Sam Adams Cream Stout

Samuel Adams - Cream Stout - Boston, Mass.

Label description: "Smooth and rich, Samuel Adams Cream Stout is brewed with extra portions of roasted chocolate and caramel malts, roasted barley and hand-selected English hops."

Has a very nice sweet, coffee-chocolate aroma. Not being too familiar with stouts, I can say it has a similar taste to Guinness, but with a stronger coffee flavor. Chocolate flavor doesn't really come through, however. Bitter hops finish is the most prominent flavor. This is not my style of beer.

Score: 1.5/5

Woodchuck Pear Hard Cider

Woodchuck Cidery - Pear Hard Cider - Middlebury, Vt.

Label description: "Aged in small batches, Woodchuck Pear Cider is smooth and refreshing with a unique change of pace - essence of pear. Light in color, with a cool, crisp taste, Pear is ideal for when you want a Woodchuck that's a little outside the ordinary."


Has a nice, though not quite fresh, pear aroma. Clean, cool and refreshing, a nice mild pear flavor. Not nearly as sweet as Woodchuck's hard apple ciders, but that's not a bad thing. This is an excellent summer cider, not overwhelmingly sweet, and with a crisp finish.

Score: 4.5/5

Widmer Brothers Citra Blonde Summer Brew

Widmer Brothers Brewing Company - Citra Blonde Summer Brew - Portland, Ore.

Label description: None provided

This has a very citrus-like aroma. My first thought is pale ale, because of the initial hops bite. But the hops actually aren't overpowering at all. Has a very, very subtle citrus flavor and effervescence, which, combined with the mild bitterness of the hops, makes for a wonderful, refreshing grapefruit finish. Doesn't have an unpleasant lingering aftertaste like many hoppy beers. My wife, who is not a fan of hoppy beers, said this is a beer that she would drink.

Score: 5/5

Boulevard Unfiltered Wheat

Boulevard Brewing Company - Unfiltered Wheat - Kansas City, Mo.

Label description: "In time-honored brewing tradition, we've added a small amount of yeast to this beer just before packaging to produce a secondary fermentation in the bottle. The yeast, which settles naturally to the bottom of the bottle, encourages further maturation and contributes to the complex flavor."

This is the best-selling craft beer in the Midwest, and for good reason. It has an excellent, sweet aroma from the bottle upon prying off the cap. It is full of sweet, malt flavor and a nice, wheaty taste. Similar to a hefeweizen, but with fuller flavor, with hops added, but with no added bitterness. Has a pleasant, malty aftertaste, with a lingering sweetness. A superb beer.

Score: 5/5

Abita Turbodog

Abita Brewing Company - Turbodog - Abita Springs, La.

Label description: "A dark brown ale brewed with pale, caramel and chocolate malts and Willamette hops. This combination gives Turbodog a rich body and color and a sweet chocolate, toffee-like flavor."

Has a pleasant, coffee-chocolate aroma. Strong coffee flavor, but no unpleasant or bitter aftertaste - rather similar in aftertaste to a nut brown ale, but one step stronger toward dark coffee flavor. The lingering aftertaste is where you get the hints of chocolate sweetness. I didn't pick up on caramel or toffee, however. No bitterness from hops at all. This is a very good introductory dark beer; also, a very good dark beer for those who aren't particularly fond of the stronger stouts and porters.

Score: 4/5

Schlafly Yakima Wheat Ale

Schlafly - Yakima Wheat Ale - St. Louis, Mo.

Label description: "A refreshing, hoppy wheat beer showcasing a variety of hops from Yakima Valley in Washington State"

Has a distinctive taste, similar to a pale ale. At first, has a nice hoppy flavor balanced by the wheatiness, not overwhelming hoppiness. Hops flavor becomes more distinctive and bitter as you drink more of the bottle. Has a bitter, unpleasant hops aftertaste that lingers for several minutes after the last drink. People averse to hoppy beers would be better served by looking elsewhere.

Score: 2/5

O'Fallon Wheach

O'Fallon Brewery - Wheach - O'Fallon, Mo.

Label description: None provided. Simply labled "Peach Wheat Beer"

This is an excellent summer seasonal. A very light-tasting, mild wheat beer with a nutty, almost lemony, fresh peach flavor and aroma. Wheat flavor lingers slightly on the palate. Overall, a very pleasant-tasting beer that is not sweet, despite the nice peach flavor.

Score: 5/5

Abita Strawberry Harvest Lager

Abita - Strawberry Harvest Lager - Abita Springs, La.

Label description: "A lager brewed with pilsner and wheat malts and Vanguard Hops. Real Louisiana strawberry juice is added after filtration, resulting in a crisp lager with a sweet strawberry flavor, aroma and haze."

This is a very interesting beer. More hops flavor than mass-marker lagers, but not overwhelming or bitter. Crisp lager is the first flavor on the palate, followed by fresh, not sweet, and pleasant strawberry aftertaste - actually, more of a lingering strawberry aroma than a strawberry taste. I had heard that this is a good dessert beer, and the checkout guy at the liquor store told me this is a beer that women enjoy; but it is not sweet like I expected. This is a fairly refreshing late spring/summer beer.

Score: 3.5/5

Sam Adams Porch Rocker

Samuel Adams - Porch Rocker - Boston, Mass.

Label description: "Inspired by traditional Radlers that mix beer with German-style lemonade, our brew blends a Bavarian lager with lemon for a fresh-squeezed lemon taste, effervescent sweetness and refreshing finish. A malt note and hint of hops balance out the unique lemon flavor."

Definitely lemony, but more subtle than hard lemonade, not overwhelmingly sweet. It's an effervescent, rather than sugary, lemon flavor. Malt flavor comes through after the initial lemon. Very, very subtle hops taste. Refreshing for a hot summer afternoon.

Score: 4/5

About the Back Porch Beer Snob

Welcome to the Back Porch Beer Snob!

I enjoy trying new types of craft beer, and often take advantage of the "Create your own six-pack" section of my favorite liquor store. On this blog, I will review many different varieties of craft beer, and, on occasion, mass-produced beers. I am merely an amateur beer taster, so don't expect reviews including exotic flavors, such as "burnt leather" or "hint of oak," as I have never tasted either, and don't intend to.

I will include the brewer and variety of beer, as well as the description from the bottle, if one is provided. I will drink each beer from the bottle to be fair in tasting, as well as to be economical for myself, as I don't own the wide variety of beer glasses suggested by the brewers. Each beer will be graded on a five-point scale, with 1 being the lowest score, and 5 being the highest. Obviously, this grading system is subjective, and different individuals might like or dislike any given beer.

This blog is intended merely to bring about discussion of craft beers, and is in no way intended to sway anyone to purchase or not purchase any variety of beer.

I hope that readers will enjoy these reviews, and please feel free to comment, criticize or offer suggestions.