ironprog
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ironprog has a new country beer tick achievement
Level 3 for Belgium ticks with a total of 15 from this country.
Pax Pils from Brouwerij Cornelissen was the one that did it!
4 months ago
ironprog (314) reviewed Pax Pils from Brouwerij Cornelissen 4 months ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 5.5 | Flavor - 6.5 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5
11.2 oz. (330 ml) bottle
5.0% ABV
Best before: 28/04/24
$13.99 4-pk @ Winter Springs Liquor
AROMA: Mildly sweet with mild scents of malt and bread. As the beer warms, I get ever-so-faint hints of green apple.
APPEARANCE: Pours a clear light-gold with a (barely) 1-finger, tight-froth, off-white, head that dissipates fairly quickly with decent lacing. It looks fine in my clear glass but the head needs to last much longer.
TASTE: Mildly sweet with mild flavors of malt and caramel. The finish has a touch of bitterness and mineral "tang".
MOUTHFEEL: Medium-bodied with a somewhat "grabby" texture. Carbonation seems slightly above-average. The finish is medium dry.
OVERALL: I can't say that I am bowled over by this beer. It has very simple flavors, aromas, and texture. Yet, somehow, I find myself enjoying it.
I don't know if I would ever buy this again, but only because I have a lot of other beers on my "try it" list. However, I would gladly drink another if I was ever offered one.
ironprog has a new beer style achievement
Level 1 for Amber / Red Ale ticks with a total of 5 ticks of this master style.
Dragon's Milk Crimson Keep from New Holland Brewing Company was the one that did it!
5 months ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5
12 oz. bottle
11.0% ABV
Bottled: 03/25/25
$15.99 4-pk @ Publix - Got as a BOGO
AROMA: Mildly sweet with mild scents of malt, plum, toffee, and "booze". Honestly, I'm kinda surprised at how mild the aroma is. I was really expecting something a little more bold, in the olfactory department.
Okay, as the beer warms, I am getting more olfactory stimulation. Unfortunately, the majority of that boost is just for the "booze" scent. Although, I do get a bit more plum than when it was colder. But not enough to outshine the "booze".
APPEARANCE: Pours a cloudy medium-brown with a 2-finger, tight-froth, off-white, head that dissipates moderately-quick with good lacing. It looks fine in my clear glass but the head needs to stick around longer.
TASTE: Moderately sweet with the predominant flavors being "booze", bourbon, toffee, and fresh plum. During the finish I get whispers of vanilla and oak.
As the beer warms, I am getting a bit of milk chocolate flavor in the middle of the sip. But it's fleeting, and quickly transitions to toffee and "booze".
MOUTHFEEL: Medium-bodied with a fairly smooth texture with just a hint of stickiness during the finish. Carbonation seems average, and appropriate.
While the description claims to have a "pleasantly dry finish", I am finding that it is the barest of dry. For me, that's usually not a bad thing as I tend to shy away from dry beers. But (and I can't believe I'm saying this), in this case, I think just a bit more dryness would help to alleviate a bit of that stickiness.
OVERALL: I have tried several of the Dragon's Milk varieties and I can honestly say, this is my least favorite. Mostly because (for me) the "booze" characteristic is too predominant in the aroma and flavor categories. I don't mind it being there ... I just don't like that it's a major starring role.
On a positive note, what I found a bit unique about this beer is that the plum flavor is that of ripe plum, rather than dried. Why does that make a difference? Well, it provides sweetness along with that slight bit of sour/tang that ripe plums have. Which helps to balance out all of the other sweet components. Personally, I find that to be a nice touch, and a welcome respite from the usual sweet, "dark fruit" flavors that dark beers tend to lean towards.
ironprog (314) reviewed Octoberfest Beer from Bell's Brewery 5 months ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7.5 | Flavor - 7.5 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7.5
12 oz. can
5.5% ABV
Best by: 11JAN26
$13.19 6-pk @ Publix
AROMA: Sweet with ample amounts of caramel, bread and malt. I find it to be a nice, inviting aroma. Which is pretty typical for a Märzen.
APPEARANCE: Pours a cloudy medium-amber with a 3-finger, tight-froth, off-white, head that dissipates moderately-slowly with excellent lacing. It looks very inviting in my clear, wheat-beer glass!
TASTE: Sweet with the predominant flavors being caramel and malt, but I also get faint hints of bread and orange during the finish. It's a nice, solid flavor that doesn't overpower. Additionally, as the beer warms, the flavor stays on a pretty even keel without much fluctuation.
MOUTHFEEL: Medium-bodied with a slightly smooth texture. Carbonation seems a little higher than average. While the start gives a bit of a "juicy" feel, the finish ends on the dry side. Fortunately, it's not overly dry, which makes for a nice, overall, transition. I gotta say, as I get towards the bottom of this beer, I am finding that I like the texture better than when I started. Which is most likely due to the majority of the carbonation having already left the beer. So if I had my druthers, I would tone the carbonation down a little. But that's just me.
OVERALL: I will confess that I actually had one of these beers the other day, but I wasn't in the mood to take the time to review it. As I was drinking it, I thought to myself, that it was just an okay Märzen ... nothing bad, but nothing special, either. But, today, as I am in "review" mode, I am finding that I actually quite like this beer. It's got a very nice flavor and aroma that don't overpower the senses ... it goes down smooth and easy ... it looks great in the glass ... and it has a relatively low ABV, which makes it easier to celebrate Oktoberfest without getting blotto-ed. What's not to like??
Granted, I won't be putting this on my "must buy" list for next year, but I also won't be putting it on my "nice, but don't bother buying again" list. Instead, it will be on my "definitely buy if there's nothing new that looks interesting" list. Which, if history is any kind of indicator, means I will most likely be buying it next year.
gave a cheers!
Appearance - 7 | Aroma - 9 | Flavor - 8.5 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 8
12 oz. bottle
7.0% ABV
Note: I looked on every bottle and the 6-pk container itself and there is no information on any dates (Best By, Born On, etc.). In this day and age, I find that a little disappointing.
$13.99 6-pk @ Winter Springs Liquors
AROMA: Deliciously sweet with large amounts of pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, and baked pie crust scents. I kid you not, this smells EXACTLY like a fresh-baked pumpkin pie, just out of the oven!!
What I find even more amazing, is that the scent levels don't really fluctuate as the beer warms. I took my time drinking this beer and with every sip, I got the exact same olfactory experience, sip after sip after sip. In my experience, that is something that rarely happens.
APPEARANCE: Pours a cloudy medium-amber with a 2-finger, loosely-frothy, off-white, head that dissipates moderately-quick with minimal lacing. It looks nice in the glass, but I wish the head lasted longer and had more lacing. I should also note that I had to "work" at coaxing the head to a height of 2-fingers. If I had poured it normally, I'm not sure I would have got a head of more than 1-finger.
TASTE: Sweet with significant flavors of fresh pumpkin, cinnamon, and nutmeg. While the beer is sweet, it is not overly sweet. Additionally, the sweetness continually wanes until you are just left with the flavor of fresh pumpkin, during the finish. Personally, I find this to be a clever trick as my palate gets to run the full gamut from sweet to savory, all during a single sip.
MOUTHFEEL: Medium-bodied with a slightly "grabby" texture. Carbonation seems average. Overall, I'm fine with the body, but I would have liked just a little more creaminess in the texture. I think that creaminess would have reinforced that "pumpkin pie" experience, that (I believe) the brewer was going for.
OVERALL: Normally, I'm not a fan of the pumpkin-pie-in-a-bottle pumpkin beers (which this one is). Mostly because they tend to be overly sweet, with minimal pumpkin flavor. And when I first smelled the beer, I thought it was going to be another "miss" for me. However, this beer does not suffer from either of those maladies. The sweetness level has been kept at an acceptable level and the fresh pumpkin flavor shines through from start to finish. Additionally, the supporting spices (i.e. cinnamon and nutmeg) are also kept at an acceptable level. Meaning, you can easily smell and taste them, yet they are not overpowering, nor do they detract.
I have to say, this is the first (and only) pumpkin-pie-in-a-bottle beer that I've tried (and I've tried a lot), that has met my criteria of making pumpkin the star. Additionally, all of the supporting scents/flavors (e.g. spices, sugar, etc.) are used expertly to elevate the star ingredient ... pumpkin ... without themselves becoming co-stars. All I have to say is, Bravo, Stevens Point Brewery ... bravo! I will definitely be adding this to my "must buy" list for next year.
Appearance - 7 | Aroma - 7.5 | Flavor - 7.5 | Texture - 9 | Overall - 7.5
12 oz. bottle
11.0% ABV
Bottled: 07/10/2025
$15.99 4-pk @ Publix - Got as a BOGO
AROMA: Sweet with fair amounts of raisins, oatmeal, and booze. I also get faint hints of charred wood, roasted marshmallow, and vanilla. All-in-all a very nice aroma!
APPEARANCE: Pours an opaque black, with a tall (3-finger), loosely-frothy, dirty-tan head that dissipates moderately-quick with moderate lacing. It looks quite compelling in my clear glass, but I do wish the head stuck around a bit longer.
TASTE: Sweet with flavors of raisins and booze being at the forefront, oatmeal and chocolate in the middle, and vanilla and bourbon bringing up the rear. It's a very tasty beer, but the sweetness factor is high and borders right on my sweetness tolerance. Any sweeter and I would have a hard time finishing the beer. I'm also not a big fan of extreme "booze" flavors, but in this case, it's prevalent without being overpowering. But again, it's right on the border of my tolerance.
My biggest "gripe" on the taste is that, as the beer warms, I lose the overall oatmeal cookie flavor, because the raisin and booze flavors really start to take over.
MOUTHFEEL: Full-bodied with a thick, silky-smooth texture. This is a very luxurious feeling beer! In reality, carbonation is about average, but the thick texture gives the illusion that the carbonation is significantly below-average. Don't fall for the illusion, there's plenty of "fizz" in the beer! To be honest, I don't think I've ever had a beer with this type of mouthfeel, before. I find it to be very alluring!
OVERALL: I've had other Dragon's Milk varieties, so I kinda had an idea of what to expect. However, this one is much sweeter than I was expecting. But in its defense, the sweetness factor doesn't really increase much as the beer warms. For me, that's its saving grace from adding it to my "very nice, but I'll never buy it again" list. Given the nice overall flavor and luxurious texture, I would buy this every few years. If they lowered the sweetness factor, I would buy it every year. And if they tamed the "booze" flavor a little too, then I would buy it a few times a year.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7.5
16 oz. can
6.0% ABV
Note: I looked on every can and the 4-pk container itself and there is no information on any dates (Best By, Born On, etc.), nor any other type of batch-specific information (lot number, tracking number, etc.). In this day and age, I find that a little unsettling.
$12.99 4-pk @ Publix
AROMA: Sweet with fair amounts of malt and caramel, followed by modest amounts of bread. This is a delicious smelling beer that makes me want to dive right in!
APPEARANCE: Pours a slightly cloudy, golden brown with a tall (4-finger), loosely-frothy, white head that dissipates moderately-slow with significant lacing. It looks great in my clear-glass wheat beer glass!
TASTE: Sweet with flavors of caramel, malt, and a touch of honey during the finish. Sure, the flavor profile is a bit limited, but the few flavors that are there, work extremely well together and are at the right intensity. Honestly, this is one of those times where less is more.
MOUTHFEEL: Medium-bodied with a somewhat smooth texture. I would rate carbonation as average. Although, when I first started drinking the beer, I was considering rating it as above-average carbonation. And now that I'm almost done with the beer, it seems a little soft, and is closer to below-average carbonation. That's something that I find a bit odd, but in reality, it doesn't really change my impression of the beer, as I find it to be extremely pleasing in all cases.
OVERALL: This is definitely a "sleeper" beer, as I wasn't expecting to enjoy it anywhere near as much as I do. I find this beer to smell great, feel great in the mouth, and have a nice balance of pleasing flavors. Which, in my book, makes it a people-pleaser easy-drinker. And when it comes to Oktoberfest, that's exactly what you want ... a beer that you can drink all day without getting tired of it. This one is definitely going on my "must buy" list, next year.
NOTE: This site classifies it as a Märzen, and even though the can classifies itself as a Festbier, I think the classification of Märzen is more appropriate. Mostly, because Festbiers tend to be on the drier side and this beer is not dry at all.
ironprog
updated a beer:
Oktoberfest
brewed by 3 Sons Brewing Company
6 months ago
Appearance - 7 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 6.5 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7
16 oz. can
6.3% ABV
Date: 07/25/25. There is nothing to indicate what the date is for, so I will just assume that it is the "packaged on" date.
$12.79 4-pk @ Publix
AROMA: Moderately sweet with scents of caramel and malt. It's a fairly simple aroma, but alluring, nonetheless.
APPEARANCE: Pours a cloudy, golden brown with a medium (just barely 2-finger) head that dissipates somewhat quickly with minimal lacing. With the cloudiness and color, it looks a lot like a headless Hefeweizen.
TASTE: Slightly sweet on the front-end with mild bitterness on the back-end. The flavors are a bit muted and muddled, but I can pick out caramel and bread, and maybe a fleeting hint of orange peel at the very end. Don't get me wrong, there is flavor here, just nothing that I can find readily distinguishable. Although, as the beer warms, the caramel flavor becomes easier to detect and I also get a touch of honey.
MOUTHFEEL: Medium-bodied with a slightly crisp texture. I would rate carbonation as average. The finish is medium-dry.
OVERALL: There's something about this beer that just seems a little "off" for a Märzen. I'm not sure, but I think it may be the level of dryness that I find odd. All-in-all, it seems to be a well-crafted beer. However, I'm still wrestling with how I feel about the beer.
I won't say that I love this beer, nor will I say that I hate it. I'm truly unsure if I would buy it again. But if I do, I know I won't be disappointed.