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February 18, 2012

Newcastle Founder’s Ale: Sweet, Agreeable Pale Ale

by bryancarey — Categories: Beer Reviews, Imports — Tags: ale, Newcastle — No Comments

Newcastle made a name for itself a long time ago when it introduced Newcastle Brown Ale to the world. Newcastle Brown isn’t the greatest brown ale, but it is still good and it is probably the most recognized name in its class. Today, Newcastle has branched out beyond the brown with four limited edition products. The latest one is Newcastle Founder’s Ale, a beer named in honor of the five founding breweries of Newcastle.

Beer Bio:

Style: English Pale Ale

Calories: 144 per 12 oz. serving

Carbs: Unknown

Alcohol Content: 4.8 percent by volume

Looking at the basics, Newcastle Founder’s Ale pours to an amber/orange hue with a nose that combines biscuits, bread, a small amount of fruit, and a touch of peat. The body of the beer is completely clear and well- filtered and the foam level, while less than impressive, does maintain a thin layer as you consume. The flavor profile is pleasant, with tastes such as caramel, toffee, bread, and sweet malts. There is a toasted/roasted dimension to the malty component and the flavor offers a small amount of herbs and even a hint of pear.

Newcastle Founder’s Ale is a pale ale by name, but it is brewed in the British tradition of a pale ale so it is quite different from the pale ales that American craft breweries have produced over the years. The flavor profile with Newcastle Founder’s Ale leans toward the sweet side with a touch of dryness in the end and with a lower bitterness rating than most examples of the pale ale style. Looking at the official numbers, this ale has a bitterness rating of just 20 IBU. This is not only less bitter than the typical pale ale, it is also less bitter than most other beers in the market.

Newcastle Founder’s Ale is a little light on taste and doesn’t offer the full body common to many of the great English Pale Ale. This fact could win the product some fans, but also some criticism. The lighter body and easy- drinking style will be just fine with casual beer drinkers who want something smoother and less pronounced. But beer connoisseurs are likely to take issue with the lighter body and taste. I find the flavor profile intriguing due to the complex tastes of toffee, barley, fruit, caramel, and herbs, but I am also a little disappointed that the body is this light. In other words, I like what I taste, but I wish there was more of it.

Newcastle Founder’s Ale is one of four of Newcastle’s limited release products and, like the others, it is going to be available in the United States for only a set number of months each year. It will be sold in six packs and twelve pack from February, 2012 through April, 2012 to be followed by the other products in Newcastle’s limited edition series: Newcastle Summer Ale, Newcastle Werewolf, and Newcastle Winter Ale.

Newcastle’s iconic Brown Ale is known the world over, but Newcastle Founder’s Ale will likely never grow to enjoy such a high level of name recognition due to its limited release status. Even if it was a year- round brew, I am not sure it would catch on with all beer fans for the reason cited above. Still, in spite of its flaws, it is still a good session beer and a nice, easy- drinking example of an English pale ale. It’s not the type of beer that will blow you away with its greatness, but it still has enough of the good qualities I expect in a beer to make it deserving of a try.

Rating: 6 cheers out of 10

February 11, 2012

Modelo Especial Looks to Gain Even More in 2012

by bryancarey — Categories: About Beer, Breweries, Imports, Macrobreweries — Tags: Anheuser- Busch InBev, beer, import, lager, mexico, Modelo Especial — No Comments

2011 wasn’t the best year for the beer industry. Overall sales were down slightly, forcing breweries everywhere to initiate cost- cutting measures, look for ways to revive brands, and attempt to regain market share. Craft brewing operation fared the best in the past year, while many of the big breweries barely held their own.

But there are a few silver linings among big brewers and one of them is Modelo Especial. First brewed in 1925, Modelo Especial is one of the largest imported beers in the United States. It is the fastest growing brand within the Crown Imports portfolio by overall volume and continues to outperform the industry. Here are some facts from the past year:

Modelo Especial surpassed 35 million annual case depletions and set annual depletions record for the 20th straight year (Source: Crown Internal Depletions).
Modelo Especial solidified its position as the number three bestselling import beer brand, while establishing itself as the 14th largest beer brand in SIG rankings.
By June of 2012, Modelo Especial and Negra Modelo Draft will expand to 14 new states (from 27 to 41).
Modelo Especial gained more dollar share than any other brand in 2011 (Source: S-IRI)
Depletion trends of +13.7% vs. prior year outperformed the industry by approximately 16% and other imports by approximately 15% according to Beer Institute and Crown internal depletions data
Finished 2011 ranked #3 Import and surpassed Bud Light Lime to become the #14 overall beer brand in 2011.

With numbers like these, Modelo Especial is on its way to becoming a top ten beer in the United States. Craft beer lovers are often divided on Modelo Especial, but most agree that it is better than the average south- of- the border brew and its growing popularity shows that the beer does have an appeal that attracts beer drinkers from all categories.

2011 may be a year to forget for many of the big brewers, but the future looks bright for Modelo Especial. It easily outperformed the other big guys like Anheuser- Busch Inbev and Miller and with interstate expansion planned for 2012, it will likely prove to be the best year yet for this popular Mexican import.

September 15, 2011

Amstel Wheat Bier Ready to Launch

by bryancarey — Categories: Beer Media, Imports, Macrobreweries — Tags: Amstek, beer, bier, Heineken, light, wheat — No Comments

Amstel, a Dutch brand sold under the Heineken umbrella, has announced a new beer. The product is Amstel Wheat Bier and it is going to be offered first in upscale taverns and pubs in seven U.S. cities: New York, Boston, Providence, Atlanta, Minneapolis, Chicago, and San Francisco. Distribution across the United States is planned for later this year.

According to Amstel, this new wheat bier is an authentic European wheat beer brewed according to Amstel’s strict craftsmanship. Amstel Wheat will offer a deep golden hue with hints of orange and amber. The aroma will emphasize floral notes, fruit, and bread while the taste will be slightly fruity with delicate hops. The flavour will lean toward the sweet side and will likely be smooth and drinkable.

Samples of Amstel Wheat will be provided at consumer sampling events with the beer served in authentic European wheat bier glassware. This type of glass is tall and includes a wider rim. It is intended to highlight the taste and appearance of wheat beer and it should help to showcase the product’s look and aroma.

Amstel hasn’t introduced a new product in more than ten years so the addition of Amstel Wheat to the lineup is certainly welcome news. However, when I imagine what this new beer will be like, I can’t help but display my skeptical side. After all, Amstel products are not known for their memorable taste and do not come even close to the flavor and complexity exhibited by a fine craft brew. Amstel Light, the company’s best selling brand, is very weak and watery and my concern is that Amstel Wheat will be nothing more than a wheat- enhanced clone of the company’s flagship product.

I won’t know for sure whether Amstel Wheat will prove itself worthy until the product gains national distribution so I will save any official criticism until then. Who knows- it might turn out to be a worthwhile brew with a taste and quality on the level of Amstel Gold or Amstel 1870 (two of the better Amstel products, although both are far from stellar). It could be one of the better products in the Amstel family and a beer for the ages. It could surpass Amstel Light and even other American and German wheat beers in overall quality and taste. It could win national awards and take home dozens of medals to its parent Heineken.

It could do any number of great things, but I wouldn’t bet on any of them.