Macarthur’s Beverage 660ml (I love weird South American sizes) ($4): Pours a black body with a brown head. Aroma is of really roasted malts, along with some fruitiness and some other things. Taste is really smoky, but the balance is pretty off. The malts are all right, but they are not well-balanced. The body is a little bit off as well. Still, it is pleasant to drink, if not exactly pulled off exactly right.

2nd April 2009
Hazy amber - gold beer. Low carbonation. Slightly syrupy palate. Flavour is that of a tinned super strong lager but perhaps slightly more deft! Subtle brandy and a mildy spicy aniseed finish. Crisp finish with a warming afterglow. Not a subtle beer!

660 mL bottle, $5 @ HyVee, Storm Lake, IA. Batch R138: This may be the only batch to be imported to the States, I bet. Guess I was taken in by the label calling it "Belgium Style," meaning what? Their web site tells of the founder learning brewing in Czechoslovakia. And by the idea of an imported beer totally sourced in its country of origin. Their web site only mentions aging in wine barrels. Lot of yeast in the bottom, so I’m pouring slowly to see a cloudy amber beer with some champagne effervescence. Smell shows a little sourness from either brett or wine barrel. Opinions on this one are all over. I’m just going to say it’s "different." Very bubbly, slightly cheesy, and with some wine and cider notes. Hops are there in a bit of citrus tartness, as is some amber malt. Some of this may be because it’s an old bottle, I spot the same batch on a rating from January 2009. A strong sparkling brut impression builds at the end. Gotta say it’s more like some of the old, overwarmed bottles of Casteel I’ve had. Current taste may not be what the brewer intended, but I find it interesting. At least it’s not some headache inducing crappy Minhas malt liquor. Besides, it’s brewery way up in the friggin’ snow-capped Andes, closer to Santiago Chile than anywhere else (Google Map 32°57’21"S,69°17’54"W to see). There’s a place I’ve got to visit for a beer!

Dark Red, creamy. Strawberries, caramel smooth body. Very malty. A bit of cotton candy. Well made.

Bottle. Amber beer with a cream colored head. Sweet malt and light oak aroma with light citrus. Sweet malt and oak flavor with light spice and citrus. Medium bodied. Sweet malt, oak, and citrus linger.

I bought this beer for a new country rating, and it turns out I already had a rating from Argentina - I really need to stop doing that - anyway, this beer isn’t nearly as terrible as the ratings suggest - the first whiff presents tart, dry, white wine character, but deeper sniffs reveal, surprisingly, nothing at all - weird - fairly creamy mouthfeel - a bit earthy character up front, some crisp herbal bitterness, dry malt qualities - things are a bit muddled and indistinct, and the bitterness hangs around in the finish for a bit too long - not terrible, just boring - when will I stop being suckered in by marketing phrases like "fine aged ale" in fancy-schmancy gold lettering?

Bottle. pours out a gold topped with a white head. Aroma of spice and plenty of yeast. Also some of the ABV. Tast some sweetness and plenty spice. This Brew may have helped my ideas of beer from Argentina.

A dark almost opaque brown ale with a thick bubbly light moka head. In aroma, bitter chocolate with briney olive notes, and nice coffee finale. In mouth, a good torrefied malt with light vinous notes,but the finale is like sucking on pennies, coppery. Tasted in late nov. 2006.

A hazy blonde ale with a thin lacing white head, floaties. A lightly hopped aroma with fruity notes and wet dough. In mouth, a sweet malt with nice alcohol warmth, light fusel alcohol. An interesting brew from Argentina. Tasted in late nov. 2006.