The Beereau

One man's exploration into the world of beer.

[thebeereau-blog]

YoB 2: Dogfish Head Festina Peche

I have a love-hate relationship with Dogfish Head.  Because they're one of those craft breweries that are incredibly easy to find in the Northeast, I've had my fair share of their brews while I started to get into beer.  Once I figured out what general flavors and styles I like and don't like, I found myself underwhelmed by DH's, shall we say, creative use of non-traditional flavors.  Not that you can't make a beer with raisins in it, for example, I just felt that they tended to miss the mark a lot more than they hit.

Because of this, I was a bit hesitant with the Festina Peche, DH's take on a Berliner Weissbier.  I expected an overabundance of peach, plus something else, maybe an aftertaste of beef jerky, or undertones of Pepto.  Who knows.  However, I was pleasantly surprised.  It is quite peachy, and surprisingly tart, but it works very well.  To be honest it doesn't taste all that "beery," since the overwhelming flavors are sour, tart, and peachy.  Because of that, I'd recommend it to both beer and non-beer drinkers alike.  While I don't see myself reaching for Dogfish Heads on a regular basis nowadays, I'd certainly make an exception for this one.

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YoB 1: Victory Prima Pils

Here we go.  Year of Beer entry #1, Victory's Prima Pils out of Downington, PA.  I've had a couple of Victory's offerings before, both the Whirlwind Witbier and the Sunrise Weissbier are tasty, but this is about branching out.

As the label suggests, this beer is all about that hops.  There aren't any undertones of fruits or bizarre spices (not that those are bad), this is nothing more, and nothing less, than a German Pilsner, letting the hops shine through as the dominant flavor of the beer, though it's far from bitter.  It's very drinkable, light and refreshing, and if you're interested in trying a Pilsner, it's a gold standard.  Apparently PA can do German beers as well as the rest.

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Willkommen!

Welcome to The Beereau, where I will document my investigation and exploration of the world of beer.  Having pretty much exclusively enjoyed wheat beers for most of my adult life, besides your standard macrobrews.

The project I'm undertaking is what I'm dubbing The Year of Beer, where I will try at least 1 new beer a week, and share my thoughts.  These will run the gamut in styles, from wheat beers I haven't had yet to IPAs to stouts to pilsners to various types of ales and lagers.  I'm open to suggestions, though I'm limited to what's available in Northeast USA.