Ba M'Ba Lager

This is the last lager for a while, I promise. Lagers are a summer beer to me since they are so refreshing for some of my favorite spicy foods and heavy meals like burgers and fries. It seems as though Asia has no shortage of lagers and they are all pretty much the same. This one is a bit different, though, it has a bit of a sweetness I would attribute to fruit. I'm a big fan of Asian island foods and once a month I will drag myself to the nearest Thai or Vietnamese restaurant I enjoy and eat a full meal including an appetizer. I have never see Ba M'Ba served in the restaurants locally, it's usually Singha, but I would order this if it were on the menu. This is not a light beer, so I would classify it with the same weight as a regular Heineken. Sad to say, Heineken seems to be my default lager when I am uncertain of beer freshness at restaurants and I can measure lagers based on my default.

This summer has been eventful to say the least, a major heatwave, an earthquake felt upwards in the East coast, and a hurricane. I am glad when a season ends because another beer season begins. I look forward to the art of new Fall labels and trying new seasonals.

Asahi Super Dry Draft

Whenever I go out for sushi randomly, I'm always thinking about the refreshing Japanese lagers to drink with the food. I'm not in love with sushi since it is pretty easy to get sick of compared to eating pizza or pasta. However, I do enjoy the beers since they always seem to go down smoothly between pieces of sushi. I think Sapporo is a lighter beer and a bit easier to drink compared to the dry taste of Asahi. I would say Sapporo is a beer for those who prefer just to drink beer, as much as they drink Budweiser whereas Asahi is a little more distinct in flavor. I'm always excited when a restaurant has Japanese beers on tap, especially this one.

Harp Lager

Some folks would say any time is a great time for a lager, but I think lagers are beers designed for hot weather. They're usually refreshing and easy to drink a few at once without getting wiped out from it while eating. Harp lager is not much different than the other imported lagers, a lot of carbonation, not a light beer, and easy to drink. I wouldn't consider this a special beer but for what it's worth, it's part of the Guinness brewing clan which could make any beer pretty special.

I know I missed posting any St. Patrick's day related beer but this is it, a green bottle from last year sitting dormant in my archives.

Hue Beer

I'm normally not to crazy about Asian beers because they're almost the same to me, they're light lagers with a fair amount of carbonation. Lagers are really refreshing and goes well with the types of food served in Asian kitchens. The fun part of trying these different beers is collecting the images of the bottles. Hue Beer is nothing more than a regular lager from Vietnam that I would classify as a middle of the road type of lager, it's not quite a light beer.

Sierra Nevada Summerfest 2010 Lager

I couldn't let the summer go by without picking some of these up. I'm biased. I like the Sierra Nevada brand and I personally feel that anything coming out of that brewery will be pretty good. Summer beers from Sierra Nevada are guaranteed to be good, refreshing and light. There's not much to not like about this lager, there isn't too much carbonation, the taste is light but still flavorful unlike generic light beers that taste mostly like water. Since these are seasonal it is really a race to get some and enjoy them before they're no longer fresh. My favorite seasons for beer are mainly Spring and Summer since the heavier brews end up in Fall and Winter. I do enjoy darker beers but there's really nothing like having a refreshing Summer brew.

Kasteel Cru Fine Lager

I've seen these in four packs and they're pricey at more than $12 for only four bottles. I managed to get a single to try since the label explicitly says made with champagne yeast. How fancy. I'm not much for the fancy besides loving some expensive cognac now and then. This beer does smell a bit like champagne and has the taste of champagne mixed with beer, the tartness of it, and the bubbles. I'm not a fan of champagne or white wine since it does a number on my intestines. However, I am a bit impressed with capturing the champagne feel right into a beer for those who enjoy that type of thing. This is something I would probably never buy or drink again, based on personal tastes, but it is a good beer to try, there is not anything else like it I've seen.

When I wrote about summer escaping too quickly, I did not realize it would be this quick as the weather has changed within a week to feel very much like Fall. I'm going to be pillaging some store shelves to find some brews I have not tried.

Blue Point Toasted Lager

I've tried a few Blue Point beers and I've liked all of them. I didn't think this would be any different, I'm a fan of lagers in general as long as they aren't too carbonated. Blue Point does it right with this lager, it's not water thin and has the toasted grain smell and punch to it. I'm not too big on that toasted bite of an aftertaste, but it is definitely different than some of the more common lagers.

Sierra Nevada 2009 Summerfest Lager

Whenever I think of Sierra Nevada, I'm thinking of ales, but I had to pick this one up after getting a glance at the label. I like this one, not because it comes from a tried and trusted brewery, but it's a light beer without tasting too water thin, and is refreshing to drink. How do they do that? It's probably worked out in its secret formula but there's nothing but balance and good stuff in this one, easy on the carbonation, and mild in flavor for a light summer style beer.

Summer seems to have been hiding for a bit, nothing but gloomy days and rain the last week or so. I don't think Summer is actually Summer until we get weeks of sunshine and become inspired to do things like eat out at outdoor cafes, take those long walks, and enjoy being outdoors hours on end. The foul weather pattern tells me to quickly run indoors to avoid a storm. What kind of summer is that?

Smuttynose Portsmouth Lager

The box says, "Make mine a Smutty!" I thought that "m" could be replaced with an "l", or not. I like a good lager because they go great with chips, burgers, and all the foods that would also go great with soda. Smuttynose makes a darker lager than the typical American lagers and it doesn't taste like them. This one doesn't have the carbonation overload and thin density common in most lagers. Overall, this was good, I'd put it up there right below Brooklyn Lager for being great lagers.

Coney Island Lager

Having been to Coney Island only a handful of times in my life, despite being a native New Yorker, I can say that place hasn't changed much. The beach is still dirty, the rides and the food booths aren't very savory, in either order you experience them. Nonetheless, I have fond memories of the place, being five years old with a plastic pail and child-sized shovel, I was scooping sand in those family photos. The first sip of this beer, I tasted a bit of sweetness, almost like apple cider, but that quickly went away on the second sip, it became a full flavored beer. This one is very easy to drink and the artwork on the label is pretty bad ass.

Lucky Lager

About a month ago, I was at the beer section of a local store and found a bottle literally laughing at me. This is a familiar icon to me, so I had to pick it up to see what I was getting for $5. Besides the interesting Buddha bottle, there was a whole lot of nothing but a regular lager. It did not taste special but definitely did not taste cheap either. It's a shame it doesn't come in a six pack form, because it would be pretty cool to say, "I just picked up a six pack of Buddhas."