in order to share thoughts with other craft beer enthusiasts. I have been a beer drinker for over 20 years and have visited many famous breweries such as the Guinness brewery at St. James Gate, Dublin:

I have also visited the Heineken brewery in Amsterdam, Netherlands And spent a month in the U.K. sampling all the cask ales I could find which were nothing short of amazing. Domestically I have made a pilgrimage to the Bell's Brewery in Kalamazoo, Michigan. And of course the famous Anheuser Busch Brewery, Schlafly Brewery and the Trails head brewery as I am a resident of Saint louis. I enjoy all styles of beer and sincerely hope we get many suggestions of new beers to review. In the coming weeks I welcome everyone to comment on our posts and offer critiques of our reviews.