Trader Joe's: Vienna Style Lager

Right now you may be reading this blog because you're at home out of a job. Or you might be scanning the Internet afraid to check the balance on your 401k. Or you may just be simply trying to forget about those student loans you have to pay off. Hopefully not; but it's a decent possibility. Well, what does this have to with beer? Not a whole lot. But many beer lovers out there are trying to find ways to pinch pennies and cut out luxuries in this terrible economy without giving up on tasty suds.

There are a ton of ways to save cash without giving up on beer altogether. You can (1) stumble around for happy hour specials instead of paying full prices (2) drink beer at home instead of shelling out higher tabs at restaurants and bars (3) buy brew in bulk (4) search the liquor stores for sales (5) purchase macro brews instead of craft brew (6) and a variety of other creative solutions. As you can tell from this blog, I try to hunt down tasty beer and drink it. So I'll always advocate from staying away from the swill. That being said it's tough to find good beer at decent prices.

As mentioned in my last Trader Joe's post, some store chains are contracting out to breweries to create their own brand of beer to be sold in house for low prices. At TJ's you can still get six packs of 'Trader Joe's Brewing Co' beer for $5.29 per six pack. This price is about the same amount you have to pay for any single beer at a bar. It's a deal that just cannot be turned down. Last year I tried Trade Joe's Hofbrau bock and was satisfied but not super impressed. This year I gave their 'Vienna Style Lager' a go.

This beer is dubbed by the label as 'smooth amber lager' and it fits the bill. This lager pours a clear amber and goes down easy. Despite its light mouthfeel there is a slit citrus hop flavor and a slight alcohol taste. This was a little surprising as normally amber lagers have light malt flavors. I actually thought the hops and alcohol came through a little more in the beer. The label also proclaims a brewing process with dark and caramelized malts and you can catch a touch of these malted barley flavors on a big gulp. I'm generally a fan of amber lagers and this is an easy to drink brew. Well worth the 5+ greenbacks for a sixer and a good example of the style. I recommend it, regardless of your financial situation. Cheers.

Flying Dog Brewery: Old Scratch Amber Lager

I hope you all enjoyed the flurry of posts. I too am entering beer hibernation until the end of May. I'm not looking forward to it.

As a result, I made the effort to clean out and imbibe all the beer from my fridge this weekend in preparation for the dry season. I was careful to save one bottle of Flying Dog's Old Scratch so I could give it a proper review. Here goes:

I picked up a sixer of this amber lager simply because of Flying Dog's ground level marketing campaign and customer service. Most of the readers know by now how this brewery contacted Hofer and sent him some microbrews to review. I was impressed by this move. I had only previously tried Flying Dog's version of the pale ale. So wanting to see more of what this brewery was about, I went out searching for their other beers. After a quick shopping scan, I found Flying Dog's amber lager in most local markets. So to make a bad pun, if Flying Dog is going to scratch our back I'll give Old Scratch a try.

And I'm glad I did. This beer is exceptional. I love how this amber lager almost tastes like an amber ale. Most American lagers are weak and lack any powerful flavors. This beer has great caramel malt flavors and a hop bitterness aftertaste reminding me of stronger styles. But since it is a lager the beer is still very drinkable. I could easily corner myself with an entire six pack if in the mood for a day of heavy consumption. So I guess I'm OK with the fact that this will be the last brew that touches my lips for over a month. Cheers.

Yuengling: Lager

Having lived in Philadelphia for a year and a half now, it's about time I blogged Philadelphia's signature beer (though it's actually brewed in Pottsville, which is a little ways away). May I present Yeungling Lager.

Before there was Bud, before there was Coors, hell, before there was most of the Untied States, there was Yuengling. The Yuengling brewery was opened in 1829 and has been in continuous operation ever since. It survived during prohibition by brewing "near beer," which has an ABV under 1%. The day Prohibition was officially repealed, a truckload of the original full-strength stuff arrived at FDR's White House, a somewhat dubious feat since Yeungling takes at least three weeks to brew and age.

Those of us that came of age in most of the U.S., and certainly on the West Coast, are used to dividing domestic breweries into two categories: more exepensive craft brews and cheap megabrewed American-style lagers (the official name for the watery stuff that Coors, Anheuser-Busch, and Miller brew). But Yuengling defies these categories. Yuengling is cheap, retailing at the same price as megabrews, but it is a legitimate amber lager. It's not all that different from Sam Adams, but has a little bit lighter mouthfeel, which lends it a little bit more drinkability.

Yuengling's chief virtue is its versatility. It's served both at dive bars and fine restaurants. It shows up at college-style house parties, and white-tablecloth receptions. It's an acceptable beer to sip politely, guzzle shamelessly, and everything in between. It's definitely the "Philadelphia" to Boston's Sam Adams: It's cheaper, less well-known, and not as flashy. But I've grown to develop a real appreciation for the stuff.

So keep a lookout for Yuengling next time you're out to try something new. I guarantee you it won't set you back much, and you just might find you've found your new favorite standby.