Build your own six-pack!

[jwise]

I've seen 'build your own six-packs' at high-end grocery stores, and certain package stores, but when I was at Kroger's today and saw that they too offered this option, I got VERY excited!

I decided to treat my wife (who LOVES beer) to a blind taste sampling of six premium beers.

I selected six beers and used the provided six-pack cardboard case to bring 'em home!



I selected a few I have tried, and a few new ones. I wasn't sure if my wife had tried any of them.

I labeled them 1-6, and poured a small amount in each of our glasses before bringing them to her on the couch. I had a pad of paper and pen, and just asked her what she thought about each one. She gave me some nosing and tasting notes, a reference to her favorite "everyday" beer (Shiner Bock), and then I had her grade each on a 10pt scale and tell me how much she'd pay for each one.

The lineup:



1) Shiner Frost

Notes: Smells light with a light color. Tastes like an ale, spicy and very tasty. It doesn't feel 'heavy', but comes across as a light and spicy heffeweisen.

Score: 9.5
Would pay $8.50/six-pack

2) Newcastle Brown Ale

Notes: Dark in color, with a sweet smell. Very smooth, medium body with almost no aftertaste. Similar to Shiner Bock, but sweeter.

Score: 7
Would pay $7/six-pack

3) Warsteiner

Notes: Light in color, with a not so good smell. Very strong on the tongue, very little finish. Sour notes. Very 'blah'. Tastes like Coors Light with a little more taste.

Score: 5
Would pay $4.50/six-pack

4) Dundee Honey Brown

Notes: Amber color, with the smell of an amber bock. Tastes of almonds, sweet, but kinda boring (consistent). Pleasant taste with a smooth finish. Easily drinkable, and very enjoyable.

Score: 7.5
Would pay $6/six-pack

5) Spaten Optimator

Notes: Intensely dark in color, nearly opaque. Pleasant aroma. Delicious taste, nutty aftertaste with a spicy finish. A very hearty beer, nearly a meal substitute. This beer is one to drink when you just want to drink a beer.

Score: 9.5
Would pay $10.50/six-pack

6) Negro Modelo

Notes: Amber in color, and tastes like an amber bock (VERY similar to Shiner Bock). Very smooth, with little aftertaste.

Score: 8
Would pay $7/six-pack

After the tasting, each of us picked our favorite beer and CHEERS!

[LincolnSmokes]

Very nice. I done those build a sixer before, but never with those nicer kinds of beer. Awesome.

[ekengland07]

When I lived in TN, the Kroger there had the same thing. I've since moved, but we have a local wine/beer shop that claim they have 1000s of different bottles of beer. All can be purchased as singles. I'm working my way through them.

Cool tasting idea for your wife. I agree with the Warsteiner review. Definitely not my favorite.

[jwise]

When I lived in TN, the Kroger there had the same thing. I've since moved, but we have a local wine/beer shop that claim they have 1000s of different bottles of beer. All can be purchased as singles. I'm working my way through them.

Cool tasting idea for your wife. I agree with the Warsteiner review. Definitely not my favorite.

Warsteiner Dunkel IS one of my favorite beers, so I was a bit disappointed to find the standard offering so disagreeable.

I've tried Newcastle before, and it was much as I remembered. Same with Negra Modelo. Dundee and Frost were the new ones for me.

Personally, I'd rather drink whisky than beer, but my wife is the other way around...

Frankly, we'd both really enjoy a wine tasting. The problem with a wine tasting is that wine must be drunk within a few days of it being opened (24hrs for optimum taste). While we can kill a bottle in one night pretty easily, we could only open two, maybe three bottles for a tasting and still finish them before they go bad. I'm not sure a wine tasting of only three varieties would even be worth it.

[jwise]

I did it again! I couldn't help myself, so when I was at the store today, I picked up six new brews! We aren't going to open all of them tonight, but we'll sample a couple over the next week or so.

I picked up:

Smithwick's



George Killian's Irish Red (one of my absolute favorites!)



Kirin Ichiban



Amstel Light



Heineken Dark



Abita Amber

[jwise]

My wife and I tried three of the beers tonight. Our comments follow:

Smithwick's:

"Smells like a beer." Tasty! "I like it!" Very malty. Very clean finish. Very dark amber color.

Score: 9
Would pay $8/six-pack

Abita Amber:

Strong aftertaste. Light amber coloring. Tastes like many Octoberfest beers I've tried.

Score: 6
Would pay $5/six-pack

Heinken Dark:

Very malty. Good. Dark Amber in color.

Score: 7
Would pay $7/six-pack

[jwise]

We tried a couple more of the beers:

Amstel Light:

This beer tasted nearly exactly like Coors Light. Very disappointing...

Kirin Ichiban:

Pretty good. Very different. Spicy with a complex flavor. It is still a light colored beer, but has a lot more depth than most light beers.

George Killian's Irish Red:

Simply fantastic. This is one of the best beers I have ever tasted. I don't know why I don't keep this on hand 24/7. My wife enjoyed it as well. If you haven't tried this one, you really owe it to yourself.

[commonsenseman]

Thanks for the reviews!

[LincolnSmokes]

George Killian's Irish Red (one of my absolute favorites!)

+1 I love that brew!

[jwise]

Tried some more:

Samuel Adams: Black Lager



Pretty much what you'd expect in a beer called "Black Lager." It was pretty dark, and very STOUT! The taste was pretty one-dimensional, which was good for what it was. I don't really like these mega-dark monsters, so I wasn't too impressed.

If you like Guiness, and the other ultra-dark beers, this is one to try!

[jwise]

Abita: Turbodog



This is yet another ultra-dark beer, and frankly, tasted a whole lot like the Sam Adams Black Lager. If I had tasted these two at the same time, or in a blind taste test, I probably wouldn't have been able to tell them apart.

[jwise]

Saint Arnold: Lawnmower



This is a light colored beer, that brings out everything good about Coors Light, or something similar, with just a bit more flavor and without any of the "am I drinking water or beer" frustration.

This wouldn't necessarily be my go-to beer, but if you have a discerning palate, and like the lighter side of brews, then this might be a good one to try out.

Frankly, I'll pass.

[jwise]

Dos Equis: Amber



Ah! Now THIS is my kind of beer! It is DEFINITELY a Mexican beer, but without that "edge" that a lot of 'cervezas' have.

I will typically drop a lime in my Mexican beers, but this one needs no such condiment! This beer brings you back to the beach, but is a bit more refined and 'fuller' in its flavor profile than Corona, Dos Equis (non-amber), etc...

This is not in the same league as Negra Modela, but a very tasty brew, indeed!

If I didn't have any limes with me, or didn't want to fuss with them, I would definitely reach for this beer if I was in the 'Mexican beer' mood!

[jwise]

Fat Tire: Amber Ale



A very good beer on the lighter side of life. It calls itself an Amber, but it was more of a pale amber. I was drinking it thinking, "I could really go for some hot wings about now!" This beer adds a bit more flavor to the party than Saint Arnold Lawnmower, or any of the other lighter colored brews. It has a depth to it that I enjoyed, but at the same time, made me want something salty, crunchy, or spicy to go with it.

Very good brew. Definitely one to try.

[abrand]

As my true passion (addiction) is craft beer and cigars being close behind, I will advise anyone who even has hints of liking non-macro beers to please go to a liquor store near you and find a 6 pack of Bell's Two Hearted ale and you will be blown away. It may sound crazy to some, but I review every beer I try on a similar website to this but for beer lovers. And yes, I spend hundreds of dollars on beer every month, but I absolutely love it.