Neumarkter Lammsbrau Organic Dunkel

To be honest, how I stumbled upon this brew was not at all glamorous. I was walking up and down the aisles of an awesome local liquor store when Mike helpfully pointed out the beer specials...and there it was--a four pack for $5? Lammsbrau for the win. Little did I know that I was in for a distinctive and tasty surprise.

Lammsbrau Organic Dunkel

This beer is a premium Bavarian dark lager imported from Germany and according to the bottle's label, is 100% USDA organic --the brewery is solar powered and all of their packaging is made from recycled materials. The brewery originated in Neumarkt, Bavaria in 1628 and has used entirely organic materials since 1986, making it the world's largest certified organic craft brewery. Lammsbrau also brews in accordance with the Beer Purity Law of 1516 and their only ingredients are mineral water, yeast, organic barley malt and organic hops. With such a fine background in brewing and eco-conservation, I knew the beer itself had to be superb.

Appearance: a dark rich toffee color with nice carbonation and a full cream colored head

Aroma: sweet, dark malt with hints of caramel

Taste: mild and malty start with hints of vanilla and carmelized light hoppy finish

Alcohol: 4.9%

This beer really impressed me, not only because of their environment friendly brewing technique but also because even though the 4 pack was on sale, I could still taste the quality of their ingredients. I think this was an excellent introduction to German "dunkel braus" (German for dark brews) and a shining alternative for someone who enjoys dark beers but doesn't want the accompanying heaviness that is sometimes associated with them. Extra props goes out to the Lammsbrau brewery for using all organic ingredients with a delicious result!

Septemberfest 2009 at Paramount Studios

Hello everyone! This entry is dedicated to all the delicious breweries that participated in the 2009 Septemberfest at Paramount Studios on September 19th. I have not yet been lucky enough to attend Octoberfest in Germany, but if it is anything close to Los Angeles' Septemberfest I can't wait to repeat the experience! Overall there were about 75 breweries represented, and at least 30 of them were local Southern California microbreweries. I want to thank everyone for sharing their passion, knowledge and talent for all things beer, but a special thanks goes out to Matt at the Karl Strauss Brewery, David with Fireman's Brew, Scott at Stone Brewery, Jean-Yves at Unibroue and Matt at Ballast Point--You gentleman are stellar representatives for your breweries and really helped me expand my knowledge and love of beer. Thank you.

Now without further ado let me share some of the reviews of the tasty brews I tried at Septemberfest.

Ballast Point's Wahoo Wheat Beer

I was very excited to try this hefeweizen, not only because I am a huge fan of wheat beer, but also because I recently became familiar with this San Diego brewery through work in our quest to find more microbrews for our menu. Matt was very helpful and informative and suggested that I try the Wahoo Wheat Beer--tasty indeed!

Appearance: had the look of a traditional hefeweizen in that it was hay colored, cloudy and unfiltered with a nice white foamy head.

Aroma: floral nose with hints of mild cloves and banana

Taste: very light and smooth, moderate carbonation with a malty oat finish

Alcohol: 4.0%

This beer is a perfect brew for the summer--it is light and the hint of citrus makes it refreshing on those scorching California summer days. I thought Ballast Point did a good job of adhering to the traditional style of hefeweizen, and enjoyed that Wahoo Wheat Beer had hints of banana and orange without going over the top or becoming too sweet. There was great wheat and oat flavor that lasted from start to finish. (I wasn't the only one who thought so either--this brew won the L.A. County Fair gold medal in 2002.)

I would recommend this beer to anyone who enjoys wheat beers specifically or anyone who is looking for a light and invigorating brew for the summer.

For more information about the Ballast Point Brewery and their delicious beers, check out their website at www.ballastpoint.com/beer

Anderson Valley Brewing Company Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout

No Sunday beer tasting is complete without a wide selection that represents the myriad spectrum of brewing styles and flavors the beer world has to offer. Picking out the white ales was easy, but we needed a dark beer like a porter or stout to provide balance for our palettes. I really enjoyed Maui Brewing Company's Coconut Porter (see review from July 12), but BevMo was out and we wanted something new, so we decided to give the Anderson Valley Brewing Company's Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout a try.

Anderson Valley Brewing Company Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout

The Anderson Valley Brewing Company hails from Boonville, California in Mendocino County and is known for their award winning Boonville Beers. In fact, the Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout won the brewery's first gold medal at the Great American Beer Festival--the only medal awarded in the stout category.

Appearance: Rich, deep and dark espresso color with a moderate amount of khaki colored head

Aroma: Burnt hops with mocha and cocoa overtones

Taste: Deliciously thick with a sweet oatmeal and cocoa start and a subtle burnt hoppy finish, subtle notes of caramel and malted barley

Alcohol: 5.7%

This beer was definitely a jump from the styles I normally gravitate towards, but at $4 for 1 pint 6oz it was worth the risk. It was a very delicious stout that was nice and thick, but not overwhelming. I would recommend this for people who enjoy dark, malty beers or anyone with an adventurous palette.

Lindeman's Peche Lambic

As you are probably figuring out, I simply love Belgian beers--they're phenomenal. I am obsessed with Belgian white ales, but Belgium is also credited with creating a unique style of ale--the lambic. Lambics are a rare and sweet style of beer that is only brewed in Brussels and the Pajottenland region of Belgium. They are unique not only because of the limited locales that produce them, but also because they are brewed using spontaneous fermentation. Lambics are made with unmalted wheat, wild yeast from the Senne valley and barley. After spontaneous fermentation from the addition of the live yeast, pieces of fruit are added, creating a secondary fermentation. (Information taken from Lindeman's bottle label)

Lindeman's Peche Lambic

Appearance: Golden, deep honey color with minute white head

Aroma: incredibly sweet peach aroma, strong peach candy scent with light hints of yeast

Taste: syrupy, very sweet peach flavor with mild carbonation and a dry finish

Alcohol: between 3.0 and 4.0%

If I had to write a review of this lambic in one word it would be-- "Sweet!" and I mean that in the traditional interpretation of the word. My friend Bonnie and I decided to branch out a bit and try something out of the normal range of our tastebuds, so this was a fun experiment. In my opinion, lambics are great for a tasting, but finishing more than a sip was tough for me, because it was almost like drinking a peach soda--a little too sweet. I would definitely recommend the lambics to people who like fruity beers or don't like hop flavor whatsoever. I can appreciate the lambics for what they are to the Belgian beer world, but I will stick with my Belgian whites, thank you.